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How Brands Around the Globe Are Commemorating Earth Day Diana Pearl, Adweek
Apple, The New York Times and more are honoring Mother Earth.
Apartments.com Launches $100M Effort Tanya Gazdik, MediaPost
Apartments.com will spend more than $100 million this year across both traditional and digital marketing, according to the apartment listing site.
Audi Teams With Marvel Studios For ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Tanya Gazdik, MediaPost
Captain Marvel is back to help the Avengers battle for the fate of the universe. But first, she’s got to get debriefed in what she missed, from fads to food to tech, including the fully electric Audi e-tron SUV.
Media and Entertainment
Abigail Disney Calls Bob Iger’s $65 Million Compensation ‘Insane’ Meredith Woerner, Variety
Disney chairman-CEO Bob Iger’s total compensation for Disney’s fiscal 2018 was a whopping $65.6 million. Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of Disney co-founder Roy Disney, calls that sum “insane.”
Beyonce’s Netflix Deal Worth a Whopping $60 Million Shirley Halperin and Jem Aswad, Variety
The streaming giant has committed to three projects by the performer, say sources.
British Vogue Partnered With L’Oreal and McCann to Publish an 80-Page ‘Non-Issue’ on Aging Sara Jerde, Adweek
Readers of the May edition of British Vogue might have been surprised to find another issue tucked inside.
In pivoting to paid, publishers run into tech headaches Max Willens, Digiday
For years, publishers cobbled different tools and services together into a stack that would help them scale their audiences — and make money from advertising — as much as possible.
Social Media and Technology
Tesla gears up for fully self-driving cars amid skepticism Michael Liedtke and Tom Krisher, The Associated Press
Tesla CEO Elon Musk appears poised to transform the company’s electric cars into driverless vehicles in a risky bid to realize a bold vision that he has been floating for years.
Free Speech Puts U.S. on ‘a Collision Course’ With Global Limits on Big Tech Cecilia Kang, The New York Times
When Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook called for regulating harmful internet content in an opinion column last month, Republicans in Washington expressed outrage that he was calling on the government to regulate speech.
Uber, Lyft IPOs May Lead to Higher Fares Eliot Brown, The Wall Street Journal
Going public brings pressure to generate profits. ‘These companies have more pricing power than people think.’
PR and Marketing
America’s Biggest Supermarket Company Struggles with Online Grocery Upheaval Heather Haddon, The Wall Street Journal
Kroger adjusts operations and invests in technology to hang on to customers who avoid stores; ‘we’ve got to get our butts in gear.’
Mom jeans made women love denim again Abha Bhattarai, The Washington Post
American women are buying more jeans — skinny jeans, “mom jeans” and especially discounted jeans — as retailers stock new cuts, colors and styles.
WeWork is replacing its chief operating officer to focus more on overseas growth Theodore Schleifer, Recode
A lot is riding on a new London-based COO to help justify the company’s $45 billion valuation.
Silicon Valley Has Invented Shoes Amanda Mull, The Atlantic
Start-ups like Allbirds and Rothy’s are beating fashion at its own game.
Elizabeth Warren Wants to Make It Easier to Prosecute Executives Peter J. Henning, The New York Times
Prosecutions of finance executives related to the 2008 financial crisis were few and far between — and that has remained a persistent complaint about the government’s response to the meltdown.
Target caters to shoppers looking for ‘clean’ products with new brand Lauren Thomas, CNBC
Target is launching a household essentials brand called Everspring for items like laundry detergent, dish soap and paper towels.
Amazon is pulling the plug on hybrid selling Hilary Milnes, Digiday
Amazon is reorienting its retail strategy, and sellers are starting to feel the effects.
What the future holds for Taco Bell after ex-CEO Brian Niccol defected to Chipotle Dymond Green and Darren Geeter, CNBC
With more than 6,500 locations across the country, Taco Bell is one of the top fast-food chains in the U.S. A recent Harris Poll anointed it “America’s favorite Mexican restaurant.”
Amazon is now making its delivery drivers take selfies Shannon Liao, The Verge
Amazon is now making its delivery drivers take selfies, it confirmed to The Verge, in a bid to reduce fraud. Using facial recognition, the company will verify drivers’ identities to make sure they are who they say they are.
The Airbnb Invasion of Barcelona Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker
In the tourist-clogged city, some locals see the service as a pestilence.
Clorox and Unilever Want the Booming Bacteria Business to Thrive Caroline Winter, Bloomberg Businessweek
Companies that spent decades building germ-fighting brands are now pouring millions into probiotics and beauty to fight everything from acne to cancer.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Look What the Streaming TV Revolution Did to Your Cable Box David Pierce, The Wall Street Journal
By adopting voice search, mobile apps, even a new kind of TV guide, cable companies are finding ways to compete with their internet-based adversaries.
In defense of Big Business, a scapegoat of our polarized age Roger Lowenstein, The Washington Post
In opinion surveys, Big Business ranks lower than the presidency or the medical system. It is trusted less than labor unions or (egads) newspapers.
What it’s like to be a female founder in the Instagram era Carrie Battan, Fast Company
Entrepreneurial women are finding that they have unprecedented influence—whether or not they want it.
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