Advertising
Digital ad firms were already bracing for sweeping consolidation, and now the coronavirus could accelerate that
Lauren Johnson, Business Insider Prime
With advertisers cutting budgets amid the coronavirus crisis, adtech companies already facing consolidation are losing money, and if they go under it could be beneficial to big tech companies.
Trump accused of using coronavirus briefing as corporate advertising spot
David Smith, The Guardian
Company leaders like Mike Lindell, the chief executive officer of MyPillow, gave speeches at a recent briefing, and Lindell, who previously spoke at Trump campaign rallies, referenced the date of Trump’s election as a God-given chance “to change the course we were on.”
Ad insiders from Burger King, Freshly, McCann, and Vita Coco say the coronavirus will radically change advertising, from elevating brand marketing to shrinking the holding companies
Tanya Dua et al., Business Insider Prime
The pandemic could speed up the shift to digital platforms and e-commerce as people get comfortable working and shopping at home, while slowing the growth of experiential marketing.
How FCB Is Working Remotely To Get Ads Out For Clients During The Pandemic
Lindsay Rittenhouse, Ad Age
The Interpublic Group of Companies agency recently launched a proprietary content management system that uses artificial intelligence to capture, store and share assets across multiple channels, which helped turn around an ad for Cottonelle in just a few days.
Consumers don’t believe use of personal data leads to more relevant ads, report finds
Michael Heusner, Campaign
A new report from GroupM found 61 percent of consumers are less likely to use a product if it sacrifices their personal data privacy, and 56 percent wish they had more control over their data.
Havas New York Makes Wellness Part of the Work-From-Home Routine
Erik Oster, Adweek
The agency is curating a series of programming to keep creatives productive while working from home, including meditation and yoga classes made widely available via Instagram Live.
Media and Entertainment
Publishers May Lower Their Standards on Ad Quality in Search of Revenue
Andrew Blustein, Adweek
Many media companies made a similar decision during the 2008 financial crisis when they were struggling for revenue, which led to a flood of ads from lower quality advertisers.
Major League Soccer Kicks Off MLS Unites Campaign
David Cohen, Adweek
One video in the league’s campaign features clips of players and coaches, and another honors medical professionals.
Coronavirus presents existential threat for news media
Sara Fischer et al., Axios
Gannett Co., Maven Media Brands, Walt Disney Co., BuzzFeed Inc., Vice Media Inc. and Group Nine Media Inc. have all announced furloughs, lay offs, pay cuts and other cost saving measures since the coronavirus hit the United States.
Social Media and Technology
Developers Can Begin Integrating Snapchat Stories Into Their Apps
David Cohen, Adweek
Snap Inc. said its App Stories feature will let developers leverage and Snapchat community to drive engagement and let users share their Stories on other platforms.
Facebook Strikes Deal for AR Displays, Squeezing Out Apple
Alex Heath et al., The Information
Facebook Inc. struck a deal with British electronics company Plessey Company PLC to buy all of its augmented reality displays after Apple Inc. already explored buying Plessey.
New York Attorney General Looks Into Zoom’s Privacy Practices
Danny Hakim et al., The New York Times
New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to the videoconferencing company asking if it had added any new security measures to protect its increasing users from hackers.
TikTok’s Wild Growth Story Is All ‘True,’ According To Mobile Measurement Firm’s New Traffic Report
Garett Sloane, Ad Age
Mobile advertising measurement and analytics platform Kochava included TikTok in its Traffic Index report, which ranks the top 20 ad networks for their quality, a move that could signal the Chinese-based app is looking to prove its trustworthiness to advertisers in the United States.
Facebook Rolls Out Experiments to Simplify the Campaign Testing Process for Marketers
David Cohen, Adweek
The “Experiments” tool combines aspects of the tools previously referred to as “Test and Learn” and “Split Testing” to give advertisers a platform to A/B test campaigns and measure performance.
Forget Zoom—children are using Facebook Messenger Kids to deal with coronavirus isolation
Tanya Basu, MIT Technology Review
Facebook was criticized for trying to lure in children as future customers when it launched its Messenger Kids platform in 2017, but now it provides an opportunity for the younger demographic to stay in touch with friends and family during social distancing.
Meet the Museum Security Guard Who’s Now an Internet Sensation
Kelly Crow, The Wall Street Journal
Tim Tiller, a security guard at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, has been managing the museum’s social-media accounts amid its coronavirus shutdown, and sparked a 2,637 percent increase in Twitter followers in two weeks.
PR and Marketing
Loss of Live Sports Changes ESPN’s Marketing Plans
Sahil Patel, The Wall Street Journal
ESPN launched two campaigns that will run through May, one featuring on-air talent encouraging social distancing and one highlighting uplifting moments in sports history.
Amazon fires warehouse worker who led Staten Island strike for more coronavirus protection
Annie Palmer, CNBC
Chris Smalls, the Staten Island warehouse worker who organized a strike, was fired for violating social distancing guidelines, the company said.
Burger King’s parent is giving cash advances and rent deferrals to franchisees
Amelia Lucas, CNBC
Restaurant Brands International Inc. will offer rent deferrals to its 3,700 franchises in Canada and the United States, and North American locations will receive about $70 million in cash advances and rebates.
Airbnb Will Give $250 Million to Hosts Who Lost Income to Virus
Eric Newcomer, Bloomberg
After facing criticism from guests and hosts over its refund policy during the coronavirus, the company said it would give $250 millions to hosts who faced virus-related cancellations.
The Frito-Lay Snack Society Is an Invite-Only Fan Club for Chip Lovers
Richard Collings, Adweek
Frito-Lay Inc. tapped tech firm Zyper to round up 150 fans of the brand, then narrowed the list down to 22 people who were invited to join its exclusive fanclub.
Williams-Sonoma Agrees To Pay $1M For False ‘Made In USA’ Claims
Adrianne Pasquarelli, Ad Age
The home goods retailer settled with the Federal Trade Commission after several complaints were filed against the company in 2018 and 2019.
Subway apologizes after a location advertised free medical masks for customers who bought 2 sandwiches
Kate Taylor, Business Insider
Subway Restaurants Inc. issued an apology on Twitter after one of its franchises promoted a deal offering a free medical mask to customers who purchase two sandwiches.
Amazon auditions to be ‘the new Red Cross’ in Covid-19 crisis
Dave Lee et al., Financial Times
Despite facing some criticism throughout the pandemic, Amazon could also generate admiration as it delivers essential goods to people stuck at home.
Ryan Reynolds Left Voicemails for Mint Mobile Subscribers
Kathryn Lundstrom, Adweek
Reynolds, who owns the cell carrier, left voicemails for subscribers announcing the company’s new unlimited data plan to help people during the coronavirus crisis.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
The Trade Desk CEP Jeff Green On Google, Netflix And The Death Of Linear TV
George P. Slefo, Ad Age
Before the coronavirus crisis, Green predicted Super Bowl ads for connected TV will soon cost more than linear TV ads, and that Netflix Inc. will soon open its platform up to advertising.
An influencer-marketing exec outlines 7 key takeaways for brands that want to run sponsored posts during a crisis without appearing insensitive
Dan Whateley, Business Insider Prime
Daniel Schotland, chief operating officer of influencer-marketing agency Linqia, shared advice for brands working with influencers during the pandemic, such as avoiding mentioning the virus by name.
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