Top Stories

  • YouTube is launching 15-second audio ads to target users who listen to music or podcasts in the background, a move that the platform expects will increase ad revenue generated from music, and one that puts YouTube in competition with Spotify Technology SA’s audio-only ad business. YouTube is also allowing ad buyers to target across dynamic music lineups such as the Top 100 charts of different genres, or by mood or interest such as fitness playlists. (Variety)
  • Target Corp. reported a 20.7 percent year-over-year increase in comparable sales, which includes e-commerce, for its third quarter, indicating that even though pandemic-driven sales are slowing compared to the summer, consumers are still shopping heading into the holiday season. Target’s profits and gross margins beat expectations, and foot traffic increased in the three months ended Oct. 31, unlike at Walmart Inc. and Home Depot Inc., which reported fewer in-store visits. (Bloomberg)
  • Twitter rolled out a disappearing tweets feature called Fleets globally, following tests in markets such as Brazil and India, and is also testing a new feature called Audio Spaces. Fleets disappear after 24 hours and can include text, tweets, reactions to tweets, photos and videos, while Audio Spaces will allow users to engage in conversations using voice on the platform. (Adweek)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

11/18/2020
Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit
Adweek’s Brandweek: Sports Marketing Summit and Upfronts
Bloomberg New Economy Forum
11/19/2020
eMarketer Tech-Talk Webinar: The Secrets to Structuring Your Total Event Program for 2021 2:00 pm
Bloomberg New Economy Forum
View full calendar

Special Report: The State of the 2020 Holiday Shopper

A new Morning Consult report brings together our latest data and research into how consumer spending and shopping needs and habits are changing this holiday season, and what brands can do to navigate this landscape as it evolves.

Download the report.

Advertising

Lagunitas Appoints Canvas Worldwide as US Media Agency of Record
Erik Oster, Adweek

Pioneering California brewery Lagunitas Brewing Company has appointed Canvas Worldwide as its U.S. media agency of record, following a review conducted internally by Lagunitas.

Sam’s Club Launches Agency Review After Incumbent Mono Heads Back To Target
Jack Neff, Ad Age

Walmart sibling has raised its sales results and creative profile, but now needs a new agency

Twitch Begins Beta-Testing Multiplayer Ads
David Cohen, Adweek

Livestream viewers see the same ad and vote in related polls.

What Makes An Ad Iconic?
I-Hsien Sherwood, Ad Age

Narratives and emotions play a role in making classic spots like “1984” and “Daisy” linger longer in the cultural consciousness.

Super Bowl LV Ad Tracker: All About the 2021 Commercials
Paul Hiebert and Tiffany Moustakas, Adweek

A frequently updated roster of advertisers getting into the Big Game.

Media and Entertainment

Conan O’Brien leaving TBS late-night show for new HBO Max variety series
Daniel Arkin, NBC News

“Conan,” the TBS late-night show that O’Brien has hosted for 10 years, will go off the air in June, and the comedian will move to the streaming service HBO Max, where he will anchor an untitled weekly variety series.

Instagram cautiously considers paying publishers
Sara Fischer, Axios

The company is still mulling a plan to create a revenue share program with publishers for IGTV ads, but it’s moving slower than initially anticipated.

‘An aggressive strategy’: Verizon Media Group keeps pouring resources into commerce
Max Willens, Digiday

While growth has been from a small base, Verizon Media Group’s commerce revenues are up more than 250% year over year through November, said Joanna Lambert, Verizon Media Group’s head of consumer revenue, though she would not provide hard numbers.

Social Media and Technology

Brands Have Fun With ‘This Claim Is Disputed’ Twitter Meme
Ilyse Liffreing, Ad Age

The labels Twitter uses on Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud are now appearing in memes, and brands like Oreo and Burger King are adding their own flavors.

Facebook’s Messenger Kids app redesigned to look more like Messenger
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

Facebook  is rolling out an updated version of its Messenger Kids app with the goal of making it easier for kids to interact with their friends and family, navigate the app and personalize their experience with features like custom chat bubble colors.

Zuckerberg, Dorsey Tout Progress in Combating Political Misinformation
John D. McKinnon and Ryan Tracy, The Wall Street Journal

Senators warn Facebook, Twitter CEOs about tougher regulation of social media.

PR and Marketing

Lowe’s shares tumble as earnings fall short, despite robust sales gains
Lauren Thomas, CNBC

Lowe’s reports third-quarter same-store sales growth of more than 30%, including a doubling of online sales.

Kohl’s Says Sales Decline Easing After Back-to-School Hit
Jordyn Holman and Kim Bhasin, Bloomberg

Management plans to sell more “active and casual” clothes like gym clothes and loungewear, and increase the segment from to more than 30% of the business, up from 20%, to capitalize on apparel trends during the Covid-19 pandemic.

M&M Maker Mars Agrees to Purchase Owner of Kind Snack Bars
Jonathan Roeder and Carolina Gonzalez, Bloomberg

Kind will become “a distinct and separate business within the Mars family of companies,” Mars said in a statement Tuesday. The companies had already partnered in an effort to expand Kind products into international markets.

How the pandemic could change Thanksgiving
Terry Nguyen, Vox

From outdoor picnics to roommate Friendsgivings, people are finding creative ways to celebrate the holiday.

Retailers tap mall owner Simon to help make returning online purchases easier
Lauren Thomas, CNBC

Mall owner Simon Property Group is working with the returns technology platform Narvar to accept customers’ returns from brands like Levi’s and Gap at the concierge desks at some of its malls.

The impossible task of accurately predicting the 2020 holiday shopping season
Marc Bain, Quartz

The last two months of the year are always critical for US retailers. Because of Covid-19, however, it’s shaping up to be a holiday season like no other, and nobody knows exactly what to expect.

Virus Shatters Retail Holiday Hopes, Could Lead to More Bankruptcies
Katherine Doherty and Josh Saul, Bloomberg

A spike in coronavirus infections through the U.S. holiday shopping season could trigger more bankruptcies from retailers, even after the biggest surge in Chapter 11 filings on record this year.

Retailers Brace for Hefty Holiday Returns of Oversize Goods
Jennifer Smith, The Wall Street Journal

Growing purchases of furniture, appliances and other bulky items are expected to add a new dimension to the annual ritual of returning unwanted holiday purchases.

New Report Reveals Huge Gap In Diverse CMO Hires
E.J. Schultz, Ad Age

Only 12% of top marketing positions are held by people of color, according to ANA study.

SoulCycle’s top instructors had sex with clients, ‘fat-shamed’ coworkers, and used homophobic and racist language, but the company treated them like Hollywood stars anyway, insiders say
Katie Warren, Business Insider Premium

Numerous people said SoulCycle didn’t discipline or fire misbehaving instructors because they were moneymakers, and instead lavished them with perks like Soho House memberships and, in one case, a loaner Mercedes-Benz.

FAA clears Boeing 737 Max to fly again after 20-month grounding spurred by deadly crashes
Leslie Josephs, CNBC

The planes have been grounded since March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people. The incidents prompted harsh criticism of Boeing from lawmakers and safety experts over the planes’ design.

How Lululemon Is Using Mirror To Train For The Future
Adrianne Pasquarelli, Ad Age

The fitness apparel company is moving ahead with a new brand positioning.

Frito-Lay Rolls Out Snack-Themed Ugly Sweaters
Emmy Liederman, Adweek

The company is also selling branded onesies, scarves, pom-pom hats and fuzzy socks.

How Do You Have a Ski Season in a Pandemic?
Tim Neville, The New York Times

From how we ride the lifts to where we sleep and what we eat, ski areas are taking steps to minimize crowding and to curb opportunities for the virus to spread.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

How brands should use Fleets
Diana Bradley, PRWeek

Twitter’s Stacy Minero shares tips on the platform’s new function.

Online grocery sales will increase by nearly 53% this year
Rimma Kats, eMarketer

By 2023, online grocery sales will reach $129.72 billion and will account for nearly 10% of total grocery sales.

Morning Consult