Advertising news

• Google.org to Donate Over $1.2 Million to LGBTQ+ Organizations Worldwide

  15-06-2020 23:45 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Google.org, the charitable arm of Google, will donate over $1.2 million to more than 70 local LGBTQ+ organizations worldwide, several of which are based where Google has offices. Google.org program manager Maab Ibrahim said in a blog post, "LGBTQ+ organizations around the world extend critical services to their communities every day. I've seen this firsthand...
  
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• Instagram Outlines Steps to Ensure That Black Voices Are Represented on Its Platform

  15-06-2020 23:05 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri addressed concerns that Black voices were being suppressed on its platform and outlined plans to take a closer look at how its products impact communities differently. Mosseri said in a blog post that areas of focus will be harassment, account verification, distribution and algorithmic bias. He said the starting point...
  
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• Who Should Lead Discussions on Racial Justice, Diversity and Inclusion?

  15-06-2020 22:47 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Amid million-dollar commitments to racial justice and diversity hire initiatives, agencies have been hosting and participating in panels to address racism. While some of these discussions have been fronted by Black and non-Black people of color, some have not, causing controversy within the business world of who can--or should--have a voice in these panels. One...
  
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• Xbox's Adaptive Controller and its standout marketing are a beacon for socially-conscious brands

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller for the Xbox allowed approximately 33 million gamers with limited mobility to compete on a level playing field for the first time, securing its second win—Best Work for Good. The product’s launch attracted support from players, fans and celebrities after it was featured in Microsoft’s emotive 2019 Super Bowl commercial via McCann that depicted children with disabilities using the product. The campaign resulted in a 77 percent increase in co
  
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• Wendy's brought its attack on frozen beef into the world of Fortnite

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  When the hit video game Fortnite introduced a new mode called Food Fight, the brand spotted an authentic way to insert Wendy’s into the game’s story. Having noticed that the game’s restaurant, Durr Burger, stored its beef in freezers, agency VMLY&R used it as a vehicle to tout Wendy’s brand message that it never serves frozen burgers. The company sent a digital avatar, looking like Wendy’s own mascot, into Food Fight and destroyed in-game freezers while streamin
  
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• UNICEF's Angus Ingham's global brand strategy for UNICEF included a backpack graveyard, Netflix show

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Angus Ingham left advertising in Sydney in 2014 to join UNICEF headquarters in New York as the first hire of the new brand section. Since then, it has grown into a department that operates under a global brand strategy, co-authored by Ingham, and creates content used in 190 countries around the world. A graveyard of UNICEF-blue backpacks dotted the North Lawn of the United Nations to symbolize the 3,758 children killed in conflict zones in a single year. Ingham produced an episode of Netflix&rsq
  
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• This sock company is changing the world, one pair at a time

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Who knew that socks could change the world? Bombas began with the premise of doing just that, after founders David Heath and Randy Goldberg discovered socks are the most-requested item at homeless shelters. So they founded the D-to-C sock company with a commitment to donating a pair for each sold. Though not a new premise (Tom’s is widely credited for the buy-one, donate-one idea), the company’s socially conscious efforts have extended to a PRIDE partnership with The Ally Coalition,
  
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• The New York Times' gripping 'Truth' campaign from Droga5 wins Ad Age's best of show honor

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Our jury bestowed 'Idea of the Year,' Ad Age's Creativity Awards best of show winner, on The New York Times' “The Truth Is Worth It,” by agency Droga5. Also decorated with Craft of the Year and Best ROI: Work That Works honors in the Business category, the campaign shed light on the depth of the publication's reporting, and for demonstrating why good journalism is worth paying for by putting viewers in the shoes of its reporters.
  
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• Popeyes' two-word tweet sent its new chicken sandwich sales soaring

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  “Y’all good?” GSD&M’s contribution to Popeyes’ winning chicken sandwich launch began with those words that set the internet on fire. The “Chicken Wars” began when in response to all the hype that Popeyes’ sammy was getting, competitor Chick-fil-A released a flaccid tweet proclaiming “Bun + Chicken + Pickles = Love.” Popeyes immediately shut that down with its two-word silver bullet. Also the “Tiny But Mighty” winner in o
  
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• Moving Picture Company created magnificent worlds in spots for Lego, John Lewis and More

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Moving Picture Company steered VFX on some of the year’s most visually ambitious spots, including Hennessy’s “Seven Worlds” from DDB Paris and directed by Ridley Scott, and BMW’s “Legend” from Goodby Silverstein & Partners and directed by Dante Ariola, a blockbuster introduction for the X7 that saw the car dodging past gargantuan beasts and larger-than-life characters. The company turned time back decades for John Lewis’ “The Boy and the
  
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• MIriam Raisner brought strategy smarts to Super Bowl advertising and big brand mashups

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Miriam Raisner came to advertising from the startup world, a product of WPP Group’s MBA fellowship, which put her through rotations at JWT and Ogilvy PR before she came to VML. She wrote the brief for Bumble’s first Super Bowl spot, which starred tennis great Serena Williams. Addressing gender norms, the commercial was executed by an entirely female-led team.
  
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• Jesse Brihn raises the bar on production in ads HBO, New York Times, Harley Davidson, Thorne

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Since Jesse Brihn joined Droga5 as executive producer in 2015, after previous stops at Wieden+Kennedy, BBDO and Cutwater, he’s risen the ranks to director of film and content production. He serves as a key leader in managing and evolving the company’s overall craft and content output, and whatever the genre or format, he’s helped to ensure the work lives up to a high creative bar and that the message has maximum impact—all while keeping budgets in check.
  
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• HBO made 'Game of Thrones' fans and brands express their devotion through blood, 'death,' and other drastic moves

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Others taking part included Shake Shack, which created a secret menu available only if ordered in Valyrian; the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, which became the Minnesota Direwolves; and Oreo, which changed the face of its cookies to House Sigils. The campaign garnered more than 6 million social media mentions and generated the equivalent of nearly $176 million in ad value. And it also paved the way for future spinoffs from the “GoT” franchise.
  
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• Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó conceive fantastic, fiery tales for A$AP Rocky, Madonna and More

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Though directors Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó each helm work independently, when they partner it results in trippy, fiery worlds. The pair were behind FKA Twiggs and A$AP Rocky’s “Fukk Sleep” video, which followed them on a raucous rampage through dystopian New York City. The pair was also behind the painterly, otherworldly clip for Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía’s video for "De Aquí No Sales.”
  
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• A tilted Heinz label and political joint papers are among the ideas led by Mike Dubrick and Joel Holtby

  15-06-2020 22:30
  
  Since joining Canadian agency Rethink in 2012, Mike Dubrick and Joel Holtby have been responsible for much of the shop’s most memorable work, and built out a client roster that includes Ikea, Coors, WestJet and Kraft Heinz.
  
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• This company made an indelible sonic imprint on advertising's sonic landscape in spots for P&G, Reebok and more

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  One of just a handful of female-led advertising sound and music companies, Barking Owl, founded by music production vet Kally Bayett, made an indelible sonic imprint on the advertising landscape in some of the year’s most impressive and important work. The company also steered audio post-production on Expensify’s first Super Bowl push, “Expen$ify This,” from now-shuttered JohnxHannes. The campaign included a spot and an “expensable” music video featuring 2Chai
  
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• The New York Times' campaign is a creative masterwork that moved business

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  The New York Times’ “The Truth Is Worth It” has already garnered accolades across the industry circuit, and last year was the first campaign to earn both the Film and Film Craft honor at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The campaign’s seamless, artful weaving of copy, sound and documentary footage and photos dramatically illustrates the painstaking and often dangerous path that Times journalists take to get to the truth, demonstrating the good report
  
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• 'Performance-obsessed' Charlotte Regan brings textured characters to spots, short films and music videos

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  Knucklehead director Charlotte Regan admits to being “performance-obsessed.” And it shows in the characters that come to life in her work, which includes the tale of a boy who endures the pain of his sick mother by imagining a day of wild, spirited adventure with her in Mumford & Sons’ music video for “Beloved”; the quick-fire storytelling in a Car for You spot that shows time passing and life changing as a young woman sits in the driver’s seat; and Stereo
  
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• Michael Piner's media smarts led to real results for Outback, Chipotle, Ulta and more

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  At Mediahub, Michael Piner, senior VP-video and data-driven investments, has streamlined the agency’s programmatic TV and video investment processes to improve targeting consistency. Buys for the Navy Federal Credit Union were coordinated across TV and digital to reach more active-duty military personnel and veterans. And a private marketplace was created for Discovery Networks’ fully automated TV planning and buying. Outback Steakhouse saw a 30 percent increase in restaurant visits
  
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• Global strategy leader Jonny Bauer has led Droga5 over 10+ years of success

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  Jonny Bauer founded the strategic vertical at Droga5, Ad Age’s Agency of the Decade, and has led strategy at the shop since then. He leads the teams behind the insights on lauded campaigns including HBO’s “For the Throne,” Nordstrom’s “An Open Mind Is the Best Look,” IHOP’s “IHOb” burger initiative and “The Truth Is Worth It” for The New York Times.
  
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• Colin Belmont embeds Wendy's into the sprawling pop-culture universe

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  Colin Belmont has leveraged his knowledge of pop culture and social media to bring some of Wendy’s most successful campaigns to life. He helped sell “Keeping Fortnite Fresh,” the in-game campaign against frozen beef that featured a digital Wendy’s avatar smashing meat lockers across the gaming world.
  
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• Christina Mallon channeled her own experience to found Wunderman Thompson’s Inclusive Experience Design practice

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  While working on beauty brands at Grey, Christina Mallon developed a rare form of ALS, which eventually paralyzed her hands and arms. The experience of becoming disabled made it clear to Mallon how disabled consumers are ignored by most marketers. She founded Wunderman Thompson’s Inclusive Experience Design practice, leading work including Tommy Hilfiger’s disability-friendly clothing line Tommy Adaptive. Mallon also leads digital marketing for Open Style Lab, a nonprofit that create
  
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• A two-word tweet from Popeyes set the internet on fire

  15-06-2020 22:24
  
  A two-word, unpaid tweet was all it took to send Popeyes into the social media stratosphere last year during the “Chicken Sandwich Wars.” When the brand launched its new chicken sandwich, it was the underdog in the category dominated by Chick-fil-A. The two brands traded barbs on social, then Chickfil-A fired off a tweet that seemed to mock Popeyes for jumping on the bandwagon: “Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the [heart emoji] for the original.” Popeyes responded with a pe
  
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• IBM Watson Advertising and Ad Council Will Use AI to Help Brands Do Social Good

  15-06-2020 22:20 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  During Adweek at Home, a weeklong virtual gathering of marketing and creativity's most influential voices that kicked off today and runs until Thursday, IBM Watson Advertising announced a new initiative that offers brands the power of data, insights and AI technology to help solve global challenges. Randi Stipes, CMO at IBM Watson Advertising, explained that...
  
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• Vita Coco Parent Company Aims to Bring Clean Fuel to Energy Drinks

  15-06-2020 22:15 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Energy drinks as a category are anything but lethargic these days. Led by Red Bull and Monster Energy, who together control over 75% of the market, U.S. sales of energy drinks hit $14.2 billion in 2019, up 41% compared to 2014, according to Euromonitor. The pandemic isn't slowing things down, either: Last month, Monster reported...
  
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• Harlow Monroe Is a Transgender Woman With an Unlikely Dream in Short Film for Diesel

  15-06-2020 22:08 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Fashion marketer Diesel has always urged its young fans to walk their own path, and that message continues in a new campaign debuting today for Pride Month. The music-driven short film, dubbed "Francesca," follows its central character's transition from male to female. And though there are plenty of clues and symbolism about where her journey...
  
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• 'The Truth Is Worth It' from The New York Times is a symphony of advertising craft

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  It was a tough competition in craft, marked by exquisite work across a range of product categories. Apple received double finalist nods for its in-camera masterpiece “Bounce” and the poignant animated tale “Share Your Gifts.” The myriad visual vagina metaphors of Libresse’s “Viva La Vulva" captivated the jury, as did the expert effects and comedic storytelling on the singing tchotchkes of Ikea’s “Silence the Critics,” while John Lewis&rs
  
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• Stephanie Nadi Olson's marketing talent platform reimagines the modern-day workforce

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  Stephanie Nadi Olson has reimagined the modern-day marketing workforce with We Are Rosie, a network of independent and freelance marketing experts available to work with brands and agencies on a project basis. At the time of submission, the platform was home to 2,200 consultants, and more than 20 Fortune 500 companies and five agency holding companies had bought in, leading to more than $4.5 million in revenue. But there’s heart behind the budding business. A working mom and daughter of a
  
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• Skittles stole the Super Bowl show with its irreverent Broadway musical

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  For its 2019 Super Bowl campaign, Skittles skipped the Big Game and made a full Broadway musical instead. In what was arguably the brand’s most daring stunt yet, the show, starring actor Michael C. Hall, managed to both satirize advertising (including with its lead song, “Advertising Ruins Everything,”) and make multiple, shameless Skittles plugs.
  
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• Popeyes resurrects a food-world controversy to introduce its chicken sandwich

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  Popeyes introduced its new chicken sandwich with an integrated campaign that spanned the entire media landscape. Two elements stood out, both of which the awards jury opted to honor as part of the Best Launch of the Year award. One came from GUT Miami. The agency dug into Popeyes’ history to resurface #Popeyesgate from 2017, when a Southern California restaurant secretly resold the fast-feeder’s chicken alongside waffles as its own menu item. Popeyes returned to the outlet, Sweet Dix
  
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• Microsoft Xbox's Adaptive Controller makes gaming truly accessible

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  The finalists in the Tech Innovation category spanned a broad range. They included Burger King’s mobile app that invited the fast feeder’s fans to “burn” the ad of its competitors to score free Whoppers, as well as an eye-opening digital tourism campaign that subverted a racist insult and transformed it into a positive message showcasing the wonders of Africa. But the jury gave the top honor to a product—the Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller. The company’s ne
  
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• Final Cut wove together award-winning tales for the New York Times, Squarespace and More

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  Final Cut editor Jim Helton was one of the unsung heroes of The New York Times’ celebrated “The Truth Is Worth It” campaign from Droga5. He led the campaign’s edit (with an assist from Betty Jo Moore), working alongside Furlined directors Martin + Lindsay and post-production talents Significant Others to achieve the gripping storytelling that illustrated reporters’ journeys from hunch to headlines. The company’s Jeff Buchanan and Chris Amos teamed with directo
  
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• Droga5's Lauren Ferreira conceived heavy-hitting campaigns for HBO, New York Times and more

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  Lauren Ferreira’s work for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spun the show’s immense popularity into innovative and immersive experiential campaigns. “Bleed for the Throne,” a partnership with the American Red Cross, boosted U.S. blood donations by 12 percent by letting fans pay for tickets to the show’s season premiere by donating blood. And HBO teamed up with Bud Light to kill off the Bud Knight during the Super Bowl in a surprise execution filled with ste
  
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• Diego Scotti gets—and demands—real results when it comes to inclusivity in the marketing industry

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  Diego Scotti is the creator of Adfellows, an eight-month marketing fellowship that rotates young multicultural and diverse talent through positions at Verizon and the agencies and brands it works with. The program has grown in each of its three years, and 90 percent of fellows have been placed into full-time roles. Verizon has pushed its agencies to document and improve the diversity of their workforces, and Scotti was the impetus behind the first Spanish-language spot without subtitles to run d
  
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• Calmatic brings a fresh eye and exuberance to well-trod terrain in ads and music videos

  15-06-2020 22:05
  
  Exuberance pulses through the work of Prettybird director Calmatic, who has a flair for bringing a fresh take to well-trod terrain. His claim to fame is the music video for Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus' "Old Town Road," a spectacular spaghetti western sci-fi mashup that sees the hip-hop and country stars play cowboy bank robbers.
  
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• We Are Celebrating Our Emancipation. We Are Asking You to Take Action

  15-06-2020 21:40 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Juneteenth is as American as a slice of apple pie. Emancipation is in the DNA of our nation. Just as we celebrate the Fourth of July, Juneteenth symbolically marks the end of oppression for Black communities devastated by 400 years of slavery. This year marks the 155th annual celebration of Juneteenth in America, where currently,...
  
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• Rubicon Project and LiveIntent Join Up for Open Identity Initiative

  15-06-2020 21:32 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Independent ad-tech companies LiveIntent and Rubicon Project have inked an agreement to help media traders do business on a non-cookie-based ID. The tie-up uses LiveIntent's Authenticated Bridge--an identifier that connects advertisers to relevant publisher audiences using hashed email addresses--to aid media buying and selling in a manner similar to the third-party cookie. Additionally, Authenticated Bridge...
  
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• DoorDash to Offer On-Demand Delivery for CVS Products

  15-06-2020 21:27 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  Pharmacy chain CVS and delivery company DoorDash said they are partnering to offer same-day no-contact delivery for 3,000 products. The service debuted on June 15 in Dallas, Houston, Manhattan and Philadelphia, with the Bronx, Brooklyn, San Francisco and Boston to follow. CVS said it expects nationwide availability in July. The eligible product assortment includes beauty...
  
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• It’s No Longer Legal to Fire Someone for Being LGBTQ, Supreme Court Rules

  15-06-2020 21:22 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  The Supreme Court ruled today that gender identity and sexual orientation should be included as protected classes under the employment section of Civil Rights Act. Before now, not only was it legal to fire someone for being LGBTQ in the majority of U.S. states, but LGBTQ people were not protected under any federal nondiscrimination laws....
  
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• Walmart Is Expanding Its Third-Party Marketplace With Shopify

  15-06-2020 21:12 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  On the heels of a big boost in online sales, retail giant Walmart announced it is partnering with ecommerce platform Shopify to open up Walmart.com to 1,200 Shopify merchants. In a blog post, Jeff Clementz, vice president of Walmart's third-party marketplace, said the partnership both expands the range of goods available to Walmart customers while...
  
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• Bumble and OkCupid Introduce Ways for Members to Keep Supporting Social Justice Causes

  15-06-2020 20:46 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  In response to protests of police brutality against unarmed Black people, popular dating apps initially posted social media statements and donation pledges in support of Black Lives Matter. To follow up on commitments, Bumble and OkCupid have introduced in-app initiatives that invite members to keep raising awareness and take action on anti-racism causes. Bumble launched...
  
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• Opinion: What the U.S. ad industry can learn from Italy's pandemic experience

  15-06-2020 20:32
  
  Marketers must shift from branding to direct messaging that focuses on the customer experience.
  
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• UK Agencies Pay Tribute to Grenfell Tower Fire Victims on Third Anniversary

  15-06-2020 20:18 via feeds.adweek.com
  
  The Grenfell Tower fire was one of the worst and most tragic disasters in modern British history. In the middle of the night on June 14 three years ago, a fire broke out in a kitchen on the fourth floor of the 23-story residential tower block in West London, killing 72 people. Firefighters, who believed...
  
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• Opinion: 5 data-backed axioms for successfully leading your brand through a recession

  15-06-2020 17:50
  
  100 years of data and case studies point unequivocally to one fact: Advertising through a recession is better for your long-term brand health.
  
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• Agency Brief: Marketing exec Kai D. Wright says in open letter he's faced racism 'at every turn' of his career

  15-06-2020 17:49
  
  "Sorry, but not sorry, this isn’t a message of hope; it’s a message to stay woke," he writes in a letter shared on LinkedIn.
  
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• ‘Say Their Names’: See the annotated, interactive version of The New Yorker’s George Floyd cover

  15-06-2020 17:01
  
  The painting by Kadir Nelson fronts the June 22 issue.
  
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• ASA launches UK Scam Ad Alert tool

  15-06-2020 16:57 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Internet users can now report through watchdog if they see bogus or fraudulent ad on Facebook, Google, Twitter, Snapchat or TikTok.
  
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• Group M forecasts 12.5% decline in UK ad market

  15-06-2020 16:54 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Prediction from WPP media group sits halfway between those of IPG Mediabrands' Magna and AA/Warc.
  
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• MPs call for total ban on TV and online gambling ads

  15-06-2020 16:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Report to be issued tomorrow will include strict recommendations.
  
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• Watch live at 3 P.M. EDT: Ad Age Creativity Awards Celebration

  15-06-2020 15:44
  
  Ad Age editors celebrate the people, work and companies that won this year's honors.
  
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