How a Hidden Design Flaw Makes the Starbucks Logo Look Perfect

It’s an underappreciated fact of good design: Sometimes imperfections are what make a design look perfect. We’ve seen it with Google’s “G” logo, which isn’t a perfect circle. And now, Fast Company has posted an intriguing article this morning pointing out something most people have never noticed about Starbucks’ mermaid logo–that her face is asymmetrical….

Roku Is Introducing an OTT Advertising Measurement Service

As TV viewing habits continue to change significantly, marketers are searching for other ways to engage with these fragmented audiences. For instance, more and more marketers are shifting a large chunk of their advertising budget to over-the-top, or OTT, services which draw a growing number of viewers away from traditional TV, particularly those from the…

The Ad Community’s Reaction to Facebook’s News Feed Algorithm Change

Facebook’s announcement on Jan. 11th about its latest changes to its News Feed algorithm brought swift reaction from social media, agencies and others in the sector–and most of that reaction hasn’t been exactly positive. The social network announced in a Newsroom post by vice president of News Feed Adam Mosseri and in an accompanying Facebook…

Tired of H&M’s Gendered Kids’ Clothes, These Moms Made the Ads They Wanted to See

We like it when people get sick of waiting for change to happen, because then, they often make the change themselves. This is the case for Torny Hesle and Ingrid Lea, a pair of Norwegian mothers who work as creatives at The Oslo Company. Fed up with the subtle stereotypes constantly being imposed upon their…

How WWE Raw Turned the Brand Into a Global Entertainment Company

For Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena, becoming a cultural icon began on WWE Monday Night Raw. It’s the longest-running weekly episodic program in TV history, and will celebrate its 25th anniversary live from New York on Jan. 22. Raw consistently ranks as the top cable entertainment show on Monday nights, and is one…

This Agency Puts Storytelling First to Connect Brands and Consumers in a Mobile World

When Day One opened its doors in March 2014, its main mission was to “stop the world in its tracks with stories that connect,” according to agency CEO Josh Rosenberg. That’s happening more and more on mobile for a lot of brands, including some of Day One’s clients: American Express, Chipotle, Nike and Victoria’s Secret….

BlackBerry Introduces ‘Jarvis,’ a New Security Platform for Connected Cars

At the North American International Auto Show on Monday, BlackBerry CEO John Chen unveiled “Jarvis,” a new security platform for connected and autonomous cars. The software scans the cars’ inputs and outputs for both standard and manufacturer-defined protocols, and automatically identifies any bugs, potential exploits and nonconforming code. “Future cars will have half a billion…

IBM Watson Partners With Data Marketer Jivox for Ads That Change With the Weather

IBM’s Watson Advertising, formerly The Weather Company, is partnering with personalized data marketer Jivox to create and deliver contextual ads in real-time. Ads can be tailored based on dynamic local weather information-meaning, not only might customers in a cold snap get more ads for hot coffee, but if it’s snowing outside, the coffee ad itself…

Skittles Wants Its Super Bowl Ad to Be Exclusive. So It’s Showing the Spot to Just One Teenage Fan

Skittles is creating a 60-second spot for the Super Bowl but the ad won’t air during the Big Game on Feb. 4. Instead, one teenage fan of the brand–Marcos Menendez from Canoga Park, Calif.–will see the ad and we’ll be able to see his reaction to the ad via a livestream on Skittles’ Facebook page….

Facebook’s News Feed Bombshell Shouldn’t Have Caught Anyone Off Guard

If Facebook’s announcement last Thursday that its News Feed algorithm was being altered to favor posts from friends and family over those from publishers and pages came as a surprise to anyone, it probably shouldn’t have. A source at the social network even said, “We’ve been openly discussing the decline in organic reach for a…

Stella Artois Teams With Matt Damon and Water.org for First Super Bowl Appearance Since 2011

AB InBev is bringing its Stella Artois brand to the Super Bowl for the first time since its Big Game debut in 2011 with a 30-second spot called “Taps,” which stars Matt Damon. Created by the agency Mother, “Taps” and the “Make Your Super Bowl Matter” campaign are the latest in the brand’s broader “Buy…

KFC’s Colonel Sanders Heads to France with a Tin-Ear Accent and Old Spice-Ish Adventures

Sometimes you encounter an idea whose time has come. That doesn’t make the idea good. Case in point: Twice in as many weeks, a famous American face has dived into the French market with strong “We come in peace” vibes, pioneers for their ilk, zealously shilling our two favorite types of food–junk and fast. Both…

Steak-umm Finally Gets Twitter Verified, but Is Still Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore

Steak-umm, the frozen sliced cheesesteak meat brand, has finally found the promised land, earning the blue checkmark of Twitter verification that it’s coveted so desperately. But it’s still kinda pissed at Jack and company. OPERATION #VERIFYSTEAKUMM WAS A SUCCESS YOU SAVAGES THE CORRUPT @TWITTER BUREAUCRATS FINALLY BENT TO THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE STEAK-UMM BLESS…

Indie Agency Launches Team Dedicated to Infusing Emerging Tech Into All Creative

Minnesota indie agency Periscope is making a commitment to infuse emerging tech–including virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence–in every aspect of its creative work. Naturally, it needed a brand new team of innovators, which it dubbed Connected Experiences, to build that tech in-house. “This team is going to be connected in everything we do,”…

Toyota Returns to the Super Bowl After Sitting It Out Last Year

After taking a hiatus in 2017, Toyota will return to the Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, with two 60-second spots, a representative for the automaker confirmed to Adweek. The person said one of the Big Game commercials will focus on Toyota’s Winter Olympics sponsorship and the other will focus solely on the brand. No…

CVS Will Stop Altering Beauty Images in Stores and Online

CVS Health announced a major plan to stop altering beauty-related images featured on CVS Pharmacy products or in CVS marketing online and in stores. “As a woman, mother and president of a retail business whose customers predominantly are women, I realize we have a responsibility to think about the messages we send to the customers…

Girls Trip’s Tiffany Haddish Will Star in Groupon’s Super Bowl Commercial

Last summer, while promoting Girls Trip, comedian Tiffany Haddish appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. She told a delightful story about taking Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith on a Cajun swamp tour with a deal she had purchased on Groupon. Now, Haddish has been named as Groupon’s new spokeswoman, and as part of that deal,…

Adweek’s Arc Awards: Recognizing the Best Brand Storytelling of 2017

January is an interesting month for storytelling. At the outset you have the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This annual behemoth of a conference has traditionally focused on products and gadgetry. Notably, as computing power steadily increases and the promise of 5G connectivity floats tantalizingly on the horizon, brands will increasingly have…

Why Eliminating Net Neutrality Is Bad for Women

The FCC’s recent vote to eliminate net neutrality stands to impact some of the country’s most enterprising innovators. It’s a shortsighted action likely to result in unintended consequences for many individuals and businesses. One industry certain to feel the effects is online marketing. Consider specifically influencer marketing, a field comprised mainly of small businesses which…

VIDEO: 5 Internet of Things Devices That Grabbed OMD’s Attention at CES

Looking for a cuddly robot? Or maybe you’re interested in a pair of shoes that can detect when you’ve fallen and call for help? Good news–CES has a startup for you. Eureka Park, the area of the conference that focuses on startups, is full of Internet of Things devices and future-forward ideas. There’s Buddy, the…