Google’s Year in Search Video Lauds the Heroes of 2019

These are uncertain times, Google admits. And in uncertain times, people look to heroes to remind them of what’s good, what’s possible and what to put their hope in, or just to escape the complicated and messy areas of life. That’s how the tech giant summed up the theme of a year’s worth of searches–everything…

Walmart Zooms to Texas With Fifth Autonomous Grocery Delivery Pilot

Walmart has launches its fifth autonomous grocery delivery pilot program, this time with the electric robo-van maker Nuro in the robotics company’s hometown of Houston. Resembling a cross between a Fiat 500 and the discontinued Toyota Prius C, Nuro’s prototype is a custom, low-speed, zero-emission, self-driving vehicle that’s engineered for short neighborhood trips and for…

Creative Director Suing Doner for Age Discrimination Seeks Detailed Info to Bolster Case

A former creative director is asking Detroit-based agency Doner to provide personnel and financial information in her attempt to prove that age discrimination was behind her firing in 2018. Nearly a year ago, Susan Walsh filed an age discrimination lawsuit against Doner, prompted by her firing days ahead of her 60th birthday after 10 years…

Bonobos Founder Andy Dunn Is Leaving Walmart in Early 2020

After two years at the world’s largest retailer, Bonobos founder Andy Dunn is leaving Walmart. Dunn joined the company as svp of digital consumer brands when Walmart acquired Bonobos, the online menswear brand where he had been CEO since its inception in 2007. Dunn, who was a 2018 member of the Adweek 50, announced his…

Heineken Creates a 31-Pack of Non-Alcoholic Beer for Dry January

January tends to be a popular month for people to swear off alcohol, and Heineken wants to give consumers a booze-free alternative. The beer brand has created the January Dry Pack, a case of 31 cans of Heineken 0.0, the brand’s non-alcoholic beer. Heineken partnered with integrated creative agency Fast Horse to create the limited-edition…

JPMorgan Chase Promotes CMO Kristin Lemkau to CEO of New Division

JPMorgan Chase today announced the creation of a new U.S. wealth management division led by Kristin Lemkau as CEO. The appointment was effective yesterday. Lemkau (recognized as part of the Adweek 50 in 2016) has been with the bank for 21 years, most recently as CMO. A statement noted Lemkau helped to double CCB revenue…

Pepsi Gets Into the Canned Iced Coffee Game With Pepsi Café

Iced coffee drinkers looking for another kind of pick-me-up will soon have a new option, courtesy of Pepsi. The soft drink brand is launching Pepsi Caf?, a Pepsi-coffee hybrid product, in April 2020. Pepsi Caf? is a combination of soda and Arabica coffee bean extract, and offers nearly double the amount of caffeine in regular…

Twitter Will Fund the Development of a Decentralized Social Media Standard

Twitter will be funding the development of “an open and decentralized standard” for how social platforms operate, according to the company’s CEO. In a tweet thread on Wednesday morning, Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter would be financially backing an independent team of five architects, engineers and designers to develop the standard, with the goal of…

Now There’s a Popeyes Christmas Sweater to Match Your Chicken Sandwich

Popeyes announced today that it has partnered with UglyChristmasSweater.com to create the perfect seasonal attire for the dedicated poultry fiend in the family: a bright orange, chicken sandwich-themed holiday sweater. Building off of a big year on social, Popeyes is looking to prolong the wave of popularity that was sparked by a new chicken sandwich…

Cruelty-Free Clothing Brand Noize Redefining What It Means to Care in 2019

Outerwear brand Noize is a relative newcomer to the steadily growing environmentally conscious fashion industry, but it has lofty goals: disrupting the fast fashion landscape. The brand’s vegan puffer jackets and cruelty-free parkas (sold online and at major retailers) are built to withstand Canadian levels of wintry weather with fills entirely made of recycled plastic…

These 4 Visual Trends Will Dominate 2020, According to Adobe Stock

Today, Adobe Stock released its annual Visual Trends Forecast, attempting to predict the emergent visual trends marketers should expect to see and embrace in 2020. This time, the report is part of the company’s first Creative Trends program, which includes two new reports on graphic design and motion graphics that will be released later this…

PepsiCo’s Roberto Rios Moves to Newly Created CMO Role at Schwan’s

PepsiCo CMO of global beverages Roberto Rios has joined frozen food purveyor Schwan’s Company as its first chief marketer last month, the company announced Monday. Rios brings 25 years of marketing experience in the global consumer foods industry to Schwan’s, which sold an 80% stake last year to top South Korean food company CJ CheilJedang….

Augmented Reality Can Bring ‘Incredible Joy’ to Advertising

Facebook wants its advertisers to lean into the augmented reality craze. Following the rollout of a suite of interactive ads this past September, the social giant announced today the addition of its augmented reality engine, Spark AR, to its ad manager. With this capability, advertisers worldwide can now create an AR effect within the free-to-use…

Samsung’s Smart Refrigerators Now Store Cool World Trivia and Word of the Day

In addition to shopping for groceries on InstaCart, ordering an Uber ride, streaming tunes on Spotify, keeping an eye on Ring security cams and even ordering delivery on GrubHub, you can now keep your thirst for knowledge on tap on the Samsung’s Family Hub Smart Refrigerators. Take oxymoron, Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day, for example….

This CBD Brand Paid People $3 via Venmo to Promote Its Post

On Black Friday, Benjamin Witte, founder and CEO of CBD-infused beverage brand Recess, promoted his product on Instagram. The problem: Instagram prohibits brands from advertising products that contain the cannabis-derived compound cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD. “Any products that contain ingestible Hemp and/or CBD are not currently allowed, nor any products that allude to…

Walmart Pulls Cocaine-Themed Third-Party Holiday Sweaters From Its Canadian Site

Walmart Canada has removed several pieces of holiday attire for sale by third-party vendors from its online store after customer complaints, according to Canadian news outlet Global News. One of those festive wearables was a Christmas sweater sold by a company called Fun Wear featuring a crudely drawn Santa Claus sitting in front of what…

20 Heartwarming, Cinematic Ads That Brighten up the Holidays

‘Tis the season for big-budget holiday commercials that string together twinkly lights and heartfelt narratives into striking blockbuster worthy spots. Get ready to feel the dazzling splendor of Yuletide marketing with our pick of the holiday’s best ads so far–and don’t forget to have a box of tissues handy: 1. Aldi | “The Leafy Blinders”…

Diesel’s New Shirts Cost Up to $5.5 Million, but Each Comes With a Luxury Condo

Why would anyone pay $5.5 million for a white T-shirt? It’s not even bedazzled! Fashion giant Diesel, no stranger to stunt marketing, has launched a line of simple cotton shirts as a high-profile ruse. The apparel is just the window dressing, if you will, to the main attraction: the first Diesel-branded condo complex in Miami’s…

In the 2010s, Technology Brought Us Closer Together and Threatened to Tear Us Apart

This article is part of a series celebrating our being 40 Years Bold, highlighting four decades–and counting–of Adweek, whose editors look back at notable news, trends and people, and at what could be in store for the next 40 years. If you are a human adult participating in today’s world, I have some bad news…

The 2000s: Most Disruptive Decade Since World War II

This article is part of a series celebrating our being 40 Years Bold, highlighting four decades–and counting–of Adweek, whose editors look back at notable news, trends and people, and at what could be in store for the next 40 years. Our 20s are a transitional time. We leave the confines of our parents’ rule and…