American Eagle Is Proving That It Really Understands Generation Z

TikTok isn’t usually associated with a school curriculum. Typically, students hide their phones under their desks, pray their teachers don’t notice that they’re scrolling through the app and take their shot at fame after class. But American Eagle (AE) seems to think that Gen Z’s favorite app could actually have some educational value. Following the…

Finally, a Nice Surprise in 2020: Rian Johnson Just Directed an Ad for Pokémon Go

Hollywood A-list directors are no strangers to advertising, but they tend to surface only for big-budget, long-form cinematic spots. So it was a nice surprise to see that the newest ad for mobile game Pok?mon Go was, despite being relatively modest in its ambitions, helmed remotely by star director Rian Johnson, who’s apparently a fan…

Walmart China Taps Varcode’s Technology to Improve Food Safety

Walmart China has teamed up with Varcode to provide the retailer with a digital technology that allows it to track the freshness of perishable foods by scanning a barcode using a mobile app. “For a young company, we’re honored to be selected by Walmart on food safety,” said Joseph Battoe, Varcode’s CEO. “They are world-class…

Walmart Streamlines Mobile Shopping With a New App

In an effort to simplify its mobile shopping experience and appeal to a growing customer base looking for easy shopping solutions during the coronavirus pandemic, Walmart has combined its Walmart and Walmart Grocery apps into a single entity. “We don’t ask customers to make two trips to the store, one for groceries and one for…

Headspace Launches First TV Ad, Offering a Year of Free Subscription for the Unemployed

As unemployment soars amid the coronavirus pandemic, meditation app Headspace is offering free, year-long subscriptions to those out of work. The offer comes in conjunction with the company’s first television campaign, created by agency Gut and Nexus Studio. The pass will unlock access to all of the meditation app’s hundreds of hours of content, including…

Mobile World Congress Canceled After Coronavirus Scares Off Major Companies

Organizers of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona announced today that this year’s conference will be canceled after more than two dozen companies pulled out due to concerns about the global coronavirus outbreak. Typically attended by more than 100,000 people, the late-February event has been the wireless industry’s biggest trade show for more than three…

Navigating Conferences in the Time of Coronavirus

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2019-nCov, a novel strain of the coronavirus, a global health emergency. The epidemic has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly in China, and is impacting major industry events. Brands like Facebook, Sony and Intel have pulled out of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and it’s unclear how…

T-Mobile and Sprint’s $26 Billion Merger Approved by U.S. District Court

A federal judge approved the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint this morning in a U.S. district court in New York, moving the mobile carriers one critical step closer to sealing the deal. Following this stamp of approval on the $26 billion deal, the companies are still awaiting a vote from the California Public Utilities Commission,…

Is Your Smart Phone Being Scraped for Personal Data While You Worship?

A smart phone’s “Airplane Mode” or “Ringer Off” setting does not protect people from privacy invasion. What’s worse, the privacy invaders are lurking in malls, at public events, even outside your place of worship. According to National Catholic Reporter, political marketers in support of Donald Trump are increasingly using cellphone data from churchgoers to target […]

Here’s What Allbirds Has Learned About Ecommerce in China So Far

Earlier this month DTC footwear brand Allbirds debuted in Japan, about nine months after it started selling in China through Alibaba’s online B2C marketplace Tmall. As Allbirds mulls where to go next, international president Erick Haskell spoke at the National Retail Federation’s conference in New York this week about how the brand tackled the world’s…

Fandom Is Serious Business for the Creative Director Behind the KFC Dating Game

When ad agency Wieden + Kennedy first approached Psyop with the idea for a dating simulator based around the KFC franchise–starring the brand’s namesake Colonel as a romance-able character–one of Alexei Bochenek’s first thoughts was that if he didn’t ultimately win this pitch, then he’d have to “resign in shame.” Bochenek ultimately served as the…

Infographic: Consumers Are Turning to Telehealth and Innovative Mobile Medicine Services

From accessing medical records to speaking to physicians, Americans are turning to mobile medicine as a supplement to healthcare coverage. Users are taking advantage of innovative mobile medicine services for convenience, control and cost–and of course, when they need additional support. An Omnicom Media Group survey found 86% of people have used an online pharmacy…

Chipotle Is Redesigning Restaurants for Mobile Ordering

Chipotle is cooking up a new restaurant design that it hopes will feed its growing mobile business. The quick-service Mexican restaurant chain’s digital operation is already a billion-dollar business, according to a company statement released Thursday announcing the changes. The redesign will not only be deployed at new locations but also be implemented in varying…

You Could Win $420 on Live Weed Trivia App Daily Bonfire

Cannabis was the first product ever sold over the internet in 1971 between MIT and Stanford computer science students, according to Daily Bonfire host Ngaio Bealum. HelloMD has launched its own type of HQ Trivia in an effort to educate folks about weed in an app called Daily Bonfire. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at…

Thanksgiving Sales Surpass $4B, Showing Nothing is Sacred Anymore

In 2015, outdoor retailer REI launched its #OptOutside campaign, in which it closed all stores on Black Friday so employees could spend the day outdoors. Four years ago, closing on Black Friday was a bold concept. By 2019, however, not even Thanksgiving Day is exempt from end-of-year retail madness as U.S. consumers spent a record-setting…

The Biggest Black Friday Ever Saw $7.4B in Online Sales

The 2019 holiday shopping season is finally underway with $7.4 billion in online sales on Black Friday, marking 19.6% growth year-over-year (YOY). That’s according to figures from data provider Adobe, and puts Black Friday 2019 $500,000 behind Cyber Monday 2018, which holds the record for the biggest day in U.S. ecommerce to date. Adobe forecasts…

Here’s What to Expect During Cyber Week, Shopping-wise

Thanksgiving is late this year, which means there’s even more pressure on retailers to connect with consumers on marquee shopping dates before families exchange gifts for Chanukah and Christmas. According to data analytics provider Adobe Analytics, 78% of retailers plan to increase communication to compensate, so this abbreviated shopping season means consumers will undoubtedly see…

The Weather Channel App Can Now Forecast Your Flu Risk

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.–According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza caused more than 20 million hospitalizations in 2018. And with peak flu season approaching again, The Weather Company has expanded its use of big data to serve up localized flu risk predictions. At Adweek’s annual Brandweek summit, Randi Stipes, CMO of the IBM-owned…

Work & Co Acquires Tendigi, a Mobile Design and Development Studio

Digital product agency Work & Co has acquired Tendigi, a 10-person firm that specializes in mobile app development. Tendigi founder and CEO Jeff Soto will join Work & Co as a director, as will the company’s chief technology officer Nick Lee. The Tendigi team will move into Work & Co’s offices in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood….

How an Agency’s Clever Use of Tech Gets People at Festivals Talking About Consent

“Killing the mood” is the worst excuse to avoid a conversation around physical and sexual consent. So while some might find it uncomfortable to insert the topic right into the heart of a high-energy music festival, San Francisco agency Heat is proving that, with the right approach, you can spark important discussions at the right…