Folks have been piling on G/O Media for its “stick to sports” mandate to Deadspin, the creative sports publication with a cult following. That mandate saw its editorial staff leave in a revolt. Days later, an executive resigned. Deadspin has been a ghost town for a month now, since Nov. 4, when it last posted…
Latency–the delay that occurs in communication over a network–remains the enemy of ad tech, and by extension, the enemy of publishers and agencies relying on increasingly sophisticated tools to drive revenue and engage audiences. With real-time bidding demanding sub-100-millisecond response times, advertisers are careful to avoid any process that could hinder their ability to win…
It’s been two years since the #MeToo movement gained national attention, and the accused are now re-emerging with apologies and explanations. Maybe they are looking for redemption, forgiveness, clarity or a job. Whatever they are seeking, many of their apologies haven’t been landing. No one outside the courts is here to prosecute these people, but…
The We Company was worth $47 billion and then it wasn’t. Peloton Interactive, branded like We to be valued as a tech company and not just a fitness company, is trading 20% off its IPO price. And a range of other direct-to-consumer brands see its stocks flagging as investors shift their focus from growth to…
In a world… I hope you read that first line imagining a deep and dramatic voice. Good, because what I am going to tell you requires the kind of gravitas that creates spine-tingling anticipation. In a world where the skip ad is an advertiser’s worst enemy, where fast-forward is the death knell of the 30-second…
Remember when popularity was synonymous with success? At a certain point, we all grow up, find our niches in life and accept that we can’t be everything to everyone. Nor do we want to be because we have influence and thrive in our own universes. But for some reason, this simple life lesson doesn’t seem…
Instagram’s wave of likes removal has finally made its way to the U.S. While not unilaterally rolled out to date, someone you know is probably like-less, and a similar fate may strike your feed at any moment. The popular narrative as to the reasoning behind this decision, fueled in many ways by the brand itself,…
Branding is an extension of storytelling. An integral yet common communicative experience, storytelling accounts for roughly 65% of all human conversation. It’s how we pass down societal norms and spread innovation through generations and across cultural lines. The challenge for most brands is to communicate sincere social awareness, often regarding issues of no direct association….
Kanye West. Equinox. Taylor Swift. Kevin Spacey. Nelly. Donald Trump. Joe Biden. Guacamole. Post Malone. Crocs. Aziz Ansari. Elon Musk. 6ix9ine. Prada. Snapchat. United Airlines. Roseanne. Kim K’s Skims n?e Kimono. Nothing in common? Think again. It’s not their charm and wit or a social following over 1 million or their unwitting ability to turn…
In 2016, college voter turnout was only 48.3%, but now it’s expected to nearly double as 80% of Gen Z college students prepare to cast ballots in 2020. Gen Z is about to make big waves in the next election, but the scope of that impact won’t just be shaped by the information it concerns….
I’ll never forget Easter Sunday of 2017. That was the day McAfee’s page on a prominent social media platform was defaced, less than two weeks after we had spun out of Intel to create one of the world’s largest pure-play cybersecurity companies. The hack would have been embarrassing for any company; it was especially humiliating…
Welcome to the world of wellness, which is the philosophy that true health relies on the holistic care of the mind and body and that preventative healthcare is as important as treatment. As millennials age and become the highest spending generation, they are credited with driving the $4.2 trillion global wellness industry. But for every…
Let me tell you what’s modern in our world: fear. A fear of losing jobs, of becoming irrelevant before retirement, of suddenly questioning the purpose of our existence as an industry. Consumers may have realized they can do without us, and that epiphany poses a frightening, almost paralyzing reality. That is, unless we prepare. Having…
The holiday season is almost here, and consumer spending is expected to be as big as ever. The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasted holiday retail sales in 2019 to increase between 3.8% and 4.2% from 2018, and a report from PwC cited that 86% of consumers are primed to spend as much for this holiday…
It has long debated whether Chick-fil-A should be boycotted for its longstanding support of nonprofits with a history of discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community. Of course, the debate begs the question: Do we as consumers have the power to force companies to change their practices? Well, now we have proof that we do. Within a…
“Free riders!” “Hypocrites!” “Criminals!” These are all terms that I used to describe ad blocking companies in an interview five years ago. At the time, digital advertising totaled $40 billion, comparable in scale to print and radio media, and the threat posed by companies seeking to stop the delivery of ads seemed dire to the…
For more than 20 years, Nov. 21 has been recognized as World Television Day. As proclaimed by the United Nations, the day recognizes TV’s increasing impact on consumers’ decision-making process and day-to-day lives. This year, World Television Day centers on diversity in two forms: diversity of content and diversity on-screen. We must continue to recognize…
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have spent huge amounts on social media ads this year to acquire customers and will assuredly continue this holiday season. Because ads on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Google and Snapchat are only getting more expensive, that customer growth strategy is–as Mary Meeker stated in her annual report–unsustainable. Heading into the pivotal last two…
In recent years, marketers have gotten on board with portraying the less-than-perfect parts of parenthood (also known as reality). A current diaper ad shows a mom on the verge of a meltdown cradling her newborn, who, naturally, has just spit up on her. Then there’s one of a dad (well played, ad creatives) with his…
For many, Forever 21 filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a wake-up call for the fast-fashion industry. There is a challenge for brands to stay relevant and favored, and as always, there are great opportunities for those who understand where consumers are moving toward. Some analysts have mentioned that the Forever 21 crisis was primarily…
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