Hasta La Creative!

Good morning. Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital-related news. What people are talking about today: Apple’s next iPhone gets unveiled Tuesday, and there’s been a steady drip-drip-drip of leaks and speculation. First off, it’s possible Apple’s new high-end offering is called the iPhone X, after a game developer spotted the name in iOS 11 software. That name, if it turns out to be true, would be a sexy bit of iPhone 10th anniversary branding. Another developer found hints about upcoming facial recognition technology to unlock the phone, as well as about wireless charging, the Verge reports. And there could be animated emoji “animoji” — based on users’ voice and expressions, it says. Many reports have focused on the pricetag, probably starting around $1,000 for the flagship device, about the same as for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The New York Times says that sum “crosses a threshold.” In other words, it’s just a hell of a lot of money to pay for something so easy to forget at a bar.

The future of shopping

For anybody keeping watch on brick-and-mortar retail in the e-commerce age, there are two experiments of note, one from New York and the other from Los Angeles. Coty is sponsoring the trendy Story concept store in New York, where a range of brands are on sale but what exactly is in it for the beauty company? Partly, “it’s a way to find how its mass brands can better compete in a beauty marketplace where walls between mass, prestige, online and offline are crumbling,” as Ad Age’s Jack Neff reports. Across the country in West Hollywood, Calif., Nordstrom is opening a shop that offers manicures, tailors and an in-shop bar, but doesn’t stock clothes or accessories, as The Wall Street Journal says. Personal shoppers will play a big role there.

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