Month: December 2020

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced it was filing a suit to halt Procter & Gamble’s acquisition of Billie, a direct-to-consumer razor brand. If that sentence inspires an episode of d?j? vu, there’s a reason: Not even a year ago, the FTC filed another suit to block a similar acquisition, that of Harry’s, another…

Celebrating the end of 2020 in a Times Square crowd is the last thing on people’s minds, but Airbnb is offering up a safe alternative: the best seat in the house to this year’s virtual celebration–for just $21. The one-night stay for two in the Nasdaq outdoor terrace includes a panoramic view of New Year’s…

While there are some bright spots and progress, ad agencies continue to grapple with diversity. Awareness of systemic racism is one thing; acting on improving the situation is quite another. Brands continue to look at their vendor relationships–agencies included–demanding greater diversity and accountability. To that end, the Atlanta market is embarking on a plan called…

LinkedIn’s aspirations are much greater than being a passive platform for companies to connect with people. The vision will see the company transform into a digital storefront for B2B products.

Now that Republican leadership — not to mention Russia’s — are acknowledging that Joe Biden is the official President Elect of the United States, watch for reality to begin setting in to the rest of
the Republican party, even as its titular, albeit lame duck leader, persists that he, not Biden actually won.

The move means Anna Wintour will oversee all of Conde Nast’s brands worldwide, including Vogue’s 25 global editions.

Only 10% of advertisers and agency media planning and buying executives surveyed by the IAB last month say their ad budgets for 2021 are firm for the entire year, while 39% say they are “ballpark”
and 19% say they are flexible for the entire year. Those are among the findings of interviews the IAB conducted with advertisers and agencies as part of a 2021 Marketplace Outlook report, released
today.

I’ve been analyzing television research and programming for more than 30 years, and have always prided myself on being able to keep on top of the ever-changing video landscape. In the era of Peak TV+,
however, it takes longer and longer to become aware of new linear TV series, much less the wide array of original scripted streaming content. It’s simply not possible to know what’s available without
exploring each service every month (or week). There are no fall or mid-seasons. Every time I start searching for something new to watch on Netflix, for example, there are several new series and movies
I’ve never heard of, increasingly originating in other countries. In this week’s edition, I offer my take on 10 more “hidden gems” worth streaming.

Far right and far left agree on one thing: Everybody hates Facebook, even if it’s for different reasons.