Short-term rentals saw a rebound this past year once it became clear consumers were comfortable with the idea of staying in private vacation homes rather than hotels. Expedia-owned Vrbo is hoping to keep that momentum going into 2021 by drawing in first-time customers as travel begins to open back up again. With two and a…
Texas-Style Blackouts Are the Future
Facebook Gaming Backs Community Tournaments With Prize Money, Technology
Facebook Gaming is teaming up with several gaming community partners to hold over 90 community tournaments. The tournaments are open to the public, and Facebook Gaming will provide a $1,000 prize pool for each event. Registration and participation are free. Facebook Gaming rolled out its tournaments feature last April as a way to help people…
Apple TV+ Grows Slate as Service Looks for Its Next Breakout Hit
It’s been a little more than a year since Apple made the unusual decision to debut streaming service Apple TV+ with only original programming, instead of licensing content from other media companies to build out a large library for viewers. Heading into 2021, Apple is growing its content coffers even more considerably, adding several new…
Sam’s Club Names VMLY&R as First Agency of Record
Big-box Walmart’s retail warehouse division Sam’s Club appointed WPP’s VMLY&R as its first agency of record following a review conducted in partnership with search consultancy Select Resources International (SRI). The appointment of Sam’s Club first agency of record marks a consolidation for the brand, which previously worked with a variety of agency partners across different…
With Refreshing Levity and Optimism, Vistaprint’s New Campaign Supports the Small Biz Pivot
While one may be tired of hearing the word “pivot” in the marketing world, small businesses don’t necessarily have a choice. Vistaprint is one of the brands that have long been a companion to small businesses (think business cards and other marketing products) and have made a home playing it relatively straight, using mostly direct-response…
Fallon Promotes 3 Execs, Rounding Out Leadership Team
Promotions are afoot at Fallon, the Minneapolis-based agency owned by Publicis Groupe that, in recent years at least, has become best-known for Arby’s ongoing “We Have The Meats” campaign. Kara Buckner, who joined the agency in 2019 as chief strategy officer and managing director, is taking on the role of president. According to the agency,…
Brainlabs Hires Former iProspect U.S. CEO to Lead North America
Key Insights Independent digital marketing agency Brainlabs hired Jeremy Cornfeldt, formerly U.S. CEO for Dentsu agency iProspect, to lead its U.S. operations as chief executive for the region–the latest in a series of executive hires from major holding company agencies for Brainlabs over the course of the past year. In the new role, Cornfeldt will…
The Science Behind Why New Covid Variants Are Spreading Faster | WSJ
State Street, the Brand Behind Fearless Girl Statue, Names New CMO
Theresa McLaughlin has been named the new CMO of Boston-based financial services firm State Street. McLaughlin replaces Hannah Grove, who retired at the end of 2020. She joins the company from TD Bank Group, which has already promoted Betsey Chung to global CMO. Top Line During her eight years at TD Bank Group, McLaughlin led…