Publishers face growing competition from retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target that sell digital ad space.
Comcast Intros Global Wireless Streaming Device, XiONE
The 4K WiFi 6 device is available now for Sky Q customers in Italy and Germany, and beginning rollout for Xfinity Flex customers in the U.S.
Jeep, Ram and Fiat Become First Car Partners With Bono’s Global Charity (RED)
Jeep, Ram and Fiat, sibling brands under the Stellantis corporate banner, announced a groundbreaking three-year partnership Wednesday with Bono’s celebrated charity (RED) that will donate $4 million to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and other global health emergencies. The alliance includes several special-edition (RED)-branded cars, starting with a 2022 model year Ram truck that will launch…
Athleta and Simone Biles to Offer Limited Edition Line This Fall
Because of the excitement around Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and Athleta’s partnership, the athleisure brand will offer a limited edition collection that will serve as a “sneak peak” for the full line the two are developing for the spring. In fact, Athleta’s chief brand officer Kyle Andrew, who spoke with Adweek senior editor T. L….
Diageo CMO on Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Digital Transformation and Working With Ryan Reynolds
It’s the last week before the Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience is set to open in Edinburgh and Diageo chief marketing officer Cristina Diezhandino has spent the last couple of days camped there for the preview tours. Meeting Adweek in the main top floor lounge, which includes a view of the castle as well as…
Even With Climate Change, the World Isn’t Doomed
The Opera Browser’s $80 Million Ad Business Is Adding A Self-Serve Option
Opera Ads, the online ad platform launched by Norwegian browser maker Opera in 2019, is serving up some self-serve. On Wednesday, Opera launched Opera Ad Manager, a self-serve ad platform to buy inventory on Opera News (not to be confused with a publication of the same name about the actual opera) that doesn’t use third-party… Continue reading »
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Performance CTV Provides A One-Stop Shop For DTC Brands
“On TV & Video” is a column exploring opportunities and challenges in advanced TV and video. Today’s column is by Dan Fairclough, Sr. Director, Agency and Brand Relations, Magnite. In my many years working with DTC brands, I saw firsthand how companies hustled to grow their brand visibility from the ground up using search and… Continue reading »
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Wall Street Bullish On ViacomCBS’s Streaming Ambitions; New CEO Gives IAB Tech Lab A Push
Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Swimming Up-Stream Wall Street is coming around to streaming revenue as a long-term priority. Or, rather, as a source of heavy immediate investment. ViacomCBS has done well enough out of the gate with its Paramount+ streaming service to inspire Wells Fargo to “move from… Continue reading »
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‘Create cultural touchstone moments’: Why this direct-to-consumer shoe brand added sabbaticals for employees this year
Kuru Footwear added a new perk for employees this year: sabbaticals. The benefit is a way for the direct-to-consumer shoe brand to not only help employees accomplish life goals but “create cultural touchstone moments” for employees to share with each other, according to CMO Sean McGinnis.
The Salt Lake City, Utah-based company is one of a number of employers looking for new ways to engage employees and foster office culture despite the continued work-from-home environment due to the delta variant. Execs hope these new ways to improve culture will help mitigate burnout and increase retention, according to industry observers and analysts who say that burnout is a bigger risk for employers now than it was pre-pandemic.
While the program was “not designed expressly to mitigate burnout,” per McGinnis, taking a sabbatical has likely “positively impact[ed] their burnout levels” for the employees who’ve taken them as they were able to take time off to accomplish something on their “bucket list.” So far, three of the company’s 45 employees have already taken sabbaticals this year; three others are planning to do so.
The length of the sabbatical depends on how long the employee has been at the company. Employees who’ve been with the company for three years are eligible for a one-week sabbatical and $1,000 to accomplish a life goal; employees who’ve been with the company for six years are entitled to a two-week sabbatical and $2,000. Employees who’ve been with the company for nine years are able to take three weeks and get a $3,000 stipend.
“There are other companies that have sabbatical programs where it’s like at 10 years you get a month off,” said McGinnis. “That only applies to a small percentage of employees. It seems like a brass ring so far in the future that it may not do much to create engagement or a great work environment today. We wanted to do something a little more real [for our employees today].”
Making sabbaticals more accessible to employees who stay a few years rather than decades will likely help with retention, according to Allen Adamson, brand analyst and co-founder of brand consultancy Metaforce. “Adding a sabbatical is an incentive to get employees to play more than the first or second inning at a company,” said Adamson, adding that younger generations tend to change jobs more frequently than older generations. Doing so will benefit the company in the long run as “the value of an employee exponentially increases over time.”
Tweaking work hours to give employees more work-life balance will also likely help with employee retention, according to ad recruiter Christie Cordes. “Work has ‘condensed’ yet employers are wanting it to continue an eight-hour day that existed before the technology-driven lightning fast pace,” said Cordes. “Somethings gotta give, and the companies who realize it will win.”
Once Kuru Footwear is back in the office, the goal is to have an area of the office dedicated to bucket list items employees have checked off during their sabbaticals. “We want employees to share what they did and why it’s important to them,” said McGinnis. “We haven’t really been able to do that just yet because of Covid but when back in the office we will.”
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