Marketing company Breakr claims it was the reason "Alex from Target" went huge on social media.
1. We interviewed the most important man in advertising, Sir Martin Sorrell. He spoke about the rise and rise of ad tech, "grey swans," his career highlights and lows and his old rivalry with competitor Publicis Groupe boss Maurice Levy.
2. Maurice Levy has responded to Sorrell's comments (who had said Levy was "deeply upset that in any contest in the public markets, [WPP has] always emerged successful"). Levy said Sorrell was "acting like a toddler arguing who's got the best Halloween costume."
3. It turns out a marketing company was behind the "Alex for Target" teen social media sensation. Breakr - a company that helps content creators spread the reach of their work - claims it was fueling the fan girl file, turning the kid with Justin Bieber-esque looks into an overnight viral success. But Alex tweeted last night saying he and his family have never heard of the company and the girl who originally posted his photo also denies having heard of Breakr, Adweek reports. The mystery continues…
4. People who suffer from "shy bladders" want DirecTV to pull its Rob Lowe commercial. The International Paruresis Association has taken issue with Lowe saying in the final scene of the ad, while standing at a public urinal: "Fact: I can't go with other people in the room."
5. People who work in advertising are making more money from their investments than people in finance. Data from investment app Openfolio found people who work in advertising and media generate better returns on their investments and place more of their money in tech stocks.
6. Here are 11 facts hardly anyone knows about Nike. From its original name to the story behind its famous "Just Do It" tagline.
7. KFC has unveiled a radical redesign of its UK restaurants. The upmarket, hipster-esque interiors will roll out to all its UK outlets in 2015.
8. An ad from UK newspaper The Sun offering a date with a topless model has been banned for being sexist. The Advertising Standards Authority said the email promotion for a competition to win a date with one of its Page 3 Girls "enhanced the impression that the women were simply objects to be selected at the whim and enjoyment of the winner, and had no choice in the matter themselves."
9. Digiday reports that Snapchat is in negotiations with Comedy Central, Spotify, BuzzFeed, The Daily Mail, Hearst, Time, National Geographic, CNN, Vevo, ESPN and Vice. The media companies will be helping the company launch its new Discover content section, Digiday claims.
10. As the countdown to the new John Lewis Christmas ad nears the final hours, Marketing Magazine charts the evolution of the campaign from 2007 to the present day. The unveil of the John Lewis Christmas commercial is a calendar event in the UK.