Hi and welcome to the Insider
Companies wrestle with burnout, reopening;
Crispin Porter Bogusky has a new CEO;
And new stats on TikTok users.
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Agencies consider the office of the future
Going back to the office is on everyone's minds as vaccination rates rise.
But while agencies and media companies reimagine workspaces with shared desks, expanded meeting space, and touchless services, a sizable portion of people are likely to keep working partially if not entirely at home.
That poses a messy issue for companies that will have to accommodate hybrid workforces to make sure remote people don't get left out and teams keep working smoothly, to say nothing of addressing burnout, Lindsay Rittenhouse reported.
From her story:
[
WPP CEO Mark] Read said 5% to 10% of employees have gone back to most of WPP's offices and expects more to return this summer, though there is no set date or mandate for reopening. He said WPP is figuring out how to safely reopen its global offices as well as how to "embrace the flexible ways of working we learned in the pandemic."Read said the holding company of agencies like Ogilvy, VMLY&R, and Wunderman Thompson would adopt a hybrid model, with offices being reserved for collaborative work and employees handling other solo tasks remotely.
He's also mindful WPP will have to train managers to ensure all employees have the same opportunities to avoid excluding people who are remote.
Read more:
- Flexible schedules, shared desks, burnout support: Here's how advertising giants like WPP and Omnicom are planning for the future of work
- Newsrooms are facing a mental-health crisis, and burnout is driving some journalists to quit
New CEO for CPB
Ad agency Crispin Porter Bogusky became famous for its work for marketers like Burger King, but since then, it's lost its way, losing giant clients like Domino's and Infiniti.
Now, it's hoping for a new shot with a new CEO in Marianne Malina, who it poached from
Malina has a promising track record: Under her stewardship, GSD&M won several big accounts like Capital One, Avocados from Mexico, and Pizza Hut.
Read more: Storied ad agency Crispin Porter Bogusky just hired a new CEO away from rival Omnicom as it tries to turn its fortunes around
TikTok users revealed
Tanya Dua got her hands on recent TikTok decks that reveal new stats on the red-hot video app's usership and shopping proclivities.
They're part of a pitch to get advertisers to spend more on the app, using new commerce-style ad formats, as its usage and online shopping have boomed during lockdown.
"TikTok is at a tipping point," Jon Severson, the vice president and director of paid social at Mediahub, told Tanya. "It's no longer just a novelty for brands to maybe try but is trying to become something that can drive incremental returns and business outcomes."
Read more: Never-before-seen TikTok stats from leaked sales presentations show how it's trying to lure advertisers to the platform
Other stories we're reading:
- Some Lululemon retail employees say there is an environment of 'toxic positivity,' where workers feel pressure to share personal information with managers and constant feedback can feel like bullying (Insider)
- MIPTV: Foreign markets become "next big battleground" as streamers bet big on global growth (Hollywood Reporter)
- Live events industry eyes pandemic comeback (Axios)
- DraftKings hires longtime Verizon exec Brian Angiolet as first chief media officer (Variety)
- MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told Steve Bannon he's launching 'MyStore' - a 'patriotic' version of Amazon (Insider)
- Tate's Bake Shop union supporters say an anti-union employee threatened violence and claimed he was an MS-13 gang member (Insider)
Thanks for reading, and see you here next week.
- Lucia