Google wants a bigger chunk of Spotify and Pandora's revenue

Hi! Welcome to the Insider Advertising daily for August 7. I'm Lauren Johnson, a senior advertising reporter at Business Insider. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Send me feedback or tips at ljohnson@businessinsider.com

Today's news: Google doubles down on audio advertising, the most powerful PR pros managing high-profile companies, and TikTok moves into over-the-top TV.

Google is circling the $2.7 billion digital audio market with new tools that help advertisers buy Spotify and Pandora ads

• Google is adding new tools to help it take a larger cut of the $2.7 billion digital audio advertising market.
• Google is rolling out an audio marketplace where advertisers can buy ad space programmatically from Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn and others. There are also new tools that help publishers manage their inventory.
• A tool called Audio Mixer creates audio ads from scratch, which Stephen Smyk, SVP of podcast and influencer marketing at ad agency Veritone One, said is aimed at small businesses that lack the resources to create audio ads.

Read the full story here.

Meet the 27 most influential fixers in public relations at companies like Johnson & Johnson, Lenovo, and Coca-Cola

• As people demand more from brands, the PR function is more important than ever.
• Sean Czarnecki identified the PR professionals charged with shaping public opinion of big companies, wrangling the press, and experimenting with new tactics and strategies.
• The list includes Twitter's Brandon Borrman, Facebook's Nick Clegg, and Johnson & Johnson's Michael Sneed.

Read the full story here.

TikTok is launching its first TV app with Amazon and its head of marketing says it's an ideal testing ground for longer videos

• Ashley Rodriguez reports that TikTok is launching its first TV app on Amazon Fire TV devices, which will allow the company to test new video formats.
• TikTok does not plan to run ads in the OTT app but is using it to test longer content like an interview with TikTok star Grimes and a live concert with The Weeknd.
• "We see a lot of co-viewing and it's harder to do that on a mobile device, so we wanted to bring another outlet for them to watch it all," said TikTok CMO Nick Tran.

Read the full story here.

More stories we're reading:

• 3 of Bon Appétit's Test Kitchen stars of color are departing the video channel after failed contract negotiations (Business Insider)
• You & Mr. Jones just acquired influencer agency Collectively and said the business is on track to grow at least 30% in the next year as advertisers flock to creator-led marketing (Business Insider)
• The third-largest advertiser in the US just laid off a chunk of its consumer marketing team (Business Insider)
• Amazon quietly launched a new website for its big ad conference, which returns for its second straight year amid the company's surging digital ad sales (Business Insider)
• Former Sequoia partner Aaref Hilaly is joining Bain Capital Ventures as the firm boosts investments during a time of 'tremendous early-stage momentum on the west coast' (Business Insider)
• Roku says TV ad spend won't recover to pre-pandemic levels until 'well into 2021' (CNBC)
• Peloton switches up its marketing structure, names two new heads (Ad Age)

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! You can reach me in the meantime at ljohnson@businessinsider.com and subscribe to this daily email here.

— Lauren