Omnicom-owned advertising and PR agency GMMB faces allegations about microaggressions

Hi! I'm Lauren Johnson, a senior advertising reporter at Business Insider, and welcome to Advertising Insider daily, where we brief you on the top advertising and media news. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Send any feedback or tips to me at ljohnson@businessinsider.com

Today we look at allegations of microaggressions at Omnicom's agency GMMB, the rise of virtual influencers, and the leaders at Twitter who are helping the company recover from last week's hacker attack.

GMMB insiders say the top progressive ad and PR agency has a problem with microaggressions

• Sean Czarnecki reports on alleged microaggressions at Omnicom-owned advertising and PR agency GMMB, which is known for its work for progressive clients and Democratic candidates.
• Many former and current employees said they endured unusual scrutiny and comments about their hair, which took a mental toll on them.
• Some people also said that it is hard for people of color to advance their careers from low-level and administration roles at the firm.

Read the full story here.

These are the execs leading Twitter as the company scrambles to get its house in order after the devastating hacker attack

• Twitter came under scrutiny last week after a massive hacker attack spread a bitcoin scam, overtaking accounts like Bill Gates and Elon Musk that is now being investigated by the FBI.
• Julie Bort identified the 15 execs leading Twitter who will work on cleaning up the company's image and security issues.
• The list includes several advertising execs including head of sales Matthew Derella, head of revenue products Bruce Falck, and Leslie Berland, head of marketing and HR.

Read the full story here.

Virtual influencer startups say they've seen a spike in interest from brands as the pandemic has shut down many human photo shoots

• Dan Whateley and Sydney Bradley report that firms that specialize in computer-generated influencers have seen a boom in business during the coronavirus as influencers have to tweak their content strategies with shelter-in-place orders.
• Startups like Brud, Genies, and The Diigitals create virtual influencers to generate revenue from television appearances, brand deals and IP.
• In May, Brud signed a deal with Hollywood talent agency CAA to represent virtual social media influencer and pop star Lil Miquela.

Read the full story here.

More stories we're reading:

• Disney slashes ad spending on Facebook amid growing boycott (Wall Street Journal)
• Netflix sheds $19 billion in market value amid earnings miss and disappointing subscriber-growth forecast (Business Insider)
• SoulCycle poster child Soeuraya Wilson quit on Instagram saying she's tired of being 'used' by a company that only supports activism 'when it is convenient for their bottom line' — we spoke to 2 Black instructors who agree (Business Insider)
• Advertising giants agree to evaluate mutual definition of hate speech (Axios)
• The second wave of media layoffs is here (Digiday)

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