Who's winning advertising as it returns in 2020

Hi! Welcome to the Insider Advertising daily for November 16. 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: 14 ad buyers pick the winning media companies and platforms, Endeavor snaps up Fred Santarpia, and behind DoorDash's marketing.

14 ad buyers that control billions in spending named the media companies and platforms that are winning as advertising comes back

• 2020 has been a tough year for the advertising industry as marketers grapple with an economic downturn and new consumer habits like the rise of e-commerce.
• I asked 14 ad buyers to name the media companies and platforms that are winning advertisers' budgets this year.
• They included companies like Fox, which has been creative about producing breakout hit "The Masked Singer;" and social platforms like Facebook and Snap.

Read the full story here.

Ari Emanuel's Endeavor nabs a Condé Nast alum to expand its streaming company globally

• Claire Atkinson reports that Ari Emanuel's Endeavor, parent of talent agency WME and sports giant IMG, hired Fred Santarpia to run its high-profile Endeavor Streaming unit.
• He will work on expanding the DTC streaming unit, which handles operations for sports leagues like NBA and WWE.
• Santarpia is a former Condé Nast digital executive and most recently worked at e-commerce platform Moda Operandi.

Read the full story here.

DoorDash boosted its ad spend ahead of its IPO, and it says it did so while cutting losses

• DoorDash increased sales and marketing expenses in 2020 ahead of its IPO.
• But unlike other buzzy startups who ramp up marketing at the expense of profits, DoorDash's marketing declined as a share of revenue and it cut its losses leading up to its IPO.
• The delivery company lost $149 million on revenue of $1.9 billion in the first nine months of this year, compared with a $667 million loss on $587 million in revenue for the full prior year.

Read the full story here.

More stories we're reading:

• In a leaked recording, Amazon's HR boss told employees why the company hasn't rushed into permanent remote working: 'We are learning as we go' (Business Insider)
• Here are the DoorDash investors who may be set for a windfall as it readies its IPO, from giant asset managers like Fidelity to retirement funds for companies like Costco (Business Insider)
• In a leaked memo, Google CEO Sundar Pichai cited the 'extraordinary circumstances' of 2020 in telling employees they'll get more time off to 'disconnect' and curb burnout (Business Insider)
• TV advertising is making a comeback after pandemic slowdown (CNBC)
• As its ecosystem grows, companies are becoming reliant on Shopify for more parts of their business (Modern Retail)

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.