Netflix
Happy New Year and welcome back to the Advertising & Media Insider newsletter after a holiday hiatus.
First up, I want to recommend this profile of Netflix movie chief Scott Stuber that's hot off the presses. My colleagues Jason Guerrasio and Ashley Rodriguez chronicled how Stuber's led the streaming company to become a major player in the movie business, the fears of traditional theaters notwithstanding. And with three big hopefuls this year - "The Irishman," "The Two Popes," and "Marriage Story" - the company could score big at the Oscars.
One of our most popular stories over the holidays was Patrick Coffee's look back at Publicis' much-touted AI tool, Marcel. Despite the hype and cost of at least $30 million in investment, Marcel has been hampered by internal skepticism, tension, confusion, and delays.
It's also a cautionary tale about the difficulties that massive companies face in trying to modernize across sprawling operations with competing stakeholders.
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With unions sweeping media companies, I looked into how the unionization is playing out at Hearst Magazines, publisher of some of the biggest names in magazinedom, including Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Esquire.
There's an air of inevitability around unionization, with the likes of HuffPost, BuzzFeed, and The New Yorker joining the trend. But some insiders think steps by management may have strengthened the union's resolve - and worry that a union will undo some of the progress the company has made to adapt to digital.
A union election is expected to take place as early as later this month: Stay tuned.
Meet the 36 rising stars of Madison Avenue revolutionizing advertising
Tanya Dua rounded up up and comers in advertising. The list is notable for all the kinds of companies and disciplines it represents, showing how everyone is trying to get a piece of the advertising business.
The list's makeup also shows how complex and varied the work of advertising has become, with people like Christina Mallon who has promoted inclusive design awareness at WundermanThompson; and Mindshare's Arafel Buzan, a neuroscientist who's literally getting inside people heads, using technology like EEGs to see how people are responding to ads. The future is here, like it or not.
Advertising & ad tech
2019 was a big year for adtech industry adapting to sweeping new privacy laws and consolidation. Lauren Johnson rounded up 18 companies that are best positioned to meet the challenges, and they include AT&T's Xandr, which is using data and content to change TV advertising; and TripleLift, which is pivoting hard into OTT advertising.
Meanwhile, an M&A expert predicted that 2020 would be another big year for TV-tech deals for companies looking to bolster their OTT products. Elgin Thompson of JMP Securities said ad-supported streaming services and measurement firms like Tubi TV and Samba TV would be hot acquisition targets in 2020.
Walmart is going after Amazon's advertising business by formally rolling out a self-serve platform and API that allows advertisers to buy search ads through third-party adtech companies.
Facebook's Calibra is looking to hire two high-level marketers to launch an advertising blitz, even as its move into financial services faces growing criticism.
Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign bought a 60-second Super Bowl ad, which would be twice the length of Trump's ad and could be the most expensive ever, at more than $11 million.
And we profiled the onetime advertising neophytes behind the digital content studio Portal A - and looked at how it's staying a step ahead of growing competition. Today, digitally oriented ad agencies are the norm, but Portal A was one of the firms that started the trend.
Media & entertainment
Netflix has experimented with consumer products to see how fans would engage with its franchises, such as "Stranger Things," outside its platform, and now the streaming company is staffing up its budding consumer-products team in Los Angeles.
We talked to Dana Settle, a founding partner of venture-capital firm Greycroft, which started with a focus on media and tech companies. She revealed the top trends in tech and media right now and why the firm was still investing in media despite its troubles.
While all of you were wasting time drinking in college, Sienna Santer has parlayed her Harvard admission into a business. A YouTube influencer with 302,000 subscribers, she shares videos on topics like how she got into the prestigious university and what her life is like, and she broke down for Amanda Perelli how much she made from YouTube ads in 2019.
You can read most of the articles here by subscribing to BI Prime; use promo code AD2PRIME2018 for a free month.
Retail of the future
Finally, I wanted to let you know about an upcoming event my colleagues are hosting on the future of retail in New York City on Tuesday, January 14. From the rise of direct-to-consumer brands to sustainable fashion, the future of retail is all about connecting with customer passions and values - and it's changing models for growing business.
Retail entrepreneurs and experts will discuss industry strategies and innovations, and associated investment opportunities. Speakers will include Layla Amjadi, product manager of Instagram Shopping; Jack Forestell, chief product officer of Visa; and Leandra Medine, founder of Man Repeller.
Click here for more information and to attend.
