The 10 things in advertising you need to know today
1. We spoke to Publicis Groupe boss Maurice Lévy. He spoke about why 2015 will be a return to growth from the French agency network, why he's not interested in buying Dunnhumby, and why he still sends handwritten notes.
2. Facebook kicked off its big annual F8 event on Wednesday. Here's a summary of what the company announced.
3. Facebook made a big mobile adtech move that might carve off some of Google's DoubleClick business. It has extended LiveRail's capabilities from video to mobile app display advertising.
4. Facebook also took a swing at YouTube. It is launching an embeddable video player so you can host Facebook videos anywhere on the web.
5. Facebook's ambitious plan to crush YouTube does have a caveat. The main thing missing from Facebook's plans so far is any clear way for people who upload videos to make money from them.
6. But ultimately Google ought to be terrified about what Facebook is doing. Right now it feels like Google is directionless and Facebook has all the momentum.
7. TheAudience, a social media and digital content agency co-founded by Sean Parker, is shutting down in the UK. "This decision was made based on unique business challenges in that specific market," the company's COO and CFO told us.
8. Taco Bell is comparing McDonald's to a Communist dictatorship in its latest ad campaign. The ad depicts a dystopian society where everyone is forced to eat McDonald's for breakfast.
9. Macy's CFO has blamed Netflix for poor sales. Millennials have a tendency to spend money on electronics and online subscriptions rather than apparel, Karen Hoguet said at a recent conference
10. Brands have (of course) inserted themselves into the social conversations around Zayn Malik leaving One Direction. Digiday has a round-up.