The 10 things in advertising you need to know today
1. There is already a brilliant parody of the latest Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty" ad. Comedy website Funny or Die switch the focus of Dove's "Doors" commercial to men and their penis size.
2. An office worker took his GoPro to work and turned an average day of menial tasks like filing, photocopying, and sticking stamps onto envelopes into a video akin to one of the brand's action-packed commercials. He says he was not paid by GoPro to make the video, which nevertheless acts as a great endorsement for the brand.
3. Publicis Groupe reported a 31.7% lift in revenue to €2.1 billion in its first quarter, while organic growth was up 0.9%. The French advertising agency holding group said the increase was due in part to the positive impact of exchange rates, as well as the inclusion of the recently completed acquisition of US-based digital marketing and technology company Sapient.
4. It looks like Marissa Mayer drove a pretty hard bargain with Microsoft. On Monday, the company filed a document with the SEC that gives some new details about the renegotiation of Yahoo's search contract with Microsoft.
5. Here's what business owners think about Google's plan to punish sites that don't look good on mobile phones. Google's update to its mobile search algorithm, nicknamed "Mobilegeddon," comes into effect today.
6. This is how Victoria's Secret killed rival lingerie retailer Frederick's of Hollywood. The latter firm filed for bankruptcy protection this week after years of struggles, and will close all of its stores.
7. These new stats about Amazon should make Google very nervous. A report from Macquarie Research shows more and more Amazon Prime members start their product searches on Amazon rather than Google, and that Prime users don't price compare with other sites.
8. Target just infuriated lots of customers, after its latest designer collaboration sold out within a matter of hours. But it's a great sign for business.
9. Ben & Jerry's made a stoner version of Apple's classic "1984" ad in honor of 4/20. The brand released an ice cream burrito, the "BRRR-ito," to celebrate the stoner holiday.
10. This is why McDonald's is still a powerhouse, despite sluggish sales and bad PR. Here are six reasons why McDonald's is nowhere close to death's door.