The 10 things in advertising you need to know today
1. US TV ad spending fell 5% in the second quarter, The Wall Street Journal's CMO Today reports. Data from Standard Media Index shows that excluding the impact of TV programming such as the World Cup, TV ad spend still fell 3% year on year.
2. Payments company Square has some quirky customs that CEO Jack Dorsey could bring to Twitter. Details from board meetings are shared with employees, and each week the company surveys its employees on how they are feeling.
3. Here's how Wal-Mart hired 2,200 developers and made "magic." The Walmart Labs division was created four years ago in the heart of Silicon Valley's Mountain View.
4. SuperAwesome, the London-based digital marketing platform for the kids industry, has raised $7 million in Series A funding. The round was led by IBIS TMT, Twenty Ten Capital, and Sandbox and Co., plus participation from existing investors including Hoxton Ventures.
5. "Star Wars" first marketer Charles Lippincott has weighed in on a controversial GQ magazine shoot featuring comedian Amy Schuler and two of the franchise's most popular characters, The Drum reports. Lippincott criticized the risqué shoot for being inappropriate.
6. Chipotle is at a crossroads. As the chain expands, it runs the risk that new customers won't care much about its food and integrity.
7. Yahoo M&A chief Jackie Reses has issued an incredible mandate on how to treat companies that ask to be acquired. Reses tells staff to treat every single approach seriously, including responding with a personal email, or a phone call.
8. Apple insiders have given us their report card on retail boss Angela Ahrendts' first year. They're impressed.
9. Meet the "YouTube Mafia." The former Googlers still dominating the online video industry.
10. This 1957 drawing reveals the brilliant strategy behind Disney's lasting success. The image depicts Disney's core business as grounded in films, with a portfolio of entertainment assets that both support and reinforce the movies.