The 10 things in advertising you need to know today
1. Yahoo is ready to talk about a deal and is asking potential buyers to sign confidentiality documents. Yahoo plans to have a traditional auction, in which buyers submit bids, rather than engage in direct, one-on-one deal talks.
2. Facebook looks close to opening up the Messenger app to advertisers. TechCrunch reported on leaked documents that suggest Facebook is gearing up to begin selling advertisements through Messenger.
3. The latest Always #LikeAGirl ad claims emojis are sexist. Women are portrayed in emoji as dancing, having their nails painted, shopping, or getting a haircut.
4. Former Snapchat and Instagram exec Emily White is starting a high-end "concierge" service. Emily White was the former No. 2 exec at Snapchat and Instagram.
5. The average tenure of a chief marketing officer has slipped for the first time in a decade, The Wall Street Journal reports. Executive search firm Spencer Stuart claims the average tenure of a CMO fell to 44 months in 2015, down from 48 months in 2014.
6. Facebook just passed 3 million advertisers - here's why it's doubling down on small businesses. Through more specific targeting of ads on Facebook, small businesses can make sure they are not wasting money.
7. What the editors of The Sun and The Guardian think about the future of newspapers. Tony Gallagher and Katharine Viner explain trends within the UK and international news industry.
8. Ketchup sales are booming for this company because of a viral Facebook post bashing Heinz. French's saw its ketchup sales skyrocket when a man from Ontario made a Facebook post praising the Canadian-made product.
9. MTV owner Viacom just launched a 20-person, in-house branded content agency. The Velocity Content Network will create and distribute branded content across social and digital platforms.
10. Adblock Plus has responded to the UK culture secretary calling ad blocking a "modern-day protection racket." In a speech delivered on Wednesday, John Whittingdale outlined the existential threat to online publishers posed by the rise of ad blocking.