The 10 things in advertising you need to know today
1. Facebook and Snapchat are trading blows in a fight for messaging domination and the money that comes with it. This week, Snapchat massively overhauled how people chat, taking the best parts from Facebook's messenger.
2. 11 famous products that were originally intended for a completely different purpose. We collected 11 examples of products that have been remarkably successful, despite being intended for something else.
3. A European genius who saves breweries from the grave has set his sights on a $700 million "dad beer." Eugene Kashper is determined to turn Pabst Blue Ribbon into an industry titan.
4. Apple's new tear-jerking ad shows an autistic boy using an iPad to speak. April 2 was Autism Awareness Day and Apple did its part with this tear-jerking ad about about a boy named Dillon.
5. Facebook is said to have withdrawn its bid to stream big NFL games. Sources told Bloomberg that Facebook "balked" at the NFL's advertising model, and wanted its live video to be commercial-free.
6. This might be the fanciest McDonald's in the world. McDonald's recently-opened restaurant in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which looks like an Apple Store, hints at the fast food restaurants shifting marketing strategy.
7. 1 in 10 people in the US uses an ad blocker. The level of ad blocker usage has remained steady over the past six months, comScore says.
8. Beyoncé's fans threatened to put Lululemon out of business after the brand accused her of copying. Beyoncé recently introduced her new athleisure line called Ivy Park.
9. America's definition of sexy has completely changed, and retailers are toning it down. Just over a decade ago, consumers were inundated with overtly sexual imagery.
10. This is how Pinterest is pitching advertisers. Pinterest's pitch to brands is getting more sophisticated, with targeting tools, fancier ads, and more robust e-commerce tie-ins, Digiday reports.