The 10 things in advertising you need to know today
1. Here is a ranking of the 30 biggest media companies in the world. In 2015, Google, Facebook, Baidu, Yahoo, and Microsoft accounted for 19% of the global ad spend flowing through all media, according to media agency ZenithOptimedia's report.
2. Snapchat is hiring a new COO, Viacom's ad-sales chief Jeff Lucas, according to the New York Post. Lucas could be helpful to the company as it prepares for an anticipated IPO in the next couple years.
3. Jeff Bezos on Peter Thiel: "Seek revenge and you should dig two graves, one for yourself." Bezos was asked for his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Peter Thiel funding Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media.
4. Two Jack Wills ads were banned for showing "sexualized" images of a "pyjama party" to teenagers. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned two pages of the retailer's Spring catalog for featuring partially dressed models with suggestive captions.
5. Apple removed a same-sex couple from some of the international versions of its Mother's Day ad. Among the many pictures of children and their mothers in the US version is an image of a same-sex female couple lying down and smiling at the camera, alongside two babies - this image was edited out in the French version.
6. Here are 14 Virgin companies that even Richard Branson could not stop going bust. The mogul has launched more than 400 companies under the Virgin brand: everything from airlines, to wine clubs, to underwear - unsurprisingly many of them have failed.
7. Minecraft has banned advertisers from building attractions inside the game. Minecraft-maker Mojang announced in a blog post on Tuesday that it will no longer allow the promotion of unrelated products or causes out of a concern for control and user enjoyment.
8. Budweiser is launching a new beer that's missing the one thing that consumers love. Budweiser Prohibition Brew recently debuted in Canada - the beer is intended to taste precisely like Budweiser while clocking in at 0.0% alcohol content.
9. Coca-Cola is branding its cans in the US flag to salute the nation's troops. The soft-drink giant has jumped on the patriotic re-branding band wagon, by releasing a new can design made up of red and white stripes, with a blue corner section.
10. Marketo was acquired by Vista Equity Partners for $1.79 billion. Marketo CEO Phil Fernandez said the all-cash deal will "allow Marketo to continue to focus on customer success and to remain the independent category leader, continuing to set the agenda for product innovation and thought leadership for the entire digital marketing industry."