What you need to know in advertising today
Sadoun has just unveiled the ad agency network's big, mysterious, and bold new move into artificial intelligence - a project named "Marcel."
But it hasn't been cakewalk. Staff inside the company rebelled. Sadoun spent a year persuading his 80,000 employees that Marcel is the future.
It's a huge gamble. No one knows if it will work. Sadoun, along with former CEO Maurice Levy and half-a-dozen of their senior staff, talked to Business Insider about the year-long struggle.
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In related news:
Publicis CEO Sadoun says there is too much 'scam' work at the Cannes Lions. The Cannes Lions, like many advertising awards, are rife with fake ads that did not run as part of an official client campaign and were created solely for an awards show, Publicis execs believe.
But, not only is Sadoun himself attending and appearing on stage, but 84 Publicis staffers will be going along this year after as well, Campaign reports. This includes 15 people who are personally funding their own trips.
In other news:
IHOP has revealed why it changed its name to IHOb, and it represents a massive new strategy for the chain. IHOP revealed that it changed its name to IHOb to promote the debut of its new burgers - but the change is not permanent, and it will continue to serve pancakes alongside burgers on its menu.
The investigation into former WPP chief Sir Martin Sorrell looked into whether he used company money for a prostitute, the The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend. WPP had concluded the investigation and Sorrell stepped down last month, but details of that probe still were not forthcoming.
A deep dive into how Netflix is transforming the creation of TV content by Vulture. One way is replacing demographics with "taste clusters," making programming decisions on data and true viewing habits, not estimated ones.