Amazon plans to add new transparency tools to its demand-side platform, Amazon Ads, following a report earlier this month accusing the platform, alongside others, of inadvertently funding child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). The report, compiled by the research firm Adalytics, was published by ADWEEK and coincided with a group of Senators probing how this content...
Burger King chief marketer (CMO) Pat O'Toole has left the QSR and joined Unleashed Brands as its new chief marketing officer, the company revealed on Thursday. At Unleashed Brands, O'Toole will oversee the marketing efforts of more than 1,300 franchises with a mission to help kids learn, play, and grow. The youth-enrichment company, which was...
The entertainment news startup The Ankler has partnered with NAB Show to introduce a new series of programming, called its Business of Entertainment track, to the multi-day event. The convention, hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters, will be held April 5 through April 9 in the Las Vegas Convention Center. It serves as an...
The digital transformation agency Code and Theory has appointed Jessica Giles, the former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, as managing director of its newly created Media Experience Practice. Giles, who was named ADWEEK's Editor of the Year in 2019, will oversee a team of roughly 50 to help media brands navigate evolving consumer behaviors, advancements in artificial...
WhatsApp will debut an experimental new feature on Friday, an exclusive group chat launched in partnership with the sports publisher OffBall. The trial product, called The Chat, will build off a preexisting WhatsApp feature called Communities, in which users participate in large group chats based on shared interests. In Chats, a small group of high-profile...
The marketing and media agency North & Warren acquired the experiential agency Interluxe on Thursday, creating a combined firm designed to serve the marketing needs of luxury brands, co-chief executive Nick Van Sicklen told ADWEEK. North & Warren financed the acquisition with an unspecified amount of investment from the private equity firm Mountaingate, which closed...
On Wednesday, BuzzFeed founder and chief executive Jonah Peretti announced his plan to launch BF Island, a new social media platform and consumer app. Peretti shared a manifesto explaining his rationale for launching the new product, pointing to the algorithmic bias of other social platforms and the toxic effect the technology has on its users....
The cofounder and chief executive of Morning Brew, Austin Rief, is stepping down from his position and transitioning to a new role as executive chairman, Rief told ADWEEK. The company has named Robert Dippell, currently its chief operating officer and chief revenue officer, as its new CEO, effective immediately. Executive Devin Emery has also been...
Super Bowl 59 delivered more than just a lopsided game--it also became a meme goldmine. From Kendrick Lamar's headline-grabbing halftime performance to surprise celebrity appearances, both the action on the field and in the commercials provided endless fodder for the internet to feast on. Here's a roundup of the most meme-able moments from Sunday's Super...
A novel, disruptive technology, the biggest television event of the year, and chief marketing officer Kate Rouch--what do they all have in common? If you are a technology company looking to introduce your product to U.S. consumers, these are your starting blocks. Three years ago, Rouch led the marketing team at Coinbase, the cryptocurrency trading...
THE AD: In its fourth-consecutive Super Bowl spot, the travel company Booking.com sticks largely to the basics, albeit this time with a cute cameo from a select group of Muppets. The ad begins with Kermit the Frog plucking a banjo on the beach, before cutting to a visibly distressed Ms. Piggy as she cries out...
THE AD: For a company that has creative professionals fearing for their livelihood, OpenAI sure makes a compelling ad. The company behind the generative artificial intelligence product ChatGPT unveiled its first Super Bowl ad during the second quarter of Super Bowl 59. The one-minute spot, produced in collaboration with Accenture Song and Droga5, has an...
THE AD: Like Tubi's infamous 2023 Super Bowl spot, Duracell's 2025 ad does not immediately appear to be a commercial. Instead, the creative shows Fox NFL analysts Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt standing in the commentators' booth, with Brady about to offer his thoughts on the first-half performance of the two teams. Then Brady appears...
Tom Brady has always seemed superhuman, and now we finally know why. In its first national Super Bowl spot, Duracell revealed that the seven-time Super Bowl winner is actually powered by batteries--specifically the Duracell variety. The 30-second ad, which aired in the first half, begins with a shot of Brady alongside his Fox NFL cohost...
The social publisher NowThis more than doubled its revenues in 2024 and achieved profitability for the first time as an independent company, according to chief executive Sharon Mussali. The 12-year-old title brought in $20 million in top-line sales and generated an adjusted profit of $4.6 million, a banner year for the publisher and a welcome...
The numbers $2.59 billion -- The New York Times' annual revenue in 2024, up 6.6% year over year $726.7 million -- Its fourth-quarter revenue, up 7.5% year over year $466.6 million -- Subscription revenue generated in the fourth quarter of 2024 0.6% -- The Times' increase in total advertising revenue in the fourth quarter. Critically,...
The Super Bowl remains the most expensive and high-profile advertising event of the year, with national TV spots commanding upwards of $8 million--before production costs. But in an era of fragmented attention spans and evolving viewing habits, brands don't need a seven-figure ad buy to capitalize on Super Bowl buzz. Below, five industry experts shared...
The digital media company Bustle Digital Group, which owns editorial titles including Bustle, Nylon, Inverse, and Elite Daily, was sued last week for nearly $3 million in unpaid rent and related damages by the real estate firm Columbia Property Trust. BDG stopped paying rent on its 315 Park Avenue South property in October 2023, racking...
President Donald Trump's stiff 25% import tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico over the weekend--plus a 10% tariff on Chinese goods--has already triggered counter-tariffs, trade wars, and threats of legal cases. Mexico's tariffs have been delayed by one month, Bloomberg reported. For marketers whose brands want to continue doing business with the U.S.'s three major...
The business news publisher Forbes announced a sweeping round of layoffs on Friday, which will affect roughly 5% of its total workforce. A representative for the company confirmed the reductions. In a note shared with staff internally, the newly appointed chief executive Sherry Phillips blamed financial underperformance for the cuts. "Unfortunately, as most of you...
