There are probably a lot of reasons why Stephen Curry has gotten to where he is today--support from his family and friends, hard work, dedication and so on--but one of the most important things, at least according to new work from Kaiser Permanente, is his ability to train his mind, not just his body, to...
Stephen Curry, Looking Back on His Life, Distills It All Down to One Lesson: Mental Resilience
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Creative Agency Wongdoody Acquired by Indian IT Giant Infosys for $75 Million
Infosys wants in on the Accenture equation. Today, the information technology company announced that it has agreed to acquire 25-year-old Seattle-based creative agency Wongdoody. While the press release did not disclose specifics of the deal, reports from India, where Infosys is headquartered, listed its total value at $75 million including contingent consideration and retention payouts...
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Why 4 Famous Magazines Are Collaborating With Amazon to Transport Readers to the 1950s
In June, select subscriber covers of Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Woman's Day will transport readers back to the 1950s. As part of a collaboration with Amazon, the four Hearst titles will have special, peel-off top covers with the logos and fonts the titles used in the 50s, as well as with headlines and teasers...
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Macy’s Launches a Review of Its $500 Million U.S. Media Business
Retail giant Macy's recently issued an RFI for its U.S. media planning and buying business, a spokesperson confirmed today. "Macy's is conducting a review of its media account currently handled by Carat as part of normal practice to review agencies after five years," the representative said. Joanne Davis Consulting is managing the review, according to...
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WPP CEO Martin Sorrell Steps Down Abruptly After 33 Years
Today marks the end of the Martin Sorrell era at WPP. The world's largest advertising company confirmed in a statement that Sorrell has resigned as CEO, effectively immediately, following 33 years in the role. "Sir Martin Sorrell has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of WPP with immediate effect," the holding company said in a...
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These Incredibly Crafted Anti-Smoking Ads Drop the Fear Tactics in Favor of Empathy
They know smoking is dangerous. They know it's expensive. They know it makes them a bad influence on their kids. And they know they need to quit. In these new, documentary-style PSAs for Tobacco Free Florida, agency Alma takes a refreshingly respectful approach to encouraging smokers to quit. Instead of extreme scare tactics, the ads...
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Why Brands Are Under Increasing Pressure to Be Transparent About What They Believe In
Some brands do everything they can to avoid political controversy. Cards Against Humanity is not one of them. Last November, the maker of the crude-yet-hilarious party game announced it was raising $2.2 million to buy a small plot of land on the U.S.-Mexican border to prevent a wall from being built on it, then dared...
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The Era of the Chief Privacy Officer: How the Newest C-Suite Role Is Protecting Consumers and Companies
In the annals of data privacy scandals, Facebook's current debacle is fairly monumental. After allegations surfaced last month that British data company Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed the private data from 87 million (at last count) of its users to target voters on behalf of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign, the fallout was swift. In the...
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4 Things Brands Should Keep in Mind When Taking a Stand
Brands often find that when they aim to do good, they also end up doing well. Here are four rules to keep in mind. Know your customers Before you take a potentially controversial or divisive stance, you need to know who your customers are and what's important to them. Many companies fail to do a...
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It’s Time to Stop Waiting for Permission to Create Timely Customer Experiences That Resonate
This year, as I was walking the floor at CES, I was struck by many of the innovations that I encountered. Toasters that tweet. Smart fridges that talk to your TV. Shoes that vacuum. While some of these technologies are amusing, and others are interesting, it gave me pause to think--is it meaningful enough? Innovation...
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Infographic: What Consumers Expect of Brands When It Comes to Issues They Care About
There's a good reason marketers and the C-suite alike continue to focus so determinedly on brand purpose--it's important to consumers. According to a new study, 75 percent of global consumers expect brands to contribute to their well-being and quality of life. And purpose is an especially important consideration when marketing to millennials and Gen Zers,...
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Editor’s Letter: The Complicated Issue of Brand Purpose in a Shifting Marketing Landscape
"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction." I've always loved this quote from John F. Kennedy about drive. It transcends the tactic of hard work and the emotion of bravery to the higher strategic plane of purpose and direction--knowing who you are and where you want to go. In this our sixth...
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Should Sinclair’s Must-Runs Be Labeled Commentary, and Who Should Read Them on the Air?
Sinclair Broadcast Group entered the wider cultural conversation late last month when the sports and media commentary site Deadspin published a video showing dozens of anchors at Sinclair-owned local stations around the country reading what appears to be the same, scripted anti-mainstream media message on-air. The mashup went viral. Sinclair's must-run promo includes a warning...
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As TV Viewing Habits Change, Local Broadcasters Turn to Live Streaming
When the 2018 Major League Soccer season kicked off last month, Real Salt Lake fans didn't have to fly down to Toyota Field in Frisco, Texas, to watch the Claret and Cobalt play its Western Conference rival FC Dallas. They didn't have to turn on their televisions to watch the match either. Instead, RSL's avid...
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How HBO Built a Real-Life Activation as Immersive as the Universe Within Westworld
Last week, ahead of the Season 2 premiere of Westworld, creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan participated in an Ask Me Anything chat on Reddit, where they set forth a curious proposition: If fans agreed, they would release a video spoiling all of the twists and turns of the upcoming season. Hours later, a video...
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What Will Be the Talk of 4A’s Next Year?
Several things dominated the conversation at the 4A's Accelerate conference in Miami last week: the agency-client relationship, how agencies will handle the #MeToo movement, what's the best way to build a diverse and inclusive agency and the Parkland students who spoke to advertisers about gun control. But will those topics be at the forefront of...
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Amid Industry Upheaval, AMC Networks’ Stability Will Be an Upfront Asset
Between just-completed acquisitions, mergers in the making and departing CEOs, almost every media company is going into the upfront with major questions about what they will look like in a year. One of the few places without such uncertainty, AMC Networks, says its stability amidst a chaos-filled industry will be an asset in this year's...
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When Did Social Media Stop Being So … Social?
Recent developments since the 2016 presidential election--most notably the discovery that Facebook had been manipulated by Russia's Internet Research Agency--has led many users to question major social media platforms. This manipulation has prompted users to second-guess these networks' commitment to responsibility over profitability, as well as the seemingly arbitrary algorithms and advertisements that dictate their...
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‘In The Dark’ Will Focus on a Man Tried 6 Times for the Same Crime
After a successful first run, American Public Media and Westwood One have partnered to reach even more listeners for a second season of investigative podcast In the Dark. The first season of the series focused on the kidnapping of an 11-year-old boy nearly three decades after the case went cold. The season boasted almost 12...
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Mother’s Creepy Call for U.S. Interns Is the Stuff of Nightmares. Apply at Your Own Risk
"There, there, come to Mother." That expression is generally going to sound creepy in 2018, but agency Mother USA is going full freaky with it in its new internship pitch. Today, the U.S. division of the London-based agency network unveiled its new call for interns, and the landing site, ComeToMother.com, is far from your usual...
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