AGENCY WORK HIGHLIGHTS

To celebrate the release of eOne’s MY LITTLE PONY streaming on Netflix, the field marketing team executed a publicity and promotions campaign in 19 markets throughout the US and Canada. Campaign elements included inviting field press and orchestrating a global press junket, hosting four purple carpet premiere parties at Lolli & Pops stores in LA, Denver, Houston and Philly, and activating over 100 influencers via virtual premiere invites and promo item mailers. All of which helped the film debut at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and become the #1 streaming movie in multiple countries.

INDUSTRY UPDATES

Ad Vendors / Platforms

EBay just rolled out cost-per-click ads. It's the type of inventory that's standard on e-commerce sites like Amazon and Walmart and particularly popular with businesses that have modest ad budgets. (Insider)
Google has announced changes to its ad disclosures to provide users with ad transparency, allowing users to learn about the background of advertisers and why the advertisement was directed to them. Users can access these recent developments through the “About this ad” menu to view ads that a specific verified advertiser has run over the past 30 days.
Instagram has paused work on its Instragram Kids project amid criticism about the app’s impact on users’ mental health.
TikTok has announced it has passed 1 billion monthly users. Having only launched in 2018, TikTok’s popularity soared during the pandemic, becoming the most-downloaded app in the world in the first quarter of 2020, with some 315 million downloads in that quarter alone.

Audio/Podcasts

Podcast listener growth grew notably in 2021, largely due to an increase in at-home listening, attributable to light listeners checking out the medium. This increase speaks to the transformation of the industry to a broader audience. The adult U.S. population listening to podcasts has grown more than 40% in the past three years.

Awards / Festivals

The Sundance Film Festival will be a hybrid event in 2022. With the pandemic still to be contained, Sundance, which runs from Jan. 20 to 30, will combine virtual screenings with physical screenings in Salt Lake City and seven other indie art house cinemas elsewhere.

Cinemas / Theatrical

After its release was delayed numerous times because of the pandemic, No Time to Die began rolling out in theaters last week, opening in a raft of major international markets ahead of its North American debut on Oct. 8. Early estimates suggested it would clear $80-100 million from 50+ markets by yesterday.
Patriotic war epic The Battle at Lake Changjin, co-directed by A-list Chinese filmmakers Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui and Dante Lam, rocketed to the top of China’s box office during the opening days of the country’s long National Day holiday period. The film was released on Thursday and earned ~$82 million by 6 p.m. local time on Friday.

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AND NOW THE GOOD STUFF

The UK government published its national AI strategy, which outlines its long-term vision for the technology and its impact on society.
Rodney Brooks, the creator of the Roomba, throws cold water on the idea that AI will surpass human intelligence in the near future.
A unique look behind the curtain at how one VC fund increased returns.
How Peloton uses design and gamification to keep people on the exercise platform.
If you think gentrification is about new coffee shops and high rents, you are missing an essential aesthetic element.
Watch out for the Trisolarians! Scientists might have found the first-known planet orbiting three stars at once.

Want your recent project to be featured in next week’s agency updates? Please send an email with a short description of the campaign you worked on to Tamar Ayres (tayres@alliedglobalmarketing.com)