AGENCY WORK HIGHLIGHTS

• Our Sydney office has closed a new client, beIN Sports, a recently-launched Australian SVOD. Our paid media team is working with beIN to drive efficient subscriber acquisition. One advantage we brought to the RFP was our recently-hired Digital Media Planner Bruce Scott, who had previously worked on beIN's business. Go team!

  

• Our North American Field Marketing team helped deliver a $134M opening weekend for THE BATMAN. A standout element of the campaign was a touring Batmobile & Costume experience, which appeared in major U.S. markets and drove over 12M impressions. Team Canada generated 1.2M impressions for a world exclusive photo-op called The Batman’s Colony of Bats at Toronto's Eaton Centre. The installation presented itself as a flock of more than 10,000 artificial bats mid-flight and transformed into the film’s logo through a striking forced perspective effect.

  

INDUSTRY UPDATES

Ad Vendors / Platforms / Data

• Following Facebook’s lead, Google has now stopped selling online advertising in Russia. The ban covers search as well as YouTube and outside publishing partners. (Reuters)

• Twitter is increasing visibility into Birdwatch, its community-based fact checking initiative. The notes will be shared with a randomized group of users. (TechCrunch)

• Twitch announced that it will ban users who spread harmful misinformation, though such users are not prevalent on its platform. (The Verge)

• At its most recent tech & data showcase Disney touted its first first-party data and programmatic enhancements. (AdWeek)

• YouTube is offering up to $300K to podcasters for them to make video versions of their shows. (The Verge)

• USA Today owner, Gannett Co., gave advertisers inaccurate information for 9 months, misrepresenting where billions of ads were placed. (WSJ)

• Microsoft Advertising has launched dynamic descriptions for Dynamic Search Ads (DSA). Starting in April, all existing DSA campaigns will be forced over to dynamic descriptions. (Search Engine Land)

Awards / Festivals

• A free NFT collection dedicated to the GRAMMY Awards recently dropped. Within the collection is one “golden ticket” which will give one lucky holder an all-inclusive travel stipend for two to the GRAMMY Awards on 4/3. (GRAMMY)

• “Flee” won best feature at the International Documentary Association’s annual awards ceremony. (Variety)

• "The Lost Daughter" was the biggest winner at this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards, winning best feature, best screenplay, best director, and best supporting female. (NPR)

Cinemas / Theatrical

• AMC Theaters charged customers $1-2 more for “The Batman” tickets compared to other movies playing at the same time. (Variety)

• Amid the strong opening weekend of “The Batman,” comfort with going to movie theaters increased to 58%, a record high since the start of the pandemic. (Morning Consult)

• Indie Theaters, many of which rely on the window between release and at-home availability, are struggling to survive the effects of the pandemic and shortening windows. (THR)

• Indie studio A24, known for acclaimed films such as "Moonlight" and "Hereditary," finalized a $225 million equity investment from Stripes, which the studio will use to bolster worldwide production and distribution. (Variety)

• Amazon is expected to win EU antitrust approval for its $8.5 billion purchase of U.S. movie studio, MGM. (Reuters)

Gambling / Casinos

• Apollo, which owns Yahoo, is considering partnerships between Yahoo Sports and sports-betting companies such as PointsBet Holdings. (CNBC)

• ESPN is launching Fantasy Women's Basketball ahead of the 2022 WNBA season. It will be the first season-long fantasy game dedicated to major women's sports. (Axios)

• AGM Client Graton Resort & Casino is the first US property to unveil Kascada, a new dual screen gaming experince. (Yahoo)

Live Events / Attractions

• Universal Studios Hollywood dropped its mask mandate and will no longer require proof of vaccination. (THR)

• Cheetos will have a “Hands Free House” at SXSW this year which will showcase hands-free devices you can use with fingers coated in Cheeto dust. (Marketing Dive)

• MLB is back on after a lengthy lockout. All 162 games will be played this season, with opening day now scheduled for April 7. (ESPN)

Music / Audio / Podcasts

• Universal Music closed 2021 with over $10B in revenue, $5B of which was from streaming revenue alone. (Billboard)

• Podcasting Agencies warn against dynamically-inserted ads, claiming they will clog up a medium known for having a lighter ad load compared to other media. (Digiday)

• Fast Company released their list of the Most Innovative Companies of 2022 and placed Soundcoud, Splash, and Mandolin in their top 10 for music. (Fast Company)

• Spotify has suspended premium accounts in Russia due to the war in Ukraine. (Billboard)

• TikTok has launched its own in-house music distribution and marketing platform, called SoundOn. Artists can upload their music directly onto the TikTok app, in addition to massive global platforms like Spotify. (Billboard)

NFT / Blockchain / Crypto

• Chef Tom Colicchio announced his NFT, CHFTY Pizzas, which allows holders access to unique virtual and online experiences. Pre-sale to those on the “Slicelist” begins 3/23. (Eater)

• Ukraine is releasing its own collection of NFTs to support its troops in defending the country against Russia. (Morning Brew)

• Papa Johns released a free collection of “Hot Bag” NFT collectibles which gives holders a chance to win a real “Papa 1984” bag. (Crypto Times)

• President Biden issued an executive order regarding cryptocurrency, calling on government agencies to explore the pros and cons of digital assets. (Morning Brew)

• Following in China’s footsteps, the US is looking into developing its own digital currency. (Morning Brew)

• Manchester City's new crypto sponsor, OKX, sells crypto derivatives, a product banned in UK to global customers. (Joe)

• Ad Age released their list of the top 5 NFTs you need to know right now. The list includes Grammy Awards NFT, CryptTV: Monster Fight Club, and UkraineDAO. (Adage)

• Acura has entered the metaverse with their first virtual showroom in Decentraland. They have also released an NFT to support the release of the 2023 Integra model. (Marketing Dive)

OTT / Streaming

• Broadway World released a streaming guide for March which includes Mamma Mia! (Peacock), West Side Story (HBO Max & Disney+), and GiGi (HBO Max). (Broadway World)

• Disney+ will be offering an ad-supported subscription plan late this year. Pricing has not yet been released, but it is assumed to be cheaper than the $7.99 ad-free offering. (CNBC)

• Beginning 4/1, Netflix will release its daily trivia series called Trivia Quest, an interactive experience in which each correct answer moves the story along. (The Verge)

• NBCU has ended its content-sharing deal with Hulu as the company redirects its shows to its own service, Peacock. Shows like SNL and The Voice will no longer be available to stream on Hulu the day after they air. (THR)

• Paramount+ recently had a promotion for Amazon Prime users, offering two months of for $0.99/month. (Streamable)

• Hulu is currently offering a limited time promotion - add Showtime for $4.99/month for the next six months. (Streamable)

• Apple TV+ rolled out on Comcast Xfinity video platforms, offering Comcast users three months free for a limited time. (Variety)

• HBO Max announced new advertising features including the “Brand Block,” a new commercial concept in which an ad runs before a movie starts then the film continues without further interruption. (Variety)

• Apple TV+ has struck a deal with Major League Baseball and will carry a weekly doubleheader of games on Fridays, starting with the 2022 season post-lockout. (THR)

• Netflix is increasing the cost of its subscription plans in the UK and Ireland. The standard package is increasing by £1 ($1.31) to £10.99 ($14.46) in the UK and by €2 ($2.20) to €14.99 ($16.54) in Ireland. (Deadline)

• Disney is exploring the idea of significantly broadening the content on Disney+ by offering movies and shows from the horror and thriller genres. (The Information)

• Netflix is not planning to reveal an ad-supported plan, but its CFO says “never say never.” (Variety)

• MSNBC will be adding shows from its cable TV channel to its streaming channel on Peacock. The Peacock channel will also rebrand from “The Choice” to “MSNBC hub on Peacock." (THR)

• ITV announced the launch of ITVX, an integrated advertising and subscription funded (AVOD/SVOD) platform for the UK. (TTVNews)

• CNN+ has officially announced its launch date, which will be March 29th. (THR)

• Disney+ is partnering with Nippon TV to increase its Japanese-language content. (THR)

Retail / Lifestyle / Travel

• Walmart will be diving deeper into social commerce, releasing eight livestreaming shopping experiences through its partnership with Talkshoplive. (Marketing Dive)

• 7/10 Americans say they'd feel comfortable going to the mall, a new record since April 2020. (Morning Consult)

• Due to the war in Ukraine, Starbucks, McDonald's and Coca-Cola are all halting business in Russia. (Washington Post)

• Dollar Shave Club has signed a deal with Gonzaga University star, Drew Timme. The deal comes as the Unilever brand has been named the official razor of the NCAA and March Madness. (Marketing Dive)

• Due to the war in Ukraine, Japanese fashion company Uniqlo has halted business operations in Russia. (CBS)

Social Media

• Following a suspected ban in Russia to reduce the flow of information, Twitter is trying to get its services up and running again in the country. (TechCrunch)

• Twitter has launched a version of its platform to avoid Russian censorship and surveillance following the Russian ban. The service is specifically made to use on the dark web. (AP)

• Though YouTube still reigns supreme in terms of monthly users, with over 225M in 2021, TikTok is closing in fast with a projected 90M monthly users in 2022. (eMarketer)

  

• LinkedIn announced the launch of the LinkedIn Podcast Network, a new suite of in-platform features, in partnership with Verizon. The LinkedIn Podcast Network offers customers a first-to-market opportunity to serve engaging content to new audiences and maximize advertising investments on LinkedIn. (The Drum)

• Facebook Reels are becoming globally available in more than 150 countries. Meta is also introducing more creative tools and new ways for creators to make money from their Reels through advertising and is currently testing the new Overlay Ad format, which represents Facebook’s first attempt to bring advertising revenue directly to Reels. (Tech Crunch)

• TikTok is beta testing a program to allow crypto ads in the US and Canada, as long as the companies are registered with an approved regulatory body. (Morning Brew)

• Twitter is launching a new beta experiment, Twitter Shops, which allows merchants to handpick a collection of up to 50 products to showcase to shoppers on Twitter. (Twitter)

• Meta has temporarily changed its hate speech policy to allow users in some Eastern European countries urge violence against Russia and its military. (Reuters)

Video Games

• 7-Eleven is partnering with Rocket League, a video game which allows players to use a car to play soccer, to help fans customize their cars with 7-Eleven themes. (Marketing Dive)

• Following Epic Games and EA Games, Ubisoft and Take-Two are blocking gaming sales in Russia in light of the war in Ukraine. (The Verge)

• Verizon announced it will be launching +play, a service that helps customers manage their streaming subscriptions through Verizon. (Streamable)

• Roblox is currently hiring for a Playstation engineer, indicating the company is looking into bringing Roblox to Playstation. (The Verge)

Interesting Campaigns / Creative

• Do the below ads look eerily similar? Your eyes aren't deceiving you - it's the same photo with a different creative on the billboard. Rather than send photographers out to photograph their OOH endeavors, agencies often use this exact billboard for mockups. (The Drum)

  
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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.