AGENCY WORK HIGHLIGHTS

• AGM's integrated Kimmel Cultural Campus team is wrapping up their hard work on WAITRESS, which opened last week at the Academy of Music. One of many campaign highlights was their activation on Pi Day (3.14), complete with a huge burst of publicity generating events, including a “Best Pie in Philadelphia” contest on Good Day Philadelphia. The Pi Day efforts lead to one of the highest one-day single ticket sales in the Broadway Series history at the Kimmel, with more than $32k in sales. The momentum has kept going with more than 15K tickets sold grossing more than $1.1M, more than 155% of the client’s goal. The show is expected to deliver almost a half-million dollars more than originally projected.

  
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INDUSTRY UPDATES

Ad Vendors / Platforms / Data

• Discovery Latin America and Dailymotion seal AdSales representation agreement Discovery Latin America/USH will represent Dailymotion, complementing and expanding its digital offer with the inclusion of new audiences and content genres. (Prensario)

• Foundry has recently built a technology engine to capture intent-to-purchase signals and provide them to marketers. The intent data is gathered from across its network of publications and across social media such as LinkedIn and Twitter. (Media Post)

• Beginning in May, Google will remove the “Movies & TV” section from the Play Store and move it to the Google TV app instead. (Tech Crunch)

• Meta overtook TikTok to claim the top spot in an analysis of mobile media platforms following Apple's SKAN implementation. From July to December 2021, Meta's "quality signals" were highest across in-app engagement for non-gaming apps and in-app purchases for both gaming and non-gaming. (Marketing Dive)

• YouTube decided to sunset its Maximize Lift bidding, a tool that helps marketers target users who are not already aware of their brand using survey research and machine learning. (AdWeek)

Awards / Festivals

• Apple TV+ is the first streamer to win a Best Picture Oscar. Apple TV+'s "CODA" won three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). (Variety)

• Oscars ratings increased 56% this year compared to 2021, with at least 15.3 million people tuning in. Despite the ratings boost, this year's Oscars are the second-least-watched telecast in the awards show's history. (Yahoo)

• The 2022 Oscars included a best picture win for CODA, Jessica Chastain for Best Lead Actress, and Encanto for Best Animated Feature. Later in the ceremony, after a dramatic scene by Will Smith, Smith won a best actor Oscar for his role in King Richard. (NPR)

Cinemas / Theatrical

• National CineMedia (NCM) announced the launch of their new data-driven technology platforms for moviegoers, NCMx, which uses extensive data about moviegoer behavior to connect brands with custom audiences in theaters as well as on digital screens before and after attending movies. (Ad Age)

• Amazon has closed its acquisition of MGM Studios. MGM Studios will bring more than 4k film titles, 17k TV episodes, 180 Academy Awards, and 100 Emmy Awards to Amazon. (Variety)

• One of the UK’s oldest cinemas, The Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, Essex, is to reopen to the public following a two-year restoration project. (Bloomberg)

• Several independent cinemas across England have been awarded the final round of grants from the UK government’s Culture Recovery Fund, which has supported venues throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. (Screen Daily)

Gambling / Casinos

• Crypto bets have grown over 2X in 2021, nearly doubling share to 40%. At the same time, the volume of bets in cryptocurrencies over the same period increased by more than 2 times, namely by 259.21%. (Yogonet)

• Californian voters will get a chance in November to legalize sports betting. If California legalizes, sports betting is likely to become legal everywhere in the U.S. (Politico)

• New York state legislators are pushing a deal to fast-track gaming licenses for three casinos as part of New York's budget including a casino near the Water Club along the East River in Kips Bay; a Monaco-style casino on top of Saks Fifth Avenue in midtown; and a Hard Rock Casino in the crossroads of the world, Times Square. (NY Times)

Live Events / Attractions

• Qatar 2022 World Cup: restrictions on alcohol and "demonstrations of affection" in public. The Organizing Committee and the embassies of FIFA member countries agreed on a series of guidelines that visitors will have to take into account. (Merca20)

• Verizon and Live Nation Entertainment are teaming up to create a "First Access" presale program, which opens tickets to popular concerts like those of The Weeknd and Imagine Dragons to Verizon customers first through the Verizon app. (Marketing Dive)

• Comedy clubs are reassessing security measures after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. Venues, already on edge during the post-pandemic return, are considering adding security guards, pre-show warnings and even metal detectors. (THR)

Music / Audio / Podcasts

• Spotify is moving its live audio app, Greenroom, to the main app to increase its visibility. “Greenroom” will be rebranded as Spotify Live and will be a place where creators can have live conversations with subscribers. (Ad Age)

• Spotify acquired podcast discovery platform Podz in 2021 to help accelerate its extensive investments in podcasts. Now, Spotify is testing a feature that leverages Podz technology to help users find new podcasts they may like. (Tech Crunch)

• The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro’s conservative media company, says it will invest $100M in children’s content as part of a plan to create an alternative to the “woke” Walt Disney Company. (Variety)

• Spotify has released their 2021 data on Loud & Clear. In 2021, ~1K Spotify artists generated more than $1M in payouts from Spotify, up from 860 in 2020, and 460 in 2017. Another 450 generated more than $2m of payouts, and 130 more than $5m. (Musically)

NFT / Blockchain / Crypto

• The WWE has signed a merchandising deal with Fanatics, which will include official WWE NFTs, offered through Fanatics’ Candy Digital division, as well as trading cards, which will operate through Topps. (THR)

• Jose Cuervo is opening a metaverse distillery in Decentraland. The virtual distillery will provide 21+ visitors with tequila education, limited-edition products and entertainment. (Marketing Dive)

• Cryptocurrency owners are more than twice as likely as nonowners to have heard of decentralized finance and Web3. (Morning Consult)

  

• A new GWI survey has revealed only 1 in 5 Americans is interested in participating in the Metaverse. (GWI)

• CNN+ is selling the first seconds of its first live stream as a set of 250 NFTs. The NFTs feature the first 29 seconds of the first episode of 5 Things with Kate Bolduan. (THR)

• Wendy's has launched Wendyverse, a virtual restaurant on Meta's Horizon Worlds platform. It's available to visit starting April 2nd and includes Town Square Central, the first Wendy's restaurant in virtual reality, and Partnership Plaza, a March Madness-themed experience in the Buck BiscuitDome. (Restaurant Dive)

• Super League Gaming, a leading network of metaverse games, and iHeartMedia have announced a partnership that will leverage iHeartMedia’s massive North American sales force to bring Super League’s ad inventory and influencer network to brands looking to gain entry to the metaverse. (iHeartMedia)

OTT / Streaming

• HBO Max has added a shuffle feature to the platform. Unlike Netflix, whose shuffle feature spans their entire catalog, HBO Max's shuffle is currently restricted to 45 shows including Rick & Morty and South Park. (Variety)

• Paramount Plus has entered into a three-year partnership with Gaumont, the French studio behind Netflix's “Lupin” and “Narcos,” to produce high-end, original shows for its subscribers. (Variety)

• Despite last year's low ratings, Disney completely sold out its advertising inventory for this year's Oscars. (AdWeek)

• Crunchyroll will soon eliminate the free (with ads) tier of their pricing plan. Until May 31st, however, the first three episodes of a select group of shows will allow for ad-supported viewing a week after their respective premieres. (Gizmodo)

• Disney+ announced it will launch in South Africa on May 18th and in Israel on June 16th. Full details are not yet revealed, but South African prices will be 119 rand per month ($8.10) and 1,190 rand per year ($81). (THR)

• Netflix has unveiled five new Japanese titles including a romance reality series and documentaries devoted to true crime, a J-pop star and the art of Kabuki theater. Netflix plans to release seven Japanese unscripted shows just this year. (THR)

• About one-third of Netflix subscribers share their password. With subscription growth flattening in the region of late, Netflix has increased rates in select markets. (Deadline)

• fuboTV announced a $5 per month increase on the price of their basic package. The bump will take the basic monthly cost from $64.99 to $69.99. (Streamable)

• Apple, Amazon, and Disney have all made pitches to the NFL for the NFL Sunday Ticket, with Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video currently the leading candidates. (Streamable)

• Gen Z and Millennials are driving higher churn rates for US Streamers. Over half (52%) of millennials and Gen Z (51%) have either canceled, or both added and canceled, an SVOD service within the last six months. (AdWeek)

• Time spent viewing kids’ content on linear television declined by 53% from 2019 to 2021. The biggest hits were taken by Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, dropping 34% and 23% respectively. (Streamable)

• Hulu’s deal with EPIX to carry Paramount and MGM movies has ended. The agreement allowed Hulu access to any movies from Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate, and a number of other studios. (Streamable)

Retail / Lifestyle / Travel

• Singapore is finally lifting or easing many of its stringent COVID rules. It will allow all fully vaccinated travelers to enter Singapore from March 31. (Straits Times)

• Instacart recently launched Instacart Platform, which integrates a range of new digital services for grocers and retailers including fulfillment, insights and advertising. The new Carrot Ads enables retailers to leverage Instacart's ad tech, ad products, engineering, sales and data insights. (Marketing Dive)

• Uber is close to settling a deal with San Francisco Taxi Outlet which would allow Uber customers to select a Taxi through the app for the very first time. (NY Times)

• Arizona is the first state to put its driver’s license and state ID in Apple’s Wallet, and many more states are expected to follow. (The Verge)

• 16% of Gen Zers have ordered clothes from Shein in the past month – almost as many as have ordered from a fashion brand’s own website (18%). (GWI)

  

Social Media

• Facebook is developing Reels reactions which will provide users with another way to show the creator how you feel. The emoji reacts include: like, love, hug, happy, shocked, sad, and angry emojis. (Social Media Today)

• More than 30 independent Australian media outlets stopped publishing news for 24 hours in a collective freeze as part of a demand by small and medium news publishers to be paid for journalism and content that appears on the Facebook platform. (AdNews)

• LinkedIn has introduced a brand-new newsletter feature which allows companies to create newsletters from within the app. LinkedIn is also simplifying the Campaign Manager UI to be more intuitively structured and reduce advertiser’s time spent in campaign set up. (Digital Information World)

• Pinterest is bulking up its Pinterest Creator Fund initiative, investing an additional $1.2 million in underrepresented creators and extending the program to run throughout the full year of 2022. (AdWeek)

• TikTok is testing a new “watch history” feature with select users to allow them to find videos that appeared on their “For You” page that they didn’t have a chance to save. (Tech Crunch)

• YouTube is testing time-specific emoji reactions. Viewers can throw out an emoji when a specific moment in a video resonates with them (or doesn’t) and users can get a feel for how others reacted throughout the duration of a video. (Engadget)

• Instagram recently made the chronological feed available to all users, alongside another new feed-filtering option that will allow you to scroll through posts from your favorite accounts. (Tech Crunch)

• Following the addition of likes to Stories, Instagram is now working on allowing people to send voice messages in response to Stories. (Engadget)

• The EU’s new Digital Markets Act could require messaging app developers, such as iMessage and WhatsApp, to make their apps work together if it ends up coming into force in October as expected. (The Verge)

• BeReal, a supposedly more authentic social media platform, is trending on college campuses across the US. The app gained massive popularity based on a no-filter approach to social media. (Bloomberg)

• TikTok has announced the TikTok Library, which will give users access to more entertainment-based content. The library will hold GIFs, clips from favorite TV shows, memes and other content, which users can slot their TikToks. (Engadget)

• Meta is introducing shortcuts to Messenger that let you do things like send a message silently or quickly call up a GIF. Two shortcuts, @everyone and /silent are available now. (The Verge)

• Meta hired a top Republican consulting firm, Targeted Victory, to help spread negative messages about rival TikTok. The consulting firm orchestrated anti-TikTok opinion pieces in local newspapers and pushed for negative TikTok coverage across the media. (Morning Brew)

Video Games

• Coca-Cola has entered into a multi-year agreement with Riot Games in which Coke will create custom experiences and rewards catering to the fast-growing League of Legends: Wild Rift community. (Marketing Dive)

• Sony has unveiled new Playstation Plus options which combine Plus with Playstation Now benefits. The new options are spread across three tiers starting at $9.99 monthly – PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium. (Game Informer)

• Epic Games announced that players will be able to use a skin based on two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim. The skins come in four colors and there are also a handful of accessories, including a giant frozen dragon to ride on. (The Verge)

• Glance has acquired Gambit to supercharge its mobile games offerings and introduce NFTs to its Gen-Z users. Gaming is the latest focus for Glance, which partners with phone makers to bring media, entertainment and news content to users’ lock screens on handsets. (Tech Crunch)

Interesting Campaigns / Creative

• In Norway, McDonald's is running a campaign to tackle its role in littering as the largest takeout restaurant in the country. (Marketing Dive)

  

• Dove put its deodorant in Manhattan beauty fridges last week, claiming it works like high-end skincare. With this campaign, Dove hopes that pushes it past Secret for category lead. (Ad Age)

  

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.