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☆ Pride Campaigns Went Ahead Despite Bud Light and Target Controversies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Megan Graham | Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Omnicom Group to Debut Tool Using Generative AI for Advertising Employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/omnicom-group-to-debut-tool-using-generative-ai-for-advertising-employees-4976424

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Marketer Trade Group Report Shows Ad Spending ‘Rife With Waste’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/marketer-trade-group-report-shows-ad-spending-rife-with-waste-4a1498d4

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Global Advertising Forecast to Speed Up After a Slower Start in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-advertising-forecast-to-speed-up-after-a-slower-start-in-2023-45b8953c

Persons: Dow Jones

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pga-tour-deal-with-liv-golf-puts-sponsors-on-the-spot-4800c1c8

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ TV’s Annual Upfronts Were Light on Stars, Heavy on Drama (and Not the Scripted Kind)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Megan Graham | Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/tvs-annual-upfronts-were-light-on-stars-heavy-on-drama-and-not-the-scripted-kind-2a58ac60

Digital publishers and streamers including Roku presented new content, formats and technology at NewFronts. Photo: RokuArtificial intelligence, entertainment-industry turmoil and new ways of gauging the success of advertising loomed large at this week’s NewFronts media showcases for digital ad buyers. Presenters including Amazon, Roku and NBCUniversal’s Peacock hosted NewFronts events in New York City to show off new shows, ad formats and measurement capabilities. But this year’s NewFronts also offered a taste of what traditional TV programmers might face in two weeks at their annual upfront sales events, where major networks usually host star-laden stage shows for advertisers if the Writers Guild of America strike continues. WGA members on Tuesday picketed Peacock’s presentation in Midtown Manhattan, and actress Edie Falco chose to not introduce a new Peacock show during the event because of the strike, according to a person familiar with the situation.

☆ Measurement Messiness Complicates TV’s Annual Sales Season
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Megan Graham | Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel hosted Disney’s annual presentation to ad buyers last May. Photo: Disney General EntertainmentMedia companies are preparing to spotlight their buzziest television shows at the TV industry’s annual advance-sales presentations to advertisers, but marketers may be more preoccupied with measuring how many people watch and how to translate that into deals. Veteran players like Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal and newer platforms such as Netflix Inc. will try to win over ad buyers during star-studded “upfront” pitches in mid-May at New York City venues including Radio City Music Hall and the Paris Theater. Before that, tech players including Amazon.com Inc., Snap Inc. and Roku Inc. will kick off the selling season with their so-called NewFronts events this week.

☆ WPP Says Growth Target on Track Despite Softness From Some Tech Clients
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The WPP headquarters in New York. Chief Executive Mark Read said the company has seen some slight softness from some of its technology clients following several years of increasing budgets. Photo: WPPAdvertising holding company WPP PLC says it is on track to hit its organic growth target this year as other parts of its business help offset lower spending from some technology clients. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. The measure strips out currency fluctuations, acquisitions, disposals and costs such as expenses billed to clients.

☆ Digital Signs Energize Old Fights Over Billboards
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Removal of billboards in the Nantes metropolitan area. Photo: Nantes Metropole/Rodolphe DelaroqueA series of disputes over digital signs has arrived in sunny San Diego, where critics say a longstanding strict stance on new billboards is now under pressure from a proposal to allow outdoor digital kiosks. The city council’s economic development committee last month voted in favor of bringing the proposal to the full city council, clearing the way for it to vote on the question, which it is expected to do in May. A 1981 U.S. Supreme Court ruling permitted the city to ban any new billboards that don’t meet certain standards, though those built before then are still standing.

☆ Publicis Posts Better-Than-Expected Organic Growth as Ad Industry Appears Resilient
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Publicis Groupe SA expects to hit organic growth this year in the top half of its previously stated range of 3% to 5%. Photo: BENOIT TESSIER/REUTERSPublicis Groupe SA reported higher-than-expected organic growth of 7.1% in the first quarter, and the advertising holding company said demand for its services continues despite the choppy macroeconomic environment. Analysts expected 5.89% growth in the quarter, according to FactSet .

☆ Nielsen Regains Key Media Accreditation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nielsen’s TV ratings provide audience estimates that networks use to sell commercial time and reassure advertisers they got what they paid. The media industry’s measurement watchdog, the Media Rating Council, said it voted to restore accreditation for Nielsen Holdings PLC’s national TV ratings service, which had been suspended since 2021. Nielsen has long been known for its U.S. TV ratings, which provide audience estimates that networks use to sell commercial time and reassure advertisers they got what they paid for, using a panel of households that let the company track what they watch. The MRC audits media-measurement products to instill confidence in their results, but pulled its accreditation of Nielsen’s national ratings after issues including pandemic-related undercounting of viewers.

☆ Digital Ad Revenue Grew Again in 2022, but Much More Slowly
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/digital-ad-revenue-grew-again-in-2022-but-much-more-slowly-41485957

☆ Media Veteran Lou Paskalis Joins Group to Encourage Brands to Advertise on News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Marketers in the digital era have become increasingly concerned about making sure their ads don’t appear near content that they or their consumers could consider objectionable. Lou Paskalis , a longtime advertising industry executive who previously held leadership roles at the marketing trade group MMA Global and Bank of America Corp., has joined a startup that seeks to rate news for reliability and bias. Mr. Paskalis this week became chief strategy officer at Ad Fontes Media Inc. , a Colorado-based public-benefit corporation—a for-profit company that aims to generate public good.

☆ U.S. Ad Spending Still Expected to Grow in 2023 Despite ‘Stressful Economic Signals’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A new report forecasts U.S. out-of-home advertising, which includes placements like billboards, will grow 6%, reaching $9.6 billion this year. A major ad forecaster said advertising is still expected to grow in 2023 despite mixed economic signals, a resiliency that industry pros say would have been unlikely during earlier periods of turbulence. Media owners’ U.S. ad revenues are expected to grow 3.4% to $326 billion this year, according to a quarterly forecast from Magna, a media intelligence and investment firm that is part of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Mediabrands. That is slightly down from its December estimate of 3.7% growth.

☆ Five Things Marketers Should Know About Generative AI in Advertising
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Generative AI might never replace human creative workers, marketers say, but in cutting back on rote work brands and agencies may be able to do more with fewer people. Many people have watched with delight and disquiet as generative AI has reached new levels of sophistication. Marketers are intrigued, but cautious. The ad industry already was experimenting with artificial intelligence to help with creative work, but the arrival of viral chatbot ChatGPT has marketers trying to figure out how they can effectively use the kind of generative AI that underpins it—systems that produce content from text to images. ChatGPT maker OpenAI this week released GPT4, the latest iteration of its tech, calling it the most capable yet.

☆ WPP, Like Ad-Company Rivals, Says It Expects 2023 Growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

WPP PLC is the latest major advertising holding company to say it expects continued growth in 2023 as clients keep spending on its services. PREVIEWWPP said like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs increased 6.9% in 2022 and 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Total revenue in 2022 was £14.4 billion, equivalent to about $17.3 billion, while revenue less pass-through costs was £11.8 billion. Chief Executive Mark Read said that consumers have continued to spend, and clients have continued to invest in their brands. Omnicom Group Inc. and Publicis Groupe SA both said they expect organic revenue growth this year of 3% to 5%.

☆ FTC Alleges Supplement Company ‘Hijacked’ Amazon Reviews to Boost Sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Nutritional supplement company Bountiful Co. will pay $600,000 following Federal Trade Commission allegations that it made products on Amazon look like they had more reviews and higher average ratings than they really did. The FTC said the case marks its first enforcement action against a practice called “review hijacking,” in which a marketer makes reviews for one product appear to apply to another. Products considered variations share the same product page on Amazon as alternate choices, such as a T-shirt offered in multiple colors. The FTC said the decision to accept the proposed consent agreement was unanimous, with the commission voting 4-0 in favor of doing so. Though Amazon has been active in pursuit of fake review sellers, Mr. Freund said problems remain.

☆ The 2023 Super Bowl Ads Will Feature Booze, Betting and Jesus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

The Super Bowl ads on Sunday are poised to promote an unusual mix of alcohol brands, gambling and Jesus. The Super Bowl still regularly draws an audience of around 100 million people, making it TV’s biggest event of the year and advertising’s biggest night. Planters’ Super Bowl ad features comedians mocking Mr. Peanut. The ads are likely to strike a lighter tone than the occasionally somber messages of Super Bowl ads in recent, highly politicized years or the early pandemic, said Anjali S. Bal, an associate professor of marketing at Babson College. Many Super Bowl advertisers have again released their ads well before Super Bowl Sunday to increase their chances of being seen.

☆ Nonalcoholic Beer Ad in Super Bowl Spotlights ‘Dry Economy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Heineken USA plans to run a 30-second Super Bowl ad for its Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beer, enlisting actor Paul Rudd as Marvel’s Ant-Man to make the pitch. Sales volume in low- and no-alcohol was $2.5 billion, while the overall U.S. alcohol market totaled $188.3 billion. Ad spending to promote nonalcoholic beer on national television, by comparison, totaled $9.7 million in January, up from $1.4 million in January 2019. Boisson Inc., a retailer of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits with 10 stores in New York and California, said it is increasing its marketing spending. SipSteady co-hosted a Dry Vibes event in January in Kansas City that included tastings of nonalcoholic beverages.

☆ IPG Posts 3.8% Organic-Revenue Growth, Flags Tech-Sector Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Interpublic Group of Cos. reported organic-net-revenue growth of 3.8% for the fourth quarter, saying that growth continued—albeit at a slower pace—despite a more cautious marketing and media environment due to macroeconomic and geopolitical factors worldwide. Net revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022 was $2.55 billion, relatively flat when compared with the fourth quarter of 2021. For all of 2022, IPG reported organic-net-revenue growth of 7%. “As expected, growth slowed in the fourth quarter, consistent with global macroeconomic and geopolitical crosswinds which we are all aware of,” Chief Executive Philippe Krakowsky said on the company’s earnings call Thursday. Earlier this week, IPG competitor Omnicom Group Inc. reported organic-revenue growth of 7.2% for the fourth quarter.

☆ Omnicom CEO Wants to Embrace Generative AI as Quickly as Possible
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The company reported organic revenue growth of 7.2% in the fourth quarter, beating the average analyst estimate of 3.7% organic revenue growth, according to FactSet. Organic revenue growth was 9.4% for the full year, the company said, beating the average analyst estimate of 8.4%. The company said it is forecasting organic revenue growth this year of 3% to 5%. Organic revenue growth is a metric that removes the effects of currency fluctuations, acquisitions and disposals. Reported total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022 increased 0.3% to $3.87 billion versus a year earlier.

☆ PGA Tour Reboots Website as Golf Seeks Wider Fan Base
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The PGA Tour is revamping its digital properties as it works to attract a broader group of fans to golf. The changes come as professional sports strive to draw younger fans who are showing less interest than older generations. The PGA Tour, a membership association for touring professional golfers that co-sanctions tournaments, is familiar with the dynamic. Bite-sized contentThe PGA Tour released a new app in November. “Golf is not a short game,” said Derek Fridman, a design partner at digital agency Work & Co, which worked with the PGA Tour on its digital reboot.

☆ Publicis Reports 9.4% Organic Revenue Growth for Fourth Quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Publicis Groupe SA said Thursday that organic revenue grew 9.4% in the fourth quarter as its data and technology services continued to capture a shift in client spending. The growth in the quarter ending Dec. 31 brought Publicis’s full-year 2022 organic revenue growth to 10.1%. The results beat the average analyst estimate of 5.3% growth for the quarter and 8.8% for the year, according to FactSet. Publicis said it expects organic revenue growth of 3% to 5% in 2023. Organic growth refers to the change in net revenue excluding the impacts of acquisitions, disposals and currency fluctuations.

☆ Why Auto Marketing Looks Poised for Growth in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

A year like that might typically drive auto marketing off a cliff. “We haven’t taken our foot off the accelerator, because we do see the transformation of EVs occurring,” Mr. Wager said. “You don’t put a vehicle in the Super Bowl to sell 20,000 vehicles—that doesn’t make any sense,” Mr. Wager said. “You wouldn’t put it on television normally, unless you’re creating the halo of the electrification of the brand,” Mr. Wager said. Kia will be at the Super Bowl again this year, this time advertising its Telluride SUV.

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