Verizon inks 3-year pact with 'League of Legends' esports league

A deep partnership around 5G and network services comes as the telecom's own streaming bets on gaming draw millions during the pandemic.

By Peter Adams • June 15, 2020

Stihl Timbersports drives YouTube views among sports-hungry fans

The push behind a year-old extreme lumberjack competition series spurred 1.9 million social media impressions and 95,000 clicks on YouTube.

By Robert Williams • June 15, 2020

Global ad marketplace to drop 7% this year, rebound next year, Magna says

Despite the strength of digital formats, COVID-19's impact on the overall advertising industry now appears to be deeper than previously forecast.

By Dianna Christie • June 15, 2020

Disney+ surges from last to 1st place in 'most beloved brands' this spring

The new streaming platform was popular in homebound consumers' offline conversations during the early days of the pandemic, Engagement Labs found.

By Dianna Christie • June 15, 2020

Bounty targets gamers with Twitch influencer campaign

A spot by the Procter & Gamble brand dramatizes gamers' anguish when they knock over drinks on computer equipment during intense gaming sessions.

By Robert Williams • June 12, 2020

Bonnaroo producer to livestream TikTok concert benefiting minority-owned businesses

Superfly's "Small Business Live" event featuring T-Pain, Brandi Carlile and others comes as many companies face financial hardship during the pandemic.

By Robert Williams • June 12, 2020

Walmart forges deep tie-in with HGTV show about home projects under quarantine

Home goods from the big box retailer are key to "Design At Your Door," and shoppable articles featuring the products will appear on HGTV.com.

By Peter Adams • June 12, 2020

2020's tumultuous first half spurs new brand safety opportunities, challenges: GroupM

A new guide is designed to help advertisers manage the complexities of brand safety amid the pandemic, tech and privacy developments.

By Dianna Christie • June 12, 2020

Snapchat debuts AI-powered lenses, mini apps, real-time features

Nike, Mattel and Major League Baseball are among the brands using Snapchat's platforms for a broad range of new services.

By Robert Williams • June 12, 2020

Volkswagen overhauls marketing after backlash from racist ad

The carmaker owned up — though no one was fired — but will likely continue to face criticism as consumers grow increasingly fed up with these kinds of failures.

By Dianna Christie • June 12, 2020

P&G debuts 'The Choice' in multimillion dollar ad push addressing racism in America

Building on prior ads like "The Talk" and "The Look," the creative asks white Americans to leverage their privilege to vote, donate and march for change.

By Peter Adams • June 11, 2020

P&G's Native spotlights armpits in new digital campaign

The natural deodorant effort includes a series of video spots on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram as people huddle at home during the pandemic.

By Robert Williams • June 11, 2020

Big advertisers demand delay to TV upfronts, broader media buying changes

Uncertainties brought about the COVID-19 pandemic is driving new urgency around demands for changes to the legacy ad-buying process.

By Dianna Christie • June 11, 2020

1-800-Flowers unveils AR experience for Jason Wu bouquets

Each of five custom bouquets features a QR code-enabled tag that unlocks content about the fashion designer's photo shoot for his collaboration with the flower retailer.

By Robert Williams • June 10, 2020

Mobile ad engagement rises 15% during pandemic, study says

Receptivity to ads jumped before falling to more normal levels as the U.S. economy begins to reopen.

By Robert Williams • June 9, 2020

TikTok seeks greater content variety, with eye on live video, DIY tutorials

The social video app is looking to expand beyond music and dance videos as it plans its first NewFronts pitch to marketers later this month.

By Robert Williams • June 9, 2020

Digiday: Marketers pay higher ad rates for social video as demand returns

Publishers are reporting higher CPMs for video ad placements on Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube in an early sign of pandemic recovery.

By Robert Williams • June 9, 2020

Dunkin' flexes advertising muscle in 1st national recruitment campaign

The chain is promoting 25,000 job openings through TV spots, digital assets, social, radio, OOH and in-store signage as the economy is hit with pandemic-related unemployment.

By Dianna Christie • June 9, 2020

Roku teams with Kroger to integrate shopper data and streaming TV ads

The pair aim to attract CPG advertisers by combining shopper data from 60 million households with 39.8 million streaming TV accounts.

By Dianna Christie • June 9, 2020

Disney expands Luminate ad sales offering to Hulu for 1st time

At its virtual upfronts roadshow, Disney also announced it's working with Samba TV on ad performance metrics and participating in Nielsen's test of an addressable TV platform.

By Robert Williams • June 8, 2020

Zoom revenue jumps 169% amid work-from-home surge

The company almost doubled its revenue forecast for the year to between $1.78 billion and $1.8 billion.

By Robert Williams • June 8, 2020

TikTok viewership rivals YouTube's among kids, study finds

Children ages 4 to 15 spend an average of 80 minutes a day on the social video app, up 200% since last year.

By Robert Williams • June 8, 2020

American Eagle claims nearly 2B impressions on TikTok campaign for Aerie

A newcomer to the platform, Aerie worked with top influencers like Charli D'Amelio, supporting a boost to its parent company's digital sales.  

By Robert Williams • June 5, 2020

Campaign Trail: Polaroid tries to capture human chemistry in emotive new ad

With the world slowly reemerging from the pandemic, values of connection depicted in "Forever Now" have crystallized for many consumers.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • June 5, 2020

Reports: Quibi cuts senior executive pay by 10%

CEO Meg Whitman and chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg agreed to a 10% cut in their pay, according to a staff memo cited by The Hollywood Reporter.

By Robert Williams • June 4, 2020