Google plans crackdown on 'disruptive' video ads

The tech giant's Chrome browser on Aug. 5 will stop showing paid spots that don't comply with new standards from the Coalition for Better Ads.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 6, 2020

Burger King celebrates Harley Quinn's breakup in anti-Valentine's Day promotion

By building a promotion around the narrative of scorned lovers, the brand could connect with consumers at a time when fewer are embracing the holiday.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 6, 2020

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Retail Marketing

Top stories that underscore the leading influences on retail marketing, including Gen Z, pop culture and generative AI.

By Marketing Dive staff

Spotify buys Bill Simmons' The Ringer as podcast consumption soars

In its Q4 earnings report, the audio streaming service said its podcast consumption hours grew 200% year-over-year.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 5, 2020

Snap's revenue surges 44% to record $561M

Significant quarterly growth reflects Snap's efforts to appeal to advertisers with new ad formats, though the company warned of possible losses in early 2020.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 5, 2020

EMarketer: Voice shopping is growing more slowly than expected

Security concerns and competition from smartphones weigh on purchases though smart speakers, the researcher said.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 5, 2020

Report: Instagram's $20B ad revenue outpaced YouTube in 2019

The sales figure is about 33% higher than the $15.1 billion in YouTube ad sales that Alphabet divulged for the first time this week.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 5, 2020

KFC Canada brings Colonel Sanders' voice, reordering to Alexa

The fast-food chain worked with Amazon's cloud platform to recreate Sanders' voice through AI technology.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 5, 2020

Dunkin' names new VP of marketing strategy amid pivot to integrated approach

CEO Dave Hoffmann said the move will streamline the company's strategic, go-to-market functions into one team. 

By Peter Adams • Updated Feb. 5, 2020

Mobile messaging firm Attentive raises $70M

CEO Brian Long said, "brands will be expected to engage in real-time, two-way conversations with their customers via mobile messaging."

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Feb. 4, 2020

Vine successor Byte is most popular app in its first week

The app's launch opens a new social ad platform for marketers, though many brands may wait and see whether it will reach a scale that makes it worthwhile.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 4, 2020

Chipotle's Justin Bieber challenge reaches 95M on TikTok during Super Bowl

The "TikTok Timeout" challenge urged people to create their own "February Free Delivery Sundays" ads set to Bieber's new song "Yummy."

By Robert Williams • Feb. 4, 2020

TurboTax tops ranking of Super Bowl advertisers' digital efforts

Intuit-owned TurboTax hosted a #W2Step challenge on TikTok that generated more than 100 million views.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 4, 2020

Google parent reveals YouTube ad revenue of $15B

The popular video-sharing site's revenue rose 36% in 2019 from a year earlier, outpacing search ad growth for Google.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 4, 2020

Axe teams with Netflix's 'Sex Education' to offer dating tips

The social media effort is driven by brand research showing 47% of boys aged 14-24 have refrained from asking someone out due to lack of confidence.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 4, 2020

Budweiser flips bottle labels for selfies, social sharing

The AB InBev brand unveiled the SelfieBud label while opening its BudX Hotel, a three-day experiential takeover of a hotel in Super Bowl host city Miami.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 3, 2020

Report: Walmart Media Group tests Xandr, The Trade Desk for DSP partnership

The move comes after Walmart debuted its own in-house ad portal last month.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 3, 2020

Pantone shares 'color commentary' on social during Super Bowl

The color standards company posted comments to Twitter and Instagram about the hues shown throughout the big game.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 3, 2020

Honda spotlights 'Superb Owl' on Twitter during big game

Playing off the common misspelling of "Super Bowl" in online searches, the carmaker highlighted its Honda Pilot SUV with a variety of owl-related videos, GIFs and memes.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 3, 2020

Yelp asks Grubhub to remove delivery from 'non-partner' restaurant pages

Grubhub told Restaurant Dive that Yelp was aware of the practice and that the companies recently came to the decision together. Yelp said it asked Grubhub to make the change after recently learning of the practice.

By Alicia Kelso • Updated Jan. 31, 2020

'Wimpy Kid' comes to social AR, Baidu's emoji keyboard

Fans can decorate their messages with digital stickers based on character illustrations in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 31, 2020

Snapchat touts how it helps brands like Subway engage Gen Z sports fans

In promoting its reach among sports fans, Snap said almost 75% of users who plan to watch March Madness also use the app while viewing live games.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 31, 2020

Amazon's ad sales surge 41% to record $4.8B

On its Q4 earnings call, executives detailed how the e-commerce giant can help deepen brand engagement and customer loyalty via its ad offerings.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 31, 2020

Postmates plans 'Hot Ones' contest for Super Bowl

The delivery service is giving Los Angeles viewers of online talk show "Hot Ones" a chance to win hot sauce and spicy wings.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 31, 2020

Facebook's ad revenue rises 25% to record $20.7B

The company doesn't share user data for Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, but said the number of people who use at least one of its services rose 11% to 2.3 billion.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 30, 2020

Chipotle deploys TikTok stars to intercept Gen Z's attention during Super Bowl

During each commercial break following a team timeout, creators will share delivery-focused content set to Justin Bieber's new single.

By Peter Adams • Jan. 30, 2020