William Shatner is a pretty recognizable guy, both in face and voice, so the thought of him robbing a bank is fairly absurd. Which is one reason why Blockchain.com chose the Star Trek and TJ Hooker star to humorously promote its new cryptocurrency exchange, called The Pit. Blockchain.com, a provider of cryptocurrency products, including a crypto wallet, has launched a global campaign to promote the Pit, which it claims is the fastest exchange of its kind the world. A video starring Shatner is the centerpiece of the campaign, which takes aim at the poor user experiences some may have using ... read more

As Facebook’s VP of global marketing solutions in North America, Nada Stirratt is responsible for overseeing all of Facebook’s managed service business with small businesses to the largest global brands in the region. These days, that job requires a healthy dose of explanation and apology. Facebook has been raked over the coals throughout 2018 and... Continue reading » The post Real Talk With Nada Stirratt, The Face Of Facebook Advertising In North America appeared first on AdExchanger. ... read more

When is a conference not a conference? When it’s #MarTechFest, the marketing technology community’s anti-conference. Why is it an anti-conference? Because we’re not going to bore you senseless with the same old, same old - reheated and regurgitated for the umpteenth time. Instead you can expect a unique tech start up feel, street food, bars open from lunch, pool tables, an all-day DJ and much more. This year joining the party as our official media partner, The Drum, will be onsite lubricating mind and body – the first by moderating our panel on agility and the second by throwing open ... read more

In a continuing effort to save the creative soul of the advertising and marketing industry, The Drum’s Chip Shop Awards US, with partner Stein IAS, is putting the most pressing creative stumbling blocks to a vote with the #SaveCreativeSoul Cup. In this poll-style voting cup held on our Twitter account (@TheDrum), readers and fans will have a chance to determine the biggest threat to creative integrity in a head-to-head showdown. The format starts with two groups, then winnows down to the semi-finals, and then crowns the biggest drain on the creative soul. The Cup will show why creativity is so important to the industry and what ... read more

Tony Romo may not be on the field any longer as a quarterback, but his influence on the NFL continues as an analyst and now again in his second year as the face and voice of the Corona Hotline. Throughout the season, fans can again call the Corona Hotline at 1-844-9-Corona to catch Romo’s gameday pep talks and fantasy football fire-ups and enter for a chance to win prizes like a Corona Gameday Beer Fridge, or a trip to Clearwater Beach to watch the Super Bowl beachside. In a series of spots to promote the hotline, Romo, at a desk ... read more

In most circumstances, I personally don’t love it when athletes use their celebrity to tout political or social issues. I was initially quite unimpressed – maybe even a bit annoyed – with U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) co-captain Megan Rapinoe’s antics ahead of playing the Netherlands and I took a firm stance against her in my Forbes column. Clearly, I hit a nerve as the piece received a record number of views for me, second only to a snarky piece I did on Piers Morgan a few years back.  I still stand by that Piers piece. I was critical ... read more

Transport for London (TfL) has called a statutory review of its creative business, seeking an agency for marketing and behaviour change projects. The transport network currently works with VCCP, which was appointed to the account in 2016. Prior to that, M&C Saatchi held the business for 15 years. VCCP will compete to hold on to the business, with a winner set to be announced in spring 2020. The tender for the through-the-line account has already been issued by TfL with the process being handled by AAR. The three-year brief will include cinema and radio advertising, social media, print design and ... read more

Publicis Groupe’s  Starcom and Epsilon have taken charge of global media duties for pharmaceutical giant Novartis. To deliver on their brief, Starcom and Epsilon have formed NovartisONE2 which will combine the expertise of both agencies with the healthcare marketing and media expertise of Publicis to inform a data-driven marketing strategy. Taking effect from 1 January 2020 the account will encompass media planning, buying, data and analytics across 60 international markets. John Sheehy, global brand president at Starcom Worldwide, says: “Just as Novartis seeks to re-imagine medicine, we too seek to re-imagine and transform how we deliver data-driven marketing strategies for our clients. ... read more

In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates on ad tech from around the European region – in this edition: MediaMonks merges with IMA; Bauer Instream relaunches; Triton Digital receives IAB Tech Lab Podcast Measurement Seal of Compliance; Teads signs exclusive UK partnership with TI Media; and Marketing Town launches new brand identity as it celebrates five years. MediaMonks merges with IMA S4Capital, the digital advertising and marketing services company, has announced that its digital global content arm MediaMonks has [...] The post MediaMonks Merges with IMA; Bauer Instream Relaunches appeared first on ExchangeWire.com. ... read more

Chris Mundy has brought 11 years as managing director of Clearcast to a close after agreeing to make the move to research company RSMB in the new year as chief executive.   Mundy joined the television advertising body upon its formation in 2008, serving as its first managing director, bringing a wealth of experience as former head of audiences at the BBC and head of research at Sky.   That period will now be brought to a close, with Mundy assuming the role of chief executive at RSMB. He will replace current chief executive Steve Wilcox, who will become a part-time vice-chairman. ... read more

Facebook is looking to take the initiative in the social media privacy debate by opening a network of pop-up cafes around the UK. Each will offer patrons free drinks and a privacy checkup, to help assuage consumer concerns about their privacy online. Facebook Café will run from 28 August to 5 September in a bid to encourage Britons to get on top of their digital footprint, helped along by free-flowing caffeine. One of these will be located within The Attendant on Great Eastern Street, London, in response to surveys indicating that 27% of Londoners have no idea how to personalise ... read more

The ASA’s decision to ban two ads in the UK for perpetuating gender stereotypes has caused much debate in the industry. It has sparked calls for a clearer definition of what is “harmful” and questions about whether the new rules “have gone too far.” The ads from Philadelphia and Buxton, were the first to fall foul of the watchdog's new guidelines around perpetuating gender stereotypes, were banned for featuring "bumbling" dads and "passive" women. Any significant changes that challenge the status quo will take more time, more examples, and more debate to get to a place where we can agree ... read more

It should come as no surprise that some of the world’s most successful companies are abolishing the role of chief marketing officer (CMOs). Advertising, or at least traditional advertising, has historically been the core tool that CMOs use for marketing a company's products or services. Yet it has been on the wane ever since the internet came along and turned everything on its head. For example, two years ago The Coca-Cola Company, one of the world’s most iconic brands, scrapped its CMO role. It was the first time since 1993 that it had operated without one. Now, as Ad Age reported, only 70% of Fortune 500 ... read more

Two days after LinkedIn announced its Audience Engagement API, Omnicom has released a product built around it – an analytics tool called “Professional Audiences.” Omnicom released its B2B analytics tool Thursday, and it’s designed to help creative, business development and media teams generate insights for campaigns or pitches, said Slavi Samardzija, global CEO of Omni,... Continue reading » The post Omnicom Jumps On LinkedIn Audience API For Clean Room Data It Can Actually Use appeared first on AdExchanger. ... read more

“The Sell Sider” is a column written for the sell side of the digital media community. Today’s column is written by Keith Abbey, vice president of publisher growth at Sovrn. With less than six months to California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) enforcement, the law is still nebulous and far from its final shape. But that... Continue reading » The post Prepping For The Worst Is The Best Approach To The California Consumer Privacy Act appeared first on AdExchanger. ... read more