Bye Bye Beetle

Welcome to 2020! As we turn the corner into a new decade—hopefully one free of things like fidget spinners, robocalls and Tide Pods as snacks—Volkswagen is saying goodbye to something much more iconic: the Beetle. The automaker halted production of the bug in July, and gave it a hearty sendoff in Times Square for New Year's Eve. An animated film called "The Last Mile," by Johannes Leonardo, was shown on three screens during the city's annual Dec. 31 festivities. It also aired yesterday on NBC, CNN and ABC, as well as during the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and NHL Classic. The cinematic send off featured myriad pop culture references, highlighting the spotlight that the Beetle held for much of its 70-year run. Directed by Fx Goby and animated by Nexus Studios, the ad is set to a version of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” sung by the Pro Music Youth Chorus.

Read more: Kevin Bacon and Andy Warhol both make animated cameos in the ad.

Brands tend to shape our conversations when they flub (like those Amazon blunders) and, of course, when they nail it. Looking back on 2019, we made a list of 10 brands that captured the public focus most completely this year, whether they meant to or not. From Facebook's Libra and Mark Zuckerberg's visits to Congress and Peloton's infamous holiday ad, to that brilliant Popeye's tweet and the vegetarian splash made by Beyond and Impossible's meat alternatives.

Read more: It was also the year of White Claw, obviously. Claw's the law.

Turns out, Amazon wasn't the only one who had a few flubs this year! There were several brands whose 2019 launches didn't go quite as planned. Most of the blunders were rooted in failures to understand the populations the brands were hoping to communicate with—something, Adweek's Robert Klara noted, that is easily avoided by ensuring that creative teams include more diversity. There was Chase bank's poor-shaming tweet, Ancestry.com's tone deaf slavery-era ad, Hallmark's recent whiplash decision-making regarding a same-sex wedding ad and the Boeing apology that wasn't even close to enough, to name a few.

Read more: Don't forget Elon Musk's shattered truck windows.

After a decade of disruption in media, most in the industry would probably say that we're left now with more questions than answers as far as the next 10 years go. But Adweek reached out to some of the industry's biggest players to ask what they're expecting to see next. Some say that while technology may change, the importance of a quality product is what mattered in the first iterations of the modern media industry, and that's what'll continue to matter as things evolve in the future. Others say the future is in video and audio—and print will continue to shrink. Still others see the next decade as a likely course correction that'll lead the industry back to brand relationships built on trust, which will require a renewed focus on quality product and brand differentiation.

Read more: The future, according to some, is in audio—more podcasts, more radio.

Best of the Rest: Today's Top News and Insights

Without any footage or photos of the most magical place on Earth, Disney's in-house agency Yellow Shoes created a set of print ads that conveyed everything a kid (or parent) could hope for out of a full day at Disney. Kids decked out in themed costumes, clutching toys, some with faces painted, were photographed tucked into their carseats in the back of minivans—totally zonked. The sleeping beauties convey the kind of happy exhaustion that only comes after a day of childhood dreams coming true.

But for something more cinematic, check out this adorable Disneyland Paris ad from earlier this year.

Kick-start your 2020 goals by securing your pass to Adweek’s Challenger Brands summit, a Brandweek event, at 20% off. Don’t wait, there are limited passes available at this special rate – register before Jan. 4 using code: YEAR2020 to claim yours.

Adweek talked with a lot of impressive people this year on its Inside the Brand podcasts. And as we look back on the year, we drew some of the most insightful, practical pieces of advice from conversations with 30 different women who are pushing the boundaries in the field.

Mary Beech, former EVP and CMO of Kate Spade New York

Give back to other women on their way up, regardless of where you are with your career. Madeline Albright once said ‘there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women’ and I am a big believer in that. It is hard enough out there, and we should support one another.

Tiffany R. Warren, SVP and Chief Diversity Officer of Omnicom Group and Founder and President of ADCOLOR

A true sponsor just doesn’t say something nice about you when you are not in the room, but they are getting you that raise, that promotion. Words cannot build or raise a family. Financial recognition can.

Sarah Hofstetter, Board Member, Campbell's

Get a true smart friend at work. The complexities of an office environment are highly situational, fraught with unique personality issues, and interdependencies. Because of this, only friends within your office can really give you advice on how to advocate for yourself – they can hold up a mirror to you, provide you with the candor you need to help you put on your best self and succeed at your job and in your career.

Maryam Banikarim, Executive Advisor and Former Global CMO of Hyatt

Set up an informal group that will support you and help you accomplish your goals. Jessica Bennett does a good job of outlining this concept in her book Feminist Fight Club.

Messages encourage users to shop and check out within the app

It's part of a site-wide holiday sale

The first in a 3-part series

And a look back at this past year

The brand is helping turn the power of networks into a social media-first sales strategy