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P&G Wants a Better TV Buying Process; Disney Bumps ‘Black Widow’ to 2021 in Broader Reshuffle |
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| Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble, at the Makers Conference in February. PHOTO: KYLE GRILLOT/BLOOMBERG |
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Procter & Gamble’s top marketing executive called for changes to the annual TV upfront process, criticizing a decades-old method of buying TV ads as antiquated, inefficient and stacked in favor of the sellers, Alexandra Bruell reports. “A better name than the ‘upfronts’ might be the ‘FOMOs,’” P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard said during an industry conference. “We almost always end up buying too much, but we can buy ‘options’ to return some spending without penalty—and to avoid the open ‘scatter market’ where even higher prices are extremely punishing. Buying too much inventory is inefficient at best, and at worst, leads to excess frequency through heavy ad loads in programs—annoying consumers and wasting money.” |
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Mr. Pritchard wants a later upfront marketplace, as well as more flexibility when buying ads closer to the time that they air. He didn’t say that P&G is finished with the upfronts. But he is calling for changes to the upfront process, a spokesperson said. |
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“People are like, ‘Here’s a site with some people I like, and my computer doesn’t get hot when I have it open.’” | — Tom Ley, editor in chief of Defector, on one advantage of not running ads |
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| Disney is postponing ‘Black Widow,’ starring Scarlett Johansson as the Marvel superhero, until May 2021. PHOTO: MARVEL STUDIOS/DISNEY/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
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Disney is rescheduling the release of 10 movies, including its highly anticipated Marvel spinoff “Black Widow,” in the latest sign that Hollywood’s top movie studio remains wary of releasing big-budget films in the fractured theatrical landscape. Theaters have been gradually reopening around the globe but multiplexes in the U.S., the world’s largest theatrical market, have shown little sign of recovery in recent weeks. Beyond “Black Widow,” which moves to May 2021 from Nov. 6, Disney’s reshuffle affects films including another Marvel entry, “Eternals,” and Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story,” which is moving by an entire year to December 2021. Disney is, for now, sticking to plans to release its Pixar animated feature “Soul” on Nov. 20, along with a few titles it inherited after purchasing the Twentieth Century movie studio. Related: The Metropolitan Opera canceled all performances until September 2021. [WSJ] |
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| ‘Fortnite’ being played on an iPhone. PHOTO: CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/SHUTTERSTOCK |
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Companies including “Fortnite” maker Epic Games, Spotify and Tinder owner Match Group are teaming up to try pressuring Apple and other app-store operators to change their marketplace rules. The Coalition for App Fairness, a nonprofit registered in Washington, D.C., made its public debut Thursday, saying most app stores collect excessive commissions from software developers on users’ digital purchases and stifle competition by giving unfair advantages to their own products and services. It plans to push for legal and regulatory changes to how the companies operate app stores, the Journal reports. Apple has previously defended its practices, saying its app-store commission is in line with what most other app marketplaces charge and that it provides services including user security and privacy. |
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President Trump singled out Bumble Bee tuna at a rally in his latest dig at a brand. [NBC News] TikTok banned ads for fasting apps and weight loss supplements. [Tubefilter] Streaming service Sling TV became the latest to offer a co-viewing option so socially distanced subscribers can watch with their friends. [TechCrunch] The New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York City’s Times Square, a huge annual tourist draw, will be virtual this year. [CBS New York] Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. will retire as chairman of the New York Times and be succeeded by his son, A.G. Sulzberger, the publisher. [NYT] |
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We bring you the most important (and intriguing) marketing news every day. Write me at nat.ives@wsj.com any time with feedback on the newsletter or comments on specific items. We want to hear from you. And follow the CMO Today team on Twitter: @wsjCMO, @natives, @alexbruell, @sizpatel. |
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