This is not a drill. Jon Stewart is heading back to TV—Apple TV+, that is—in a brand new current affairs series. The legend of late night has signed a multiyear deal to host and produce the show, his first full-time TV gig since 2016. Naturally, the move is huge for Apple TV+, which has been aiming to up its content offerings while getting more viewers by bundling the service with Apple products.

Back amid other talent: Learn who else will be involved in the project.

• Also in streaming news: Assassin’s Creed is coming to Netflix, beginning with a live-action adaptation of the popular video game franchise.  

The reduction in commuting amid the pandemic shifted the dynamics of the podcasting scene. Although the industry faced short-term audience drops for professional-focused shows, the podcast universe has continued to grow—and the new landscape has resulted in some incredible innovation and adaptation among the winners of our annual Podcast of the Year Awards. Among the winners you’ll find:

• 2020 Podcast of the Year: Refinery29’s Go Off, Sis, which amplifies Black women’s voices and experiences.
• Entrepreneurship Podcast of the Year: ICON Media’s The Great Fail, which looks at the deaths of iconic brands like Blockbuster, Toys R Us and Atari.
• Marketing Podcast of the Year: Podcamp Media’s Lead Balloon, which features tales from the trenches of PR disasters, crises and impossible odds.

Discover all of the winners and learn how to tune in here.

IPG has been a loud voice for industry diversity, with CEO Michael Roth pushing for “meaningful change” and saying compensation for execs is tied to diversity goals. Agency FCB, which is owned by IPG, has walked the walk of inclusion for around a decade, becoming one of the first creative networks to require unconscious bias training and create inclusion councils in its offices. Now, it wants to create “universal cultural competence,” which examines structural racism in its workforce, workplace and work.

Breaking down systemic racism: Learn what this initiative entails.

Facebook made its move to halt new political ads as promised yesterday morning—and chaos ensued, with ad buyers running into bugs and many campaigns ads deactivated at what is a critical moment for campaigns to reach voters ahead of the election. The company said that campaigns and political ad buyers could submit their ads before the deadline at midnight Pacific, but the rollout was fraught with problems. After buyers rushed to get ads in on time amid Amy Coney Barrett’s swearing in, previously approved ads were suddenly paused.

“A horrific scenario”: Read about the issues and what Facebook had to say about it.

Also in election marketing news: With the election one week away, a new Sprite campaign is encouraging Black and multicultural youth to make their voices heard at the polls with help from rising artists.

More of Today’s Top News & Highlights

• TikTok Makes Moves in Social Commerce With Shopify Integration
• How Ad Tech Is Recovering After a Rocky Summer
• Omnicom Sees Q3 Organic Revenue Decline
• Marriott Uses Loyalty Program to Roll Out New Work From Anywhere Program
• 6 Ways Reese Witherspoon Is Changing the Film and TV Industry
• How Brands Can Benefit from Production in the Cloud
• How Chipotle Mixes Internet Culture with Burritos and Guac
• The Trade Desk and LiveRamp Team to Forge Post-Cookie Solutions

All press is good press, right? Despite Sacha Baron Cohen’s polarizing stunts, the tourism board of Kazakhstan is embracing its highest-profile pop culture connection by featuring Borat’s catchphrase “Very Nice” in an eponymous travel campaign. The digital ad coincides with the recently released sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

Watch: This is certainly a reversal of the country’s response to the first film—which was to ban it.

In the sports realm there are many winners—athletes, teams, leagues, media, and of course, brand marketers. This year, however, has tested the mettle of all sports pros.

Join Tim Ellis, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of the NFL, Heidi Browning, Senior EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of the NHL, Kate Jhaveri, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of the NBA, Shiz Suzuki, AVP, Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing at AT&T, Barbara McHugh, SVP of Marketing for the MLB, Johanna Faries, Commissioner of Call of Duty Esports at Activision Blizzard, and many more for the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit and Upfronts, a live virtual experience on Nov. 16-19. They'll share how they successfully navigated a year of upsets and transformation, what's in store for the coming year and insights in four themes: The Fan Experience, The Brand Experience, Sports for Social Good and The Future of Sports.

Register for the event here.

The spot features an original score by Danny Elfman.

Heineken-owned Desperados will host a live virtual event.

How not to lose a key part of the marketing workforce.

Colorful influencer kits feature products that tie into new horror-comedy film.

If you've ever wished it smelled like barbecue, you're in luck.

Being recognized as a voter might increase foot traffic.