| | | | | Digital | | April 6, 2020 | By Josh Sternberg |
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| Quibi, or not Quibi? That is the question. | |
| | Hey everyone, Josh here. One of my favorite industry truisms is that “this is the year of mobile.” The joke, of course, is that it’s been the year of mobile since 1997, but what defines “mobile” allows the humor to take on different turns. Today is no different. It’s the year of mobile. At least, that’s what Quibi, the new mobile-only video streaming service, is trying to sell us. After what seems like years, the real-life Gabbo pops out in front of the curtain today. My colleague Kelsey Sutton has the run-down of the new $1.8 billion streaming service that is meant for your phone. The Meg Whitman and Jeffrey Katzenberg company leaves the barn today at quite possibly the oddest moment. Sutton explains how Quibi has been marketing itself to a new set of demographic: the on-the-go audience (I’ve been in media for a while and I applaud this marketing turn of phrase). However, the coronavirus laughs at plans, as this newfangled demographic is at home, self-isolating. Talking to Sutton, CEO Whitman said, “Obviously people are not on the go right now,” Meg Whitman, Quibi’s CEO and co-founder, told Adweek. “But we did a little bit of consumer research, and while people aren’t waiting in line at Starbucks or at the dentist’s office, people do still have those in-between moments: in between Zoom calls, or in between home-schooling the kids, when you’ve got a 10- or 15-minute break.” So there you have it. Quibi: “In between Zoom calls.” We’ve come a long way from the Zack Morris brick cell phone. Of course you’ve known this, since it’s been the year of mobile for 23 years. If you watch any of the Quibi shows, or have any thoughts on the service, let me know. Have a great week. Be healthy, be safe, be smart. Josh Sternberg Media and Tech Editor, Adweek | | | |
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| | The WHO and CDC Are All Over Social Media, but Are They Making a Difference? | |
| | “As the outbreak is evolving and knowledge is evolving, we are trying to update people with new information and we are trying to expand our presence to more platforms,” said WHO social media officer Aleksandra Kuzmanovic. “The main strategy is to reach as many people with reliable and accurate information.” Kuzmanovic said the organization has active partnerships with Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Tencent and TikTok, but managing all of this is no easy task. Since the outbreak started a few months ago, WHO has grown its social media team from two people to six just to support COVID-19 response efforts. | |
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| Socialbakers Sees Facebook Ad Spend Drop in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia | |
| | Ad spending on Facebook is following a similar path to that of the coronavirus pandemic, according to social media marketing platform Socialbakers, showing drops in March in regions where the situation became more serious—North America, the western and southern parts of Europe and Southeast Asia—but signs of a rebound in East Asia, where businesses are beginning to reopen. Socialbakers said in a report issued this week that ad spend on Facebook in North America fell nearly 50% between December 2019 and the middle of last month, while cost per click in Western Europe took a similar hit over that time period, dropping to $0.20 from $0.43. | | | |
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| G/O Media Lays Off 14 People | |
| | G/O Media laid off 14 people—less than 5% of its staff—on Friday in what it characterized as a “small restructuring.” The decision was made amid circumstances caused by the coronavirus, according to G/O, which runs several prominent digital news and entertainment publications including Gizmodo, Kotaku, Jalopnik, Deadspin and Lifehacker. The pandemic has destroyed media companies’ event businesses and digital ad revenue. | | | |
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| Bustle Digital Group Makes Staff Cuts Due to Coronavirus | |
| | Bustle Digital Group laid off two dozen staffers, ceased operating a publication and announced widespread pay cuts on Friday as the effects of the coronavirus continues to make its way through the media industry. Out of approximately 300 employees at BDG, 24 people were laid off across sectors of the company, including editorial, sales, video and events as well as staffers working on The Outline, a company it acquired last year, and that executives are now “halting operations” on. | | | |
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| Apple Could Soon Start Running Search Ads Outside of the App Store | |
| | Apple recently updated its Search Ads Campaign Management API, suggesting it’s opening up ad inventory in other owned-and-operated search channels outside of the App Store. Advertisers have solely relied on Apple’s Search Ads API to launch campaigns in the App Store. But now, Apple has added two new parameters to the API, likely meaning advertisers will have to specify the end location for their campaigns. Before, an advertiser’s only option to run search ads was in the App Store; now it seems they’re are about to have more choices. “The only assumption you can make is that Apple is going to allow ads in other search inventory,” said one source, who declined to be named citing contractual obligations. | | | |
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| Sojern Lays Off 50% of Staff as Coronavirus Cuts Through the Travel Industry | |
| | Sojern, an ad-tech firm servicing travel companies, has laid off about half its staff of about 600 employees due to financial instability caused by the coronavirus pandemic, multiple sources have told Adweek. The company confirmed the layoffs to Adweek, but did not provide further comment as to the exact extent of the cuts. | | | |
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