2020 transformed the industries Adweek covers like no year has ever before. In the first issue of Adweek in 2021, our editors sought to answer the burning questions about the year ahead. To read about each industry, click the bolded headlines below.

After a Year of Turmoil, the Future of Agencies May Well Be Bright

As we charge into 2021, there isn’t a sense of what one would call “calm,” but agencies have a better handle on where they need to go after the events of 2020.

What to Expect in Post-Pandemic Production After a Year That Altered Almost Everything

As the ad industry looks ahead to a post-pandemic future, the question is not whether anything has changed. The question is if everything has changed.

From Ad Loads to Upfronts, the TV Industry Braces for Another Wild Ride in 2021

As 2020 began, the television industry was focused on launching new streaming services to keep pace with Netflix while simultaneously trying to stop audiences from abandoning linear TV. A year later, everything has been transformed as a result of Covid-19. And yet, at the same time, nothing has really changed.

Changes Already in Motion for Brands a Year Ago Will Only Accelerate in 2021

Brands headed into 2020 with a focus on the consumer. The events of 2020 didn’t change brands' priorities but, rather, made them more paramount.

Ad Tech Is Primed for Its Own Roaring ’20s

Battles between some of Silicon Valley’s household names, including Apple and Google, will dictate the fate of countless ad-tech companies whose data practices are increasingly the subject of government scrutiny across the globe.

‘Agility in Their DNA’: How Media Companies Will Lean Into Their Strengths

After a turbulent year, how publishers will remain agile, especially since they are wrestling with the same predicament they’ve had since last March, namely how to forecast in an era of uncertainty.

4 Super Bowl Ad Missteps Brand Should Avoid

This year's Super Bowl will be a tricky one to navigate for brands crafting a $5.5 million message. In this latest opinion piece from Thomas Kolster, he looks at four ways brands could fail this year. I'm going to highlight one here: "Less brag, more bang." Don't spend millions on an ad touting a charitable cause (and millions more on the production of that ad), and then donate a measly sum of money. Consumers will see right through you. 

How Should Brands Make Up for 2020 With Super Bowl Spots?

Even if you have zero intention of buying a Super Bowl spot this year, this piece is full of lessons for marketers who are trying to figure out their 2021 messaging after a wild (and mostly disappointing) 2021.

Watch: In Doritos’ Super Bowl Teaser, Jimmy Kimmel and Mindy Kaling React to a Mystery Guest

Doritos is channeling a bit of mystery in its Super Bowl teaser as the spot features an unknown guest named Matthew (my bet is on Matt Damon given his "feud" with Jimmy Kimmel).

How Will the Pandemic Impact Super Bowl 2021’s OOH Advertising?

With smaller crowds looming, out-of-home buyers are waiting til the last minute to claim their spots. This exclusive analysis from Adweek dives into the OOH opportunities at this year's Super Bowl in Tampa.

Here's your quote of the day from Procter & Gamble CBO Marc Pritchard:

"All advertising and media will become some form of digital, some form of programmatic—data driven and automated—which then will enable us all to define the audiences that we want to reach, define what kind of programming we want our brands to be associated with, and then be able to allow that to happen."

The full story: He spoke at CES, alongside NBCUniversal's Linda Yaccarino and The Trade Desk's Jeff Green.

For the electric Volkswagen ID.4, Johannes Leonardo blends history with innovation.

With more than 100 million viewers tuning into the Super Bowl, the annual rite of over-the-top commercials is anticipated as eagerly as the game itself. And for brands investing $5.6 million per 30-second spot, the stakes are high.

Join Adweek and USA TODAY—the two biggest names in Big Game ad coverage—on Feb. 4th for a peek inside marketing and media leaders' playbooks to score with fans during the biggest game of the year. Save your virtual seat.

The animation studio behind it wants to pioneer new ways of telling stories.

Entertainment giants are leveraging fan favorites to keep viewers tuned in—and paying.

Julia White is the brand's new chief marketing and solutions officer.

Media by Mother will initially operate out of New York, led by Accenture and WPP vets.

L.A./Amsterdam agency expands its global footprint.

Cann uses no logos or product shots, just mood-boosting ASMR for the eyes.