1.A prosecutor on Tuesday described rape allegations by three women against That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson from two decades ago that contained some of the same disturbing elements. Masterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of forcible rape between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood home, which functioned as a social hub when he was at the height of his fame. Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo also
sternly reminded the lawyers that Scientology, which Masterson is affiliated with, is not on trial and therefore off limits during the proceedings. The first witness to take the stand was one of the three accusers, who testified that Masterson raped her while she was unconscious. The other two accusers are expected to testify later in the week. Masterson faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
2. Uber has just launched a new
advertising product that will let marketers target consumers with ads “based on where they have been and where they are going,” The Wall Street Journal reports. While the ride-hailing company has so far run ads mostly on its food delivery app, the geotargeting product will let companies place ads on its ride-hailing app based on travel history and destination. Firms can also sponsor entire trips by showing different ads at various points. Experts say the geotargeting could raises
privacy concerns; Uber says users can opt out of tracking. READ FULL STORY
3. It has been announced that Kanye West had purchased a controlling stake in the social media platform Parler. For those unfamiliar with Parler, it is a conservative-leaning platform that has been gaining in
popularity in recent months, due in part to its stance against “censorship” of right-wing voices. With West’s purchase, many are wondering what this could mean for the future of the platform. READ FULL STORY
4. Tostitos had to get creative when they realized that their target audience was no longer
snacking at home. So, they came up with the idea of a sonic brand. The concept was an instant success, and now the company plans to expand their play on other platforms, such as TikTok. Tostitos found that their customers go for the dip first and the chip second. This information was key in helping them create a successful marketing campaign. Who would have thought that sound could be so important in the snack industry? Tostitos is definitely on to something!
5.Instacart, the leading online grocery platform, today announced a major upgrade to its self-service ads platform with the launch of a new objective-based framework. This new framework provides advertisers with an easier way to measure and optimize their campaigns by aligning them with specific business objectives. Following a successful pilot with more than 40 brands, including Celsius, Clorox, Hormel, Mondelēz International, and That's It., Instacart is now
making shoppable video ads available to all advertisers on the platform.
6.TikTok, the popular short-form video app, is making some changes in response to concerns about age-inappropriate content. Starting today, users will be required to be at least 18 years old to go live on the app. TikTok is also introducing a new “adults only” category for live streams that might be risque or graphic in nature. And finally, the app will offer new
keyword filtering options for live comments. READ MORE
7. If you’re thinking about a career in marketing, or if you’re currently working as a marketing executive, it’s important to know that the role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is constantly changing. According to
executive-search firm Spencer Stuart, the average CMO tenure in 2020 and 2021 was around 40 months—the lowest in more than a decade. Some companies are turning to fractional, aka temporary, CMOs as a result. READ INSIGHT
8. Intress Media is excited to announce
its new casino content marketing and affiliate partnership with WynnBet. Through this partnership, WynnBet will have access to Intress Media’s network of US-facing casino news, entertainment, and education portals. This will allow WynnBet to promote its digital arm to a wider audience. Jamie Farrelly, director of affiliates at WynnBet, said: “We really like what Intress is doing with content creation in the affiliate media space, and their emphasis on responsible gaming was an important
one for us too. WynnBet is committed to working with only the most trusted affiliates in the industry and we hope this is the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.” We are confident that this partnership will be beneficial for both parties involved and look forward to a bright future together.
9.The parade of celebrity pickleball investors rolls on, with the latest entrant being NBA superstar Kevin Durant and entrepreneur Rich Kleiman.
Their investment firm, Thirty Five Ventures, has purchased an expansion team that will compete in the 2023 Major League Pickleball season.
“35V is committed to investing in the future of sports and emerging opportunities, and Major League Pickleball is a league we are incredibly excited about,” said Kleiman. “As an avid pickleball player and fan, the interest in the sport was a natural fit.”
This continues
a trend of high-profile figures investing in pickleball, which has seen a surge in popularity in recent years. With Durant and Kleiman joining the likes of tennis legend Roger Federer and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it's clear that pickleball is here to stay.
10. Caffeine is known for being a coffee-themed streaming platform (no, not really), but it looks like the company is about to start serving up a new type of beverage: video
ads. According to sources close to the company, Caffeine is planning to test out the new feature with a select group of creators before rolling it out to all users next year. While some may see this as a cynical move to make money, it could also be seen as an opportunity for smaller creators to get their content in front of a larger audience. And who knows? Maybe Caffeine will even start serving up ads that are less bitter than your average commercial break. Only time will
tell.
11.It's that time of year again! The time when retailers go into overdrive and shoppers start to feel the pressure. But this year, things are a little different. According to Deloitte's holiday retail survey, shoppers are planning to buy fewer gifts this year, with the average number coming in at nine. That's a big drop from last year, when the average number was closer to 16. But don't worry, it doesn't mean that people are spend
less money. In fact, low-income shoppers are actually planning to spend 25% more this year. So what does all this mean? Flexible retailers that can meet the needs of consumers are more likely to come out on top this holiday season.
12. As we all know, the retail landscape is constantly changing and evolving. And it looks like this holiday season is going to be no different. According to a recent study, younger generations are
"embracing new retail formats." This means that if you're marketing to a younger audience, you'll need to be innovative and think outside the box. Additionally, the study found that 38% of respondents said social media will play a larger role in their holiday shopping. So if you're not using social media to reach your target audience, now is the time to start. Finally, 56% of Gen Z respondents are planning to buy holiday gifts. So whatever you're selling, make sure it's something that appeals to
this age group. With these insights in mind, marketers have their work cut out for them this holiday season. But as always, the key is to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the ever-changing landscape.
13. Circle K, a Canada-based convenience store and gas station operator, announced it was partnering with Green Thumb, a leading national cannabis consumer packaged goods company, to sell its products at a handful of Circle K locations next
year. The move comes as the legal cannabis industry continues to grow in North America. About 10 "RISE Express"-branded dispensaries will open adjacent to Circle K stores in various Florida locations, Green Thumb said in a press release Wednesday. It didn't identify the store locations, but said the dispensaries will offer "a selection of branded cannabis products, including RYTHM premium flower, Dogwalkers pre-rolls, incredibles gummies and &Shine vapes." For those who are looking
to purchase cannabis products while on the go, this partnership is sure to be a welcome addition. And for those who are simply looking for a convenient place to buy their snacks and drinks, it's safe to say that Circle K will now be their one-stop shop.
14. Smartly.io, the leading social advertising automation platform for creative and performance marketers, has announced the appointment of Oli Marlow Thomas as Chief Innovation Officer.
READ MORE
15. The global advertising and partnerships division at NBCUniversal just got a lot stronger with the addition of five new senior executives. This move comes as the company looks to continue its push for technological
innovation and better partnerships, as was evident at its recent One22 conference. The new appointees bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, which will no doubt be invaluable in helping NBCUniversal achieve its goals. Dan Bernard, Kaitie Coghlan, Nick Illobre, Leah van Zelm, and Maggie Zhang are all highly respected in their respective fields and have already made significant contributions to the industry. With such a talented team in place, it’s clear that NBCUniversal is
serious about staying at the forefront of the ever-changing media landscape.
15. Volta Inc., an electric vehicle charging and media company, has offered advertisers complete access to its full range of its programmatic media inventory, regardless of which platform they use to buy media, according to a press release. This means that whether you use Google's DoubleClick or Amazon's AdX, you'll have an equal opportunity to purchase ad
space on Volta's screens. The move comes as a response to complaints from advertisers who felt they were at a disadvantage when competing against other brands using different programmatic buying tools.
16. AdExchanger has named Aperture, the intelligent audience data platform from digital publishing powerhouse Future Publishing, the Best Publisher First-Party Data Platform for 2022. The award was announced at AdExchanger's gala in New
York on October 17th, and the Best First-Party Data Platform category finalists included Future Publishing, Disney, The New York Times, Trusted Media Brands, and Audigent. Future Publishing's Chief Executive Officer Alastair Mitchell said: "We are delighted that Aperture has been recognized by AdExchanger as the best first-party data platform for publishers. This award is a testament to the hard work of our team in building a platform that helps publishers unlock the value of their first-party
data." Aperture was launched in 2020 and is used by leading publishers such as The Economist, Financial Times, Gannett, Hearst, McClatchy, Meredith, News UK, Trinity Mirror, and Vocus Group. It is the only audience data platform built specifically for publishers that offers a complete suite of tools to collect, cleanse, activate, and analyze first-party data. The platform provides publishers with a single view of their audiences across all devices and channels, delivering actionable insights to
help them drive growth.
17. Pollen, the events festival tech startup, went bankrupt in August after raising more than $200M in venture funding. On 16 August 2022, the administrator, Kroll, took over the company with the goal of returning as much capital to creditors as possible. On 10 October 2022, the administrator sent its first report to Pollen’s registered creditors, and I got my hands on a copy. Pollen had a complex corporate
structure consisting of 8 companies. The administrator mapped out the corporate setup of Pollen, which was the entity called StreetTeam Software Limited, incorporated in the UK. The administrator is still working on identifying all of the assets and liabilities of the group but has made some progress. For example, they have discovered that there are events contracts worth $9.4 million across North America and Europe that will need to be unwound. And they have found that Pollen hadn’t paid its
tax bill for two years, which means that the company owes $1.8 million to HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs). Given the size of the debt and the limited number of assets, it seems unlikely that creditors will get much back from this bankruptcy. But at least we now know exactly how much money was wasted on this ill-fated endeavor.
18. On Monday, virtual reality "queen" Paris Hilton launched an event called Cryptoween inside of Paris
World, a virtual experience in Roblox. The event will offer visitors the chance to spend Halloween with Hilton's avatar and try on virtual Halloween costumes. L'Oreal's Urban Decay brand collaborated with Hilton's company, 11:11 Media, to launch the event and provide virtual beauty products for visitors to use. In a statement, Hilton said she was excited to celebrate Halloween in a "safe and fun" way this year. She added that the event would be "a great way for people to try on
different looks and experiment with their style." Cryptoween is just the latest in a string of virtual events that have been held in recent months as the pandemic has forced people to stay home. Other examples include Travis Scott's performance in Fortnite and Justin Bieber's show in Roblox. It seems that, for now, virtual events are here to stay.
20. As the metaverse continues to grow, so do the expectations of non-professional creators.
According to an Adobe study titled "Monetisation in the Creator Economy", 68% of creators expect the metaverse to bring new job opportunities. At the same time, 77% of creators have explored the metaverse at least once, and 34% say they are already participating weekly in early metaverse experiences including gaming, socialising and shopping.
Meanwhile, 52% of creators who participate in the metaverse weekly say they are already working towards owning their own creative
businesses. Equal number of creators who participate weekly in metaverse activities see it as a place for games (55%) and a venus for socialisation (55%), while 29% see the metaverse as a place to attend virtual concerts, trade shows, and learning events. So whatever your expectation is for the metaverse, there's a good chance you'll find it within this growing digital universe.