Table of contents for May 9, 2016 in Adweek

With a roster of high-end content under its belt, Hulu is shifting focus to subscribers’ at-home viewing experience, announcing partnerships with BrightLine and Nielsen that will bring interactive ads to connected TVs and monitor OTT viewing via connected TVs for the first time. During YouTube’s packed presentation at the Javits Center, CEO Susan Wojcicki revealed that the video giant now reaches more 18- to 49-year-olds on mobile devices than any TV network and announced new initiatives like an NBA partnership that includes two VR series. BuzzFeed touted its massive growth—since last year’s NewFronts, monthly views rose from 2.8 billion to 7 billion—thanks to stunts like its recent “watermelon explosion” Facebook Live video and wildly popular food network, Tasty. Interpublic Group’s Magna Global announced a multiyear deal with YouTube to invest…

KFC invents nail polish that actually tastes like fried chicken. Instagram pays 10-year-old boy $10,000 for finding a bug in its commenting system. Celestial Seasonings brings back old-school packaging after customers complain about redesign. Wall Street Journal reports that decline in Ping-Pong table sales could spell end of tech bubble.…

2001 CIPRO In the weeks after a handful of anthrax attacks by mail, Cipro prescriptions rose from 8,000 to 14,000 a day. 2003 DUCT TAPE After President Bush’s Homeland Security Council upgraded the terror threat level from yellow to orange, Americans rushed to hardware stores for tape to seal their windows. In the D.C. area, sales tripled. 2014 PURELL In October 2014, despite just a handful of Ebola cases in the U.S., nervous consumers sent sales of hand sanitizer up 8 percent.…

The client/agency/vendor model continues to be flipped on its head every day. Case in point: Late last month, Adweek (April 18 issue) published a story about the uptick in West Coast agencies building out their own virtual reality labs for experimentation. For companies like my own, which pride ourselves in pioneering emerging VR thought leadership well ahead of traditional agencies, the thought of shops potentially one-upping us should, in theory, chill me to the core. But that’s not how I see it, and that way of thinking isn’t a viable business model to survive in our industry today. Team One’s experimentation with VR is an effort to be celebrated—for brands, agencies, VR studios, production companies and postproduction houses alike. Why? Because it’s an indicator of the curiosity and empathy required…

‘Sometimes, it’s probably better to be the tortoise rather than the hare.’ During Sony’s mega media review last year, MediaCom’s new business team was pitching for the Sony PlayStation business, but something wasn’t quite clicking. “We were trying to land a strategic framework—some thinking around different audiences, who we targeted to deliver different aspects of the brief,” recalls MediaCom’s global COO Toby Jenner. “And actually, the client called us out. He said, ‘I don’t buy it.’ And we all kind of looked at each other with abject horror, as you do.” Luckily, the agency’s global business development strategy officer, Jon Gittings, was there to help. “Very calmly during the break, Jon took the client aside and talked him through it and rearticulated why it was the right thing,” says Jenner.…

Quite a bit has changed in the 24 years since Carmen Graf first joined GSD&M in Austin, Texas, as a planner. In her own words, these days “there’s a lot more fragmentation, data and a fundamental shift from a channel-first approach to an audience-first approach.” ‘Data doesn’t start to get interesting until you start connecting it back to the heart of a brand.’ Graf foresaw that shift early in her career, reimagining the role of media director to place greater emphasis on insights gleaned from the evolving science of analytics. In recent years, GSD&M has followed the svp, executive media director’s lead to focus more on integration and collaboration among creative, strategy, production and media services. The agency’s list of media accounts has surged by more than 35 percent since…

‘It started with a custom idea to connect GE to a cultural moment. And we wanted to play differently in the space.’ Like many pop-culture junkies, Trevor Guthrie was hooked on the true-crime podcast Serial in late 2014, as much for its consumer insights as for its wrongful conviction. If droves of people were willing to listen to audio stories again—considered a bit of a media throwback—could that trend work for an adventurous client like GE? Could there be some way to weave a compelling story with GE at its heart, he wondered, that would serve as a stand-alone piece of entertainment and humanize the brand at the same time? The wheels began to turn. Guthrie, co-founder of marketing and media startup Giant Spoon, noticed what he dubbed a “white…

THE LABEL Kiehl’s proves its dedication to quality ingredients—which include apricot kernel oil and aloe barbadensis leaf juice—by laying them all out in the open. THE COLOR Creme de Corps’ distinctive, if slightly jarring, yellow hue comes from the high concentration of the antioxidant beta-carotene in the formula. THE BOTTLE Inventor Aaron Morse cared about ingredients, not packaging. Kiehl’s could afford a slicker bottle but keeps the original. Call it generic chic. Every brand hopes for a free plug on TV—“earned media,” as the trade calls it—but endorsements don’t get much better than they did on Oct. 25, 2012. On a Good Morning America segment called “Deals and Steals,” a special guest cast her approving glance at a 12-ounce jar of skin cream, pronouncing it “an ash killer” and, simply,…

As the startup economy and telecommuting grows exponentially, co-working spaces are popping up in major cities across the world. One such space is Alley in New York. By designing offices that are inviting, detail-oriented and, most importantly, cool, Alley has created a spot for startups and freelancers where they feel like they belong to a wider community. With three locations around the city, Alley’s flagship space is located in the Chelsea neighborhood. “The aesthetic of the space specifically came from the needs of the community,” said Alley CEO Jason Saltzman. “In my opinion, you should not build something without understanding the people you’re building it for.” One of those needs is for phone rooms. Each room is themed and stylized for maximum comfort and privacy. “We wanted to build the…

It’s not just the Cannes Film Festival that’s drawing Oscar-winning directors this year. Ogilvy & Mather is set to announce this week its 2016 Cannes Lion seminar, Ogilvy & Inspire, will feature a one-on-one discussion between A-list filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu and Ogilvy Worldwide co-chairman and CCO Tham Khai Meng. Iñárritu, who has four Academy Awards (including recent back-to-back Best Director wins for his films The Revenant and Birdman), will speak about his inspiration, finding new ideas and talent, and being a creative in a data-focused world.…

‘It sounds so simple, but it’s actually much harder than you think.’Glenn Geller, CBS Entertainment president, on improving the schedule EARLY PICKUPS These celebs’ shows already made the cut for next season. KIEFER SUTHERLAND He’s the president on ABC’s Designated Survivor. QUEEN LATIFAH Starring in Star, Fox’s music drama from Lee Daniels KRISTEN BELL She and Ted Danson star in NBC’s Good Place. CLIVE STANDEN He’s a young Liam Neeson in NBC’s Taken prequel. It all comes down to this. The broadcast upfronts are just days away, which means it’s crunch time for the network presidents. They and their top execs will be spending the week hunkered down as they review their new pilots and make the final, agonizing decisions about which new and returning shows will and won’t make…

How is running creative at FCB New York different than working under Tor Myhren at Grey before he left for Apple? The true answer to your question is that I now only have time to check my email once a day. Where it really differs is in the new business plan: How can you change things from past agencies where you worked and challenge the status quo? This even comes down to remodeling the agency in terms of what the furniture will look like and where people will sit on each pitch. Why did you decide to leave Grey in February? I had been doing the [executive creative director] thing for some time and getting an itch to take on more responsibility … to affect my own destiny on things…

Ali Offer Associate media director, Assembly Ali Offer didn’t study media. Ironically, that’s part of the reason she’s thriving at Assembly. “I studied people, image and culture, how they interact with each other and how they influence each other. I was obsessed with it,” she says of her time at alma mater Colby College, where she studied art history and anthropology. “So much of what media is, is that interplay of what the ad—the visceral experience—does to culture, and what the culture does to it.” Clearly, that 10,000-foot approach to media planning has served the 25-year-old well. Just three weeks ago, Offer was promoted to associate media director, up from integrated communications supervisor for the New York-based media shop owned by MDC Partners. (Offer works at Assembly’s office in Playa…

‘When Sean talks, clients listen. They have confidence that he sees where the world is going.’—John Moore, global president, MullenLowe Mediahub When Sean Corcoran joined MullenLowe Mediahub in 2011, he brought with him a wealth of experience working with both agencies and clients, including eight years leading integrated and digital media for brands such as Motorola and Philips at Carat, as well as a stint as an analyst at Forrester Research. “The beauty of being an analyst at Forrester is you get a really broad view of the world. You have something like 2,000 clients, and I talked to the client side and agencies as well,” Corcoran says. “Being able to see what everyone was doing in the digital marketing space and the agency space gave me a pretty unique…

‘I’m a firm believer that the media can be as exciting as the creative.’ Fledgling film studio STX Entertainment could’ve picked a conventional media agency last year to lead its all-important brand rollout and launch its first movies, which included psychological thriller The Gift and horror drama The Boy. But executives at the entrepreneurial startup wanted a kindred spirit that would mirror their own rock-the-Hollywood-boat attitude. They found that slightly renegade perspective in Horizon Media and its hands-on leader in Los Angeles, Serena Duff, evp, general manager, Western region. “We needed to go from zero to 1,000 very quickly, and they showed us they were agile and thoughtful at the same time,” says Amy Elkins, who heads STX’s media and marketing innovation. “Serena’s a visionary, and she’s running what we…

‘We tell our clients, “Don’t wait for VR to become a thing …” Because the learning curve is so steep.’ Everyone right now wants be one of the first to make a name for himself or herself in the world of virtual reality. But any first-timers will have to catch up to Media All-Star Dario Raciti, who has already secured quite a head start. As director of Zero Code, OMD’s interactive entertainment division, Raciti brings to play a robust background in the gaming industry, partnering with brands like Nissan and Gatorade to create immersive experiences focused on entertaining more than advertising. Whether it’s riding along during a virtual Nascar race, batting from behind home plate in a major league stadium, or even experiencing the terror of a tornado, Raciti says…

Anya Hindmarch Mini Ghost Backpack $2,950 British designer Anya Hindmarch has become a cult favorite among the fashion cognoscenti for her cheeky reimaginings of pop culture icons as high-end accessories. For her fall collection, Hindmarch turned to classic ’80s arcade games and 8-bit graphics for inspiration. This colorful version of the brand’s popular mini backpack takes the shape of one of Pac-Man’s instantly recognizable baddies. Despite its cartoonish looks, the bag’s details are all grownup, with a luxe shearling exterior, suede lining, labeled card pockets and leather-tasseled zipper pulls. Pre-order: us.anyahindmarch.com SWEET I Want Candy Sugarfina x Jonathan Adler Bento Boxes $30 Favorite treats get a chic makeover via Jonathan Adler’s collaboration with candy maker Sugarfina. With fun themes like Chic & Sour and Cocktail Hour, the colorful boxes are…

What’s the first information you consume in the morning? First thing would probably be skimming emails and checking Twitter. Your Twitter bio says you were an early adopter. How’d you get started on there? My friend [comedian] Paul Scheer was a big Twitter guy back then, and he said, “You should do it.” At the time, I was promoting a TV show called Players, which was short-lived, and he told me it was a smart move to communicate to your fans what you’re up to. Do you use Twitter differently now versus when you joined in 2009? I do think I track news off of it more than I used to. I remember when Michael Jackson died, I pulled that off of Twitter before I saw it anywhere else. That’s…

As younger consumers continue to eschew traditional TV, ESPN, like most other networks, has had to seek out a strong digital-native partner. And it has, in Vice. The wide-ranging partnership announced last week encompasses both digital and television. Vice Sports will produce new original series that will air across ESPN, while select 30 for 30 documentaries from ESPN Films will air on Vice’s TV network Viceland. The deal is an extension of ESPN parent company Disney’s $400 million investment in Vice last year.…

With public concern running high about the Zika virus (a recent Annenberg survey found that half of Americans are worried about it spreading to their own neighborhoods), the ominous disease has become a dark cloud over the upcoming summer travel season. Unless, of course, you happen to be in the mosquito repellent business. Brands like SC Johnson-owned Off! as well as Spectrum Brands’ Cutter and Repel have been ramping up production since early February when the World Health Organization held an emergency meeting about Zika. A RetailMeNot study last month found that anywhere from 45 to 54 percent of Americans have gone out to buy insect repellent expressly over fears of Zika—traffic that has already boosted the sales of specific brands. Off! reports that its sales are up 50 percent…

‘We live in a time where a 3-year-old can tell you about the design of a smartphone.’Scott Clear, chief design and innovation officer, RKS Specializing is highly overrated. Burrowing into one specific area and staying there can lead to “breathing your own air,” said Scott Clear, chief design and innovation officer at Los Angeles-based RKS. That’s why the design firm works on everything from children’s toys and musical instruments to healthcare and aerospace projects. One of the company’s early megahits came in the fuzzy form of an animatronic bear, Teddy Ruxpin, and its FloWater purifying systems are currently being used to provide clean water to residents in Flint, Mich. “It’s the designer mentality to be starving for knowledge,” explained Clear, a Detroit native and embedded Southern California transplant who races…

Synopsizing the diverse talents of Adweek’s annual roundup of Media All-Stars gets a little harder every year. And not because it’s hard to write an original intro every time. It’s because every year, the skill sets and priorities of the honorees are that much more original. Take our Executive of the Year, UM’s global CEO Daryl Lee. While he’s busy helping the shop land major clients like Johnson & Johnson and Sony, Lee is also quietly championing the representation of women, minorities and the LGBT community among his decision makers Then, there’s this year’s Rising Star, Assembly’s newly promoted associate media director Ali Offer, who has succeeded as a media pro in part because she wasn’t a student of media before entering agency land. The talents of the balance of…

After 25 years on the vendor side, working for companies like Millennial Media, Condé Nast and Vindigo, Carrie Seifer jumped to Mediavest in March 2015 as president of digital, data and technology. While she occasionally “felt like a poseur” early on as she got used to sitting on the other side of the desk in meetings, Seifer says her “B.S. meter” helped her adapt quickly. “When a partner was trying to bring something to us, like, ‘Hey, you’re going to get first look of products,’ having 25 years inside of where they sat, I was able to say, ‘Listen, can you cut the shit? I know that doesn’t scale, so let’s do this: I will do a great job of sharing some strategy for you so we will be better…

‘I loved the energy and had a love affair with the whole pulse of [New York City].’ To say that Eileen Kiernan took over J3 at a turbulent time would easily be considered an understatement. Taking the reins of UM’s dedicated media unit for Johnson & Johnson in January of last year, Kiernan immediately faced an uphill battle. Seven months earlier, J&J took its $1 billion North American buying account to another agency—Omni-com’s OMD—leaving J3 in the awkward position of facing an account review in just about every other major global market. “It kind of took us by surprise when it happened,” says Kiernan on losing the North American buying account. But before 2015 came to an end, Kiernan led that same account right back to J3, even though it…

‘[It’s about] how Catalyst can play a role in helping [P&G] to peer around corners and make sure they’re avoiding disruption.’ It’s a Thursday afternoon in April and Justine Bloome is working from SFO. She’s spent the week meeting with Bay Area executives at hush-hush startups, as well as tech giants like Google and Facebook. Now, she’s catching a flight to LAX in SoCal to huddle with Carat’s team on Adidas, about how to soup up the agency’s approach to working with the sportswear brand. Perpetual movement, it seems, is part of her remit. Based in New York, the evp, head of strategy and innovation spends a lot of time bouncing around the United States. As the leader of the cutting-edge, creative-and-tech-infused Catalyst group, her responsibilities are national, covering all…

‘I feel like I’ve arrived. I feel very complete.’ As a leader in the digital media space, Helen Lin moves at 100 miles a minute—and texts even faster—so be prepared to move quickly if you want to keep up with her. “There are very few people that can match me in terms of speed and pace and volume of work—and she’s definitely able to do that, in all capacities,” says John Nitti, chief media officer at Verizon. The two first worked together when Nitti was Lin’s superior at Publicis’ ZenithOptimedia, before moving to the client side six months ago when he joined Verizon. Lin, he says, demonstrates an unmatched passion and energy for a job that has her managing some 180 employees as evp of digital and magazine activation at…