Table of contents for September 26, 2016 in Adweek

Are you ready for some … debates? Tonight’s first of three presidential debates between Democratic contender Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will go head-to-head with what has historically been TV Teflon: the NFL, and a Monday Night Football matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints on ESPN. But, much like the unpredictability of the presidential campaign, the NFL’s new season is getting off to a surprising start. The first two Monday Night Football games were down in the ratings versus last season. And with stiff competition from an estimated 80 million-plus viewers expected to tune in across multiple TV networks, and millions more on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other streaming services, tonight’s game could get sacked in the ratings. Even more troubling for the NFL, the second…

‘If I’m trying to reach young people in California where they have a higher propensity to cut the cord, why am I buying cable TV [ads] for young people channels?’Scott Goodstein, CEO, Revolution Messaging To Scott Goodstein, the world of political advertising for a high-stakes campaign like the current presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump comes down to just three things: “Time, people and money,” he said, referring to the audience they’re trying to reach on a given day for a given price. Goodstein would know, after helping propel Barack Obama to the White House in 2008. And more recently, as CEO of Revolution Messaging, he spent the better part of the past two years deep in the digital trenches serving as digital agency of record for Bernie…

Sony Glass Sound Speaker $799 Good-looking wireless speakers aren’t hard to find, but audiophiles know that a high-end appearance doesn’t always correspond with high-quality sound. Sony’s new Glass Sound Speaker, however, manages to make an impression in both categories. Unveiled earlier this year at CES, the Bluetooth speaker’s minimalist design incorporates a glass tube tweeter, translucent passive radiator and a two-inch woofer for powerful, 360-degree sound that can be doubled by connecting a second speaker. A warm, dimmable LED in the speaker’s base mimics candlelight for a lantern-like effect. Buy it: sony.com SNAP Instant Gratification Leica Sofort Camera $299 Instant cameras are on the rise, and now Leica is getting into the game with the brand-new Sofort series. Available in three different colors (white, orange and turquoise), the Sofort takes…

What’s the first information you consume in the morning? I guess it’s always my phone. I check my email, texts, and then Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s horrible. I look at all of those things before I get out of bed. And then I switch over to The New York Times app and I read the morning briefing, so I can at least know what’s going on in the world. What’s your go-to social platform? I guess the one that I actually use the most is Instagram. I’m not much of a political activist or someone who uses Twitter as a platform. If anything, I’ll use it to share videos of puppies and kittens [laughs]. I find that Instagram is more my speed. Who do you follow on Instagram? I…

Philipp Schindler has been Google’s ad chief for years, but few would know it. Having hailed from Germany, Schindler spent a good portion of his 11 years at Google running its European business before quietly ascending to global chief business officer 13 months ago. Now, for the first time in this role, he sat down with Adweek as he prepares to take the stage on Monday to address the industry at Advertising Week. Schindler predicts his three favorite “revolutions”—mobile, video and programmatic—will be so common that by 2020 “we will actually look back and laugh that we called them revolutions.” Per Google, two-thirds of smartphone users say they turn to their devices to learn about a product or service after seeing a television commercial. With that in mind, the 45-year-old…

As video continues to take over social media feeds as the preferred mode of content, Twitter is tracking the nuances of this trend within its own network to help advertising partners get an idea of who’s watching what, when they’re watching it and whether they’re taking in the pre-rolls. In Twitter’s annual Online Video Playbook, which was made available exclusively to Adweek, research found that video ads in Twitter feeds are twice as memorable than when found elsewhere. “As we navigate the dynamic world of video, these insights can help marketers and agencies unlock massive opportunity,” said David Roter, agency development director at Twitter. “We refer back to this playbook as we work strategically with our partners to develop innovative and creative campaigns.”…

 Two weeks ago, Nielsen began phasing out its paper TV ratings diaries for the 140 local markets in which the antiquated system is still active. By the middle of next year, Nielsen says, it will provide electronic measurement across all of its 210 designated market areas. ‘If you look at our business right now, and at the markets we serve, they’re changing at a faster pace than what has previously been true in our history.’ How big a deal is that? Well, that depends on your point of view. All told, Nielsen data underpins and informs a staggering $70 billion in annual ad sales, but these days the paper diaries account for less than 5 percent of the company’s TV business. Nielsen’s national ratings system and most of its local…

Launched in 1993 269 million fans globally Broadcasts in 156 countries 95 million unique visitors to UFC.com 46 million total followers via all social platforms 534 fighters on UFC’s active roster, representing 44 countries 135 UFC Gym locations in the U.S., Australia, Canada, South America and the United Arab Emirates UFC’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, available in 200 countries Largest event in UFC history: UFC 193 in 2015, Melbourne, Australia, with 56,214 attendees 1.1b TV households reached by UFC programming…

You’re being honored with a Clio Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Do you remember winning your first Clio? I don’t remember the first Clio I won, but I do remember the year I won four. One, I wrote the music and lyrics for “Kodak America,” then French’s mustard won two. I won for best comedy writing and then we won for a Burger King commercial. I was fairly young at the time and hadn’t been in the ad business very long, so I was really thrilled. It was incredible. After stepping down as chairman of Publicis Kaplan Thaler early this year, what have you been working on? I had been doing public speaking for several years off and on, but I decided to leave advertising this past February and be…

“Our acquisition strategy is part of our overall innovation strategy,” says Nielsen CFO Jamere Jackson. “Sometimes it makes more sense to acquire capability, and those acquisitions can take almost any shape.” In recent years, Nielsen has bolstered both Buy and Watch through a wide range of purchases. Its 2013 acquisition of radio ratings firm Arbitron for $1.3 billion is perhaps the best known. It brought added dimension to Nielsen’s Watch offering, allowing the company to analyze an additional two hours a day of media consumption. That deal also caused the parties considerable chagrin. The Federal Trade Commission consented only after Arbitron agreed to make its Portable People Meter available to third parties for cross-platform measurement—an arrangement that benefited Nielsen rival comScore. Recently, the deals have been smaller in scope, designed…

As one of the most storied holding companies in media, Viacom’s network of brands like MTV, VH1, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon oversees, curates and even dictates youth culture—and has done so for decades. But being young and hip takes work, which is why New York-based Viacom recently renovated its 31st and 32nd floors into spaces where people—employees and guests—could meet, mingle, work, dine and relax. “Our new floors are a working prototype for the future of media,” said marketing strategy and engagement evp Ross Martin whose office is on the 32nd floor, “where creative talent, world-class data scientists and visionary thought leaders are engineering the future of our business.” On the 31st floor, visitors will find the “pitch theater,” meeting rooms, open lounges and gathering spaces. “As a result of…