Table of contents for September 28, 2020 in Adweek

THERE IS STRENGTH IN VULNERABILITY Showing vulnerability is a sign of courage and strength, not of weakness. We must dare to change this paradigm in our heads and in the world so that we can all live healthier and more meaningful lives. But let me be clear: Opening for the sake of opening may be cathartic and it has its time and place, but it is not enough. To make vulnerability the anchor for business or personal transformation, we must own the actions and the path forward. Change is impossible unless we own it. Accepting what we do not know, asking for help in defining and assessing issues while at the same time personally owning the outcomes of the collective endeavor is the definition of true empowerment. ‘A HOUSE DIVIDED…

‘Be genuine, show daring and determination, plus have purpose.’ Like many young people, Oli Marlow Thomas initially dreamed of being a police officer, not a founder. The difference is that Marlow Thomas, while short on regrets, held onto his dream longer than many. In 2009, when Marlow Thomas left university, he remained desperate to join the police and soon enrolled in a fast-track scheme that included two years of volunteer service. The police service was relatively easy; the hard part was simultaneously launching a startup that allowed car owners to sell their empty car seats as a means to pay his bills. “The biggest heartbreak I experienced in my 20s was the day I found out that police recruitment in the U.K. was essentially dead,” he said. With no imminent…

Last fall, a full year before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, major social media platforms were already debating whether they should take political ad dollars. The platforms split into two groups: those that have banned political ads from their channels, such as Twitter, and those that allow political ads with restrictions, such as Facebook. If a platform does allow political ads, each platform’s policy varies on whether they are fact-checked and how closely political advertisers can target users (aka voters). Pinterest, LinkedIn and advertising newcomer TikTok ban the practice, with the latter’s vp of global business solutions, Blake Chandlee, saying in a blog post that it didn’t fit the “platform experience.” Facebook, Snap and Reddit allow political ads, but the latter two have imposed restrictions. Snap has human-reviewed fact-checking for…

As mothers prep their kids for an unusual back-to-school season, they’re turning to local television and digital-only sources like social media for updates and the latest developments. When the novel coronavirus first took hold in the U.S. in March, the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) worked with market research firm Dynata to see how the pandemic was affecting how mothers over 18 consume media across digital and traditional platforms. Surveying just over 10,000 people across 10 states, the researchers found that when these moms were seeking information about Covid-19, they went first to broadcast TV and cable TV news, and then social media before heading to official government websites. “Moms are preparing their children for an unprecedented back-toschool season like no other they have experienced. It’s at times like these…

Adweek: Where did the idea for 21 Seeds come from? Hantas: I started experiencing general health issues. My doctor suggested I switch [from wine] to blanco tequila since it’s plant-based and one of the cleanest spirits. I like to cook so I thought, heck, I’ll infuse it and see what happens. It completely changed [the smell and taste] for the better. As the years rolled by, a lot of my girlfriends began asking me to make bottles of my infused blanco for their home use. One bottle turned into many over the years and finally, I thought, perhaps there was a business in this. How did you manage to disrupt such a crowded and highly regulated industry? The spirits industry has historically been very male-dominated. So, in most meetings, we…

It all started with a firing—a very foolish one. In 1978, Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were executives at Handy Dan, a home improvement chain based in Southern California. Despite the business being very profitable, the pair had begun to tinker with a new idea. By lowering prices, they found, the stores’ volume shot up, making Handy Dan even more money. The executives had planned to implement that strategy systemwide, but they never got the chance. Corporate raider Sanford Sigoloff—who liked to call himself the “Skillful Scalpel”—took over the company, and deciding to save himself two salaries, got rid of Marcus and Blank. That one decision probably prevented Handy Dan from becoming America’s home improvement leader. Instead, that honor would go to a place called The Home Depot. Recruiting investment…

On July 6, 1962, Time’s cover featured a slender man named Eugene Ferkauf sporting a skinny tie and a knowing smile. The cover story: “Discounting Gets Respectable.” Ferkauf had just opened an outpost of his store, E.J. Korvette, at 47th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York, marking the first time a cut-rate emporium had set up shop in the same neighborhood as Bergdorf Goodman. While you won’t hear Ferkauf’s name mentioned much these days, we wouldn’t have big-box stores without him. Seeing the need for a retail chain positioned between the 5 & 10 and the department store, Ferkauf opened his first store in 1948. He sold everything from appliances to bed sheets, all at a 40% discount. The public loved it, and Korvettes (as it was later known)…