Table of contents for July 25, 2022 in Adweek

Netflix lost 970,000 subscribers in Q2. To shore up its bottom line, an ad-supported tier is in the works, planned to launch in early 2023. Here’s what we know: Microsoft is the exclusive ad partner. According to COO and chief product officer Greg Peters, a big draw was the software giant’s flexibility and privacy offerings, as well as complementary technical and go-to-market capacity. Revenue will start out small. Though Netflix is on an accelerated timeline to launch its AVOD tier, the offering is not expected to be immediately profitable. “This is going to build over time,” said CFO Spence Neumann. Content pending. The streamer will need to renegotiate some of its studio deals in order to monetize through advertising. That means until they’re done, not all of the content currently…

A new class of social media managers is adopting a vernacular that diverges from the mother tongue of advertising: They’re snarky, making their jobs as corporate employees part of the bit and sometimes criticizing the brands they’re being paid to promote. Consider a few examples that have each been liked and viewed thousands of times across social platforms. In a TikTok for sparkling water brand Spindrift, employees sung a lackluster rendition of Lizzo’s hit song “About Damn Time,” noting, “when you’re a brand so you can’t use the original audio,” referencing how popular music isn’t available to brands on TikTok. The mascots for language learning app Duolingo and sponge brand Scrub Daddy simulated having sex, but they had to create a new version to stay in line with Duolingo’s legal…

The pathway into the advertising industry has been set for decades: Pay many thousands of dollars to attend college or a portfolio school, then secure an entry-level agency job. Yet, a new movement is gathering pace, with agencies increasingly creating in-house educational programs. Training is nothing new. The scale of these new initiatives is, though. Potential and current employees can enroll in a variety of industry-related courses organized by agencies to gain valuable skills and even accreditation—usually for free. As these informal schools gain momentum, it’s not difficult to imagine that they will begin to upend the old hiring model, remaking the composition of the agency workforce in the process. Leaders are beginning to discover that many modern graduates are not actually work-ready, while university fees are pricing many skilled students…

The Lawrence brothers—Joey, Matthew and Andrew—ruled ’90s TV. But they haven’t worked together on an ad in 27 years, a drought that coincided with the rise of techonologies decried as isolating us. Well, now they’re back to show how technology can help bring us together, actually. In an ad by Panay Films for Google and Samsung, the trio are fully distracted by their devices—until Joey hums C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” which Google Assistant identifies and plays, starting a dance party. “Technology should be used in a way that [brings] us together,” Joey said. “Then we can put the technology down and enjoy each other’s company.”…

When smart TVs fully burst onto the scene in the early 2010s, they revolutionized how consumers watched content. Featuring crisp, sharp images, deep blacks and colors, and pristine sound quality, the sets changed the face of the television landscape. But when the biggest names in the industry built their smart TV businesses a decade ago, they focused heavily on hardware rather than software, creating a gap in the market when streaming services arrived in earnest, clearing the way for the Rokus and Amazons of the world to capture consumer attention. “If you don’t have great hardware, nobody’s going to buy your TV,” said Raghu Kodige, co-founder and CEO of LG Ads. “It was less about the streaming side of things—and then consumer behaviors changed.” According to data from video analytics…

Arecently leaked Amazon memo hinted at an internal fear: The ecommerce giant could run out of people to hire by 2024. Shortly thereafter, Amazon issued a statement about new robotic technology in its fulfillment centers that is purportedly focused on enhancing employee safety. In an email, a spokesperson called the memo a “draft document … used to test assumptions” and noted it “doesn’t represent the actual situation” as Amazon continues to hire people and employees work alongside robots. Indeed, the retail industry has increasingly embraced automation to fill roles previously held by human employees. The result is potentially safer, more efficient workplaces—particularly in fast food and fulfillment—but as more robots come into the fold, there are profound implications for the customer experience. BELEAGUERED LABOR According to Martin Ford, futurist and…

‘I want to remove the taboo and try to encourage people to do some introspection.’Hannah Williams, Salary Transparent Street, TikTok When Hannah Williams turned to TikTok to share how she jumped tech jobs and upped her salary from $40,000 in her first job to $115,000 in her current role, many of her followers didn’t believe her. She thought, “If all the data analysts in the country told you their pay, people would see that these high salaries are possible.” Williams’ next step was to literally take to the streets to record TikToks, asking people a question most don’t dare touch: “How much money do you make?” “I want to remove the taboo and try to encourage people to do some introspection,” said Williams, who runs the TikTok account Salary Transparent…

‘THE DRAGON’S DEN’ HBO Max built anticipation for its Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, premiering Aug. 21, with a massive walkthrough activation created by Giant Spoon with audio by Bose. Inside a castle, guests visited iconic scenes from the series and participated in a dragon-hatching ceremony. Dylan Makar/HBO Max ‘AUDIBLE BEACH’ The Sand Sculpture Company spent a week building three elaborate works of art, designed by Civic Entertainment Group, to promote three Audible Originals, including The Sandman. Tommaso Boddi/Getty ‘NEW TEACHER DIS-ORIENTATION’ ABC’s breakout sitcom Abbott Elementary brought its Philadelphia school to Comic-Con. Created with Hulu+Live TV, guests could sit at Principal Ava’s desk, visit Janine’s classroom and more. ABC MEET HASBRO’S MURPH The Nerf brand was launched in 1969, but it took until 2022 for Hasbro…

Two years after the ongoing pandemic upended the retail and ecommerce market, we continue to see brands and retailers evolve. They’re experimenting with new technology, building out their media networks and, of course, enhancing the customer experience. It’s a never-ending job to stay on top of constantly changing consumer behaviors. This year, Adweek’s Commerce Awards honor the most memorable executions that did just that. Executives from winning companies, including Walmart, eBay and Instacart, will be on hand at our Commerce Week event July 26 to 28 in New York. We hope to see you there. BEST POP-UP The North Face During the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, it just so happened that a ski resort and its North Face outpost were temporarily shut down. Because North Face was not an…