Table of contents for September 26, 2022 in Adweek

Netflix hasn’t publicly announced a rollout date for its ad-supported tier, but it’s been quietly telling buyers to prepare for a Nov. 1 debut, which means marketers are feeling the pressure of the streaming behemoth’s eagerly anticipated offering. As media buyers race to lock in their commitments by the end of the month, they (anonymously) talked to Adweek about the intense negotiations. Several insiders felt Netflix’s initial $65 CPM was more of a starting point than an ultimatum. But negotiations may depend on how much wiggle room buyers have, as Netflix is looking for up to $5 million per brand and yearlong upfront commitments. Initially, the streamer won’t offer much beyond the cachet of the Netflix name, having no third-party measurement and minimal targeting. However, Netflix is also offering a rare…

This year, Roberto Max Salas transported 30,000 guests to Coachella. Salas, co-founder and CEO of creative agency Young Hero, knows the average person can’t afford a ticket, so instead he brought the music and art festival experience to the metaverse. The activation, which was created in partnership with media shop UEG, promoted client Absolut Vodka with a high-tech dance floor, open bar and Pride-themed, genderless clothing. According to the agency, the experience set an impression record on gaming platform Decentraland. Absolut. Land, which garnered more than 1.5 billion impressions in the first six days, proves that inclusion in the metaverse isn’t just a thoughtful gesture but also a business imperative. It also speaks to the growing use of the metaverse as a purpose-driven experience rather than an aimless pastime. According to…

It took Mario Chamorro 10 months to help develop creative wellness app Oye with reggaeton superstar J Balvin and Patrick Dowd. But it only took him a few minutes of using it to help his mother open up about her mental health. Oye, which means “listen” in Spanish, was created with Gen Z in mind and centers on “creative wellness,” the idea that people can work through their emotions with creative actions, encouraging users to track their feelings and create art to stimulate personal growth. They can also watch content—specifically created for the Latin American market—tailored to how they’re feeling, whether it’s a talk from a sex therapist or a video encouraging people to twerk out their insecurities and have fun.…

Gun advertising once evoked groups of hunters and father-son trips into the great outdoors. But over the last 40 years, the weekend sportsmen demographic shrunk as a marketing target for brands such as riflemaker Winchester. Now gunmakers have moved away from the wholesome images of unwrapping a rifle from under the Christmas tree. That advertising has been replaced by increasingly darker messages about the benefits of armed self-protection against home invaders and an emphasis on patriotism amid the perceived danger of an eroding constitutional right to arms. Through it all are mocking hints that a prospective gun owner’s masculinity is at stake. While those messages have been gaining speed for decades, they’ve switched gears to social media as firearms manufacturers have adapted to changing times. In response, communities, activists and…

Advertising has always been a high-pressure industry, notorious for long hours, tight deadlines and huge client expectations. The tumult of the last few years hasn’t made things any easier. Overworked employees may be grinding harder than ever, wrestling with fears of budget cutbacks and job security. If there’s one positive from all this upheaval, it’s that more organizations are recognizing that ensuring the health of their businesses must also be about supporting the individuals who make it all possible. But employee well-being can’t simply be solved with one program. Creating and operationalizing a culture that’s centered on employee health, support and development requires a holistic strategy with ideas and investments from everyone involved. Involve staff in setting the direction While most big agency initiatives come from the top down, it’s important…

A brand can’t hope for much better than a slew of consumers singing its praises on social media—and for Fenty Beauty, that’s exactly what happened. But few endorsements proved as affecting as the one posted by Krystal Robertson. As a woman with albinism, the 26-year-old nurse had given up on finding any foundation that worked with her skin tone—at least until she found shade No. 110 of Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte. “@fentybeauty I’m freaking out!!!” Robertson posted on Instagram a few weeks after the brand’s launch. “Rethinking all the times I ended up orange. It’s a great new world. Great job.” Riri shared the post, though she’d begun to grow accustomed to responses like that. “I could never have anticipated the emotional connection that women are having with…

When Bo Burnham released a song encapsulating the absurdity of middle-class existence while attempting to process all the concurrent crises of 2020, it’s unlikely he intended to create the soundtrack to climate doomism. “That Funny Feeling,” a song from the comedian’s hourlong special Inside, proved especially relatable, eventually becoming a popular TikTok sound used in despairing videos chronicling climate disasters. “I like to call [summer 2021] the ‘summer of climate doom,’” Alaina Wood, scientist, climate communicator and host for media company Pique Action, told Adweek. While some argue that distress is a rational response to the realities humanity is facing due to climate change, some research has shown it doesn’t actually lead to people doing anything about it. And given the necessity of large-scale action to slow global warming and…

The global beauty industry is worth $511 billion. Yet even with the threat of climate change looming over everyone, sustainability issues still account for less than 6% of online mentions by beauty brands. On a hopeful note, that figure is actually a 47% increase over sustainability-related mentions compared to 2021. These are just some of the results in a new report by AI-driven visual analysis platform Eyecue Insights, which looked at more than 160,000 Instagram posts across 130 beauty brands. The majority of sustainability-related topics—four out of five—relate to packaging, and these conversations predictably see a spike around conservation-themed holidays, especially Earth Day, when mentions double to 10% of social chatter. And it’s not big brands leading the conversation: 76% of sustainable brands are independently owned, often by passionate founders…

AMERICAN EXPRESS In September 2021, the entrepreneur partnered with American Express to promote ByBlack, a dedicated certification program to aid Black-owned businesses. GOOGLE Rae’s audio company Raedio announced a partnership with Google at the top of 2022. The effort was designed to increase the representation of women of color in the music industry. LIFEWTR With the PepsiCo brand, Rae launched the “Life Unseen” campaign, which worked to increase inclusion within the arts. Marginalized creatives earned the chance to win a $10,000 grant and mentorship from the star herself. MADEWELL The clothing brand connected with Rae’s production company, ColorCreative, for its spring 2021 campaign “What Are You Made Of?” The production team featured underrepresented writers and creatives of color, keeping inclusion at the heart of the work. COVERGIRL After becoming an…