We know your Facebook and Twitter feeds are constantly being flooded with stuff that you probably don’t really care about seeing. So, we put together a list of some of some pretty cool/ridiculous/unfortunate/nonsensical things that happened in the creative and pop-culture worlds last month that you might have missed that we think you should know about.
Happy reading!
1. More Than 300 Workers Laid Off At Twitter
Oh, Mr. Dorsey…we know we said that we were looking forward to your changes after reclaiming your title as Twitter’s CEO, but laying off 8% of your workforce is a little aggressive don’t you think? We hope your plans for a stronger Twitter don’t go up in flames.
2. There’s a ‘Marshmallows Only’ Version of Lucky Charms, and Biz Markie Wrote a Song About It
You heard right friends…our childhood dream has finally come true! No more having to spend hours separating those delicious marshmallows from the boring cereal. But there’s a catch, General Mills only put out 10 boxes of heaven and gave them away through social media using the hashtag #Lucky10Sweepstakes. See the winning posts on Twitter using the hashtag #Lucky10.
3. After 80 Years With One Ad Shop, Land O’ Lakes Hires The Martin Agency
Talk about one hell of a break up. After deciding it was time for a creative refresh, the dairy company we all know and love has moved on to a bigger and better agency. The Richmond, Va.-based Martin Agency will handle communications planning and creative development in addition to all media-planning and -buying duties for the business. We are definitely looking forward to seeing the new creative for this well-established brand.
4. Budweiser and Miller Parent Companies Agree to Merge in $104 Billion Deal
So…does this mean more beer commercials starring adorable puppies who make us feel guilty for spending the night out instead of taking an uber home? It looks like the fourth times a charm for AB InBev. Let’s just hope they are able to obtain any regulatory clearances prior to the deal, otherwise they’ll be paying SABMiller a $3 billion fee. It is unclear how the deal would affect marketers. Both beer behemoths have recently tapped new agencies: MillerCoors selected 72andSunny earlier this month, while Budweiser enlisted Wieden + Kennedy in July.
5. Playboy’s No-Nudity Revamp Could Mean More Ad Dollars and Higher-End Brands
All good things must come to an end…one door opens another door closes…another appropriate cliché. It looks like that whole ‘I read it for the articles’ line will actually be legitimate. After shifting its focus to more Facebook-friendly lifestyle and entertainment content, Playboy’s average monthly unique visitors to its website have increased by 400 percent, and the median reader age has dropped from 47 to 30. Whether advertisers (specifically the more conservative ones) will embrace the “new” Playboy is still up for debate, but we think the odds are in their favor.
6. Apple launches emoji-filled iOS 9.1 update
Tacos, robots, unicorns…OH MY! That’s right people, the time has finally come that we will be able to use an actual taco emoji in our #TacoTuesday posts. We took a poll here at TJAÂ and our top 5 favorites are the cool nerd guy, champs, unicorn, taco and thinking guy. We would love to hear yours. Tweet them to us at @TheJamesAgency.
7. Starbucks Is Testing Coffee Delivery to Office Workers in the Empire State Building
And now we’re totally wishing our office was in the Empire State Building. The Green Apron Delivery program allows the 12,000+ workers in the iconic building to order a coffee and have it delivered to their office door within 30 minutes. Personally, we would probably just take a quick elevator ride down to the nearest Starbucks location because waiting 30 minutes for a cappuccino is a little outrageous. But, it’s a great idea in theory, and maybe after all the kinks are worked out you can have your coffee within 20 minutes.
8. Instagram launches Boomerang, an app for 1-second videos
We kinda like this…we kinda don’t. The effect can be really cool if done well, but what benefit will a one-second video really bring to your brand? I guess we’ll just have to sit back and find out. But for now, our opinion is indifference.
9. Someone Actually Opened a Will Ferrell-Themed Bar in NYCÂ
Well, we know where we want to go for our next epic team building adventure. With drinks like Glass Case of Emotion (muddled rosemary and peach, whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup) and Mugatu Mule (tequila reposado, lime, bitters, ginger beer) how could you not be moving some money around to figure out how to finance your impromptu trip to the Big Apple?
10. Adele used a flip phone in her new video and everyone flipped out
Apparently, we are a culture full of tech device snobs because when one of the most renowned artists of our time puts out an incredible new song, (the first one in 4 years mind you) all the Internet seems to care about is the fact that the video features a flip phone. Seriously, who cares. Maybe Adele just enjoys the simplicity of the flip phone. Check out the video for yourself. We’d love to know what you think.
