Adweek April 29, 2019

Fox, NBCUniversal and Viacom joined together to offer a marketplace for buying linear and long-form digital video. The platform, dubbed OpenAP 2.0, will be available in time for fall programming and allow media buyers to construct segments for long-form digital video and linear in the same place. The marketplace, built in collaboration with Accenture and FreeWheel, will be accessible at OpenAP.tv and offer clients cross-publisher analytics, including pre-campaign performance projects and post-campaign results. The competitors have worked together before on an ad marketplace. OpenAP, which launched in 2017 and was intended to make it easier for advertisers to reach audiences across TV publishers. “With competition rising in every industry, marketers need new ways to define their audience and engage viewers across all platforms,” said Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising and client…

For years, Extra Gum and creative agency Energy BBDO have worked together on the poignant “Give Extra, Get Extra” campaign. “Sara and Juan” was an emotional tale of love told through gum wrappers. The recent follow-up isn’t as tear-jerking or complex, but it proves the creative team’s grip on stunningly human storytelling is as firm as ever. “Max and Bill” follows the unlikely friendship between a young boy and an elderly man who plays checkers by himself in the park. Max and Bill bond over a vintage game set and a container of gum to form a lasting connection.…

Though it’s easy to assume the shortage of Catholic priests began with the church’s abuse scandals, seminary enrollment has actually been falling for 50 years. Indeed, from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s, it dropped 75 percent. So what’s a religion to do? Hire an ad agency, of course. In May 1987, Detroit’s Sacred Heart Seminary retained N.W. Ayer to try to convince men to don the Roman collar. Adweek—which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year—took note of one of the ads. It was a head-scratcher. While Ayer did focus on the enduring reason why young men avoid the priesthood—celibacy—it did that from the perspective of … mother. “So what if he won’t give me grandchildren,” says the silver-haired matron in the ad. “A whole lot of people need to call…

Google is reportedly eager to placate growing calls for data privacy, telegraphing a move that would emulate Apple’s implementation of intelligent tracking prevention in its Safari browser. While Apple’s maneuver was seen as a win for privacy, its effect on advertisers has been muted due to its browser’s (Safari) limited use; worldwide, Safari only has a 15.56% market share, compared to Google’s Chrome, which sits at 62.63%, making any such privacy policies from Google industry-changing, with huge ripple effects on the ad industry. As federal data privacy laws expect to be drafted relatively soon, those controlling significant media budgets are listening to the noises emanating from Mountain View and starting to examine their reliance on its ad tech. Sources say there are “literally dozens” of RFPs for buy-side ad servers…

Personal Instagram accounts, leather leashes and gourmet food. Dog influencers (yes, it’s a thing) lead very good lives. In the age of instant celebrity and dopamine-fueled likes and faves, dog owners are pushing a $72 billion industry. According to the American Pet Products Association, U.S. pet owners spent about $72.56 billion on their pets in 2018, an 8.7% increase from $66.75 billion in 2016, and 68% of all U.S. households own a pet. Pet owners like to spoil their “children,” too. Food and treats account for 38% of all sales in the pet industry, with nonmedical services at 11% and veterinary services at 32%, per Packaged Facts, a consumer research company. With this type of growth, it’s no surprise that a 2018 Crunchbase report found that funding for pet startups…

Holding companies are struggling to adapt to changes in consumer behavior. A floundering MDC Partners is hoping Stagwell Group’s acquisition can change its fortunes. Ogilvy rebranded itself last June after around two years of restructuring and staffing changes. And even the nation’s oldest agency wasn’t impervious to WPP’s consolidation as the holding company merged JWT with Wunderman last November. Clients and agencies alike want an alternative—and that’s why they’re increasingly attracted to models like 9thWonder, Plan A and Worldwide Partners that promise both the scale of a large network and the specialized expertise of an indie. John Harris, CEO of independent agency network Worldwide Partners, said that “for years” holding companies servicing multinational accounts or those in need of multiple services “have been given the benefit of the doubt” as…