Twentieth Century Fox wants to talk to teens the way that they do with their friends, so it's using GIFs to chat with them on mobile messaging app Kik. The film studio and agency Trailer Park are launching a campaign today for the sci-fi flick Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, the sequel to 2014's Maze Runner based on T.S. Nowlin's book trilogy. In the movie, a group of boys are stuck in a maze, and the only way out is to go through a series of challenges given out by a secret organization called WCKD. To play off of the movie's twisting plot, Fox is using Kik's Promoted Chats to let fans talk to a bot version of the WCKD character. The bot offers text-based information and a total of 12 GIFs that walk users through a series of challenges to help them get out of the maze. Like the movie's story, the app's messaging can go several ways. "It kind of feels like one of those choose-your-own adventure books that you may have played as a kid, but played out in a much more modern way," said Paul Gray, Kik's director of platform services. Fox's campaign is the first time that a brand has used GIFs on Kik, Gray said. It's also the first work to be born from the technology Kik gained when it acquired GIF messaging app Relay last year. "One of the things we're always trying to work on is developing storytelling and combining that with emerging technology," said Glenn Sanders, group creative director at Trailer Park. "The story that we wanted to tell actually matched up... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'
[ AdWeek | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
Jamie Fiocco, owner and general manager of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, N.C., is prepared to expand the focus of the American Booksellers Association as its new president. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Welcome to the latest edition of Marketer's Brief, a quick take on marketing news, moves and trends from Ad Age's reporters and editors. Send tips/suggestions to [email protected]. Internet of things, meet the baby’s bottom: Parents too busy looking at their smartphones to pay attention to... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-07-24 20:54:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this
LiveRamp has agreed to acquire Boston-based Data Plus Math for $150 million, a move the company says will allow marketers to measure TV ad effectiveness across linear and advanced TV. LiveRamp provides brands the ability to match their first-party data to platforms such as Pinterest, for... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-24 15:34:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this
People editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford announced his first hire and several promotions since taking on his new role in March. [caption id="attachment_160467" align="alignright" width="150"] Wendy Naugle[/caption] Wendy Naugle was brought on as the new deputy editor for the magazine. She joins... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2019-06-20 16:36:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Though the average writer earns £10,000 a year, mean household earnings are more than £81,000 – a result bestselling author Kit de Waal calls problematicWriting is in danger of becoming an elitist profession, with many authors being subsidised by their partners or a second job in order to stay... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
India published a draft e-commerce policy that could have a big impact on major players like Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, as well as foreshadow regulations for social media companies like Facebook Inc. and Google. The policy calls for "consumer... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A difficult relationship with his father was one of the factors which pushed Tim Waterstone to succeed in establishing the bookshop chain that bears his name, the retail entrepreneur has revealed in an extract from his forthcoming memoir, published in the Daily Mail. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Snapchat is trying something new: It's giving publishers a way to create videos without too much heavy lifting.On Thursday, Snapchat announced that its dozens of media partners, including Hearst, NBCUniversal, Refinery 29 and Daily Mail, will have the ability to build stories from the videos... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk has said he may be forced to sell his house in order to stay afloat after an accountant at his literary agency was arrested for embezzling $3.4m (£2.5m) from the company. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
New Yorker writer Ken Auletta's new book "Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else)" has been on the reading list of many an agency executive since coming out earlier this month.Auletta has said he spoke with hundreds of people (notably not Omnicom chief executive... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Anderson Cooper is bringing a version of his CNN show to Facebook, joining Shepard Smith of Fox News as the two main media stars tapped to join the social network's fledgling news platform.On Wednesday, Facebook announced an initial lineup of seven news programs produced by networks and digital... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Daily Mail and Penguin Random House have launched the third year of their nationwide competition to search for a new writing talent. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
If you're a student who's been assigned to write an essay about an Ian McEwan novel, there's one person you shouldn't ask for help: Ian McEwan. The Man Booker Prize-winning British author, known for his novels "Amsterdam" and “Atonement,” told the Daily Mail that he offered to help one student... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Credit: Illustration by Tam Nguyen/Ad AgeTwitter showed off more partnerships with publishers and networks at its annual NewFronts pitch to digital ad buyers on Monday night, describing plans with ESPN, Viacom, NBC Universal, Hearst, Major League Baseball and others.The media and messaging... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I hope the PM is sincere in her desire to save journalism for the public good. But so much depends on the scope of the reviewThe prime minister’s decision to hold an inquiry into “the sustainability of Britain’s printed press” received little more than a cautious welcome from newspaper... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In this week’s Rundown: A challenging year lies ahead for online publishers, and just how big can Amazon's ad business really get? The post The Rundown: Tough times for publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2018-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Newspapers’ business models have been taking on water for years thanks to the rise of Google and online advertising, and they’re continuing to gradually sink as their readers find more of their news on Facebook. The social network and the omnipresent search engine steer some online traffic to... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This week, our top stories covered magazine publishers’ relationship with Amazon, consumer trust in ads and life as a new mother at an ad agency. The post Best of the week: Publishers are embracing Amazon appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Warning that new regulations will give Google, Apple and Facebook too much control of advertising and personal dataAn alliance of news publishers has called on European regulators to rethink proposed changes to online privacy laws, arguing that they will potentially kill their digital businesses... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The elimination of the NEA, which is proposed in President Trump's just-released budget plan, could have a severe ripple effect on independent publishing, as hundreds of small presses depend on funding from the NEA to stay afloat. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this