As the Mobile Messaging War Heats Up, Kik Tries to Win Over Marketers With GIFs

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 ]

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New executives step up at Condé Nast as Nicholas Coleridge retires

Wolfgang Blau becomes president and Albert Read moves into the managing director’s role at the Vogue and Vanity Fair publisher New appointments have been announced by magazine publisher Condé Nast in the wake of Nicholas Coleridge’s decision to step aside and take on the role of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bopardikar to Succeed Bacon at B&T

Chitra Bopardikar, v-p and general manager of B&T’s global publishers services, will take over responsibility for B&T’s international retail business as well following John Bacon's retirement at the end of the year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IAB Announces Schedule for 2017 Digital Video NewFronts

Get your calendars ready to start planning for the sixth annual Digital Content NewFronts. The Interactive Advertising Bureau today announced the programming schedule for the event, which takes place in New York from May 1-12. Participants range from publishing stalwarts like The New York... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stordahl Joins Holiday House

Derek Stordahl, formerly executive v-p at Bloomsbury USA, has been appointed executive v-p and general manager of Holiday House Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author asks for books to be withdrawn from Daily Mail

YA author Melinda Salisbury has asked her publisher not to submit her books for review to newspapers such as the Daily Mail in support of the ‘Stop Funding Hate’ movement. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With Second 'Podcast Upfront,' IAB Hopes Brands Will Buy Into Audio Advertising

Buoyed by the success of popular podcasts like Serial and This American Life, the Interactive Advertising Bureau is hosting its second annual Podcast Upfront this fall to bring together publishers, advertisers and agencies. Twelve media and podcast companies (up from eight last year) will... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder confirms Boris Johnson book delay

Hodder & Stoughton has confirmed Boris Johnson's biography "will not be published for the foreseeable future".  Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius had been slated for publication in October, coinciding with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, but, according to the Daily Mail,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Domino Poaches Refinery29 Exec Nathan Coyle to Be CEO

Domino, which began in the mid-aughts as a home dcor magazine from Cond Nast and closed at the end of the decade and returned in 2013, is still in the process of reinventing itself as a blend of e-commerce, old-fashioned print, and digital media.On Monday, Domino announced the appointment of... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ProQuest Acquires Alexander Street

Alexander Street president Stephen Rhind-Tutt will stay on board, reporting to ProQuest Information Solutions’ general manager and senior v-p Rafael Sidi. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IAB Releases HTML5 Ad Validator, Aimed at Creatives and Ad Operations Teams

The Interactive Advertising Bureau planned to release a new tool Monday that allows ad designers, developers and ad operations teams to verify that their HTML5 ad units meet the current bureau's guidelines.The tool, which works for mobile and desktop, analyzes elements such as file weights,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Watch live: Refinery29, The Daily Mail and The Atlantic at the Digiday Publishing Summit

Can't attend the Digiday Publishing Summit but still want to follow the conversation? Tune in to the live stream starting at 6 pm EST. You'll hear from Refinery29's co-founder, the Daily Mail's head of partnership solutions and The Atlantic's general manager. The post Watch live: Refinery29, The... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH and Daily Mail launch £20k debut novel contest

Penguin Random House and the Daily Mail have launched a “major” competition which will offer new writing talent a publishing deal and a £20,000 advance. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. is trying to win over millennial women

Time Inc. has had a string of acquisitions and launches aimed at young women over the past year, from HelloGiggles to homegrown startups Mimi and Motto. Like the publishing giant itself, the Gen Y strategy reflects the awareness that young people aren’t all alike. So each site targets audiences... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-02-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Snapchat Plans to Compete With Facebook for Advertisers' Dollars

In an alternate universe, Snapchat would have become a part of Facebook when the social network reportedly tried to buy the mobile app for $3 billion in 2013. Instead Snapchat has set its sights on recreating Facebook's success, and its employees have been discussing with people outside the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Playboy Will Make Its NewFronts Debut in May Along With 5 Other Publishers

A 60-year-old publication will be one of the new kids on the NewFronts block in 2016. Playboy will be among the 37 presenters during the fifth Digital Content NewFronts, where publishers make their case for a slice of the $3 billion digital-video advertising pie. Joining Playboy as first-time... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. Confirms Its Purchase of Jane Pratt's xoJane and xoVain

Time Inc. has acquired Jane Pratt's xoJane and xoVain websites in a bid to build up its portfolio of brands that target millennials. Adweek first reported that the acquisition was imminent on Oct. 16.   The deal is the latest in a string of big moves from the New York magazine publisher this... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Unveils Project to Load Mobile Web Pages Faster (And Let Publishers Keep Control of Ads)

Google on Wednesday introduced a publishing platform designed to make news articles on smartphones load faster, which will compete with similar services from Facebook and Apple.Google's new project, called the "Accelerated Mobile Pages Project," is aimed at loading mobile web pages instantly... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Infographic Has 10 Eye-Popping Marketing Stats From Advertising Week

Advertising Week XII, the Lollapalooza of marketing and media, brought with it a trove of data illustrating the growing mobile reach of social platforms Facebook, Google, Instagram and Snapchat. There was also no shortage of numbers revealed during the New York event affirming the impact of... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IAB Starts Publicity and Engineering Battle Against Ad Blocking

The Interactive Advertising Bureau elevated its fight against ad blockers on Tuesday, with President-CEO Randall Rothenberg renewing what he called his "cri de coeur" against the practice and showcasing small publishers being hurt by the practice. The organization also said it was taking new... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More German chains join Tolino alliance

The Tolino alliance has added strength in depth in its German home market. Regional book chains Mayersche and Osiander have joined the successful partnership with immediate effect. Both newcomers are family-owned and major players in their markets – Mayersche (40 branches, €160m turnover) in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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