Brands crash Area 51 parties. And AT&T considers offloading DirecTV: Thursday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our daily newsletter. You can also get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device. Whassup? Now take me to your leader Bud Light is the official sponsor of the Area 51 Celebration happening in Las Vegas tonight, and the brand made extraterrestrial-themed beer cans for the occasion. It also has a fridge of beer stocked just for aliens, should any turn up. But let’s back up, because this requires some explanation. It all started with an internet joke urging a raid on the Area 51 military facility in the Nevada desert; legend has it that alien spacecraft are held there. The joke “quickly grew into a potentially real thing (putting many, including the Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration, on edge),” as Ad Age’s Ann-Christine Diaz writes. And now there are a few parties happening in Nevada instead; at one of them, Arby’s will hand out “Frying Objects,” aka fries. To recap: A jokey meme about hunting for extraterrestrials led to plans for a potentially dangerous uprising, which turned into an excuse for parties, which opened up possibilities for corporate sponsorship. 2019 is wild. A murky future for DirecTV On a more serious note, AT&T is considering parting with its DirecTV unit, which it bought in 2015, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Journal... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-19 10:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #nielsen ratings #kamala harris #incredibly powerful #anonymous tip #nielsen

Other Publishing stories related to: ' Brands crash Area 51 parties. And AT&T considers offloading DirecTV: Thursday Wake-Up Call '


IPA calls for immediate release of arrested Bangladeshi publisher

The International Publishers Association has called for the immediate release and protection of a 73-year-old publisher arrested in Dhaka, Bangladesh on the grounds that he had launched a book deemed offensive to Islam. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ipa calls


Facebook Adds 7 Publishers to Anthology Branded-Video Program

That number should ramp up quickly as Facebook expands the Anthology program ahead of this year's Digital Content NewFronts, adding Brit & Co, Complex Media, Conde Nast, Discovery Communications, NowThis, PopSugar and Refinery29."The selection of these new partners gets to the crux of the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diverse audience #create content #brand partnerships


What’s in a name? With growth, digital publishers face tough branding questions

New digital media companies have to figure out how to scale an audience, but along the way, they face crucial branding decisions. The Huffington Post grew to top 100 million monthly uniques by stretching its mother brand across myriad subject areas, but Bustle and Vox Media say individual brands... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vox media #individual brands #distributed media


At AMMC 2016, A New Confidence in the Air For Large Magazine Media Brands

There was a kind of cockiness in the air at the AMMC this week, based on a growing realization that magazine brands are really, really good at creating world-class content. The post At AMMC 2016, A New Confidence in the Air For Large Magazine Media Brands appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magazine brands


BitLit and Shelfie at Three Years: Cold Calling From Canada

After three years of cold calls to publishers, BitLit has found traction with ebook bundling and expanded into audiobooks with distributor Findaway. The post BitLit and Shelfie at Three Years: Cold Calling From Canada appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #canada appeared #found traction #ebook bundling


Authors call on governments to resettle more Syrian refugees

Victoria Hislop, Caitlin Moran, Mark Haddon and Tracy Chevalier have called on wealthy governments to resettle more Syrian refugees as Waterstones hits its £1m Buy Books for Syria fundraising target. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors call #syrian refugees #victoria hislop #caitlin moran #mark haddon #tracy chevalier


Meredith CEO Considers Splitting Broadcast, Publishing Units

Meredith Corp. has considered splitting its broadcast and publishing units, perhaps uniting one with a strategic partner, Chief Executive Officer Stephen Lacy said.The idea is one of several possibilities the company is considering after its plan to merge with Media General fell through, Mr.... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #meredith corp #strategic partner #bloomberg television #media properties #advertising technology


Snapchat Is Slowly but Surely Letting More Brands Run Long Video Ads

Brands are going long on Snapchat—at least with video. After beginning to test the first "swipe to view" video ad with Activision's Call of Duty in November, a series of brands are now experimenting with ads that promote clips longer than 10 seconds. On Wednesday, three entertainment... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coming months #live feed


At Authors United Event, a Call to Bust Amazon 'Monopoly'

If Amazon’s business practices continue unchecked the result could be a “nuclear winter” for book publishing, said Smashwords founder Mark Coker during a Jan. 27 event called Amazon’s Book Monopoly—A Threat to Freedom of Expression? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publishing


Flying Eye launches brand partnership with Wahaca

Wahaca restaurants will from this spring offer their customers children’s books to read after signing a brand partnership deal with publisher Flying Eye. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google's Ad Boss on Ad Blocking, AMP Ad Viewability and Enhanced Campaigns

Digital media companies are dealing with a bunch of problems plaguing their advertising-based business models. A growing number of people are blocking the ads running on their sites, forcing publishers to find ways to get those people to unblock their ads or pay one of the ad blocking companies... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #growing number #find ways #ad technology


BA calls on Hammond to intervene over Hong Kong bookseller

Tim Godfray, chief executive of The Booksellers Association, has written to the foreign secretary, asking that the government "thoroughly investigates all the facts" relating to the disappearances of missing Hong Kong booksellers, who include British passport-holder Lee Bo. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ba calls #tim godfray #booksellers association #foreign secretary


How brands and publishers are using Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger has 700 million monthly users, breaking out its humble beginnings as a messenger app. More brands will be experimenting with Messenger. For instance, Hyatt is using it for customer service. Disney has automated bots as forms of entertainment. Bild, the German publisher, is... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #travel brands #facebook messenger #messenger app #humble beginnings #customer service #german publisher #news updates


Facebook is cutting prices in its brand-content matchmaking program

Facebook is lowering the price it costs advertisers to join Anthology, which matches brands and top publishers like Vice and Vox, which help create content for promotion in the news feed. Anthology had set the minimum advertising commitment at several million dollars, according to sources, but... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cutting prices #top publishers #create content #million dollars #$1 million


Authors call for boycott of festivals that do not pay

Joanne Harris and Linda Grant among signatories of letter saying authors have been giving services for free for too longThe fight to ensure literary festivals pay authors appearing at their events has gained momentum after a number of prominent writers, including Linda Grant, Denisa Mina, Joanne... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #francesca simon #amanda craig


When They Got the Call: PW Speaks with the 2016 Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Winners

PW spoke with the three big winners of the ALA's 2016 Youth Media Awards, about what they were doing when the committee called. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pw speaks #printz winners #pw spoke #big winners #committee called


Stars who took their final curtain call in 2015

Donna Douglas: American actress known for playing Elly May Clampett in nine seasons of the 60s sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. When the series finished, she became a real estate agent, gospel singer and children's book author. Died January 1, from pancreatic cancer, aged 81. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american actress #book author #pancreatic cancer


Diversity drive on track in children's, but call for more BAME authors

Authors, agents and publishers have praised the increase in the number of books with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and mental health themes in 2015, but added that more needs to be done in terms of publishing BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) authors and books that feature... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bame authors #diversity drive #feature characters


Maine Indie Breaks Records with 'A Man Called Ove'

Nonesuch Books & Cards, along with its second location in South Portland, have sold 1,000 copies of the Swedish paperback, making the novel the store's top seller since its May release. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top seller


'Assurances' for booksellers in wake of PRH e-lending trial

The book trade must "work together" to navigate potential disadvantages of ebook lending, the chief executive of the Booksellers Association, Tim Godfray, has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #booksellers association #book trade #tim godfray