The 10 things in advertising you need to know today
Lionel Cironneau/AP
Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising today.
1. Saatchi & Saatchi chairman and Publicis Groupe head coach Kevin Roberts has been placed on leave following controversial remarks he made about gender diversity in advertising. Speaking to Business Insider, he had said in his view the debate over gender diversity was over and that he doesn't spend "any time" on the issue at his company.
2. European video ad tech company Teads has raised $47 million in debt financing. It plans to use the funds to expand further into Asia and acquire smaller ad tech firms.
3. The author of a new Silicon Valley tell-all book said outsiders consistently get two things wrong about Mark Zuckerberg. "Chaos Monkeys" author Antonio García Martínez said he's nothing like the "sneaky, loser, little dipsh--" portrayed in "The Social Network" and he truly believes in his mission.
4. Disney's Maker Studios is laying off "about 30" staff, Deadline first reported. The multi-channel network is home to talent like PewDiePie and the Epic Rap Battles YouTube channel.
5. The story of how human "punching bag" Chris Poole, the founder of 4chan, is leading an unlikely second act at Google. He spoke to Business Insider about his new role, leading Google's fledgling entrepreneurship program.
6. Kanye West wants Apple to buy Tidal. The rapper has asked Tim Cook, Tidal investor Jay Z, Apple Music execs Jimmy Iovine and Larry Jackson, Drake, and music mogul Scooter Braun for a meeting.
7. AdExchanger takes a look at the next steps for Opera Mediaworks. Opera Mediaworks, Opera TV, and Opera's apps and games are about to be spun off into an independent company following the $600 million deal from a Chinese consortium to buy the company's consumer-facing business, which includes its browser.
8. Uber China is merging with Didi Chuxing in a $35 billion mega merger. Under the terms of the deal, Didi will make a $1 billion investment in Uber global at a $68 billion valuation, while Uber China's investors will own 20% of the merged Chinese company.
9. Turner Entertainment chief creative officer Kevin Reilly said the company's experiment with reducing ad loads have produced "very good results." Commercial viewing is higher and the company is seeing a "nice ratings lift," Variety reports.
10. US advertising agency trade body The 4A's has rejected the recommendations laid out in the Association of National Advertisers report on transparency between media agencies and clients. The 4A's said the recommendations in the Ebiquity report were "not consistent" with what many agencies say their clients are asking for in their service agreements.
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