Morning Update: Aniston’s Emirates nightmare; Emap brand axed; Bud Light creates e-fridge
Campaign: ‘No shower and no bar’? Jennifer Aniston has a nightmare in first Emirates ad
Jennifer Aniston wakes from a nightmare in which she cannot have a shower on an aeroplane, in her first TV ad for Emirates.
The former Friends actor became the face of the brand just before it announced a bespoke WPP team would be retained for the airline’s creative account, as revealed by Campaign in August.
The ad, created by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, sees Aniston searching for a shower on an aeroplane and is horrified when told by the flight attendants that she is not on an Emirates plane as she had thought.
The Guardian: Emap brand to be scrapped as all its titles move digital-only
The owner of magazines including fashion industry bible Drapers, Retail Week and Nursing Times is to stop producing print editions as the business restructures to focus on digital publishing and events.
As a result of the restructure Top Right, which publishes a total of 17 magazines including Architects’ Journal, Construction News, MEED and Health Service Journal, is to “retire” the venerable Emap brand which has been a publishing institution for almost 70 years.
“We are at the final stage of the conversion [of readers] from print to digital,” said Duncan Painter, chief executive of Top Right. “Across the Emap portfolio 67% of revenues are from digital and events. Over the next 12 to 18 months all of the titles will become digital-only.”
Ad Week: Bud Light created a smart fridge that tell you when you’re out of beer – and we tested it
Today Bud Light is launching its first foray into the Internet of Things with the Bud-E Fridge, a smart refrigerator that alerts you when you run out of beer, your six-pack is perfectly chilled, or someone dares to remove a can.
Essentially, it’s a mini-fridge for people who really care about their beer.
The Wi-Fi-connected device works in tandem with an app that sends the alerts right to your phone. Created in partnership with Buzz Connect and Linq IQ, the fridge sells for $299 and holds up to 78 beers—including 60 12-ounce bottles and 18 12-ounce cans.
Ad Week: Hovis pays tribute to its classic 1973 spot with a fun, energetic sequel
A classic ad concept rides again in Mother London’s first work for Hovis bread.
“Stuck,” a 40-second effects-driven spot, follows three youngsters on bicycles as they race to escape from a house that literally chases them outside—its brick walls constantly re-forming around them, threatening to quash their adventures.
The final voiceover explains the message, and it’s a fun one indeed.
Digiday: Twitter appoints Jack Dorsey as permanent CEO Jack Costolo resigns from the board
It’s official: Jack Dorsey is Twitter’s new CEO.
Twitter’s board has decided to strip the ‘interim’ from his title, officially making him the chief executive of the platform effective immediately. Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter in 2006, will also remain as the CEO of e-commerce startup Square. The move comes nearly a week after Recode first reported the news.
“My focus is to build teams that move fast and learn faster,” Dorsey tweeted this morning. “In the past 3 months, we have increased our speed and urgency at both companies.”
Blau will take up the position on 1 December and will oversee all digital activities for the 100 plus websites and apps of Condé Nast International’s brands.
He has spent more than two years at the Guardian where he served on the company’s executive committee while reporting directly to the Guardian’s global editor in chief as well as chief executive of Guardian News & Media.
Tech Crunch: Report: Google invests in Wall Street messaging tool symphony
Google has participated in a new round of funding for Symphony Communication Services, valuing the company at $650 million, reports Dow Jones. The deal is expected to close this week.
Launched last year, the Palo Alto-based messaging service has previously received financing from Wall Street giants including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and BlackRock. Symphony hopes its communications software will compete with Bloomberg’s financial terminal business, by providing news and research from Dow Jones.
Creativity Online: Back to the Future’s Marty McFly is due here soon – so it Pepsi Perfect
Back to the Future’s Marty McFly is scheduled to arrive here — in the future — on Oct. 21. And that can only mean one thing: Brands with any kind of connection to the 1980s film franchise are going to take advantage of it.
One of first brands out of the gates is Pepsi, which today announced the arrival of “Pepsi Perfect,” the soda that Mr. McFly ordered in the second film in the trilogy.
The soda will be sold online in very limited quantities. Only 6,500 16.9 oz bottles in collectible cases are being made available, and they aren’t cheap: Each one sells for $20.15. Get it?