Morning Update: Candy brands mourn Gene Wilder; ‘Facebook is definitely not a media company’
Digiday: Candy brands mourn Gene Wilder with tweets
News of actor Gene Wilder’s death hit the Internet yesterday. Since then, tributes to the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” star have been pouring in from colleagues, fans and — inevitably — confectionary brands.
During his long career, Wilder was known for many films including the Oscar-nominated “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles.” But sweet-toothed brands have been chiming in on Twitter to thank the star for his contributions to, you guessed it, the world of chocolate for his turn as Willy Wonka.
Fortune: Sorry Mark Zuckerberg, But Facebook Is Definitely a Media Company
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently denied that his company is a media company, which no doubt came as a surprise to many people who have gotten used to thinking of it that way. “No, we are a tech company, not a media company,” he said during an event in Rome.
AdWeek: Coca-Cola Debuts Its Magical New Packaging With Some Actual Magic
Coca-Cola’s grown tired of happiness, and is moving on to magic. As one does.
In “Taste the Magic,” a new spot by agency David, a waiter approaches a table that’s ordered an unusual amount of Coca-Colas. (Really, nobody wanted anything else?) A woman tells him she didn’t order a regular Coke. No problem! Before her eyes, he transforms it into a Coca-Cola Zero.
It turns out this is no ordinary waiter. This is Justin Flom, a resident Las Vegas magician and social media star.
AdAge: Twitter to Open Pre-Roll Video Ad Program to Influencers
Twitter is on a pre-roll.
The service is opening its pre-roll video ad program to popular Twitter users, giving them a way to make money for their efforts.
The ads play before the videos that people share on the platform, and they come with a skip button, much like the one on YouTube. Twitter has been showing similar pre-roll video ads ever since it launched a program with top publishers and media companies in 2013.
