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Morning Update: Google faces record fine; agency leans on blogger; JWT creates diversity council; Spacey and Duvall for etrade

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The Verge: Google reportedly faces record fine for abusing search monopoly in Europe

Google may soon be hit with a record fine by the European Commission, as it seeks to punish Google and discourage other tech giants from taking advantage of their dominant market position. The Telegraph reports that the commission is currently planning to issue a 3 billion euro fine (about $3.39 billion USD) after finding that Google abused its search monopoly. Its highest fine to date is 1.1 billion euros, in 2009.

The specific issue at hand is that Google is said to have illegally promoted its own shopping results over those of competitors. Google has denied wrongdoing, and The Telegraph points out that it could choose to fight the fine. Intel did just that, delaying the fine until a final decision was made in 2014.

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Mumbrella Asia: Agency leans on Hong Kong blogger to remove article critical of client’s ‘unethical’ debt consolidation ad

An marketing agency has requested that a Hong Kong blogger remove an article that is critical of its client, prompting the writer to take to social media in protest.

Rachel Pang, who writes for Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper as well as environmental blog Go Green Hong Kong, penned a piece published almost a year ago that criticised an ad for United Asia Finance that she said was “blatantly deceptive” and encouraged Hong Kongers with credit card debt to keep spending.

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AdAge: JWT Creates Diversity and Inclusion Council Following Lawsuit

J. Walter Thompson Co. CEO Tamara Ingram has created and will lead a global executive diversity and inclusion council for the agency, a move that comes after her predecessor, Gustavo Martinez, was sued for allegedly making multiple “racist and sexist slurs.”

In addition, Ad Age has learned that JWT is partnering with consulting firm inQUEST to provide an independent review of the agency’s policies, procedures and practices. InQUEST, which helps companies create diverse and inclusive cultures, has worked with the likes of Novartis, Bosch and Make-A-Wish, according to its website.

ispottv: E*TRADE TV Spot, ‘Opportunity’ Featuring Kevin Spacey, Robert Duvall

Kevin Spacey interrupts the filming of an E*TRADE commercial so he can bring in Robert Duvall and change the atmosphere completely. Spacey gives Duvall a pep talk using cow and milk metaphors on a set now with dim lighting and smoke. Robert looks down at the camera and pauses for dramatic effect while delivering his line about seizing opportunity.

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Digiday: The mixed, early impact publishers are seeing from Facebook Instant Articles

Publishers are starting to see the results of Facebook Instant Articles, which launched widely last month, giving them a way to post fast-loading content directly to the social network. They have been treating the new format as an experiment to see what it means for their businesses to give their distribution over to Facebook so fully. They are tweaking the type of content they post as Instant Articles, how much they post and figuring out how they impact performance and monetization.

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Ad Week: Art Directors Worldwide Play ‘the Woman Card’ by Designing a Whole Deck of Them

Presumptive presidential nominee Donald J. Trump makes headlines for pretty much everything he does or says, from arriving at an airport on his branded jet to claiming that Trump Steaks is still in business. But his comment last month that “the only thing [Hillary Clinton’s] got going is the woman’s card” inspired more attention than most.

The Clinton campaign responded days later by offering an “Official Woman Card” for sale on its website. But a group of advertising art directors and designers from around the world went a bit further: They are creating an entire deck of “Woman Cards” in order to “turn negatives into positives by calling out damaging gender stereotypes.”

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