Morning Update: Guardian reveal’s media’s most powerful; Has Pirelli calendar shifted the brand?; Sponsors muscle up to FIFA
The Guardian: Mark Zuckerberg returns to top of MediaGuardian 100 power list
Mark Zuckerberg has returned to the top of the Guardian’s annual power list, the MediaGuardian 100, after a year in which Facebook, the social network he founded, was used by 1 billion people in a single day.
The list confirms the growing influence of US technology groups, with Google co-founder Larry Page and the Apple chief executive, Tim Cook, also claiming top spots.
The number of women in the list rose by more than half on last year, to 31. With singer Taylor Swift and media regulator Sharon White in the top 10, the percentage of women judged by our panel to wield cultural influence, economic clout and political power has grown from 20% last year.
AdWeek: Pirelli’s Calendar Showed How Quickly a Brand Can Modernize Its Image
It’s not often that a tire company burns a path across the Internet the way Pirelli did when it took the wraps off its 2016 calendar this week.
For those few who haven’t heard about it since its launch in London on Monday, the Italian radial king—which makes news each year when it issues its glossy, collector calendars—has broken with half a century’s worth of its own tradition: Instead of the usual fare of skinny, chesty, scantily clad models, the brand’s 2016 calendar devotes its pages this year to “women of outstanding professional, social, cultural, sporting and artistic accomplishments.”
Creativity: Watch Scarlett Johansson Sing a New Barry Manilow Song for a Great Cause
There’s nothing remotely earnest about this goofy, charming video promoting (SHOPATHON)RED, a month-long fund-raising effort for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, which launches today (World AIDS Day).
From the start, when we see Jimmy Kimmel dialing the phone to ask a favor of Barry Manilow, it’s clear this is a comedic short. The legendary singer-songwriter, sitting at his piano, answers: “Hello, this Barry Manilow, I write the songs that make the whole world sing, how may I help you?”
Adage: Coke, Visa, Adidas Tell FIFA They Want Independent Oversight
FIFA sponsors published an open letter Tuesday urging global soccer’s governing body to enact credible reforms, days before a key meeting to finalize proposed changes to the organization.
The companies — Coca Cola Co., Adidas, Visa Inc., Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and McDonald’s Corp. — have directed their letter at FIFA’s decision-making executive committee, which will this week decide what reforms to take to the group’s 209 member associations at an emergency congress in February.
Mumbrella Asia: Singaporeans make eating noises to tune of ‘Jingle bells’ in festive KFC ad for spicy chicken
People sitting around the Christmas dinner table making food-eating sounds to the tune of ‘Jingle bells’ is the idea behind a festive commercial for KFC’s Red Hot Chicken in Singapore.
