Morning Update: Netflix doesn’t care about ratings; Anomaly gets Top Gear UK; Facebook rolls out new Likes; Instagram has 200K brands
The Atlantic: Why Netflix Doesn’t Release Its Ratings
Judging by online chatter, it’s tempting to assume that almost everyone with Internet access is watching Love, or Making a Murderer, or catching up on House of Cards before the new season. It can feel like there’s a certain amount of pressure to watch, too, in order to stay abreast of the cultural conversation.
In reality, the odds are that only a fraction of people you know have watched Netflix’s latest ‘hit series’. But it’s impossible to tell, because Netflix is notorious for keeping its viewership numbers confidential. One reason is because the streaming service doesn’t want to reveal proprietary information about its products. But another is that Netflix simply doesn’t care about ratings—at least not in the way other television providers do.
The Guardian: BBC appoints ad agency to create global Top Gear campaign
The BBC has appointed agency Anomaly to create a global ad campaign to promote Top Gear, as plans to market the £50m motoring brand go into overdrive.
The hiring of an advertising agency marks the BBC’s latest move to ensure that Top Gear remains one of its biggest global franchises as Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc take over from former presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The Verge: Facebook rolls out expanded Like button reactions around the world
After more than a year in development, Facebook’s expanded Like button ‘reactions’ are now coming to a News Feed near you. For the first time, you’ll be able to react to friends’ posts with something other than a gesture of pure positivity.
Long press on the Like button and you’ll now see Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry, and posts will now show the mix of reactions they’ve received. And while there’s no Dislike button, as some users have long requested, Facebook says that the new mix of reactions has proven popular with users during testing in Spain and Ireland. It’s launching today on iOS, Android, and the web.
Creativity Online: Chevrolet Is One of the First Brands to Jump on Facebook’s Reaction Buttons
Facebook just unveiled its new ‘Reactions’ buttons that invite consumers to express their feelings beyond the Like, and Chevrolet is one of the first advertisers to jump on the new feature in a new ad promoting the 2016 Malibu.
The spot features the automaker’s celebrity spokes-V.O. John Cusack and talks about how we’ve become a society whose reactions to everything from a birth, to a first day of school, to a moment of shock have until now been limited to the middling “Like” on the platform. Now that Facebook has expanded our ability to express ourselves, Chevrolet capitalises on the opportunity to invite viewers to show their Love for the 2016 Malibu.
The Drum: The New York Times CEO Mark Thompson: ‘branded content needs to be worth paying for’
In an eye-opening keynote at New York’s Social Media Week, New York Times (NYT) chief executive Mark Thompson outlined the future of the publication and how it fosters innovation.
“Sometimes, you should just go with your instinct”; a phrase that reverberated not only around the main room at The Times Centre is Manhattan yesterday afternoon (24 February) but also around the publishing world in recent times. It was a line that Mark Thompson wanted to spread; a message to other publications signalling ‘this is how we do things at the New York Times”.
Digiday: The dark side to unlimited vacation policies at agencies
Unlimited vacation is a growing trend in the agency industry. The idea of limitless paid time off is the product of a work-culture shift toward, ostensibly, treating employees like adults who can be trusted to get their work done. It is also an answer to the generous perks from around Silicon Valley, where agencies find themselves competing for talent more every year.
But there is a dark side. One middle manager at an agency that offers unlimited time off said he often privately seethes at the fact that someone who has worked at the company for less time than him has the same amount of time off.
AdAge: NBC Universal Takes First Steps To Sell TV Programmatically
NBC Universal is taking its first steps to make linear TV available to be bought programmatically. The company is opening its NBCUx product, which debuted last year to use data and automation for digital buys, to its entire portfolio of broadcast and cable linear TV inventory. Advertisers can begin utilising the technology this fall.
The platform is designed to “simplify the process of planning and transacting linear TV,” said Krishan Bhatia, exec VP-business operations and strategy, NBC Universal, on a call with press on Wednesday.
https://youtu.be/ZYDo5Fl3258
AdWeek: Ford’s Risky New Short Film About Divorce Is Beautiful and Sad
Divorce is a topic that’s almost never explored in advertising. It’s just too thorny and depressing. Yet it’s also, of course, very relatable to plenty of people—and so Ford Denmark addresses it directly in an unusual three-part short film, by creative agency Very, that’s beautifully made, if darker than almost all car ads you’re used to.
Part one begins with a father and daughter having a snowball fight. But the girl’s younger brother won’t get out of the car, and we soon learn why. He’s taking a stand—with the limited means he has—against his parents’ impending divorce.
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