Morning Update: WFA wants global watchdog; Saudi’s sink $3.5b into Uber; ads target tourist buses; Apple axes same-sex couples
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The Drum: Ad industry moves towards creation of global regulator for internet ads
The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has proposed the creation of a global advertising watchdog that would regulate internet ads as a means of addressing the growth of ad blockers.
The global advertising trade group, which represents marketers at major brands who are responsible for around 90% of global marketing spend, made the announcement in response to recent research looking at ad blocking on mobiles. Ad blocking solutions company PageFair released a new study which found that there are at least 419 million people blocking ads on smartphones worldwide.
Uber’s unrelenting cash grab reached new heights today, as the world’s most valuable technology startup announced that it had received a $3.5 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s main investment fund.
As part of the investment, Public Investment Fund managing director Yasir Al Rumayyan will take a seat on Uber’s board. Meanwhile, Uber’s balance sheet — cash and convertible debt — shoots up to $11 billion. It should also help Uber’s quest to dominate the global ride-hailing market, especially in China where it loses about $1 billion a year in competition with its rivals.
Ad Week: Mobile Advertisers Are Successfully Targeting Tourists on Double-Decker Buses
If you hop on a double-decker tourist bus in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Chicago, you’ll likely see a targeted mobile ad thanks to Vector Media’s geofencing and beacon-based ads platform. No situation is too small for marketing nowadays—indeed, a double-decker bus ad network actually exists.
Exclusive data we’ve received from an effort by Sprint might explain why. The telecom, working with agency Mediavest and Vector Media, was the first brand in Chicago to run mobile ads in conjunction with large ads that appear on sightseeing buses, and on billboards along the routes driven.
Digiday: Snapchat’s redesigning Discover to make it more like a newsstand
Snapchat’s top publishing partners, the ones that get exclusive access to the Discover section, are preparing for a redesign that could give them more ways to show off their content. The messaging and media app plans to launch this new look to help attract more viewers to Discover, according to sources familiar with the redesign.
Instead of static media logos in circles, representing the channels, publishers will have an actual cover image to draw readers into the content, according to one source. One publisher said the cover images would make Snapchat content look more like a magazine — and hopefully attract more eyeballs.
https://youtu.be/8Q1GVOYIcKc
“No blood should hold us back” is the tagline for a bold new ad by Bodyform which aims to break the “last taboo” for women in sport. The SCA sanitary wear brand’s new “Red.Fit” campaign intends to educate consumers about the menstrual cycle and its effect on women during exercise.
Created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, the campaign is being backed by sports organisations such as the England and Wales Cricket Board and The Institute of Sport Exericse and Health.
https://youtu.be/wFw72uqpT-g
The Guardian: Apple cuts same-sex parents from Mother’s Day ads in six countries
Apple has removed an image of a same-sex couple with their two babies from its Mother’s Day advertising in France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Turkey and Japan.
The video advert, which uses photographs pulled from social media that have been “shot on iPhone”, has been shown in the run-up to Mother’s Day in each country.
AdWeek: Bud Light Proudly Supports Gay Marriage in Ad Partnership With Ellen
Bud Light is kicking off Pride Month with a new 30-second spot celebrating same-sex weddings.
Unveiled on Wednesday via The Ellen Show’s social channels, the new ad is part of Wieden + Kennedy’s on-going campaign for the brand, “The Bud Light Party,” which spoofs the election season, and features Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen.
“The Bud Light Party champions inclusivity among modern beer drinkers and bringing people together—for fun—over a beer,” said Alex Lambrecht, vp of Bud Light at Anheuser-Busch, in a statement.
