Morning Update: WhatsApp lets brands talk to users; SJP quits brand over price hike; PayPal marketer calls on ‘lazy’ PRs
Campaign Live: WhatsApp update paves way for brands to message users
WhatsApp has updated its terms of service to allow businesses and users to talk to each other on its platform but says it doesn’t want a “spammy” experience.
There are no official tools available to brands yet, but the terms of service pave the way for marketers to start using the platform.
Ad Age: Sarah Jessica Parker Quits EpiPen Campaign
Add another voice to the outrage over the soaring cost of Mylan’s EpiPen: Spokeswoman Sarah Jessica Parker. The Sex and the City star, who was part of the company’s ‘Anaphylaxis: For Reel’ effort in May that brought attention to allergic reactions via a media tour and social campaign, took to her Instagram account to denounce the company’s price hikes on the device, which now come to $600 or more for a two-pack.
Ms. Parker has a child with severe allergies and made the talk-show circuit on behalf of the brand. Today, however, she posted this to her 2.7 million followers on Instagram…
The APAC director of communications for PayPal called on PR professionals to read more broadly around their domain of expertise to gain a better understanding of consumers and clients, and develop a sorely needed capability: empathy.
https://youtu.be/qyR-0qSNwEE
Ad Week: Millennial Smokers Get Left Out in Truth’s New FOMO-Filled Ads
The tobacco-slagging Truth campaign is back to inspire, or maybe just torture, teenagers with more anti-smoking rhymes.
A new ad, set to air during this Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, focuses on a statistic largely overlooked among millennials—that people who habitually suck down cigarettes have significantly less cash than people who don’t. And it does that, for better or worse, in song form.
Poynter: MediaFile, a D.C.-based media reporting site, is launching Monday
MediaFile is a forthcoming news organisation under the auspices of George Washington University. The website, which will be run by student reporters and editors, will serve up news and criticism in a media capital that’s lacking a dedicated watchdog, he said.
“I realized that with American Journalism Review closing last year, there are no outlets completely dedicated to media news and media criticism in the D.C. area,” Nover said. “There’s definitely media reporters. There’s some at Politico, at The Post, at Fishbowl. But there’s no one outlet that’s completely dedicated to media news and criticism.”
