Food War Amazon stunned everyone with its $13.7bn acquisition of grocer Whole Foods. The news was greeted with a flurry of analysis about 'disruption' in the space, yet arguably this is a data deal, one that helps Amazon to further understand a customer segment... Continue Reading →
Status Update? The top story was Facebook, who said they would hire around 3,000 people to review content following a series of shocking live streams. Seemingly impressive numbers, bolstering its existing 4,500-strong team; yet within context, roughly 2 billion people have an... Continue Reading →
Bonobos is about to be snapped-up by Walmart for c.$300m. The brand, aimed at men who want to look good but with minimal effort, also offers a unique approach: go in-store, pick-out clothes; then they are delivered to your home. (More here.) It follows the purchases of Jet.com,... Continue Reading →
Safety Net Controversy this month when it was revealed that some ads on YouTube were being placed alongside extremist video content. A number of brands pulled inventory straight away amid image concerns and the fear that a cut of their spend was... Continue Reading →
Tech Talk Instagram's newest update allows people to upload multiple images in one post. Next, apparently men like Insta ads more than women. Tinder have partnered with Facebook's Audience Network to offer programmatic ads. (Cue keyword recognition and subsequent "New jeans for Friday night's date?" ads.) A... Continue Reading →
January Retail Frenzy Amongst American Apparel’s demise and rumors that Boohoo are to buy Nasty Gal, The Limited announced that it would shutter its stores. Brands and commentators are quick to blame eCommerce (Amazon in particular) for the industry’s malaise, yet this article - which addresses the ‘woes’ facing... Continue Reading →
Back and Forth Here are the best ads from 2016! It is hard to argue with 1 & 3: 'Evan' packs a punch… Forbes largely agrees, with some notable additions. This Facebook video, courtesy of WeAreSocial, is quite clever. A recap of 2016's major trends. This... Continue Reading →
Into The Black There were some extraordinary deals on Black Friday, not least Nasty Gal, up to 80% off, and Lulu’s, up to 90% off! Zappos opted out but they did create an algorithm to update prices in real-time to... Continue Reading →
What's In Store First up, Macy's are pulling on the heartstrings this holiday season, referencing their revered Thanksgiving Day parade. (There is something of John Lewis about it.) Target are chasing Hispanic shoppers, both in the form of display ads and this TV feature.... Continue Reading →
IAA New York Chapter Blog 