Amobee charges up on mobile
Ad tech company Amobee ANZ has poached Fairfax's agency group director, Tricia Fallows, for a head of mobile role. At the publisher Fallows led group sales across the Fairfax print and digital portfolio. Before that she had senior sales roles at AOL and Yahoo in London and Canada. Her new spot means she'll be responsible for spearheading mobile strategy and innovation for Amobee’s clients across Australia and New Zealand. She will also drive education and learning in mobile media and marketing, helping clients upskill in mobile first strategies and bridge the knowledge gap. Fallows will start her new role early 2017.
Commercial TV bosses line up for ReThink
The chief executives of Australia’s four commercial TV networks will line up on stage in a rare show of unity between free-to-air and pay TV operators at the ReThinkTV event on 30 November. Nine Entertainment Co CEO Hugh Marks, Ten Network CEO Paul Anderson, Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner and Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh will discuss the TV industry’s opportunities and challenges, how the medium is responding to those challenges, and take questions from the audience. ReThinkTV will also release the preliminary results of the $1 million Payback study by Ebiquity into TV’s return on investment. Thinkbox (UK) chair Tess Alps will also speak at the free event. You can register to attend here.
Jurors return $70m verdict after three hour deliberations
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has lost a third trial over claims its talcum powder can cause ovarian cancer. As a result a St. Louis jury has awarded a California woman more than US $70 million. According to Bloomberg, J&J is accused in about 1,700 lawsuits in state and federal court of ignoring studies linking its baby powder and talc products to ovarian cancer and failing to warn customers about the risk. This latest verdict follows verdicts of $72 million and $55 million against the brand in 2016.
Facebook pushes back against ads targeted by race
Facebook has said it will not apologise for allowing ad targeting based on racial or cultural attributes. Facebook, which has the tech that makes it possible to direct different messages to different groups, found itself pushing back against a ProPublica report that journalists there were able to buy an ad in the housing category that excluded minorities from seeing it. According to AdWeek, Facebook says: "That's the purpose of this business”.
Jim Beam gives fans a safe ride home
Jim Beam was the latest brand to ride on the coattails of Uber this weekend with a US stunt that saw 10,000 free Uber rides given away. According to AdWeek, during the seventh inning of the World Series game between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, the ride-sharing app began covering 10,000 rides. Uber used a phone's location to determine if the user was in Chicago. Once the person opened the app, a pop-up message appeared with a promo code which they enter when booking a ride. The promotion covered up to $20 off a ride. Other booze brands such as Johnnie Walker have run similar campaigns giving people a safe ride home from events. Jim Beam said: "We take care of family and with a historic moment like this, we want to be sure that Chicago sports fans get home safely."
Kia becomes major sponsor of NRL's Bulldogs
Kia Motors Australia has become the major sponsor of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, one of the best supported NRL clubs in the competition. Previously the Korean carmaker was a minor sponsor of the team. Kia is also a major sponsor of the Essendon Bombers AFL club and the naming rights sponsor of the Australian Open. Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith says Bulldogs' fans represent a desirable demographic for the company.
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