What will cities of the near future look like when buildings, cars, people and a whole slew of other things can communicate with each other? Earlier this month, tech companies and telecoms at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, tried to answer that question, showing off their plans for 5G--a next-generation wireless network that will...
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A Look at the Future of 5G-Powered Smart Cities
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How to Survive a Public Brand Scandal and Recover Customers’ Trust
It was a chicken joke of epic proportions, but it took a while for the punch line to land. For nearly two weeks last month, nearly 900 KFC franchises in the U.K. were unable to obtain fresh chicken parts thanks to a cock-up with the company's new delivery firm. KFC U.K. needed to acknowledge the...
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Can American Idol’s Return Hit the Right Notes for ABC?
ABC's surprise revival of American Idol, which had ended its run on Fox in 2016 after 15 seasons, dominated last May's broadcast upfront week. While ABC touted the pickup as a great fit for its network, its rivals publicly questioned the economics of the move. "The price is so expensive, you need a 35 share...
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Editor’s Letter: Brands Face Challenges Relating to Consumers and Avoiding Missteps
When it happens, it moves so fast that your initial feeling is disorientation. That quickly flips to nausea, fear and then panic. I'm of course talking about a brand crisis unfolding before the world, supercharged by social media and shared and commented on into oblivion. You've been dragged. It's a tough position for both individuals...
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4 Steps for Effectively Managing a PR Crisis
The best way to survive a brand crisis is to start planning before the crisis hits. Get your plans in order Each crisis may come as a surprise, but your response should not be. Smart organizations have a crisis management plan in place that involves every aspect of the organization--including HR, legal and technical. "Ninety-five...
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Why Brands Must Form an Identity to Retain Customers in the Voice Economy
Not so long ago, we'd only initiate a conversation with a brand if something had gone wrong, but we're now starting to use conversation to do much more: to explore options, to make purchases and even to investigate medical issues. Whether it's in the form of instant messaging or voice-user interfaces, conversation is becoming an...
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After Closing Scripps Deal Last Week, Discovery Sets Unified Upfront Strategy
Less than a week after Discovery Communications finalized its acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive, the combined company has unveiled an upfront strategy in which it will be going to market as a unified ad sales team. Scripps ad sales chief Jon Steinlauf is overseeing ad sales for the new company--it's officially known as Discovery, Inc.--as...
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Innocean Places Chief Creative Officer Eric Springer on Leave in Wake of Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
Hyundai's Innocean has placed chief creative officer Eric Springer on leave less than a week after Adweek broke the news of a lawsuit accusing him and the agency of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination. The agency has reportedly brought in a third-party consultant to conduct an investigation. "As announced to employees on Friday,...
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Alexa Is Your Helpful TV-Watching Buddy in Ads for Amazon’s Fire TV
If you're trying to watch an episode of Homeland and your mother keeps distracting you by asking questions about the twisting-turning, intricate, high-stakes plot, maybe there's only one correct response: Just start the damn thing over again. Alexa can't promise you an uninterrupted viewing experience, but she can at least get you back to the...
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To Celebrate the Revival of Roseanne, ABC Recreated the Conners’ Living Room at SXSW
If you've been in downtown Austin, Texas, this weekend, and especially if you've been near South by Southwest, you might have heard a loud, hearty laugh coming from a pedicab. That laugh belongs to Roseanne Barr and became iconic when it was used in the credits of her ABC show, Roseanne, which the network revived...
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How Gimlet Media Is Tweaking Its Podcast Programming for Voice Assistants
Brooklyn-based Gimlet Media--the media company behind some of the most popular podcasts, like Reply All, Homecoming and Startup--wants to learn how to make content work on Amazon's Alexa. A week ago, Gimlet Media launched its first Amazon skill called Chompers, which is sponsored by P&G-owned Oral-B and Crest Kids and educates kids on how to...
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The PGA Tour Created an Augmented-Reality App to Get People Interested in Real-Life Golf
It might not quite feel like golf season yet, at least not in New York where snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. But the PGA Tour is trying to get fans excited by helping them plot out digital holes on their real-life tables. The PGA Tour released its own augmented-reality app today for iOS....
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Infographic: The Widening Gap Between Customer Service and the Customer
Anyone who's ever had an infuriatingly long call with a company over a big bill probably doesn't exactly have a warm and fuzzy feeling about that brand. But in a world where consumers can buy enough groceries to feed a family of four at the click of a button, demands are becoming increasingly complex--and customer...
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Why Consumers Are Increasingly Willing to Trade Privacy for Convenience
Consumers have long exchanged data for services they find valuable, like email addresses or location for free Wi-Fi and social media profiles for easier site logins, but they are starting to let platforms into their lives like never before, even going so far as to consent to vehicle tracking and access to their homes. While...
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Fast-Food Brands Are Making Slick Mobile Apps to Stay Ahead of Small, Fast-Casual Restaurants
For decades, fast-food chains have chased quick sales with limited-time promotions and products (R.I.P. McDonald's McPizza and Wendy's 2012 luxe hamburger with lobster claws and caviar) and revenue-minded marketing intended to drive incremental foot traffic to restaurants. But with changing consumer tastes for healthier options and new technologies that streamline ordering and delivery, quick-serve restaurants...
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As the Lines Blur Between Agencies and Consultancies, New Shops Are Taking a Hybrid Approach
After years of headlines about consultancies eating ad agencies' lunches, the two groups are increasingly starting to look alike. Since everything in marketing revolves around the client, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they're driving these changes. Faced with new challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace, clients are demanding a wider range of services...
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Q&A: Edelman’s Global Chair of Crisis and Risk on What Makes a Crisis
When brands have a crisis, they call the Winston Wolfe of public relations, Harlan Loeb. Loeb, who runs Edelman's crisis and risk mitigation practice, didn't grow up in the PR business. A lawyer by background, he found himself in the crisis management world after serving as the Midwest counsel for the Anti-Defamation League working on...
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Pandora Crunched Data From 10,000 Songs to Create Personalized Audio Clips
If you had to make your own personal sound, what would it sound like? You could be influenced by pop, country, rap, rock--or you could sound like a blend of all genres. That's what Pandora wants to find out at its South by Southwest activation. Partnering with Tool of North America, Pandora brought its long-running...
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Dog Dies on United Flight After Employee Forces Kennel Into Overhead Compartment
It's hard to believe United could have a worse year than its last, but just a couple months in, 2018 is already shaping up to be a PR disaster for the airline--and this time, bad decisions proved to be fatal. The New York Post reported on Monday night that a dog died onboard a United...
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What It’s Like to Sleep on a Beautyrest Bed Alongside 150 Strangers During an 8-Hour Music Performance
Music has been an integral part of the South by Southwest experience dating back to 1987 when the festival debuted. Legendary names from Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson and The B-52's have taken the stage at the Austin, Texas, festival over the years, and this year will be no different (SXSW Music officially kicked off...
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