A tornado watch has been issued for New York. I hope we get whisked away to Oz. Here are today’s links, in case you missed them.
Another legacy publication is coming around to digital. BBC’s newest hire is jumping on the bandwagon but it’s taking a smart approach — or so it seems: creating digital content rather than repurposing its print content online. It’ll be interesting to see just how much restructuring actually takes place, though. Will we see the addition of digital gurus — at the expense of the current team — or will Entwhistle allow his team to learn new strategies? (Paid Content)
Twitter now looks a lot like Facebook. I wonder what other companies it will acquire now before it announces its IPO (The Huffington Post).
Remember the days when Saturday morning cartoons was interrupted by commercials for all the toys you just had to have? We’re so far beyond that now, with children being targeted with mobile games (I hope, on their parents’ smartphones). The question now is whether the government will be able to regulate just how many hours of commercials these children will be exposed to — as well as the kind of foods they see in ads. Although I guess it’s giving the responsibility back to the parents, if they choose which apps to download onto their devices (Wall Street Journal).
Are politicians really just like brands? It would seem so, if you compare the work of a politician’s digital director (really?) to that of a Fortune 100 brand. The use of data for targeting is certainly nothing new when it comes to brands, so I guess it just makes sense to extend it to targeting voters and donors for a particular candidate. For some reason, it makes a lot more sense to tap a digital shop to build an app (even if it is a politician’s) a la Rockfish’s work for Romney (AdAge).
In another effort to marry creativity and technology, Google has launched Creative Sandbox to allow agencies to showcase (and brag about) their work. If I’m understanding this correctly, though, it’s a bit of a social experiment that allows users to see what others have done before them. Are clients really going to allow their agencies to reveal their secrets? I think not (Adweek).
More in Media
News publishers may be flocking to Bluesky, but many aren’t leaving X
The Guardian and NPR have left X, but don’t expect a wave of publishers to follow suit. Execs said the platform is still useful for some traffic and engaging with fandoms – despite its toxicity.
Media Briefing: Publishers’ Q4 programmatic ad businesses are in limbo
This week’s Media Briefing looks at how publishers in the U.S. and Europe have seen programmatic ad sales on the open market slow in the fourth quarter while they’ve picked up in the private marketplace.
How the European and U.S. publishing landscapes compare and contrast
Publishing executives compared and contrasted the European and U.S. media landscapes and the challenges facing publishers in both regions.