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
How creators are using generative AI in podcasts, videos and newsletters — and what advertisers think about it
Here’s a look at how some creators are leveraging generative AI to create video, audio and written content — and whether or not that’s a turn-off for advertisers.
Buzzfeed, News Corp and New York Times push back on tariff fears in earnings calls
Publishing execs pushed back on tariff and macroeconomic climate fears in Q1 2025 earnings calls, expressing confidence that their businesses would grow this year.
Digiday+ Research: Publishers’ subscription revenue is up this year, and they’ll focus on growing it even further
Subscriptions is one area where publishers are seeing more revenue, and, in turn, ramping up their plans to strengthen that part of their business in the coming months.