Agency pros on being culturally relevant

Dentsu mcgarrybowen, AmEx showcase small businesses | Uncommon demonstrates the lightness of Allbirds' shoes | W+K, Kristen Bell try for holiday calm Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( November 25, 2020 CONNECT WITH 4A's  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [4A's SmartBrief]( [4A's SmartBrief]( News for the advertising, media, and marcom industries [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( [] Top Story [] [Dentsu mcgarrybowen, AmEx showcase small businesses]( Dentsu mcgarrybowen, AmEx showcase small businesses (American Express) Dentsu mcgarrybowen created American Express' 11th annual "Small Business Saturday" campaign, which features an anthem spot in 60- and 30-second versions set to a cover of "Auld Lang Syne" by India Carney. The ad shows how real small-business owners are adapting for a pandemic holiday season and will debut on TV during the Thanksgiving Day NFL game on Fox, and continue on TV, social media and streaming services during the holidays. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (11/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Media is changing. Let’s change media for good. We believe media works best when it works in everyone's best interest. It's the idea we built our company on. And right now, it's more important than ever. We're harnessing the power of empathy, data, and transparency to change media for good. For everyone. Media, re-imagined by Target. [See How]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Creative [] [Uncommon demonstrates the lightness of Allbirds' shoes]( [Uncommon demonstrates the lightness of Allbirds' shoes]( (Allbirds/YouTube) Uncommon Creative Studio's new spot for Allbirds demonstrates the lightness of the brand's Wool Runners shoes by showing them held in the air by balloons on a custom-made installation, before one balloon pops and the shoes fall into their packaging as a sheep runs by in a nod to the brand's homeland of New Zealand. The spot is running across TV, digital and social. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (11/24), [CreativeBoom.co.uk (U.K.)]( (11/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [W+K, Kristen Bell try for holiday calm]( [W+K, Kristen Bell try for holiday calm]( (Happy Dance/YouTube) Wieden+Kennedy Portland's humorous 30-second spot for Kristen Bell's Happy Dance CBD skin care brand shows the actress encouraging moms to stay calm this holiday season despite family stress. The ad was directed by Ruckus Films' JJ Adler. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (11/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Register for 4A's Agency Comms IN FOCUS Making critical decisions and taking actions for your organization requires new tools and skills to deliver impact. It's time to regroup and prepare for the year ahead. Join this collaborative session to explore ideas, tools, and strategies to help communicators thrive in the new normal. [Register today.]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Agency Insider [] [Weber Shandwick's Dane Rahlf talks creative, sports]( Dane Rahlf, creative director at Weber Shandwick, talks about his love of sports and why Nike's spot during the pandemic that used split screens to edit different sports together is his favorite recent creative. "The craft of the creative matches the craft of the sport and reminds us that we love watching people do something that they are really good at," Rahlf says. Full Story: [Muse by Clio]( (11/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Agency pros on being culturally relevant]( Agency professionals from M&C Saatchi, Leagas Delaney, Impact and other firms share their thoughts on how advertising can stay culturally relevant. "The trick is to be clued-in right when the pot of memes, reverence and ideas is about to boil," says Deutsch New York's Husani Oakley. Full Story: [The Drum (free registration)]( (11/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Best practices for Black Friday Black Friday and Cyber Monday will definitely be more socially distanced this year than ever before — which means we'll see more online traffic, less crowded frenzy. But everyone still loves a good deal, so it's time to get ready — [check out these best practices]( for what to do before, during, and after Black Friday/Cyber Monday to nail your partnership sales. ADVERTISEMENT: [] Agency News [] [MediaMonks, Publicis earn Mondelez's global content work]( Publicis Groupe and S4 Capital's MediaMonks have been appointed to manage Mondelez's new global content production model, following a review that included TAG, WPP and Accenture. MediaMonks will handle the business across North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Middle East, while Publicis Groupe's client-dedicated Team Pop will manage 32 markets across Europe. Full Story: [Campaign US (tiered subscription model)]( (11/23) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Increase Reach 3X without Cookies With LiveRamp, you can increase addressable reach by 3X and access inventory on Safari and Firefox. Now, advertisers can achieve greater reach, more engaged audiences, better ROI, and lower CPMs with LiveRamp—all without cookies. [Click to learn more!]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Media & Technology Trends [] [UM: 7 media innovation trends to watch]( UM has identified seven media innovations that have experienced increased reach or maturity during the pandemic, including mobile augmented reality experiences due to new or updated tools from Snapchat, Amazon and other platforms. The surge in gaming's popularity has expanded the reach of the metaverse and live video has experienced an uplift in maturity as live content replaced in-person experiences during the pandemic. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (11/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [New Report: U.S. Fall Video Benchmarks]( Ready or not, 2020 has pushed us into the streaming-first era. CTV has reshaped the media landscape. What does this mean for advertisers who need to incorporate this growing channel into their omni-channel strategies? Learn critical trends, challenges, opportunities, and benchmarks to navigate this new streaming-centric omni-channel world. [Download your copy today.]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Editor's Note [] SmartBrief will not publish Thursday and Friday In observance of Thanksgiving in the US, SmartBrief will not publish Thursday and Friday. Publication will resume Monday. [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sharing 4A's SmartBrief with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy and share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/aaaa/?referrerId=iXmpAZYZQV [] [] Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, media executive, actor, philanthropist [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( LEARN MORE ABOUT 4A's: [Homepage]( | [Training Programs]( | [All Upcoming Events](   SmartBrief publishes more than 200 free industry newsletters - [Browse our portfolio]( [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Advertise with SmartBrief]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy policy]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:aaaa@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE](mailto:dmalouf@smartbrief.com) SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004