What's causing a steady stream of agency layoffs?

Messi heads to "Super Beach" for W+K, Michelob Ultra | Orchard, Etsy gift France for the Statue of Liberty | Droga5, Paramount+ tap Stewart, Barrymore for Super Bowl Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( February 2, 2024 CONNECT WITH 4A's  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [X]( [4A's SmartBrief]( News for the advertising, media, and marcom industries [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( [] Top Story [] [Messi heads to "Super Beach" for W+K, Michelob Ultra]( [Messi heads to "Super Beach" for W+K, Michelob Ultra]( (Michelob Ultra/YouTube) Wieden+Kennedy's 60-second Super Bowl spot for Michelob Ultra stars Lionel Messi, who shows off his soccer skills on "Superior Beach" as he waits for his beer to be poured. The ad also features Jason Sudeikis of "Ted Lasso" and NFL legend Dan Marino, and is set to a rendition of "Quando, Quando, Quando" by The Drifters. Full Story: [Muse by Clio]( (2/1), [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (2/1), [Adweek]( (2/1) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [An effective alternative to traditional advertising]( With its precise targeting capabilities, high engagement and cost-effective campaigns, connected TV advertising offers a compelling alternative to traditional advertising channels. Join industry experts as they explore which CTV trends you should embrace and how to integrate them with other marketing strategies. [Register now](. ADVERTISEMENT: [] Creative [] [Orchard, Etsy gift France for the Statue of Liberty]( [Orchard, Etsy gift France for the Statue of Liberty]( (Etsy/YouTube) Orchard's 30-second Super Bowl spot for Etsy touts the platform's new AI-powered "Gift Mode" and shows Americans in the 1880s trying to figure out what they can gift France in return for the Statue of Liberty. The ad ends by showing France rejoice as the nation receives a cheese board. Full Story: [Adweek]( (2/1), [Muse by Clio]( (2/1) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Droga5, Paramount+ tap Stewart, Barrymore for Super Bowl]( [Droga5, Paramount+ tap Stewart, Barrymore for Super Bowl]( Extended version of Droga5's Super Bowl ad for Paramount+ (Paramount Plus/YouTube) Droga5's 60-second "Hail Arnold" Super Bowl spot for Paramount+ stars Patrick Stewart, Drew Barrymore, Jeff Probst, the NFL's Tua Tagovailoa, animated characters Arnold, Peppa Pig and Knuckles, who are all joined by Creed for a musical performance. The humorous ad shows the group trapped on Paramount Mountain, faced with the challenge of scaling a cliff, and deciding the best thing to do is hurl Arnold at the problem. Full Story: [Muse by Clio]( (2/1) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Agency Insider [] [W+K's Gartrell, Henderson talk Super Bowl creative]( Marques Gartrell and Brandon Henderson, co-chief creative officers of Wieden+Kennedy New York, talk about their viral TikTok campaign for McDonald's and their Super Bowl work this year for Michelob Ultra and FanDuel. The pair also discuss blending creativity and leadership skills for their new roles. Full Story: [Campaign US (tiered subscription model)]( (1/31) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [GS&P's Eamonn Dixon on making Doritos' Super Bowl ad]( Eamonn Dixon, executive creative director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, talks about teasing Doritos' Super Bowl ad on social media and why the agency chose Jenna Ortega of "Wednesday" as its star. "It's really fun, it's very explosive and big and over the top, and I think people are really going to love it," Dixon says of the Big Game ad. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (1/31) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [The Proof is Out There: Discover True Buyer-Level Intent Data]( - [Unlocking The Potential of ChatGPT]( - [7 Mistakes to Avoid When You Set New Years Goals for 2024]( - [What To Do When Stress Gets the Best of You]( - [The Future of AI in Technology]( [] Agency News [] [What's causing a steady stream of agency layoffs?]( Agency experts share their thoughts on why a quiet, steady stream of layoffs are occuring, particularly among holding companies. "An increase in project-based work vs. retainer reinforces the challenges of forecasting and planning for long-term needs," says Marla Kaplowitz, CEO and president of the 4A's. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (2/1) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] - [Jerry Hoak promoted to CCO by The Martin Agency]( Ad Age (tiered subscription model) (2/1) [] - [Omnicom Group adds UK-based Coffee & TV content studio to team]( MediaPost Communications (free registration) (2/1) [] Media & Technology Trends [] [UMG pulls music from TikTok]( Universal Music Group started removing songs by artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele and Olivia Rodrigo from TikTok late Wednesday because it says the social media platform doesn't offer fair compensation for artists. "Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music," UMG says in an open letter to artists. Full Story: [National Public Radio]( (2/1), [The Verge]( (2/1), [NBC News]( (1/31), [The Washington Post]( (1/31) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] 4A's News [] [4A's CES 2024 recap]( [4A's CES 2024 recap]( (4A's) A team of SMEs from the 4A's attended CES 2024 to capture key themes and takeaways for our members. We sifted through thousands of innovations and put together this recap highlighting agency implications to help you identify areas of opportunity, and separate the hype from commercial viability. Key themes: - AI - Immersive Entertainment - Reinventing Health Care - Post-Phone Era [Download our recap]( to see what caught our attention at CES 2024 and what we think are significant implications for agencies as you adopt new technologies and innovations. [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [4A's Perspective on AI -- GenAI Guidance]( [4A's Perspective on AI -- GenAI Guidance]( (4A's) The opportunities and challenges generative AI presents are profound. To help the agency community navigate the fast-moving technology, the 4A's offers high-level guidance in a new "4A's Perspective on AI" paper. The guidance can be summarized by the acronym PICA: Participate, Incubate/Investigate, Collaborate, Accelerate. The guide also includes an easy way to help you identify hype vs. reality when it comes to expectations and predictions around AI. Get the [4A's GenAI Guidance Paper](. [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( LEARN MORE ABOUT 4A's: [Homepage]( | [Training Programs]( | [All Upcoming Events]( 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 [] [] Who Said It? I always think that if you're properly prepared no other considerations really matter. Leontyne Price or A. A. 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