Plus, WPP CEO apologizes
| | | | | First Things First | | September 1, 2020 | By Jess Zafarris |
| |
| Controversial Product Listings Continue to Plague Amazon | |
| | Amazon has a serious problem with product listings that include symbols of hate groups, including swastikas, nooses and the Nazi eagle. With 500 million listings and 2.2 million independent sellers on Amazon, it’s a massive undertaking to monitor all of them, and as soon as one is removed, another takes its place. Adweek found 200 listings that included hate symbols and 2,000 that are ambiguous or borderline, but of course that’s a tiny fraction—roughly 0.00044%—of Amazon’s overall marketplace. Addressing the problem: Amazon’s Rekognition tech helps other companies scan for offensive listings, and theoretically the company could use this tech to scan products before they’re on sale, but whether this is happening is unclear. Also in Amazon news: The FAA has approved Amazon’s use of drone delivery for commercial packages, which removes a regulatory hurdle that had been standing in the way. | | | |
| |
| |
| WPP CEO Mark Read Tries to Apologize for Ageist Comments | |
Mark Read, CEO of holding company WPP, is trying to make amends after boasting that the “average age of someone who works at WPP is less than 30″ during the company’s earnings call on August 27. The comment received backlash on Twitter and LinkedIn from industry leaders like Cindy Gallop, former Ogilvy executive creative director and copy chief George Tannenbaum, Fearless founder Ian David and Dear Future CEO Matt Kandela, who said the comment was ageist. Backpedaling: Read went into damage control mode over the weekend. | |
| |
| |
| | Adweek Promos and Events | 2020 Brand Visionary, Ryan Reynolds Joins Brandweek | |
| | We're thrilled to announce Ryan Reynolds, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Maximum Effort and Co-owner of Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile as our 2020 Brand Genius Brand Visionary Honoree. Join us in welcoming Ryan to the virtual stage during Brandweek, Sept. 14-17. Register before 9/2 to save and enjoy four days of insights, inspiration and experiences. | |
| |
| |
|
|
|
Link