The Financial Times racked up 45 million podcast downloads last year, As social stars gain influence, the brand mascot becomes an endangered species, Ringing the gong to shots of Frenet: The unique traditions of agencies, In a year, Politico Europe grows to a 45-person newsroom,
| Hilary Milnes Athleisure is showing no signs of slowing down: according to Morgan Stanley, sports apparel and footwear are expected to grow by $83 billion in the next three years. Despite the trend being driven by leggings and sneakers, luxury retail isn’t sitting on the sidelines. “Luxury brands have realized that athleisure is winning — they see this range as a growth strategy for them,” said Rachel Conlan, svp of Havas LuxHub. From $200 leggings by luxury e-commerce platform Carbon38, to a myriad of designer collaborations with athletic brands like Adidas and Puma, gym clothes have gone high-end. |
| | | Lucinda Southern The FT has been publishing podcasts for 10 years but has refocused its strategy as the medium has experienced a renaissance. They are available on all platforms, leading to 45 million downloads in 2015. With 14 shows a week, podcasts show the breadth of the FT's expertise. Kayode Josiah, head of commercial, audio and visual at the publisher, predicts a further convergence of video and audio, such as more visual cues to promote audio formats. |
| | | Yuyu Chen Gone are the good old days when brand mascots were in every other TV commercial. In the digital realm, they, like Burger King’s now-retired monarch, have fallen out of favor as brands are increasingly turning to social influencers on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. | | | | Tanya Dua Agencies realize that traditions are great not only for team-building, but also for boosting morale and employee retention. From gongs to custom pins, we list nine agencies and their unique traditions. |
| SteelHouse Black boxes from downed flights usually provide more information, but black-box advertising solutions do just the opposite -- and it’s costing marketers plenty. Marketing budgets are taking a hit, campaigns aren’t reaching their potential, and agencies and vendors may be pocketing the difference. Why do marketers stick with black-box advertising solutions when providers are playing fast and loose with their clients’ bludgets? What’s a marketer to do? Transparency is the clear answer. Sponsor content by SteelHouse |
| | | Jessica Davies Politico Europe is coming up to its one-year anniversary and has exceeded its growth expectations. In fact, revenues are up to 25 percent what it forecast, and the upshot of that is it gets to accelerate its London expansion plans. That includes more subscription products, and the hiring of Tom McTague, the Independent on Sunday’s former political editor. He’ll head up all political coverage based out of Westminster. |
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