Meet Sexy Colonel Sanders

It’s the Lifetime movie you didn’t know you needed—and yes it’s an actual movie, or a “Lifetime original mini-movie.” Mario Lopez stars as a sexy Colonel Sanders in “A Recipe for Seduction,” a 15-minute branded content gem lovingly crafted by the cable network, KFC and Wieden + Kennedy Portland. It offers everything you’d expect out of a soapy, dramatic Lifetime movie, with a side of KFC goodness.

Prepare to be seduced: Swoon over the official poster and enjoy the enthralling trailer.

A brief history of sexy Colonel Sanders: It's important to note that this is NOT the first iteration of sexy Colonel Sanders. In fact, it's not the second or third. By our count, it's at least the sixth version of sexy Colonel Sanders. We're not joking. We have an exhaustive timeline of sexy Colonel Sanders.

It has been an emotional year, and it’s no surprise that the world’s top brands have responded to that moment by bringing entertainment and joy to the masses in the form of their holiday ads. From the uplifting and heartfelt to the humorous and irreverent, we rounded up the most enchanting ads of the 2020 holiday season for your festive pleasure.

Watch: See story-focused and entertaining ads from John Lewis, Xfinity, Coca-Cola, Meijer, Microsoft and more.

And speaking of memorable holiday promotions: Ugly Christmas sweaters are so 2019. This year, sport one of these ugly Christmas masks from Canadian retailer Mark’s.

Nielsen is preparing to offer Nielsen One, a new analytics tool that will allow publishers and marketers to transact on a single metric across linear and digital platforms, a significant overhaul of its video measurement. The company says it will change the entire way the industry transacts—or at least it will two years from now, when Nielsen One is actually set to roll out.

Learn more: The new offering will show marketers total video consumption across platforms and allow for flexible segmentation.

Also in TV and streaming news: Jim Keller, formerly vp, national ad sales at Hulu, is joining Discovery Inc. as evp, digital ad sales and advanced advertising.

Instead of its typical holiday wishes video, Publicis will host a four-day virtual event for its 80,000 employees, featuring fireside chats with the likes of Disney chairman Bob Iger, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Michelle Obama. The event will also include a roadmap for 2021 and launch new initiatives that reinvent its vision and reinforce its commitment to diversity.

Oh, but there’s still a humorous video to go along with it. Watch here.

Also in agencies news: Dentsu previously revealed that it would be consolidating 160 brands into just six as Dentsu International (it was formerly, Dentsu Aegis Group). As part of that restructuring, it will be cutting 12.5% of its workforce, which equates to about 6,000 jobs. Get more details on the cuts here.

More of Today’s Top News & Highlights:

Adweek Elevate: Publishing is an elite summit designed to cut through the noise and connect the most forward-thinking minds in publishing to solve challenges. Here's what's on tap for today:

11:10 a.m. ET: Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in Chief, The Atlantic
11:35 a.m. ET: Cory Munchbach, Chief Operating Officer, BlueConic
12:00 p.m. ET: David Miller, Executive Vice President, General Manager, National Geographic Media
12:25 p.m. ET: Neil Vogel, Chief Executive Officer, Dotdash
12:50 p.m. ET: Jessica Lessin Founder and Editor in Chief, The Information
1:15 p.m. ET: Marilyn Mead, Head of Marketing, Winmo
1:40 p.m. ET: Alex Lewis, Social Media Specialist, Jeni's
2:15 p.m. ET: Cory Haik, Chief Digital Officer, VICE Media

Register for free today.

Would you like unicorn milk with that?

In honor of CMO Moves 150th episode, we are going LIVE for the very first time and we want you to be a part of the conversation for this very special event! ""The Business of Marketing"" is on the table and we'll dive deep into the intersectionality of Marketing, Finance, Technology, HR, and the Board Room. Leading CMOs, including GE's Linda Boff, Lowe's Marisa Thalberg, Mondelez's Martin Renaud, former Global CMO of Facebook Antonio Lucio and more, will shed light on what it takes to be a well-rounded marketing business leader.

Save your virtual seat and join us Dec. 9th at 11am EST.

Artist Ignasi Monreal reimagined resilient business owners as heroes for new campaign.

New methodologies are bringing changes to online targeting.

Luxury outerwear brand teams with The Webster to showcase styles through 3-D environments.

The media company turned its annual event into a futuristic virtual world complete with food trucks and ecommerce.

Taika Waititi directs a short film about the results of lucid dreaming after gaming.

Once an occupational therapy tool, its weight has a calming effect.