Need to Know – The latest US media & marketing news: Adidas Golf's strategy, Reddit rebellion & Gawker posts earnings ahead of Hulk Hogan video trial
Morning all, here’s a glimpse at all the media and marketing news you should know today.
Need to Know – The latest US media & marketing news
1. Adidas Golf has hired a new creative agency to market golf as a sport instead of a pastime, asserts AdWeek. "We are shifting to be more aligned with the Adidas brand and the idea that golf is a sport, and golfers are athletes," said Melissa Ziegler, global brand marketing director for the brand.
2. Gawker has posted strong earnings for 2014. Business Insider notes that Gawker Media Group (the holding company which owns the US and and Hungarian subsidiaries) had $6.53m in operating income on $44.3m of revenue. The blog is currently embroiled in a $100m lawsuit over ex-WWE star Hulk Hogan's sex tape.
3. Bud Light has appointed Wieden+Kennedy as its new lead agency, writes MediaPost. The firm succeeds Omnicom shop BBDO, which has led the account since 2013.
4. Pepsi-owned brand SoBe has apologized for a joke message under its bottle caps urging customers 'Help me, trapped in SoBe factory'. According to USA Today the company responded on social media, asserting: "These sayings are intended to give our consumers a little smile or pause for thought, not offense."
5. A rural Virginia field hospital is set to make history with medicine-delivering drones, reports the Washington Post. Richmond's Wise County Fairgrounds center will be the first to receive federally approved package deliveries in the US on 17 July.
6. The shock departure of Reddit's director of talent, Victoria Taylor, has led to hundreds of popular Subreddits being made private in protest. International Business Insider notes that a number of the most popular Subreddits have been made private – including Ask Reddit, Gaming and I AM A (Ask Me Anything) – locking everyone except moderators and approved submitters out.
7. Facebook Messenger quietly began testing a new search feature this week, claims Mashable. The experiment was rolled out to a small group of Messenger users in Canada to make it easier for them to find stickers and Gifs in one place.
8. And Alibaba is in talks to rent more office space in Seattle. The Chinese e-tailer's founder Jack Ma says he first encountered the internet while visiting the city two decades ago, and now the Hangzhou-based firm is considering a sublease for almost 20,000 square feet in City Center Bellevue.
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