Daily Scoop

Ted Kitterman

GM takes flak for flip flop; Amazon faces union vote, and Telegram rockets to the top in downloads

Also: Reddit makes waves with five-second ad, Sprinklr shares brands that stood out on social, vaccine rollout stumbles on tech mistakes, and more.

Beki Winchel

Tokyo Olympics’ president apologizes for sexist remarks, CMT, others cut ties with Morgan Wallen, and Merck’s chief to step down

Also: American and United Airlines warn employees of upcoming furloughs, 37% of online shoppers visit retailers’ websites before purchasing, and more.

Beki Winchel

Jeff Bezos steps down as Amazon’s CEO, Ulta pledges to double Black-owned brands on shelves, and Lowe’s offers Valentine’s ‘night of Lowemance’

Also: Mountain Dew’s interactive Super Bowl campaign, 7-Eleven offers a one-of-a-kind Airbnb stay, almost 90% of marketers have or are building an app, and more.

Beki Winchel

Brand managers celebrate Groundhog Day, Verizon commits $10M to helping small businesses, and JetBlue highlights Black florists

Also: How PR pros are crafting more of their pitches to include DE&I angles, what skills you’re focusing on for 2021, and more.

Beki Winchel

Walmart and Kroger announce DE&I donations, UK’s health care org pulls ‘sexist’ COVID-19 ad, and Planters to donate $5M to ‘acts of substance’

Also: Spotify, HBO Max and more launch content for Black History Month, Hendrick’s Gin offers a ‘moonbathing’ kit, ESG communications considerations, and more.

Beki Winchel

Discord and Reddit grapple with ‘WallStreetBets’ communities, Activision Blizzard defends DE&I hiring initiatives, and Twitter rebrands to embrace ‘real’ conversations

Also: Communciators’ most hated corporate jargon, the future of streaming services, Target and other retailers cut ties with coconut milk supplier, and more.

Beki Winchel

Belk, Cici’s and L’Occitane file for bankruptcy, Target offers employees $500 bonuses, and 72% of comms pros say social media helps other media efforts

Also: Samuel Adams’ tongue-in-cheek Super Bowl ad, YouTube extends ban on Trump and cuts off Guliani’s ad revenue, Air Asia updates cancelation policy, and more.

Beki Winchel

Disney Parks overhauls ‘Jungle Cruise’ to be more inclusive, Citigroup seeks to educate golfer Justin Thomas after LGBTQ slur, and Instagram launches business hub

Also: What top brands on Twitter are doing to best serve consumers, Google rolls out tools to promote COVID-19 vaccine information, Godiva to close all North America locations, and more.

Beki Winchel

Budweiser donates Super Bowl ad to COVID-19 campaign, ‘Star Wars’ denounces racism on Twitter, and Pinterest launches ‘try on’ feature

Also: Social media image guidelines for 2021, PepsiCo’s clever response to President Joe Biden, how Orlando International Airport engages on Twitter, and more.

Beki Winchel

Instacart to lay off roughly 1,800 workers, IOC president says there’s ‘no plan B’ for delaying Tokyo Olympics, and NFL honors health care workers with Super Bowl tickets

Also: A study shows the potential for AI in pitching efforts, Waffle House offers Valentine’s Day reservations, apply to be a candy taste tester, and more.

Beki Winchel

Brand managers celebrate Inauguration Day, Unilever launches sweeping DE&I commitments, and Netflix tests a ‘shuffle’ feature

Also: Data-backed digital marketing trends for 2021, TikTok previews a Q&A tool, Pillsbury and Oreo team up on a new product line, and more.

Beki Winchel

Biden’s Inauguration Day social media engagement, ViacomCBS rebrands streaming service as Paramount+, and AP style tips for ‘Inauguration Day’

Also: Verizon creates interactive mobile experience for Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2021’s top video content trends, TV host Al Roker receives COVID-19 vaccine on air, and more.

Beki Winchel

GitHub apologizes for firing employee over ‘Nazi’ remark, hospitals and governments turn to influencers for COVID-19 campaigns, and the NRA declares bankruptcy

Also: Ford calls for unity, search engine DuckDuckGo reports 62% daily search growth in 2020, Oscar Mayer seeks Weinermobile spokesperson, and more.