[When you’re asked to pull a Super Bowl spot together at the last minute 🏈]

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Yo, yo, yo. Thanks for the hang to peep some creative, media and tech with us. What a jam packed week we had. Let’s start with some history as Monday marked the date when Apple introduced the world to the Macintosh in 1984. Now let’s jump to another Peloton scandal, as [SPOILER] its product was featured in yet another heart-attack scene in the first episode of a popular Showtime series. Don’t worry, the character survives [unlike Mr. Big]. Suffice it to say Peloton isn’t psyched with these product placements. Tough couple of weeks for the pandemic business darling.  

Super fascinating debate on the Neil Young v. Joe Rogan drama this week on Spotify. So I asked my teenage son about it. “Who’s Neil Young?” is what I got back.🙄 Then I asked my Dad his opinion, and his “What’s Spotify?” comment made it all clear to me, LOL. 🤷‍♂️

So there you have it. Grab a beverage this weekend and check out the below. Cheers y’all!

[Acura debuts its 2022 lineup with an Anime series. Source: Hypebeast]

THE SHORT LIST:

LEFT BRAIN 

👗 Amazon’s first physical fashion store, Amazon Style, is set to launch in Los Angeles later this year.

💲 Instagram is testing a paywall subscription service that allows creators to offer paid access to exclusive Instagram Live videos and Stories.

🍪 Google is replacing its cookie replacement solution FLoC with a new solution, Topics, that assigns 3 topics to people based on browsing history. Oh, and it's being sued for using location data even after consumers revoked access. Oops.

THE SHORT LIST:
RIGHT BRAIN

🚗 Acura’s 2022 lineup is debuting at Sundance Film Festival as an original Anime series.

⭐ Apple TV+ is out with a new spot featuring Jon Hamm [where you been, bro??] who points out that the streaming service has pretty much all the big stars…except Jon Hamm.

🎮 Meta is plugging its virtual world “Horizon” in a new awkward and cult-like 90-second spot. So cringe.

A DEEPER DIVE: GRAY MATTER

[M&M “Album Art” packs featuring the beloved mascots. Source: Mars]

Rogan v. Young

LEFT BRAIN

Spotify has received a lot of criticism since they decided to extend a groundbreaking $100 million podcasting deal to the successful and controversial podcaster, Joe Rogan. Yes, the guy who used to host “Fear Factor.” A few weeks ago, Spotify received an open letter from thousands of doctors urging them to crack down on what they believe is COVID-19 misinformation, largely coming from Joe Rogan’s podcast. Here’s the thing, I wrote that last sentence after seeing headline after headline about it. After digging deeper, I learned that 87 of the 270 signatories are medical doctors – the rest are from assorted professions including engineers, teachers and psychologists. Still valid folks to weigh in on COVID-19 impacts, no doubt, but the larger point is that had I only read headlines or stuck to my traditional publications, I wouldn’t have the full picture.

Now, this week, Neil Young had Spotify remove his music as he issued an ultimatum for the platform to choose either him or Rogan, and Spotify effectively chose Rogan. Sorry, Neil. 

This sparked a debate amongst our team here at PadSquad around podcasting, journalism, facts, and freedom of speech. Oh my! Are podcasters journalists? Do they have an obligation to report facts? Or are they entertainers free to express their opinions? Does it even matter if Spotify is a private company and can stand for whatever they want? 

Rogan is known for his willingness to interview even the most controversial of characters to shed light on taboo issues and attempt to uncover all sides. He bucks social norms and brings on whoever he wants to bring on, and says whatever he wants to say. A refreshing approach for sure, but as the lines between entertainment and journalism blur, and journalistic factual standards become less clear cut, how should the advertising industry approach it?

Some food for thought, and a topic we will no doubt be covering further throughout the year. 

How are these issues impacting your advertising, if at all? Shoot me a note and let me know. 🎙️

Source: WSJ

NSFW M&M's

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Last week M&M's rolled out a redesign and recharacterization of their beloved mascots to be more inclusive. What’s not to like about that? A lot, apparently. The redesign has received backlash ranging from tweets critiquing the height of the brown M&M’s heels, to political commentary calling out Mars for being too woke and desexualizing the M&M’s...WTF?

The changes are an effort by Mars to be diverse and more representative of their customer base. The most notable updates were to the female green and brown M&M’s. Green M&M now wears a pair of sneakers instead of her high heeled boots, and her “legs” are no longer bare. Brown M&M’s footwear was also changed up, with the heel of her high heels being lowered to a more “sensible” height. The anxious orange M&M is “embracing his true self” and the Red M&M is going to be nicer to his friends. 

All the unexpected controversy aside, M&M’s also rolled out a new line of “Album Art” packs with designs inspired by Kacey Musgraves, David Bowie, H.E.R and Rosalia. Super cool. 🎶

Source: Gay Times and Variety

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