IPGee Willikers!
You know that period of time between a teenager getting accepted to college but before they graduate high school when all of a sudden their grades don’t matter all that much?
Maybe that’s what’s happening to IPG right now, like the pre-acquisition equivalent of senioritis.
The holdco’s overall revenue declined again, the company announced during its latest quarterly earnings report on Thursday. But it’s okay, according to CEO Philippe Krakowsky, because these lackluster results were “consistent with our expectations” for the quarter.
IPG’s net revenue (meaning its revenue before billable expenses) came to $2 billion for Q1, with an organic net revenue decrease of 3.6% compared to this same time last year.
Looking forward, IPG is maintaining its downward revenue forecast of 1% to 2% for the full year as it continues to restructure itself for the upcoming merger with Omnicom, which is still on track to close during the second half of 2025.
Screens Everywhere. Then What?
Samsung has a bold plan to put more screens all over the place – and all over people’s homes, in particular.
That’s not hyperbole. This year, Samsung debuted what it refers to as its “Screens Everywhere” strategy.
What’s the supposed benefit to consumers?
Well, there are times when it’s useful to control different appliances from wherever you are in the house, according to Jeong Seung Moon, EVP and head of the R&D team for the digital appliance business within Samsung Electronics, speaking with The Verge.
Smart home appliances can also use the screens to, say, suggest a recipe based on what’s already in the fridge, Moon says, or set the stove to the right temperature. The washing machine and dryer, meanwhile, might provide feedback on energy usage and perhaps advise the owner to use less detergent.
Moon says there are “no plans” to introduce ads to these home appliances, as Samsung has with its smart TVs. “Any future policies will be guided first and foremost by what best serves our customers’ needs,” he says.
However, retailers and device manufacturers all seem to eventually interpret the needs of their customers to mean greater data collection and monetization.
Bon (Appetit) Iver
Justin Vernon, frontman of indie band Bon Iver, recently spearheaded some unusual marketing for the band’s new album – and, at first glance, it looks a little fishy.
The usually reclusive Vernon opted for a word-of-mouth strategy and some unusual brand collabs – all to do with salmon – to promote the group’s new album, titled SABLE, fABLE. One notable example is a Bon Iver-branded can of salmon in partnership with tinned-fish company Fishwife. There were also salmon-colored notebooks with a stationary brand and a salmon-colored Manhattan at a bar in Seattle, among others. Bon Iver collaborated with 25 partners in all.
But why fish?
The short answer is: humor and whimsy. And for the record, this isn’t directly generating revenue. They’re actually losing money, Robby Morris, VP of creative marketing at Secretly Group, which runs Bon Iver’s indie label Jagjaguwar, tells Marketing Brew. But the organic social engagement and word of mouth has more than made up for any money lost.
Sometimes, you don’t need a fancy ROI strategy or streaming ads. The good old-fashioned way works just as well, as in, word of mouth and plastering your face on a can of fish.
But Wait! There’s More
AdLand, a library of TV creative going back to the 1970s, has been acquired by Marketecture. [Ad Age]
Gopuff adds Koddi as an incrementality measurement partner. [Marketing Dive]
The bewildering journey to track down an individual content mill churning out horny sports blogs – that aren’t written by AI. [Defector]
Can publishers survive through the Google ad tech breakup? [AdMonsters]
Meta promises to demonetize spam accounts on Facebook, but makes no specific mention of the rising tide of generative AI slop on its platform. [Engadget]
You’re Hired!
PMG hires IPG vet Chad Stoller to lead global media. [Adweek]
Audacy appoints Jenny Nelson as CMO. [Radio World]
