TikTok's parent company readies smartphone plans

ByteDance said it will make the mobile devices after it struck a deal with hardware developer Smartisan Technology.

By Robert Williams • July 30, 2019

Infiniti spins Instagram quiz into immersive driving experience

A "choose-your-own-adventure" campaign challenges users to react as quickly as they would in real-life performance driving.

By Robert Williams • July 30, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Retail Marketing

Top stories that underscore the leading influences on retail marketing, including the creator economy, '90s nostalgia and Gen Z. 

By Marketing Dive staff

DOJ settlement on Sprint/T-Mobile deal pledges fast 5G buildout

The planned merger cleared another regulatory hurdle, with the two mobile providers and Dish pledging a fast rollout of 5G service to U.S. customers.

By Chris Teale • July 29, 2019

'Pokémon Go' stages OOH hack campaign in New York

The fictional Team Go Rocket altered "Pokémon Go" posters, billboards and digital ads throughout the city, challenging players to help restore order.

By Robert Williams • July 29, 2019

Pizza Hut, Snickers kick off EA's Madden NFL esports championship

Airing on Twitch and YouTube, the esports tournament is timed with the NFL Kickoff from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.

By Robert Williams • July 29, 2019

LandShark Lager dips into SMS contest for shark-dive trip, conservation effort

By launching the contest around Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," the beer brand from Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville may capitalize on shark-related buzz.

By Robert Williams • July 29, 2019

General Mills' Box Tops go digital with fresh mobile app

Requiring users to scan receipts could help the food giant gather insights into shopping habits to inform future marketing.

By Robert Williams • July 29, 2019

Chipotle unwraps #GuacDance challenge on TikTok for Avocado Day

The guacamole-themed dance-off is its second challenge on the social app after a lid-flipping effort in May.

By Robert Williams • July 26, 2019

Alphabet revenue tops estimates as Google ad sales jump 16%

Analysts expect the search giant to expand ad sales in its Maps app and on YouTube in the years ahead.

By Robert Williams • July 26, 2019

Twitter's ad refresh pays off in Q2, but slowdown could be coming

Monetizable Daily Active Users, a new audience metric reported in lieu of monthly active users, was up 14% year-over-year.

By Peter Adams • July 26, 2019

Amazon's ad sales rise 37% to outpace digital rivals

The Q2 increase follows a 34% growth rate for Q1, which had marked a sudden deceleration from the more than 60% gains seen in the prior five quarters.

By Robert Williams • July 26, 2019

Catalina ties digital ads to real-world purchases across 700 audience segments

As the shopper intelligence firm continues its digital transformation, it has partnered with LiveRamp to target and measure CPG ads.

By Barry Levine • July 26, 2019

Columbia Pictures lights up Spotify with Tarantino takeover

Spotify will stream a four-part podcast interview of the director around his latest film premiere.

By Robert Williams • July 26, 2019

Influencer marketing should focus on conversational health, not vanity metrics

Instead of asking for an influencer's top posts, assess the best conversations — ones that show excitement and receptivity that could take a campaign to the next level, writes Captiv8's Vishal Gurbuxani.

By Vishal Gurbuxani • July 25, 2019

Walmart, CVS and Hallmark pilot Contobox's shoppable ads

Early campaigns found that users were 4.5 times more likely to begin browsing products within the interactive ads than click through to a brand's website.

By Natalie Koltun , Robert Williams • July 25, 2019

Facebook's Q2 revenue jumps 28% as mobile ads power growth

Mobile video accounted for more than half of video revenue for the social giant that says "thumb-stopping" creative must hook users within three seconds.

By Robert Williams • July 25, 2019

Ad Age: Amazon courts Colgate, L'Oréal and Lululemon for 'audio ads' test

Attached to Amazon's new music streaming service, the format could also be a bid to shore up Alexa's strength as the audio space heats up.

By Peter Adams • July 25, 2019

Study: Gen Z prefers social media as top influence channel

The cohort differs from older generations in saying that online videos are a key brand discovery platform, behind social media and websites.

By Robert Williams • July 25, 2019

E-commerce channel, mobile search ads boomed in Q2, study finds

Stories accounted for 18% of all Instagram ads, up from 9%, and spending for Stories grew a massive 186% compared to Q2 2018.

By Barry Levine • July 25, 2019

Study: 57% of consumers would use voice for cheaper goods, not big ticket items

Only 18% said they would pay for a vacation or book flights via voice tech.

By Robert Williams • July 25, 2019

NYC weighs ban on sale of mobile location data

The city would be the first to forbid the controversial sale of geolocation data to third parties.

By Robert Williams • July 24, 2019

Pinterest's 'compassionate search' forgoes targeted ads

Mental health resources arrive on the platform in the latest sign that companies are addressing negative effects of digital media on users' emotional well-being.

By Robert Williams • July 24, 2019

Snap adds record 13M users in Q2 as revenue jumps 48%

Improvements to Snapchat from Q1 appear to be gaining momentum, which could give marketers more confidence to advertise on the app.

By Robert Williams • July 24, 2019

HotelTonight debuts FOMO-themed campaign promoting Daily Drop feature

The "A Hard Deal to Deal With" campaign plays up missed opportunities for the app's tool across GIFs, digital video, TV ads and more.

By Dianna Christe • July 24, 2019

OpenTable moves into delivery with new app feature

The reservation platform partnered with Uber Eats, Caviar and Grubhub to offer the service to more than 8,000 restaurants in 90 U.S. metro areas.

By Julie Littman • July 24, 2019