BREAKING NEWS: Advertising

Meta and X Approve AI Ads Referencing Nazi War Crimes Ahead of German Elections, Research Finds

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:01:00 +0000

Meta and X gave the green light to AI-generated ads that called for the gassing of immigrants in concentration camps and the burning of synagogues ahead of Germany's federal elections on Feb. 23, according to new research from corporate accountability group Eko. The watchdog submitted 10 extremist ads filled with hate speech to both platforms...

Thursday, Feb. 20 Evening Cable News Ratings: The Five Is 1st in Total Viewers

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 23:22:48 +0000

Fox News' The Five won the evening in total viewers as well as in the Adults 25-54 demo. MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show occupied the top spot for the news network in both measured categories, while on CNN, it was the 5 p.m. edition of The Lead with Jake Tapper winning in total viewers and...

MLB and ESPN Break Up Their Baseball Team Over Fees and Coverage

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 23:16:39 +0000

After tipping their pitches considerably in recent years, Major League Baseball and ESPN announced Thursday that they have "mutually agreed" to end their broadcast rights deal with three years left to go. While MLB and the sports network have been paired in one form or another since 1990, their current deal was supposed to extend...

X Rolls Out AI-Generated Ads in Push to Win Advertisers Back

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 23:03:47 +0000

X is debuting AI-powered advertising tools designed to automate ad creation and performance analysis, the company announced Friday. Two new features, rolling out in phases to advertisers, rely on X's proprietary AI assistant Grok to generate ad copy, imagery, and campaign insights with minimal human input. "Prefill with Grok" is a new creation tool for...

A$AP Rocky is Ray-Ban’s First Creative Director

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 22:45:53 +0000

Ray-Ban has named A$AP Rocky as its first creative director. The Harlem rapper and fashion innovator, born Rakim Mayers, will guide creative projects and shape the future of the brand's image and design. He will kick off his appointment with a "Blacked Out Collection," a redesign of Ray-Ban's iconic sunglasses shapes with a new ultra-black...

Wednesday, Feb. 19 Evening Cable News Ratings: Jesse Watters Primetime Wins in Adults 25-54

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 22:41:45 +0000

There are some interesting developments in the Adults 25-54 demo as Jesse Watters Primetime leaped over The Five as Fox News' most-watched show. The Rachel Maddow Show was MSNBC's top show, and on CNN, the 10 p.m. ET show, CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, led the network in the demo. 25-54 Demographic (Live+SD x 1,000)...

Ticker: CBS News Tweaks Format of CBS Evening News

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 22:01:44 +0000

Top of the Ticker: As it nears its first month anniversary, CBS Evening News is making minor adjustments to its format. The evening broadcast, helmed by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, has seen three straight weeks of declines in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo since its January debut. The show initially favored long-form...

Citigroup Scales Back DEI Initiatives

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:29 +0000

The diversity, equity, and inclusion dominoes continue to fall, and Citigroup became the latest to tumble. CNBC reported that Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser sent a companywide memo Thursday, stating that it no longer require a diverse slate of candidates for job interviews, that it would only set "aspirational representation goals" where required by local law,...

Stay In Charge When They Interrupt

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 +0000

Whether it’s someone in the audience, a colleague who constantly interjects, a superior who dominates conversations, or a client who disregards your input, handling interruptions with professionalism and poise is essential. To do that you need some tools in your speaker toolbox. Public speaking coach Rosemary Ravinal obliges in this column.

By Rosemary Ravinal

No one likes to be interrupted when they’re speaking. But some people relish the role of disruptor, the contrarian, the “bad ass” who challenges the speaker and steals the show. Others interrupt in more subtle ways and may be unaware of their rudeness.

Recently, a young man in a conversation circle I was moderating shouted out that I was steering the discussion with bias. Earlier, I had cut him off when he tried to interrupt other participants. I walked towards him and asked him to stand and voice his opinion. He did so warily. After he spoke, I thanked him for the courage of his convictions. He looked at me with disbelief and didn’t interrupt again.

The lesson I share here is that though rude interruptions shouldn’t be tolerated, there’s value in defusing anger that may escalate if not released in time. Giving a repeat interrupter the spotlight may satisfy their need for attention and validation.

Here are a few phrases you can use to demonstrate confidence and control:

Assertively reclaim your speaking time:

Let’s ensure everyone has a chance to speak.
Please wait your turn to speak.
Let me finish so you can understand better.

Redirect the conversation:

That’s an interesting perspective, and I’ll address it in a moment.
I hear what you’re saying, but I’d like to finish this thought before we explore that.
I’m glad you asked that question, but for the sake of time, could we hold off until the end?

Address interrupters with diplomacy:

I’ve noticed that you often jump in when I’m speaking. Would you raise your hand instead of interrupting me in mid-sentence?
I value our discussions but give me a chance to fully state my ideas for context.
Let’s take your comments offline so we have more time to dialogue.

Body language and proximity to the interrupter, as I used effectively, are good techniques to have in your arsenal. Raising a hand slightly, maintaining direct eye contact, or holding up a finger to signal “just a moment” can deter interruptions without building tension.

Rosemary Ravinal’s Master Communicator Blog, How to deal with interruptions and stay cool, expands on non-verbal techniques to deal with unwanted interruptions.

Let Rosemary help you speak with impact and confidence. Office hours with Rosemary Ravinal are available. Click here for more information.

Do Marketers Still Care About Brand Safety on YouTube and CTV?

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:51:14 +0000

With performance and measurement top of mind, brand safety is dropping down the list of priorities for marketers advertising on YouTube and connected TV. That's according to a new study from Pixability, which surveyed U.S. media agency professionals who buy ads on video platforms. The survey asked the media buyers to rank the importance of...

5 Reasons Nike’s Collab With Kim Kardashian’s Skims Makes Sense

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:29:37 +0000

In case you missed it, Nike is betting big on Kim Kardashian's Skims. The pair have just announced a collaboration: NikeSkims, an activewear brand for women that will launch this spring. Like most things Kardashian touches, the news created a big buzz. Within 24 hours of the announcement, Nike's share price rose 6.2%, adding $6.7...

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