WPP’s CEO, Cindy Rose, hired psychologist Dr Michael Gervais — who has also done work with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks — to restore morale among employees. According to The Times, Gervais spoke to 175 of WPP’s global executives at an event in London on 14 April.
But what would probably improve WPP’s morale even more is retaining Adidas’ global media account. Publicis and Omnicom are also pitching for the business, which reportedly will put the winning agency in charge of £370m of media spend and has been with WPP since 2018.
Media owners:
Facebook introduced a new feature that scans users’ camera rolls and suggests photos and videos they should post. The opt-in feature, available to users in the UK and EU, recommends edits and collages, too. It’s definitely a tad creepy but part of efforts to get regular people posting on social media again. It also taps into Meta’s long-running interest in facial recognition, while feeding its ever-hungry AI beast.
Speaking of AI, Meta is looking to offset its skyrocketing costs by laying off 8,000 employees and closing another 6,000 open roles. In an internal memo on Thursday, first reported by Bloomberg, chief people officer Janelle Gale told staff the news that 10% of them would be let go on May 20
170 authors quit French publisher Grasset, citing concerns over owner Vincent Bolloré’s conservative ideology. The tipping point was the forced departure of long-time CEO Olivier Nora on 14 April, described by authors as the ‘glue’ holding the house together for 26 years. Bolloré not only controls Hachette Livre, Grasset’s parent, but also popular CNews, which has faced accusations that it aids the rise of the far right. More than 300 writers have since called for a ‘conscience clause’ to protect their independence. For now, this remains contained in France but this is a worldwide tension. You have to wonder what authors at Murdoch-owned HarperCollins make of all this. And what will the repercussions be on the rest of Bolloré’s empire, including at Havas…
Fortnite’s officially licensed ‘Italian brainrot’ skins are getting pushback from creators. The surreal, AI-generated characters raise a simple question: who actually owns figures like Tung Tung Tung Sahur or Ballerina Cappuccina? Mementum Labs, which claims rights to Tung Tung Tung Sahur via a deal with its TikTok creator, collaborated with Epic Games on the release. The problem is that ownership is disputed. Spyder Games, behind popular Roblox experience Steal a Brainrot, argues AI-generated content without meaningful human authorship can’t be copyrighted and filed a legal complaint last year. The case won’t be settled quickly but it highlights the legal fog around AI-made content and the increasingly strange tastes of GenAlpha.
OpenAI is shifting its ad model inside ChatGPT from pure impressions to performance, a move that puts it in direct competition with Google. OpenAI has begun testing cost-per-click (CPC) ads, allowing advertisers to pay only when users click rather than when ads are shown. Early reports suggest clicks are priced between $3 and $5.
Brands
KitKat Canada had its van flanked by a convoy of black security vehicles, following the well-publicised theft of 12 tons of KitKats during transit in Europe. The stunt took off on video, with executives calling it a ‘presidential’ level of protection for the company’s most valued commodity.
Sydney Sweeney is back in American Eagle with Syd for Short, a campaign for denim shorts. Sweeney’s debut campaign for American Eagle jeans last year featured the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress talking about her ‘great genes’, in a pun that some thought came across as a little… eugenics-adjacent. The tone of the new ad is more relaxed, and Sweeney’s reappearance seems to put to bed the debate about whether the previous controversy hurt the brand’s sales. Maybe Huggies will have a brand deal for her, too?
Apple has announced that CEO Tim Cook will be leaving this year. He took over from Steve Jobs 15 years ago and led Apple to become the first public company to be valued at $1tn in 2018. He will be replaced by head of hardware engineering John Ternus on 1 September. Cook described him as a visionary, and company updates have highlighted Ternus’ work overseeing development of major products including the iPhone, iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch.
