Chris Vincelli, previously the vice president of publishing at in-game advertising platform Anzu, has joined video game advertising and monetization company Bidstack where he will act as the vice president of enterprise partnerships and work with existing gaming and programmatic advertising partners.

Bidstack founder and CEO James Draper wrote in a recent release that Vincelli will help expand the company’s commercial partnerships portfolio and “ramp up” its expansion into the U.S. market, which began with the recent C-suite hires of Jude O’Connor and Camila Franklin.

“By bringing Chris on board, Bidstack demonstrates its unwavering commitment to capitalizing on the untapped potential within the in-game advertising market,” added Draper.

Since entering in-game advertising in 2017 with Sport Interactive’s Football Manager series, Bidstack has worked with leading game publishers like Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive, while also devising and running campaigns for brands including Marriott, Bonvoy, Paco Rabanne and Doritos.

“The global video games advertising industry is ripe for disruption,” commented Vincelli, adding that he’s looking forward to delivering in-game advertising solutions and helping global brands reach “billions of engaged eyeballs at scale without interrupting gameplay.”

Prior to joining Bidstack, Vincelli helped Anzu form strategic partnerships with AAA games companies. He’s been in the mobile ad industry for a decade, having held roles at Vungle, Verizon Media and Yahoo.

A Planned Parenthood patient is asking a federal judge to issue an order prohibiting Google from collecting sensitive medical data from healthcare providers, and requiring the company to delete any information it may have previously collected from healthcare sites.

In a motion filed Thursday, the patient argues that Google's alleged data collection is causing “irreparable harm” to herself and other web users who visit healthcare sites.

“Google’s tracking technology is likely incorporated on thousands of healthcare providers’ websites and mobile applications at this time,” lawyers for the patient, who is proceeding anonymously, write. “Every time an individual utilizes these services to request treatment, make an appointment, or otherwise communicate with their healthcare provider, Google intercepts this data and invades the individual’s privacy. Absent an injunction, this harm will continue.”

The motion comes in a class-action complaint filed earlier this month by a patient who said she used Planned Parenthood's site to search for an abortion provider, and received treatment at the reproductive health care center's affiliate in Burbank, California.

She alleged that Planned Parenthood's site included Google analytics tools that sent sensitive information back to the company.

Her complaint refers to an investigation by the app Lockdown Privacy, which reported last June that Planned Parenthood's site used third-party analytics tools leaked “extremely sensitive data" to third parties including Google, Meta and TikTok.

The information provided to Google included users' IP address, behavior on the site, ZIP code estimate, reason for visiting (including whether to schedule a surgical abortion), and pseudonymous identifier, according to The Washington Post.

After that report came out, Planned Parenthood said it would suspend the use of analytics tools from third parties like Google and Meta, according to The Post.

The complaint claims Google violated the California constitution, which includes a right to privacy, and various other privacy-related state laws.

Her lawyers argued Thursday that their claims are likely to succeed for several reasons, including that people “have a reasonable expectation in their health data and communications with healthcare providers from whom they receive treatment.”

Counsel also argues that web users could not have consented to the data collection, because they had “no way of knowing that Google is secretly intercepting their health data and private communications.”

Google hasn't yet responded to MediaPost's request for comment.

Google isn't the only company facing a lawsuit for allegedly collecting sensitive data from health sites.

Meta also is defending itself in a similar matter. The social media platform recently asked a federal judge to throw out that case, arguing that it instructs web developers to avoid sending sensitive health data.

“There is nothing inherently unlawful or harmful about the pixel-based analytics technology at the heart of this case,” the company argued in papers filed earlier this month in the Northern District of California. “Web developers -- not Meta -- choose whether, where, and how they will use the Meta Pixel.”

LoopMe, an ad-tech company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve brand advertising performance, has launched an Intelligent Marketplace that it says creates a smarter programmatic ecosystem for buyers and sellers. It also maintains high-bid matches for demand.

PubMatic CRO for EMEA Emma Newman believes LoopMe’s Intelligent Marketplace aligns with its commitment to manage the supply of ad inventory.

The Intelligent Marketplace offers an increase of 40 times in buying efficiencies for demand-side platforms (DSPs).

New dynamic filtering capabilities suppress 98% of supply that will not receive a bid. The capability aims to deliver higher yield for supply partners and a better and more efficient programmatic buying experience.

This also provides a more sustainable marketplace, reducing the amount of impressions being returned and thereby reducing its emissions.

With this latest enhancement, LoopMe’s Intelligent Marketplace for supply and demand is greener by design -- delivering a fully certified, sustainable supply path for its global partners.

LoopMe also recently announced its carbon net zero-emission achievement as part of the company’s ongoing sustainability initiatives.

It leverages AI technology to filter all ad requests, and streamlines the process for demand partners and reduces processing by 98%, accelerating its commitment to providing industry-leading sustainable technology. 

With its roots in mobile in-app video and gaming, LoopMe has expanded to other screens including connected television (CTV). The Intelligent Marketplace manages more than 300 billion ad requests daily, serving more than 50,000 apps and sites. The latest generation of its unique personalized traffic shaping capability suppresses 98% of ad requests that would not be the right fit, delivering efficiencies and sustainability for clients like Magnite, PubMatic, StackAdapt, Unity, and Xandr.

The company supports more than 2 billion monthly active users in its DMP and unique data points on users in the Intelligent Marketplace.

Meta announced on Thursday that ads in Instagram search results will now be available through the Instagram Marketing API, allowing third-party social-management platforms to offer a new Instagram ad-placement type in their apps.

Meta began testing search ads placement in Instagram in March, allowing brands’ ads and promotions to appear in users’ feeds when tapping into a post from search results. For example, if someone searches “Skin Care” in the app, relevant ads will be featured in the results.

“With this new addition, you will be able to update your app to enable your clients to create and preview ads in Instagram search results via API,” per Meta in the blog announcement.

Developers are now able to use “INSTAGRAM_SEARCH” as one of the placement options when creating ads, with the added ability to preview their ad in the “INSTAGRAM_SEARCH_CHAIN” format,” the company stated.

The new capacity also enables ad insights, so brands will be able to see how their ads perform via the Instagram search results placement. This update, therefore, allows third-party management platforms like Hootsuite to offer full ad creation and analysis measurements directly in their apps.

Many of my friends who write fiction and memoirs say they listen to music while creating. If I would have to guess, I would say eight out of 10 do this. Does that mean they would accept a commercial break? I don’t think so.

It’s the focus on the tones and the notes that inspires them, similar to the way the longer days of spring and summer inspire people to venture out of their homes to visit friends, travel, enjoy outdoor activities, eat and shop.

Audio research and analytics platform Veritonic conducted a survey in April of 598 U.S. individuals, ages 18 and older, who reported listening to podcasts and streaming audio at least once in the last month. The data found 78% are likely to listen to streaming audio and podcasts when outside in the summer.

Scott Simonelli, co-founder and CEO of Veritonic, believes with more people listening to audio and podcasts it will shift advertising dollars — at least during spring and summer.

“A mobile-first, always-on and deeply engaging medium like audio gives advertisers a vehicle to test and optimize campaigns,” he said.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) hosted its annual podcast upfront earlier in May, projecting ad revenue to climb 25% in 2023 -- surpassing $2 billion in annual ad revenue. By the end of 2025, the IAB expects ad revenue to reach $3.98 billion, more than doubling from 2022 revenue.

The survey unpacked monthly spring and summer listening habits for podcasts, music and streaming audio found 50% listen during beach days and 65% listen during outdoor activities.

During idle tasks such as waiting in line at the airport or for an appointment, 66% said they listen to streaming audio, while 51% cited podcasts and 21% said they listen to AM or FM radio.

Some 66% reported listening to podcasts when they are bored, outranking consumption of both television and streaming audio. About 62% said they stream TV, while 58% listen to streaming audio and 23% listen to the AM or FM radio when bored.

About 63% listen to podcasts when they are on road trips, while 72% listen to streaming audio, 58% listen to AM or FM radio, and 8% find other content.

Some 37% of respondents also said they are most likely to tune into streaming audio, podcasts, or music while dinning outdoors and 30% tune in while camping.

Sport Clips Haircuts believes men should get pampered while watching sports.

To promote that idea, Preacher launched a new campaign and tagline — “It’s a Game Changer” — to position the haircut franchise as a must for men.

This is the first work for the agency since being named AOR last summer.

First launched in 1993, Sport Clips comprises nearly 1,900 stores in the U.S. and Canada, located in all 50 states. Men can get a haircut, massaging shampoo and hot-towel treatment while watching games.

The three 30-second spots — here, here and here — were directed by JJ Adler, who has also done work for Geico, P&G and Virgin Mobile. The ads run across linear TV, streaming video, radio, social and digital.

“Our task was to get men who think of haircuts as a chore to see Sport Clips as an experience intentionally designed for them — and one they will look forward to,” said Martin Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of Sport Clips.

The focus for potential customers was comfort and relaxation, not checking off a to-do list. Sport Clips Haircuts also offers online check-in for clients.

“You can get a haircut anywhere. Sport Clips is more like getting away with one,” said Greg Hunter, executive creative director, Austin, Texas-based Preacher.

Preacher has also done work forShake Shack, High Noon, Foot Locker, StreetEasy and ESPN.

The new “Lucky’s Charmology” mobile campaign give breakfast some kick.

VMLY&R Commerce turns eating Lucky Charms cereal into a chance to determine your fortune that day.

At LuckysCharmology.com, users can photograph their cereal bowl with their smartphone’s camera. Based on the magical charms that rise to the top, they receive a personalized fortune.

The upbeat forecasts include: “Big things are coming your way and what you’ve been waiting for will soon be a reality.”

Each fortune can be shared across social platforms to enhance engagement.

Lucky’s Charmology” will also be supported with a social-influencer campaign that brings a live “reading” experience to Lucky Charms fans from astrologer influencers Aliza Kelly (Instagram) and Stina Garbis (TikTok) every Friday in May. It’s also running on Target.com.

“We wanted to create an exclusive experience to break through with Gen Z in the cereal aisle,” said Graciela Sanchez, customer marketing associate manager at General Mills for Target. “Our research points to Gen Z and millennials contributing to the growth of the astrology and mystical-reading industry, so embracing the magic of our brand and its distinct charms felt incredibly authentic.”

The “mystical services” industry as a whole is pegged at $2.2 billion, according to IBIS World. A large part of the boom is attributed to younger demographics that often reject traditional religion but embrace New Age spirituality.

The cereal-bowl-scanning technology was developed by the VMLY&R Commerce in-house Tech Lab exclusively for the launch of Lucky’s Charmology. 

Rookie Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino was right. @elonmusk's "spaces" with @RonDesantis was "history in the making."

It certainly wasn't making the future.

Heck, it didn't even make the present.

Within an hour of hosting an "unable to fetch Space" link, rookie Twitter CTO Elon Musk deleted it, though an ironically labeled "live with Ron DeSantis" recording of the herky-jerky conversation hosted by @DavidSacks remains as historical proof of it.

"I think we melted the internet there," Sacks quips at the start of it.

"Yep, that was insane, sorry," replies Musk, explaining that he defaulted to Sack's Twitter account, because his "basically broke the Twitter system."

After pundits called the event a "fiasco," a "melt down," "awkward," and "horrendous," Musk tweeted "I call it massive attention. Top story on Earth day."

It was yet another example of Musk's failure to grasp the concept that not all attention is good attention, especially when it demonstrates how bad you are at your job.

Ironically, it was the second time in recent weeks that Musk utilized an event to draw massive attention to a Twitter engineering fail.

Earlier this month, Musk utilized even herkier-jerkier Twitter technology -- its "2015 Periscope code" to broadcast news announcing its partnership with NBCUniversal for its coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

"What a fiasco," Musk says midway through that failure to launch, prompting then NBCU exec Linda Yaccarino to tweet that the tech might be a good for that partnership, but "Let's just go hi res first..."

Needless to say, she got the job anyway.

So the good news for Musk, DeSantis and anyone else following the top story on Earth yesterday is that it got everyone's attention. The bad news is it demonstrated what a shoestring operation Twitter actually is.

I don't know how that will lift -- or deflate -- Twitter's brand, or even what the rookie engineering move might be for Musk's other technological brands (Space X, Tesla, etc.), but it was entertaining to watch it become the top joke on Earth yesterday. Especially when the last laugh went to @joebiden who tweeted, "This link works" to the Biden/Harris reelection fundraising page.

To help marketing teams manage increased customer-service requests on social channels, social-media management site Hootsuite has released an upgraded Inbox product that gives marketers a bird's-eye view of all public and private messages on all networks, as well as comments on Facebook ads.

Inbox provides a centralized platform for social media marketers to manage messaging, with embedded functionalities that make responding to inquiries more efficient without jeopardizing a quality response, the company says.

Hootsuite’s 2023 Social Trends Report shows half of organizations deciding that social customer service is the marketing team's responsibility.

With 40% of consumers expecting brands to provide assistance in their chosen channels –– such as Messenger or Instagram –– marketing teams “now have to manage yet another channel, become customer service agents, and address their customers' inquiries within the social channels they live on,” the company says.

Allowing marketers to view all of their social channel inboxes at once, with the added ability to search through all social messages left by customers, is Hootsuite's solution to this problem.

“Inbox encourages efficient collaboration among internal teams, and offers a suite of features to streamline responses and speed up service,” the company states in a recent release.

These features––accessible only to Hootsuite Business and Enterprise users––include collaborative messaging routing, automated responses, chatbot-integration, performance measurement, CSAT surveys, alerts, mobile access, linked customer profiles and more.

“Our social team polled customers to understand their pain points on social, and what we heard was that our customers' greatest struggle is not being able to engage with their customers and respond to inquiries 24/7,” says Natalia Williams, chief product officer at Hootsuite, adding that the company's Inbox tool was upgraded to help “simplify, accelerate and empower” this process for its customers.