ADWEEK

New month, new us. ADWEEK’s April issue is here. 🌻 @EmmaGrede's rise is all about relentless execution. In 2019, she synced @skims' inventory from the floor of Heathrow ahead of a delayed launch that sold out in 10 minutes and made $2M. From working-class East London to co-founding ITB and helping build @goodamerican and SKIMS, Grede now shares her playbook in her new book "Start With Yourself" and on her renowned Aspire with Emma Grede podcast. Read more on ADWEEK’s April cover star and Brand Genius Creator 👉 adweek.it/3NRv4UN

@ABCWorldNews Tonight with David Muir stayed No. 1 for the week of April 20, rising to an average 8.537M total viewers and 1.56M Adults 25–54, while @NBCNightlyNews with Tom Llamas and @CBSEveningNews with Tony Dokoupil declined. adweek.it/4eXTw1A

🚨 New #Taemin music is coming. 🚨 Here’s what the artist shared about plans for new music after his @coachella performance, and the musical direction he wants to take next.

CEOs are more aligned with their CMOs than ever. But that isn’t translating into how the marketing function is perceived by the corner office, according to Boathouse’s annual CEO Survey of leaders at 150 top U.S. marketers. Read all the findings here 👉 adweek.it/4cSoc1G

Here's this week's Ticker: adweek.it/4n6rwuU

On Prema, Fujii Kaze draws inspiration from American pop music, with much of the album sung in English. We asked the Japanese musician what led to the decision to lean into Western influences and to expand further into the U.S. market at this year’s @coachella. @fujiikazestaff

With the “ginaissance" boom having faded, @HendricksGin knew it couldn’t rely on its usual marketing tactics. The brand turned to an agency startup, AI artistry, and immersive theater to cut through the noise with their campaign for Another Hendrick’s. adweek.it/4e6gjbj

.@VoxMedia, the company known for brands like @Eater and @NYMag, is expected to unwind parts of its portfolio in the coming months via a combination of sales, spin-offs, and divestitures, according to five people familiar with the company and its finances.

EXCLUSIVE: Just days after Possible 2026 wrapped, sponsors are being forced to finalize contracts by today to secure their spots at next year's event. Minimum spend starts at ~$50-70K, per sources familiar with negotiations. More in my story for @Adweek: adweek.com/media/possible…

Tech may not be used in horse racing as widely as it is in other sports, but Griffin Johnson has a plan for that. #KentuckyDerby

.@PossibleEvent, the marketing and media summit owned by @hyvegroup, is rapidly scaling. Its fourth event drew 7,500 attendees in Miami Beach. Organizers are pressing sponsors to re-sign immediately to keep 2027 placements. adweek.it/48CDwhM

.@TheTradeDesk is pushing deeper into retail media with a new deal that brings Dollar General’s onsite display inventory, powered by Kevel, into the same platform advertisers use to buy offsite media, making it easier to plan and measure full-funnel campaigns from awareness to conversion. adweek.it/3ReXZDf

For @FOXTV, the upfront is game on. Heading into his third upfront season as Fox ad sales chief, Jeff Collins told ADWEEK that the company’s philosophy is to turn passionate fandoms into performance for clients, with sports as a key area of focus. adweek.it/4ueR37m

Marketers hurt effectiveness when they treat ads like “films” and hide behind sloppy labels. Ad breaks are breaks from ads, short formats rarely tell real stories, and pricey “activations” and “engagement” often confuse activity with impact. Read more from MiniMBA's Mark Ritson. 👉 adweek.it/3OCgxN9

“Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s @Maybelline.” It’s one of the most iconic brand slogans, and it has evolved with the times. We spoke with Maybelline’s President, Yasmin Dastmalchi, about the tagline and where it’s headed next at @PossibleEvent in Miami.

In this week's voice article, Zappi CMO Nataly Kelly writes about the large number of Chinese retail businesses that are surging due to corporate-backed, international expansion, and moving at a speed most legacy brands in America have never seen. adweek.it/4eVhMS6

New: The gaming platform Chess(.)com recently surpassed 250 million registered users, and it has millions of subscribers paying $119 a year. Now, the company has set its sights on another goal: growing its ads business, which makes up just 10% of its $150 million revenue. ...

Back from a whirlwind few days in Miami at Possible. Here's my recap of the conversations that dominated the event this year: (1/)

In my latest edition of On Background, my weekly media newsletter, I covered: — (SCOOP) Layoffs at The Los Angeles Times, gutting its consumer subscriptions team. The outlet now has around 230,000 paid subscribers, down ~30K since last May, as it focuses on its IPO. ...

.@OpenAI updated its U.S. privacy policy on April 30, formalizing the advertising infrastructure it has been building behind the scenes. adweek.it/3PgQ0oG

Measuring the efficacy of ad spend continues to be one of the thorniest issues marketers face, and the frustrations bubbled up across multiple sessions during ADWEEK House at @PossibleEvent. adweek.it/3QvQ9oJ