Google for gifs startup Giphy raises $55m valuing search platform and gif creator tool at $300m February 16, 2016 Time to start investing in gifs? The popularity of the animated pictures used everywhere online has helped the gif search engine and gif creator tool Giphy raise $55m (£38m) from venture capital investors. The cash follows a $17m round of funding just over a year ago which valued the firm at $80m, as well as crowdfunding some investment in the [...]
Agenda-setting and amusing: Why Buzzfeed is a real innovator February 16, 2016 I don't even have to tell people anymore that Buzzfeed are no longer just about kittens. This is a company that has recently hired some of the brightest and best journalist talent in the UK, including hard-nosed investigative reporters, clever data visualisers and hot political correspondents. Buzzfeed in the UK is built on the hugely [...]
Fast Company’s most innovative companies 2016:OMG! Buzzfeed tops list ahead of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Uber February 16, 2016 Move over Zuckerberg and step aside Bezos – there's a new innovator in town, and it might just surprise you to find out who. Beating both Facebook and Amazon, as well as Uber, Apple and Alphabet, it's media darling and animal listicle inventor Buzzfeed which has been named the most innovative company in the world. Putting a nail in [...]
Yahoo will live stream Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting February 16, 2016 Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway will for the first time ever live stream its annual shareholder meeting. The meeting, due to take place 30 April with around 40,000 shareholders in Omaha, will be broadcast as a live stream online on Yahoo. “Over the past 50 years, we’ve seen a tremendous increase in the interest around our [...]
The politics of advertising: M&C Saatchi’s Tom Bazeley talks AI and Alex Salmond February 15, 2016 In the run-up to the 1997 general election, M&C Saatchi produced an iconic poster for the Conservative Party, which depicted Tony Blair’s face with the eyes of a demon. The strap-line read: “New Labour, new danger”. Though condemned in some corners as negative advertising, the piece won plaudits, though Labour still won in a landslide. For [...]
Shrove Tuesday 2016: Fire insurance claim costs almost double on Pancake Day, and new world record for tallest pancake tower set February 9, 2016 For some people, trying to nail the perfect pancake flip is more than just a cause of frustration – it's a costly fire hazard. According to statistics from home insurance provider Policy Expert, in 2015, claims for fire damage rocketed up to £11,546 on Shrove Tuesday, compared to just £6,543 on an average day for the rest of [...]
Profiting from creative tension: MediaCom’s Josh Krichefski talks Coca-Cola, DNA and short-form video February 8, 2016 "People in advertising have always worked long hours, but I don’t think that is necessary to deliver great work,” says Josh Krichefski, MediaCom UK’s new chief executive. “You won’t get a promotion here for working late,” he adds. Last year, the agency launched a programme called Project Blend to allow employees to talk with their [...]
Super Bowl 50: How much does it cost to run an advert at the Super Bowl? This is how much the likes of Chrysler, Bud Light and Jaguar pay for just a moment of screentime alongside Beyonce February 7, 2016 Advertisers are known for splashing the cash but, when it comes to astronomical invoices for just a moment of fame, there's no event quite like the Super Bowl, which this year sees the Carolina Panthers take on the Denver Broncos. But what can marketers expect for their dosh if they've chosen to lay out a pretty penny for a [...]
Top Gear: “Joey from Friends” actor Matt LeBlanc joins as presenter alongside Chris Evans February 4, 2016 Matt Le Blanc, the actor renowned for playing Friends character Joey Tribbiani, will join Chris Evans as a presenter on a revamped Top Gear. The self-described "car nut" has joined the production of the new show which is set to add other stars to its presenting teams in the coming weeks. Read more: Chris Evans is [...]
Super Bowl 50 2016: Watch the best Super Bowl TV adverts of all time in this top 10 chart February 3, 2016 The Super Bowl is nearly upon us and that means one thing – the world's biggest brands putting a lot of time, effort, and especially money, into creating the most hilarious/talked about/touching/viral (delete as appropriate) advert. The new round of ads are starting to be revealed, but they have some stiff competition from previous successes [...]