Drip Sequence💧

In case you missed it:

I sent out a report detailing the comp survey, if you missed the first newsletter the URL for the LookerBI Dashboard can be found right here.

Also I am always open to suggestions to evolve this newsletter, feel free to either DM me on IG or reply back to this email with feedback or with stuff you would want to see in here.

Headline Overviews

• Who is @digital_chadvertising, the ad industry’s self-appointed memelord? The Drum was kind enough to write an anon profile about me, unfortunately it is currently paywalled but 12ft.io is a thing.

• Swing state Wisconsin remains target of frequent political ads In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Wisconsin's swing-state status has led to a surge in political ads across TV and internet platforms, with residents increasingly expressing fatigue from the repetitive messaging. Communications expert Michael Mirer explains that the focus of these ads often shifts late in the campaign season, emphasizing mobilizing supporters and potentially dissuading opposition voters.

• Chicago-Area Billboards Hacked to Show MrBeast Endorsing Anti-Israel Messages Two Chicago-area billboards owned by OUTFRONT Media were hacked to display anti-Israel messages falsely attributed to YouTuber MrBeast, whose image and name appeared alongside inflammatory statements. The incident, lasting roughly 90 minutes, was quickly addressed by OUTFRONT Media, which shut down the displays and issued a statement condemning the unauthorized content. Authorities and MrBeast’s team are investigating the hack, which occurred in a community with a significant Jewish population at the start of the Jewish holiday Sukkot.

• Dunkin’ Drops Jaws With ‘Unhinged’ Halloween Ad Campaign: ‘I Know HR Is Stressing’ Dunkin’s latest Halloween ad campaign, featuring bold, tongue-in-cheek social media posts, has taken fans by surprise with its “unhinged” humor and quirky approach. The campaign has gone viral, with many users shocked to discover that the edgy content is authentic and not Photoshopped, sparking reactions about the potential stress on Dunkin’s HR team. Following the footsteps of brands like Wendy’s and Nutter Butter, Dunkin’ is leaning into humor and edgy content for a larger impact on their brand marketing

• Support for a U.S. TikTok ban continues to decline, and half of adults doubt it will happen Support for a U.S. ban on TikTok is waning, with fewer Americans backing the idea compared to previous years. According to Pew Research, half of U.S. adults now doubt that a ban will ever be implemented, reflecting a notable shift in public opinion as debates around the app's influence and data security continue.

• Meta signs its first big AI deal for news Meta has signed its first major AI agreement with Reuters, allowing its chatbot to use Reuters’ news content for responding to current events queries. This multi-year deal will ensure Meta AI users on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger can access news summaries and links from Reuters. While Meta’s past AI initiatives were more entertainment-focused, this move marks a shift toward integrating verified news content. Meanwhile, Meta continues to oppose laws mandating payments to news publishers on social media, as evidenced by its recent news access block in Canada.

• Google Agrees to Give DOJ AI Docs After Search Monopoly Ruling Following a ruling that found Google monopolized the search market, the tech giant has agreed to provide the DOJ with documents on integrating generative AI in search, as part of the case’s next phase. Google’s agreement includes AI records relevant to search but excludes certain details on smartphone AI distribution and agreements with third parties like Apple. Judge Amit Mehta urged the DOJ to narrow some requests but upheld its right to access records tied to Google’s distribution agreements. A final decision on remedies is anticipated by August 2025, with Google planning to appeal.

• U.S. Consumers Plan Generous Holiday Spending A Gallup survey reveals U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $1,014 on holiday gifts in 2024, marking a significant increase from last year’s $923 estimate. This spending optimism may reflect improved financial comfort as inflation rates stabilize, promising a strong holiday season for retailers. While spending intentions often dip by November, the current high estimates suggest U.S. retail sales could exceed the average 3.9% growth seen last year.

• Wealthier Americans are driving retail spending and powering US economy Wealthier Americans, benefiting from substantial gains in home and stock market wealth, are driving strong retail spending and supporting U.S. economic growth, despite high inflation and interest rates. In contrast, lower-income consumers, strained by rising costs in essentials like rent and food, have limited discretionary spending, reflecting a divide in consumer behavior. Analysts remain optimistic that, as inflation-adjusted incomes rise, spending will continue to grow, helping to sustain overall economic momentum.

Behind The Scenes of Publicis's 'Egregious' RTO Firings

Monday morning was a whirlwind. I woke up to a text that The Drum had dropped an anonymous profile of me, which was pretty rad to see as the DMs came pouring in with congratulations. I blasted Higher by Creed, injected $8 lattes directly into my veins, and planned to spend the entire day glazing myself on Instagram. That lasted about 15 minutes until this DM slid into my inbox.

Having spent nearly the last two years reporting layoffs on my Instagram page on a near-continuous basis, I’ll admit that I’ve become somewhat desensitized to the shock of hearing about them. After all, thousands of you have hit up my inbox with info right as it drops, and layoffs have always been a part of our industry—even back when times were Gucci. But this is Publicis, and this DM that followed just made everything feel extra weird.

The following hour was spent figuring out which offices were impacted, which we (and by we I mean you, a network across multiple organizations sharing me this) narrowed down to primarily Zenith, Spark Foundry, and a handful over at Starcom. Publicis, for whatever reason, was extremely tight-lipped about the ordeal, and here’s the information I was able to gather through my inbox:

• ELT was informed on Friday October 18th of the decision; terminations were swiftly carried out the following Monday morning of October 21st across multiple agencies under Publicis

• It was not performance based, those that were fired had not come into the office for a minimum of 25 days this year

• Affected personnel received a phone call to inform them of their termination and were subsequently locked out of their computers within 5–10 minutes.

• This impacted U.S.-based Publicis Media employees

• Spark likely had the highest casualty, one person reported their department “was upwards of 30 people confirmed laid off due to not being RTO compliant”

People were 'disappeared' on Monday morning, showing as offline on Microsoft Teams, and word quickly circulated that immediate managers had been warned by corporate to stay silent. Many of you shared in my DMs that any attempts to ask first-line leaders for answers were immediately shut down.

What made it worse was that Publicis remained completely silent about the situation all day Monday. It wasn’t until the next day that a statement from legal was released, essentially saying they wanted to respect employee confidentiality and would not discuss any details about recent departures.

Oh, and there was supposed to be a town hall coming up soon, but it seems that’s now been pushed back by at least another month.

Publicis’s Response

Since there is no way in hell a major holding company will provide a public comment, I was able to dig this from HRGrapevine:

Publicis Media has over 10,000 employees in the US. In October 2023, CEO Arthur Sadoun introduced the RTO mandate, explaining to employees that he believed remote work has “sometimes stunted creativity.”

Under the mandate, employees must attend the office on a Monday and cannot work remotely for consecutive days.

“We have been clear and consistent about our policy that employees work from the office at least three days a week, an expectation that is being met and exceeded by the majority of our talent,” a spokesperson for Publicis Media US stated, adding that they would not offer further comment on individual employment matters.

Another from PR Week shared this:

A source familiar with the matter said that fewer than 100 people, but in the high double digits, were let go due to "egregious" cases of non-compliance with the policy, which has been firmly in place for about two years. The move is not financially driven, the source added.

There has been speculation that the crackdown affected people who hadn't come into the office 25 days this year, but a source close to Publicis played down that suggestion.

When The Music Stops

The whole event can more or less be described as ‘absolutely cheeks’ and for the broader Publicis organization, morale has got to be pretty low right now if I had to take an educated guess. I think the worst part was seeing DMs from people who told me they are the client and found out through me because the whole event blind sighted agency personnel and nobody was able to provide a straight answer or had any transition plan. I think there’s a major learning lesson here, and you don’t have to be a massive genius like me to realize it would have been ideal to at least provide a 5 day grace period to transition instead of just 5 minutes.

It’s 2024, and remote work is no longer a foreign concept. We all embraced it during the COVID pandemic, yet as that period in time becomes a distant memory, it seems that those in charge are pushing to return to ‘the way things used to be.’ This honestly bothers me, especially in an industry that should be forward-thinking, not regressive, in its approach to the intersection of business and culture.

Job Listing

I can’t think of a bigger kick in the balls than getting laid off one month before Thanksgiving than being laid off the literal the day before Thanksgiving (happened to my friend last year). If you were impacted by this and are reading this right now I am sorry you are going through this. As promised here is a link to some job listings I aggregated over the last few days right HERE. If you have also have been on the hunt for quite some time I hope this has some utility for you as well.

I believe more are coming, stay tuned for my next one where I compile severance packages and will update the job listing on the next issue.

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