Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s new daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here.
Introducing the Demystifying Gen Z Series
How well do you know Gen Z? What platforms do they use? Do they like the retail experience? The upcoming generation is on track to be the most diverse, best-educated and a higher-earning generation than their predecessors. But what does that mean for marketers? Adweek brought in 18 Gen Zers for a new series called Demystifying Gen Z, and asked marketers’ most pressing questions to the post-millennial generation.
Watch it: Picking the brains of Gen Z.
Could Knoxville Be the Next Boulder of the Agency World?
Previously, we took a look at why so much agency talent was fleeing New York, Los Angeles and Chicago for smaller hubs like Austin, Texas, Omaha, Neb., and Knoxville, Tenn. Creatives explained all the appeals of Knoxville, specifically: smaller market with a vibrant downtown and creative scene. It has a pipeline of great talent coming out of the University of Tennessee, and it’s an outdoor paradise.
Read more: Go inside the rise of Knoxville as potentially the next great mid-sized creative outlet.
Inside the Streaming Services’ Scheduling Struggles
To binge drop or not to binge drop, that is the question. As the streaming wars escalate, the various streaming services face a critical content question: release a season all at once or in the traditional weekly installments. In this week’s issue of the magazine, streaming editor Kelsey Sutton looked all the major players and their strategies. For instance, CBS found there isn’t much a difference in viewer habits for either strategy, but dropping shows weekly makes it easier to market the show for a longer period of time.
Read more: What the streaming services are doing to keep viewers happy.
How Walmart’s Self-Service Ad Platform Stacks Up Against Amazon’s
Amazon is big and looking to take over the world. But Walmart isn’t quite ready to bend the knee. The retailer is developing a self-service ad platform and API in a move straight out of Amazon’s playbook. Agencies say it should be good for the industry as a whole as it gives them—and their brand clients—more control over ad spend and helps Walmart better compete with Amazon and monetize its properties.
Read more: Walmart announces new self-service ad platform and rollout date.
Best of the Rest: Today’s Top News and Insights
South Dakota Baffles Rest of America With New Drug Slogan, ‘Meth. We’re On It’
This is a real anti-drug campaign in South Dakota. Not surprisingly, it’s not getting rave reviews.
What new skills do employees need that they didn’t need a couple years ago?
Kiko Martinez, senior planner, Grey Group
Reactiveness. Not just to trends, but the digital landscape. It changes quicker than we can keep track of, and even digital marketers struggle to stay effective. Ask any digital [insert title here] about TikTok and its approach to advertising, and not many will give you the right answer. Ask them about the ever-evolving retail game with eComm and shopper, and they will give you the right answer… for 2019 Q1 (but not FY19Q4).
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/demystifying-gen-z-how-streaming-services-keep-viewers-happy-tuesdays-first-things-first/