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How Did This Get Approved?

Brand Backlash, Agency Consolidation + Jobs Worth Clicking

Callaway and Good Good Golf

A promotional video Good Good posted and deleted the same day cost the creator group its Callaway partnership, a PGA Tour title sponsorship, retail shelf space and a Golf Channel program.

Target

Target pulled a children's clown costume after critics said its imagery recalled racist minstrel caricatures, apologized, and said it was reviewing how the product reached the marketplace.

Neutrogena

Neutrogena acknowledged it made Hayden Panettiere feel unsupported when she spoke publicly about postpartum depression, and said it would invest in women's health.

Texas Roadhouse

Viral posts alleged employees tampered with food served to Black customers. Texas Roadhouse says a third-party investigation found no evidence supporting the claims.

Dolly Parton: Creativity, Ownership and Generosity

Parton built a career across songwriting, film, television, tourism and philanthropy without losing the voice that made the work unmistakably hers. Her U.S. streams rose more than 2,000 percent after her death.

Yayoi Kusama: A Visual Language Without Limits

Kusama proved a singular creative language could move across galleries, public spaces, fashion, merchandise and popular culture without losing its identity.

Omnicom Media launches Hearts United

Hearts & Science and Mediahub combine into a network operating in 40 markets with roughly $9.1 billion in 2025 billings, led by Nicole Estebanell in the U.S. and Ross Jenkins in EMEA.

Taboola expands with NBC News

Taboola's Realize platform will support global programmatic display across NBCNews.com and TODAY.com, widening a relationship that previously centered on native advertising and recommendations.

Dentsu Makes AI Transparency an Agency Commitment

Dentsu says it is the first global marketing and advertising group to sign the EU Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content, and will build workflows, tools, training and labeling around it.

IFA Expands Its Content-Creation Floor

IFA Berlin says its Content Creation Show Area will grow by 70 percent and span two halls, covering cameras, drones, lenses, studio tools, storage, VR, AR and AI-enabled editing.

Who Won, Who Cut and What Comes Next in Advertising

Stagwell reports record new business as WPP and VideoAmp reduce headcount. Here is what it means.

WPP reports major wins during a difficult first half

WPP cited consolidated mandates for Estée Lauder, Henkel and Wendy's, plus retentions including Skechers, Tesco, Huawei, L'Oréal, Uber and Deutsche Bahn — wins that sit beside falling revenue and workforce reductions.

5W becomes Novo's public relations agency of record

5W will lead corporate communications, executive visibility, thought leadership and earned media for the financial platform serving more than 250,000 small businesses.

UM becomes Mark Anthony Brands' global media agency of record

The White Claw parent appointed UM after a MediaSense-managed review; MediaPost reported estimated annual media spending of $110 million.

DoorDash appoints WME as entertainment agency of record

WME's Entertainment Marketing & Advisory group will lead development across DoorDash's entertainment initiatives and cultural partnerships.

Volkswagen turns 50 years of memory into forward motion

Volkswagen's Golf GTI anniversary film from Adam&Eve/DDB moves through home-video textures and decades of cultural memory, set to Candi Staton's "You Got the Love."

Google pulls Demand Gen closer to the transaction

Google's July 29 Demand Gen release adds Checkout Links in nine more markets, updated target-ROAS bidding, product feeds and affiliate amplification, and YouTube-to-checkout paths in the U.S.

Comscore confirms a workforce reduction as measurement companies restructure

On August 11, Comscore said its restructuring includes employee terminations, expanded offshore support and possible geographic exits, with $20 million to $25 million in expected annual savings.

Snap builds disclosure links into pharmaceutical social ads

On August 11, Snap introduced multi-CTA attachments for U.S. pharmaceutical advertisers, allowing up to three disclaimer links beside a primary CTA.

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