ADWEEK

What are your non-negotiables when working on a creator campaign? For Jordan Howlett, it's making sure he can actually interact with the folks he's working with. Join the convo with us at Social Media Week April 14-16 in NYC 👉 https://adweek.it/3NkZO02

Sundial Media & Technology Group, parent of Essence, Refinery29, Afropunk, and more, has appointed marketing veteran Amanda Butler, MBA as its first chief marketing officer. Butler, who started in mid-January, will lead consumer marketing, communications, creative strategy, and insights across the portfolio, including 29Rooms and Essence Fest. CEO Kirk McDonald said the role signals a shift to making marketing a central growth driver across media, live experiences, commerce, and technology. Read more 👉 https://adweek.it/4e0qA8N

Big brands are returning to their founding stories to reset after losing focus, and it is paying off. Nike, down nearly 60% from its 2021 peak, brought back veteran Elliott Hill, reorganized around sports, and relaunched brand storytelling with “Why Do It?”. Starbucks hired Brian Niccol in 2024 to refocus on coffee and the in-store experience, helping lift Q1 2026 revenue 5% to $9.9B and end an eight-quarter slump in U.S. transactions.

"Unilever’s decision to combine its foods business with McCormick & Company isn’t a retreat from food, but a re-focus on areas where it can naturally make more money." Javier E. Rodriguez Horta, senior consultant at Overline, gives his take on the recent restructuring at Unilever.

Agentic commerce dominated the conversation at this year’s Shoptalk, showing up everywhere from panels to private chats. But despite the buzz, no one in the ecosystem has figured out how it will actually work, since consumer behavior and the needed infrastructure are still unclear. Even so, the discussion is starting to push the industry toward action, and early missteps may prove useful.

Complex NTWRK and Fanatics are partnering to launch Complex Bets, a new content vertical tied to Fanatics Sportsbook and Fanatics Markets. It will live on Complex’s site and social channels, with original franchises built around Fanatics’ sports-betting and prediction-market data. Fanatics says the goal is to stand out from rivals like Kalshi and Polymarket by using that data to drive bets and conversation not just on sports, but also on culture topics like fashion, music, and pop culture, rather than presenting it like a neutral “ticker” the way some publisher partnerships do.

When a 30-foot-tall, 230-foot-wide billboard bearing the name Billy Boman went up on a hillside overlooking the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles, designed to evoke the Hollywood sign, the man behind the name kept hearing the same question: “Who the hell is Billy Boman?” The sign was a stunt from freelance marketplace Fiverr, promoting its new AI Video Hub, a curated roster of AI video directors. The campaign was designed to evoke a cultural landmark and position the hub as a direct challenge to expensive, bloated commercial productions. Boman, for his part, has leaned heavily into using AI tools in his work, directing AI videos for Google, Universal Music Group, and Klarna. He also teaches AI at the Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm. Read more from Brittaney Kiefer's interview with Billy Boman 👉 https://adweek.it/4sNSQQO

In last night's edition of On Background, my weekly media newsletter, I covered: — (SCOOP): Time Inc. CEO Jessica Sibley admitting that more bots than humans visit the Time website — (SCOOP): CBS News 24/7 concluding its union negotiations, the first such contract under Bari Weiss and David Ellison — (EXCLUSIVE) The parent company of Essence and Refinery29 hiring Netflix marketing veteran Amanda Butler, MBA as its first CMO — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hiring former The Washington Post social media maven Travis Lyles to lead its social strategy — The real reason behind CNET's return to news-gathering — My favorite stories of the last week, from SEMAFOR, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, and The New York Times — A Q&A with podcast executive AJ Feliciano about his new podcast studio, Companion — And a deep-dive into the frothy world of food media M&A, led by BuzzFeed's Tasty and Vox Media's Eater coming to market My latest for ADWEEK: https://lnkd.in/emdKeWdG

There are going to be a lot of people roaming around Miami Beach when POSSIBLE comes to town at the end of April. On April 27 and 28, ADWEEK House will bring together the most interesting people at POSSIBLE so you can connect with other leaders who actually understand your job, your brand, and your industry. Stop by for curated networking moments, exclusive insights, and maybe even a little bit of fun. Space will be limited, so register today to secure your spot ➡️ https://adweek.it/4madvvF Tabata Gomez, McCormick & Company Silvana Moretti, 11:11 Media Jarrod Moses, United Entertainment Group Stacey Hartnett (Berger), Chomps Doug Radi, Sweet Loren's Chris Riedy, Ibotta Jenny Rooney, ADWEEK