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Good morning,

You made it through Advertising Week! If you went, I hope you attended ADWEEK House: Advertising HQ. We hosted an amazing four days of programming that included AI creative deep dives from OpenArt, copious space for meetings, evening happy hours, and a respite from the dead mall location of the main event, where people were stacked on top of each other like so much cordwood.

The whole week took place against a madcap timeline, as brands geared up for the holidays, Paramount finally sealed the deal with Warner Bros., and Starbucks is reportedly exploring a takeover of Chipotle (Call it the Brian Niccol Culinary Universe). 

Let’s get to the news.

1. Jay Askinasi to Lead Skydance Ad Sales, WBD Ad Leaders Exit After Merger

Jay Askinasi has had a meteoric rise. Just two years ago, he stepped into the ad sales role at Roku vacated by Alison Levin when she left for NBCU. Now, he’s chief revenue officer of advertising for the combined Paramount-WBD entity, Skydance.

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2. Starbucks Is Reportedly Eyeing Chipotle, But The Burrito Chain May Be More Than It Can Chew

The Financial Times has reported that Starbucks is exploring a takeover of Chipotle, potentially reuniting CEO Brian Niccol with the restaurant chain he led from 2018 to 2024. Chipotle shares rose, but Starbucks shares fell as investors freaked out that absorbing the 4,200-location chain would really undermine Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround. The companies are also pretty different operationally. And if you want insight into Niccol's Starbucks strategy, be sure to check out our exclusive feature here.

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3. Walmart Adds One-Hour Express Pickup Ahead Of Holidays

Ahead of the holidays, Walmart is launching Express Pickup in its app, so customers can reserve items for curbside pickup in as little as an hour. Super useful IMO. 500 of Walmart’s 4,600 U.S. stores will have it, and the nationwide rollout is planned for the coming weeks, so it should be ready in time for your last-minute panic buying. 

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4. How Bacardí and AMC Resurrected the Crypt Keeper After 30 Years

I am, personally, stoked about this, as Tales from the Crypt played a formative role in my upbringing. Bacardí and AMC Global Media brought back the iconic Crypt Keeper and the original voiceover artist, John Kassir, reimagining the character as a cocktail-loving DJ. Though one thing about the Crypt Keeper—he always knows how to dress for the occasion.

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5. As Fox News Celebrates 30 Years, Two Originals Share Stories of the Early Days

It’s Fox News’s 30th anniversary. Mark Mwachiro spoke with two OG EVPs, Kim Rosenberg (news programming) and Meade Cooper (primetime programming), who spoke to him about the network’s early days, how it started slowly with videotape, satellite trucks, and Rolodexes, and how it grew into the juggernaut that it is today.

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• Oura wants wellness to mean more than a personal best (ADWEEK).
  
  
• Pentagon plans to live stream an execution (BBC).
  
  
• SpaceX plans to become a major mobile carrier (The Verge).
  
  
• And that news hit Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile shares (CNBC).
  
  
• USA Today execs defend Palantir relationship (Nieman Project).
  
  
• Another Apple update wreaks havoc on adtech (Business Insider).
  
  
• Trump awards big tech donors nation’s highest science prizes (TechCrunch).
  
  
• Aaron Sorkin might make a Mark Zuckerberg trilogy (Variety).
  
  
• Fuse Create’s CD Grant Cleland on his card-collecting pursuit (ADWEEK).
  
  
• Chime’s growth SVP Nick Fairbairn on the close connection between brand lift and direct response (ADWEEK).
  
  
• Land O’Lakes brings rural images to Times Square and cities nationwide (PR Newswire).
  
  
• How brands can turn seasonal momentum into lasting engagement, (ctrl+A with Strava for Business).

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• Tyler Turnbull is leaving McCann to become WPP Creative Global CEO (ADWEEK).