ADWEEK Daily news digest

View in Browser Good morning, Well, I guess it is, unless you're a fan of Target's "Hot Santa" mascot, which the retailer has replaced with actress D’Arcy Carden in its latest holiday ad. The campaign marks the season's first big one, and gird your loins for plenty more, because the ADWEEK team has just dusted off our 'HolidayAds.xls' spreadsheet. Elsewhere today, so much big news: Salesforce has bought Braze, Netflix has downgraded its forecast, and the Publicis-LiveRamp deal is steaming ahead. We're also wall-to-wall with celeb announcements, from a surprise Charli XCX-Absolut partnership to Robert Downey Jr. entering the smart glasses wars. Let's go. Rebecca Stewart, brand editor Must Reads 1. Target Ditches ‘Hot Santa’ for D’Arcy Carden in First Holiday Campaign Under New CEO Under its new CEO, Target is taking a new, more focused approach to holiday marketing, according to its svp and chief brand officer Michelle Mesenburg. She sat down for an exclusive chat with Mitchell Parton to discuss "Academy of Giftology," which stars D’Arcy Carden as a "chief giftologist." For now, that means the brand is retiring Kris K, its "Hot Santa" mascot. "That doesn’t mean you won’t ever see him again, but not this year," Mesenburg assured fans. Read more 2. How Shoes Became the Ultimate Cultural Vehicle for Brands An old saying goes that people notice someone's shoes first. For some brands, that same logic has made footwear one of the most powerful vehicles for breaking into culture, Brittaney Kiefer writes. Britt explores why companies like McDonald's, Lego, and Kool-Aid are putting one foot in the shoe game with manufacturers like Nike and Crocs. Read more 3. Salesforce to Buy Braze for $5.66 Billion Salesforce is buying Braze for roughly $5.66 billion. The CRM giant plans to use Braze’s AI to give clients access to real-time signals based on customer behavior, deliver services across platforms, and help marketers optimize content. Braze’s clients already include Canva, Dairy Queen, Equinox, Instacart, Urban Outfitters, and Venmo. Read more 4. FTC Approves Publicis' $2.2 Billion LiveRamp Deal With ‘Neutrality’ Conditions The FTC has approved Publicis Groupe’s $2.2 billion acquisition of LiveRamp, clearing a key hurdle in finalizing the deal. The order comes with strict guidelines that Publicis must adhere to for the next five years in an effort to ensure competitors have "neutral and nondiscriminatory access" to LiveRamp's products and services. Read more 5. Netflix Lowers Expected Ad Revenue After Slower Rollout of Capabilities After announcing plans to lay off 6% of its staff last week, Netflix is adjusting its expected ad revenue for the year. According to a company letter to shareholders on Tuesday, the adjustment reflects a "slightly slower than expected rollout of some ad product capabilities." Netflix didn't say what had caused delays; however, on a Q3 earnings call, co-CEO Greg Peters noted that the company was still growing its ads business by over 80% for the year. Read more The Round Up Along with its earnings update, Netflix unveils new ad updates, (ADWEEK). 365 party girls assemble: Charli XCX joins Absolut for ‘chaotic’ two-year partnership, (ADWEEK). Jay-Z reportedly picks Jay-Z to headline Super Bowl 61 halftime show, (ADWEEK). Robert Downey Jr. trades Tony Stark's aviators for Snap Specs, (ADWEEK). Kalshi gives NBA's Dillon Brooks a device to block LeBron James, (ADWEEK). The pitch deck that helped Cuttable raise $20M, (ADWEEK). Liquid I.V. swaps singing toilets for F1 precision in McLaren debut, (ADWEEK). Semafor’s upcoming tech summit is already an eight-figure business, (ADWEEK). Best Buy and IGN pair up ahead of major game releases, (ADWEEK). 10 agencies raising the bar for media buying on TikTok, (ctrl-A with TikTok). Read more Revolving Door Dentsu Creative appoints Michael Aimette as U.S. chief creative officer, (Dentsu). One More Thing A research study from Apartment