Scream Out the Vote; Big Tech Hit with Damning Antitrust Report: Wednesday's First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s 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. Scream Remake Doubles as a Get-Out-the-Vote Ad, With 2020 as the Scary Movie We're all living the horror movie that is 2020—and there's one thing we have to do to stop it, according to a Scream-inspired short film: Vote. The short film, which promotes Vote.org but is unaffiliated with the site, stars Rachel Bonnetta, host of Lock It In on Fox Sports 1 and the Hall of Shame podcast on Crooked Media, and was directed by Mina Park. Watch: The two-minute “horror” flick, which was made at home with minimal resources, is a call to action. Restaurants Name Items After Celebrities in a Pandemic-Era Play for Young Visitors Restaurant brands are testing a hypothesis: Consumers who are willing to buy fashion items named after celebrities might be interested in buying similarly labeled menu items. It’s not exactly a new theory, as the 1992 McJordan is still popular among YouTubers, but the strategy is gaining more traction today. Dunkin’ has The Charli after Charli D’Amelio. McDonald’s has two new meals named after rapper Travis Scott and Latin pop star J Balvin. Delivery-only restaurant marketplace Nextbite developed a new concept in partnership with Wiz Khalifa. The goal, especially amid the pandemic, is for restaurants to draw in more—and younger—people through name recognition. Inside the strategy and results: It turns out consumers will try almost anything with a famous name attached to it. Please consider supporting our journalism with an Adweek Pro Subscription and gain full access to all of Adweek's essential coverage and resources. Eskimo Pie Changes Its Name to Edy’s Pie to Better Reflect Its Brand Values In an effort to distance itself from the culturally problematic term “eskimo,” the ice cream brand long known as Eskimo Pie is changing its name to Edy’s Pie after brand founder and candy maker Joseph Edy. The new packaging, which will still feature snow-capped mountains but will not show the child modeled after indigenous people of the Arctic regions, will debut in early 2021. Learn about the origins of the brand and others that have chosen new names and mascots in a time when companies seek to address racial justice concerns. Legislators Slam Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google for Abusing Market Power A new report from the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee dealt a damning blow to Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook, declaring that they have abused their market power and that the problem calls for government intervention. The report says that what were formerly “scrappy, underdog startups… have become the kinds of monopolies we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons.” That includes anticompetitive behavior including threats to “acquire, copy, or kill” nascent firms. Inside the report: Dig into the accusations against each of these major tech companies. Also in Big Tech news: Instagram turned 10 on Oct. 6, and Adweek took a look back at the biggest moments in the platform’s history, from the very first (dog) photo to Beyoncé’s eponymous album dropping.Facebook announced that it will scrub content related to unfounded conspiracy theory QAnon from its platform and Instagram, including from all pages, groups and accounts representing QAnon, regardless of whether they share content related to potential violence. More of Today’s Top News & Highlights With France Back on High Covid-19 Alert, Burger King Creates Turbulent Airline Safety ParodyWhy Acorn’s CEO Is Looking to the Gaming Industry for His Next HireVirgin’s Chief Brand Officer Steps Down as It Revamps Rewards Program, Restructures LeadershipUber Consolidates $190 Million Global Media Account With MediaComVerizon Looks Back at 6 Months of Communication Through CrisisHow a Successful Live Chat Can Make a Virtual Event Even More SuccessfulShark Tank’s Daymond John Will ‘Pay It Forward’ With $175,000 for Black Entrepreneurs Day Swedish Agency Creates Simple but Genius Social Distancing Hack––the ‘No Douchebag’ Agency Forsman & Bendors in Sweden developed a simple yet brilliant solution to help people create space on public transit: It has designed the “No Douchebag,” which commuters are actively encouraged to place on the seat next to them to discourage people from getting close. Swedish agency has designed the "No Douche Bag” to stop people from sitting next to you on public transport. More of the Latest: Poo-Pourri Launches a Bidet That Promises to Be ‘a Spa Day for Your Butt’Smirnoff’s Spicy Tamarind Vodka Is Back in Time for Dia de los MuertosHinge and Headspace Want to Calm Pre-Date Nerves and Self-DoubtKing Arthur’s First Campaign Since Its Rebrand Showcases the Joys of Baking TogetherNew Campaign Urges People to Slow Down for Breakfast, Instead of Diving Right Into the DayThe National Dunkin’ Day Campaign Boosted Foot Traffic and Social Mentions

First Things First

Scream Out the Vote; Big Tech Hit with Damning Antitrust Report: Wednesday's First Things First

Plus, Eskimo Pie becomes Edy’s Pie

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Jess Zafarris

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