Why Is Breastfeeding Still Taboo?; 5 Key Skills for Marketers: Thursday’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. Motherhood Remains One of the Most Controversial Topics in Advertising Guns, sexual content, politics, violence and… breastfeeding? These are the topics that advertising platforms have historically categorized as prohibited content, unfit for prime time TV and more. (“Boobvertising”—nearly nude women in more sexualized contexts—has been more widely accepted.) And there’s a shocking lack of progress on this front, notably in the US, where Frida Mom shattered convention with its Golden Globes ad about breastfeeding. Here’s a look at how motherhood is portrayed—or not—and data that shows most Americans are comfortable with breastfeeding depictions. Related: House of Wise’s Amanda Goetz issues “a call to the world to keep moms in mind” as things reopen and people attempt to make up for lost time. They can’t do it all, and they don’t deserve to be left behind. Catch an Adweek webinar: In ‘How a Culture of Empathy Builds Lasting Connections’ later today, UserTesting’s Michelle Huff, Expedia Group’s Shiv Singh, Acoustic’s Norman Guadagno and Liquid Agency’s Dennis Hahn take a look customer centricity and marketing. What's Next on TV? Adult Swim Goes to the Movies + End Dates for Ellen and This Is Us In the lead-up to upfronts week, updates are pouring in about the fates of the hit shows that are due to be renewed, and those that will be canceled—not to mention the new shows coming down the pike. For instance, Adult Swim is branching out from its shorter-form content into the movie space, with original films based on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse and The Venture Bros. And Telemundo is tapping into the surging Hispanic audience with more than 1,000 hours of original programming planned for the coming year. Meanwhile, some shows will draw to a close: The Ellen Degeneres Show will end next year after 18 years on air, and NBC hit drama This Is Us will end after season 6. 5 Critical Skills All Marketers Should Develop In an increasingly multiplatform world, the skills required to be a marketer have become more diverse—and more mission-critical to businesses—than ever before. We asked leaders from top brands including Google, McDonald’s, Hulu and Delta Air Lines what skills the next generation of marketing execs will need to succeed. Among them, storytelling and empathy ranked highly, but it’s not all art, and the importance of data-driven decisions will only increase as we forge ahead. Industry Leaders Saw an Elevated Role for Marketers Over the Last Quarter, According to New Survey Before our CMO Summit yesterday, Adweek conducted a survey to find out how marketers’ roles have changed in the past year and how that might impact the future. Some key insights: 62% said the role of marketing has been elevated in the last 3 months.Part of that boost has involved helping sales people achieve their goals—and fortunately 47% of respondents indicated that they’ve seen investments in personnel to help out. And as usual, brand purpose has increased in importance. Explore more data and get supplementary insights from Oracle CMO Ariel Kelman. Also from the event: The CMOs of Away and Exos discussed another facet of the marketers’ recent growth, explaining the role of the CMO as the “brand protector.” Another recurring theme from the event was community, with the topic crescendoing during a talk with Discord marketing chief Tesa Aragones, who said the platform is like one vast home with many rooms where people come together. Find out why building community is vital to all marketing efforts. MTV's Jason White, the Atlanta Hawks’ Melissa Proctor and Petco’s Tariq Hassan addressed team mental health and motivation—including how to be a “problem seeker” to find out how teams are feeling and what they need. Briefly: VMLY&R Offers Clients Support on Improving Diversity and Inclusion EffortsDentsu Americas Aims for Women to Account for 50% of Executive Roles by 2025The Dos and Don’ts of Link-Building and Driving Traffic (Beyond SEO Tricks)Junk Food Ad Proposals Put UK Industry at Odds With GovernmentBritish Broadcaster ITV’s Stars Plot Murder in Promotion of Online Content Hub Can You Spot the Child Warning Signs This Gorgeous Video Hides in Plain Sight? While this sweeping and imaginative ad from Danish optical brand Synoptik ostensibly is a celebration of the unique ways children see the world, it also features some hidden messages about how eyesight issues can inhibit young people as well. Watch here. 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