Reddit's Cheeky Pro-Voting Campaign; The Google Antitrust Battlefield: 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. Reddit, Old Navy Launch Initiatives to Get Out the Vote and Support Election Day In its first brand marketing campaign, created with R/GA San Francisco, Reddit pokes fun at the superficiality of the content that goes viral on its platform and uses it to encourage people to vote. The “Up the Vote” campaign features silly Reddit posts that have received hundreds of thousands of upvotes to show the power people have to effect change en masse. [See a few of the billboards here.] Meanwhile, Old Navy is taking a more active step on Election Day, and will actually pay its employees to work the voting polls on Nov. 3 and will give workers up to three hours of PTO to cast their ballots. The move, which is part of a broader initiative by more than 150 retailers to encourage voting, addresses a nationwide poll worker shortage along with the Civic Alliance and Power to the Polls. Adweek Acquires Target Marketing and Publishing Executive In a major expansion of Adweek’s leadership in the publishing and performance marketing space, the company has acquired Target Marketing, Publishing Executive and FUSE Media from NAPCO Media. As a result, Adweek will launch two new verticals around Publishing and Performance Marketing. FUSE Media, an invitation-only publishing technology summit, will bring together media and tech leaders to connect and share their insights. Leveling up: “Our focus is on delivering targeted, curated communities through deeper insights and high-caliber experiences, and this is just the beginning,” said Adweek CEO Jeffrey Litvack. Meet the Major Players in Google’s Antitrust Battle Investigations into Google's allegedly anticompetitive business practices are closing in from all sides. At the federal level, the Justice Department’s antitrust division is expected to sue Google following its scrutiny of the company and other Big Tech players including Amazon and Facebook. Attorney General William Barr has evidently taken a special interest in the investigations. Meanwhile, a coalition of states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and including an office of 800 lawyers is also expected to sue Google, while New York AG Letitia James is leading a group of 47 attorneys general in a separate antitrust investigation into Facebook. But wait—there’s more: We broke down the major players you should be watching ahead of the impending litigation. As Dwyane Wade’s Agency Grows, So Does the Urgency Around Fixing Marketing’s Diversity Gap After retiring from the Miami Heat last year, NBA legend Dwyane Wade launched agency CAA AMP to help amplify diverse voices and “represent the audience that’s not often seen or heard.” Since then, clients the agency advises have grown to include EA, Constellation Brands, Wilson Sporting Goods and more. The agency’s purpose meets a need for authentic, accountable brand behavior that has only accelerated since the Black Lives Matter protests amped up over the course of this year. How it’s done: Learn what Wade says brands need to learn about diverse consumers to connect with them. Hear from Dwyane Wade, Ryan Reynolds and more brand superstars at Brandweek 2020, a fully reimagined virtual experience. Register today with code BW2MVT to take 20% off! Premium | Retail Has Seen Some Growth, but There Are Still Looming Obstacles to Clear The pandemic has brought many major retailers to their knees, with more than three dozen retail, restaurant and apparel brands having filed for bankruptcy since January. Retailers were already in a tough spot before the pandemic, and consumer confidence has eroded, so if some of them don’t get a second stimulus package, brands including Belk, Lands’ End, Jo-Ann Stores and Guitar Center could face a fatal battle. However, there is hope: Retail and Food services sales saw a small year-over-year bump in July. Is it enough? Foot traffic is improving, but it’s still seeing pandemic impacts. More of Today’s Top News & Highlights Microsoft Announces Tool to Help News Orgs Detect Deepfakes Ahead of the ElectionDigital Marketing Director Sues MuteSix, Alleging Gender and Racial Discrimination3 Burning Questions (and Answers) About Indie AgenciesBy Ending Change Fees, U.S. Airlines Gain a New Marketing ToolLabor Day Advertising Is Way Up—but Americans Aren’t Planning to Shop MuchInfoSum Lands $15 Million InvestmentWhy Walmart+ Is Kind of a Letdown Burger King Gently Mocks Hungry Drive-Thru Customers Who Can’t Wait Until They’re Home As locations reopen, a new campaign from Burger King France gently trolls its hungry customers who sneak some hot fries out of the bag before they've ever left the parking lot with relatable scenes of fries in seats and greasy fingerprints on steering wheels. The campaign shows tell-tale signs of "impatient" fast food fans. More of the Latest Facebook Threatens to Block News in Australia Over Proposed LegislationFirst Encounters With Police: UMC Stars Share Their Experiences in Affecting PSANetflix Makes Some Popular Shows and Movies Free to Woo New CustomersOpinion | To Be or Not to Be a Partisan BrandThis New Awards Show Is Exclusively Honoring Side ProjectsBen & Jerry’s and Vox Are Launching a Podcast Exploring America’s Racist History

First Things First

Reddit's Cheeky Pro-Voting Campaign; The Google Antitrust Battlefield: Wednesday's First Things First

Plus, Adweek acquires two new properties

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