SXSW Films Go to Prime Video; Event Marketers Prep for Post-Pandemic: Friday'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. SXSW's 2020 Film Lineup Comes to Amazon Prime Video—for Free In what may be the best possible way to reach homebound viewers, the South by Southwest film lineup is heading to Amazon Prime Video—for free. As part of a partnership between SXSW festival organizers and Amazon, films that would have initially premiered as part of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival will instead screen digitally on Amazon Prime Video for 10 days beginning later this month. Read more: The “online film festival” will showcase the films for free for all viewers, even those without a Prime subscription. Also in streaming news: Certain T-Mobile customers will get a free yearlong subscription to Quibi, the companies said Thursday, in a move that should boost early users of the ambitious streaming service debuting April 6 in a crowded streaming market. More of Today's Top Coronavirus News Democratic National Convention Postponed to August Amid Coronavirus Podcast Listenership Falls Off as Coronavirus Halts Commutes Travel Advertising Fell by as Much as 90% in March Adara Halts Media Buying for Travel Clients as the Sector Slashes Spend Will Event Marketers Be Prepared for the World That Awaits Them Post-Pandemic? Experiential marketing pros are hopeful physical events will bounce back in a post-COVID-19 world, and many anticipate Q3 and Q4 of 2020 will be the moment for a resurgence. However, brands, agencies and companies that provide experiential marketing resources could face a permanently changed, shaky landscape once conferences resume, including a lack of staff and resources and a customer base unwilling to attend live events. Read more: 2021 might be a more realistic option for large, global gatherings. In the meantime, agencies should aim to maintain client relationships during the downtime. Have you been following #AdweekTogether? On our daily live show that’s broadcast on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and our website, we talk about the challenges the advertising and marketing world are facing today—and how we can overcome them, together. Watch the latest episode here. Marketers Need to Keep an Eye on These Legal Issues When Addressing the Coronavirus The Association of National Advertisers released a comprehensive legal guide that helps marketers address the bevy of challenges and concerns posed by the ongoing pandemic on brands. The legal guide extensively covers key contract issues because, during this time, brands may want to terminate contracts, delay performance under a contract, or otherwise modify a contract. Read more: Review some of the key recommendations from the guide. Related: While 40% of Americans think it’s a good thing for brands to find a way to stay relevant amid the coronavirus outbreak, a third feel that marketers should only advertise if they’ve taken direct action to address the situation, according to a new study. COVID-19 and the Job Market: Brands & Agencies Make Difficult Cutbacks Sephora laid off many of its part-time employees in a series of conference calls with district managers (who oversee a group of stores in a specific areas) on Tuesday. Adweek spoke with two former Sephora workers about their experience being laid off and how the company handled the difficult process—which may not have been the best approach. FiscalNote, a Washington, D.C.-based tech firm, laid off more than a dozen staffers today at CQ Roll Call, a news organization that has long been a staple of reporting in the nation’s capital. TripleLift, one of the leading lights of independent ad tech, has confirmed to Adweek that it shed 7% of its global headcount on Thursday, along with an unspecified number of furloughs. On a Positive Note… The news about the job market isn't all bad: Seeing the inverse impact the coronavirus pandemic was having on the grocery and restaurant sectors, Republica Havas decided to connect a grocery client with a restaurant client to help save hundreds of jobs. Learn how the agency pulled it off. Plus, to help out with the crisis, any furloughed or unemployed marketer can now access the 5,500+ job listings on Adweek Jobs for free—and anyone who has a job open can post it for free as well. For job seekers, create an account here. For job providers, send an email to heretohelp@adweek.com to receive the free post code. Best of the Rest: Today's Top News and Highlights Grubhub Brand VP on Being a Source for Good and Growth BBH New York Hires 180LA Vet as New Chief Creative Officer Adform Hires New CEO With an Eye on International Growth Strategies Google News Initiative Funnels $6.5 Million to Fact-Checkers, Nonprofits Why Audi Russia Turned Its Logo Red and Yellow (and Why Other Brands Are Joining In) Audi in Russia has turned its logo red and yellow in a sign of solidarity with healthcare workers on the front lines of fighting COVID-19. Leo Burnett Moscow, which developed the creative concept, said the colors reflect a visual policy being used to identify staff at Moscow’s largest COVID-19 hospital in the Kommunarka district. There, doctors wear red badges and nurses wear yellow. As part of its Colors of Hope campaign, Audi is asking other brands to follow suit and switch their logos red and yellow to mark themselves as a “brand volunteer. [kickout id="1"] More of the Latest: To Help Struggling Restaurants, Celebrities Shout Out Their Favorites in New Postmates Ad Though There Are Certainly Bad Days in Store for Agencies, There’s Hope to Be Found Local Publishers Get a Dedicated Programmatic Ad Channel LinkedIn Helps Fill Front-Line Roles and Find Volunteers During the Coronavirus Pandemic Twitter Sets Coronavirus-Related Q&As With Governors, Mayors