Live Updates: Tracking How Coronavirus Is Impacting Brands and Agencies

Starting in the end of February, Adweek kept a running list of how the pandemic is affecting the ad world, from event cancellations to layoffs and market updates.

On March 24, we launched another resource: Adweek Together, a daily live discussion at 1 p.m. on LinkedIn hosted by Adweek editors along with the leaders of the agencies, brands and companies we cover. Together, we’ll be seeking guidance, solutions and information as we work through the coronavirus crisis.

For more of our coverage related to the pandemic, visit our coronavirus and life in quarantine landing pages.

Editor’s note: All times are E.T.

April 16, 2020

8:30 a.m.: More than 5.2 million people made initial claims for unemployment insurance last week

The Labor Department announced the latest numbers this morning, which bring the total initial claims for the last four weeks to over 22 million.

April 15, 2020

7 a.m.: Tour de France 2020 has been rescheduled for Aug. 29-Sept. 20

The annual race was previously scheduled to take place June 27-July 19, and will follow the same route, with no changes, from Nice to Paris. The women’s event, La Course by le Tour de France avec FDJ, will also be rescheduled to a date that has yet to be determined.

April 10, 2020 

1:45 p.m.: The XFL has suspended all of its day-to-day operations, and all team and league employees have been terminated effective immediately 

April 9, 2020

5:54 p.m.: Kia Motors donates $1 million to charities working to assist homeless youth during the coronavirus pandemic

The donation is a continuation of Kia’s support for homeless youth—which was also the theme of its 2020 Super Bowl spot—and its Covid-19 response efforts. It’s dubbed the new program “Accelerate the Good,” and has also donated personal protective equipment to medical workers in Orange County, California, where Kia is based.

Kia’s Super Bowl spot earlier this year told the story of Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who grew up homeless. The automaker’s new “Accelerate the Good” spot, created by Kia’s agency of record David&Goliath, stars the same youth actor that played Jacobs in the super bowl spot and features a voiceover discussing the ways that the pandemic uniquely affects young people living on the street.

8:30 a.m.: More than 6.6 million people made initial claims for unemployment insurance last week

The Labor Department announced the latest numbers this morning, which bring the total initial claims for the last three weeks to over 16 million.

April 8, 2020

3:11 a.m.: Dr. Fauci bobblehead sales raise more than $100,000 in donations to support healthcare workers

Last week, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum revealed a new bobblehead fashioned after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and face of the White House response to the coronavirus pandemic. For each bobblehead sold, the Hall of Fame committed to donating $5 to the American Hospital Association’s 100 Million Masks Challenge, an initiative to support frontline healthcare workers with personal protective equipment. By this morning, the Dr. Fauci bobbleheads had led to more than $100,000 in donations.

April 7, 2020 

7:46 p.m.: Nike announces partnership with Oregon Health & Science University to manufacture personal protective equipment for frontline workers

The company will be producing full-face shields and powered, air-purifying respirator lenses to protect against the coronavirus.

5:53 p.m.: Adweek introduces #MediaTogether, a place for media workers to share their stories and connect with others in the business

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