Agency Advice for 2020 Grads; Hulu's Disney-fied Facelift: 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. Agency Pros Share Crucial Advice for New Graduates Entering the Industry We asked several agency professionals their thoughts on what the class of 2020 can do to navigate so much change, how talent can make themselves more competitive and stay motivated, and which roles in the industry are primed for growth. Among the responses, there are some real doses of reality, but there is a reason for optimism too. “Believe it or not, this will make you stronger,” said Lee Roth, North America director at BeenThereDoneThat. “When you get through this—and you will get through this—you will feel like there is nothing you can’t overcome. It sucks right now, but don’t stop believing in yourself.” Advice: Even though these tips are targeted toward new grads—anyone looking for a fresh start or career growth would find their guidance helpful. Hulu Gets Disney-fied User Interface Upgrade Hulu’s new user interface allows subscribers to scroll vertically to look at different content groupings and then explore those categories via a horizontal row, compared to its current vertical scrolling that shows one entry at a time. It's much more in-line with competitors in the space and makes discovering shows significantly easier. Additionally, the platform now looks more like the other offerings in Disney’s streaming portfolio, a move that coincides with Disney's first major marketing push around its bundle grouping Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu’s ad-supported tier together. See it: Watch a demo of the new UI. Related: Disney Returns Ad Sales Division to Media Networks Group Following Kevin Mayer’s Exit Following the unexpected exit of Kevin Mayer, the former chairman of Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming division, to TikTok, Disney is shifting its ad sales and media distribution divisions. This reorganization was not in the works before his exit. 4 Ways to Keep Spirits Up With Your Remote Coworkers How can workers and managers support one another and maintain morale when everyone's remote? Laura Stude, co-founder of agency surefoot, shared a few tips in a thought leadership piece today: "We have a self-care channel in our company Slack where people post activities they’re participating in and are entered in a random monthly drawing to win a $50 gift card." "Send a message to teammates or ask if they’re available for a five-minute call, even when it isn’t on the calendar. No agenda is needed; simply telling people you’re thinking about them and appreciate them can really brighten their days." "We also have teammates share their Amazon wishlist links and will often randomly send them something from it or tell them to use the company credit card to purchase a product from one of our clients while they’re testing the site." Read more: Learn how a few simple strategies can help you be a communication superhero. Consumers Want Ads During Covid-19 to Be Hopeful and Supportive, Says PepsiCo’s CMO A survey from PepsiCo checked in with consumers just before the lockdown began, and then in May about what they’re looking for in brand behavior during the pandemic. It found that 94% of Americans find empathy important in today’s society, with 56% saying brands should express it by focusing messaging on the crisis and conveying a hopeful, comforting and supportive tone (versus a humorous or emotional tone). "The key is striking that balance of tone and being authentic to what your brand stands for,” says PepsiCo CMO Greg Lyons. Recommendation:When making business decisions on an accelerated timeline, be sure to think about what consumers need now and in the future. More of Today's Top News and Highlights Walmart Streamlines Mobile Shopping With a New App The Top 25% of Leaders, Legislators Account for the Bulk of Tweets, Engagement LinkedIn Looks at the State of Sales in 2020, and It’s Mostly Virtual United Airlines Teams Up With Clorox for CleanPlus Cleanliness Initiative These 3 DTC Brands Are Tapping Into Authenticity During the Pandemic Adweek Together: The Future of the Influencer How the Pandemic Allowed Upstart Toilet Tissue Brand No. 2 to Take a Swipe at the Big Rolls [kickout id="1"] Sometimes, timing can help a brand just as much as marketing. Founded four years ago by entrepreneur Samira Far, No. 2 is a toilet tissue made from bamboo, whose durable pulp eliminates the need to cut down forests. (Plus, No. 2 has a tasteful look and solves the problem of "butt crumble.") The pandemic ended up being a big opportunity for the brand: Once freaked-out consumers could no longer find their usual brand on shelves, they took to the internet—where Far’s brand was waiting. Far began seeing a dramatic sales rise on March 9, then a surge two days later. Within 10 days, every last roll had sold out. Read more: Of course, as the pandemic wanes, the integrity of the product will need to help it compete with giants in the sector. More of the Latest Brands Need to Show Support and Make Actionable Change for the Asian American Community Twitter Begins Testing Settings to Limit Who Can Reply to Tweets Budweiser’s New Interactive Concert Series Features the Hits of Happier Days Hawaiian Tropic and Banana Boat Adjust Marketing for a Different Sort of Summer 4 Ways to Keep Spirits Up With Your Remote Coworkers Essence’s Survey on Black Women and Covid-19 Is a ‘Vital’ Resource