Adweek Staffers Share Their Favorite Stories of 2021

The thing about news is it happens all the time, every day. That can blur weeks into months and months into holy crap, it's somehow the end of another year. So I asked Adweek's reporters and editors to take a moment and take stock of all their hard work in 2021 to choose their favorite stories. Maybe it was a sentimental piece or one that was a challenge to report; perhaps it made them see an aspect of the marketing and advertising world in a new way, or they simply had a lot of fun with it. Here are Adweek staffers' favorite stories of 2021: Brands Are Finally Addressing the Lack of Inclusion in Outdoor Activities I'm not an outdoorsy person so hadn't previously considered this issue, but this story began from a few conversations I'd had over the past year with sources. It's an example of the unexpected connections and ideas that can come from building relationships. And it's why I love this job: It offers the chance to learn something new and shine light on an important issue. —European creativity editor Brittaney Kiefer How Brands Are Grappling With TikTok’s Comment Section When I wrote this story, I addressed an issue that many analysts weren’t even talking about yet: the impact of turning off the comments on TikTok. The platform is still relatively new and comes with a culture of user outspokenness that many brands fear will impact their safety, but that is not something they want to admit. It was a challenge to find the right brands to speak about this, as well as gather strong quotes from analysts, who were unsure of how to advise on the best strategy. Both leaving comments on and disabling comments have risks, and this story is a clear guide into the impact of this decision on a brand’s social strategy. —Agencies reporter Emmy Liederman When Will Gen X Women Have Their Marketing Moment? We’re always seeing stories about millennials, Gen Z and baby boomers, but what about Gen X? When I pitched this story for one of our magazine issues, I had no idea just how much of an untapped demographic Gen X women are, how much spending power they have and how up-and-coming menopausal wellness brands are investing in social media marketing to not only promote their products but also help them build a community. I’m so proud of this story because I felt like I helped shed a light on a generation of women. —News and engagement editor Tiffany Moustakas Tag Team Says Geico Was Their First Invite in 30 Years to Be More Than Just a Soundtrack Though it was almost a year ago now, I keep thinking back to my interview with Tag Team's DC Glenn and Steve Rollin about their Geico spot "Scoop, There It Is." Most licensing deals and celebrity cameos are pretty transactional, but it truly meant a lot to them that Geico and The Martin Agency wanted them front and center in the spot. —International editor David Griner How JWT Was Hit With—and Lost—a Lawsuit About Discriminating Against Men The tribunal around JWT's dismissal of some senior male creatives prior to merging with Wunderman captures a moment of time within one of advertising's most famous agency brands and how it had its back against a wall in a number of areas that led to desperate decisions being taken and major mistakes being made. As a case study in positive discrimination, this is exactly what not to do. —European bureau chief Stephen Lepitak HBCUs Are Schooling Major Brands in Marketing Deals After the nation spent much of 2020 addressing issues of equity and social justice, it then seemed as if every brand and agency wanted to associate with historically Black colleges and universities. But all they wanted to talk about what this meant for the brands; nobody wanted to discuss what was in it for the schools. This story led to the most thorough vetting of my journalism career—with the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference citing articles I’d written for my college paper more than two decades earlier—and a frank conversation about how HBCUs were seizing the moment. —Brand marketing reporter Jason Notte Publishers Are Launching and Expanding ‘Future of Work’ Coverage Every time the business world had to further delay its return-to-office date, one thing became clearer: The pandemic had irrevocably changed the way we work. On top of that, publishers had to navigate the issue themselves even as they reported on it, while others responded to the confusion by treating it as an opportunity for service journalism. —Media reporter Mark Stenberg As Pride Month Wraps, Pro Sports Wrestles With the Problem of Hateful Fans This idea came to me after I went looking around to see how many sports teams put up rainbow flags on their Instagram pages and was pole-axed over the number of bigoted responses I saw. Then I wondered what apparatuses, if any, teams or leagues used to filter out that kind of commentary. Where does disagreement end and hate begin? The issue is a sociological one—but it’s also a branding one, which is why I decided to investigate. It took me weeks to get sports executives to open up, and most asked for some degree of anonymity. But in the end, Adweek published a clear-eyed look at a significant problem. —Senior editor, brands Robert Klara Why Streaming Services Are Bingeing on Sports Rights Deals I love sports and television, so being able to take a deep dive into the shifting landscape of sports rights was something I was excited to do. The ecosystem is changing, new players are emerging, and streaming sports is definitely a space to watch. —Convergent TV reporter Mollie Cahillane Motherhood Remains One of the Most Controversial Topics in Advertising This story followed the ad from Frida Mom in the 2021 Golden Globes, which featured breastfeeding in prime time for perhaps the first time ever—at least in the U.S. Boobs have, of course, long been a staple in ads, and I was curious why there still seems to be so much pearl-clutching when they are featured as a source of sustenance rather than—pardon the pun—titillation. —Commerce editor Lisa Lacy How Fact & Fiction Tapped the Potential of Beer Brand Voodoo Ranger I'm a beer nut who was already a fan of the brand, and I loved the fact that they recognized the "sea of sameness" in IPAs and used the character on the label to differentiate the brand, adding a real personality to the character on Instagram. Definitely the most fun story I did this year. —Social Pro Daily editor David Cohen Adult Swim Didn’t Start Its TikTok Trend, but the Network Is Running With It Sometimes a bad TikTok habit can result in a good story idea. In this case, after seeing video after video of TikTok creators making their own Adult Swim “bumps,” I sent a simple note to Adult Swim to set up an interview about the trend and their reaction to it. The result was a fun, humanizing interview with Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen in which he ruminated on how two decades of brand building can deliver unexpected—and delightful—results. —Streaming editor Kelsey Sutton Just Hold On, We're Out of Home: Drake Takes OOH to Social Media When I first came across Drake’s album release campaign for Certified Lover Boy, it seemed like a straightforward out-of-home strategy. But in researching and speaking to subjects for the piece, there was more to it. Drake has a pulse on pop and hip-hop culture that is unrivaled, and his campaign is a case study for how OOH marketing can cross over to social media virally. —Brands reporter Rafael Canton To Get Around New York, You Need the Skills of an Olympian Tokyo's Summer Games coincided with a push by New York advocacy group Transportation Alternatives calling on politicians to make the city's streets safer for non-drivers. Their ad highlighting how ordinary New Yorkers must perform Olympic-level feats to simply get around their own city was a brilliant piece of synergy with a world event, and as a new mom and often-frustrated pedestrian, I was only too happy to get the word out. —Online editor Eva Kis How Adweek Media Visionary Shonda Rhimes Rewrote the Rules of TV Media Visionary is my favorite annual Adweek honor because it gives us a chance to spotlight an industry legend who continues to do groundbreaking work. I’ve had my eye on Shonda for quite some for Media Visionary, and following the breakout success of Bridgerton and her expansive new deal with Netflix, this was the perfect year to honor her. She did not disappoint, speaking frankly and sharing insights about everything from her decision to leave broadcast for Netflix to when she realized that live tweeting (which she pioneered with Scandal) was “over.” It’s one of my all-time favorite interviews. —TV editor Jason Lynch This Tea Brand and Hello Kitty Created a Nostalgic, Sustainable Experience At first glance, it’s a very cute partnership. But when you dig deeper, this is a story about how one young company is spreading the concept of a more ethical tea experience through a legacy brand with a gigantic fanbase. I was adamant about tackling a subject this year that falls well outside of my comfort zone. Sustainability is something that I’m still trying to grasp—as a years-long tea drinker, I had never considered how wasteful my small moment of comfort could be. —Creativity and inclusion editor Shannon Miller How McDonald's Altered Its Strategy for the BTS Meal McDonald's wildly popular celebrity meal partnership with K-pop band BTS not only became a global marketing sensation but shattered all previous social media engagement records for the brand. This story explores how McDonald's "fan truths" led to this promotion, which has expanded to more celebrities and provides actionable tips for marketers looking to replicate the fast-food giant's success. —Director of audience engagement Jess Zafarris Lesley Stahl and Producer Rich Bonin Say ‘Fighting’ Fuels Their 60 Minutes Partnership My interview with CBS News’ Lesley Stahl and her producer, Rich Bonin, revealed new sides of these iconic TV news journalists. Stahl and Bonin joined forces at 60 Minutes in 1995 and have worked side by side on some of the news magazine’s biggest stories—but this was the first joint interview they’d ever participated in. They also revealed that they bicker like an old married couple and that’s partially what makes their pieces so successful. —TVNewser editor A.J. Katz Marketers Embrace AI for Content Creation and Creative Inspiration I’ve been following AI-driven text generation technology closely with projects like the Super Bowl Bot, but it was fascinating to see dozens of new startups betting on using that type of machine learning to write ads this year. This story sums up that new industry, including trying out some of the various new tools. —Emerging tech reporter Patrick Kulp The Martin Agency Is Adweek's 2021 US Agency of the Year This was my first cover story, which is a huge achievement. After spending more than five years as a player mostly behind the scenes at Adweek, it’s really special to have this opportunity to tell a comprehensive story about the most impressive ad agency in the U.S. right now. Plus, I was able to attend the photoshoot, which was a ton of fun and a refreshing reminder of pre-pandemic life. —Agencies editor Jameson Fleming With Its Grocery Business Booming, Instacart Shifts Focus to Advertising I like this piece because it involves multiple interviews, charts and exclusive data. It also focuses on the growth of retail media—a big theme during the pandemic as more people now buy things online. —CPG reporter Paul Hiebert Why Sweetgreen Considers Naomi Osaka Its Ideal Marketing Match This story really is more than just “celebrated athlete meets sponsor.” When Sweetgreen supported Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from the French Open tournament to put her mental health before her performance expectations, this was a line of demarcation: Brands had to stick by athletes when standing up for principles and personal needs. Brand purpose is not a choice anymore. And if brands demonstrate their values, their marketing message is likely to resonate much more deeply with consumers as well. —Brands editor David Kaplan Social Confidential: A Master of Community, 'Among Us' Dominates Social Media Social Confidential is a series born during the pandemic that showcases our ability to pivot and continue to create during not-so-ideal circumstances. This episode with Victoria Tran from Innersloth is one of my favorites because I got to play around with the usual format. Since Tran runs the social accounts for Among Us, the popular multiplayer video game, I thought it would be fun to turn the episode into a “Let’s Play.” While the gameplay added an extra layer of difficulty in putting the episode together, I’m really satisfied with how it turned out. —Director of video Breana Mallamaci Turning Agencies Against Fossil Fuel Brands Harkens Back to the Tobacco Wars This was one of the first big stories I did after stepping into the sustainability reporter role, and I learned so much. It really gets at the central question that I keep returning to on this beat, which is: What is the role of marketers, advertisers and PR amid the climate crisis? Leaning on the narrative lede that draws on the experience of a marketer grappling with her own personal responsibility within this broader context really gave the story a strong connection to the community we’re trying to serve. —Sustainability reporter Katie Lundstrom (with Emmy Liederman) How New York Times CEO Meredith Levien Is Advancing Culture Before I started at Adweek, I was asked who I'd most like to interview on stage. Surprise surprise, New York Times' CEO Meredith Levien got my vote. She was our Publishing Executive of the Year—the first time I worked on the Hot List—for her work growing advertising and subscription revenue while dealing with the scrutiny leveled on The Times when it comes to how inclusive its reporting and newsroom is. This was Levien's first interview since taking up the CEO role in September 2020; we weren't on stage, for obvious reasons, but it will still be one of my most enjoyable interviews. —Media editor Lucinda Southern Agencies Are Finally Dropping College Degree Requirements A changing trend in hiring at a time when the war for talent was at its height got me in touch with opinionated and truly caring people. —Agencies reporter and AgencySpy editor Kyle O'Brien What Agencies Can Learn From Havas New York's B Corp Certification Havas New York is one of the first big agencies to become B Corp certified, but it won’t be the last. Getting the comprehensive rundown on what that agency went through to achieve certification allowed me to report on smaller details. Because of that, I feel this story is a good resource for our agency readers who are interested in B Corp certification. I also love trend stories, and this is very much related to a larger trend: how corporate values are impacting agency-client relationships. —Senior agencies reporter Olivia Morley Booze-Free Spirits Are Going Mainstream as Nightlife Takes on a 'Conscious' Vibe Booze-free booze—is that even a thing? That was my initial question, quite awhile back when I first started noticing brands that were “de-alcoholized” and adaptogen-based touting themselves as hangover-free “social tonics.” This story is a culmination of rooting around, connecting the dots, mapping an emerging trend, talking to smart people, learning new stuff and (hopefully) making it fun and interesting to read. —Senior editor T.L. Stanley Twitter’s God-is Rivera Spotlights Voices Beyond Her Day Job My favorite piece this year was the Women Trailblazers special edition for International Women’s Day with Twitter’s God-is Rivera. She wanted to highlight other women of color in her feature who don’t always get the spotlight but do incredible, noteworthy work. We turned it into a special content series that was concluded by an insightful convo on Twitter Spaces. The series also served as a template for something similar we did for Hispanic Heritage Month. —Community editor Luz Corona Doritos' Viral Día de Muertos Ad Gorgeously Celebrates LGBTQ+ Communities I found this ad on TikTok and knew immediately I had to research and write about it. From the second I saw it, I saw how touching it was and the heartfelt reaction it was getting. It was an ad the Latinx community had never really seen before: the intersectionality of culture and the LGBTQ+ community and how we can celebrate both in a beautiful way. —Agencies and creativity breaking news reporter Natalie Venegas