Amazon, Boobs and Gen AI: the 10 ADWEEK stories most appreciated by readers

It’s been a crazy year for the advertising industry, with disruption coming from everywhere: the culture wars, politics, and the AI ​​generation. These themes often appeared in the top 10 most popular stories among ADWEEK readers in 2024.

Here they are:

Elon Musk, owner of

10. Comcast, Disney and IBM among advertisers returning to X after ad freeze

A few years into a love-hate-hate-hate relationship with X, a handful of advertisers began to return, according to ADWEEK. Trishla Ostwal reported in November.

With X owner Elon Musk’s strong influence within the new Trump administration, the stage is set for even more brands to return.

Amazon completes review of its media account.

9. Amazon’s multi-billion media account goes to OMG and WPP

Amazon’s major media account won the top prize of the year, and ADWEEK’s Bill Bradley And Kyle O’Brien announced that it has been awarded to Omnicom’s OMG in the Americas and WPP in APAC and EMEA.

IPG’s bespoke Amazon agency, Rufus, previously owned the account. IPG would, however, continue to be Amazon’s global media partner for Amazon Web Services, Amazon Business and Amazon Ads. Of course, if everything goes as planned, IPG will also be integrated into Omnicom.

Art imitates life: Molly Baz breastfeeds her baby in front of her Times Square billboard for Bobbie, on which she breastfeeds her baby.

8. Formula Maker Molly Baz and Bobbie Bring Breastfeeding to Times Square

In May, cookbook author Molly Baz appeared on a Times Square billboard for breastfeeding brand Swehl, holding two cookies over a rhinestone bikini covering her breasts. This image was too exciting for billboard owner Clear Channel, who flagged the ad for review. Swehl’s media partner, Brex, therefore replaced the ad with a more innocuous image – and leaned heavily into the controversy.

Cut to October, when infant formula maker Bobbie launched a 45-foot-long billboard showing Baz breastfeeding her baby. It was a first: Never before had a Times Square ad featured a breastfeeding mother, ADWEEK said. TL Stanley reported. Bobbie worked with Outfront Media to execute the billboard, quickly gaining approval for the images and nipping a potential takedown notice in the bud.

Through the Google News Initiative, Google pays news publishers to use a unique suite of gen AI tools in exchange for their comments.

7. Google pays publishers to test a new Gen AI platform

This is truly the year that AI generation companies started paying publishers to serve as guinea pigs. Google has also entered the mix, as the team at ADWEEK Marc Stenberg reported in February.

Google began paying pubs “a monthly stipend amounting to a five-figure annual sum, as well as the means to produce content relevant to their readership for free.”

This is a tricky dilemma for publishers, because on one side there is money. On the other hand, at what cost will this eventually happen?

Meanwhile, for those building and hoping to profit from their large language models, the race was on in 2024 to gobble up as much data as possible.

The brand campaign generated billions of earned media impressions.

6. Solo Stove and Snoop Dogg: a once-praised partnership now up in smoke

In contrast, Solo Stove’s high-profile partnership with Snoop Dogg didn’t end with a whimper. It ended with the CEO being ousted.

At least that was the popular narrative. Especially after interim CFO Andrea Tarbox said the campaign boosted brand awareness, but not sales.

But the connection between awareness and sales, especially for a product as expensive as a Solo Stove, isn’t always a straight line. ADWEEK Contributor Sam Josephby Kyra, destroyed preconceived notions about whether the Solo Stove-Snoop collaboration was really a failure.

Oracle has spent billions to get into the advertising business, acquiring nearly a dozen ad tech companies over more than a decade.

5. Oracle closes its advertising business

It was big. Over the past decade, Oracle has invested billions in its advertising business, attracting startups at huge multiples and making a big splash touting its capabilities and pitting its marketing cloud against companies like Salesforce and Adobe.

And then, during an earnings conference call in June, CEO Safra Catz calmly mentioned that Oracle had exited the advertising business, Catherine Perloff reported. What began as a succession of bangs ended with a groan.

Eureka Park at CES is the hub where budding companies and new faces in the tech industry unveil their game-changing ideas.

4. CES 2024 and Eureka Park revealed tomorrow’s latest trends in consumer technology

CES is the world’s wake-up call for the new year. This is an annual group of high-profile products, most of which won’t be popular (curved TVs, 3D TVs, etc.), but it’s always fun to see what caught people’s attention over the course. of the first week of the year. In many ways, this dictates what will happen.

Last year, it was “personalized care, smart home convenience, business efficiency and sustainable solutions,” the Warm Robots founder said. Goldie Chan wrote.

Stay tuned for another post-CES 2025 look at the coolest consumer tech.

OpenAI courts publishers with some advantages through its Preferred Publisher Program.

3. Leak reveals how OpenAI offers partnerships with publishers

Since OpenAI launched the Generation AI firestorm two (!) years ago, it has remained a dark horse, with a future both bright and uncertain. He weathered a mutiny and executive exodus, a reportedly fractured partnership with Microsoft, said he was evaluate an advertising model according to the FT, and hired its very first CMO. It is I also paid publishers like Meredith, millions to license content.

OpenAI news is like breadcrumbs for hungry birds, and it was no exception when ADWEEK released a pitchdeck revealing the intricacies of its payment model for publishers.

Amazon plans to remove its Freevee app in the coming weeks for various strategic reasons.

2. Amazon drops Freevee, streamlines advertising and product efforts

Consolidation has been a hallmark of television and media, and even Amazon – a newcomer compared to streaming giants like Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount – had to make some adjustments. ADWEEK Marc Stenberg reported earlier this year that Freevee, which was the e-commerce giant’s established AVOD service before ads appeared on Prime Video, would soon be shutting down.

The exact date at the time was unclear, but in November, Amazon followed to the end and confirmed that Freevee would be no more, adding that it would move its programming to Prime’s Watch Free tab.

The UK’s advertising watchdog has reversed its initial decision, FKA Twigs’ CK advert remains banned.

1. Regulators find new way to ban Calvin Klein’s FKA Twigs ad

In January, the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority banned a Calvin Klein billboard featuring musician FKA Twigs wearing barely a shirt, with the nanny-statish claiming the ad sexually objectified her. FKA Twigs herself protested, noting Jeremy Allen White’s beef poses on her famous Calvin Klein billboards.

Not to be deterred, the ASA came back in March with a new reason to maintain the ban: It claimed the ad was simply too sexy, ADWEEK’s editor-in-chief reported. Rebecca Stewart.

This alternative explanation was a return to old-fashioned prudism that further emphasized how women are often subject to very different standards than men – and how language designed to appear protective towards women often hides an ulterior motive.

Check out other controversial billboards from 2024 here.