“Well, 2024 has certainly been a year” seems to be the prevailing sentiment. Well, we’re putting the negativity aside because even though everything hasn’t gone as planned this year, the great thing about being a journalist is that if we care about something, we can put it in the spotlight.
Of course we broke the news. We have exclusives. We spoke to celebrities and influential brokers. But it’s not always the stories that mark us. I asked Adweek reporters and editors to look back on their hard work in 2024 to choose their favorite stories, and the results are a testament to both the breadth of our industry.
There were personally significant topics; being able to talk shop with someone we had been a fan of for a long time; shining the spotlight where companies didn’t want us to look; and those that were just a good old time to report.
Here are ADWEEK journalists’ favorite stories in 2024:
Ads like GirlvsCancer, Elvie and Bodyform have been banned
Women’s ads are still censored, but brands continue to push the boundaries
Over my years covering the advertising industry, I’ve observed an unfortunate trend: Women’s perspectives are overlooked or censored. This is not a problem exclusive to advertising, but it has emerged this year with a few advertising campaigns. This story was an opportunity for me to delve deeper into this issue and hear from female business leaders about their experiences. Despite progress, we still have a way to go to achieve gender equality in advertising. —Brittaney Kiefer
Kevin Smith at Los Angeles Comic-Con 2019.
The Business of Being Kevin Smith
“Kevin Smith likes to portray himself as the ultimate slacker, but you can’t have a 30-year career in Hollywood without serious business acumen. Being able to reveal the secret origin of “Business Kev” warmed my Gen X heart.” —Ethan Alter
Chris Bradley is associate creative director at South Carolina advertising agency FerebeeLane.
This ACD plays Disc Golf, a sport that is both crazy and technical
For the most part, ADWEEK is a B2B publication, but I got into journalism to tell people’s stories. OUR Off the clock The series, about hobbies, side hustles and sports that creatives dedicate time to outside of work, have been an endless source of extremely interesting stories and, like in this piece, learning something that I didn’t even know it existed. (I also hope these pieces serve as a reminder that doing something just for yourself is not a luxury, but an essential part of life.) —Eva Kis
Press releases have become way too hyperbolic
If the goal is persuasion and the method of persuasion is speech, then public relations specialists need to choose their words better. Simply saying that a new product or service or company decision is “interesting” without showing how or why it is not. That said, it’s still a bit higher to say that something is “very interesting.” —Paul Hiébert
Recurrent Ventures raised $300 million from Blackstone in May 2022, but has since only reduced its ownership, staff and management.
Recurring ventures raised $300 million. Where did he go?
This widely publicized story reflects many of the most defining trends in the media industry today: the dangers of relying on search traffic, the waning appeal of digital publishing as an investment, the disconnect between workers and managers. The financial mechanisms involved may be complicated, but the underlying question is simple: where has all the money gone? —Marc Stenberg
Really funny or just advertising? Comedians rate Cannes Lions comedy winners
Gathering a group of comedians and comedy writers to check out some Cannes Lions winners isn’t the kind of story Adweek usually does. That’s why I came up with the idea and then, based on incredible feedback, I wrote a story about ads that were deemed funny haha, funny weird or just not funny at all. Bonus: readers got the joke. —TLStanley
How Code and Theory’s Michael Treff Channeled Punk Energy to Fuel His Career
I love talking to people at agencies about their roles and, even more so, finding out how they got to where they are. Michael Treff has a really interesting story that involves punk music and a love of technology. Even though these passions don’t seem to intersect, the way his leadership evolved from young musician to label owner to ultimately CEO of a tech and creative agency was a story that was not only compelling, but as unconventional as it gets . . Not everyone makes the transition from portfolio school to the agency world, and Treff’s winding path to the industry should spark a wave of creatives to seek out the world of advertising as the next step in their careers. —Kyle O’Brien
Havas Media’s first Shell campaign comes under fire with more than 70 greenwashing complaints
This story, about Havas Media’s first campaign for Shell flagged for greenwashing by the UK’s Advertising Standards Association, appears to illustrate much of the tension agencies are facing right now when it comes to climate impact . Although the ASA has not yet issued a decision, the question posed by the investigation will likely continue to plague agency leaders: to what extent are agencies responsible for the impact of the work they do to their customers, and how does this fit in? against their responsibility to make a profit? —Katie Lundstrom
Pachinko producer explains why various stories are breaking out on streaming
As an Asian American woman, I am always drawn to entertainment where my culture is accurately represented. So I love reporting on leaders who are using their companies and platforms to cultivate diverse talents and stories. Earlier this year, I interviewed Korean American producer and CEO of Blue Marble Pictures, Theresa Kang, whose experience being raised by immigrant parents played a major role in her life and sparked strong interest in looking for Asian and Asian American projects like Apple TV+’s Pachinko. —Saleah Blancaflor
Exclusive: Amazon closes its first initial transaction, shaking up the television market
This story has all the elements of what I personally love about being a journalist. I love scoops. I love the latest news. And I love insider reporting that goes beyond anything deemed press release worthy. For months, I tracked how agencies were negotiating with Amazon, the NewFronts’ most-watched TV player this year, resulting in a story I’m proud to have worked on with my colleague (and extraordinary from NewFronts) Bill Bradley. —Lauren Johnson
Why Béis wants to make its employees mini stars of social networks
It’s rare to hear from founders who are still so involved in branding and marketing decisions because they are passionate. This story is also a great behind-the-scenes look at how a leader celebrates their team and is open to trying new strategies in the social space, evolving and engaging across multiple platforms. —Colin Daniels
All brands join forces with Kendrick Lamar’s “Mustard” reference
I joined ADWEEK coming from the world of music journalism, specifically hip-hop, so being able to do a round-up of the brands that sounded off on Kendrick Lamar’s recent album “GNX” was fun. My goal here is to report on the intersections between brands, culture and entertainment, so watch for more stories like this from me in 2025! I also can’t wait to see what Kendrick does at Super Bowl LIX. —Cydney Lee
Ice Cube won’t let brands set the table for Caitlin Clark with paper plates
I picked up the sports marketing beat at ADWEEK earlier this year, just as the Big3 league offered NCAA phenom Caitlin Clark a $5 million contract, far more than the WNBA offered her. would offer later. Former Agency reporter Olivia Morley gave me a call with league owner Ice Cube, who addressed an issue that would be central to the growth of women’s sports in 2024 and into 2025: “If you invite them to dinner, you better not have any fucking paper plates. Take out the good stuff. —Jason Notte
John Wren and Philippe Krakowsky reveal their strategy behind the mega-merger
I am quite proud to be one of the only journalists to have met John Wren and Philippe Krakowsky after the announcement of the acquisition of Omnicom-IPG! —Alison Weissbrot
Publishers reeling from carbon emissions shakedown
I loved working on this piece. This comes from a comment made at lunch (about publishers still being screwed by adtech, but in the name of offering buyers more environmentally friendly options, so a new take on the debate on block lists). And after doing a little digging, I found so many people who were really pissed off about the situation. There are certainly tensions: publishers need to do more to reduce carbon emissions, but many didn’t know they were being blocked by third parties, so they couldn’t do anything about it anyway. After this story was published, at least one of the third parties changed its policies so that publishers would be more informed. —Lucinda of the South
