Hello Bidtellectuals!

We’re already half way through January – can you believe it? If you started off feeling bright and hopeful for the new year, but are feeling discouraged and down with all that’s going on, might I recommend these 5 Easy Self Care Tips to Life Your Mood Today. 

Updates: Social Platforms & President Trump

• Twitter has now permanently suspended President Trump ‘due to the risk of further incitement of violence’ in a statement. Trump responded through a series of tweets on the @POTUS account, which were swiftly taken down.  Twitter also suspended @TeamTrump, an account associated with the Trump campaign, after it shared a portion of Trump’s statement condemning the company’s action.

• Facebook and Instagram are maintaining President Trump’s account ban through the final two weeks of his presidency.

• YouTube announced Tuesday that it has now suspended his channel for at least a week, citing concern over “ongoing potential for violence.” 

• Google announced Wednesday it would pause political ads on its platforms until after Inauguration Day.

• Snapchat locked Trump’s account “indefinitely.” 

• Twitch disabled Trump’s account until he leaves office.

• Shopify shut down two online Trump memorabilia stores.

The Latest on Parler: 

• Amazon, Apple, and Google have all booted new conservative-leaning social media site Parler from their platforms in a span of a little more than 24 hours. Amazon suspended the social media platform over the weekend for failure to moderate “egregious content” related to the Capitol riots and the others quickly followed suit.

• Parler now finds itself “homeless,” and facing hackers that are “crawling” its information.

• In response, Parler filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Monday.

• Parler is also working with the FBI to share information linked to the Capitol rioters.

eMarketer’s US Programmatic Outlook for 2021

“Please don’t be ugly, please don’t be ugly…” (TikTok, anyone?)

 As we all recall, eMarketer had to adjust its pre-pandemic forecast once corona-f-this hit the U.S. The good news is that advertisers reported better-than-expected results throughout the summer leading eMarketer to adjust its outlook AGAIN. 

US programmatic digital display ad spending grew more than 10% in 2020 and will rebound to 24.1% growth in 2021. WHEW at least something is looking bright.

There’s Still a Pandemic: How Each Industry Has Felt It

With everything else on the news (understatement), coronavirus has taken a second seat. But its impact on industries and advertising is still being felt. Since the pandemic upended life in the United States in March, Bidtellect has been tracking its effect on advertising, industries, and consumers. Check out our ongoing compilation of those resources, from retail to travel to B2B to quarantine cocktails. 

→ Read More: Industry Update: The Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis

Good News: What I’m Watching Lately

Who knows if you wanted a recommendation or not, but here’s what I’ve been watching lately that is perfect escapism and pre-pandemic-happiness-inducing. Take them or leave them. 

• Lupin (Netflix) – part spy-drama, jewelry heist, and revenge scheme. You won’t be able to turn it off.

• The Crown (Netflix) – incredible acting and beautiful exploration of historic events.

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC and Hulu) – probably one of my favorite shows. Hilarious, heartwarming, everything we need right now.

• Pretend It’s a City (Netflix) – any New Yorkers or New York lovers will love Fran Lebowitz’s curmudgeonly humor, directed by Martin Scorsese.

Stay safe,

Charlotte