Hello, Bidtellectuals!

Congratulations to Bidtellectual of the Week Lindsey Morgenthaler, whose clients and colleagues alike sing her praises!

All-Hands Goes Virtual

This week, Bidtellectuals have gathered “virtually” each afternoon for our annual All-Hands! Usually, the team gathers for a few days of fun in sunny South Florida, but this year looked a little different (i.e. through a Zoom camera). The theme of presentations has been “The Journey of an Ad:” how each department and platform capability contributes to the journey and successful placement and performance of an ad through Bidtellect’s platform. And check this: we broke into teams to come up with a fun “commercial” for Bidtellect. Take a peek at one team’s final product! Get ready to smile.

Beauty and the Coronavirus

Yes, the industry felt a hit at first, but a shift in popularity to skincare, the “affordable luxury” mentality, and the desire to feel good even in a crisis has helped the industry rebound and more. Expect a permanent shift to ecommerce or hybrid models for customers post-pandemic. Now is the time to build out content to inspire shopping online and expand those digital channels to reach more now. In the words of Elizabeth Taylor: “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.” And read this.

eMarketer: Identity 2020

If you’re looking for a good run-down of the changes to cookies, ad IDs, and any other regulations taking aim at tracking this year: this is it. Don’t worry, eMarketer also surveyed marketers across the country about how they’re handling it. Surprise: compliance and data regulation will be taking up most of their attention: 60% of respondents will increase spend/emphasis on use of first-party data (IAB via eMarketer). More concerning, though, is that fewer than one-third of data professionals in North America were actively testing and investing in new solutions as of May, per IAB via eMarketer. So we’re heading towards a cookieless future, but most of the industry is about to be like, “Sorry, the dog ate my homework.”

Drones: Covid Tests of the Future??

And on the Covid-testing front: those eager to ????y to Hawaii might be happy to hear that United Airlines passengers can take a rapid test at the San Francisco Airport starting on Oct. 15. Travelers who test negative will be able to skip Hawaii’s 14-day mandatory quarantine BUT will have to foot the $250 bill. (And those who test positive won’t be able to board.) Want to test at home? No problem! Walmart is offering at-home Covid-19 testing kits by drone thanks to a new partnership with Questa Diagnostics and DroneUp. There are a few caveats, but in a blog post, Walmart said it will begin trial deliveries of Covid-19 collection kits starting Sept. 22 in NorthLas Vegas, with Cheektowaga, N.Y., to follow in early October. And if you’re feeling really confident: Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines released new safety procedures and hope to set sail by October 31st!!!! No more buffets, but lots of testing.

Stay safe, friends,

Charlotte

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Charlotte Otremba is Sr. Manager of Communications and Marketing at Bidtellect.