buyer blessing : viacom and cbs have appointed special committees to consider the merger that the redstone family holding company national amusements has called on them to explore, the wall street journal reports. while there<u+2019>s still plenty to sort out and a deal is far from certain, advertising buyers are already bullish about a reunion , cmo today reports. why? a bigger cable-and-broadcast partnership could lead to cost efficiencies, spurring buyers to increase commitments if the two are sold together in the marketplace. <u+201c>viacom is the scrappy kid in the playground willing to try anything once and cbs is the tried and true elder statesman,<u+201d> said david cohen, president of interpublic<u+2019>s magna unit in north america. the duo would also have more negotiating power in the <u+201c>upfront<u+201d> ad sales process, since giants like nbcuniversal and 21st century fox have moved to selling broadcast and cable ad packages. another potential perk: viacom could help cbs expand internationally, while also providing more youthful content to its subscription streaming service, cbs all access. the facebook election : facebook plays a central role in many americans<u+2019> news intake, particularly this election season. but as christopher mims writes in his wsj column, the social network has also matured as an advertising medium for politicians looking to get their message out to would-be voters. campaigns for both hillary clinton and donald trump have relied on facebook<u+2019>s tools to target specific audiences, just like any old marketer would. this isn<u+2019>t the first time campaigns have used the platform, to be sure. <u+201c>everybody thought 2008 was the facebook election, but i<u+2019>d argue 2016 is the facebook election,<u+201d> said zac moffatt, former digital director for mitt romney<u+2019>s presidential campaign and co-founder of political consultancy targeted victory. facebook allows campaigns to <u+201c>hit three out of four americans on one platform,<u+201d> he added. while digital is growing at a fast clip, tv will still bring in about $4.4 billion in political ad dollars this cycle compared with digital<u+2019>s $1 billion haul, according to estimates. get that paper : gannett<u+2019>s effort to buy tronc, the oft-mocked new name for tribune publishing, may finally become a reality . politico reports that an agreement for the owner of the los angeles times and chicago tribune could be announced as early as monday morning. the report speculates that the price might come in at $18.50 to $19 a share, a slight bump from gannett<u+2019>s most recent rebuffed offer of $18 but far above its original bid in april of $12.25. if a deal closes, it would mark the end of a rocky six-month courtship. in may, tribune publishing rejected a takeover offer from gannett and sold a health-care entrepreneur a $70.5 million stake . then in june, the company renamed itself tronc, short for tribune online content, a move that was quickly ridiculed by reporters and made fun of on hbo<u+2019>s <u+201c>last week tonight<u+201d> by john oliver. though if a deal is finally reached, maybe the tronc name will be short-lived. keeping them honest : jessica alba<u+2019>s consumer products company honest co. is removing an ingredient from its laundry detergent and other cleaning products that has been a source of controversy, wsj reports. in a new product launching next year, honest will no longer use sodium coco sulfate (for more background on the chemical, read wsj<u+2019>s report ). the five-year-old company has been no stranger to marketing and pr mishaps<u+2014>like when people on social media posted their sunburns to raise questions about the efficacy of its sunscreen. it has also faced civil lawsuits arguing honest<u+2019>s labeling was misleading<u+2014>claims which it has denied. but now the company, which was valued at $1.7 billion during a funding round in 2015, might be in transition mode. honest had been in talks to be acquired by unilever for $1 billion, but the consumer-products giant went on to buy <u+201c>green<u+201d> products competitor seventh generation, making a deal unlikely. now it<u+2019>s unclear if honest will sell to another large consumer-products company or pursue an ipo. verizon has joined the list of marketers demanding that advertising agencies diversify their ranks. diego scotti, chief marketing officer for verizon, sent a letter to 11 of the agencies the company works with requesting diversity action plans. [ nyt ] viewership for the season premiere of <u+201c>saturday night live<u+201d> jumped 29% from last season<u+2019>s premiere, scoring its biggest opening night in eight years, according to preliminary nielsen figures. the show opened with a sketch mocking the first presidential debate, with alec baldwin playing donald trump. [ variety ] mtv has signed rapper a$ap rocky to a two-year deal to help fashion original programming and develop content for advertisers. the company is forming a venture called mtv labs. [ variety ] espn was able to sign some out-of-home viewing deals with advertisers this upfront. networks have long argued that much of their viewing, particularly sports programming, happens in non-measured venues like bars. [ ad age ] mental floss magazine is ending its print edition. the dennis publishing-owned outlet will, like many publishers, focus more on its video offering. [ politico ] abc<u+2019>s <u+201c>grey<u+2019>s anatomy,<u+201d> now in its 13th season, is once again among the top 10 most expensive shows for advertisers, according to ad age<u+2019>s annual pricing chart. [ ad age ] wang jianlin, china<u+2019>s richest man, has gone on a buying spree in hollywood. his dalian wanda group<u+2019>s latest target is dick clark productions, which would add to the tycoon<u+2019>s portfolio of entertainment properties like theater chain amc. [ wsj ] rumors have swirled that disney, whose stock has struggled amid doubts over espn<u+2019>s future growth, will make a large acquisition for the likes of vice or twitter. ceo bob iger has a history of big bets, and analysts say he<u+2019>s likely due for another deal. [ nyt ] follow us on twitter: @wsjcmo , @digitalshields , @vranicawsj , @jackmarshall , @perlberg , @alexbruell , @srabil , @asharma subscribe to our morning newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox, at http://on.wsj.com/cmotodaysignup . write to steven perlberg at steven.perlberg@wsj.com
cmo today: ad buyers bless idea of cbs-viacom union - wsj
steven perlberg