Adweek March 7, 2016

President Barack Obama has accomplished a lot of “firsts” when it comes to commanders in chief and digital media. The president created social accounts on Twitter and Facebook, participated in a Reddit AMA and appeared on the online comedy website Funny or Die to push his healthcare agenda. So it makes sense that No. 44 will also be the first president to speak at South by Southwest Interactive. The festival announced last week he will appear on March 11, opening day for the Austin, Texas, show, and will sit down with Evan Smith, CEO and editor in chief of The Texas Tribune. What’s more, first lady Michelle Obama will attend the music part of the festival on March 16, addressing Let Girls Learn, her initiative that aims to overcome obstacles…

The Swedish furniture retailer last week put its global media assignment in play. Consultancy ID Comms will assist with the process. All told, Ikea spends in excess of $400 million annually in measured media. MEC, a unit of WPP’s GroupM, handles Ikea’s planning and buying in the U.S., having successfully defended those chores during the client’s media pitch seven years ago. Dentsu Aegis Network’s Vizeum added the U.K. business at that time. Ikea works with various agency resources for planning and buying in other global geographies.…

Vice Media unleashed its first linear network last Monday night, launching Viceland, its new channel with A+E Networks. Featuring an eclectic lineup, the network is taking a new approach to lure millennials back to TV. Viceland is shaking things up on the advertising side as well, reducing ad loads with an emphasis on native advertising, which Vice creates to look more like editorial content. Viceland is hoping to have native ads—which could run anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes—as half its ad inventory within the year.…

More than half of millennials are using ad blockers on their personal computers, according to a recent survey of 500 U.S. adults commissioned by Retale, a location-based mobile marketing platform. “Millennials are more technologically savvy,” said Retale president Pat Dermody. “Not only are they seemingly more inclined to tune out display and banner ads while on a PC, they’re proactive in blocking them.” ONE IN FIVE MILLENNIALS CURRENTLY USE AD BLOCKERS ON THEIR MOBILE DEVICES. 63% OF MILLENNIALS CURRENTLY USE AD BLOCKERS ON THEIR PERSONAL COMPUTERS. AN ADDITIONAL 16% SAY THEY “WANT TO” USE MOBILE AD BLOCKERS, BUT DON’T THINK THEY ARE ABLE TO ON THEIR CURRENT DEVICE.…

Campbell Ewald made headlines in January for firing CEO Jim Palmer over a staffer’s racist email, and the incident still seems to be casting a shadow over the agency. Last week, two key clients chose to follow the lead of USAA, which terminated its contract with the IPG shop days after the story came to light. Neither Edward Jones nor Henry Ford Health System will renew their current Campbell Ewald contracts, which expire this spring. Although Edward Jones would not comment on why it was ending its relationship with Campbell Ewald, a Henry Ford Health System rep confirmed that its decision was linked to the agency’s high-profile incident of racial insensitivity by a creative director.…

McDonald’s raised more than a few eyebrows last year when it sponsored South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas. Aside from activations like a food truck and a big-tent event, the fast-food chain ran into a PR catastrophe after it asked indie bands to play for free. Despite the backlash, the company says social engagement during last year’s event increased 196 percent versus its daily average. And interactions—the number of clicks and likes on posts—were up 261 percent. On the eve of the chain’s SXSW activation this year—which will include a virtual reality experience and a contest pitting startups against one another for the chance to work with the golden arches—Adweek spoke with chief digital officer Atif Rafiq, who shared lessons learned from last year and how the company is finding its…