World News – US – Black Friday pedestrian traffic halves, and Salesforce checks: Monday wake-up call

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Good morning, and welcome to your wake up call after Thanksgiving. Hopefully you’ve finally managed to digest all of the food and are ready to catch up on the events of the long weekend.

Today is Cyber ​​Monday, but the name seems a little redundant in 2020 when online shopping is the norm for many people. Pedestrian traffic in U on Black Friday. . S.. . Business was down 52%, according to Bloomberg News, reporting preliminary data from Sensormatic Solutions. Meanwhile U. . S.. . Retailers hit a record $ 12. According to Salesforce, online sales on Friday were 8 billion, up 23% year over year.

Although the pandemic is an obvious factor, as Ad Age’s Adrianne Pasquarelli writes, Black Friday has been declining for years and 2020 was simply “a turning point in the steady decline of the five-decade-old shopping vacation. This year, major retailers like Target have been encouraging customers to shop for ongoing deals throughout November, and companies like Lowe, Gap and Home Depot have released longer-term deals. But save your tears: When Black Friday ends the way we know it, Pasquarelli writes: “Experts say retailers shouldn’t mourn, because in recent years this has been found to be a logistical headache rather than a blessing. ”

Shares in Slack Technologies are up 24% this weekend. The company is reportedly in talks to be taken over by Salesforce.

The proposed deal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal last week, would be the biggest Salesforce deal ever. Slack has a market valuation of nearly $ 22 billion, according to reports on the talks (and its co-founder Stewart Butterfield is $ 400 million richer, according to Bloomberg News. ) This would also increase Salesforce’s rivalry with Microsoft as the company solidifies its dominance in cloud-based software. Microsoft has pushed its team platform, which competes with Slack, strongly since the pandemic began.

Reports say that an announcement may be imminent and Salesforce is reporting third quarter results tomorrow. However, nothing is finalized and the talks could still fall apart. Watch this room.

There was some sad news over the weekend. Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Zappos, died on Friday as a result of a house fire. Hsieh, 46, stepped down as CEO of Zappos in August after 21 years with the company he had grown into an online giant.

Pete Blackshaw, CEO of Cintrifuse, recalls Hsieh in an obit for Ad Age today, describing him as a visionary who « puts service at the heart of any smart company’s business model » by advocating for return on investment, for example used by consumers. But, perhaps unusual for the technology sector, Hsieh was also someone who “exuded humility, humility and accessibility. Read more about him here.

Still thirsty after the weekend? Today, as Ad Age’s E, you can learn all about the burgeoning gin market. J. . Schultz will be joined by Harvey Purchese, Senior Vice President Marketing at spirits marketer William Grant & Sons, in a live episode of Ad Age Remotely at 11 a.m.. m. European summer time.

The session explores Hendrick’s Gin’s bizarre advertising approach, which includes stunts like the « Hendrick’s High Wheel, » a downright old-fashioned exercise bike, and Horatio, a « slightly smart » speaker. Purchese will also discuss how the marketer is keeping its other brands center stage during the major holiday season, including Balvenie and Glenfiddich malt whiskeys and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum. look here.

From 7-Eleven to Google: Martin Chow, Vice President of Global Marketing at Google, is the guest on this week’s Ad Block podcast telling I-Hsien Sherwood and Alfred Maskeroni of Ad Age, how they grew up with his family 7-eleven business. Chow is a fast food connoisseur with opinions on the world’s best McDonalds. He is also married to a cook.

Week Ahead: Tomorrow is Tuesday to raise funds for charity. In addition, the global tech event Web Summit is streamed online with guests like Serena Williams, and NBC broadcasts Rockefeller Center’s annual Christmas tree lights – this year without public participation. More in our calendar summary.

Santa meets The Office: Have we reached the climax of the nostalgia “The Office”? Steve Carell is the sitcom’s newest star to appear in a commercial this year. As Ann-Christine Diaz of Ad Age reports, he plays a stress-eating WFH Santa who tries to communicate with his elves through a video call on the Comcast Xfinity vacation ad. It’s a charming place by Goodby Silverstein & Partners that aired after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. Check it out here.

That makes it for today’s wake up call. Thank you for reading and we hope you all stay safe and healthy. For more industry news and insights, please visit Twitter: @adage.

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