November 2 – FIFA paid approximately $4 million toward the personal US tax bill of its president, Gianni Infantino. The New York Times reports that the tax liability has never been made public and has not been disclosed in FIFA’s annual report. Infantino, under fire from FIFA’s membership after…
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SharkNinja got a taste of F1 fandom when its products turned up in Brad Pitt’s racing film last year. Fans warmed to the brand and plenty finally twigged that Shark and Ninja were the same company. Then the buzz faded. “The movie was great but it spiked and…
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October 30 – Legends Global will be the operating partner for the VinFast-Trong Dong Stadium in Hanoi, a 135,000-capacity venue that would be the largest stadium used for sport in the world. The agreement with Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate, covers facility management, vendor coordination and on-site operations. The two…
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The advertising industry has a talent problem it desperately needs to confront: AI is eliminating the work that used to develop future leaders, and most agencies aren’t building a replacement pipeline. No one wants to discuss entry-level jobs, but those jobs are how people obtain three years of…
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October 23 – The Asian Football Confederation’s president Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has pledged Asia’s support to embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino in his bid for re-election for a fourth term. The AFC had initially called for the removal of Infantino after his failure to explain…
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There’s no longer one way to pitch for a big account, and the holdco earnings calls keep proving it. Asked about it on Havas’ earnings call last week, CFO and COO François Laroze said the business is focused on more integrated pitches. When the topic came up on…
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October 21 – UEFA has raised electoral concerns over the role of FIFA official Bruno Chiomento. In the letter UEFA sent to FIFA general secretary, Mattias Grafström earlier this week, the European governing body questioned the independence of Chiomento as chair of the FIFA electoral committee. UEFA wrote:…
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New strata lines are forming across the top layers of the agency world, as the Big Three (Publicis, Omnicom and WPP) cement their status as top dogs in size, scale and clout. That much is undeniable. But entirely new formations, alliances and brand revamps are taking place in…
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October 16 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has survived a grilling over his much-maligned World Cup privatisation plans by the FIFA Council, cementing, for now, his position at the helm of the world federation. On Thursday, after months of global governance turmoil over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise…
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As AI transforms how consumers search and shop, Wirecutter wants to be more than a product review site built on affiliate links. The New York Times-owned brand is expanding into new verticals, story formats and editorial franchises that advertisers can sponsor, as it works to diversify its revenue…
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