Football has long been far more dominant in the US than fútbol.

But with the FIFA Men’s World Cup coming to the states next year for the first time in more than three decades, soccer is generating more buzz than usual, and there’s no shortage of stakeholders—from FIFA sponsors to rights holders to Major League Soccer—already working to tap into the international fandom surrounding the most popular sport in the world.

The FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament involving 32 teams from each of the six FIFA confederations around the world, just wrapped, and marketing during the tournament provided a glimpse of what fans might see from some major FIFA sponsors next summer. And while some other sponsors are sitting out the Club World Cup, they are deep into planning for the World Cup regardless.

“I don’t think there’s any other sporting moment that has the ability to paralyze the world in the same way as a men’s football World Cup,” Emily Heath, global brand director at Unilever’s Rexona brand (which is known as Degree in the US), told Marketing Brew. “FIFA’s ambitions are that 6 billion people watch the Men’s World Cup next year, and [about 128 million] people tuned in for the Super Bowl, so you can see the difference in scale that has the ability to deliver…It’s totally different from any other sporting experience.”

Continue reading here.—AM

In the last year, the streaming world has been in a pickle.

Juggernaut TV media companies are struggling with their declining cable businesses, and some are trying to stem the damage by separating more profitable studio and streaming businesses from their cable properties.

As the disruption and restructures remake the companies from the inside out, it also means many of these companies are shedding employees. We took a look at which companies have made the most dramatic changes over the past 12 months.

Ruffled feathers: Peacock’s parent company revealed a plan late last year to move its cable networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, to a spin-off company that’s been named Versant, and since that announcement, has gone through a few rounds of layoffs and restructures.

In January, Comcast subsidiary NBCUniversal underwent a restructure, during which unscripted head Corie Henson and Peacock’s president, Kelly Campbell, departed the company. NBCU initiated another round of layoffs in April, cutting dozens of jobs in divisions including streaming and TV.

In February, MSNBC fired host Joy Reid and cancelled several other of its news programs.

Calling it splits: When it comes to the cable business, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) also knows a thing or two. The company executed a $9+ billion writedown in August after continuously hemorrhaging cable TV subscribers.

More recently, WBD followed Comcast’s lead and announced that it will split its cable business from its studio and streaming units into a new company that will be headed by WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels. (There’s been some speculation that WBD may be looking to sell off its cable business entirely.)

After laying off nearly 1,000 employees last summer, CNN laid off another 200 people in January as part of a restructuring aimed at bolstering the digital side of its business, and WBD parted ways with “under 100” employees on the cable side in June, per Deadline.

Read more here.—JS

In a digital world dominated by short attention spans and infinite scrolling, how can brands forge real connections amid the noise of trends, memes, and fleeting moments? This e-book explores how brands like Lush, American Girl, Teletubbies, and Cava are redefining digital relevance.

From tapping into absurd humor and nostalgic throwbacks to stepping away from social media altogether, these companies show that success doesn’t come from following a formula—it comes from being bold, authentic, and unafraid to try something new.

Take a look at the e-book here.—KH

The agenda for What’s Next? on July 24 is officially live, and it’s bringing a downpour of fresh ideas, future-focused panels, and creator marketing forecasts you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re curious about content trends, data strategies, or how creators are reshaping brand partnerships, this lineup is built to keep you steps ahead of the scroll.

Executive moves across the industry.

• WPP hired Microsoft executive Cindy Rose to serve as CEO of the holdco. In September, Rose will take over for outgoing company head Mark Read, who announced his departure last month.
• Tubi hired two Snap ad sales execs: Sharon Silverstein, who joins as SVP, head of US industry verticals, and Katelyn Kroneman, who will serve as VP, finance and QSR verticals.
• The United States Tennis Association hired Michael McGoohan, a marketer who most recently served as president of Solo Stove and chief growth officer of Solo Brands, as chief growth officer.
• The Hershey Company tapped former Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner to serve as president and CEO starting next month.