Project Worldwide’s bet on gaming

Hello and welcome to Insider Advertising for March 19. I'm senior advertising reporter Lauren Johnson, and here's what's going on:

• Project Worldwide's bet on gaming.
• YouTube launches Shorts.
• Teen Vogue incoming editor-in-chief resigns.

If this email was forwarded to you, sign up here for your daily insider's guide to advertising and media.

Tips, comments, suggestions? Drop me a line at [email protected] or on Twitter at @LaurenJohnson.

---

Advertising company Project Worldwide just acquired a specialty agency to help clients like Pepsi capitalize on the red-hot gaming business

• Patrick Coffee reports that ad holding company Project Worldwide acquired gaming specialty agency OS Studios.
• Project Worldwide wants to help big clients like Pepsi enter the fast-growing gaming business.
• Esports revenue is predicted to approach $2 billion by 2022, mostly through ads and sponsorships.

Read the story.

---

YouTube's TikTok rival, Shorts, is launching in the US. A lead exec breaks down its key features and plans.

• Amanda Perelli wrote about YouTube's TikTok competitor, Shorts.
• YouTube rolled out a set of features on Thursday that let users create and share short-form videos.
• Todd Sherman, the product lead for YouTube Shorts, said that YouTube plans to continue to improve the feature into a monetization tool for creators.

Read the story.

---

Teen Vogue's incoming editor-in-chief has resigned after old anti-Asian tweets sparked a staff backlash

• Incoming Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Alexi McCammond is leaving the publication.
• Staff at the magazine condemned tweets mocking Asians McCammond posted in 2011.
• Ulta Beauty paused ad spending at Condé Nast due to the fallout from McCammond's tweets.

Read the story.

---

More stories we're reading:

• Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer has started a SPAC. Its CEO describes exactly the type of company – and the valuation – he's looking for in a company to take public. (Insider)
• SeatGeek is reviewing its partnership with YouTube star David Dobrik after a rape allegation was made against a former Vlog Squad member (Insider)
  
• UK social media influencers warned over ad rules breaches (The Guardian)
• NFL finalizes new 11-year media rights deal, Amazon gets exclusive Thursday Night rights (CNBC)

Thanks for reading and see you on Monday! You can reach me in the meantime at [email protected] and subscribe to this daily email here.