Officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) have held multiple conversations with advertising executives about several brand-safety scandals spurred by reports from the ad-tech consulting firm Adalytics, Marketing Brew has learned.

In the conversations, officials have inquired about reports alleging that YouTube inadvertently collected data on children, that Google sold and placed ads that rarely met its own standards, and that Google placed ads on sanctioned Russian and Iranian websites for advertisers including the US Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and the FBI, according to two people who spoke to Marketing Brew on the condition of anonymity out of concern for potential professional and personal repercussions.

• According to three people, the officials have also asked about how advertisers work with the ad verification companies Integral Ad Science and DoubleVerify, which sell services that claim to prevent ads from running against objectionable content, detect fraud, and measure digital ads.

In the conversations, officials asked about the effectiveness of these tools and whether there could be a conflict of interest between the verification vendors, their programmatic partners, and the advertisers they represent.

Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, spent more than $1.8 billion on advertising in 2023, according to procurement records analyzed by Rebuild Local News.

It’s unclear what the exact focus of any inquiry is or its scope. In a statement, NCIS spokesperson Jeff Houston said that “out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS does not comment on, confirm details relating to, or confirm the existence of ongoing investigations.”

Jonathan Lee, general counsel at Adalytics, said that “as a matter of course, Adalytics can neither confirm nor deny our participation in or the existence of any regulatory, national security, or law enforcement investigations.”

Continue reading here.—RB

Few of us are immune to the allure of a little treat.

For team marketers who send gift boxes to members of the media whose votes determine regular-season awards like MVP and Rookie of the Year, they’re banking on it.

The gift boxes are a way to share information about individual players and coaches as voters decide who to cast their votes for, and team execs said the gifts can even serve an additional purpose beyond helping to advocate for their candidates: generating publicity.

This year, WNBA teams, including the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty, who are currently facing off in the finals, worked months in advance to sweeten—or, in some cases, spice up—the pot for award voters.

• The Lynx decided to spice things up with custom hot sauces, focusing their efforts on forward Napheesa Collier, who was named Defensive Player of the Year.
• The Liberty tapped The Nourish Spot, a health-food restaurant with locations in Queens and Brooklyn, to create six juices, one based on each of the five players they were campaigning for, and another paying tribute to their fans.
• The Indiana Fever went the sweet-treat route this season, sending a chocolate record with a mini-hammer as part of its campaign advocating for record-breaker Caitlin Clark to win Rookie of the Year, which she did.

“You’re just never quite sure how much people have been watching your team and have an understanding of what your players are doing,” Heather Meyer, VP of marketing for the Minnesota Lynx, told Marketing Brew. “It’s become tradition, and it’s something that we as a team put a fair amount of time and thought into, because we do believe it matters.”

Continue reading here.—AM

When it comes to men’s sports, plenty of women are tuning in, too. Not only are women around the world watching sporting events, but the majority of them, 72%, identify as avid fans of at least one sport, according to a report from The Collective, Wasserman’s women-focused advisory business. Twenty-five percent of women fans said following sports is one of the most important things in their lives.

They’re most passionate about American football but also show interest in women’s sports, according to the report: About half of women fans in North America (48%) said they’d like to see more brands get involved with women’s sports.

Gen F: While there are women sports fans to be found at any age, younger fans tend to be the most enthusiastic, according to the report, which is based on the Wasserman Sports Fan Survey, an annual study conducted among more than 35,500 respondents around the world.

Majorities of baby boomer and Gen X women—60% of both groups—are avid sports fans, and that number increases significantly from Gen X to millennials and Gen Z.

• About three-quarters (74%) of millennial women are avid sports enthusiasts.
• That share rises to 79% among Gen Zers.

Continue reading here.—AM

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Stories we’re jealous of.

• Sports Illustrated wrote about the strategy behind dressing the New York Liberty’s mascot, Ellie the Elephant.
• The New York Times wrote about reporter Kjersti Flaa, whose years-old interviews with celebrities have led to current-day PR issues for those celebrities.
• The Wall Street Journal wrote about the naming process behind Boston’s new professional women’s soccer team, Bos Nation FC.