Amid the will they, won’t they drama of the still-looming TikTok ban, a lesser-known shopping app seized an opportunity.

On January 19, directly after TikTok temporarily went dark in the US, Whatnot ran a full-page print ad in newspapers across the country, reading, “No matter what happens, we’re here for you.” The message circulated in the Sunday editions of the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Miami Herald, and Dallas Morning News.

During the weekend of its run, Whatnot saw its largest seller application rate and new seller days ever, according to the company.

The move to woo TikTok users looking for a new home was something of a national introduction for Whatnot, which bills itself as providing a live selling and buying experience centered around common interests. The company, which raised additional funding in January and was valued at nearly $5 billion, is looking to make live shopping as popular in the US as it is overseas, particularly as it leans into catering to communities around certain shopping categories, Armand Wilson, Whatnot’s VP of categories and expansion, said.

“We’ve been pretty quiet over the last few years,” Wilson told us. “But we really want to get louder this year, because we think it’s right. We think the product’s ready.”

Keep reading here about how the platform is positioning itself in 2025.—JN

Max is creating shareholder value, or whatever the finance bros say. Warner Bros. Discovery’s DTC unit, which houses the streamer, added 6.4 million global subscribers in Q424, according to the company’s quarterly earnings.

The DTC unit, which also includes Discovery+ and some niche streamers, counted 117 million global subscribers in total and 57 million domestic subscribers, the company reported. The company is aiming to hit 150 million global subscribers by the end of 2026, it disclosed in a shareholder letter published Thursday morning.

The company’s streaming business posted a $409 million profit in Q424, compared to a $55 million loss in Q423, and over the course of the year, the business segment brought in $677 million in profit, more than six times that of the $103 million it brought in in 2023.

WBD has its ad-supported streaming tiers to thank for part of that growth: ad-tier signups helped drive advertising revenue up 27% in the three months ending December 31, according to the company. The amount of money the company earned per subscriber also inched up, with domestic ARPU increasing from $11.65 in Q423 to $11.77 in Q424.

With that said, the competition in the streaming world is still fierce.

“The global players will be…the largest sustainable-growth media companies,” WBD CEO David Zaslav said Thursday during the company’s earnings call.“There’ll probably be four or five or six, and our job every day is to fight to get a seat at that table.”

Read more here about WBD’s programming and pricing plans.—JS

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Scott Thaler is CMO of the marketing agency Gravity Global. He has previously been CMO of 9thWonder Agency and Mattress Firm.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? When I served as CMO of Mattress Firm, we aimed to garner awareness and consideration of the brand in an unexpected way. So we hired a college student to sleep on the job as our summer “Snoozetern,” a position within our content studio dedicated to owned socials. This idea created so much buzz that Carson Daly on the Today show, USA Today, the New York Times, Good Morning America, and more covered it. This attention drove over 1 million dollars in new mattress sales while enhancing employee morale.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? It’s an older one, but Apple’s “Get a Mac” series withstands the test of time for me. It blends simplicity, creativity, and storytelling, making complex technology feel accessible and human. Each spot has a clear message, showing how Macs solve the problems PCs create. The series never feels overly technical or condescending, showcasing how to differentiate a brand by focusing on customer experience. Apple elevated itself by leading with personality and relatability, a brand identity that defines it to this day. with, but it never felt overly technical or condescending.

Read more here.

In a rapidly changing market, speed to insight is everything. EMARKETER’s new AI search delivers context-driven answers instantly, helping you spot opportunities, allocate ad spend, master benchmarking, and craft impactful pitches. Join their exclusive webinar to see it in action and hear how clients use it daily to stay ahead. See AI search in action.

Mergers and acquisitions, company partnerships, and more.

• DoubleVerify is acquiring media measurement startup Rockerbox in an effort to broaden its ad-tech offerings, per Axios.
• IPG announced the sale of R/GA to private-equity firm Truelink Capital.
• YouTube inked a sponsorship deal with the PGA Tour for its new Creator Classic Series.
• Alaska Airlines became the official airline of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave FC and MLS’s San Diego FC.
• Pacifico is the founding partner of The Snow League, Shaun White’s new snowboarding and freeskiing league.