May 7, 2019

Shoppable ads are trending

Image: Maskot via Getty Images

One big takeaway from NewFront presentations this year is that publishers are getting behind the "shoppable ads" trend that many tech platforms have been focusing on for the past two years.

What's new: NBCUniversal became the first national broadcaster to roll out "shoppable" TV ads on Monday, per AdWeek.

The ad unit, called ShoppableTV, is triggered when viewers point mobile cameras toward QR codes that appear onscreen during NBC programming and commercials.

What else: Walmart's video platform Vudu is testing a new "shoppable in-stream ads" format, per Variety.

The format is designed to encourage users to click on a spot to receive product information via email or “add to cart” prompt to allow users to add an item featured in an ad to their cart on walmart.com.

Go deeper: E-commerce is upending Madison Avenue, led by Amazon

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What top CEOs fear telling America about the coronavirus shutdown

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Top CEOs, in private conversations and pleas to President Trump, are warning of economic catastrophe if America doesn't begin planning for a phased return to work as soon as May, corporate leaders tell Axios.

Why it matters: The CEOs say massive numbers of companies, big and small, could go under if business and government don't start urgent talks about ways groups of workers can return.

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Health care workers vs. the coronavirus

Photo Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images, Bruce Bennett/Getty Images, and Europa Press News/Europa Press via Getty Images

Health care workers are at an especially high risk of catching the coronavirus, because of their prolonged exposure to patients who have it. Making matters worse, the U.S. doesn't have enough of the protective equipment, like masks and gloves, that keeps them safe.

And yet these workers, with loved ones of their own, keep showing up at hospitals across the country, knowing that more Americans than they can possibly care for are depending on them.

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Coronavirus crisis tests Trump’s love for cheap oil

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

President Trump is working to help an oil industry imploding as the coronavirus crisis chokes demand, but listen closely and you’ll hear his enduring love for cheap prices.

Why it matters: He’s like most Americans, who worry about energy only when it’s expensive or gone. As president, Trump has been slow and uneven in responding to the sector’s turmoil because of his inclination to cheer rock-bottom prices.

Go deeper2 hours ago - Energy & Environment