The Digest: Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Digest.

Ta-DUM!!! Just when you think it's safe to write a newsletter intro, Paramount makes a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros.

In the latest move, Paramount offered $74.4 billion and—unlike Netflix—will buy the cable assets too.

There was speculation that Netflix only made its bid to drive up the price for Paramount, which would limit cash flow after the acquisition and give Netflix a better market position. I guess Paramount doesn't see it that way. Can't wait to watch this play out.

Beyond the hostile bid, Marketing & Media News features stories about microdramas, digital news, and YouTubers headed to Paris. All jumped out at me as examples of industry leaders meeting audiences where they are.

Maybelline capitalized on the microdrama trend—sort of—for their holiday campaign. Microdramas are typically 60–75 minute soap opera–style vertical videos with stories unfolding through 60-second episodes that audiences pay to watch. This campaign takes a different approach. It's a 5-part "series" that's more of an extended brand spot with a tongue-in-cheek tone. It spoofs the gripping storytelling style of microdramas while borrowing cultural equity for the cool factor.

Building on that, NBC News is set to launch its first dedicated DTC digital subscription service any day. Similar to microdrama viewers flocking to dedicated apps, NBCU is betting that its core audience will travel from social networks to its service for exclusive content.

Sticking with 30 Rock news, NBCU announced partnerships with influencers, podcasters, and celebrities for their 2026 Olympics coverage. Influencers made a huge impact at the last Olympics. Now they go into Milan with key learnings and a bigger roster of creators.

In local news, the state of CT is selling pizza to improve perception and grab attention—smart ahead of an expected hot housing market in Fairfield County because of NYC return-to-work plans.

As a reminder, Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros are supporting the Jewish Family Services of Greenwich holiday gift drive. If you're in the area, come join us this Friday in Stamford for Holiday Office Hours. Purchase a gift from the JFS Amazon Wish List, show us your receipt, and your first beer or coffee is on us.

That’s it for this week. Enjoying this newsletter? I made a few format changes and added a video this week. Please feel free to share with others and let me know your thoughts.

What’s Next?

This digest is a starting point. The goal is to build a community of senior marketing and media professionals in Fairfield County. If you have news to share, a campaign to highlight, job opportunities, or an event to promote, please email me at [email protected] 

Best,

Shawn