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Lynch reminds media how much control he exerts over any interaction

Marshawn Lynch gave America five minutes and thirty-three seconds of his time, did not amplify on his posture during the pregame of Friday nights game in Arizona, and dropped a Peace, out.

Now how much Marshawn Lynch can you get?

He talked, thereby satisfying people. He didnt not talk about the National Anthem, the country, current events or anything remotely close to any of it, this disappointing those same people. He crossed the myth about elephants and mice with the popular Oedipal reference to make a new Marshawn Moment, which ranks up there with the tennis shoe hanging from the telephone wire retirement announcement.

And yeah, that is so much Marshawn Lynch, too.

Lynch, ultimately, interacts with the amalgamated media rabble (my ID number is #287,449/A) by reminding it how much control he exerts over any such interaction, and by giving it only his presence rather than his attention. He is phenomenally predictable that way, and it is to our shame that we keep thinking he will break the pattern out of some misplaced sense of obligation.

He is, in his own way, a recluse in full view. He insists on being the master of his surroundings in a business with many assumed masters coaches, front office people, fans, marketers, media, even the oft-repeated myths of the game like ones responsibilities to the greater amorphous whole. I even suspect he has the power of invisibility, like Doctor Fate, Martian Manhunter or The Watcher.

In which case he should gain about 7,500 yards and score 130 touchdowns and be able to sit whenever he wants for more reasons than his own. After all, America tends to bend its willingness to accept eccentricities like his when he is helping their team entertain them successfully.

After all, we know what our true cultural priorities are.

NAPA Marshawn Lynch spoke with the media Thursday for the second time as a Raider. He was quick-witted, disarming and, as always, not suitable for work.

It was five minutes of peak Marshawn, where he brought light to his charitable endeavors, called himself the daddy of his position group and cleverly sidestepped all things nation anthem.

He was asked four questions on other topics before elephant in the room was mentioned. It didnt stick around long.

I think the elephant left the room because a little mouse ran in here, Lynch deadpanned. Didnt they say elephants are scared of mice or something? That [expletive] left the room, cousin.

[RATTO:Lynch reminds media how much control he exerts over any interaction]

Two more related questions came down the pike. The first was about Del Rio letting players be themselves. He answered a different question instead.

Yeah, because on doctor-24, its a designed way that youre supposed to run it but I have all freedom to go any way that I choose to run it, Lynch said. I would say, yes.

The final anthem-esque query was deflected in a similar fashion.

When we run 74 or something like that, where I have to scan and read on both sides, that is pretty difficult. For the most part, Im a veteran so I can make it work.

Two things were crystal clear after speaking with Lynch.

He didnt miss football one bit during his year in retirement. Lynch said this spring he decided to return after the Raiders were approved to relocate away from his native Oakland. He wants to represent his hometown well and give them something to cheer before the team leaves for Las Vegas.

Thats why hes fired up even for Saturdays exhibition against the Rams hes expected to make a cameo in that game his first in Oakland wearing silver and black.

Its truly a blessing and just to have the opportunity to go and do that is a good [expletive] feeling, Lynch said. Its a good [expletive] feeling.

Lynch has always been active in the community, and hopes him playing here will bring more visibility to whats being done to help kids in Oakland.

I plan on continuing to do what I do in the community, Lynch said. Itll probably be that now that Im here, more people that are in the community might actually come out and support what it is that weve got going on.

AP

NAPA The Raiders spent 18 days in isolation at the Napa Valley Marriott, pouring complete focus into season prep. Head coach Jack Del Rio considers his team better for the experience.

The Raiders moved back to their Alameda facility after Thursdays practice, the 14th of this training camp, ready to complete the preseason. The next milestone comes in Saturdays exhibition against the Los Angeles Rams.

I think we came in with a purposeful mind going after things, accomplishing things, Del Rio said. In terms of installation, in terms of situational awareness and those things, were coaching and teaching. I think we were able to work and get guys either back or really close to being back and I feel really good about the way camp went. It was a strong camp. It was very purposeful and very productive.

The Raiders left relatively healthy, despite longer-term injuries to Keith McGill and Denver Kirkland. There were some issues unresolved during this time.

Donald Penns contract holdout continues after nearly three weeks. First-round pick Gareon Conley still hasnt seen the field while dealing with a shin injury originally suffered in a June minicamp.

Jihad Ward, Ben Heeney and Cooper Helfet joined Conley and Penn as players who didnt participate in a camp practice.

I know the natural question is going to hit me on a couple of the guys. Obviously, one is not here, his choice. You have a couple of others that havent been able to join us at practice yet, and theyre working, Del Rio said. Theyre doing everything were asking. Theyll come back when they can. Until then, we just move on. Were looking forward to playing at home this week in front of our crowd. Im excited about that opportunity to kick that off.

QUICK SLANTS -- The battle to be quarterback Derek Carrs backup wages on, though Del Rio said EJ Manuel has a leg up at this stage. That supports what was seen in training camp, when Manuel took most every second-unit snap.

I think the time we had here and the first game the other night, I think (Manuel) has done a little more, done enough to be in the second slot, Del Rio said. I think theyll continue to alternate reps and both get opportunities to show us. Im pleased with both of the guys. I thought both guys operated pretty darn well (on Saturday at Arizona).

-- The Raiders concluded camp with a punt catching contest. Each phase sent a representative to catch a Marquette King punt, with pushups going to the loser. Interior lineman Jon Feliciano caught his volley. So did backup long snapper Andrew East. Defensive tackle Justin Ellis couldnt corral three angled attempts, meaning the defense had to do pushups.

-- The Raiders held a glorified walk-through practice on Thursday, working in jerseys and shorts. They will hold a formal walh-through on Friday in Alameda before Saturdays game at Oakland Coliseum.

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Lynch reminds media how much control he exerts over any interaction - Comcast SportsNet Bay Area

Shift intended to improve safety, amenities along heavily used Oregon highway in Southeast Portland, but deatails remain to be worked out

The 2017 Oregon Legislature granted the Portland City Council a longtime wish in its $5.3 billion transportation funding package ownership of an upgraded Southeast Powell Boulevard. Council members have long said Powell would be safer if it was owned and operated by the Portland Bureau of Transportation instead of its state counterpart.

But don't expect the improvements or transfer to happen overnight. Although the spending package in House Bill 2017 includes $110 million for safety improvements to a portion of outer Powell, that work will not begin until after the Oregon Department of Transportation finalizes a project list following a public outreach process.

"The city has standards for streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and stormwater management systems. We want it brought up to our standards before the transfer," says PBOT spokesman John Brady.

And even then, the bill says the state cannot transfer Powell to the Portland Bureau of Transportation until after the Oregon Transportation Commission conducts a study by January 2020 on upgrading additional portions of Powell to city standards.

"There are lots of protocols to go through first," says ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton.

That's different from what transpired when ODOT transferred the portion of Powell that runs through Gresham to that city in May 2004. Instead of waiting for ODOT to fix it up, city leaders agreed to do the work themselves, provided they could line up the money to improve it in advance.

Most of the funding came from a $5.25 million Oregon Transportation Investment Act grant approved by Metro that ODOT supported. Gresham paid an additional $7.5 million with system development charges assessed against construction projects for transportation improvements. The money paid for upgrades from 174th Avenue to Burnside Street. The city assured the majority of the distance was five lanes wide and had sidewalks, lighting, bike lanes, marked crossings and traffic signals.

Many Portlanders may not even be aware that Powell is not a city street, since that's its name in both Portland and Gresham. But in fact, Powell is actually just the portion of Oregon Highway 26 that runs through the two cities. Because of that, the state is responsible for maintaining and improving it, but adding safety improvements as the population has grown in East Portland has not been a top priority.

The same is true for a number of other state highways that are also streets in Portland. They include 82nd Avenue, which is Highway 213, and Barbur Boulevard, which is Highway 99W. The city can request safety improvements, but ODOT must fund them.

The council has come under increasing pressure to improve safety along Powell. This is especially true on outer Powell, which does not even have sidewalks. But the council was reluctant to request a transfer until all of it had been brought up to city standards because of the cost.

Even with state approval, the schedule for the improvements and transfer is unclear. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown must first sign the bill, which should happen before too long. Brady says Transportation Commissioner Dan Saltzman wants both accomplished as soon as possible, but if the outer Powell work costs more than $110 million, additional financing will have to be found. The same may be true if the Oregon Transportation Commission study identifies additional work the city insists that the state complete before the transfer. That study will cover Powell from Southeast 9th Avenue to its I-205 intersection.

Such transfers have happened in Portland before. For example, Oregon transferred North Interstate Avenue the original state highway to Washington before the MAX line was built there.

Working out the details correctly is important, because Portland is already eyeing another state highway it wants Barbur Boulevard, where the next MAX line is being planned as part of the Southwest Corridor project.

In fact, a surprising number of well-travelled roads in and around Portland are actually owned and maintained by the state. They include some or all of 82nd Avenue, McLoughlin Boulevard, Macadam Avenue, Lombard Street, Scholls Ferry Road, Farmington Road and Canyon Road.

TriMet officials have talked about including funds for improving some of these roads in a November 2018 ballot measure to help finance the proposed Southwest Corridor MAX line.

See the rest here:
City to get control of Powell, eventually - Portland Tribune

In the past 12 months, global multinational companies have been looking to respond to concerns that they have lost control of media activity. This extends to 35 companies with a total annual marketing spend of more than US$30 billion globally.

This was according to new research by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) which found global brands making or having plans to make major and extensive changes to their media governance practices. This was across a wide range of areas.

According to the report, more active management of media issues now involves brand safety, viewability and ad fraud as well as the transparency issues raised by the ANAs reports from K2 and Ebiquity. The survey was conducted in May this year and saw 73% per cent of respondents having global roles. The rest were in regional roles covering Europe, North America and APAC.

Overall, transparency remained top priority for 47% companies surveyed. Brand safety is also moving up in terms of priority, with 70% of companies adding that the issue has been escalated in the last 12 months.

With regards to transparency, 65% of companies sought to improve internal capabilities through the hire of a head of programmatic, among other moves. More than 70% of companies have amended their media agency contracts and 58% have included terms that define agency status as agent or principle at law.

When it comes to ad fraud, many companies surveyed are also taking actions. 55% are now limiting run of exchange buys, 43% are shifting away from using CPM as their key metric in favour of business outcomes. Meanwhile, 40% are developing in-house resource to help tackle ad fraud.

On the topic of viewability, only now are 63% of companies investing in viewable impressions which meet industry standards, while 37% have devised their own viewability criteria.

For brand safety, 74% of companies have suspended their investments in ad networks, citing unnecessary risks to brands. In addition, 14% of companies have plans to follow suit. 89% currently limit or plan to limit investment in ad networks that do not allow use of third-party verification.

The reports findings come to no surprise for Lynette Ang, chief marketing officer at Sentosa Development Corporation. She said:

In todays increasingly fragmented media scene, marketers need to better account for their media investments.

This comes with the advent of digital mediums being a significant factor, Ang explained.

Gone are the days of traditional tracking of media spend and ROI. We need to get better and sharper at understanding what our media monies are buying us, and whether we have been effective in these investments, Ang said.

When it comes to brand safety, Ang added that the brand recognises the certain need to safeguard the reputation of the brand. In doing so, it adopts a whitelist/blacklist approach.

Overall, I believe regular digital audits by professional and independent third parties will assist us in assessing these areas of concerns. This is not just in terms of performance, but also in the areas of safety and fraud, Ang added.

Agreeing with Ang is Spencer Lee, chief commercial director at AirAsia, who added that it is good to see more and more advertisers standing together and gaining awareness of the situation.

For advertisers, not having a view on how well your marketing investment is working for your company, is taking a big risk.Just like most other advertisers out there, we were relying on CPM as akey measurement metric in the early days, Lee said.

There are many considerations for marketers these days as well when it comes to media practices, said Lee. This includesprogrammatic buys,viewability, ad fraud, bots and brand safety.

Technology is ever changing and cyberhackers are always upping their game. Therefore it is important that advertisers,agencies and publisherstoo are on the alert, and work together to tackle this issue, Lee said.

Meanwhile, ad fraud is something that is of a concern to Lee and his marketing team.This is because creating real content is costly and time-coming. Fake sites however, do not incur these costs and are able to generate a bulk of web traffic generated by bots.

As long as agencies continue to buy low-cost inventory, they continue to directly benefit frauds.

We at AirAsia believe that the relationship with agencies should be seen as a partnership and agencies should be transparent in their reporting. Ad fraud hurts advertisers, agencies and publishers alike. We should unite and work hand-in-hand to combat this problem, Lee said.

In a conversation with Marketing, Greg Paull, R3s co-founder and principal, said that the results from the WFA report is similar to what is currently being seen in Southeast Asia. He added:

It should be a wakeup call for any local or regional marketer.

Citing a famous John Wanamaker comment from 100 years ago, Paull added that the phrase Only half of my advertising is working is never more relevant today. This is because in many cases only half of advertising is even being seen.

Markets and agencies need to come to the table together to resolve these issues. This needs joint action on transparency, viewability and safety, Paull said.

Agreeing with Paull was Muhammad Yousoff, head of digital for Southeast Asia at Ebiquity, said that many advertisers in the region are now starting to question if they have fallen victim to the transparency watch-outs.

But they do not know where and how to start addressing, or even identifying them, Yousoff explained.

He added that in many instances, advertisers also worry about the external relationships that are at risk. Meanwhile, there have been a number of advertisers who have reduced spending on digital and even paused activity on programmatic. This was while investigations and audits are carried out to evaluate the brand safety measures on their business.

A year on, we are looking at a very different advertiser. This is a savvier, knowledge-hungry and braver client who is increasingly immersing themselves in this complex issue. This requires technical expertise, relationship management skills and a value attached that is too large to ignore, Yusoff explained.

He added that the report also helps to generate awareness about a topic that has been swept under the rug for too long. It would also be viewed by many other advertisers globally as a call-to-action to at least start considering the implications non-transparent media practices.

The areas raised are just the tip of the iceberg as most people think it mainly covers the buying aspects of media. Transparency can be an issue on many other aspects on media, from planning to evaluation as well as governance on data ownership, Yusoff added.

What should brands look out for changingmedia practices?

The first step for advertisers to revamp media practices would be to familiarise themselves on the issues on transparency, said Ebiquitys Yusoff. Advertisers should also conduct a self-assessment on their transparency levels, hire a media specialist in the organisation and find a partner or consultant to assist in the journey.

Most advertisers dont know what they dont know, hence external help might be required to give an accurate view of what needs to be addressed, Yousoff said, adding that marketers should also develop a strategy or roadmap to resolve the transparency gaps and ensure they bring their media agency along in this journey.

Marketers and agencies also need to set common goals and key performance indicators (KPI), according to R3s Paull.

Without the right KPIs and transparency, marketers will just choose an alternative path. This is not going to be in the industrys interest, Paull added.

Read the original post:
Marketers to take back control of their media spend - Marketing Interactive

Dive Brief:

The report puts some numbers behind a trend that has been evident in 2017 as brands seek out more efficient and effective ways to reach get in front of consumers across a growing number of media channels.Brand marketers like P&G, JPMorgan Chase and Unilever have been active in seeking lower costs, redefining digital practices, rethinking their relationships with ad agencies and taking some media tasks in-house.

The findings also illustrate the challenges facing traditional ad agency holding companies as brands seek more control. At one time, these companies had a virtual monopoly on advertising, but due in part to a reluctance to adopt to the changing digital marketing world, the agency business is being upended.The agency industry has also recently been rocked with a rebate scandal and brands have become much more willing to audit their agency partners.

Management and financial consultancies have recognized the fraying relationship between brands and agencies, leading Accenture, Deloitte and others to open digital services divisions that compete directly with ad holding companies like Publicis and WPP.As a result of all of these developments, the digital media landscape could look very different once all the dust settles.

Read the original post:
Study: Brands exercise more control over digital advertising - Marketing Dive

As a social justice activist , trauma is an ever-present factor in my work. In fact, witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event is often the spark that ignites people to take action in the first place. It was for me. And as you can imagine, steeping yourself in pain to effect change can get exhausting. To combat this, theres a practice within the activist community known as step up, step back, which refers to activists and organizers taking turns being on the front lines of an initiative versus playing a more supportive role. This practice is necessary for the sustainability of movementsand for the sake of the people involved.

This past weekend I was in step-back mode, watching events unfold in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a white supremacist rally had sprung up in response to the scheduled removal of a Confederate statue. After being in conversation with clergy who were organizing a demonstration to counter the white supremacists, I watched in real-time as the religious leaders joined arms and marched into danger, standing firmly in the spirit of nonviolence and truth. I felt inspired but also deeply concerned for their safety as news began emerging of violent clashes and a delayed police response.

Apart from sending my friends encouraging words, the most I could do was use my platform to amplify what was happening and why it was significant. I committed myself to that role, using both social and traditional media outlets to help get the word out.

As 8 p.m. approached on Saturday, I sent out a final tweet for the day, announcing it was time for me to practice what I preach and take some time for self-care in a black joy space.

I'm an introvert, so I often enjoy time in quiet and seclusion, but I also find joy and healing in being around friends and loved ones. In either instance, I practice mindfulness being fully present in the momentas a way of centering myself and clearing my head.

I already had plans to attend a gathering of local artists on Saturday night, but after a day focused on the traumatic events unfolding in Charlottesville, it became even more important for me to be intentional about attending.

I havent always been so disciplined about self-careI have a tendency to go, go, go until I burn out. In times past, I likely wouldve skipped the artists' gathering and continued to tweet while following the breaking news beat by beat. Balancing activism with self-care didn't come naturally to me at first. But since committing myself to fighting for social justice a few years ago, it's something I've developed out of necessity.

Trayvon Martin's murder in February 2012 and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, were deeply traumatic for me. As Zimmerman was acquitted in July 2013, North Carolina was waging an attack on voting rights after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Although Id always been socially conscious and politically active, this combination of events convinced me of how easily and quickly my rights could be taken away. I had to do more to ensure that didnt happen.

I volunteered to be arrested during a voting rights sit-in at the North Carolina statehouse and shortly thereafter traveled with a group of youth activists from North Carolina to Florida to join the Dream Defenders. They were occupying the statehouse in Florida in protest of the stand-your-ground laws that had permitted Trayvon Martins murderer to walk free. Over the next two years, I committed myself to protesting in the streets and raising awareness around the continuing problems of systemic racism in America. I organized many protests and meetings in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, as I gradually transitioned into the role of becoming a community organizer.

Thats the work I was engaged in when, in June 2015, a white supremacist walked into Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and murdered nine black parishioners during a prayer meeting. My decision to participate in lowering the Confederate flag at South Carolinas statehouse was a response to this trauma, along with many historical traumas as well: the four little girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, the enslavement of my ancestors in South Carolina, the assassinations of so many civil rights activists over the years.

In preparing to scale the flagpole, I spent a lot of time in contemplative prayer, during which I made peace with the danger I was facing and the possibility of my own death . When that didnt happen and the flag removal was successful, I faced another scenario of circumstances I hadnt spent as much time preparing for.

I had to adjust to having a national platform for my advocacy. I spent much of that year traveling the nation and speaking at various colleges and universities about the legacy of slavery in America and the issues confronting our society.

There was one question audience members asked most frequently regardless of where I spoke: What do you do for self-care? This question was most often posed by young black women, indicating to me a particular need for black women to emphasize self-care and to make sure I was practicing self-care as well.

Images and conversations depicting me as a black female superhero are amazing and empowering, but they also remind me that black women are often called upon to demonstrate superhuman strength, usually to the detriment of our health and well-being . We're living in a society that was built upon the enslavement and dehumanization of black people, a society that targets black women in specific and heinous ways. Being intentional about caring for ourselves and each other and carving out moments and spaces for joy is itself a radical form of resilience and resistance.

I'm still engaged in both leading and supporting various efforts and initiatives in the fight for social justice. However, Ive finally learned to pause and step away when I need to, unplugging from the work and plugging into my immediate surroundings, finding moments of stillness and peace. The movement began before I arrived, and I can be certain it will still be here when I return.

Bree Newsome is an artist who drew national attention in 2015 when she climbed the flagpole in front of the South Carolina Capitol building and lowered the Confederate battle flag following the white supremacist terrorist attack at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston.

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Charlottesville Reinforced That Self-Care Is an Essential Part of My Activism - SELF