Google toughens its stance on ad tracking

Hi and welcome to Insider Advertising for June 3. I’m deputy editor Lucia Moses, filling in for Lauren Johnson, and here’s what’s going on:

• Google toughens up on ad tracking.
• Revcontent acquired.
• Edelman leadership shakeup.

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Tips, comments, suggestions? Drop me a line at lmoses@insider.com or on Twitter at @lmoses.

Google is toughening up on Android ad tracking but won’t yet go as far as Apple’s radical changes

• Google is making it harder for app developers to access information about Android users who ask not to be tracked across their devices, Hugh Langley and Ryan Joe report.
• Google is under pressure from privacy advocates and regulators to scoop up less information about its users but also needs to keep its huge ad business growing.
• That pressure has resulted in delicate compromises that contrast with a firmer approach from archrival Apple.

Read the story.

Content-recommendation company Revcontent has been acquired by a duo of asset-management firms as rivals Taboola and Outbrain prime themselves to go public

• The Taboola and Outbrain rival that serves “content-recommendation” widgets on publisher webpages was acquired by asset-management firms Star Mountain Capital and Capital Dynamics, Lara O’Reilly reports.
• The company plans to use its new capital to expand internationally, invest in its product, and explore potential acquisitions.
• It also hopes to capitalize on content recommendation companies’ reputation for serving low-quality ads.

Read the story.

Public relations giant Edelman is shaking up its leadership as it tries to position itself as the top crisis and social issues agency

• New US CEO Lisa Ross is shaking up the PR giant’s leadership to gain an edge in crisis management and social issues-related work, Sean Czarnecki reports.
• She’s combining Edelman’s brand and corporate divisions to stand out from firms like Sard Verbinnen & Co. and Porter Novelli that are known, respectively, for crisis and purpose-related PR.
• She’s also elevated execs to focus on tech and diversity.

Read the story.

Other stories we’re reading:

• Mega law firm Dentons wants to build a top-flight consulting business, and it just signed a deal to launch a new standalone firm (Insider)
• Trump blog page shuts down for good (CNBC)
• An influencer boxing event pitting TikTokers against YouTubers has received a cease and desist email, apparently from TikTok’s parent company (Insider)
• “Nostalgia Is a Hell of a Drug”: Will Gawker’s Swashbuckling Style Survive Upcoming Relaunch? (Vanity Fair)
• Rothy’s CEO reveals how the sustainable-shoe startup plans to double sales by entering the men’s market after adding a half-million new customers in 2020 (Insider)

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow. You can reach me in the meantime at lmoses@insider.com and subscribe to this daily email here.