Brands drop David Dobrik

Hello and welcome to Insider Advertising for March 22. I'm senior advertising reporter Lauren Johnson, and here's what's going on:

• Brands drop David Dobrik.
• Inside Ryan Reynolds' ad agency.
• Cision mulls spinning off PR Newswire.

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

YouTube star David Dobrik has been dropped by brands like DoorDash, EA Sports, and Dollar Shave Club after a rape allegation against a former member of his Vlog Squad

• Some brands that have worked with YouTube star David Dobrik are cutting ties.
• Brands like EA, Dollar Shave Club, and Hello Fresh confirmed they were no longer working with Dobrik.
• These confirmations follow a recent investigation into a former member of Dobrik's YouTube Vlog Squad.

Read the story.

How Ryan Reynolds turned his star power into a viral marketing machine

• Ryan Reynolds' ad agency Maximum Effort has become known for viral stunts, reports Tanya Dua.
• Reynolds is often the spokesperson for the clients, many of which he has personal involvement in.
• But skeptics wonder if his star power could end up being a disadvantage for the agency.

Read the story.

Insiders are buzzing that PR software giant Cision might spin off PR Newswire

• Industry chatter is heating up over a potential spinoff of PR Newswire, report Sean Czarnecki and Patrick Coffee.
• PR Newswire, which distributes press releases, is PR software company Cision's biggest business.
• Knowledgable sources say Cision has looked at spinning out its businesses as far back as a year ago.

Read the story.

More stories we're reading:

• Mark Zuckerberg has said Apple's upcoming privacy changes could strengthen Facebook, after months-long PR campaign against them (Insider)
• Sneakerheads explain why Nike's handling of its resale scandal won't change the way the shady resellers make their millions (Insider)
• Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson says vaccines will bring 'The Great Human Reconnection' in a few months. He told us about his biggest lessons of the past 12 months and prioritizing 3 simple principles. (Insider)
• Tech talent is flocking to work with the Biden administration, after insiders say the Trump era created a dark period for Silicon Valley and government tech (Insider)
• With NFL deal, Amazon accelerates its streaming-TV advertising ambitions (Wall Street Journal)

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