Activision reports earnings amid controversy and hacker conferences come to Vegas: The Week Ahead
Aug. 2
Ad Age hosts its annual Small Agency Conference and Awards. Running through Aug. 4, the virtual event will include workshop sessions on the RFP and pitch process and strategies to fight invisibility, as well as panels on the benefits of being a small agency and how shops can win big-name clients. Speakers such as Highdive Managing Partner Megan Lally and Cartwright Founder Keith Cartwright will be presenting.
Aug. 3
Activision Blizzard Inc. will report second quarter earnings at 4:30 pm ET. The company has taken a PR beating lately after public backlash and a planned walkout from employees to the company’s response to a sexual discrimination lawsuit filed against the company. Ahead of the walkout, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick sent a letter to employees saying the company’s initial comment was tone deaf and listed five changes it intends on taking to improve practices around employee support and hiring practices.
Aug. 4
CVS reports second-quarter earnings. The retailer is expected to beat analyst estimates as it continues successful sales gains spurred by the pandemic. The pharmacy chain saw first-quarter revenue increase 4% to $69.1 billion. The company is in the midst of an agency review.
Kraft Heinz’s quarterly report will show whether the food marketer — which has gotten a boost from COVID-19 shopping trends — still expects its results this year to come in ahead of its strategic plan.
Hackers are heading to Las Vegas for the Black Hat USA 2021 conference. The main portion of the two-day conference starts today at Mandalay Bay hotel, but there also is a virtual component for the coders and techies who can’t travel. Black Hat is known for catering to a highly technical crowd, meeting to discuss security, privacy, and vulnerabilities in the largest computing platforms from Apple to Amazon. On Thursday, DEF CON, a parallel hacker gathering, kicks off to fill out the rest of the week in Las Vegas with cybersecurity panels and workshops, running through Sunday.
Roku is also set to release its earnings today, with investors set to watch the company’s progress into CTV and content. The company has recently focused its efforts on original shows, boosted by a library of short videos and shows acquired from now-defunct mobile streaming service Quibi.
Aug. 5
Moderna reports second-quarter earnings. The drugmaker has become a household name following its successful COVID-19 vaccine, which was partially funded by Dolly Parton, one of Ad Age’s Hottest Brands of 2021.
Earnings season comes to ad tech companies, with The Trade Desk, Magnite, and LiveRamp all set to release their earnings today. The market performance of these ad tech companies has often been cited as a driver behind the many, many ad tech companies recently making their market debuts either through IPOs or SPACs.
Aug. 6
“The Suicide Squad” is the latest movie to get dual release in theaters and on HBO Max. Subscribers to the streaming service can watch the film based on the DC Comics team for a month.
Aug. 7-8
Eternal Con, dubbed “the Long Island Comic Con,” is held Saturday and Sunday at the David S. Mack Complex at Hofstra University.
