All Eight Episodes Are Available Now on Netflix

When a company says they’re committed to brand purpose or corporate social responsibility, what comes to mind? Do you associate these terms with concrete actions, or are they just marketing buzzwords like “green” or “clean?” Are you more willing to support a company if they claim to care about corporate social responsibility? Modern consumers are constantly defining and redefining themselves based on cultural and societal factors, changing perceptions of identity, and demographic shifts. In the past few years, as we have all grappled with unavoidable macro forces including a global pandemic, the accelerating effects of climate change, and systemic inequality, many brands have decided to participate in the conversation with their own declarations of and commitments to social responsibility and positive action. Today’s consumers have more choice than ever before, and more access to information to inform their purchasing decisions. Whereas a mere 25 years ago consumers received all of their information about brands via one-way channels — aka, direct advertising — any person can now proactively track everything from a company’s supply chain to their charitable donations to their PR missteps. As we discovered via previous research building audience trust is equally important as doing the “right thing,” brands can only achieve authentic connection by meeting consumers exactly where they are in terms of mindset, emotional state, and identity. To help marketers find expressions of corporate social responsibility and brand purpose that are authentic to their brands and most likely to resonate with today’s consumers, Vox Media partnered with the Axis Agency and BRANDthrō to answer three questions: A NEW WAY TO DO RESEARCH.  BRANDthrō’s ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS Before jumping to the results, it’s important to understand why we elected to work with BRANDthrō.   Part of this analysis is based on the OCEAN personality model (see appendix) that

In its first season since partnering with Vox Media last fall, the new season of The Pitch spotlights companies investing in the future, with investors committing over $900,000 to entrepreneurs looking to bring their ideas to life.

Monday, February 6–Vox Media Co-Founder, Chair, and CEO Jim Bankoff today announced that the company has finalized a strategic investment from Penske Media Corporation (PMC). Vox Media is the owner of leading media brands including: Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, The Cut, Eater, Vulture, The Strategist, Polygon, SB Nation, Intelligencer, Curbed, Grub Street, Recode, Thrillist, Popsugar, The Dodo, and NowThis. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We couldn’t ask for a better partner than Jay and Penske Media to invest in our company’s future success, and help us build on and accelerate our creative work and business strength,” said Bankoff.  “This investment by Penske Media will allow Vox Media to continue scaling its existing brands and operations, while also providing resources for future acquisitions, and is another step forward in the ongoing success of Vox Media.” “I have long admired Vox Media’s world-class editorial teams and brands,” said Jay Penske, CEO and Founder, Penske Media. “We deeply respect the track record of both Jim Bankoff and the senior leadership team at Vox Media, and the company’s remarkable growth over the last decade. The Penske Media and Vox Media alliance will further cement both companies as leaders in modern media and take advantage of new opportunities at scale. Our two companies share a similar history of organic and acquisitive growth over time, and it made sense to invest for the future.” Transaction highlights: The financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. The two companies will continue to operate independently. As part of the investment, Penske Media will become Vox Media’s largest shareholder. Jay Penske will join the Board of Directors at Vox Media. LionTree acted as financial advisor to Vox Media, while White & Case LLP acted as its outside legal advisor. Morgan Lewis served as Penske

As host, Hill will bring listeners inside our national conversation, digging into the policies shaping our lives.

A collaboration between The Cut and The Verge, Land of the Giants: Dating Games premieres today, with new episodes out every week.

Chief revenue officer Ryan Pauley shares new policies, initiatives and partnerships to address the climate crisis.

Every Thursday, The Verge’s deputy editor will peel back the curtain on the tech industry’s most influential players for paid subscribers

While self-care has always been a focus, it has become even more top of mind since the onset of the pandemic.  As wellness has captured greater attention, the perception of the category has evolved.  Wellness now extends beyond just physical well-being to include emotional and mental health as well, and it has pivoted to be more closely aligned with proactivity instead of tackling challenges as they arise.  88% agree that wellness is about making a series of consistent, forward-looking choices that leave you feeling your best. As the narrative expands, consumers are increasingly turning to digital publishers for support.  Compared to 2020, Google searches about wellness have increased by nearly +25% as people seek answers to their questions and guidance for the future.  Consumers feel strongly that wellness content must touch on a wider range of topics than before, even those that might be uncomfortable, as well as become more inclusive, serving a diverse population. To dig deeper into consumers’ attitudes toward wellness and perception of digital wellness content, Vox Media partnered with Woo Brand Research on a survey of 1,300 consumers who read and/or watch wellness, health, and fitness content at least monthly.  Successful digital publishers will recognize that wellness today is defined as taking care of a person’s entire well-being and will reflect this in their headlines and content. It is also imperative for publishers to develop effective content distribution strategies to build meaningful connections with consumers across platforms in an authentic way, as guided by our findings below. A NEW WAVE OF WELLNESS ENTHUSIASTS Two in five consumers first took an active role in wellness during the pandemic, driven by the youngest generation. Over 50% of Gen Z-ers have shown a real interest in wellness over the past two years, significantly more than Millennials (40%) and Gen

The modern media company welcomed new brands, launched new products, and engaged audiences through thoughtful journalism and meaningful partnerships.

New green media product (GMP) will leverage data and technology from Scope3 to measure and compensate for carbon emissions

We started the year by explaining instead of predicting (and, as we thought, now ChatGPT might be the robot that actually saves us). Our work ventured into the evolution of social video, the need for IP in the Metaverse, and the ever-changing path of multicultural marketing. We celebrated our differentiating brands and audiences at Thrillist and Vox, and told you as early as September that the defiant consumer will be shopping at all costs in Q4. For fun, we worked with Interbrand to predict the next set of successful brands in the next decade. Explore this roundup of all the research our Insights & Research team shared this year. THE YEAR, EXPLAINED Predictions are nice, but explanations are even better. Read more if any of these pique your interest: Only 38% of those surveyed believe 2022 will be calmer than last year, but don’t fear… 42% believe robots and AI may ultimately save us all. Most would choose an animal to be our avatar in the metaverse, with 5% saying GOAT… mainly because it stands for greatest.of.all.time! More than 60% would consider buying a “creator-branded” product — Mr. Beast Burger anyone? More than half are looking for the unbundling of media to actually re-bundle… with a dose of curation needed. Read our collab with Vox Creative: The Explainer Studio to learn more. THE NEED FOR SCALE & ENGAGEMENT As the media world continues to fragment, it is critical for marketers to understand what qualities make an effective video partner to maximize ROI. With this research, we’ve set out to create a guide for marketers to identify the optimal social video partner — one that can successfully move viewers down the purchase funnel. What’s most important is that marketers choose partners that deliver scale and engagement, with social video, especially from

Series Premieres with Back-to-Back Episodes December 16 at 11:00pm ET/PT

Video Features First Lady Jill Biden, Willow, and the White House Holiday Décor

New campaign spotlights Mailchimp’s marketing tools for small business owners in three fun short-form films that follow rom-com, mystery and action plotlines

The team is also celebrating the relaunch of the Polygon Merch Store with limited edition anniversary clothes, a custom 10th-anniversary logo, a new book, and more.

Chao is now SVP and general manager of audio and digital video, and Kurwa is SVP and executive producer of audio.

The list of 15 restaurants represent the most exciting openings of the year

Available at Walmart this winter and Target next spring, and produced in partnership with Bonkers Toy Co., the collection will feature six original characters inspired by The Dodo’s popular “Little But Fierce” series

Out today, the three-book series is geared toward teaching kids all about becoming a pet parent

The long-running podcast featuring real entrepreneurs pitching real investors joins a robust slate of business shows at Vox Media that includes Pivot, Decoder, Land of the Giants, The Prof G Pod, On with Kara Swisher and more.

This important bipartisan legislation is critical to protecting and supporting quality journalism during a time defined by misinformation.

Over the past three years, our lives have seen a lot of disruption. For many, the pandemic has created new routines, and with that, the freedom to try new things. These sentiments will carry into 2023; according to most consumers, now is the time to take the leap and book those long-delayed travel plans. Though many describe their years living through the pandemic as negative, it’s apparent that they have a positive outlook on the future — seeing opportunity, joy, and reconnection ahead. SEIZING THE DAY BY PLANNING TRAVEL – AND MILLENNIALS ARE IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT As our country emerges from the pandemic, travel planning is picking up. Travel plans are highest for in-state travel, followed by domestic overnight trips, and international travel. Generationally, Millennials are most likely to be planning travel, with nearly 1 in 3 planning international travel, and half planning to travel domestically (to another state).  In comparison, Gen Z is least likely to be planning travel in the next 12 months: 1 in 5 intend to travel internationally, and 1 in 3 domestically (to another state). TRAVELERS ARE SEEKING DESTINATIONS NEW AND OLD There will be a fair amount of “repeat” travel this year (to places they know, but likely haven’t gotten to visit in a while).  Consumers are eager to recapture the positive memories associated with their pre-Covid travel. That said, half of those planning trips are exiting the isolation of the Covid years and venturing out someplace new. INCLUSIVE TRAVEL AS A MEANS OF RECONNECTION AND REAWAKENING While budget will always be a main driver, travel consumers are now looking for a number of things while planning a trip. A major factor is inclusion; people want to visit places that feel inclusive and welcoming, which is nearly as important as the amount they