Target leans into third-party online marketplace growth

Federal lawmakers have made some advertiser-friendly revisions to a bipartisan privacy bill that would regulate the collection and use of consumers' data. Among other changes, the new draft of the bipartisan proposed American Privacy Rights Act, unveiled late Tuesday, appears to require businesses to allow consumers to opt out of online behavioral advertising -- meaning ads served based on cross-site and cross-app data. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce is scheduled to mark up the bill on Thursday. The new language relating to online behavioral advertising is less restrictive than language in the original version, which was introduced last month by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington). That version, widely considered ambiguous, would have either required companies to obtain opt-in consent for online behavioral advertising, or banned such advertising altogether, depending on interpretation.

The U.S. advertising marketplace fell 4.6% in September vs. the same month a year ago, marking the fourth consecutive monthly decline, and suggesting the beginning of a new U.S. ad recession. While the June-September 2022 declines compare with healthy gains for the same months a year ago, the 2021 boom was also the beginning of downward trend (see chart above). The new monthly data comes as major agency holding company forecast units have been reaffirming double-digit growth expectations for calendar year 2022 and mid-single-digit gains for 2023, at least at this point.

In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Kristen Clark to explore why paper, especially paperboard from Metsä Board, is a sustainable packaging material. Kristen shares her journey from consumer packaged goods marketing to her current role at Metsa Board, highlighting the company’s deep commitment to sustainability and innovation. The conversation covers forest management, circular manufacturing practices, and the role of paperboard in replacing plastic packaging. Key Topics Discussed: Kristen’s career path from CPG marketing to sustainable paperboard Overview of Metsä Group and its cooperative model with 90,000 Finnish forest owners How Metsä Board uses every part of the tree to minimize waste Bioenergy generation from bark and branches Reforestation practices: planting 4–7 trees for every one harvested Lightweight yet strong paperboard that reduces carbon footprint Circular side-stream applications, including animal bedding and soil improvement Metsä Board’s goal to be fossil-free by 2030 (currently 89% there) Water efficiency and process improvements Paperboard’s role as a plastic alternative and common missteps in adoption Metsä Board’s packaging design teams in Finland and the U.S. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws and their impact on paper recycling Virgin vs. recycled fiber: why both are needed for a healthy recycling loop