Crockpot is marking its 50th anniversary and showcasing its new Design Series by auctioning a nonfungible token, which takes the form of an animated GIF showing different Crockpot designs. Proceeds from the NFT's sale will be included in the brand's Hunger Action Month donation to Feeding America.

Anomaly, with R/GA and MKTG, created a "We're All Better Off with an Ally" campaign for Ally Financial that includes a #MyFinallyMoment challenge on TikTok and a 60-second spot that shows the important moments in life when the brand can help, with each scenario described by a word that incorporates "ally." The push also features a Milestone Initiative in collaboration with WarnerMedia, Milestone Media and DC to offer training to comic book artists and creators of color.

Abercrombie & Fitch's Hollister brand has appointed 18-year-old Fortnite world champion and Twitch star Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf as its "chief gaming scout." Bugha's first work for the brand includes the creation of a sweatpants and hoodie set designed specifically for gamers and leading Team Hollister, a training program for Twitch streamers.

Nine in 10 consumers say they will shop via mobile apps this holiday season with 73% using mobile to buy at least half of their gifts, while 45% will do more web-based shopping, according to Bluedot's 2021 Holiday Habits report conducted by SurveyMonkey. "The fight for share of wallet will not happen at brick-and-mortar, but digitally this year," said Bluedot Chief Marketing Officer Judy Chan.

YouTube's Shorts global daily viewership grew from 6.5 billion in March to more than 15 billion by the summer, during which the channel became available in the US during May. YouTube's plans to continue developing the 60-second format include content developer tools such as more music access and new editing tools, refining the viewer experience to make efforts easily discoverable, and "lightly testing ad formats," says Kevin Ferguson, director, operations and partnerships for YouTube Shorts.

Policies that factor in continuing pandemic-driven disruptions can reduce employee resistance to returning to the offices say five business professors, who each offer advice. Strategies include redefining the office as a collaboration tool instead of a destination and embracing hybrid work-from-anywhere models.

Roblox is working to enhance engagement by making avatars and their fashions more lifelike and is enabling users to monetize the platform by selling limited edition or limited-time available items. Anzu also has teamed up with Roblox to offer in-game ad services to creators.