Prop 22's Ripple Effects

California’s Prop. 22, formally known as the App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative, exempts employers from having to apply employee minimum wage and benefits requirements to gig workers. It passed easily Wednesday, a win for the likes of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart’s owner Maplebear, which united in a $224 million marketing push in favor of Prop. 22. One of the most significant benefits for the sector is that Prop. 22 makes it easier to start and run an app-based business.

Analysis: Naturally, there are additional implications for brands and contract workers—but not all of them are good.

Related: California voters approved Proposition 24, which shores up the state’s precedent-setting California Consumer Privacy Act. Here’s our guide to what media companies need to know now that the rule is getting tougher.

No matter how the final election results play out, the outcome—and the road that got us here—could have a lasting impact on advertising, media, marketing and tech in the coming year. We talked to experts from every corner of our industry about how a Biden presidency would differ from a Trump presidency:

Additional considerations: Learn how TV news, agencies and ad tech will be impacted.

One of the more memorable moments of election night arose when Twitter users noticed that meditation app Calm sponsored CNN’s coverage. It was a thematic juxtaposition to an extremely tense night, but the reaction was positive, generating a great deal of buzz and approving nods from marketers, who praised the customer-centric move to plug a needed resource.

Calm in the storm: Calm’s senior director of growth marketing takes you inside the election strategy.

Less successful was Gap’s attempt to promote unity by posting a short video of a half-red, half-blue election-themed hoodie in a tweet that stated “together, we can move forward.” It… didn’t go over well. Derisive replies immediately poured in, with critics saying the promo was deeply tone deaf given the tense cultural moment, and Gap quickly deleted the tweet. It shaped up to be a sharp lesson for brands deciding if and how to weigh in on the situation.

“Too soon”: Read what the brand told Adweek about the incident.

The final election results may not be in yet, but the Nielsen numbers are. A total of 50.1 million total viewers watched election coverage across nine networks: Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Fox Business Network and CNBC. For the second time in as many years, Fox News drew the most viewers with 13.6 million viewers in prime time. CNN followed, beating rival MSNBC.

Explore the data: Total viewership was down significantly compared to 2016.

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We've compiled the advice top marketing leaders have shared when it comes to staying mentally fit, ranging from your personal life-work balance to taking care of your team.

Join Adweek for The Criticality of Communications in Health, a live virtual event on November 10 featuring Dr. Susan Dorfman, President, CMI Media, and Jim Woodland, Chief Strategy and Financial Officer, CMI/Compas. Tune in to hear their findings on consumer behavior and how to better engage them with a mix of data, strategy and heart. Register for free.

The marketing impact of Trump vs. Biden 2020.

A new creative agency model and consolidated global media.

No single person could sample millions of bottles of wine, after all.

It’s a worthwhile experiment as consumer behavior changes.