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Interesting Reads. Industry news that you may have missed.

Amazon, With Little Fanfare, Emerges as an Advertising Giant – The Wall Street Journal

Amazon handles nearly half of all U.S. online sales, allowing for a wealth of consumer data. Now, the online retailer is on track to become a huge player in online advertising – threatening Silicon Valley’s ad giants. Amazon has risen to the number three spot in the U.S. digital ad market behind Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc.

Refugee camp with makeshift tents on a dirt road
Source: The Wall Street Journal

NASA’s InSight Mars lander sent its first postcard home – Fast Company

NASA’s InSight lander has soared through space for almost seven months. Finally, InSight landed on Mars and has already sent a letter home. NASA shared a photo on social media of the rover safely on Mars highlighting InSight’s solar panels are “open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface.”

Spacecraft approaches planet in dark space
Source: NASA

Dunkin’ execs reveal why they want customers to ‘order through a robot’ in the near future – Business Insider

As Dunkin’ Donuts rebrands to Dunkin’, the company is working to bring some changes to its store in the process. The coffee empire is developing more technology to make ordering easier for both crew members and customers. Dunkin’ is currently testing out products like self-serve cold-brew taps, order-pickup lockers, and AI technology to suggest customized orders in its Innovation Lab.

Digital screen showing Dunkin's customer experience steps: engage, order, pick up, and pay.
Source: Business Insider

The Washington Post has launched a new, 20-minute daily news podcast – Digiday

The Washington Post is rolling out its most ambitious effort in podcasting yet. On December 3, the newspaper company is launching “Post Reports,” a new 20-minute daily news podcast that will publish every weekday at 5 p.m. This is the company’s first multi-part daily podcast that will feature three segments, the first being the most newsworthy, followed by a deeper dive-type segment, then a third, lighter segment.