Venmo Rival Zelle Enlists "Hamilton" Star for Ad Campaign
Venmo rival Zelle shakes traditional advertising up by enlisting Hamilton star Daveed Diggs for its latest ad campaign. They've teamed up with the actor to launch the TV commercials on the biggest stages, including the NFL playoffs. Daveed Diggs joined us on Cheddar to share why he thought the payments company chose him as an ambassador for the brand.
Diggs said his project with Zelle was a rare opportunity for an artists because the company gave him so much creative control over the advertisement. While the process was collaborative, he explains that he had a lot of say in the writing of the lyrics for the raps used in the ads. The Hamilton star expresses that he thinks Zelle is intentionally trying to make sure people know the app is for everyone.
We also discussed the next big projects in Diggs' pipeline. He said he has a film that he has been writing for the last decade going to the Sundance Film Festival. When asked whether he'd return to broadway, Diggs said he would like to continue performing in theater, but broadway is not particularly important to him.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Thursday that the majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. in the current fiscal quarter will be sourced from India, while iPads and other devices will come from Vietnam as the company works to avoid the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on its business. Apple’s earnings for the first three months of the year topped Wall Street’s expectations thanks to high demand for its iPhones, and the company said tariffs had a limited effect on the fiscal second quarter’s results. Cook added that for the current quarter, assuming things don’t change, Apple expects to see $900 million added to its costs as a result of the tariffs.