Category: In the News

Emirates Trying to Sell Passengers on Windowless Jets

Frequent fliers, if you like the window seat, Emirates has some news you may not want to hear, but the International Airline is going to try to sell you on their new pilot program anyway. Recently, the Dubai-based airline revealed a new “first class” option on some of its jets: virtual windows. Instead of the “real thing” passengers are treated to videos of what’s outside the airplane, recorded by cameras outside the aircraft and projected inside the first-class suite. According to Emirates, the transition could eventually be applied on all the aircraft in its fleet, as long as they can sell passengers on the idea. The first salvo in that consumer PR campaign: without window, airplanes are lighter and fasters.…

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How Chipotle Prepared for a PR Crisis

You never know when you might find yourself dealing with a PR crisis. In those moments, when every word of every message is being dissected on social media and cut up for headlines, that is not the time to be building up goodwill for your brand. That needs to happen long before the bad news hits… otherwise you may never dig out. A great example of a company that was well-prepared for a PR disaster is Chipotle. The “fast casual” dining establishment hit the scene and made a big splash, enticing legions of customers with quality food, quick, and selections that would keep the whole family happy. Soon, those customers were loyal fans. But that didn’t happen by accident. The…

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Publix Responds to Public Outcry

Publix Supermarkets, an employee-owned grocery chain based in central Florida, has supported the political aspirations of “local boy” Adam Putnam for more than a decade. But recent outsized donations to Putnam’s campaign had customers seeing red and threatening to take their green elsewhere. Publix reportedly donated $670,000 to Putnam’s campaign for governor. The current Florida agriculture commissioner, Putnam is in a heated battle with Rep. Ron DeSantis, a member of the so-called “Freedom Caucus” who enjoys the support of President Donald Trump.

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Ellison Has the Opportunity to Cement His Reputation

A few years back, Marvin Ellison was a candidate for the top spot at Home Depot. While he did very well running U.S. operations for Home Depot, Ellison didn’t get that gig, but he was tapped to lead struggling department store JCPenney. Now, four years later, Ellison will get another shot to build a legacy in the home improvement retail industry as he takes over at CEO of Lowe’s. Taking over his former employer’s chief rival is a bit of a bittersweet move for Ellison, who spent about 12 years working at various executive positions at Home Depot. But he’s certainly pleased not to be tied to JC Penney at this juncture.

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Twitter Trying to Cut Down on Trolls

Even as Facebook is still trying to dig itself out of a deep well of consumer distrust, competitive social media platform Twitter is taking an aggressive approach to cleaning up one aggravating aspect of its user experience: trolls. According to recent reports in Reuters, Twitter unveiled a new strategy for denouncing internet “trolls.” The company plans to employ behavioral analysis signals to “identify harassers” and “limit their visibility.” This is an interesting move for a platform that has been known as pretty much an ‘anything goes’ environment for speech since it was founded in 2006. Twitter trolling is so common that late night talk shows have bits lampooning how outrageously mean people often are on the platform. But, because Twitter…

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Ronn Torossian’s Israel: Top 5 Israeli Dishes  

For those considering a trip to Israel, the food alone is enough of a reason to start packing bags and booking flights. While the food in Israel is often very healthy, it’s also incredibly more-ish, which often means that visitors eat more than they mean to. However, for a delicious vacation, there’s nowhere on the planet quite like Israel.

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Skipper Claims Resignation Inspired by “Extortion Plot”

You don’t normally hear the terms “Disney” and “extortion” in the same story, but you’re about to. You may or may not be aware that ESPN President John Skipper recently resigned from his role in that company. There were many people speculating as to why, but most sources remained tight lipped on the issue. Not Skipper. He got right out in front of the story, stifling rumors about why he was fired with a story that shocked people even more.

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Domino’s Is Winning the Pizza Market: But Why?

Pizza chain Domino’s has moved ahead of the competition, and it continues to gain. Besting Pizza Hut for the first time ever, Domino’s hopes to hold that position as the country’s favorite pizza joint. The secret, market watchers say, is in easy delivery. More and more, when American consumers want pizza, they are ordering out, rather than eating in. That puts brands like Pizza Hut, which still depend on restaurants for much of their income, at a disadvantage. They have a larger footprint, higher payroll, and a different image in the eyes of consumers.

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McDonald’s missing from the Olympics — Why?

Last summer, McDonald’s announced it would be ending its advertising partnership with the International Olympic Committee. The deal was supposed to run through 2020, but if you look around for McDonald’s connection with this year’s Winter Olympics, you won’t see it.

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Chris Pratt hawking Michelob Ultra

On the big screen, he plays the universe’s most popular goofball superhero. Now, thanks to a pair of Super Bowl commercials, Chris Pratt is using his Star-Lord fame to sell Michelob Ultra. It’s an interesting departure for Pratt, who’s made it a practice to not do TV commercials in the past.

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