Conners Debut Sends Mixed Signals to ABC
Ever since it was announced that “The Conners” would replace long-running and recently revived sitcom, “Roseanne,” with the forced departure of the show’s creator and star, opinions have been lining up on both sides of the “Roseanne” divide to see what would happen when the first episode aired. Now, that question has been answered, and it seems to have given narrative ammunition to both sides of the argument. On the side of ABC, which fired Roseanne and banished her from her own show after the comedian published a tweet many found racist, you have people touting 10.5 million viewers tuning in to see the show. Those ratings are more than “pretty good.” In fact, those numbers made “The Conners” the…
Read MoreCoffee Competition is Heating Up
Move over Cola Wars, this is the decade of the Coffee Wars. Starbucks is the clear leader, with brand saturation coast to coast, but the former “Dunkin Donuts” brand is retooled and ready for battle. Slowly, over the past few years, Dunkin’ has been increasing its breakfast menu of quick to-go items and expanding its coffee and beverage offerings, both in the stores and on grocery shelves. There were rumors that the brand might be setting itself up to go toe-to-toe with Starbucks, but, until now, that was mostly speculation.
Read MoreAnother Ace for Serena Williams’ PR team
Serena Williams is used to controversy, but this past summer was emotionally charged even by her standards. The tennis world was rocked during the 2018 US Open when Williams, inarguably the world’s greatest female athlete, accused a male umpire of making a harsh call- on account of, according to Williams, her being a woman.
Read MoreSingapore court rules against Uber in a blow to the firm’s re-branding
Uber’s road to a branding overhaul got even rockier this week, with a Singapore court slapping fines and finalised restrictions on the firm- catching recent merger partner Grab in the same net. The merger of the two firms in March this year, the court ruled, has served to drive up prices throughout the city. Uber Technologies Inc. sold its Southeast Asian branch to regional rival Grab in March earlier this year, in exchange for a 27.5 percent stake in the firm. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore found fares on Grab to have risen 10 to 15 percent in the wake of the deal, with the ride-hailing firm securing a Singaporean market share upwards of 80 percent.
Read MoreMattel Responds to Criticism Over Diversity Toys
If you’re going to be in the public square, you learn quickly that not every criticism is going to be fair, legitimate, or sensible. Most folks say they understand that, but when they’re confronted with something entirely ridiculous but presented with credulity, they freeze up, unsure how to respond. Toy brand Mattel recently found itself in that position after a pundit ridiculed the “Thomas & Friends” TV program by placing KKK hoods on the eponymous trains.
Read MoreMunn Speaks Up About Predator Revelation
It was an allegation that almost derailed the premier of the latest installment of the Predator action/horror franchise. One of the actors in the film was a registered sex offender, guilty of trying to seduce a young teen girl. That might be scandalous enough, but it was soon revealed that the movie’s director actually knew this, but hired the actor in question anyway, not just for this movie, but for a few others. The intrepid investigator who blew the lid off this story? One of the stars of the latest Predator movie, Olivia Munn. In the days leading up to the Toronto International Film Festival, Munn went public with information she learned about the actor’s criminal past. This revelation put…
Read MoreApple’s Makes Pitch For The Four-Figure Smartphone
“It’s essentially a computer you carry around in your pocket” is the way countless people have described the smartphone over the years. Now, Apple is testing that cliché, and asking consumers to put their money where their mouth is. The age of the four-figure smartphone price is here, and, once again, Apple is leading the charge both in hardware and messaging. As smartphones became both more complex and more ubiquitous, most people thought it was inevitable that, at some point, they would eclipse some laptops in price. But, with the recent reveal in Cupertino, CA, Apple released not one but two different iPhone X models that will cost you more than a grand to take home. Sure, the original iPhone…
Read MoreUsain Bolt: Now the fastest man in space, as on Earth
It’s one small sip for man, one giant leap for mankind. The former Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who now plays for Australian A-League football team Central Coast Mariners, has entered new heights as part of a campaign by French firm Mumm’s Grand Cordon Stellar to showcase a new Champagne bottle- developed specially for use in zero gravity. On board an Airbus Zero-G aircraft, the usually grounded star floated in zero gravity as he sampled the goods: namely, a specially-designed clear glass bottle that uses pressure within the bottle to expel champagne into a ring-shaped frame. In zero gravity, the effect looks like a droplet of bubbles, that can then be gathered into a custom-made glass.
Read MorePapa John’s Treading Water in Crisis
When Papa John Schnatter was ousted by the successful pizza company he founded, it may not have been an existential PR crisis, but it was certainly a walk through a proverbial minefield for the board deciding the company’s immediate future. First, Schnatter was on everything. He was, literally, the face of Papa John’s and at the center of nearly all marketing and advertising. And, then, he was not. Schnatter was gone, persona non-grata at the office and in the commercials. As he continued to proclaim his innocence, Schnatter, by default, kept the company in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Read MoreApple Teases New Announcement to Grab Headlines
If there’s any brand in America that knows how to grab headlines and drive narratives, it’s Apple. And, while some of the shine has gone from the Apple since the death Steve Jobs, a new “mystery” Apple announcement still gets a ton of press. One key ingredient of Apple’s PR success tends to be that the company’s “secret” reveals aren’t really all that secret by the time they do the actual reveal. Apple has a very effective template for drip marketing that sends out bits and piece of information in a steady stream, allowing the company to keep an interested public talking about the announcement for months prior to the actual announcement.
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