The annual Nobel Prizes in Sweden are more sacred than Christmas, drawing out international royalty in the arts and sciences, and attracting an audience of millions to witness an annual event styled in the pomp typically reserved for the naming of a new Pope. The prizes are so important that the king of Sweden last year took an unprecedented step in cancelling the Nobel Prize in literature for 2018. Why? For the same reason Alfred Nobel founded the awards: public relations. Inventor and chemist Nobel was famously known as the “merchant of death”, thanks to his arms dealership’s role in “killing more people faster than ever before.” In an effort to restore the Nobel name, Alfred launched the prizes under…
While Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube are falling over themselves working to keep deadly anti-vaccination rumours and hoaxes from receiving the attention they so desperately seek, Twitter’s Jack Dorsey seems bent on doing the opposite. Dorsey has been on a media rampage in recent weeks, sitting for interviews with a host of podcasters including author Ben Greenfield on Greenfield’s podcast. In relation to the latter, Dorsey tweeted (of course): “[I] appreciate all you do to simplify the mountain of research focused on increasing one’s healthspan! Grateful for you.”
Everyone’s favorite tech-ego Elon Musk has escalated his feud with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hitting back at accusations by regulators that he violated his settlement with the agency by posting “inaccurate and material information” about his firm on Twitter.
In a tip of the hat to International Women’s Day, Budweiser dusted off some of its old-school advertising, recreated with a more modern sensibility. Many described the side-by-side adverts as “jarring” or “very telling.” But the end result for Budweiser was a strong wave of people congratulating the brand for taking the lead on this social issue in their industry.
As the deadline for the expected “Brexit” of the United Kingdom from the European Union draws closer, the messaging from British lawmakers is becoming more pronounced and emphatic. All involved want to be seen as being on the right side of history on this, and they also want to have some leeway just in case their current position doesn’t work out as planned. Prime Minister Theresa May, who narrowly survived a no-confidence vote earlier this year, is putting on a brave face after two different rejections of her plans to manage Brexit. May has been strong in her insistence that Brexit will work out well for Britain, and that the country will not leave the EU without a firm agreement.
The past few years have been very difficult for one of the most revered and successful companies in the history of the United States. General Electric (GE). Founded in 1892, GE has been a stalwart of American commerce and ingenuity for more than a century. Recently, though, the news has not been good for the company… and it’s not getting better any time soon. CEO Larry Culp recently confessed to investors that 2019 is going to be another rough road for GE, but he has promised to take on the issues facing his company “head on” and said that the future is bright. The simple, hard, economic truth is that many of the key products that helped GE remain strong…
Brian Gefter is a name synonymous with hospitality within the Food and Beverage industry. Over a decade ago, Gefter along with business partner Michael Satsky understood the need to develop a truly private and selective Food and Beverage brand. It was then, Provocateur was born. The duo opened the first location in NY’s fashionable meatpacking district and have since expanded Provocateur into a global hospitality brand. Today, their vision can be experienced internationally with an expanding list of permanent and seasonal locations including Brazil, Dubai, France, and Spain.
When you think about brands celebrating casual Friday, banking and finance is not the first industry that comes to mind. In fact, the de facto uniform for the top brands in the industry has been buttoned up and high-class for so long, it’s practically unthinkable to represent big banks and investment groups wearing anything less than a custom-tailored suit and tie.But, in a recently leaked memo, Goldman Sachs has decided to relax its famously strict dress code, creating a new “firm flexible dress code.” That code, reportedly, includes concessions to “the changing nature of workplaces generally in favor of a more casual environment…”
For years now, Target has been focused on becoming the go-to big box retailer for stylish Millennial and Gen X moms. This effort has involved bucking certain longstanding retail norms. The campaign has largely been successful. The brand hit it big with its Cat & Jack kids clothing line, enticing parents who want inexpensive but more stylish clothing for growing children. But some shoppers complained of gaps in the store’s children’s clothing lines. Cat & Jack was great and all, they said, but not quite hip enough.
Let’s face it – marketing can be time consuming, and if you don’t have a team working 24/7 dedicated to marketing efforts, it can take a away big chunk of your day. However, if you’re not spending enough time on marketing then it could affect your business prospects and stall growth. It’s a Catch-22 and a tough question for many businesses: should you spend more time developing and improving your product or more time marketing and selling it?