GoPro gets wings
There’s no other way to say it, GoPro’s rise from upstart tech company to well-known international brand was nothing short of spectacular. Then, every bit as fast as it rose, the brand began a nosedive that sent executives scrambling for a way to staunch the bleeding. For months, nothing worked. Streamlining the product line, not investing resources in new products, trimming all the fat it could find … nothing seemed to help. Then came one of the most obvious connections between two products in the Read More +
Will Golden Arches go robot to avoid pay increase?
As the populist groundswell for a higher minimum wage grows, many businesses are being pulled into the conversation, for the most part against their will. But, since the beginning of the loud political conversation about a higher minimum wage, two brands have become favorites for those demanding at least $15—Walmart and McDonald’s. The former responded by raising its personal minimum wage somewhat, but the latter has been essentially mum on the subject, following laws where mandated but offering little in the way of acknowledgement of Read More +
Subaru to Owners: Don’t Drive those Cars
It’s a fact of life: mechanical stuff breaks. Recalls happen to pretty much every car company from time to time. But you don’t always have a company come right out and tell their customers not to drive their cars. But that’s the lengths Subaru has gone to in the wake of its recent recall crisis. According to Associated Press reports, Subaru is telling owners of some late model Legacy and Outback vehicles not to get behind the wheel at all…because the steering may fail. The Read More +
Hershey’s is experimenting with dried meat
Nothing wrong with expanding or maximizing your income streams. Brands do it all the time. But what do you do when market trends force you to take a long hard look at the falling popularity of what you’re offering? Well, if you’re Hershey’s, you think about taking the emphasis off chocolate and putting it on meat. According to various media reports, the century-old American chocolatier thinks the “dried meat bar” may become the chocolate bar of the 21st century, the guilty pleasure you don’t have Read More +
NCAA now jumping on the discrimination bandwagon
This may be the one that stings. In response to North Carolina’s bathroom segregation law, the NCAA has vowed to require any city that wishes to host NCAA events to “provide an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination.” Home to the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels, college basketball is sacred in North Carolina, more so perhaps, than anywhere else in the country. As the host body of March Madness and the Final Four, tournaments that often feature either Read More +
NBA First to Break Uniform AD Ban
The rumors have been confirmed. The NBA will soon become the first top-tier American sports league to place ads on player jerseys. While the practice is common across the world in soccer (football), rugby and other sports, to date the only major American sports that allowed display ads on the “players” have been Major League Soccer and NASCAR. That’s about to change. Beginning in the 2017-18 season, the NBA will deck their players out in corporate logos. Likely not as garish and omnipresent as auto Read More +
The Foodies of PR
Many entrepreneurs dream of opening up a restaurant and selling delicious meals to customers who can’t help but come back for more. One bite, one sip, and they’re certain they’ll have these customers for good. Sometimes this happens, but most times, it doesn’t. In fact, a study done by Ohio State University showed that 60 percent of restaurants do not survive the first year and that another 20 percent are likely to fail within five years. So what can restaurants do to set themselves apart Read More +
Costco switch a boon for customers
For years, AmEx has been the chosen brand of Costco, both in the credit cards the company takes and carde it issues to credit-worthy customers. In a landmark move, that’s finally changed. Costco recently announced it has come to agreement with Visa, jettisoning AmEx in favor of the more inclusive credit card brand. Now, all stores will only take Visa credit cards, and stores will only issue Visas. This could be a big win for customers, both commercial and consumer classes. Sure, AmEx offered more Read More +
Business as Usual: Is This an Effective PR Crisis Strategy?
After a spiraling sex-scandal between Governor Bentley and his senior advisor, Rebekah Mason, many have watched and waited to see how the Governor would handle it. After several apologies and invoking the forgiveness of God, he then later moved on to another strategy. He went fishing, and posted pictures on his social media to show the world just how he was getting on while scandal threatened to consume his political career. This reaction gained him intense criticism from many onlookers, but the professionals say this Read More +
US soccer faces wage discrimination allegations
U.S. Soccer has a problem. While the men’s team might make more money, the women’s team is far more popular – and successful. This uncomfortable fact has the team and its attorneys challenging a longstanding tenet of for-profit sports. Namely, that men should make more than the ladies playing the same game. In a recent CNN report, Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney representing the women’s team players, said: “The women’s team does the identical work as the men’s team, except they have outperformed in every way Read More +
