To prevent the spread of COVID-19, San Francisco and other cities have asked people to only leave their homes for essential goods like food and medicine. Of course, the essential goods can only be made, packaged, delivered to the store, and sold in the store, when thousands of people who do this work leave their homes. A Walmart spokesperson said that "while this is a challenging time, people have remained …
Corporate America’s Leaders Get Crash Course in Crisis Communications
Crisis management and crisis communications are not disciplines that you want to learn on the job. Yet, on the job in the midst of a crisis is exactly where and when you will learn them. Some CEOs will blunder during this time of disease and turmoil. Others will excel, along with their brands. John Mackey, CEO of Austin-based Whole Foods, blundered on Wednesday when he sent an email to employees suggesting that …
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American Shoppers Can’t Drive the Economy When They’re Afraid to Leave Home
SXSW is canceled and cash refunds are not available. NBA games are canceled. March Madness is canceled. St. Patrick's Day parades are canceled. In-person classes at hundreds of universities across the country are canceled. No more than 250 people can lawfully gather in public. Hotel and airline bookings are spiraling down and down. The stock market is in free fall. People are sick. People are panicked. As a …
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Snarky Wendy Gets Egg McMuffined
Social media marketing is for grown-ups. Naturally, adults come in all ages, because adulthood is about exercising emotional maturity, not about circles around the sun. Case in point, Wendy's social media team decided to support its own product launches (Wendy's has launched a Breakfast Baconator, a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, and a Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant to its menu) by attacking McDonald's most popular …
John Wanamaker’s Cutting Comments Continue To Slice
At the end of the 19th century, a prominent Philadelphia merchant lacked faith in his advertising investment. "I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but I can never find out which half,” said John Wanamaker. John Wanamaker opened and operated the first department store in Philadelphia. Wanamaker also created the first price tag, the first full-page ad, and the money-back guarantee. He also spent a …
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No Newspapers Means Diminished “Real Estate” for Brand Advertising
Question for you..how many print ads did you make this year? Holy crap, that many! To make and run print ads that help build brands, we need healthy newspapers and magazines. But newspapers are slip slidin' away at an alarming rate. Over the last 15 years, newspapers have lost $35 billion in ad revenue and nearly half of their staff. Over 2,000 newspapers have shut down across the country, local newspapers and …
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Treating Women Fairly Means Paying Women Equally
Can we, the people, shop our way to social change? Definitely not. Can we favor manufacturers and retailers that explicitly appeal to our values? Naturally. This December 4th, ChooseWOMEN, an international platform piloted by Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization, is asking for a focus on the female. “Choose Women Wednesday” invites everyone to shop at women-owned businesses, read books by female authors, …
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No One Wants To Be Shot While Shopping for Slacks (Nor At Any Other Time)
Another Monday in America. Another lethal discharge of weapons at a Walmart store, this time in Duncan, Oklahoma. Oklahoma, it must be noted, is an open-carry state. Oklahoma state law explicitly authorizes open carry of both loaded and unloaded shotguns, rifles, and handguns without a license. https://youtu.be/4K-A5MTxjIM It's Okay To Be Afraid I am wondering, are you scared to shop at Walmart? It's okay …
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