"Fahrenheit 11/9" premieres on Sept. 21. That's 10 days after
Bob Woodward's highly anticipated book, "Fear: Trump in the White
House" is set to hit shelves.
More '90s nostalgia
Everybody is all about the '90s lately—see
New Balance's LA pop-up shop—and teen brand Hollister is
no exception. (Maybe because its customers never had to live
through the decade?) The Abercrombie-owned retailer is teaming up
with musician Khalid on a new clothing collaboration, which will
drop next month. It is "heavily influenced by 90s nostalgia, music
and graphics," according to a release. The collection will include
13 mix-and-match styles of fleece hoodies, jersey tops and nylon
pants. Khalid will run a social media campaign around "Make More
Music."
Another retail start-up pops up in NYC
A new company is playing matchmaker to retail brands looking for
brick-and-mortar space. Guesst (no, that's not a typo), a digital
platform, aims to connect brands with already staffed and
merchandised retail stores, a feature it is dubbing "Pop-Shares."
While we're not sure the phrase is going to catch on, the concept,
in which brands pay a licensing fee to display their products,
could have legs for marketers looking to break into the risky world
of retail real estate. New York designer Steven Alan will partner
with Guesst on the launch.
Come on baby, let's get away
ClassPass is taking a page from Janet Jackson's playbook with
its new offering—cause who doesn't want to get away in
August? The five-year-old fitness membership company has unveiled
ClassPass Getaways, where it says consumers can book experiences at
"lux locations" with special fitness and shopping opportunities.
"We're thrilled to give members the opportunity to take a
mini-escape from their day-to-day to try new things and explore
unfamiliar places," said Payal Kadakia, ClassPass founder, in a
release.
Sounds kinda familiar?
McDonald's French Toast?
The Golden Arches has said it needs to do more to boost its
breakfast business. Now, the latest "why didn't they think of this
sooner?" food concoction is being tested at more than 200
McDonald's restaurants in Minnesota: a McGriddles French Toast
Breakfast Sandwich—a brioche French toast bun brushed with
syrup, cracked egg, melted American cheese, sausage patty and thick
cut Applewood smoked bacon. Along with the chain's hunger for a
sales boost, the product test comes as customers have said "they
are looking for a bigger and more filling breakfast option,"
McDonald's said. We haven't tried it yet, but the
Star-Tribune reports it is "Not bad. Not bad at all. It
certainly nails the 'filling' goal."
Would you by this?
Milkshake IPAs are officially
a thing, with several craft brewers experimenting with the
style, which is brewed with, you guessed it, lactose. The latest
comes from Odell Brewing, which boasts that its Cloud Catcher
milkshake IPA does not use any additives or fruit purees, "and
instead relied on the complexity of the hop flavors to create the
beer's unique profile."
Number of the Week
$6 Billion: How much McDonald's and its franchisees
plan to spend to modernize most U.S. restaurants by 2020.
Tweet of Week
Comings and Goings
Michelle Bottomley is trading office supplies for insurance. The
former chief marketing officer at Staples recently joined New York
Life Insurance Co. as CMO.
Contributing: E.J. Schultz, Adrianne Pasquarelli, Jessica
Wohl
~ ~ ~
Next, Ad Age's biggest event of the year, has added new speakers
including Tony Magee, founder of Lagunitas;
Pras Michél, the Fugees co-founder now
creating Blacture; Claudia Mata, co-founder of the
Vertly brand of CBD-infused beauty products; Meiling
Tan, head of marketing at Waymo; Natalia Oberti
Noguera, founder and CEO of Pipeline Angels, the network
of women investors; Dara Treseder, chief marketing
officer at GE Ventures; and Jen Wong, the chief
operating officer at Reddit. They join a Next lineup already
stacked with CEOs, investors, founders, innovators and marketing
leaders, coming together Nov. 13 and 14 in New York to describe the
near future in everything from AI to food.
Aug. 15 is the last day for early-bird tickets; regular pricing
begins Aug. 16.