This week's winners, losers and newsmakers.
Animal shelters: In the wake of Betty White’s death, the #BettyWhiteChallenge emerged as a way for fans to pay tribute to the actress by donating to animal shelters on what would have been her 100th birthday; White was known for animal rights advocacy. Fans responded in a major way. Cnet has a round-up of some of the organizations that benefited.
Carhartt: The American workwear brand found itself in the social media crosshairs this week after requiring its employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. Despite the criticism, and pullback of other brands such as Starbucks on the requirement, Carhartt stood its ground, reaffirming its position in a statement on Wednesday that prioritized the health and safety of its workers. While the move led to complaints, many also voiced their support of a brand that supports its staff.
Design agencies: Overhauling brand and/or corporate logos seems like the thing to do, with Anheuser-Busch the latest to join the trend. It amounts to a nice source of revenue for design agencies. (AB used Prophet.)
Peloton: The home fitness brand made the news this week, including when CNBC reported it is pausing production of its bikes and treadmills for two months amid faltering demand. CEO John Foley later disputed the report noting that Peloton is "resetting our production levels." The company is trying to drum up more interest in its high-end products, which had been wildly popular during the pandemic. As consumers have returned to the gym and tried other fitness products, Peloton has become less of a must-have, particularly as it’s not a product in need of annual replacement or upgrade. Making matters worse, internal Slack messages were leaked to Business Insider, revealing that employees are frustrated with a lack of communication about the company’s struggles.
West Elm: Through no fault of its own, the furniture brand is caught up in the saga of “West Elm Caleb,” the label for a supposed serial dater engaged in some inappropriate behavior. Women are sharing their negative experiences with the man—whose profile on dating app Hinge alleges he works for West Elm—and news outlets have jumped on the story, including “Today.” A West Elm representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cryptocurrency: The crypto industry is facing new heat from regulators over misleading ads, including in the U.K., where the government plans to regulate crypto advertising like other financial products and ensure that promotions are “fair, clear and not misleading,” according to Bloomberg News.
32%: How much global Champagne shipments increased in 2021 (to 322 million bottles) as the bubbly rebounded from pandemic-induced blues in 2020, according to liquor trade publication Shanken News Daily.
“People aren’t running down to buy Triple Sec and mix their own margaritas every time they want a fajita.”— Robert Bookman, a partner at Pesetsky and Bookman, a hospitality law firm that specializes in regulation, on why he thinks a move by New York to legalize alcohol-to-go sales at restaurants won't hurt liquor stores.
Lending Tree hired Shiv Singh as chief marketing and customer experience officer. A veteran marketer with stints at Eargo and Visa under his belt, Singh was most recently senior VP and general manager at the Expedia Group.
TIAA hired Micky Onvural as chief marketing and communications officer. She was most recently at menswear brand Bonobos, where she rose from CMO to CEO four years ago.
Kim Brink, former global chief operating officer at WPP’s dedicated Ford agency GTB has accepted a role as chief revenue officer for electric vehicle brand ElectraMeccanica.
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