This week's winners, losers and newsmakers.

Winners

New Balance: When it comes to big endorsement deals with NBA stars, New Balance is an underdog to Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. But the brand made a splash this week signing Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine. “New Balance is a brand that’s investing in me not just as a player but as an individual. I wanted to partner with a company that is equally passionate about supporting my interests beyond the court,” LaVine said in a statement.

Wendy’s: The fast-food chain drew the most earned media converge among March Madness sponsors during the tournament’s first two rounds, according to PR agency MikeWorldWide, which studied news coverage, excluding press releases. Wendy’s, whose marketing included ads starring NBA legend Reggie Miller and a collaboration with "Rick and Morty” in Las Vegas, earned 16% share of voice among sponsors, followed by AT&T (14%), according to the PR shop. 

New York taxi drivers: In a sign of how severe Uber driver shortages are, the company will begin displaying Yellow cabs on its app in New York City under a new deal with the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission’s technology partners, Creative Mobile Technologies and Curb Mobility. Bloomberg has more.

Losers

Louis Vuitton: The brand drew backlash this week when some consumers pointed out that the design on its Volt jewelry collection is similar to the letter Z, the symbol for the Russian army. When asked about any plans to alter or pause the line amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, the luxury brand offered the following statement: “The LV Volt collection was launched by Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director for Jewellery and Watches, Francesca Amfitheatrof in 2020. The design is representative of the inverted L and V initials of the Maison’s founder, whilst evoking an energetic pulse of voltage.”

Disney: The entertainment giant is still facing scrutiny from employees who say it has not done enough to come out against Florida legislation that opponents have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The bill would limit the discussion of sexual orientation in schools. The company came out against the bill on March 11, but that was not enough for some employees, who walked off the job this week in protest. Critics say the company acted too late and want Disney to cease all donations to politicians who support the bill. Disney has only said it would “pause” donations.

TikTok: The video platform is facing backlash over a glitch in its registration system for a creator fund meant to compensate users with large audiences. TikTok in a statement said it is ”actively working on a fix that should be available in the next few days,” according to Bloomberg News.

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Tweet of the week

Quote of the week

“The luxury consumer is reactive to trends, so I think the physical and the digital will intertwine and there will be buying on both sides.” —Thomas Harvey, VP of design at Perry Ellis International, on how the metaverse will affect high-end fashion.

Numbers of the week

37: Number of off-price Backstage shops Macy’s will open within its department stores in the next three months. The chain has made the inclusion of such discount shop-in-shops, which number near 300, a key part of its retail strategy.

12.61: The average number of product placement in a movie, according to a new study from Sortlist, a firm that specializes in connecting clients to marketing services suppliers. The study found that the 2001 film “Josie and the Pussycats” took the product placement crown with 109 individual brand placements.

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On the move

Foot Locker tapped Samantha Lomow as president of global brands. She had been president of branded entertainment at Hasbro Inc.

Tunda, an esports company, hired Danny Lopez as director of marketing and content. He was the director of marketing and brand for Guild Esports.

Sustainable Brands, which consults on environmental brand strategies, appointed Samuel Monnie as VP of content strategy, a newly created role. Monnie had been a marketing consultant at Flock Associates.

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