July 28, 2017
And just like that July nears an end and clocks start the 150-day countdown to Christmas. This month’s headlines may have been filled with presidential updates, antics and political banter, but we’ve found our fair share of news nuggets, pop culture trends and PR industry happenings. Let’s round out the month with just a few of this week’s favorite finds.
- How Do You Watch TV? Nielsen knows that people aren’t watching TV like they used to, and is working on ways to provide its clients, both advertisers and traditional TV networks, the most accurate view of who’s consuming content and how. A recent AdWeekarticle noted that it’s still too early to tell what Nielsen’s new live TV viewing analysis of streaming services such as Hulu and YouTube TV will show, but this writer sure is intrigued.
- Choo-Choo the Deals Rolling In! On Tuesday, Michael Kors Holdings said it had agreed to buy the shoe company Jimmy Choo for roughly $1.2 billion. While some experts were surprised considering recent slow profits from Kors or a decline in mall traffic, others say the strategy to build a luxury group focused on international fashion brands is smart. Time will tell if Jimmy Choo will take a step (pun intended!) into more accessible footwear or perhaps even categories such as fragrances or sunglasses.
- Summer of Slime – Who’s to blame for the latest slime summer fad? The unicorns, perhaps? If slime recipes and videos haven’t crossed your social news feeds yet, consider yourself lucky. The modern-day Silly Putty is captivating teens and tweens as they scourer their parent’s cabinets for glue, Borax, baking soda or glitter. And brands like Elmer’s are taking notice by actively sharing child-safe recipes that have received nearly 200,000 social media mentions since March 1. It doesn’t appear that this fad is dying, so be sure to experience the satisfyingly stretchy goo for yourself by searching “slime recipe” on your favorite social channel and see what rainbow project pops up.
- Listen to This – When it comes to product design, inspiration comes from many different places. In fact, you’d probably be surprised where some of the most iconic designs originated. According to a recent TechCrunch story, Apple’s instantly recognizable white plastic earbuds were in part influenced by Star Wars Stormtroopers. Can you see it? And, Coca-Cola’s glass bottle? Well, the curvy shape was crafted by the Root Glass Company in Indiana who entered a contest in 1915, submitting a design inspired by the cocoa pod simply because it had an appealing shape. More than 100 years later the company’s winning design still stands on store shelves.
Here’s looking at you August!