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In this year's Super Bowl ads, brands are mostly playing it safe

Don't expect to see much political messaging in this year's Super Bowl ads. And definitely don't expect to see much on crypto.
BMW's commercial featuring actor Christopher Walken is among the funnier ads this year.
Screenshot via YouTube

When consumers feel strapped, some brands do well anyway

May 27, 2022
Strong earnings from Nordstrom, Macy's and Dollar General suggest pent-up demand and a reframing of what people consider essential spending.
Dollar Tree said groceries made up a bigger part of its sales last quarter — which could spell trouble for retailers like Walmart and Target.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Higher-income consumers sticking with premium brands, like P&G's, despite price increases

Apr 20, 2022
P&G's earnings report beat Wall Street’s expectations, with net sales up 7%.
Why are we sticking with more expensive brands while inflation is high?
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Should brands bother with April Fools' Day gags?

Apr 1, 2021
With high anxiety over the pandemic and rising levels of distrust with the media, is it worth it for companies to pull pranks?
Context for the jokes matters, says International Marketing Partners CEO Allyson Stewart-Allen.
lakshmiprasad S via Getty Images

Global brands address forced labor in China, but risk alienating Chinese consumers

Mar 25, 2021
A number of companies, though concerned about treatment of Uyghurs, appear to have tried to appease widespread consumer anger.
Some companies have protested the reported abuse of Chinese Uyghurs but face a backlash in the Asian nation.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Empty arenas not a game for sports and entertainment sponsors

Feb 15, 2021
Brands are having to rethink how to get home viewers' attention.
Tim Smith/Getty Images

Quaker Oats is retiring the Aunt Jemima brand because of its origins in "a racial stereotype"

Up until now, Quaker hasn't been interested in changing the logo or even acknowledging the history of the brand.
The branding of Aunt Jemima actually goes back to the late 1800s, and was used to evoke a common racist caricature of Black women.
Mike Mozart/Flickr via Creative Commons

For public good, not for profit.

Candidates are hoping you'll buy their rhetoric — as well as their merchandise

Hats, tees, totes and hoodies are big business in political fundraising. More and more, the same salesmanship is being applied to policies.
Democratic presidential candidates on stage at the second round of primary debates in July in Detroit.
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

After the grounding of its 737 planes, can Boeing's messaging convince flyers?

Boeing faces a tough public relations challenge in the coming months, following two crashes and the grounding of its 737 planes. The question is, how will the company control the messaging to the air-faring public? Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal spoke to Felicia Miller, professor of marketing at Marquette University, about the company’s PR strategy. Click […]
A LEAP engine is pictured on the first Boeing 737 MAX airliner is pictured at the company's manufacturing plant, on Dec. 8, 2015, in Renton, Washington.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Why brands are chasing down an NFL quarterback for commercial deals

Jan 15, 2019
Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback, Patrick Mahomes' passes are getting him paid.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs during player introductions prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. 
Jamie Squire/Getty Images