Some 20,000 U.S. stores closed in 2020, and investment bank UBS projected another 80,000 will shutter through 2026. It may sound like the retail apocalypse is finally upon us, but there’s one important detail: When a retailer closes up shop, it isn’t necessarily permanent. In the past year, we’ve seen retailers like Century 21 and…
Infographic: As Vaccine Rollout Continues, Retail Sees a Much-Needed Rebound
As vaccines become more widely available across the U.S., people are testing the limits of what they’re comfortable with when it comes to activities they once took for granted. A retail rebound in March shows that people are venturing out for in-store shopping, which is especially convenient for stores that are counting on Mother’s Day…
Amtrak Celebrates 50 Years of Providing Viable Intracity Transportation to the US
Of all the Americans who’ve eschewed air travel in favor of the charms of the train, perhaps none has been more loyal than a man nicknamed Amtrak Joe. Having lost his wife and daughter in an auto accident in 1972, he began commuting to his job in Washington on Amtrak–a 250-mile round trip from his…
How Chief True Officer Alvin Stafford Leads With Purpose
Even in today’s ever-shifting corporate nomenclature, it’s rare to come across a title like chief true officer. This unique moniker belongs to Alvin Stafford, who is also a partner at Black-owned and minority-led marketing consultancy Think TRUE. Stafford had been in the business of multicultural, purpose- and authenticity-led marketing for 15 years before Think TRUE…
Who’s Afraid of Tim Scott?
Cheer Up About the Middle East
Amazon Focuses on Reinventing Broadcast TV During First-Ever NewFronts
Late last year, Amazon’s free streamer, IMDb TV, started pushing into original programming with the premiere of Alex Rider and a handful of unscripted series. Now, the streamer is making an even bigger original content investment as it looks to draw bigger audiences and advertisers, and is rounding out its content offering with unscripted series…
Barbie’s Latest Campaign Highlights How Doll Play Helps Children Develop Empathy
After receiving criticism in past years for the lack of diversity in its dolls, Barbie has taken steps to create a more inclusive brand, empower young girls with dolls representing influential women of color and take a more active stance in political discussions. Top line Barbie’s new “A Doll Can Help Change the World” campaign,…
Vizio Rolls Out Personalized Content Initiative in NewFronts Debut
Vizio is serious about bringing ad dollars over from streaming. In the company’s first ever NewFronts presentation, Vizio provided updates across all its businesses and announced a new, data-informed programming arm, Vizio Features. “We own the hardware, the operating system and the data flowing through our platform,” Mike O’Donnell, CRO platform business, said during the…