The COVID-19 coronavirus outrbreak has sparked a dramatic first for the movie industry: movies are being made available at home the same time they’re available in theaters. The distinction between a theatrical and a digital release is disappearing as theaters shut down. Click here to read the story at cnbc.com. Discussion Questions: Read more…
The signs said this was WrestleMania. The pay-per-view order ($34.99) said this was WrestleMania. Rob Gronkowski, serving as host, declared that it was WrestleMania. So did Stephanie McMahon, who noted pre-fight the company was there to offer a “distraction” to the country. Click here to read the story at sports.yahoo.com. Discussion Questions: Read more…
Like many Americans around the country, Gwen Berry is weighing her financial options. She is thinking about filing for unemployment, or seeing if she can get a day job, like the one she once held at Dick’s Sporting Goods, to help stem the financial tide left behind by the coronavirus. Read more…
Brands are moving quickly to adjust their marketing in response to the pandemic, and Ace Metrix suggests that certain types of messaging resonate with consumers. Ads that discuss the coronavirus are perceived as more relevant and likeable, signaling that, though news of the pandemic is omnipresent, many people want to Read more…
Russell Stover’s social media campaigns arrive as millions of Americans face the possibility of not seeing loved ones on Easter, the biggest time of year for giving chocolate as a gift. The chocolatier’s Instagram challenge and virtual hugs on Giphy give the brand a way to participate in conversations among Read more…
DoorDash Inc., the biggest food delivery app in the U.S., will start delivering goods from 7-Eleven, Wawa and other convenience stores to Americans who are mostly stuck at home for the foreseeable future. Click here to read the story at bloomberg.com. Discussion Questions: What does it mean when a business pivots? How Read more…
As governments around the world struggle to convince their citizens to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus, brands are stepping up to help. Using their own platforms and marketing teams, Chiquita Brands, Coca-Cola and Mucinex are among the many companies that have debuted branded PSAs urging people Read more…
The postponement of the Summer Olympics, coupled with the suspension of play across the NBA and NHL, have disappointed fans all over the world. For brands, however, the impact of COVID-19 may require coming up with a new playbook if they want to continue marketing to sports. For some, that Read more…
With no definitive word on when, or if, the NBA season will resume and the possibility of the playoffs starting in June and the Finals ending in August, the 2020-21 season could be immensely disrupted. So maybe it’s time for the Association to consider a truly radical revamping of its Read more…
While the NBA, NHL and MLB were confronted with the coronavirus pandemic in March, Overwatch executives had been dealing with the outbreak for two months already. As COVID-19 spread in China, where the league has four teams, and South Korea, where another is located, the U.S.-based esports league drastically altered Read more…