Cannes' Creative Marketer of the Year award is being handed to Burger King this week for campaigns such as one from David that featured photos of real-life Burger King outlets on fire with the tagline, "Flame grilled since 1954." Other risky pushes included one from Leo Burnett Israel that created a special Valentine's Day promotion with adult meals that contained toys strictly for customers over the age of 18.
Amazon, Google and Facebook are some of the biggest examples of the modern conglomerate model, with Amazon being able to use its size and scale to subsidize new retail forays with predatory pricing, according to Yale University law student Lina Khan. "The economics of platform markets create incentives for a company to pursue growth over profits, a strategy that investors have rewarded," writes Khan.
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Members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee this week explored the issue of free speech on college campuses, questioning decisions by some schools to limit more controversial speakers. Some lawmakers argued that all speakers should be welcomed, but others asserted that threats from off-campus groups should be considered.
The US and China are holding North Korea accountable for violating UN Security Council resolutions, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says. "We both agreed that our companies should not do business with any UN-designated North Korean entities in accordance with these resolutions," he said.
The Fresh Market's chief executive stepped down from the position Monday, a source said. Richard Anicetti served as CEO of the retailer for nearly two years, and he will be replaced on an interim basis by Chief Financial Officer Brian Nicholson.
The US Preventive Services Task Force published updated guidelines in the Journal of the American Medical Association recommending health providers screen body mass index in children ages 6 and older and refer obese youths and their families to comprehensive and intensive behavioral-based weight loss interventions. The group also found insufficient evidence to make recommendations on the weight-loss benefits of metformin and orlistat for obese children.
⋅ Adweek
Just 112 mainstream mobile and desktop sites carried vertical video ads in the first quarter, with 40% of vertical video spots coming from TV and movies, 9% from clothing brands and 7% from retail, MediaRadar reports. Seventy percent of vertical video ads are 15 seconds long, which "is interesting since Snapchat, a vertical video leader, has a current max of 10 seconds," MediaRadar's Todd Krizelman said.
The State of Logistics report showed declining expenditures in 2016, for the first time in six years, and the lowest spending percentage of US GDP since the Great Recession. The report from A.T. Kearney and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals showed uneven economic growth and overcapacity in nearly all models as key factors in industry weakness.
⋅ Reuters
Intel has announced that it is partnering with Team8 to help create startups focused on cybersecurity. Intel will work with Team8's Illusive Networks to tackle advanced persistent threats.
The Office of the US Trade Representative will attempt to resolve issues raised by US medtech companies about India's price controls on medical devices, as well as intellectual property disputes, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on trade policy. Lighthizer added that enforcement actions will be taken if India's actions are proven to have violated World Trade Organization rules.
CNN will invest $40 million in its startup, Great Big Story, over the next two years. The investment will be used to create 24/7 streaming content -- including feature-length films and live programming -- in a bid to turn GBS into a next-generation cable network.
The nation's inland waterways need an infusion of revenue to keep up with infrastructure maintenance, and C. Jarrett Dieterle of the nonpartisan but right-of-center R Street Institute believes it's time to implement tolls for those who use the rivers, despite the pushback from the shipping industry. He says many Americans gain no direct benefit from improvements to the nation's locks and other river infrastructure.
US crude inventories posted a decline of 2.5 million barrels in the week ended Friday, beating analysts' forecast for a 2-million-barrel drop, according to the Energy Information Administration. Gasoline supplies plunged by 600,000 barrels, while distillate stocks climbed by 1.1 million barrels.
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Air Canada has been named North America's Best Airline at the Paris Air Show. "This award shows customers are enthusiastically embracing the significant investments Air Canada is making in its products and services," said Air Canada's President of Passenger Airlines Benjamin Smith.
Carnival Cruise Line engaged visitors live on Facebook on Wednesday with a promotion that debuted a weather-forecasting sloth named Bill. It was a mystery how the mystical sloth would predict how long summer's warm weather will last.