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From Contraband To Desired Brand

An industry with a projected worth of $50 billion by 2026, cannabis is poised to make huge gains in the lifestyle, health and wellness industries. Marijuana has fought hard to overcome stereotypes such as the stoner stigma made famous by Cheech and Chong. Yet as more states in the US legalize marijuana, and other countries continue to at least decriminalize it, cannabis is attracting interest among investors and industries alike. Noted trends forecaster, Gerald Celente of the Trends Institute, has been talking about this for years, going so far as to name it a top 10 trend for 2017. He cites opportunities aplenty that extend far beyond the traditional notions of the backstreet Amsterdam coffee house or dispensary. At this year’s SXSW, a panel of pioneering women in the cannabis industry shared an all-up view of the opportunities available especially for women and the 50-plus market.

Perception-Shifting Case

One of the more interesting factors in marijuana’s pivot to create highly-desired brands has been the influence of the tech industry. In April of 2015, Founders Fund, a venture capital firm co-founded by investor Peter Theil, made a multi-million dollar investment in Privateer Holdings, a Seattle company that manages several marijuana businesses. Among Privateer’s company is Leafy, a site that manages news and reviews, and Tilray, which researches and cultivates crops in Canada, and the Bob Marley official cannabis brand which includes the “rise up” social initiative and a line of body care products.

Brendan Kennedy, one of Privateer’s founders said in a NY Times interview, “After looking into the industry, we quickly realized that this is no longer, and hasn’t been for years, a countercultural product.” There was opportunity, he added, because “the brands that were out there tended to embrace the clichés of the industry.”

Another cliché that is being broken, according to Rustigian Burderer, founder of cannabis start-up Simplegentix, is the customer experience. By creating tastefully curated dispensaries that look more like polished, high-end retail stores, it’s easy to reach more customers. Campaign describes a San Francisco store, called Harvest, where consumers are welcomed into a modern retail environment that doesn’t scream marijuana. Instead, wooden shelves showcase products while posters describe its medical benefits. She says, “It’s indicative of how the industry is becoming more accepting. From the stoner, it’s developed into a sophisticated, elegant light.”

Evolving Opportunity

JWT Intelligence asks, “Can cannabis be the next beauty super ingredient?” SXSW panel speaker Emily Paxhia says, “I’m seeing more branded lifestyle products that address the different need states around cannabis, and it’s not about getting as high as humanly possible.” She points to Whoopi Goldberg’s Whoopi and Maya line of medical cannabis products that work to ease menstrual cramps, and are branded to look more like “high-end products you might come across in a department store.”

Beauty and wellness is a massively growing segment. In the last year and a half, executives from L’Oreal and Aveda have expressed interest in implementing cannabis in products. Some brands are infusing beauty products with cannabidiol (CBD), which is a non-psychoactive substance derived from plant. Since it lacks THC, the products can be classified as ‘legal hemp’ versus cannabis. This may contribute to even broader appeal, further destroying the old, outdated stigma.

The Trend Is Your Friend

In the age of disruption, very little is permanent. Some taboos, such as those surrounding cannabis, are eroding in the face of the growing body of science about its benefits. Other taboos as well – gender norms, womanhood, the definition of ‘a beautiful body’ — are meeting similar challenges in the marketplace of ideas. Brands that are stuck due to stigma can take a lesson from what is happening with the cannabis industry. By understanding the forces at work behind the all-up perception-shifting case, and working to implement fundamental changes based on those insights, it’s possible to leverage a trend to affect dramatic outcomes. Even better still, the beauty and wellness industry is removing the controversial aspects of the cannabis taboo (THC) and double-trend-dipping in both ingredient and lifestyle.

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NESCAFÉ Opens Barista-Free DIY Coffee Taproom

Toronto’s NESCAFÉ Coffee Taproom is a pop-up coffee shop for NESCAFÉ and coffee aficionados – with a twist.

Nescafé Canada Tests Coffee Shop That Doesn’t Sell Coffee: https://t.co/XbIc0NVWHJ @NescafeCA #canada #canadify http://pic.twitter.com/EkPBfaLMhf

— Canadify (@canadify1) June 9, 2017

Coffee can’t be purchased on-site; the idea is you make your own. The key to opening the door is a Nescafé Sweet & Creamy sachet on an iPad which divulges a secret code to enter the pop-up experience.

Once inside, visitors can get everything they want from a coffee shop including coffee, fast Wi-Fi, plenty of outlets and comfortable places to sit—minus the lines, complicated menu choices, pricey drinks or baristas.

This Taproom is “free of all baristas that are named Frederico and have man buns.”

Fresh cups of coffee are made on demand by NESCAFÉ consumers, using their own Sweet & Creamy sachets and the 12 hot water taps located on-site.

A special bonus, for those who enjoy seeing their names misspelled on a coffee cup, there are 50 different custom cups featuring misspelled versions of common names.

The NESCAFÉ Coffee Taproom is open on Toronto’s Queen Street through June 28th.

The innovative pop-up shop is the work of creative agency WorkInProgress (WIP), which came up with the concept in response to a creative brief to create a coffee shop experience without out all the transactional business that happens in-store.

New @NESCAFE pop-up shop in Toronto, open until June 28, offers a coffee shop without selling any coffee: https://t.co/YIOQlnCoI1 http://pic.twitter.com/lPcp4RlAre

— CanadianFoodBusiness (@CDNfood) June 12, 2017

WIP created the Pizza Turnaround Campaign for Domino’s Pizza while at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and Domino’s Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix-winning Emoji Ordering innovation.

The NESCAFÉ Coffee Taproom experience will engage Toronto-based influencers to create exclusive, original content and WIP created a Snapchat Geo-Filter accessible only on their site.

Nescafe Trolls Starbucks With Pop-Up Coffee Shop https://t.co/tQOLegWVOP

— Tablebases.com (@tablebasescom) June 14, 2017

It’s already soliciting ideas on its microsite about where to open the next pop-up coffee taproom, offering a new twist on marketing and a bold experiment for a bold-tasting brand—eliminate the service element and make the consumer the barista.

The post NESCAFÉ Opens Barista-Free DIY Coffee Taproom appeared first on brandchannel:.

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Making Moments Matter: 5 Questions With Outcome Health President & Co-Founder Shradha Agarwal

As healthcare technology company Outcome Health evolved its business into the robust “moment of care” platform it is today, the company realized it also needed to advance industry and customer perceptions. To highlight a new position in the market and to connect its identity to its purpose, Outcome Health reimagined its brand to bring focus to its mission of activating the best health outcome possible for every person in the world.

In January Outcome Health (formerly ContextMedia) unveiled its new name and brand identity to reflect the company’s purpose, role in the healthcare ecosystem and core brand idea: Activate Good. The reinvention of the Outcome Health identity set the stage for exciting growth and visibility, including its first institutional investment round, which valued the Chicago-based, privately held company at over $5 billion.

How can creative build connections and community in healthcare? Join @neilstevenson77 & Co-Founder @shr4dha at #LionsHealth this week. http://pic.twitter.com/A8CRNdZDSL

— Outcome Health (@OutcomeHealth) June 15, 2017

President and Co-Founder Shradha Agarwal will be at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as a Lions Health speaker this weekend on the InterbrandHealth-hosted panel, “The Creative Future of Healthcare.” We caught up with her before she took off for Cannes to dig deeper into the Outcome Health brand and mission.

The best creative content has results that are tangible, measurable, and meaningful. @shr4dha writes on #LionsHealth https://t.co/77FSaQNIaQ

— Outcome Health (@OutcomeHealth) June 15, 2017

brandchannel: What inspired you to work in the healthcare industry, and what makes your focus on outcomes different?

Shradha Agarwal: Many industries have benefitted from technology in the past couple of decades but some important ones, like healthcare, haven’t—yet. We had a passion for bringing actionable information and healthcare intelligence through technology and the commitment to healthcare was through personal experiences.

Rishi, my co-founder, and I have had family members living with a chronic condition and through their journey, we learned that the most significant moments in care are the times a patient and physician are together to make critical decisions about the patient’s treatment plan.

Our unique approach has been to align the definition of success for all sides of the healthcare equation: payers, healthcare products in the life sciences and medical devices industries, healthcare services like pharmacies and of course, providers and patients. The “nexus” in our brand identity was inspired by this idea – of developing an interconnected ecosystem through our platform that delivers measurable results for patients and demonstrates tangible improvement in their health outcomes.

A new chapter starts with our new home in NYC. Built for growth with nearly 200 workspaces, the hub has a library, game room, greenhouse, family room and 35 huddle rooms. #ActivateGood

A post shared by Outcome Health (@outcomehealth) on Apr 3, 2017 at 10:00am PDT

BC: The idea of “activating good” can be applied to health in a lot of different ways. Which is your favorite and why? 

SA: We love the idea of engaging patients in their personal health journey through the stories of a peer group, connecting people to support communities, raising knowledge of health conditions and treatment options, catalyzing conversations between patients and physicians.

But ultimately, our favorite way of activating good in health is to change the trajectory of someone’s healthcare journey in a positive direction to improve the quality of their life. The way this happens in healthcare is through robust discussions and informed decisions made by physicians and patients as well as their caregivers. The way we internalize this brand idea at Outcome Health is through technologies that activate good decisions.

BC: You were heavily involved in the rebranding effort. What was the most important thing that you learned during the process? 

SA: First, naming a company is not an easy endeavor. We looked at hundreds of names and carefully thought about each one. We wanted a name that conveyed our mission, our personality, our values, that was authentic and meaningful, yet simple and clear.

We partnered with InterbrandHealth, who was a true partner in guiding us through a thoughtful and thorough process. We learned that one of the most important components of a rebrand is alignment, both internally and externally. InterbrandHealth spent time understanding who we are and reflected multiple voices of expression throughout our organization. This helped our new brand be a representation of the value that our customers, our employees and partners were attributing to us.

This was our most important realization—that a rebranding has to be true to who we are and be unique to us. There’s no formula for success but it has to make sense and feel right for your organization and industry.

At Outcome Health, the “Purple Man Award” is given to Activators who have redefined going above and beyond. The “Purple Man” represents our focus on the patient; humanity is at the center of healthcare. Award winners are offered a few custom awards based on their interests; previous awards have included a skiing trip for two to Colorado, a trip for two to Costa Rica, and a shopping spree. Please help us give a huge round of applause to Cameron Silver, our most recent winner! We hope you enjoy your distillery tour! #ActivateGood

A post shared by Outcome Health (@outcomehealth) on Apr 4, 2017 at 8:13am PDT

BC: How has the new brand identity inspired the business? 

SA: The new brand has delivered fresh clarity to our business and accelerated our ability to align partners throughout the industry in a shared vision for improving patient outcomes through technology. It has given us unifying language for our teams and partners as well as a barometer of activating good as we prioritize investments and innovation opportunities in pursuit of our mission: activating the best health outcome possible for every person in the world.

.@OutcomeHealth raises financing to accelerate growth and transform healthcare. https://t.co/i8MXvZqx0a http://pic.twitter.com/37yCKm2vq3

— Outcome Health (@OutcomeHealth) May 31, 2017

SM: The company has been getting significant attention in the market lately and recently received substantial funding from key investors to accelerate your growth. What role did the new brand play in this milestone?

BC: We have been intentional about mission alignment with our new partners, including investors. The vision we have articulated is aspirational but also aligning, measurable as well as scalable. This has investors excited at the market opportunity to create impact globally.

Today we have a vision to bring high-impact technology into every consultation room in the world. There is widespread fragmentation across the healthcare ecosystem, but outcomes are what align everyone on—practices, payers, physicians, life sciences—to work together in service of better patient outcomes. This has resonated with investors as well as with partners, new and old.

As we think about our future and the accelerated momentum and growth that the funding gives us, I’m excited to see the Outcome Health brand work continue to pay off in pursuit of our mission.

Get more branding insights in our Q&A series. Suggest a Q&A: editor@brandchannel.com.

The post Making Moments Matter: 5 Questions With Outcome Health President & Co-Founder Shradha Agarwal appeared first on brandchannel:.

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Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Gets His Wish With Labatt 150 Beer

The champagne of ales is rebranding just in time for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations.

Labatt 50, the Toronto-based brewery’s longest-standing brand, has been temporarily renamed “Labatt 150” on select packages of cans in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta and Newfoundland in the lead-up to Canada Day on July 1.

The iconic “50” logo on these summer cans is preceded by a “1” with a red maple leaf in the middle of it. “It’s a natural way for us to share a cultural moment for Canada,” says Andrew Oosterhuis, director of marketing at Labatt. “This is a brand that has authenticity to speak to this moment.” (Just in case you weren’t sure, a 150th annual celebration is known as a “sesquicentennial.”)

They took my suggestion! My favourite beer, now 3 times as patriotic. Can't wait to try it… #Canada150 http://pic.twitter.com/Zjk8fq6dNn

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 1, 2017

Labatt 50 has a fan in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a native of Quebec where the brand is omnipresent, who unknowingly tipped off the nation about the company’s plans via Twitter on April Fool’s Day when he posted a picture of a photoshopped “Labatt 150” label.

.@JustinTrudeau you read our mind!This is no #aprilfoolsjoke.#Labatt50 toasting Canadians w/ a new look celebrating #Canada150 this spring http://pic.twitter.com/2jphgINGuL

— Labatt Breweries (@Labatt170) April 1, 2017

“They took my suggestion! My favourite beer, now 3 times as patriotic. Can’t wait to try it… #Canada150,” he posted on April 1. Trudeau did not have any insider knowledge of the company’s marketing plans, Oosterhuis says, but he “helped start the conversation early.”

“It was a special moment as a marketer when the leader of our country is recognizing his favorite brand and pitching an idea that we already had in the pipeline. We look forward to sending him the actual produced product as a gift,” he says.

(Don’t worry about Trudeau pounding back enough 150s to develop a beer belly. The 45-year-old is a fitness fanatic who runs in between meetings with foreign dignitaries and enjoys boxing. He even defeated a Conservative senator in a charity match five years ago before he became leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.)

Canadian brands and institutions are doing everything they can to associate themselves with the anniversary of Confederation. Canada Post recently unveiled a series of 10 new stamps celebrating a wide range of Canadiana, including Expo ’67, the 1976, 1988, and 2010 Olympics, the Trans-Canada Highway, cancer fundraising crusader Terry Fox, the passing of marriage equality legislation in 2005 and the 1972 Summit Series hockey team, which defeated the Soviet Union’s national team in an epic eight-game battle between communism and capitalism 45 years ago.

It goes without saying that a few beers have been hoisted in honour of these events and people over the years and Labatt 150 could be on millions of Canadians’ lips this Canada Day. Labatt, which was founded 20 years before Canada itself, first launched “50” in 1950 when John and Hugh Labatt, grandsons to founder John K. Labatt, wanted to commemorate 50 years of their brewing partnership. The light-tasting ale, originally dubbed “Anniversary Ale,” was the company’s best selling beer for nearly 30 years. The name was subsequently changed to “50,” with the tagline, “champagne of ales.”

For #Canada150 we’ve updated our iconic Anniversary Ale to #Labatt150. Cheers to all who call Canada our home and native land! http://pic.twitter.com/POEScWER2y

— Labatt Breweries (@Labatt170) May 19, 2017

While Labatt has been owned by the Belgian beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev since 1995, it’s still near and dear to Canadians’ hearts.

“For as long as Canada has been around, Labatt has played a role in our nation’s history. We’ve grown from a single brewery in London, Ontario into a national brewer with a strong presence in communities across the country,” stated Todd Allen, Labatt’s VP of Marketing.

“Labatt 50 is steeped in this heritage – it’s our longest-standing brand and was Canada’s best-selling beer until 1979. It was a natural choice to refresh this iconic brand to celebrate such a monumental occasion for Canadians.”

My favorite beer celebrating my favorite country! ❤ Cheers @Labatt170 nicely done. #Labatt150 http://pic.twitter.com/D9GhPBtZdi

— Stephanie Duff (@sduff1013) June 12, 2017

Labatt 150, which is brewed in London, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec, is being sold in the six provinces in six and 15-packs of 355 ml cans and 24-packs of 473 ml cans. Bottles of Labatt 50 will continue with their original labels.

Labatt also producers high-profile beers such as Kokanee, Budweiser, Bud Lite and Alexander Keith’s, but Oosterhuis says the Canada 150 projects will be limited to “50.” Er, “150.”

The post Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Gets His Wish With Labatt 150 Beer appeared first on brandchannel:.

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Indigo Entertainment Follows Dreams with Indie Games

Indigo Entertainment was founded in 2007 with the dream of developing games that feature “awesome” intellectual property (IP). For several years Indigo Entertainment pursued that dream, creating games for clients with popular IP. However, as Indigo Entertainment President and Co-Founder James Ronald Lo notes, “everyone in the game industry has hopes and dreams of building […]

The post Indigo Entertainment Follows Dreams with Indie Games appeared first on Gamesauce: Global Inspiration for Game Developers.

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Here’s What Happens When Mary Meeker Puts You In Her Report

Mary Meeker is known for making bold predictions that sometimes come true. But she can also shine such a large spotlight on a relatively unknown company that it begins to debate whether or not to go public. That seems to be the case for Vungle, a 6-year-old private ad tech company that’s mulling over an […]

The post Here’s What Happens When Mary Meeker Puts You In Her Report appeared first on Vungle.

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Brand News: 10 Things You Need to Know For Thursday, June 15

Lidl opens its doors (and US stores) today.

Amazon launches free STEM summer camps in its hometown.

Instagram wants influencers to more clearly identify paid posts.

Mattel outlines growth plans to shareholders.

Seattle’s iconic Space Needle is getting a makeover.

Sports Direct (UK) acquires US retailers Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports.

Tigerair will rebrand as Scoot – its sister budget airline under the Singapore Airlines Group – on July 25.

Time Inc. launches The Pretty, a beauty video channel for Facebook and Instagram.

Yahoo‘s former CEO Marissa Mayer can’t wait to use Gmail.

YouTube works with the world’s biggest advertising and marketing holding companies including Omnicom and the United Nations on The Common Future Project, using their resources to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Click here for previous headline roundups … sign up for our free daily newsletter … and send brand news and tips to editor@brandchannel.com or ping us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

The post Brand News: 10 Things You Need to Know For Thursday, June 15 appeared first on brandchannel:.

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4 Best Steps to Your Dream Job

No one needs to reiterate that today’s is a difficult job market and that regrettably, many people are looking for jobs for extended amounts of time—sometimes for years! As a career coach, I often work with such people, and I notice that they have things in common:

None of them have a well-thought-out career management plan.

None of them have a thorough and well-integrated career search campaign.

Most are just looking for a job.

When I try to diagnose where the problem is, I find universally that (1) they continue practicing what worked for them in the past; (2) they follow what other job seekers have suggested to them; (3) most of them are simply lost because of not knowing what to do next and are borderline depressed due to their repeated failures to generate positive activity; and (4) they do not have a plan containing a series of certain specific activities that are necessary for them to accomplish in order to reach the goal.

This article cannot cover all of the information I recently presented to a group of job seekers for over an hour, but here is the essence of it. The four elements of a successful job search process are:

The creation of a marketing plan

The preparation of job search tools

The physical marketing of oneself

A continuous plan for improving the process

  While creating the marketing plan, you should first learn about yourself. Second, you should assess your marketable skills. Next, you should learn the ways of finding a job in today’s marketplace. And last, you should map out what you want to do. This is the stage in which to engage a career coach. Hiring a career coach will speed up the process, and you’ll learn from a pro, get unbiased feedback, will be kept on track, and acquire the skills for negotiating an equitable compensation plan.

The next major campaign objective is to have an excellent résumé. Good and very good résumés get failing grades in today’s economy because plenty of excellent résumés are available. I strongly suggest using a recommended professional résumé writer. While such professionals are not cheap, an excellent one is worth every penny. Professional résumé writers provide your key for unlocking the door to an interview. Otherwise, you’ll just be praying to be called in, and that can take a long time. Once your résumé is completed, you need to develop your little vignettes and success stories. At this point, you’ll need to learn how to work with a select group of recruiters, how to use job boards, and how to establish a system for keeping track of all of your activities via a searchable form; Excel works well for this.

The difficult part starts now. You need to market yourself by participating in job search networking groups. Those who live within a distance of, say, a hundred miles from New York, can profit from a comprehensive database of job search networking groups found on the landing page at landingexpert.com. Self-marketing includes good collaterals such as strong cover letters, a persuasive elevator speech, a detailed LinkedIn profile, and effective use of LinkedIn. Joining Yahoo! groups and LinkedIn groups could prove helpful as well. And last, you need to identify your target companies and go after them ferociously.

Now comes the last step, which is to continue improving the process. This includes embellishing your list of success stories and frequently practicing mock interviewing.

As you can see, this is a rigorous and demanding career campaign plan. To be good at it, you have to devote at the very least 40 hours a week; and that doesn’t include time spent commuting to meetings. By following this plan, you’ll get not only the satisfaction of accomplishment but also the distinct possibility of favorable results. Good luck to you!

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Gap Inc. Diversity: #BridgingtheGap to #WearYourPride

Of the plethora of brands celebrating Pride Month, Gap Inc.’s house of brands is (once again) exemplary.

Take “Bridging the Gap,” the directorial debut of fashion maven Edward Enninful. The campaign celebrates optimism, individuality and everything Gap (and its parent, Gap Inc.) aims to represent—including the right to be out and proud at work and in life, a timely message that supports Gap’s 2017 Pride commitment.

Enninful gathered a group of pop culture icons — Wiz Khalifa, Christie Brinkley, Jonathan Groff and others, each bringing their personal style to a 1970s disco track, “Sunny” by Boney M. Sporting white Gap tops, from ribbed tanks to vintage crew neck tees and Henley’s, the shirt serves as a canvas on which to display the brand’s commitment to diversity.

Enniful explains, “The Gap basic white t-shirt for me is a blank canvas — eternally versatile. It can be worn by anyone regardless of age, gender, or personal style and can be tailored, dressed, accessorized, customized, and styled to reflect the individual wearing it. There is nothing more classic in the realm of casual than jeans and a white tee — a look that is inherently Americana and reminiscent of the American Dream — an optimistic dream of opportunity, individuality, freedom, and the embodiment of one living their truth.”

Everyone had their own variation of the white t-shirt on, including a nod to transgender inclusion:

Transgender model Casil McArthur is #BridgingTheGap by standing up for the trans community. https://t.co/oydhWBJ4Or http://pic.twitter.com/gIE2SVuwGD

— Gap (@Gap) June 13, 2017

Break down barriers, look past differences, find the best in people. That’s how actress @yarashahidi is #BridgingTheGap. http://pic.twitter.com/Q6wkmZUJlc

— Gap (@Gap) June 14, 2017

I am a Southern belle, afraid of the dark, and a food snob. A lover and a storyteller, all smiles and optimistic spirit. I am Mia. #IAmGap http://pic.twitter.com/BBXpdnILbe

— Gap (@Gap) May 24, 2017

Gap has never been afraid to push the envelope. It continues to champion optimism and hope, and to do so even when it defies the status quo.

That’s why Gap Inc. and the United Nations Foundation have partnered to raise awareness and funds for UN Free & Equal, a program of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to promote equal rights and fair treatment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people globally.

This year’s Gap Inc. company-wide campaign for Pride Month has two main components:

• As part of the return of Gap Inc.’s #WearYourPride campaign (see 2016’s spot below), 30 percent of net sales from Gap brand’s Pride t-shirts will be donated to the UN Foundation to benefit Free & Equal. T-shirts will be available online as well as select stores in the U.S., Canada, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Taiwan and the U.K. Pride t-shirts will be available through October while supplies last.

A #WearYourPride video series celebrates employees who are out and proud, members of the company’s cross-brand LGBTQ-focused business resource group, GEAR (Gay Employees, Allies + Resources), who share the ways they wear their pride.

• Additionally, Gap Inc. brands will offer special, Pride-themed eGift Cards this year. For every Pride eGift Card sold during the month of June, $2 will be donated to the UN Foundation in support of Free & Equal up to $25,000. Pride eGift Cards will be available from Athleta, Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory, Gap, Gap Factory and Old Navy.

“We’re proud to partner with the UN Foundation in support of UN Free & Equal,” said Roy L. Hunt, SVP of Gap Inc.’s global franchise operation and executive sponsor of the company’s partnership with UN Foundation.

“For more than 47 years, Gap Inc. has stood for equality for all, and we’re pleased to give our customers a way to express their support and celebrate Pride. We are committed to doing our part to bring people together and work towards a brighter future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive as equals.”

UN Free and Equal Campaign Director Charles Radcliffe at the UN Human Rights Office called on the corporate sector more to play a more active role in tackling human rights abuses and discrimination against LGBTI people.

“As Pride month begins, we are calling on companies around the world to join us in standing up for equal rights and fair treatment for LGBTI people everywhere. Business has a stake in diversity and inclusion, and a vital role to play in tackling discrimination—both in the workplace and in communities worldwide.”

Gap’s influence in pop culture and accessible fashion led to 2016 net sales of $15.5 billion. The company sells products in more than 90 countries worldwide through about 3,200 company-operated stores, over 450 franchise stores, and e-commerce sites.

For Damien Merino, @oldnavy Store Operations stud and white denim enthusiast, "Live Your Life" is a whole lot more than just a fancy phrase on a jacket. Head to the link in our bio to hear his story. #WearYourPride

A post shared by Gap Inc. (@gapinc) on Jun 6, 2017 at 5:23pm PDT

True to its commitment to equality, Gap is also fighting on the equal pay front and pays women and men — globally, dollar for dollar — equal pay for equal work. No gap there.

The post Gap Inc. Diversity: #BridgingtheGap to #WearYourPride appeared first on brandchannel:.

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KFC #SpaceSandwich: Zinger’s So Out of This World It’s Going to Space

Inspired by the notion that its new Zinger sandwich is out of this world, KFC promised to take its brand (and the sandwich) to space—and it’s making good on the promise with the Zinger 1 Space Mission.

Partnering with World View, the fast-food chain will launch its Zinger chicken sandwich to the edge of space. The mission will be the longest controlled stratospheric balloon flight with a commercial payload in history and a first multi-day mission for the World View Stratollite™ flight system.

“We’re excited to be the ones pushing spicy, crispy chicken sandwich space travel forward,” stated Kevin Hochman, KFC US president. “But in all seriousness, we’re proud to support World View’s commitment to advancing space research and trust them to take our world famous Zinger sandwich to space.”

The best chicken sandwich on Earth. And soon, in space. Seriously, we’re sending a Zinger into space soon. #SpaceSandwich http://pic.twitter.com/DXkWNhEOUc

— KFC (@kfc) June 9, 2017

Stratollites differ from typical high-altitude balloons as they can circumnavigate the Earth and maintain position over specific areas for days, weeks, and even months on end. The potential for Stratollites includes stationary Wi-Fi hubs in remote or undeveloped areas without internet access, monitor crisis situations as they unfold, predict weather events days in advance, and overall aid first responders with rapid communications and surveying capabilities.

“The Stratollite was created to deliver meaningful access to space for all,” said Taber MacCallum, CTO and co-founder of the Tucson-based World View. “This mission offers edge-of-space access to KFC, allowing them to embark upon a one-of-a-kind marketing experiment, while we get to pursue our maiden multi-day Stratollite shakedown cruise and open unprecedented access to the stratosphere. It’s a double win.”

Will the Zinger be able to survive the harsh elements of space? Only time and this giant hypobaric chamber will tell. Also, yes, it will. http://pic.twitter.com/b82HNmPjNM

— KFC (@kfc) June 13, 2017

World Stratollites offer low-cost, long-duration, persistent high-altitude flight for enterprise and government agencies. But the ultimate goal is tourism – and their Voyager human spaceflight experience, under development, will offer private citizens a comfortable, safe, and perspective-changing voyage to the edge of space via high-altitude balloon. www.WorldView.space.

The Voyager ride would take five to six hours, in a cabin with large windows, and amenities including a bathroom, a bar, and Wi-Fi — for $75,000 a ticket. Those on board would be high enough to see the curvature of Earth and the blackness of space, just short of the 62-mile-high threshold regarded as the edge of space.

This demonstration flight with KFC will test the inherent technologies of Stratollites including solar panels and navigation that uses prevailing winds to steer to any part of the world and then hover over a particular spot. It will stay aloft for at least four days.

The Zinger, a spicy fried chicken sandwich that’s hand-breaded, was originally created in 1984 for restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago and wasn’t sold in the US until recently, but is now consumed in more than 120 countries.

“As you can imagine, when we first heard about it, we laughed our heads off,” said Jane Poynter, World View’s CEO, to the New York Times. “And when we picked ourselves off the floor, we actually thought it was really, really cool.”

“People kept calling. ‘Could you fly this payload?’” MacCallum, World View’s CTO, added. “NASA gave us a contract to fly payloads. And then other folks called and said, ‘Could you fly a radar? Or could you do this?’ All these ideas started coming in, and we were just like, in the beginning, kind of flat-footed about this.”

But as Poynter notes, “If you fly a chicken sandwich to space, why can’t you fly anything? You’re really showing how you can make space accessible to almost anyone at almost anytime for almost anything.”

The launch is set for June 21st, and KFC plans several promotional events back on Earth during the four-day trip. Making things extra crispy: the mission’s official patch.

The post KFC #SpaceSandwich: Zinger’s So Out of This World It’s Going to Space appeared first on brandchannel:.

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Hyundai KONA Revealed With Runway-Ready Social Media Influencers

Three things about the launch of the new Hyundai Kona tell you that this new subcompact crossover vehicle is a big deal for the Korean automaker.

It will arrive in the US in early 2018 after a debut in its home country, and was just revealed at an event in Milan this week.

The description for the launch video below: “Introducing our new Hyundai B-SUV. The Hyundai KONA, a car that inspires us to embrace who we are. Because the world doesn’t shape us. We shape it—to suit our own sense of self. You are the driver of your life.”

It’s noteworthy because KONA—named after a district in Hawaii—is a new SUV. Hyundai has been among the slowest automakers to come to the utility vehicle party. The US and other global markets have shifted dramatically toward crossovers and sport utility vehicles and away from sedans—Hyundai’s hallmark—over the last few years.

Offering a complete lineup of capable cars helped Hyundai expand its foothold and gain market share in the US, but over the last couple of years, its focus on sedans has cost the brand market share, with sales down 7.5 percent in the US this year.

Second, the new KONA is more playfully and even aggressively styled than other Hyundai vehicles, making it clear that the brand is pursuing Generations Y and Z with this new nameplate. For example, razor-thin LED headlights give it a mean appearance, and darker fenders and a matching roof make Kona stand out even more.

#HyundaiKona revealed! The subcompact #SUV does look quite distinct and intriguing. Latest images: https://t.co/eHgdMVlaCI http://pic.twitter.com/DgAx8QvGZA

— Financial Express (@FinancialXpress) June 14, 2017

And third, dramatically underscoring the shift in Hyundai’s strategy that KONA represents, Hyundai Vice Chairman Euisun Chung actually introduced the car in Seoul in a t-shirt and jeans, not only eschewing Korean auto executives’ very traditional buttoned-up look, but skipping right over the open-collared-shirt-with-sport-jacket meme that many other auto executives have adopted over the years.

The Vice President Euisun Chung explains why the #Hyundai #Kona is named after an area in Hawaii. http://pic.twitter.com/uXpiDEwdWj

— Keith Adams (@KeithParkers) June 13, 2017

With this mini or compact SUV, Hyundai is aiming for best-in-segment features, for instance,such as optimizing interior space by making the rear seats fold flat. “We aim to set new standards for the compact SUV segment with appealing design, cutting-edge connectivity, and class-leading safety features,” Chung said in a statement.

While Hyundai USA isn’t promoting KONA yet (in fact, releasing the “Better Drives Us” broad brand platform above), Hyundai Europe is appealing to Europe’s young and chic.

Underlying its focus on Gen X/Y, the European reveal this week involved a content marketing push involve team of runway-ready brand ambassadors and social media influencers, with video profiles, the hashtag #youdefineit and a microsite.

Fashion blogger Gala Gonzalez, below: “As the first mover in a new industry, her early days working as a fashion blogger were met with resistance and doubt. But Gala powered through to become Spain’s first fashion blogger and a respected fashion authority. As a fashionista, her car is an important accessory.”

Fashion designer Marina Hörmanseder, who “studied economics and fashion design to be able to live her dream. Four years after finishing her studies, she runs one of Europe’s most exciting fashion brands. Her clothes are today worn by celebrities like Lady Gaga. When working in fashion design, colours and attention to detail matter.”

Male fashion blogger Mariano Di Vaio, who “runs one of the biggest fashion blogs in the world. Mariano tells us how he got started, and what it means to take charge of your own life. For Mariano, power is the key to a great driving experience.”

Freddie Harrel, described as “Confidence coach. Business owner. Blogger. Freddie Harrel has worked hard to get to where she is. Today, she uses her experience to coach other women on how to become braver and more confident. With such a busy schedule, driving should give you peace of mind.”

Jan Blomqvist, whose “electronic music facilitates connections between people as he’s playing gigs around the world. He shares his thoughts on the importance of going after your dreams, and what it’s like to work with music. As a musician, Jan has high demands on a car’s sound system.”

The post Hyundai KONA Revealed With Runway-Ready Social Media Influencers appeared first on brandchannel:.

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Sweat Equity: 5 Questions With WOLACO CEO Terry White

New York-based WOLACO (Way Of Life Athletic Company), makes high-performance technical active apparel for men, with a core product of compression gear. Made in the USA, founder Terry White started with $5,000 and 12 rounds of prototypes to launch with The North Moore Short, a dual-pocketed compression short built to meet the needs of active guys like himself.

The key proposition: a simple solution to a frustrating everyday problem—no good place to store phone, keys, cash, or credit card while running or working out. White planned to treat compression shorts as true gear, “not as sweat-wicking underwear. Essentially, I wanted to re-imagine the purpose of compression shorts.”

WOLACO launched a Kickstarter campaign three years ago, hitting its initial fundraising goal of $28,000 (to manufacture its North Moore shorts) in 40 hours. Over 30 days, 2,300 pairs were sold to 1,465 people in over 40 different countries, exceeding a projected goal by 400%, raising $120,000 and garnering 1,445 brand advocates out of the gate.

Using bootstrap marketing techniques, WOLACO hosts free workouts in downtown New York.

ATTN NEW YORKERS: Join us for a 45-minute sweat this Saturday at 10:30 AM at the North Moore Pier. Sign up here: https://t.co/vlpUGRJRnk http://pic.twitter.com/1ORsM1bIcn

— WOLACO (@WolaCo) May 3, 2017

It has also partnered with the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation and sent about 100 men wearing their compression shorts onto the streets of New York City to raise awareness. It also launched a Hand-Delivery Day in NYC, running product to any customer in NYC who made a purchase.

Next the brand partnered with “the best Spikeball team in the US,” hooking them up with gear, documenting their journey at Coney Island and began interviewing high-performing guys in their 20s and 30s: Ironman triathlete Rob Mohr and para-athlete Glenn Hartrick – doing ‘ridiculous things.’

It also just released its first web series, “The Circuit,” across its website, YouTube and social channels. The description: “The Circuit is a partnership series from Wolaco to show how our community GETS AFTER IT. CHECK OUT ep1 w/ @sltnyc” or SLT, the acronym for NYC studio Strengthen. Lengthen. Tone.

The upshot of all this guerrilla marketing: Last year, the startup closed a first round of seed funding. It’s still looking to raise more, even as sales of WOLACO’s North Moore Compression Shorts ($50) and Fulton Compression Pants ($75) continue shipping like proverbial hotcakes.

So where to go (and grow) from here? For more insights, we spoke with Terry White.

brandchannel: Aside from the innovative pocket, what distinguishes your brand in a highly competitive market?

White: There are two brand differentiators that we like to focus on. The first is a unique—and what I like to refer to as more “thoughtful”—approach to product development. The second is a highly relatable and inclusive brand personality which speaks to our broader marketing approach.

From the start, I’ve never relied solely on the unique functionality of our compression gear. I’ve known that unique product functionality on its own wouldn’t be enough ground to stand on as a new apparel brand in the market.

So there were a few criteria that I decided we needed to deliver on: Unique functionality, distinguished design and quality. In surveying the market, I generally found that there were few active apparel brands that could hit on all three.

Phone✔️Keys✔️Wallet✔️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ #nycfitness #flywheelsports #flywheel #tonehouse #cycfitness #milehighrunclub #barrysbootcamp #s10training #runningwild #runwild #rumbleboxing #tonehousenyc #fhittingroom #swervefitness #crossfitnyc

A post shared by Way of Life Athletic Co. (@wolaco) on Jun 7, 2017 at 6:25pm PDT

Most compression shorts in the space are very underwhelming. They’re made overseas with frail, cheapjack fabrics and do little more than hold your manhood in place. We’ve set out to treat compression shorts as gear, an item that is essential in every man’s active wardrobe, not as sweat-wicking underwear.

Second is our brand personality. The intimate and “open” relationship that we have with our customer is an important differentiator for our brand. To me, WOLACO has always been about creating a community of active, driven, and passionate young people. At the end of the day, that is what’s most important.

As a brand we have gone to great (and in some cases inefficient) lengths to stand by and authenticate this. We believe that the current state of the social and digital landscape presents a unique opportunity for us. We can communicate with our customers constantly and from multiple directions.

More generally, our brand aims to solve a much larger problem than simply enabling you to store valuables during exercise. We want the everyday guy to succeed and be the healthiest, most effective version of himself. We’re here to support that pursuit. Our brand exists to empower the up-and-coming generation of young professionals by inspiring active, healthy and passionate living.

☀️or ☔️ 10:30AM tomorrow we're skipping brunch and sweating it out. FREE workout led by our favorite sweat master @jenrufo. Location in GEO tag, RSVP in bio. Tag a sweat partner who needs a better happy hour this weekend. ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ #nycfitness #flywheelsports #flywheel #tonehouse #cycfitness #milehighrunclub #barrysbootcamp #s10training #runningwild #runwild #rumbleboxing #tonehousenyc #fhittingroom #swervefitness #crossfitnyc

A post shared by Way of Life Athletic Co. (@wolaco) on May 5, 2017 at 2:07pm PDT

bc: Why did you choose non-traditional methods to market WOLACO?

White: Two reasons: necessity and authenticity. Early on, capital wasn’t easy to come by, so we turned to non-traditional marketing out of necessity because it was a low-cost option.

At the same time, since day one, we’ve been committed to being as authentic as possible. It’s almost an obsession. And so naturally, we’ve built a marketing strategy that prioritizes authenticity above all else.

The launch of our Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2014 was the event that really ingrained this “scrappier” approach into our DNA. Since then, we’ve continued to find inventive, cost-effective ways to market our gear.

If we had tried to market our brand in a more traditional sense, we would have spent money in highly inefficient ways. We are a young team with a young business that’s new to the market. Adopting a “spend money to make money” approach out of the gate can be dangerous.

It is inevitable that you will make mistakes early, and if those mistakes are at the expense of precious founding capital, it can be detrimental to the business. So we decided to mitigate risk and take things into our own hands.

As a result, we’ve actually found our limited access to capital to be a strength for our team. It’s forced us to get creative and be gutsy. In turn, we’ve established a brand authenticity and an intimacy with our customer base that’s become a unique differentiator for us. We plan to carry this forward and scale it.

We see the current digital environment as a great leveler for WOLACO as an up and coming e-commerce business. By truly harnessing digital, we’re able to engage with our customer base in ways that bigger brands simply aren’t doing. Most importantly, we maintain control over our brand.

A well-vetted list of badass gear & other awesomeness designed to dominate summer: https://t.co/duHJVvLFLH@HudsonSutler @Spikeball @BOMBAS http://pic.twitter.com/ROxtH4L7aj

— WOLACO (@WolaCo) May 11, 2017

BC: While the need for the compression part is clear, why are you just targeting men? Any plans for a women’s line?

White: I personally felt under-represented as an active male. I started WOLACO because there was no active apparel brand that I could identify with. I saw athleisure brands, sports-specific brands, overly “techie” apparel brands, but there was nothing for the everyday off-the-field athlete. I felt strongly that this was the glaring opportunity that I could address most immediately.

Additionally, I’m a guy, and that’s what I know best. I initially founded the company to solve a problem that I faced personally. So that was where it made sense to start.

When she asks "do you even squat?" ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ #nycfitness #flywheelsports #flywheel #tonehouse #cycfitness #milehighrunclub #barrysbootcamp #s10training #runningwild #runwild #rumbleboxing #tonehousenyc #fhittingroom #swervefitness #crossfitnyc

A post shared by Way of Life Athletic Co. (@wolaco) on Jun 4, 2017 at 3:51pm PDT

Lastly, focus. Focus is so important when starting out. It is easy to get caught up in what you “could do” and what others tell you “you should do.” Early on it’s important to be the best at something. This will allow you to perfect your marketing messaging and drive real impact within the market. With a small team this becomes especially important.

That being said, we’ve done a good job proving our concept with men, and I feel strongly that our brand purpose speaks to a much broader audience. I am especially excited to explore the possibility of launching a women’s line.

Tag a bae. ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ #nycfitness #flywheelsports #flywheel #tonehouse #cycfitness #milehighrunclub #barrysbootcamp #s10training #runningwild #runwild #rumbleboxing #tonehousenyc #fhitt

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Play Hard, Work Harder: How to Stay Productive This Summer

Summer has arrived, you can’t take fault for a wandering mind. Whether you daydream about white sandy beaches, cool mountain campsites or bustling metropolises, your mind has left on vacation even if you’ve stayed put. The only bad part about a mental getaway is, well, having to work.

Fortunately, there’s plenty for you to do to ward off the thoughts and actions that’ll derail your productivity this summer. Try these five tips to maintain your hardworking benchmark, so when it is time for your vacation, you’ll have truly earned it.

Dress the Part

If your office attire translates into your finest pair of swim trunks or your brightest, most colorful beach caftan, you’re setting the wrong mood for the workplace. We know it’s unlikely you’ll go that casual with your work gear, but the simplest summer wardrobe swaps will make you feel more on vacation than in the office.

For example, imagine you head into the office in flip flops to make your commute easier and breezier. Be sure to bring along a pair of professional shoes so that you lose that tropical accessory as soon as focus time rolls around. Forego your favorite sundresses for classic workplace silhouettes, no matter if casual Friday calls your name or not.

Just make sure what you wear falls into the category of “work apparel” and you’ll be good. According to Forbes, “Whatever people decide to wear, as long as it is designated as work apparel they’ll get more quality work done because they’ll be more focused.”

Maintain Your Health

If your job takes you outdoors, listen up: You hold the reigns in maintaining your health so you can continue doing your job. A sidelining injury will only halt your own productivity.

Staying safe while working in summer heat requires some planning on your part. For example, you’ll have to make a point to avoid outdoor labor during the hottest parts of the day, so you don’t overexert yourself or overheat. Wearing sunscreen and light fabrics; working in the shade; and taking plenty of breaks resemble other ways to avoid such heat-related side effects as sunstroke, heat exhaustion and sunburn.

Make a To-Do List

If your second job sounds a little like daydreaming, make sure to tether yourself to earth with a to-do list that keeps you on track. Rather than retain a running toll of what you have to accomplish in the short and long term, whip up a new to-do list every day of a reasonably attainable set of goals you want to achieve by the end of the day.

Debate constantly circulates as to whether or not to-do lists help or hurt your productivity. It all comes down to the length of your list: a long list will feel impossible to complete, so you won’t try. The right to-do list will comprise of easily actionable items which can reasonably reach completion by the end of the day.  With a little practice, you’ll get it down — and knock your productivity quotas out of the park.

Become a Morning Person

The sun rises sooner in the summer and stays with us for longer hours throughout the day. Take advantage of the sunshine, especially if you want to increase your productivity.

Start setting your alarm clock for earlier — and, no, you can’t press snooze — to reap the many benefits of waking up to productivity right off the bat. Getting into the habit of exercising or meditating, planning for the day ahead, etc., represent quick little activities you can tack to the start of your morning schedule to ensure a day’s worth of productivity.

Enjoy the Weather

Yes, you read that right. Don’t think productivity equates to cooping up in your office and never, ever leaving ‘til the bell tolls at 5 or 6 p.m. Instead, relish in the fact that research has shown time and time again that a bit of a break from your desk can work wonders regarding productivity.

Even if you stand up and step away from your computer for a few minutes, you’ll combat the mental fatigue that comes with constant work and repetitiveness. If you combine your brain’s need for breaks with the naturally productivity-boosting effects of nature, then you might hit the jackpot.

Grab a co-worker or fly solo as you head outside of the office doors for a break of fresh air, a quick walk around the building or a sunny lunch away from your desk. Seriously — simply seeing the color green on a piece of paper made participants in one study more creative in a set of tasks. Imagine what a bit of summer sunshine on the trees will do for your brain.

This tip goes to show that, yes, a happy medium exists when it comes to summertime work responsibilities. Yes, you have to go to the office and, yes, you have to continue performing as you did this spring, winter and fall. But you can find little ways to enjoy your summer while still on the job, and that will tide you over until your turn comes around to jet off on the vacation you spent so little time daydreaming about.

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Brand News: 10 Things You Need to Know For Wednesday, June 14

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms self-driving autonomous car development.

Facebook enables media subscriptions and introduces “valuable” targeting.

FDA delays changes to simplify calorie labels.

Feeding America‘s MealConnect app to redirect food where needed.

McDonald’s beefs up summer hiring in the US.

Pepsi plans Pepsi Max vanilla-themed pop-up restaurant in Sydney.

San Antonio Spurs reveal new team logo.

Snap‘s 2nd-generation Spectacles may include augmented reality.

Time Inc. lays off 300 positions as Time Warner Cable rebrand pays off.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer exits company as Verizon deal closes.

Kim Kardashian plans beauty brand as she shores up her business.

https://t.co/PoBZ3bhjs8

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 13, 2017

Click here for previous headline roundups … sign up for our free daily newsletter … and send brand news and tips to editor@brandchannel.com or ping us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

The post Brand News: 10 Things You Need to Know For Wednesday, June 14 appeared first on brandchannel:.

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Condé Nast Closes Style.com, Taps Farfetch For Commerce and Content

Condé Nast, the New York-based publisher of Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, Glamour, Self, Condé Nast Traveller/Traveler, Allure and Architectural Digest, is closing its highly-hyped e-commerce cite, Style.com, despite an investment of $100 million and a launch nine months ago.

Its closure is an admission by Condé Nast that it will stick to what it excels at—excellent content, curation and trend-spotting—and will leave the e-commerce and tech capabilities to a partner that excels in that business: Farfetch.

“The move marks a stunning strategic backtrack by the publishing empire, which first announced a multimillion-dollar rebranding of Style.com, formerly the encyclopedic digital home of all Condé Nast runway coverage, in 2015,” the New York Times observed. “It also reflects the current turmoil in the glossy magazine industry, which has struggled to adapt to the digital age.”

Proud to announce our global content & commerce partnership with @CondeNast. Joining from @styledotcom? Your luxury journey continues here. http://pic.twitter.com/nW9RHYYfdF

— Farfetch (@farfetch) June 13, 2017

In a new content partnership, Condé Nast is partnering with London-based online retailer Farfetch, which is on track to a $5bn listing.

Farfetch, named a 2017 Interbrand Breakthrough Brand, has built a portfolio of e-commerce businesses that includes Farfetch.com and the FarfetchOS tech platforms Farfetch Black & White (which powered Manolo Blahnik’s website in March), Store of The Future and Browns (including BrownsFashion.com).

Founded by José Neves in 2008 as an e-commerce destination for luxury boutiques worldwide, Farfetch today connects 700 boutiques and brands from over 40 countries with customers in more than 190 countries.

Under the new deal, Farfetch will leverage Condé Nast’s online and social media content, customer database and link to its network of 200 luxury brands and 500 fashion boutiques worldwide. Farfetch’s revenue model is commissions from the boutiques it houses, many of which don’t have a dedicated website or delivery mechanism. It made headlines earlier this year by partnering with Gucci on a 90-minute store-to-door service.

Jonathan Newhouse, CEO and chairman of Condé Nast, said the results from Style.com had “fallen very far short of where we hoped they would be.”

Anna Wintour, artistic director of Condé Nast and Vogue editor, added, “I’ve always believed that what sets Condé Nast apart is our voice and our vision. Partnering with Farfetch only enhances that, and brings a new dimension to all that we offer the world.”

Condé Nast is already an investor in Farfetch, while Newhouse will join its board of Farfetch. “As an early investor in Farfetch, this partnership is the next step in our evolving business relationship,” he commented. “It further unites two leaders in their respective sectors, combining best-in-class content with the world’s leading online luxury shopping destination.”

The heavily hyped Style.com was troubled from the start (a start that was repeatedly delayed) while rumors swirled that launch brands including Burberry, Chloé and Maison Margiela were not actually present. Reports of staff defections and poor sales plagued the venture which never did rollout the site to US shoppers.

The Australian-born Yasmin Sewell, Style.com’s fashion director, commented at launch that “It’s unique. “We’re going to be a marketplace that partners with brands properly, with a great breadth of inventory — not just eight or nine commercial pieces from each label. That’s what Condé Nast is about — inspiring the reader. And Style.com will be about authenticity. We aren’t going go to say ‘Buy these jeans, they’ll change your life’, because they won’t. We’re building the connection between inspiration and transaction.”

As the New York Times notes, “The decision to pull the plug on Style.com suggests a humbling admission by Condé Nast executives that being a global authority on fashion, with a worldwide audience of more than 340 million readers, doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to sell it — a lesson their fellow glossy executives might do well to observe.”

"There is such a mix of subcultures in Norway that anything goes. But whether you’re into streetwear, metal or simply have a love for print and pattern, there are some limitations, namely the weather." @tineandreaa shows us around her hometown Trondheim in @etre_cecile and @marni. Shop her Scandi vacation edit on Style.com now. #myhometown . . . . . #tineandrea #thefashioneaters

A post shared by Style.com (@styledotcom) on May 30, 2017 at 2:08pm PDT

Matt Starker, GM digital strategy at Condé Nast, acknowledged to the New York Times that “the skill sets required to create content and those required to run a seamless shopping site were different.”

While Farfetch (founded in 2007) is now the world’s top luxury e-commerce destination in traffic, outperforming Net-a-Porter and MatchesFashion.com, it doesn’t have a content creation arm—Condé Nast will provide that role.

“We have long felt that inspirational content is a natural part of any luxury shopping experiencel” stated José Neves in a press release. “In the same way as we empower the fashion industry and connect consumers with the world’s best brands and boutiques, we want to connect them with outstanding content. This global partnership with Condé Nast will significantly augment the retail experience for our customers, and we see it as a natural step in Farfetch’s approach to commerce and our strategic vision to connect those who create fashion, curate fashion and develop fashion content.”

@iamlaurajackson speaks martian and looks out of this world in @etre_cecile #girlswearing

A post shared by Style.com (@styledotcom) on Mar 14, 2017 at 10:58am PDT

In months to come, US readers of Vogue and GQ will be able to browse and shop magazine content as Farfetch commercializes that editorial through its vendors. Condé Nast publications will curate shopping guides like “20 Summer Outfits to Wear in 2017,” featuring items worldwide readers can buy via Farfetch, with the publisher garnering a cut of each sale.

Farfetch’s investors include IDG, Temasek, Eurazeo, DST Global, Index Ventures, Vitruvian and Condé Nast International.

As Neves told the New York Times, “Condé Nast are the leading purveyors of luxury fashion editorial in the world. We are the leading purveyor of luxury product in the world. As far as we are all concerned, this is a marriage made in heaven.”

The post Condé Nast Closes Style.com, Taps Farfetch For Commerce and Content appeared first on brandchannel:.

[michalewillard]

Martin Macmillan: Finding the Mobile Lifetime Value | Casual Connect Video

Does paid marketing make sense in scaling your game? In a talk at Casual Connect Asia, Martin Macmillan (CEO of Pollen Velocity Capital) called How to Scale Your Game: Understanding the Metrics and How to Act on Them, Martin explained exactly that. He advised, “Here is a bit of marketing 101: unless you have figured out […]

The post Martin Macmillan: Finding the Mobile Lifetime Value | Casual Connect Video appeared first on Gamesauce: Global Inspiration for Game Developers.

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Uber Hits Culture Reset Button as CEO Kalanick Takes Leave of Absence

It all started with a blog post, in which former engineer Susan Fowler complained of the bro-culture at Uber which not only turned a blind eye to sexism and sexual harassment but suggested that it was the victim’s responsibility to work around it—or leave the company. She chose to do the latter late last year (and join Stripe), and then went public with what drove her out in February.

Her courage to recount how she had been propositioned by her boss in a series of messages on her first day of work (and when reported, her superiors ignored her complaints) prompted more survivors to come forward. A male employee claimed he was fired for reporting harassment to the company’s human resources department. The New York Times cited dozens of anonymous employees in an article that same month titled “Inside Uber’s Aggressive, Unrestrained Workplace Culture.”

Amidst this crisis, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick came into the spotlight for his own behavior: berating a company driver in a video that went viral in May, issuing company retreat “sex rules” in 2013, and prompting company president Jeff Jones, who left a well-regarded tenure as Target’s CMO last August to join the company, to quit in disgust. Yet he has stood above the fray because the company is so phenomenally successful, growing to 662 cities and 75 countries around the world and a valuation of nearly $70 billion.

Now he’s taking a leave of absence following a review process that started in February—and to reflect and grieve last month’s tragic death of his mother Bonnie in a boating accident. The audit of company practices related to the charges of sexual harassment was overseen by former US attorney general Eric Holder, while board member Arianna Huffington also stepped up to help investigate what was going on and to encourage employees to come forward.

1/ Today we updated employees re: Perkins Coie investigation. 20 terminated. 31 in training. 7 final warnings. 57 still under review.

— Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) June 6, 2017

2/ And here’s a further breakdown of the 215 claims: http://pic.twitter.com/yLhFGvgmlJ

— Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) June 6, 2017

Last week, 20-plus employees were fired as a result of the inquiry; then controversial SVP of business Emil Michael (who reportedly suggested covering up an exec junket involving escorts) was fired on Monday; now Kalanick himself is taking a three-month leave of absence to try to mend his ways, reflect on the brand’s toxic culture and fix his leadership style.

Learn more about the changes we're implementing to improve our culture and rebuild trust with our employees: https://t.co/r3rHI1JWf1 http://pic.twitter.com/fJo9z0kOTS

— Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) June 13, 2017

“The ultimate responsibility, for where we’ve gotten and how we’ve gotten here, rests on my shoulders,” Kalanick wrote in an email to staff today. “There is of course much to be proud of, but there is much to improve.”

Kalanick said he would be using the time to work on himself. Earlier this year, Kalanick acknowledged his management style needs improvement and the now 40-year-old CEO admitted he needed to “fundamentally change and grow up.”

The 13-page report by former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and his law firm, Covington & Burling, makes recommendations such as “reviewing Mr. Kalanick’s responsibilities and reallocating them, with an increased emphasis on a chief operating officer at the company. Uber should also appoint an independent chairman and create an oversight committee on the board, in an effort to bolster the checks and balances on management, according to the recommendations.”

Uber’s official response to the report:

“This morning, employees were presented the recommendations from Covington & Burling that were unanimously approved by the Board on Sunday. Implementing these recommendations will improve our culture, promote fairness and accountability, and establish processes and systems to ensure the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. While change does not happen overnight, we’re committed to rebuilding trust with our employees, riders and drivers.”

As Buzzfeed notes, the culture of sexism has taken a toll that continues: “Thirty-one Uber employees are in counseling and training, seven have received written warnings, and 57 cases are still open.”  Going forward, per Holder’s report, it’s planning to use the Rooney rule in hiring, an NFL mandate that requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate when there’s a head coaching spot open.

Confirming Fowler’s and others’ complaints of a hard-charging culture that routinely turned a blind eye to harassment claims, the report found that “Of the more than 200 claims, Uber took no action in 100 cases. A quarter of the 215 claims were for discrimination, while 22% were regarding sexual harassment. Three claims were for ‘physical security,’ while 33 were for bullying.” The investigators checked into 215 complaints, some of which were reported on an anonymous hotline, with 57 complaints still under investigation.

Independent board member Bill Gurley commented after the report was released that Uber is “in a reputational deficit. It’s going to take us a while to get out of this. we have to hold ourselves accountable to a higher bar.” There will be more oversight for the board, which also must take some responsibility for not holding executives accountable.

Uber investors Mitch and Freada Kapor (who run a center for social impact) applauded the report and see it as an opportunity to reset its culture and values:

What came through loud and clear was the toxic culture that has taken Uber this far has to end. One of Silicon Valley’s unicorns, it has pursued growth at all costs and laid waste to human talent, creating an ethos of “faster” and above all else, insensitive to the human ecosystem it built.

The good news for companies and brands and consumers, Uber is making clear the new rules of engagement for brands today: zero tolerance for sexual harassment; more transparency; a mission beyond disruption and aggressive growth; more diversity at the top; and stricter controls on employee misbehavior, which has flourished with a lax attitude to imbibing at work.

Its C-Suite is being forced to be more diverse, recently adding Apple exec Bozoma Saint John (a woman of color) as its first CMO and Frances Frei as head of strategy.

Thrilled to welcome Harvard's Frances Frei to @Uber as SVP Leadership & Strategy. A real force for transformation. Can't wait to work w/ her https://t.co/GHKfHdFCbr

— Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) June 5, 2017

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises from Holder’s report is that Uber even had cultural values to begin with; here’s the excerpt with recommendations:

Reformulate Uber’s 14 Cultural Values . Uber should reformulate its written cultural values because it is vital that they reflect more inclusive and positive behaviors. To achieve this reformulation of the values, there are several steps Uber should undertake: work with an established and respected organization that is experienced in organizational change to restate the values with significant input from employees; consider further defining the values in a manner more accessible to and more easily understood by employees; adopt values that are more inclusive and contribute to a collaborative environment, including emphasizing teamwork and mutual respect, and incorporating diversity and inclusiveness as a key cultural value, not just as an end in itself, but as a fundamental aspect of doing good business; reduce the overall number of values, and eliminate those values which have been identified as redundant or as having been used to justify poor behavior, including Let Builders Build, Always Be Hustlin’, Meritocracy and Toe-Stepping, and Principled Confrontation; and encourage senior leaders to exhibit the values on a daily basis and to model a more collaborative and inclusive Uber culture. Leaders who embody these values should be part of the process of redefining Uber’s values and should be role models for other leaders within the company. All of Uber’s senior leaders should be responsible for embracing and communicating the reformulated values to employees.

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