During the last couple of weeks, there were news stories that reflected brand experiences, brand identity, brand naming, brand storytelling, brand strategy, celebration marketing, corporate culture, customer experience marketing, logo design, marketing leadership, personal branding, product marketing, rebranding, signage, special event marketing, and more.
PANDAS ARRIVE AT ZOO ATLANTA
Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang landed in Atlanta on September 27th via a special FedEx Panda Express Boeing 777 aircraft. According to Raymond B. King, President and CEO, "This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond. We are elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and could not be more excited about sharing that joy with our Members, guests, city, and community in the coming weeks. Zoo Atlanta is honored to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to see important work continue toward the conservation of giant pandas, which is the most important benefit of guarding this species.”
The pandas are currently housed in a biosecure area of Zoo Atlanta's new giant panda complex for a routine quarantine period of around a month. The date when members and guests can expect to see the pandas will be announced soon.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Each October, people unite to raise awareness and support for the millions affected by breast cancer, which affects 1 in 8 women in the United States over their lifetime - that's one person every 2 minutes in the U.S. (according to Susan G. Komen). The two most common risk factors of breast cancer are being born female and getting older. Doctors recommend annual mammograms starting at age 40 for average-risk women with a baseline mammogram for high-risk women starting at age 35. The pink ribbon is a symbol for solidarity and hope.
CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH
Launched in 2004, the National Cybersecurity Alliance and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) lead the campaign every October to assist organizations to talk to their employees and customers about staying safe online. According to StaySafeOnline.org, "Staying safe online isn't about making one perfect decision. It's about building habits and repeating them consistently in the small moments that happen every day. In doing this, we can all make life difficult for cybercriminals. Small actions make a big difference. We recommend starting with four easy steps anyone can take to boost their online safety: (1) Use strong passwords and a password manager; (2) Turn on multifactor authentication; (3) Recognize and report scams; and (4) Update your software."
NATIONAL DESSERT MONTH
October is also National Dessert Month. According to NAAtlanta.com, "Beloved for its chewy texture and rich flavor, the chocolate chip cookie was invented in 1938 by Ruth Wakefield, a chef, dietitian, educator and author from Walpole, Massachusetts, who also owned a tourist lodge with her husband Kenneth that they named the Tollhouse Inn. Brownies originated in Chicago in 1893 at the Palmer House Hotel, where Bertha Palmer asked her chefs to create a portable dessert that could be served at the World's Columbian Exposition. Apple pie is synonymous with American culture. With its flaky crust and sweet, spiced filling, it evokes a sense of nostalgia and comfort, and is often accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream."
CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK
In 1992, the U.S. Congress proclaimed Customer Service Week a nationally recognized event to be celebrated annually during the first full week in October. During 2026, it was celebrated from October 5th to 9th. It's an international celebration of the importance of customer service and of the people who serve and support customers on a daily basis. Thousands of companies around the world celebrate and represent financial, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, retailing, hospitality, communications, nonprofit, and educational organizations, as well as government agencies, and others. Gratitude Walls, Service Awards, and thank-you cakes are just some of the ways that organizations can thank their teams.
BANNED BOOKS WEEK
Banned Books Week takes place during early October each year, and this year, it took place from October 4th through 10th. Co-sponsored by the American Library Association and Banned Books Week Coalition, 2026's theme was "Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read."
According to American Library Association President Sam Helmick. "Banned Books Week is a celebration of the freedom to read and the joy that comes from discovering stories that expand our understanding of ourselves and one another. Every person has the right to seek information and choose books without censorship. When we say "Let Books Be," we're showing up for readers everywhere and reaffirming that libraries are for everyone...As we look toward the next 250 years, the choice is ours. We can let our libraries fade, viewed as charming relics of a bygone era. Or, we can choose to invest in them as a bedrock of our future. Let us decide, right now, that they are not optional. They are the very breath of a free society and they are worth fighting for."
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE AND FICTION FOR FEMALE FANS CAMPAIGN
Sports Business Journal reported, "The mainstream success of on-screen adaptations of hockey-themed romance novels "Heated Rivalry" and "Off Campus" over the past year has introduced an entirely new -- and largely female -- audience to the sport. After a few NHL teams leaned into the trend last season through merchandise and content plays, the league has launched a marketing effort for 2026-2027 called "Hot for Hockey" that specifically targets the same demographic.
Led by new CMO Sean Eggert, who joined from Under Armour in May, the NHL is rolling out a series of short stories on audiobook platforms throughout the season that present real-life NHL storylines in the style of romance novels. The league has contracted popular hockey romance authors to write and narrate the 60-to-90-second pieces, which will direct listeners to tune in to upcoming games to see how the stories play out on the ice. It will also tap influential "BookTok" creators to spread the word. Eggert explained, "The popularity of hockey romance in not only this country, but North America at large, even parts of Europe, it's unmistakable. You can't hide from it. And so it's a great opportunity for us to extend and reflect that culture back in our storytelling."
"According to Eggert, hockey is the most popular sport by a wide margin within the broader sports romance category, which he said generates around 16 million downloads annually. Market research firm Circana reported that 51 million romance books were sold in print during the 12 months preceding June 2025 and identified sports romance as one of the category's fastest-growing subjects."
WORLD ANIMAL DAY
The objective for World Animal Day, held this year on October 4th, was to raise global awareness for animal welfare, improving living standards for farm and captive animals, and highlighting habitat and ecosystem preservation.
According to MarineConnection.org, "World Animal Day brings together the animal welfare movement, uniting people around the globe in a shared commitment to making the world a kinder, better place for all animals, and this year's official theme is: "See the World Through Their Eyes." When we truly begin to see the world through the eyes of captive dolphins and whales, we begin to imagine a very different life. A life without the freedom to choose where to go or without the constant discovery of new places and surroundings. To understand their world is to consider what life means to them – remarkably repetitive days, the same enclosure, the same boundaries, the same routines, day after day. Imagine waking each morning to the same walls, swimming the same circles, seeing the same view, knowing that tomorrow will be much the same. When we try to see the world through their eyes, our choices begin to change, because compassion begins when we take the time to imagine what life feels like for someone else."
According to Irene Gould of Everything French on Facebook, "On Sunday, October 4, the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, shut down to cars for two hours and filled up with hundreds of dachshunds trotting from the Arc de Triomphe toward Place de la Concorde. It's called the Paris Sausage Walk and has been a Paris tradition since 2018, inspired by a similar event in London. This year, for the first time, organizers moved the whole thing to the Champs-Élysées, taking over roughly 1.2 miles, or 1.9 kilometers, of the avenue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The walk was free, open to everyone, and you didn't need a dachshund to show up and watch. It also happens to land on World Animal Day. Every year, it doubles as a fundraiser for Teckels Sans Doux Foyer, a charity that rescues and rehomes abandoned dachshunds, with merchandise sales on-site going straight to the cause."
According to Earth.com, "World Animal Day is older than a lot of people expect. Heinrich Zimmermann, a writer and editor working in Berlin, organized the first one on March 24, 1925, at the city's Sports Palace, and more than 5,000 people attended. He had wanted the event on the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, who's known as the patron saint of animals. Logistical problems pushed the first celebration to March, and it didn't land on that feast day, October 4, until 1929. In May of 1931, animal protection groups meeting at an international congress in Florence, Italy, approved his proposal to make October 4 the official date. Zimmermann also ran a magazine in which he wrote against cruelty to animals. Last year marked the day's 100th anniversary with the theme "Save Animals, Save the Planet." This year's theme shifts the focus from saving animals to understanding how they experience the world."
JAMES BOND DAY
According to Men's Journal, "October 5 has become an international celebration known as "James Bond Day." Although Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, "Casino Royale," was released on April 13th,1953, "James Bond Day" celebrates the U.K.'s theatrical release of "Dr. No," on October 5th, 1962, which was the first Sean Connery-led 007 film." Fans still await the announcement of the next actor to portray the famous character in the franchise's next film.
WORLD TEACHERS DAY
World Teachers Day was celebrated on October 5th. In the words of Sesame Street, "To teach is to change a life forever! To teachers, thank you for everything you do to help us grow smarter, stronger, and kinder." And from the United Nations, "Thank you to all educators around the world for their unwavering dedication to future generations."
SHARE THIS: Thank you to all educators around the world for their unwavering dedication to future generations. ~United Nations #WorldTeachersDay #CelebrationMarketing #DebbieLaskeysBlog
WORLD ARCHITECTURE DAY
World Architecture Day was celebrated on October 5th. Created in 1985 by the International Union of Architects (UIA), World Architecture Day is a day to show appreciation for the work that architects do and to celebrate the inspiring and memorable works of architecture around the world. Famous works of architecture have become part of the natural landscape. Consider what the city of Paris would be without the Eiffel Tower, or what New York City would be without the Statue of Liberty, or what San Francisco would be without the Golden Gate Bridge. Without these amazing architectural structures, these cities would lack their artistic souls and brand identities.
SHARE THIS: Architecture is not just about designing buildings; it's about creating spaces that inspire and uplift. ~Unknown #WorldArchitectureDay #CelebrationMarketing #DebbieLaskeysBlog
DECLINING CMO TENURE
Digiday reported, "A survey of 13,000 U.S. marketing professionals has found the median time in office enjoyed by CMOs is down 35 percent since 2010. The study, which surveyed companies with over 100 employees, was conducted by recruitment firm Findem and networking platform CMO Huddles. Per the report, 33 percent of CMOs had been in their role for more than five years, with those at public companies generally charting longer tenures. Software firms were among those with the shortest-lived CMOs, with an average of 27 months in their position.
Compared to, say, English Premier League soccer coaches (15 months), CMOs are here for the long haul. Chief executives actually hang around for longer, with their average tenure reaching 7.4 years. The tenure of chief information officers and supply chain chiefs (5.2 years each) also remained steady.
That difference can be explained when one considers U.S. companies’ top priorities in 2026: AI, cybersecurity and a tough economic outlook dominated by tariff-related pressures. All topics that make work for idle CIOs and CSOs. The relative power of the average chief marketers, however, has fallen or stalled in recent years. According to Gartner's recent CMO surveys, marketing spend as a share of sales flatlined at 7.8 percent this year, down from 11.2 percent in 2018.
Shrinking tenure may be a symptom of a greater sickness — the fall in influence of CMOs. For one, fewer companies are going with a CMO. According to Forrester, just 36 percent of Fortune 500 firms use the CMO term, a 49 percent decrease on the previous year. In 2024, that figure was 55 percent. Another Forrester study pointed to a reduction in influence among CMOs, with 46 percent reporting to someone other than their CEO, suggesting they're often at least one degree removed from the corporate top table."
Forrester analyst Jay Pattisall said, "Clearly there's a misalignment...the shrinking CMO tenure isn't so much the story as is the misalignment of where the CMO reports and of expectations. Some CEOs see marketing as a communications or campaign function."
Drew Neisser, CEO of CMO Huddles, said, "Companies want marketing leaders to fix growth, reposition the business, build demand, sharpen the brand, align sales, and prove impact fast. But the data is screaming that too many CMOs are being handed transformation-sized mandates on trial-period timelines. That is not just hard on CMOs. It is expensive and self-defeating for companies."
BRISBANE OLYMPICS LOGO REVEAL
The Guardian reported, "The Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics emblems have been accidentally leaked by the Games' official YouTube channel, three days before its own big reveal. The emblems depicting a pink cockatoo for the Olympics and a sulphur-crested cockatoo for the Paralympics, were shown in the top-right corner of a video."
According to NBC Sports, "The logos bring together the places, people and spirit that will take us to 2032. And yes...that little character is a cockatoo! Distinctive. Unmistakably Queensland. And just a little bit cheeky."
In 2021, the Australian Museum called the pink cockatoo "an outback Australian icon. Pink cockatoos are found in low densities across the arid and semi-arid inland of Australia, surviving in some of Australia's harshest habitats...Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species [with] pink-colored wings and a distinctive bright red, yellow, and white flowing crest."
CAMPARI PINK SPRITZ
CNN reported, "As the alcohol industry deals with a dreary environment in the U.S., Aperol's parent company hopes a brightly colored aperitif imported from Italy will entice drinkers. Campari Group is making its biggest investment ever for the U.S. launch of Sarti Rosa, a tropical pink-colored aperitivo liqueur made for spritzes. The Sarti Spritz has built a devoted following from Americans visiting Europe over the past few years. The Italian company has seen its U.S. business grow consecutively for the past five years by heavily promoting Aperol and Campari, popularizing the spritz to Americans cutting back on drinking as a lighter alternative to booze-heavy cocktails. With Sarti Rosa, however, the aim is to attract younger drinkers who prefer a sweeter aperitivo that doesn't taste bitter. For those unfamiliar, a Sarti Spritz has tasting notes of mango, passion fruit, and blood orange that is mixed with Prosecco and club soda. The pink-hued cocktail is photogenic, which has made it a social media sensation."
NOVO NORDISK REBRAND
CNBC reported, "Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker, is rebranding its name to "Novo" and updating its corporate culture as the company works to win back market share in the obesity drug space. The company called the changes the beginning of a new chapter, as it has been grappling with stiff competition from chief rival Eli Lilly and investor pressure to deliver new blockbuster products and chart a path toward long-term growth. CEO Mike Doustdar said the rebrand and culture shift are "part of the same package" for the company to evolve its strategy...and added that Novo needs to improve several aspects – from research and development and manufacturing to sales and marketing – to be able to compete in the obesity drug market.
The drugmaker said its corporate culture will be based on a new set of four principles that will help it gain advantages in an increasingly competitive market where more of its products have gone direct-to-consumer. Those tenets are: (1) innovating with patients as the primary focus; (2) raising the company's performance to create greater value for all stakeholders; (3) setting clearer priorities and simpler workflows; and (4) never compromising on patient safety and ethics."
DEATH OF DEE BROCK
The New York Times reported, "Dee Brock, a high school English teacher and model who started the original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who would become known worldwide for their sexy sideline dancing in blue tops, star-spangled vests and shorts, and white boots, died on September 23rd in Tyler, Texas, at the age of 96. In 1961, Tex Schramm, the Cowboys' president, hired Brock and told her he wanted to stock the squad with models. It was the second year of the team's existence, following its winless debut as an NFL expansion team in 1960. She suggested recruiting local high school cheerleaders - girls at first, then boys, for a few years starting in 1964 - to add gymnastic stunts in the traditional cheers. For a time, they were known as the Cowbelles and Beaux, which Brock hated. They wore mostly white outfits that didn't show much skin."
But the group evolved under Brock's leadership - and wow, did the entire world of professional football team cheerleaders change! She integrated the cheerleaders in 1965, hired a choreographer, sketched designs for "abbreviated" costumes, and recruited women over age 18. Brock led the cheerleaders in a part-time role while also continuing as a teacher in Dallas. She earned a doctorate and also became a public television executive. The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders performed at Super Bowls and on dozens of USO tours. In 2022, past and current cheerleaders traveled on a Cowboys team bus to Brock's home in Tyler, Texas, to present her with a lifetime achievement award in the form of a glittering rhinestone football.
Eunice Taylor Cicero, one of the first two black cheerleaders, said, "Dee will never know the strength she gave me as a young kid to believe in myself, to believe what I could do."
ONE WAY GERMANY DEALS WITH ITS HISTORY
CNN reported, "There has been outrage after a small town in eastern Germany banned the installation of new Holocaust memorial plaques that mark the last known residence or workplace of Jews and other victims of Nazi persecution. "Stolpersteine," meaning "stumbling blocks," are found across Germany, as well as in other European countries, and are intended as a daily reminder of Nazi atrocities. The motion was proposed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who argued that passersby are "walking over or even stepping onto the names of the victims." On September 24th, the city council of Heidenau, a town near Dresden, backed the motion. Opponents argue that part of the purpose of the memorials is their subtle intrusion into everyday life...The International Auschwitz Committee slammed the CDU’s support of the motion as scandalous, according to Deutsche Welle.
The small 10cm brass cubes, often installed in sidewalks outside residential homes, are the work of German artist Gunter Demnig who initiated the project in the 1990s. They all carry similar information, such as the individual's name, date of deportation, and place of death. To date, 116,000 plaques have been installed across 31 countries, the vast majority are in Germany. Demnig himself has rejected the recent motion in Heidenau. Speaking to German media, he said that the blocks must be visible in the specific locations where people used to live or work, and that they help bring history to life for young people."
SPACEXAI NAME NEWS
Reuters reported on October 4th, "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on social media that he would rename the company's AI unit (SpaceXAI) to SpaceXSI, following Trump's push to use the term "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence." Musk did not provide any additional information regarding the name change, nor did he give a timeline for when the change would occur."
EXCITING MILESTONE ON #DEBBIELASKEYSBLOG
Lastly, in case you missed it, on October 7th, I celebrated an exciting milestone, my 1,000th blog post! I've included the link below this post's image credits and invite you to check it out. My gratitude to the many guests who I've interviewed over the years, and to you, my readers, for reading, commenting, and sharing my posts. I look forward to the topics and events that inspire me to write about brand marketing, leadership, customer experiences, employee experiences, and more in the days ahead.
Don't forget baseball's World Series marketing highlights later this month.
What other recent marketing buzz caught your attention? Since there's always something happening that impacts marketing, read #DebbieLaskeysBlog for the scoop!
Image Credits: NHL (via Sports Business Journal), Yes Yes Paris (via Facebook), and FedEx.
Read My #1,000th Post:
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2026/10/celebrating-special-milestone-on.html
Read about the Australian cockatoo:
