During the month of October, there were news stories that reflected brand experiences, brand identity, brand storytelling, brand strategy, celebration marketing, personal branding, product launches, product marketing, product pricing, rebranding, social media marketing, special event marketing, sports marketing, and more. Marketing news from the early part of the month was detailed in my mid-month post on October 11th.
MATTEL HONORS CELINE DION AND SERENA WILLIAMS
Mattel's "Barbie Signature Series" celebrates world-famous designers, musicians, brands, and other extraordinary pioneers.
During October, People reported, "Mattel's new "Barbie Signature Celine Dion Doll" recreates the superstar's look from the 1998 Oscars, where she performed "My Heart Will Go On" from the film "Titanic." The collectible wears a floor-length blue gown inspired by her Michael Kors dress, complete with long sleeves, a high neckline, and a replica of the film's famous Heart of the Ocean necklace. Celine Dion called the doll a true honor that celebrates one of her career's most meaningful moments, and she hopes the doll encourages everyone to express themselves confidently, pursue their dreams, and believe in the power of their own voice."
Also during October, The Hollywood Reporter shared, "Twenty-three-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams is the latest athlete to be honored with a doll from Mattel, with the "Barbie Signature Serena Williams Doll." The new Barbie doll is inspired by Williams' championship victory at the 2005 Australian Open, where she claimed her seventh Grand Slam singles title after returning from knee surgery. The doll pays homage to Williams' look on the court with a green and white cutout top with mesh detailing, white skirt, and white headband. The doll also sports high socks and white tennis sneakers, along with dangling silver earrings. Her outfit is complete with a tennis ball and a tennis racket from Wilson, Williams' long-time equipment partner."
Williams said, "Growing up, I didn't see many girls who looked like me [who were] told there was no limit to who they could become. I want every girl who plays with this doll to see possibility in herself. She can dream big, work hard, change direction, break barriers, and become anything she chooses."
According to Nathan Baynard, Vice President and Head of Barbie at Mattel, "Barbie has always inspired girls to believe they can be anything, from the sports stadium to the fashion runway to the boardroom. Serena Williams embodies that message through her extraordinary achievements as an athlete, entrepreneur, and advocate for equality. By honoring her with a Barbie Signature doll, we're celebrating a barrier-breaking icon whose legacy empowers fans everywhere to dream big and embrace their own potential."
ALBERTA, CANADA REJECTS INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM
According to the AP, "Voters in Canada's oil-rich Alberta province overwhelmingly backed remaining in the country, referendum results showed on October 20th, delivering a boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney's push for national unity as U.S. President Trump's trade war and annexation threats rally Canadians around their country. With more than 1.9 million votes counted and results reported from 90 percent of voting areas and locations, 75 percent of voters supported remaining in Canada, while 25 percent backed beginning a process toward separation. The referendum was not a direct vote on independence. Approval would have set Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation from Canada...Alberta, home to the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserves, is cowboy country and a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long had more in common with the American West than much of Canada. Despite the overwhelming rejection, separatist leaders vowed to continue pressing for independence."
ZOO ATLANTA PREPARES FOR PANDA INTRODUCTIONS
Zoo Atlanta provided this update, "Zoo Atlanta is thrilled to announce the name of the new giant panda habitat – Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove – and its opening day, set for Friday, November 6th. Zoo Atlanta announced the arrival of a new pair of giant pandas, male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang, on September 27th. The pandas are in Atlanta through a new International Cooperative Research Agreement on Giant Panda Conservation, initiated between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Zoo Atlanta is now one of three zoos in the U.S. to house giant pandas and is the only zoological organization in the Southeast the species calls home.
Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove is named in honor of Arthur Blank's longtime support of Zoo Atlanta's giant panda program, dating back to 1999 with the arrival of original panda pair Lun Lun and Yang Yang. In tribute to that support, the Zoo's first giant panda habitat, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center, also bore his name in recognition of that investment. The $6 million renovation to bring the vision for Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove to fruition was funded by a grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, another longstanding partner of Zoo Atlanta and supporter of the giant panda program.
The giant panda habitat has been completely updated to include many new features designed with giant panda well-being in mind, as well as new experiences for members and guests. The giant panda dayrooms have been expanded and upgraded to include new climbing structures and a pool in each. The outdoor habitats also feature new climbing structures. The appearance of the complex has been entirely redesigned, with tranquil surroundings promoting a contemplative experience. New additions include water features with aquatic flora and a dramatic sculpture celebrating a hopeful future for wildlife and the role of the giant panda as a global animal ambassador for peace and harmony."
Arthur M. Blank said, "The return of giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta is an exciting moment for our city as we once again become home to one of the world's most beloved animals. As a lifelong animal lover, I've always believed in the importance of caring for and protecting the animals that share our world, and this is what makes our Foundation's support of this effort especially meaningful to me. The Grove will give generations of Atlantans and guests from around the world the chance to experience these remarkable animals up close, while advancing conservation research, education, and global efforts to protect giant pandas for generations to come."
CO-BRANDING: PINK'S AND BLUE MAN GROUP
Pink's, a "Hollywood legend since 1939," also known as one of the world's most famous hot dog stands, hosted an event featuring the Blue Man Group on October 20th. The special appearance promoted "a 9-inch stretch hot dog with chopped tomatoes, bacon bits, and blue sour cream, served with blue popcorn." There was also a meet-and-greet with three blue members of the group.
MONET ART AUCTION
Painted near the end of French Impressionist Claude Monet's life, "Iris" was auctioned at Sotheby's Paris on October 22nd. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, "A never-before-seen painting by Claude Monet, the French Impressionist, is headed for the auction block in France. According to a statement from the auction house Sotheby's Paris, "Iris" is estimated to sell for at least $25 million — more than any other painting ever auctioned in the country. Painted in 1924 or 1925 and measuring about five by six feet, "Iris" is among the largest artworks Monet produced in the final decade of his career and was long held in a private collection and known to outsiders only through black-and-white photographs."
Update from Sotheby's Paris on October 22nd: "Iris" sold for 50 million Euros or approximately $56 million.
END OF AN ERA IN NEW YORK CITY
ABC7 New York reported, "The New York City Council voted on October 22nd, to ban horse-drawn carriages across all five boroughs, a move that will end an industry that has operated in the city since 1858. The vote for Romanch's Law was 40 to 7 with two exemptions. Last June, 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who was visiting from India with his family to celebrate his high school graduation, was thrown from a carriage and killed. The proposed legislation would bear his name. The bill now heads to the mayor's desk, although it has passed with a veto-proof majority. The law will phase out the industry by June 1st, 2028. Supporters of the legislation argue horse-drawn carriages no longer belong in heavily traveled areas of the city. The city will have to develop a transition plan for drivers, including helping them find jobs over the next two years."
BLUESKY USERS COULD GET THEIR OWN WEB DOMAINS
According to Android Headlines, "Social media platform Bluesky's CEO has announced that the company has applied to make ".bsky" an internet domain (similar to .com or .org). This could give users shorter, cleaner web identities. The application has yet to receive approval, and the process could take 18-24 months. Bluesky clarified that there's no plan for how domains would be requested or distributed, and it doesn't plan to sell or monetize them. If this goes through, users should be able to turn their long social handles into shorter domain names, like "alice.bsky."
META FINED $25B OVER PRIVACY PRACTICES AND CONTENT POLICIES
MediaDailyNews reported on October 22nd, "A New Mexico judge ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25 billion for violating the state's consumer-protection law by misleading consumers about Facebook's privacy practices and content policies. In addition to statements about privacy, Meta was also found to have made false or deceptive representations about its content policies, including that it doesn't allow "hate speech" on the platform. Jurors specifically determined that Meta committed more than 43 million violations of New Mexico's consumer protection law. That statute provides for damages of up to $5,000 per violation."
Judge Francis Mathew in Santa Fe said in a written ruling, "Facebook's wrongdoing over the course of years and systematically broadcast to the public goes to the heart of Facebook's core business practices. It relates to the way in which Facebook induces people onto the platform and ultimately keeps them there. It also relates to the core asset that users bring to Facebook - users' data - which in tum is what has allowed Facebook to become as profitable as it is...Facebook was aware that its users did not understand its privacy settings and took advantage of that to a grossly unfair degree."
FUN WAGERS SURROUNDING THE 2026 WORLD SERIES
Following the tradition of the Super Bowl and previous World Series games, prior to the first pitch of the annual World Series, mayors and others in the two cities make friendly wagers. This year, with the World Series featuring the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, here were the friendly wagers:
(1) MAYORS:
If the Milwaukee Brewers win: St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle through St. Petersburg and Tampa while wearing a Brewers jersey. If the Tampa Bay Rays win: Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson will wear a Rays jersey, tour downtown Milwaukee, and light the Hoan Bridge in team colors. Also, as part of the friendly wager, both mayors have pledged to exchange a selection of goods that showcase their respective city. Both mayors are also challenging their local communities to get in on the wager by benefitting their neighborhoods with donations to the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County and the St. Pete Free Clinic.
(2) ART MUSEUMS:
The Milwaukee Art Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, are putting works by Claude Monet on the line, with the losing city's museum agreeing to temporarily loan one of its paintings to the winning team's hometown. Loan and exhibition dates will be announced after the completion of the World Series. If the Brewers win the World Series, Milwaukee will receive St. Petersburg's "Houses of Parliament: Effect of Fog, London," painted in 1904. If the Rays win, the Milwaukee Art Museum will loan its "Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect" to the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg.
According to Klaudio Rodriguez, executive director and CEO of the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, "We think Milwaukee's Monet would enjoy a little Florida vacation."
(3) CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS:
Children's Wisconsin President and CEO Gil Peri has challenged Alicia Schulhof, president and CEO of Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, to a friendly wager. Fans will vote on social media to determine what the losing CEO will have to do. The Children's Wisconsin hospital in Milwaukee is also being lit in Brewers blue and gold throughout the World Series.
(4) RELIGIOUS LEADERS:
Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob and St. Petersburg Bishop Gregory Parkes have placed a wager of their own, with donations to Catholic Charities and local specialties at stake. If the Brewers win, Parkes will make a donation to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and send a box of hand-rolled cigars from the Tampa Bay area. If the Rays win, Grob will send brats from Bunzel's Meat Market to Florida along with a donation to Catholic Charities of St. Petersburg.
Parkes said, "It's not uncommon for bishops and archbishops to make friendly wagers when their cities' teams face off in a Super Bowl, World Series, or NHL final. We wanted to make the wager not only fun, but meaningful, by including a donation to Catholic Charities."
DENNY'S CELEBRATES THE 2026 WORLD SERIES
Nation's Restaurant News reported, "Denny's is betting on either the Tampa Bay Rays or the Milwaukee Brewers to make baseball history during the 2026 World Series. The breakfast chain is giving away free Triple Play combo meals to all rewards members if a triple play is turned during the fall baseball classic, starting October 23rd and ending October 31st (if the World Series goes until Game 7). The Triple Play combo meal was launched this year as a value meal platform starting at $9.99, and includes a choice of soft drink or coffee, starter (maple-stuffed donut holes or chips and salsa), and one of eight entrée options (including both burgers and breakfast options like the new breakfast sandwich, the All-American Slamwich).
If the Denny’s Triple Play giveaway is activated, it will be the first time in over 100 years that a triple play has been turned during the World Series. The last time was during Game 5 of the 1920 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and the Brooklyn Robins. Comparatively, there have been 25 grand slams in World Series history, or roughly 20 percent of all World Series.
This is Denny’s updated version of last year's World Series Grand Slam Giveaway, which was triggered on October 24th, 2025, by Addison Barger of the Toronto Blue Jays, giving loyalty members one free Original Grand Slam breakfast.
If the triple play is made, the free Triple Play meal offer will be automatically loaded into eligible Denny's Rewards accounts on November 3rd. Denny's is using the enticement of a long-shot sports bet to encourage customers to join the company's rewards program. Only Denny's rewards members are eligible for this giveaway, and customers must be enrolled by November 1st to cash in their free Triple Play combo meal. The breakfast chain relaunched its digital rewards program last August and is said to have around 5 million members."
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PROPOSES SHORTER SEASON
ESPN reported, "Major League Baseball has proposed shortening its regular season to 154 games starting in 2029 and expanding the division series to a best-of-seven format. The proposals came as part of negotiations with the MLB Players Association over a new collective bargaining agreement. MLB also wants to allow higher-seeded teams to choose their opponents both in the wild-card and division series rounds of the playoffs. The 154-game schedule would be a return to MLB's calendar prior to 1960, when it was expanded to the current 162-game regular season. Under the proposal, Monday would be a standard off day for most teams, with the exception of potentially televising one or two national broadcasts. Holidays and other special events would negate the full league off day. Teams that play Monday would be off Thursday.
In what would be a first-of-its-kind in professional sports, the No. 3 seed in each league would be able to select whether to play the No. 5 or 6 seed in the wild-card round, with the selection coming immediately after the conclusion of the regular season. The wild-card round would remain a best-of-three series. In the proposed best-of-seven division series, the No. 1 seed would be able to pick which wild-card winner to play, with the selection coming immediately following the conclusion of the wild-card round. Those proposals are pertinent as they relate to this postseason, especially in the American League, where the three teams with the best records (the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox) were on the same side of the bracket.
MLB is proposing to implement the new format beginning in 2029 to coincide with the beginning of the sport's next national media deals. They're also part of a larger proposal which includes a salary cap, a sticking point with the union so far. The sides have not agreed on the larger economic issues, so anything involving the schedule and other major issues impacting the game are on hold until they do."
GEORGE CLOONEY WILL OPEN RESTAURANT IN FRANCE IN 2027
Grazia reported, "George Clooney is adding restaurateur to his increasingly long list of jobs. The actor is reportedly preparing to open an upscale Italian restaurant in Cotignac, a small village in Provence, France, not far from the home he shares with Amal Clooney and their twins. Work is already underway on the property, with local reports suggesting the restaurant could welcome its first guests in spring 2027. The Provençal village, home to around 2,000 people, is surrounded by vineyards and recognizable for the dramatic limestone cliffs rising behind its old town. Cours Gambetta runs through its center, lined with plane trees, restaurants, and café terraces. For now, anyone walking past number 11 will find a construction site rather than Clooney sipping an espresso outside.
Clooney's connection to Italian food hardly comes out of nowhere. He has owned Villa Oleandra on Lake Como for more than two decades and has spoken often about his love of Italian cooking. But France has become an increasingly important part of the Clooneys' lives, too. In 2021, George and Amal purchased Domaine du Canadel, an estate near Brignoles, around 20 kilometers from Cotignac. [But more importantly,] the couple obtained French citizenship in late 2025, further cementing their ties to the country."
COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF CELEBRATES 63RD ANNIVERSARY
Marketing Daily reported, "A popular Los Angeles-native coffee and tea chain is celebrating its 63rd anniversary with a campaign that invites customers to "make every cup their own." Founded in Los Angeles in 1963, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is now operated by the Philippines-based Jollibee Group, which also has a North American regional office located in Southern California. The chain has more than 1,200 locations across 20 countries.
The brand's new creative effort entitled, "Make It Yours," is a multi-faceted "social storytelling campaign" running across its social media accounts and website and extends to in-store activations. The centerpiece is a series of short films from customers, baristas, and creative collaborators on the brand's website. Each shows the subject discussing their own unique relationship with the brand. A copywriter talks of how warm and comfortable his second home is at his local store, a barista tells how she started at the chain more than 10 years ago, and a lawyer describes how the baristas and managers really make his daily coffee experience what it is. The brand also invites its customers to share their personal stories and memories of the brand on their socials with the tag #MakeItYours."
KFC'S BEVERAGE BRANDS
According to AllRecipes.com, "KFC has decided to end its 40-year partnership with PepsiCo in 2027 and switch to Coca-Cola products. The partnership between PepsiCo and Yum! Brands, which includes KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, began in the '90s, when the chain restaurants were actually owned by PepsiCo. Today, Yum! Brands is a publicly traded corporation, but all of its brands still serve PepsiCo products—including some exclusives, like Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning at KFC, Mountain Dew x Trolli Mango Pineapple Punch at Pizza Hut, and Mountain Dew Baja Blast at Taco Bell."
CO-BRANDING: TACO BELL AND MILK BAR INTRODUCE A BIRTHDAY CAKE EMPANADA
Nation's Restaurant News reported, "Taco Bell and Milk Bar are reuniting once again but this time with a new offering. The Birthday Cake Empanada features Milk Bar's signature Birthday Cake flavor rolled into a Taco Bell empanada and topped with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles. The item, which is available for $3.49, was teased at Taco Bell's annual Live Más Live event in March and will make its nationwide debut October 15th for a limited time. The two brands first teamed up in 2022 with the Strawberry Bell Truffles, featuring Milk Bar's Cake Truffles with pieces of Taco Bell's Crunchy Taco Shell. In 2025, they reunited for Birthday Cake Churros."
PIZZA HUT CELEBRATES HALLOWEEN
According to AllRecipes.com, "Pizza Hut is celebrating the month of happy haunts by bringing back its My Haunt Box — a personal meal that comes with an entrée and a side — with brand-new boxes and a new drink choice: Mountain Dew x Trolli Mango Pineapple Punch. The meal, which is like a Halloween-themed version of the chain's My Hut Box, comes in a colorful box decorated with spooky art, such as bats and a mummified Pizza Hut logo. The entrée options are a two-topping Personal Pan Pizza or a six-piece of Boneless Wings in any of the chain's sauces. This Halloween-themed meal will only be around until November 2nd, so swing by before the spooky season ends."
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO IS NEW HOME OF EMMY AWARDS
Amazon reported, "In a historic first, the Television Academy and Prime Video announced on October 6th a landmark six-year deal establishing Prime Video as the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards. The deal replaces the Television Academy's traditional rotation among broadcast networks ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. Since their inception in 1949, the Emmy Awards have captured the global imagination, celebrating the stories, creators, and performances that define the cultural zeitgeist. Beginning with the 2027 ceremony, the star-studded event will continue to anchor the television season by airing live in September. In a major win for entertainment fans, the ceremony will not be behind a paywall; instead, the Emmy Awards will be free to view for audiences worldwide in more than 240 countries and territories."
DISRUPTIVE MARKETING, FASHION-TAINMENT, AND MUSIC
CNBC reported, "E.l.f. Beauty, Gap, and Wendy's announced ventures into music in recent weeks, part of a wave of retailers finding new ways to engage customers. The creative marketing strategies play particularly to Gen Z consumers, who favor culturally relevant brands when shopping.
Watch out Sony, a new music producer is in town. And this time it’s the same brand that makes your favorite lip gloss. E.l.f. Beauty announced the release of "Mirror Mix," an original album featuring music from seven rising artists. The album comes as the makeup company ramps up its marketing spend, fueled in part by tariff refunds. E.l.f.'s pursuit of music is part of a growing wave of retailers blending shopping with entertainment. The E.l.f.-released music is part of the company's strategy in "disruptive marketing," or marketing that aims to create moments consumers will pay attention to...At E.l.f., the company uses the concept of unaided awareness, or a consumer's ability to name a brand without being prompted, as a metric to measure its marketing's success. Unaided awareness of E.l.f. Beauty has tripled in the last five years."
E.l.f. Beauty CEO Tarang Amin said, "We're an entertainment company that happens to sell beauty products."
CNBC also reported, "Gap announced a multi-year partnership with boy band Just Your Type, or JYT. The clothing retailer will be responsible for developing a multi-episode docuseries, national mall tour, and a clothing collection with the rising pop stars. The venture is the company's first collaboration under its newly created "fashion-tainment" platform. The initiative comes as the company has undergone a multiyear revival after the retailer closed about 2,000 stores and annual sales fell by $3.5 billion between 2001 and 2021."
Gap CEO Richard Dickson said, "Fashion is entertainment, and today's customers aren't just buying apparel, they're buying into brands that tell compelling stories and drive cultural conversations."
And CNBC reported, "In recent weeks, Wendy's also debuted an emo album titled, "Songs to Listen to in a Wendy's Parking Lot." Unlike the earnest attempts of E.l.f. and Gap to create music that would resonate with fans, the fast-food chain created humorous renditions of songs, including "She Said She Didn't Want Fries" and "The Best Combo Meal on the Worst Night of My Life." The lead song has generated more than 450,000 streams on Spotify, and the announcement gained hundreds of thousands of likes on Instagram."
Wendy's CEO Bob Wright named marketing as one of the company’s key areas of focus and explained, "We have one of the most recognizable brands in the industry, and we need to make our messaging, media, and creative drive a meaningful connection with our customers and drive traffic to our restaurants."
JAGUAR LAUNCHED FIRST ELECTRIC VEHICLE
CNBC reported, "Luxury carmaker Jaguar has launched its new all-electric vehicle, two years after the famed British company's controversial rebrand prompted a social media backlash. The automotive manufacturer, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, unveiled the Type 01 model on October 6th at an event in New York City, describing it as the "most technically advanced" and "most powerful and aerodynamic" Jaguar ever. It marks a radical new direction for the company, which was criticized in November 2024 when it revealed a series of changes ahead of becoming a fully electric brand.
Italy's Ferrari and Britain's Bentley have also launched their first EV models this year, seeking to test wealthy buyers' appetite for going electric as luxury carmakers seek to compete with cheaper Chinese car brands. Jaguar's Type 01 has a starting price of roughly $130,500 in the U.S., according to multiple media reports, which is significantly higher than previous comparable models. The four-door "Grand Tourer" has an ultra-long bonnet, low roofline, frameless doors, and a camera instead of a rear window. It has a range of up to 450 miles and can accelerate from 0-62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds."
JLR CEO PB Balaji described the unveiling of Type 01 as the start of an exciting new era for Jaguar, "Combining British heritage, bold creativity, advanced technology, and groundbreaking engineering, it reflects our ambition to create objects of desire that will help us invite a new generation of clients into Jaguar's loyal and passionate customer base."
REBRANDING OF CHILDREN'S CLOTHING BRAND CARTER'S
According to CNBC, "Children's clothing brand Carter's is undergoing a revamp to better align with the new generation of parents as its namesake company tries to recover from sluggish performance in recent years. The rebrand includes a new logo and marketing campaign that Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Crockett explained aims to keep the 161-year-old company relevant with its core customer. Carter's largest brands include its namesake banner and OshKosh B'gosh, which are sold in standalone stores around the U.S. and in retailers including Walmart. The rebrand comes as the overall company has shrunk its store footprint and laid off some employees over the past year to try to reposition itself for growth, especially as the market for baby and kids clothing has grown more competitive...The rebrand will roll out across Carter's social channels in 2026, with additional retail and packaging elements in 2027."
REBRANDING OF ATLANTIC OCEAN?
USAToday reported, "President Trump says Google Maps discouraged him from renaming the Atlantic Ocean to Trump Ocean. Boasting a list of the all the locations he has renamed and iterating he does not intend to rename either the Hudson River in New York or the Mississippi River, during a rally in Clemson, South Carolina on October 22nd, Trump said he was keen on renaming an ocean until Google CEO Sundar Pichai told him not to...A president can direct how U.S. government agencies refer to geographic features through executive action. But any name change would generally apply only to federal government usage and would not be binding internationally. That's especially true for the Atlantic and Pacific, which border multiple countries and have long-established names recognized around the world. There is no international authority that could require other countries to adopt a new U.S.-designated name."
SUPER BOWL WILL STREAM ON DISNEY+ ON FEBRUARY 14, 2027
CNBC reported, "On October 7th, Disney announced that its streaming service Disney+ will air the upcoming Super Bowl in February. The 2027 championship game, as well as two Monday Night Football games leading up to the Super Bowl, will be available to all Disney+ subscribers in the U.S. Disney had previously announced that its ESPN sports division would produce the Super Bowl in 2027 for the first time ever. The game will air on ESPN and Disney's broadcast network, ABC. Interest in the upcoming Super Bowl is already high. Disney said on its most recent earnings call that ad spots for the game are already sold out, the earliest sellout in Super Bowl history. The announcement is the latest move in Disney's efforts to expand its live sports streaming offerings. The media company last year launched a standalone ESPN streaming service, bringing the content outside the cable bundle."
NATIONAL WOMEN'S SMALL BUSINESS MONTH
According to Bacon Magazine, "Every October, the country pauses to celebrate the women who start, own, and grow businesses of their own. It's a month for the bakery owner who opens before sunrise, the consultant building her client list one referral at a time, the designer shipping orders from her dining room table, and the CEO negotiating her next big partnership. It is for every woman who brings home the bacon through something she built herself.
Women now own 15.7 million businesses across the United States, representing 40.6 percent of all U.S. businesses, according to the 2026 Impact of Women-Owned Businesses report from Wells Fargo. Those businesses employ 12.6 million people and generate $2.8 trillion in revenue, and between 2022 and 2025, their numbers grew by 12.1 percent, nearly twice the growth rate of businesses owned by men. Behind every one of those figures is a woman who took a chance on herself, and that is exactly what this month is here to honor.
The roots of this month run back to 1988, when Congress passed the Women's Business Ownership Act, expanding federal support for women business owners because most women could not get a loan without a male co-signer. That same year, the U.S. Small Business Administration launched its Women's Business Center program to help women overcome barriers to success, and the agency has long used October to recognize the women entrepreneurs those programs serve."
SHARE THIS: Women now own 15.7 million businesses across the United States, representing 40.6 percent of all U.S. businesses. ~Wells Fargo's Impact of Women-Owned Businesses Report #WomensSmallBusinessMonth #EqualityForWomen #WomenEmpoweringWomen #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.
What other recent marketing buzz caught your attention? Since there's always something happening that impacts marketing, read #DebbieLaskeysBlog for the scoop!
Image Credits: Mattel, Wikipedia, and Mattel.
Read My #1,000th Post:
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2026/10/celebrating-special-milestone-on.html
Check out 21 Facts about Claude Monet from Sotheby's:
https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/21-facts-about-claude-monet
Check out Zoo Atlanta's Panda Housewarming Wish List of supplies, enrichment, and more:
https://zooatlanta.doubleknot.com/home/panda-wish-list-/76783
Read "Fun Marketing Stories Surrounding the 2025 World Series" (November 2025):
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2025/11/fun-marketing-stories-surrounding-2025.html
