During the last week, there were news stories that reflected advertising, brand identity, brand equity, brand spokespeople, logo design, personal branding, product pricing, and more.
BETTY WHITE STAMP AND LA ZOO
Announced in November 2024, the US Postal Service planned to honor Betty White, a TV icon (who was often referred to as the "first lady of television" for her roles in the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Golden Girls") as well as an animal advocate. The first day of issue ceremony (always a fun ceremony for fellow philatelists, aka, stamp collectors) will take place at the Los Angeles Zoo on March 27th because, as the US Postal Service explained, "Betty White was an avid animal ally and used the bright light of her stardom to advocate for creatures great and small, including at the LA Zoo, where she was a member of the Board of Trustees for over 50 years, and her support continues through the generosity of her estate."
According to the US Postal Service, "The stamp features a digital illustration by Dale Stephanos based on a photograph by Kwaku Alston in 2010. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp."
THE END OF TECHNICOLOR
According to SF Gate, "One of the most recognizable companies in American cinema is on the verge of closing forever, according to multiple industry reports. Technicolor, the 110-year-old brand that revolutionized filmmaking and helped to bring many famous titles to the silver screen — including "The Wizard of Oz" and "Singin' in the Rain" — is beginning to "shut down operations," per Variety and other outlets. A confluence of events over the past decade has left Technicolor in a precarious position, including economic fallout from the pandemic, the Hollywood writers' strike and ensuing industry downturn, and the uneasy encroachment of artificial intelligence in visual effects work and the television and film industries at large."
MICROSOFT SHUTS DOWN SKYPE
Remember Skype? Did you use it? According to Microsoft, "The way we communicate has evolved significantly over the years. From instant messaging to video calls, technology has continuously transformed how we connect with each other. In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub.
With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free. Hundreds of millions of people already use Teams as their hub for teamwork, helping them stay connected and engaged at work, school, and at home. In the past two years, the number of minutes spent in meetings by consumer users of Teams has grown 4X, reflecting the value Teams brings to everyday communication and collaboration.
As we take this next step with Teams, we're excited about the opportunities ahead. We look forward to continuing to support people's everyday connections, starting by making it easy to log into Teams with their Skype account."
Have you deleted the app yet, or will you wait until May?
JANE FONDA'S LATEST ROLE AS A SNEAKER MODEL
According to InStyle, "For its 25th anniversary, sneaker brand Golden Goose tapped legendary Jane Fonda for its latest campaign. With the tagline BORN TO BE A SUPER STAR, there really isn't a better fit than the Academy Award-winning actor, activist, and cultural icon."
And according to the Italian footwear brand, "The new campaign celebrates those who take risks, dream louder, and redefine the possible."
GOOD DEAL AT SUBWAY
Due to a sluggish start to the year across the fast-food industry (according to CNN), Subway announced that it is bringing back $6.99 footlong sandwiches that normally cost as much as $14, however, the offer is only available via the brand's app and website with the code "699FL." The special price will only be available for a limited time.
ALL FEMALE SPACE FLIGHT
Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, Blue Origin, announced that it will send an all-female crew on its next space flight during spring 2025. The crew will consist of singer Katy Perry; morning TV host Gayle King; Bezo's fiance Lauren Sanchez who brought the mission together; space engineer Aisha Bowe; civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen; and film producer Kerianne Flynn (whose credits include "This Changes Everything" (2018) about the history of women in Hollywood and "Lilly" (2024), which was a tribute to fair-pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter.
Gayle King discussed the flight with her longtime friend, Oprah Winfrey, who said, "I think if you don't do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself."
ENGLISH AS NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF UNITED STATES
According to the Associate Press (AP), "President Donald Trump was expected to sign an executive order on Friday, February 28th, designating English as the official language of the United States, according to the White House. The order will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in language other than English. The executive order will rescind a mandate from former President Bill Clinton that required the government and organizations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.
According to the White House, "Designating English as the national language “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement."
More than 30 states have already passed laws designating English as their official language, according to U.S. English, a group that advocates for making English the official language in the United States. For decades, lawmakers in Congress introduced legislation to designate English as the country's official language, but those efforts did not succeed.
According to 2022 data from the U.S. Census, one in 10 people in the United States now speak a language other than English, more than triple the amount compared to 1980.
As reported by NPR, Roman Palomares, who heads the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), criticized the Trump administration ahead of the order's official signing. Trump signed the executive order on March 1st.
Palomares said, "Our Founding Fathers enshrined freedom of speech in the First Amendment without limiting it to one language. They envisioned a nation where diversity of thought, culture, and expression would be its greatest strength. Declaring English as the only official language directly contradicts that vision. America thrives when we embrace inclusivity, not when we silence the voices of millions who contribute to its success."
SHARE THIS: America thrives when we embrace inclusivity, not when we silence the voices of millions who contribute to its success. ~Roman Palomares/LULAC #DebbieLaskeysBlog
TESLA NEWS
According to the AP, "Demonstrators gathered outside Tesla stores across the United States on March 1st to protest the automaker's billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, and his push to slash government spending on behalf of President Trump. The demonstrations are part of a growing backlash in North America and Europe to Musk's disruptive role in Washington. Critics of Trump and Musk hope to discourage and stigmatize purchases of Tesla, the electric car company that is the world's most valuable automaker. Liberal groups for weeks have organized anti-Tesla protests in hopes of galvanizing opposition to Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and energizing Democrats still demoralized by Trump's November victory. Musk is taking direction from Trump to slash federal spending and sharply reduce the workforce, arguing that Trump's victory gave the president and him a mandate to restructure the US government. DOGE officials have swiftly gained access to sensitive databases, directed thousands of federal job cuts, canceled contracts and shut down sections of the government.
More than 50 demonstrations were listed for March 1st on the website Tesla Takedown, with more planned later in March from coast to coast in the United States along with England, Spain, and Portugal. News reports showed demonstrations in recent days in American cities including Tucson, Arizona; St. Louis, Missouri; New York City; Dayton, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Palo Alto, California.
Tesla's share price has fallen by nearly a third since Trump took office, though it's still higher than it was a year ago. Musk's current net worth is an estimated $359 billion, according to Forbes, which calculated his 2024 net worth as $195 billion."
DUCHESS OF SUSSEX NEWS
According to CNN, Meghan told fans, "Last year, I had thought, 'American Riviera, that sounds like such a great name.' It's my neighborhood, it's a nickname for Santa Barbara, but it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area."
But now, she has re-imagined her cooking and lifestyle brand: "It's called 'As Ever.' As Ever essentially means as it's always been, and if you followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I've always loved cooking and crafting and gardening. This is what I do and I haven't been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years. But now I can."
The logo for the new brand features a palm tree with two hummingbirds, which are said to be favorites of Prince Harry - and will align with the brand's focus on cooking, crafting, and gardening.
In addition, her delayed Netflix 8-episode series called "With Love, Meghan," which was filmed in Montecito, launched on March 4th. According to Netflix, "Blending practical how-to's and candid conversation with friends, new and old, Meghan shares personal tips and tricks and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected. She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same."
DEATH OF GENE HACKMAN
Do you remember the evil villain named Lex Luther in the 1978 film "Superman?" Do you remember the closed-minded Senator in the 1996 film "The Bird Cage?" Those were just two memorable characters portrayed by legendary actor Gene Hackman. Hackman and his wife died at their home in New Mexico in late February.
DEATH OF CARL DEAN
While you may not be familiar with the name, you definitely know his wife. Dean was the husband of Dolly Parton, the country music singer-songwriter, actress, theme park titan, and philanthropist. Behind the scenes, Dean supported his wife for nearly 60 years, and died in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 3rd. Dolly jokingly said that she'd like to pose with him on the cover of a magazine, "So that people could at least know that I'm not married to a wart or something."
THE RE-BRANDING OF THE KENNEDY CENTER
According to the Associated Press, "Until a few weeks ago, the biggest news to come out of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., was its annual celebration of notable American artists. That has changed since the return of Donald Trump. In the first month of his second term, the president has ousted the arts institution's leadership, filled the board of trustees with his supporters, and announced he had been elected the board's chair — unanimously. Some artists have responded by canceling appearances.
In a statement this month to The Wall Street Journal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke. President Trump and the members of his newly-appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America's great history and traditions."
Supported by government money and private donations and attracting millions of visitors each year, the center is a 100-foot high complex featuring a concert hall, opera house and theater, along with a lecture hall, meeting spaces and a stage that has been the site for free shows.
The center’s very origins are bipartisan. It was first conceived in the late 1950s, during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democratic-led Congress calling for a "National Culture Center." In the early 1960s, Democrat President John F. Kennedy launched a fundraising initiative, and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts (because) Kennedy had been assassinated the year before."
Presidents have routinely attended the honors ceremony, even in the presence of artists who disagreed with them politically. Trump mostly ignored the center during his first term, becoming the first president to routinely skip the honors ceremony. (But he) has been far more aggressive and proactive in his second term, citing some drag show performances at the center as a reason to transform it entirely.
Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter, brought on in 2014, was fired soon after the board shakeup. Trump replaced her, on an interim basis, with diplomat Richard Grenell...The fallout is unprecedented."
According to The Wrap on March 5th, "Hamilton" producers cancelled the Tony Award-winning musical's spring 2026 run at the Kennedy Center citing the politicization of the performing arts center as the primary reason. According to Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller and show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, "The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we're not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center."
97TH ACADEMY AWARDS
The 97th Annual Academy Awards show took place on Sunday, March 2nd. Winners for the best supporting actor and actress plus the best actor seemed to go as predicted; but the winners for best actress and best picture were surprises. According to industry experts, the awards show was not expected to have a big audience since many of the films were not widely seen. How many did you see, besides WICKED?
My two take-aways:
First, as a big fan of WICKED, I was thrilled to see Ariana Grande begin the evening with her performance of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from THE WIZARD OF OZ and Cynthia Erivo with her performance of "Defying Gravity" from WICKED. Those two performers should definitely have won Oscars, but since they did not, fans can look forward to WICKED FOR GOOD, the continuation of the story that will arrive in movie theaters in November. Perhaps, the Academy will honor these talented women again (plus visionary director Jon Chu) with Oscar nominations - and they will win at next year's awards ceremony. (Fingers crossed.)
Actors Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan appeared at the end of the Academy Awards show to present the award for Best Picture. Their appearance mirrored their appearance in a TV commercial that aired during Super Bowl 59 for Hellman's mayonnaise. Their appearance begs the question, will other brands feature famous actors during next year's Super Bowl with the intent for them to also appear at next year's Academy Awards? We shall see.
WOMEN'S HISTORY (OR HERSTORY MONTH)
The first week of March was the official beginning of Women's History Month, followed by Equal Pay Day on March 6th. According to Pew Research, "The gender pay gap – the difference between the earnings of men and women – has barely closed in the United States in the past two decades. In 2022, American women typically earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. That was about the same as in 2002, when they earned 80 cents to the dollar. The slow pace at which the gender pay gap has narrowed this century contrasts sharply with the progress in the preceding two decades: In 1982, women earned just 65 cents to each dollar earned by men."
According to researcher and CNU Professor Shoshana Schwartz, "Employers committed to gender equity should conduct audits of their hiring and promotion practices, ensuring women are not disproportionately placed in lower-skill jobs and are paid equitably for similar work."
What other recent marketing buzz caught your attention? Since there's always something happening that impacts marketing, read #DebbieLaskeysBlog for the scoop!
Image Credits: US Postal Service (USPS), Golden Goose, and Technicolor via Thomas Hawk.
Read the full article about gender income inequality at Knowledge at Wharton's site:
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