Debbie Laskey's Blog

Welcome to Debbie Laskey's insights and commentary about BRANDING, MARKETING, LEADERSHIP, SOCIAL MEDIA, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, and CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES. Debbie has worked in high-tech, the Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, nonprofits, and insurance. Expertise includes strategic planning, brand development, marketing plans and audits, competitive positioning, websites, communications, public relations, employee engagement, customer experiences, and social media marketing.

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Sunday, July 26, 2026

Let's Celebrate Baseball Today!

"There are no tears in baseball." If you recognize that famous line, then you know it's from the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own" starring Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna, and Tom Hanks about the all-women baseball league during World War II. However, TODAY, there are cheers and tears in baseball because it's the annual induction ceremony at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. You can watch the festivities in person (at Clark Sports Center on lower Susquehanna Avenue in Cooperstown) or live on the MLB Network or streaming on the Hall of Fame's Facebook page.

This year, in addition to the annual induction ceremony, the Baseball Hall of Fame is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the day that Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday saved an American flag at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

According to the Hall of Fame, "Fifty years later, fans are still marveling at Rick Monday's great grab at Dodger Stadium. This summer in Cooperstown, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will pay tribute at the annual Awards Presentation in Cooperstown.

On April 25, 1976, in Los Angeles, Monday was playing center field for the Chicago Cubs in a game against the Dodgers. During the fourth inning, two fans entered the field, spread the flag on the left-center field grass and doused it with lighter fluid. Monday, a veteran of the Marine Corps reserves who was in his 11th big league season, dashed over from his post, grabbed the flag with his right hand and sprinted away before handing it to Dodgers pitcher Doug Rau. The Sunday afternoon crowd of 25,167 fans responded with a standing ovation, and when Monday came to bat an inning later, the Dodger Stadium message board said: "Rick Monday…You made a great play."

As part of the Museum's celebration of America's 250th birthday, the flag Monday rescued and preserved will be loaned to the Museum for the summer."

And did you know there's a woman in the Baseball Hall of Fame? On February 27, 2006, Effa Manley became the first (and only) woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Manley, who died in 1981, was co-owner of the Newark (New Jersey) Eagles, a Negro League powerhouse, and a huge advocate for Black ballplayers and civil rights causes. Chicago Defender reporter Fay Young wrote in December 1943, "Mrs. Manley knows a few things about baseball, and most of the men club owners could take a few tips from her. She's a good businesswoman."

Kaia Alderson, a historical women's fiction author, has a passion for discovering "hidden figures" in African-American women's history. As a result, she wrote the historical novel "In a League of Her Own" about Effa Manley. A brief synopsis about the book follows, but first, a little more about Alderson. According to her website bio, "Alderson gravitates toward the stories of women who defied social, racial, and gender norms by refusing to stay in their "place" during a time when doing so could get them socially ostracized and/or killed. She believes these women's stories mirror the experiences of present-day Black women and provide successful examples and strategies for combating roadblocks that still persist in women's social lives and in the workplace."

Harper Collins, the book's publisher, described the book as follows, "An ambitious Harlem woman's husband upends her social climbing when he buys a Negro Leagues baseball team and appoints her as the team's business manager. Overnight, Effa Manley goes from 125th Street's civil rights champion to an interloper in the boys' club that is professional baseball. Navigating her way through gentlemen's agreement contracts, the very public flirtatious antics of superstar Satchel Paige, and a sports world that would much rather see this woman back in her "place" at home, Effa ultimately whips her team, the Newark Eagles, into the Negro Leagues Champions of 1946. But how long will she get to enjoy the fruits of her success before Major League Baseball tears it all apart? Based on the incredible life of Effa Manley, an unforgettable and inspiring story about a woman with a dream who wound up with a baseball team."

And, of course, it's always fun when brands tweak their product packaging or presentation for special events. Applause to Orly for its surprising and memorable "baseball" advertising.

So, while baseball games take place in cities across the country today, America's pastime is a little more special today because of the celebrations and history (plus cheers and tears) taking place in Cooperstown.

Monday, July 20, 2026

Recent Marketing News: Baseball, Soccer, Tourism, and More

During the last few weeks, there were news stories that reflected advertising, brand experiences, brand identity, brand storytelling, brand strategy, celebration marketing, cobranding, corporate sponsorship, customer experience marketing, personal branding, product marketing, product pricing, special event marketing, and more.

NEW ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CREDITS IN CALIFORNIA

The Hill reported, "California will begin offering instant rebates of up to $3,500 to first-time electric vehicle (EV) buyers later this summer, replacing some of the incentives lost after the phase out of federal EV and clean energy tax credits. On July 13th, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new legislation establishing a $270 million rebate program for California residents called "MyFirstEV." It will provide a point-of-sale rebate for eligible Californians purchasing their first zero-emission vehicle. The program is funded by both a state budget and automakers. It gives a $3,500 rebate for new EVs with a suggested retail price of up to $50,000, and a separate $1,750 rebate for used EVs sold for up to $25,000."

NEW ADDITION TO NASDAQ 100

CNN reported, "The Nasdaq 100 is an index tracking the 100 largest non-financial stocks traded on the Nasdaq exchange. SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp - NASDAQ: SPCX) debuted for trading on the Nasdaq on June 12th, and was added to the Nasdaq 100 on July 7th...While SpaceX's market value of more than $2 trillion makes it the sixth-largest publicly traded stock in the United States, it enters the Nasdaq 100 with a significantly smaller influence... Since SpaceX will not be eligible for inclusion in the S&P 500 for at least a year, buying the S&P 500 would be one of the simplest methods for investors who wish to avoid SpaceX. The blue-chip Dow doesn't include SpaceX or Tesla... In order to eventually be included in the S&P 500, SpaceX would need to register four quarters of profits. It took Tesla 10 years to join the S&P 500. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s weight in the Nasdaq 100 and its share price performance will be under a microscope."

KRISPY KREME'S CELEBRATION OF THE FOURTH OF JULY

The doughnut brand that always features unique doughnuts for celebrations did not disappoint for July 4th. According to the brand's website, "As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday this Independence Day, Krispy Kreme is helping make this once-in-a-generation milestone sweeter with a new patriotic doughnut collection: USA Doughnut filled with Cookies n' Kreme, Firework Doughnut, Freedom Ring Doughnut, and Chocolate Iced Doughnut with Patriotic Sprinkles."

NEW YORK CITY'S TIMES SQUARE ON THE FOURTH OF JULY

CBS News reported, "The celebration of America's 250th birthday in New York City's Times Square is taking a page out of the New Year's Eve playbook. Times Square is hosting eight ball drops to celebrate Independence Day with each occurring at midnight in every American time zone including U.S. territories. The first ball drop took place at 10 a.m. Friday, marking midnight in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Following the Guam ball drop, the next took place at 11:59 p.m., marking midnight on the East Coast. Unlike New Year's Eve, which draws hundreds of thousands of people to Times Square, there was no street-level viewing event planned, but that didn't keep hundreds of pedestrians from stopping to watch and count down to the moment. That ball drop is considered the centerpiece of the event, although additional ball drops will take place overnight through each U.S. time zone: Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska, Hawaii, and culminating in the finale at 7 a.m., marking midnight in American Samoa. The ball that's being used is the same one that millions watched usher in 2026."

AMERICA'S 250TH TIME CAPSULE

According to the Associated Press (AP), "Paper, the traditional gift for marking a couple's first year of marriage, is also a great choice for 250th anniversaries — especially when filling a time capsule celebrating American independence. The 2016 law creating the nonpartisan America250 commission mandated that a time capsule be buried in Philadelphia on July 4th, 2026, and dug up 250 years later in 2276. Last week, the resulting 900-pound cylinder was sealed shut, capping years of technical design and construction, collaboration with states, and meticulous review of collected items. The stainless steel capsule is shaped like a cylinder, not the typical box, because square edges tend to crack and break. It will be covered with a secondary cylinder that will trap air and push out any approaching water, and the capsule itself is rimmed with a soft metal that compresses under pressure."

Some of the interesting contributions placed in the time capsule were letters from many governors, a whale bone from Maine, flags from Alaska and Texas, set of gambling chips from Nevada, a belt buckle from Oklahoma, fabric from the Wright Brothers flight from Ohio, and a Masters medallion from Georgia. In addition, there were contributions from a variety of America250 partners including: Major League Baseball, the Library of Congress, the International Olympic Committee, the National Endowment for the Arts, National Football League, Smithsonian Institution, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

CO-BRANDING: NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND TALEA

According to the New York Public Library's website, "The New York Public Library and TALEA Beer Co. announced "Liberty Lager," a limited-edition beer inspired by George Washington's recipe. This announcement comes as the Library launches "250 Years: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," a system-wide initiative marking the nation's 250th anniversary. As part of the launch, the Library is also debuting a new, limited-edition NYPL card, publishing a special anniversary book list, giving away books, offering free and instant audio and e-book downloads to select titles, and opening online reservations to view the Declaration of Independence in July.

"Liberty Lager" is inspired by George Washington's "To Make Small Beer" recipe from a 1757 notebook he kept when he served as a colonel in the Virginia militia. Produced by TALEA Beer Co., the limited-edition brew is available for sale in TALEA's taprooms and New York City restaurants and retail outlets. TALEA Beer Co. is New York City's first women- and veteran-owned craft brewery, and was founded in 2019. Created to bring a new experience to the male-dominated beer industry, TALEA brews a wide range of styles including fruit-forward beers designed to welcome a more inclusive community.

George Washington's notebook—with the recipe neatly written out on the back page—is representative of the Library's role as a repository for historic documents, art, and ephemera. The journal is housed in the Library's Manuscripts and Archives Division at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building alongside other historical items such as Washington's Farewell Address, an original copy of the Declaration of Independence handwritten by Thomas Jefferson, and a silk protest banner from before America's Civil War demanding the abolition of slavery."

BARCELONA'S NEW TOURISM POLICY

The New York Times reported, "Barcelona's Boqueria market is so crowded with visitors these days that many stalls that once sold fresh vegetables, fish, or meat to home cooks now offer takeaway cups of cut fruit or fried shrimp to tourists instead. Convinced the market is no longer meant for them, many locals have given up on it. Barcelona's new commissioner for sustainable tourism, José Antonio Donaire, is developing strategies to diminish the impact of the nearly 16 million tourists who visit the Catalan capital annually. Created last year, his position builds on the work the municipal government started nearly a decade ago when it enacted its first policy aimed at restraining the overtourism that has contributed to rising housing prices and overwhelmed public transport. Other initiatives have since followed, including a tourist tax on accommodations and a ban on vacation rentals that goes into effect in 2028."

Donaire, a professor of tourism studies at the University of Girona and a former member of the regional parliament, wants to reverse overtourism. He explained, "Barcelona began rethinking tourism with innovative measures like the moratorium on new hotel construction back in 2017...The message of the city now is: not one tourist more. We don't want to grow more. We want the tourists that the city already has. There were 15.7 million tourists in the city in 2025 — that's the threshold. Sixteen million is the maximum. We're not coming at this from an anti-tourist position. But we need to manage tourism in an orderly way, and the first management objective is to change the kinds of tourists who come. Right now, two-thirds are leisure tourists; we want the makeup to be a third business travel, a third cultural travel, and a third leisure. That's the effect of setting the limits. The demand can't grow if there's no accommodations for them. Already this summer we're seeing that there are people who can't come because they can't find a place to stay. The mayor has also just announced a proposal to eliminate cruise ships that only stop for the day. We want zero day-tripping cruise passengers, and to achieve that, we're going to ask the regional authorities to raise the tax on them to the maximum allowed. We want it be so high that it doesn't make sense to come into the city."

ITALIAN VILLAGE FINE

The Guardian reported, "A fishing village by Lake Como has imposed fines of up to €200 ($230) for people who wander around with bare chests or in swimwear, in the latest attempt by an Italian holiday destination to crack down on uncouth tourists. Varenna has been feeling the strain from an increasing number of visitors, and so authorities were moved to introduce new rules aimed at preserving the village's appearance and guaranteeing a smidgen of peace and quiet for its year-round population of roughly 650. Walking around the village shirtless or in swimwear – garments that are strictly reserved for lakeside beaches or boat trips on Como – is now banned. Those who fail to comply risk fines. Furthermore, tour groups have been limited to no more than 25 people and must not clog Varenna's narrow cobblestoned streets, and guides have been banned from using loudspeakers."

CHIPOTLE OPENED FIRST RESTAURANT IN MEXICO

The BBC reported on July 13th, "Chipotle Mexican Grill is set to open its first restaurant in Mexico, testing its appeal in the country that inspired its menu. The chain, which has more than 4,100 outlets worldwide, said that the move is a "significant milestone" for the brand known for its customizable burritos, tacos, and bowls. US restaurant chains have often struggled to succeed in the countries in which their dishes originated. Taco Bell no longer has any outlets in Mexico, while Domino's Pizza has pulled out of Italy. The new restaurant, located in the north-eastern state of Nuevo León near the Texas border, serves as an "important proof-of-concept," the company said. It plans to open more restaurants in the state and expand into Mexico City in 2027 as part of its collaboration with Mexican restaurant operator Alsea, which also operates brands including Domino's Pizza, Starbucks, and Chili's."

"MADE IN USA" PRODUCT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING LESSONS

NPR reported, "The board game Monopoly has always taught some important economic lessons: The benefits of owning real estate. The profit potential of railroad mergers. The value of a get-out-of-jail-free card. President Trump hopes to encourage more U.S. manufacturing with his import taxes on foreign goods. But an online experiment suggests most people aren't willing to pay a premium for a "Made in the USA" product. Now a special edition of the board game is teaching a new lesson—about how hard it is to make things in the USA. The game is being marketed by the WS Game Company, which produces most of its high-end board games in China, just like almost every other toy maker. After getting hit with a seven-figure tariff bill last year, CEO Jonathan Silva decided to see if it was possible to produce a profitable board game in the United States. He opted for a custom version of Monopoly, pegged to the country's 250th birthday. But the experiment almost didn't pass go (pun intended?). One big problem: No dice."

Silva explained, "We turned over every single leaf trying to find someone who would make 10,000 dice for us in the U.S. It requires special machinery. It requires investment. And that type of stuff just can't happen on a random Tuesday and be ready in a couple of months."

More from NPR, "Silva ultimately had to settle for imported dice. He was able to find the rest of what he needed domestically, but it wasn't easy. A former Hasbro factory in Massachusetts prints the Monopoly board. A company called Pioneer Packaging makes the tray that holds the Monopoly money. And a small business in Indiana cranked out custom metal game tokens in all-American shapes like a cowboy hat, a covered wagon, and an apple pie. Just assembling all those different players (components) took more than a year, so Silva missed the first half of the 250th birthday selling season. And the cost to manufacture the games — which retail for $80 — was at least double what it would have been in China. There's a reason nearly 80 percent of all toys and games sold in the U.S. are made in China. That country has spent decades building a factory ecosystem to supply not only finished products, but all the specialized parts that go into them."

LAUNCH OF NEW NONPARTISAN INSTITUTE AT UC BERKELEY

The University of California, Berkeley announced on June 29th, "UC Berkeley is joining forces with Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, to launch a new, nonpartisan institute dedicated to strengthening American democracy and advancing solutions to the country's most pressing challenges. The Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy, or NPI, will be a hub for research, teaching, and civic engagement rooted in a shared commitment to advancing the public good. Through faculty research initiatives, undergraduate courses, and a visiting fellows program, the institute will explore what impedes progress and how best to solve political problems, from polarization to the future of artificial intelligence. The institute's work will focus on four pillars: strengthening America's democratic institutions; overcoming America's greatest challenges for our society, economy, and planet; promoting human rights and civil rights at home and abroad; and ensuring political leadership that represents the full spectrum of perspectives and backgrounds in California and the country. With plans to support hundreds of students annually, the NPI will launch in January in the Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science. Pelosi, the first Californian to serve as House speaker, is slated to co-teach a course about Congress."

Chancellor Rich Lyons said the institute aligns with Berkeley's commitment to fostering civil discourse, advancing democracy, and preparing students to lead with integrity, "The purpose and impact of the NPI will be defined and strengthened by Berkeley's ability to bring together world-class faculty and extraordinary students and by our commitment, as the country's preeminent public university, to advancing the greater good. We intend to do more than simply study democracy; we are building this institute to strengthen it."

Pelosi said, "The work of democracy is never finished, and securing its future is our greatest calling. UC Berkeley has a long, proud history of challenging the status quo and producing leaders who run toward the greatest challenges of our time. I am honored to partner with this exceptional community of scholars and students so we can equip the next generation with the tools they need to strengthen our democratic institutions and forge a future that serves the public good."

CO-BRANDING: MLB'S 96TH ALL-STAR GAME AND STAND UP TO CANCER (SU2C)

AOL reported, "The 2026 MLB All-Star Game arrived in Philadelphia with the feel of a 250th birthday bash for the United States, complete with plenty of red, white, and blue and a roster full of stars who had earned their stripes. But Citizens Bank Park, long known as a hitter-friendly backdrop, produced fewer fireworks than expected as the American League shut out the National League 4-0 in the 96th Midsummer Classic.

In a fitting tribute to baseball history and American history, the game and broadcast paused for a five-minute interlude narrated by JK Simmons and set to Ray Charles' indelible performance of "America the Beautiful." Major League Baseball doesn't always get it right, but when they do, they do. It's impossible to watch that video without, as the now-legendary "Moneyball" line says, being "romantic about baseball." Because baseball is romantic. Three outs. Nine in the field. Pitcher against hitter. Walk-offs, diving catches, big strikeouts, and the drama of a ninth inning one-run game. Nothing compares to baseball, or as this tribute demonstrates, America either."

And as MLB reported on its site, "In 2009, Major League Baseball and its 30 clubs became the founding donors of Stand Up To Cancer, a groundbreaking initiative supporting cancer research. The most important work is done out of the spotlight, in the form of new therapies and innovative treatments. But there is a public element to this too, and that's where MLB, beyond the dollars, has had so much impact. For the past 17 years, the All-Star Game and Game 4 of the World Series have featured the in-stadium Stand Up To Cancer moment. At the end of the fifth inning, the game pauses, and everyone in the ballpark – players, managers, coaches, support staffers, umpires, broadcasters, and fans – honors people who have been touched by cancer: Those who are currently battling the disease, those who have survived it, and those who have succumbed to it. The moment is a joint effort, supported by MLB, MasterCard, and SU2C, and aired live on FOX. Everyone is invited to write a name or names on a placard and, for two minutes, everyone comes together – thousands inside the ballpark holding up their signs, and millions more watching at home. As a founding donor to Stand Up to Cancer, MLB has conducted significant awareness-building efforts through public service announcements, in-stadium promotions, and various fundraising events. To date, the efforts between MLB, MasterCard, and SU2C have raised upward of $80 million."

200TH ANNIVERSARY OF BOSTON'S UNION OYSTER HOUSE

In advance of the July 4th celebrations across the United States, Forbes reported, "Opened in 1826, Boston's Union Oyster House claims to be America's oldest continuously operating restaurant, and this August will celebrate its 200th anniversary, a historic first for any eatery in the United States. This National Historic Landmark on the Freedom Trail is lauded for its quintessential New England seafood from fresh oysters to classic clam chowder. It has welcomed a "Who's Who" of guests, including U.S. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama; Queen Elizabeth II; Hollywood royalty including Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Steven Spielberg; and Boston's own culinary super icon, Julia Child. The restaurant has also consistently earned "Best Landmark Restaurant" accolades. Managed by only four family owners in two centuries, it maintains reliable, fresh dishes, proving its enduring appeal beyond mere historical novelty."

If you're wondering about the oldest restaurants in the world - and where Boston's Union Oyster House fits in the list, here are the oldest dozen:

(1) St. Peter Stifts Kulinarium - founded 803 (Salzburg, Austria) (located inside St. Peter's Abbey)

(2) Bianyifang - founded 1416 (Beijing, China)

(3) Zum Franziskaner - founded 1421 (Stockholm, Sweden)

(4) Honke Owariya - founded 1465 (Kyoto, Japan)

(5) La Tour d'Argent - founded 1582 (Paris, France)

(6) Zur letzten Instanz - founded 1621 (Berlin, Germany)

(7) White Horse Tavern - founded 1673 (Newport, Rhode Island, USA)

(8) A la Petite Chaise - founded 1680 (Paris, France)

(9) Caffe Florian - founded 1720 (Venice, Italy)

(10) Sobrino de Botin - founded 1725 (Madrid, Spain) (officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously operating restaurant)

(11) Rules - founded 1798 (London, United Kingdom)

(12) The Union Oyster House - founded 1826 (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

UBER AD FOR WOMEN PREFERENCES

While Uber has offered "Women Preferences" for women riders and drivers in the United States since March of 2026, the brand's television ad for this feature has been appearing on television on a regular basis during the last few weeks. According to Uber's website, "Women Preferences was created because women asked for it. What began in 2019 after women in Saudi Arabia gained the right to drive, Women Preferences has grown into a global movement as women around the world embrace more control over how they use Uber. Over 230 million global trips later, Women Preferences is now available for drivers in over 40 countries, and for riders across 7 countries, including the U.S., Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Brazil, and Spain."

DEATH OF WALLY FUNK

Wally (Mary Wallace) Funk died on July 6th at the age of 87. The BBC reported, "As an aviator, Wally Funk was a trailblazing pioneer for women, breaking barriers for eight decades of a remarkable career. "Aviation has been my whole life; I eat and breathe it," she said in her 2020 memoir, Higher, Faster, Longer (written with Loretta Hall). She earned her pilot's licence as a teenager, at 20 was the US military's first female flight instructor, in 1971 became the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) first female flight inspector, and three years later was the first woman instructor for the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB). But hanging over these accomplishments was her unfulfilled dream of becoming an astronaut.

In 1960 she discovered that the young pilot Jerrie Cobb had been tested for spaceflight, and despite being below the age requirement, she joined the program that became the so-called "Mercury 13," who underwent the same training and testing as the seven American men chosen as Mercury astronauts. Having tested top of the group, including spending 10 hours 35 minutes in an isolation tank, and having three feet of rubber tubing shoved down her throat, Funk requested four times to be picked for space flight. But NASA was not prepared to send a woman into space; they would accept only USAF pilots, who of course were all male. NASA eventually relented, but too late for Funk, as Sally Ride became America's first female in space in 1983, though not until 1999 did Eileen Collins become the first pilot/commander of the space shuttle Columbia.

Two decades later, in 2021, Wally was invited to join Jeff Bezos and his brother on a sub-orbital flight on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft, making her, at 82, the oldest person to fly into space. They took with them a helmet and goggles worn by the famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Although the Star Trek actor William Shatner, at 90, broke her age record (since broken again by the former pilot Ed Dwight), Funk remains the oldest woman in space.

Besides her work for the FAA and NTSB, Funk trained more than 800 pilots at her flight school in Taos, New Mexico. She was a pilot for Sierra Pacific Airlines, a regional operation based in Tucson, Arizona. As both pilot and navigator, she flew in many competitions, including the transcontinental Powder Puff Derby. She became a spokesperson and inspirational speaker, especially for women's equality in the workplace. Funk was elected to the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 1995, and joined the Wall of Honor at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington in 2017. Following her 2021 space flight, she received astronaut wings, and a young person's book based on her memoir was published in 2025."

DEATH OF RANDOLPH MANTOOTH

Variety reported, "Randolph Mantooth, known for playing paramedic Johnny Gage on the "Emergency!" TV series in the 1970s, died July 9th in Ventura. He was 80. Mantooth broke out in 1972 when he was cast in "Emergency!," which introduced the profession of paramedics to the public. He co-starred with Kevin Tighe in the popular NBC series which ran for six seasons, and performed most of his own stunts. He remained an advocate for firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs throughout his life."

According to The New York Times, "Mantooth's lead role on "Emergency!" helped paramedics and emergency medicine gain greater recognition in the United States. He said he was proud to be known for his part on the show, which portrayed the work of paramedics and firefighters in Los Angeles County. (At that time, there were only 13 paramedics in all of California, and nobody had ever heard of them before.) After "Emergency!," Mantooth was an advocate for emergency medical workers, speaking at firefighter and paramedic symposiums across the country. He was given an award by the International Association of Fire Chiefs in 2022 honoring his work to promote the profession. While accepting the award, he said, 'To be honored by men and women who have dedicated their lives and careers to public safety, it humbles me.'"

VOCABULARY ENDING IN -MAXXING

The Guardian reported, "It started more than a decade ago with looksmaxxing, a strategy for optimizing personal appearance through diet or exercise. Over time, the -maxxing suffix has come to mean going all in on a particular trait, habit, quality, or pastime, generally in a manner that misses the point. So, how well do you know your maxxes? Here are five examples:

(1) Sleepmaxxing: Getting as much sleep as you can, rather than as much as you need.

(2) Ethicsmaxxing: Having a code of ethics and applying it rigorously to every decision you make.

(3) Sidequestmaxxing: Being open to new challenges.

(4) Solomaxxing: Learning to enjoy your own company.

(5) Tanmaxxing: Tanning your skin to its maximal darkness by spending longer in the sun and ignoring safety warnings.

LA AUTO SHOW'S NEW PRESENTING SPONSOR

With the high gasoline prices and the negative publicity from California Governor Gavin Newsom to not purchase Chevron gas, the Los Angeles Auto Show announced on July 14th that Chevron with Techron would join the show as presenting sponsor. According to the press release, "The sponsorship reinforces the show's position as one of the country's most important stages for innovations across the automotive industry. Every November, automakers, designers, and the brands that support the driving experience choose Los Angeles Auto Show for many of their latest products in front of this large and influential car-buying geography. Vehicle debuts, technology premieres, and immersive consumer experiences help make every fall in Los Angeles one of the industry's defining moments."

According to Terri Toennies, President and Chief Operating Officer of Los Angeles Auto Show, "When a brand with the reach and reputation of Chevron with Techron chooses our show to feature the next chapter of an iconic fuel technology, it reflects exactly the role this show plays."

WELCOME TO THE WEDDING-EXPERIENCE ERA

CNN reported, "Madison Square Garden isn't where most people picture saying "I do." Throw in arcade games and a raffle, and it gives off even less of a wedding vibe. But that's exactly the point. Those and other unexpected details surfacing from Taylor Swift's and Travis Kelce's ultra-private yet attention-grabbing celebration over the recent July 4th weekend reflect a growing wedding trend: designing a day guests will remember how they felt, not what they saw. Consider this your invitation to the wedding-experience era."

Akeshi Akinseye, founder of Kesh Events, a global luxury wedding and event planning and design company based in Chicago, explained, "We're seeing a desire to take some of the stiffness and formality out of weddings and bring the fun back. The arcade games and raffle make much more sense in the context of building an experience-forward wedding. It introduces anticipation. Guests are not just consuming the event — they're part of it. I can absolutely see couples taking cues from (Taylor's and Travis' wedding), but personalizing it to fit their own story. To execute an experience-forward wedding, more couples are hiring experience designers. And where a wedding takes place is the front door into the overall experience...There is something incredibly powerful about anticipation. This wedding could absolutely encourage more couples to look beyond traditional wedding venues and ask, 'What could this space become?'"

More from CNN, "Julie Comfort, an experience designer who works with wedding planners, describes her job as executing emotional design, or how a wedding is meant to make guests feel. That doesn't necessarily require shelling out even more money. For instance, she recently designed a wedding with the couple's love for karaoke in mind. A few close friends sang along with music for the first dance, and as the dance went on, more voices joined in, and the music gradually faded, eventually disappearing." Comfort explained, "Couples are realizing that they don't have to go over the top to make an impact, they just have to be more thoughtful, intentional, and generous with how they host people. A lot of the experience design techniques we use come from the art and theater world to create anticipation, surprise, magic, and drama."

WALMART'S VIP TOURS DURING WORLD CUP

CNN reported, "The nation's largest retailer [created] two VIP tours for tourists to "explore the oversized products, iconic snack aisles, and uniquely American finds" at its big box stores. One tour will take place in New Jersey ahead of the World Cup final and another in Miami after the quarterfinal game between Norway and England for the first 20 people in line for a World Cup parking lot experience it is hosting in partnership with Laliga, Spain's soccer league. The guided tours include custom Walmart passports, aisle stamps, swag, tour guides, and curated product samplings."

WORLD CUP MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS

According to customer experience marketer Dan Gingiss, some brands were creative with their event marketing efforts. According to Dan, "FIFA brands like Levi's, Heinz, and Beats were never supposed to be part of the story. FIFA, the international governing body of football (soccer in the U.S.), spent the opening weeks of the 2026 World Cup trying to make some of the world's most recognizable brands disappear. It didn't work. And the lesson for every business has nothing to do with sports. FIFA's clean venue policy requires that any brand not paying to be an official tournament sponsor be covered or removed from sight at host stadiums. Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara became "San Francisco Bay Area Stadium." A white tarpaulin covered the Levi's batwing logo...So some genius marketers decided to do something about it, turning this into a memorable customer experience story. Levi's didn't fight the tarpaulin. Instead, it leaned into it. The brand posted a video captioned "Welcoming the world to the beautiful [redacted] stadium!" set to the viral "Nobody’s Gonna Know” audio. As of July 16th, the post has more than 2.6 million likes and more than 42,000 reposts on Instagram alone.

Levi's then extended the covered-logo aesthetic to storefronts in London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Mexico. So the cover-up became the campaign (with the message: "Come visit, if you can find us."). The brands FIFA tried to suppress became the most-talked-about brands of the tournament, while the brands that paid for official sponsorship largely blended into the background...FIFA's clean venue policy was designed to protect its sponsors. Instead, it handed free marketing to the brands it was trying to erase."

According to Alexander Chernev, professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, "If customers can still recognize the logo, that actually gives you more awareness than if you haven't done anything to begin with."

KFC'S FIRST "CHIEF CONCEPT OFFICER" AIMS TO "DISRUPT THE FUTURE"

According to Marketing Week, "Christophe Poirier, KFC's first chief concept officer, says his ultimate goal is to "disrupt the future" while ensuring the brand remains true to its roots. Poirier explained, "KFC was born 74 years ago, so how do you keep it true to its DNA? How do you make sure you don't lose your core audience. But at the same time, how do you make sure this 74-year-old brand stays forever young?"" We'll be watching.

NEW NAME FOR FLORIDA AIRPORT

Reuters reported on July 9th, "Palm Beach International Airport was officially renamed to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, becoming the latest in a series of buildings and government programs to take on the ‌Republican's identity. The Federal Aviation Administration three-letter identifier code for the airport was ‌changed from PBI to DJT, but passengers will need to use PBI to book flights until August 18th, when it will be reflected on baggage tags, tickets, and airline reservation systems. The airport said the name change cost $5.5 million."

According to the airport's website, "The State of Florida appropriated $2.75 million toward the project. The remaining costs will be funded through the Department of Airports' operating budget and capital improvement program. The airport rebranding is anticipated to occur in phases based on available funding. The Department of Airports will continue to pursue all available funding sources, including legislative appropriations, eligible Florida Department of Transportation funding opportunities, grants, and other airport funding sources...The name change does not result in a separate fee charged to passengers. Like other airport operating and capital expenses, implementation costs are managed through the Department of Airports' existing funding sources."

Other U.S. airports have been named for former presidents including Little Rock, Arkansas's airport after former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - but it retained the LIT airport code. And President Clinton signed a bill in 1998 to rename Washington National Airport (in DC) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY

How did you celebrate National Ice Cream Day on July 19th? In 1984, President Ronald Reagan declared National Ice Cream Day would be celebrated on the third Sunday of July, and also declared July as National Ice Cream Month. According to NationalDayCalendar, "Culinary folks point to Naples, Italy as the birthplace of the first ice cream. They give credit to Antonio Latini. He was born in 1642, and created a milk-based sorbet."

According to USA Today, "Data from Instacart shows that vanilla remained the most-ordered ice cream flavor on the platform in 2025, retaining the title it had held the last two years. Chocolate, cookie dough, cookies & cream, and chocolate fudge/brownie rounded out the top five most popular flavors, according to the delivery platform. According to the data, Häagen-Dazs was the most-ordered ice cream brand on the platform in 2025 with Ben & Jerry's a close second."

Food Network provided a list of brands/stores with deals to celebrate: Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins, Friendly's, Dippin' Dots, Wendy's, Graeter's, DoorDash, Dunkin', Cold Stone Creamery, Insomnia Cookies, 16 Handles, Carvel, Gopuff, Harry Potter Shops, Marble Slab Creamery, My/Mochi Ice Cream, Oberwels, Stop & Shop, Target, Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace, and Yasso.

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Let's Celebrate International Castle Day!

Celebrated annually on July 19th, International Castle Day was established in 2015 by the Association of European Royal Residences based in France to highlight the cultural importance, architectural beauty, and heritage of castles and palaces worldwide and to encourage their preservation and appreciation.

As an architecture, history, and travel fan, I've visited Hearst Castle in California; Iolani Palace in Hawaii (the only royal residence on U.S. soil); the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; Chambord, Chenonceau, Fontainbleau, the Louvre, and Mont-Saint-Michel in France; Kensington Palace and the Tower of London in England; the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia; and, of course, some Disney castles (Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in California, Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom in Florida, and Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant at Disneyland Paris in France).

Hold onto the castle line of thought for a moment while I pose the following question: How often have you seen something and thought, "LEGO should make a toy of that?" Sure, LEGO has countless toys for kids, but did you know that the international toy brand also has toy sets designed for the adult market?

According to LEGO's adult welcome page, "Spend quality time with LEGO sets designed specifically for adults. From wonders of the world to movie magic, intrepid space exploration to pop culture icons, luxury cars to architectural masterpieces, there’s a LEGO set waiting for you. So unplug, unbox, and unwind...Maybe you built LEGO sets as a child and never stopped, maybe you took a break from the bricks but have rediscovered the joy, or maybe you began your LEGO hobby as an adult. There is no right or wrong way to enjoy LEGO sets as an adult, the main thing is that you do."

And here's something you probably didn't know also existed: LEGO adult parties. "The joy of LEGO building isn’t just in the construction – it’s about the laughter, conversation, and magic moments along the way. So, gather your loved ones, pour out those bricks, and let’s get this party started! Whether you’re planning a lively night with friends, a cozy night in with a special someone, or a family reunion, LEGO sets are here to save the day!"

And now, returning to today's significance...one of the most interesting LEGO sets can be found in LEGO's architecture category: Bavaria's Neuschwanstein Castle. According to the product specs, "Dive into your passion for iconic landmarks with this collectible 3,455-piece LEGO Architecture Neuschwanstein Castle building set for adults. The build is full of surprises from the exterior spires, turrets, courtyard, staircases, and gabled roofs to the small interior builds. Plus, the foliage of the surrounding trees can be changed to depict either a summer or fall landscape. This 3,455-piece architecture display model of Neuschwanstein Castle measures over 12 in. (31 cm) high, 18 in. (46 cm) wide and 8 in. (20 cm) deep."

So how will you celebrate International Castle Day today? If you visit a castle, share your photos and memories on social media with today's hashtag #InternationalCastleDay!

According to Pantone's website back in April 2019, in an industry first, "The Pantone Color Institute is excited to announce the creation of an official new PANTONE Color, Minion Yellow. Based on the Minions characters from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's "Despicable Me" global film franchise, including the upcoming prequel Minions, Pantone Minion Yellow is an illuminating, energetic, friendly, and fun-loving yellow shade that is designed to represent the sweet characters. An extroverted hue, it projects playfulness and warmth and is suggestive of intellectual curiosity and enlightenment."

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute, explained, "Just as the sun's rays enliven us, Pantone Minion Yellow is a color that heightens awareness and creates clarity, lighting the way to the intelligence, originality, and the resourcefulness of an open mind. It is the color of hope, joy, and optimism. Color is contextual, and right now, there is a desire for colors that are more vibrant and uplifting. This is especially the case with the yellows, so given the worldwide popularity of the Minions, it seemed only natural to name a color after a character for the first time in our history."

And according to Jamie Stevens, Executive Vice President, Global Retail Development, Universal Partnerships and Licensing, "We are thrilled that Pantone's color experts saw market demand for yellow and looked to the Minions, as global pop culture icons, to add to its yellow spectrum."

And now, back to MINIONS AND MONSTERS, in theaters today. It's the third installment in the "Minions" prequel series and the seventh installment overall in the "Despicable Me" franchise. IMDB shared the film's premise, "Follow the Minions in 1920s Hollywood as they search for frightening creatures for their monster movie, partner with a green creature, and save the planet after unleashing monsters."

From a marketing perspective, you might want to munch on some Minions-themed snacks today. Grocery Trade News reported, "Taylor Farms and Crunch Pak have launched a new range of fresh snacks, salads, and vegetable kits inspired by "Minions & Monsters." The products will roll out nationwide across the United States in May, targeting families and children with ready-to-eat, healthier convenience options tied to a major entertainment release. Products include snack trays with apples, caramel dip, pretzels, and popcorn bites as well as ready-to-eat salad bowls, chopped salad kits, and vegetable-based meal kits such as cauliflower and broccoli with cheese mixes, designed for quick preparation at home...For retailers, the combination of fresh food and entertainment branding can increase basket size and attract family shoppers. It also supports category growth by making fresh produce more engaging, particularly for younger consumers. Seasonal tie-ins with film releases can drive short-term sales spikes and in-store traffic."

And if you'd like to wear some themed jewelry while you watch the new film, check out Swarovski's Minions line. According to the brand's website, "Celebrate your love for the Minions and brighten your home with our crystallized collectibles. Faceted with precision and finished with signature details, each figurine is perfect for adding personality to your décor. For the first time, the fun extends beyond decorations. Wear your favorite Minions character with our fun Minion necklaces or playful Minions bracelets. Complete the set with a pair of matching earrings and showcase your love for the Minions."

So, if you see yellow today, to quote Pharrell Williams from "Despicable Me 2," be "HAPPY."

Monday, June 29, 2026

Marketing News of the Month: Personal Branding, Paddington the Bear, Pools, and More

During the month of June, there were news stories that reflected brand experiences, brand extensions, brand identity, brand messaging, brand storytelling, brand strategy, gender bias, gender equality, personal branding, product pricing, special event marketing, and more.

DEATH OF DAVID HOCKNEY

ABC7 News reported, "Artist David Hockney, whose paintings of pools shimmering in the Los Angeles sunshine became icons of 20th-century art, died at the age of 88 on June 11th, a few weeks shy of his 89th birthday. Hockney was born in the north of England but lived much of his life in Southern California, making its sun-drenched suburban views a major motif. Later in life he returned to Europe, finding renewed inspiration in the wooded hills of his native county of Yorkshire and the fields and trees of France's Normandy region. He became one of the UK's most treasured artists, his works selling for record prices at auction. With his trademark round glasses and bleached-blond hair, Hockney was a well-known figure in the swinging British and American art scenes of the 1960s, even before he reached the age of 30. His paintings were just as distinctive, many of them creating a dreamlike world of patterned light bouncing off water and windows, and human forms rendered in flattened, simplified shapes in matte acrylic paint."

Hockney told the Los Angeles Times in 1979, "I'm excited every day. London has lots of dreary parts but I never find anything dreary in Los Angeles."

He told the Associated Press in 1995, "The moment I first sold pictures to earn a living, I felt rich. I've been rich ever since."

ABC7 continued, "His artistic influences ranged widely, from Renaissance portraitists to 19th-century English landscape painter J.M.W. Turner (William Turner), Pablo Picasso's experiments in Cubism, and 20th-century American pop art. He shared with other pop artists an interest in the polished surface of modern life. And, like Andy Warhol with his Brillo boxes and Campbell's soup cans, Hockney occasionally incorporated advertising labels. Even his move to California had a historic precedent, since earlier generations of English artists had sought out the brilliant light of Italy. While paintings of pools were a Hockney trademark, he also literally painted a pool when he decorated the bottom of the swimming pool at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. He didn't limit himself to drawing and painting, though. He contributed costume and set designs for theater and the opera, including a celebrated production of "Tristan und Isolde" first staged in 1987 at the Los Angeles Opera. Always an innovator, Hockney embraced drawing, painting, printmaking, photo collage, and video in a seven-decade career."

Art curator Norman Rosenthal called Hockney "the Picasso of our times. When I say that, people laugh at me, as Picasso was the archetypal artist of the 20th century. But David Hockney is also an incredibly popular artist whose work changes how we see things."

NOTE: I saw the Tropicana Pool at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California, soon after it was unveiled in 1988. According to JournalHotels, "As the story goes, Hockney showed up one day in 1988 at the Hollywood Roosevelt with a can of paint and a brush attached to the end of a broom. Over the course of four hours, he decorated the bottom of the empty pool with the circular dashes for which he is so well known. It's a fitting canvas for the artist, who told Architecture Digest in 2018, 'I like swimming. It’s the only exercise I get.'"

BRITAIN'S PROPOSED SOCIAL MEDIA BAN

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on June 15th that the UK will ban social media for under-16s, claiming that the planned measures will go "further than any country in the world" to protect children from online harms. He said, "The changes will back parents grappling with the risks for children that come from the online world and help empower them by providing a clear decision on what is safe and age-appropriate for children. The government will put the bill to lawmakers before Christmas, with protections expected to come into force in  Spring  2027."

CNN reported, "The proposed social media ban will affect user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms, according to the UK government. This means children will no longer be allowed to access platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be affected."

QUEEN CAMILLA, PADDINGTON THE BEAR, AND READING

According to the Royal Family's website, "On June 6th, The Queen, as Patron of both the National Literacy Trust and The Big Lunch initiative, joined volunteers from across the UK at the British Library to celebrate the power of sharing stories and food to bring communities together...Primary schools in London have benefitted from the National Literacy Trust's "Libraries for Primaries" campaign, co-founded with Penguin Books in 2021 to ensure that every state primary school in the UK has a designated library space by 2029...Also, the National Literacy Trust unveiled Paddington Bear as the new National Year of Reading Ambassador."

PADDINGTON THE BEAR'S ROLE AS "NATIONAL YEAR OF READING AMBASSADOR FOR 2026"

According to HarperCollins UK, "We are so proud to share that the nation's favourite bear, Paddington, has been unveiled as the National Year of Reading Ambassador for 2026! The National Literacy Trust made this announcement at the British Library on March 6th. Karen Jankel, daughter of Paddington's creator, Michael Bond, was there to help hand out Paddington books to librarians, alongside Paddington's editor. Paddington has been inspiring a love of reading in children for generations, and we can't think of a more perfect ambassador for a year dedicated to celebrating books and literacy across the UK!"

According to GBN News, "The National Year of Reading 2026, a joint venture between the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust, seeks to reverse a two-decade decline in children's reading enjoyment. Currently supported by 35,000 volunteers, the campaign aims to recruit 100,000 and inspire millions of readers across all age groups."

According to AndMeetings.com, "Recognised all over the world, thanks to his familiar red hat, blue duffel coat and Wellington boots, Paddington Bear was the creation of English author Michael Bond in 1958. Born in Peru, the loveable bear was sent to London by his elderly Aunt Lucy, after being orphaned in an earthquake. He arrived at Paddington Station with nothing but a small suitcase, wearing a label saying, "Please look after this bear," tied around his neck. He was found by a friendly couple, the Browns, who took Paddington home to 32 Windsor Gardens, London, to start a new life with their children...Author Michael Bond wrote 28 Paddington books in total, the last one in April 2017, only weeks before his death. They have been translated into around 30 languages, selling more than 35 million copies all over the world."

"PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL" WILL ARRIVE ON BROADWAY IN 2027

The Guardian reported, "Marmalade bagels at the ready: London's Paddington Bear musical is to open on Broadway next spring. The phenomenally successful show, which won seven prizes at the Olivier awards, will begin performances on 30 March at the Al Hirschfeld theatre in New York, currently home to Moulin Rouge! The Musical. It’s a long way from 32 Windsor Gardens, where the clumsy but lovable bear from Peru is taken in by the Brown family and (eventually) wins over the whole neighbourhood. The show, based on Michael Bond's 1958 book "A Bear Called Paddington" and the 2014 film adaptation, opened in London at the end of last year to many five-star reviews."

WILL THE UNITED KINGDOM EVER JOIN THE EUROPEAN UNION?

The Guardian reported, "Two-thirds of EU citizens would back Britain rejoining the bloc, while most UK voters say Brexit has been bad for the issues they care about and want closer ties, including levels of integration – such as free movement – long seen as toxic, a survey has found. Ten years after the Brexit referendum, the polling by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a thinktank, found 66 percent of respondents across 15 countries said they either "strongly supported" or "tended to support" UK membership...Many European leaders have reflected this view. France's president, Emmanuel Macron, has said the door is "always open," and Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said Spain would "absolutely" support British membership."

NATIONAL MASCOT DAY

Celebrated every June 17th, National Mascot Day is dedicated to the larger-than-life characters that energize sports teams, schools, brands, and civic organisations. According to AwarenessDays, "From furry animals to fantastical creatures, mascots have been part of American sporting culture for more than 140 years, and this annual day gives fans the chance to appreciate the performers and costumes that bring team spirit to life." Which baseball team mascots can you name? Here are three: the San Diego Chicken (Padres), the Philly Phanatic (Phillies), and Lou Seal (San Francisco Giants).

NEW HAIRCARE PRODUCT LINE EXTENSION FOR e.l.f.

Brand Innovators reported, "e.l.f.'s moniker stands for "eyes, lips, face." So, the new campaign, "What the h.e.l.f.?" incorporates the new product line in a cheeky way. (To be clear, the company is not changing its name.) A new commercial depicts Bigfoot rifling through a camper's unguarded backpack. The creature discovers the new hair-care products, tries them, and the soundtrack immediately changes to more upbeat dance music, as Bigfoot feels the product take hold. The product line is part of the brand's so-called "Zero Distance" commitment from insight to action, after company research indicated 77 percent of e.l.f.'s consumer community expressed interest for haircare products. The new product line includes six products that include shampoo, conditioner, treatment oil, styling cream, and an anti-frizz spray."

According to Kory Marchisotto, president of e.l.f. Brands, "Our community has been asking us to bring e.l.f.fordable luxury into hair, and we listened. Our community does more than influence what we do, they help shape it. We take their insights and turn them into something meaningful, with a little wit and a lot of intention."

COBRANDING: FATHER'S DAY AND BASEBALL

Did you notice all the light blue during baseball games on Father's Day, June 21st? Major League Baseball's relationship with the Prostate Cancer Foundation began in 1996. To honor all dads and father figures and to raise awareness on this important day, players used the light blue color that's associated with prostate cancer for their on-field accessories including wristbands, protective gear, catcher's equipment, and footwear. They also wore blue ribbons on their shirts. And only on Father's Day, blue signage could be seen on bases.

COBRANDING: DUNKIN' AND BARBIE'S DREAMHOUSE

USA Today reported, "Dunkin' teamed up with Mattel's Barbie, offering a variety of pink drinks to welcome summer. To celebrate its collaboration with Barbie, Dunkin' debuted a Barbie DreamHouse-inspired store takeover in New York City, transforming a Midtown Dunkin' (265 West 37th Street) into a pink destination on June 10th."

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: MICROSOFT AND MAYO CLINIC

CNN reported, "People have been seeking health information online since the dawn of the internet. And now, tens of millions of people are turning to artificial intelligence for questions they once asked "Dr. Google." But the large language models behind most mainstream AI chatbots are trained on a wide variety of content — including huge swaths of the internet — meaning the advice can be iffy and occasionally dangerous. Microsoft and Mayo Clinic are now teaming up to address that by building an AI model trained specifically on medical data, including records, research, and the expertise of the hospital's clinicians, which they say will help both patients and providers...The tool could, for example, let patients ask for more details about a diagnosis, better understand likely next steps in their care or get information on preventative care. But it won't happen overnight. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman said he expects it to take "many years" for the two parties to train and refine the model to be accurate enough to be trusted for high-stakes health questions and consumer use. The model will initially be available to Mayo Clinic professionals, so they can test it for accuracy before rolling it out more broadly."

NEW OWNER FOR PIZZA HUT

CBS News reported, "Yum! Brands announced that it's selling Pizza Hut in a $2.7 billion deal that will split ownership of the restaurant chain between a U.S. private equity firm and a Chinese restaurant company. The Pizza Hut sale follows years of underperformance. Yum's latest earnings report shows Pizza Hut's sales growth lagging that of its other major restaurant chains, such as KFC and Taco Bell. In February, Yum! Brands said it would close 250 Pizza Hut locations in the U.S. The pizza chain has over 6,000 locations nationwide...Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by two brothers, Frank and Dan Carney. They chose the name because their sign could fit only eight letters, according to the Associated Press. PepsiCo bought the chain in 1977 but spun off its restaurant division in 1997, which became Yum! Brands."

PITTSBURGH TRANSFORMS INTO PICKLESBURGH

Food & Wine reported, "Pittsburgh is prepping for its briniest weekend of the year. Picklesburgh. The city's annual celebration of all things pickled returns July 16th-19th for four days of food and drinks, contests, and a pickle-themed spectacle in Downtown Pittsburgh. Created by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and presented by Heinz, the festival nods to the food company's long history in the city, as well as its longtime association with all things pickled. Since launching in 2015, Picklesburgh has grown from a charmingly offbeat summer event into one of Pittsburgh's major food festivals. This year, the free festival is set to be its biggest yet, with a return to a four-day run after last year's three-day event drew more than 208,000 attendees. Visitors can expect a pickle juice drinking contest, bobbing for pickles, and a rideable mechanical pickle. The festival goes far beyond classic dill spears, with food and drink vendors turning pickled ingredients into everything from snacks and sandwiches to sweets and drinks. Past offerings have incorporated pickles into beer, cocktails, iced tea, pizza, and even ice cream. Treats like fried pickles, pickle grilled cheese, dill pickle cotton candy, and chocolate-covered pickles are also crowd favorites....Prepare for Pittsburgh to be completely consumed by pickles for one tangy weekend."

SPACEX'S IPO

On June 12th, Elon Musk's company SPACEX, had its initial public offering (IPO). While the stock's price continued to rise in the days following the IPO, it will be interesting to see how the company's contracts with NASA will evolve.

OPENING OF NEW PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

Chicago is home to the newest Presidential Library. The Obama Presidential Center officially opened to the public on June 19th. The greeting shared on the center's website was clear, "Hope has a home, and it's time to open the doors." And in their opening remarks, Salon reported, "Together, the Obamas framed the center as more than a repository of history. It is, they argued, an invitation to action."

BRAND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS FOR NY KNICKS' NBA WIN

Campaign reported, "When the New York Knicks clinched their long-awaited championship title during Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals matchup against the San Antonio Spurs after a 53-year drought on June 13th, the hundreds of thousands of rapturous fans lining the streets of the city at public watch parties weren't the only ones reveling in the moment. Brand marketers also went all-in for the historic win, which saw the scrappy veterans roar back from a game-long deficit once again in spectacular fashion to seal a nailbiting 94-90 victory in front of Knicks faithfuls and many of the team's legends." Here were three of the campaigns:

NIKE: "Following the Knicks win over the Spurs, the apparel brand released a film centered on a relieved fan excitedly running and cartwheeling through the streets as Billy Joel's classic "New York State of Mind" plays."

OAKLEY META: "The smartglasses brand debuted a large billboard ad outside Madison Square Garden. In the ad, Spike Lee wears the brand's Performance AI glasses with cheering fans reflected in the lenses and the tagline 'Who's got the best fans?'"

NEW YORK LOTTERY: "The state lottery organization asked over 13,000 retailers across the state to voluntarily switch off their NY Lottery signs during the game in support of the Knicks Finals run. The activation was teased on the Thursday before the game with a video capturing bodega owners and retailers dimming their lights. The org and its agency McCann recently released its Can You Imagine campaign, which shows young players dreaming of what they would do with their winnings. The clever stunt made a statement that a Knicks Finals win was a dream every New Yorker collectively shared."

DEATH OF CLIVE DAVIS

The AP reported, "Clive Davis died at the age of 94 on June 22nd. Davis was the record company lawyer who became one of the music industry's most powerful figures, launching or resurrecting the careers of such superstars as Bruce Springstreen, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Billy Joel, and Alicia Keys. Michael Bublé said the music executive "believed in people and their dreams." Unlike other record moguls whose influence waned as they got older, Davis' only seemed to grow, spanning multiple genres and labels. Into his later years, he was directing the careers of everyone from Barry Manilow to "American Idol" winners Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. And his exclusive pre-Grammys gala, held the Saturday night before the Sunday award show every year since 1975, continued to be an institution."

DEATH OF JAMES BURROWS

NPR reported, "James Burrows died at the age of 85 on June 19th. Often referred to as the "Godfather of the American sitcom," he left an indelible mark on television over a five-decade career. He directed more than a thousand episodes for sitcoms including "Taxi," "Cheers," "Friends," "Frasier," "Will & Grace" and more...Burrows understood that great comedy was never simply about laughter. It was about humanity, connection, and truth.

His big break was directing an episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," after which he landed jobs directing multiple episodes of many popular sitcoms of the 1970s, including "The Bob Newhart Show," "The Tony Randall Show," "Laverne & Shirley" and "Taxi." By the time he co-created "Cheers" with Glen and Les Charles in 1982, James Burrows was considered the best sitcom director in the business, a title he maintained for decades. The reasons were obvious. James Burrows made one of the most significant improvements to the sitcom genre since "I Love Lucy" popularized the three-camera format of shooting before a studio audience. Burrows added a fourth camera, which allowed him to capture more close-ups and frame the action as naturally as he could.

But it wasn't just the quantity of premiere episodes directed by James Burrows that's so amazing. It's the quality. He directed the introductory episodes of "Taxi," "Cheers" and "Frasier" - not just the original 1993 "Frasier," but the 2023 remake as well, 30 years later. He also directed the first episodes of "The Big Bang Theory," "Night Court," "Wings," "NewsRadio," "3rd Rock From The Sun," "Dharma & Greg," "Two And A Half Men," "Friends" and "Will & Grace." And sometimes, James Burrows stuck around for quite a while - for more than 200 episodes of both "Will & Grace" and "Cheers" and 75 episodes of "Taxi.""

DEATH OF JANE YOLEN

The Guardian reported, "Jane Yolen died at the age of 87 on June 11th. She devoted her professional life to children's books, not only as an award-winning author but also as an editor, journalist, and university teacher. With an exceptional number of books to her name – Terror Birds, her 450th title, is due to be published in July – she was most highly praised for her inventive retellings of fairytales, in which she included both gentle and tough magic, some of which had serious and painful consequences. Yolen described herself as "a writer of literary or art fairytales, stories that use the elements of old stories – the cadences, the magical settings or objects – but concern themselves with modern themes." Critics have described them as being in the best traditions of the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Andersen.

Yolen's imaginative fantasy fiction, including The Mermaid’s Three Wishes (1978), shared many of these qualities, as did her most ambitious and highly regarded novel, The Devil's Arithmetic (1988), a time-travelling story in which Hannah Stern, a contemporary child celebrating Passover with her family, is sent back in time to Poland in 1942 where she lives the experience of being sent to a concentration camp. The book was nominated for a Nebula award, won the children's book category of the National Jewish Book award, and in 1999, was turned into a film of the same name starring Kirsten Dunst as Hannah. For younger readers, Yolen wrote picture books including Owl Moon (1987), illustrated by John Schoenhurr, a simply written, poetic story about a child's first experience of a wintry landscape, which won the Caldecott medal. Given the remarkable number of books she wrote, which included a handful of adult novels, it is not surprising that she was frequently labelled as prolific. It was not a description that Yolen valued."

Instead, Yolen said, "I would rather say I have a very low threshold of boredom, and so I have tried my hand at many different kinds of writing: picture books, fantasy, fairytales, straight fiction, verse, and non-fiction."

DEATH OF NORMA YAEGER

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported, "Norma Yaeger died at the age of 96 on June 3rd. Yaeger became a rare female stockbroker in the early 1960s and went on to found two securities firms in the overwhelmingly male financial world. She was 32 and and known as Norma Nahmias when she began her financial career in 1962 with Hornblower & Weeks, a brokerage firm in New York. That year, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), hoping to encourage more women to invest in stocks, had sponsored an educational fim, "The Lady and the Stock Exchange." At the time, few women worked as stockbrokers, but Hornblower and some other firms believed that hiring female brokers might help them expand their clientele. Nahmias was not seeking to break barriers. Her aim was to find a highpaying job to support her family...During a Hornblower training program in which she was the only woman, she was told that she would not be welcome at sessions on the exchange floor. No female stockbrokers were welcome there, as some men considered them bad luck. She insisted and was finally admitted."

According to Janice Traflet, a Bucknell University professor of accounting anf financial management who has studied the history of women in finance, "Norma Yaeger helped open doors for other women." In 1967, another Wall Street pioneer, Muriel Siebert, made headlines by becoming the first woman to acquire a seat on the New York Stock Exchange."

THE LEGACY OF JUDY BLUME'S WRITING CAREER

NPR reported in late June, "Judy Blume is the legendary writer of books for young adults including Are You There God It's Me Margaret, Deenie, Tiger Eyes, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and Blubber. Her last book, 2015's In The Unlikely Event, was published more than a decade ago. Blume now spends her time reading children's books behind the counter at her bookstore in Key West, Florida. Though she says she is done writing, her books remain beloved; her readers numerous and devoted."

Blume told NPR, "I always had stories inside my head — when I was 9 years old. I bounced a rubber ball against the side of my house for hours. But really what was going on were stories. Fabulous stories, very melodramatic. I never told anybody. I never asked a friend, "Hey, do you have stories inside your head all the time?" Because I thought they'd think I was weird, which I might have been. So the stories were always there...[My process for writing was] I kept a notebook for each book, and I scribbled everything in it. Everything, everything, everything for a long time. For months. And then on the day that I feel ready to start, well, that's either the scariest part of writing or the best. Because, you know, when you have a good day — I mean, I had kids, and I would sit down at the dinner table and I would say, like, "You will never believe what Tony did today." Because they're real. They're real to you. And you're living with them for months, sometimes years. And you're locked up in a little room all day with them. That's why 50 years is enough. I was ready to come out into the world. But I have found another career that I love dearly. I have a bookstore and I love that."

NOTE: As a reader of many of Blume's books, I'm glad she shared many memorable stories!

THREADS' UPDATES

TechCrunch reported, "Nearly three years after launching as a competitor to Twitter/X, Threads has reached 500 million monthly active users, the company announced on June 16th. The Meta-owned social platform also announced a series of new features launching today, including a "Your Algo" tool that lets users control what they see in their feed. By allowing users to temporarily influence what appears on their feeds, Threads gains an edge over X and other competitors by offering a feature that isn't available on rival platforms."

PAYMENT TO OLYMPICS ATHLETES

The Guardian reported, "The International Olympic Committee has broken with 130 years of tradition by deciding to pay athletes to compete at the Olympic Games. Starting with the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, all competitors will be entitled to a $10,000 grant from the IOC regardless of whether they are NBA stars or on the poverty line. About 14,000 athletes from the Summer and Winter Games are eligible for the payment, at a cost to the IOC of about $140 million. Athletes would receive the money six months after competing, provided they did not fail a doping test or violate the Olympic charter...The move marks another significant shift in IOC policy under its new leader, Kirsty Coventry. In March, Coventry introduced greater protections for the female category as part of her Fit for the Future reforms, which are designed to keep the Olympics at the forefront of global sport."

According to Pau Gasol, the head of the IOC's athletes' commission, "This grant will be available to every Olympian. Not just medal winners, not just athletes from certain countries, every Olympian. Because while every athlete's journey is different, every Olympian has made sacrifices to reach the Olympic stage - years of dedication, years of hard work, years of believing in a dream."

AMAZON'S PRIME DAYS

RetailDive reported, "After a spring announcement that Prime Day was moving back to June, the e-commerce giant revealed that it will run for four days, from June 23rd to June 26th. In recent years, the members-only event was held in July, with last year's sale running for four days for the first time. The event is coming at a time when consumer confidence is dragging as the price of gasoline and other goods goes up, according to the Conference Board. As a result, households are cutting spending. Fifty-seven percent of consumers in May said that high prices are eroding their finances, according to the University of Michigan...Deals this year are across more than 35 categories, including apparel, beauty, kitchen, home and electronics. The company is also bringing back its "Today’s Big Deal" section, which was first introduced in 2025. Deals drop three times a day, featuring five or more products with price cuts of up to 50 percent off."

Did you get any deals during Amazon's Prime Days?

What other recent marketing buzz caught your attention? Since there's always something happening that impacts marketing, read #DebbieLaskeysBlog for the scoop!

Image Credits: Peggy Fortnum and HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd., Paddington the Musical, and Ilia Fresco (via ArtworkArchive.com - Hockney pool).

Watch the video of Paddington's arrival in New York (leading up to 2027):

https://broadway.paddingtonthemusical.com/

Watch a throwback video of Queen Elizabeth II having tea with Paddington the Bear in June 2022:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UfiCa244XE

Watch President Obama's welcome on June 18th:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAnuAGLMJog

Friday, June 19, 2026

Get ready for Toy Story 5!

If you're a fan of the movie series TOY STORY, then today is a special day, because TOY STORY 5 arrives in theaters.