By David Farrell
What Was Said
And Speaking of Marketing Bullshit...
Over the years, there has been no company that I've taken greater joy in ridiculing than Pepsi. But I have to admit that I've been remiss lately in keeping up with the marketing juggernaut of stupidity that is Pepsi. So let's have a peek at what they're up to.
This week at the Cannes Festival of Global Self-Importance, Pepsi's VP of Marketing gave The Drum a little insight into how Pepsi believes their customers are different. And, no, I didn't make this up...
“They have this mindset of somebody who likes to live out loud – they're more likely to clap at the end of a movie, cheer out loud at a sporting event,” he explains. “We've gotten very deep with understanding our consumer, which has been one of the big unlocks of really being consumer-first and consumer grounded in everything we do....We want to really celebrate them and help them live their lives more unapologetically and feel these moments of unapologetic enjoyment with them.”
Is it possible that a grown man actually believes this horseshit? Someone needs to kick this meatball in the ass and explain to him that Pepsi shares 70% of its customers with Coke. How's that for a "big unlock?" – Bob Hoffman, The Ad Contrarian
Vice Quebec closing its doors, affecting about 20 media employees
Online magazine Vice is closing its doors in Quebec.
According to the Quebec Federation of Professional Journalists, about 20 employees in the province were informed of the decision Friday morning.
Founded in Montreal in 1994 as a Canadian magazine, Vice has become a media company with operations in more than 30 countries. – The Canadian Press
Canadian broadcasting revenues take a hit
Total broadcasting revenues declined by 1.2 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to a revenue report from the CRTC.
This number is not as much of a sharp decline as the one we saw last year. For instance, total broadcasting revenues declined by 3.3 percent from 2016 to 2017. – Allison McCague, VCA News
Slack: Why is this loss-making tech firm worth $20B?
Another tech start-up made a blockbuster debut on the US stock market last week, with shares in Slack ending the week more than 40% higher.
That values the Silicon Valley-based business at $20bn, not bad for a messaging app that was only publicly released in 2014 and has never turned a profit.
So why were investors so keen? – Russell Hotten, BBC Finance
The Jeff Goldblum guide to getting someone's attention
Jeff Goldblum is at the Cannes Creativity festival to appear in a session called “The Future of Entertainment” with Stéphane Xiberras, chief creative officer and president of BETC Paris. When someone coined the phrase “Never meet your heroes,” they were not talking about Goldblum. Which is why fashion site The Cut obsessively covers his Instagram feed or when his wife tests out a jet-lag face mask and posts it online.
Brands know this, too. – Jeff Beer, Fast Company
Berkshire Eagle's owner fights to save local journalism
The western Massachusetts daily has an expanded investigative team. There's a new 12-page lifestyle section for The Eagle's Sunday editions. There's a new monthly magazine focusing on the area's culinary and natural charms. There's an advisory board that includes cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Pulitzer-winning writer Elizabeth Kolbert.
The newspaper is wider, its paper thicker. There's even a second daily crossword puzzle. – Alexandra Olson, The Associated Press
Pride for sale: How brands and corporations are remaking LGBTQ celebrations
In 2016, a Pride festival in Los Angeles that at first promised inclusivity for women and seniors shocked one attendee with the elimination of its free ticket option. It was revealed that a day ticket would be $35. The story is much the same for New York. This year, PrideFest VIP tickets will run you $50, though the parade is still free. NYC Pride, meanwhile, offers T-shirts at a cool $55 and a hoodie at $90. Don’t get caught without an overpriced Pride-branded beer in your hand, either! Merchandise at Pride isn’t new, necessarily, but it is the by-product of Pride growing into a more commercial space where being nickel-and-dimed is the norm rather than the exception. – John Paul Brammer, The Washington Post
