Marketing Currents is a weekly current events news service that highlights unique and relevant business and marketing campaigns throughout the school year. The questions provided for student discussion will help to create a bridge between industry strategies/trends and the topics you are covering in class.
Ikea is ending its bible-sized annual catalog after 70 years in publication. The Swedish retailer cited the increasing shift to online browsing and shopping for the end of its catalog. Ikea said in a statement it has “taken the emotional but rational decision to respectfully end the successful career” of Read more…
Home Depot is known for selling power tools, hardware, plywood, appliances and everything plumbing, from the pipes to kitchen sinks. But the world’s largest home improvement retailer has quietly and slowly expanded its online inventory to add more home decor, including furniture, towels and wine glasses, officials shared exclusively with Read more…
Wendy’s has launched a delivery-only “Never Stop Gaming menu” with Uber Eats featuring five Twitch streamers’ go-to orders. Wendy’s is tapping into the increasingly popular livestreaming and gaming site Twitch for its latest marketing campaign, while also leveraging its increasingly popular delivery channel. Click here to read the story at Read more…
Already a holiday season like no other, the 2020 shopping experience has seen a huge shift in terms of when and where it is taking place — and how companies are advertising their wares amid a bleak economic landscape. Holiday sales started earlier than ever before, with many retailers spreading Read more…
Following a deluge of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, Tuesday marks the day when brands aim to show consumers they are giving back. As Giving Tuesday has gone from an anti-consumerism event to a cause-based marketing opportunity, companies are adapting their corporate social responsibility initiatives for a holiday season Read more…
Food mascot looks are iconic. Tony the Tiger, Chef Boyardee, Mr. Peanut (RIP)–you know them, you love them, and you can immediately picture them in your head when you hear their names. All great looks need a little revamp, though. For the first time in 20 years, Kellogg’s is switching Read more…
With a century’s worth of iconic holiday imagery (including polar bears, penguins and the modern version of Santa Claus), Coca-Cola’s holiday marketing has become intertwined with the yuletide season. Many traditions have been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, driving the brand to offer fans a way to acknowledge Read more…
In what is likely the best kind of bad publicity a restaurant can get, In-N-Out Burger’s new Colorado locations sparked pandemonium. Customers waited for more than 12 hours. Cops rerouted traffic. And the Daily Mail, more or less the National Enquirerof the U.K., reported on a man losing his pants in a Read more…
How far would you go for a free McRib? McDonald’s iconic barbecue sandwich returns to restaurants nationwide beginning Wednesday. Click here to read the story at usatoday.com. Discussion Questions: Why do you think McRib is not a permanent McDonald’s menu item? What is promotion? What are the different types of Read more…
In the battle of the next-generation gaming machines, two key players are moving in different directions. Microsoft Corp. is making a serious attempt to attract fans in Japan with its new consoles and network services. Meanwhile, Tokyo-based Sony Corp. moved its PlayStation business headquarters to California in 2016 and has Read more…