Pabst Brewing Co. appointed Paul Chibe as its new CEO, effectively succeeding Eugene Kashper on Dec. 1. Chibe is the former president and CEO of Ferrero, which oversees brands including Nutella, Ferrero Rocher and Kinder. Before Ferrero, Chibe was CMO of Anheuser-Busch. He created the Budweiser “Made in America” concert series and launched Bud Light Platinum and Rita brands. 

Extra Gum’s “Chew It Before You Do It” campaign highlights how taking a moment to chew a piece of gum before doing or saying something can help prevent awkward moments  The effort, from Energy BBDO, features spots that depict holiday situations like reacting to a family member’s stupid joke. A limited-edition “Chew It Before You Do It” button will help relieve consumers from questionable situations. Each button will provide a piece of Extra Gum when pressed.

An investment group is asking the QSR's board to conduct a third-party assessment on issues such as racism and diversity. McDonald's is not the first big company to receive such scrutiny. “SOC Investment Group has filed racial-equity proposals with such large financial institutions as Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, StateStreet and BlackRock,” according to Nation’s Restaurant News. 

Deemed one of the most influential designers of his generation, Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of men’s wear at Louis Vuitton, has died from cancer at the age of 41. Abloh, who founded luxury streetwear brand Off-White, broke barriers in his role at Vuitton, which was also the first time a Black designer had taken the reins of any major luxury brand. His first show in June 2018 “marked a new chapter in fashion: the moment when streetwear crashed the hallowed halls of luxury brands,” per WWD.

A happy-making link: If you love Mel Brooks, enjoy this excerpt from his new autobiography "All About Me," courtesy of New York magazine's Vulture vertical. It's all about his courtship of wife Anne Bancroft (that's the heart-warming part), but also features glimpses of his early days as a mega-creative, which included writing the voiceover for a Bic commercial and developing the TV show "Get Smart."

"The global supply-chain crisis is far from over. But there are signs that the worst of it is now behind us," notes this post from New York magazine's Intelligencer section. Among the reassuring developments cited: "Major U.S. retailers have already stockpiled the goods they expect to sell over the holiday season." And "Chinese manufacturing is powering up."

In "the first jury verdict in an opioids case," CVS Health, Walmart and Walgreens were found to have "substantially contributed to the crisis of opioid overdoses and deaths in two Ohio counties, the first time the retail segment of the drug industry has been held accountable in the decades-long epidemic," according to The New York Times. "CVS and Walgreens immediately said they would appeal the verdict, and Walmart is expected to do the same."

Drive-thru and takeout business helped save the day at restaurants nationwide. Now, some chains are testing drive-thrus with double, triple or even quadruple lanes. The share of orders placed in the restaurant has recovered from pandemic lows, but drive-thru, pickup and delivery remain more popular than they used to be. Drive-thrus brought in roughly half of orders in July, according to Technomic.

TikTok has named its first ever “Culture Drivers" list, the 14 brands the social media platform sees as doing the most engaging work on the platform. “TikTok’s global head of business marketing Sofia Hernandez says that the goal is to celebrate the marketers who really have taken the leap on the platform as bold innovators,” according to Fast Company. The highlighted brands “took chances, and they did it the right way, they trusted themselves, and they trusted us,” says Hernandez.

Proclaiming that the “Australian Open will be back in all its glory in January,” organizers of the first tennis Grand Slam of the year have revealed plans to host full-capacity crowds, but under strict COVID-19 protocols. According to Tournament officials, “Everyone on site, the fans, all the staff, the players, will need to be vaccinated." Sponsors include Kia, Emirates, Luzhou Laojiao, Rolex, Canadian Club, Infosys, Marriott Bonvoy, MasterCard, Peroni, Polo Ralph Lauren, Toshiba and Uber Eats.