Brand Channel
Pampers and UNICEF are celebrating their 10th anniversary of working together by concentrating on the elimination of maternal and newborn tetanus in 17 countries in the world's poorest areas. The partnership's brand ambassador-celebrity mom and former Spice Girl Emma Bunton-joined Pampers and P&G execs along with UNICEF officials at a global summit in New York on Monday.
Engadget
Uber is launching a new service targeting event organizers, especially those tired of fielding calls from guests who can't make it due to car troubles. The service called UberEvents allows organizers to buy and secure via email Uber passes ahead of the occasion to send to guests, clients or anyone else. Guests will only have to enter the code under the Promotions section of the Uber app to hail a ride. The company is testing it with events people in New York City.
Automotive News
Clean diesel has been dinged by the Volkswagen emissions-cheating scandal. But will the VW revelations do more than just sully the powertrain's short-term reputation in the U.S.? Proponents of diesel say the scandal won't kill diesel here, as they point out that more than a dozen diesel models will arrive in the next year. But VW and Audi account for most: Last year, 138,174 such vehicles were sold in the U.S., and 68% were from the Wolfsburg, Germany automaker.
Business Insider
Groceries account for about 56% of Wal-Mart sales. But Wal-Mart's grocery department has not been helped by the social universe. Reviews are scandalous, per BMO Capital Markets analyst Wayne Hood. In a recent report, he says customers are unhappy with the lack of fresh produce, poor service, and empty shelves. Competitors like Kroger and Publix have been stealing market share with more produce, organics, and freshly prepared foods. They also have higher satisfaction.
The Drum
Vinyl made up a third of all physical music sales in the first half 2015 in the U.S. Sales of traditional records generated more revenue for artists than free versions of Spotify, YouTube and Vevo combined, according to research from the Recording Industry Association of America. Physical records raised $222 million, while ad-supported music services only contributed $163,000 million. Old-school record sales rose 52%.
The Guardian
Lord Browne was CEO of oil giant BP during the Texas City refinery explosion in 2005. And his career ended after having lied to a court about the manner in which he had met his boyfriend. The former senior U.K. government adviser on business, and author of "The Glass Closet," about being gay in the workplace, shares what he knows about crisis management in his new book, "Connect." His advice could apply to Volkswagen: a company will recover faster from a PR disaster if it has already built up a reservoir of trust with society and consumers.
NYSportsJournalism.com
Topps cards is doing a multi-platform activation asking people to decide which MLB player will hold the coveted position of being Card No. 1. The 2016 Topps Series 1 Baseball set, the 65th anniversary of Topps Baseball, includes more than 30 players, one from each MLB team. Among the legends who have had the No. 1 card in a Topps Baseball Series: Jackie Robinson, Derek Jeter, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Nolan Ryan and the 1969 World Series Champion New York Mets.
Adweek
Kenneth Cole's, whose ads sell both brand and social causes, is getting a refresh, including a new logo and campaign. The company is upping its media spend by 25% for a national print, outdoor, digital and social-media plan. The "The Courageous Class" features transgender woman and model Andreja Pejic, hip-hop artist and humanitarian Rhymefest, model and activist Topaz Page-Green, deaf pro soccer player Jamie Clarke, and pro surfer turned activist Jon Rose.
Detroit Bureau
Volkswagen AG is expected to appoint Matthias Mueller, the head of its Porsche sports car division, as its new CEO, replacing Martin Winterkorn, the executive ousted in the wake of a scandal over the rigging of U.S. diesel emissions tests. The 62-year-old Mueller will be formally named tomorrow during a meeting of VW's supervisory board. He will have to oversee what has become the biggest crisis in the history of what this year became the world's largest automaker.
Burger Business
McDonald's first 100% organic-beef burger goes on sale in Germany next week, when the "McB" ("B" for bio, or organic), joins the chain's menu in its 1,500 stores there. Besides organic beef sourced from farms in Germany and Austria, it has Lollo Bionda lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, red onion rings, Edam cheese and sauce. Then comes the "Long McB" burger with organic beef, arugula, Maasdam cheese, red onion rings, tomato and a spicy sauce in a bun with sunflower seeds.