Complex
The counterfeit goods industry is worth more than a trillion dollars, and fake sneakers are a big part of that equation. When it comes to bootleg shoes, they include near-identical Adidas Yeezy Boosts that can even fool discerning sneaker enthusiasts. Except for Yeezy Busta, a 19-year-old from Los Angeles who runs an Instagram account that calls out celebrities.
TMO News
A video shows a woman driving her SUV into a T-Mobile store in Palm Springs, Fla. She visited the store on Wednesday to exchange her cracked iPhone, then returned the next day and drove her vehicle into the store. She told police she was upset about being told that she'd have to pay for her replacement phone even though she had insurance.
Drug Store News
Walmart is making changes in its executive ranks, bringing together management of its Web and retail teams. The changes, which the chain has not officially announced, come on the heels of reports that Karenann Terrell will step down as CIO. Other moves: Tony Rogers, Walmart U.S. CMO, will lead marketing over Walmart's stores, Walmart.com and Jet.com.
Cincinnati Enquirer
Struggling department store Macy's said it has fired its chief growth officer, Peter Sachse. A 34-year Macy's employee, Sachse will leave the retail company Jan. 30. He will collect a $2.7 million lump sum payment as part of an "involuntary" severance package, benefits, a bonus and his stock awards will continue to vest into 2019.
People
The task was to create an innovative and "disruptive" ad campaign that would consist of four images to be presented for a new model of Kawasaki motorcycles. Carson Kressley (Remember "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy"?) leads one team, which also includes Boy George. One of the images they came up with is a naked Kressley sitting on the bike.
The New York Times
For months there has been excitement among the cat cognoscenti about the Catterbox, described in a viral video as "the world's first talking cat collar." Made by a science outfit called Temptations Lab, the collar was said to record your cat's utterances, translate them into human words and say them aloud. You could pick a voice for your cat via a smartphone app.
Brand Channel
In an unexpected present to fans of "Mad Men" and Jon Hamm - and to anyone who's not enamored with doing their own taxes - H&R Block released a double treat: two commercials featuring the award-winning actor known for his portrayal of Don Draper. New creative will continue to roll out through tax day and it marks a bold new direction for the brand.
Brand Eating
Burger King brews up new coffee and brings back the "BK Joe" name along with a limited-time deal where they're offering any size coffee (hot or iced) for 99 cents. The move marks a change from their previous partnership that saw them offering Seattle's Best coffee. The new coffee is made with a new Burger King proprietary blend.
The Drum
Champs Sports and AKQA have teamed with Grammy-nominated artist DJ Khaled to create an '80s-style video game to promote heritage footwear brand Timberland and the release of the company's latest boot. The retro video game, "Secure the Bag," is a mobile-capable video game and interactive experience.
The Guardian
KFC has teamed up with Baidu - the search engine company often referred to as "China's Google" - to develop facial-recognition technology that can be used to predict customer's orders. The artificial intelligence-enabled system can recommend menu items based on a customer's estimated age and mood.