Associated Press
Walmart has its eye on the premium diaper market, as more people are getting automatic shipments from online sellers. The retailer is launching premium diapers as part of Walmart's relaunch of its 20-year-old Parent's Choice brand with new or refreshed products like bedding, baby lotion and sippy cups. The Parent's Choice diapers are just hitting some Walmart stores now and will be online next month.
Mashable
Delta Airlines will offer free in-flight mobile messaging on most of its flights starting Oct. 1. The move makes Delta the first U.S. global carrier - i.e., the first out of Delta, American Airlines, and United Airlines - to offer free messaging. Delta's messaging offering will be wifi-enabled, letting passengers send messages via iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. SMS isn't included.
Billboard
Apple Music tells "Billboard" that it now counts well over 30 million paying subscribers, helping fuel a 17% revenue jump for the U.S. recorded-music business in the first half of 2017 over the same period a year ago, according to the RIAA. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs issued a report in August predicting that subscription streaming would drive the global record business to nearly triple, to $41 billion by 2030.
Food Business News
Campbell Soup Co.'s pending acquisition of organic soup maker Pacific Foods may not materialize due to a lawsuit filed against Pacific Foods by a former shareholder. Edward C. Lynch is seeking more than $250 million in damages. Campbell Soup is not named in the suit but has given Pacific Foods 60 days to resolve the issues arising from the suit if the transaction is to be completed.
Reuters
Kellogg Co. replaced chief executive John Bryant with food industry veteran Steven Cahillane, who has been chief executive at Nature's Bounty and has held senior roles in Coca-Cola Co. and Anheuser Busch Inbev. The world's largest cereal maker continues efforts to halt 2.5 years of declining sales. Kellogg, like other packaged food makers, has been struggling with falling demand as consumers shift to healthier alternatives.
The New York Times
Echo Spot, a $129.99 spherical device with a 2.5-inch touch screen, is Amazon's version of an alarm clock. In addition to displaying the time and weather, its microphones will allow people to make phone calls, turn lights on and off and ask how long a morning commute will take. A tiny camera makes videoconferencing possible.
The Drum
Gatorade announced its first scripted series and a partnership with multi-channel network Awesomeness, which will create the content. In a six-episode series called "Versus," the series will feature girl lacrosse players, with the hope of creating a compelling story and supporting young women in sports. During the session, titled "Creating Content to Inspire a Generation," Gatorade brings attention to the company's research and the statistic that girls, ages 7-18, quit sports at a rate of 1.4 times compared with boys the same age.
Brand Channel
Citi has built its entertainment program, Private Pass, from the ground up into one of the largest consumer-access platforms at a time when many brands are trying to find ways to deepen and extend relationships with their customers. In a week that it also rose on Interbrand's Best Global Brands ranking, Citi is launching a campaign that relies on one of the biggest ways brands can connect with consumers-music.
NYSportsJournalism.com
Calling it an "important economic driver for the city," a new report shows that the Bank of America Chicago Marathon has delivered more than $1.1 billion over the past four years in economic impact to the city, more than $280 million per year during that period. The 40th anniversary of the event, scheduled for Oct. 8, is again expected to top the $280 million figure. The marathon "directly contributed an estimated $115 million to the main sectors of the tourism industry.
SFGate
Sue Berkeley and Eli Bob, an Australian couple with a real love for buying things in bulk, tied the knot at a place the bride calls "a place that I love" - their local Costco. The store, in the Sydney suburb of Casula, was a natural choice for the couple's venue, because as the pair say, they spend a lot of time shopping there. The couple's wedding was attended by 90 of their family and friends and "200 confused shoppers."