Chicago Tribune
McDonald's is launching premium mix-and-match sandwiches it calls Signature Crafted that cost $5. The line was developed after McDonald's discontinued Create Your Taste, an entirely customizable sandwich platform. Premium burgers have had little success at McDonald's, which has tried options from the Arch Deluxe to Sirloin Burgers.
Brand Channel
Cincinnati's Fifth Third Bancorp launched a campaign from Pereira & O'Dell on May 3rd (i.e., 5/3) to play on the improper fraction in its name. A tagline, "This is banking. A Fifth Third better." replaces the previous one, "Working hard to be the only bank you'll ever need," in use for two decades. Creative highlights a nationwide network of 45,000 fee-free ATMs.
The Sacramento Bee
Traveler spending injected a record $126 billion into California's economy in 2016, according to the state's tourism agency. In its annual economic impact report, the nonprofit group said travel and tourism generated $10.3 billion in tax revenue and supported 1.1 million jobs last year, marking the seventh consecutive year of growth.
Chicago Tribune
Forget the Unicorn, Starbucks is rolling out another drink aimed at the Instagram crowd: A jet-black frozen concoction called the Midnight Mint Mocha Frappuccino, made with cocoa and whipped cream and mint sugar crystals. The drink "taps into the dark food trend popular in social media, such as black macarons and charcoal ice cream," according to the company.
Cleveland.com
LeBron James pretended to sip a Great Lakes Brewing Co. beer courtside during Cleveland's victory over Toronto on Monday. The brewery, which has been around since 1988, is well known throughout the Midwest. But the craft-beer market, both nationally and especially locally, is extremely competitive.
Mashable
McDonald's will be giving out a limited quantity of "frorks" as part of the introduction of its new Signature Crafted Recipe menu. The sandwiches on the new menu are prone to dropping toppings, which is why McDonald's created a way to scoop up the sauce or guacamole that may fall while you are eating.
NYSportsJournalism.com
According to the NFL Players Association, Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliot has set a precedent by becoming the first rookie to finish No. 1 in the fiscal year-end NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List, where total retail sales for the year topped $1.6 billion. The Cowboys themselves set a standard by placing three players among the top four in sales of officially licensed NFL player merchandise.
Business Insider
Tesla reported a wider-than-expected loss for the first quarter. However, the Model 3 remains on track for initial production in July. The electric-car maker said it lost $1.33 per share, wider than the loss of 82 cents that analysts had forecast. Revenue more than doubled and beat expectations, at $2.7 billion ($2.61 billion forecast.)
Drug Store News
Rimmel London has been teasing the new brand identity on social media, using its ambassadors: Cara Delevigne, Rita Ora, Georgia May Jagger and Kate Moss. The new slogan and digital launch campaign are aimed at capturing the edgy, diverse and self-expressive attitude of Rimmel London fans and is aimed at Millennials and Generation Z.
Chain Store Age
Amazon is celebrating the streaming debut of the movie "Manchester by the Sea" by giving every single home in the small Massachusetts town a year's free subscription to Amazon Prime. Because movies equal popcorn, the company is throwing in a three-pack of Wickedly Prime popcorn. The film was produced by Amazon Studios.