WebMD
After years of doctors advising everyone to lather on sunscreen, a study by the FDA calls into question the effects of some sunscreen ingredients.Six common active ingredients are absorbed into the body and may linger for days or even weeks, in some cases, per the study. “What’s more, the testing showed that just a single application of sunscreen -- whether as a lotion or a spray -- increases the blood levels of these active ingredients beyond the FDA’s threshold for determining if they need more study to be considered safe for use,” per WebMD.
The New York Times
Management shifts have not helped the struggling Under Amour. “Once heralded as the next Nike, Under Armour has faltered, hurt by slumping sales and unflattering revelations about its corporate culture,” according to The New York Times. “It is grasping for a hold in the fiercely competitive sports apparel market even as it undergoes the biggest management shift in its history. Investors, analysts, and competitors are wondering if Under Armour can successfully redefine itself and once again win over consumers, or whether the company’s best days are behind it.”
CNN.com
On a strict accounting basis, Tesla company posted yet another loss for 2019. However, the automaker posted a narrow $35.8 million profit for the year using the operating basis followed by most analysts and investors. "2019 was a turning point for Tesla," the company said in its statement. “The results are a validation for Tesla's controversial CEO Elon Musk, who has fans and detractors on Wall Street as he bucked the traditional auto industry,” reports CNN.
Supermarket News
H-E-B will focus on its new mobile app and a giveaway in a Super Bowl spot starring actress Eva Longoria. The 60-second ad will run between the game’s third and fourth quarters in over a dozen key markets in Texas. Creative shows Longoria dropping in on a Super Bowl party with several H-E-B products to tell partygoers about the new "My H-E-B" mobile app and the sweepstakes.
GoAuto
Automakers have contributed at least $4.8 million of cash and in-kind aid to areas ravaged by the bushfire crisis in Australia. Volkswagen and GM Holden have respectively chipped in $2.5 million and $1 million, with another $473,000 coming from Toyota, $400,000 from BMW and up to $150,000 pledged by the Blue Oval through its philanthropic Ford Motor Company Fund. Others who have contributed include Isuzu, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot.
Thrillist
Delta Air Lines is introducing a co-branded CarePod pet carrier for animals traveling as cargo, which will offer pet owners real-time updates during travel, an auto-replenishing, spillproof hydration system, and "industrial strength" walls to protect the pet from temperature changes. The CarePod has been in the works since 2018, and soon will be available at eight U.S. airports, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis and New York.
Fortune
Remember how almost everyone missed the signals that Trump was going to win the presidency during the last election? If analysts had employed a simple tool developed 30 years ago by Y&R and used for evaluating brands, they would have seen just how important Donald Trump was and is. “It gauges brands on two dimensions: brand stature, determined by how well-known and well-liked a brand is, and brand strength, based on a brand’s differentiation and relevance,” per Fortune.
The Wrap
Planters is modifying its Super Bowl ad campaign following the death of NBA star Kobe Bryant. The brand had released a teaser that showed Mr. Peanut falling to his death in a sacrifice to save celebrities Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes. “The alterations only impact paid advertising on Twitter and YouTube,” per The Wrap. “No change has been made to the company’s in-game plans. Planters will air an ad during the third-quarter of Super Bowl LIV, which will feature the funeral for the 104-old mascot.”
WWD
FabFitFu, a lifestyle-driven subscription box and membership company, has hired its first CMO: Louisa Wee, formerly at Nextflix, where she was she was a vice president, overseeing strategy and analysis.
New York Post
Will Schick owner Edgewell Personal Care actually get to buy D2C shaving startup Harry's? "Lawyers with the Federal Trade Commission continue to raise concerns about the tie-up despite months of review — raising questions about whether the deal will close by March as planned, sources told The [New York] Post."