The Wall Street Journal
Unilever’s Klondike brand recently said it was discontinuing some products -- including the Choco Taco -- due to supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, and swore it was not a ploy to sell more of the product. But no decision is ever final. “Within a few days of announcing its demise in the middle of summer, as social media was melting into a puddle of eulogies, the company said it was already ‘exploring options to bring it back,’" per The Wall Street Journal. "‘Stay tuned…’ Klondike’s Twitter account teased, under an image of a Choco Taco holding a press conference.”
Boston Globe
Elvis Presley helped make Foster Grant sunglasses a fashion staple in the 1970s. The brand is once again getting a boost from the legendary singer, thanks to a new biopic, “Elvis,” now in theaters. The film’s costume designer asked the company to create exact replicas of the sunglasses Elvis wore — approximately 20 different styles, custom-fitted for the actors and engineered to work well on the big screen.
Auto Blog
Hyundai Motor Group’s is bringing back its Priority One registration program for the G90. Previously created for the G80 EV, the program ensured customers were paired with retailers that could provide the best EV buying experience in terms of knowledge, service and charging infrastructure. “For buyers committed to the G90 cause, placing that $1,000 results in a call from a Genesis concierge who will act as point person between buyer and dealer for configuration until the G90 is delivered," per Auto Blog.
Reuters
Surging prices for food and fuel are prompting customers to cut back on discretionary purchases, which resulted in Walmart reducing its profit forecast. Shares of Walmart as well as rivals like Target and Amazon tanked after the warning, which signaled a "proverbial train wreck" for retailers, Burt Flickinger, managing director at Strategic Resource Group, told Reuters.
CNN Business
After more than 60 years, Coca-Cola is changing the familiar green packaging of its Sprite brand to clear plastic starting Aug. 1 in an effort to be more environmentally responsible. "Sprite's current plastic contains green polyethylene terephthalate (PET), an additive that can't be recycled into new bottles, a key initiative for the company as it looks to reduce plastic waste," per CNN Business. Taking colors out of bottles makes them more easily recycled.
Drug Store News
CVS Health is examining the type of healthcare experience people are seeking in a post-pandemic environment. The 2022 Health Care Insights Study also takes a look at how consumers view mental health services and their relationship with providers. “This year’s findings show that people have embraced a holistic outlook on health, and they are increasingly searching for a new kind of healthcare experience that’s simpler and more efficient,” per Drug Store News.
Detroit Free Press
Cadillac won’t sell large numbers of the $300,000 Celestq. But the results could be bigger than mere sales. “A great vehicle can change how people see a brand,” per the Detroit Free Press. “ That, in a sentence, is the reason Cadillac created the extraordinary Celestiq, a show car GM Design unveiled on Instagram Friday morning. Built by hand and tailored like an exquisite suit, the electric Celestiq will be more like a Rolls-Royce than anything Cadillac’s sold since 1957, when the brand really was considered 'the standard of the world' that its motto declared it to be.”
Afar
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has ended a program that closely monitored COVID-19 cases on cruise ships and published the results online. “The agency also issued new, more muted cruise ship guidance that leaves it up to each cruise company to develop protocols for the health and safety of passengers and crew,” per Afar. “In pulling back even further this week, CDC officials say they are confident that the cruise lines’ own programs are now up to snuff."
The New York Times
Dove’s latest foray in the virtue wars is a short video titled “Toxic Influence” — a product of the Dove Self-Esteem Project. “Dove has found a way to align itself with virtue and outrage while keeping its own beauty tips unspoken,” per The New York Times. “Nobody is on the side of nightmare YouTubers telling teenagers to file down their teeth; to attack such people is shooting fish in a barrel. But as marketing, it’s almost genius: adopting a righteous tone while remaining as broadly inoffensive as any megabrand desires.”
Chain Store Age
Amazon is acquiring One Medical, a membership-based primary health care provider, for $3.9 billion, including debt. The San Francisco-based health care startup offers a combination of in-person, digital and virtual care services. “The acquisition — Amazon’s third-largest behind Whole Foods Market ($13.7 billion) and MGM ($8.45 billion) — comes as Amazon continues to position itself as a provider of on-demand healthcare services,” per Chain Store Age. “The company now offers its Amazon Care service nationwide, and will roll out in-person care services to more than 20 new cities this year.”