Bed Bath & Beyond CFO Holly Etlin offers some words of wisdom for other companies facing financial woes. Finance executives at companies in decline get used to managing liquidity very tightly and dodging the bullet when it comes to serious liquidity events, she says.  “Often people get lulled into a sense of being able to do it again and again and don’t realize that they’re really slipping too close to the edge,” Etlin told Retail Dive. “Probably the biggest point I would make to a CFO of a company in distress is that you need to know and recognize that you …

Elon Musk's rebranding of Twitter offers other companies a plethora of marketing lessons. "In the process of rebranding a product, service or company, it's crucial to pair the new image with a tangible product, service or offering. Renaming a company primarily serves the company's interests rather than the end users," per CMS Wire. "Therefore, it's essential to accompany the rebrand with a concrete offering that resonates with customers’ immediate needs or desires."

Delta Arlines is offering a gate-to-gate airport shuttle at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in a rare Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar, which typically sells for well over a million dollars. "Delta, which has a longstanding history with Porsche (including a fleet of Cayennes, Macans, Panameras, and Taycans at several airports around the U.S.), is also headquartered in Atlanta," per The Drive. "And to top it all off, the airport is located about five miles away from Porsche's Experience Center, which famously has had a dark blue 918 on display in the past." 

In an effort aimed squarely at attracting younger customers, L’Oréal Paris has selected celebrity influencer Kendall Jenner as its new global ambassador,k. starting with makeup campaigns beginning in September. "Jenner joins a roster of stars like Elle Fanning, Camila Cabello, Helen Mirren, Katherine Langford, and Viola Davis, among many more," per Teen Vogue. "She currently works closely with brands like Marc Jacobs and serves as the creative director of FWRD. Previously, Jenner was a face of Estée Lauder, notably for the now-defunct Estée Edit line."

The Hollywood work stoppage could affect content being produced by influencers. "This week, SAG-AFTRA announced specific guidelines for influencers during the strike," per The New York Times. "The rules are broad. Influencers are advised 'to not accept any new work for promotion of struck companies or their content.' That means no TikToks about Barbenheimer or red carpet walks for 'Meg 2: The Trench'. And SAG doesn’t care if influencers are being paid for those posts or not. Any posts about struck work are considered to be crossing the picket line."

Wayfair is embracing AI as a way to help customers get inspired to buy more merchandise. The “virtual room restyler” called Decorify uses generative AI to show a redecorated version of a room. Then, if you like what you see, you can pick from a grid of furniture recommendations. "Remember those augmented reality shopping app features that let you plop furniture down in your house using your smartphone’s camera?" asks The Verge. "This ain’t that — Decorify won’t show you renders of actual, existing furniture within your actual room. Wayfair uses an AI model to create new imagery, so it’s going to show you weird …

Gap is tapping a former D2C fitness brand executive, Chris Blakeslee, as the new president of its Athleta brand effective Aug. 7.  "Athleta CEO Mary Beth Laughton left abruptly in March, as sales at the once-fast growing activewear label faltered amid 'product acceptance challenges,'" per Retail Dive. Blakeslee most recently served as president of Alo Yoga and its sibling company Bella Canvas, an apparel basics wholesaler that expanded into retail during his tenure. 

Snoop Dog is teaming with a CPG company to launch a new line of ice cream that will available in 3,500 Walmart stores. "The new brand takes its name from Snoop Dogg's NFT character and will start by offering seven flavors: Bonus Track Brownie, Cocoa Cream Cookie Dream, Iced Out Orange Cream, Rollin' In the Dough, S'more Vibes, Syrupy Waffle Sundaze, and the vibrant Tropical Sherbet Swizzle," per USA Today. "The brand goal is to give people a West Coast vibe (where Snoop Dogg is from)."

Mattel and Warner Bros. Discovery have inked a new deal. "The toy giant has renewed its licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, making it the official licensee for toys, dolls, vehicles and games for more than 50 of WBD’s brands and franchises," per Hollywood Reporter. "Among the WBD brands that Mattel produces toys based on are the DC Comics universe and Harry Potter franchise, as well as programs like Ted Lasso, Friends and Seinfeld. Mattel has been a licensing partner to Warner Bros. for some 20 years."

The Knot wedding registry site is being accused of taking advantage of wedding service providers, from retailers like Macy’s to mom-and-pop caterers and dressmakers. "Vendors who spoke with The Post complained they bought premium ads on the go-to wedding planning site to lure new clients, banking on the 27-year-old site’s reach and name recognition — but instead received useless spam leads and middling rankings in The Knot’s ad-search results," per The New York Post.