Commentary

Top-10 Top-Of-The-News Stories Of 2019

As has been the trend lately, there was no real pattern to what type of marketing story garnered the most attention from you, the readers, last year. The Avengers avenging, CBD oil overflowing, Peloton’s gaffe (or was it?), Apple’s pricing, Big Macs at your portal, Pepsi bubbling, Taco Bell , Rihanna influencing, Amazon dominating and Bart Becht retiring -- Bart Becht? -- garnered the most interest. The diversity of your interests make it both a challenge and adventure to explore the most engaging story of each day.

"‘Avengers: Endgame’ Opening Behind Marvelous Marketing Support"
April 25

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Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” opens this evening with some epic expectations. More than three hours long, it will play in more than 4,600 theaters in the U.S. and Canada and is expected to set a record opening-weekend gross in the $300 million range for North America alone.

"CBD Oil Market Is Booming Following Congress' Passage Of The Farm Bill"
Jan. 24

CBD oil -- “a powerful new form of medical marijuana without the high,” as a Washington Post headline put it  a couple of years ago -- is now making headlines daily in everything from business magazines to medical blogs to local newspapers and TV stations.

"Peloton Rides Out A Tweetstorm Of Negative Reactions To TV Spot"
Dec. 4

Ok, here's that Peloton ad featuring “Grace from Boston” that everybody’s dishing about:

“As you can see, ‘thumbs down’ outnumber ‘thumbs up’ by 15 to 1, and Peloton opted to have the comments turned off. That’s probably a good thing, considering the kind of backlash it was getting across Twitter,” writes  Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch’s social-media editor.

"Apple Shifts The Direction Of Its Pricing"
Sept. 11

The lead-ups to Apple’s annual September “Event”  at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino yesterday dampened expectations for any startling new hardware reveals, or drastic deviations from the script  of past shows, and it apparently didn’t disappoint on those scores. But it did reveal an interesting turn of fortune for users who have been complaining about the escalating cost of their mobile devices and streaming entertainment options.

"McDonald's Signals Turn In Delivery With DoorDash Deal In Houston"
July17

Home used to be where the hearth  is. Now it’s where third-party delivery providers serve up prepared fast foods. The competition is heating up.

"Pepsi Is ‘Bubly’ About Its New Products As Old Timers Also Gain"
July 10

Some old standards -- traditional Pepsi and Frito-Lay chips, for example -- are faring well under the new generation leading PepsiCo -- but it also has high aspirations for trendy new entries like Mountain Dew Game Fuel, Pepsi Mango and Bubly sparkling water. 

Gastronomes whose tastes run toward Soft Tacos and Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla will apparently be in for a real treat this summer, when a pop-up Taco Bell hotel opens for five nights in Palm Springs, California. “Pack your swimsuit, mark your calendars and start the countdown, because The Bell is about to make all of your taco dreams come true,” the brand entices.
Jan. 18
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Rihanna have been talking about launching a luxury fashion label using her Fenty brand, sense of style, social media savvy and millions of followers to make a ready-to-wear splash. Women’s Wear Daily broke  the story about the “secret talks” yesterday and the New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman confirmed  the late-stage discussions with a lede that asks: “Is Rihanna the Coco Chanel of the 21st century?”
Aug. 8
FedEx will stop delivering packages for Amazon on the ground in the U.S. when the shipping company's contract expires at the end of the month, it announced yesterday. “This change is consistent with our strategy to focus on the broader e-commerce market,” it said.
Jan. 15
Bart Becht, who of late has been leading JAB Holding Co.’s  offensive in the global coffee wars, unexpectedly resigned as its chairman yesterday a couple of months after he vacated  the same post at Coty, the cosmetics business also owned by JAB.
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About the Author

Thom Forbes was editorial director of Adweek and its sister publications in the 1980s and has written about marketing and media as a freelancer since 1990.