This company wants to empower creatives to branch off on their own

Subscriptions are old news. Enter “presubscriptions.”

Michael Waters • August 24, 2020

A company behind a series of kids books made $1m+ in 10 days

A publishing startup that set out to help parents tackle tough topics was a surprise success this spring.

Caroline Dohack • August 20, 2020

Is this the biggest meme account buyout ever?

Here’s why Warner Music Group just paid $85m for an Instagram meme page.

Michael Waters • August 19, 2020

Brands and influencers have the acne-positivity movement popping

They’re busting teenage angst as ruthlessly as Dr. Pimple Popper.

Belle Long • August 10, 2020

‘Dark patterns’ are how online stores get your extra moolah

Countdown clocks, “low-stock” labels: Inside the world of corporate peer pressure.

Michael Waters • August 7, 2020

KFC Crocs, Whopper perfume: Why your roommate suddenly smells like fast food

KFC’s new kicks look like -- and smell like -- fried chicken.

Michael Waters • July 29, 2020

A new media brand is rising from Deadspin’s ashes

And here are 4 reasons you should pay attention.

Belle Long • July 29, 2020

The poet who doubles as a professional brand namer

Welcome to the first edition of our new careers series.

Michael Waters • July 15, 2020

YouTube creators are turning clicks into charity

They’re uploading videos and donating the advertising revenue to Black Lives Matter.

Belle Long • June 11, 2020

The music biz pressed pause for Blackout Tuesday, but it didn’t go smoothly

Brands everywhere posted black squares to their feeds -- but critics said their posts did more harm than good.

Belle Long • June 3, 2020

Logomania is coming for your face masks

The mask you’re wearing is some very valuable branding real estate.

Caroline Dohack • May 21, 2020

One way to save the magazine industry: vegetable seeds

A family magazine in India jolted quarantine-era circulation with a throwback add-on called a covermount.

Michael Waters • May 18, 2020

Libraries hope their return will not be overdue

For many people, libraries provide essential services. But getting back to full service means libraries won’t look the same.

Michael Waters • May 18, 2020

Pandemic advertising is getting freaky

The ad business faces a crisis: How do you sell in such a strange time?

Michael Waters • April 30, 2020

Deutsche Telekom and the insurance startup Lemonade are in a colorful dispute

Insurance startup Lemonade is entering a fight with T-Mobile’s parent company over its use of the color magenta.

Wes Schlagenhauf • November 5, 2019

Ford’s secret fight for a pickup truck emoji

Ford has fought for years (behind the scenes) to add a pickup truck emoji to unicode -- and it finally paid off.

Mark Dent • July 18, 2019

The mega-rich are buying ‘branded residences’ from Porsche and Bulgari

Porsche, Armani, and other luxury brands are selling real estate to vacationing consumers who are looking for convenience.

Conor Grant • February 24, 2019

The brains behind the brands: Lexicon uses sound science to name big brands

Lexicon Branding uses cutting-edge ‘sound science’ to help companies ranging from consumer giants to brand-new startups pick the nicest names.

Conor Grant • January 31, 2019

Cuttin’ out the ad-man: Clients are moving their content creation in-house

Ad agencies are struggling as more and more marketers are moving their creative strategies in-house, leaving little to no use for ad agencies who have been nickel and diming them for decades.

Lindsey Quinn • October 17, 2018

Emptying its toy box to pay off creditors, Toys ‘R’ Us puts SexToys‘R’Us.com up for sale

As it auctions off its IP, bankrupt Toys ‘R’ Us reveals it owned some explicit domain names such as KinkyToys‘R’Us.com.

Conor Grant • May 16, 2018

Ramdev’s the new Richard

Whether he knows it or not, Ramdev’s company Patanjali is following the Virgin’s “challenger” brand philosophy to disrupt India's consumer market.

Lindsey Quinn • December 14, 2016

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