Worldcrunch
The Industrial Revolution transformed Valentine’s Day by mass-producing greeting cards, turning a personal tradition into a commercialized industry. It’s a shift that not only changed the way emotions were expressed, but also gave rise to the concept of “manufactured intimacy,” which continues to define the holiday today.
Turkey is the top world producer of hazelnuts. Yet, very little trickles down to its producers, and to Turkey in general. One Italian company, in particular, reaps the rewards of its harvest.
After a five-year break, Victoria’s Secret is once again putting on a lingerie fashion show. But are women still willing to buy push-up bras as a way to empower themselves? Claire Beermann, style editor for Germany’s Die Zeit, says the time for polyester lace is now over.
Are Bob Marley’s artistic and cultural values now clouded in a haze of rampant commercialization?
For some with communication skills and charisma, likes on social media can turn into lavish earnings. But influencers face a crisis of trust, as well as algorithms that often discriminate — particularly against women.
As the number of people over the age of 65 increases, some global brands are taking steps to reduce ageism in advertising, both for ethical and business motivations.
The memory of the famous engineer-entrepreneur who designed much more than Paris’ iconic Tower will be honored throughout 2023, on the occasion of the centenary of his death.
Bye-bye blue bird, all hail X … Elon Musk’s recent rebranding of the Twitter platform app has sparked significant reactions from users and in the tech community, but brand designers also have their say. While rebranding can be for the better, success is never guaranteed — and can do more damage than good to a big name.
Our Naples-based Dottoré takes a critical look at companies that rely on telesales.
With the rise of influencers has come a sub-category: deinfluencers, who tell their followers what NOT to buy instead of promoting products in an effort to reduce wasteful consumption.
PARIS — The city of lights is littered with advertisements for “Black Friday” deals. Of course, virtually none of the city’s residents will celebrate Thanksgiving — and few probably even know that the traditional Friday shopping day is linked to the uniquely American (always-on-Thursday) holiday. To receive Eyes on U.S. each week in your inbox, […]
Latin American firms are joining others around the world testing Virtual and Augmented Reality solutions in personnel recruitment and training.
Proportionally, the World Cup has more followers in the Latin American marketplace than any other region. It’s a unique opportunity to tap into pure emotion of potential consumers.
Droves of customers stampeding through large department stores on Black Friday was once a uniquely American phenomena. But the traditional day-after Thanksgiving shopping sale event has recently gained traction in other countries that have no connection to the American holiday. The insatiable consumerism that fuels American capitalism, it seems, is a more viable export than […]
WASHINGTON — The neo-Nazis were hungry. They had spent the day in a Charlottesville, Va., courthouse testifying at the preliminary hearing for a white nationalist jailed for pepper-spraying counterprotesters during August’s deadly Unite the Right rally. Now, after the long drive home to Alexandria, Va., they craved pizza. “We were going to order from the local place where we get pizza all the time, but we said no, Papa John’s is the official pizza of the alt-right now,” said Eli Mosley, the 26-year-old leader of the white separatist group Identity Evropa. “We’re just supporting the brands that support us.” That […]
The hijab still makes Western societies squirm. Passing someone wearing the Islamic headscarf is too often seen as proof that Muslim women are “docile, oppressed, silenced,” notes Hend Amry, a practicing Muslim and activist who writes about why she wears a hijab. But, for better or worse, things are changing. Entire new lines of products […]
Feel the novelty fatigue growing inside? But it is not just the vintage feel of the reissued Nokia 3310 that makes it convincing, it is something deeper.
Germany’s favorite fish isn’t always caught off the Alaskan coast. U.S. fishermen want transparency for consumers. But such a move could upend the fishing industry.
LAUSANNE — Inside Studio Furinkazan’s offices, the Celestial Cascades suddenly appear. The heavenly jungle, naturally, can only be seen through your smartphone screen: A red light flutters around in the room until it is caught on the corner of a desk. Then it turns into a Tudù, a small iridescent blue bird with squirrel ears. […]
Restaurant, cell phone and clothes: People usually buy what others appear to want, so companies use the illusion of low supply to create new demand. But there are paradoxes to human instincts and desires.
When Rio de Janeiro won its Olympic bid back in 2009, Brazil was hailed as a nation on the rise. Now, it is the wrong place at the wrong time to host the 2016 Summer Games.
Online business is booming in China. According to data from iResearch, an Internet market research firm, the current scale of China’s e-commerce is similar to that of the United States, at $206 billion. A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group estimated that by 2020 China’s e-commerce market will exceed $1 trillion. What tangible effects […]
BOGOTA — After a long, drawn-out build-up, Starbucks has confirmed it will be coming to Colombia. The arrival of Howard Schultz’s company’s in the South America country famous for its coffee production will be the start of a very interesting showdown with local chain Juan Valdez — as well as all the small coffee shops […]
GENEVA – The other day, someone posted a photo of a Coca-Cola bottle named Jonas on my Facebook wall. I was honored, though I couldn’t quite say why: was it because of the object itself, even though until then, I had been mostly annoyed by the new global marketing campaign where Coca-Cola replaced its logo […]
GENEVA – Chances are that at least once in your life you’ve found yourself at a restaurant, sitting next to someone who claims to know everything about wine. They usually hold their glass up toward the light to see the color of the wine, talk about tannins, grape variety, soil quality… Of course, the most […]
The most alive of the dead languages is also getting a boost in some surprising corners outside the Vatican walls.
Facebook is the upstart, Google is the grizzled veteran — and still the powerhouse — in the massive battle for online advertising dollars. But when the cash register rings, who gets the credit? That is the billion-dollar question in advertising these days—particularly in Internet advertising, where it’s easy to track clicks and links, but often […]
Many years ago, when Italian military service was still compulsory, the army subjected its new conscripts to a general culture test with various types of questions. One asked: “Who is Leonardo?,” which prompted a surprising range of responses. Someone, it seems, even replied “The pope.” The artist behind the most famous painting in the world, […]