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Each week, Padilla’s Insights + Strategy team stands at the intersection of people, culture and brands to bring you five stories that you can read in five minutes.
1. Brands of 2020
Adweek compiled a list of the brands that stood out, or – depending on how you look at it – stood up, for the things that mattered in 2020. Why should you care? Notable brands include the NBA – who will be remembered for taking the pandemic seriously and successfully maneuvering through its entire season without one COVID outbreak, taking a stand for racial and social justice and empowering voters. Others worth mentioning: Clorox – for obvious reasons, Zoom – as all events and meetings moved online, and Peloton – who saw a 172% increase in sales as gyms closed. These brands stood out because in a time of crisis, they came to save the day and/or pivoted to accommodate for new normals. [Adweek]
2. Grammy’s
The 2021 Grammy’s have been postponed due to Coronavirus concerns. Why should you care? The Grammy’s have been postponed from end of January to mid-March because Los Angeles (where the Grammy’s usually occur) has seen a recent uptick in COVID cases that is predicted to get worse within the coming weeks. This goes to show that even a year into the pandemic and despite there now being a vaccine in circulation, America still does not have a handle on COVID. [NPR]
3. March Madness
Sports fanatics rejoice – March Madness returns in 2021. Why should you care? Indianapolis, which is home to N.C.A.A. headquarters, is set to host all 67 games in an effort to reduce travel for teams. Whether there will be spectators is still up in the air, but one thing’s for sure – brackets are back and as we’ve all learned this past year, it’s really the little joys in life. [NYT]
4. BK Retro Rebrand
For the first time in more than 20 years, Burger King has gotten a rebrand – sort of. Why should you care? Why ”sort of?” Well, the new logo is actually just a revamped version of an older BK logo. The retro rebrand pays tribute to BK’s 64-year-old history and also includes employee uniforms, packaging and signage to go along with its soon-to-be remodeled storefronts. As we saw in 2020, nostalgia was trending heavily and we’re seeing that trend continue into the new year. [CNN]
5. RIP ‘Like’ Button
Facebook pages are getting a redesign that’s more simplified and will no longer include a ‘like’ button. Why should you care? Facebook is saying goodbye to the ‘like’ button and focusing on followers instead. This is an effort to help influencers and brands track metrics more precisely since page ‘likes’ did not truly represent a page’s popularity. Other changes also include Q&A (a makeshift FAQ section) and updates on moderation to better filter out hate speech/groups. While we’re seeing some brands revert back to retro designs, like Burger King, Facebook only looks to move further into the future. [TechCrunch]
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