Following George Floyd’s death in police custody in May 2020, corporations and brands felt compelled to jump into the fray with messages of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and antiracism efforts. They took to social media in ways that were often met with eye-rolls, or even open hostility, for their well-meaning but ultimately empty actions. Marketing Week’s Mark Ritson was so disappointed, he wrote a blistering attack on brands that talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk when it came to their messages decrying racism and a lack of representation. Even Nike, a brand that has arguably done more than most to champion these causes, wasn’t spared Ritson’s venom. Given that February is Black History Month , we found ourselves wondering: Is it possible for a brand to throw its weight behind the Black community in a way that is seen as meaningful, authentic, and ultimately helpful? And if so, what does that look like? Beats by Dre , the electronics company co-founded … [Read more...] about For Beats by Dre, amplifying Black culture is an always-on effort
Migos culture
Find your doppelgänger from art history with Google’s Arts and Culture app
App Attack is a weekly series where we search the App Store and Google Play Store for the best apps of the week. Check out App Attack every Sunday for the latest. Thanks to front-facing cameras on smartphones, we take the opportunity to snap selfies whenever possible. This week, we have an app with a new feature that builds on this tendency — to indulge in narcissicm — by throwing in a bit of educational value to go along with it. Previous Next 1 of 15 If you’ve been on any of your social media apps lately, you might have seen people uploading strange side by side comparisons, with their selfie on one side and a portrait on the other. With the Google Arts and Culture app — available for iOS and Android — you can now take a selfie and match with artwork that looks like you. This is reminiscent of the days when doppelgänger generators were all the rage and everyone was dying to know which celebrity they … [Read more...] about Find your doppelgänger from art history with Google’s Arts and Culture app
The best podcasts for kids of any age
The best thing about podcasts is that they cover everything under the sun. You can find hours of music, history, amazing science, or delightful fiction podcasts. The same is true of the best podcasts for kids. We gathered some of our favorites and broke them down by age, but you might find your elementary school-aged child enjoys the tunes in the preschool list, and teens will definitely enjoy a lot of the content in the other categories as well. While you’re here, why not also check out our pick of the best podcasts of 2021? The best podcasts for kids ages 3 and up Peace Out The perfect bedtime podcast, Peace Out features short stories designed to help kids calm down and relax. They’re guided through breathing and visualization exercises, but for younger kids, just the soothing sound of the narrator’s voice will be enough to lull them off to sleep. For older kids, this is a great introduction to meditation and mindfulness. Apple Podcasts Stitcher Planet … [Read more...] about The best podcasts for kids of any age
The best Super Bowl commercials of all time
2020 took us all on a wild roller coaster ride, but we’re still here … and there’s still football. In fact, America’s great-golden Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner now. On Sunday, February 7, Super Bowl LV will christen the TV screens of football fans throughout the nation. And while “The Big Game,” as advertisers are forced to call it, is a massively viewed event, for some, it’s the most anticipated commercials of the entire year that make the game worth watching. Some commercials really do impress, some fall flat, and a select few become all-time classics. To help you get geared up for this year’s battle between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs and all the action that surrounds it, we dove deep and compiled 13 of the greatest Super Bowl commercials ever. Enjoy! Smaht Pahk, Hyundai (2020) Ah yes, the cherished Boston accent. A staple of New England dialects, Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch, and Big … [Read more...] about The best Super Bowl commercials of all time
Viva is Microsoft’s latest platform, designed to help you thrive at work
As we all continue to deal with working from home, Microsoft has announced another platform to enhance the remote work experience. Building on the success of Teams and the rest of the Microsoft 365 suite, Microsoft is now introducing Microsoft Viva, an employee experience platform designed especially for work in this digital and online era. Microsoft Viva attempts to solve a lot of problems around workforce engagement. That includes key activities in the life of an employee, such as training, well-being, and onboarding. There are a lot of tools that can already support these things, but Microsoft has found that the tools are fragmented across the market and can be disruptive to workflows. Companies also spend $300 billion on it, too, and many are reevaluating their approaches. Viva is part of a new category they’re calling Employee Experience Platforms (EXP). And, it has four key modules that bring together communications, knowledge, learning, and resources. All of it is … [Read more...] about Viva is Microsoft’s latest platform, designed to help you thrive at work