controversy

Barbie Sales Over Time

As Barbie Turns 60, Mattel Aims to Stay On Trend With Consumers

It’s hard to believe that Barbie has been around since the 50’s, but it was 1959 when American businesswoman Ruth Handler created her. Did you know Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts and that Handler’s children were named Barbara and Kenneth? Barbie is a flagship brand for toymaker Mattel. It is estimated that over …

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High Rises in Manhattan

The Facebook & Wells Fargo Apology Tour of 2018

Both Facebook and Wells Fargo are spending (yes spending, not investing) millions of dollars on advertising campaigns that basically say, “We screwed up. We are correcting our course. And we are back.” Are consumers buying it? Nope. Why? Because both of these left-footed behemoths didn’t climb down from their ivory towers and walk into the crowded …

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Tide Pods on Amazon

Tide Pods, Dangerous Social Media Challenges & Amazon’s Responsibility

People—lots of them—are eating Tide Laundry Pods. On purpose. There. I said it out loud. I was almost too embarrassed to write this post, except that every word is true. In fact, there were 12,000 Poison Control calls for people ingesting laundry pods in 2017. The stunt is one of many dangerous social media challenges …

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Amazon Review Trolls Get Political

Amazon is (Mostly) Doing a Good Job of Removing Review Trolls

The Trolls have been out in full force recently, and we aren’t referring to the movie which capitalizes on nostalgia from my childhood. No, we’re talking about the Amazon Review Trolls. They come in all shapes and sizes: funny, sarcastic, sad, shocking. You name it. But now product reviews are the newest outlet for political statements, activist messages, …

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consumers and ingredients

Clorox, Burt’s Bees and EWG’s Sunscreen Guide: When Should Manufacturers Listen to Consumers on Ingredients?

A week after the Environmental Working Group released its Annual Guide to Sunscreens, the news that 75% of the products out there offer poor protection or have “worrisome ingredients” has gone viral. The article has been picked up by Mother Jones, Live Strong, Cosmopolitan, countless news sites, blogs and social media profiles – especially moms …

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