Thanksgiving is a time of reflection and gratitude, but it’s also a time of stories. When you fly home for the holiday or head to a friend’s house for a Friendsgiving, the topic of conversation inevitably turns to work. Your grandma will inquire, “What are you doing now for work, sweetie?” or a friend will ask, “How’s the new job going?” And when we answer, we don’t just rattle off a list of facts. We tell stories.  So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and reflection, here are some of kglobal’s...

A very special someone just celebrated their fifth birthday: Gritty. That’s right, we’re talking about the seven-foot-tall, googly-eyed, orange-furred mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team. Some call him beastly, some call him cuddly, but Philly calls him one of their own. The rise of Gritty reflects something we’ve learned from our own work with fruit producer Naturipe and their mascot Mighty Blue: Can a good mascot personify a brand in unique ways and expand its reach to new...

Celebs and brands have alchemized marketing gold by finding ways to build on one another through clever marketing cameos and social media endorsements. From Zac Efron-approved socks to Ben Affleck and Ice Spice’s coffee hang-out, celebrities continue to sound off on the products they think we should like best.  It’s not always a slam dunk, but when done right, the results can launch a brand forward.Okay, so what does it mean to be “done right”?  Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank, written by...

Last Wednesday, Bethesda Game Studios released Starfield, a science-fiction game set in a future version of the Milky Way Galaxy. Bethesda is a brand unto itself in gaming, but they suffered reputational damage with the disastrous launch of their previous title, Fallout 76. Many saw Starfield as their chance to regain audience trust and rebuild the brand. Did they succeed? Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank, written by Colton Long, Amy Rogers and Shannon Powers, edited by Ian Cunningham, and...

Wrestling is fake. Boxing is rigged. The NFL is fixed. The first statement is true, the second one is (sometimes) true, and the third one is false. But many people believe the NFL is fixed, with hidden writers scripting last-minute Hail Mary passes and game-changing referee calls. It’s not true, of course, but when has that ever stopped conspiracy theorists?  In response to this whole “our-league-is-fixed” narrative, the NFL decided to seize control of the narrative…and there is certainly...

Another day, another Return to Office order (RTO). In the ancient past of 2020, the majority of organizations went remote to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Three years later, many of these same organizations are encouraging—or downright demanding—that their employees appear in-person once more, yet opinions run the gamut across corporate America.     Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank, written by Colton Long, Amy Rogers and Shannon Powers, edited by Ian Cunningham, and brought to you by the...

August 6th, 2023. In a photo finish, Sweden knocked the United States out of contention in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. For the first time since the tournament began in 1991, the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) won’t be returning home with medals in hand. A truly heartbreaking loss for the players, the coaches, and the fans. However, we suspect the USWNT will shake it off and come back next time better, faster, stronger. After all, their brand is bigger than what’s on the scoreboard —...

The TikTok meme game moves so fast that a marketing executive could slip a disc trying to follow it. But brands desperate to seem cool and edgy and give-us-your-money try regardless to hop on the trend train. That’s why Popeyes is posting things like #GirlDinner is top tier. National fried chicken chains replying to users with nail polish emojis to the tune of three likes is beyond parody. But just what is “girl dinner”? Let’s dig in.    Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank, written by Colton...

Is Hollywood dead? Will it rise again? Until the actors and the studios return to the table and hammer out a compromise, Hollywood will remain locked in a stalemate. There’s been a lot of ink spilled about the causes of the strike, but one thing we haven’t read enough about are the communications strategies (or lack thereof) being used by the actors and the studios. Let’s dig in.      Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank, written by Colton Long, Amy Rogers and Shannon Powers, edited by Ian...

If you were in Tribeca last weekend, you might have caught a rising star or two (not to mention some permanent fixtures) at the world premiere of Uncharted. The documentary from Everywoman Studios, Executive Producers Abby Greensfelder and Katie Couric, and director Beth Aala follows 12 black and brown women artists selected to attend a songwriting camp co-founded by Alicia Keys and She Is The Music. The goal of the camp – and the doc – is to advance underrepresented women in the music...

America averted a debt crisis … for now. Join guest host, Ian Cunningham, along side fellow strategists, Sam Santarelli and Colton Long as they focus on the most compelling part of this game of political brinkmanship – watching the negotiators walk a messaging tightwire, where a single misstep could’ve spelled economic doom.  Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank, written by Amy Rogers and Shannon Powers, edited by Ian Cunningham, and brought to you by the good people at kglobal. Unlike...

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially announced his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on May 24th, surprising precisely nobody in the political sphere. What was surprising was the venue for his campaign launch: a Twitter Space feat. Elon Musk. The event was unprecedented. . . but so was the flop. Join guest host, Ian Cunningham, along side kglobal strategists Amy Rogers and Colton Long as they discuss how the technical failures turned the would-be event into a...

It’s time to rescue the Kingdom in distress… again. This past weekend, thousands of people across the world took a trip to the Hyrule. You might have done so yourself. We hope you enjoyed your visit, because there’s months of playtime in Nintendo’s newest Legend of Zelda offering. Welcome back to the kingdom that we just love saving. If you’re asking yourselves, wait, that Zelda? Congratulations, you’re old enough to make it to the nostalgia phase of life. Join host, Tom Frank, along with...

The resurgence of questionable fashion trends and another Hollywood writers strike has us wondering if we’ve somehow been transported back to 2007. Yet despite these eerie reminders of the past, all is not as it was. And in the age of big data, this writers strike raises many more questions than their compensation (although that’s on the table too). Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank, written by Amy Rogers and Shannon Powers and brought to you by the good people at kglobal. Unlike traditional...

Move aside Muggles at HBO Max—we want to see what Wes Anderson can do with Harry Potter. And now we can, thanks to the exquisite power of AI.  After falling down the rabbit hole of Wes-inspired re-imaginings, we started to gather our favorite (and least favorite) examples of how AI is pushing our creative limits. Join Tom as he welcomes kglobal’s Director of Digital Marketing, Das Rios and Senior Content Strategist, Ian Cunningham to talk all things AI. Into Focus is hosted by Tom Frank,...

In the minefield that is diet culture, it’s not easy to talk about bodies and how to change them. But when you’re a company that’s made it their business to talk about weight, there’s no staying out of the danger zone. Last week, WeightWatchers acquired telehealth company Sequence, which focuses on providing access to weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic. WeightWatchers execs cite this move as part of the company’s science-based evolution. With the Sequence integration, WeightWatchers can now...

The conversation around brands taking public stances continues, and Americans remain divided on the matter. But it’s getting increasingly difficult, as a practical matter, for brands to stay silent. After Bud Light gifted trans content creator Dylan Mulvaney a personalized can to commemorate the one-year anniversary of her vital social media series, "Day of Girlhood," some angry consumers and influencers posted dramatic social media updates – pouring out cans of Bud Light or vowing to boycott...

Can you hear the music? No, it’s not the advance sound checks for Coachella. It’s the sounds of Pepsi unveiling its new logo and visual identity – one that is supposed to evoke “an unapologetic mindset,” a disassociation from sugar, and the sweet “ripple pop and fizz” of its soda. (Move over, Rice Krispies.) Join our host Tom Frank along side kglobal colleagues, Sam Santarelli, Ryan Strohl and Phoebe Walsh as they break down the sixth update to Pepsi’s iconic brand system in its 125-year...

TikTok’s CEO had his 15 minutes of DC fame, and the only thing that’s clear is that he did his homework and (most of) the House Committee did not. Yet while everyone was focusing on what he said, we think it’s more valuable to zoom and consider the bigger picture. Join our host Tom Frank along side former reporter and kglobal pr specialist, Jackie Hampton and Ian Cunningham, kglobal’s resident tech guru and social media strategist, to break down his preparation, TikTok's overall strategy and...