By Elissaveta M. Brandon July 28, 2023 At last, Elon Musk has done it. After several attempts, he has staked an official claim to the letter X. Muskâs fascination with the letter dates back to the turn of the century, when he tried naming his second company, now known as PayPal, X.com (he was … Continue reading How the letter âXâ became historyâs most mysterious symbol
By Christopher Cason July 02, 2023 If you tuned in to this yearâs NFL Scouting Combine back in early March, you couldnât miss Nobull. From the athletesâ apparel to the press conference backdrops, the bold, all-caps branding of the Boston-based training apparel and footwear company took center stage. It was the first of a … Continue reading How Nobull became a sports brand all-star
By Rob Walker Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. This month, Modelo Especial became the top-selling beer in the United States, surpassing longtime sales-champion Bud Light. So far, Modelo Especialâs crowning has largely been explained less in terms of Modeloâs rise than in terms of the … Continue reading How Modelo Especial quietly became Americaâs top beer brand
By Yannise Jean June 15, 2023 For years, Hollywood has claimed that it has fixed or made gains toward fixing its diversity problem. But while the industry has made small movements toward change, its monolithic misconceptions about marginalized communities still reign as the dominant narrative, and stories are still largely created for white audiences. … Continue reading How Hillman Grad became the home for emerging talent
By Joey CappellettiâAssociated Press March 24, 2023 Michigan, long known as a mainstay of organized labor, on Friday became the first state in decades to repeal a union-restricting law known as âright-to-workâ that was passed over a decade ago by a Republican-controlled legislature. The stateâs âright-to-workâ law had allowed those in unionized workplaces to opt out … Continue reading Michigan just became the first state in 58 years to repeal a âright to workâ lawâa win for unions
By KC Ifeanyi March 11, 2023 Tom Ryan is used to being an underdog. In fact, he prefers it. When Ryan launched Pluto TV on Aprilâs Fools Day in 2014, most people thought it was comically apropos given that he was entering a streaming video on demand space dominated by Netflix with … Continue reading How Paramount+ became a top contender in the streaming wars
By Sarah Lynch January 07, 2023 There was an owl in the room. Zaria Parvez entered Duolingoâs Pittsburgh headquarters for the first time in September 2021 and spotted a human-size green and orange owl costume slumped on an empty table. Before the pandemic, this mascot had only been trotted out to promote the language … Continue reading How Gen Z social media managers became the new CMOs
By James I. Bowie November 08, 2022 Elon Muskâs newly unveiled plan to allow Twitter users to sport the social media platformâs coveted blue check for a mere $7.99 per month has focused unprecedented attention on the symbol. In some sense, the fate of the companyâfinancially, culturally, and politically significant as it isâhangs on … Continue reading Behind the design of Twitterâs blue checkâand how it became a polarizing symbol
By Elissaveta M. Brandon August 14, 2022 If youâve spent any time on TikTok lately, you may have noticed a sudden obsession with colorâor rather the absence of it. âThereâs been a disappearance of color variety everywhere in the world,â one user says. âNow Iâm insecure about liking neutrals,â another comments. It all … Continue reading How gray became the king of color
By Moises Mendez II July 21, 2022 A weird, bubblegum-pink condiment has taken hold of the internet. Dubbed Pink Sauce, the controversial product got its start on TikTok this summer when a woman began selling and shipping out the $20-per-bottle mystery substance with allegedly few precautions taken for food safety or regulations. Where … Continue reading How Pink Sauce became TikTokâs most viralâand controversialâcondiment
