Live To Tell | April 19, 2019

Talk About It

Fantastic: Game of Thrones Takeover

HBO megahit “Game of Thrones” has returned from a two-year hiatus for its final season, and whether or not you’re a fan of the show (this writer is not), it has undoubtedly become a cultural phenomenon. The season 8 premiere generated an audience of 17.4 million viewers, presenting brands with a fantastic opportunity to capitalize on the hype—KFC, for one, rolled out a new ad announcing the return of its hot and spicy chicken featuring a “Game of Thrones” dragon breathing fire that was actually fried chicken.

Celebrity: When Tiger Wins, So Too Does Nike

Tiger Woods pulled off a sports comeback for the ages last weekend when he ended an 11-year championship drought to claim his fifth Masters title and 15th major win overall. Woods’ victory on Sunday impacted many, but none so much as the company behind the swoosh stitched onto his hat and signature red shirt—the value of Woods’ 2019 Masters victory for Nike is more than $22.5 million, according to Apex Marketing. Further, Nike’s website was sold out of most of its Tiger Woods-branded apparel and accessories by Sunday afternoon.

Cash Money: Venture Capital is Investing in Astrology

Astrology, often dismissed as a shady pseudoscience with minimal roots in reality, is having a cultural moment—and investors are taking notice. Per a recent article in the New York Times, the “mystical services market” is worth a staggering $2.1 billion, a figure that commands the attention of even the staunchest of skeptics (ahem, Aquarius). With the growing popularity of apps like Sanctuary, Co-Star and Pattern, the opportunity for brands to get in front of this audience, comprised of largely millennial women, is rising.

Forward Thinking: Walmart’s New Partnership? Stitch Fix for Kids

In its continued effort to fend off Amazon, Walmart has entered the apparel subscription service market through a new partnership with Kidbox, a company similar to Stitch Fix that ships subscribers seasonal children’s apparel. The move comes as Walmart is growing its apparel business through multiple approaches and channels, including a partnership with Lord & Taylor that allowed it to add premium brands to its website.

Friend or Foe: Facebook

This week, WIRED published an incredibly detailed report on the internal happenings at Facebook over the last 15 months. Over the course of more than 10,000 words, the piece highlighted several key points of contention that arose within the scandal-ridden company, including the division among the Facebook PR team over how to respond to Cambridge Analytica; heightened tension between Facebook and Instagram as the former flatlined and the latter reached new heights; and how an executive’s public support of Brett Kavanaugh led to an internal reckoning at the company.

Heating Up

How much distance lies between being good and being great? Not a lot, according to No Limit Agency* CEO Nick Powills. This should make clearing that threshold and achieving greatness accessible for everyone, so long as they decide they want to be great. Oftentimes, Powills argues, people fall short of greatness simply by not taking ownership of their own actions—specifically, how much they hustle. Those who realize it's up to them to make it happen for themselves and commit to the follow-through are the ones who win.