Live To Tell | June 7, 2019

Talk About It

Fantastic: Anheuser-Busch Delivers Water to Flooding Victims

In an awesome display of corporate responsibility, Anheuser-Busch delivered 150,000 cans of emergency drinking water to victims of recent flooding in its home state of Missouri and nearby Oklahoma. The move is nothing new for the company, as it has provided its logistics and shipping expertise during times of need through a partnership with the American Red Cross that dates back to 1906.

Celebrity: Jay-Z’s a Business, Man

While Jay-Z may have started his career as a rapper, encapsulating his success into just that singular title is factually inaccurate—the man is a business mogul. From his tumultuous upbringing in the housing projects of Brooklyn, Jay-Z has risen to billionaire status, making him one of only a handful of entertainers and the first hip-hop artist to do so. Crucially, Forbes noted, Jay-Z realized early on in his career that building his own brands as opposed to representing someone else’s was the key to making it—now, Hov’s steadily growing list of ventures is expansive, encompassing liquor, art, real estate and stakes in companies like Uber.

Cash Money: McDonald’s Accepts Foreign Currency… For A Day

From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time on Thursday, your local McDonald’s accepted the Canadian dollar that had been floating around your coin jar off of your hands for good. In promoting the launch of its Worldwide Favorites Menu in the U.S., McDonald's restaurants accepted foreign currency from customers for one day only.

Forward Thinking: Mini Hotel Toiletries Are Out

Much like plastic straws and styrofoam containers, many a traveler’s favorite hotel souvenirs will soon be disappearing: tiny toiletries have become the target of legislators and hotels in an effort to reduce plastic waste, the New York Times reports. California lawmakers passed legislation last week that would outlaw the use of single-use plastic bottles at hotels and hospitality establishments in favor of refillable dispensers in hotel showers.

Friend or Foe: Captions on Instagram Stories

With Instagram reporting that only 60 percent of its users watch stories with the sound on, brands are putting more emphasis on new ways to engage the other 40 percent of users who view stories with the sound muted. One such strategy is adding captions to stories on the platform as a form of subtitles—a polarizing topic among marketers. One school of thought believes captions look out of place, while another feels that since most content isn’t necessarily dependent on sound, it’s an idea worth exploring. Are captions a good idea in Instagram stories?

Heating Up

We’ve all heard the saying that the early bird gets the worm—except for worms, apparently. In his latest column for 1851 Franchise, No Limit Agency* CEO Nick Powills asks, after years of the same cycle—morning precipitation floods ground, worms leave ground for oxygen, worms get eaten by birds who have become wise to the situation—why don't the worms learn? Similarly, humans run into the same issue: we don't learn from the lessons of those before us. But, with the mindset of disrupting instead of taking the path of least resistance, Powills argues, winning follows.