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As Twitter becomes X - Seven disastrous rebrands from Royal Mail to New Coke
Billionaire Elon Musk rebranded Twitter this week and replaced the iconic blue bird logo with a black X, in his latest effort to overhaul the social media giant. The redesign ties in with Musk’s plans to build an “everything” platform –like China’s WeChat or PayTm in India – as he encouraged users to reimagine the “whole concept” of the app formerly known as Twitter. On 24 July, the Tesla founder tweeted a picture of the new logo cast on the Twitter headquarters building in San Francisco, as workers were seen taking down the bird logo that has defined the platform since it was launched in 2006. Musk also redirected the website x.com to twitter.com, and announced that Twitter will soon only be available in dark mode. But it wasn’t an entirely smooth rollout, as it was later revealed Twitter had failed to secure the required permits to change the building signage. Trademark experts also warned Musk could face legal action over his use of X, since rivals Meta and Microsoft both own intellectual property (IP) rights for the letter. The site was reportedly blocked in Indonesia after Mr Musk unveiled the X logo because of the country’s laws on online pornography and gambling. User reactions were also mixed. “The X logo looks like it’s for one of those ridiculous fragile masculinity subscription box services that would send you like an axe, a bottle of hot sauce, small batch coffee, and some beard oil every month in 2019,” one tweet – or is it an X – read. As Twitter moves into a new era, on the heels of a controversial revamp, we look back on seven marketing fails: Royal Mail to Consignia In 2001 the Royal Mail was rebranded as Consignia, but it did not last long. “The new name describes the full scope of what the Post Office does in a way that the words ‘post’ and ‘office’ cannot,” Royal Mail’s then-chief John Roberts unveiled the results of a £2m rebrand, adding that the “modern, meaningful and entirely appropriate” name was suited to the company’s aspirations of becoming an international postal operator. The public did not agree and just 16 months later Consignia was renamed Royal Mail plc, reversing what is considered one of the most disastrous corporate rebranding efforts in recent history. The strategist who led the Consignia rebrand later defended it in an interview with the BBC, explaining why the name was chosen. Keith Wells, who was the director of Dragon Brands, said: “It’s got consign in it. It’s got a link with insignia, so there is this kind of royalty-ish thing in the back of one’s mind. And there’s this lovely dictionary definition of consign which is ‘to entrust to the care of’. That goes right back to sustaining trust, which was very important.” Coke to New Coke “New Coke” remains the benchmark for bad product launches, nearly 40 years after the Coca-Cola company infamously decided to change its secret recipe to gain a competitive advantage over then-up-and-coming Pepsi Co during the cola wars of the Eighties. The decision backfired, as passionate Coke drinkers were devastated by the new taste of the beverage – even launching grassroots campaigns across the United States to bring back the old Coke. “It was the people against the corporation – only in America,” CBS News reporter Bob Simon said in 1985. “Coke said it was committed, so were the people. In California they collected signatures, in Seattle they set up a hotline.” Delighted by their rival’s blunder, Pepsi released an advertisement featuring a girl who asked: “Somebody out there tell me why Coke did it? Why did Coke change?” Coca-Cola eventually buckled under the pressure and announced it would bring back the original taste of Coke, with the company’s then-president saying: “The simple fact is that all of the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on a new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the depth and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people.” Facebook to Meta Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook became Meta in October 2021 to signal its future as a “metaverse company”. A metaverse is defined as “a digital reality that combines aspects of social media, online gaming, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cryptocurrencies to allow users to interact virtually.” While the tech billionaire insisted the rebrand had nothing to do with the PR crisis during what is now remembered as Meta’s worst year ever. From claims the US Capitol riots were organised on the social media platform to employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen’s allegations, Facebook’s reputation took a severe beating in 2021. And the new name didn’t help. According to a report from The Harris Poll, public trust in Zuckerberg’s company significantly dropped after the announcement that it was going to be known as Meta. PR experts also told Insider Meta would have to do “fundamental work” to win back this trust. PwC to Monday One of the Big Four accounting firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers confusingly changed the name of its consulting arm to Monday in what is widely considered a big branding blunder. “Monday is a new identity on which to build our company’s future, and it will have meaning and stand for something,” the company’s then-CEO Greg Brenneman said, announcing the new name that, apparently, conjures images of “fresh thinking, doughnuts, hot coffee”. However, the brand name was a flop as it failed to capture the essence of PwC’s work, and caused widespread confusion – and derision – from members of the public as well as the press. “The day of the week formerly known as Monday would like to announce its name change to distance itself from PWC Consulting. Forthwith it will be known as Tuesday Eve,” one person quipped. Reporting on PwC’s new name, CNN Money said a spokesperson from Wolff Olins, the agency that led the $110m rebrand, “could not immediately be reached Monday—the day, that is.” The rebrand was eventually rolled back. Hershey’s new logo The well-known chocolate company in 2014 unveiled a logo that resembled a “steaming pile of s***” as the abandoned design continues to amuse TikTok users nine years later. When Hershey’s set about trying to create a fresh and modern interpretation of its beloved Kisses icon, it replaced a photograph of their silver Hershey’s Kiss with an animated, brown version and a gray curlicue to represent its packaging. “The new branding will impact all visual aspects of how The Hershey Company presents itself,” the company said in a statement at the time, “from consumer communications to websites to the interior design of its office spaces and the look of its retail stores.” Amused customers were quick to point out the logo had ended up looking like a poop emoji instead, an unsavoury association to make with a chocolate brand. @zacharywinterton Once you see it you cant unsee it. This design is proof that not all logos are created equal ? #logodesign #designfail ♬ original sound - Zachary Winterton Sunny Delight The orange soft beverage launched in the UK in 1998 was once considered a threat to Pepsi and Coke. However, a poorly-timed advertisement amid regulatory scrutiny brought grey storms for Sunny Delight, as the drinks sales fell from a record high of £160m to a measly £6.8m by 2010. The Food Commission launched a campaign against Sunny Delight, claiming it was bad for children after it was reported that one child in Wales turned yellow from drinking 1.5 litres of the drink. “This is excessive consumption and consumption on that scale would lead to a yellowing of the skin because of the beta carotene, in the same way as drinking too much carrot juice or orange juice would,” a spokeswoman for the company said at the time. The girl’s condition, caused by betacarotene which gives the drink it’s colour, emerged at the same time as Sunny Delight was running an ad campaign featuring a pair of snowmen turning orange. Consequently, the popularity of Sunny Delight reportedly halved, as consumers lost their appetite for the bright yellow, sweet drink. Cardiff City’s football kit In 2012, the club’s then-new owner gave the kit an ill-conceived makeover. He decided to put the team, nicknamed the Bluebirds, in a red kit and changed the logo from a blue bird to a red Welsh dragon. “The change of colour is a radical and some would say revolutionary move which will be met with unease and apprehension by a number of supporters, along with being seen as controversial by many,” ex-chief executive Alan Whiteley said. “To those I would like to say that this was not a decision that has been taken lightly or without a great deal of thought and debate. Fans retaliated and the blue kit was restored, with approval from the club’s owner Vincent Tan. 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Will Poulter says acting offered ‘escape’ from mental health issues
Will Poulter has suggested his acting career meant he didn’t address his mental health “as early as I might have”. The 30-year-old British star has been acting since he was a child, first appearing in the 2007 film Son Of Rambow. “I think for me, performance offered me something of an escape,” Poulter told the PA news agency. “For a while, maybe I wasn’t addressing some of my mental health issues as early as I might have, because I was losing myself in my work a little bit, and that’s probably quite relatable to a lot of people, whether they’re actors or not. “So it’s been a kind of blessing and a curse in that respect, if I’m being completely honest, but I’m obviously very, very grateful to have found something that ultimately I’m very passionate about and I love doing, so it nets out as being a positive and I’m grateful for it.” Poulter, who has been diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, depression and OCD, has teamed up with Movember for its 20th anniversary to raise funds and awareness of testicular cancer, prostate cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. He said his experiences with mental health have “textured my experience in a number of different ways”, and highlighted the importance of opening up. “I’ve found, certainly, that having the opportunity to talk in a kind of no-holds-barred fashion, and not to feel the kind of brunt of the stigma, has been really beneficial,” the Maze Runner star said. “I think, to a large extent, a problem shared is a problem halved… By talking to people more openly about the subject of mental health, you quickly come into contact with the idea that it’s often people that you wouldn’t necessarily assume are suffering from something. “Everyone has a mental health to consider, everyone’s dealing with something to some extent.” There's still quite an asphyxiating stigma around mental health Will Poulter He said he’s been “liberated to talk about my mental health relatively freely”, but accepted that isn’t necessarily the case for everyone. “Certainly on a societal level, there’s still quite an asphyxiating stigma around mental health. I think what Movember have long done is helped deconstruct that stigma and create a more hospitable environment for people to be able to talk about mental health.” He suggested that mental health is “especially stigmatised” in the male community. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), around three-quarters (74%) of the suicides registered in England and Wales in 2021 were men. It’s the leading cause of death in men aged 20-34. Movember also said it’s believed one in five (20%) of men in the UK aged between 16-29 experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms in 2023. The charity took on mental health and suicide prevention as a cause area in 2006, focusing on prevention, early intervention and health promotion focusing around men. Poulter, who is teaming up with Movember for the second year in a row, said he’s “very fortunate to have a lot of people in my life, both men and women, who contribute to that conversation [around mental health] very openly”, but accepted there’s still a way to go. “It often requires a lot of courage on behalf of the person who’s dealing with a mental health issue to speak up. What I think we have to work towards is a destigmatised society, so it isn’t such a courageous thing to do.” He continued: “When you break it down, ultimately we’re talking about an organ, or talking about taking care of your body. When you think about it like that, to think there’s so much stigmatisation around talking about taking care of the most vital organ in your body, it seems kind of bizarre – but that is the situation we find ourselves in.” Poulter said he always tries to “think about it in those terms”, and talk about it like that with “people in my own household and those nearest and dearest to me”. He added: “It’s always fascinated me that physical health, largely speaking, doesn’t have the same stigma surrounding it. People talk about physical health more freely than they do mental health.” Movember is an annual event where people grow moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of a variety of men’s issues, and 2023 marks 20 years since the charity was founded in a pub in Melbourne, Australia, by two friends. Portrait photographer Rankin has teamed up with Movember to photograph people including Poulter, ex-Arsenal footballer Jermaine Pennant, TV presenters Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling, and members of boyband Busted. Poulter is an ambassador of Movember, united to take on mental health, suicide, prostate and testicular cancers. See Movember.com. For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch. 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