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Get Intel Report EmailsA Collection of Good News
Good news for aspiring media moguls. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case dealing with the FCC’s attempt to relax restrictions on local media ownership. For decades, companies have been prohibited from owning both a newspaper and broadcast station in the same market. The FCC attempted to rescind the rule in 2017 but was stymied by suit brought by advocacy groups.
Good news for advertisers. New IAB data shows that 84% of US consumers’ trust in brands either grows or is unaffected when they see companies advertising in the news. The IAB also identifies a “halo” effect of advertising in news that they say can improve consumer’s trust of brands by up to 6%.
Good news for holiday shoppers. Many retailers are responding to this season’s unique challenges by giving consumers a larger window for accessing seasonal bargains. Notably, for many stores, traditional “Black Friday” savings are being kicked off earlier and running longer.
Good news for people who sell stuff. Compared to last year, U.S. general merchandise dollar sales increased 12% in the week ending September 26 according to research from retail industry analyst, NPD Group. The increase comes as a number of general merchandise industries, particularly those that improve life at home, have experienced double-digit year-over-year sales growth in recent months.
News That’s Making Me Hungry
Give the gift of tacos. Taco Bell has launched “Taco Gifter,” the brand’s new taco e-gifting service, giving fans the opportunity to gift its most iconic menu item via the Taco Bell app or website.
Jam is not their only jam. The J.M. Smucker Co. introduced an updated corporate identity. The new mark is meant to better reflect the Company’s increasingly diverse portfolio. During the past two decades, the company has grown from an $800 million jams and jellies business to a more than $7 billion multi-category CPG player but, to date, is still largely known for its namesake products.
Scary News
Can virtual trick-or-treating succeed? Candy titan, Mars Wrigley, aims to find out. The world’s largest candy maker known for sugary staples like M&M’s®, Snickers®, Twix® and Skittles®, has launched a digital Halloween trick-or-treating experience through a free app available on iOS and Android.
A mixed bag for Halloween. According to market research firm, Numerator, Halloween candy can be a bellwether for consumer holiday sentiment. The firm’s “Halloween Candy Tracker” shows Halloween messaging up 17% from last year, media spend down 19% and sales up 26%.
Another holiday going to the dogs. Not content to let candy peddlers monopolize Halloween, Milk-Bone is launching a seasonal product line of its own. The dog-treat maven is marketing coordinating facemask and pet bandannas on Amazon that come complete with a sample bag of dog biscuits. Interesting to note, also, that Milk-Bone is a J.M. Smucker company (see above).
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