The first time I saw Izzy, I knew he was a mistake. I was living in Atlanta and it was sometime before the 1996 Olympic Games. I hadn’t even graduated from college or taken any of my marketing classes … but I had a gut reaction that the mascot officially named “Whatizit” and nicknamed Izzy was
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This week’s stories will include desperate airlines selling in-flight meals online, the LA Olympic committee’s brilliantly inclusive new logo, how to use stupidity to get a promotion, a conversation with Silicon Valley’s last ethical thinker and how a Japanese rock star and Lady Gaga are showing us the future of virtual performances. This Week’s Stories:
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Two weeks ago when writer James Altucher published a well-argued article titled “NYC is Dead Forever. Here’s Why …” – he set off a firestorm of debate. Many long time New Yorkers rushed to defend their beloved city from his dire prediction. Famous New York comedian Jerry Seinfeld was one of them, as he argued in
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In this episode, we talk about … Why the Republican National Convention was a flop (read the full article) The biggest secret about competing on Masterchef How magic helps introduce pioneering technology Empathetic cars that can cure your road rage The debate about whether New York is dead forever Why your next health screening may
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Over the past two weeks, I actively watched both the Republican and Democratic Political Conventions and actively ignored the mostly useless commentary from cable news political pundits. My aim was to hear and experience the original talks and segments from both conventions without the biased real-time analysis. I was watching not only the live and
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I love a good branding story and the history of the Oreo cookie has plenty of fascinating hooks. The story starts with two feuding brothers, Joseph and Jacob Loose, who ran competing bakeries that came up with two cookies that were essentially the same: the Hydrox and the Oreo. For years the Hydrox dominated, until the 1950s when
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In this episode, we talk about … Lessons in humble creativity from the best small agency in America Transparent toilets and they might actually work A stunning VR expose of factory farms filmed by an activist group Apple seeing challenges to their monopoly from Fortnite and others Time crystals and why they aren’t as cool
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Last year I went to Japan for the first time and experienced the inescapable presence of “Kawaii” culture. It is a word that describes the overwhelming cuteness of icons, mascots and media that focus on pastel colors, large rounded imagery and anime characters with big eyes and (often) short skirts. In many cases, it overlaps
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Stories featured on the show this week: One thing that could eliminate fake news How Japan’s “culture of cute” traps women An inside look at how Iceland beat coronavirus Branding lessons from the shady history of the Oreo The 17th century technique for selling during a pandemic A sad new documentary about a surprising new
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