1. Martha Stewart with Marijuana
Martha Stewart is entering into the cannabis market, following Snoop Dogg’s tracks. Snoop Dogg, who has his own line of designer weed, has had a joint partnership with Martha since 2008. Now the two will be collaborating with Canadian cannabis company, Canopy Growth. Stewart will have an advisory role, assisting with the development and brand positioning for hemp-based products for both humans and pets. “I am delighted to establish this partnership with Canopy Growth and share with them the knowledge I have gained after years of experience in the subject of living,” said Stewart. “I’m especially looking forward to our first collaboration together, which will offer sensible products for people’s beloved pets.” Given that Stewart doesn’t personally engage in the recreational activity, she has praised CBD-infused ointment in the past. CBD products are especially popular with pet owners due to their psychological benefits; many pet owners have said their animals feel less pain and anxiety. Take a look at Little Kitty’s story here.
(Source: The Hustle, NY Times)
2. Walmart Displaces Disabled Greeters
For years, Walmart has been known for its front door greeters who eagerly welcome store goers with a “Welcome to Walmart!” Unfortunately for customers, and even more so for greeters, Walmart is saying goodbye to this position come April 25. A substantial number of front door greeters are disabled, which previously championed Walmart with a perfect 100 score on the Disability Equality Index, a benchmarking tool for a business’ disability inclusion policies and practices. Now greeters will be phased into “customer hosts,’ a more physical role, requiring heavy lifting, security duties, and standing for long periods of time. As many current greeters are physically unable to carry on such tasks, 80% of them are expected to leave. Walmart has said, “We recognize that our associates with physical disabilities face a unique situation. With that in mind, we will be extending the current 60-day greeter transition period for associates with disabilities while we explore the circumstances and potential accommodations, for each individual, that can be made within each store.” What are store greeters saying? “It’s been very stressful,” said 32-year-old Mitchell, a greeter in Alabama. “[Walmart] gives me a place to go every day, where I’m not sitting at home. I’m not one of these people in the wheelchair that want to draw Social Security. I’m able to work; I want to work; I want to be out in society.” Walmart just went from 100 to 0.
(Source: NPR, The Hustle)
3. The Momo Challenge
You may have recently heard of the Momo Challenge, a hoax created to frighten parents. What’s the hoax? A disturbing image of a woman’s face, referred to as “Momo”, is said to appear in online children videos, possessing them to commit self-harm. Last week, a Twitter user tweeted out, “Warning! Please read, this is real. There is a thing called ‘Momo’ that’s instructing kids to kill themselves. INFORM EVERYONE YOU CAN.” Retweeted over 22K times, the news spread like wildfire, catching the attention of local news stations and even celebs like Kim Kardashian who posted a warning to fellow parents. Fortunately, the “Momo Challenge” is, in fact, a viral hoax, and YouTube claims they have not seen any evidence of Momo videos anywhere on its platforms and if any do arise, the content will immediately be removed for violating the platform’s policies. YouTube has already been scrutinized for their lackluster policing of pedophilic content, as well as creepy video content targeted to children back in 2017. Since 81% of people are influenced by what their friends share on social media, word of mouth has become world of mouth in this digital savvy era, which can directly influence consumers’ opinions towards a brand. It’s important to always research first before making any assumptions. Read a few tips on how here.
(Source: The Atlantic, NY Times)
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