Welcome  back, thanks for stopping by, and kindly take your shoes off at the front door. We begin this week's installment of the "Spotlight" on a somber note. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to those (like my wife, who greeted me in tears the other night) still reeling from the (SPOILER ALERT) Peloton-induced demise of Mr. Big (played by Christopher Noth) in the "Sex and The City" (SATC) epilogue series, "And Just Like That..." Now, I do not claim to know much about SATC, but I know a thing or two about product placements, branding and marketing. My initial reaction on hearing the news from my wife (actually, my second reaction, after "WHO?!"), was one of surprise: either the production did not clear the usage of Peloton cycling equipment and branding in the show, or that someone at Peloton must have agreed to have the brand featured in the show ignorant to the context in which it might be depicted. Seemingly, no matter how you sliced it, it was another public relations embarrassment for Peloton after a product recall earlier this year and a controversial 2019 holiday advertisement (subsequently lampooned by Ryan Reynolds' Aviator gin brand). Wall Street agreed, as the negative depiction triggered a sell off the very next day. Whether or not Peloton's next move was actually premeditated or (as reported) a face-saving viral moment that came together in a whirlwind, it amounted to some shrewd marketing - this time with Ryan Reynolds and his marketing agency, Maximum Effort coming to the rescue with ad featuring a very much alive Christopher Noth. Will that be enough to sway public perception (and stock prices, which rebounded after the ad was released)? In light of unflattering late breaking news regarding Noth, probably not.

For now, here's a glimpse of some other stories to cycle through in this week's "Spotlight":

  • For some time, the fledgling NIL era in college athletes has been marked by endorsement deals with regional fast-food chains and off-campus businesses. Now, multibillion-dollar brands Bose, Nike and Gatorade are entering the fray, giving me yet another reason I want to go back to college (though I would still need to work on that "athletic" part...).
  • James Brown's estate sold his song catalogue for a cool $90 million, undoubtedly making his heirs exclaim, "I Feel Good." Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen sold his catalogue of songs and recordings for a reported ho-hum of $500 million. Springsteen could not be reached for comment as he was too busy "Dancing in the Dark."
  • Nike and Adidas each jumped feet first into the metaverse with the former acquiring an NFT digital shoe company and the latter buying a "plot" in the Sandbox metaverse. Just in time for the holidays for you to stuff in your digital stockings.

Thanks for stopping by - see you next week!  

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