1. Media & Marketing

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Fundamental Questions

Written by Posted on Less than 0 min read

One of this morning’s main stories is about how Amazon is asking itself questions that, to my mind, are existential in nature.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  In fact, I think it is a process through which every retailer should go, focusing on where it is consistent with its value proposition, and where it may be going off the rails.

The post FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Fundamental Questions appeared first on MNB.

View Original Article
Member since
For more than 30 years, Kevin Coupe has been bringing to readers and audiences a wealth of experience, sharp storytelling skills, provocative and contextual insights, unique worldview and serious levity about the world of business and consumers. https://morningnewsbeat.com
Do you like MorningNewsBeat's articles? Follow on social!

More from MorningNewsBeat

  1. Media & Marketing

TikTok Open To Big Retail Partnerships In US

From The Information: “TikTok has ambitions to transform its app into a U.S. shopping destination and is open to working with big retail partners including Walmart to make that happen, according to TikTok’s head shopping executive in the U.S.” According to the story, Sandie Hawkins, TikTok’s general manager of U.S. e-commerce, says that “the company […]
2 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Worth Reading:  Why Robot?

Bloomberg reports that “Amazon, which churns through hourly workers at a brisk pace, has long expected to one day run out of warm bodies for its US fulfillment centers – an existential problem for an enterprise that made its name providing quick, reliable delivery. While the warehouses are partly automated, Amazon still relies on hundreds […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

OffBeat:  Chemical Reaction

When I saw the ads for “Lessons in Chemistry” on Apple TV+, I must admit that I wasn’t filled with anticipation.  Sure, I like Brie Larson, who stars in the eight-part series.  But there was nothing about the promotions that seemed to suggest appointment viewing. Then, Mrs. Content Guy told me that she’d read the […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department: Nonfood

Drive-Through Traffic Rising, As Businesses Adapt & Adopt

Excellent piece in the New York Times about the rise of the drive-through.  Here’s how it frames the trend: “Getting a meal through a car window began to define the nation’s food culture the moment the founders of In-N-Out Burger set up a two-way speaker in 1948. But the drive-through has never been as integral […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Is Amazon Really Good For Consumers?

The Boston Globe has a piece in which it asks the question, does it necessary follow that if you can buy a 55-inch television on Amazon  for $249, that Amazon is necessarily good for consumers? It is a question that certainly complicates any case that will be made by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Amazon Tests Rx Drone Delivery Service

CBS News reports that “Amazon is testing a service that will drop its pharmacy patients’ medications on their doorsteps via drone in an hour or less. “It is piloting the drone delivery service with customers in College Station, Texas, the company said Wednesday. Deliveries from Amazon Pharmacy are made within 60 minutes of a patient […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Dollar General Tests Healthcare Clinic Strategy

Business Insider reports that “Dollar General just started delivering urgent and preventative care to customers in mobile clinics at three of its stores outside of Nashville. “The retailer has partnered with mobile clinic company DocGo to provide care for minor conditions including cold, flu, skin rashes, and urinary tract infections. The clinics, which take insurance […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Department & Category

Nicholas Bertram, Former Giant President, Joins Flashfood As COO

Flashfood, the digital marketplace that allows consumers to access heavily discounted food nearing its best-by date, this morning announced that Nicholas Bertram, former president of Ahold Delhaize-owned The GIANT Company, is its new president-COO. The company pointed to Bertram’s history of focusing on sustainability, innovation and growth – at Jewel-Osco, Walmart, in addition to GIANT […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department: HBC

FDA Approves OTC Birth Control Pill

CNN reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a birth control pill to be available to women over the counter (OTC), the first of its kind not to require a prescription. “Today’s approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people […]
2 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

MNB Postscript

The other day we had a piece about some manufacturers deciding to eliminate AM radio from the electric vehicles (citing “electromagnetic interference”) and Ford deciding to eliminate it completely (citing, essentially, irrelevance). But now, the Boston Globe reports: “Ford Motor Co. is doing a 180 on AM radio. “The giant automaker on Tuesday abandoned a […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Amazon Said To Be Working On Pay-To-Play Alexa Plan

Business Insider reports that Amazon is working on a new “paid subscription plan” for its Alexa voice assistant platform that could debut later this year. Here’s how Business Insider frames the initiative: “Tentatively called ‘Alexa Plus,’ the paid version of Alexa is intended to offer more conversational and personalized AI technology, said one of the […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department & Category

Gelson’s To Recharge Brand With New Format

Southern California-based Gelson’s announced last week that it is developing a new store format in tandem with EV charging center company Rove that “represents a first-of-its-kind retail brand partnership for Gelson’s.” According to the company, “ReCharge by Gelson’s will offer a curated selection of quality foods, beverages and convenience items delivered with exceptional service to […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Grocery

Kroger Q1 Results Show Marginal Sales Improvement

Kroger yesterday said that its Q1 total company sales were $45.2 billion in the first quarter, compared to $44.6 billion for the same period last year. Same-store sales for the first quarter also were up 3.5 percent, and digital sales for the period were up 15 percent. Kroger’s Q1 net earnings were $962 million, compared […]
2 min read
0
  1. Stores & Formats

Macy’s To Close 150 Stores, 25 Percent Of Its Fleet

Macy’s announced yesterday that it will close 150 of its stores in the US, a move that will eliminate about 25 percent of its square footage representing about 10 percent of its sales. The New York Times reports that “it is the second major downsizing of the Macy’s chain since 2020 and will leave the […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Delivery

Worth Watching:  Instacart’s Stress-Free Holiday Ad

Instacart is out with a new holiday commercial, focusing on how it is the key to a stress-free experience. The theme: Instacart is the essential “holiday rescue app” when things go wrong. Here it is: KC’s View: When I watch this commercial, I see what it is good for shoppers.  I see why it is […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Proposed Ban On Non-Compete Clauses “Inflames” Industry

The Financial Times reports that since the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposal that would ban all non-compete clauses, industry groups have been “inflamed,” and the regulator “has received thousands of comments, with critics arguing the measure is too drastic and will increase business costs while putting trade secrets in jeopardy.” FT notes that […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Worth Reading:  Climate Change Challenges California’s Central Valley

The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that questions about the survival of California’s Central Valley – especially the fertile southern region – are top of mind at a time of climate change. “Home to more than 4 million people, the vast San Joaquin Valley lies flat and low between the Sierra Nevada and the […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department: Adult Beverage

The Rise Of Tavern-Style Pizza Pie

Bloomberg reports that while “Chicago will forever be associated with the gut-busting deep-dish version,” more recently, “it’s the city’s crisp-crusted, tavern-style pie that’s dominating menus from New York to Los Angeles … A tavern pie bears little resemblance to its pudgy, deep-dish cousin. The slim, butter-imbued crust can be as crunchy as a Saltine cracker […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Grocery

Albertsons Looks To Expand Retail Media Network Capacity

The Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media network division of Albertsons, announced a partnership with media company Criteo to “support Albertsons Media Collective’s onsite sponsored ad offerings, while Criteo plans to expand to newer ad formats like commerce display and sponsored video … Together, Criteo and Albertsons Media Collective will offer CPG brand partners access […]
< 1 min read
0
Next