04-03-20

A K-pop star's 'joke' and Visa's revamped Olympic PSAs—the best and worst moves of the week

JYJ star Kim Jae-joong couldn’t resist making the world’s worst April Fools’ joke during a pandemic, and Visa acted quickly to enlist athletes for a PSA after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021. Here are the biggest hit and misses of the week.

Latest Videos

Simone Biles made a bold move at the Olympics—here's why it paid off

Simone Biles takes a stand for mental health, and NBC's Olympic streaming stumbles. This is Fast Company's brand hit and miss of the week.

Simone Biles made a bold move at the Olympics—here's why it paid off

Could your side hustle become a second career?

In this episode of Hit the Ground Running podcast, Yasmin and Christina turned to Jasmine Lawrence, founder of natural hair and body care line Eden BodyWorks, to learn more about how to turn their hobbies into additional streams of income. In addition to being the CEO of her own company, Lawrence is a product manager on the Everyday Robot Project at X. The first thing she advises? Stop thinking of your side hustle as a secondary job. Instead, think of yourself as someone who has dual careers.

Could your side hustle become a second career?

Lil Nas X is reinventing the rules of music promotion

Lil Nas X uses his Nike lawsuit controversy to promote his new Kanye West-produced single, and the Frito-Lay strike shows the not-so-hot working conditions behind your Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. This is Fast Company’s brand hit and miss of the week.

Lil Nas X is reinventing the rules of music promotion

Texting this one word connects the hungry to food with dignity

In the United States, food insecurity isn’t caused by a lack of food, but by a lack of access to the food available. It affected one in four households in 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the situation. Meanwhile, 96% of Americans have a cellphone. Bento is a text-message-based platform that connects people in need to prepaid meals at local restaurants and grocery stores.

Texting this one word connects the hungry to food with dignity

How Ryan Reynolds created an ingenius marketing metaverse

The star hilariously uses his ‘Deadpool’ character to promote his new movie ‘Free Guy,’ and staff at a Nebraska Burger King have it their way and quit. This is Fast Company’s brand hit & miss of the week.

How Ryan Reynolds created an ingenius marketing metaverse

How Nike stays ahead of the curve with its socially conscious marketing

It feels like, in recent years, there is no escape from brands speaking out on social and political issues. But amidst the cancel-culture chaos of socially conscious marketing, one brand stands out for its authenticity. So how does a company like Nike, with 60,000 employees, decide what issues it wants to tackle and the best way to go about it? Host Chris Denson spoke with Jarvis Sam, VP, Diversity & Inclusion, and Melanie Auguste, VP, Global Brand Marketing, about their approach.

How Nike stays ahead of the curve with its socially conscious marketing

The ad industry just got a wake-up call for its mistreatment of women

Looks like not much has changed since the Mad Men era, as hundreds of women recently shared their horror stories about working in advertising, and Heinz ketchup uses hot dog controversy to create its latest ad campaign. This is Fast Company’s brand hit & miss of the week.

The ad industry just got a wake-up call for its mistreatment of women

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

On this episode of the Hit the Ground Running podcast, Yasmin and Christina talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. They also speak with Joseph Johnson, chief people officer at Mansueto Ventures.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Megan Thee Stallion in a fintech ad? Here’s why it works

Introducing Fast Company's brand hit and miss of the week. Cash App drops $1 million with Megan Thee Stallion, and Toyota doesn't let disregarding democracy get in the way of its political donations.

Megan Thee Stallion in a fintech ad? Here’s why it works

Can AI unlock the hidden potential of plants?

On this episode of the ‘World Changing Ideas’ podcast, Brightseed cofounder and COO Sofia Elizondo discusses the AI her company has developed to find nutrients in plants that can be used as preventive medicine.

Can AI unlock the hidden potential of plants?

Impact

Environmental toxins might be making men less fertile

This urban planner created a new metric to find a city’s most frightening intersections

Are you in the global middle class?

News

Students lost 5 months in math, 4 in reading during the pandemic

As Delta variant surges, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Broadway tighten COVID-19 restrictions

Just getting more sleep might not improve productivity and well-being, a new study finds

Co.Design

Targeted ads aren’t just annoying, they can be harmful. Here’s how to fight back

3,600 microphones and counting: The ingenious ways the sound of the Olympics is created

The cardboard real estate boom is here

Work Life

Do this one thing to help feel better about yourself if you’ve got impostor syndrome

What leaders can learn from Simone Biles’ Olympics exit

9 tips and tools for effectively managing your hybrid meetings