“As the country continues to emerge and adjust to post-pandemic life, it is evident that the growth and disruption of the streaming revolution continues at pace, according to a recent Horowitz Research survey of content viewers nationwide. The data show that streaming now supplants MVPD services in penetration and is closing in on time spent by viewers.

​Along with dominance comes accountability. Consumers are feeling the pain of chaos (too many streaming services) and fatigue as content is unpredictably fragmented across numerous, access-restricted streams.” Source: Horowitz Research

See the research summary here.

June is #pridemonth. Check out this fascinating digital series from Colorlines. It highlights the contributions of a diverse range of cultural and artistic icons - from Frida Kahlo to James Baldwin to Gladys Bentley.
​There Is No Culture Without LGBTQIA+ Pride | Colorlines

Last week, a group of leading Asian American executives launched the Asian American Foundation, an organization aimed at increasing opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and putting a stop to anti-AAPI violence and discrimination. The foundation’s board pledged $125 million—the biggest philanthropic commitment ever made in support of AAPI groups and causes—and a range of partners (including McKinsey) together pledged another $125 million.
​
​A 2019 McKinsey analysis showed that Asian leaders made up just 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs—half the Asian American share of the US population. To advance workplace equity, organizations should start by tracking representation along the promotion pipeline, identifying where there are drop-offs, and asking why those drop-offs are occurring. Experiences can vary significantly across subgroups—which means collecting disaggregated data can yield important insights.
Source: McKinsey & Co, May 12, 2021  #stopasianhate

An inaugural group of leading national CEOs and organizations from across business, nonprofit, philanthropy, and academia have come together to combat the racial wealth gap with the launch of NinetyToZero. Driven by the goal to transform the economic landscape that has led to a 90% racial wealth gap between white and Black Americans,
NinetyToZero seeks to bring deliberate, collective action to counteract centuries of discrimination, segregation, and financial exploitation -- so that all Americans have the opportunity to thrive. Closing the racial wealth gap could increase the U.S. GDP by $1.5 trillion in the next 10 years.
​Source: NinetyToZero  You can view the announcement here: https://tinyurl.com/nt2mczy8
#blackwealth #blackbusinessmatters

Violence and hate speech against Asians and Asian Americans have increased sharply since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but unfortunately the United States has a long history of marginalizing and othering people of Asian descent.

The insightful and though-provoking documentary series Asian Americans was first presented in 2020. In light of recent events, PBS is now streaming all episodes for free. 
​https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/

#stopasianhate

​Celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth - discover new perspectives and deepen your knowledge by checking out Comcast NBCUniversal's Voices of the Civil Rights Movement platform. Launched in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, today the project presents more than 17 hours of gripping firsthand accounts, historical moments and stories submitted by the public  .https://voicesofthecivilrightsmovement.com/
 

​In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, let’s celebrate the innovations of America’s Black #entrepreneurs. This PBS series, first aired in 2019, highlights the achievements of inventors, business builders and executives of African descent. You can stream many episodes now at https://lnkd.in/gdFP2ac​

​As we move beyond the tumult of 2020, here’s to a Healthy & Happy New Year in 2021!

When I first wrote about Pop Up stores in 2009, I noted these temporary brick & mortar locations as responses to important market trends - widespread recession driven retail vacancies and the launch of unique fashion brands such as Gucci sneakers and Rachel Roy.
Nearly eight years later, as more shopping increasingly takes place online - at Amazon.com, Walmart.com or the virtual world of your favorite mall-based retailer - Pop Up stores are providing shoppers and brands with important opportunities to connect.

• Pop Ups allows brands to create a unique shopping event for their customers, aligning the brand’s positioning with an IRL experience.And we know consumers are more likely to be interested in brands that provide an experience, not just the acquisition of “stuff”. When GOOP (Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand) opened a popup location for four weeks in Dallas, brand aficionados lined up around the block to experience the GOOP lifestyle the brand advocates in its online positioning.
• Pop Ups can reinforce the customer’s connection through exclusivity.E-commerce is mass commerce – anyone with a credit card and an internet connection can shop online, even for the most luxurious products.But a popup styling shop is available for just a lucky few Parisians, helping to solidify consumers’ alignment with the super-premium attributes of those brands.
• A Pop Up shop can create opportunities for re-branding or re-positioning.Manufacturers can use these temporary retailers as a controlled environment for testing new products or service concepts.Amazon’s popup stores offerings have expanded from locations that focused a data-curated selection of books to outlets now highlighting the company’s devices such as the Kindle and Echo.
  

These brand driven strategies are aligning with increased interest from commercial landlords in taking on temporary tenants. While the general economy has improved, property owners in cities like New York are facing rising retail vacancies.  And malls across the US are suffering shuttered stores and declining foot traffic. The result is a greater willingness to consider (and even seek out) popup retail as a way to bring in some rental income.
 
Some thoughts for marketers:

• Do you think this sales channel will increase in the future?
• Are Pop Ups a way for brands to address the desire for “high-touch” among some consumers?