In the business world, it is critical to be up-to-date on the latest news stories and marketing trends. Stay in the conversation with our top stories for the week.

Happy Holidays from Amazon

It’s now officially the holiday season. How do we know? The world’s largest online retailer launched their first holiday ad this weekend. For their annual holiday commercial, Amazon has brought back their famous singing boxes crooning to The Jacksons’ song “Can You Feel It?”

The ad shows Amazon’s products and services in their many forms, from the Echo to Amazon lockers to warehouse robots. It sends a positive message about how people in many different stages of life are brought together by the holiday season – and how Amazon is with them every step of the way. Watch the full ad here: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/amazon-kicks-off-the-holiday-season-with-a-global-ad-starring-its-joyful-singing-boxes/

#GoogleWalkout

Apparently even the company consistently voted a best workplace isn’t free from crisis. During the work day Thursday, thousands of Google employees around the world staged a walkout to protest Google’s handling of sexual harassment cases within the company. Protestors shared photos and thoughts from the walkout using #GoogleWalkout on social media.

The walkout was a response to a New York Times article published last week revealing the corporation protected three senior executives who were accused of sexual misconduct within the last ten years. Google joins an ever-expanding list of companies faced with similar allegations this year in wake of the #MeToo movement. Check out details of the walkout here: https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/01/tech/google-employee-walkout-andy-rubin/index.html

Elon Musk’s Twitter 

Recently, Tesla and founder Elon Musk were fined $20 million each for a tweet Musk jokingly posted about considering taking Tesla private for $420 a share. Musk’s response? “Worth it.”

Despite the high fine, Elon Musk’s Twitter account has successfully served as Tesla’s main marketing platform. The billionaire has 23.5 million followers, a reach larger than any other car brand. His snarky tweets regularly go viral; just last week, Musk’s post about deleting his titles at Tesla sparked a national debate about the necessity of job titles. Do you think his tweets are strategic or silly? Find out more here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/helenpopkin/2018/10/30/elon-musks-twitter-account-is-teslas-40-million-marketing-platform-worth-it/#1be9b8987873

Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich?

This weekend, National Sandwich Day opened the floodgates on the infamous debate: is a hot dog a sandwich? Oscar Mayer says yes. On Thursday, the Kraft Heinz-owned brand declared their opinion on Twitter and included a hotline number for consumers to call to “try and change our mind.”

Twitter users quickly jumped on the debate, posting their own opinions and personal beliefs on the subject using the hashtag #ChangeOscarsMind. What do you think about Oscar Mayer bringing the hotline back? And more importantly, IS a hot dog a sandwich? Let us know your thoughts. https://www.marketingdive.com/news/oscar-mayer-officially-declares-hot-dogs-are-sandwiches-opens-hotline-for/541228/