Good Week/Bad Week in Branding

Good Week: Lululemon – The ubiquitous “yoga-chic” retailer announced first-quarter sales that exceeded analysts expectations and credited the boost to the addition of new products, bucking the “reduction” trend in place at nearly every other major clothing retailer. Namaste, suckers!

Bad Week: Burger King – Shareholders of the chain’s parent company rejected a proposal that would have required it to add women to its all-male board of directors. Apparently, adding hot dogs to the menu was Burger King’s way of signaling its commitment to “diversity.”

Worse Week: Snack Foods – Stealing a page from the automotive industry playbook, this week saw some of the most popular snack-food brands issuing an unprecedented number of product recalls. Salt-and-sugar giants Frito-Lay and Hostess got tripped up by peanut residue in numerous products, while a variety of “healthy” snacks from Quaker, Kashi and Cliff Bar were reeled back in due to concerns over listeria contamination.  Makes me long for the days when “red dye #2” and “Slurpee brain-freeze” were our biggest snack worries.