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Oreo Misses the Dunk on Ben Carson; Texas Advances Its “Save Chick-fil-A” Bill; New Coke Returns
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Is Pepsi OK? PHOTO: NETFLIX
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Oreo seizes the wrong moment in a now-deleted tweet. PHOTO: OREO VIA TWITTER.
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Oreo yesterday tried and failed to recapture the magic of the 2013 Super Bowl blackout, when its rapid “You can still dunk in the dark” response on Twitter generated thousands of happy retweets and a fistful of top-shelf marketing awards. This time, though, it saw an opening at a House Financial Services Committee hearing. So, dicey from the start.
The brand’s perceived moment came after Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., stopped to make sure Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson knew the term she was using:
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Do you know what an REO is?” asked the congresswoman.
“An Oreo…” replied Carson.
“R, no not an Oreo. An R-E-O.” shot back Porter.
“Real estate?” asked Carson.
“What’s the O stand for?” said Porter.
“E-organization?” asked Carson.
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It really refers to real estate owned by lenders—such as foreclosed housing. After a few hours of consideration, Oreo fired off a burn. “REO stands for ‘Really Excellent OREO (cookie),’” it wrote on Twitter. “Everyone knows that.”
“Families are getting kicked out of their homes,” Twitter replied. Oreo deleted the tweet about an hour later.
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A model at a photo studio in the Philadelphia office of Nuuly. PHOTO: HANNAH YOON FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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Urban Outfitters is starting a brand to rent clothes like Netflix (still) rents DVDs. Nuuly, as it’s called, will let subscribers pick six garments on its website, then deliver them with a reusable bag and a prepaid postage label. Customers return the clothes after a month to get six more.
Clothing rental is getting a lift from Instagram culture, where new outfits are valuable, and increasing awareness of sustainability problems in fashion, said Naomi Braithwaite, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University who has been conducting research on the subject. But shoppers are more resistant to renting less-expensive garments, she said: “It’s already so convenient to buy the fast fashion and everyday things.”
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Cher is coming out with Eau de Couture by Cher, her first fragrance since introducing Uninhibited (now defunct) in 1987. [WWD]
Dotdash, the descendant of About.com, started a paint line with Amazon that’s aimed at millennials. [Axios]
The trendy Hoxton Hotel chain is testing a co-working brand called Working From_ in Chicago and London. [The Drum]
Comcast is developing what sounds like a cross between an Amazon Echo and a Life Alert button: a device to monitor health at home. [CNBC]
After giving free advertising to an antiabortion group whose ads suggested it offers abortions, Google said advertisers using relevant keywords will have to specify whether they actually provide abortions. [The Guardian]
The chief executives of Thinx, Loom, Cora, Clary Collection and three more companies bought a full-page ad in the New York Times arguing for abortion rights. [The Hill]
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), proposed a new version of the voluntary, failed Do Not Track effort that would impose real penalties for violators. [Ad Exchanger]
Texas are pushing a “Save Chick-fil-A” bill following San Antonio’s refusal to let the chain open a store in its airport. [NBC News]
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We bring you the most important (and intriguing) marketing news every day. Write me at nat.ives@wsj.com any time with feedback on the newsletter or comments on specific items. We want to hear from you.
And follow the CMO Today team on Twitter: @wsjCMO, @natives, @alexbruell.
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