In our news-oriented world, it’s important for you and your company to stay up to date on the most important stories each week. Check out our Weekly Must Reads for the marketing, advertising and branding news you need to know.

The Great Chicken Sandwich Debate

We’ve seen brands get into “Twitter fights” in the past, but no argument has engaged as many companies at once as last week’s chicken sandwich war. After Southern fast food chain Popeye’s debuted their new chicken sandwich, fried chicken favorite Chick-fil-A tweeted a simple message showing the love for their “original” sandwich. Popeye’s immediately fired back, inspiring other fast food brands, including Wendy’s and even Boston Market, to join in the conversation. Before long, users across the country were tweeting their chicken sandwich opinions, and what started as one tweet turned into a heated debate.

Unlike the other brands who happily jumped in to comment on the drama, Chick-fil-A declined to post a comeback in their typical polite style. Whose strategy do you think is more effective? Which brand came out on top of this Twitter war? Find out Adweek’s take here: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/ranking-who-is-winning-the-great-chicken-sandwich-twitter-war-of-2019/

Android Announces a Brand Refresh

Last week, Google announced a number of updates to their Android brand. The smartphone brand now features a more modern black font, as well as an updated color scheme. They added a set of secondary color combinations, including blue, yellow and orange, and their classic robot logo has been reduced to a warmer green head.

Android has also changed the way they’re naming software updates. The new Android 10 operating system will be released soon, marking a departure from their typical dessert naming scheme. According to Google, the change was made to be more inclusive of other languages and cultures who might not be able to understand or pronounce names like “Lollipop” or “Marshmallow.” Find out more details here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/08/22/googles-android-operating-system-getting-logo-makeover/2082459001/

The Rise of Branded Podcasts

If we told you McDonald’s had produced its own successful podcast, would you believe us? It’s true – podcasts aren’t just for media personalities or journalists anymore. Brands like McDonald’s, General Electric, New Balance and Trader Joe’s have started partnering with media companies to produce their own series. Despite consumers’ disinterest in commercial and radio ads, they’re surprisingly tuning in to the podcasts. One General Electric episode drew millions of listeners, while Trader Joe’s show consistently ranks in the top 10 on iTunes.

Perhaps the secret to brands’ podcast success is their strategy to provide entertainment over sales pitches. According to experts, the most successful shows sound less like a commercial and more like a discussion about topics related to their overall industry. Are branded podcasts just another form of propaganda, or are they an innovative way to provide customers value? Read on here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/business/media/branded-podcasts.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Advertising%20and%20Marketing

This Year’s “Healthiest” Brands

We often see lists of the most innovative, successful or popular brands of the year. But what about the “healthiest” brands? Research company YouGov recently conducted a consumer survey measuring the public’s feelings on brand quality, value, reputation and overall satisfaction. Unlike other rankings, which frequently rank tech companies and retailers among the best, this survey found consumers are more likely to find consumer product brands as the “healthiest.”

The top five companies included Band-Aid, Dawn, Hershey’s, M&Ms and Netflix. This marks a slight departure from last year’s results, when Amazon was ranked second behind Band-Aid. This year, Amazon didn’t even make the top 10. Find out more about America’s healthiest brands here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/band-aid-dawn-and-hersheys-ranked-highest-of-healthiest-us-brands/561448/