Water Cooler Talking Point: “Still confused? We’ve got full coverage on everything from WTF is the yield curve to what this all means for the economy. Go directly to Insider Information below. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.”
Nike-owned Converse lost it’s CMO earlier this year, and this week we found out where Julien Cahn landed: streetwear brand, Supreme.
Replacing Cahn is no small task, but living up to its corporate motto, Nike just did it. Sophie Bambuck will be transitioning from her role as Nike’s Senior Brand Director in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During her time in EMEA, Bambuck made the region Nike’s top business unit globally.
Nike has experienced a recent executive exodus, across business units, after conducting internal probes regarding allegations of misconduct. The executives who have left include Trevor Edwards, who many at Nike believed was the heir apparent to CEO Mark Parker.
Water Cooler Talking Point: “Nike is a dream job for anyone who has ever loved sports or had any sort of interest in the sportswear space, so you know that there must be some serious internal turmoil going on if your executives are all packing up and heading for the hills. Nike recruiters, if you’re reading this, give me a call.”
The FDA is cracking down on e-cigarettes in an effort to curtail sales to “the youths.” One of their biggest targets is Juul, an e-cig that resembles a flash drive.
Retailers were given notice that the FDA is doing undercover work to see if they’re selling e-cig products to underage buyers. The fun police have sent out (strongly worded) letter warnings and eBay has removed all Juul products from its site.
Additionally, anti-tobacco groups are calling for the FDA to ban fruity flavors that are more attractive to young kids and commission a regulatory review.
E-cigarettes were initially marketed as devices to ween people off of the real McCoy. But multiple health organizations have urged the FDA to take action as all signs point towards e-cigarettes being a gateway drug.
Water Cooler Talking Point: “You know what the best part of living through the rise of the e-cig is? (Nope, it isn’t the public health crisis that is exploding e-cigs.) It’s the fact that we can tell our grandkids about the wild west days of unregulated vaping: there are no rules … people are “smoking” in offices, restaurants, bars and up until last year, on commercial flights.”
