No Ifs Ands or Buts by Faith

Whether in a city or rural country road, we have all almost been hit by a cyclist or have almost hit a cyclist. With the rise of bike lanes throughout the US, cyclists have a safer alternative to do what they love, encouraging interested parties to dust off bikes in storage or buy a new ride. According to Google Trends , interest in bike lanes have had consistent peaks and valleys since 2004, slowly increasing with time. With the increase of accessible bike lanes comes an expected uptick in cycling consumerism.  Companies are listening to the groundswell, focusing on how to tap into this in order to create in-demand products. And as The Groundswell book says, “product development is hard. Why not let your customers help you with it? (1)” By doing this, companies relieve the monetary burden of developing and testing new ideas as well as embracing a new consumer base.  Adidas listens and embraces the groundswell as the cycling increases in popularity. Many cyclists love using S...

We all have a history with the four-letter word: food. Depending on our community or upbringing, it can bring a sense of community and heritage. Or the necessity to survive. Our relationship with food to it varies from person to person. But today, food is taking on a new identity; it is no longer just a necessity to live but a way of living.  We are living in the era of the foodie. In this new age, NYC bodegas have been designated as go-to cheap eats, London cultivated a spectacular array of diverse and mindbogglingly good Asian restaurants , and even in Worcester, Massachusetts, the ‘ foodism ’ has broken through with delectable eats from sophisticated ramen bowls at Chashu Ramen or gritty soul food at Addie Lee’s. But none of this would have been possible without the support of technology-driven energization in the food industry.                          Mamason's Ice Cream, London      ...

When we think of the year 1888, what do we think of? Any US history buff might think of the general economic growth and the start of our modern city. But for those of us who don’t study history, 1888 is just a year from long ago. It just so happens to be the founding year of The Pearl Milling Company.  If we have heard of it, most of us don’t know where the name comes from. This is because the name doesn’t really have the “thing” to brand a company for 135 years successfully. What’s the company? Aunt Jemima. The company changed the idea of American breakfast and developed a strong brand recognition amongst the public.  A year after the company’s inception, they started producing Aunt Jemima’s signature pancake mix. But becoming the famous pancake box wasn’t as easy as changing the name. While the product was brilliant and original, the name Aunt Jemima came from slavery and Black-face comedy shows. So, they had to market their new name as homey, positive, and friendly. This i...

  This Barbie works in Marketing NOTE: This was originally published on Faith's Takes . For those of you not in the know, my sister is trying to become a professional model. She loves creating content that fits the brand image of Isabella Diana . But, if you are truly in the know, you must be thinking, why is Faith dedicating the beginning of her blog post to her sister? Well, don’t fret. It will be about me and this crazy world we live in soon enough. Isabella has been working her contacts, clothes, and catwalks professionally for almost two years, but this is not her start. Her first walkway was not a public event. It was, in fact, located in our Abuelita’s apartment. As she strutted down our green-carpeted hallway, she gazed upon her reflection in the full mirror, practicing key looks for her future career. While it was a closed event, everyone who knew anyone was there. Her audience? The press, select fans, my enthusiastic grandmother, and a forced-to-be-there Faith. But who in...