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The month of April blew in bringing fools, fire and vaccine passports. In this week’s episode, Austin, Thomas and Hattie talk about Volkswagen’s April Fool fail, Nike’s clap-back on rapper Lil Nas X’s "Satan Shoes," and concerns about the new vaccine passport policy.

Volkswagen is the Biggest (April) Fool

If we had to grade Volkswagen’s effort to promote the company’s lone electric vehicle to coincide with April Fool’s Day, they earned an ‘F.' It all started with a leaked press release from Volkswagen announcing a rebrand to “Voltswagen” and that the change was a “public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility.” 

The company said the “Voltswagen” branding would be on all its EVs going forward. Turns out, it’s a big fat lie, and an April Fool’s fail. Their attempt to pull a harmless prank shows that jokes like these don’t always pan out and possibly can erode consumer trust.

Nike, Lil Nas X, and ‘Satan Shoes’

Lil Nas X can teach a master class on creating fame. The rap artist is intuitive, and creative, in using digital media to promote his music and most recently, his collaboration with MSCHF to sell 666 pairs of modified Nike Air Max 97s as “Satan Shoes.”

Nike sued MSCHF alleging unauthorized use of the Nike logo and requested the court to cancel orders of the Satan Shoes, but not before MSCHF was able to sell off all but one pair of the custom shoes. Sneaker heads and critics alike are taking opposite corners in the controversy. Lil Nas X most likely is smiling and thinking, “Where’s the fire?” 

Marketers, take note.

Can Vaccine Passports Help Revive the Economy?

Proponents say that if we can identify people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine, or at lower risk of spreading it could help open travel among other things. That’s a good thing. We desperately need the effort to work, to get our economy booming again and with summer around the corner, people back to enjoying travel beyond the grocery store, the backyard and the living room sofa.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather

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Welcome to the Today in Manufacturing Podcast, a new podcast brought to you by the editors from Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).

In each episode, we discuss the five biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week, we discuss:

Americans Still Won't Pay More for USA-Made Goods

In 2017, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that 70 percent of Americans believe it is “very important” or “somewhat important” to buy U.S. goods, but 37 percent said they wouldn’t pay more for those goods. The poll was recently re-issued and despite supply chain challenges and fears over many critical goods being sub-par or unavailable, the results are virtually unchanged.

New Boston Dynamics Robot Moves 800 Cases Per Hour

Boston Dynamics has a new robot: Stretch. The new robot is designed to move boxes around warehouses and distribution centers. It can move up to 800 cases per hour, picking up boxes around 50 pounds. The timing couldn't be more perfect as demand in e-commerce continues to surge.

Nearly a Week Later, Massive Ship Freed in Suez Canal

On Monday, tugboats, helped by the tides, were able to free the massive Ever Given ship from the Suez Canal. It was stuck for the better part of a week and the traffic jam held up $9 billion a day in global trade and further strained supply chains.

SpaceX Launches Test Rocket, Breaks Apart Before Landing

Another week, another SpaceX failure. This time, it was a failed landing that caused the futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship to break apart right before touchdown.

GM’s $9,000 Pickup

Motor1 reports that Wuling, a joint venture between GM and China’s SAIC Motor, has unveiled its debut pickup. The Zhengtu will cost 58,800 Chinese Yuan — or just north of $9,000 American.

In Case You Missed It:

Volkswagen's Planned 'Name Change' an Apparent Hoax

On March 29th, Volkswagen announced plans to change its brand name in the United States to “Voltswagen.”

Pizza Hut Delivering AR Pac Man

With American’s hunger for both pizza delivery and 80’s nostalgia continuing to run strong, Pizza Hut is looking to gobble up the competition with what the company is calling their Newstalgia campaign.

The 5 Most Dangerous States for Drivers

According to the National Safety Council, pandemic-related factors led Americans to driving 13 percent fewer miles in 2020. Still, the country experienced a 24 percent increase in the rate of road-related deaths – the largest year-over-year increase in 96 years.

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review on Apple podcast or whatever platform you use. Finally, to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at Jeff, Anna or David @ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line.

Welcome to another weekly marketing and advertising news update from The Radcast! In this episode, host Ryan Alford and co-host Reiley Clark, dissect this week's marketing and advertising headlines.

These are Today's Topics:

1. Lil Nas X and Nike Lawsuit.
2. Voltswagen Rebrand.
3. Covid Vaccine Incentives.
4. Chipotle is giving away 100k in Bitcoin.

If you enjoyed this episode of The Radcast, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and share the word if you love our podcast, so we can keep giving you the strategies to achieve radical marketing results! You can follow us on Instagram @the.rad.cast | @radical_results | @ryanalford |

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, join Ryan’s newsletter https://ryanalford.com/newsletter/ to get Ferrari level advice daily for FREE. 
 

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