Today, May 14, marks 221 years since the 6th United States Congress recessed. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, PA and in Washington, DC from March 4, 1799, to March 4, 1801, during the last two years of John Adams’ presidency. What makes this Congressional recess importance is the fact that it was the […]

Mother’s Day is this weekend, and consumers appear ready to shower mothers with more gifts than ever before. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), which has been conducting an annual survey on Mother’s Day spending since 2003, as more people are getting vaccinated and stimulus checks are being distributed, consumers are going all out […]

The Noid is back. For those unfamiliar, let me explain. In 1986, when Domino’s Pizza was pushing its 30-minute delivery timeframes, it introduced the Noid in its advertising campaigns. The Noid, wearing a red skin-tight suit with rabbit ears, was a “physical manifestation of all the challenges inherent in getting a pizza delivered in 30 […]

Thirty-six years ago today marks either one of the greatest marketing blunders or success stories of all-time, depending on how you look at it, of course. Concerned that it was losing market share to other soft drinks, and the fact that in some blind taste tests consumers preferred the sweeter taste of Pepsi, Coca-Cola changed […]

We are truly living in the smart era; we have smart phones, smart TVs, smart cars, smart appliances, and really just about any other smart item you could imagine. And now, the smart face mask is set to become a reality. In January, game hardware company Razer unveiled what was then called Project Hazel during […]

Over the last year, we have seen shortages of almost everything you can imagine. The most famous shortage, of course, was the toilet paper shortage, which was really more about a shift in usage and panic buying than production. We have also seen shortages of semiconductor chips, shipping containers, and even test monkeys (seriously). And […]

Spring brings about a plethora of annual traditions. For example, yesterday was Major League Baseball’s opening day, which turned into a rainout for my hometown Red Sox. Another yearly tradition is the emergence of annual cicadas, which are found in every US state. This year, however, the annual cicadas will be joined by periodical cicadas, […]