These are the highlights from the week ending, June 6th, curated by Gbenga Bidemi.
1. Brands in the US speak up against racism
Following the killing of George Floyd, brands like Nike, Adidas, Walmart, etc. have spoken up in support of the on-going protests against police brutality and racism through their digital platforms.
We stand in solidarity against racism and violence.#TheShowMustBePaused#BlackLivesMatter#BlackOutTuesday pic.twitter.com/HA1fErI0AZ
— YouTube Music (@youtubemusic) June 1, 2020
Last Tuesday, Apple Music, AMAZON Music, Spotify, Youtube Music, Instagram, and more participated in the blackout Tuesday exercise spearheaded by Atlantic Records CMO Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, a former employee.
2. Twitter hides US President’s tweet.
The microblogging app hid Donald trump’s tweet for violating its rules on violent conduct by glorifying violence.
The President’s tweets read, “I’ll send in the National Guard” and was followed by a warning, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”. The same tweet written by the white house account was also deleted.
3. Lagos State government joins the ongoing campaign against rape and sexual violence in Nigeria
Today at our briefing on new developments in the state, we lent our voices to the campaign condemning rape and sexual violence.
Lagos is very competent in handling these issues but there is a cultural and entitlement mentality we must end as we all join hands to stop rape. pic.twitter.com/lnotxARqYo
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) June 4, 2020
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on June 4th, shared a photo of the campaign and updated Lagosians on the steps taken by the government to end rape and sexual violence.
4. Google faces a $5 billion lawsuit for tracking people in private mode
The lawsuit accuses the Alphabet Inc unit of secretly collecting information about what people view online and where they browse, despite their using what Google calls Incognito mode.
Google spokesman, Jose Castaneda, said the brand will put up a strong defense against the claims – “As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity,” he said.
5. Union Bank supports Nigerians with 10Million Naira through the #UnionRiseChallenge
The bank is giving out a total of 10million Naira to 40 people in 4 weeks if they can show how they’ve been able to rise above the challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic to make an impact in their immediate environment and society at large.
The first 10 winners have been announced on the brand’s Instagram page.
6. Reddit co-founder, Alex Ohanian, quits his position in the company’s board and asked to be replaced with a black person.
Image Source: Getty Images
The tech entrepreneur and husband to Serena Williams also pledged to use his time and future gains from Reddit stock to serve the black community.
7. Itel launches the P36 series.
Image source: Guardian.ng
Itel introduced its P36 series – itelP36 and P36 Pro LTE with a virtual product launch in Lagos. The P36 series consolidates the brand’s offerings of budget-friendly, durable, & reliable phones and advances its legacy of long-lasting battery performance with 72-hour battery life.
7. Coca-cola plans to restart its marketing activities after a pause occasioned by the COVID-19 lockdown.
Image Source: Marketing Edge
Coca-cola had to cut back on its marketing communications activities amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Although the brand was active on social media, other forms of marketing were halted.
However, with the ease of the lockdown, and restaurants, & bars re-opening, the Soft drinks company is ready to kickoff communications soon but with a new focus on agility and flexibility. The plan is to build on what it learned from operating largely in the digital space over the past few months, like the importance of real-time content production, streaming, and distribution. This is according to a WARC report.
8. Leading Departmental Store, Harrods caves, opens shop in a mall
The 170 years old store, located in the exclusive Knightsbridge district of London, had never entertained the thought of branching out from its seven-floor luxury shopping emporium with all its glitz and glamour like its trademark doormen.
However, in a report by Bloomberg, the UK brand is forced to cave due to the coronavirus pandemic and will open shop in a mall located in a less glamorous part of the city but with a lot of room for social distancing.
9. Nigerian brands are silent on the public outcry against rape and police violence in the country
2020 has been a tough year, while the world is still battling with the COVID-19 pandemic, other social issues have been the major cause of public anxiety and anger in the past few weeks.
In the US, the death of George Floyd resulted in mass protests against racism with the #BlacksLivesMatter campaign, while the death of two young girls as a result of rape and police brutality is the cause of the outcry in Nigeria.
However, while the fight against racism and police brutality is being echoed by brands abroad, the silence of Nigerian brands on the campaign against rape, sexual violence, and police brutality initiated by well-meaning Nigerians is deafening.
10. Ondo Plc loses CLO, Ngozi Janice Okonkwo
Ngozi, who joined Oando’s legal service team in 2009, has been described as an exceptionally astute and exemplary leader. She died on the 4th of June 2020, after a long battle with cancer.
Christiano Ronaldo becomes the first footballer to attain Billionaire status.
Image Source: Getty Images
Forbes announced that the 35-year-old football star joined the likes of Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather as the only athletes to reach billionaire status. Ronaldo made close to $105 million before tax last year, taking his total worth to over 1 billion dollars.
