Boston Red Sox – 2018 PR Miracle Champs

Well folks, its time to end this week on a positive note… a TRULY positive note that is.  After a few weeks of horror-themed posts, we start this month on the right foot. I mentioned this blurb back on Monday and its time to say it again – The Boston Red Sox are the 2018 World Champions.

That’s right – the Red Sox won the world series.  They won their final game on Sunday October 28^th, winning by 4 (final score: 5-1).  After a grueling and tiresome few weeks, the Red Sox finally won the championship once again.  It truly is a great start for the city of Boston.

But a PR miracle happened a mere week before they won the world series.  This miracle happened after the second home game, involving a famous outfielder and his love for delivery food.

Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts went by the Boston Public Library around 2:00 AM to deliver Dominican food to the homeless.  After wandering around the area with hot plates, about a dozen or so people went up to get food from him.  It was quite a miraculous scene over at the Boston Public Library, with many of the homeless thanking him for his generosity.

Interestingly enough, this PR miracle wasn’t even a publicity stunt to begin with – Mookie Betts and his companions just wanted to give food to the homeless.  It’s that simple act of kindness that makes Boston so amazing.  Even after working their hardest on their season (whether its making baskets or scoring touchdowns), Boston athletes always think of the real citizens that live in the city.  These small acts of charity humanize Boston’s sports brands, becoming more relatable to their audiences.

Not only did Mookie Bett’s brand shine through this generous act, but he made the Boston Red Sox brand better as well.  Betts is just one of many examples where Boston athletes do real work for the community.  Why rely on complicated politics to solve the homeliness issue in Boston when you have superstar athletes like Mookie Betts pitching in to help.

In the end, Mookie Betts is what Boston is all about.  Not only did Betts pay it forward by delivering food to the homeless, but he helped flourish his brand (as well as the Boston Red Sox brand) even further.  If you want to look for an incredible sports PR miracle, look no further than Mookie Betts.

And with that, Boston gets bragging rights for the next two months.  Boston Red Sox are the 2018 world championships and Mookie Betts hit a home run with that PR miracle during the world series.

Who knows what other PR miracles/PR nightmares are in stores for the Boston Red Sox next year.  Hopefully we will see another world series in the near future.

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Coca-Cola’s CBD-Infused Beverage

Many businesses these days are looking to dip their toes into the cannabis industry.  Companies, both small and big, see the major potential the cannabis industry has for its audience.  Cannabis is the fastest growing industry in the nation and businesses are giving it a chance.  As more states legalize recreational use, more and more businesses are jumping in on the bandwagon to cash in on their rewards.

As a matter of fact, some major corporations are starting to look towards cannabis as a means of a unique strategy for their business.  One such big corporation, Coca-Cola, is dabbling with the idea of producing…cannabis-infused drinks.

Coca-Cola is in talks with Aurora Cannabis (based in Vancouver, Canada) about producing cannabis-infused drinks for their audience.  Their strategy is to produce drinks infused with CBD in order to relieve pain, rather than infuse them with THC.  The infamous beverage company has been watching the cannabis drink market very closely these days.

This news comes as Canada prepares to legalize cannabis within their country, following US states that are legalizing for recreational use.  Canada has been adapting the ways paved through legal states in America.  The special partnership between Coca-Cola and Aurora would mark the first entry of a major manufacturer of non-alcoholic drinks into the market.

It is quite a PR miracle to see a major beverage company like Coca-Cola diving into the cannabis industry.  Not only is the industry paving the way for cannabis businesses, but also for other businesses as well.  Even though not much as been said about what the new drink will be, this is still a major step in the right direction for both companies.  Coca-Cola sees the benefit the cannabis industry has on its audience, so it only makes sense for them to work with Aurora Cannabis to push a unique drink.

In the end, Coca-Cola is one of many major corporations that will become 4/20 friendly in the near future.  As the cannabis industry continues to take off, other companies will utilize cannabis into their own business plans as well.

Be on the lookout for a new CBD-infused drink by Coca-Cola, coming to a dispensary near you.

Adriaen Block – A CBD-infused Dining Experience

When it comes to fine dining, you can’t look any further than New York City.  New York City offers some of the most exclusive eateries within its neighborhoods.  With ideas like Indian fusion or a ramen noodle place catered specifically to introverts, New York City provides some of the most unique dining experiences imaginable.

 

With cannabis laws being more relaxed in the Big Apple, more opportunities are presented for chefs all across the city.  As a matter of fact, chefs have already been creating artistic dishes that contain THC.  These special dishes are being made underground and out of the public eye.  But one restaurant in the Queens neighborhood mix their food and drinks with…CBD.

Adriaen Block is known as the first CBD bar and restaurant in New York City.  Every option available, both drinks and food, contain CBD oil as one of their ingredients.  You can find Adriane Block in Astoria, within the Queens neighborhood.

Their starter boards include charcuterie, sliced cheese, and Vinetta.  Choose from one of their classics like fried calamari or hand-cut steak tartare.  They even come with juicy burgers such as The Block Burger.  This burger comes with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, nueske’s bacon, and AB CBD sauce.  You can get your burger with truffle fries or with other side entrees such as French fries, potato gratin, couscous, cream of spinach, and AB CBD sauce.

Other main entrees include the certified Angus Hanger Steak and Faroe Island Wild Salmon.  Their desert menu features Crêpes, Key Lime Pie, and Molten Chocolate Cake (all of which can be topped off with some CBD whipped cream!).

While dining on those delicious CBD-infused entrees, you can wash them down with one of these tasty CBD cocktails.  You can choose from eight CBD cocktails from boozy (alcohol) or zero-proof (non-alcohol) side.  The rolled fashion on the boozy side features aperol, pineau des charentes, and angostura bitters.  On the other side is the Kombucha Garden, which comes with passion fruit kombucha, seedlip garden, and mint.  This is instance where you can choose what kind of CBD experience you want, whether with or without alcohol.

All of these delicious foods and cocktails, with every order mixed with CBD oil.  It was a creative idea being passed around in the underground, but now its finally being made in the public eye.  Just the positive buzz we need generated for the cannabis industry.  This is the kind of PR miracle that will propel this industry further around America.

First it was Adriaen Block to introduce an entire restaurant incorporating their service with CBD.  Now’s the time for cannabis’s popular cannabinoids to come out into the spotlight and into the kitchen.  Why stop with one restaurant when we can segment the concept with other types of food.  We have the opportunity to infringe this idea food types such as Italian, Irish, Mexican, Chinese, French, Swedish, German, and many others.

Its creative restaurants like Adriaen Block that will open up this window of opportunity for restauranteurs alike.  New York City sets high standards in their fine dining experience, so incorporating cannabinoids like THC or CBD will only push them even further.  Not only that, but other cities will incorporate that product strategy into their own business as well.  Who knows, maybe Los Angeles will create CBD-infused taco dishes or Boston may serve CBD clam chowder (which would make for a FANTASTIC Boston-themed cannabis dish!).

For now, let’s celebrate the release of NYC’s first CBD restaurant and bar Adriaen Block. It’s like they always say – bong appétit!

7-11’s Too COOL for School Event

Last week was REAL hot here in Massachusetts.  I’ve had to deal with temperatures soaring over 90 degrees within a 4 day span.  It was so hot that I barely moved around outside.  In fact, I was so lazy that I took an Uber from Brighton/Allston to Central Square just because I didn’t want to melt in the scorching sun (I even gave the driver 5 stars just for having air conditioning!).

All personal stories aside, that heat wave proves that summer is still here for the next month or so.  There are a few weeks left until the school year starts and it will continue to be hot these next few weeks.  With temperatures still soaring high these days, its always important to keep yourselves cool.  7-11 will help you just that with their latest promotion.

7-11 is offering two slurpees for the price of one as part of their ‘Two Cool for School’ deal.  Customers can buy one slurpee and receive another one absolutely free.  Unlike the ‘7-Eleven Day’, customers are not limited to a small cup and the deal goes for all sizes.  The promotion will go through until Sunday August 19^th.

This is an interesting marketing promotion 7-11 has to offer for its customers.  While it doesn’t serve for a catastrophic problem, it is still a fun way for people to get together to share slurpees during the summer.  It will still be hot out this month and this promotion will help cool people down during the heat waves.

I love this kind of marketing concept.  Who doesn’t love a cool slurpee from 7-11 on a hot day?  It’s definitely something I could use last week during the midst of the heat wave here in Massachusetts.  7-11’s promotion will definitely fare well with Massachusetts (even though it won’t be as hot this week).

If you’re looking to cool off this week, head on over to a 7-11 near you to get two slurpees for the price of one.  Bring a friend or family member to share a relieving slurpee with.  This is one COOL promotion you certainly don’t want to miss.

Domino’s Paving For Pizza

Some companies may modify their brands in order to keep up with the current times while other create a nation-wide campaign.  Creating a campaign for your brand helps to bring it more to life.  That campaign will do wonders for the story you are trying to present to your audience.  People always love a good story to hear, so its important to write up a great one to tell.

Earlier this week, IHOP unveiled their PR stunt with International House of Burgers.  This PR stunt presented a new story for the IHOP brand with some tasty burgers on the menu.  Meanwhile, Dominoes initiated an interesting campaign for their brand.  Domino’s newest brand campaign involves the work of…filling potholes?

That’s right folks – Domino’s Pizza is paving potholes all across the country.  It’s all under Domino’s newest ‘Paving for Pizza’ campaign that initiated on Monday.  The campaign allows customers to nominate their town for pothole repairs.

Customers can nominate their town by entering pavingforpizza.com and entering their ZIP code.  If your town gets picked, then you will be notified about your city receiving extra funding to fix the potholes.  While you won’t see the Domino’s branded trucks coming by to do the work, your town will get some much needed essential resources.  So far four towns were provided with the funding which include Bartonville, Texas, Milford, Delaware, Athens, Georgia, and Burbank, California.

The gist of Domino’s PR campaign is so that pizzas can safely make it from their locations to their destinations.  As simple as this idea seems, it also makes for a great strategy to advertise their carryout service.  By scoping in on one downfall about delivery service (with this case, it’s the potholes!), Domino’s seized this opportunity to highlight the option of carrying it out with you.  So not only did Domino’s create a brilliant campaign, but they also showcased their carryout option during the process.

This says a lot about American businesses when a pizza company is offering road repairs for certain towns.  It’s a bizarre look into how our society is run.  Politicians usually deal with things like fixing up potholes, yet a popular pizza chain like Domino’s is easily providing the funding necessary to do just that.  Who knew that a pizza chain would be fixing up potholes all across this nation.

Nevertheless, Domino’s brilliant PR campaign already has a huge following on the internet.  Many customers are taking to the site to have their roads paved, all in the name of pizza.  Your pizza will be saved, but your roads will be improved as well.

This is the kind of campaign we need here in America.  Businesses like Domino’s are solving some the country’s major annoyances, one day at a time.  They may not be catastrophic problems, but they still need to be fixed in the long run.

Time to start being like Domino’s and pave for pizza.