Welcome to the Monday Memo — your pop culture snapshot from Manifesto.
Hey friends, Mondays can be tough. Here are 7 things to make October 30th, 2023, a bit better.
Happy Halloween (eve)! Here are some last-minute Halloween costumesfor certain Manifesto employees who haven't planned for our costume contest tomorrow....
1. Artist of the Week: Julia Rothman
Julia Rothman is an artist of many mediums—a columnist for the New York Times, an illustrator of a book series, a wallpaper designer, and more. In addition to her work as an artist, Julia co-founded Women Who Draw, an open directory of female professional illustrators, artists, and cartoonists with fellow illustrator Wendy MacNaughton.
2. What we're listening to: 1989 (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift
Last Friday, Taylor Swift released the re-recording of her smash 2014 album, 1989. The original release was a groundbreaking evolution for the music star, cementing her status as a pop icon. This iteration updates the 16 original tracks and unleashes five, never-before-heard tracks from the vault. With a timeless sound, Taylor Swift never goes out of Style.
3. What we're watching: The Pigeon Tunnel - Apple TV+
John le Carré is best known as the author of famous espionage novels like Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, The Night Manager, and A Perfect Spy. But, sometimes the most captivating story to tell is your own. The Pigeon Tunnel is a documentary following le Carré as he recounts the real-life inspiration behind his famous works.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Chiquita Banana released a subtle change in its logo mark to promote breast cancer screenings. "Miss Chiquita" was created in 1944 to serve as the face of the company, and has become an iconic feature on their bananas ever since. The new Pink Sticker, made to match the Pink Ribbon, an international symbol for breast cancer awareness, will adorn 200 million of Chiquita’s tasty yellow bananas worldwide. This small change, made in partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS), aims to help inspire women to make a big difference by living a healthy lifestyle and scheduling regular screening with mammograms. Breast cancer among females is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023), and by changing the iconic Blue Sticker to Pink, Chiquita’s female ambassador Miss Chiquita sends a powerful message of support to those affected by breast cancer. In addition, Miss Chiquita will appear in this year’s Pink Sticker digital content, leading by example by changing her iconic pose to one where she is performing a self-examination. This change is proof that subtle changes can still be profound and impactful in a brand's messaging. We are bananas for this campaign!
5. Cognitive Bias of the Week: The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon
The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon is the illusion where something that comes to your particular attention suddenly seems to re-appear with very unlikely frequency. This bias was coined in 1994 by Terry Mullen in a letter to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The letter describes how, after mentioning the name of the German terrorist group Baader-Meinhof once, he kept noticing it. The Baader-Meinhof effect involves two cognitive processes: selective attention and confirmation bias. Selective attention occurs when your brain subconsciously decides that something is important and starts noticing it more. Confirmation bias happens when you start to believe that something is more prevalent because you are seeing it more often, even if the frequency hasn't actually increased. In today's technological world, it is easy to chalk up these experiences to algorithms and digital touchpoints, sometimes it's just our brain trying to make connections.
(©Jacek Stankiewicz / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023) A kangaroo rocking the air guitar, ballroom-dancing horses, a pair of grizzlies sharing a great belly laugh, and a cigar-smoking fox This and more await you in the Comedy Wildlife Photography finalists. 6. Good News of the Week:
​Robert Irwin just announced the successful breeding of the endangered turtle species named after his late father (Independent)
A new ‘real estate agency’ in Los Angeles is helping thousands of people experiencing homelessness get into homes faster (NPR)
Old Quebec church gets a new lease on life as a greenhouse to combat food insecurity (CBC)
Check out the finalists for the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards (The Epoch Times)
Back in 2021, Gifting company Edible Arrangements announced that they would be shifting their brand name to "Edible." Now, two years later, they are finally rolling out the refreshed brand. They say the name change reflects their wider range of products, streamlined messaging, and a broader digital appeal. Be honest. If we told you "I just sent my grandma an Edible," you would probably assume our grandma was previously a hippie, lived in Colorado, or has a lot of nausea. Over 24 states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and an additional 15 have approved it for medical use. While legal marijuana use can come in many mediums (oils, pens, teas), an increasingly popular way to consume it is in edibles, the term for marijuana-treated snacks that induce a high. Now back to Edible Arrangments. Instead of acknowledging the connection and playing it up for a fun campaign, they are standing behind the name without an ounce of irony. This is why focus groups are important...