pollackgroup.com Skip to main content

Interesting Reads. Industry news that you may have missed.

Burger King is giving away Whoppers for 1 cent — but you have to go to McDonald’s to get them – Business Insider

Burger King has a new McDonald’s-themed Whopper deal. The fast-food chain is turning more than 14,000 McDonald’s into Burger King restaurants by telling customers to go within 600 feet of a McDonald’s location, and then place an order for a one-cent Whopper on the Burger King app. The deal aims to promote the recently revamped app, which now offers mobile ordering.

Delicious sesame seed hamburger with pickles and onions on crumpled paper, set against a vibrant yellow background.
Source: Business Insider

Amazon Tests Its Cashierless Technology for Bigger Stores – The Wall Street Journal

Amazon is testing its cashierless checkout technology for bigger stores. The online giant is trying to overcome challenges caused by retail spaces with more products and larger spaces. The system tracks what shoppers pick up from shelves and charges them automatically when they leave the store. If successful, the strategy would continue to challenge brick-and-mortar retailers to make its businesses more convenient.

Woman shopping for salads in a grocery store aisle, surrounded by shelves of fresh ingredients and packaged foods.
Source: The Wall Street Journal

TikTok, a Chinese Video App, Brings Fun Back to Social Media – The New York Times

A recently launched app called TikTok has gained instant popularity – bonus there are no ads or news popups. The app is a hybrid of Snapchat, the outdated video app Vine, and the TV segment “Carpool Karaoke.” TikTok offers users to create short video sets to music, often lip-syncing, dancing, or acting out short skits. There is also a live-stream feature that allows users to send virtual “gifts” to their favorite creators, which can be bought with real money.

Twins in matching yellow sweatshirts hold broken waffle pieces, showcasing playful expressions against a neutral background.
Source: The New York Times

Why ‘news for millennials’ media plays never panned out – Digiday

Some time ago, news needed to be reshaped for millennials. News had to be quicker, video-and image-heavy, and optimized for sharing, especially on mobile screens. Articles could live on a platform instead of a publisher’s website and be monetized in some way or other. Today, the effects of brand efforts creating news for millennials was, for the most part, a bit of marketing opportunism that didn’t work out.