Cheddar's Kristen Scholer sits down with Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer at Nickelodeon, at the Ad Council's Annual Public Service Award dinner to discuss the network's strategy for its digital content. Kaufman talks about being equally focused on traditional TV and digital, as well as product. Nickelodeon is also targeting live content, and making it a huge priority in 2018.
Future Nickelodeon projects are also getting a warm reception from parent company Viacom after a year-long road of leadership changes. Nickelodeon just launched a 5-star family hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in hopes of catering to what Kaufman calls "velcro" families. Velcro families are families who like to spend a lot of time together as a group.
Kaufman also talks about the '90s nostalgia boom, and how Nickelodeon is capitalizing on the trend. She reveals the network will start teasing a reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in fall of 2018. Spongebob Square Pants is also making a comeback: the curtain goes up on a live Broadway production of the cartoon hit this December 4th.
UPS recently announced it would equip delivery trucks with air conditioning. Dr. Douglas Casa, CEO of Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, spoke with Cheddar News on the dangers of heat stroke and how workers can keep themselves safe from extreme weather.
The push for clean energy is igniting an interest in electric vehicles but charging EVs continues to be a concern for consumers looking to save. Brian Moody, executive editor with Autotrader, joined Cheddar News to discuss how people can make home-charging more affordable.
Gannett has filed a civil lawsuit against Google and its parent company Alphabet, claiming that they unlawfully hold monopolies in the advertising technology tools that publishers and advertisers use to buy and sell online ad space.
Apple, the tech giant, is trying to trademark images of apples, the fruit. The company has been pursuing the trademark since 2017, and its latest battleground is Switzerland, where its appealing a partial trademark that would only cover black-and-white depictions of Granny Smith apples.