The viral and dangerous internet challenge that has teens eating laundry detergent Tide Pods has put Procter & Gamble in PR crisis mode. Blaire Nicole, Founder & CEO of Media Moguls PR, joined Cheddar to explain the best way for brands to handle such an event.
Procter & Gamble responded to the Tide Pod challenge by launching a commercial featuring New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski. Nicole said P&G was swift in its response, but may have been better off featuring peers that would be more relatable to the teens taking part in the challenge. She does not believe P&G's brand will suffer because they are not at fault for the challenge.
Nicole also discussed the responses made by Facebook and Youtube. Google, which owns Youtube, said it's taking down clips that show people taking bites of the pods and giving users who post the clips a strike on their channels. Nicole said they made the proper response, especially in the wake of the Logan Paul videos.
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
