Londoners have today urged to avoid the subway due to strikes
Transport for London (TfL) advises travelers to try to avoid the London Underground if they can, as thousands of staff go on a 24-hour strike today (June 6).
The strike, which is linked to jobs and pensions, is expected to cause “serious disruption” to the metro network today, TfL says. It is carried out by the Railway, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and means that services will be interrupted until 8 am tomorrow (June 7) and that many stations are likely to be closed.
The action does not affect the services of DLR, underground, bus or tram, but it is expected to have an impact on these, as travelers who would normally go by subway are looking for alternative routes.
The strike comes after an extremely busy weekend in London, where the queen celebrated her platinum jubilee and many tourists flocked to the capital.
The CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Richard Burge, has expressed concern about the timing of the action.
“Ultimately, this will only hurt London’s economy, and it’s time for TfL to resolve its dispute with the RMT, so that we can rebuild prosperity and show the world that London is open to business,” he says.
Marriott withdraws from Russia
The Marriott hotel chain will be completely out of Russia, saying sanctions on the country have made it “impossible” to continue operations there.
He has been in the country for over 25 years. The hotel chain had closed its Russian office and halted investment in the country in March following the invasion of Ukraine. However, it kept its 22 third-party hotels open, citing “complexities” in closing them.
“We have come to the conclusion that recently announced restrictions in the US, UK and EU will make it impossible for Marriott to continue operating or hotel franchises in the Russian market,” he says, while making the decision to close his hotels in the country. . .
Marriott says he remains “focused on caring for our Russian-based partners” and has been supporting people in Ukraine and Russia to secure a job with the business in other countries.
He added that 85 of his hotels around the world now housed Ukrainian refugees.
The war in Ukraine is now in its fourth month. In recent weeks, other global brands such as Starbucks and McDonald’s have left Russia as sanctions in the country tightened and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine worsened.
READ MORE: Ukrainian War: Marriott hotel chain to leave Russia after 25 years
Aldi takes Cuthbert the caterpillar back to the shops
Aldi’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar, a cake that saw the supermarket go into a legal battle with M&S over Colin, will return to stores today (June 6).
Last year, M&S took legal action against the budget retailer to “protect” its Colin the Caterpillar cake, which it said was a rival to Cuthbert. The cheap Aldi supermarket cake was also two pounds cheaper than M&S’s Colin.
Aldi launched a Twitter campaign for “Free Cuthbert”, which set out to win over the public and saw her win the 2021 Master’s in Marketing Week for Social Media.
The battle has been resolved in the High Court this year. Details were not disclosed, but both retailers said they were pleased with the result.
At the time, M&S said: “The purpose of the claim was to protect the [intellectual property] in our Colin the Caterpillar cake and we are very pleased with the result “.
Aldi was also pleased with the result and said, “Cuthbert is free and looking forward to seeing all his fans again soon!”
The cake returns today with slight changes in the design of its chocolate face. Aldi has once again welcomed the cake in a cheeky way, with images of vans parked outside M&S stores welcoming Cuthbert. The signs on the vans have messages such as “The corridor is back” and “Made by bakers. Approved by lawyers.”
Cuthbert is now three pounds cheaper than rival M&S, as Colin’s price has risen to 8 pounds.
READ MORE: Cuthbert the Caterpillar returns to Aldi and is trolling Colin from M&S
KitKat launches AI-based gaze contest
KitKat has released the latest iteration of its famous ‘have a break’ brand positioning, encouraging social media users to take a ‘Blink Break’.
Blink Break is an online gaze contest, which uses artificial intelligence to recognize a face and detect blinking, allowing consumers to confront and take a break to scroll through social media news.
The posts have been released on KitKat’s Instagram channels and will coincide with the so-called “mid-afternoon drop”, when the brand says consumers need more distraction.
The Nestlé-owned brand has partnered with Wunderman Thompson to bring the game to life. He sees participants facing increasingly absurd animals as they progress through the game, from a lemur to a snowy owl. Players are also encouraged to face each other and share their progress with #blinkchallenge.
Wael Jabi, KitKat’s global leader in marketing and strategic communications, says the brand is building on its famous platform with this digital innovation.
“KitKat has been encouraging people to take a break since 1957, and this campaign shows a whole generation of digital natives the benefits of taking a break in one of the most relevant contexts for them,” he says.
McCain names drag queen Baga Chipz as creative director
McCain Foods has named RuPaul’s Drag Race star Baga Chipz as the new creative director. The Frozen Potato brand says the self-proclaimed “Queen of French Fries” encapsulates its “Anything Goes” mantra.
Since her appointment was announced on Thursday, Baga has been using social media to show fans how to be creative with their weekday meals on her Instagram page.
“Everyone knows that fries are the star of any dish. Like me, they’re completely beautiful and are always the center of attention, so don’t be afraid to get creative with them,” says Baga Chipz.
McCain is not the first brand to hire a celebrity creative director, last year fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing appointed Love Island influencer and star Molly-Mae Hague as creative director. In his ad, McCain states, “Go to Molly Mae, there’s a new creative director in town.”
“We’re thrilled to finally be able to introduce Baga as our first creative director – her iconic, fearless attitude perfectly encapsulates our Anything Goes philosophy,” says McCain’s director of marketing, Mark Hodge.
“With Baga’s support, we want to highlight that any meal can be exciting when you invite McCain to the plate, through our new series of social videos.”