I’ve been blessed to work for PR/PR Public Relations for nearly eight years, and my time spent with this company has afforded me the privilege of working with some incredible people every day. It’s also opened up the opportunity to travel, explore, and grow.

Over the last few years I’ve found myself sipping rocket fuel coffee in a square in Bosnia, walking around glacier lagoons in Iceland, and watching sunsets from Dalmatian cliff sides in Croatia. My travels will continue next week, as I’ll be heading to the Iberian Peninsula to spend some time in Portugal and Spain.

Most of my destinations tend to be on the colder, gloomier side, so experiencing the Mediterranean will be a nice change of pace.

My flight departs next Thursday, April 18^th, and I will be returning stateside (and back to the office) on Monday, May 13^th. During this time, Russell will be rolling up his sleeves and personally shepherding all of my clients’ campaigns in my absence. Should you have any questions, concerns, or simply want to chat, feel free to reach out directly to my email (or give the office a call) as normal, as Russell will be keeping up with all communication to my email address.

I want to extend a sincere “thank you” to each and every one of my clients for your trust and support, and I look forward to continuing our work upon my return.      

In what’s definitely a sign of the times, Burger King is announced that it’s testing a meatless Whopper at 59 of its locations in St. Louis. Featuring a plant-based patty from Impossible Foods (one that actually “bleeds”), Burger King is banking on the not-so-recent trend of meatless diets.

It’s a 21^st Century iteration of Burger King’s flagship sandwich, and one they’re hoping to ride all the way to the bank.

Burger King made the announcement of “The Impossible Whopper” yesterday—April Fool’s Day—leading to the immediate question of if it was real or just another prank on April 1^st. Nope: It’s real, and should the initial market test in St. Louis go well, the company plans to roll out the product nationally.

That means meatless Whoppers could soon be appearing at your local Burger King.

Silicon Valley has been pumping money into Impossible Foods, the producer of the Impossible Burger, with eyes on an IPO in the future. If a deal is secured to introduce their plant-based patty to all of Burger King’s 7,200 locations, they will become the de-facto standard for readily available meatless burgers.

It should also make them a real player on the market.

If you’re a little confused by a fast food joint incorporating a meatless option to its brand-bearing burger, you’re not alone. The Whopper holds a certain nostalgia for me, as it was the go-to meal after childhood soccer and baseball games; and at that time, there was definitely not a vegetarian or vegan option on the menu.

Times they are a’changin’, and Burger King is betting on its future by teaming up with Impossible Foods to bring the Impossible Whopper to the masses. We’ll see how it all plays out.

Last week we focused on Apple’s upcoming event where they were primed to announce a foray into original content video streaming. They did that yesterday, but we also received an announcement of some new “hardware”, if you will. Apple unveiled the Apple Card, a no-fee, low interest rate credit card.

The minimalist design, par for the course with Apple products, is without a signature, numbers, security code, or expiration date.

As outlined in the event, the new Apple credit card will connect directly to Apple Pay. The card will allow the user to track all of their purchases through the Apple Wallet, and the card itself will begin to compile data on the bulk of your spending—which is a fantastic tool for future budgeting.

Apple released Apple Pay a few years back, and it’s become a popular option for iPhone users instead of whipping out the plastic to pay for goods. They’re now honing in on that feature and potentially replacing your card on file with one of Apple’s shiny new ones.

And they do look pretty awesome, as well. One of the cornerstones of the company brand is style and status, so the Apple card seems slightly like a quick way to let people know that “you’re in the club.”

Kind of like an AMEX Black card, without needing a massive disposable income.

The card will also feature a unique way to recoup rewards, as well. Instead of a running tally of cash back or miles, the card will deposit daily rewards back into your Apple Wallet for immediate availability.

Another day, another Apple headline. The company that changed the world keeps changing it, and you can bet there are more innovations on deck.

Apple has its hands in nearly everything these days. The company is ubiquitous in our society—look around and there’s a solid shot you see an Apple device. The Silicon Valley giant has revolutionized technology, but has been notoriously absent in another ubiquitous area: video streaming. That’s about to change.

According to a New York Times report, Apple is about to go all-in to compete with video content streaming heavyweights like HBO, Amazon, and Netflix. There are sparse details available (which is not unique for Apple), but with an upcoming event on its Cupertino campus slated for next week, the company is expected to announce a new foray into original programming.

There are a group of Hollywood stars, producers, and studio executives expected to attend.

Apple has thrown in its lot with music streaming services in recent years with Apple Music, a platform that still notoriously plays second fiddle to Spotify. Its attempt to compete with video streaming services with its own programming seems a natural extension, and should give them more a leg-up against the others because of the unique content available.

And there are rumblings about that, too.

Rumored to be in production include a new series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, an exclusive M. Night Shyamalan feature, and a Steven Spielberg reboot.

Those are some big names to announce on an initial rollout.

So Apple seems destined to carve out yet another area in your life where its brand is ever present. We’ll see if it takes off.

Facebook is an invaluable asset in your marketing and visibility efforts. But as we learned in the 2016 election (and the reason why the social media behemoth is now under immense scrutiny) is it can also be a platform for misinformation. With clicks and likes and shares and comments, potentially harmful, inaccurate posts are amplified, leading to a populace that’s gleaning its real-world insights from fake stories.

Facebook had set out to tamp down on the fake news epidemic plaguing its platform, and they’ve now committed to purging newsfeeds of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. And yes, they’re everywhere on the website.

With outbreaks of once preventable diseases affecting pockets of the country, Facebook is now taking an active role in keeping harmful anti-vaccine conspiracy theories from spreading—with the end goal of stopping the spread of illnesses like measles. They won’t be banning such content outright, but adjusting their algorithm that makes it more difficult to find.

Last week Ethan Lindenberger testified before Congress about why he defied his mother and chose to get vaccinated. At the heart of his argument was that his mom was receiving information from social media sources, and not legitimate outlets like the CDC. His testimony brought the fight against anti-vaxx conspiracies into the fore, and the role that social media plays in spreading false information.

So Facebook has responded by limiting the availability of this content to its users. Hopefully the move translates to a reduction of illnesses that were once controlled due to vaccines.