First, Dunkin’ Donuts became simply Dunkin’ because its menu had expanded far beyond the glazed and jelly-filled, creating an enormous amount of buzz. Now Cinnabon is offering its first non-cinnamon roll, Chocolate BonBites, which the company promises “hits different.”

Don’t consider this a major rebrand since the BonBites are for a limited time only. At least the switch-up might create less confusion than Burger King’s new Impossible Whopper with a vegan patty and real bacon. 🤔

These are just a few examples of long-established, recognizable brands that never stop trying to innovate. We’ll leave it to the public to decide if any of the changes work, but it’s always good news for customers when you can have it your way — whatever that might be.

“Bag Lady”: She led the green shopping bag revolution.

Infographic: Just how addicted to social media are we?

Air (filter) pods: Dyson’s post-apocalyptic headphones.

(Source: Shutterstock)

Just a few years ago, many businesses viewed environmental concerns as irrelevant to hostile. Today, the green economy is worth $4 trillion, adding up to 6% of the global market. Sustainability is profitable; it’s no wonder that companies are focused on their environmental impact.

Plus, Gen Z’s top concern is protecting the environment, and they’re voting with their dollars:

90% of young people feel that companies “must act to help social and environmental issues,” according to a 2019 study, and three-fourths “will do research to see if a company is being honest.”

77% prioritize “working at organizations whose values align with their own,” another study found.

73% would pay higher prices for eco-friendly products.

The notion that consumers would accept even a slight inconvenience for Earth’s sake was once considered ludicrous. But times have changed.

$425 Million

Synthetic reusable bag revenue in 2019

(Source: Industry Research)

Back in 2005, during a trip to Australia, Lisa D. Foster’s greatest surprise wasn’t the outback wildlife; it was the grocery store bags. The island continent was transitioning from single-use bags to reusable, because the ozone hole overhead there was already making climate change urgent. 

Foster, an English teacher, believed the concept would work in the U.S. She founded the company 1 Bag at a Time, brought the reusable shopping bag to America, and sold millions of them within a few years. She then sold the company itself for 11 times her annual teacher salary. 

Listen to Yourself, Not Your Doubters

It wasn’t overnight success for Foster; she got laughed out of numerous initial meetings. “The Western buyer for Safeway took my call … and said 3% of Americans use reusable bags, ‘We don't expect it to change,’ and hung up,” Foster told us. “When I [sold] my business, 60% of Americans were using reusable bags.”

Plus, more than 400 U.S. municipalities now tax or ban single-use grocery bags. Going green will save you some green.

Marketing Is Just Storytelling

Foster’s secret weapon was her experience in teaching literature. “If you come in with an argument — ‘here’s why I’m right, and I have my facts and figures’ — people put up their defenses,” she said. “But if you tell a story, you get the suspension of disbelief. Come in with emotion!”

Her story was “the tragic life of a plastic bag” that spends thousands of years in a landfill without decomposing. The sad tale won over buyers at small organic shops, then midsize grocers, and finally megastores.

Foster didn’t have a business background, only the simple tools of hard work and a powerful narrative.

“I’m an English teacher,” she said. “Ask me about Shakspeare!”

Bag Lady: How I Started a Business for a Greener World and Changed the Way America Shops is available from Changemakers Books.

QuickBooks: “I watch my cash flow carefully and track expenses meticulously. I couldn’t do business without QuickBooks. It helps me tell the story of what I’m doing right or what I need to fix.”

Calendly: “Super simple and easy way to let others know when I’m free to meet.”

PowerPoint: “As a professional communicator, I use PowerPoint to help me be off book and keep the structure of my message on track. I love the layouts and graphics that help get a point across. Nothing like a tiger staring you down to get the audience’s attention!”

In 2010, we averaged a single hour per day on social media. Today, most of us are spending nearly triple that. Check out more facts below, and maybe let’s all take a breather?

Inspiration to chase your every dream, no matter how bizarre.

(Source: Dyson)

Pairing high-fidelity active noise-canceling headphones with a post-pandemic mania for clean air, the Dyson Zone sees the company branch way, way out from its typical vacuums, humidifiers, and hair dryers.

The Zone, which took six years of research and 500 prototypes before its big reveal, offers a two-stage air purification system that rests like a cyberpunk visor over the wearer’s nose and mouth. It probably won’t be the next Beats by Dre, but then again, everybody thought AirPods looked funny when they came out.

“Sustainability can't be like some sort of a moral sacrifice or political dilemma or a philanthropical cause. It has to be a design challenge.”

— Bjarke Ingels, architect

Written by Marty Beckerman, Lauren Treadwell, and Dan Ketchum.

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