BrandSnark: Good Week/Bad Week for the Big Brands

Good Week: Tommy Hilfiger The popular American clothing brand introduced a line of clothing designed specifically for people with disabilities. Many items feature magnet closures, making them easier to put on and remove than with traditional buttons and zippers.

Bad Week: SeaWorld, Tesla and Blue Apron – Layoffs at all three companies dampened spirits and forecasts in advance of the holidays. Blue Apron is thought to be cutting as many as 300 of its 5,000 employees (shortly after IPO-ing) while dwindling attendance has SeaWorld – still reeling from the “Blackfish” ugliness – bidding adieu to 350 largely administrative staff. Tesla stock dropped after the company announced it fired “hundreds” of workers after a recent round of performance reviews.

Worse Week: Ford – The No. 2 U.S. automobile manufacturer is recalling more than 1.3 million of its popular F-150 (2015-2017) and Super Duty (2017) trucks in North America to install water shields on side door latches that may not close or open properly in freezing temperatures. The estimated price tag: $267M