BrandSnark: Good Week/Bad Week for the Big Brands

Good Week: Amazon – Looks like this whole e-lectronic-commerce fad might catch on after all. Earlier this week, Amazon’s stock passed the $1,000 mark for the first time, putting the online retail giant’s market value at $478B or more than twice that of the world’s largest bricks-and-mortar retailer, Walmart. But Walmart employees get those snazzy blue vests.

Bad Week: BMW The Ultimate Driving Machine – one of the titans of brand image – takes an ultra-rare dent after recalling 45,000-plus 7-Series models because the doors can accidentally open while the vehicles are being driven. No word on whether BMW is considering adding ejector seats in an attempt to pry the Bond franchise away from Aston Martin. 

Worse Week: Chipotle – Just getting back on its wobbly feet after weathering a bruising brand beating, the fast-Mex chain revealed that hackers stole customers’ payment card data at an undisclosed number of locations over a three-week period in late-March/early-April. #agitaalloveragain