BrandSnark: Good Week/Bad Week for the Big Brands

Good Week: Cheetos – Dreams do come true. Snack-and-soda megacorp PepsiCo announced the upcoming launch of a Cheetos-inspired pop-up restaurant in New York. A partnership with celebrity chef Anne Burell, The Spotted Cheetah opens to the public next week. Orange fingerprints: the new, tastier graffiti.

Bad Week: Netflix The streaming TV leader has had very few bad weeks, but there’s no other way to look at Disney’s announcement that it will end its partnership and pull all of its content from Netflix by 2019… in preparation for launching a competitive streaming service. That preparation includes purchasing majority ownership of nascent Netflix competitor BAMTech for $1.58B.  #themouseroars

Worse Week: General Motors – Nearly 700,000 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups were recalled due to a software defect that can spontaneously shut down the vehicles’ electronic power steering assist system. Which means you could hit something. Like a rock.

Icon Alert: Dunkin’ Donuts – America’s most enduring coffee & donuts chain is shifting its focus from calories to caffeine as it seeks to morph its image to a “beverage-led brand and coffee leader.” The company will begin testing a shortened (and less-fattening) name – Dunkin’ – at a handful of locations this fall, starting in Pasadena. This news won't be glazed over at Krispy Kreme HQ.