Brands of the Week: AI Voices, Wonka Chocolate, and Cracker Barrel's Big Comeback
On Brand with Donny DeutschShow Notes
It's another edition of Brands of the Week! Donny runs through the brands rising, falling, and holding steady in the cultural conversation — starting with Netflix's controversial use of Gene Wilder's AI voice for a new Willy Wonka competition series, and Tom Hardy's much-debated return for Mobland Season 3. Plus: Sam's Club dethrones Costco's beloved rotisserie chicken, 7-Eleven turns the Slurpee into a "date destination" for its 60th birthday, and a new study links daily probiotics to improved mood. Donny also breaks down why brisk walking is lowering heart attack risk in women, why Ford brought back 350 veteran engineers after an AI experiment went sideways, and why in-office job seekers are getting hired faster. From an Aurora, Colorado mayor secretly sleeping in homeless shelters to understand his city better, to child-free millennials splurging on luxury dog travel, "bloom scrolling" as the antidote to doom scrolling, seniors embracing their inner Golden Girls, physical books outselling digital media, and Cracker Barrel's full-circle redemption arc — it's a packed week in brand news. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe, and tune in tomorrow for Donny's big interview with CNN's S.E. Cupp.
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