Monthly Archives: April 2018

by | Monday, April 30, 2018 · 6:40 am

NBA Store is Sensory-Inclusive

When we think about NBA basketball games, or virtually anything that is sports-related, loud noises and bright lights immediately hit us – right between the eyes and ears. The excitement and crowds are definitely part of the atmosphere and usually helps get energy levels up. But that level of noise and light isn’t always a good thing. If someone is prone to overstimulation due to autism, PTSD, dementia or other sensory-processing disorders, overstimulation could cause a meltdown and panic or anxiety attack. It’s not just sports games; even crowded stores can bring on panic attacks. This was the concern driving the design of the newly opened NBA store in New York City.

In order to be more inclusive and assist those sensory sensitive fans, the NBA’s flagship store in New York City has become the first sensory-inclusive retail store in the world. To do this, the NBA partnered with KultureCity, a nonprofit that works to help make public spaces become more sensory-inclusive. The new NBA store offers bags containing fidget spinners, weighted lap pads, and noise-cancelling headphones to those individuals who may need them. In addition, the NBA store staff is trained to better understand, interact with, and identify visitors who may need assistance during shopping.

The NBA’s initiatives go beyond the store. There are now 14 NBA arenas equipped for the fans who need additional attention to deal with sensory needs. Four of the arenas have dedicated quiet sensory rooms to help fans. The objective of the programs is to enable the NBA to be fully inclusive and accessible to all.

Inclusion – it’s a good move on the court, and in the store.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: Do they know someone who has sensory challenges and needs?
  2. Show a video highlighting the new store: https://youtu.be/zchmSWP1630
  3. Show a video about how one arena helps sensory challenged guests: https://youtu.be/3QRQKhGz6_4
  4. Also show the KultureCity Web site: https://www.kulturecity.org/
  5. Are there other venues or locations that could benefit from this approach?
  6. How should the NBA market this initiative?

Source:  Martin, B. (2 April, 2018). NBA store in New York becomes world’s first sensory-inclusive retail store. NBA.com.

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by | Friday, April 27, 2018 · 7:34 am

Diversity: Brands Embrace Hijabs

Macy’s recently made history (or is it herstory?) as the first U.S. department store to sell hijabs for Muslim women. Fashion designer Lisa Vogl developed the modest active wear line for the store. The Verona Collection includes a selection of ready-to-wear items including tops, dresses, pants, cardigans, and hijabs in a variety of fabrics and colors. Items are priced between $12.95 and $84.95.

And, Macy’s is not the only company to carry modest clothing for Muslim women; designer Hana Tajima has several collections carried by international brand Uniqlo. Fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana has also debuted hijabs on the runway.

Nike has also gotten in the game. The company designed and sells a performance hijab for Muslim female athletes. American Olympian fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad made history by wearing a hijab at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Nike Pro Hijab will be available soon and is priced at $35.00.

And, let’s not forget Mattel, a classic American brand that now has its first hijab-clad Barbie doll. It also honors Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad. The doll is part of Barbie’s “Shero” line of toys that celebrate women breaking boundaries in sports and science. Also in the Shero line are athletes including Gabby Douglas and Chloe Kim, pioneers Amelia Earhart and Katherine Johnson, and artist Frida Kahlo.

It’s time for inclusivity.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: Are there market segments that are marginalized? How can these segments be included by brands to expand their reach and encourage diversity?
  2. Video of Macy’s: https://youtu.be/aWVB_bi8RQ0
  3. Video of Nike ad: https://youtu.be/T1Qyg8l-l8U
  4. Nike Pro Hijab Web site: https://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/women/nike-pro-hijab
  5. Video Uniqlo: https://youtu.be/5xbLFJulZNo
  6. Mattel Sheroes Web site: https://barbie.mattel.com/en-us/about/role-models.html
  7. What other market segments could be represented with new lines of products?
  8. Divide students into teams and have each team develop a product for a different market segment.

Source:  Brandchannel.com. (7 February, 2018). Diversity watch: Brands making strides, slowly, on hijabs.

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by | Wednesday, April 25, 2018 · 6:58 am

World’s Safest Bike – By Toyota

Consumers expect cars to become safer every year. But what about bicycles? Shouldn’t those become safer as well? After all, bikes are more common than cars, and riders are a lot more vulnerable to accidents. An estimated 45,000 bikes are involved in accidents each year, and more than 1,000 bike riders die every year from these accidents. (While this is a not as many as the more than 37,000 people who are killed in automobile accidents each year, it is an alarming number that deserves attention of all bike riders and corporations.)

Toyota shares the concerns of bike riders and is using the new safety features from the Toyota Camry to help provide riders with safer cycles. In a partnership New York-based Priority Bicycles, Toyota helped to create a prototype bike that includes sensors to detect objects and alert riders to danger through a multi-colored light panel. Using more than 500 feet of cables, along with Lidar sensors connected to a display on the handlebars, the bike alerts the rider to activity in front, behind, or to the side of the bike. When a dangerous situation occurs, the lights turn red; yellow is cautious; green is safe. The headlight on the bike also automatically moves up and down as the bike pace changes, increasing visibility farther out as speed increases.

The best part – a button on the bike blasts out the sound of a Camry car horn to announce its presence!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: How many ride bikes routinely? Who has been injured by a car while riding their bike?
  2. Show a video of the bike: https://youtu.be/TQ-0zoSmyMs
  3. Priority Bikes’ Web site: https://www.prioritybicycles.com/
  4. Discuss the various promotional tactics that can be used for launching a product.
  5. Have students come up with tactics and list all the tactics on the white board (ex: billboards, print, direct mail, etc.).
  6. Divide students into groups to work on this exercise.
  7. Have each develop an innovative tactic that could be used to promote car safety features.

Source:  Beltrone, G. (5 April, 2018). How to promote Toyota Camry’s new safety features? Build the world’s safest bike. Ad Week.

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