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Press Release: March 29, 2019    11:59pm

Gainesville, FL – March 29, 2019. In the March 22, 2019 article on AdAge.com by Jessica Wohl, a food reporter at the Chicago bureau. In this piece Wohl is able to portray a historical moment for the Papa John’s franchise. After the removal of founder John Schnatter from the board of diretors the pizza chain made way for a giant partnership. For the first time in the pizza chain’s 35-year history they signed retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal as a paid endorser, restaurant investor, and board member.

After a series of incidents that painted the chain as racist and insensitive to the tense relationship between African-Americans and police, Papa John’s needed to rebrand itself.   Due to its recently tarnished image, the pizza giant was looking for redemption and they hope they have cashed in in a big way, to the tune of a 7’1” giant black man. Shaquille O’Neal is set to be the franchise’s savior. It’s big, unmistakably and equally unintimidating black savior. Shaquille appeals to sports fans. He is not in the NFL, so those upset with taking a knee don’t have think about that when looking at Shaq. O’Neal also has a long affiliation with law enforcement dating back to 2005 and is currently a sworn deputy sheriff in Clayton County, GA.

The partnership of O’Neal with Papa Johns allows conservative customers to feel comfortable with black athletes again while hoping black patrons will give Papa Johns a second chance as their go-to pizza. All of the ingredients seem right and the recipe for success sounds simple. The problem is that the target market may see through this tactic and cause a backlash against the pizza chain with its core supporters and cause the black community to regard O’Neal as selling-out for corporate dollars. Only time will tell if adding Shaq to Papa Johns list of fresh ideas will cook up something that consumers can stomach.

AdAge is a daily must-read for an influential audience of decision makers and disruptors across the marketing and media landscape.

Article:

https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/papa-shaq-shaquille-o-neal-joins-papa-johns/317089/?CSAuthResp=1553869292888:0:4452671:0:24:success:C62DB3E7B26082A86244894210AF4C5D

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Press Release: March 15, 2019    11:59pm

Gainesville, FL – March 15, 2019. In the March 14, 2019 article on NBCnews.com by Shamard Charles, M.D., a physician-journalist for NBC News and Today, the relationship between digital media and mental health disorders in those born in 1995 or after was laid plain. The research conducted by Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University not only revealed the increase in the appearance of major depressive symptoms, but a sharp 47% increase in suicidal thoughts and outcomes from 2008 – 2017. These numbers speak to a clear connection between mental health decline in teens and social media behavior.

Twenge and her team of researchers note that this uptick in depression does not seem to effect adults over the age of 26, but those 25 and younger are burdened with poor mental health and sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation affects mood and is associated with anxiety and depression, research shows. “Teenagers definitely use social media in a way that affects their sleep,” said Fobian. “They are exposed to light right before bed and that light exposure alone delays their sleep by 30 minutes. It also affects their social interactions with others.”

What cannot be determined from this article is whether social media leads to depression or whether teens turn to social media to help themselves feel better in the wake of depression. The consensus among researchers is that since older adults tend to have a more developed, robust social life, the depressive effects on that group is minimal compared to teens, who have spent their entire lives plugged in. The idea, now, is to urge these teens to unplug from social media and connect with their peers and others in real social settings. These face-to-face interactions should result in curbing the mental health decline in today’s youth.

NBCnews.com is an online platform for NBC News, a division of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) that offers breaking news and top stories in world news, business, politics, health and pop culture.

Article:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/social-media-linked-rise-mental-health-disorders-teens-survey-finds-n982526

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