Slate Business

Color is a beautiful thing that just exists in the world. But when color intersects with capitalism, somebody has to set some standards, make some decisions, and make some money. Podcast production by Jess Miller and Cleo Levin.Note: This episode incorrectly states that Radiant Orchid was Pantone's 2012 color of the year. It was the color of the year in 2014.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you sex up the world of B2B “customer relationship management” software? For Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, it’s been a combination of ambitious acquisitions, skyscrapers, monks, and Metallica.Podcast production by Jess Miller and Cleo Levin.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than a century, Hallmark has been a tightly-held, Midwestern business that’s mastered the art of turning feelings into revenue. But recently, it has run into trouble when it’s tried so hard to be inoffensive, it ends up offending. Can Hallmark succeed in an era when emotions might be getting too big to fit in an envelope?Podcast production by Jess Miller and Cleo Levin.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did an immigrant rabbi use modern technology to dominate the millenia-old market for matzoh? And how did an almost undrinkably sweet wine manage to become the taste of Judaism?  Podcast production by Jess Miller with help from Cleo Levin.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pinterest is an online destination frequented by crafty moms and brides-to-be. But former employees allege that its internal culture is far from woman-friendly.  Podcast production by Jess Miller and Asha Saluja, with help from Cleo Levin and Seth Stevenson.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GoFundMe turned charitable giving into another form of social media. Should we be concerned that Silicon Valley is profiting off of our most selfless intentions?Podcast production by Jess Miller, with help from Cleo Levin.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The name Wells Fargo conjures up images of old western stagecoaches and pioneers. But when scandal hit, was this feel-good history enough to deflect attention away from the bank’s present-day troubles?Podcast production by Jess Miller, with help from Cleo Levin and Asha Saluja.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Enquirer played a large role in the 2016 election. Four years later, the paper has been merged with a company that sells corkscrews, umbrellas, and hand sanitizer, and its CEO has been ousted from his leadership role. What happened since its days of major scoops and supermarket dominance?Podcast production by Jess Miller, with help from Cleo Levin and Asha Saluja.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For certain parents, a stroller isn’t just a product—it’s a lifestyle signifier. For the past 100 years or so, one stroller brand at a time seems to reign supreme, until it’s dethroned by the next up-and-comer. Right now, UPPAbaby is that “it” stroller. But with new customers being born every minute, how do they maintain a stronghold?Podcast production by Jess Miller, with help from Madeline Ducharme and Cleo Levin.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eastman Kodak revolutionized amateur photography, but after failing to embrace digital, it fell on hard times. Then, a lifeline came in the form of a loan from the federal government--to make not cameras, but pharmaceuticals. It sent stock prices soaring … but also raised a lot of questions.Podcast production by Jess Miller, with help from Madeline Ducharme and Cleo Levin.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices