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On November 14, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, screwdriver in hand, helped Pentagon facilities personnel install two new signs that read “Department of War.” After affixing the sign to the outside of the building, he turned toward onlookers and said, “Here we go.” Hegseth’s handyman moment was more than a symbolic gesture: It was the first act of what he and the Trump administration hope will eventually be a wholesale rebrand of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. This rebrandwhich would require updating 700,000 buildings and facilities worldwide (not to mention all of the other places the DOD would become the DOW)could reportedly cost as much as $2 billion. Switching signage, letterhead, placards, and more President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September giving the DOD a secondary “War” name, but to make it official will require an act of Congress, and it won’t come cheap, according to figures shared by four senior congressional staffers and two others briefed on the cost to NBC News. The estimated price tag would cover switching signage and letterhead, which together could cost about $1 billion alone, along with placards, badges, software, and code. Rebrands can be tricky for any brand, but they’re especially hard when dealing with public agencies and taxpayer dollars. The public and lawmakers have taken issue with Trump’s plan to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, a name the U.S. used before its military agencies were consolidated following World War II. This isn’t just adding a few letters to a building, like Trump has done at the White House. The DOD, the executive-level federal agency that oversees the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, has more than 3 million personnel and both inward-facing and outward-facing brand assets at facilities in the U.S. and 80 countries around the world. For comparison, Walmart counts 2.1 million associates and stores in 19 countries. Opposition to the rebrand Hegseth said on November 14 that the DOD sign at the Pentagon was replaced “because we want everybody who comes through this door to know that we are deadly serious about the name change of this organization,” according to a press release. But YouGov polling in September found a 58% majority of U.S. adults oppose renaming the DOD, and there’s bipartisan opposition to making the secondary name formal. In a letter to the Congressional Budget Office in October, Senate Democrats on the Budget Committee cited both brand and budget concerns, writing that the new name “risks confusion, redundancy, and unnecessary cost expenditure.” “Given the Trump administrations repeated emphasis on fiscal restraintparticularly its aggressive use of illegal impoundments and now, unconstitutional pocket rescissionsthis symbolic renaming is both wasteful and hypocritical,” Democrats wrote. “It appears to prioritize political theater over responsible governance, while diverting resources from core national security functions.” Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, told CNN that he believes calling the DOD the Department of War “sends a bad signal to the world.” “In a world with nuclear weapons, I think glorifying war . . . is not something I’m in favor of,” Paul said. Republicans have introduced legislation in the House and Senate to rename the DOD, and Paul said he would “lead opposition” to it if it came before the Senate. Hidden costs Trump has sought to cast himself as a peacemaker this year, which a war-themed rebrand is at odds with. It’s also at odds with his campaign promises. Trump took office pledging to lower costs and rein in government spending, but coming up on a year back in office, persistent inflation and conspicuous government spending like his White House remodel project have taken a political toll. Trump’s net approval rating is sagging, and a pricey rebrand project viewed by many as vanity might not help. Rebranding the DOD could cost taxpayers as much as $2 billion. Its political costs for Trump could be even higher.
Category:
E-Commerce
Soooo, do you Labubu? The furry creature went viral this year thanks to Dua Lipa, Blackpink’s Lisa, and Kim Kardashian all buying into the adorably bizarre, plushy monsters. The results were millions in sales, long lines, and frantic scrambles as people tried to get their hands on this latest trendy phenom. Labubus Chinese parent company, Pop Mart, reported global revenue for Q3 (July through September) jumped by about 250% compared to a year earlier, and sales in America were up by more than 1,200%. But it goes beyond Pop Mart, as brands from South Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries are finding more inroads into American culture. Just as American cultural influence has spread around the world via Levis, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Apple, and more, now Asian brands are making it two-way traffic. Mixue, a Chinese ice cream and tea chain that recently overtook McDonalds as the largest fast-food chain in the world, opened its first U.S. store in New York City in September. Luckin, a Chinese coffee chain, is coming for Starbucks after opening a shop in NYC, too. Chinese automaker BYD surpassed Tesla in EV sales globally last year and is eyeing American expansion. Korean skincare brand CosRX drives 90% of its revenue from international sales, with major traction among Gen Z Americans. Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fungwith 21 U.S. locationsnow has the highest average per-location revenue of any American restaurant chain$27.4 million per store. [Photo: Freer/Adobe Stock] A new report from global ad agency network TBWA looks at some of the qualities that drove these companies’ overseas success. The report takes a deep dive into how exports like K-pop, matcha, anime, and Labubus have rebranded Asia for a new generation of consumersand explores what U.S. brands can learn from it. With the rise of K-beauty, J-beauty, and now in a world of Miniso and Pop Mart, we’re seeing brands from Asia really building emotional connection with consumers, says Jen Costello, TBWAs global chief strategy officer. Its not cheap, fast, low-cost, plastic crap, but it’s actually being supported by increasingly breakthrough products that have a real role in culture. [Photo: BYD] Found in translation The report outlines four underlying cultural valuesdeep mastery, unapologetic emotion, thoughtful friction, and social etiquettethat the new wave of Asian brands are particularly strong in. These obviously arent exclusive to Asian brands, just common threads among them. Deep Mastery Deep mastery revolves around the idea that as culture is increasingly saturated by AI-generated content and digital art, consumers are craving skill-based learning, time-honored craft, and enduring expertise. One brand example is Toku Saké and its focus solely on doing “one thing exceptionally well,” which is creating slow-brewed, small-batch sake. The idea is that specialization, rather than expansion, can be the new growth strategy for brands. View this post on Instagram Unapologetic Emotion Unapologetic emotion signifies a cultural pivot away from irony, sarcasm, and emotional detachment, where sincerity was often dismissed as “cringe.” The report says audiences are growing bored of performative nihilism, and find freedom in honest emotional expression. Here, Pop Mart’s Labubus are the brand example, rooted in the Japanese culture of kawaii (cuteness). Thoughtful Friction Thoughtful friction challenges the idea that speed and seamlessness equal freedom. Instead, the report contends, the promise of effortless everything leads to digital addiction, burnout, and waste. The report uses South Korea’s pay-as-you-throw food-waste system that requires residents to purchase special, volume-based bags, creating a daily constraint that incentivizes people to think twice before discarding waste and to buy only what they need. Costello says the concept of thoughtful friction surprised her the most. It’s unusual for brands to reject effortless experience in favor of creating intentional friction. It’s counterintuitive to the way that a lot of brands think, she says. Especially for Western brands, it’s always about making it seamless. It is always about reducing friction. It is always about making it easy. But there is value in making people think for just a moment and having that be rewarding. [Photo: 8th/Adobe Stock] Social Etiquette The report defines social etiquette as an outlook that counters the hyper-individualism encouraged by the main-character energy cultural narrative, which has led to widespread incivility. It functions as “soft infrastructure” to preserve social harmony. The report says marketers should recognize that after years of “casual everything,” clear codes of conduct feel “refreshingly helpful.” One example is how Singapore Airlines has built its relationship between crew and passengers with high mutual respect, and has even considered rewarding passengers who demonstrate good behavior on flights through its loyalty program. New export confidence Pop culture and our ability to share it has made the world a much smaller place. The report posits that these core values have played a significant role in Asian brands making inroads with Western audiences. It’s also supported by a boom in tourism. (Visits to Japan soared y 16% last year, and Japan, Thailand, and South Korea are among the top 10 destinations for Gen Z travelers, according to travel visa service Ztartvisa.) Emmanuel Sabbagh, TBWA\Asias chief strategy officer, says this overall cultural boost has given brands from Asia more confidence in talking to international audiences. For many, this is the very first time theyre seeing appeal from the West, says Sabbagh. They feel way more confident to be who they are and to express who they are to the rest of the world. Its a big shift. They say that this is their way to go bigger, stronger, not changed for the West. They want to be more themselves. Traditionally, Asian companies have been stronger on product than building brands, particularly ones that translate to the West. That challenge remains for many of them. Sabbagh says the brand culture in America is very mature, in terms of how the logo, experience, and story are all tied together. [Photo: Sundry Photography/Adobe Stock] Thats where brands from the East are not as strong as they should be, Sabbagh says. Even a brand as big as Uniqlo, think about how they can go bigger into what is the promise, what is the real brand platform, what people will look for in that specific brand.” Sabbagh adds that many Asian brands hyper focus on process and manufacturing, but that leaves incredible white space for them to grow on the brand side of things. “The brand is what they are missing as the vehicle to go to the other side of the world and to be stronger in their own market,” he says. The aim of the report isnt to get Western brands to mimic their Eastern counterparts, but rather to use their success to identify insights that work for their own audiences. The whole point is to make sure that you’re not just trying to hold up a mirror to these values, but find your version of it, find your truth in it, find what makes it real for you, says Costello. This isnt about going out and trying to replicate exactly what Pop Mart or Miniso have done.
Category:
E-Commerce
Two new data centers in Silicon Valley have been built but cant begin processing information: The equipment that would supply them with electricity isnt available. Its just one example of a crisis facing the U.S. power grid that cant be solved simply by building more power lines, approving new power generation, or changing out grid software. The equipment needed to keep the grid runningtransformers that regulate voltage, circuit breakers that protect against faults, high-voltage cables that carry power across regions, and steel poles that hold the network togetheris hard to make, and materials are limited. Supply-chain bottlenecks are taking years to clear, delaying projects, inflating costs, and threatening reliability. Meanwhile, U.S. electricity demand is surging from several sourceselectrification of home and business appliances and equipment, increased domestic manufacturing, and growth in AI data centers. Without the right equipment, these efforts may take years longer and cost vast sums more than planners expect. Not enough transformers to replace aging units Transformers are key to the electricity grid: They regulate voltage as power travels across the wires, increasing voltage for more efficient long-distance transmission, and decreasing it for medium-distance travel and again for delivery to buildings. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that the U.S. has about 60 million to 80 million high-voltage distribution transformers in service. More than half of them are 33-plus years oldapproaching or exceeding their expected lifespans. Replacing them has become costly and time-consuming, with utilities reporting that transformers cost four to six times what they cost before 2022, in addition to the multiyear wait times. To meet rising electricity demand, the country will need many more of themperhaps twice as many as already exist. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. says the lead time, the wait between placing an order and the product being delivered, hit roughly 120 weeks (more than two years) in 2024, with large power transformers taking as long as 210 weeks (up to four years). Even smaller transformers used to reduce voltage for distribution to homes and businesses are back-ordered as much as two years. Those delays have slowed both maintenance and new construction across much of the grid. Transformer production depends heavily on a handful of materials and suppliers. The cores of most U.S transformers use grain-oriented electrical steel, a special type of steel with particular magnetic properties, which is made domestically only by Cleveland-Cliffs at plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Imports have long filled the gap: Roughly 80% of large transformers have historically been imported from Mexico, China, and Thailand. But global demand has also surged, tightening access to steel, as well as copper, a soft metal that conducts electricity well and is crucial in wiring. In partial recognition of these shortages, in April 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy delayed the enforcement of new energy-efficiency rules for transformers, to avoid making the situation worse. Further slowing progress, these items cannot be mass-produced. They must be designed, tested, and certified individually. Even when units are built, getting them to where they are needed can be a feat. Large power transformers often weigh between 100 tons and 400 tons and require specialized transportsometimes needing one of only about 10 suitable super-heavy-load railcars in the country. Those logistics alone can add months to a replacement project, according to the Department of Energy. Enormous railcar like this one in Germany are often needed to transport high-voltage transformers from where theyre manufactured to where theyre used. [Photo: Raimond Spekking via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0] Other key equipment Transformers are not the only grid machinery facing delays. A Duke University Nicholas Institute study, citing data from research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie, shows that high-voltage circuit-breaker lead times reached about 151 weeks (nearly three years) by late 2023, roughly double pre-pandemic norms. Facing similar delays are a range of equipment types, such as transmission cables that can handle high voltages, switchgeara technical category that includes switches, circuit breakers, and fusesand insulators to keep electricity from going where it would be dangerous. For transmission projects, equipment delays can derail timelines. High-voltage direct-current cables now take more than 24 months to procure, and offshore wind projects are particularly strained: Orders for undersea cables can take more than a decade to fill. And fewer than 50 cable-laying vessels operate worldwide, limiting how quickly manufacturers can install them, even once they are manufactured. Supply-chain strains are hitting even the workhorse of the power grid: natural gas turbines. Manufacturers, including Siemens Energy and GE Vernova, have multiyear backlogs as new data centers, industrial electrification, and peaking-capacity projects flood the order books. Siemens recently reported a record $158 billion backlog, with some turbine frames sold out for as long as seven years. Alternate approaches As a result of these delays, utility companies are finding other ways to meet demand, such as battery storage, actively managing electricity demand, upgrading existing equipment to produce more power, or even reviving decommissioned generation sites. Some utilities are stockpiling materials for their own use or to sell to other companies, which can shrink delays from years to weeks. There have been various other efforts, too. In addition to delaying transformer efficiency requirements, the Biden administration awarded Cleveland-Cliffs $500 million to upgrade its electrical-steel plantsbut key elements of that grant were canceled by the Trump administration. Utilities and industry groups are exploring standardized designs and modular substations to cut lead timesbut acknowledge that those are medium-term fixes, not quick solutions. Large government incentives, including grants, loans, and guaranteed-purchase agreements, could help expand domestic production of these materials and supplies. But for now, the numbers remain stark: roughly 120 weeks for transformers, up to four years for large units, nearly three years for breakers, and more than two years for high-voltage cable manufacturing. Until the underlying supply-chain choke pointssteel, copper, insulation materials, and heavy transportexpand meaningfully, utilities are managing reliability not through construction but through choreography. Morgan Bazilian is a professor of public policy and director at the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines. Kyri Baker is an associate professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Category:
E-Commerce
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