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Fast Company’s Brands That Matter is designed to honor the brands that plant their flags firmly at the intersection of business and culture in unique ways. But there are also bigger companies that manage to succeed in that task with multiple brands. The five 2025 Brands That Matter family of brands honorees didn’t just excel with a single brandthey’ve created cultural moments and sales momentum for multiple brands across their businesses. While being bespoke for each brand, the efforts are nonetheless able to drive solid results on engagement and overall business performance. Coca-Cola When you make the world’s top-selling soda, it might be easy to let the market share do all the talking, but that has never been the company’s styleand that’s especially true of its portfolio beyond the eponymous brand. One of Coca-Cola‘s biggest coups of the past year has been Sprite surpassing Pepsi as the U.S.’s number three best-selling soda, in part due to the revival of its “Obey Your Thirst” messaging and collaborations with athletes, including the addition of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. It took that momentum global with international Sprite ads focused on refreshment for its summer 2025 global “Turn Up Refreshment” campaign, which included signing on ambassadors from the world of K-pop and Chinese films. Stateside, the Coca-Cola brand partnered with South African pop star Tyla for a campaign encouraging Gen Z to live in the momentusing a cold Coke as a vehicle for them to reengage with the people around them. View this post on Instagram AB InBev As one of the world’s largest breweries, AB InBev‘s brand portfolio is extensive, and several of its brews notched marketing wins in the past year. Principal among them has been Corona. As the beer celebrated its 100th anniversary, it launched its Beach 100 guide to the world’s top beaches and grew the reach of its nonalcoholic Corona Cero (which will also be front and center at the 2026 Winter Olympics). And 2025 has also been about Michelob Ultra, which unseated fellow AB InBev brand Bud Light in September as the best-selling beer in America, highlighting renewed demand for a low-calorie and low-carb beer option. The brand showed up at the Super Bowl with a spot starring Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara playing pickleball against a younger doubles pairshowing off the beer as a choice for active drinkers. It was one of four ads at the big game from Ab InBev that were among the top seven most-watched from the event. The company also focused on impact through its brands, including a focus on local production globally and water efficiency, the latter of which is paired with support of Water.org through Stella Artois. Haleon Haleonthe spin-off of GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer health brandsmay not be a known name, but its sub-brands are in the medicine cabinet of most of the world, each of them with unique and strong branding. For Emergen-C‘s Immune+ Crystals launch, the company built an ASMR pop-up that helped drive half a billion media impressions and double the product’s distribution goals. Sensodyne’s Clinical White launch focused on recyclable packaging, with strong sales that buoyed the brand’s overall 2024 sales and market share. In 2025, the company focused on conversations around wellness and self-care. To highlight Theraflu’s Nasal Mist, the brand focused on family and fitness influencers to underscore the product’s ability to prevent congestion from slowing them down. Hormel Foods By borrowing a phrase uttered by many a reluctant Super Bowl viewer, Hormel Foods combined its portfolio of brands into a single campaign”Here for the Snacks.” Unlike a lot of Super Bowl fodder that focuses on celebrities and big-ticket spectacle, “Here for the Snacks” went practical, sharing a sports-themed assortment of recipes for many a gameday nosh. Informed by insights from the company’s in-house cultural anthropologist Dr. Tanya Rodriguez, the recipes showcased brands like Hormel pepperoni, Herdez salsa, Wholly guacamole, Planters, and Hormel Chili. The result was increased cross-purchase of Hormel brands and a 4% boost in sales, particularly among younger and more diverse shoppers. J.Crew Group As parent company to brands like J.Crew, Madewell, and J.Crew Factory, J.Crew Group leaders have spent the past year reviving its eponymous retail offering and finding new inspiration from longtime collaborators at Madewell. At J.Crew, the fall 2024 relaunch of the retailer’s physical catalog helped the brand lift its perception among shoppers by 11% and boosted its Google search activity by 30%, while bringing a 20% increase in reactivated shoppers. With buzzy collabs throughout 2025including a collection with London’s Alex Eagle and a relaunch of a classic rollneck sweater starring up-and-coming actors like Dominic Sessa and Benito SkinnerJ.Crew is setting its sights on 2026. In the first year of a three-year partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the brand’s presence will be a factor in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics. At Madewell, the brand launched its own Substack, Well Said, and its Well Said Collectivea brand ambassador program with content on social media, in stores, and on digital platforms. Since fall 2024, the brand has partnered with longtime collaborator Alexa Chung, launching three collections, most recently in November. Campaigns around the collections with Chung have brought in more than 7 billion social media impressions. View this post on Instagram This story is part of Fast Companys 2025 Brands That Matter. Explore the full list of honorees that have demonstrated a commitment to their brands purpose and cultural relevance to their audience. Read more about the methodology behind the selection process.
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E-Commerce
For the past decade, quantum computing has struggled to balance promise and practicality. While the worlds most advanced systems remain engineering marvels, theyre bedeviled by the same flaw: the fragility of qubitsthe fundamental units of quantum dataand the delicate hardware required to control them. A single fluctuation, for example, can collapse a quantum state, invalidating a computation. Most quantum systems also depend on large-scale refrigeration colder than deep space, with cryogenic racks that often occupy multiple rooms. Scaling quantum systems demands exponential increases in cost, energy, and environmental stability. So while the U.N. has designated 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, for all its scientific significance, quantums commercial trajectory remains narrow. But Japanese conglomerate Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) is attempting to rewrite that equation. In partnership with Japan-based quantum technology developer OptQC, NTT is attempting to break current orthodoxy through what is known as optical quantum computing, which uses photons instead of electrical currents to perform calculations. Since photons generate less heat compared to electron-based systems and can travel without resistance, these systems consume far less power. NTT argues that optical systems can be faster and more energy-efficient, forming the basis for greener, more sustainable computing. This combination not only accelerates computational capability but also reduces environmental impact, positioning quantum technology as a foundation for a sustainable digital future, says Shingo Kinoshita, SVP and head of R&D planning at NTT. Rather than relying on cooling systems, NTTs design utilizes light sources and error-correction technologies developed under its Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) initiative. Japans broader industrial strategy sits just beneath the surface of this partnership. With the U.S. and China locked in geopolitical competition over quantum supremacy, Japans photonic-first model is being positioned as an alternative: one that favors energy efficiency and manufacturability over extreme-environment engineering. Today, the energy footprint of AI is emerging as a global challenge. Optical quantum computing processes information with light, enabling dramatically lower power consumption and scalable qubit growth through optical multiplexing, Kinoshita says. A million-qubit road map The approach builds on a series of rapid scientific breakthroughs across Japans quantum ecosystem. Over the past year, NTTalongside RIKEN, Fixstars Amplify, the University of Tokyo, and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technologydemonstrated the worlds first general-purpose optical quantum computing platform capable of running calculations without any external cooling. The upcoming platform fits inside a single room, a feat that many leading quantum systems developers cant claim. NTT and OptQC outlined a five-year plan leading to the 2030 milestone. During the first year, the companies will conduct technical studies and begin codesigning while identifying early use cases with external partners. In the second year, they plan to build complete development environments for hardware and software. In year three, they expect to begin verifying enterprise use cases such as drug development, financial optimization, materials science, and climate modeling. The final phase will focus on scaling the system to reach millions of qubits and making it reliable enough to handle real-world use cases, thereby preparing the technology for adoption among companies, governments, and industries. Qubits must scale into the thousands for quantum computing to surpass the current capabilities of AI. Unlike classical bits used in general-purpose computing systems, which exist as 0 or 1, qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously, enabling exponentially faster processing of complex calculations. The 2030 vision of 1 million qubits is not just about performance, its about redefining how we align advanced computing with planetary limits, Kinoshita says. In the near term, as we aim for 10,000 qubits by 2027, the first impact will be within NTTs own communications infrastructure. Japans photonic bet to power AI As AI models grow in size and complexity, the demand for simulation, optimization, and high-dimensional problem-solving has also increased exponentially. NTT asserts that photonic quantum systems will become essential accelerators for next-generation AI and telecom networks such as 6G. In classical systems, electrical signals travel through semiconductor processors. Photonic systems replace those electrons with light, transmitting information through properties such as photon number, polarization, and amplitude. However, practical commercial quantum computing requires a scale of 1 million logical qubits, along with reliable quantum error correction, a mechanism that detects and corrects the subtle errors qubits constantly make. Todays machineseven the most advanced systems by IBM, Google, and otherssit orders of magnitude below that mark and remain extremely sensitive to environmental disturbances. NTT claims that photonics changes the math. Scaling to 1 million qubits by 2030 and then moving into mass deployment will demand a robust supply chain. Achieving high-performance quantum light sources and improving yield in precision fabrication will be critical steps, Kinoshita explains. In essence, this means NTT must be able to reliably manufacture the key components, such as high-quality light sources, and improve production yields so the hardware can be built at scale. By 2030, with 1 million qubits, the scope expands beyond telecom,” he adds. “NTT plans to explore these opportunities through partnerships with leaders in chemistry, finance, and industrial sectors. The global stakes of a photonic strategy This is not the first attempt at room-temperature quantum hardware, as companies like Sydney-based Quantum Brilliance are also pursuing cryogenics-free architectures. Quantum Brilliance is targeting edge and data-center deployments with compact photonic-inspired diamond devices, while Atom Computing, headquartered in Berkeley, Calfornia, is building large-scale, room-temperature systems that use neutral atoms. We truly believe that optically controllable neutral atom qubits allow a level of flexibility and practicality to the challenge of controlling millions of qubits with high-fidelity, low-crosstalk signals at room temperature, says Ben Bloom, founder and CEO of Atom Computing. But NTT argues that photons, not electrons or atoms, offer an architecture capable of reaching true commercial scale. Its thesis is simple: Light is inherently more stable, generates less heat, and is ultimately more manufacturable than any matter-based system. This shift transforms quantum computing from a niche technology into a broadly available resource,” Kinoshita says. Still, experts caution that the light-based computation path comes with its own unresolved challenges. Photonics faces significant challenges that often get glossed over in the roomtemperature narrative, says Yuval Boger, chief commercial officer at Boston-based QuEra Computing. You need near-perfect sources and detectors at scale, plus efficient photon-photon interactions, which don’t occur naturally and require complex optical elements. The engineering complexity of building a fault-tolerant photonic quantum computer with thousands of high-fidelity qubits is immense. If NTT stays on track, the worlds first million-qubit system may come from a room-temperature optical platform in Tokyo, engineered for real-world use cases including molecular simulation for drug discovery and materials science, financial risk modeling, and manufacturing optimization. Beyond technology, global coordination for specialized materials and resilience against geopolitical risks remains essential, Kinoshita says. When these systems can run in standard IT environments with ultra-low power consumption and rack-scale integration, enterprises will see cost-effective performance, governments will recognize strategic advantage, and the public will experience tangible benefits like greener networks and faster innovation. That moment will mark quantums shift from experimental to essential.
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E-Commerce
In case you havent been deluged with enough day-themed holiday shopping sales yet, the travel industry will try to tempt you with some seemingly tantalizing travel offers on December 2, aka Travel Tuesday, traditionally the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. But whether the travel deals are actually steals may require you to do some research in advance and read the fine print so you dont face some unexpected fees once youre on vacation. If you regularly book through a specific travel provider and have a sense of what you normally pay, that will help you to better suss out whether youre actually saving money. Knowing what a specific trip or ticket would normally cost is important because travel providers may have artificially inflated the price just to offer a discount this week, Sally French, a travel expert at NerdWallet, cautioned to the Associated Press. Theres a sense of urgency with deals like these, she said, but its also important to make sure a trip that youre booking actually works for you and is something you genuinely want. That said, there may be some discounts that are worth taking advantage of. Here are some highlights. Blanket discounts with specific companies For seasoned travelers, some of the most attractive offers this week will likely come from companies you already book with regularly. Even then, however, there are some asterisks to each of these deals. Perhaps they can be used only on select dates or for specific locations, for example, which may put a damper on your wanderlust. Amtrak may not seem like the most exciting place to begin, but if you regularly travel by trainor have a trip in mindyou may be able score up to 25% off regularly priced fares if you book a ticket by December 3 for travel anytime from January 5 to March 15, 2026. That said, there are four blackout dates that coincide with holidays in January and February, while some routes arent eligible for the discount. If you do have your eye on something a bit more exciting, then insiders (aka people who have supplied their information) could score up to 20% off a stay at one of the boutique hotels in the Proper Hotels collection, along with a $175 dining credit. And Marriott is offering discounts ranging from 15% to 25% off stays at participating locations for reservations made through December 2, depending on whether or not youre a Bonvoy member and book through its app. Many major airlines are also advertising discounted fares for flights booked on Travel Tuesday; however, deals are primarily focused on specific routes. Deals on booking sites Aggregators in the travel world are also getting in on the action with some specials. Discounts range widely in terms of whats being discounted and the amount, but its worth checking the various sites if you have a trip in mind. You may be able to score up to 40% off by booking accommodations through Booking.com, while Hotels.com is promising up to 50% off on reservations for eligible hotels and resorts. Not to be outdone, Priceline is offering up to 60% off select travel packages, and some people may even be able to score up to 75% off at a curated list of 24 hotels by booking through Expedia. Some property owners are running their own promotions for bookings on Airbnb and VRBO, though youll have to have some dates and locations in mind to find those deals. More broadly, Airbnb is offering up to 50% off a single experience or service in Los Angeles, New York, or Paris if you book through Thursday, December 4. Discounts for cruises, resorts The most tantalizing, but trickiest, deals to navigate are often at resorts or for cruises. Thats because the discounts offered this week may not tell the full story of how much youll pay once you arrive, as fees and on-site activities can be quite expensive. This is the area of Travel Tuesday where you may want to proceed with caution lest you sign up for a trip that turns out to be far more expensive than you realized. Its also fair to wonder why specific locations are so heavily discounted when others are not. You can score up to 65% off reservations and potentially get some other money-saving perks at select Sandals Resorts locations for travel booked through December 2. And Club Med has extended a sale through December 2, offering up to 50% off at some of its all-inclusive resorts. The major cruise operators are seemingly always running some sort of sale, but the discounts may be bigger this week. Princess is offering up to $800 off fares, while Royal Caribbean is advertising up to $1,000 off its fares. And you can save up to 75% off the booking for a second guest with Celebrity Cruises. But if all these deals feel dizzying, travel experts say dont book just for the sake of booking. The decline in international visitors to the U.S. has seen many travel companies discount rates to ensure they are booked, and that trend will likely continue. As French told the AP, rest assured: If you dont buy on Travel Tuesday, you havent missed your moment.
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E-Commerce
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