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New York City’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, hasn’t taken office yet. But he’s already the new avatar of evil for conservative media figures. He’s been called downright sinister and incompatible with America. His labels include commie, Marxist, jihadist sympathizer and seething leftist. Fox News’ Laura Ingraham warned her viewers not to be fooled by smiling socialists who rule like Soviet tyrants. A New York Post post-election cover that depicted Mamdani holding aloft the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle symbol sold out on newsstands by noon and was offered on e-Bay for $75. By the end of the day, the Post was selling baby onesies and commemorative plates emblazoned with the cover. Already, conservative outlets see Mamdani joining Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton as someone guaranteed to make their audiences’ blood boil. And by doing so, they can help Republicans in the midterm elections. It’s very clear that he’s going to be the No. 1 target of right-wing media for the foreseeable future, well into 2026, said Howard Polskin, publisher of the Righting, a newsletter that follows conservative media. He’s colorful, controversial and not afraid of a fight. The new bogeyman for conservative media The head of an outlet that Polskin regularly monitors, the Daily Signal, said Mamdani is likely seen as a threat because his appeal to working-class Americans who feel left behind by the economy is similar to that of President Donald Trump, although they have different ideas about how to handle that. Remember years ago there was Nancy Pelosi who was the bogeyman for Republicans, said Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of the Daily Signal. I think Mamdani is probably going to be the new person. I think thats why you see a lot of emphasis on him in conservative media. In the Washington Examiner, editor-in-chief Hugo Gurdon saw ominous signs in Mamdani’s election night victory speech. He was downright sinister, glorying not just in his achievement but in having laid low his vanquished enemies and stuck it to others besides. He took off his smiling campaign mask and revealed his venomous self, Gurdon wrote. Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt called Mamdani the mayor for the foreign-born. We have flooded the country with diversity, and diversity delivered us Zohran.” In an interview, Schmitt said he wasn’t quite ready to anoint Mamdani as a deliberate target for the conservative media. A go-to bogeyman makes it sound like it’s manufactured, he told The Associated Press, whereas we are just appropriately concerned about people that are spewing or trying to push an ideology that is destined to not work. The Post recognized Mamdani as a target of interest well before the election. Between Oct. 27 and Nov. 5, he was the subject of seven of the tabloid’s covers. One, headlined Mam-Child,” depicted Mamdani in a little boy’s overalls to illustrate a column warning that the city wasn’t a toy to hand to a baby like Zohran. Another front page blared Not Zo Fast to herald a tightening race in the polls. Election Day’s lead headline was Trump to New York: Keep the Commie Out. Mamdani reached out to the White House post-election for a meeting with Trump and the president said Sunday that we’ll work something out. A socialist or a communist? Mamdanis status as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and his Muslim background are behind many of the conservative media attacks. Asked on NBC’s Meet the Press this spring whether he was a communist, Mamdani said, No, I am not. Webster’s defines socialism as a political theory where the community or government owns and controls the production and distribution of goods. Communism, advanced by revolutionary Karl Marx, is considered a step beyond, where private property and capitalism no longer exist. Many of Mamdani’s critics make no distinction. Commie takeover in the Big Apple, one Fox News onscreen headline read. They elected a communist, World Net Daily wrote. Communist, not socialist, Trump said in a 60 Minutes interview last month. Communist. He’s far worse than a socialist. Some Jewish groups have expressed skepticism about Mamdani, who has supported Palestinian rights and criticized Israel’s attack in Gaza as genocide. But he has denounced Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and said he will work to combat antisemitism. Republicans have a clear interest in seeing more American Jews traditionally a group that leans toward Democrats switch over. But that doesn’t account for some of the hostility seen in the media. The National Review said Mamdani’s win meant it’s open season on New York Jews. Megyn Kelly said the tenets of Islam are inconsistent with American values and Muslims should not be elected mayors or governors. Podcaster Michael Savage called him a Marxist jihadist sympathizer. Influencer Laura Loomer predicted Mamdani would encourage Muslims to commit political assassinations to acquire power and silence critics. Mamdani’s staff did not return messages from The Associated Press. In the waning days of his campaign, he spoke out against some of the religious-based attacks on him. I thought that if I behaved well enough or bit my tongue enough in the face or racist, baseless attacks all while returning back to my central message, it would allow me to be more than just my faith, he said. I was wrong. No amount of redirection is ever enough. Making Mamdani the leader of his party in consumers’ eyes Some of the attacks reflect a common theme in politics and the media not unique to Mamdani to associate all members of a political party with the beliefs of one who could be depicted as on the fringe. The Daily Signal wrote after his election that Mamdani is now the putative leader of his party. The Victory Girls conservative blog used an illustration of the incoming mayor in a military uniform. “The socialists are coming, and Mamdani is just the begining, the blog wrote. If we ignore them, we will all be in big trouble. He’s the new AOC in the sense that they have found someone who is relatively unknown that they get to define and hold up as the example of what it means to be a Democrat, said Angelo Carusone, president of the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America. Carusone said he’s not sure if Mamdani will become a villain of the conservative media on the level of a Clinton or Pelosi, but he can understand the urgency. If you don’t check him now,” Carusone said, he’s going to capture the young people.” David Bauder, AP media writer
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E-Commerce
In todays hyper-competitive B2B landscape, marketing leaders face a paradox: The pace of change is relentless, yet the need for clarity and purpose has never been greater. With artificial intelligence (AI) reshaping every facet of business, the imperative is not just to keep up but to lead the charge. To navigate this complexity, we must lead with vision and innovate with intentfocusing our efforts, aligning teams, and making decisions that drive the business forward. Below is a no-nonsense framework for CMOs to fulfill our mandate of not just keeping up with the market but shaping what comes next. VISION IS THE STRATEGIC COMPASS Vision is more than a lofty statement on a corporate website. Its a strategic compass that sets a clear direction for decision-making, inspires bold thinking, and aligns marketing with broader business transformation goals. AI is not just a technology trendits a strategic lens through which visionary CMOs anticipate market shifts, personalize at scale, and create new sources of value. Vision encourages us to look beyond quarterly targets and toward long-term value creation. Its not just about where were going, but why our destination matters. Peter Druckers insight that the best way to predict the future is to create it reminds us that visionary marketers dont wait for trends to unfold. They shape themoften by harnessing AIs predictive and generative power. Consider Microsofts transformation under the leadership of CEO Satya Nadella. By repositioning itself as a cloud-first, AI-forward enterprise leader, Microsofts market cap soared from ~$300 billion in 2014 to over $3 trillion by 2024. Unified branding, thought leadership, and marketing aligned with product visionand a bold embrace of AIwere instrumental in this journey. The lesson is clear: A rebrand aligned with long-term strategy and market trends, especially those driven by AI, can unlock massive shareholder value. INNOVATION IS THE DIFFERENTIATION ENGINE In saturated markets, differentiation is survival. Innovation allows us to stand out, not just in what we offer, but in how we engage, deliver, and evolve. AI-driven insights empower marketers to test, learn, and iterate at unprecedented speed, turning data into differentiated experiences that set brands apart. Whether through product, experience, or brand voice, marketers must respond to evolving customer needs and emerging technologies. The challenge is to build a unique voice, foster a culture of innovation, and lead with empathy and agility, even while navigating internal barriers like silos and legacy systems. Steve Jobs captured this imperative when he said, Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. For marketing leaders, innovationnow supercharged by AIis the engine that powers strategic impact. Apples journey from the dot-com bust to unprecedented growth is a testament to visionary leadership and relentless innovation. Strategic repositioning built a premium brand and loyal customer base. The transformation wasnt just about technology. It was about storytelling, experience, and strategic marketing, now increasingly powered by AI-driven personalization and creative tools. When marketing aligns with product innovation, long-term strategy, and the intelligent application of AI, it can redefine industries and drive valuation from billions to trillions. VISION MEETS INNOVATION At onsemi, our own transformation showcases how aligning vision and innovation can redefine a brand. Once known primarily as a reliable supplier, onsemi has emerged as a high-value technology leader in intelligent power and sensing. Under CEO Hassane El-Khoury, our identity evolved from traditional, engineering-focused to forward-looking, innovation-driven. Marketing played a pivotal role in translating the strategic vision into measurable results. Marketing leaders operationalize and bring vision and innovation to life with a strategic framework that tightly aligns marketing with business goals. Today, they must put AI at the center of every pillar. The backbone of a modern AI-centered marketing engine includes these eight fundamentals: Brand purpose and positioning: AI-powered sentiment analysis and competitive intelligence inform meaningful, consistent messaging. Market and audience intelligence: AI enables dynamic segmentation, lookalike modeling, and predictive analytics for personalization at scale. AI-powered demand generation: Generative AI creates dynamic content, while predictive models fuel pipeline growth through targeted outreach. Optimized digital experiences and customer intelligence platforms: AI-driven personalization engines and recommendation systems ensure every interaction is seamless and insight-rich. Unified messaging architecture: AI helps keep the story coherent across channels, adapting in real time to audience feedback. Innovative tactics: Agile marketing models, strategic AI personalization, and customer journey mapping empower teams to iterate quickly and adapt to change. Customer experience: A relentless focus on customer experience transforms every touchpoint into a strategic advantage. AI tools can anticipate needs and deliver value before customers even ask. Cross-functional collaboration: Marketing collaborating with sales, product engineering, and corporate strategy ensures that marketing is at the table, shaping the future rather than just communicating it. Taken together, these elements create a marketing engine that drives growth, relevance, and long-term impact. LEAD WITH VISION, EXECUTE WITH INNOVATION, DELIVER WITH IMPACTPOWERED BY AI If theres one takeaway for marketing executives, its this: Lead with vision, execute with nnovation, and deliver with impact. Vision inspires teams and aligns stakeholders. Innovationnow inseparable from AIkeeps us relevant and unlocks differentiated value. Impact is measured not just in impressions and engagement, but in pipeline, revenue, and strategic growth. When we connect vision to execution, harness the power of AI, and measure our impact, we elevate marketing from a function to a force. The future belongs to those who shape it. Lets continue to lead with clarity, execute with creativity, and deliver with purposeembracing AI as a core leadership competency for the next era of marketing. Felicity Carson is chief marketing officer at onsemi.
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E-Commerce
A Gustav Klimt portrait painting that helped save the life of its Jewish subject during the Holocaust sold Tuesday for $236.4 million, a record for a modern art piece. Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold after a 20-minute bidding war at Sothebys in New York, where the flashiest item of the night was a solid gold, fully functioning toilet that went for $12.1 million. The 6-foot-tall (1.8-meter-tall) portrait, painted over three years between 1914 and 1916, depicts the daughter of one of Vienna’s wealthiest families adorned in an East Asian emperors cloak. It is one of two full-length portraits by the Austrian artist that remain privately owned. The work was kept separate from other Klimt paintings that burned in a fire at an Austrian castle. The colorful painting depicts the Lederer family’s life of luxury before Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938. Nazis looted the Lederer art collection, leaving only the family portraits, which were considered too Jewish to be worth stealing, according to the National Gallery of Canada, where the painting was previously on loan. In an attempt to save herself, Elisabeth Lederer made up a story that Klimt, who was not Jewish and died in 1918, was her father. It helped that the artist spent years working meticulously on her portrait. With help from her former brother-in-law, a high-ranking Nazi official, she convinced the Nazis to give her a document stating that she descended from Klimt. That allowed her to remain safely in Vienna until she died of an illness in 1944. The portrait was part of the collection of billionaire Leonard A. Lauder, heir to cosmetics giant The Estée Lauder Companies. He died this year at 92, leaving behind an impressive collection worth more than $400 million. Sothebys declined to share the identity of the portrait’s buyer. The sale topped a previous record for 20th-century art set by an Andy Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe, which sold for $195 million in 2022. Five Klimt pieces from Lauder’s collection sold at the auction for a total of $392 million, Sotheby’s said. Pieces by Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Edvard Munch were among other notable sales. Later in the evening, an 18-karat-gold toilet by Maurizio Cattelan the provocative Italian artist known for taping a banana to a wall hit the auction block. Cattelan has said the 223-pound (101-kilogram) piece, titled America, satirizes superwealth. Whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise, he once said. The toilet, owned by an unnamed collector, was one of two that Cattelan created in 2016. The other was displayed in 2016 at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, which pointedly offered to lend it to U.S. President Donald Trump when he asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Then the piece was stolen while on display in England at Blenheim Palace, the country manor where Winston Churchill was born. Two men were convicted in the toilet heist, but it’s unclear what they did with the loo. Investigators aren’t privy to its whereabouts but believe it was likely broken up and melted down. America was exhibited at Sothebys New York headquarters in the weeks leading up to the auction. Sothebys called the commode an incisive commentary on the collision of artistic production and commodity value. Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
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