A dynamic reversal for Wendy’s

Plus, PlayStation adds to the list of gaming industry layoffs [View this email in your browser]( A dynamic reversal for Wendy’s What do you think of when you hear the phrase “dynamic pricing”? The imprecision of the term has caught Wendy’s in a bit of a maelstrom this week, as both the media and public made the assumption that it was tied to price increases during busy periods. Despite the company now [clarifying its plans]( to test dynamic pricing after initial reports compared it to Uber’s surge pricing during peak times in 2025, it seems the public heard the original framing loud and clear. This all came about after reporting in the [Associated Press picked up]( CEO Kirk Tanner’s comments that “Beginning as early as 2025, we will begin testing more enhanced features like dynamic pricing and daypart offerings, along with AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling.” What’s interesting about this story is that there was an initial spike in coverage and engagement when the AP story hit the wires, but there was then a much bigger wave of engagement and coverage the next day as people began to really take notice. Despite the recent clarification that this would not be used to raise prices, it’s clear what resonated with the public, with more than 179k engagements with 2,000 articles about the possible experiment, and Instagram and TikTok accounts talking about surge pricing. ABC News had more than 240k engagements to a [TikTok post about the plans]( that referred to surge pricing, while Rap TV on Instagram [had more than 132k engagements]( to a similar post. There were early warning signals here for Wendy’s that there could have been a backlash brewing based on the first wave of reporting, showing the importance of having an early eye on coverage, especially straight after the CEO makes a statement that has the potential to be read in a negative way. PlaySation adds to the list of gaming industry layoffs As the troubling trend of layoffs persists in 2024, the gaming industry continues to be one of the most affected. [Polygon reported]( that layoffs in 2024 are already outpacing last year’s numbers, with more than 6,000 individuals laid off from gaming companies in the first two months of the year alone, the latest of those being PlayStation. Sony released a [statement]( yesterday announcing that 900 employees from its PlayStation division would be laid off, resulting in a variety of its studios being impacted and its London location being shut down completely. This comes one month after Microsoft laid off Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, which drew considerable attention and disbelief as the tech giant had finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzard just three months prior. Both companies’ layoffs were covered by a mix of gaming websites and mainstream publishers, with [The Verge]( having the top article about each. However, even with a similar amount of media interest, public interest in PlayStation’s layoffs has already started to slow down, and is doing so much faster than what we saw for Activision Blizzard. But web coverage slowing down doesn’t necessarily mean that conversations have ended, with social media posts about PlayStation generating more buzz than ones about Blizzard did. The largest of these, and the top piece of content about gaming layoffs overall, has come from [RapTV’s Instagram post]( about Sony’s statement, which has earned over 103k engagements. Read our [gaming analysis]( for more insights on the topics and issues that are driving interest for the industry. JOIN US FOR A FREE WEBINAR How live insights can prevent your brand from becoming an unintended target during a year of elections [Register→]( FROM REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE How to go from reactive to proactive comms with NewsWhip [Read blog →]( REPORT: INFLUENCE THROUGH INSIGHT How comms leaders are bringing wider understanding to management decisions [Read report →]( WATCH OUR LATEST WEBINAR How comms leaders are bringing wider understanding to management decisions [Watch →]( [Twitter icon]( [Website icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Copyright (C) 2024 NewsWhip. All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you opted in for the NewsWhip blog newsletter and updates. Our mailing address is: NewsWhip 42 Pearse Street Dublin, D02 YX88 Ireland Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe](