December 5, 2014: Backlash to Pantone's Color of 2015, 'Peter Pan Live!' Gets Tepid Response, Insight Into Anthropologie's Holiday Windows

1. PANTONE GETS BACKLASH ON 2015 COLOR: Global color authority Pantone announced yesterday that the color of 2015 is Marsala, an earthy, wine red. But unlike previous years, the reaction has been less than positive. The Atlantic: "This year’s color, a muted shade of scarlet branded ‘Marsala,’ has invoked a decidedly sour response: Social media has questioned what Pantone calls ‘a naturally robust and earthy wine red color’ as ‘a color that makes you want to go to Olive Garden or order Tampax in bulk.’ … While some found the color's rich burgundy tones royal and sophisticated, many pointed instead to the color’s evocation of various reddish brown processes. Think rust, the grimy, gag-inducing type that lines corners or frat boy dormitory-style bathrooms. Or blood, the freaky dried kind whose iron content has been exposed to the air long enough to evoke a dull brick." http://theatln.tc/1zXomuk

2. 'PETER PAN LIVE!' MEETS TEPID RESPONSE: Although critics didn't see NBC's second foray into televised musical theater as a flop, many didn't consider Peter Pan Live! as a home run for the network either. USA Today: "Live TV is a difficult technical trick to pull off, and there were some times when the sound seemed detached from the performers, but it was a huge improvement on that distracting, hollow Sound of Music. Considering the degree of difficulty, it would be unfair not to be at least a little impressed by the achievement." http://usat.ly/1vvmMRp

3. ANTHROPOLOGIE'S BUDGET-FRIENDLY HOLIDAY WINDOW DISPLAYS: The holiday shopping season is in full force, and retailers are once again competing for the most creative and unusual window displays. For Anthropologie, the visuals are handmade, created with less than $5,000, and a little bit quirky. The brand's headquarters dream up the creative direction, but the details are left to in-store teams. Racked: "Anthropologie's windows can take up to a week to create, and each store is given a budget of less than $5,000 to work with. Display coordinators will reuse wood from previous seasons, while buying things like sequins, paint, and ribbons, to build individual pieces from scratch. While it might be easier to buy items like fake birds and flowers from craft stores rather than making them by hand, [Anthropologie's eastern regional display manager, Jill] Gallenstein says the budget fits with the brand's overall vision. ‘The challenge is to take these relatively cheap, ordinary materials and make them into extraordinary artwork,' she says as we make our way to the windows of the store's west entrance, where a woman wearing a gas mask is painting leaves onto a wall decorated with wooden birdhouses and a papier-mâché tree. 'This is what makes our store experience: the ordinary to extraordinary, the handmade detail.’" http://bit.ly/1vmAxN9

4. GAP GLOBAL C.M.O. TO LEAVE: Seth Farbman, the global chief marketing officer for Gap, is leaving the brand, effective January 31. Ad Age: "The architect behind Gap's marketing overhaul is leaving the company. ... This marks the second high-profile marketing exec to decamp from the brand in recent months. In September, Marcela Aguilar, Gap's senior global director-marketing communications, left to become director-global marketing communications at Apple. There is no immediate successor for Mr. Farbman, but "we have a strong bench of internal and agency talent to support Gap brand as we determine his replacement," a Gap Inc. spokeswoman said in a statement." http://bit.ly/1vn2Vii


INDUSTRY NEWS

Steve Moster has been named president and C.E.O. of Viad, the parent company of GES. He will continue to serve as president of GES.

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Revere Hotel Boston Common will host “Pop It Like It’s Hot,” a hot chocolate pop-up shop, every Friday from December 5-December 26. The shop will offer executive chef Bader Ali’s unique hot chocolate flavors, including salted caramel crunch and banana-coconut.

CHICAGO:  TechWeek will return to Chicago June 22-28.

DENVER:  Access Destination Services is expanding into Colorado with Heidi Brown and Danielle Mason Phippen, owners of destination management company the Workshop, joining the brand as Access Colorado.

LAS VEGAS:  The Jingle Bell Ball will return to support MS research through Keep Memory Alive and the Cleveland Clinic for Brain Health on December 20 at the Fremont Country Club.

LOS ANGELES:  On Wednesday, Vanity Fair and Fidelity hosted the “Empowering Conversations” panel at Milk Studios, with actress Kate Walsh, WhoWhatWear.com’s Katherine Power, and co-founder of the fashion app Spring, Ara Katz.

Graff Diamonds will return for the fifth consecutive year to host the Screen Actors Guild Awards Green Room.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is making a foray into the cruise business, forming Virgin Cruises, which will be headquartered in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area and headed by former the World Residences at Sea president and C.E.O. Tom McAlpin. Travel Weekly: http://bit.ly/1FQ1krj

The new Delray Beach restaurant Hudson at Waterway East is hosting a grand-opening event tonight that benefits the city's Carver Middle School. The waterfront restaurant officially opens Monday.

NEW YORK:  Outsider Art Fair will host a "Folk'n'Chill" event at the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn on Thursday. Hubby Jenkins of the Carolina Chocolate Drops is among the performers.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

TORONTO:  Thursday saw workers in the hospitality industry protest the Sheraton hotel brand's environmentally focused program that allows guests to earn vouchers or points for forgoing housekeeping. Toronto Star: "A noisy group of about 200 protesters gathered outside downtown’s Sheraton Centre on Thursday and called for an end to the company’s Green Choice program, which they blame for heavier workloads and fewer hours for room attendants. The protest was part of a global week of action by the international federation of unions representing hospitality workers. Demonstrations are expected in 30 countries, and aim to draw attention to hotel room attendants’ deteriorating work conditions." http://on.thestar.com/1zZlrRX

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The 20th annual funniest celebrity in Washington contest, held Wednesday at the NPR headquarters, is "creaking with age" and shows signs of "obsolescence," according to the Washington Post's Reliable Sources column. For those who missed it, the review concludes, "You’re not missing out." http://bit.ly/1ySfZRo

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Anna Sekula in New York.

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

Feed the Sheet: [email protected]

Subscribe: www.bizbash.com/bizbashdaily

Advertise with BizBash: [email protected]