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CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
Astonished 102-year-old WWII veteran reacts to Emmy win
After his interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour won an Emmy Award, D-Day veteran Jake Larson was amazed. Watch his reaction.
Forbes
22 minutes ago
- Forbes
Tech Advancements In Experiential Marketing
Swish Goswami, building the next big sci-fi franchise at Parallel Studios. Experiential marketing isn't new, but the way brands are activating now is at a totally different level. We're seeing companies go beyond billboards and banner ads to create tech-forward experiences that get people talking, sharing and remembering. This isn't just about pop-up shops or influencer selfies anymore. It's now about building striking moments that live both in real life and the digital world. Moments that make people stop, stay and share. As consumer expectations rise, brands are finding new ways to connect through events that are emotional, interactive and often powered by next-gen tech. Companies That Are Taking Experiential Marketing To The Next Level During the Miami Grand Prix in May 2025, the two brands pulled off an absolutely wild activation: 10 full-size F1 cars made entirely out of LEGO bricks. We're talking over 400,000 pieces per car that took 22,000 hours to build and was brought to life by a team of 26 designers. These LEGO cars were actually driven during the drivers' parade, turning heads and taking over every social feed that weekend. This is what next-level experiential marketing looks like and is the kind of stuff that grabs attention and actually gets people talking (social media is still buzzing over this). For LEGO, it was a flex in creativity and brand nostalgia, staying true to their brand's promise: 'Give people the bricks and they can build anything they can imagine.' For Formula 1, it was a smart move to connect with younger fans and families who might not normally be trackside. Coca-Cola rolled out an augmented reality (AR) vending machine that took things to a whole new level in 2024. Using Snapchat's technology, the company created a unique piece of technology that not only allowed users to purchase its iconic beverage but also "experience the magic as they play, engage, virtually try on exclusive merch, and explore trending Snap AR lenses." This one is just cool! It's playful, unexpected and totally reimagines what a brand interaction can look like. More brands should be thinking this way. Netflix is turning empty mall spaces into full-on Netflix House experiences, and it's honestly genius. Starting this year, the company is opening up massive venues (we're talking 100,000-plus square feet) in Galleria Dallas and King of Prussia near Philly. Fans will be able to eat at Netflix-themed restaurants, cop show merch and actually step into their favorite series, like dancing through the Bridgerton ballroom or taking on the Squid Game Glass Bridge. This is the kind of move that keeps fans well-connected beyond the screen. I can't wait to see it! 7-Eleven is going all-in on music culture this year with its exclusive partnership with Live Nation, locking in naming rights for major festivals like When We Were Young, Governors Ball and Rolling Loud. It's a smart move that shows how the brand is meeting the right moment and bringing the right vibe to the right crowd. It's all designed to connect with Gen Z and audiences through real in-person experiences. This isn't just about product placement—it's about showing up in culture and turning festivals into brand worlds. This isn't about logos on a stage—it's about showing up in culture and building something people remember. Anker absolutely nailed it at Coachella this year. As the official charging partner of the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, it didn't just plug in a few outlets; rather, the company built a full-on power zone for campers. Its Supercharging Hub had everything from a claw machine full of power banks and exclusive merch to a solar-powered car camping showcase that felt super on-brand. This well-thought-out partnership really makes people appreciate the brand more. It's a great example of how smart experiential can look when it's done right. What Makes Great Experiential Marketing Work So what do all these activations have in common? They hit three key things: 1. They're worth showing up for. People actually want to be there—not just for the brand but for the moment. 2. They feel intentional. Nothing is random. Every detail adds to the vibe and makes it feel real. 3. They get shared. Whether it's a selfie, a story or just a memory, people leave talking about it and wanting to tell their friends about it. That's the blueprint. It doesn't matter if you're using AI, virtual reality (VR) or building something by hand—if you make someone feel something, you're doing it right (that is the essence of true marketing). In a world drowning in digital noise, this is how you actually show up. Experiential marketing isn't just a trend. It's a shift from the digital back to the physical. It's a reminder that the best brand moments don't feel like marketing at all—they feel like something you were meant to be part of. The future's not just digital. It's live. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It's been 15 years since I was paralyzed at my bachelorette party. How I'm doing now — and why I'm no longer friends with the bridesmaid who pushed me into a pool.
In 2010, Rachelle Chapman was just weeks away from her wedding when a friend jokingly pushed her into a pool at her bachelorette party. The bride-to-be was paralyzed from the chest down in the incident. Chapman's story made national headlines at the time, but she never publicly named the friend involved. A lot has changed for Chapman since that night 15 years ago. She got married (a year later than planned). She became a mother. And she's made a name for herself as a social media influencer and disability rights advocate. As told to Yahoo's Korin Miller, the 39-year-old opens up about the story behind the story, from the misconceptions she faces as a quadriplegic mom to the health complications she's currently dealing with as she tries for a second baby. She also shares how her marriage is still going strong — but she's had to let go of her old friendships along the way. When I was just a year out of college, I felt like my life was perfect. I was teaching senior citizens aerobics and line dancing, and I was engaged to my best friend, Chris. I had even bought a house with a picket fence with my fiancé. Our wedding was about four weeks away when everything changed. My bachelorette party was on May 23 in Virginia Beach, Va. At the end of the night, a bunch of us decided to go for a swim. It was still chilly out and I was on the side of the pool, afraid to jump in because it looked so cold. In a playful gesture, a friend came and pushed me. I ended up hitting my head in the shallow end of the pool. Instantly, all of the feeling went out of my body. I had broken my neck. My friends pulled me to the surface and I remember looking down, seeing my legs dangling in the water and thinking, I don't feel that at all. I was paralyzed from the chest down. Here's what happened next. I was taken to the hospital, where I stayed in the intensive care unit for 10 days. That was followed by two and a half months of rehab at a different hospital. Chris and I celebrated what would have been our wedding day in the hospital with about 20 family and friends. We wanted to make it as happy a day as possible, but I felt depressed the day after. That's when we were supposed to be on our honeymoon, and I was in the hospital. Chris and I waited a year after the accident to get married because we faced high medical bills, and we were trying to figure things out. There was a lot of media attention after the accident, and a company came forward and offered to pay for our wedding and honeymoon. It was an amazing experience. There was a period of time when all of the excitement was over. Before that, I had a lot to focus on: I was in the media, I was planning this wedding and all of a sudden, I was just ... home. I had a moment where I was like, 'Oh, this injury is definitely permanent. That sucks.' But that didn't last forever. Chris and I have always had a strong relationship and I couldn't imagine us not being together forever. Together, we explored new activities. We did a long bike ride called Cycle to the Sea from Charlotte, N.C., to Myrtle Beach, S.C. I used an adaptive bike. I also took up a bunch of other sports we could play together, like adaptive tennis. We even went skydiving together, but my main sport was wheelchair rugby; that was my life for a decade after my accident. I can move my arms and wrists, pick things up and manipulate them, and I quickly discovered that wheelchair rugby was a fun sport. Chris got into it by being a referee. So, I would go to tournaments and he would ref. We did that every single weekend for at least 10 years. I'm trying to get back into it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rachelle Chapman | Blogger| (@rachelles_wheels) Chris and I had our daughter, Kaylee, via surrogate in 2015. In my situation, you can have babies, but I was on medication for my low blood pressure, and my doctors recommended against it. I put it out there that I was looking for a surrogate, and a girl that I knew in college reached out and said she wanted to do it. She was our surrogate for no monetary benefit and was amazing. Since having Kaylee, I've gotten a lot of ignorant comments on social media about how someone in a wheelchair can't be a mom or that I was selfish for having a child. My skin is thick, but I hate that there's this misconception for people with disabilities. These kids have great parents. All of my wheelchair rugby teammates now have kids, and they're amazing. These kids learn compassion so easily, and they're natural helpers. I've always been able to be the mom I wanted to be. I was always the one to put Kaylee to sleep at night, and sometimes I would just put her in my wheelchair and roll her around to help her doze off. Of course, there were some difficulties, but we had a village to help us. My mom lives with us and would do things like help me change diapers. My wrists work, but my fingers don't, so I have to manipulate things to pick them up. When I couldn't use my hands, she was my hands. I used to be able to say that the people I was friends with at my bachelorette party were still my friends. But around the time that Kaylee was born, things went south with the woman who pushed me in the pool and my other best friend. I was very supportive and protective of the friend who had pushed me. I still will never say her name publicly. I also turned down things like appearing on Oprah, who would only have me on if we both went on the show. I did everything I could to protect her and I feel like a lot of focus was on her after the accident because she was distraught. I did everything I could to say, 'It's OK. It's not your fault.' But when I had my down moment after the wedding, things started to go downhill. I wanted to go out to dinner and be distracted with my friends, and they weren't there for me. About a year after my wedding, they just started to leave me out of everything and lie about why they couldn't do things with me. I also learned they were talking about me behind my back. Eventually, the girl who pushed me said that our financial problems were our fault because Chris chose to be a teacher. I wanted to say, 'No, actually, they're because I'm paralyzed,' but I didn't. Later, my other best friend told me that the accident was my fault. I ultimately lost those two close friends. I'm not sure if I would have lost them anyway, but I still mourn those relationships a lot. I'm very fortunate that I've found a new community in women from my wheelchair rugby team and beyond. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rachelle Chapman | Blogger| (@rachelles_wheels) I have been the luckiest spinal cord injury patient for the last 15 years. I don't think people realize all the things that can happen to our bodies. A lot of people suffer from pressure wounds or awful UTIs that can become septic and kill them. I have not had one single problem. I've been so lucky. But things changed after Chris and I decided that we want to try to have another baby. I tried to find a surrogate that I could afford but haven't had any luck. I don't have any health problems — my blood pressure regulated itself, so I stopped needing blood pressure medication — so I decided to do this myself. I stopped taking birth control and started taking estrogen — we have three frozen embryos and the plan was to use them. But I've had intense complications, like my whole body suddenly getting tight and my blood pressure soaring, leaving me feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack. I've also had intense pain in my core, which is not supposed to happen. I'm a complete quadriplegic; I'm not supposed to feel anything below the collarbone. I've been to the hospital multiple times and sent home multiple times without answers. I still don't know what's behind this, but I can't ignore the fact that it may be related to hormones. So, I've stopped the hormones. I'm devastated over that because I want to be able to experience pregnancy and my daughter wants a sibling so badly. I'm back to my last chance of maybe finding a surrogate; that's what I'm focused on right now. Chris and I have the best marriage, and we even renewed our vows on our 10-year anniversary. We both hear comments a lot that Chris is a 'saint' for staying with someone who is paralyzed, and, don't get me wrong, he's amazing. But he's also human. So am I. Yes, I'm paralyzed, but I'm still the person who I was before. There are things that I'm there for for him, and I keep everything organized in our home. We are a partnership. I couldn't imagine doing anything in life without him, and he feels the same way. While a lot has changed in 15 years, I feel lucky. I just want people to know that you can be injured and still have a happy family. That's exactly what we are today.
