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Original Pressetexte aus britischen und US-amerikanischen Medien Sprachtraining, Landeskunde, Vokabelhilfen und Übungsmaterial für Fortgeschrittene Sprachniveau B2 - C2

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10 Business February 1 2023 | World and Press A philanthropist’s new tool in preventing homelessness MICROLOANS The Short-Term Eviction Prevention Fund makes interest-free loans to people facing imminent eviction. mit Übungsmaterial By Doug Smith 1 THE APARTMENTin Inglewood was never such a great deal. So when Courtney Bailey got served a three-day notice, she had already lined up a better place with more space for her kids and a lower rent. But she was scared. She had no cash for the move-in fees – and was worried she was headed for another bout of homelessness. Then the new landlord found a solution. She could get an interest-free loan to cover the fees and pay it back when she could, or not at all if she couldn’t. 2 It sounded like a joke, but it wasn’t. Her landlord connected her to the Short-Term Eviction Prevention Fund, a philanthropic enterprise created by a West Los Angeles software entrepreneur, Adam Miller, to test his theory that non-punitive microloans could reduce homelessness. Miller created a million fund to make interest-free loans to people facing imminent eviction. They will have three years to repay, and those who default will be forgiven. 3 After conducting a small pilot, the fund now aims to give out 1,000 loans of up to ,500. Reflecting Miller’s background in cloud computing, the data gathered from applications and payment histories are transmitted directly to a poverty researcher at Notre Dame University who is evaluating the effectiveness of the loans. Early results have been encouraging enough that Miller, Rickey Robinson, who works with the Short-Term Eviction Prevention Fund. | Photo: Brian van der Brug/ Los Angeles Times/TNS who has put tens of millions of dollars into his philanthropic foundation, said he is open to expanding to 10,000 loans. “If this could really help people from becoming homeless, that is much more cost-effective than trying to remediate somebody who has become unhoused,” Miller said. 4 Miller, who built Cornerstone OnDemand into a global training and development company, created the 1P Foundation (short for One Planet) with his wife Staci to apply their business and research acumen to philanthropy. “We wanted to do the hard things,” he said in an interview. “We focused on intractable problems.” 5 Miller sold Cornerstone in 2021 for .2 billion. While pursuing new business interests, he also devotes more of his time to 1P.org – an enterprise that includes the foundation and separate entities for research, advocacy, and social impact investing – which Staci Miller heads as chief executive. Most of its work to date has been focused nationally on gun safety, supporting research seeking common ground between gun owners and gun control advocates. The microloan fund is his local initiative focused, naturally, on the intractable problem of Los Angeles – homelessness. 6 After surveying the landscape of existing homeless initiatives, the Millers concluded that they could have the most impact by helping people to hang on to their housing. The need couldn’t be clearer. Even as city and county outreach succeeded in moving tens of thousands of people from the streets into housing over the past five years, the number of people on the street continued to climb as new people lost housing. 7 Even so, city and county efforts to prevent homelessness have been limited. Less than 4% of the sales tax revenue from Measure H goes into prevention programs. A confounding question is whom to target: Hundreds of thousands of Angelenos live under extreme rent pressure, but only a tiny percentage become homeless. … 8 The Millers decided to focus their intervention narrowly on people who face imminent eviction because of a crisis but have the means to pay their rent going forward. Initially, they put million into a revolving loan fund and built a bare-bones staff to administer it. Staci Miller, who had a research background with entertainment companies and nonprofits, is the unpaid executive director. Adam Miller is giving out no-interest micro loans to people who are facing imminent eviction through his 1P Foundation. | Photo: Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS 9 Their one employee was Rickey Robinson, formerly an outreach worker with Venice-based Safe Place for Youth. In June of 2021, Robinson launched a pilot in South Los Angeles, letting homeless and housing agencies know that loans were available. His first clients were four tenants referred by SoLa Impact, a South Los Angeles real estate investment and development company that owns about 200 buildings and is building thousands of units of affordable housing. 10 Among them, Bailey was pregnant and on leave without pay from a new job with the post office. Bailey received an eviction notice after her COVID-19 rent relief payment came late. She had a new apartment lined up with SoLa. But she had no cash for the move-in fees, and the apartment was going to go to someone else. Her 0 loan opened the door to what she calls “a forever home for me and my family.” … 11 In all, about 43 loans have been made in the pilot. The program is now open to all residents of Los Angeles County who meet three basic criteria: They must have income below 50% of the area median, have had a recent financial shock, and be facing imminent eviction as a result. 12 Applications can be submitted on the STEP Fund website. If applications ever exceed the capacity of the fund, preference will be given to those who have income below 30% of the median, have been homeless in the past, or were in the foster system. Currently, though, no one who qualifies will be turned away, Staci Miller said. Despite the evident need, the program has taken off slowly, partly as a result of eviction moratoriums and government relief during the pandemic. “The complexity around the rental market and COVID has complicated things,” Miller said. “We’ve seen peaks and valleys as different things have changed. I do expect that toward the end of the year demand will increase.” © 2022 Los Angeles Times.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 0 – 1 MICROLOAN Mikrokredit — eviction Zwangsräumung — interest-free zinslos — imminent unmittelbar bevorstehend — to get served a notice die Kündigung erhalten — to line up organisieren — bout Anfall; h.: Zeit 2 – 3 enterprise Unternehmen — entrepreneur Unternehmer(in) — non-punitive ohne Strafzinsen — to default zahlungsunfähig werden — to be forgiven Schulden erlassen bekommen — payment history Zahlungsverhalten — to transmit übertragen — to evaluate auswerten — cost-effective kostengünstig — to remediate s.o. jdm. e-e neue Unterkunft beschaffen — unhoused obdachlos 4 – 5 acumen Scharfsinn; Kenntnisse — intractable hartnäckig; unlösbar — billion Milliarde — to pursue verfolgen — business interests Beteiligungen — to devote widmen — entity h.: Bereich — social impact investing wirkungsorientiertes Investieren — to seek common ground e-e gemeinsame Basis finden — advocate Verfechter(in) 6 – 8 to survey untersuchen — to conclude schlussfolgern — outreach Sozialdienst — sales tax revenue Einnahmen aus der Umsatzsteuer — measure Gesetzesvorhaben bzw. Vorlage für e-n Volksentscheid — confounding verwirrend — revolving loan revolvierender Kredit — bare bones auf ein Minimum reduziert — to administer führen; verwalten — nonprofit gemeinnützige Organisation — executive director Geschäftsführer(in) 9 – 12 tenant Mieter(in) — to refer s.o. to s.th. jdn. an etw. verweisen — real estate Immobilien — affordable bezahlbar — leave without pay unbezahlter Urlaub — COVID-19 rent relief payment Corona-Hilfszahlung — median Medianwert — to exceed übersteigen — to be in the foster system in Pflegefamilien aufwachsen — moratorium Aufschub — peaks and valleys Höchst- und Tiefstwerte

December 2019 ¤ 5,00 [d] IN FOCUS • Opinion: Dismantling the myth of America • Canada: Pipeline expansion divides tribes Pages 2/3 USA • Society: Young America replaces God with community • Nature: Indiana Dunes National Park Pages 4/19 BRITAIN • Society: British life expectancy is falling • Monty Python: BBC bosses were not amused Pages 6/22 B1–C2 OTHER TOPICS • Australia: Coastal erosion • No 23|24 • 71st Year of Publication • Originalartikel aus The Guardian, The Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post und anderen Sprachtraining • Landeskunde • Vokabelhilfen • Übungsmaterial State governments in the US are considering banning flavoured tobacco products that health experts say are intensifying Scholars believe they have identified John Milton’s copy of the First Folio, the first complete edition of Shakespeare’s an epidemic of nicotine addiction. plays. • No 23|24 • 72nd Year of Publication • December 2020 Read more on Originalartikel page 5 aus The Read Guardian, more on page The Times, 7 The New York Times, The Washington Post und anderen ¤ 5,00 [d] B1–C2 POLLUTION IN FOCUS Public health emergency • Opinion: Johnson’s was declared after air pollution push for no levels deal will go off harm the charts, the UK reports Hannah Ellis-Petersen Page 2 mit Übungen | Sprechen USA • Police: Black police chiefs face criticism on all sides • Climate change: www.phase6.de/wp/2420 Die Nr.1 unter den Vokabeltrainern. ¤5,60 [a] CHF9,00 [ch] clared and has remained in place for the past five days. The streets have emptied, schools remained closed, and many did not go into Sprachtraining • Landeskunde work • Vokabelhilfen on Monday morning as the • Übungsmaterial air quality index remained in the category of “severe”. 5 Monday also saw the temporary introduction of a scheme The United Nations, In the thick, toxic clouds the world’s pre­eminent international of Venus, our closest planetary where cars with odd and even institution, celebrated three­quarters neighbour, scientists have discovered a gas that is associated number plates can only drive on of a century since its founding in alternate days, which authorities subdued fashion. with life • on No Earth. 23 | 24 • 73rd Year of Publication • say will take 1.2m cars off Delhi’s December 2021 Read more on page 3 Original roads Read each day. Pressetexte more However, on page aus most 19 britischen und US-amerikanischen Medien in the city were highly sceptical € 5,00 [d] about the plan, which will only be in place for two weeks. 6 “They did this scheme twice before, and it is pointless,” said Amit, a driver. “I am not supposed to be taking my car out today, but Sprachtraining I am just taking the • Landeskunde back roads • Vokabelhilfen • Übungsmaterial and short cuts to avoid the traffic officers. All the other drivers on Stockton beach Tax dollars to move U.S. PRESIDENCY Joe Biden will rely on institutions I know Emma are doing and Raducanu relationships the same. Yes, Many restaurants claim • Kashmir: The football club communities out of pollution is a terrible problem … Real Kashmir flood zones to govern a fractured nation, write Katie Glueck and galvanized Thomas the Kaplan. British public mit with Übungen to be | Sprechen the birthplace of the hamburger. B2–C2 but this her temporary triumph in scheme the U.S. is not Open. The But it seems chopped meat served Pages 4/5 • Business: Fewer tourists 1 going to change anything. We THIRTY-THREE years ago, 18-year-old tennis star showcases the cal and between social upheaval. or inside But bread if the is nearly as Hindu women had to immerse themselves in the IN polluted FOCUS waters of the Yamuna River. need real action from the government.” coming to America he was the fast-talking junior diversity of a more complex Britain. country, ancient the political as civilization. parties, and | Photo: BRITAIN Picture Alliance/Reuters senator • from Opinion: Delaware The Queen with a Washington have changed since Die Nr.1 unter den Vokabeltrainern. 7 • Mining: Lithium find In a city such as Delhi, where chip on his deserves shoulder, better desperate from her Read more on page 12 Read more on page 18 to Biden, now 77, arrived in the • Language: Trump’s Twitter 1 IT in WAS Cornwall meant to spurs be a hopes in the toxic foam of the bring myself to do it fully, though poverty and homelessness is rife prove his family gravitas during a brief, Senate as a 30-year-old widower war on spelling ceremony of regeneration to bring good Yamuna, so thick and my friends took a full dip even and millions make their living ill-fated • In presidential Focus: Post-Merkel run. The era in 1973, some of his attitudes – • Art: Lee Krasner health and prosperity. But frothy from industrial with the smell. My legs were itching after a while, and I had to go had the option of taking shelter on the sides of the roads, not all • Monarchy: the thousands Royal family next time needs around, radical in new 2008, direction, he about governing and about his and domestic pollution it • Music: The Lakota Music of women ‘are who a bargain’ gathered at £85m was the says seasoned studyforeign policy fellow Americans – have hardly made the water resemble home and take a bath.” in homes or driving cars equipped hand and Project in the Pages waters of 6/7 Delhi’s Yamuna River on the city’s most irony that this was a ritual meant polluted city has taken a toll on 8 At his stall selling chickpeas a putrid Pages veteran bubble 2/3 lawmaker who changed at all. bath. The 4 Living in the world’s most with air purifiers. strained to capture the imagination of Democratic presidential TECHNOLOGY The social network said the change defiantly was champions part of compro- its 6 He still reveres institutions, Pages 8/9/10/13/17/18 polluted OTHER day in TOPICS three years, to to give thanks to the sun god for almost every one of its 20 million citizens, bet especially on a next since digital the gar, frontier north Delhi, called Dinesh the Raj said metaverse. mise, and sees politics more in on the roadside of Kamla Na- primary USA voters. mark the ancient Hindu festival sustaining life earth was not • Gibraltar: 2 As he • weighed Reparations: a third attempt terms of relationships than ideology. He has insisted that with of Chhath Puja, instead had to lost on her. Hindu festival of Diwali, which both his health and his business Europe’s pandemic at the presidency Charleston last seeks year, to many atone By Mike Isaac Get the immerse themselves in the toxic 3 “I stood for an hour in the prompted a severe deterioration was suffering. “I generally earn wedding hot spot Democrats for sins feared of slavery he was too Trump out of office, Republicans waste, while inhaling air so thick water to offer prayers, but it was in air quality. As the air pollution around 400 to 500 rupees per vocabulary trainer! with smog • Business: that it went Trump’s late. Too • Lifestyle: old, too moderate, The too 1 FACEBOOK rose to prominence over the past two decades working with Democrats – a view will have an “epiphany” about off the pollution very oily, dirty, and had a bad levels reached catastrophic levels – almost 10 times above the I have only sold three plates, and day, but after the bad pollution, ‘Buy charts. American’ campaign meandering of beach to excite driving ascendant may be smell,” said Devi. “According to 2 Sunita went Devi nowhere voices in was among those the ritual, we coming his party, are supposed to a too close rooted in with some of the world’s most that elides the fact that Republicans were rarely interested in to healthy limit on the weekend – a the more civil politics of the past recognizable branding: a big Continued on page 20 who offered • Social prayers care: as Robots she stood be bathe in the water Pages but 4/5 I could not public health emergency was de- to nimbly handle Donald Trump. blue-and-white letter F. No longer. istration when Biden was vice working with the Obama admin- used in UK care homes 3 Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. • History: Roanoke’s ‘lost www.phase6.de/wp/2419 0 RESIDENT “"rezId´nt‘ Einwohner — authorities “O…"TÅr´tiz‘ Behörden — inaction “-"--‘ Untätiging father Schaumbad • COVID-19: who connected — irony Britons “"aIr´ni‘ with weigh a — President-elect to give working thanks to giant Zahl Joe took Biden — number an (2nd unmistak- plate from Nummernschild right) and Vice — President­elect on alter- 7 Those beliefs, coupled with ran anyway. BRITAIN — putrid He “"pju…trId‘ ran as übel a griev- riechend — bubble 2 On bath Thursday, System the — odd social / even net-number ungerade / gerade president. colony’ was never lost keit — pollution • Philosophy: “p´"lu…S´n‘ Germany Umweltverschmutzung; country Dank their in pain. sagen ‘price As — a of to relative freedom’ sustain centrist who not emphasized be lost on s.o. character, jdm. nicht entgangen sein “"skeptIk´l‘ skeptisch — pointless sinnlos — back “s´"steIn‘ Kamala erhalten able Harris step — to (2nd toward nate from an days left) overhaul, “O…l"t‰…n´t‘ with their deemphasizing of the presidential Facebook’s election. name| Photo: Getty Images and experienced leader, made jeden spouses zweiten after Tag — being sceptical declared his reputation as an empathetic s.w.u. to finds pollute it hard verschmutzen to love Hegel — public health emergency Gesundheitsnotstand — to go off the 3–4 • Monarchy: The queen the winners oily ölig — to bathe “beID‘ baden — to road Nebenstraße — short cut Abkürzung — traffic officer Verkehrspolizist Die Nr.1 unter den Vokabeltrainern. Pages 9/11/12/13/20 stability, and belief in bipartisanship over the particulars of a pol- 4 In many ways, charts (fig) Extremwerte erreichen bring and the o.s. 13 to presidents and rebranding itself as Meta. Biden acceptable to a broad coalition of Americans this year, in- do s. dazu durchringen zu tun — to 1 prosperity “prÅs"per´ti‘ Wohlstand — to take a full dip ganz untertauchen — The to itch change jucken — As to a was ¤ 5,60 [a] CHF 9,00 [ch] 7–8 he ran accompanied as the with Biden and supported him poverty “"pÅv´ti‘ byArmut — homelessness “"---‘ gather s. versammeln — ancient “"eInS´nt‘ uralt; icy agenda. 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Facebook sprechen — foam by his opponent’s “dIÆtI´ri´"reIS´n‘ • Ireland: weaknesses Goats Verschlechterung return and not — so to remain much saying, gestattet ‘I’m investing s. leeren in Joe Biden because stall “stO…l‘ of Stand his — is chickpeas the culmination Kichererbsen of — a on career forward will be tested as never — air purifier 5 Biden’s “"pjU´rIfaI´‘ victory Luftreiniger on Saturday — and its other apps, such as Instagram “ski…m‘ and WhatsApp, the roadside will am remain, Straßenrand — to suffer leiden to unite the country and move Schaum — vocabulary frothy “"frÅTi‘ schaumig trainer! — domestic eclipsed place by the in Kraft issues bleiben at stake, — to as empty h.: der Haushalte — to resemble “rI"zemb´l‘ ähneln 5–6 to County Dublin to protect introduction Einführung — scheme the nation hills confronted from wildfires the ravages philosophy,’” but under said the former Meta umbrella. Senator William S. Cohen who served spanned a half-century of politi- Continued on page 12 that began in the Nixon era and before. of a deadly pandemic. • Business: What can 3 The move punctuates how companies do to retain CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to re- 0 staff? focus his Silicon Valley company 5 With the change, Zuckerberg the next major social platform PRESIDENT-ELECT designierte(r) Präsident(in) • Upcycling: — to shape prägen Will consumers — to rely on s.th. “mi"œnd´rIN‘ gewunden; abschweifend — to excite tion Krönung — to span s.th. s. über etw. erstre- moderate “"mÅd´r´t‘ gemäßigt — meandering 4–5 to invest in s.o. auf jdn. setzen — culmina- on what he sees as the next digital telegraphed that his company and that several tech companies “rI"laI‘ auf etw. setzen — to govern regieren — fractured “"frœktS´d‘ gespalten of disparate im Aufwind digital — rooted worlds verwurzelt into — networking, civil höflich which — ower Facebook “"wId´U´‘ has Witwer years. — fellow On American Monday, amerik. Facebook frontier, begeistern which — is the ascendant unification “´"send´nt‘ was aufsteigend; going beyond cken today’s — upheaval social “øp"hi…v´l‘ will build Umwälzung it over the — next wid- 10-plus find upcycled foods appetizing? 1 junior jünger; Nachwuchs- — to have something a nimblycalled geschickt the metaverse. been built on since Mitbürger(in) was founded had signaled its intent to be a big chip on • one’s Science: shoulder NASA (fig) wants e-n Komplex haben 3 to grieve trauern — centrist Politiker(in) der 6 At the same time, renaming Facebook may help distance the com- the corporate name when the al reality and augmented reality 17 years ago. Having Facebook to revere as “rI"vI´‘ player verehren when it separated — defiantly its virtu- — to be to desperate harvest to water do “"desp´r´t‘ on moon unbedingt tun Mitte — to emphasize “"emf´saIz‘ hervorheben — “dI"faI´ntli‘ trotzig — to champion s.th. für etw. wollen — and gravitas Mars Würde — ill-fated glücklos bipartisanship “ÆbaI"pA…tIzœnSIp‘ Überparteilichkeit eintreten — in terms of in Bezug auf — to insist — presidential run Präsidentschaftskandidatur pany — from particulars the many “p´"tIkj´l´z‘ social networking Fehlern controversies — uneven it “-"--‘ is facing, uneinheitlich and — was vulnera- fundamentally elide “i"laId‘ about auslassen Facebook Reality Labs. 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Thursday at a virtual event to ite universe melding online, vir- remain a giant business, generat- www.phase6.de/wp/2421 Die Nr.1 unter den Vokabeltrainern. €5,60 [a] CHF9,00 [ch] showcase Facebook’s technological bets of the future. “Over time, I hope we’re seen as a metaverse company.” 0–2 TO RENAME umbenennen — bet Wette — frontier “frøn"tI´‘ Grenze; h.: (fig) Dimension — to rise to prominence “"prÅmIn´ns‘ Berühmtheit erlangen — recognizable “"rek´gnaIz´b´l‘ erkennbar — unmistakable “ÆønmI"steIk´b´l‘ eindeutig; untrüglich — overhaul “"--hO…l‘ Generalüberholung — to de-emphasize s.th. h.: den Schwerpunkt von etw. wegnehmen — corporate logo Firmenlogo — infinity-shaped “In"fIn´ti‘ in Form e-s Unendlichkeitssymbols — askew “´"skju…‘ schief 3–5 to punctuate “"pøNktSueIt‘ (fig) unterstreichen — to refocus neu ausrichten — unification tual, and augmented worlds that people can seamlessly traverse. He has said that this concept, known as the metaverse, can be ing more than billion in annual revenue and serving more than 3.5 billion people globally. 8 The timing of the name Vereinigung — disparate “"dIsp´r´t‘ grundverschieden — to distance s.th. from s.th. e-e S. von etw. abgrenzen — to showcase präsentieren — to telegraph signalisieren — fundamentally im Wesentlichen — tenable “"ten´b´l‘ vertretbar 6 to commit to h.: s. konzentrieren auf — composite “"kÅmp´zIt‘ umfassend — to meld kombinieren — augmented “O…g"mentId‘ erweitert — seamlessly nahtlos — to traverse “tr´"v‰…s‘ durchqueren — intent Absicht — player Akteur — division Geschäftsbereich 7–9 to evolve into s.th. zu etw. weiterentwickeln change has a double advantage. Facebook has grappled with some of the most intense scrutiny in its history in recent weeks. Lawmakers and the public have criticized its Instagram photo-sharing app for hurting some teenagers’ selfesteem, and the company has faced questions for its role in amplifying misinformation and stirring unrest with inflammatory content. 9 The outcry reached a fever pitch after Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, leaked internal documents that showed how much the company knew about the harmful effects it was Continued on page 12 — billion Milliarde — annual revenue “"rev´nju…‘ Jahresumsatz — to grapple with s.th. mit etw. zu kämpfen haben — scrutiny “"skru…tIni‘ Untersuchung; Kontrolle — lawmaker Abgeordnete(r) — self-esteem Selbstwertgefühl — to amplify “"œmplIfaI‘ verstärken; hervorheben — to stir unrest zu Unruhen aufstacheln — inflammatory “In"flœm´t´ri‘ hetzerisch — outcry “"--‘ Aufschrei — fever pitch (fig) Siedepunkt; große Aufregung — to leak enthüllen — harmful schädlich World and Press | February 1 2023 Business 11 A performer dressed as the Hulk walks through New York City’s Times Square in 2020. | Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images Using superheroes to sell, this time to adults MARKETING Superhero characters are being used to hawk vitamin supplements and beer to older consumers. By Alyson Krueger 1 AS OF thisHalloween weekend, customers can walk into any of The Vitamin Shoppe’s 700 locations across the country and buy a product that promises to bring them closer to becoming a superhero. Want the body mass of Batman? Try the Batman Gotham City Grape BodyTech Elite micronized creatine monohydrate. How about the energy of Flash? The Flash Lightning Lemonade BodyTech Flash Point pre-workout product says it will take care of that. The employees peddling the products will be dressed as superheroes, and the retailer’s social media feeds will be filled with pictures of the characters. 2 There have long been superhero products aimed at children. An Avengers Band-Aid, for example, makes any cut feel better. But the products at The Vitamin Shoppe – part of a partnership with Warner Bros., which owns DC Comics – are aimed at adults, including those who don’t normally buy from the store. 3 By attaching superheroes to, say, a performance supplement like nitrulline powder, The Vitamin Shoppe hopes it will be broadening the product’s appeal. “We are hoping that if customers can relate to the superhero on the label, it will help demonstrate what the product can do for them,” said Sharon Leite, the CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe. “We don’t know yet if it works because the product is being released this weekend, but what I do think will happen is somebody who might not otherwise look at it will look.” 4 The Vitamin Shoppe is one of the latest companies to market superhero-themed products to adults. Uniqlo recently released a clothing collection for adults to mark the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man. Saks Fifth Avenue carries a line of workout clothes by Heroine Sport, a company that makes sparkly and shiny gear that resembles what Wonder Woman might wear. … 5 Adam Alter, a professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said A cosplayer dressed as Wonder Woman at London’s 2022 MCM Comic Con. | Photo: Yui Mok/Empics/Picture Alliance he was not surprised. “Superheroes are culturally ubiquitous in 2022,” he said. “For the past decade-plus, the biggest films have revolved around two very large superhero franchises – DC and Marvel – so any brand that allies itself with superheroes is riding the coattails of that success.” 6 But Alter also said the semiinfantilizing marketing trend could backfire. “As with any association, the brand hopes you’ll think of superheroes one way, but you may think of them another way,” he said. “These brands hope you’ll see superheroes as virtuous and strong, but you might see superheroes as passé or overdone or silly or in any one of a number of ways that undermine the intended association.” 7 Still, company owners are willing to take that risk, hoping their superheroes evoke nostalgia and positive feelings. “A lot of us who are in our 40s look at the world and think being an adult kind of stinks,” said Zack Kinney, a co-founder of the Kings County Brewers Collective. “Superheroes are throwbacks. It’s escapist. It’s fantasy. There is definitely an appetite and a yearning for the superheroes of the world to save us from some impending disasters.” He added, “I think customers are really eager to gravitate towards brands who make them feel good.” 8 Alter agrees that superheroes, especially now, are associated with upbeat feelings. “We’ve had a tough few years, between the pandemic and political upheaval, and superheroes are escapist,” he said. “They allow us to leave the real world behind temporarily, and there’s much to like about brands that license us to depart from reality during tough times.” … 9 While many companies are banking on the way superheroes make consumers feel, others are tapping into something more literal. They are saying, if you use our product, you will be that much closer to becoming your favorite character. Mike Romaine, owner of Superhero Jacked, a fitness company based in Auburndale, Florida, publishes superherothemed workout plans. You can do the “Hulk-inspired jump rope workout” or follow the “Captain America diet plan.” He saw his business skyrocket during the pandemic. “I was making K per year,” he said. “Since COVID, I haven’t been under 0K.” 10 Nostalgia plays a role in his success, Romaine said, but also people’s desire right now to have fun. “You are training like the heroes you knew growing up, so it is fun, and it gives you more motivation,” he said. “At the end of the day, everybody is just trying to unleash their own inner hero.” © 2022 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Ein guter Jahrgang! Bestellen Sie die Jahrgangsausgaben ab 2019 zum Sonderpreis. | Photo: Getty Images Delhi residents blame authorities for inaction | Image: United Nations A president-elect shaped by tragedy and tradition | Photo: NYT nur ¤ 39,60* | Photo: Getty Images Facebook renames itself Meta | Photo: Getty Images | Photo: Getty Images | Photo: Unsplash * Versand im Inland portofrei. 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