 |
|
|
|||||
After a double-digit loss in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, Andrew Cuomo launched his independent bid for the office in June with a video mimicking the style of his primary adversary, Zohran Mamdani. Since then, his campaign seems to have taken most of its cues from the pairs supposed common adversary, President Donald Trump. Throughout his run, Cuomo has used AI slop in attack ads every bit as disgraceful as the worst of Trumps Truth Social feed, while flirting with the kind of fearmongering and bigotry that have colored Trumps entire political career. Its a questionable choice in a campaign filled with questionable choices. The former governors closing argument seems destined to be clarifying for any voters still on the fencejust not in the way he hopes. While Mamdani made a splash throughout the primary by campaigning heavily, cutting social-ready videos, and hammering a message of affordability, Cuomo appeared to sleepwalk through the race. He held relatively few events, didnt speak to many reporters, and clung to an outdated message of public safety. In April, he released a 29-page, typo-ridden housing plan with a footnote referencing ChatGPT. (In response, the campaign claimed they only used ChatGPT for research, leaving them open to charges of outsourcing important policy to AI.) It was as if Cuomo hoped name recognition and a foggy collective memory around why he left the governors office would propel him to victory. He certainly seemed surprised when it turned out New Yorkers might indeed harbor some reservations about a candidate tainted by more than a dozen credible sexual harassment allegations and a peak COVID-era nursing home scandal. Clearly, he needed to try something new. The general-election playbook was somehow worse, with Cuomo mostly making waves for the videos his campaign posted that were generated by AI and designed to stoke fear and bigotry. One thing nobody can accuse him of in the general race is lacking sustained, sweaty effort, which translated into some of the dirtiest, most AI-heavy campaigning the country has seen so farat least, from someone who isn’t Donald Trump. A festival of fearmongering and bigotry Cuomo started out in the general election with a campaign of cringe, loaded with clumsy stabs at humor, including Office memes. The end stretch has seen Cuomo pivot from his usual attacks on Mamdanis policies and lack of experience to more fear-driven, identity-based tactics against the frontrunner, who would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Cuomo also did not denounce blatantly Islamophobic attacks against Mamdani, including an October 23 ad from the Cuomo-supporting For Our City PAC, which placed the words Jihad on NYC over Mamdanis smiling face. But the nadir of the campaign had actually come a day earlier. On October 22, Cuomo tweeted and quickly deleted an AI-generated mock ad from a group called Criminals for Zohran Mamdani. (The ad lives on in Instagram clips and elsewhere.) It starts with an uncanny-valley Mamdani eating rice with his handsa common custom in Uganda, where Mamdani was born, which his more xenophobic critics have deployed to fearmonger based on his perceived foreignness. The ad then features a procession of criminals, including a man who bears a striking resemblance to actor Idris Elba donning a keffiyeh to do some shoplifting. After predictable backlash, Cuomos campaign quickly blamed the ad on a junior staffer, claiming it was released by accident. The same day For Our City released the “Jihad” ad, Cuomo turned a guest spot on radio host Sal Rosenbergs show into a lightning rod for toxic publicity when he raised the question of how Mamdani might handle another 9/11. The host suggested Mamdani would be cheering in this hypothetical scenario, a wildly insulting attack many critics alleged crosses a line. Cuomo didnt merely let the claim go unchallenged; instead he added, Thats another problem, before circling back to the more general bedlam that might result from Mamdani presiding over the city during such a crisis. Cuomo has since acknowledged that Rosenbergs comment was offensive, but still insists that nobody is attacking [Mamdani] for being Muslim. Meanwhile, even the Republican candidate in the race, Curtis Sliwa, has weighd in against Cuomos characterization of the interview. (Andy, get your big boy pants on, he said of Cuomo. When you go on a talk radio program and you say something, own it. Own it.) Ultimately, what Cuomos much-criticized radio interview accomplished is handing Mamdani an opportunity to open up, finally, about the Islamophobia he has encountered during this race, and throughout his life. His video on the topic was viewed 25 million times on X alone. Ramping up the AI As offensive as it was, the “Criminals for Zohran” ad was just one of several missteps in Cuomo’s full-blown embrace of Trumpian AI in attack ads in the final stretch of the campaign. While the AI slop in the presidents Truth Social feed has long since infected the rest of his administrations weirdly meme-filled social output, its a new development for the mayoral race in New York City. The AI usage began inoffensively enough, with an October 1 ad depicting Cuomo performing various jobs throughout the city. He stars as a window washer, a subway conductor, and a theater grip; all to demonstrate the NYC jobs he knows hes not suited for as a way to underscore his preparedness to run the city. Although his AI smile in the ad is as strained as the real one, the clip is more clever than much of the campaigns previous output. He didnt stay in this lane for very long. On October 21, Cuomo released a trollish ad using AI to render Mamdani as a Mini-Me to former Mayor Bill de Blasios Dr. Evila youth-courting reference to Austin Powers, the last installment of which came out 23 years ago. Although it may have been jarring to see a candidate other than lame-duck Eric Adams depict Mamdani using AI, the Mini-Me ad came across as more pathetic than offensive. It ended up being a warmup for the Criminals for Mamdani ad the next day. The wide criticism Cuomos AI ads have generated has not deterred the candidate from releasing more of them. Last week, he released a Schoolhouse Rock-style clipfinger on the pulse as everwhich attracted attention for featuring a legislative bill that appeared to be pregnant. The ad also stood out for attributing claims about Mamdanis voting to ChatGPT. Finally, Cuomo released a trick-or-treating themed ad on Halloween, featuring an AI likeness of Mamdani going door-to-door wearing the scariest costume of allsocialist. If Cuomo has any qualms about a political future in which candidates use AI to literally put words in each others mouths, they are not evident at this time. The desperation of imminent defeat Cuomo isnt the only NYC mayoral candidate who posted a video on HalloweenMamdani did, too. Instead of AI-based fearmongering, though, his video featured the candidate out in the streets interviewing trick-or-treaters. (The caption? Its scary how cute Park Slope was tonight.) This post is reflective of a campaign that has remained focused on positivity and affordability more than mudslinging, although the candidate has landed some tremendous dunks along the way. Theres a reason Cuomo has apparently opted for the dark side at the end of his campaign. Its because his tortured-smile, Man of the People act at the beginning did not resonate. Neither did much else, for that matter. The biggest bump in his polls throughout the election cycle came after Adams dropped out in September, and it still left him underwater by double digits. Cuomo is leaning on Trumpian AI, fear, and bigotry because hes desperate. And anyone that desperate to win shouldnt be trusted to leadleast of all under a Trump presidency. Cuomo keeps insisting hes the last person Donald Trump wants to see as mayor, even though that is objectively untrue. Cuomo reportedly courted Trumps endorsement and as of this past weekend, he apparently got it. If Cuomo truly were the last person Trump wanted to see as mayor, though, it would be only because Trump might hate to see someone win an election by so blatantly stealing his shtick.
Category:
E-Commerce
Have you ever opened a jar of Crisco and proceeded to slather it all over your body? I have, in the summer of 1992. I was just exiting sixth grade, and my friend was over for an afternoon of suntanning. When I reached for the brown bottle of suntan lotion, my friend stopped me, Let’s go look for your mom’s Crisco. Crisco??? I said. Yes, it’s how my older sister gets so tan. Although I was suspicious that vegetable shortening was good for my skin, I silenced my doubts when I pictured her older sister in my mindshe was gorgeous, popular, and bronze. From a young age, we have an immature relationship with authority. Psychologists call this authority bias, which means we are more influenced by the opinions and judgments of perceived authority figures. This can lead us to accept information or follow instructions without critically evaluating the content.In middle school, this meant that I put high schoolers on the pedestal of perfection. But sadly, we never really outgrow this. It reared its ugly head again when I found myself in corporate America, sitting in a windowless gray conference room, in one of those all-day meetings. I felt like the conversation was going in circles, and we kept hearing from the same voices. Frustrated, I wondered why other people, especially the women in the room, werent speaking up. And then I realized that I wasnt speaking up, either. I silenced my ideas because I was intimidated by the HiPPo in the room: the highest-paid persons opinion. Looking back now, I realize that I had a big problem: what I now call a Pedestal Problem. THE PEDESTAL PROBLEM Have you ever put someone on a pedestal, because they had a higher title, more experience, or even more charisma than you? Did you think that they knew best and therefore, your ideas, questions, or insights didn’t matter? Or, there was no room for your expertise? I did, for years. And it held me back from being a more confident and impactful leader. In my current work as an executive coach and speaker, which includes hundreds of conversations with leaders, I learned that the pedestal problem interrupts the connection we have with ourselves. When we put other people on a pedestal, we assume they know better than us, and we should silence our ideas and insights to get along. We stop listening to our inner knowledge or trusting ourselves. Books are left unwritten, status quos unchanged, products undeveloped, and cultures mediocre. In contrast, when people put us on a pedestal, we can develop an inflated ego and never get good feedback, as people are too intimidated to share concerns or ideas with us. Putting others on a pedestal super-humanizes leaders, which actually dehumanizes them. Teams withhold concerns and feedback that leaders need. Research from Visier (2025) shows that nearly half (46%) of employees admit to withholding honest feedback at work. If you relate to any of this, it may be time to pull the pedestal. Instead of giving you advice (which tends to age as well as sunscreen recommendations from the 1900s), here are some questions to consider to move you closer to the confident leader you are meant to become: RECONNECT WITH YOURSELF I spent 12 years at a company that practically raised me. Around year nine, I started to think about leaving. But in our area, the bank had a great reputation, as both a business and an employer. While ruminating over my decision, I spoke to colleagues and friends, many whom had years more experience than I. Almost everyone urged me to stick it out, with some senior leaders in the bank even sharing that they “had tough periods too, but it always passed.” Reconnecting with myself meant recognizing thatat the end of the daythis job didn’t align with my values. In spite of what others advised, I enjoyed creativity, and a highly regulated bank was a mismatch for this. Ultimately, I decided to leave and found a new job that aligned strongly with my values. Ask yourself: Does this advice, person, or situation align with my values and what I stand for? Because if I don’t know what I stand for, what will I settle for? RE-ESTABLISH EQUAL CONNECTION WITH OTHERS When we meet people more senior than us, we often shrink and hold back on ideas. To establish equal connection, I had to identify how my doubts and lack of confidence kept me more silent than I needed to be. And then, I started to explore what experiences, talents, or points of view only I can bring to the world, my work, or this meeting. In my work coaching executive leaders now, it’s not uncommon that I feel intimidated by the prospect of consulting with a CEO for a company that I admire. However, to establish equal connection, I remind myself that I am not there to have their level of expertise or have all the answers or questions. Instead, my unique talents and contributions lie in my ability to hold space, ask the right questions, and get them thinking about things in different ways.Ask yourself: What experiences, talents, or points of view can only I bring to the world, my work, or this meeting? Owning our talents helps us see the talents in others without compare and despair, bringing us together at the table as equals. CONNECT WITH YOUR FUTURE POTENTIAL When I started my executive coaching business, I had a lot of doubts. Taking those first steps and showing upeven though I didn’t feel like an equal among other entrepreneursmeant getting very clear with my future potential. I asked questions like, “Where do I want to be by the time I’m retired?,” “What am I passionate about?,” “What are the unique talents and skills that I bring?” The answer was clear: It had always been training, leadership development, and coaching. While I was terrified, it was tapping into this calling that gave me the drive to build my business and show up as an equal, in spite of the pedestal problem. Ask yourself: What am I meant to create? When I’m 80 years old and in my dream retirement, what legacy have I left behind that I am known for? Its time to stop underestimating ourselves and pull the pedesta, so we can be more confident and impactful leaders. Many people might think that to pull the pedestal, you should just have more confidence or “fake it until you make it,” but that never worked for me or anyone I know. My leadership conversations have shown that confident, fulfilled leaders reconnect to themselves, equalize their connections with others, and connect with the future they desire to create.
Category:
E-Commerce
Japanese auto manufacturer Mazda has released a simplified new logo, and it has bigger implications than your typical brand refresh. It’s indicative of a broader brandingor should we say blandingtrend that’s taking over the car industry. Mazda Motor Corp. rolled out a new, flatter version of its logo at the Japan Mobility Show 2025 in October that did away with the dimensional, beveled silver chrome effect the logomark used to have in favor of a solid black line. The new M mark is more angular, too, evoking a pair of wings that was first introduced in 1997. The company says it designed the flat new logo for improved visibility, especially in digital environments. That also makes it late to the party. [Images: Mazda] Yesterdays bland is todays car brand A dozen car brands have flattened their logos in roughly the past half dozen years, and Mazda is now the latest. Toyota did so in 2019; Rolls Royce in 2020; BMW, Cadillac, Kia, Nissan, and Volvo in 2021; Audi and Bugatti in 2022; and Genesis and Jaguar Land Rover in 2023. [Images: BMW] Jaguar famously introduced its new, lighter logo with a mix of upper- and lowercase letters in 2024; and this March, Lamborghini toned down the sheen on its bull-and-shield logo. Bentley, which updated its winged B logo in July, kept the chrome look but simplified the mark. It’s not flat, but it’s more minimalist. [Images: Jaguar] Overall, a “blanding” and flattening of car branding has swept through the industry years after the trend hit graphic design more broadly. Out are chrome, 3D, skeuomorphic logos designed to look like car badges. In are logos meant to be rendered at small sizes on screens. [Images: Volkswagen] Sans serif? Its electric Now de-chromed, these new logos are thinner and lighter, and they come as automakers adapt to a more electric future. At the same show where it unveiled its new, flat logo, Mazda also showed off a pair of futuristic-looking hybrid concept cars. Its first EV is expected in 2027. Graphically, the updated logos of legacy automakers are going up against those of EV newcomers such as Tesla and Rivian, which use sleek, futuristic-style fonts inspired by the typography of 20th-century science fiction, like Blade Runner and Back to the Future II. It’s possible that legacy car brand logos are getting updated to visually signal contemporary relevance in those markets as well. Ironically, the trend toward flat logos better designed for digital expression comes even as carmakers are getting rid of touchscreens in their vehicles in favor of old-school, analog knobs and dials. As automakers reconsider the screens in car interiors, they may one day reconsider their flat, digital-first logos too. For now, the flat-logo look reigns supreme.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||