WATCH: The Power of Puns in Advertising
By MacKenzie Coffman Medill Reports Several years ago, local hair restoration company Restore launched an advertising campaign with former Bears player Brian Urlacher. The company’s billboards, sprinkled around Chicago and surrounding areas, often feature a long-popular advertising technique — puns. So why does the controversial pun work so well? John Ford, the editor in chief […]
WATCH: How owning house plants bloomed over the pandemic
By MacKenzie Coffman Medill Reports The demand for houseplants surged over the pandemic, as did rates of depression. While plants are not a cure-all, access to nature is correlated with improved mental and physical health. So is this plant ownership trend a symptom of pandemic isolation? Or is it part of an even larger movement […]
New exhibit ‘Jurassic Oceans’ shows how Field Museum has evolved
By MacKenzie Coffman Medill Reports Stepping into the Field Museum’s new exhibit “Jurassic Oceans,” visitors won’t need to fear that dinosaurs will come to life. “Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep” is open through Sept. 5, and looks and feels like a traditional museum exhibit upon entering the space. On loan from the London Natural […]
New Orleans creates plan for affordable housing
By MacKenzie CoffmanMedill Reports A brand new three-bedroom house stood for sale in the little New Orleans neighborhood of Freret. Yet, at an asking price of $599,000, this home carried a price tag 169% more expensive than the median home cost in the city. It mirrors an issue familiar in New Orleans and cities across […]
Live from Chicago, it’s the return of comedy clubs
By MacKenzie Coffman Medill Reports Comedic relief was in high demand as we slipped into the pandemic almost two years ago. More than ever, we needed to feel unrestrained laughter — the kind that makes you wipe away stray tears and clutch your stomach as your abs strain. Instead of seeing live standup or improv, […]
Surviving in a digital-first world: The unexpected tenacity of analog games
By MacKenzie Coffman Medill Reports What do you think of when you imagine analog games? Maybe it’s Monopoly, Dungeons and Dragons or just a deck of cards. Our schema for each of these games may vary vastly; tabletop games can be family fun or a highly competitive livelihood for professionals. No matter what your game […]
Stacking the deck: Northwestern researchers demonstrate effect of psychology studies on racial equity
By MacKenzie Coffman Medill Reports Research on stereotyping often aims to understand when and why people hold biased beliefs. Yet, it also reflects the impact that psychology played in forming and perpetuating stereotypes in the first place. James Wages and Sylvia Perry, who both have Ph.D.s in psychology, published a recent study that demonstrated how […]
