Freddy Tran Nager
@professorfreddy.bsky.social
1.1K followers 70 following 1.7K posts
Marketing & Media Professor | Creative Strategist | Raging Moderate | Harvard & USC Grad | Writer | Los Angeleno | Cat Herder Site: https://www.AtomicTango.com LinkedIn: https://www.FreddyNager.com USC: https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty/freddy-tran-nager
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
professorfreddy.bsky.social
My 19-year-old cat Scooter is now so hard of hearing that I nicknamed him Def Tiny Leppard. But even if he could hear me, he wouldn't respond, because he doesn't get 80s pop-culture references. #cats #Caturday
My old cat Scooter.
professorfreddy.bsky.social
For some reason, I'm not surprised.
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Where is the company and which industry?
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Damn. If that were me, I would be motivated to find another job.
professorfreddy.bsky.social
WANT: wooden high-rises, like this academic building in Toronto. Better than steel-and-concrete in nearly every way — including smell.

(I just learned about them via @clivethompson.bsky.social's terrific newsletter.)

www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

#sustainability #architecture #highered
Limberlost Place: Toronto’s timber tower aims high
Limberlost stretches building codes and gives architects and engineers a new system of open-sourced solutions
www.theglobeandmail.com
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
professorfreddy.bsky.social
I shared the above photo and caption to my Xiaohongshu account (which I had told the students about) and got the following responses. It was a nice reminder of why I teach!

(Thanks to @katherinesss.bsky.social is for translating this for me.)
professorfreddy.bsky.social
I had the pleasure of speaking to a visiting group from the Shanghai Jiaotong University MBA program. I attempted to introduce them to U.S. influencer marketing in two hours. But of course, I spoke too much, so I wound up doing 2:20. That said, I had a terrific time.

#teaching #HigherEd
Photo of me standing before my presentation cover slide.
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
zeyiyang.bsky.social
And I really really enjoyed writing this opening lol
A screenshot of the first two paragraphs of the article, which reads: "The following sentence might make a globalist cry out for joy: A toy that is manufactured by a Chinese company in Vietnamese factories, designed by a Dutch artist in Belgium, inspired by indie toy culture in Hong Kong, and made viral thanks to a Thai K-pop star, has turned into the biggest Gen-Z cultural trend of 2025.

That abomination of a sentence is the story of Labubu, the creepy-cute stuffed monster that swept the world this summer. You must have seen the trend by now, but most people are still unaware of the global, decade-long story that led up to it. Last week, I published a feature story about my journey into the heart of Labubu, how this cultural mania moment was created, and where it may go from here."
professorfreddy.bsky.social
#books #BookSky #reading #RESIST
Quote from Percival Everett, author of "James": "There is nothing more formidable to an oppressive power than someone who can think for themselves... That's why books, and free and unfettered access to knowledge, often come under threat. And that's why I believe reading is one of the most subversive and important acts we can perform."
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Oh, look, it's an announcement about an announcement, and they're thrilled to announce it! The only way this could be more #LinkedIn is if it used the word "humbled."
LinkedIn post begins by saying, "Hello Everyone, we're thrilled to announce our lates press release..."
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
davebrady72.bsky.social
My colleague & friend Richard Green raises good reason to NOT sign Trump’s compact: “the president “is a person who has not kept agreements for a very long time. If we are going to sell our soul, let’s not sell it to someone who is going to pull the football away.”

www.latimes.com/california/s...
USC faculty members denounce Trump compact that would shift university to the right
The USC Academic Senate held a special meeting to discuss the Trump administration's education compact, which was presented to the school last week.
www.latimes.com
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Whenever someone says "learning to read Chinese characters must be difficult," I note how many logos sports fans memorize.

#collegefootball
redditcfb.com
Week 7 #APTop25:
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
wokestudies.bsky.social
Research impact?
#highered #university
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
carrieamcdphd.bsky.social
The way forward to protect academic freedom and scientific excellence: no university signs this, no university is given special treatment for the price of integrity
jswatz.bsky.social
“No self-respecting university could ever accept something like this,” said Lee Bollinger, a First Amendment scholar and former Columbia University president. “Trying to protect conservative ideas against being ‘belittled’ — that’s about as violative of the First Amendment interests as you can get.”
Colleges weigh whether to sign onto Trump plan or forgo federal benefits
A new proposal from the Trump administration would give colleges funding advantages if they adopt conservative priorities.
www.washingtonpost.com
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Nutritional yeast is the ultra-healthy #food with the terrible name. I'm surprised someone hasn't branded their own line as "Nu-Ye." Then people would shorten it to "Ye"…

Never mind.

(Haven't heard of nutritional yeast? It's a topping not for baking: www.traderjoes.com/home/product...) #marketing
Photo of Trader Joe's Nutritional Yeast
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Planning a lecture about brand perception and pricing, and took a quick look at #Labubu on eBay. Holy !#@$%.
Labubu dolls for sale on eBay with prices from $37,500-$50,000.
professorfreddy.bsky.social
But have they taken responsibility for Aaron Rodgers?
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Given that the British can't handle those nuances, I have sympathy for everyone else.

(BTW, I'm proud that I was able to read all those Chinese characters without having to Google Translate 'em!)