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Romanian tourists are increasingly venturing outside Europe to destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Indonesia and India, Sorin Stoica, co-owner of travel agency Eturia, told BR. Falling prices are one reason for this, and pundits expect the market to expand even further over the next couple of years.
While last year local travel agencies saw business stagnate and in some cases even drop, 2015 has got off to a better start for the industry. “The market is going up. This is my feeling and this is also what other players on the market are telling me. The number of Romanian tourists travelling abroad has been going up. This can also be seen from the traffic on our site and the number of requests we get,” Sorin Stoica, co-owner of travel agency Eturia, told BR. The agency, which specializes in holidays outside Europe, has reported a 100 percent turnover hike for the first semester and Stoica estimates the growth rate will maintain this pace through to year end. By comparison, in 2014 business increased by only about 3 percent.
What’s fueling this growth? Partly it’s the overall market growing, but also the company’s efforts to diversify its portfolio by launching, for example, several spa and wellness products in countries such as India, Thailand and Vietnam, and family friendly packages for other distant destinations. Most of Eturia’s travel packages are for destinations outside Europe, which make up about 80 percent of its turnover. “In Europe there are mostly destinations where tourists can plan their own holiday, and as a travel agency there are limited means to compete against booking.com and other direct booking sites. Our customers are people who are looking for more complex holidays and who choose us for our expertise,” he said.
Regardless of the destination or the type of holiday, targeting the mid-market segment and making efforts to charge reasonable prices remain the company’s focus, said Stoica. “We continue to work on offering affordable products. While three years ago we couldn’t offer a trip to, let’s say Peru, for below EUR 3,000 per person, this year we were able to offer that at even EUR 2,000. While three years ago a trip to the Maldives was hard to come by for less than EUR 4,000 per couple, now we can offer this for EUR 2,600,” said Eturia’s co-owner.
This is partly the result of the company’s efforts to come up with new options for travel and accommodation. “For the past three years we have worked to get better deals with airlines and hotels. For example, two years ago we signed direct contracts with hotels in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Cuba, Mexico, the Maldives and the Seychelles. All this has enabled us to offer attractive packages to our customers – for example, an eight-day trip to China for EUR 1,000 or Aruba for EUR 1,100,” said Stoica.
This was also possible because international tour operators and hotels are starting to see the potential of the Romanian market, he added. “Two or three years ago nobody would have bothered with us,” said the co-owner.
All this should translate into even higher growth rates for the sector beyond 2015. “I think that the Romanian market has far greater potential and I think that it will grow by more over the next two or three years, although it hasn’t yet reached that turning point. This could be the moment when a critical mass of tourists is reached who would act as ambassadors, both for outgoing and incoming business, a new airline enters the local market or a direct flight from Bucharest to the US is launched. This would send a strong signal and at that moment the market would become attractive. We are heading that way,” he said. Nevertheless, although the market started from a very low base, thereby offering plenty of room for growth, conditions remain tough and the travel agency says it still has to “fight for every client and every euro”.
A growing taste for exotic travel destinations
The average price of the holidays Eturia sells is down to about EUR 3,000 at present, says its co-owner. At the extremes, prices range from below EUR 1,000 for holidays in Europe, Dubai and Morocco, low-season packages in the Caribbean and tours of India or China, to standard packages of EUR 10,000 to EUR 15,000 for destinations such as Australia, Tahiti and Bora Bora, as well as for extensive tours of around 25 days in other destinations. “At least once or twice a week we sell a holiday for over EUR 10,000 per couple. These are not necessarily luxury holidays. They end up costing this much because of travel costs and the duration,” said Stoica. The price can rise even further to several tens of thousands euros for customized vacations. The most expensive one the travel agent has sold so far was a EUR 110,000 holiday booked in 2009 by a Romanian couple living in London who took a round-the-world cruise for six months.
Nevertheless, the company’s target remains to offer as many options for a budget of EUR 2,500 per couple. “Over the years we have seen that this is a psychological benchmark for many customers and we offer a lot of options at this price point,” added Stoica. The most popular travel destinations over the past two years have been the Dominican Republic, where Eturia says it sends some 700 Romanian tourists each year, the Maldives, Cuba, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, China, the USA, Peru, Argentina and Tanzania. India is becoming an increasingly attractive destination due to growing interest in wellness and personal development, along with South Africa and Iran. All these are a mixture between tours and beach holidays. The latter kind in particular is on an upward trend as many tourists are starting to look for alternatives to traditional seaside destinations in Europe, such as Greece, Turkey and Spain. “There is a growing demand for beach destinations that also involve visiting and sightseeing – what we call relax and tour packages,” he added.
The company’s target beyond 2015 is to increase its annual turnover to about EUR 8-10 million, which it wants to be mostly generated by repeat customers. “We know our clients and we offer customized packages; this has been our selling point and we want to be able to maintain this,” concluded Stoica.
Eturia posted a turnover of EUR 5.3 million in 2014.


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FTX.us, the exchange’s US subsidiary, now permits US customers to buy in equities through its website. While other stock market participants have progressively added digital assets to their portfolios, FTX is doing the reverse. In any event, this approach allows consumers to benefit from increased asset diversification. Despite the substantial link between the equity and cryptocurrency markets.
FTX expands its offerings.
The CEO and founder of the FTX exchange, Sam Bankman-Fried, has never disguised it. The one who is now one of the world’s youngest billionaire has always aspired to intertwine the crypto realm with regular banking through his platform. As a result, the FTX exchange takes an additional step through this gateway!
Stablecoins, which have been widely criticized since the collapse of the Terra ecosystem, will serve as a bridge between the stock market and cryptocurrency.
This new product, dubbed simply FTX Stocks, will initially be offered solely to US users via the FTX US mobile app. Several hundred shares of American firms and dozens of ETFs are now available to exchange consumers. This new implementation distinguishes FTX from direct rivals such as Binance and Coinbase, which do not (yet) provide such items.
This inclusion is particularly noteworthy from the standpoint of costs, in addition to portfolio diversity. Because FTX plans to make its new service available to people at no cost.
Should FTX be concerned about regulation?
Last year, the Binance platform sought and failed to gain traction with the regulator. Indeed, in response to regulatory pressure, the world leader in centralized exchange has ceased providing its tokenized assets. Securities that increased the share price of American behemoths such as Apple and Tesla. If water has since gone under the bridges, FTX may find itself presented with a new sling.
In any case, Sam Bankman-Fried and his management team are continuing to implement their goal of diversifying outside traditional finance and the crypto realm. Following an investment in the American stock exchange IEX, the platform has continued to grow. This time, an internal solution was used.

domain: news


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SC Johnson Expands Concentrated Cleaning Products Range
The refills, branded as SC Johnson’s “Mini” line, allow customers to fill up their existing, empty trigger bottle of cleaning product with a bottle of concentrate, topped up with water from the faucet.
The Mini bottles require 79 percent less plastic than the standard bottles, avoid transporting between 19 and 23 fluid ounces of water and are accepted by most community recycling programs, the company says.
American consumers buy 320 million cleaning products in trigger bottles each year, and millions of them end up in landfills. If just 20 percent of those 320 million bottles were refilled rather than discarded, it could save seven million pounds of plastic in just one year, according to SC Johnson.
The range of concentrates (pictured) has been extended following a 2011 trial of Windex Mini and now includes Fantastik Mini kitchen cleaner, Pledge Mini furniture cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles Mini bathroom cleaner and Shout Carpet Mini carpet stain remover.
During the 2011 pilot of Windex Mini, SC Johnson admitted that consumers were hesitant to use concentrate refills, preferring to just buy a new bottle. However, the company says it has been working to “crack the code” that will make refills more popular, adding improvements such as easy-to-pour spouts to the packaging.
Energy Manager News
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- Veolia Checks Into the UK’s Tallest Hotel
- Massachusetts Aims for Critical Care Resiliency
- State of Michigan and MISO Propose Retail Capacity Charge
- Breaking the Ice with Thermal Energy Storage
- Ameresco to Upgrade Federal Prison in Butner, NC
- Alpen Introduces Window Package Rated at R10 Insulation


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E-patients with a Disability or Chronic Disease
Just half of adults with chronic conditions use the internet; but once online, they are avid consumers of health information.
Online Videos Go Mainstream
Widespread deployment of broadband and a dramatic promotion push by content providers has helped pave the way for mainstream audiences to adopt online video viewing.
Mean Teens Online: Forget Sticks and Stones, They’ve Got Mail
Forget sticks and stones, today’s teenagers have got the web at their command and about a third of those online tell a new Pew Internet survey that they have been targets of annoying and potentially menacing online activities.
Adjusting to a Diet of Spam
As more of the stuff finds its way into Americans’ personal and workplace email accounts, internet users find it easier to digest.
A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users
The advent of Web 2.0 invites users to participate in the commons of cyberspace. Yet little is known about which segments of the population are inclined to make robust use of the new technologies and which aren’t. Using data from a new survey, the Pew Internet & American Life project has developed a typology of people’s relationship to information and communications technology.
Wikipedia: When in Doubt, Multitudes Seek It Out
The online, citizen-generated encyclopedia draws more visitors on a typical day than internet shopping, dating, travel booking, chat rooms or auctions — especially among the well-educated and college-aged.
Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks
A new survey and a series of focus groups, conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, study teens’ online management of their personal information on social networking websites. The study suggests that internet life poses some potential risks for online teens, e.g. 32% (and 43% of social-networking teens) have been contacted by complete strangers.
A new joint report from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that low levels of education and limited English ability largely explain the gap in internet use between Hispanics and non-Hispanics living in the U.S.
The World of Wireless Widens
Some 34% of internet users have logged onto the internet using a wireless connection. Users of wireless access show deeper engagement with cyberspace — at least when focusing on two basic online activities, email and news.
Seeking Science in Cyberspace
A Pew Internet/Exploratorium project finds nearly 9-in-10 online users have researched a scientific topic or concept on the internet. Nearly three quarters (71%) of internet users say they turn to the internet for science news and information because it is convenient.


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Global Experts in Travel (GET), a single-branded global travel management
joint venture with more than USD$1.8 billion in annual airline sales, was
launched yesterday at the National Business Travelers Association (NBTA)
Convention and Trade Show. The announcement was made by Linda Garback, CEO
of the new global joint venture.
GET combines the global expertise of several former Rosenbluth
International Partners in Latin America and Asia-Pacific, Total Travel
Management in North America, along with other leading global travel
management companies. Negotiations with GET’s European partners are in the
final stages, with an expected announcement in the upcoming month.
“Corporate travel represents the second highest expense for Fortune 500
Corporations,” Garback said. “The formation of a single-branded global
travel management company, which will standardize global travel processes,
while truly reducing a corporation’s T&E costs is now a viable option for
corporate travel purchasers.”
Garback estimates that GET’s combined technological resources and travel
consultative expertise will potentially reduce a corporation’s annual
global travel expenditures by up to 30%.
“Corporations are seeking a streamlined means of managing their global
travel expenditures and GET truly provides that solution, via the merging
of several quality driven global travel management companies into one
strategic thinking cohesive organization,” Garback said.
As part of GET’s global travel management suite, they also announced the
launching of “GET Connected-Stay Connected,” a multilingual Web-based
global travel portal that will allow Corporations to create a secure, “one
stop- shopping” on-line source, which has the capability of integrating
multiple global online booking tools, consolidating global travel
management reporting in “real time,” manage a corporation’s preferred
vendor negotiation programs, as well as globally integrate a corporation’s
groups and meetings. In addition, “GET Connected-Stay Connected,” offers a
security suite that allows a corporation to track their travelers 24/7,
regardless of where they are traveling in the world.
“Obviously, security has always been important, but today, it is more
critical than ever before,” Garback said. “GET Connected-Stay
Connected’s,” security package will allow corporations to easily identify,
track, and assist their travelers in the event of an emergency, providing
a much needed peace of mind, in the time of an emergency.”


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New York City (NY) | Miami (FL). (prn) Incisiv, a next-generation industry insights firm that helps retailers and brands navigate digital disruption, and Wynshop, the leading provider of digital commerce and fulfillment solutions for local store-based retailers, today revealed the findings from their «State of Digital Grocery Performance Card for Q3-2022».
Digital grocery sales rose 14.4 percent in Q3, as compared with Q2, reaching USD 87 billion in 2022 sales, or 13.4 percent of the total US grocery market. But shopper buying habits appear to have changed in response to inflation. The average digital grocery basket contained 5-6 fewer items in 2022 than in the corresponding basket of 2021, and 73 percent of shoppers claim to have switched to lower-priced brands.
Grocery Doppio’s «State of Digital Grocery Performance Card» Q3-2022
Updated monthly, the State of Digital Grocery Performance Cards are one of many resources available on the Grocery Doppio website. The reports are built around data analysis of 1.5 million shopper orders and survey results from more than 16,000 shoppers and 1,600 U.S. grocery executives.
More key findings from the Q3-2022 Performance Card
- Inflation changed the digital grocery basket
- The average price/item in a digital basket increased by 21 percent from the previous year
- This represents an increase of USD 0.30/item in Q3, as compared to Q2
- Although overall digital basket size grew 10.2 percent from Q1 to Q3, digital basket item quantity decreased by an average of four to six items over the same period
- Preference for pickup accelerated as sales through third-party marketplaces declined
- Digital grocery sales through third-party providers declined 23 percent in Q3 as compared to Q1
- Grocers’ own websites continue to account for the majority of digital sales, at 70.2 percent in Q3
- Pickup orders increased to USD 16 billion in Q3, representing 52.8 percent of all digital orders, as compared with USD 15.4 billion in Q1 and USD 13.2 billion in Q2
- In-store inventory visibility continues to be a challenge
- One in six pickup orders in 2022 included at least one substituted item
- Lost sales in 2022 rose to USD 2 billion in canceled digital orders and USD 7.5 billion in items not found/substituted
«While digital grocery rose in Q3 compared to Q2, there was a weakening in sales and shopper sentiment in September,» said Gaurav Pant, Chief Insights Officer of both Incisiv and Grocery Doppio, «Shoppers are now moving to private-label brands and shifting spending to lower-priced grocery chains.»
«Grocery shoppers have made it clear that they will continue to buy online, and prefer to do so directly from their favorite grocer,» said Charlie Kaplan, Chief Strategy Officer of Wynshop. «Better inventory visibility and insights into digital shopper purchasing behavior will continue to be critical to achieving profitable online businesses and satisfied grocery shoppers.»
These and other data insights are now available for download on «Grocery Doppio», a free, independent source of grocery insights and data designed to help grocers jumpstart, accelerate, and sustain digital growth.
Every month, Grocery Doppio brings together rich, research-driven grocery content, fact-based observations, inspiring perspectives, and deep performance benchmarks that identify improvement opportunities for grocery retailers. The site is designed to help grocery and food executives optimize their digital and in-store channels, and accelerate growth profitably.


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Just As of Monday September 20th, 2021, there are now over 60 cargo freighters that are anchored off the coast of California from Oakland to Long Beach in what can only be described as a Manufactured Supply-Chain Halt that will result in food and product shortages and supply disruption Nationwide in the coming weeks and months…Grocery stores are already complaining and showing their stockers how to make the shelves look fuller as to not cause Panic
A local long-haul truck company Driver that travels the Continental 48 states on a weekly basis has personally seen Chicago freight yards backed up at least three weeks in a row…now with hardly any movement at all while more and more containers are stacking up without any logical explanation.
The Question to ask Yourself is…WHY???
Why would our Government do such with supplies that Small businesses, Manufacturers, and American Citizens may need to survive in one way or another?!?!
This Question deserves Answers!
Probably a good idea to make sure you have enough supplies to last several weeks or a couple of months should the inevitable finally happen….They will sink the ships and crash the economy if it means Bringing The People to Their Knees!


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Fintech Sempo has taken home the top prize at Startup Victoria and Giant Leap’s Impact Pitch Night, for its blockchain-based solution improving financial inclusion in developing countries.
The competition, held in Melbourne last week, featured four high-growth profit-for-purpose businesses driving social or environmental change, who pitched to a panel of judges and a packed out audience with standing room only.
In his winning pitch, Sempo co-founder Nick Williams said 1.7 billion people globally, or one-in-three adults, don’t have access to a bank account.
Through his work in Vanuatu, he learnt that people were happy with the new plastic banknotes, because “you could bury your money in the ground, and it wouldn’t rot”, he said.
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Equally, in Iraq, about 70% of Syrian refugees say they have sold the aid they’ve been given in order to buy things they actually need. And, migrant families who are able to send money home often lose about 20% of the value on overheads when they convert that money to cash.
“Ultimately, financial exclusion disempowers people,” Williams said.
Sempo is a lightweight wallet designed to connect unbanked people in remote communities, allowing people to send and receive money.
It uses a suite of cryptocurrencies, with one currency acting as the “global reserve”, he explained.
“People don’t need to worry about exchange risks between some esoteric cryptocurrency price, and the price of wheat they’re used to using on a day-to-day basis.”
The solution is “at its simplest and most underwhelming … an Android app”, the co-founder said.
One of the biggest problems facing people living in remote communities is literally the distance they would have to travel to get to a bank. But, the vast majority have a smartphone.
“They can download an app that provides them with many of the same functions that they’re looking for, without having to travel for hours.”
The idea is to get a lot of people and stores in the community on board at the same time, thereby reducing the need for cash. In trials in Vanuatu, people have been able to pay for their phone bills, electricity, clothing, food and medicine using the card.
Founded in September last year, Sempo is already working with the likes of Red Cross and Oxfam, as well as with Consensus and Coinbase.
So far, Williams said the startup has helped more than 2,500 people, and about $60,000 has gone through the platform.
“The last thing the world needs”
Williams himself has a background in building finance platforms, while his co-founder Tristan Cole has a background in cryptocurrency trading. The team also includes experts in humanitarian engineering and financial compliance.
But, Williams first became interested in financial development when he wrote his undergraduate thesis on why western organisations tend to get development wrong.
“That’s kind of the last thing the world needs — another white guy with strong views about developing countries,” he admitted.
But, he “fell in love” with the idea of creating a cash transfer system tailored to the communities that needed them.
Sempo is designed to be “really hands-off, and about empowering communities, rather than trying to dictate their lives”, he explained.
“It was ridiculous that no NGOs were doing cash transfers at scale … we really wanted to create that change, and create that empowerment that no one else seemed to care about.”
Williams fought off competition from three other impact-focused startups to take home a prize package worth more than $90,000.
The package includes participation in a Landing Pads program in either Singapore, Berlin, Tel Aviv, San Francisco or Shanghai, as well as $5,000 in AWS credits, a mentoring session with the Giant Leap Fund team, and an array of additional credits, vouchers and training sessions.
On the night, Jane Kou, founder of food rescue startup Bring Me Home, took home the people’s choice award, as voted by more than 300 audience members.
Bring Me Home allows cafes to sell surplus meals at a discounted rate at the end of the day, with users earning rewards for the meals they save from the bin.
Launched last year, the platform now has more than 120 retail partners on board, and more than 12,500 users. It’s seeing 30% sales growth, month-on-month, Kou said in her pitch.
The startup is currently completing an equity crowdfunding raise, and has surpassed its $200,000 minimum target with six days to go.
The other startups competing were Gecko Traxx, which has created wheelchair tyres that allow users to navigate rough terrains such as the beach, gravel, grass and even snow, and The Neighbourhood Effect, headed up by Lily Dempster, which helps people transition into a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.


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The Manchester-based company behind the Shopblocks e-commerce platform, Miribase Limited have recently secured a £300,000 investment from Dow Schofield Watts Angels, the Northern angel network.
The funding will be used to help propel Shopblocks’ revenue by investment in new sales and marketing resources. Over 25 angel investors took part in the funding round, which is the second investment by the angel network.
What Shopblocks provides is a hosted website and online shop solutions for SMEs. Shopblocks allows businesses to launch a bespoke website in a cost-effective and easy way. It helps fill the gap of the inflexibility that the template-based platforms and custom-built websites which are typically designed by digital agencies at a much higher cost.
Shopblocks was created as a platform within a digital agency, before branching out as an independent company in 2015, under control of the CEO Kevin Jones. The business has expanded since then and now employs a team of 15 people at its Manchester headquarters.
Kevin Jones said:
“We’ve had an amazing year with hundreds of new customers joining us in the past few months alone. Businesses across the UK are switching to Shopblocks from template-based platforms such as Shopify and Wix in order to get the benefits of our unique technology.
“Our mission is to become the leading website platform in the UK in the next 12 months, and in that time we’ll be exploring how to roll out the platform on a global basis.”
Dow Schofield Watts Angels now have over 70 investors and have received over 300 applicants since it first launched in 2017.
David Smith, who heads the network says:
“Shopblocks is a fantastic solution to a major problem which we face constantly in our portfolio and even in our own business – an affordable way of developing and maintaining your own website. The solution which Kevin has created is excellent, and we cannot overstate his technical ability and personal drive. We’re looking forward to working closely with Kevin to make a success of this investment.”


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A group of data scientists has found 156,252 Russian accounts on Twitter which mentioned #Brexit and posted nearly 45,000 messages related to the EU referendum in the 48 hours around the vote.
Through various programmes like Sangam, Microsoft is working on creating learning/skilling solutions that will help prepare India’s workforce for the kind of jobs the economy needs.
This makes Shibuya Mirai Japan's first, and maybe the world's first, artificial intelligence bot to be granted a place on a real-life local registry.
Additional Civil Judge Jasjeet Kaur restrained Google India from “uploading and publishing” any video containing hate speeches and derogatory remarks against any religion.
As per draft guidelines, operators will have to receive a unique identification number from DGCA for drones, for which requirements such as identity and address proof documents, purpose & area of operation and security clearances will be needed.
Qualcomm alleged in a lawsuit filed in the California state court in San Diego on Wednesday that Apple used its commercial leverage to demand unprecedented access to the chipmaker's highly confidential software, including source code.
The satellite is designed to replace an earlier version, called Koreasat 5, which launched in 2006. The satellite was successfully deployed, SpaceX confirmed about 45 minutes after launch.
Country services used to be distinguished by the country code top-level domain names (ccTLD) such as google.fr for France or google.com.uk for England.
Amazon.com Inc on Thursday said its sales surged over the summer and profit trounced expectations, as shoppers jumped at "Prime Day" promotions on its website
As smartphone shipments grew 23 per cent year on year in Q3 2017 to reach just over 40 million units, India overtook the United States and moved to second position behind China.
Trai has also recommended that if an overseas call is made using an internet telephony app by subscribers on international roaming, it should be routed via international gateway.
BSNL, Kerala Circle also came out with a new mobile prepaid 'Kerala Plan' at Rs 446.
While BSNL has not been able to match up to the competition in recent times, the state-run operator says it is on a mission to turn around its telecom business.
The Whatsapp live location sharing feature is short-term with Whatsapp users controlling all aspects about who to, when and for how long.
WhatsApp has reportedly added a new feature that will make it easy for users to notify people in their contact when they change their number.
Even as the govt is making efforts to make Aadhaar mandatory for schemes and services, experts say that it is necessary put in place safeguards such as secure data security system for a successful unique identity programme.
Facebook and Instagram faced outage in August as well for a few hours, as users in some parts of the world were not able to access the social networking platforms.
Reliance Jio has announced a new Jio Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan offer with 100 per cent cash back for those recharging with Rs 399
Fifty percent of the people reported having trouble logging in while 40 percent complained that they faced total blackout issues and the remaining 10 percent faced problems with pictures, Downdetector said on its website report.
Google's digital payment app 'Tez' that was launched in India on September 18 has been downloaded five million times on Play Store.
Leading cab aggregator Ola on Wednesday said it raised $1.1 billion (Rs 7,150 crore) in latest funding round from venture firms led by Tencent Holdings Ltd
Apple Music on Wednesday said it will set up two Mac Labs at the AR Rahman-founded KM Music Conservatories (KMMC) based in Chennai and the upcoming campus in Mumbai.
According to Morgan Stanley, a $2.7 trillion chasm stands between electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to make them popular.
Google Home Mini has already been caught recording a user's every single word, query and sending it back to the servers.
Apple Inc is finalizing a deal to make 10 new episodes of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s science fiction anthology series “Amazing Stories", a source with knowledge of the discussions said.
OnePlus, in a statement has admitted to collecting data, and said the company does so to enhance its software based on user behaviour and provide better after-sales support.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kicked off India’s race to turn all new passenger car sales electric by 2030.
Social-media giants such as Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc will have to reveal the scale of cyber bullying in the UK and face being made to pay the cost of dealing with it.
Twitter has launched a new feature called "Happening Now" that will showcase newcomers on its platform tweets about events.
Israeli intelligence officials spying on Russian government hackers found they were using Kaspersky Lab antivirus software that is also used by 400 million people globally, including US government agencies, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The government will not be able to extend tax and duty related concessions to iPhone maker Apple under the new indirect tax regime as the effort is to promote Make in India and not imports, an official source said.
Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp successfully launched its 14th Falcon 9 rocket of the year, bringing the company a step closer to the 20 to 24 total missions it’s targeted for 2017.
If we look at prepaid plans offered by Airtel and Reliance Jio, there's a close competition, though validity and the amount of data may differ.
Ride-hailing service Uber on Tuesday began offering its customers in Dubai the option to ride in one of 50 new Tesla electric-powered vehicles.
Russia will block access to websites of exchanges that offer crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin, Russian Central Bank First Deputy Governor Sergei Shvetsov said on Tuesday.
In California, where companies like Cruise Automation Inc and Waymo LLC are ramping up testing of self-driving cars, human drivers keep running into them in low-speed fender benders.


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Known only as Mrs. J, the lucky winner plans to use the money she won on the ‘Cashword Multiplier’ Instant Win Game to save for the future.
Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, said: ‘Huge congratulations to Mrs. J whose 2022 looks a lot brighter.
‘After just a few clicks she can look forward to using her winnings to save for a fabulous future.’
The Cashword Multiplier Instant Win Game is available to play on the National Lottery website. It costs £3 to play and offers a one in 2.73 overall chance of winning a prize.
Players can buy tickets in retail outlets, play online at national-lottery.co.uk, like Mrs. J, or by downloading the National Lottery app.
Playing online via the website or app means that your ticket is automatically checked, and you get an email notification if you win a prize.


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Renowned messaging app WhatsApp has stopped operating on millions of smartphones due for updates, says media reports. It was earlier reported that WhatsApp would end support to some older phones running Android 2.2 Froyo and below, Apple iPhones running iOS 6 and below, and Windows Phone 7.
According to a report WhatsApp, with more than 1 billion users, was building out compatibility with older phones in a technology upgrade.
Sticking to their words, the company has ended the support for all the platforms mentioned above. Also, it is worth noticing that, all the three platforms combined has a market share of a mere 0.1 percent. The Facebook-owned company ended the support for these platforms on December 31. Earlier the spokesperson of the company was quoted saying that;
“While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they do not offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future,” said a spokesperson of WhatsApp in a blog.
“As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use,” the spokesperson said.
The report listed several platforms that will not be able to hold the messaging app, including Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7 and iPhone 3GS or iOS 6.
According to the report, any iPhone 4, 4S, or 5 that has not been upgraded to the latest version of the operating system iOS 10 would also not carry WhatsApp.
However, WhatsApp is continuing support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40 and Nokia Symbian S60 until June 30, 2017. WhatsApp is asking its users to upgrade their phones to enjoy seamless services.


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8 High-Fashion Airline Uniforms You’ll Find in the Friendly Skies
The airline industry has created a new type of experience for its passengers: These days your flight has an added visual component combining high fashion with aviation, all thanks to the high-fashion airline uniforms worn by in-flight personnel.
Hainan Airlines, one of the leading Chinese air carriers, debuted its new lineup of airline uniforms during the Paris Fall/Winter 2017 showcase. Collaborating with haute couture designer Laurence Xu, the airline showed off two stunning outfits during his runway show. Inspired by the classic Cheongsam — a traditional one-piece dress for Chinese women — Xu updated the style for Hainan.
The Laurence Xu Haute Couture was held at the Paris InterContinental Hotel July 4, 2017. Our new uniforms have been designed with a classic, aesthetic and modern elements in mind. #flying #flyhainan #fashionaddict #fashionblogger #fashionista #fashion #fashiondesigner #airlines #aviationgeek #aviationlovers #cabincrew #flightattendant #flightattendantlife #fly #aviationphotography #cabincrewlife
The men and women of Hainan got a major uniform upgrade. Gone are the blue-vest-and-peg-skirt combination in favor of a high-fashion cabin crew. Even the print on the uniforms tells a story, illustrating clouds around the collar with patterns alternating sea and mountains on the hem. The pattern is like staring out the plane from your window seat.
The gentlemen’s uniforms also got a makeover, replacing the former navy blue vests and trousers with a more modern look. Now clad in fitted, light gray suits with Mandarin collars, the guys look chic while reminiscing a classic Giorgio Armani look.
But Hainan isn’t the only company changing up its airline uniform game. Other carriers have also jumped on the opportunity, updating to more modern designs.
Here are 7 more companies that have opted for high-fashion airline uniforms:
1. Vueling Airlines
Vueling, a Barcelona-based low-cost airline, also unveiled a new line of modern uniforms for its cabin crew. After collaborating with employees for over two years, the in-house design team created both functional and sophisticated looks for its staff.
For the ladies, Vueling’s new uniforms consist of a higher waistline on its structured jacket. It gives an A-line shape on the body, flattering on all body types. The subtle slit on the peg skirt is youthful, the accent scarf (yellow for the cabin crew, grey for the pursers) more modern still.
The guys look equally handsome in their newly fitted uniforms, particularly Vueling’s chic double-faced felt coat. The wool-blend fabric is comfortable, and the belted detail creates a flattering silhouette on the guys. Vueling’s cabin crew now looks like a million bucks.
Designed by Italian designer Ettore Bilotta, the uniforms of Alitalia are beautifully tailored and reflect the art, culture and beauty of a country like Italy.
Outfitted in green, red and white (referencing Italy’s flag), Alitalia’s uniforms use the finest fabrics like jacquard with overlapping colors to create a tone-on-tone effect. The ladies also get to accessorize with a hat, scarf and gorgeous handbag as part of the outfit. The men’s uniforms leans formal with an elegant Italian touch.
3. China Airlines
China Airlines — Taiwan’s largest airline, based in Taipei — elevated its uniform game after tapping Oscar-nominated costume designer William Chang to update them. The new futuristic uniform design is part of the airline’s “NexGen” brand refresh.
Chang fused the traditional Mandarin gown with modern Western fashion for the ladies. But the guys also got a makeover. Summing up the guys’ updated style, Johnny Clark, an airline industry observer from The Design Air, writes:
The men’s duotone block jackets are very fashion forward with Michael Kors and BOSS both featuring this look in recent catwalk shows, and the addition of a red accent on the lapel helps tie them back in with the female uniforms.
Call it provocative or call it humorous, we love Lufthansa’s crew sporting Bavarian dirndl during Oktoberfest in Munich. Angermaier Trachten fashion house in Munich created the yellow, blue and white (Lufthansa’s signature colors) traditional folk costumes. Above, the female flight attendants model the classic bodice, skirt and apron during flight service, while the guys get to strut in port leather trousers and jacket with a waistcoat and tie.
Lufthansa flight crews started this tradition more than 50 years ago. The custom went on hiatus until 2005, though, when the tradition of wearing folk costumes came back for a revival. You’ll find the Lufthansa crew sporting dirndl this year during Oktoberfest, Sept. 16 to Oct. 3.
5. Cebu Pacific
Cebu Pacific’s bright uniforms immediately put a smile on our face. To celebrate 20 years in business, the airline commissioned famed Filipino couturier Jun Escario to revamp its cabin crew’s daily outfits.
Inspired by The Phillipines‘ azure skies and aquamarine waters, the new uniform consists of vibrant yellow tops contrasted against blue denim bottoms. The ladies also sport cardigans with vertical darts, and the ruffled denim skirt (with exposed zipper) is youthful and modern. Uniforms for the male cabin crew also reflect that aesthetic.
6. Etihad Airways
A fun fact on Etihad Airways: Nicole Kidman was a spokesperson for its advertising campaign in 2015. The Abu Dhabi-based airline ditched its dull uniforms and elevated its look with brand-new outfits for the cabin crew in 2014. Designed by Ettore Bilotta, the same designer behind Alitalia’s uniform revamp, the redesigned clothes represented timeless sophistication and glamour.
Bilotta created a brand-new palette for the airline, choosing warm chocolate brown as the unifying base and highlighting it with a dark purple for the cabin crew. Etihad’s male flight attendants sport grey, fitted three-piece suits accessorized with belts, leather gloves and a golden orange necktie. They also receive a lightweight, foldable trench coat for all types of weather. It’s a dramatic touch that recalls Out of Africa sophistication.
7. Xiamen Air
Honored with the title of “The Best Airline In Mainland China” for several years running, Xiamen Air is another Chinese carrier offering a true visual experience to its customers. Based in Xiamen, Fujian province, Xiamen Air partnered with famous Taiwanese fashion designer Jamei Chen to design a line of uniforms reflecting a fresh, retro feel.
The new male uniforms include sharply tailored silhouettes that date back to the ‘jet set’ era. With navy blue as the primary color palette, the guys look slick with a contemporary touch. They also sport Mandarin collar shirts and stylish black leather gloves. These Xiamen Air men not only look professional but personify coolness in the air.


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Telecoms group KPN is to introduce launch subscriptions for its next generation mobile internet network from next month, the company said on Tuesday.
The Amsterdam region will kick off the 4G roll-out, which will operate all over the country next year, KPN said.
KPN paid over €1.4bn to buy the faster 4G frequencies at the government auction at the end of last year.
KPN, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Tele-2 all won 17-year licences to operate the new services. Tele2 is a new player and will be able to roll out its own network. Cable companies Ziggo and UPC dropped out of the auction, saying the prices were too high.


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Holly Madison, blonde bombshell, reality television sensation and star of Peepshow in Las Vegas, will kick off the annual Beaujolais Nouveau celebration at Paris Las Vegas. Holly will join a Lucille Ball impersonator for a traditional grape stomping that is reminiscent of the iconic “Lucy” scene on the property’s Strip-side harvest-themed patio. The daytime event coincides with the start of festivities at midnight in Paris, France.
A complete list of events is available at www.ParisLasVegas.com/wine.
WHERE: Paris Las Vegas – Ah Sin patio 3655 Las Vegas Blvd., S.
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 18
WHY: Honoring the long tradition regulated by French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is released no sooner than the third Thursday of November, when it is ready for consumption just weeks after the harvest. Thus, at one minute past midnight, huge celebrations are held all over the world to taste the latest wine of the harvest. More than 65 million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau will be consumed in the months to follow.


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XL Axiata and BlackBerry launch multi-number mobility service in Indonesia
By Masyitha Baziad June 17, 2016
- One device holds up to 3 numbers, first such service in Asia Pacific
- But service limited to XL customers and numbers only
INDONESIA’S No 3 telecommunication provider PT XL Axiata Tbk, owned by Malaysia’s Axiata Group Bhd, has partnered with Canada’s BlackBerry Ltd to launch a multi-number mobility service in Indonesia.
The Novi service was launched in Jakarta earlier this month, and is the first service in Asia Pacific that allows a mobile subscriber to have up to three phone numbers on one SIM card, by using virtual SIM technology.
“This service serves a purpose and caters to a need,” XL chief brand and customer experience officer Nicanor V. Santiago said in an official statement.
“Customers in Indonesia want to be able to operate multiple mobile numbers on one device,” he added.
Novi uses BlackBerry’s virtual SIM platform, which is hosted on its infrastructure. According to its product management vice president Timothy Choi, the virtual SIM platform is integrated into the operator’s network.
“Indonesia is a very important market for BlackBerry, and the idea behind Novi is to deliver services that truly meet customer needs.
“We will continue to work with carriers around the world to bring our solution to their markets,” he told Digital News Asia (DNA) via email.
Choi said that currently, the service in Indonesia is an exclusive partnership with XL, and therefore dedicated to XL subscribers using SIM cards acquired from the telco.
When asked what models support the service, he said it is available to any smartphone on any operating system, as well as all kinds of feature phones.
How it works
To use the service, Android and iOS users would need to download the Novi app from their respective app stores. Others, including feature phone users, can activate the service through a USSD (unstructured supplementary service data) menu browser by pressing *909# on the dial.
Once this is done, subscribers can add their primary mobile number to the Novi system, then register a mobile profile to add their new virtual mobile numbers.
Subscribers can choose the type of virtual number: A standard package with random numbers chosen by the system; a regular package where they can choose from a set of numbers provided by system; or a premium package where they are given a “nice set” of mobile numbers from the system, according to BlackBerry.
In Indonesia, there are highly-sought after numbers that can be priced at up to US$1,000.
The additional virtual numbers will be active once subscribers pay the monthly fee: Rp6,000 (US$0.40) for the standard package; Rp15,000 (US$1.10) for the regular package; and Rp30,000 (US$2.20) for the premium package.
XL’s recent Investor Document shows that its monthly average churn rate – customers switching to other operators – for the past two years has not improved: 16.5% and 16.7% in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
According to the telco, a large majority of prepaid subscribers in Indonesia have more than one SIM card, which sees them dividing their telco spending between two or more carriers.
Currently, XL has a total user base of 42.5 million, of which only 500,000 are postpaid users.
While prepaid users dominate XL’s user base, revenue per SIM card is only Rp38,000 (US$2.90), compared with the Rp116,000 (US$8.70) revenue per subscriber it is getting from its postpaid user base.
In its report, the telco noted that it needs to either keep getting new subscribers; or keep existing subscribers sticky with good products, services, and innovations.
As part of this effort, it kicked off its Revamp, Rise, and Reinvent (3R) transformation programme in the beginning of 2015.
‘Revamp’ involves shifting subscriber acquisition to postpaid; ‘Rise’ involves moving the XL brand up the value ladder and addressing different segments of the market in a dual-brand strategy with the lower-value Axis brand; while ‘Reinvent’ looks at going beyond today’s business models.
Trimegah Securities, in a Company Focus research report, said that XL’s Revamp strategy on getting quality subscribers had a positive impact in 2015. Despite a dip in overall subscriber numbers, the losses were mainly low-revenue customers, according to XL.
The securities firm predicted that the trend of declining subscribers will continue, but argued that this would bring positive growth to XL in the near future.
In February, XL kicked off its Revamp strategy with the re-launch of its XL Prioritas (Bahasa Indonesia) postpaid service, offering premium data-centric plans to subscribers.
Is Indonesia still a safe haven for BlackBerry?
BES12: The future of BlackBerry?
Indonesia tightens prepaid SIM card registration rules
Singapore to issue RFP for eSIM card trial
For more technology news and the latest updates, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Like us on Facebook.


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Nebraska Athletics: adidas, University of Nebraska Release
Posted By: Sports
Courtesy: UNL Media Relations
ADIDAS AND UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA RENEW THEIR LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH A FOCUS ON COLLABORATION AND CREATIVITY
adidas aims to reshape what it means to be an NCAA sports apparel and footwear partner through creativity and imagination
PORTLAND, Ore. August 11, 2017 – adidas and the University of Nebraska have renewed its long-term apparel and footwear partnership with a heightened collaborative commitment to drive the future of sport and athlete performance. The news falls on the heels of several recent adidas partnership announcements including the National Hockey League (NHL), USA Volleyball, USA Rugby and most recently, Major League Soccer (MLS).
The agreement echoes the original terms, in which adidas continues to provide footwear, uniforms, apparel and accessories to the Huskers in all 24 of its varsity sports in the Big Ten Conference. Building on the success of its existing relationship, the new partnership is grounded in the belief that collegiate athletics has great influence over young athletes, the campus, and communities.
“College athletics is the heart of sport in America,” said Mark King, president of adidas North America. “With Nebraska, we’re not only focused on products for athletes – we’re looking at the entire world of sport. Through innovation and creativity, we’re finding new ways to move athlete performance forward and shape the future of sport. We’re turning the traditional college partnership on its head and reimagining how a sportswear brand and a college can work together.”
One shared goal that Nebraska and adidas are focused on is to make athletes better – all through the work of the state-of-the-art Nebraska Athlete Performance Laboratory (NAPL) to drive the future of sport and athlete performance. Through collaboration, adidas and Nebraska are evaluating new ways of serving the holistic needs of the athlete through product innovation, services and experiences.
The 20,000 square-foot NAPL houses cutting-edge technology, including a motion-analysis system, force plates, metabolic testing, IDXA scanner, which is considered the “gold standard” in body composition testing, research-grade ultrasound and bioscience laboratory. The NAPL allows researchers space to conduct advanced research on everything from the biomechanics of elite athletes to athletic and nutrition supplements to biomarkers that measure saliva and recovery time to cardiovascular research to athletic equipment research in footwear, apparel and hardgoods design.
"The University of Nebraska and adidas have been tremendous partners for more than two decades and we are thrilled that it will continue for years to come,” Nebraska Director of Athletics, Shawn Eichorst said. “We share core values, a passion for elite performance, competitive excellence, and innovative approaches to technology. We are honored that our programs will continue to be outfitted with world-class adidas footwear, equipment and apparel. Nebraska Athletics and adidas will continue to flourish together, and our boundaries of success are limitless."
adidas is a global designer and developer of athletic and lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories with the mission to be the best sports brand in the world. As an innovation and design leader, adidas engineers the best in high-performance products to make athletes better, faster and stronger and creates a range of classic and fresh lifestyle and high-fashion lines.


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hafakot / Shutterstock.com
A jury has awarded nine models more than $100,000 over allegations that two Florida-based strip clubs used their pictures in advertisements without permission.
In a decision on Monday, July 29 at the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the jury awarded each model damages of approximately $20,000 each, after finding that Flash Dancers and Thee Officer’s Club’s advertising featuring the models was misleading and deceived consumers.
The dispute dates back to 2016, when models including Jessica Burciaga, Rosie Jones, Lina Posada and Sara Underwood filed lawsuits alleging that the strip clubs pirated their images, likenesses and identities for “purely self-serving commercial purposes”.
According to the original complaint, the models’ images were used without consent to promote the strip clubs’ businesses on websites and social media accounts, such as Facebook.
The models said the strip clubs were “unapologetic, chronic and habitual infringers” and never negotiated for, or purchased the images.
They added that even if they had been approached by the clubs, they would never have agreed to the use of their lines.
In the original complaints, the models said the use of their likeness gave the impression that they were somehow affiliated with the clubs.
Additionally, they said that some of their pictures were posted in very close proximity to photos reflecting explicit and lewd imagery. They said that while this was “offensive, humiliating and demeaning”, it was also damaging to each model’s reputation and brand.
The models said their personal brand depends on their reputation, and endorsing, promoting or marketing the “wrong product” can severely impact their careers.
strip clubs, Thee Officer’s Club, Flash Dancers, models, Jessica Burciaga, Sara Underwood, likeness, copyright


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Kellogg is to spend more than £80m on marketing its brands in 2009. Speaking at an industry event, Kellogg marketing director and general manager, snacks, Kevin Brennan, said there would be 'more media pressure' on the company this year. He added that the brand sees TV as a key medium, but will also use digital marketing for brands such as Special K and Nature's Pleasure.
- Triathlon deadline
The deadline for entering the 2009 Marketing Industry Triathlon is 3 July. The race, which takes place on 10 July at Dorney Lake, Windsor, has already attracted participants from major brands and marketing agencies. The team relay event has proved popular, with entries submitted by Tesco, O2, HSBC, Apple, Pizza Express, Royal Mail and Microsoft, among others.
Enter now at www.marketingtriathlon.co.uk
- Orange ad stars Lewis
Hollywood actress Juliette Lewis will star in the next Orange Gold Spot ad. In the ad, the second in a series created by Fallon, Lewis will play the leading role in a 'movie' created by Orange Film Studios. The film is to be a remade version of the 1972 Bruce Lee vehicle Fist of Fury. Orange is also offering its customers the chance to develop an ad for the cinema.
Watch the Gold Spot at marketingmagazine.co.uk
- InBev seeks agency
InBev is searching for a promotional agency to handle an upcoming campaign for Stella Artois. The push follows last year's launch of a 4% ABV variant of the beer, after controversy about the brand's links to binge drinking.
- Pimm's summer push
Pimm's is dropping comedian Alexander Armstrong as a brand ambassador after seven years, as it introduces its summer advertising campaign. The drinks brand will also cease its sponsorship of music events this summer, after the launch of the comedy event Pimmsfest in 2008. The Pimm's bus will continue to be available to festival organisers free of charge.
- Marston's Aussie ad
Brewer Marston's is launching a marketing campaign poking fun at Australians ahead of this summer's Ashes cricket series. The tongue-in-cheek ads include the lines, 'England has history, Australia has previous' and 'We have beer in our blood, Australians have lemon juice in their hair'. The campaign, created by DLKW, will comprise posters and press ads and experiential activity.
- Five adds soap site
Five has launched a website covering TV soap operas. The site, called Holy Soap, will carry news and gossip for shows on networks such as Five, the BBC and ITV. It will also be the official online home of Neighbours and Home and Away.
Jeremy Lee on media at marketingmagazine.co.uk
- Chelsea FC's NBA tie
Chelsea Football Club and the US National Basketball Association (NBA) are in talks to develop mutually beneficial marketing activity to boost their brands and fan base internationally. Earlier this year, NBA commissioner David Stern revealed that the organisation was in talks with the Premier League about marketing and commercial opportunities.
Ed Kemp on sports at marketingmagazine.co.uk
- UNICEF aims for kids
UNICEF has launched an integrated campaign highlighting the importance of children's rights. It is the first time the charity has put the issue at the heart of its activity. The work is intended to encourage supporters to show their commitment to seeing these rights upheld. It will include press ads, inserts and online activity created by Rapp, and focuses on the plight of children forced to live and work on the street.
- M&S offers Pick'n'Mix
Marks & Spencer is to introduce a Pick 'n' Mix range of 18 sweets. The products will launch in September and include chocolate raisins, milk bottles, fruit salads and flying saucers. Pick 'n' Mix will initially be introduced in 100 M&S stores following a trial in April across six stores.
- Walkers in trip push
Walkers has begun an on-pack promotion, Gary's Great Trips, which offers consumers the chance to save money on days out. Offers include savings at Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, while consumers can also win VIP trips to events such as the V Festival and the 2009 MOBO Awards.
- Amnesty films it
Amnesty is to send a hard-hitting anti-torture film, 'Defy Them', to its members this week. It will ask them to forward the clip to a friend to encourage them to join the human rights organisation. The 90-second film will also be sent to people whose membership has lapsed, to encourage them to renew.
- L'Oreal loses lawsuit
Cosmetics giant L'Oreal, which was last year accused of whitening Beyonce Knowles' skin in an ad, has been found guilty of racial discrimination by a French court over its all-white recruitment policy for its shampoo sales teams.
- Virgin in travel site
Virgin Atlantic has launched vtravelled.com, a social networking site focused on travel.Designed by creative agency ATTIK, the site includes trip inspirations and information on holiday destinations.It also features a 'trip pod' tool, which pulls together travel information from other sites on the web to form a custom guide.
- Charity auctions bags
The Prostate Cancer Charity is aiming to raise funds and increase awareness of the illness by auctioning bags on eBay that have been personalised by celebrities. Ricky Gervais, Jade Jagger and Rio Ferdinand are among the stars to have contributed bags.
- Woolworths in web relaunch
Woolworths has relaunched as a web-only retailer, aimed at British families.
Marketing activity, created by The Brooklyn Brothers, broke over the weekend, with a cinema spot and outdoor activity.
Initially, the site relaunch will not be promoted on TV. The creative, called 'Training day' shows toys and items of clothing working out before they are sold. It is also intended as a metaphor for the brand improving as the site is updated.
The retailer has created a reward scheme called the Very Important Families (VIF) Club, through which registered users can receive perks such as cinema tickets for Saturday mornings. Woolworths has partnered with Cineworld across 66 of its UK cinemas for the Saturday showings, known as Movies for Juniors.
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8. British Airways set to axe OpenSkies subsidiary


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TfL identified that Oyster card users were not making the most of Oyster’s online services, which was putting pressure on TfL station and telephony employees.
Collectively, the three Oyster Smart films answer customers’ most frequently asked questions and encourage people to apply for and make the most of online accounts.
The intended audience is current and prospective Oyster card users.
The films are promoted on TfL’s website:
on TfL’s YouTube page:
and are promoted via TfL email footers.
MEASURES OF IMPACT AND EFFECTIVENESS
In the four weeks following the campaign launch there was a 800% increase in unique pageviews on TfL’s online Oyster pages and a 14% increase in online account applications.
The 3 lead campaign films have had more than 250,000 views on YouTube to date.


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Fisherman who began selling bait at 13 poised to float company on AIM stock market valuing it at £3.5m
An expert fisherman who began selling bait when he was 13 is poised to float his company on the AIM stock market on Thursday valuing it at £3.5 million.
Steve Gross, who will be selling shares worth £1.5 million, has plans to expand his Rotherham-based family business, Fishing Republic both by acquisition and with new stores.
He aims to open a 9,000 sq ft store in Birmingham – a third larger than his current flagship premises – later this year.
Float: Steve Gross’s Rotherham-based family business will launch on the AIM market
Gross, 44, a former captain of the England under-21 fly fishing team, will remain chief executive and majority shareholder.
He said that TV programmes focusing on the sport are boosting interest among people of all ages.
‘It’s starting to show up on the radar of bigger businesses,’ he said. ‘Supermarkets have starter kits at times like school holidays, for example, but that is all market enhancing for us.’
Gross added: ‘The idea is that we sell everything under one roof and the plan is to consolidate the specialist end of the market. There are over 2,500 independent fishing tackle shops and we’d like a significant slice of that.’
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Tourism PEI gets more social
A new campaign by Grey Canada uses a humorous approach, encouraging the 45-plus demo to go online to share horror stories from past vacations.
PEI Toruism is dropping the generic, postcard-perfect images that typically sell seaside vacation destinations in an extensive new campaign from Grey Canada, with the tagline: ‘The vacation you won’t need a vacation from.’ The multi-platform push also shifted the budget this year to weigh more heavily in online investments, including a social media portal launching in May.
The consumer insight-driven creative and the embrace of the specific, 45-year-old-plus target is also this year’s approach for PEI.
The TV spots, airing nationally on CTV and specialty channels, show a high-strung tour guide rushing a stressed-out bus full of vacationers through sights in Europe. One print ad, which will be appearing in magazines like Coup de Pouce, CAA and New York Times Travel, shows an unenthused couple in a conga line. The concept will be executed online later this month and in May on golf and culinary websites, as well as major news media sites, says Robert Ferguson, acting director, marketing, communications and sales, Tourism PEI. The Media Company handled the print and TV ad buys, while Aber Group orchestrated the online buy and GCI Group is in charge of public relations and social media initiates.
‘The TV is meant to make you laugh and smile and then visit the web,’ says Jonathan Careless, associate creative director at Toronto-based Grey Canada. ‘The print as well gets the bare essentials across and gets you to go to the web because the website is really where you can weigh through the information and find out what you need.’
‘We saw a better performance from our online activity last year,’ says Ferguson, adding that this year they are investing on a cost-per-action model (as opposed to cost per impression) with about $900,000 spent on TV and more than $1 million on online components. ‘It’s a very effective way for us to spend money,’ he says. The portal will be a place where consumers can build a community around sharing horror stories from past vacations, and will also feature social media drivers like Twitter and Facebook, and will be promoted through online advertising.
Running through the summer, the campaign aims to reach more than 1.2 million people, which is how many tourists the island hosted last year. Ferguson says their objectives are to increase visitors from the Quebec market by 2%, and maintain their share of room nights sold within the Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick markets.


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Aloha Poke Co., the nation’s first quick and casual poke restaurant concept, today announced the opening of its first of eleven stores slated for the Houston Metro Market. The husband and wife team, Cypress’s Amanda and Corey Tabb lead Aloha Poke’s entry into the Lone Star State. The new Aloha Poke can be found in the Fairfield Town Center mall located at 29040 Highway 290, suite A05 in Cypress, Texas.
Amanda and Corey broached the idea of a quick occasional franchise in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to diversify their financial future with a business model that created additional revenue streams, gave them more control over their current finances, while launching a generational wealth portfolio of business enterprises to leave their three daughters. While Amanda continues to have a successful career in the Texas oil and gas industry, Corey recently retired from the same industry. The husband and wife team turned to restaurant franchise concepts that promoted an environmentally friendly and sustainable food supply while providing members of their Cypress community with a premium fast and healthy food option.
“We are thrilled to be the first Aloha Poke restaurant in the state we love, the state where we raise our children,” said Amanda. “As new franchise owners, we chose Aloha Poke for several reasons, including the brand’s franchise development program, expected return on investment, ease of operation, low labor requirements. work and, above all, pure beauty and high quality nutrition. value of the brand’s dedicated menu.
Amanda and Corey further indicated that the brand’s ability to demonstrate the success behind its core values makes the decision to own a franchise business very appealing. These core values include the Aloha Poke brand promise to deliver fresh, packaged, raw sushi quality fish and ingredients quickly, its corporate governance of presenting a transparent FDD during the discovery process, smaller builds in brick and mortar and sustainable food logistics.
The planned Houston expansion nearly doubles Aloha Poke’s total franchise locations and spearheads the brand’s long-term development plan in other metropolitan areas including Dallas / Fort Worth and Austin.
“Aloha Poke Co is delighted and extremely proud to welcome Amanda and Corey to the Aloha Poke family of franchises,” said Chris Birkinshaw, CEO of Aloha Poke Co. “Houston is one of the fastest growing markets and the cultural diversity of the country and we are very happy to present the Aloha Poke brand with incredibly dedicated franchisees like the Tabb family.
According to industry analysts, the poke food market is expected to grow by $ 1.2 billion by 2024. The Aloha Poke franchise is uniquely positioned to meet this growing demand from consumers looking for new and innovative ways. eat healthier while on the go.
“Aloha Poke is the perfect example of where consumer trends are heading in the fast-paced casual space,” adds Birkinshaw. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created operational challenges for many food and beverage franchises. Our concept, while equally affected, has been successful in getting around some of the most serious issues facing restaurants today, while still being able to serve a growing trend of consumers to eat healthier, more nutrient-dense foods. . Aloha Poke’s expansion is attributed to ease of operations, sustainable food sourcing practices, low overhead costs, and a healthy, dedicated menu.
Aloha Poke Ahead of COVID-19 Learning Curve
With convenience trends rapidly accelerating due to the pandemic, the challenge for restaurateurs and brands right now is trying to cope with high labor and operating costs, d ” anticipate consumer behavior due to COVID and deliver what consumers want safely and quickly. In many ways, Aloha Poke was heading towards this fast-paced, laid-back franchise concept long before the pandemic arrived.
“The restaurant of the future was in development before the pandemic entered our lives,” said Paul Tripodes, vice president of franchise development, Aloha Poke. “Franchise operations geared towards less consumer friction, less reliance on a differentiated physical brand experience, and more emphasis on the digital experience will most likely experience fewer growth challenges in the short and long term. COVID has simply ignited the fuel of change within the food and beverage industry, with the future of restaurants being reinvented these days. “
The news and information presented in this press release has not been corroborated by QSR, Food News Media or Journalistic, Inc.Source link


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Swiss customers pay up to 40 percent more for Netflix than other nations
A new comparison by SonntagsBlick has shown that the cost of the streaming service Netflix is up to 40 percent more in Switzerland than in other European countries, despite having equivalent standards of living.
Large price differences for Netflix in Europe
Netflix is highly popular in Switzerland and has been growing significantly in recent years. The latest data estimates that Netflix has 2,8 million Swiss users, 1 million more than in 2019. However, to watch their favourite shows on the internet, families in Switzerland must pay significantly more than their European counterparts.
SonntagsBlick created a price comparison for the streaming service and found that Switzerland pays up to 40 percent more than other countries. Last January, the monthly subscription for the service rose to 18,90 Swiss francs a month for a standard tariff, amounting to 226,80 Swiss francs a year.
Cost of Netflix in Switzerland significantly higher than other countries
This is significantly more than Germany, Italy and Austria, where customers only pay 163,20 Swiss francs a year for a subscription. Despite an equivalent standard of living, Norway pays even less with an annual subscription of just 130,80 Swiss francs - 40 percent less than in Switzerland.
Netflix declined to comment on why its prices range so significantly. A spokesperson for the German Foundation for Consumer Protection said that Netflix should not take Swiss salaries or prices into account when determining their tariffs, as they are a global company with little to no overheads in Switzerland.


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Updated August 9 at 10:21 a.m. PDT, with more perspective on the agreement.
Yahoo on Friday released a copy of its, marking the first time details of the deal have been made publicly available.
But before laying your hands on a copy of the document, be forewarned that it is heavily redacted.
For example, a number of entire sections and their headings that explain how the deal will work are completely redacted, such as sections 2.1.4, 2.1.7, 2.3, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, and 2.16.
The agreement was included as an exhibit to Yahoo's quarterly financial statement, which the Internet search pioneer filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Yahoo's advertising partnership with Google is currently receiving a formal review by the U.S. Department of Justice, which is examining whether. Meanwhile, various for possible antitrust violations, including those in Connecticut, Florida, and Arkansas. Congress , although it has no regulatory powers to either bless or nix the deal.
Under the agreement, Yahoo will serve up Google's advertisements alongside its own search results. Yahoo has previously said it does not believe its open-ended deal is anticompetitive, citing it is under no obligation to run a certain number of Google's ads, or give its competitor's ads favorable placement on its search results pages.
Microsoft, however, contends the deal is anticompetitive in that it pushes two of the top three players in the Internet search advertising market together.
And in addition to the antitrust issues, legislators have raised concerns about potential privacy concerns regarding the search advertising partnership.
But the agreement redacts sections 6.6 and 6.7 and their subheadings on how information, such as users' personal information, will be used used. And information relating to whether privacy protections exist in the agreement is difficult to ascertain looking at the document, given the place where it would most likely appear, sections 1.73-1.75, is completely redacted.
Yahoo, however, on Friday a letter sent by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to 34 companies about privacy protections made available to users in targeted advertising and whether they are given the option to opt out of such programs.. That decision was in response to a congressional inquiry and
CNET News reporter Ina Fried contributed to this story.


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Google Inc. is making changes in price and capacity on the Google Mini, its smaller search appliance. With twice the search capacity the Google Mini can now search up to 100,000 documents within an organisation for a lower price of US$2,995.
The Google Mini is an integrated hardware/software search appliance that indexes all content within a company's intranet or public website. After an installation process that takes only a matter of hours, users can search for information just as they do with Google.com. The device was launched in January 2005, as a smaller version of Google Search Appliance, which has a larger capacity - and price.
The entry-level Google Search Appliance now offers search of up to 500,000 documents (more than three times the previous search capacity), for US$30,000 including hardware, software, and two years of customer support. Other versions of the Search Appliance can index 15 million documents or more in a single collection.
Google says that since its announcement the Google Mini is being used by law firms, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, consulting firms, government agencies and other small-to-medium sized businesses to access and manage their information.
"Content is dramatically increasing everywhere and it's no longer limited to documents, spreadsheets and presentations," said Dave Girouard, general manager of Google's enterprise business. "With more web pages, weblogs, wikis and other content, businesses of every size are having a hard time keeping track of it all. With Google, you can help your customers and employees quickly find the information they need."
The Google Mini comes with one year of support, software updates, and hardware replacement coverage. It can be purchased online, directly from the Google Store with a credit card, check or purchase order.
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Buy From The Bush, in partnership with PayPal Australia, has launched a new national competition for rural entrepreneurs and bush businesses, ‘Buy From The Bush – Big Break’. The competition calls on Aussies from the bush to pitch their great business idea via social media for their chance to win a share of the $60,000 prize pool to upscale or kick-start their business.
New personalized app provides PayPal customers with a single destination to easily and securely manage their daily digital payments.
Each year thousands of households, schools and community groups around the country register sales of pre-loved items with Garage Sale Trail, helping them reach hundreds of thousands of shoppers...
PayPal’s tips for smart sales shopping We recently released the ‘PayPal EOFY Sales Trends Report 2021’, which revealed Australia’s younger shoppers (Gen Z and Gen Y, better known as...
PayPal Pay in 4 is now available, free of any PayPal fees for Australian consumers – no interest, no late payment fees and no sign-up fees.
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Now that the organic marketing concept has been around for a few generations, you’d think it would be easier to win consumers over. According to a recent survey by BFG Consulting it is. With the plethora of stores that now handle everything from organic bananas to pesticide-free, organically made canned food, today’s shoppers have little problem tracking down that “back-to-basics” version in or around the produce isle.
The only thing is, do they really know what it is? Would they be able to explain what it is that makes it stand out from regularly grown food? According to BFG’s research, not necessarily.
Only 20 percent of the consumers who participated in the survey could accurately tell researchers the fairly stringent requirements that define the organic food market, even though almost 70 percent of those who were surveyed said they bought organic products.
It’s an interesting statistic, considering the fact that according to the USDA, organic purchases now represent 4 percent of food sales in the U.S. — and is continuing to grow. Even more interesting is that a significant portion (93 percent) of those sales occur in supermarkets and natural food venues, where there’s often plenty of dialogue about what makes organic food special. Another 7 percent of purchases occur at farmers’ markets and locations where organic food is often sought out.
It also notes that organic premiums have remained high, even though the supply is much better than it was some years ago. Although that’s a troubling statistic, it does corroborate BFG’s finding that millennials are currently willing and able to return to the pesticide-free isle and pay more for organic foods.
And what drives their purchases is interesting as well: honesty.
“They desire honesty,” notes BFG CEO Kevin Meany. “They want to believe.”Click to continue reading »


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Apple's next iPhone is reported to come in a new color: gold. All Things D, TechCrunch, iMore, and 9to5Mac are all reporting that Apple is set to introduce the new color scheme alongside its traditional black and white styles, marking the first time that the iPhone has moved beyond monochrome tones. The golden iPhone apparently won't be sparkling and flashy, however — instead, many are referring to the new tone as more of a pale "champagne" color than bright jewelry. For its accent color and front plate, the gold device will reportedly adopt the same white pieces currently used on the iPhone 5 model.
The next iPhone is rumored to be announced on September 10th and feature a design that physically resembles the iPhone 5. Though it's expected to have some improved internals, the new gold color may be one of the few physical differentiators between the current and updated models. But while Apple may only be dabbling in color when it comes to its flagship device, the company has also been rumored to be working on a low-cost iPhone that would be available in a number of bright, pastel tones.


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Is your designer handbag a fake?
A Triangle company can now help you find out.
National Pawn and Jewelry is the first store in the Triangle to use artificial intelligence technology to help spot super fakes.
Reports show as many as one in six shoppers is tricked into buying counterfeit luxury items. This technology, called Entrupy, can verify luxury handbags by analyzing the leather and other materials to determine if the item is authentic.
If you have an item and want to be sure it's the real deal, National Pawn and Jewelry is offering free authentications at its Raleigh location at 6740 Fleetwood Drive.
The event is this Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Experts use technology to help customers spot fake handbags


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In May of 2019, the U.S. Commerce Department placed Chinese manufacturer Huawei on the Entity List for security purposes. This prevents Huawei from accessing its U.S. supply chain to purchase software and hardware. Exactly one year later, the U.S. made things even tougher for Huawei by requiring any foundry using U.S. based technology to obtain a license before shipping product to Huawei.
TSMC gets a license allowing it to ship chips to Huawei; there is a major caveat
This is a major blow to Huawei because it can no longer receive the 5nm Kirin 9000 chips …


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FORMER Thomson Reuters finance chief David Grigson has been appointed chairman of digital communications firm Investis.
Investis, which develops digital media, websites and mobile apps for over 1,700 listed businesses including 70 per cent of the FTSE 100, was bought last year by Gresham Private Equity for £25m.
Grigson also currently serves as chairman of publisher Trinity Mirror, marketing services firm Creston and is a senior independent director of Ocado.
On his appointment Grigson said, “Investis has a clear strategy for growth, through geographic and product expansion, based on its market-leading technology platform.”
Investis is currently pushing to expand its US business where it works for General Electric and Northern Trust. The Company hopes Grigson’s experience in the US market will help with this.
“David’s wealth of experience... will be invaluable as we take the next steps to fulfil our ambition to be the global leader in digital corporate communications,” said Investis chief executive Helen James.