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2010 August 4
Suze Yalof Schwartz Departs Glamour
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(NEW YORK) After fourteen years at Glamour, Suze Yalof Schwartz is leaving her position as executive fashion editor at large for a complete lifestyle change in California. Schwartz has served as a ubiquitous ambassador for the magazine since 1996; her last day at Condé Nast is August 20. “The truth is, this was no-brainer for me,” Schwartz told The Daily. “My husband Marc has just been named the chief investment officer by the Broad Foundations, and this was a wonderful opportunity for him and our family. But of course, because I’ve been at the magazine for 14 years, it’s still hard to make such a big shift. I essentially had a dream job, doing countless talk shows and TV appearances. I’m probably going to miss New York's Fashion Week the most. It will be weird to be on the other side of the country in September!”
Another Schwartz trademark the editor hates to bid farewell? “The makeovers!” she confessed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of making someone over---and totally making their day in the process. During the course of my career, I had a chance to make over everyone from a rabbi to participants at a dog show to 35 random shoppers at the Mall of America. Recently, we gave out 300 bras in Central Park to those who were willing to switch on the spot.”
So what to expect from Schwartz's new Pacific Palisades existence? “I still run my blog Dwellers without Decorators,” she added. “I’ve always had passion for décor, and now I have time to really embrace it.” That and some other things. Schwartz is a mother of three boys (ages 3, 6, and 9)---and there are a few undeniable advantages to a West Coast lifestyle. “It will be great to live in a cool place, play a lot of tennis, and drive a convertible,” laughed Schwartz. “But hopefully, I’ll find some spokesperson opportunities, and in the future, maybe have my own show as well. Those are my Los Angeles goals!”
Things are in great shape over at dMondaine! The slimming lingerie brand, created by designer Kiana Anvaripour, is designed to enhance women’s curves rather than hide them, while...
Áslaug Magnúsdóttir, co-founder and formerly CEO of Moda Operandi, has left the company...Carissa Rosenberg Tozzi, formerly entertainment director at Seventeen, has been promoted...
Catch them if you Cannes! A second jewelry theft has taken place at Cannes and this time it was a $2.5 million de Grisogono necklace.


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Fridays will open its new restaurant on Lincoln High Street in just over a week.
Kelly Green, Manager of Fridays Lincoln, told The Lincolnite that the restaurant will open to the public for the first time for indoor and outdoor dining on Wednesday, May 19.
Tables were seen outside over the weekend and, according to Fridays’ website outdoor dining was being offered for walk-in business only between May 7 to 9, but it has since been clarified that this was just for training.
The popular American style chain was due to open a restaurant in the unit formerly occupied by Carluccio’s on January 14 this year, but this was pushed back as the coronavirus lockdown impacted on businesses.
The final touches are now being made ahead of the May 19 launch, with customers now able to pre-book online in advance.
It is expected that 35-40 full and part-time jobs will be created by the opening of Fridays in Lincoln.
Once it opens, the Lincoln branch will be part of just 15 exclusive Famous at Fridays restaurants, with a new menu and a refined cocktail menu.
Robert B. Cook, Fridays CEO, previously said: “We are beyond excited to open our new restaurant in Lincoln and invite guests to celebrate the easing of lockdown with us.
“Opening Fridays Lincoln is a key part of our strategy moving forward as we invest in the local area and continue to grow Fridays after what has been a tough year for all businesses.
“We’re also pleased to announce that the restaurant will join the exclusive group of 14 Famous at Fridays restaurants which celebrate our unique heritage.
“As part of these exciting changes, we have invested in the return of classic dishes made with quality ingredients.
“We are re-energising our iconic bars where new and classic cocktails handcrafted by our expert bartenders bring excitement and theatre, all of which will be complemented by consistently brilliant Fridays service.”

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MONTRÉAL, Aug. 30, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - At the borough council meeting on September 4, 2018, elected officials in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce will vote on whether to adopt one of Québec's most ambitious ecological grant programs covering the purchase and rental of sustainable washable diapers and feminine hygiene products.
This two-year pilot project is intended to encourage families to reduce their environmental footprint stemming from the consumption of personal hygiene products. The program includes a special component aimed at offering an additional grant to low-income families. The amounts reimbursed to borough residents would thus be adjusted based on family income. An annual budget of $30,000 was allotted under the pilot project, which is set to start in mid-October 2018.
Citizens will be reimbursed for the purchase or rental of fabric diapers or the cost of making them, and for the purchase or cost of fabric used to make washable sanitary napkins, menstrual cups, washable menstrual underwear or sponges. Borough residents who meet the eligibility criteria for the grant program may apply for reimbursement to the SOCENV, the Éco-Quartier Notre-Dame-de-Grâce or the Accès Montréal offices.
"In just a couple of years, a baby will soil up to a ton of disposable diapers that take between 200 and 500 years to break down. Given the garbage crisis we face, it's imperative to encourage all families, not just the wealthier ones, to opt for reusable products. Our borough is going even further by subsidizing reusable diapers as well as menstrual products, which add about 125 Kg per person to the garbage dumps. This is a smart move, at zero cost, that will be beneficial for all." explains Sue Montgomery, mayor of the borough.
"I'm proud to propose the creation of a grant program for washable diapers that's received support from my colleagues. This program will encourage families to adopt ecologically responsible behaviours while reducing the number of disposable diapers that wind up in the municipal waste collection. This program is especially innovative in that allocates an additional amount to low-income families—which account for a significant constituency in CDN-NDG. As well, we've broadened the program's scope to include sustainable feminine hygiene products. CDN-NDG continues to pair quality of life with sustainable development for families," says Lionel Perez, city councillor, district of Darlington.
SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Côte-des-Neiges - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
For further information: Source: CDN--NDG borough; Information: Yolande Moreau, 514 872-6339


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Ministry restores licenses of 3 major car manufacturing companies
By News Desk
November 8, 2023 07:54 PM
The Ministry of Industry and Production has restored the manufacturing licenses of 3 major companies including Toyota, Honda and Suzuki on Wednesday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
According to sources, it is a temporary reinstatement of suspended manufacturing licenses of car manufacturers.
Business plans have been sought from car manufacturers till 31 December 2023, said sources.
Sources said that the action was being taken for non-fulfilment of conditions related to export and localization of vehicles
They further said that automobile companies have not increased production of vehicles locally.
“The car manufacturers failed to meet the 2 percent export requirement”, sources said
Sources said that according to rules car manufacturing companies are bound to manufacture vehicle components and spare parts locally.
Reporter: Waqas Azeem


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Forest River Inc.’s West Coast Operations is expecting between 150-200 dealership personnel to attend its upcoming West Coast Open House, set for Aug. 18-20 at its manufacturing plant in Harrisburg, Ore.
Paul Eskritt, a general manager for Forest River, said the company would have as many as 100 units displayed during the three-day open house – mostly towables built by Forest River’s West Coast Operations located in Oregon and California along with a number of other towables and motorhomes produced by factories located in Indiana. While the focus will be on conducting business as dealers place orders with Forest River sales personnel, the event will also feature catered meals and a casual atmosphere – a scenario reminiscent of the larger open house in Elkhart, Ind., about a month later.
“This will be our fourth year now and it was really set up because we have a number of West Coast dealers that can’t get to the Indiana expo,” Eskritt said. “So this is an opportunity to give our dealers some form of an open house so we can build relationships, thank them for their business, introduce our new product and, of course, take orders.”
This will be the first year the West Coast Open House will be at the 16-acre Harrisburg location and its 180,000-square-foot facility, which Forest River acquired in July 2014. The plant, which builds Forest River’s Cherokee and Vibe products, had been closed for several months when its then-owner, Allied Specialty Vehicles, decided to exit the small towable trailer market. Allied bought the plant the previous year from Navistar Inc., which in turn had acquired it from Monaco Coach Corp. in 2009.
Forest River has been expanding its West Coast Operations as of late, which includes the Harrisburg and Dallas plants in Oregon, as well as the recent acquisition of a facility in Hemet, Calif., to go along with the Rialto, Calif., site.
Ty Miller, general manager overseeing the California facilities, said the expansion was necessary in order to “meet demand and better serve our dealers.” He added that the West Coast Open House also is designed to strengthen relationships with the company’s dealer body.
“We like the dealers to come through our factories and meet the people who build their product along with our service team and management,” Eskritt added. “It’s really a great opportunity and it’s kind of fun when they come here because they know quite a few of the folks already.”
Eskritt said the goal for every West Coast Open House is to “write enough orders to get our plant through the winter, and we’ve been very successful at that for the last few years.”
“Because the industry has been so incredible over the last five years, it has stressed the industry supply chain from dealers to RV manufacturers to suppliers,” Eskritt explained, noting that special programs are in place offering incentives for dealers to take delivery during the fall and winter. “Additionally, the industry is experiencing more year-round retail activity than ever before. To accommodate the growth and ensure supply can meet demand, dealers are buying product well in advance of the selling season. As a result, this is a win-win for the industry as dealers who participate in our fall program ensure they will have inventory in time for retail customers while, at the same time, it reduces the risk of RV manufacturers and suppliers not being able to meet demand during the peak of the retail selling season.”


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The Tech Arms Race
Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook is in “an arms race” with Russian cyber trolls.
Editor’s Remarks: The Cambridge Analytica scandal has shed light on how ineffective successive governments have been at regulating technology firms; Facebook, after all, has been around for nearly 15 years and only now are governments worried about its data practices. However, as the West investigates Facebook’s data-harvesting, Russia and China are actively encouraging various state and private elements to collect data. Furthermore, China appears to be winning the AI race – something that billionaire Mark Cuban is especially worried about – which when combined with its government’s data gathering will give the nation a huge edge over western countries.
Read more on Big Tech:
Ant Valued at $150bn
Ant Financial is raising $10bn in funding at an enormous $150bn valuation.
Editor’s Remarks: Just weeks ago, reports suggested that Ant might seek an IPO at a valuation of $100bn – now, its latest investment round puts the figure at nearly $150bn. That 50% increase makes the Chinese fintech company the world’s most valuable startup, ahead of the likes of Uber, SpaceX and Airbnb, and also a staggering 50% more valuable than banking stalwarts Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The company, founded by Alibaba’s CEO Jack Ma, operates the Alipay platform and an online money-market fund. Ant’s stellar rise is a reflection of how cash is losing ground in China, where even some beggars accept mobile payments.
Read more on Chinese Startups:
Questions Arise in Uber’s Harassment Case
A lawyer suing Uber for harassment has difficulties in finding a pattern that matches his clients’ claims.
Editor’s Remarks: Jahan Sagafi, who represents the two women that have filed a $10m class action suit against Uber over workplace harassment and unfair pay, said that it was hard to find “something terrible” in the accounts of the female employees he interviewed. Sagafi, in response to the judge’s questions, also claimed that there was a “lack of enthusiasm” among the class members to come forward, causing him to question how widespread his clients’ allegations were. The judge presiding over the hearing concluded it without ruling on Uber’s request for the preliminary approval of an $8m deal.
Read more on Uber:
Allianz Backs Go-Jek
The German insurer invested $35m in Indonesian ride-hailing app Go-Jek.
Editor’s Remarks: The investment was made out of Allianz X, the insurer’s digital investment arm, which has made a series of startup investments in recent years. Allianz also provides health insurance for Go-Jek’s drivers and their families, and has said that it is looking to expand its offerings to Go-Jek’s employees and business partners. Go-Jek has just raised a $1.5bn funding round at a valuation of roughly $4.5bn, and now counts Google, Tencent and JD.com among its backers. However, Go-Jek has not yet confirmed the details of the raise.
Read more on Investment:
- Institutional Investors Enter the Crypto Market
- The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Investment Management
Tesco Smashes Earnings Estimates
Annual profits at Tesco rose nearly 800% despite troubles on the British high street.
Editor’s Remarks: Following the massive uptick in profits, Tesco has announced that it will issue a £1bn dividend – its first in five years. The results are a vindication of CEO Dave Lewis’ turnaround plan and Tesco reported pre-tax profits of £1.3bn, compared to just £145m the year before. The latest results are the first time since 2014 that Tesco has made a profit exceeding £1bn. Elsewhere in the UK, a number of high street retailers, such as Mothercare, have fallen into administration. However, consumer spending in the UK remains high, due largely to the relative strength of the pound this year.
Read more on the UK :
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Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta, the founder of Rasna, passes away
Chairman of the Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust and the Rasna Foundation, passes away at 85
According to a statement from the organisation, Khambatta, 85, died on Saturday. He was also the chairman of the Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust and the Rasna Foundation.
Additionally, he served as the President of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat, the Vice President of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India, and the former Chairman of WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthostis).
The statement read, “Khambatta has tremendously contributed to Indian industry, business, and most importantly, societal growth through social service.”
Khambatta is renowned for developing the enduring domestic beverage brand Rasna, which is offered in 1.8 million retail establishments nationwide.
The largest producer of soft drink concentrates in the world right now is Rasna.
Now available in 60 countries worldwide, Rasna has long been the market leader in the beverage category, which is dominated by multinational firms (MNCs).
In the 1970s, he developed reasonably priced Rasna soft drink packets as an alternative to more expensive soft drink goods.
32 glasses of soft drinks can be made from a pack of Rs 5 Rasna for just 15 paise each.
People who grew up in the 80s and 90s still have a strong memory of the brand Rasna and its “I love you Rasna” campaign.


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City council members amended Santa Monica’s municipal code at its May 10 meeting to allow businesses more flexibility to display signs on buildings such as reader boards and projecting signs, but also directed staff to explore restrictions on outdoor vendors along sidewalks in high traffic districts, such as Main Street, without violating state and federal court applications of the First Amendment on the issue.
With the newly amended ordinance, business would be allowed to use different sign types or increased signage “to create a greater identity” and potentially attract more customers. But it was not long before the discussion of signage entered into prickly territory. City Attorney Marsha Jones Moutrie reminded the council of certain legal considerations directly limiting the council’s ability to permit a business the opportunity to promote its product or service via physical visuals.
“This is one of those instances where the law and perhaps our desire to help some of our local small businesses are coming into a bit of conflict,” said Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis was sympathetic to business interests.
Specifically, Moutrie cited case law from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a federal judiciary, has ruled the First Amendment must be equally applied to any and all signs used as a function of free speech or expression in a public place. Accordingly, the council could not endorse an amendment or ordinance allowing for certain signs to be displayed but not others.
“Once you have a law that allows people to put signs on sidewalks, you can’t pick and choose which people put which signs,” Moutrie said. “You can’t regulate by content and you can’t favor commercial over noncommercial uses of signage on the sidewalk. It’s a particularly unforgiving area of constitutional law that particularly limits the power of local legislative bodies.”
Main Street served as the central thoroughfare of discussion at the council meeting, as the pedestrian right-of-way continues to win out over the use of portable sidewalk signs there.
Several local businesses that would be directly affected by any signage changes attended the meeting and urged the board to work with them as much as possible on the issue. It was argued by allowing greater liberties with sign usage and outdoor vending, local businesses would directly benefit businesses from increased visibility, as more customers would visit each establishment. With that small business owners argued that increased revenues would help weathering the current economic climate.
Gary Gordon, executive director of the Main Street Improvement Association, said vendors along Main Street greatly benefited in such a way from portable signs and merchandise being displayed out in public that it made it easier for them to endure the recent recession.
“It’s really helped the businesses on Main Street, to have these signs and merchandise out,” he told the council. “Things are still difficult on the street, and the outdoor display of merchandise and display still helps. We want you tonight to consider passing the ordinance that would allow the portable signs on private property and … to allow the outdoor display of merchandise.”
However, Mayor Richard Bloom thought the ordinance, while not satisfying every whim of local business owners, was still beneficial to vendors and merchants.
“I think this ordinance really does provide, even though it does not give the merchants everything they are looking for, some very important, new things that merchants can do to help advertise their property,” Bloom said. “I think the addition of blade signs on Main Street could really make a big difference.”
The outdoor sale of merchandise will be considered by staff and may potentially be heard at a later date by the council.


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Posts tagged Oxford Internet Institute
Behind the AI boom, an army of overseas workers in ‘digital sweatshops’
August 31, 2023 // In the Philippines, one of the world’s biggest destinations for outsourced digital work, former employees say that at least 10,000 of these workers do this labor on a platform called Remotasks, which is owned by the $7 billion San Francisco start-up Scale AI. Scale AI has paid workers at extremely low rates, routinely delayed or withheld payments and provided few channels for workers to seek recourse, according to interviews with workers, internal company messages and payment records, and financial statements. Rights groups and labor researchers say Scale AI is among a number of American AI companies that have not abided by basic labor standards for their workers abroad.


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(NEW YORK) -- Big Tech companies laid off hundreds of employees in recent days, commanding headlines and confronting workers across the economy with a question: Am I next?Amazon and Google each imposed cuts, with Apple shutting down a 121-person team in San Diego, Calif.,... Read More.
(DETROIT) -- The head of the United Auto Workers said plans by two automakers to temporarily lay off non-striking employees "won't work," as the unprecedented strike enters the second day.The UAW, which represents nearly 150,000 autoworkers, started a strike early Friday morning against the Big... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- While some tech giants neared or imposed widespread layoffs last year, compensation for their CEOs climbed as much as tens of millions of dollars, according to an ABC News analysis of data released by research firm Equilar in May and June.Alphabet CEO... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- David's Bridal has filed for bankruptcy and announced massive layoffs just weeks before wedding season.One of the country's largest bridal retailers, the company revealed plans to eliminate 9,236 employees across its hundreds of stores."They may shut some stores down," The Stylish... Read More.
(BELVIDERE, Ill.) -- Over a thousand automotive workers in Illinois will clock out of a Jeep assembly plant for the last time Tuesday, stopping what a local union president described as the "heartbeat" of the small city.In December, multinational automotive giant Stellantis announced that... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- The job market is booming despite high-profile layoffs at companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter and Goldman Sachs.The economy added a staggering 517,000 jobs in January, more than double the employment growth a month prior and well above the breakneck pace of... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- Layoffs have battered the tech industry in 2023, carrying over a series of job cuts that began last year. In all, about 50,000 people have lost their positions this month.Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon have led the sector... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- Continued recession fears and a cascade of tech industry layoffs have drawn renewed attention to severance packages, the compensation offered to some departing employees.Severance packages, which range widely in size and duration, offer newly unemployed workers a financial buffer as they... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- Companies across the tech industry have announced layoffs, affecting thousands of workers in the first few weeks of 2023. Company officials have often cited economic uncertainty and fears of a recession in their job-cutting, cost-cutting decisions.It follows a volatile 2022, which... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- Amazon's layoffs will continue into the new year, CEO Andy Jassy said in a new memo Thursday.The announcement comes a day after the tech company began layoffs of workers on its devices team, which focuses on products like its voice-operated Alexa,... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- Amazon began layoffs on Wednesday of workers on its devices team, which focuses on products like its voice-operated Alexa, Dave Limp, senior vice president of devices and services, said in a memo.The move adds the company to a list of major... Read More.
(NEW YORK) -- A rude awakening for the tech industry this year has triggered a slew of layoffs at major companies.Sales at top tech firms have retreated from the blistering pace attained during the pandemic, when billions across the world were forced into isolation.... Read More.


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For the past 18 years, Interband rank brands all around the world on basis of their performance. For past five years, Apple & Google have kept the top positions. Microsoft’s ranking has improved this year as it takes the number three spot. In the top ten other brands are Coca-Cola, Amazon, Samsung, Toyota, Facebook, Mercedes, and IBM.
Interbrand’s global CEO Jez Frampton said that point to be noted in these rankings is that technology-centric brands continue to gain popularity. Microsoft is another technology brand that has taken the No three position of Coca-Cola. Amazon also has risen up to Number 5 spot and Samsung has moved to Number 6 position. Facebook position improved from Number 15 to Number 8.
Frampton said “Brands embody the purpose and values of the business, helping us to understand them on a deeper level. All of the Best Global Brands have a strong sense of purpose—not just in a CSR sense, but by having a higher-order reason for everything they do. Whether it’s to change the world with innovation, delight customers, or grow like never before, the Best Global Brands make it onto the list because that sense of purpose underpins their entire business strategy, making them highly effective in the market and supercharging the metrics that determine their brand value.”
The 5 brands ranked as the most growing companies are Facebook, Amazon, Adobe, Adidas, and Starbucks. Most of the brands were from automotive, technology, financial services, and consumer goods sectors.
Frampton also said “The change all of us are facing may seem overwhelming, but is a fundamental part of life, and so is that desire to grow—personally and as a business,” says Frampton. “Brands are, in our mind, the way businesses form a connection and a relationship with real people. So as people change, and the world changes, a strong brand is the only chance your business has to keep up.”
Research Snipers is currently covering all technology news including Google, Apple, Android, Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung News, and More. Research Snipers has decade of experience in breaking technology news, covering latest trends in tech news, and recent developments.


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March 24, 2022
Apple’s $4.7B in Inexperienced Bonds help progressive inexperienced expertise
The corporate plans to make use of the world’s first commercial-purity low-carbon aluminum from ELYSIS within the iPhone SE
Investments from Apple’s $4.7 billion in Inexperienced Bonds have helped jump-start the event of recent low-carbon manufacturing and recycling applied sciences, the corporate introduced right this moment. Apple has issued three Inexperienced Bonds since 2016, with tasks showcasing how the investments can cut back world emissions and convey clear energy to communities world wide.
As a part of this work, Apple is buying direct carbon-free aluminum following a serious development in smelting expertise to scale back emissions. The aluminum is the primary to be manufactured at industrial scale exterior of a laboratory with out creating any direct carbon emissions throughout the smelting course of. The corporate intends for the fabric to be launched within the iPhone SE.
“Apple is dedicated to leaving the planet higher than we discovered it, and our Inexperienced Bonds are a key instrument to drive our environmental efforts ahead,” stated Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice chairman of Surroundings, Coverage, and Social Initiatives. “Our investments are advancing the breakthrough applied sciences wanted to scale back the carbon footprint of the supplies we use, at the same time as we transfer to utilizing solely recyclable and renewable supplies throughout our merchandise to preserve the earth’s finite sources.”
In whole, Apple has issued $4.7 billion to speed up progress towards the corporate’s aim to develop into carbon impartial throughout its provide chain by 2030. Its first two bonds in 2016 and 2017 at the moment are absolutely allotted. The 2019 Inexperienced Bond is supporting 50 tasks, together with the low-carbon aluminum breakthrough. These 50 tasks will mitigate or offset 2,883,000 metric tons of CO2e, set up almost 700 megawatts of renewable vitality capability world wide, and promote new recycling analysis and growth.
Innovation in Inexperienced Aluminum Smelting
ELYSIS, the corporate behind the world’s first direct carbon-free aluminum smelting course of, introduced that it has produced the primary commercial-purity main aluminum at industrial scale to be used in Apple merchandise. The breakthrough expertise produces oxygen as an alternative of greenhouse gases, and the achievement marks a serious milestone within the manufacturing of aluminum, one of many world’s most generally used metals. Apple will buy this primary batch of commercial-purity, low-carbon aluminum from ELYSIS for supposed use within the iPhone SE. This aluminum was produced by ELYSIS at its Industrial Analysis and Growth Centre in Quebec utilizing hydropower.
Apple helped spur this revolutionary development in aluminum manufacturing by means of an funding partnership with Alcoa, Rio Tinto, and the governments of Canada and Quebec that started in 2018. The next yr, Apple bought the first-ever industrial batch of aluminum ensuing from the three way partnership, utilizing it within the manufacturing of the 16-inch MacBook Professional.
“That is the primary time aluminum has been produced at this industrial purity, with none greenhouse fuel emission and at industrial scale. The sale to Apple confirms the market’s curiosity in aluminum produced utilizing our breakthrough ELYSIS carbon-free smelting expertise. Right this moment’s announcement proves that ELYSIS, a three way partnership between Alcoa and Rio Tinto, was in a position to flip an concept into actuality,” stated Vincent Christ, ELYSIS’s CEO. “We’re excited to be working alongside Apple on this development, which has the potential to make lasting modifications in how aluminum is produced.”
Right this moment’s milestone builds on the numerous progress Apple has made in lowering the carbon impression of aluminum and different metals present in its merchandise. By switching to recycled aluminum and aluminum smelted utilizing hydroelectricity as an alternative of fossil fuels, the corporate’s carbon emissions related to aluminum have decreased by almost 70 p.c since 2015. Each mannequin within the iPad lineup, together with the brand new iPad Air, together with the most recent MacBook Professional, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and Apple Watch, are made with a one hundred pc recycled aluminum enclosure.
Dedication to Clear Power
Apple continues to make use of its Inexperienced Bonds — that are among the many largest within the non-public sector — to develop new sources of renewable vitality. Greater than $500 million of the corporate’s 2019 Inexperienced Bond proceeds have been allotted to wash vitality tasks. This consists of the world’s largest onshore wind generators, which energy the corporate’s information middle in Viborg, Denmark, with all surplus vitality going again into the Danish grid.
Over the subsequent yr, Apple will broaden the Viborg information middle’s operations and construct new infrastructure to seize extra warmth vitality for town’s long-term profit. As with its information facilities, all Apple workplaces and retail shops throughout 44 international locations have sourced one hundred pc clear vitality since 2018, together with by means of Inexperienced Bond proceeds.
In 2021, Apple’s 2019 Inexperienced Bond helped help its Provider Clear Power Program, together with allocations to coaching and sources to assist information suppliers of their transition to wash energy, and coverage advocacy efforts in Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea to assist construct cost-effective renewable vitality markets. Greater than 175 manufacturing companions throughout 24 international locations have now dedicated to utilizing one hundred pc renewable vitality for Apple manufacturing, a important milestone towards guaranteeing each Apple product has a net-zero local weather impression.
For extra data on Apple’s Inexperienced Bond efforts, go to investor.apple.com/Apple_GreenBond_Report.pdf. This yr’s annual impression report covers the cumulative allocation of Apple’s 2019 Inexperienced Bond proceeds to environmental tasks that incurred spend between September 29, 2019, and September 25, 2021 — Apple’s 2020 and 2021 fiscal years. Sustainalytics offered a second-party opinion on the chosen tasks, and Ernst & Younger LLP offered an attestation report on the spend.
Apple Media Helpline


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Millennials often find themselves as the butt of the joke, but in today’s stock market, they’re the group that will have the last laugh. Since Boomers have a much shorter investment timeline, they have to make stressful buying and selling decisions. Meanwhile millennial stocks are far easier to come by.
As Michael Clark, Ph.D., Associate Director at the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky pointed out — millennials are seeing a truly massive dip first the time, but it can be a good thing if they’re looking for stocks to buy in their retirement accounts. Most have 20-30 years before reaching retirement age, leaving plenty of time for the stock market to recover before they need those funds.
Specifically, Clark states the following when addressing the subject of millennial stocks:
“Equity investments generally perform well in the long run, but they can experience significant losses at times. It took five years for the stock market to fully recover from the losses during the 2008 recession, but the market did come back and provided strong returns for many more years. Millennials should consider the amount of risk they can tolerate at different points in their life. As they get closer to retirement, they might not have time to wait for the market to recover and should then look for more conservative investments.”
With that in mind, here are three of the best stocks for millennials with varying degrees of risk.
While buying shares now amid economic uncertainty is inherently risky, finding investments that haven’t risen as far as the broader market during the recent jump can be even trickier. However, by looking at industries facing more pain ahead, millennials can find worthwhile investments that, given some time, can produce results. Let’s dive a bit deeper into what makes each of these promising stocks for millennials to buy.
Millennial Stocks to Consider Now: Chevron (CVX)
It would be impossible to talk about risky stock picks without including an oil play. The price of oil has been on a wild ride over the past few weeks as oversupply and a price war between producers flooded the market. Now, as the world runs out of places to store it, oil prices continue to suffer.
But that doesn’t mean oil stocks will never recover — in fact, a longer timeline makes the energy sector a good place to look for risky stocks for millennials. CVX stock is down nearly 30% so far this year and investors are likely to continue seeing turbulence ahead.
In the long term, Chevron looks well-positioned to come out ahead. For one thing, the firm is part of the oil industry’s “big five.” That means CVX has size and diversification on its side, so it can continue to make money from other parts of its business. Smead Capital Management’s Cole Smead pointed to Chevron’s relatively strong balance sheet and conservative spending as a big reason it stands out from the rest of the oil majors in times of crisis. In fact, the analyst stated that CVX is “the biggest one we think will benefit on a balance sheet basis.”
Assuming that analysis is accurate, CVX stock should be an ideal long-term pick for millennial investors.
Ralph Lauren (RL)
When it comes to consumer products, everyone is looking at companies selling personal care items, food and other necessities. That’s because the inevitable recession in 2020 is likely to expedite the failure of several retailers that haven’t quite caught up to the shift in consumer behavior. But not all retailers are created equally, and clothing brand Ralph Lauren looks well-positioned to ride a recovery wave once people start shopping again.
RL stock is down 40% from its February highs. Some of that is deserved; with unemployment at all-time highs, the last thing on consumers’ minds is their wardrobe. So, as the U.S. reopens its economy, it will take time for the stock to make its comeback. But unlike many of its peers, RL stock is backed by a strong balance sheet and the company has very little debt. That’s essential when it comes to riding out turbulence.
RL has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.8. To put that into perspective, competitor Levi Strauss & Co (NYSE:LEVI) sports a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.3. Without a ton of debt to service, Ralph Lauren will have more room to maneuver through the novel coronavirus crisis and come out the other side stronger. Plus, with nearly $2 billion in cash on the balance sheet, the firm looks like a solid pick for those with an appetite for risk.
Of course, not everyone wants to load up on risk-heavy stocks heading into a recession. But that doesn’t mean millennials should avoid investing altogether. Now is a great time to upgrade your portfolio by picking quality stocks that will deliver for years to come at a discount.
Right now, five big tech firms are driving the market — Alphabet, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). All five have seen their share prices recover substantially in the wake of the pandemic as people continue to rely on technology amid shutdowns.
While all five have recovered since the new virus sent markets into a tailspin, Alphabet has seen the least love among investors. Amazon is actually trading 12% higher than it was in mid-February, while Apple, Facebook and Microsoft are down between 6% and 12%.
GOOGL stock, on the other hand, has lost 16% since mid-February. A big reason for that is investors’ worries regarding advertising spend — especially among travel companies. Google is undoubtedly exposed when it comes to a pullback in ad spending, but the tech giant is more than prepared to get through it.
Google is sitting on $90 billion worth of cash with only a minimal debt obligation. That puts the firm at a huge advantage moving into a recession. It will allow Google to invest in its own growth, perhaps through strategic acquisitions, and come out the other side of this crisis a winner.
Laura Hoy has a Finance degree from Duquesne University and has been writing about financial markets for the past 8 years. Her work can be seen in a variety of publications including InvestorPlace, Benzinga, Yahoo Finance and CCN. As of this writing, she did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.


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The coronavirus second wave in the U.S. is something to be concerned about, said Dr. Thomas Tsai of the Harvard Global Health Institute.
Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit medical director Dr. Brian Garibaldi warns that reopening the economy now puts the U.S. at risk of going "right back where we were in that panic state a month ago.”
The $800 billion trucking industry scrambles to keep supply chains moving as coronavirus triggers skyrocketing demand for necessities.
As oil prices plunge, Parsley Energy CEO Matt Gallagher tells Yahoo Finance the recent drop in crude has been an ‘unprecedented slide,’ equating the decline to a ‘train wreck in full speed.’
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a former health director of Detroit, says COVID-19 is forcing residents to choose between working and staying healthy.
The Coronavirus is casting a large shadow on the toy industry, and many companies, including some of America’s small businesses, are struggling to cope with the financial losses.
Holiday retail sales jumped 3.4% this year according to Mastercard’s most recent report, but not all retail chains are feeling the holiday cheer. Jerry Storch, former Toys ‘R’ Us CEO, says department stores are suffering, and that’s because many are using ‘a century old business model which basically hasn’t changed.’
Amazon and Verizon are teaming up to deliver 5G Edge Cloud Computing, bringing the processing power and storage closer to 5G users and wireless devices at faster speeds and ultra-low latency.
Bitcoin prices have soared 220% so far this year, and the gains could be far from over. Anthony Pompliano, Morgan Creek Digital Assets Partner, told Yahoo Finance’s ‘The Ticker’ that Bitcoin will eclipse $100,000 by the end of 2021.
The fast-growing $384 billion space industry is generating investor interest, and one recently launched exchange-traded fund, Procure Space ETF (UFO), is giving Wall Street a way to play the sector.
It was a record year for Broadway as box office sales soared to $1.83 billion, topping last year’s total of $1.697 billion, while total attendance jumped 7.1% year-over-year to 14.8 million, according to the Broadway League.
Advanced Auto Parts closed Wednesday to the upside on the heels of its better-than-expected earnings report. The auto-parts retailer recorded its seventh straight day of gains, marking its longest winning streak since November 2, 2015.
Wall Street’s closely watching President Trump’s strategy on trade as tension between the US and China reignites. The tit-for-tat tariff approach has rattled the markets in recent weeks, throwing into question the potential economic impact of a full-blown trade war.
George Seay, Annandale Capital founder, told Yahoo Finance that the best way to play the trade dispute is to be more conservative, and thinks Goldman’s call on favoring services stocks is ‘absurd.’
The escalation of the trade battle between the U.S. and China has raised the stakes for both sides of the dispute, but it’s too early to gauge the potential fallout, according to Michael Gapen, Barclays U.S. Chief Economist.
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of American Action Forum, spoke at Yahoo Finance's All Markets Summit about the U.S. government sliding deeper into the red.
It’s no secret — Americans have a hard time detaching from work, and with the rise of technology, it’s become even more challenging. According to a forecast by Airlines for America (A4A), 246.1 million passengers are expected to fly with U.S. airlines between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2018. Steve McClatchy, a leading time management & productivity expert and author of “Decide: Work Smarter, Reduce Your Stress, and Lead By Example,” tells Yahoo Finance’s Seana Smith that businesses benefit from employees taking more time off because it boosts their productivity.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced Meg Whitman will step down as CEO effective February 1. She will be replaced by current President Antonio Neri and both Whitman and Neri will be on the board. Whitman said in a statement, “Now is the right time for Antonio and a new generation of leaders to take the reins of HPE.
Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone X supplier, Foxconn, reportedly had students illegally working overtime to assemble the flagship device. According to the Financial Times, six high school students said they worked 11-hour shifts to help assemble the tech giant’s new phone at a factory in Zhengzhou, China. The report said the six were among 3,000 students sent to work in the factory in September. Apple shares were last trading at $173.47, a few bucks shy of their all-time high hit earlier this month. The Justice Department has filed a federal lawsuit to block the $85 billion merger between AT&T (T) and Time Warner (TWX).
Goldman Sachs downgraded Walmart (WMT) to Neutral from Buy and assigned a new price target of $100 a share. In a note to clients, Goldman analyst Matthew Fassler cited concerns about the stock’s current valuation. Shares of Walmart have jumped nearly 40% since the start of the year. Japanese antitrust regulators are close to approving Qualcomm’s (QCOM) buyout of NXP Semiconductors, according to a report by Reuters.
Hasbro (HAS) has reportedly offered to buy Mattel (MAT), according to the Wall Street Journal. Shares of Mattel jumped on the news, surging about 22% at the open. Mattel was last trading at $17.44 a share, while Hasbro was up 7.7% at $98.49 a share.


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Tesco takes first step into China
SUPERMARKETS giant Tesco has finally launched its first move into China, the world's largest market after a three-year hunt for a partner.
The grocer will spend £140m on a 50% stake in 25 Hymall stores, owned by Ting Hsin, China's largest food maker. The deal makes Tesco the latest in a long line of Western companies seeking new business opportunities in the country where the economy is estimated to be growing at more than 10% a year.
Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores already has operations in China, while French retailer Casino has said it could benefit from entering China as well.
'China is one of the largest economies in the world with tremendous forecast growth and a market we have researched extensively over the last three years,' said Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy.
International expansion forms a key part of Tesco's strategy.
Along with opening more convenience Tesco Metro stores in its main UK market, Tesco has also expanded rapidly in areas such as Asia and central Europe and the company has said it aims to overtake Wal-Mart as the world's biggest retailer.
It operates in 11 countries outside Britain, including Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia and several European countries. It employs 326,000 people worldwide and operates 2,318 stores.
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Last month’s slight increase in core inflation is an indication that commodity prices may rise moderately in the next few months.
Department of Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, in a report submitted to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, said “the country’s low inflation regime will serve as a favorable environment for policymakers to further cultivate and sustain sound economic policies”.
The latest DOF economic bulletin showed that core inflation accelerated to its highest level this year at 2 percent in August after removing the impact of volatile food and fuel prices.
Beltran said, “Outlook for the immediate near-term may see modest uptick in inflation, as indicated by the rise in core inflation from 1.9 percent to 2.0 percent.”
In August, headline inflation unexpectedly slowed to 1.8 percent from the previous month’s 1.9 percent due to the decline in prices of non-alcoholic beverages and food, particularly corn, meat and vegetables.
“The lower-than-expected inflation rate is largely accounted for by the continued easing of food prices. While the DOF had expected food prices to rise by 2.7 percent, actual increase turned out to be 2.4 percent,” Beltran noted.
Meanwhile, headline inflation for the first eight months of the year averaged 1.45 percent. This was even lower than the lowest end of the government’s inflation target of 2 percent to 4 percent.


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Monday, February 22, 2010, 7:32 AM ET|
Settling in over breakfast yesterday with the Sunday Boston Globe (yes, I actually still read my hometown newspaper in print), I was intrigued by a story featured prominently on page 1 , detailing how Tufts University, a highly-selective college in the Boston area, has encouraged freshman applicants to submit one-minute "video essays" of themselves. Of the 15,436 applicants this year, over 1,000, or 6% submitted one.
Talk about a college in synch with the YouTube/Facebook generation. Not only does the idea cater perfectly to what kids today are already doing a lot of online, it provides the admissions office with an unvarnished insight into the kids, talking about what makes them special, in their own unique and creative way.
Video is an emotional medium in ways that text simply is not. That has never been truer than with these submissions. I looked through all the videos that the Globe added to its gallery (you can also go to YouTube and enter "Tufts admissions" to see more) and they are priceless. There's aspiring engineer Michael Klinker flying a styrofoam elephant he designed (Tufts' mascot is the "Jumbo"), to the music from Disney's "Dumbo." And Amelia Downs, whose interests are math and dance, showing the moves she's invented to simulate different math concepts. Then there's Conor Buckley, pianist and Rubik's cube solver-extraordinaire, pursuing both of his passions on split-screen.
The videos are endearing and authentic. Most seem to have been made on a shoestring budget, featuring 17 and 18-year old kids just being themselves, doing what they love. And if you were thinking that the one-minute video idea biases toward wealthier kids, the Tufts director of admissions said that at least 60% of the videos that have been viewed were from kids applying for student aid. With video-ready digital cameras and cell phones, ubiquitous Flip videocameras plus ubiquitous low-end editing software, kids today are more video-capable then any generation in history.
I relate the Tufts admissions videos to Unigo, the Trip Advisor-like site for high school students to check out colleges through videos made by the students themselves, which I wrote about here. Both are perfect examples of what I've called "purpose-driven" user-generated video ("UGV"). What I mean by that is with millions getting comfortable making short videos just for fun and then posting them at YouTube and elsewhere, there's an opportunity to tap this experience, but direct it into specific pursuits. Other UGV examples include the Doritos Super Bowl ads and ExpoTV's "Kitchen Table Conversations" research service. I'm sure there are plenty of others.
I expect many more organizations will leverage purpose-driven UGV going forward.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 9:43 AM ET|
Surfing over to YouTube the other day, I was struck by how the site could well become the ultimate brand engagement platform. Below is a screen shot of what I found - nearly all the visible real estate showcased 2 different brand contests encouraging users to submit videos for a chance to win prizes.
The first contest, the "Kodak True Colors: Video Portrait Challenge," was just kicking off, and therefore had prominent positioning. The contest urges users to submit as many 10-second videos as they'd like in pursuit of a grand prize including 2 tickets to a taping of the "Conan O'Brien" show. The other contest, "The Best of Us Challenge," by the International Olympic Committee, shows athletes doing something outside their specialty (e.g. Michael Phelps doing speed putting, Lindsey Jacobellis doing the hula hoop) and asks user to emulate these or create their own challenge. The winner receives a trip for 2 to the 2010 Vancouver winter games. The contest was featured in YouTube's "Spotlight," a section on the home page populated by YouTube's editors based on user ratings.
These types of brand contest are not necessarily new, nor are their inclusion in YouTube. Over a year ago I suggested there was real opportunity in what I called "purpose-driven user-generated video" - the idea that with YouTube turning millions of people into amateur video producers, their enthusiasm and skills could be channeled to specific purposes. The success of campaigns like Doritos' $1 Million Super Bowl challenge has amply demonstrated that great creative and great buzz can be generated from a well-executed UGV campaign.
What YouTube's home page that day demonstrated to me is that as brands continue embracing online video and user participation, the go-to partner will be YouTube. There's simply no better way to reach a broad audience of likely contestants than by making a big splash on YouTube. While YouTube's monetization challenges have become one of the most-talked about industry topics this year, I'd argue there's been insufficient focus on the fact that since May '08, YouTube's share of overall video viewing has stayed right around 40%, at least according to comScore. In that time, YouTube's videos viewed per month have more than doubled, from 4.2 billion, to 10.4 billion in September '09.
Even as sites like Hulu and others have launched and promoted new and innovative sites, YouTube continues to retain its share of the fast-growing online video market. YouTube has also matured considerably, with its Content ID system largely sanitizing the site from pirated video and helping change its perception among copyright owners. (Note that on my recent visit to YouTube I searched in vain for a video of Johnny Damon's double steal in Game 4 and found nothing but "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by MLB Advanced Media." In the old days a video like that would have been available all over the site.)
While YouTube has made headway adding premium content partners, a significant part of its appeal remains users uploading and sharing videos. YouTube's combination of massive audience, ubiquitous brand, user interactivity and promotional flexibility make it an ideal partner for brands looking to engage their audiences through video.
Last summer I got plenty of flak for my post, "Does It Actually Matter How Much Money YouTube Loses?" in which I argued that YouTube's long-term strategic value (and Google's financial muscle to support the site's short-term losses) superseded the company's current losses. While I didn't mean to suggest in that post that a company can afford to lose money forever, I was trying to contend that YouTube, the dominant player in a fast-growing and highly disruptive market will eventually find its way to profitability and is well worth Google's continued investment.
YouTube is a rare example of a "winner take all" situation; there is no other video upload and sharing site even on the radar. As video becomes ever more strategic for all kinds of brands, they will increasingly recognize that YouTube is a must-have partner. If Google can't figure out how to make lemonade out of YouTube's lemons, then shame on them. I'm betting, however, that they will.
What do you think? Post a comment now.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 8:21 AM ET|
Welcome to October. Recapping another busy month, here are 3 key themes from September:
1. When established video providers use broadband, it must be to create new value
Broadband simultaneously threatens incumbent video businesses, while also opening up new opportunities. It's crucial that incumbents moving into broadband do so carefully and in ways that create distinct new value. However, in September I wrote several posts highlighting instances where broadband may either be hurting existing video franchises, or adding little new value.
Despite my admiration for Hulu, in these 2 posts, here and here, I questioned its current advertising implementations and asserted that these policies are hurting parent company NBC's on-air ad business. Worse yet, In "CNN is Undermining Its Own Advertisers with New AC360 Live Webcasts" I found an example where a network is using broadband to directly draw eyeballs away from its own on-air advertising. Lastly in "Palin Interview: ABC News Misses Many Broadband Opportunities" I described how the premier interview of the political season produced little more than an online VOD episode for ABC, leaving lots of new potential value untapped.
Meanwhile new entrants are innovating furiously, attempting to invade incumbents' turf. Earlier this week in "Presidential Debate Video on NYTimes.com is Classic Broadband Disruption," I explained how the Times's debate coverage positions it to steal prime audiences from the networks. And at the beginning of this month in "Taste of Home Forges New Model for Magazine Video," I outlined how a plucky UGC-oriented magazine is using new technology to elbow its way into space dominated by larger incumbents.
New entrants are using broadband to target incumbents' audiences; these companies need to bring A-game thinking to their broadband initiatives.
2. Purpose-driven user-generated video is YouTube 2.0
In September I further advanced a concept I've been developing for some time: that "purpose-driven" user-generated video can generate real business value. I think of these as YouTube 2.0 businesses. Exhibit A was a company called Unigo that's trying to disrupt the college guidebook industry through student-submitted video, photos and comments. While still early, I envision more purpose-driven UGV startups cropping up in the near future.
Meanwhile, brand marketers are also tapping the UGV phenomenon with ongoing contests. This trend marked a new milestone with Doritos new Super Bowl ad contest, which I explained in "Doritos Ups UGV Ante with $1 Million Price for Top-Rated 2009 Super Bowl Ad." There I also cataloged about 15 brand-sponsored UGV contests I've found in the last year. This is a growing trend and I expect much more to come.
3. Syndication is all around us
Just in case you weren't sick of hearing me talk about syndication, I'll make one more mention of it before September closes out. Syndication is the uber-trend of the broadband video market, and several announcements underscored its growing importance.
For example, in "Google Content Network Has Lots of Potential, Implications" I described how well-positioned Google is in syndication, as it ties AdSense to YouTube with its new Seth MacFarlane "Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" partnership. The month also marked the first syndication-driven merger, between Anystream and Voxant, a combination that threatens to upend the competitive dynamics in the broadband video platform space. Two other syndication milestones of note were AP's deal with thePlatform to power its 2,000+ private syndication network, and MTV's comprehensive deal with Visible Measure to track and analyze its 350+ sites' video efforts.
I know I'm a broken record on this, but regardless of what part of the market you're playing in, if you're not developing a syndication plan, you're going to be out of step in the very near future.
That's it for September, lots more planned in October. Stay tuned.
What do you think? Post a comment!
Thursday, September 25, 2008, 8:18 AM ET|
The frenzy around user-generated video ads hit a new peak yesterday as Frito-Lay announced it is offering a $1 million prize to an amateur who creates a Doritos ad that scores the highest rank in USA Today's Super Bowl Ad Meter.
I believe the new campaign, which comes on top of 2 previously successful Super Bowl user-generated video ("UGV") ad contests from Doritos, is a sure-fire winner for the brand. It reflects some very smart thinking by Doritos' executives and will further accelerate the very significant trend around brand-sponsored UGV contests (see chart below for examples of UGV contests that have run in the past year). I've been writing about the UGV ad craze for a while now on VideoNuze and I see it driving continued evolution in brand-agency relations.
The new Doritos UGV campaign works for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the top prize, and the four finalist prizes of $25,000 and a trip to the Super Bowl, are all very enticing awards, certain to drive tons of submissions. Winning the top prize - which requires the #1 rank in the USA Today Ad Meter - is a big-time challenge, but it is seriously aided by all the pre-game publicity this contest will be receiving. Doritos is cleverly stoking things by positioning the ad as an opportunity to "take down the big guys" - an obvious reference to Anheuser-Busch which has won the #1 rank for the last 10 years. With "Yes We Can" and "Yes We Will" political slogans ascendant, "power to the people" pitches like the one Doritos is making have a nice tailwind on their side.
This pre-game buzz means Super Bowl viewers are specifically going to be on the lookout for the Doritos UGV ad, helping its rank. Of course if you're an advertiser, especially in this ad-skipping era, viewer anticipation for your ad is close to nirvana as it gets. It builds brand awareness, engagement and presumably sales...3 big wins when you're spending an estimated $3 million for a 30 second Super Bowl ad. And of course, just think about all the free market research Doritos is collecting along the way, as loyal buyers showcase their thoughts and feelings about the product and brand.
In fact, it's Doritos' decision to morph a conventional Super Bowl ad buy into a broadband-centric, user-oriented campaign that's truly noteworthy here. VideoNuze readers know that I've been ranting for 3 straight Super Bowls that broadband opens up all kinds of new creative avenues for brands to extract new value from their game-day spending and generate a far-better ROI on the insane prices they're required to pay for this once a year extravaganza.
I have been appalled at how few Super Bowl advertisers have actually seized their broadband opportunities (note having ads playing in post-game online galleries is nice, but nowhere near what broadband is capable of). All of this has caused me to wonder whether agencies, and brands, were hopelessly oblivious to broadband's emerging role.
Doritos clearly is not among those trapped in yesterday's advertising thinking. It seems to get what broadband can do for its brand and its Super Bowl ad strategy. With its new UGV campaign, the ROI that Doritos will get on its actual game-day spend will far surpass those of its competitors. With luck that should help spur others to focus more on broadband in their future Super Bowl ads.
What do you think? Post a comment!
Posts for 'Doritos'


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\ Yahoo is quietly previewing a new Web site that will allow people to store and view digital photos on its popular service.
Shutterfly.com, a digital photo start-up backed by Internet entrepreneur Jim Clark, plans to announce a deal with Yahoo tomorrow, according to a Shutterfly representative.
"Welcome to Yahoo's new Photos service!" the site reads. "The easiest way to put your photos online and share them with friends and family. 15 FREE MB of space."
Called Yahoo Photos, the site allows consumers to upload, store, share and develop photos through its service. It also lets people create photo albums that can be viewed publicly or by a predetermined group.
A Yahoo spokesman declined to comment on specific details of the service. But the company did confirm the authenticity of the site and said a launch is imminent.
"It's something we will launch very, very soon," said Mark Hull, senior producer of Yahoo Photos.
With the addition of photo publishing and photo albums, Yahoo is stepping into a market that has attracted the attention of several Net heavyweights.
In October last year, America Online Cartogra, that allows friends and family to share pictures over the Web.You've Got Pictures, an online photo service created with Eastman Kodak. Later that month, Netscape Communications founder Clark Shutterfly to offer enhanced digital printing services over the Web. Hewlett-Packard also has an online photo album service,
Other online photo start-ups include Snapfish.com, which began offering free photo processing and prints when it launched in January, and PhotoAccess.com, a site similar to Shutterfly that went live in December.
The budding of online photo sites is in response to the expected rise in popularity and sales of digital cameras. According to research firm International Data Corp., digital camera use is set to take off, growing from sales of about 4.7 million units this year to 22 million units by 2003.
Yahoo Photos ties together other Yahoo sites, including home page publisher GeoCities, message boards and clubs--features likely aimed at boosting community offerings to keep customers on the site longer. The site also includes links to Yahoo's shopping, auctions and classifieds pages where people can search for digital cameras and other photography hardware.
In addition, the Web site includes a searchable picture gallery that people can surf to find photos to illustrate home pages, greeting cards, auction pages and so on.
Yahoo's move into online photos makes sense, according to Jupiter Communications analyst Aram Sinnreich. The company has focused heavily on owning or operating services that foster recurring usage. Services such as clubs, home pages and photos give people more personal space for posting their own content.
But cultivating customer loyalty with an online photo service remains an untried business that has yet to cause a stir among consumers.
"It is a stretch," Sinnreich said. "Nobody's figured out the magic formula yet to cause a sea change in consumer behavior."


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Posts Tagged ‘therapeutic’
TTB announced a big policy change — about gluten free — just before the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
For many years before the announcement, plenty of companies have tried to make “gluten free” claims, but we still didn’t see any approved TTB labels referring to “gluten free.” A few weeks back, we thought we had one, when we heard a lot of buzz about Omission beer as above. But alas, even the Omission label has had a big omission when it comes to this particular claim.
All this is about to change in a big way, as result of this TTB Ruling, released late last week. As a result, we may begin to see various gluten free claims on TTB labels in the very near future.
To show the earlier TTB policy, a fairly recent TTB rejection is here, and it may help explain why Widmer did not come out and say it louder or earlier. TTB’s caution may well have been justified; Brewbound has explained: “The release of Omission Beer comes just a few months after a study published in the Journal of Proteome Research found that eight commercial beers currently labeled as ‘gluten-free’ contained as much gluten as regular beer.”
Brewbound further explained that there are plenty of other beers that seek to minimize or eliminate gluten, but most of the others (such as this Bard’s Tale) are made with sorghum as a substitute for malted barley:
Ordinarily a new product release wouldn’t be so newsworthy but the launch of Omission marks the first time a U.S. craft brewer has been able to produce a gluten-free beer while still using malted barley in the brew process.
In the same article, the beer company’s CEO explains:
Omission beer is brewed with malted barley, but we’ve developed a proprietary process to reduce the gluten levels to well below the internationally accepted gluten-free standard of 20 parts per million of gluten. We are currently working with the TTB and the FDA to update the definition of the term ‘gluten-free.’… The inspiration behind Omission beers was personal. I am a 12-year celiac, our brewmaster’s wife is a celiac, as are several other members of our team. … We’re also going to talk about the extensive testing that Omission beers go through to ensure that every batch of Omission beer is well below the international gluten-free standard of 20 ppm. In fact, each bottle of Omission Beer caries a date stamp connecting the brew to its specific batch. Consumers can visit www.OmissionTests.com, type in the date code stamped on their bottle, and see that beers’ test results. … An estimated three million Americans have celiac disease.
Even though there is little to no gluten talk on Omission’s approved label (so far), there is plenty of gluten talk on the brand’s website. For example, the FAQ says “Is Omission beer gluten free? According to federal guidelines, we aren’t legally allowed to claim that Omission beer is gluten-free outside of Oregon … . While the FDA proposed to define the term ‘gluten free,'” that definition has not been formally adopted … .”
As a result of TTB Ruling 2012-2, look for Widmer and many others to push much further toward gluten free claims in the near future.
As this blog enters its fifth (gulp, yes, fifth) calendar year, it has covered many bacon-related concoctions. There was of course this bacon flavored vodka in 2009 and this bacon flavored beer in 2010.
Although it’s not clear that any of the earlier-featured bacon-related products contained actual bacon, it was only a matter of time until something like Bacon Brown Ale came along. It is Ale Brewed with Buckwheat and Bacon, made by Uncommon Brewers, of Santa Cruz, California. The brewer explains:
We’re not faking our flavor with smoked malts, Bac-O Bits or other tricks that some breweries are using to create their bacon beers … . There’s real cured pork in that beer.
Even though the government would probably not allow anything resembling a health claim regarding normal beer, wine or spirits — whether tongue in cheek or not — everyone seems to have a soft spot for bacon. The TTB-approved label does indeed proclaim that “bacon makes everything better.”
AJ’s next target is MGD beer. “Probably the most blatantly illegal advertisement came in early 2009, when a new beer called MGD 64 (boasting just 64 calories) sponsored an online fitness program…” With a claim like that it would be nice to know what makes it “illegal,” if not the imagery of “a thin, toned brunette in a party dress, smiling brightly as she showed off the beer-sponsored body that users could obtain if they joined.” With little analysis or evidence, AJ summarily concludes that the marketing is “patently false and misleading.” By contrast, in my opinion, if you are going to strip most of the calories and body away from a beer, down to a puny 64 calories, you darned well have the right to market it as only 64 calories (especially when the same amount of milk, apple juice or regular beer would have 2-3 times as many calories).
The “Industry Watchdog” lays much of the blame for this sorry state of affairs at the feet of the industry’s failure to properly regulate itself: “Finally, the most important reason for the breakdown in regulatory oversight is the continuing charade of voluntary self-regulation.” AJ says the industry has “created a system of codes, largely designed to convince policymakers they do not need to intervene, and that the industry can monitor itself” and the system is not working. But AJ would be no happier to have TTB calling the shots. AJ claims that “The government officials at TTB have little to no expertise in health. A better choice might be the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).” AJ provides not a scintilla of evidence that FDA would or could do any kind of a better job with a single one of the issues noted above. FDA might be far more likely to allow vitamins in vodka and on the label. FDA does not police the term natural more strictly compared to TTB. FDA would not be likely to restrict the use of organic claims or disallow MGD from marketing itself as low in calories.
In view of the weak examples set out by the report, and with few if any meaningful health claims getting past TTB, it is a wonder to behold what more rigorous enforcement would look like. Should the government ban imagery associated with sound, ripe fruits (because they are “wholesome” and booze is not)? Should Baileys be stripped of all rights to mention dairy cream (because it’s commonly associated with healthfulness)?
Last but not least, AJ sets its sights on the First Amendment. AJ claims:
Another charade in which the industry engages to keep regulators at bay is to argue that the free speech clause under the First Amendment protects companies from any government regulation of advertising. This makes for good political posturing, but from a legal standpoint, it’s simply not true. The First Amendment does not protect deceptive advertising. The government can and should stop such practices.
This would be damnable if it were true. Is anyone arguing the First Amendment protects companies from all advertising regulations? The part that’s simply not true is to suggest that a meaningful number of alcohol beverage companies make this claim. I am not aware of any alcohol beverage company above a handful of employees that has or would make an extravagant claim of this sort. Most of them favor and support a wide variety of sensible controls on labeling and advertising. To put things in perspective, Dr. David J. Hanson has a detailed overview of AJ and Marin (and its funding, methods and history) here. He explains that it’s nothing new for the group to “[crusade] against First Amendment constitutional free speech rights” in pursuit of its prohibitionist agenda.
It’s not like I left out the better examples, or the better arguments. With even the protein-infused vodka (Devotion), where is the actual, documented harm, as opposed to some vague possibility? I would have liked to find more in this report with which I could agree. I do agree with the premise that alcohol beverages still, after all these years, can raise difficult societal and public health issues, and need to be regulated with seriousness and care. But because the AJ report relies so much on exaggeration, distortion and weak examples, for me the report succeeds mostly in showing there is not a substantial problem related to health claims by alcohol beverage companies.
AJ Report on Health Claims
Back in June, Alcohol Justice issued a report entitled “Questionable Health Claims by Alcohol Companies.” I was pretty excited to read this report, because we study such matters closely. Every few weeks I get an exuberant report of a big health claim, on another alcohol beverage product — but it almost always turns out to be a false alarm.
Also, I wanted to give AJ (formerly known as The Marin Institute) a fair chance to persuade me that a lot of companies do in fact go over “the line.” Even though I freely admit that we derive most of our revenue from alcohol beverage companies, I like to think we are fair and open-minded enough to agree with a strong and well-made point.
The report tends to say a large number of alcohol beverage companies are running roughshod over consumers, with phony health claims, and with the rules either insufficient or largely ignored. AJ suggests the rules are “constantly being violated.”
These advertising practices are legally tenuous, morally unsound, and potentially dangerous. … Using health messages to sell products that can cause such widespread harm is not only unethical, it’s illegal, and yet the regulatory system has failed miserably to protect the American public. … This report examines this disturbing trend to promote alcohol as a health and fitness product…
I was eager to see the evidence at long last. I have seen many a company try and fail, to find a way to meekly suggest that their product might have some positive attributes beyond taste. I recall when a few wine labels tried but failed to suggest, after much litigation, that it might not be a bad idea to check with your doctor about the health effects of wine. Mind you, there was no reference to health benefits. I was eager to see the examples of wine labels promoting heart health; I was eager to see the various digestif labels promoting longevity and improved digestive function; I was eager to see the various anti-oxidant labels that had so stubbornly evaded my past inquisitions.
Instead, AJ trotted out Lotus “Vitamin Infused” Vodka. It sounds dramatic, with all the talk of vitamins and vodka.
[T]he first fortified – or “enhanced” – vodka was introduced in 2007. Lotus White is infused with vitamins B3, B6, B9, and B12. According to the company’s CEO, the vitamins are meant to curb or eradicate hangovers. In an interview, he said the vodka “could actually be good for you.” … Despite the dubious nature of [the] health claims, the marketing techniques seem to be working. Lotus vodka’s sales increased 50 percent in 2009…
AJ fails to note that it never mentioned vitamins on the label, and so far as I know, it hasn’t been sold in many years. It never sold more than a few thousand bottles per year, worldwide. The fading Lotus website shows a total of five web retailers; none of them carry this anymore or have it in stock.
If this is the best AJ can do, with thousands of new alcohol beverage products every year, and over 130,000 label approvals per year, it is tough to imagine a more ringing endorsement for the status quo.
AJ next rails against the pernicious use of the term “natural” on various alcohol beverages.
In 2008, three of the five top-selling vodka companies in the U.S. had ad campaigns with fruit and positioned their products as fresh or all natural: Absolut (2nd), Skyy (4th), and Stoli (5th). At least one other spirit, Finlandia vodka, also took advantage of the all-natural designation. … Skyy’s website, however, confirms that no actual fruit is used in the process. Because [TTB] has not defined the words “infusion” or “all-natural,” the company uses them freely.
I am having trouble comprehending whether AJ would be more happy if the same products were loaded up with artificial flavors instead. As Herman Cain might say, AJ is “incorrect” in saying TTB does not define terms like natural and all-natural. TTB has rigorous standards for terms such as these. TTB tests all flavors in all alcohol beverages — whether made within or without the US — to verify that they are natural. It is far from a rubber stamp regime. TTB maintains a laboratory staffed with more than a few specialized beverage and non-beverage chemists, to verify the assertions of the many specialized and sophisticated flavor companies that seek flavor approvals. In many instances, far from being a marketing gimmick, the law requires the use of natural flavors only (prime examples would be liqueurs and the flavored vodkas mentioned by AJ). To avoid the use of natural flavors in products like the flavored vodkas above would be in direct and flagrant conflict with federal laws in place since about the 1930s. This being the case, does AJ really think it’s a good idea to suppress this information? And on what grounds? AJ also suggests that the term “organic” should not be used on products that meet the rigorous standards to qualify as organic. AJ is long on casting aspersions and short on constructive suggestions in saying “marketers should not use the term ‘organic’ to imply an alcoholic beverage is healthful. Additional oversight by federal regulators is needed here, as well.”
See Part 2 of 2 in about a week
Most people assume TTB would be okay with the second word but not the first. Actually, it’s the other way around. The federal government is okay with Santa, but is not fond of his elixir.
TTB asserts, from time to time as the issue arises, that the term “elixir” ought not to be allowed, because it would tend to suggest that the alcohol beverage has medicinal properties. That’s a big no no.
Good old Webster does not really disagree, and defines the term as: “a substance held capable of prolonging life indefinitely.” Hence there are very few “elixir” approvals after about 1999.
We don’t normally show the whole paper COLA in the space above. But the paper COLAs are getting fewer and fewer, as the bulk of labels are submitted via COLAs Online. The above is starting to look like a fondly remembered antique. This 1999 approval, for Santa’s Elixir wine specialty, is one of the oldest readily available in TTB’s Public COLA Registry, because it starts showing images in about 1999. Adding to this approval’s old school quaintness, I believe I see indications of a typewriter, a Xerox machine, and perhaps there is some Wite-Out lurking in the shadows.
I am writing this about a week before Christmas, but now that we’ve established that Santa will be okay, let me take this opportunity to wish happy holidays to Margie, Corianna, Sydney, Inci, Marguerite, Monica, Gary, Dave, Brittany, Keenan, John, Jaycee, Alyson, Jon, Meralyn, Vince and all friends of the firm far and wide.


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Roots & Vines
Posted May 10, 2012 at 6:18 am
Score one for the Lower East Side. Grassroots efforts to prevent two chain stores from invading Grand Street have succeeded.
Last modified May 1, 2012 at 1:19 pm
We just received an alarming email from one reader saying that both 7-Eleven and Dunkin’ Donuts are just a few days away from inking leases at two Seward Park retail spaces on Grand Street.


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In the Chicago Metro area, prices this past March were up 7.8% from a year ago, according to the Consumer Price Index.
(CHICAGO) If you've noticed your household bills are up lately, you're not alone. Everything seems to cost more these days. And Americans are struggling to pay for it all, according to the latest report from QuoteWizard, a LendingTree company.
According to the new report, 45% of Americans report having a "difficult time" paying for their usual household expense. And 15% said they are having a "very difficult" time.
Last year, 50% of Americans said they had no trouble paying household bills. This year, it's 40%.
The report breaks it down by state.
- 49% of residents said they have "slight to moderate difficulty."
- 12% having a "very difficult time", an increase from 8% a year ago.
"Rising prices have affected each state differently. The number of people who are really struggling is up 100% or more in 18 states and in some states it's up by more than 200%," said Nick VinZant, Sr. Research Analyst with QuoteWizard by Lending Tree in a press release.
Inflation in Chicago
According to the Consumer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall prices in the Chicago Metro area rose 7.8% in March from the previous year. Prices were up 1.4% from the past month.
Rising prices in the Chicago/Naperville/Elgin area:
- Food prices increased 9.4% overall in March from last year. Groceries were up 10.2%, with restaurants and take-out food up 7.8%.
- Energy prices were up 12% in March from the previous month and 33.7% from the prior year. The culprit was skyrocketing gas prices. The cost of gas jumped up by 20.3% in one month and 48.5% in the year.
- New and used car prices were 16.8% higher in March than the previous year.
Inflation rising everywhere
It's not only the Chicago area struggling with inflation and finding themselves paying more for usual household items.
According to QuoteWizard, "Changing economic conditions are making it more difficult for people to afford household expenses. Our team of analysts found that the number of people who said they were having a “very difficult” time paying for their usual household expenses has increased by 85% since June."
Have you tried the NewsBreak mobile app yet? (Full disclosure: I get a small commission if you click my referral links.) Download the NewsBreak App to get local news conveniently delivered to your phone.


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Photos of LG Watch Style packaging reveal a pretty boring design12
The box, unfortunately, shows only the front of the device, which looks like a run-of-the mill watch, with its circular design and single button on the side. The pictures match leaked renders of the device, which also featured a different color scheme, meaning the device will be sold in multiple versions, as expected. The manufacturing date on the side shows it was made some time last month in Korea.
The box doesn’t reveal anything about the Watch Style’s internals, but rumors suggest it will not feature features such as LTE, GPS, or a heart rate monitor, making its supposed price tag of $249 pretty hefty. While it’s possible LG has a secret trick up its sleeve, all signs point otherwise, as the device has been extensively leaked for the past month or so. The LG Watch Style and its bigger brother, the LG Watch Sport, are set to be revealed on February 8th at the Android Wear 2.0 launch event.


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According to the press release from last weekend,
After more than 76 years of local family ownership Oregon Fruit Products has announced that the company will transition to new ownership, according to the company’s president, Joe Peterson.With change comes opportunity. Opportunities also sometimes close. It will be interesting to learn more about the prospects for connectivity here for people who walk and bike.
The new owners are a family run investment company lead by Ed Maletis, best known for their ownership position in Columbia Distributing, the largest beverage distributor in the Pacific Northwest.
Coincidentally, both Oregon Fruit Products and Columbia Distributing were founded in 1935 and third generation family members Paul Gehlar and Ed Maletis represent the current ownership of each company, respectively.
Paul Gehlar said in selling Oregon Fruit Products that it has been important to value the contributions of the employees and growers while creating new opportunities for the company and its partners. The goal has been for the business to remain in the heart of Oregon’s fruit growing region as well as to secure the best possible position for current employees and local farm producers.


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Japan Display still owes Apple the majority of the construction costs of an LCD factory built especially for the iPhone maker back in 2015, says a new report.
With iPhone 6 sales taking off dramatically at the time, after Apple finally moved into larger-screen phones, Apple was keen to maximize production capacity. So much so that it offered to stump up the cash for a whole new Japan Display LCD factory …
As Reuters reports, however, that didn’t turn out to be the best of deals in the face of flat or declining iPhone sales, and a shift to OLED.
The U.S. smartphone juggernaut said it would front most of the $1.5 billion in costs, with Japan Display paying it back with a percentage of screen sales, according to two company sources.
Four years later, Apple’s shifting fortunes have brought Japan Display to its knees and threaten to end Japan’s long run as a leader in display technology.
A slowdown in iPhone sales, combined with a proliferation of new iPhone models – many of which use newer organic light-emitting displays (OLED) – have left Japan Display’s new factory running at half capacity.
But it still owes Apple a majority of the construction cost, one of the company sources said. He declined to give the exact amount […]
“In retrospect, the new plant was unnecessary,” one of the sources said.
Apple is expected to drop LCD screens for new iPhones altogether this year or next.
The Japanese company is now dependent on a bailout led by a Chinese investment company to enable it to invest in OLED production.
The bailout was first reported last month to be worth $723M. Today’s report suggests that the exact amount hasn’t yet been agreed.
Desperate for capital, Japan Display is looking to an investor group, led by China Silkroad Investment Capital, for a bailout, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. The deal would give the Chinese group a near-majority stake in exchange for an investment of $500 million to $700 million, the sources said.
The group plans to build an OLED panel plant in China using Japan Display’s technology, according to those two sources.
It will follow a similar-sized bailout by the Japanese government back in 2016.
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Motorola Atrix HD users enrolled in the Motorola Feedback Network are getting a message about an upcoming soak test that should commence soon. There's no news about what version being tested, so we can't say this is the promised Jelly Bean update, but we certainly can hope. Officially, the communication is pretty generic, and pretty standard as far as soak test invites go.
We are inviting owners of the Motorola ATRIX HD on AT&T to participate in an early preview of a new software release, and provide feedback. If you are not currently using a Motorola ATRIX HD, please excuse and ignore this email.
The Atrix HD is one of the handful of phones that Motorola says they will continue to support past ICS, so any mention of a software update gets us interested. When the push goes out to testers, I imagine we'll know a little more.


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By Dale Eaton
Did you know that Brexit could affect your ability to wash clothes, hoover up a mess and even charge your phone? Even more, a post-Brexit Britain could become a magnet for substandard and counterfeit electrical products. This is a real risk as Brexit uncertainty continues.
Brexit continues to drag on as its deadline has been extended to January 31. With this, it brings continued uncertainty as to how Brexit will affect day to day life.
When considering this impact many, if not most people don’t consider its impact on household appliances and their manufacturers.
Due to the complicated nature of Brexit, there are many EU laws and regulations that the UK government will have to decide to keep or abolish if and when Brexit finally comes to fruition. These changes will see impacts on the appliances that fill our homes.
The charity Electrical Safety First (ESF) have real fears that a post-Brexit Britain could become a hotbed for faulty and unsafe electrical products. ESF stated: “It is essential that current EU legislation surrounding safety standards on electrical goods as well as consumer protection rights are continued to be mirrored into UK law to ensure all electrical items are safe so that consumers are protected from the risk of substandard or counterfeit products.”
ESF warned of the health and safety risks: “Substandard and counterfeit electrical products pose a much greater risk to life compared to items such as fake clothing and carry with them the risk of electrocution and fire.”
According to the European Commission, customs authorities across the EU seized an estimated five million more counterfeit items in 2015 than the previous year – a 15% increase on the number of intercepted goods compared to 2014.
Emma Drackford, Director of Communications at Electrical Safety First commented: “No outcome from the on-going EU-UK negotiations should be to the detriment of safety standards or consumer protection rights.
The risks posed by substandard and counterfeit electrical products are a very real threat to consumer’s safety and one the Charity continues to highlight.”
The fears held by Electrical Saftey First could become a reality if there is a lapse in the safety standards of electrical goods. This lapse could come in the form of the CE marking system.
The mark CE appears on many products that are traded on the single market in the European Economic Area. According to the UK Government, the CE mark is required for products to “show that the manufacturer has checked that these products meet EU safety, health or environmental requirements. It is an indicator of a product’s compliance with EU legislation” and it “allows the free movement of products within the European market.” By placing the CE mark on a product, the manufacturer is stating their conformity to all of the legal requirements to achieve CE marking.
This system in the UK could come into disarray in the event of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal. In September the UK parliament released a report which stated that: “In a ‘no-deal’ scenario, the EU has said it will stop recognising the competency of UK-based notified bodies to assess products for the EU market. In effect, manufacturers who continue to use UK-based notified bodies will no longer be able to apply the CE mark.”
However, the Government has a plan to combat this. The report stated: “The government intends to reclassify UK notified bodies as UK Approved Bodies. These bodies will be eligible to assess products against relevant UK requirements and issue the new ‘UKCA’ mark to compliant products.” Despite this get around, all UK products that are being exported to the EU will still require CE marking to comply with relevant EU regulatory requirements. Meaning that products required to be assessed for CE marking will need to be assessed by a notified body outside of the UK.
If you’re looking for more information about the safety of your electrical goods you can contact Electrical Saftey First via email at firstname.lastname@example.org. Their helpline is currently unavailable.
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Every Bottle of This Star Trek Vodka Contains Space-Booze, Kinda
Star Trek has always promised to “boldly go where no man has gone before,” so for the sci-fi franchise’s first officially-licensed vodka, the team behind the product decided to instill the booze with a similar spirit (pun intended), planning to send at least some of the vodka out into “the final frontier.”
No, Ten-Forward Vodka won’t make it to the outer edges of our galaxy; only to the outer edges of the Earth’s atmosphere. Still, Silver Screen Bottling Company and CBS Consumer Products, the two companies behind the new booze, do promise that a small batch of Ten-Forward Vodka will be sent into the mesosphere using a high-altitude balloon in the next few weeks—and documented with photo evidence—before being blended in the with rest of its earthbound brethren and bottled, “ensuring that a portion of every bottle will contain vodka from space,” as the brand writes.
Sure, it’s a stunt we’ve seen before, and one Ryan Mcelveen, Chief Operating Officer of Silver Screen Bottling, admits is a little tongue-in-cheek—the booze’s space journey won’t improve its flavor—but he hopes it’s just one of many flourishes Trekkies can appreciate. He also points to the bottle’s artwork, which is courtesy of a Star Trek legend. “The graphics were designed by a guy named Michael Okuda,” Mcelveen explained. “He has serious cred in the Star Trek community.” Indeed, Okuda has been a designer on the Star Trek TV series and movies since the ‘80s, not to mention that he also created a bunch of NASA mission patches. “He’s a celebrity at Comic-Con,” Mcelveen adds.
As for the vodka itself—which, fittingly enough, takes its name from the Ten-Forward lounge, the on-ship bar area where the crew of the Starship Enterprise-D often hung out during episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation—Mcelveen, a certified sommelier and two-decade industry veteran, insists it’s not too shabby either. “It’s distilled six times. It’s charcoal filtered,” he touts. “If I were having a martini, I would be proud to serve this to even the most discriminating vodka fan.”
Ten-Forward Vodka is currently available for preorder for $29.99 per bottle with the product set to ship, post space-vodka blending, in September. Meanwhile, for Trekkies who aren’t vodka fans, Silver Screen was also behind the launch of a first-ever Star Trek bourbon last month known as James T. Kirk Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which—though never shot into space—Mcelveen insists is a damn good tipple in its own right.