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just-style management briefing: Industry action on inappropriate children's wear
Working conditions in the supply chain and environmental concerns may have been the primary CSR hotspots for the clothing sector in recent years, but this year has brought into clear relief the level of public concern over the commercialisation and sexualisation of children.
Such has been the tenor of campaigner and public sentiment in the UK over the commercialisation and sexualisation of children that the incoming government instituted a wide-ranging review of the issue late last year.
The review, conducted by Reg Bailey, chief executive of the Mothers Union, was published in June. Bailey's report, 'Letting Children be Children,' looked at cultural influences on children and children as consumers but particularly significant for the clothing sector was its examination of clothing, products and services for children.
The report stated that the marketing of "sexualised and gender-stereotyped clothing, products and services" for children were "the biggest areas of concern for parents and many non-commercial organisations contributing to the review."
In the industry's defence, the report pointed out that the issues were "rarely clear-cut, with a fine balance on a number of points - taste, preference, choice, affordability, fashion and gender preferences."
It also said that retailers were aware of the issues and sensitivities and were responding. But the review called for clothes to be "explicitly and systematically family-friendly, from design and buying through to display and marketing."
Such a review is not unprecedented. In 2008, the Australian government conducted an inquiry into similar issues following the publication in 2006 of a hard-hitting report by the Australia Institute entitled Corporate Paedophilia, though campaigners have bemoaned a lack of action on the part of government and industry since then.
In contrast, the UK retail industry has responded promptly to the concerns raised in the report.
Concerted industry action
As the report was published, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) unveiled a set of guidelines governing the design, commissioning and marketing of clothing ranges for children under 12 years old.
The recommendation that a retail code of good practice be set up was the sole recommendation in the report relating to the sale of inappropriate clothing, products or services. Therefore, the early publication of the BRC guidelines must be viewed as positive for the industry's corporate responsibility effort.
While some sceptics may see the immediate publication of the guidelines as almost too slick, possibly smacking of calculated media management, this would be harsh. Had the guidelines not been in place, those same sceptics may have been demanding why.
Jane Bevis, director of public affairs at the BRC, says the fact that its guidelines were published so quickly reflects how the industry had engaged with Bailey during the review. "We had been working very closely with Reg Bailey and his team," Bevis explains, adding that the BRC had been able to demonstrate that there was "a lot of good practice" already in evidence among retailers.
Bevis says it was during these conversations that the idea of pulling the best practice already being observed by companies together into one set of guidelines had emerged. In addition, the BRC also engaged with the influential grassroots campaign group, Mumsnet, which has been a key participant in this debate, not least through its own 'Let Girls be Girls' campaign. "It was a really collaborative process," says Bevis.
The guidelines detail specific requirements on the styling, sizing and labelling and marketing of children's clothes.
In particular, they cover some key areas of concern, such as the use only of age-appropriate slogans and imagery, necklines, skirt lengths, and the design and decoration of underwear, particularly first bras. The guidelines specify that first bras should be designed "to provide comfort, modesty and support but not enhancement".
The BRC could not put a figure on what percentage of the UK children's clothing market was represented by signatories to the guidelines. Among the major retailers not yet signed up are Top Shop and Primark.
Bevis remains hopeful that others will join in due course. "It's fantastic we've got 11 retailers signed up now. We still have aspirations to bring other people on board so we are talking to a number of other retailers who are positive in principle but are working out how it fits with their business at the moment."
As is often the case with such initiatives, the degree to which the BRC can bring other companies into line will be critical. Bevis says the retailers that worked on the guidance in general had a "good track record on making the right decisions". But this could suggest that these companies may not have been the primary problem.
Indeed, the Bailey report states that the BRC "should continue its work in this area as a matter of urgency and encourage non-BRC members to sign up to its code."
Another possible criticism the BRC may face is that it has chosen to focus on clothes marketed for children under 12 years, whereas the Bailey review classified children as under 16. Bevis explains that the BRC did not dispute that there were issues to address in the 12-16 age bracket but it had taken this decision because of the way the retailers segment their businesses, with different departments for children's and teen fashion.
"It's not that we are saying we only need to worry about the under-12s; it's just that fitted with the way most retail businesses are set up." Bevis adds that there will be "slightly different concerns" in the older age group and that the guidelines can be taken as "a starting point" for everyone working in this area.
Some will suggest the way companies organise their buying departments was not an insurmountable problem. However, in focusing on under-12s the BRC is clearly concentrating on what appears to be the primary area of concern among the public, and this arguably makes good sense from a corporate responsibility standpoint.
Where perhaps the BRC response is more exposed to criticism is in regard to monitoring and complaints. In fairness, the stipulation in the Bailey report was for a code of practice. Requirements regarding monitoring and compliance procedures were not specified in the review.
"We have not got a separate monitoring process from the usual customer complaints processes that those retailers have in place," Bevis says. "Clearly though people know where to find us. We don't have a consumer-facing role; we're a trade association. But if something was brought to our attention we would share that with the retailer concerned."
However, she adds that it is a "very public commitment" that the companies have made to which customers would be able "to hold them to account".
A system which essentially just waits for complaints is a very different model from an ethical code which is backed up by a monitoring process, even more so if there is no central complaints procedure at all, and this is simply handled by the companies concerned. It also offers far less precision in measuring progress.
Indeed, the lack of a formal complaints or monitoring procedure was one of the few negative observations made by Claude Knights, director of children's charity Kidscape. "This is absolutely a concern. How do you decide after 18 months that it is working or it is not working?" she asks.
Monitoring was also an issue raised by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). "We're pleased that the BRC has put in place good practice guidance for stores selling children's clothing," an NSPCC spokesperson told just-style. "However, the code will only be effective if those retailers who sign up are monitored to ensure they stick to it."
Knights is also concerned about the fact that the BRC guidelines only cover under-12s, but on the whole sees the BRC guidelines as a positive move. Interestingly, like Bevis she alluded to the fact that the guidelines reflect a lot of good practice that these retailers had already put in place, sometimes in response to previous criticism.
However, by signing up to the code, Knights says the retailers have made an even more public commitment and raised the reputational stakes. "I anticipate any breach by one of the 11 would then make headline news." She believes having one set of standards to which they have all committed will improve matters. "They'll be watching each other and that gives strength to the whole issue."
The BRC guidelines also received positive feedback from Mumsnet. Co-founder Carrie Longton said: "It's great that the industry as a whole, through the British Retail Consortium, has recognised its responsibility and drafted its own guidelines to encourage more responsibility up and down the high street."
The fact that campaigners have generally been positive about the BRC move is undoubtedly a good sign. However, there is a strong feeling among NGOs that the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. They are sure to be scrutinising the effectiveness of the guidelines very closely.
Bevis says the BRC will review how its guidelines are working in a year's time "not just in light of comments we receive from parents and other stakeholders but also because the world of fashion keeps moving on and something that we've not encountered yet will suddenly raise itself as an issue."
Given that the guidelines are to be voluntary and some notable companies are yet to sign up, the jury would appear to be out on how much impact the BRC action will have both in helping to allay concerns over the commercialisation and sexualisation of children and in deflecting criticism away from the clothing sector.
So the 18-month review stipulated in the Bailey report will be a critical juncture both for campaigners and politicians looking for improvement, and for the industry's hopes of showing that it can be part of the solution.
Uncertainty is perhaps the biggest challenge facing the apparel industry in 2012. The economic situation in Europe and the US, swings in commodity prices, labour shortages and rising costs, especially...
Supergroup today revealed ambitious plans to ramp up the number SKUs it offers, while improving the quality and sophistication of its products, at the same time as reducing prices and increasing margi...
Hennes & Mauritz has entered an agreement with M.H. Alshaya to open Cos stores in the Middle East....
UK footwear retailer Office today (31 January) announced strong Christmas sales of 26% for the five weeks to December 3....
Debenhams today (30 January) announced that it will launch VF Corp-owned brand Nautica and become its exclusive UK stockist...
Asda has agreed terms with two franchise partners to explore opportunities for its George clothing brand in the Middle East and the Channel Islands....
UK supermarket chain Asda will create 5,000 jobs as part of a GBP500m (US$777m) investment in the business this year....
- Under Armour on track with new UAS sportswear line
- Myanmar garment exports surged 20% in 2015
- Better factory conditions boost the bottom line
- Unravelling cotton's supply and demand challenges
- Why synthetic fibres are a safe bet for the future
- US retailers urge action on Hanjin Shipping crisis
- Brexit may hit suppliers with UK duty-free access
- Adidas unveils first Speedfactory running shoe
- Zara launches eco-friendly Join Life collection
- New US tariff classifications impact woven apparel


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Jordan Brand, aside from the odd and rare release, has seemed rather reluctant to join the “Move to Zero” initiative. However, starting with Fall 2021, that is to change for the better as the Air Jordan 12 is soon to arrive featuring Nike Grind materials.
A slow but welcome start, the AJ12 mainly applies the recycled materials to the outsole. A ballistic mesh tongue sits opposite, while the rest of the shoe pushes genuine leathers and suedes in a deep black shade. Faux reptilian textures dress the latter below, red detailing hits the profile and adjacent branding, and metallic silver hooks affix to the collar.
Enjoy a closer look here and expect a release to hit Nike SNKRS and likely select retailers on August 21st.
In other news, the Air Jordan 11 Low IE is coming back.
Where to Buy
Make sure to follow @kicksfinder for live tweets during the release date.
Air Jordan 12 Utility "Grind"
Release Date: Aug 28th, 2021 (Saturday)
Color: Black/Black/Bright Crimson/White
Mens: $190 Style Code: DC1062-006

domain: news


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Beginning Friday morning, indoor capacities will increase from 25% to 35%. The state is also taking away a 10:00 PM nightly curfew for indoor dining, though it’s not clear if a curfew will still be in effect for casinos.
The Press of Atlantic City reports that the order comes after Murphy faced pressure from the Atlantic County Board of Commissioners to loosen capacity restrictions ahead of the Super Bowl.
Indoor businesses have been operating under strict capacity restrictions and limited hours in response to rising Covid-19 numbers in the state. Cases have gradually decreased over the last few weeks.
“We are able to take steps forward today because of the millions of you who have taken responsibility for ending this pandemic to heart – through constant social distancing, wearing your face masks and exercising common sense,” Murphy said.
Expanded capacity and hours for restaurants and should be a big boost for Atlantic City casinos. After the state imposed a dining curfew late last fall, Atlantic City retail revenue fell to $147m in November, down from $191m in September.
The drop off in retail revenue has correlated with record growth in New Jersey online gaming. Of the $996m wagered on sports in December, $929 was placed online.


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So far the new Sony Xperia Z4 is only available in Japan, although Sony is expected to start releasing the handset in out countries shortly.
Now it would appear that the Sony Xperia Z4 is headed to China soon, as the company is holding a press event in China tomorrow, the 26th of May.
The handset comes with a 5.2 inch Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and the device is powered by a Snapdragon 810 64-bit octal core processor and features 3GB of RAM.
For storage the handset comes with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of built in storage and a microSD card slot which supports up to 128GB cards.
Other specifications on the new Sony Xperia X4 include front and rear facing cameras, on the front there is a 5.1 megapixel camera and on the back there is a 20.7 megapixel camera, the device comes with Android Lollipop.
We also heard previously that the handset is also expected to launch in Taiwan and Hong Kong, as yet there are no details on when it may land in the US and Europe.
Source Xperia Blog
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The British world journey firm Thomas Prepare dinner has agreed to extend its inflow of British vacationers to Morocco from 70,000 vacationers at present to greater than 400,000 vacationers over the subsequent three years, reported Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The announcement follows a partnership concluded on the World Journey Market 2017 (WTM), held in London November 6 to eight, between the Moroccan Nationwide Vacationer Workplace (ONMT) and the main tour operator, which has roughly 2,400 journey companies in 15 international locations all over the world.
“Our ambition is to succeed in the edge of 1 million British vacationers over the subsequent two years,” stated Abderrafie Zouiten, CEO of the ONMT. The director additionally famous that tourism exercise has recorded “very constructive” will increase lately.
In response to the brand new delegate of ONMT, London Faical Medarhri, the UK stays a precedence marketplace for Morocco, He highlighted the efforts made by the workplace to strengthen Morocco’s vacationer pull by intensifying air providers from a number of British cities to completely different Moroccan vacationer locations.
“Air providers between Morocco and the UK has elevated from about 50 weekly flights in 2012 to 90 flights now,” stated Zouiten.
The variety of British vacationers touring to Morocco can also be displaying an uptrend. This yr, it’s anticipated to succeed in 700,000 vacationers in comparison with 490,000 4 years in the past.
To strengthen British vacationer flows to the dominion, Morocco’s ONMT launched an intensive marketing campaign entitled “A lot Mor” in 2016 as a part of its advertising motion plans to attain the targets over the subsequent three years.
This communication marketing campaign, which has been awarded a number of occasions in London, goals to encourage British vacationers to go to and uncover the nation.
In Could 2017, UK journal The Mirror ranked Marrakech because the primary vacation vacation spot for brits, forward of Cyprus and Malta in a run down of the most effective locations for the month.


text: Visa Inc. says its new interchange rate for fuel purchases will be cheaper for gas-station owners, but the National Association of Convenience Stores contends the new rate will not always mean lower fees. Merchant banks pay card issuers interchange and pass the expense along to their merchant customers as part of the discount rate. Visa will maintain its current consumer debit and prepaid card interchange rate for fuel purchases at 0.7% of the sale amount plus 17 cents. But beginning July 18, Visa will cap the debit interchange fee at 95 cents per fuel purchase, the card brand announced yesterday. In October, Visa will restructure the interchange rate for fuel purchases on all of its consumer credit cards into one rate of 1.15% plus 25 cents per transaction. Currently, the interchange rate on Visa consumer credit cards ranges from 1.43% plus 10 cents for basic credit cards to 2.1% plus 10 cents for some rewards cards. "By lowering our rates, we hope to see oil companies pass these savings along to their stations and ultimately to consumers," Bill Sheedy, Visa global head of corporate strategy, said in a statement. However, the National Association of Convenience Stores is not impressed by Visa's move. "The good news is that Visa has publicly acknowledged that interchange is a problem," association spokesperson Jeff Lenard tells CardLine. "However, this public-relations stunt does nothing to address the problem that credit card companies are allowed to write the (card-acceptance) rules and fix prices in secret." Lenard agrees with Visa's math that the new credit card rate could save station owners interchange on fuel purchases of $60 or more. However, some purchases of less than $60 will cost station owners more under the new rate system, according to CardLine's calculations. The new credit card rate policy will amount to 94 cents in interchange for a $60 fuel purchase compared with 96 cents to $1.36 in fees for a $60 purchase under the existing rates. But for a $30 fuel purchase, the new rate will generate 60 cents in interchange compared with 53 cents to 73 cents under the existing rates.


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On April 9, the Main Street Alliance and the American Sustainable Business Council released the results of new scientific polling of small business owners on corporate tax reform. The scientific live phone survey of 515 small business owners nationwide found small business owners strongly oppose a "territorial" tax system (which would permanently exempt offshore profits from U.S. taxation) and support proposals to close overseas tax loopholes and end deferral of U.S. taxes on profits corporations make or shift offshore.
If you agree with Don, here are 3 things you can do:
1. Read and sign the petition (scroll down or click here).
2. Share the video on Facebook and Twitter - hit the share button in the top right corner of the video and use these hashtags: #listen2mainstreet #smallbiz #my2k
3. Help spread the word by sharing this page with your email networks: www.mainstreetalliance.org/ListenToMainStreet
As Don says, it's time to make America right.
Small business owners see corporate tax loopholes and accounting gimmicks used to shift U.S. profits offshore to avoid taxes as serious problems, according to independent nationwide opinion polling released on February 6. Small business owners say big corporations and the wealthy don’t pay their fair share of taxes. They support increasing taxes on millionaire incomes, allowing high-end tax cuts to expire, and closing the carried interest loophole that gives big tax breaks to hedge fund managers.
These are among the key findings of a scientific nationwide survey of small business owners commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority.


text: (VOV) – Vietnam’s tra fish exports are estimated at US$237 million in the first eight months of the year, down 12.8% against the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). VASEP said that by mid- August, seafood exports to the EU fetched US$667.3 million, of which tra fish dropped by 12.8 percent to US$237 million but shrimps and tuna rose 5.3% to US$195 million and 33.8% to US$89 million respectively. Total seafood exports to the EU in the past eight months hovered around US$720 million (down 4.6 %) despite an increase in shrimp and tuna shipments in the second quarter. Tra fish which make up 35-40% of total seafood export earnings from the EU continued dropping in both volume and value. As Vietnam’s largest seafood importer in the previous years, the EU comes second after the US this year. VASEP explained that the falling price of tra fish was due to an abundant supply of gadidae fish. For example, tra fish exports in the second quarter dropped by 12.8% to US$95.6 million compared to the same period last year. The price of tra fish was somewhere between US$2.40-2.60 per kilo, down 10-20% on the previous years. However, VASEP said, the consumption of tra fish in other markets like Portugal, the UK, and East European countries tends to increase while Holland still has a great demand for tra fish, especially from retailers.


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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Inc. said Friday that it ended its annual "Single's Day" shopping event, raking in a record-breaking 540.3 billion yuan ($84 billion) in sales for 11 days through Thursday.
The outcome suggested consumer spending in China has remained robust despite growing risks to an economic downturn, such as a potential collapse of a debt-laden property developer, a power shortfall and tightening government regulations on the IT sector.
Alibaba has turned Single's Day, which originated in the 1990s in China as an anti-Valentine's Day for single people, into the world's biggest online shopping bonanza in just over a decade.
But Alibaba is believed to have shied away from heavily promoting the event this year, as the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping has been trying to achieve its goal of "common prosperity," aimed at reducing income gaps at home, analysts say.
China's economy grew 4.9 percent from a year earlier during the July-September period, but the pace of expansion slowed and the economic outlook has become gloomier.


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Calling health-conscious foodies: on Thursday 19 May, No. 38 The Park (a boutique townhouse hotel in Cheltenham, owned by the Lucky Onion group) will open its doors to sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley for two exclusive events. Renowned for producing natural, wholesome and simple food, the sisters – known as Hemsley + Hemsley – will host an intimate lunch and dinner, along with demonstrations, as part of a book-signing event for their highly anticipated new publication Good + Simple. The latest cookbook follows on from the success of The Art of Eating Well and continues Hemsley + Hemsley’s mission to bring healthy meals to our kitchen tables.
The pair will be creating a three-course menu based on recipes from their new book. Expect delicious, nutrient-packed food, which will be served as a family-style banquet. Guests will also receive a signed copy of the new book.
Tickets will be £95 per person, and guests have a choice of attending the lunch event, beginning at 12.30pm, or the dinner sitting at 7.30pm. To book tickets, phone 01242 822929. And keep an eye on The Lucky Onion’s social media, as there will be the chance to win two tickets to the event.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Five companies will test aviation products, ranging from autonomous service vehicles to a service designed to improve baggage delivery, at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport as part of a program designed to spur innovation and entrepreneurship.
The companies are splitting a $145,500 state grant designed provided by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Ford airport, Southwest Airlines and Stantec GenerationV, according to a news release from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
The effort is part of a program at the airport’s Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship, also known as FLITE.
“We are thrilled to partner with this next round of companies through FLITE to offer them the opportunity to test their products in a real-world airport environment,” Tory Richardson, President and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, said in a press release.
“With thousands of passengers traveling through our airport every day, we can introduce startup companies to a global market, providing them with a vibrant workspace to scale their air travel technology solutions to further enhance the guest experience.”
This is at least the second batch of companies to test their products at the airport through the FLITE program. In January, the MEDC announced three companies — U.K.-based Aurrigo; Japan-based WHILL; and Switzerland-based Sunflower Labs — were receiving $50,000 each to test an autonomous wheelchair, a digital mapping program, and an outdoor security drone.
Here’s a look at the five companies that will be testing products, from now through December, at the airport this time around:
- Aircraft Data Fusion: The company, based in Apple Valley, Minnesota, will be using “web-based cloud solutions to provide real-time passenger forecasting.” The company was founded in 2001 by “airline industry veterans who use their decades of experience to solve challenges related to information overload and the timely use of critical data,” according to a news release.
- Dataspeed: The company, based in metro Detroit, will be testing an autonomous service vehicle. The company says its focus is on research and development of autonomous vehicles, and that the vehicle it will be testing at the airport is fully automated but also interactive in the event emergencies or other incidents occur. “This innovative approach provides significantly increased performance and cost savings that the commercial operations industry has yet to experience,” according to an MEDC news release.
- EVA: The company, based in Syracuse, New York, will be retooling its drone infrastructure to “revolutionize baggage delivery,” according to a news release. The company’s services include “edge cloud capability, quantum key encryption, on-time delivery, e-commerce, and a logistics marketplace where businesses can meet drone operators to transport goods and more.”
- Renu Robotics: The company, based in San Antonio, Texas, will be testing autonomous lawn mowers. The company says its vehicles “continuously monitor, control and send updates in the field, while allowing access on specific mobile screens to track performance.”
- Spotter ID: The company, based in Grand Rapids, will be developing sensor technology to help travelers identify open parking spots. The company says its products have “the potential to change how drivers park through its innovative smartphone application, on-location sensors, and real-time data.” The idea is to help drivers find a parking spot more quickly.


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Guwahati: Chicken, especially broiler chicken is no longer on the primary menu of households in the state due to rumors that the novel Coronavirus disease can get transmitted through consumption of chicken. This has resulted in chicken prices coming down considerably in Assam.
A broiler chicken seller in Morigaon said that he is bound to sell broiler chicken at a price of Rs. 100 per bird irrespective of the weight.
“One kilo of broiler chicken, which sold for ₹200 two weeks ago, is now selling for ₹ 100 per bird. The latest myth that consuming chicken would lead people to suffer from Coronavirus has brought our business to ruins. This is basically affecting all the Assamese youths who are into such small scale businesses. We have been feeding our families through these poultry businesses but the present situation is taking a toll on us. If this continues we will have to work as daily wage workers to keep the house running,” said a broiler chicken seller.
“We have heard that even restaurants are also going to be closed. It will hamper our business more. The demand will automatically go down. People are already avoiding meat and fish and if the restaurants get closure notices then the prices will also go down with no demand at all,” said another Broiler chicken seller from Fancy Bazar.
Another buyer in Fancy Bazar said, “We know that it’s a myth that Coronavirus can get transmitted through consumption of chicken. But still we are avoiding it because of hygiene and other health conditions. We don’t want to take any risk though the government has taken measures to prevent us from this disease. We should try to maintain a healthy and hygienic food habit”.


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J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons, newly split from her artist husband, Vincent Mazeau, could be expecting some jewelry in her future, having fallen for another influential woman in the fashion industry.
Page Six can reveal that the fashion executive Jenna is seeing, following her messy split with her husband of nine years, is Courtney Crangi, 38, the business brains behind her brother, hip celebrity jeweler Philip Crangi.
We revealed on Tuesday that Jenna, 43, and Vincent, whom she wed in 2002, are in the middle of an ugly divorce after splitting in the summer. They have a 5-year-old son, Beckett.
A fashion insider told us: “After the breakup, Jenna fell in love with Courtney, whom she had been friends with for some time. They’ve known each other for years through the fashion business.
“Courtney is an attractive blonde who balances working hard with her family.”
Jenna and Courtney, a mother of three, have been spotted sharing romantic dinners at restaurants around the West Village and at some fashion events together. Friends say the new couple are quietly open about their relationship.
Courtney runs the business side of CFDA award-winning Philip Crangi Jewelry and the line Giles & Brother, which is a favorite of Gwyneth Paltrow,
Cameron Diaz and Rachel McAdams.
Lyons — a striking figure and an icon for fashion lovers, having influenced the style of shoppers from Main Street to Michelle Obama — and Mazeau have appeared on the style pages of both fashion and home magazines, showcasing their enviable Park Slope brownstone.
A source told us, “It’s a difficult time for Jenna and Courtney. Jenna’s divorce is really ugly but it’s great she has someone who is there for her.”


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Big Cinemas, a multiplex chain in India, has launched an iPhone app that enables users to check out the movies playing in theatres near them and book tickets directly from their iPhone. What’s more, it even lets users to choose the seats of their liking.
You can block your seats using their phone, which will generate a booking id. Hit the box office, announce the id, pay for your ticket and you are good to go!
As far as we are aware, this is the first such app for an Indian multiplex chain. No, we haven’t tried it yet, but we hope to give it a try over the weekend.


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The launch of Fallout 76’s premium subscription, Fallout 1st, could not be going worse. As the game’s most committed players grapple with the audacity of an in-game purchase that costs more than many major over-the-top TV subscriptions, now comes a flood of user complaints that the most desirable content it delivers is broken.
(After publication, a Bethesda representative addressed the three biggest complaints in a statement issued to Polygon below.)
First, the ostensible reason to fork over money in the first place — long-requested private servers — doesn’t seem to deliver what it promises. Players say the privacy afforded has some loopholes, such as the inability to restrict access beyond one’s friends list. That means players with very large lists of friends in the game — those role-playing as merchants are a good example — can’t go completely invisible and make their world invitation only. Anyone in their friends list may see it and join.
Secondly, the claim that private servers deliver a “newly created” world is also questionable. Some players have anecdotally described finding dead NPCs and looted areas, which implies that these are recycled instances now sold as brand-new worlds.
The most pernicious bug, however, involves the Scrap Box — an unlimited capacity storage space where players can dump their broken-down junk. Several players have said they have lost everything.
One reported bug seems to involve using the Scrap Box in another player’s world, and then finding the deposit has vanished both there and in the player’s own private world. At any rate, scrap boxes may be best avoided until this issue is acknowledged and cleared up. The player in this instance says they’ve submitted a support ticket about this problem and heard back from Bethesda, though they have no hope that they can recover their resources.
This user-maintained thread got started yesterday as a collation of bugs folks have found since the game’s latest title update. It also notes that some Scrap Boxes aren’t accepting bulk-packaged junk (where raw scrap, combined with plastic, creates a less cumbersome bulk version of the junk).
Separately, but no less an indication of the community’s temperature at the moment, an angry fan has control of the “falloutfirst.com” URL and has deployed a parody website trashing the Fallout 1st idea and imputing malign intentions on Bethesda’s part. The URL has been up and down throughout the day, probably because of traffic surges. Fallout 1st is described as both a “one-month waste your money membership” and a “yearly cash burning pile,” and it gets way less kind from there.
Polygon has reached out to Bethesda representatives about all of this and asked for comment on the issues described by the community. We’ll update this post when we hear back.
Fallout 1st was introduced to Fallout 76 yesterday. It’s, ahem, $12.99 a month or $99.99 annually, and a subscription is not what most in the community had in mind when, last week, Bethesda said private servers would be added to the game.
In addition to the private servers and Scrap Box, players also get some cosmetics, a “Survival Tent” fast travel point, and 1,650 Atoms, the premium currency that buys items from the game’s Atomic Shop.
Update: A Bethesda Softworks representative said that an update to private world settings will be coming soon, to allow players to control all access to their private servers. The company also examined the Scrap Box and private server recycling issues.
For Scrap Boxes, Bethesda said that “a small number of players with a large quantity of scrap are experiencing a display issue causing their Scrap Box to appear empty.” The studio thinks this is a user interface issue and that players have not lost any scrap; they should still be able to access it when crafting from workbenches, as usual. “We are actively working to address this issue, both internally and using the data and characters folks from the community have provided us,” Bethesda said.
Regarding recycled servers, Bethesda denied that players are getting used or recycled worlds. “When a Fallout 1st member starts a Private World, a dedicated world is launched on an [Amazon Web Services] server. Players who have seen looted containers upon login may be experiencing the expected behavior upon log out and log in. Loot is instanced for each player in containers. As Fallout 76 players know, if you loot a container on one server, and then log out and log back in to another server, the container remains in a ‘looted’ state for a period of time.”
And as to private worlds’ privacy, “we understand this is not what players expected for their Private Worlds,” Bethesda said, meaning that anyone in a friends list may join a private world without invitation. “We are looking to provide an option in an upcoming patch that will allow Fallout 1st members to restrict access to their servers more completely.”
Update, 11:40 p.m.: Bethesda Game Studios has continued to investigate the Scrap Box issue and now acknowledges it is more than a menu display problem for a small number of users.
“Our initial investigation indicated that this was a display issue, and that no items had gone missing,” a Bethesda representative told Polygon. “However, we have since found that a small number of players have in fact experienced a loss of scrap items after placing them into the Scrap Box and then loading into a world.
“Resolving this issue is currently our top priority,” the representative said. “We are also exploring ways to restore the missing items.” Developers are trying to come up with a hotfix to resolve the issue ASAP.


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It's time to give up on Gap, guys. It's never going to be what we want it to be.
The all-American brand is still grasping for that retail pixie dust.
The new #normcore?
In the brand's words, #thenewBR is here.
And Uniqlo's chief marketing officer says your personal style isn't as unique as you thought.
Well, it was either him or those mile-long legs of hers.
Gap's new creative director's first mandate to her design team? "Everyone who doesn’t have an opinion can leave the room now."
This is the latest in a series of positive changes for the company.
Including the first-ever tactile fabric print ad, a collaboration with Vogue.
Fashion Just Won't Quit Blackface: Really, Vogue Netherlands? In 2013 we should not still be seeing blackface in our magazines. The BB Cream Blind Test: We hold a blind BB cream testing session to find the "cream" of the BB crop. Check out our top three faves. Beyoncé Takes Center Stage With Nipple Costumes: Fake nipples seem to be a recurring theme on Beyoncé's Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. The singer opened her tour last Tuesday in a blinged-out nipple dress by The Blonds, and wore another gold-nippled bodysuit by Ralph & Russo Couture only two days after.
Gap's new creative director Rebekka Bay officially started work October 1, 2012--and in Gap's fall look book, we're finally getting a glimpse at Bay's influence. Doesn't it look expensive? And super sophisticated? And vaguely Cos-like? Well if it does, it's probably because Bay, who helped found Cos, had a hand in the way the look book was styled and presented.
It's been more than a year since Gap fired creative director Patrick Robinson, and now they've finally hired a replacement, and she has a pretty impressive background.


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Ford Motor Co. is recalling 3,973 2015 model-year F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks so dealers can correct an error in the transmission control software, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.
The recall, due to begin early this month, affects trucks manufactured from Sept. 13, 2013, through March 28, 2014. They are each equipped with a 6.2L gasoline or 6.7L diesel engine and a 6R140 transmission.
When a driver shifts from "park" to "drive," the vehicle might engage "reverse" for 1.5 seconds before engaging "drive" – even though the gear selection shows “drive.” This can result in momentary, unexpected backward movement, increasing the risk of a crash, NHTSA said.
Ford dealers will update the transmission software, free of charge. Truck owners can reach Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C04.
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet


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ZTE showcased its latest achievements in 5G commercialisation, 5G connectivity, cloud services, IoT applications and new terminal products at Mobile World Congress.
In early 2017, ZTE released a full range of pre-5G solutions for both high and low frequency bands in addition to the initiation of a wide array of 5G field tests. ZTE plans to deploy commercially viable pre-5G solutions by the end of 2018 followed by 5G products in commercial networks in the first half of 2019, and is already prepared to help operators deploy 5G networks.
At MWC 2018, ZTE showcases how the company is working with partners in rolling out 5G commercialization solutions and key technologies verification, including the most commercially viable 5G field test network currently available, the first 3GPP standards-based multi-vendor IoDT test, and the industry’s first carrier grade 5G end-to-end commercial network slicing.
Qualcomm, China Mobile and ZTE are scheduled to jointly demonstrate what’s being described as the world’s first 5G New Radio (NR) Interoperability Data Testing (IoDT) system (3.5 GHz) with a data connection based on 3GPP Release 15. Successful data connection represents an important milestone for large-scale fast verification of 5G NR technologies and commercialization, supporting in-time deployment of 5G commercial networks.
ZTE also showcases its 4G and 5G hybrid networking solutions and products that can help operators quickly incorporate and deploy 5G solutions on their existing 4G network infrastructure, as well as the latest Pre 5G products that have incorporated elements of commercialization. Integrated Pre 5G solutions can build complete 5G networks, enabling 5G network functionalities, 5G network architectures and 5G business applications. ZTE’s 5G Flexhaul solution, featuring ultra-high clock accuracy and ultra-low time delay, in addition to having passed backhaul and fronthaul testing on the operators’ networks, as well as TITAN, a centralized routing and signalling platform that provides 5G Fronthaul and FMC (fixed–mobile convergence) and fully supports network reconfiguration on the access layer, will allow operators to quickly incorporate and deploy 5G networks.
As the day when most businesses are cloud-enabled will quickly be upon us, ZTE’s innovative 5G cloud infrastructure, cloud network and services, as well as cloud-enabled business solutions, are all displayed at the MWC 2018. ZTE’s SDN-based IP +optical vPIPE solution including a few illustrative business use cases in addition to the carrier-class basic computing platform are also highlighted at the event.
In addition, ZTE’s network intelligence solutions combining artificial intelligence and big data, as well as key businesses including big video and IoT will help operators succeed commercially in the 5G era.
Turning to ZTE’s work in Internet of Everything solutions, ZTE’s IoT “Chip, Network, Cloud” strategy will soon be implemented on the telecommunications solutions providers’ global platforms. Furthermore, ZTE’s new IoT platform created in association with multinational operators around the world makes its debut at the show. The company also displays business applications including smart street lighting, parking, meter reading, and air quality monitoring, with a demonstration setup at the Shanghai World Expo Museum as a prototype.
ZTE is an industry leader in 5G next-generation networks that will provide incredible connectivity for consumers and enable an entirely new ecosystem of products and services. Its leadership in 5G enables ZTE to understand the future of connectivity and design mobile devices with both the consumer experience and future network dynamics in mind. This year at MWC 2018, ZTE Mobile Devices announced the ZTE 1.2 Gbps smartphone, which will become the industry benchmark for 5G devices. ZTE will launch 5G mobile devices in late 2018 or early 2019. 5G tablets, CPE, and smartphones are all under development and will be launched as leading carriers around the world provide 5G service to consumers.
“Ready for commercialization, ZTE’s 5G solutions are going to be launched soon.” As a pioneer in the 5G era, ZTE has made the roll out of its 5G solutions the core goal. In the past year, research and development teams at ZTE worked assiduously through the creative process during which they came up with the ideas and the proposed solutions, followed by the R&D stage with tests and verification as well as cooperation with industry partners to complete proofs of concept in terms of commercialization.
ZTE sees itself moving towards a digital society and intelligent transformation in the very foreseeable future by joining hands with operators and customers to deliver 5G commercially viable solutions that benefit businesses and consumers alike.
Samsung S10 in lock-step with its rivals?
Tonight Samsung will kick off the next round in the smartphone wars with the S10 range, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
When Samsung unveils the new S10 smartphone at an event in San Francisco today, it will mark the beginning of the 2019 round of World War S. That stands for smartphone wars, although Samsung would like it to be all about the S.
Ever since the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 in 2013, Samsung has held both technology and thought leadership in the handset world. Back then, Apple’s iPhone 5 was the last device from the American manufacturer that could lay claim to being the best smartphone in the world. With the 2013 launch of the iPhone 5s, Apple entered an era of incremental improvement, playing catch-up, and succumbing to market trends driven by its competitors.
Six years later, Samsung is fighting off the same threat. Its Chinese rival, Huawei, suddenly wrested away leadership in the past year, with the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro regarded as at last equal to the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy Note 9 – if not superior. Certainly, from a cost perspective, Huawei took the lead with its more competitive prices, and therefore more value for money.
Huawei also succeeded where Apple failed: introducing more economical versions of its flagship phones. The iPhone 5c, SE and XR have all been disappointments in the sales department, mainly because the price difference was not massive enough to attract lower-income users. In contrast, the Lite editions of the Huawei P9, P10 and P20 have been huge successes, especially in South Africa.
Today, for the first time in half a decade, Samsung goes into battle on a field laid out by its competitors. It is expected to launch the Galaxy S10 Plus, S10 and S10 e, with the latter being the Samsung answer to the strategy of the iPhone XR and Huawei P20 Lite.
Does this mean Samsung is now in lock-step with its rivals, focused on matching their strategies rather than running ahead of them?
It may seem that way, but Samsung has a few tricks up its electronic sleeve. For example, it is possible it will use the S10 launch to announce its coming range of foldable phones, expected to be called the Galaxy X, Galaxy F, Galaxy Fold or Galaxy Flex. It previewed the technology at a developer conference in San Francisco last November, and this will be the ideal moment to reclaim technology leadership by going into production with foldables – even if the S10 range itself does not shoot out the lights.
However, the S10 handsets will look very different to their predecessors. First, before switching on the phone, they will be notable by the introduction of what is being called the punch-hole display, which breaks away from the current trend of having a notch at the top of the phone to house front-facing cameras and speakers. Instead, the punch-hole is a single round cut-out that will contain the front camera. It is the key element of Samsung’s “Infinity O” display – the O represents the punchhole – which will be the first truly edge-to-edge display, on the sides and top.
The S10 range will use the new Samsung user interface, One UI, also unveiled at the developer conference. It replaces the previous “skin”, unimaginatively called the Samsung Experience, to introduce a strong new interface brand.
One UI went live on the Note 8 last month, giving us a foretaste, and giving Samsung a chance to iron out the bugs in the field. It is a less cluttered interface, addressing one of the biggest complaints about most manufacturer skins. Only Nokia and Google Pixel handsets offer pure Android in the local market, but One UI is Samsung’s best compromise yet.
It introduces a new interaction area, in the bottom half, reachable with the thumb, with a viewing area at the top, allowing the user to work one-handed on the bottom area while still having apps or related content visible above. One UI also improves gesture navigation – the phone picks up hand movements without being touched – and notification management.
The S10 range will be the first phones to feature the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip, at least for the South African and American markets. That makes it 5G compatible, for when this next generation of mobile broadband becomes available in these markets.
They will also be the first phones to feature Wi-Fi 6, the next generation of the Wi-Fi mobile wireless standard. It will perform better in congested areas, and data transfer will be up to 40% faster than the previous generation.
The phones will be the first to use ultrasound for fingerprint detection. If Samsung gets it right, this will make it the fastest in-screen fingerprint sensor on the market, and allows for a little leeway if one pushes the finger down slightly outside the fingerprint reader surface. It does mean, however, that screen protectors will have to be redesigned to avoid blocking the detection.
Not enough firsts? There are a few more.
Most notably, it will be the first phone range to feature 1 Terabyte (TB) storage – that’s a thousand Gigabytes (GB) – at least for the top-of-the-range devices. Samsung last month announced that it would be the first manufacturer to make 1TB built-in onboard flash storage. Today, it will deploy this massive advantage as it once again weaponises its technology in the fight for smartphone domination.
- Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram on @art2gee
IoT set to improve authentication
By Sherry Zameer, Senior Vice President, Internet of Things Solutions for CISMEA region at Gemalto
As it rapidly approaches maturity, the Internet of Things (IoT) is set to continue a transformational trajectory, introducing new efficiencies in multiple fields by allowing measurement and analysis on a scale that has never been possible before. From agriculture to logistics, from retail to hospitality, from traffic to health, from the home to the office, the applications for monitoring ”things” are limited only by the imagination.
And South African (and African) businesses are showing abundant imagination in their practical deployments of IoT solutions in multiple settings, creating a better tomorrow through almost universal measurement and the introduction of new levels of convenience – including how to access locations, devices and services securely.
Any company, whether South African or international, should bear in mind that understanding consumer expectations can be the key to unlocking the full potential of IoT devices and related smart services.
According to Gemalto’s latest Connected Living study, improving the way consumers authenticate themselves to services is one of the most anticipated benefits of IoT, highlighting a desire for a more seamless and secure IoT experience.
Consumers are interested in advanced ways of authenticating themselves through automatic (based on behavioral patterns) or biometric techniques, lessening the need to have to intervene manually, all in the name of a much more streamlined authentication process. Smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung have already placed fingerprint and facial recognition high on the agenda. There is also a widespread positive sentiment towards IoT’s potential for improving the quality of home life through connected, smart appliances.
Personalised services is something else that wins consumers over. In fact, a fluid, personalised and unified experience with continuity of services, together with security and privacy, is critical for the successful implementation of any technology.
And those types of services are today quite possible. With everything being connected – from small gadgets to digital solutions for large enterprises – IoT is no longer just a buzzword. That much is clear in a piece from Vodacom IoT managing executive Deon Liebenberg. Writing for IOL Online, Liebenberg provides insight into the sheer range of applications for IoT: the 20 use cases he cites range from the obvious, like transport and logistics, to the connected home and wearables; he even suggests tagging pets with IoT transmitters, for those who always need to know the whereabouts of the family cat.
Low-cost tags fitted to cats, dogs, lamp posts, shipping containers or other items are just one part of the puzzle, however. There are other two pieces; arguably the most complex part is the availability of communication networks in areas where there aren’t any WiFi networks, or indeed, anything else.
And that’s where the bigger takeaway from Liebenberg’s piece and other IoT trends articles becomes apparent. The communication networks are there, as are those tags: dedicated IoT networks (like LoraWAN, SigFox and narrowband IoT) are all available in South Africa.
So, too, is the third and final essential component. Software which is able to process the data generated by the tag and transmitted over the IoT network and into the internet. In this regard, there’s no shortage of solutions available from cloud providers like AWS and Azure; electronics giant Siemens, too, is in on the action, having recently launched a new cloud-based IoT operating system to develop applications and services for process industries, including oil and gas and water management.
This combination means it is quite possible right now to enable just about any use case. Business owners, who will know best how IoT can add value in their organisation, can now see their ideas becoming reality. Most crucial of all, IoT solutions delivering new levels of efficiency and convenience are not only possible, they are able to be offered with the simple and effective security that will drive consumer acceptance.


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Google launched Google Currents with much fanfare, but completely failed to come up with a product that works. Yes, it does not work, just like Gmail app that GOogle released a few weeks back. Google came up with Google Currents to take on Flipboard and Pulse for reading news socially. At least that was Google’s intention, but it was half baked and is not working from the word go. Google currents is not a failure because it crashes at odd time. But it does not work at all.
Once you install, Google Currents asks you to sign in using a Google ID and offers tips to navigate through the options. And then it asks you to choose what want to read from a number of sources. Thats it, it stops working after that. Whatever your favorite sources that you added is simply not there.
Google Currents Support: In Theory
The worst part is, if you are a good person and wants to let Google know the problem, Google does not seem to want to hear the problem with Google Currents. At Google Currents page on Apple App Store, Google has a link for Google Currents Support and it is broken and comes up with page not available. For sure it makes you wonder how did Apple allow this.
Google probably know abou this non-performance issue of Google Currents, but has not come up with any statement so far.
Google Currents, yet another “me too” product was launched just a few days after Flipboard launched a brilliant app for iPhones. It makes one wonder why all this hurry, when it was kept a secret project for a long time.
News hungry, newtizens, Go Flipboard and Pulse!


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Soccer fans around the world are rejoicing as the latest installment of the popular FIFA franchise from EA Sports is now available for purchase. As with all new editions in a video game series, improvements have been made, and gameplay has been enhanced. But this year's iteration comes with a much more notable upgrade: the chance, for the first time in the history of the FIFA franchise, to play with women's national teams.
There's also new cover art for the video game. Previously dominated exclusively by men, the cover for some versions of the game now features United States women's national team forward Alex Morgan next to Argentinian star Lionel Messi.
We've already seen some cool things happen as a result of these changes. Morgan, for example, got to face off in a FIFA 16 match against NBA superstar (and big-time soccer fan) Kobe Bryant. She also appeared on SportsCenter last Tuesday to talk about the impact women's soccer is having on growing the popularity of women's sports.
Morgan noted that EA Sports should be praised for bringing women's sports into mainstream video game culture. The hope is that younger generations will get more exposure to these female athletes and get to know them better. Still, the game has room for growth.
For instance, there are only 12 female teams to compete as and they are all national teams — there are no female club teams. Additionally, women's national teams can only compete against other women's national teams. These characteristics resonate in light of the fact that almost half of today's video gamers are women.
For the record, this isn’t the first time female athletes have been featured in video games. A graphic from Vocativ gives a history. Some highlights:
- Mia Hamm Soccer 64 (2000) let people play as entire female soccer teams.
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 gave people the option to play as one female pro golfer, Natalie Gulbis.
- NHL 13 featured Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser and American Angela Ruggiero.
- EA Sports UFC (2014) gave gamers the chance to play as Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
FIFA is the world's highest selling sports video game franchise, outpacing the Madden NFL series by around 30 million copies. And with changes like this, the popularity should only continue to grow.


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I admit it, I thought Apple was going to face an uphill battle with the MacBook Pro. I guess I underestimated the new laptop. Despite ditching popular features like the SD card slot and sporting a starting price of $1,499 – and that’s without the new Touch Bar OLED panel – the laptop appears to be an early success. New data from Slice Intelligence suggests that the new MacBook Pro is selling at a faster rate than Apple’s competitors, too.
Yesterday, reports out of Apple’s supply chain suggested Apple is bullish on the new MacBook Pro and has indeed increased component orders in anticipation of increased sales. Slice’s data shows that Apple may be making a smart move.
“In the first five days of availability online, the latest model generated over seven times the revenue that the MacBook 12-inch did during its April 2015 launch,” Slice Intelligence said on Wednesday. “The new model’s sales already equal 78 percent of all the revenue generated by the MacBook 12-inch since it became available, and has accumulated more revenue than any other laptop this year.”
Let that sink in for a moment.
The new MacBook Pro is already generating almost as much revenue as a product that has been out for a year and a half. It’s also crushing every other competitor on the market, including all of the fancy new Windows 10 machines we’ve seen launch over the last several months, in terms of ability to generate revenue.
Look, I said early on that the MacBook Pro is wildly overpriced, and I thought that there was no way it could help boost Apple’s sinking PC sales. I may have been wrong. But we do need to consider the other side of the coin.
Keep in mind that, given the MacBook Pro’s price, it’s easy for it to generate revenue at a much faster pace compared to lower-cost machines. In other words, for every one thousand $1,500 MacBook Pros Apple sells, a Chrome OS competitor selling $200 machines would need to sell about 8,000. So what’s causing the spike?
Why is the MacBook Pro an early success?
Slice thinks the resurgence is thanks to folks who may be coming back to Apple. “This successful launch may be luring those who have abandoned Apple back to the brand,” the firm said. “Touch-screen technology has been deployed by other laptop brands for years and shoppers looking for the newest technology would have to move away from Apple to try the new tech.”
Apple still hasn’t adopted a full touchscreen display, though, and it sounds like that’s something that’s not even in the cards. Folks who want that will still need to look elsewhere. In any case, early signs suggest the MacBook Pro is a success. Color me surprised.


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Bread is definitely a good thing. Too much bread, however, is markedly less so.
Bread waste is a particular problem in Sweden, where 88,000 tons of cast-off carbs are disposed of every year, according to the University of Borås. That’s the equivalent 350 loaves per minute.
So researchers at the school decided to do something about it.
“We have seen that much of the food waste from grocery stores is from bread and therefore we wanted to see how we could turn it into a new product,” Akram Zamani, a senior lecturer in resource recycling at the University of Borås, said in a statement.
With the global demand for textiles skyrocketing, Zamani wondered if she could tackle two issues—the overproduction of bread and the need for more sustainable, non-petrochemical-based fabrics—in one fell swoop.
By placing different types of stale grocery-store bread in a bioreactor, she and her team were able to cultivate filamentous fungi for turning into yarn and non-woven textiles.
“When the bread has become a biomass of fungi, we remove the protein which in turn can be used as food or animal feed,” Zamani explained. “We use the cell-wall fibers that remain of the fungi partly to spin a yarn, and partly to create non-woven fabrics.”
The scientists are now exploring the potential of their fungal textiles for applications such as apparel, home textiles and medical textiles without the use of toxic chemicals.
“We have done a large part of the cultivation already, and it has worked well, so now we are working on a wet-spinning process to create yarn, and test different methods to improve the yarn’s properties,” Zamani said. “There is no previous research on this; therefore it is difficult to know what to expect.”
Financed by Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, the research is supported by KTH Royal Institute of Technology, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and Sahlgrenska University Hospital.


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The Whitsundays continues its reign as a prize-winning holiday destination, bringing home 10 awards at the 2021 Queensland Tourism Awards.
The 2021 Queensland Tourism Awards were held Friday 12 November at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre where more than 1,100 guests gathered to honour the state’s best tourism operators across 31 award categories.
Seventeen Whitsunday operators were nominated in the Queensland Tourism Awards, including: BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, BIG4 Whitsundays Tropical Eco Resort, Coral Sea Marina Resort, Cruise Whitsundays, Elysian Retreat, Explore Group Australia, InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, Mirage Whitsundays, Ocean Rafting, Pinnacles Resort, Queens Beach Tourist Village, Red Cat Adventures, Tourism Whitsundays, Whitsunday Coast Airport, Whitsunday Escape, Whitsunday Vacations and Wings Sailing Charters Whitsundays.
Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer, Rick Hamilton commended the winners on their unfailing commitment to providing visitors with world-class tourism experiences.
“The past year, for all its stresses and challenges, has brought out the best in our operators,” Mr Hamilton said.
“The Whitsundays is home to some of the world’s most iconic experiences and products and our tourism businesses have been keeping the region open for everyone to enjoy. To win 10 awards in 2021 is an incredible feat that reaffirms the region as a top tourist destination for visitors from near and far.”
Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox proudly congratulated the winners as well as all the region’s operators.
“We have the best of the world right in our backyard and the tourism businesses are the beating heart of The Whitsundays,” he said.
“Tonight’s winners represent the very best in what we have to offer travellers and adventure-seekers who come here for unforgettable experiences.”
Congratulations to InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, Pinnacles Resort, Cruise Whitsundays, Whitsunday Escape, BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, Tourism Whitsundays, Red Cat Adventures, Ocean Rafting, and Whitsunday Coast Airport who won awards at the 2021 Queensland Tourism Awards last night.
For the first time in history, across three consecutive years, upon entering the State Awards for the first time, Red Cat Adventures has won gold in the Adventure Tourism category and Major Tour and Transport Operator category. This is a huge achievement, congratulations to Red Cat Adventures who are now in the Hall of Fame for not one, but two categories.
In 2021, the Queensland Tourism Awards celebrated not only the best tourism businesses but also acknowledged the challenges faced by operators over the past 18 months and recognised their tenacity.
Ranging from 5 Star and Self Contained Accommodation to Adventure Tourism and Major Tour and Transport Operators, the winners in each category showcased the finest experiences and services that Queensland offered visitors.
The success of The Whitsundays at the 2021 Queensland Tourism Awards recognises the state’s most tourism-reliant region for the unique, world-class experiences that make it a premier destination.


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For those determined not to plunk down $5 a pack at the corner newsstand, there are ways to shave a little off New York’s sky-high cigarette prices.
One route is the Internet, where wholesalers will ship the smokes right to your door.
Thanks to the Internet Tax Freedom Act, which placed a moratorium on taxing e-commerce for three years, the ‘Net is a good place to find a bargain, for now.
At supercheapcigarettes.com, Marlboros sell for $19.99 a carton — an unbelievably low price, until you factor in the $6 shipping charge.
Still, $25.99 is a bargain compared to the $34 to $38 carton prices found in Manhattan. Order five or more cartons and the shipping is free.
At glp-cigarettes-online.com, run by the Indian Smoke Shop on the Allegany Reservation in upstate New York, a carton of Marlboros goes for $25.75, but there’s a minimum of three cartons per order.
Even then, shipping is $1.25 a carton, but dips to 75 cents a carton when you buy 11 or more.
At cigsmoke1.com, Marlboros go for $24.99 a carton, plus $5 shipping for the first five cartons. After that, it’s a buck a carton for shipping.
To skip the shipping charges, you’d have to go in person to one of the state’s Indian reservations, where smokes are cheap because the tribes pay only federal tax on nicotine products.
The only reservations within two hours of New York City are on the East End of Long Island — in Mastic and Southampton.
At the Shinnecock Indian Shop on Old Montauk Highway in Southampton, Marlboro packs are on sale for $2.50 this week, half the price being charged in some Manhattan stores.
Cartons of Marlboro are on sale for $24, or $28.50 regularly. Packs are regularly $2.95.


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The media economy remains strong with plenty of opportunity for selling. But McKinsey & Company analysts point out that changes are afoot. It’s no secret that growth in digital formats is driving the bottom line for many properties. Between now and 2019, we can expect to see compound annual growth rates of over 5% but that’s slightly lower than the industry experienced between 2009 and 2012. Here’s what to watch for.
The final media spending numbers for 2015 aren’t in yet, but McKinsey & Company believes they’ll come in at about $1.681 trillion or 4.8% higher than they were in 2014. By sector, spending should look like this:
Digital $146.6 [billion]
TV advertising $189.4
In-home video entertainment $331.9
Audio entertainment $97
Out of home $33.2
Consumer magazines $57.6
Educational publishing $41.6
Video games $94.1
These numbers look a little skewed because major sectors like newspapers include both traditional and digital while the digital line item also includes that amount.
While the U.S. economy remains steady, the real growth in the media industry will come from countries with rapidly expanding economies. Analysts point to the Asia-Pacific region as the fastest growing for media spending.
The winning media categories between now and 2019 will be digital (12.7%), broadband (7.8%), TV (5.0%), and in-home video entertainment (3.4%). A couple of traditional formats will prove surprisingly strong with cinema advertising expected to rise 5.4% and out of home on track for a 4.9% increase. Both of these formats capture consumer attention in unique places – as they are out and about in their daily lives and are likely to notice advertiser messages.
Analysts note that broadband and digital, which includes mobile, will be the largest media category by next year on a global basis. The high spending levels on digital reflect the consumer shift to smartphones. At the same time, interest in video game advertising will surge by 8.1% over the next few years which is another testament to the amount of time consumers will spend in front of screens.
For the traditional media categories, there is some good news. The declines will continue for magazine and newspaper publishing but they will occur at much slower levels than what has been taking place.
The bottom line from this report is that the media industry remains healthy, despite disintermediation, with plenty of opportunities for buying and selling.


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We've seen the Audi Sport Quattro Concept in images, but now we can see the 700 hp supercar in motion.
Read This Article
The awards are fast in coming for the all new Audi A7.
Audi finds itself in new territory in the luxury car wars
It's already Audi's second-best-seller in the U.S., but the Q5 may have just become even more appealing with its hybrid version nearing its introduction.


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23rd Feb 2017Posted in: News Comments Off
A Roadmap for 2017: The State of Online Video Advertising
Mobile devices are on the rise, but TV still dominates. Programmatic sales gain ground and advertisers fret over viewability. Here’s a U.K.-centered view of where the online video ad world now stands.


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Verizon Wireless on Wednesday confirmed that it will soon begin charging subscribers a $30 upgrade fee when they purchase new wireless equipment on contract. Verizon is currently the only major carrier that does not charge customers a fee when upgrading their devices on a new two-year contract — AT&T and Sprint each charge customers $36 to upgrade to a new device on contract, and T-Mobile charges an $18 upgrade fee. “On April 22, Verizon Wireless is implementing a $30 upgrade fee for existing customers purchasing new mobile equipment at a discounted price with a two-year contract,” the carrier said in a statement. “This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect which includes Wireless Workshops, online educational tools, and consultations with experts who provide advice and guidance on devices that are more sophisticated than ever.”
Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing, Services, IT, & Operations Group (SMSG) may be enforcing a new policy to prevent employees from using corporate funds to buy Apple products, ZDNet reported on Tuesday. An alleged email from Alain Crozier, the chief financial officer of SMSG, informs employees of the new policy. “Within SMSG we are putting in place a new policy that says that Apple products (Mac & iPad) should not be purchased with company funds,” the email reads. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. Microsoft’s SMSG is comprised of more than 46,000 employees worldwide and includes the company’s front-line consumer and business sales, service and support staff. The software giant has previously had policies in place to prevent its employees from using iPhones and BlackBerry devices — in 2010 the company began supplying workers with a free Windows Phones instead. More →
AT&T on Thursday announced a revision to its smartphone data throttling policy, which impacts users who have chosen to retain the unlimited smartphone data plan AT&T discontinued some time ago. AT&T’s policy had been ambiguous until now, with the carrier stating simply that the top 5% of smartphone users would experience slowed data speeds until a new billing period began. It was unclear how much data a subscriber had to use in order to approach the top 5%, however, and a number of reports claimed users were being throttled after using 2GB of data or even less. Now, AT&T is clarifying that it will only begin throttling smartphone users with 4G LTE devices after 5GB of data has been used in a single billing period, and subscribers with non-LTE devices will be throttled after 3GB of usage. It has also been reported that AT&T increased the speeds experienced by users while their data speeds are being throttled, but a company spokesperson declined to comment. AT&T’s full statement follows below. More →
Microsoft has started to run anti-Google newspaper ads in a clear effort to sway people from using Google’s services. On Monday, Google announced that it was combining its individual privacy policies to make privacy “more intuitive” for its users. The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee was worried that Google was actually collecting more information under its new rules, but Google responded to those claims and said it was not actually collecting more data. Microsoft isn’t convinced. “To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to improve the quality of an advertising product,” Microsoft said in a newspaper ad. “But, that effort needs to be balanced with continuing to meet the needs and interests of users. Every business finds its own balance and attracts users who share those priorities. Google’s new changes have upset that balance, with users’ priorities being de-prioritized. That’s why people are concerned and looking for alternatives… If these changes rub you the wrong way, please consider using our portfolio of award-winning products and services.” The ad also tells newspaper readers that “every data point Google collects and connects to you increases how valuable you are to an advertiser.” Microsoft is currently running the advertisements in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. More →
Earlier today, Research In Motion announced its intentions to bring its BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) its mobile device security and administration services to both Android and iOS. Through its acquisition of ubitexx, the Canadian company is looking to expand the portfolio of mobile devices its BES solution supports. “The single web-based console is being designed to provide IT administrators with a simple and efficient way to distribute software and manage policies, inventory, security and services for BlackBerry devices, as well as other mobile devices,” reads the press release. “IT administrators will be able to manage devices over-the-air, including activating devices, distributing software and applications, locking or wiping devices, enforcing and resetting device passwords, setting IT policies, and managing optional mobile applications for end users. Certain features are expected to remain exclusive to BlackBerry devices because such capabilities are built into the design of a device’s operating system.” The new solution should be available “later this year.” Hit the jump for the full release.
On Tuesday, we reported that Sony’s eBook reader app for iOS had been rejected by Apple. The reason Apple gave for the rejection was that Sony’s app violated an app store policy — one that has historically not been enforced — dealing with apps that offer content for sale through means other than Apple’s in-app purchase mechanism. By using their own distribution systems, developers have been able to sell content from within iOS apps without having to pay Apple’s 30% commission charged for iTunes-based in-app purchases. An Apple spokesperson later gave a comment, stating that Apple is “now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is also available to customers from within the app with in-app purchase.” Following the ordeal, The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reports that developers have begun to receive notices that apps in violation of this policy will be rejected starting March 31st. This could mean existing apps like Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader, which sends users to a mobile website in order to make purchases, could run into problems unless they are updated to offer content through iTunes. According to the Journal, the only exception to the rule that will be made is for publishers wishing to give print subscribers free access to an iPad edition. More →
Way back on the 20th, we told you that Sprint would be tweaking its customer loyalty rewards program — lovingly known as Premier. Recently, Sprint contacted BGR to clarify a few details about exactly what has to happen for customers to qualify for the program’s restructured incentives.
A gold level member will receive 25% off the purchase of 2 or more accessories, customer news letters, “just because” perks, first to buy offers, and the ability to upgrade one device after 12 months of service. To qualify for a Premier Gold membership, users must have an individual monthly plan costing $89.99 or more or a family plan costing $169.99 (before any applicable discounts).
A silver level member will receive the same benefits as gold members — 25% off the purchase of 2 or more accessories, customer news letters, “just because” perks, and first to buy offers — but will not have the ability to upgrade a device after 12 months of service. To qualify for a Premier Silver membership, users must have an individual monthly plan costing between $69.99 and $89.98 or a family plan costing between $99.99 and $169.98 (before any applicable discounts).
Any customer, regardless of rate-plan price, that has been with Sprint over ten years will automatically qualify for Premier Gold. There you have it. Straight from the horses mouth.
We reported on Friday that Verizon Wireless would be doing away with mail-in rebates on its high-end devices. Instead the carrier will begin applying instant rebates to all smartphones priced at $150 and above. This means a customer will pay the final subsidized price when purchasing a high-end smartphone instead of paying an extra $50 and waiting to be reimbursed by mail. Today, the policy change is reaffirmed by a new Verizon Wireless rebate sheet provided to BGR by a tipster. As can be seen on the new sheet, which goes into effect on January 31st, nearly all smartphones priced $150 and higher have been removed. Examples include the BlackBerry Storm2 and Motorola’s DROID x and DROID Pro. A few pricey phones still remain, such as the DROID R2-D2, but we’re guessing a price drop to $149.99 or better will take effect tomorrow or Monday. Hit the break to view the full rebate sheet.
Thanks, hiphophead83 More →
Apple has made changes to its internal screening process pertaining to iPod liquid damage, a source told BGR. Apple builds a series of Liquid Contact Indicators (LCI) into its iPod line of devices. When these LCIs come in contact with moisture, they become activated. In the event of a warranty claim or other repair, the LCIs indicate to Apple that the device in question may have been affected by a liquid. Employees of Apple Stores and AppleCare Repair Centers then have specific guidelines used in the event liquid damage is suspected. Previously, the presence of an activated LCI within the headphone jack was cause enough for employees to state that an iPod may have been damaged by water or another liquid. Now, employees must first inspect the iPod for other signs of liquid damage before reaching that conclusion. It is currently not known if the new policy applies to iPhone models as well.
Whether or not Apple has concerns internally regarding the reliability of its LCI devices is unclear at this time. Apple may have also discovered LCIs located within the headphone jack are overly sensitive and activate even when they come in contact with permissible amounts of moisture.
We haven’t really covered Blockbuster’s DVD-by-mail service since this past March when a string of policy changes finally culminated in our exclusive scoop covering the elimination of Total Access’ one competitive edge over Netflix — the ability of subscribers to enjoy their free in-store rentals while they awaited new DVDs to be delivered by mail. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones appalled by the move. The following is pulled from the company’s latest 10-Q filing:
a $40.7 million decrease in by-mail revenues driven by a 34% average decline in by-mail subscribers”
So, in a single quarter, Blockbuster reveals that it shed 34 percent of its by-mail subscribers and the hejira resulted in a $40.7 million decline in by-mail revenue. Ouch. The prior quarter was no different, and Blockbuster has seen a $76.3 million total decline in by-mail revenue over the half. Time to switch things up, fellas.
[Via Zatz Not Funny!]
There has been quite a bit of movement recently as far as T-Mobile’s plans are concerned and if you haven’t been keeping your eye on the ball, you probably missed something. For the most part, T-Mo has added plans and options that are pretty favorable for subscribers but word just came in from one of our ninjas regarding a few more upcoming changes some might not be happy about. The first concerns smartphone users: We know that all you BGR fans out there obviously have data plans but there are plenty of people who enjoy the enhanced functionality of a smartphone who haven’t yet embraced mobile data services. Unfortunately, those people are in for a bit of a disappointment — some time in June T-Mobile will begin requiring that all smartphones (new activations / upgrades) have a data plan. This new requirement will not apply to the BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Pearl Flip, Samsung Behold or Samsung Memoir. Next up, messaging addicts: Also beginning some time in June, T-Mobile’s Unlimited Domestic Messages for Families will jump from $19.95 per month to $24.99 per month. It’s still a pretty sweet deal of course, just not quite as sweet as it used to be.


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Telecommunication giant Safaricom on Thursday announced a six-month partnership with Kenyan hip hop artist Nonini as one of their creative brand ambassadors.
Nonini will now steer Safricom’s creative campaigns using his image and music.
“I appreciate this chance to work with Safaricom and also look forward to learning more about the work Safaricom Foundation does. I am very passionate about Corporate Social Responsibility, and as part of the partnership I hope to participate in as many activities as I can,”said Nonini during the partnership signing
During the signing, Safaricom’s acting Director, Consumer Business Charles Kare said they settled on Nonini because of his passion for music and arts.
“We settled on this partnership with Nonini because he is a pioneer of new-age Kenyan music popularly known as Genge, is passionate about artistes’ rights through his involvement with PRISK and other organizations that fight for artistes’ rights. His passion for helping those in need goes in line with our brand spirit of Twaweza and we look forward to working with him on various projects” he said
Nonini will use his six month partnership to educate his fellow artistes on monetizing their songs and creative endeavors by registering and joining SKIZA and how they should check on their income.


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A MYTON Hospice charity shop badly damaged in a fire has finally reopened its doors.
Staff and volunteers for the charity have been busy putting the finishing touches to the store, in Leamington.
The shop, in Warwick Street, has been closed since May 25 after a fire which started in a neighbouring art gallery spread next door.
The blaze caused more than £30,000 worth of damage, destroying the back section of the shop and causing smoke damage throughout the building.
The charity has also had to replace about £8,000 of donated stock.
On Friday it finally reopened after being closed for more than three months.
Retail and merchandising manager Steve McArthur said: “We are delighted to be reopening the shop and would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported us during this difficult time and kindly donated items to help restock the store and get it ready to reopen.
“We couldn’t have done this without the loyal support of the local community and would like to let everyone know we have now reopened.”
The store is Myton’s oldest shop and celebrated its 20th anniversary shortly before the fire. In June, the charity opened a second Leamington branch in Bedford Street bringing the total to 18 across Coventry and Warwickshire.
The fire, which spread into the charity shop, started in Warwick Studios, which was home to a collection of London street scenes by entertainer Rolf Harris.
The blaze was tackled by six fire crews and is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault. Myton, which runs three hospices in Warwick, Rugby and Coventry, needs to raise £7.2million a year to keep its services running and its charity shops are an essential part of fundraising.
Shop volunteers are always welcome and if anyone has any time to spare or would like more information visit www.mytonhospice.org or call 01926 492 518. Donations of clothes, bric-a-brac and furniture are always welcome.


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Data Misuse Causes Concern And Protective Action
This gap between those concerned about data misuse and those taking the necessary action to try and prevent it was the most apparent in South Korea and Japan. While half of the South Korean population reported being concerned about the misuse of their data, only 22 percent of people surveyed took steps to protect their information. For Japan, 35 percent of respondents said they were concerned about data misuse on the internet, while only 12 percent reported taking active measures to protect their data. The UK, U.S., and Germany had similar rates of respondents who registered concern over data misuse, but an approximately equal amount taking protective measures to secure their data.
This chart and other statistics on the direction of the digital economy can be downloaded for free from the Statista Digital Economy Compass 2019, here.
This chart shows consumers concerned about data misuse and taking taking active measures to protect their data.


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(WFLA) – The Tampa Bay area may be less safe after multiple recent gun shop burglaries.
In some of the recent cases the victims left guns out in the open, instead of locked in safes. News Channel 8 talked with a Pinellas County gun store co-owner who said there’s not really an excuse to have guns stolen – if you take proper precautions.
To get to the firing range and gun shop inside Bill Jackson’s in Pinellas Park, you pass several barriers that prevent burglars from stealing the vast assortment of weapons for sale.
“What we have here, you have to go through two concrete walls on either side to get into the gun section,” store co-owner Darry Jackson explained. “There’s really no excuse to have guns stolen, as I see it.”
In addition to alarms, there are cameras keeping a constant watch at Bill Jackson’s.
Darry Jackson is aware of the rash of gun shop smash and grabs in the Tampa Bay area. “It scares the heck out of me (because) we don’t want to have guns on the street, and those guys are bad guys anyway,” he said.
Jackson has turned the gun area in his store into a fortified vault – like a bank’s. For law enforcement, that seems like a no-brainer. “We see the jewelers doing it in jewelry stores. They don’t leave ’em in the glass displays,” Det. Larry McKinnon with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. “The key to a lot of this is just prevention. And that’s where we’d rather be, rather than trying to chase back behind these guys.”
The stolen guns will likely be used to commit crimes. “Anytime you get guns on the street that are in the wrong hands, it’s a dangerous scenario,” McKinnon said.
A spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the agency strongly encourages gun shop owners to store their merchandise in safes. Mary Harmon Salter said that’s a recommendation, although it’s not the law.


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Australia Is Really Mad At Chevy Over This
The Holden brand was GM’s Australian manufacturing arm forever. But GM has been retracting for years. First, it sold its Opel brand in Europe, and then it killed the Holden brand last February. But now it has done a partial reversal and started another company. It’s called GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles). And the Aussies are really mad at Chevy about this.
That’s because GMSV will be importing standard Chevy trucks and Corvettes into Australia. Then, it will convert them into right-hand-drive vehicles. Tuesday GM announced it will work with Walkinshaw Automotive Group to create GMSV.
For years Walkinshaw was the parent company to HSV which was a tuner for Holden
For years Walkinshaw was the parent company to HSV which was a tuner for Holden vehicles. HSV also started converting Chevy Camaros and Silverados to right-hand-drive. These were sold both in Australia and New Zealand. For now, HSV will continue to do Camaro and Silverado conversions. It is also slated to start selling Corvettes later in 2021. It will come from the factory with right-hand-drive.
Working at Holden for almost 20 years, Joanne Stogiannis will head the new company. “I am thrilled to be leading a new automotive venture by GM in Australia,” she said in a statement. “Sales of large U.S. pickups have been growing consistently and I believe the ongoing strength of that segment will provide a very solid basis for us to build a successful long-term business.”
Holden was established with a large workforce and dealer network going back to 1856
GMSV vehicles will be sold through a few former Holden dealers. But the new distribution will be far smaller than Holden’s was. And that is part of the rub. Holden was established with a large workforce and dealer network going back to 1856. Instead of integrating the conversion business into Holden and continue the brand, GM chose to scuttle the whole thing.
Many Australians were upset that it happened so quickly. Then, suddenly a new version ramped up without regard to past Holden history and employees. While everyone understands GM is partnering with GMSV for business reasons, poor brand management they say is also partially to blame.
Japanese-made vehicles have been making headway for years. It makes vehicles Australians want at a price they can afford. GM never moved as fast as Toyota or Nissan did. And the quality was inferior. So, naturally, customers shifted toward the Japanese brands.
Australia and New Zealand make up less than 1% of the global automobile market
Everyone saw this coming once Holden stopped building the Australian-made cars and started importing Commodores from Europe. That was in 2017. Then last December it killed the Commodore after 41 years. Australia and New Zealand make up less than 1% of the global automobile market. And on top of that small slice the vehicles needed to be converted to right-hand-drive. The margins just weren’t there.
GM today runs a similar operation in Europe, importing Cadillac and Chevy models. Opel marches on under the French PSA Group that is now looking to merge with Fiat Chrysler. GM couldn’t make a profit from Opel for 40 years. In 18 months PSA has Opel profitable. It’s too bad GM can’t do a better job of shepherding its foreign brands better.


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Wednesday 09 December 2015 13:36 CET
Croatia's exports increase faster than imports
Initial data, released in early November, indicated that exports in the first nine months of the year had gone up by 10.5 per cent and imports by 5.5 per cent.
Monday 09 November 2015 13:32 CET
Exports grow 10.5% in first nine months
In the same period Croatia imported HRK 104.5 billion worth of goods, 5.5% or HRK 5.4 billion more than in the first nine months of 2014.
Friday 06 November 2015 13:18 CET
Goods exports in first 8 months of 2015 increase nearly 11 pct
According to provisional data, exports in said period totalled HRK 56.2 billion, while imports stood at HRK 92.6 billion. The export-import ratio was 60.6%.


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Capital One leveraged its designation as the Official Bank of LSU Athletics by offering fans the chance to "Rule Death Valley" for a day. The promotion, launched in August, allowed fans a chance to win an ultimate LSU Football experience that included reserved VIP parking, premium club seats, pre-game sideline access, and a chance to partake in the pe-game coin toss.
The VIP experience also included a behind-the-scenes tour of the Cox Sports Production Facilities, meet-n-greets with Athletics Director Joe Alleva, the "Voice of the Tigers" Jim Hawthorne, the LSU cheerleaders and the mascot, a Les Miles autographed football, and official LSU merchandise. The parties marketed the promotion as a way to "Stand on the Field, Watch from the Club, and Hang in the Booth".
Fans could enter for a chance to win simply by visiting any one of Capital One Bank's 176 Louisiana branches. The promotion allowed Capital One an opportunity to collect consmer data, drive traffic to brand locations throughout Louisiana, and drive awareness and buzz around the start of the 2010 LSU football season. LSU Athletics and Capital One were able utilize the promotion to generate a tremendous amount of sales leads with a unique prize package that in reality had a pretty low cost of prizing elements involved.
Check out some marketing elements supporting the promotion below:
A special thanks to Chris Kosmala of LSU Athletics for his insights and contributions to this column. Congratulations on implementing such a successful promotion!


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“We may see dry grocery and consumables start to deflate in the coming weeks and months,” McMillon said. Walmart could enter “a deflationary environment.” Walmart is the largest retailer in the United States, and groceries make up more than half of its sales.
The pace of food inflation has slowed in recent months, but food prices are mostly still going up.
Food prices rose 3.3% annually in October from a year ago, according to the latest reading from the Labor Department. But prices on some staples such as bacon, seafood and eggs have dropped.
Prices on appliances, phones, airline tickets and toys have all dropped, according to the Labor Department.
Deflation would be welcome news for shoppers because it means lower prices. But it could be dangerous for the economy.
Falling prices can indicate weak demand, and consumer spending is a big portion of the economy.
If you think prices will go down in the future, you may delay making a lot of purchases today. When many people start to think that way, people spend a lot less money. That causes employers to lay off workers and can put an economy into a recession.
It’s also a lot harder for central banks to get an economy to grow if it slips into a period of deflation versus inflation. The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates to cool the economy down.
Japan infamously had a period dubbed “the lost decade” from 1991 to 2001, when its economy continued to shrink as it experienced deflation. It took subsequent decades of stimulative measures to reintroduce inflation to help grow the economy.
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