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HERNDON, Virginia (MarketWatch) -- Volkswagen AG (VOW.XE) expects to gain market share in the U.S. this year and could add a large sports-utility-vehicle above the Touareg model to its lineup as part of its ambitious expansion plan in North America.
"Around 60% of the trade-ins for our new Jetta come from other brands ... including Nissan and Ford," Volkswagen's U.S. chief Jonathan Browning told reporters on Sunday during a press briefing at its U.S. headquarters ahead of the North American International Auto Show. He described Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO), Honda Motor Co. (7201.TO) and Hyundai Motor Corp. (005380.SE) as main competitors for VW in the U.S.
The German automaker last year launched a new version of the Jetta, its best-selling vehicle in the U.S., and expects the new car to foster sales growth in coming months as part of its effort to turn around its loss-making North American operations.
Browning said during an evening event late Saturday in Washington that the new-midsize sedan, which will be presented for the first time Sunday evening at the auto show in Detroit, could account for roughly the same annual sales volume as the Jetta in coming years. He said he also sees further sales growth potential in the U.S., particularly for the Golf hatchback and the small Tiguan SUV. He added that a larger SUV with three row of seats above the Touareg could be a promising addition to the brand's U.S. lineup to attract a broader range of customers.
The VW brand posted a 20% sales rise year-on-year in the U.S. 2010 to 256,830 cars, compared with a 23% increase at the company's Audi premium brand to 101,629 cars. Volkswagen's total market share in the U.S. edged up to 3.1% last year from 2.9% in 2009.
Browning said sales are expected to come in around 300,000 vehicles at the VW brand and around 100,000 at the Audi brand in the U.S. this year. Asked whether this indicates flat sales at Audi in the U.S. this year, he noted that the company does expect to grow in 2011, but declined to elaborate on specific sales targets for 2011.
He reiterated, however, Volkswagen's long-term target of boosting U.S. sales volume to 1 million vehicles by 2018, with the Audi brand accounting for 200,000 cars.
"Volkswagen and Audi will become leading brands in the USA ... It's not a dream. It's a plan," Volkswagen's sales chief Christian Klingler told reporters last year.
Growth in the fiercely competitive U.S. market is crucial for Volkswagen's ambitious global expansion plan, which includes overtaking Japanese auto behemoth Toyota as the world's largest auto maker.
Volkswagen emerged relatively unscathed from the dramatic industry slump in 2009, due mainly to a large presence in China and a strong foothold in Brazil. Additionally, sales on in German market were supported by state-backed scrapping incentives during the economic downturn.
But Volkswagen's turnaround efforts in the U.S. have proved to be an uphill battle in recent years and market share remained relatively small, leading the company to boost investments.
Chief Financial Officer Hans Dieter Poetsch said last year the company's U.S. unit might not be profitable again until 2013. Browning said late Saturday this target remains unchanged.
Volkswagen is building a new plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., for the production of a mid-sized sedan, which will hit showrooms later this year, with annual production capacity of 150,000 cars.
VW is investing up to $1 billion in the plant and creating about 2,000 jobs in Chattanooga. Volkswagen closed its last U.S. plant in Westmoreland, Pa., in 1988 due to under-utilization amid sluggish sales.
The company is also building a new engine plant in central Mexico with an investment of EUR400 million to supply its car-production plants in North America starting in 2013.
The new facility in its first phase will have an annual production capacity of 330,000 engines and will supply the assembly plants in Chattanooga and Puebla, Mexico.
Ramping up local production and purchasing is crucial for Volkswagen's turnaround plan in North America, because it will reduce the automaker's exposure to unfavorable currency fluctuations, which have been a major concern in recent years for many global automakers.


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As wrap up to a productive 2021 the team at Tochtech Technologies would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support and business.
2021 has been an exceedingly busy year for us as we built on a number of the initiatives and plans from 2020. The one word that defines 2021 at Tochtech has been expansion: reach, product, and geography.
Our Toch Sleepsense bed sensor continues to gain much attention and further validation with pilot projects in Canada, Australia, China and more recently the UK. This product also gained much recognition during our winning Village MD product pitch that was delivered in Las Vegas recently. 2021 has also seen Tochtech as the technology partner with two significant research projects being carried out by researches from UBC, Carleton University, Breyere and University of Ottawa. Tochie and Toch Sleepsense are the two solutions powering these research projects that are focus on improving senior care.
From a product expansion perspective, the technical teams at Tochtech have been busy enhancing our award-winning Toch Sleepsense bed sensor ensuring it remains ahead of its competitors. Earlier this month we also launched our new Sleepsense Night Safety Package which integrates Sleepsense with smart lights offering a unique night safety feature for seniors. And just this week Tochtech in conjunction with Dr. Colleen Carney and her doze team launched the new doze mobile app for teens. Yes, we have been busy!
2021 has seen our business growth with our partners in Australia, New Zealand and China but also expand through new partnerships in the UK, Newfoundland and Thailand. We have also expanded our retail presence through partnerships with senior care consultants and providers as well as retailers Best Buy and Amazon.
As we look to 2022 and building on the solid foundation of this year, the team at Tochtech wish you a very Happy Holiday Season!
The Tochtech Team

domain: news


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The new 83,000-square-foot building, designed by St. Paul-based Wold Architects and Engineers, will have 30 classrooms, a 6,900-square-foot gymnasium, 3,550 square feet of lab space, and a 3,700-square-foot media center.Read More »
Tag Archives: Lund Food Holdings Inc.
Roundy’s Inc. has entered into a $65 million agreement to sell 18 Rainbow stores around the Twin Cities, leaving an uncertain future for nine other locations.Read More »
St. Louis Park-based Anderson Companies has started site work for the construction of a new Byerly’s grocery store along France Avenue South in Edina.Read More »
Dan Iversen paid $1.49 million for a bank-owned Lake Minnetonka property he has christened Metro Lakes Marina & Rentals.Read More »
The latest market report from Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq reported negative absorption of 110,610 square feet for the first six months of the year.Read More »
Seven years after buying a downtown Minneapolis site, Edina-based Lund Food Holdings Inc. is weeks away from opening a new Lunds grocery store at 1201 Hennepin Ave.Read More »
The grocer submitted plans to the city on Wednesday calling for a new 51,800-square-foot store to replace the existing store at 7171 France Ave. S. in Edina, an additional 19,000-square-foot retail building and a total of 163 units of market-rate apartments above both buildings.Read More »


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On Tuesday, April 26, the University Innovation Fellows wrapped up their Entrepreneurship Boot Camp: a four week long crash course focused on starting your own business.
This final session focused on building and pitching a business plan. The session was led by Dennis Encarnation from WiseLabs in Schenectady: a community of scientists, engineers and businessmen who help develop businesses in the Capital Region.
Carol Maxwell, the CEO of MicrOrganic Technologies, spent the session walking 25 students through the business plan that she had pitched to the Eastern New York Angel Investors, represented by their CFO Kevin O’Leary.
The students gained valuable insight from many different perspectives within the startup industry. Maxwell showed the students how she successfully presented her business to receive funding. Maxwell also taught students how to answer important questions about a company’s profitability, marketability, and more.
Her focuses included the attitude of the company, noting that it is important for a business startup to “act like a big company from the start.” O’Leary and Encarnation provided commentary from their perspectives. The specifics of business plans were the highlight of this particular session, though since this was the final session, general advice about business wrapped up the boot camp.
The general theme was to help teach students how to find success in business. “The ones who succeed are the ones who know they’re going to fall down and know how to get back up again,” said O’Leary when asked for the key to finding this success.
The strong turnout of interested students this term provided optimism for continued success within this program, and WiseLabs hopes to continue educating Union students with a similar series in the fall.


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Nielsen has long been trusted when it comes to analytics for media such as television. The firm recently conducted a survey to find out which console consumers were most interested in. According to results from the survey, 30% of gamers are looking to purchase a PS4, 22% of gamers want the Xbox One, and 10% of gamers want the Wii U.
When asked about games on the Wii U, survey results revealed that Super Mario 3D World and Wii Fit U were the most popular wanted titles.
- NES Mini console gets new trailer, Japan gets
- Nintendo kicks off Paper Mario Color Splash a
- PS4 surpasses Wii U in lifetime sales in Japa
- Paper Mario Color Splash gets new story trail


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|By PR Newswire||
|March 21, 2014 05:54 AM EDT||
DUBLIN, Mar. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5w2ddc/india_automotive) has announced the addition of the "India Automotive Engine Oil Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018" report to their offering.
During the last decade, India witnessed a noteworthy development in the industrial sector. The increasing industrialization and commercialization along with the country's rapidly increasing population are driving the demand for vehicles. While the industrial development is adding to the demand for commercial vehicles, the increasing population is contributing to the growth of passenger car market and motorcycles. Over the last few years, the market has also witnessed a significant increase in the demand for SUVs and diesel passenger cars. The foray of low cost cars and motorcycles along with easy financing schemes are also boosting the automotive demand across sub-urban/ rural regions which in turn are generating increased demand for automotive engine oil.
According to India Automotive Engine Oil Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018, the market for automotive engine oil in India has observed tremendous growth as a result of increasing automotive sales. The automotive engine oil market revenues are expected to grow at the CAGR of 19% till 2018. As a result of rise in consumer spending, the market is also witnessing increasing demand for luxury cars and heavy built motorcycles. The engine oil companies are getting benefitted as these vehicles require synthetic engine oils which are costlier than conventional engine oils. In addition, the enforcement of strict emission norms is also pushing the demand for engine oil. Central Pollution Control Board which works under the Ministry of Environment and Forests plans to expand the coverage of Euro IV norms in 50 cities by 2015 and further intends to implement Euro VI norms by 2017. These emission norms are expected to bring an improvement in the quality of engine oils. The engine oil companies are focussing on improving their sales by setting up exclusive stores, forming tie ups with the automotive manufacturers and also by offering vehicle servicing.
The information contained in this report is based upon both primary and secondary sources. Primary research included interviews with automotive engine oil manufacturers and channel partners. Secondary research included an exhaustive search of databases such as newspapers, websites, company annual reports and proprietary databases.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Analyst Briefing
2. India Automotive Lubricants Market Overview
3. India Automotive Engine Oil Market Outlook
4. India Passenger Car Engine Oil Market Outlook
5. India Two Wheeler Engine Oil Market Outlook
6. India Commercial Vehicle Engine Oil Market Outlook
7. India Replacement Automotive Engine Oil Market Outlook
8. Distribution Analysis
9. Market Dynamics
10. Market Trends & Developments
11. Policy & Regulatory Landscape
12. India Economic Profile
13. Competitive Landscape
14. Strategic Recommendations
15. Research Methodology
- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
- Castrol India Limited
- ExxonMobil Lubricants Private Limited
- Gulf Oil Corporation Limited
- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited
- Royal Dutch Shell PLC
- Tide Water Oil Co. India Limited
- Total Oil India Limited
- Valvoline Cummins Limited
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5w2ddc/india_automotive
Media Contact: Laura Wood , +353-1-481-1716, [email protected]
WebRTC: together these advances have created a perfect storm of technologies that are disrupting and transforming classic communications models and ecosystems. In his session at WebRTC Summit, Cary Bran, VP of Innovation and New Ventures at Plantronics and PLT Labs, will provide an overview of this technological shift, including associated business and consumer communications impacts, and opportunities it may enable, complement or entirely transform.
Oct. 14, 2015 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 818
Containers are changing the security landscape for software development and deployment. As with any security solutions, security approaches that work for developers, operations personnel and security professionals is a requirement. In his session at @DevOpsSummit, Kevin Gilpin, CTO and Co-Founder of Conjur, will discuss various security considerations for container-based infrastructure and related DevOps workflows.
Oct. 14, 2015 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 331
Achim Weiss is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of ProfitBricks. In 1995, he broke off his studies to co-found the web hosting company "Schlund+Partner." The company "Schlund+Partner" later became the 1&1 web hosting product line. From 1995 to 2008, he was the technical director for several important projects: the largest web hosting platform in the world, the second largest DSL platform, a video on-demand delivery network, the largest eMail backend in Europe, and a universal billing syste...
Oct. 14, 2015 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 366
As operational failure becomes more acceptable to discuss within the software industry, the necessity for holding constructive, actionable postmortems increases. But most of what we know about postmortems from "pop culture" isn't actually relevant for the software systems we work on and within. In his session at DevOps Summit, J. Paul Reed will look at postmortem pitfalls, techniques, and tools you'll be able to take back to your own environment so they will be able to lay the foundations for h...
Oct. 13, 2015 11:15 PM EDT Reads: 253
SYS-CON Events announced today that Super Micro Computer, Inc., a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server, storage technology and green computing, will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions® for Data ...
Oct. 13, 2015 11:00 PM EDT Reads: 273
Containers are revolutionizing the way we deploy and maintain our infrastructures, but monitoring and troubleshooting in a containerized environment can still be painful and impractical. Understanding even basic resource usage is difficult - let alone tracking network connections or malicious activity. In his session at DevOps Summit, Gianluca Borello, Sr. Software Engineer at Sysdig, will cover the current state of the art for container monitoring and visibility, including pros / cons and li...
Oct. 13, 2015 11:00 PM EDT Reads: 350
Containers are all the rage among developers and web companies, but they also represent two very substantial benefits to larger organizations. First, they have the potential to dramatically accelerate the application lifecycle from software builds and testing to deployment and upgrades. Second they represent the first truly hybrid-approach to consuming infrastructure, allowing organizations to run the same workloads on any cloud, virtual machine or physical server. Together, they represent a ver...
Oct. 13, 2015 10:45 PM EDT Reads: 279
SYS-CON Events announced today the Containers & Microservices Bootcamp, being held November 3-4, 2015, in conjunction with 17th Cloud Expo, @ThingsExpo, and @DevOpsSummit at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. This is your chance to get started with the latest technology in the industry. Combined with real-world scenarios and use cases, the Containers and Microservices Bootcamp, led by Janakiram MSV, a Microsoft Regional Director, will include presentations as well as hands-on...
Oct. 13, 2015 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 230
As more intelligent IoT applications shift into gear, they’re merging into the ever-increasing traffic flow of the Internet. It won’t be long before we experience bottlenecks, as IoT traffic peaks during rush hours. Organizations that are unprepared will find themselves by the side of the road unable to cross back into the fast lane. As billions of new devices begin to communicate and exchange data – will your infrastructure be scalable enough to handle this new interconnected world?
Oct. 13, 2015 10:15 PM EDT Reads: 183
Who are you? How do you introduce yourself? Do you use a name, or do you greet a friend by the last four digits of his social security number? Assuming you don’t, why are we content to associate our identity with 10 random digits assigned by our phone company? Identity is an issue that affects everyone, but as individuals we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Ben Klang, Founder & President of Mojo Lingo, will discuss the impact of technology on identity....
Oct. 13, 2015 09:00 PM EDT Reads: 504
This week, the team assembled in NYC for @Cloud Expo 2015 and @ThingsExpo 2015. For the past four years, this has been a must-attend event for MetraTech. We were happy to once again join industry visionaries, colleagues, customers and even competitors to share and explore the ways in which the Internet of Things (IoT) will impact our industry. Over the course of the show, we discussed the types of challenges we will collectively need to solve to capitalize on the opportunity IoT presents.
Oct. 13, 2015 08:30 PM EDT Reads: 168
SYS-CON Events announced today that Spirent Communications, the leader in testing navigation and positioning systems, will exhibit at SYS-CON's @DevOpsSummit Silicon Valley, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Spirent Communications enables innovations in communications technologies that help connect people. Whether it is service provider, data centers, enterprise IT networks, mobile communications, connected vehicles or the Inte...
Oct. 13, 2015 08:00 PM EDT Reads: 280
WebRTC converts the entire network into a ubiquitous communications cloud thereby connecting anytime, anywhere through any point. In his session at WebRTC Summit,, Mark Castleman, EIR at Bell Labs and Head of Future X Labs, will discuss how the transformational nature of communications is achieved through the democratizing force of WebRTC. WebRTC is doing for voice what HTML did for web content.
Oct. 13, 2015 07:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,505
Today’s connected world is moving from devices towards things, what this means is that by using increasingly low cost sensors embedded in devices we can create many new use cases. These span across use cases in cities, vehicles, home, offices, factories, retail environments, worksites, health, logistics, and health. These use cases rely on ubiquitous connectivity and generate massive amounts of data at scale. These technologies enable new business opportunities, ways to optimize and automate, al...
Oct. 13, 2015 07:00 PM EDT Reads: 287
Through WebRTC, audio and video communications are being embedded more easily than ever into applications, helping carriers, enterprises and independent software vendors deliver greater functionality to their end users. With today’s business world increasingly focused on outcomes, users’ growing calls for ease of use, and businesses craving smarter, tighter integration, what’s the next step in delivering a richer, more immersive experience? That richer, more fully integrated experience comes ab...
Oct. 13, 2015 06:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,234


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The implications of the pandemic were felt deep and far. 2020 was a year of paradigm change, exposing the wounds caused by environmental issues, deep inequality, labour exploitation and much more. But there has been good news too, arising despite the limitations—or rising from it—that were a step closer to solutions. These promising developments, from restructuring the fashion calendar to building community, brought a wave of change. Catch up here.
Gucci announced two collections per year, and others echoed
Released via several entries from Alessandro Michele’s personal diaries over the strictest period of lockdown in Rome, the creative director announced a radical shift for the Italian fashion house. “I will abandon the worn-out ritual of seasonalities and shows to regain a new cadence, closer to my expressive call. We will meet just twice a year, to share the chapters of a new story,” he wrote in May. Meaning that, overthrowing the traditional fashion schedule, Gucci will only present two shows, cutting down from five. Saint Laurent too said that it will remove itself from the fashion calendar, instead, it will create its own. Ralph Lauren moved its fall 2020 show closer to the season, conspicuous in absence at New York Fashion Week.
Upcycling became the norm
“I am always looking for ways to reduce my waste, but the pandemic and subsequent lockdown made me go even further,” London-based menswear designer and Next In Fashion alumnus Daniel W Fletcher told Vogue India. “A lot of businesses will be looking for ways to localise their supply chains and to make their business model adapt to an increasingly digital world,” added Priya Ahluwalia, one of this year’s eight LVMH Prize finalists. While young names, including Bethany Williams and Emily Bode have championed repurposing textiles, the big leagues also took a major step towards sustainability. Coach (note the reworked 1970s bags, think Maison Margiela’s upcycled ‘Recicla’ designs and Miu Miu’s exclusive 80-piece capsule collection that was upcycled refashioned from antique pieces.
Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada became co-creative directors at Prada
Early on in 2020, it was announced that menswear designer Raf Simons, previously at Jil Sander, Christian Dior, and Calvin Klein, would join Prada as co-creative director with equal responsibilities for creative decision-making. While Miuccia Prada transformed the legendary Italian house into one of fashion’s ready-to-wear powerhouses, their collaboration was destined to reimagine the brand. Eight months later, the duo’s anticipated co-debut collection presented a new Prada uniform, of clutched statement coats, front-and-centre logos, hoodies and matching full skirts, built-in fanny packs and Swiss-cheese cutouts. “I’ve always seen it as a community that has a very specific attitude, intellect, aesthetic. The one thing that you can’t really define is what it is, but you feel it is, it exists, it’s there,” said Simons of ‘Prada-ness’.
Dries Van Noten’s open letter to adjust the current fashion calendar
On May 12, a group of luxury retailers, led by Dries Van Noten, published an online open letter to the fashion industry addressed to “adjust the seasonality and flow of both womenswear and menswear goods”. The Belgian designer and experts including CEOs to buyers and creative directors proposed realigning the timing of collection deliveries and discounts to appropriate months, moving autumn/winter back to August until January, and the spring/summer back to February until July. To which, Eva Kruse agreed by saying: “Massive discounts have decreased the value of the product and made us as consumers used to getting things at a discounted rate. When everything is discounted, you also often buy too much.”
Marcus Rashford teamed up with Burberry on a global initiative
“I’ve got a lot of belief in the young people of today. I want to support them as much as I can, just believe in them and show them that the country can be better in the future,” wrote Marcus Rashford in an open letter to his 10-year-old self. The British footballer impacted the lives of close to four million children and youth in response to the COVID-19 lockdown, by tying up with UK charities to deliver meals. His impactful campaign for youth hunger and poverty in the wake of the pandemic was born out of sheer experience as a child. Taking a step further, he joined hands with Burberry to go global—support youth organisations across the UK and world. The organisations to be impacted in the partnership include London Youth, Wide Rainbow in New York and the International Youth Foundation, which enables young entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly in Asia.
The 2021 International Woolmark Prize to focus to traceability
One of the most prestigious titles in fashion, the International Woolmark Prize has launched names like Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, Gabriela Hearst, Ruchika Sachdev of Bodice and most recently Richard Malone this year. For the 2021 edition, the six finalists have an unprecedented challenge—to work on their collections with restrictions for the most part. Using Australian merino wool entirely around the theme “Less is more”, the designers will create sustainable, traceable collections with a particular focus on how each garment fairly represents its supply chain.
Stella McCartney’s A-Z manifesto
In a moment during the lockdown, Stella McCartney began asking herself deep questions. It grew into the McCartney A to Z Manifesto, a map of all value systems that stand for the brand. ‘A for Accountable’, ‘C for Conscious’, ‘O for Organic’, and so on, arrived with the spring/summer 2021 collection, Stella McCartney Eco Impact Report for 2018/19 disclosing operational costs, emissions, waste creations and mission statements. “Having been in fashion for 20 years, I have been thinking a lot about our wider impact. How can we reduce what we produce? How can we do more with less? How can we be truly zero waste?” she explained.
Gabriela Hearst named creative director of Chloé
Gabriela Hearst was announced the new artistic director of Chloé, a week after Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s exit. The Uruguayan, based in New York designer’s appointment cements the French luxury goods house’s powerful move towards sustainability and mindful products. Hearst’s statement-making sustainability approach, where she uses deadstock materials, eco-friendly fabrics and recycled yarns whenever she can also won her CFDA’s Womenswear Designer prize this year. “Together, we share the conviction that we all have a responsibility to actively participate in the shaping of a sustainable future and look forward to jointly pushing Chloé to new heights,” affirmed Riccardo Bellini, CEO of Chloé.


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足球免费贴士:Grab unveils measures to support delivery partners
Grab has also formed a partnership with the Employees Provident Fund to ease their contribution and offer up to 10% additional incentives for those applicable欧博手机版（www.aLLbet8.vip）是欧博集团的官方网站。欧博官网开放Allbet注册、Allbe代理、Allbet电脑客户端、Allbet手机版下载等业务。
KUALA LUMPUR: Grab Malaysia says it has introduced various measures to support its delivery partners which include on-the-job protection with free personal accident coverage.
It has also formed a partnership with the Employees Provident Fund to ease their contribution and offer up to 10% additional incentives for those applicable.
“We are also assisting our partners to save on their operational expenses such as discounts on petrol, vehicle maintenance and daily necessities.
“Additionally, we have introduced multiple promotions and campaigns such as our recently launched GrabUnlimited to help our partners. The subscription pack with more than 50 different discount vouchers aims to not only increase sales for merchants but also provide more jobs for our delivery partners,” it said in a statement.
Grab clarified that there was no reduction in base fares for its delivery services.,
It said the recent concern raised by a delivery partner was due to a glitch in its system, where the rider noted a discrepancy in his earnings.
“We have since rectified the issue and have transferred the shortfall to all affected partners, and clarified the matter via our official communication channel to our partners on July 21.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused to our partners and would like to encourage our partners to reach out to us via our Facebook (account), or visit us at Grab Driver Centre and Kiosks should they have any further queries,” it said.
It also reassured all users, including consumers and merchant partners, that it remains committed to supporting its delivery partner community.
@aLLbet代理（www.aLLbetgame.vip） The ringgit, however gained significantly over the euro and British pound after the Eurozone inflation reached a new record high of 8.9 per cent year-on-year in July, the highest in 25 years.还有这样的文没


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Two-thirds of all employees approve of their CEO, according to employee review website Glassdoor. However, not all CEOs are regarded so well, and some are rated quite poorly.
To identify the most hated CEOs, 24/7 Wall St. compiled CEO ratings and employee satisfaction reviews from Glassdoor — this is not a Glassdoor commissioned report. Eddie Lampert, CEO of Sears Holdings, is the worst rated CEO.
Sears Holdings controls Sears and Kmart, two of the nation’s largest department stores. Only 23% of Kmart employees and 19% of Sears employees approve of Lampert, according to reviews on Glassdoor. Many complaints center around layoffs and stagnant wages, likely attributable to falling sales at the stores. The company’s revenue has declined substantially in recent years, from $36.2 billion in fiscal 2013 to $25.1 billion in fiscal 2015.
Lampert is likely unpopular with company shareholders too. Over the past three years, under his watch, the company’s stock price has plummeted by more than 80%.
Workers often complain in Glassdoor reviews about the out-of-touch upper management. One employee from the company’s headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, wrote: “Corporate employees are in deep denial about how bad things are and seem content to get a check and babble on about ‘transformation’.” Critics of Lampert have also chided the CEO for promising “transformation”, while by most financial measures, the company has consistently showed signs of continued decline.
Lampert has received a base salary of $1.00 in each of the past three years. Still, his total annual compensation, which comes mostly from stock awards, has been at least $4 million since 2013, peaking at $5.7 million in fiscal 2014.
The leader of one of America’s most iconic brands, Lampert is largely held accountable for being unable to stop Sears’ decline since he assumed the role of chairman in 2004 and CEO in 2013. Sears Holdings has closed or sold more than 850 Sears and Kmart locations since Lampert became CEO and has announced dozens of additional closings so far this year. The company has also slimmed its U.S. workforce by roughly 50,000 employees over the same period.
As the company’s majority shareholder, Lampert can remove himself from the role of CEO. Some finance columnists have called for his removal since 2012. Earlier this year, however, the company announced Lampert will stay on as CEO through at least 2018.
Want to read more? Click here to see the full list of the 10 most hated CEOs.


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November 19, 2019 08:33
The tuxedos that Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, wore to the Grammy Awards earlier this year will be displayed at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
The band's agency Big Hit Entertainment said Monday that the outfits will be put on display starting from Wednesday, along with ones worn by other musicians including Amy Winehouse and Kanye West.
BTS wore the tuxedos -- designed by Korean designers Baek Ji-hoon and Kim Seo-ryong -- when they presented an award at this year's ceremony in February.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com


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INOXCVA IPO Expected Before Month End, Says Group CEO Siddharth Jain
The promoters will offload 25% equity in the offer for sale.
The initial public offer of India's largest cryogenic equipment manufacturer, INOXCVA, is expected to hit the market before the month ends, said Siddharth Jain, group chief executive officer of the company.
The promoters will dilute 25% of their equity in the offer-for-sale that the company expects before the month ends, after the company's draft red herring prospectus got clearance from the Securities and Exchange Board of India on Tuesday.
"We plan to complete the IPO before the end of this month if the DRHP gets SEBI's clearance," Jain told reporters in a video conference call at their manufacturing plant in Vadodara.
Promoters Pawan Kumar Jain, Nayantara Jain, Siddharth Jain and Ishita Jain, along with four other promoters, will offer around 2.21 crore shares for sale during the IPO.
Explaining the rationale behind the IPO when the company is already cash rich, Jain said the purpose is not to raise funds but to list and increase the visibility of the company globally.
INOXCVA earns 45% of its revenue from exports and has some top names in the industry, globally, as its clients across industrial gas, foods and beverages, LNG/CNG and Cryo Scientific.
At present, INOXCVA manufactures cryogenic tankers, containers and cylinders of various sizes to transport and store the entire gaseous value chain, including helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, LNG, and ethylene.
Cryogenic refers to containing any product below minus 100 degrees Celsius.
The company supplied medical oxygen on a mass scale during Covid to meet shortages by converting industrial gases to medical oxygen. Presently, it has three operating plants, one each in Baroda, Silvasa and Kandla. A new manufacturing plant is coming up in Savali, Gujarat.
Jain did not disclose the total amount that the company will raise through the OFS, as the anchor investment and IPO pricing are still to be decided.


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By Ernst Fonternel, MTN SA’s Chief Digital Officer
The merging of the physical and virtual worlds — known colloquially as the “metaverse” — will have all but taken over by 2030, with many ‘advances’ we see today a thing of the past. As much as technology will look different and be far more immersive, however, one thing that will not change will be the desire for faster networks and better service at the touch of a button, or flash of whatever wearable virtual device or chip is on trend by then.
All applications in this future advanced world will need to incorporate virtual reality and augmented reality, with Meta already leading the charge in this direction in the hope of controlling access through innovations like headphones and glasses.
The 5G we talk about today will likely be 6G in the near future and be even more advanced by the end of the decade, providing both opportunities and challenges for mobile operators. We will need to accommodate a move to mass adoption of the Cloud and 360 degree digital landscape, and this will require constant capacity and network development. That’s why operators will need to invest to deliver world-class, immersive digital experiences across devices and platforms.
A clear benefit will be boosting financial and digital inclusion — opening the door to immense benefits, from economic to entertainment and lifestyle. But we’re still a long way off that point.
At the moment, a major concern is that despite recent advances and investments, both coverage and usage gaps are wide. The GSMA’s Mobile Economy Report 2022 says that around 450 million people globally still live in areas without access to internet services. Meanwhile, the usage gap remains unchanged and is even expanding in some markets. Nearly 3.4 billion people are not using mobile internet despite living in areas with mobile broadband coverage
But we are quickly moving in the right direction, especially at MTN, where we fight daily to open a new world of digital opportunity for all. By 2030 I believe the majority of customers will prefer self-service, and it will be imperative that all operators deliver consistently exceptional and innovative customer experiences across the channels.
By building enhanced digital platforms we can build the ideal customer experience process once and then expose this for the benefit of all other customers. Any enhancements and tweaks made to these platforms then benefit all customers without the need to retrain staff, with the benefits available immediately.
The economic benefits of all of this will be profound, driven mostly by continued expansion of the mobile ecosystem. The global economic contribution of mobile will increase by more than $400-billion by 2025, according to the GSMA. Expect this to increase even further by 2030.
For an emerging market like South Africa, the impact will be wide-ranging, filtering into remote corners of the country at much faster speeds than major cities have today. The ability to drive digital and financial inclusion is immense and it will be a game-changer for many emerging market economies.
According to the GSMAI s State of the Industry Report, 2020 saw higher levels of mobile money activity and increased use of more advanced ecosystem services, suggesting that more and more people are reaping the benefits of digital financial inclusion. With 5.2 billion mobile users worldwide, the mobile industry has the reach and innovation it will take to deepen financial inclusion and build more equitable societies by 2030.
There is little doubt that digital providers not able to deliver across the Cloud, e-commerce, fintech, and in the augmented reality universe will be left behind.
What will really be key, however, will be for regulations to keep pace with these changes. This will require ongoing engagement between government and private sector, and more speed in delivery of the rules of the game. COVID-19, which saw numerous successful initiatives between the public and private sectors take root, was a catalyst of change in this relationship and it will be imperative this continues over the next, ever-changing and sophisticated decade.
MTN SA’s early adoption of platform and digital solutions — while still being a leader in voice and data in the country — sets the company on course to be a key enabler of growth for the South African economy while playing a leading role in helping address social challenges in the new, exciting world of opportunity now on our doorstep.
Ernst Fonternel is the Chief Digital Officer at MTN South Africa. He is responsible for MTN’s digital services such as MTN Play, content services, WASPS and online marketing.


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Ford Canada Expects Lower Sales for F-150 PowerBoost
It might be controversial to suggest, but it seems likely that the all-new 2021 Ford F-150 is going to be a sales hit. While one of the biggest adds to the lineup is the 3.5-liter PowerBoost V6 hybrid, Ford Motor Company of Canada doesn’t expect its new addition to have too big an influence on F-150 sales.
Canada’s Best-Selling Vehicle: The powerful, stylish, and intelligent 2020 Ford F-150
According to Automotive News Canada, Ford sees PowerBoost hybrid versions of the 2021 F-150 as lower-volume sellers in Canada. The addition of the F-150 PowerBoost should help the truck maintain its spot as the top seller both in the segment and overall, but it likely won’t overtake conventional engine options as a favorite choice among customers.
That doesn’t mean Ford won’t push it as a top-level option for Canadians. Ford expects the PowerBoost F-150 to offer the most horsepower and torque in the segment, at least 12,000 pounds of max towing, and 700 miles of EPA-estimated range, all of which should make it plenty attractive to customers in Canada.
F-150’s built-in generator powers interest
Auto News Canada points out, however, that one of the F-150 hybrid’s standard features should make for quite the popular option. The next-generation Ford F-150 is available with a Pro Power Onboard integrated generator that will make it a must-have for worksites. This innovative add-on saves cargo room and offers the ability to charge tools, recreational equipment and vehicles, and even a whole buncha refrigerators.
“Available Pro Power On-Board allows F-150 customers to leave the generator at home and free up cargo space,” said Joe Comacchio, vehicle line manager for Ford of Canada. “Offering enough electrical energy to power 28 average refrigerators, charge a full bed of electric dirt bikes, or run an entire job site worth of tools.”
2021 Ford F-150s optioned with the 3.5-liter PowerBoost V6 get a standard 2.4-kilowatt generator and are available with a 7.2-kilowatt generator with a 240-volt 30-amp outlet mounted in the bed. A 2.0-kilowatt Pre Power Onboard generator will be available for gas engines.
More Hot New Fords: Now’s your chance to reserve the long-awaited Bronco and Bronco Sport
New 2021 F-150 should hold off Ram’s charge
With 145,064 trucks sold in 2019, the Ford F-150 was Canada’s best-selling truck and overall vehicle by far. It did, however, see an uptick in competition from the Ram 1500, which saw sales of 96,763 trucks last year. And while the difference of nearly 50,000 units seems substantial, Ford isn’t taking any chances when it comes to staying on top.
“I can’t overstate how critical the F-150 is for Ford and its dealers,” said J.D. Power Canada Power Information Network Senior Manager Robert Karwel. “It pulls in by far the lion’s share of revenue and profit and customer loyalty.”
To help the F-150 maintain that spot, Ford is rolling out several other key updates to the new 2021 model. That includes standard SYNC 4 infotainment, an optional Interior Work Surface and Tailgate Work Surface, over-the-air update capabilities, and available Max Recline Seats.
“Ford is the market leader and I think they have done a wonderful job with the updates,” added Karwel. “This truck will continue their winning formula.”


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Web search leader Google Inc. is introducing an upgraded version of its software for users to organise and find information on any computer and to share it with friends, the company said on Thursday.
Google Desktop 3 poses new challenges to Microsoft Corp.'s dominance of the way people interact with computers, but also demands users place far greater trust in Google's capacity to protect their privacy.
Google Desktop vacuums up data stored on a user's PC and makes it accessible on any other computer in regular use by the customer at home or work or even on an airplane trip, assuming users consent to storing data on Google's central computers.
In addition, Google said it is turning "Sidebar," a system introduced six months ago for viewing live updates of personal information, into a way to share quick notes, news, photos or other tidbits of data with friends or colleagues.
"This is starting to amount to a new operating system, though Google would never describe it as such," Gartner Inc. analyst Allen Weiner said. "It is going to be Microsoft's challenge to offer the same level of flexibility and power for both consumers and content creators."
Google also is opening up its mini information panels to encourage independent developers to build applications for users, borrowing a strategy first popularised by Apple Computer Inc. and Yahoo Inc., and which Microsoft plans to introduce in the next version of Windows for consumers.
These mini-programs can be shared in a few clicks with any user of Google Talk, which operates as a kind of background communications system.
Google has built 100 such "applets" so far -- from games such as online chess or tick-tack-toe to monitors for checking airline flight times or eBay auctions in progress, said Sundar Pichai, Google's director of product management.
Outside developers will be encouraged to contribute many more starting from Thursday. Customers would download these from Google's site at http://desktop.google.com/.
These instant-information panels are perfect also for small-screen mobile phones and other devices -- making good on its goal of giving access to information anywhere.
Still, Rob Helm, an analyst with "Directions on Microsoft," said that the world's largest software company had both technical and business defenses against Google.
Microsoft has far more diverse businesses than Google including not just its Windows operating system, but Office applications, server and database software and Web services. Google basically depends on advertising alone, Helm noted.
"It is a race where Google is trying to get into Microsoft's business before Microsoft cuts off Google's advertising business," Helm said.
READY OR NOT TO SEARCH
Many Google Desktop users report a shock of realisation when they become aware how much personal information about themselves is contained on their machines.
But by giving users the ability to search for text documents across their computers, Google risks angering corporate security managers who may fear the loss of corporate secrets through the openness of such systems.
Google officials said the company already offers an "enterprise" version of Google Desktop that gives network administrators control over the level of freedom users have to share files within or outside their organisations.
Individual users also have the ability to select which documents or folders are excluded from document sharing.
Another security feature allows users to lock out anyone but themselves from using Google Desktop search on their computers in order to protect PC data from prying colleagues.
Weiner said the computer industry's drive to deliver a wide array of personally relevant information to consumers on PCs, phones, TVs or in their cars increasingly demand trade-offs between personal privacy and convenience and personalization.
"Google is willing to proceed...even if a significant percentage of people will not use these features, at least immediately," Weiner said. Yahoo faces some of the same issues with its push to run its services on phones and TVs, he said.
Return to internet news headlines
View Internet News Archive


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One retailer has the lowest online prices in all categories except pet items, but another wins.
Amazon is the cheapest online retailer in the United States for the fifth year in a row, according to Profitero’s fifth annual “US Price Wars” study. The report analyzed the prices of 15,530 products in 15 categories from 12 major online retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, The Home Depot and Walmart.
Amazon had prices on average 14% cheaper than its competitors. The e-commerce giant beat 11 out of 12 retailers reviewed in each category, with online pet retailer Chewy being the only company to match its low prices across all categories (pet items).
Strengths of Amazon’s price competitiveness include the fact that it is, on average, 13% cheaper than Best Buy, Target, and Walmart for electronics; 15% cheaper than Target and Walmart for video games; and 11% cheaper than Home Depot, Macy’s, Target, and Walmart for toys and games.
However, Walmart’s prices are now, on average, less than 4% of Amazon across all categories, down one percentage point from the 2020 Price Wars study. Prices at Walmart were within 5% or less of Amazon in 13 of the 15 categories.
The discount retailer was the most competitive for beauty items, food and drink, and home furnishings, all of which were below 1% of Amazon prices. Walmart has the hardest time matching Amazon’s prices for electronics and video games, which were 9% and 13% more expensive, respectively.
As Amazon and Walmart continue to fight for the lowest prices, the study found that Target is falling even further behind. The discount was 15% more expensive than Amazon, an increase of two percentage points from 2020. Target’s online prices for cosmetics, home furnishings, vitamins and supplements, health and personal care, and food and drink were, on average, 22% higher. than those from Amazon. Target’s most competitive category was baby products, although prices were still 6% higher than Amazon.
For the third year in a row, Chewy has tied Amazon’s prices on pet food and supplies. Meanwhile, Home Depot is not far behind Walmart to keep pace with Amazon, with prices that were only 6% more expensive. The home improvement retailer was also within 4% of Amazon for home improvement tools and supplies, a drop of four percentage points from 2020, and less than 5% or less for appliances. appliances, home furniture, and sports and outdoor supplies.
“Supply issues and rising manufacturing costs will make the 2021 holiday season the most expensive ever,” said Sarah Hofstetter, President of Profitero. “We have found that online prices have increased by almost 6% since last October and for certain categories, like fashion and home furnishings, they have increased by almost 9% and 11%, respectively. The good news is, you may be able to find the right price if you shop around and know where to look. The battle between Amazon and Walmart is closer than ever, and it may depend on whether you are an Amazon Prime or Walmart + member.
Profitero monitors prices and other data on over 70 million product pages across hundreds of unique retail and mobile app sites. For this study, Profitero analyzed the online prices of 15,530 identical products across 15 categories over a 12-week period starting July 12 and ending October 3, 2021. Retailers examined include Amazon, Best Buy, Chewy, CVS, The Home Depot, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Staples, Target, Walgreens, Walmart and Wayfair, which were chosen based on online traffic, product assortment, and high level of consumer interest.
See Profitero’s full 2021 price war report here.


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timothy from the whiffs-of-ephemera dept.
eldavojohn writes "It's often assumed that representing data reaches a limit when you get to the point that an atom represents one bit in some form or fashion. But Stanford University researchers have used a quantum hologram model to store the characters 'S' and 'U' by encoding the data at a rate of 35 bits per electron."
New York... when civilization falls apart, remember, we were way ahead of you.
- David Letterman


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Not enough to delete
If you’re a business owner preparing to recycle outdated technology to replace with new equipment, you may be unaware of one small step that could cost you a fortune—and your privacy.
One of the top ways businesses can compromise their data security, and in turn breach both national and international laws and regulations, is by falling under the impression that deleting files off of a hard drive is sufficient at the end of its life.
Those Who Delete Are Doomed to Repeat
That costly mistake is what has sent several corporations and major organizations to the doghouse, including NHS Surrey, whose computers not only were failed to be wiped but also kept critical data perfectly intact on the hard drives, such as thousands of patient records. That particularly glaring incident is often referenced, but there are other cases where companies have been negligent in their post-usage data management.
Not Enough Businesses Are Wiping Their Data
In one survey conducted among IT professionals, only 34% of respondents said they wiped data from devices before recycling. This incredibly low percentage has come back to haunt many, with devices as small and innocuous as smartphones and tablets even revealing previous owners’ data and information. One of the mistakes that gets made in causing this is the failure to perform a true data wipe and instead relying on a factory reset on the phone.
It’s even more imperative to ensure hard drives and any large-scale storage or operational devices, including computers and servers, are thoroughly wiped using multi-pass software and full-scale reporting. The process, which can be completed by a certified specialist, renders the data completely unretrievable and inaccessible, meaning sensitive data remains protected once the hardware leaves the owner.
Size Doesn’t Matter
Companies that have a lot at stake are more likely to abide by this rule, although clear exceptions to this likelihood exist. An even larger risk is smaller businesses, who may not feel it’s worth the investment to hire a proper ITAD specialist and utilize data wiping software that destroys the data, because of the otherwise autonomous nature of the business. However, the investment in data security is unavoidable no matter the size of a company as data security is threatened more and more each day. Cyberattacks are spiking as windows to strike fly open every day.
Make Data Security Measures the Norm
The critical measure of destroying data with proper wiping methods will, hopefully, someday become an unquestionable norm, but until then, it’s crucial to be thorough and allow no shortcuts. Data security is no laughing matter, and it’s insufficient to simply delete the information.


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Popular messaging platform Viber has updated its Windows Phone app to bring new features and performance improvements.
Viber 4.0 for Windows Phone adds 'Seen' status that lets users know their messages have been viewed, and a 'Last online' timestamp that lets users know when contacts were last seen on Viber. Photo handling has been improved to include the ability to add description to photos and improved quality of photo thumbnails in conversation.
The app brings an enhanced notification system with users getting the ability to hide notification content, if needed. Also included are new Viber notification sounds that can be used for incoming push notifications.
There's good news for Emoji fans, with Viber 4.0 for Windows Phone bringing Emoji to emoticon translation to ensure cross platform compatibility. The update also brings the Viber sticker market to Windows Phone.
The app also includes other general improvements, including changes that make resuming and loading the app much faster. However, there's no sign of Viber Out on the Windows Phone app yet.
In December, Viber announced the launch of Viber Out, a service that lets Viber users call any mobile or landline number across the world for a fee. Viber Out was launched on Viber for Android, iPhone and desktop, with the company saying Windows Phone users will receive the feature at a later date.
Viber 4.0 for Windows Phone is now available as a free download.
What's new in version 4.0:
- Download many free and paid stickers from the Sticker Market
- Get more details like when your message has been seen and when your contacts are online
- Viber notification sounds will be used for incoming push notifications
- Ability to hide notification content
- Improved resuming and loading speed and push notification delivery


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LONDON, July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
Global sales of cachaça fell by 3.2% in 2013 to reach a record low of 79.38m cases, according to data from a new IWSR/just-drinks report.
The slip was due to the continued decline in the Brazilian domestic market, which accounts for 99% of all cachaça sales. The report, released this week, states that this is the first time in recent history that the total category has fallen below 80m cases.
The domestic market has shrunk by 18.4m cases since 2004, and fell by a further 2.6% in 2013 to 78.6m cases.
The export performance also offered scant comfort to producers of cachaça: While international sales grew by 1% to 805,000 cases in 2013, this actually represented a slowing in export growth.
Between 2008 and 2013, cachaça exports had achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7%.
On the positive side, however, cachaça's five largest export markets, Germany, Portugal, the US, France and Chile, all recorded growth in 2013. Sales in Germany increased from 277,000 cases to 285,000 cases, while sales in Portugal rose from 82,750 cases to 84,000 cases and the US saw volumes increase from 75,000 cases to 79,000 cases.
The export market that showed the strongest growth over the past five years is the US, with a CAGR between 2008 and 2013 of 5%. Germany now accounts for 35% of cachaça exports, followed by Portugal with 10.3%. The US and France each account for 9.7%.
Established in 1999, just-drinks is the online resource for the global beverage industry, publishing around 20 news articles, analysis features and insights every working day. Under the direction of managing editor Olly Wehring, its experienced team of journalists, consultants and analysts provide a unique and comprehensive blend of reports and interpretation of the beverage industry, including key events, trends, interviews and research that are delivered to over 92,000 business executives per month.
Through its drinks industry analysis, research, news and CONSULT bespoke market research service, just-drinks offers insight into wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, and bottled water industry developments and key supply-chain trends.
For details of how just-drinks is helping decision makers make decisions, visit http://www.just-drinks.com
About The IWSR
The IWSR is the leading source of analysis on the alcoholic beverage market. The IWSR's database, essential to the industry, quantifies the global market of wine, spirits, beer and RTDs by volume and value, and provides insight into short- and long-term trends. Our data is used by all of the largest multinational wine and spirits companies, as well as many more local companies.
The IWSR's unique methodology allows us to get closer to what is actually consumed and better understand how markets work. The IWSR conducts face-to-face interviews with 1,500 companies in 118 countries each year, with further input from 350 companies. The IWSR tracks overall consumption and trends at brand, quality and category level.
For further information and images please contact John Newton, Public Relations at Aroq Limited on +44(0)1527-573-734, email firstname.lastname@example.org
SOURCE just-drinks.com and IWSR


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Video - Elaine Willcox with Melissa Johns and Andy Duffy at 53two
This is a Christmas Advert, heartwarming and beautiful, which is selling a powerful message to the big retailers.
It's the third year in a row that disabled creatives, led by two of our favourite actors, have come together to showcase their work and challenge advertisers to follow their lead.
They are now starting to see some progress but say much more needs to be done to better reflect society.
Every year, the festive period begins with the retail 'big guns' producing multi million pound Christmas ads, and they are more representative but there is still a distinct lack of disabled actors.
This year's ad features Sophie Potter who has Down Syndrome and is the muse for the play 'SOPHIE', to be performed in London in February.
In the ad, premiered at 53two Theatre, Sophie takes the lead role and isn't seen as the person being cared for - which is how TV roles for disabled characters are often portrayed.
The theme of this year's ad focuses on 'finding your voice' with disabled creatives on screen and part of the production team behind the camera.
This year, TripleC have once again team up with Manchester's new Arts Hub and Theatre space, 53two to produce the ads after Melissa Johns had a Twitter conversation about the lack of diversity on our screens.
This year's Christmas ad, had financial backing by ITV where Diversity and Inclusion are the broadcaster's key commitments both on and off screen.
'Time for Santa' was written by writer Andy Duffy who says the work of TripleC and 53two’s Christmas ad to promote inclusivity and diversity has 'literally changed my life.’
He pitched an ad that will pull on your heart strings whilst sprinkling a little bit of Christmas magic.
Last year’s advert had hit over 100,000 thousand views by Christmas Day as people watched Amelia Eldred take on the role of a young disabled dancer, desperate to save Christmas for her dad.
TripleC's mission is to drive up the role of Deaf and Disabled people in the arts.
It created the Disabled Artists Networking Community, (DANC) to work with the creative industries and disabled artists to increase representation and employment of disabled talent.
Its Creative Leads are Cherylee Houston, who plays Izzy Armstrong in Coronation Street and Melissa Johns from BBC’s LIFE, ITV’s Grantchester.
Simon Naylor, 53two Creative Director says 'this year some of the production team have a learning disability and this ad ensures inclusivity extends throughout.'
After a difficult period for the arts as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, 53two and TripleC say they hope to deliver some much-needed joy into people’s homes this Christmas and bring some unity and positivity to what we hope will be the first proper festive holiday time for two years.


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Google Cardboard is without a doubt the most accessible VR experience for most. And now, the Cardboard Camera 3D panorama-making app is finally available on iOS as well.
Google doesn’t have a problem helping non-Android users. On the contrary, it is giving another attempt at enhancing image capture on iOS devices. Cardboard Camera for iOS finally brings the proprietary 3D image capturing knowledge of Google, to iPhone owners. And I, for one, am very thankful.
With Cardboard Camera you can capture new panoramic 3D images without a special camera. And not only that. Google is making it easier for you to share those 360-degree panoramas you made. Simply choose the images you want to share, to make a photo album, and hit the share button to get the shareable link. Your friends will then be able to view your panoramas with Google Cardboard.
Get it now on the Apple Store: Carboard Camera
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At the release of the National Competitiveness Report, the Director of DNP said: “We saw imports of basic food items increase from one million tonnes to 15 million tonnes…the increasingly appalling handling of oil and coal… prompted us to destroy the agricultural system of the country…”.
Even though it was not clear whether the destruction of agriculture was a result of imports and/or the bonanza, it can be assumed that it is due to the former, as the bonanza was also caused by the prices of agricultural products. Furthermore, blaming imports is in line with the food sovereignty hypothesis, which President Petro subscribes to.
The need for profound changes to bring agriculture out of the backwardness is obvious. But, according to Dane, the agriculture sector generated 5.9% of GDP this year; More than construction (4.8%), the financial sector (4.8%), mining (3.9%) and communications (3.2%), and none of them have been destroyed. Moreover, this contribution is higher than that of Mexico (3.4%), Brazil (5.2%) and Chile (3.3%), which are major exporters of agricultural products.
The agriculture sector contributes 14.7% of national employment so far this year and is only ahead of commerce (18.1%). This contribution is much higher than that seen in the above countries.
Imports from the agricultural sector (WTO) in 2021 were 13.8 million tonnes. The first thing to note is that they are not just “basic foods”; There are many raw materials that are used to produce inputs for agricultural activity; For example, the preparation of soybean cake and the manufacture of animal feed.
secondly, 10 products represented 83.8% of the total volume; Maize, wheat and barley were 60.2%. In corn, national production has continued to increase; But import substitution, as proposed by the agriculture minister, implies tripling yields per hectare to replace 67% of imports, which are supplied by the United States. The alternative is to raise meat prices, to use only domestic corn in the production of concentrated feed.
Third, wheat and barley imports account for practically 100% of national consumption, as they are typical products of temperate regions and not of the tropics. They could be sown in the country; But since productivity would be much lower, consumers would have to pay for bread and beer at a much higher price than today.
The Director of DNP is a prominent academician and a great connoisseur of the country’s problems. That’s why you shouldn’t catch it from your colleagues, who go on trial without evaluating the possible negative consequences for the country and the government.
Hernan Avendano Cruz
Fascolda’s director of economic studies


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The natural fatty acids present in coconut oil are more effective at repelling biting flies, ticks, and other pest arthropods than the harsh chemical DEET, according to a new study headed by the US Department of Agriculture.
Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers explain that they were motivated to look into new plant-based insect repellents by the increasing safety regulations and public concern over DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide). Developed in 1944, DEET has been the most widely used repellent in the decades since. However, DEET-based products can lead to skin irritation and have been linked to seizures and toxicity in children and pregnant women.
As to the plant-based repellent products already available, many are quite effective – after all, they are composed of extracts or synthetic versions of extracts from plants that people all over the world have been using, in less high-tech preparations, as repellents for thousands of years. But unfortunately, most of these work for less than 2-4 hours after application.
After characterizing all the different fatty acids present in coconut oil, the team grouped the molecules according to the length of their carbon chains. In a series of laboratory-based tests, medium-chain-length fatty acids with eight to 12 carbons were found to be potent against two types of biting flies – stable flies and horn flies – and bed bugs. At least 90 percent of these bugs were deterred for a full two weeks after application to cloth or paper elements put inside the insect enclosures. In contrast, a 10 percent DEET product began to lose its effect against bed bugs by day three.
The compounds also repelled lone star and brown dog ticks for at least one week. Tests with yellow fever Aedes aegypti mosquitos also showed an impressive rate of deterrence (93 percent), but the fatty acids needed to be applied at a higher concentration than for the other arthropods. Overall, preparations of medium-chain fatty acids were better than DEET preparations of the same concentration for both types of flies and bed bugs, and were equally effective for ticks. They were also matched at high concentrations for mosquitos.
Next, the team confirmed the real-world benefit of coconut fatty acids during field tests with cows.
“An aqueous starch-based formulation containing natural coconut fatty acids was also prepared and shown to protect pastured cattle from biting flies up to 96-hours in the hot summer, which, to our knowledge, is the longest protection provided by a natural repellent product studied to date,” they wrote. “[C]atnip oil, the best natural product repellent identified against biting flies so far, has less than 24-h of residual activity.”
It must be noted that although this paper may seem like a ringing endorsement of yet another use for coconut oil (seriously, it is now recommended for everything from teeth cleaning to personal lubricant), the unadulterated, whole form of the oil did nothing to deter biting flies. What would happen if one rubbed themselves down with the medium-chain (MCT)-only coconut oil already available in stores remains to be seen. At-home science experiments aside, it seems like we will all be eagerly awaiting follow-up research and the development of safe new products.


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Pizza parlour approved for outdoor dining
Amore Pizza received approval for an expansion of its Main Street location, which includes an outdoor dining area covered with a pergola.
According to a report from staff, “the objective … is to provide an attractive, comfortable, safe environment for pedestrians while maintaining and enhancing the appearance of the downtown area by establishing a consistently high standard for development. The proposed development meets the intent. …
“Staff consider that the design … will be a welcome addition to a vacant site in a high-profile area.”
Pot business gets still more competitive
The cannabis retail scene in Oliver continues to become more crowded as council lent its support to another Main Street pot store application.
Interior Cannabis will take the support letter to the BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LRCB) to seek a licence for its 6341 Main Street location between Casa Luna and Auntie Ag’s Seafood.
The store will enter a town market that already includes two operating outlets – Bluewater at 6341 Main and Higher Path at 5859 Main.
Another company, Tumbleweedz, is seeking its licence from the LCRB. And there remains the possibility that the province will open a government pot store.
Irrigation start-up set for April 14
Tuesday, April 14 is the start date for the Oliver agricultural irrigation system.
Operations director Shawn Goodsell told council Monday his team hopes to begin diverting water from the canal on April 6, allowing for a system turn-on eight days later.
He said operations staff are watching the weather, hopeful they will be able to complete maintenance and restoration on a 300-metre section of the ditch.
He said “spray fill” water will be available ahead of the opening day for those who may need it.
Grice OK’d for $2,500 to attend Ottawa conference
Council approved a $2,500 addition to its travel and expense budget to allow Councillor Aimee Grice to attend the Federation of Canadian Municipalities convention this June in Ottawa.
At a meeting in January, council voted to reduce the travel budget to reflect that only Mayor Martin Johansen would be attending the event.
Subsequently, Grice decided she wanted to attend and asked council to allocate the money for her to go.


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How has the UK’s media consumption changed since lock-down began?
It’s been almost two months since our first blog about how the coronavirus has affected the UK advertising industry, so we thought it was a good moment to take a look at how things stand in May 2020.
Across the major channels, television viewing has grown massively since lock-down was introduced in the UK. Sky viewing has increased by 24%, taking the average time spent watching TV per day to 3 hours 40 minutes, that’s an increase of 5 hours per week since lockdown began.
Younger audiences have seen the biggest increases in television viewing, 16-24 year olds were watching 57% more TV now than they were this time last year.
Unsurprisingly, as more of us are at home, daytime viewing has increased by 39%.
Viewers are tuning into the news and light entertainment more than any other genre. Gordon, Gino and Fred: American Road Trip concluded with 4.0m viewers, which was up 1.4 million viewers compared to the slot last year.
Video on Demand
ITV Hub has seen viewing hours increase by 82%, with catch-up viewing across drama up 26% year on year. Sky On Demand was also up by 52%.
Likewise, All 4 achieved its highest number of quarterly views ever across Q1 of 2020. This record breaking period includes All 4’s biggest ever month, week and day of viewing in March, with viewing up 37% year on year.
Video on demand platforms also remain popular with a younger audience, viewing was up 30% among 16-34 year olds, with almost 80% of all 16-34s registered with All 4 in the UK.
From our previous blogs it should come as no surprise that radio continues to perform well.
Commercial radio industry body Radiocentre found that 38% of commercial radio listeners are tuning in for an extra hour and 45 minutes each day, hitting an average of 26 hours a week compared with 14 hours a week prior.
Bauer’s radio network’s average reach also up a quarter and listening hours up by almost a fifth, as was Global’s.
Streaming on platforms like Spotify have seen subscribers increase, in Q1 of 2020 Spotify saw a rise of 31% year on year.
While usage in cars, wearables (e.g. smart watches) and web platforms dropped last quarter, Spotify said that its TV and game console audience has grown in excess of 50% over the same period.
Outdoor and transport
Unsurprisingly, outdoor and transport advertising continue to see low levels of reach and footfall as people stay indoors and avoid public transport.
Looking to the future, it may take some time for reach and footfall figures to reach pre-lock-down levels as capacity restrictions are introduced and commuters are encouraged to cycle or walk to work.
Keep an eye on our blog and social media for more updates on the advertising sector.
If you need advice on planning future marketing campaigns, get in touch with our friendly team today at [email protected].
Tags: marketing, advertising, change, updates, advice, UK, United Kingdom advertising, industry, UK advertising industry, WARC, ITV, Sky, All 4, radio, Bauer, Global, Spotify, streaming.
What do you think?
Santander’s most recent marketing campaign sees them pair with TV duo Ant & Dec, but does the partnership reflect the brand?
The campaign sees the pair ‘rip off’ Santander’s branding and values, to create their own bank ‘Antanddec.’ Placed on TV, cinema, OOH, print, social, digital display and radio, the campaign has been created by Engine, directed by Declan Lowney at Another Film Company, has been planned by Carat.
Why Ant & Dec?
Chief Creative Officer for Engine, Billy Faithfull, said “When it’s thrown into conversation that Ant & Dec sounds a bit like Santander you can’t ignore that, it’s an absolute gift.”
“It was one of those ideas that you keep parking for good reason, but keeps coming back, more powerful than before. And the more we let it back in the room, the more funny, famous and memorable it became. Nothing else stood a chance.”
The campaign will utilise the bank’s comprehensive research into its customers to help bring to life the products and services that answer genuine customer needs. While using the comical bank of ‘Antandec’ and its less practical product solutions, as a counterpoint.
Research has also shown that “ads that use creativity in the form of brand characters or motifs are better at eliciting an emotional response and boosting brand recognition.”
But, do these reasons mean that it works?
Does it work?
Billy Faithfull, chief creative officer, Engine, added: “In the search for a little magic, you have to give every idea a chance to shine. Even the silliest of ideas should be taken seriously.”
But is Santander a ‘silly’ brand, and considering it’s products, should it want to be considered as such? On the other hand, does financial marketing need to be bland and serious?
Finding a balance
Digital bank, Monzo, recently begun their first major marketing push, and we think their campaign manages to find a good balance between being humorous and light-hearted, while still being informational.
At 30 seconds long, we learn that Monzo can;
- Make our holiday money easier (no more notes!)
- You can talk to a real person 24/7
- You can use their app to set up a ‘Savings Pot’
Monzo’s other videos follow the same theme, and we feel like the balance works. They come across as fun, easy to use, yet still trustworthy.
But, when you compare that example to the Santander advert, the balance is less clear.
The advert is 90 seconds long (a whole minute longer than Monzo’s) and yet only 7 seconds of that are about Santander, and what they do.
From Santander’s advert, we learn that;
- Ant & Dec have always wanted to go into banking (?)
- They’re going to send out bricks (??)
- Buy less coffee, have a shorter mortgage (???)
- Santander have a service called a ‘Mortgage Over-payment Calculator’
The balance between humour and information is way off, and the most important feature, is left as an after-thought. We’re not even told how to get more information about it (online, in branch, telephone…)
Monzo shows that banks can find the balance; an advert which is informational without being stuffy or boring. But for Santander, it feels as though they’ve gone too far in the wrong direction.
Perhaps Santander’s campaign would have worked better a few years ago. Recently, Ant & Dec’s ‘nation’s sweethearts’ image has been tarnished by Ant’s drunk driving conviction and stories that the duo almost split.
What do you think about Santander’s latest campaign?
Sources: https://www.moreaboutadvertising.com/2019/06/ant-and-dec-launch-their-own-bank-in-santanders-mockumentary-ad-campaign/ , https://www.mortgageintroducer.com/ant-dec-brand-ambassadors-santander-uk/#.XQojlBZKjIU , https://themediaangel.co.uk/2018/10/15/study-links-long-term-growth-to-brand-characters/ , https://www.marketingweek.com/2019/03/20/monzo-first-ad-campaign/ , https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/apr/16/ant-mcpartlin-pleads-guilty-drink-driving , https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a25987106/ant-mcpartlin-declan-donnelly-anger-drink-driving-arrest/
UK Adspend looking positive despite Brexit gloom
Adspend in the UK is forecast to grow for the eighth successive year in 2017, with predicted growth up from 5.8% to 7.2%, according to the latest figures from the WPP media agency group.
Upgraded growth forecasted for Group M this year – up from 6.3% to 7.2% for 2016.
Traditional media advertising spend is predicted to fall from -1.1% to -2.6% for 2016 and from +0.5% to -1.4% in 2017
TV ad spend is expected to be down 0.1% this year and up 1.0% in 2017.
A growth in cinema advertising is expected by 1% in 2016 and by 3.4% in 2017 following a huge increase of 21.5% in 2015.
Pure-play digital ad market share has risen to 52% this year and is predicted to grow up to 55% next year.
A 15% rise in digital display demand is likely for next year, with paid search accelerating and remaining the largest driver of growth.
Are you undecided on the best channels to suit your marketing objectives? Contact our friendly team on 02921 320 200 or email [email protected] for award-winning media planning and buying advice.
Marketers report increased adspend despite falling confidence amid Brexit
According to the IPA’s Bellwether Report, UK marketers have “held their nerve” in the face of an uncertain business climate following the UK’s Brexit vote.
Top UK Storytelling Brands 2015
The first job of any advertising creative is to engage the audience, to attract and hold their attention, and story ads do just that. Story ads typically result in greater enjoyment and engagement than non-story ads, observed as providing greater ability to attract attention and be remembered.
In 2015, it seems tech brands are embracing and delivering more effective storytelling techniques in their advertising against many food and drink brands for the first time, according to the UK top storytelling brands survey commissioned by Aesop. The report, now in its third year surveyed the views of over 2,800 people on their views about 154 major brands.
Top Storytelling Risers and Fallers:
The usual food and drink favourites have been overtaken by tech companies that have boosted their credentials in the public’s eyes through storytelling:
- Virgin Atlantic was one of the biggest risers in the top 20, from 46th to 17th.
- Cadbury falls from second place in 2014 to 27th.
- McDonald’s tumbles from 3rd to 43th.
- Walkers from 5th to 29th.
- Coca-Cola from 6th to 39th.
Although tech giant Apple has reigned as the UK’s top storytelling brand for two consecutive years, other significant sprinters in this survey are a number of charities. Since last year…
- Macmillan Cancer Support has jumped from 9th to 2nd place.
- Cancer Research UK has leaped 16th to 10th.
- British Heart Foundation from 15th to 12th.
- Oxfam from 28th to 12th.
Social media platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube have helped these charity organisations make the top rankings, offering charities an affordable platform for spreading their inspiring stories on a precious budget. Charities are better disposed than other sectors to emotional, purposeful storytelling. Case studies and personal stories like Archie’s, used in our client Tŷ Hafan’s Legacies campaign, helped to outline the work of the hospice in an emotive and meaningful way. Executed on a small budget the campaign did exceptionally well in motivating audiences to support the charity through donations.
Archie’s story –
Does your marketing tell a story? And is the storytelling meaningful? Through investment in advertising; focusing on creativity, purpose and emotional resonance brands from all sectors can strike a chord with the public. At The Media Angel we can help you bring your brand to life and put you on the right media platforms to connect with your audience.
Get in touch with us for more information.
The battle between YouTube vs. TV
According to a report by Pixability, YouTube viewing is growing at the fastest rate ever, with watch time up 60% year on year globally.
There has been much debate over recent years over the battle between YouTube and television and what it means exactly for businesses. Some have branded ‘TV dead’ while others have said it still remains ‘the most effective and powerful medium of all time’ and continue to use it.
Global figures found in the YouTube report reveal:
- Channel subscriptions are up 47% year on year.
- Top 100 brands, are uploading a new video to YouTube every 18.5 minutes.
- The average mobile viewing session has increased by 50% to more than 40 mins.
- The number of advertisers running video ads on YouTube is up by 40%.
- Top 100 brands media spend is up by 60%.
Click here to see more YouTube stats from the Top 100 Global study – http://www.pixability.com/top-100-brands-2015/
Marketing Week recently noted while it seems YouTube is gunning for TV ad spend, in the UK, its success isn’t as rapid as the impressive Global stats above. According to Ofcom, YouTube accounts for just 3.5% of the UK’s total video consumption while TV is 81%. The gap narrows among consumers aged 16-24 – where YouTube accounts for 7.5% of video and TV accounts for 65% – by far.
TV advertising continues to grow, with UK revenue hitting a record high of £4.91bn in 2014, up 6% from the previous year, while the number of brands new or returning to TV advertising was more than 800, according to Thinkbox.
Make peace, not war and benefit from using both!
If budgets permitted, as with any large scale campaign it’s advisable to best spread your message to the relevant mediums that your target audience use, see and hear.
In fact, Thinkbox says the question shouldn’t be TV versus YouTube or online video, the IPA’s econometric study on “Advertising Effectiveness: the long and short of it” says the two complement each other extremely well.
Want to find out more on the benefits of using YouTube or television or both. Get in touch with The Media Angel to find out how your brand can be seen on a regional, national or global level.


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The idea that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus would have a sapphire display was one of the most widely reported errors leading up to the unveiling of Apple’s next gen iPhones.
But while plenty of time was spent discussing the possibility, very few people made any money through the speculation — except for Tom Gutierrez, CEO of sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies, which just filed for bankruptcy protection.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one day before Apple revealed its new iPhones wouldn’t feature sapphire screens after all, the boss of the struggling company cashed in more than 9,000 shares of GT stock for an average price of $17.38 — bringing in a total of $160,000.
Since February this year, Gutierrez has sold close to 700,000 shares in his company, valued at more than $10 million.
After Apple made its announcement about the new iPhones, shares in GT fell by 13% to $14.94. They fell again on Monday, this time by 93% to 80 cents each, after the bankruptcy announcement.
Shares in the company have more than doubled this year, based on the hype about possible sapphire screens for the iPhone 6 and a partnership with Apple.
While GT claims Gutierrez’s share sale was part of a pre-arranged share sales plan, the Wall Street Journal notes that “there was no obvious pattern to [the] sales.”
GT Advanced Technologies has claimed that, despite bankruptcy protection, it won’t be shutting down any time soon.
“We are convinced that the rehabilitative process of chapter 11 is the best way to reorganize, protect our company and provide a path to our future success,” Gutierrez said in a press release Monday. “We remain committed to our roots in innovation and our diversification strategy. We plan to continue to operate as a technology leader across our core set of businesses.”


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Sydney – Nokia and TPG Telecom today announced that they have achieved 5G connection speeds of up to 2 gigabits per second (Gbps). Using TPG Telecom’s 5G mmWave spectrum, this feat was achieved during a live demonstration at the Nokia 5G Futures Lab in Sydney, Australia.
The new Australian record for 5G uplink, which follows a number of Australian 5G speed records Nokia announced earlier in the year, will enable Nokia and customers such as TPG Telecom to provide ultra-high-performance, low-latency services to the industry. and IoT applications that rely heavily on high-speed uplink connectivity. The solution is expected to be fully deployed next year as devices that support this capability become available.
The live demonstration included a commercially available Nokia AirScale 5G mmWave base station using TPG Telecom’s 26 GHz spectrum to connect, over the air, to a 5G device powered by the Snapdragon® X65 5G Modem-RF System featuring fourth-generation Qualcomm® QTM545 mmWave antenna units. In addition, Nokia has deployed industry-leading Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology to take full advantage of available spectrum assets. The CA setup included four component carriers of 100 MHz each in the 26 GHz band.
The demonstration also leveraged Nokia’s 5G Core to provide speed, intelligence and security to test the delivery of new advanced 5G services.
Once deployed, 5G mmWave technology will create new service opportunities for both consumers and industries. For consumers, it will allow real-time multi-user ultra-high definition 8K bidirectional video streaming, and augmented reality content to smartphones or wearables for immersive experiences.
For industries, it will enable massive amounts of data to be streamed directly from embedded IoT sensors and industrial robots over 5G, allowing real-time control of industrial processes using powerful 5G-connected Edge Compute Nodes. The concept of processor offloading via 5G was also demonstrated at the event with a ‘Spot’ – a 5G-connected Robot Dog – developed in collaboration with academics at the University of Technology Sydney.
Read the full press release here.


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Hong Kong’s retail sector is expected to improve further in 2018—on the back of a bullish economic outlook both globally and in China—while the sales rebound that started in 2017 will continue for the next five years, said PwC today.
Retail sales in Hong Kong for the first 11 months of 2017 increased 1.8% over the same period in 2016, the firm said, expecting it to grow between 4% to 6% in 2018, which is about HK$465 to 480 billion, the firm added.
Given the traditional shopping spree towards year-end, the full year increase could reach 3% year-on-year, PwC forecast.
Despite some store consolidation and a retreat from main street locations, luxury goods, especially jewelry and watches, was one of the best-performing sectors in 2017 and is expected to further recover in 2018, contributing to a further improvement in the overall retail sales in Hong Kong for this year and onwards, the firm observed.
“All time high stock and real estate markets, both local and global, have created a significant wealth effect, and much improved sentiment in consumption” said Michael Cheng, Asia Pacific & Hong Kong/China Consumer Markets Leader, PwC. “In addition, tourist arrival numbers in Hong Kong, particularly from China, have been encouraging and recovering steadily in 2017 under a more stable political and social environment. “
Combined with low jobless rate and a recent weakening US Dollar against major currencies, Hong Kong’s retail sector should be recovering well in the medium term and exceed the all-time high in 2013 within the next 5 years, he added
Sector too dependent on Chinese tourists
However, the sector is still very much dependent on tourism – particularly tourists from China, PwC pointed out.
From January to November 2017, Mainland Chinese tourist numbers increased 3.6% year-on-year, compared to 3.1% for all tourists.
“A balanced mix of global and Mainland visitors can boost domestic consumption and benefit the long-term development of Hong Kong’s retail sector,” said Cheng.
The Chinese government recently slashed tariffs on 187 imported consumer goods, including wines and spirits, pharmaceuticals, and food. While PwC believes this policy will strengthen domestic consumption in China, it said that will only a modest effect on Hong Kong’s retail sector.
“Hong Kong remains the world’s freest economy, providing high quality goods under a well-established legal system that provides excellent consumer protection,” said PwC China Tax Partner Rebecca Wong. “This encourages legal imports and reduces the attractiveness of purchases made through irregular channels, thus bringing long-term benefits to both Hong Kong and the Mainland retail sectors, as well as to promote consumption upgrade in the Mainland.”
Retailers need to be disruptors
For Hong Kong and even global retailers to win over the longer term, they need to be a game changers within their industry, PwC said.
“Retailers need to transform themselves: from being disrupted to be disruptors. Embracing technology and data in order to provide unique customer experiences through diversified platforms and logistics networks are the keys to success,” Cheng advised.


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SEATTLE, Dec. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — According to a new report by Digi-Capital, “Mobile revenue will jump more than 300 percent in the next four years, hitting $700 billion in revenue by 2017.”
The vast majority of that $700 billion will be generated from mobile commerce, but how does that affect the average person or business? How can we profit from the massive growth of social networks, and mobile commerce?
The answer is Spreesy: The first ever one-step Instagram selling solution.
Spreesy is the latest startup in the social commerce revolution. With Spreesy’s patent pending system, anyone on Instagram can instantly turn their followers into customers by making Instagram posts “shoppable”. After connecting your Instagram to www.Spreesy.com, you can post on Instagram as usual. When you want to make a post “shoppable,” just include a price and quantity in the post’s caption. Now your customers can purchase by simply entering an email address in the comments section of the Spreesy-enabled Instagram post. After commenting with an email address, they checkout securely with PayPal, and you get paid instantly.
“Whether selling a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry or flipping things in your garage, Spreesy makes it easier than ever to sell on Instagram,” says co-founder Braydon Batungbacal.
“Any Instagram account can now be transformed into an easy-to-run business,” adds co-founder Spencer Costanzo. “Followers have never been so valuable.”
Spreesy is founded by two young college dropouts, Spencer Costanzo and Braydon Batungbacal, who have had success in the app space with a combined 20,000,000 app users. Spencer, 20, and Braydon, 22, are entrepreneurs who broke into the app space early in 2011, topping the charts for several years in multiple app categories from Games to Utilities.
“After spending months developing international marketplace apps for iPhone, we came across the idea of enabling selling over Instagram, and devised an efficient method of doing so that eventually became Spreesy,” says Costanzo.
Over 300 million people use Instagram monthly, and many people and business have thousands, or even millions of followers. But what are followers really worth, if all they can do is like and comment on posts? Followers can show support for a business by commenting on posts, but until now, that action has provided little direct financial benefit. Spreesy allows businesses to easily monetize their followings directly over Instagram, enabling them to capitalize on the thousands to millions of people who have already demonstrated interest in their products. Now, that interest can be transformed from a follower count to the bottom line.
“It was a difficult decision to shut down the apps that we’d worked so hard on,” says Costanzo, “but we knew that enabling commerce on Instagram was too big an opportunity to miss.”
Instagram is no longer just a social network; it is now an eCommerce marketplace. Eventually, through Spreesy, buying products over Instagram will be as commonplace as commenting or liking. Instagram’s full potential has finally been unlocked.
Turn your Instagram followers into customers with Spreesy, the first one-step Instagram selling solution.
This content was issued through the press release service at i-Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.i-newswire.com
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To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tech-startup-spreesy-transforms-instagram-into-an-ecommerce-marketplace-300014682.html


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$PERY said it has entered into an agreement with Lifestyle Essences for the distribution of children's apparel in the Philippines under the Original Penguin by Munsingwear brand through standalone Original Penguin children's stores as well as premium specialty stores. These innovative products are planned to launch in Fall 2016.
Visa ($V) set to release it earning after market close today. With new CEO resigning so close to the earnings, should we expect to see any surprises? Visa has been making strong moves with Visa Europe acquisition, partnership with PayPal and a 15% increase if quarterly dividends.
Kimberly Clark Corp ($KMB) has been in decline for most of the year, the stock has also not been getting any analyst love. Will today’s earnings break the trend? Revenue has been up and down in the last four quarters, let us see what this quarter brings.
$KMB down close to 4% after it misses on earnings and revenue. Forecasts are lower for the year.


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Mark Zuckerberg is officially richer than Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and gives more money away to charity, according to this year's Forbes 400 list.
The annual Forbes 400 list ranks the US's 400 richest businessmen and entrepreneurs, with an increasing number of tech industry luminaries on the list every year.
Value of Facebook triples
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shot up the list in recent years. He is now sitting pretty at number 35, with a personal fortune of $6.9 billion (around £4.41 billion).
Facebook is now valued at around $23 billion (around £14.7 billion), which is three times last year's estimate.
Notably, Zuckerberg is now richer than Steve Jobs, who is ranked at number 42 on this year's Forbes 400 list, with a personal fortune of a 'mere' $6.1 billion, most of which comes from his stocks in Disney, rather than Apple.
Jobs, Disney, Apple
Jobs acquired 138 million shares of Disney after selling Pixar to the company in 2006, shares which were valued at $4.4 billion for the purposes of this year's Forbes 400 listing.
In contrast, Jobs' 5.5 million shares in Apple are worth around $1.3 billion.
According to the Wall Street Journal Zuckerberg is soon to announce a $100 million donation to the Newark, NJ public school system, working closely with Newark mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to find an equivalent $100 million from other private foundations.
Jobs founded Apple in 1976. Mark Zuckerberg was born eight years later in 1984.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remains the wealthiest person in the US for the 17th year in a row, with Forbes estimating his personal fortune at $54billion (£34.5bn).
Investment guru Warren Buffet was second in the list with $45bn, closely followed by software tycoon Larry Ellison in third place.
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