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- NFTZ, a new pure-play NFT ETF, launched on December 1 from Defiance ETFs.
- The firm's investing chief highlights some of the surprising companies from the ETF with strong NFT exposure.
- She shares her views on how to play a market where "emotionally charged panic selling" is taking place.
Non-fungible tokens were the best performing crypto sector in November, as the frenzy around the metaverse drove values up by 42%, according to data from the Kraken exchange. NFT trading volume reached around $10 billion in the third quarter, surging more than 700% compared to the previous quarter.
With numbers like this, it seems almost inevitable that an NFT exchange-traded fund would launch.
The team at Defiance had been exploring the concept almost a year after becoming increasingly convinced by the research coming out on the metaverse and its multi-trillion dollar market opportunity.
"We thought to ourselves, now is a really great time to get exposure to NFTs," said Sylvia Jablonski, the chief investment officer and co-founder of Defiance ETFs.
The timing of the launch wasn't ideal, as it coincided with a volatile crash occurring in the crypto market where bitcoin dropped around 20% in price to well below $43,000. It's since recovered to around $51,000.
And with many prominent crypto investors warning that NFTs are in a bubble, there's a question around whether the crypto crash is a bad omen for the new ETF.
But Jablonski isn't concerned. She views NFTs and cryptocurrencies as two completely different types of assets and thedoesn't change the team's two core reasons for launching the exchange-traded fund.
They believe NFTs could fundamentally change how content creators will be rewarded and are excited by the community dynamics of NFTs as it creates a strong circular economy between buyers and sellers.
The volatility might even bolster the use case for NFTs, given that the drop in the value of the ethereum network's token helps lower gas fees for consumers, Jablonski said. High gas fees are an issue that's plagued the ethereum blockchain and has even prompted some creators to switch to more affordable protocols.
NFTs predominantly resonate with younger generations, so affordability is key. Jablonski highlights the ETF has anof 0.65% to make it more accessible to investors.
Under-the-radar NFT exposure
The strategy is passive. It uses an index methodology to scour a universe of stocks for companies that either create NFTs directly, or are spending significant amounts of money to invest in NFTs and generate revenue from them in the future, mainly based on public filings.
This approach has placed some interesting industry heavyweights into the ETF, Jablonski highlights some of the most surprising names:
Playboy went public earlier this year through a special purpose acquisition company. It has quickly made a name for itself in the NFT space with a popular launch, Jablonski said.
To anyone over the age of 30, Atari might appear to be little more than an old video game company, but it's shaken that image, Jablonski said.
"Now it's this company that has land in the metaverse and in that 3D environment where people can explore and live, it's all powered by blockchain," Jablonski said. "And they're going to have to have NFT's of their old consoles, of their games and they are going to have NFTs for all the land that they own."
3) Funko (FKNO)
Funko is an American company that specializes in licensing and selling pop culture collectibles. They have now branched into selling digital versions of their figurines on the WAX blockchain.
Sports betting company DraftKings makes the list because of its strategic partnership with the crypto protocol Polygon.
"I mean it remains to be seen, but it just seems like a huge amount of their money is going to this research and investment in the NFT space," Jablonski said.
The significant spending also caught the attention of legendary investor Jim Chanos who's shorting the stock.
Dolphin Entertainment has recently teamed up with FTX.US, a key player in the crypto landscape, to build out marketplaces for major sports and entertainment brands, Jablonski said.
Jablonski also sees opportunities in the market outside of NFTs as "emotionally charged panic selling" takes place.
"My sense is that a lot of people who have been on the sidelines are going to realise that these are really great deals, because the macro picture is a whole lot better than it was when we had all of that funding," Jablonski said.
"Oddly enough, the market should have been down before, it should be rising now," she added. "But it's counterintuitive, because there's uncertainty. I think it's hitting crypto like it is hitting risk assets. I think we rebound from here."
Jablonski's investing playbook isn't changing much in light of the volatility. She shares three opportunity areas:
1) Technology names with strong balance sheets
Jablonski still has conviction on the key big technology players, such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook.
"Those names are on sale," Jablonski said. "These companies have loads of cash on the balance sheet. They will be able to sustain interest rate hikes and they're well capitalized … I'm always in the camp of picking those names up when they fall."
2) Carbon neutral plays
"Green metals like copper and uranium are interesting," Jablonski said. "I love hydrogen, disclosure: we have a hydrogen ETF, but I like the idea that hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth and can be used to harness energy and essentially help us get to carbon neutral."
Now could also be a good time for investors who missed out to get in on Tesla, Jablonski said
"I think that they are the leader in electric vehicles," Jablonski said. "Everybody else is so far behind them."
3) Reopening stocks
"Good old hotels, airlines and cruise ships are getting absolutely clobbered," Jablonski said. Defiance have an ETF focused on this area with $16 million assets under management called CRUZ.


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Sears' loss could be these retailers' gain as a market share vacuum opens up. Look out, Amazon -- bricks and mortar isn't done yet.
Coffee company Keurig will soon take a controlling stake in the newly formed Keurig Dr Pepper.
Stocks of companies that go hand and hand with an economic expansion just won't quit.
Domino's Pizza CEO Patrick Doyle will be going out in style when he retires later this year. Here are his biggest thoughts about the future of fast-food before he heads off into the sunset.

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Soft2Bet rolls out festive promotion across seven casino brands
Published 13th December 2019
Nomini offers players an opportunity to test their logic with its Christmas Puzzle, where they must arrange numbers in ascending order to unlock a daily surprise.
Wazamba customers will have access to Memory Card Games where they must match pairs with holiday symbols, while players at LibraBet have to pair football players with their corresponding teams. Gifts on offer include bonuses, free spins and cash back.
Elsewhere, players at Malina Casino, BuranCasino, BoaBoa, and CampoBet will be able to access the Christmas Road, which will hide a different promotion every day in December.
Teodora Breskovska-Hall, head of casino and games at Soft2Bet, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for everyone here at Soft2Bet and it’s important to give something back to the fans of all our brands.
“We know our Christmas promotions are going to be a big hit with players and we wish them the best of luck while on the lookout for fantastic yuletide prizes.”


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The shoe industry is breathing a sigh of relief today after the Trump administration released its new tariff target list — focused on imports from China — and it does not include footwear.
“I’m so proud of the effort that footwear companies, executives, employees and FDRA staff put forward to help keep footwear off President Trump’s new tariff target list,” said Matt Priest, president and CEO of the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America, which spearheaded the shoe industry’s efforts to combat additional tariffs. “Including footwear on the list was a very real and substantial threat to footwear workers and consumers across the country, and we are very pleased that we can take a deep sigh of relief.”
The Trump administration’s list comprises about $50 billion in goods, according to the FDRA, that it plans to hit with additional 25 percent tariffs.
The FDRA noted the list does include some imported machinery used to manufacture footwear, but there are no additional tariffs on imported shoes.
When reports surfaced last month that President Donald Trump planned to impose sweeping tariffs on imports from China, 82 footwear retailers, including Nike, Wolverine Worldwide and Clarks, sent a letter to the White House expressing “strong concern.”
(The U.S. footwear industry would have been among the sectors with the most to lose should the additional tariffs have included it — since more than 71 percent of the shoes the U.S. imports are coming from China.)
“U.S. footwear imports already face astronomically high tariff rates that fall disproportionately on working-class individuals and families,” the letter stated. “While U.S. tariffs on all consumer goods average just 1.3 percent, they average 11 percent for footwear and reach rates as high as 67.5 percent. In 2017 alone, U.S. footwear companies and U.S. consumers paid nearly $3 billion in these hidden taxes. This amounts to billions upon billions of dollars paid since these tariffs were first enacted in the 1930s. U.S. footwear tariffs stifle innovation and job creation and raise the cost of shoes for every American.”
Similarly, retailers such as Walmart, Macy’s and Levi’s also sent a letter to the White House expressing concerns that new China tariffs would result in undue harm.
Nevertheless, Trump moved forward with the new tariffs, signing the order on March 22 to impose as much as $60 billion in levies against China.
Among the products included on the new tariff list are medical equipment and certain machinery and steel products.


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Two iron ore mines in Odisha accepted to be auctioned by government
The legislature has conceded the closeout of two iron mineral mines having stores of 93.87 million tons in Odisha, as indicated by a Mines Ministry report. The legislature has not given any explanation behind conceding the bartering of the mines. while the Chandiposhi iron ore block in Sundergarh, Odisha, has stores of 47.07 million tons (MT), the Purheibahal square has stores of 46.80 MT, the report said. The notice welcoming delicate for both the mines was discharged on February 23. The service is separately wanting to sell two limestone Obstructs in Chhattisgarh one month from now. Both the mines have "no closure use reservation", the service said.
The administration so far has sold 50 mines, including 23 limestone, 17 press mineral, four gold, two every one of manganese and graphite squares and one every one of bauxite and precious stone square.
From the 50 mineral squares sold so far since 2015, the administration will procure an income of Rs 1.81 lakh crore over the rent time frame. To guarantee straightforwardness in the mineral segment, Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 was passed By Parliament in 2015. In an offer to give a push to the sales, the Center had prior said it was thinking about allowing all endorsements, including natural leeway to mineral squares previously putting them available to be purchased.
The legislature had before said except if issues identified with green clearances and land rights are tended to forthright, India may not gain much ground in selling mineral squares later on.


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Many digital nomads call Thailand home, and more and more people are choosing Phuket for their so-called “workation,” using coffee shops on the island as an office. The BBC’s Thai reporters spoke to several people on the island who work remotely for companies in other countries.
For 34 year old American Andy Lee, he runs his business from a cafe in Phuket. Andy initially travelled to Thailand through the island’s pilot “sandbox” programme in August. After staying in Thailand for 45 days, he travelled to South Korea to see family and then decided to come back to Thailand for stay in the country for a longer period of time. He granted a Special Tourist Visa that would allow him to stay in Thailand for up to nine months.
He told the BBC that he loves his coffee shop-office, where he can enjoy a delicious beverage or a delicious meal while communicating with his customers in the US and elsewhere. The BBC reported that this new trend is a booming market that is rapidly expanding in the country and the Thai government is has been attempting to draw in digital nomads, particularly the wealthy, to come to Thailand to live and work remotely.
SOURCE: ASEAN Now


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As well, ADA and ether have different monetary policies. ADA’s maximum supply is set at 45 billion, of which 34 billion coins are currently in circulation, as of Nov. 9, 2022, according to CoinMarketCap.com. Ether has no “hard cap” on the number of coins.
Further, Cardano’s upcoming Alonzo Hard Fork upgrade is expected to substantially improve its functionality and attract more DeFi app developers to its network. (In blockchain technology, a hard fork is a drastic change to a network’s protocol that requires all users to upgrade to the latest version of the software.)
Avalanche is another proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain claimed to be one of the fastest smart contract platforms. Its native coin, AVAX, is the 19th-largest crypto by market cap, as of the time of writing, per CoinGecko.
Ethereum rival Avalanche is a Layer 1 (L1) blockchain that can host decentralized applications and custom blockchain networks. (Layer 1 protocols form the foundation of what can be built on top of the blockchain and how quickly transactions are processed.) As a smart contract platform, Avalanche can confirm thousands of transactions in less than a second.
Due to its cost efficiency and faster transaction speeds, Avalanche is steadily eating into Ethereum’s market share. As a result, Avalanche has been reeling in substantial funding, which it’s using to further fortify its vibrant ecosystem, as per a JPMorgan note to investors.
AVAX supply is capped at about 411 million coins, per CoinGecko, of which nearly 300 million are currently in circulation. As of early November 2022, Avalanche has USD$1.07 billion in total value locked (TVL), the overall value of crypto assets deposited in a particular DeFi protocol.
A relatively new kid on the crypto block, Polkadot (DOT) is fast gaining traction and climbing up in the crypto ranking. Launched about a year ago, it’s already the 11th-largest coin by market value, as of Nov. 9, 2022, proving its utility, technological proficiency and growing popularity.
Polkadot is a multi-chain blockchain with unique architecture that connects different blockchains into a single unified network. While its rival blockchains operate on their own, Polkadot serves as a connecting bridge between blockchain networks. Put another way, the Polkadot network works as a blockchain of blockchains.


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Wearing a helmet has not been an easy habit to instill for most electric scooter riders. Lugging a bulky helmet around doesn’t seem to fit with the free-and-easy image conveyed by this sassiest of micromobility devices. And, indeed, relatively few users don the protective headgear: One survey, from the specialized mobility insurance company Voom, claims that 80 percent of e-scooter users don’t wear a helmet consistently, and a spot-check of riders around any major city will confirm that impression.
Now Bird is encouraging helmet use by tapping into the formidable behavior-influencing power of selfie culture. The e-scooter company launched a new program, “Helmet Selfie,” to incentivize people into wearing their brain armor. Taking a helmeted self-portrait photo in the app at the end of the ride allows users to receive future ride credits.


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In Krasnodar, a new shopping and entertainment center "Horizon" will open. The complex in the Komsomolsky district of the city will be commissioned in April 2015 of the year.
A shopping complex at the intersection of Tyulyaev and Sormovskaya streets began to be built four years ago. Initially, it was assumed that the construction of the center with an area of 22 thousand square meters will be completed in the 2013 year, but the project parameters have repeatedly changed. It is planned that three cinema halls, a concert hall, children's playgrounds will be included in the entertainment function of the mall, and a winter garden will be opened on the roof of the complex.


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Chief Executive Murray Auchincloss announced on Tuesday that energy major BP will continue to expand its fuel and convenience segment and drive sales from its EV charging business over the next two years.
Gross Margin Growth in Convenience Business
During a call with analysts, Auchincloss highlighted that the gross margin for BP’s convenience business in 2023 saw a 9% year-on-year increase. This growth was driven by the roll-out of strategic convenience sites and partnerships. Strategic convenience sites are expected to play a crucial role in driving profit growth for the company. BP plans to increase the number of strategic sites to 3,000 by 2025, up from 2,850 in 2023.
Integration of Convenience Assets in North America
Auchincloss also noted that BP continues to integrate recently acquired convenience assets in North America, such as ampm, Thorntons, and TravelCenters. The company anticipates synergies and improved efficiencies as a result of these acquisitions.
EV Charging Business Expansion
BP experienced a 35% year-on-year increase in installed charge points in 2023. Furthermore, energy sold through these charge points saw a significant jump of 150% during the same period. Currently, BP has approximately 29,000 charge points globally, with plans to expand this number to 40,000 by 2025.
Focus on Four Countries for Convenience Electrification Business
BP will concentrate its efforts on its convenience electrification business in four countries: the U.S., U.K., Germany, and China. Auchincloss stated that he expects BP’s EV business to turn a profit by 2025.
Positive Outlook from UBS Analysts
UBS analysts released a note expressing confidence in BP’s success in the EV charging business. They cited factors such as the company’s existing fuel marketing sites, improved convenience offerings, and partnerships with automakers like Tesla, which would facilitate the rapid development of fast-charging networks. UBS emphasized that BP’s extensive access to land and electricity puts it in a unique position to provide chargers at a large scale.
Reporting by Frank Tang; Editing by Michael Kelly.


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FORT WORTH, TX. Chevy's newest pickup truck entered a dirt-filled infield at the Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday – and it came from above. The next-generation Silverado represents Chevrolet’s 101st year of manufacturing trucks.
The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, which will officially be introduced in Detroit in February, flew into the NASCAR stadium, suspended by a cable beneath a helicopter during an event celebrating the 100 years of Chevy Trucks.
Many in attendance were Chevy Truck Legends members, some of the brand’s most passionate owners and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr., who drove his on Chevy S-10 onto a stage in the speedway’s infield and talked about being born into a Chevrolet family.
“Our owners’ passion for Chevrolet trucks is truly humbling,” said Alan Batey, president of GM North America, and global head of Chevrolet. “Many of our owners depend on their trucks for work and play, personalize their trucks in astonishing ways and pass their loyalty for Chevy Trucks down from generation to generation.
Watch how Chevy introduced the 2019 Silverado:


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Struggling smartphone maker, blackberry, who is famous for making phones that offer productivity and security like no other is releasing an android powered smartphone called as blackberry priv. weird name for an equally weird phone. Priv stands for privacy and privilege. Samsung is reportedly providing the AMOLED display for the phone.
Blackberry priv’s screen measures at 5.4 inches and is a quad HD display with edges to the side similar to the galaxy s6 edge’s curves. The most interesting part of the phone is its keyboard. Not the onscreen keyboard but blackberry has fitted the phone with a physical keyboard that reveals itself when you slide the screen upwards. There is a professional grade camera in the back.
Blackberry has always released phones with its own software as it doesn’t trust the apps or software from other developers such as google. That is the precise reason why Sony’s executive members have used the blackberry phone when their networks were hacked to stay immune from the hackers. Such is the level of security that blackberry provides. But poor sales and declining fortunes have forces the Canadian company to think differently and it is ready to launch the priv smartphone. The cost of this devices is at a staggering $700. That’s a high end price for an android phone.
Android is a mobile operating system that has poor security track record and is a favourite among hackers and snooping agents. But blackberry touts priv as the most secure phone that it has ever made. Its DTEK app offers unprecedented security and blackberry is also replacing some services such as google location with its own custom service for added security. along with that, it also has a host of its goodies such as the blackberry messenger, productive hub and best in class software keyboard.
john chen, blackberry CEO has also stated that the priv is the last ditch effort from their company to stay afloat in the smartphone business and will exit the industry if the phone fails to make an impact on the sales and profits.
would you buy such an expensive phone with high end security features?


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Louisville, Adidas Ink Five-Year Extension James, Heat Top NBA Jersey Sales Raptors Merch Moving Quickly Crosby Reclaims Top-Selling NHL Jersey Bacardi Sponsors New NBA Lifestyle Site Nike, USATF Sign 23-Year Extension Illinois Athletics, Nike Unveil New Look Harper Stars In New Gatorade Ad Marketplace Roundup Foot Locker Ad Puts Lillard In Spotlight
Upcoming Conferences and Events
SBD/November 6, 2012/Marketing and Sponsorship
Published November 6, 2012
CLIMB ABOARD: In Sacramento, Dale Kasler in a front-page piece asked of the NBA Kings’ Sleep Train Arena naming-rights deal, “For a team trying to soothe an angry and anxious fan base, what better partner than a respected retailer known for customer service, philanthropy and deep roots in the community?” Furniture Today magazine Exec Editor David Perry said, "The prestige of the NBA is a powerful umbrella. I've got to think it's going to be good for Sleep Train ... even if it's a team that's struggling." Kasler noted the deal “will raise awareness for foster children.” Sleep Train “already holds clothing drives and donates thousands of new mattresses a year to foster kids.” Sleep Train Founder & CEO Dale Carlsen said that the Kings will “donate game tickets and stage clothing drives" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 11/5).
COURT REPORT: The AP’s Rob Harris reported sportswear company Skins is suing the Int'l Cycling Union for $2M, “claiming its brand has been damaged by backing the sport as the Lance Armstrong doping scandal unraveled.” Skins “sponsored cycling teams and riders for five years, and supplied race suits" for the U.S. cycling team at the London Games. While Skins has “never sponsored Armstrong or the UCI, it wants compensation for the reputational damage it says it has suffered by investing in a sport ‘tarnished’ by doping” (AP, 11/5).


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Pew: Youngsters monitor, manage their online reputation
Despite being in their reckless years, young adults are being far more vigilant about their online digital reputations than older generations, according to new data from Pew Research Center.
Older folk could do with taking a lesson from their younger counterparts when it comes to the digital world. New data shows that older Internet users are less inclined to manage their online reputations.
According to Pew, 71% of social networking users aged 18 to 29 have changed the privacy settings on their profile to limit what they share with others online. However, just 55% of social networking users aged 50 to 64 have done so.
Overall, Internet users are savvier about their online reputation management and the number of people who have used a search engine to look up their name and what information is being listed about them now stands at 57% compared to 47% in 2006.
"Search engines and social media sites now play a central role in building one's identity online," said Mary Madden, senior research specialist at the Internet & American Life Project and lead author of the report.
"Many users are learning and refining their approach as they go, changing privacy settings on profiles, customizing who can see certain updates and deleting unwanted information about them that appears online."
It's not just themselves that Internet users monitor. It's becoming increasingly common for people to check the reputation of others online such as those from their past (46%) and their friends (26%).
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Farmers can get actions to ease economical strain brought about by an inflationary spiral that is major to bigger fascination prices and continuing the trend of better output costs.
Those people higher prices for desire payments and inputs, however, will be offset by what numerous economists, lenders, and others forecast for commodity charges, which has risen on geopolitical distress impacting the manufacturing and global trade of agricultural commodities, adverse weather conditions at house and abroad, an raise in farm exports, and source chain blockages introduced about by the global pandemic.
Seth Meyer, the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s chief economist, says document corn and soybean manufacturing for 2022 has been predicted by the USDA, main to potential customers that rates will be reduce at harvest. Profits-centered crop coverage can assistance defend farmers from some of people reduce crop costs, he states, due to the fact it accounts for the two generate and selling price fluctuations. That can offer farmers with a risk administration instrument by taking some of the decline in farm prices out of their monetary equation.
Bigger curiosity costs will add to farmers’ price tag of generation as will better rates for fertilizer charges and other inputs, Meyer notes. “Inflationary pressures have impacted the rate of farm inputs to plant a crop you won’t be equipped to promote until finally the slide potential customers to selling price pressure on producers.”
Land Gives Inflation Hedge
Mike Boehlje, distinguished professor in the Division of Agricultural Economics and the Centre for Meals and Agricultural Business enterprise at Purdue University, says increases in the benefit of farmland have, so considerably, presented farmers with an inflation hedge.
“Assets like farmland are a single of the ideal inflation protections you can have, if the land is not remarkably leveraged,” Boehlje states. “Farmers in unique and the agricultural business as a complete are essentially in improved place than quite a few other industries to handle inflation pressures and fascination rate raises.”
While Boehlje does not foresee a return to the negative outdated days of the 1980s, he does assume to see a continuing craze of better charges for farmers. Simply because inflation has been operating at the best degree in 40 decades on an annualized foundation, he states, the Federal Reserve options to increase desire costs through the yr. “There’s no issue that farmers will see greater bank loan rates,” he provides. “If you haven’t now locked in fascination costs at the history lows where by they’ve been, you need to be significantly extra intense in doing so to keep those prices at a first rate stage.”
Use Other Tools
Other threat management tools farmers need to use include locking in favorable margins from bigger charges in the industry now, instead than likely into the fall harvest without the need of some margin safety.
“We really do not know what is heading to happen,” Boehlje cautions, “but when you have positive margins as we do now, that ought to be presented additional thing to consider than it has in the earlier.”
Also, Boehlje advises farmers to negotiate decreased fertilizer costs, if doable, and to use fertilizer as efficiently and properly as achievable. “We have far more know-how to farm smarter,” he states. “We can pull back again on some of our potassium and phosphorus if we have excess amounts of those in our soil, and we can possibly pull again 10% of our nitrogen apps and however not lose produce. We want to take a seem at how we farm and consider advantage of the technologies to farm smarter.”
Ernie Goss, chair of regional economics at Creighton University, states inflation can be good for farmers, but too a great deal inflation is not excellent for anybody.
“A tiny little bit of inflation is excellent, particularly for agriculture,” Goss says. “Inflation of 2% to 3% functions for agriculture 7% inflation doesn’t function for agriculture or just about anything else. The principal rationale it does not function for agriculture is that if it is higher than 2% to 3%, then you are pushing the Federal Reserve to raise interest premiums. The second impression is that if you have a minimal little bit of inflation, like 2.5% for agriculture, then you begin pushing the value of the dollar up and that tends to be detrimental for farm charges.”
Goss agrees with Boehlje that farmers need to lock in reduce interest premiums though they can.
Locking in decreased interest charges is even now a feasible possibility for farmers, in accordance to Glen Smith, board chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit history Administration, regulator of the Farm Credit rating System (FCS). “There are lending goods the place you can lock in premiums for the long term, depending on the product,” Smith suggests, these as farm serious estate personal loan premiums, which can be locked in for 10 years. “We’re however at traditionally very low fees and, even even though we may possibly appear up in fees, we are nonetheless near to the base.”
Smith notes that the FCS’s current market share of whole U.S. farm debt has grown by 5% in the previous 4 several years. “Some of the fast progress we noticed was for the reason that of decrease interest rates and refinancing,” Smith states. He expects the FCS’s lending volume to raise. “As enter expenses rise, farmers will require extra funding.”
Farm revenue, Smith notes, has been powerful in current yrs. “It’s been an unexpected shock right after the COVID pandemic,” he suggests. “Like lots of monetary institutions, we have been extremely anxious we could have a meltdown, but the reverse has been legitimate. In 2020, industry loss payments to farmers made up for the reduction of exports, specifically from China.
“At the exact same time, fascination charges diminished and that aided substantially to lead to the advancement of credit rating high-quality. Then, there was a turnaround in commodity selling prices so that 2020 farm earnings effects had been extremely favorable,” Smith proceeds. “The favorable costs continued in 2021, and it has seriously shored up the credit history situation.
Refinancing contributed to loan growth and financial energy in the system. As farmers’ funds improved, so did the system’s efficiency. In 2022, the better prices have taken a small bit of the bloom off the farm-income image. Inflation of inputs is very, extremely substantially a problem in the ag sector.”


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The National Lottery operator, Camelot, has enjoyed a bumper year, despite the poor state of the economy. It has increased total National Lottery sales in the year to 31 March to an all-time high of £6.97bn, an increase of 6.9 per cent on the previous year.
Camelot sales grew across the board in 2012/13, with sales of draw-based games and instant play up by a combined £452m.
Andy Duncan, managing director, of Camelot UK Lotteries, said: "With almost £2bn delivered for the good causes, over £3.6bn paid out in prizes and 365 new millionaires – that's one every single day – the National Lottery broke all records in 2012/13. Together with the stunning success of London 2012, which was only made possible because of the unique contribution of National Lottery players, we've had an extraordinary year."
Accounting for 83 per cent of all sales, shops remain the largest channel for National Lottery sales. After completing a multimillion-pound investment to expand its retail network by a further 8,000 stores as part of its initiative to deliver some £1.7bn in additional lottery funding to society by 2023, Camelot now works with over 36,700 retailers across the UK.
Since 1994, the year the National Lottery started, retailers have earned over £4.7bn in total sales commission. Overall, Camelot claims that it has now raised about £30bn for good causes during the life of the National Lottery.
However, the cost of a National Lottery ticket is set to double in September from £1 to £2. There has been no price rise in its history, but a doubling of costs could well lead to a drop-off in sales.
At the time the price rise was announced earlier this month, Camelot said that it was bringing the increase in because its research suggested that players wanted to see bigger jackpot prizes.
The company also plans to create a new Lotto raffle with at least 50 winners getting a guaranteed £20,000 in each Lotto draw. However, prizes for matching five number and bonus balls will fall. Overall, the proportion of the ticket price paid out in winnings will remain at around 50 per cent.
The Chancellor may well be the big winner from the price increase as it will swell Treasury coffers to the tune of £1bn a year, according to the analysts GBGC.Reuse content


text: Associated Press Writer Sprint PCS announced Friday that it will close five of its customer service centers, cutting an estimated 3,000 jobs. The wireless carrier cited customers' increased use of automated self-service tools. The cuts represent about 9 percent of PCS' work force and follow the layoffs of 6,000 employees and 1,500 contract workers in recent months. Sprint will keep eight customer service centers open. Centers in Atlanta, Tallahassee, Fla., and Jacksonville, Fla., will be closed April 16. The center in Lawrence, Kan., will be closed May 31 and a center in Irvine, Calif., will close June 28. Sprint spokeswoman Jennifer Walsh said Irvine will lose about 1,100 jobs, Jacksonville, Atlanta and Lawrence will lose about 500 each and Tallahassee will lose about 300. The closings will save PCS an estimated $60 million annually and help Sprint become more efficient in a highly competitive industry, said Charles E. Levine, president of Sprint's PCS division. Customers can access their accounts, pay their PCS bills, monitor air time and buy phone accessories through the company's Web site. "More and more of our customers are using automated self-service functions rather than wanting or taking the time to talk to a customer service advocate," said PCS spokesman Dan Wilinsky. "We are making progress, but we did have to make this move today to improve our competitive position and reduce our costs." Sprint is suffering through bleak times in the telecommunication industry. The company's FON and PCS divisions last week reported a combined net loss of $1.4 billion. Sprint said it will take a one-time charge of $25 million against 2002's first-quarter earnings related to the cuts. Sprint's PCS shares fell 93 cents, or 9 percent, to $9.27 on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.


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Bloomberg Pursuits looking to increase its frequency
by Chris Roush
Erik Maza of Women’s Wear Daily reports that Bloomberg Pursuits magazine is looking to increase its frequency.
Maza writes, “The move is surprising. When the title was launched in January, it did not seem clear who would read Pursuits that Bloomberg hadn’t already reached with its other magazines, including Pursuits’ sister monthly title Bloomberg Markets and Businessweek.
“Dukmejian clarified its niche: ‘This magazine’s audience doesn’t overlap with anyone’s. Businessweek is read more by the business community. Markets is read more by the financial elite.’
Pursuits was created to cater to Markets’ readers while they’re at play.
“‘We have had this remarkable audience. We wanted to give them more lifestyle edits. We are reaching among the richest, wealthiest people in the world, who are relatively young. And we’re doing it with a luxury lifestyle magazine,’ said Dukmejian.
“The magazine is sent only to subscribers of Bloomberg’s famed terminals, who pay some $20,000 for the so-called Professional Service. That’s an audience of 375,000 readers who have an average age of 44 and whose average annual household income is $490,000. An additional demographic note: 90 percent of them are men, Dukmejian said.”
Read more here.


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Apple put its newest tablet computer, the iPad Air, on sale Friday. The new device weighs nearly a third less and contains more processing power than the previous model of iPad, released a year ago. The New York Times’s Damon Darlin explains why the lighter tablet is easier to use:
Those 6.4 ounces make all the difference when, as you recline while reading or watching a movie, you conk out and the iPad falls forward to bonk you on the nose. The Air won’t hurt you the way the old iPad did.
The weight reduction and a 20 percent slimmer profile provide other benefits, too. My messenger bag strap didn’t dig into my shoulder as deeply when my iPad was in it. My hand didn’t cramp up while grasping the iPad Air for an hour while watching movies or playing games.
But is Nose Bonking Reduction enough to justify buying a new iPad if you already own one of the 170 million iPads that have been sold over the last three and a half years? And if you have never bought a tablet computer, is this the one that persuades you to fling your laptop aside like crutches at a faith healing and embrace a new era?
Some of the Air’s other features might be reason to buy a new iPad, writes Anick Jesdanun of the Associated Press:
— The Air shares the A7 processing chip found in the new iPhone 5S. Apple says it’s twice as fast as last fall’s model. The Air also comes with a companion M7 processor, which improves battery life for motion-related sensor data. The A7 processor uses a 64-bit system similar to desktops, which is mumbo-jumbo for saying that it handles large amounts of data more efficiently. This makes the Air great for games and other data-intensive apps once they are adapted to take advantage of the new chip. Only a few are right now.
— Two Wi-Fi antennas work to deliver up to twice the speed. I downloaded the pilot episode of the “Pretty Little Liars” spinoff “Ravenswood” in less than 20 minutes. It took last fall’s model 39 minutes to do the same.
— The Air adds a microphone on the back, while keeping the one on top. When recording video in a noisy room, I get better sound from the subjects and less ambient noise. There’s a second speaker grill, too, for better sound balance when held vertically, though sound still comes from one side in horizontal mode.
Apple announced its latest financial data earlier this week. Though the company took in a record $37.5 billion in revenue last quarter, investors were disappointed to see margins declining. Sales of the iPad also declined for the third consecutive quarter, which Timothy Lee writes is worrisome for Apple:
It’s the latest sign that the iPad is succumbing to the same problems that previously befell the iPhone and the Mac. Apple’s vertically-integrated product design philosophy and premium pricing helps the firm pioneer new product categories. But as the technology matures, Apple inevitably cedes the market share crown to another firm with a relatively open platform. In the 1990s, that company was Microsoft with its Windows OS. Today, it’s Google with Android. . . .
One analytics firm estimated that 34.6 million Android tablets were sold from April to June of 2013, almost double sales of 18.5 million Android tablets a year earlier and more than double Apple’s own sales of 14.6 million iPads during the same period. Apple may comfortably beat last year’s holiday record of 22 million iPads in the coming holiday season, but that won’t be nearly enough to erase Android’s market share gains over the last year.
The iPad Air starts at $499.


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Nicolet Bankshares Inc. cut its position in FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) by 2.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,452 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock after selling 30 shares during the period. Nicolet Bankshares Inc.’s holdings in FedEx Corp. were worth $220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in FDX. Sun Life Financial INC purchased a new position in shares of FedEx Corp. during the first quarter worth approximately $52,233,000. Invictus RG purchased a new position in shares of FedEx Corp. during the first quarter worth approximately $161,000. Financial Architects Inc increased its position in shares of FedEx Corp. by 56.2% in the second quarter. Financial Architects Inc now owns 1,465 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Capital Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of FedEx Corp. during the second quarter worth approximately $233,000. Finally, Atria Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of FedEx Corp. during the second quarter worth approximately $241,000. 73.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) traded down 0.08% on Monday, reaching $170.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,051,540 shares. The company’s 50-day moving average is $168.72 and its 200-day moving average is $163.66. The company has a market capitalization of $45.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.55 and a beta of 1.28. FedEx Corp. has a 52-week low of $119.71 and a 52-week high of $177.36.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 20th. The shipping service provider reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter. FedEx Corp. had a return on equity of 21.65% and a net margin of 3.49%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.42 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that FedEx Corp. will post $12.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 12th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 8th. FedEx Corp.’s payout ratio is currently 23.99%.
A number of equities analysts have commented on FDX shares. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of FedEx Corp. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 1st. Cowen and Company restated a “market perform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of FedEx Corp. in a report on Sunday, July 31st. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of FedEx Corp. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 23rd. Vetr downgraded shares of FedEx Corp. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $179.94 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays PLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of FedEx Corp. in a report on Monday, September 19th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $176.59.
In related news, EVP Robert B. Carter sold 24,784 shares of FedEx Corp. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.95, for a total value of $4,385,528.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,183 shares in the company, valued at $12,064,981.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Robert B. Carter sold 5,000 shares of FedEx Corp. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.51, for a total value of $822,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 53,399 shares in the company, valued at $8,784,669.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 8.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corporation (FedEx) provides a portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services through companies competing collectively, operating independently and managed collaboratively, under the FedEx brand. The Company’s segments include FedEx Express, TNT Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Services.
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FDX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX).
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Salesforce and NBCUniversal Launch New Branded Series, "The Shift"
First-of-its-kind series focuses on businesses scaling their digital presence in response to changing consumer demands
"The Shift" premieres Sept. 17 on CNBC, will stream exclusively on CNBC.com, Peacock, and Salesforce+
Launched in Aug. 2021, Salesforce+ has reached 5 million global viewers across 17 live events and 15 original series
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) and NBCUniversal today introduced "The Shift," a new branded video series showing how seven high-growth organizations took on digital transformation during heavy market headwinds — and made it through. The series, which targets business-minded viewers, will premiere Sept. 17 at 2:30 p.m. ET during a paid-programming block on CNBC, and will also be available for streaming on CNBC.com, Peacock, and Salesforce+, the company's streaming service for live experiences and on-demand original content. CNBC Brand Studio - a part of Creative Partnerships at NBCUniversal - and Efran Films, are producing the series in partnership with Salesforce Studios.
The premiere episode of "The Shift" spotlights how OneUnited Bank, America's largest Black-owned bank, is building a revolutionary new digital product aimed at upending the predatory payday loan business. The series will continue to air on Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. ET, beginning with an episode featuring Metallica's All Within My Hands foundation on Sept. 24, Enlightened's feel-good desserts on Oct. 1, and additional 30-minute episodes with Pandora jewelry, Formula 1 ®, Rocket Companies, and CarMax.
"We created Salesforce+ to be a trusted, on-demand business media channel that shines a light on industry leaders using business as a platform for change" said Sarah Franklin, President and Chief Marketing Officer, Salesforce. "We are thrilled to partner with NBCUniversal to highlight unique stories that show how, in today's business climate, good business requires engagement with all stakeholders including customers, employees, and communities."
"At NBCUniversal we have the incredible opportunity to utilize the power of storytelling to spotlight brands that are making an impact on communities across the globe," said Mark Marshall, President, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. "Through the upcoming series our CNBC Brand Studio team helped produce - "The Shift" - we are both sharing these types of inspirational stories and demonstrating how powerful transformation in business is. Our long-time partners at Salesforce have been with us through our own transformation, and now with NBCUniversal's One Platform, we are showcasing how they are evolving other businesses across all sectors in positive, exciting ways."
Shot over six months in five countries, episodes of "The Shift'' will be available to stream on Salesforce+ and CNBC.com beginning at 12:01 a.m. each Monday after airing on CNBC the previous Saturday. On Oct. 3, the series will debut the first three episodes on Peacock, with additional episodes streaming each week to follow.
"Metallica's foundation, All Within My Hands, was created with three areas of focus, workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services like disaster relief," said Peter Delgrosso, Executive Director, All Within My Hands. "We are truly grateful that 'The Shift' featured our foundation as it enables us to reach a new audience to share our story and connect with other partners who share our mission."
"We are thrilled to be able to share how we are using technology for good, to close the racial wealth gap and make financial literacy a core value in the Black community," said Teri Williams, President and Chief Operating Officer of OneUnited Bank.
Celebrating one year of Salesforce+ at Dreamforce 2022
In its first year since launch, Salesforce+ reached a global audience of 5 million viewers. The streaming service has aired more than 300 episodes across 15 original series, including Trailblazer, The Ecopreneurs, Pivot, Think Outside the Quota, Connections, Legends of Low Code, Salesforce on Salesforce, The Inflection Point, Small Business Revolution, Simply Put, Leading Through Change, How I Solved It, B-Well, and Boss Talks. Produced by Salesforce+'s internal production arm, Salesforce Studios, the series were shot across 25 states and 10 countries such as Italy, the UK, and Denmark.
Salesforce+ has also aired 17 live events including Dreamforce, the world's largest software conference, Connections, and TrailheaDX; enhancing live events with new, on-demand brand experiences. The next event streaming live will be Dreamforce which takes place Sept. 20-22, 2022. The award-winning Dreamforce experience on Salesforce+ will take place over three days with 72 hours of live broadcasts, 200+ on-demand episodes, 60+ keynotes, and a live online community. All for free.
For more information on Salesforce+, go here.
NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a premium ad-supported streaming service. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies of every size and industry to digitally transform and create a 360° view of their customers. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/salesforce-and-nbcuniversal-launch-new-branded-series-the-shift-301619972.html
IDEA Showcase Startup Pitches & Reception
Keynote Presentation by Avaya
Special Presentation TBA


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We all know that what ever hits the US tends to ripple over to the UK, some 6 – 12 months later, so with the recent increase of Facebook Ad’s by local business owners, you would think it’s only a matter of time before more and more local business owners in the UK turn their local marketing interests towards Facebook.
It has been recently reported that only 22% of local businesses say they have actually used Facebook’s Advertising network, nearly two-thirds of those who have used Facebook Ads (64.9%) say they would definitely use the service again. Meanwhile, 65.7% of local businesses say they only use Facebook for general marketing and not for ad’s.
Below is additional research from MerchantCircle’s quarterly Merchant Confidence Index and is based on a survey of 4,942 small, local businesses.
When asked why they would use Facebook Ads again, surveyed local businesses pronounced ease of use (66.5%), followed closely by the flexibility to pause and restart campaigns at will (64.8%).
More than one-half of the surveyed local businesses (53.7%) chose Facebook’s targeted display ad function as a reason for continuing with Facebook Ads and 49.3% said it was good for finding new business customers.
But not every business has found success with Facebook Ads. Among the 35% of local businesses who say they would no longer advertise with Facebook, 69.0% claimed Facebook Ads didn’t help them to find new customers or clients and 34.5% say the ad network was far too expensive to operate.
Digital Marketing Channels
Facebook is the preferred digital channel among local businesses (65.7%), followed by Google (53.3%), LinkedIn (45.7%), Google Places (38.8%), and Twitter (32.1%).
Meanwhile, location-based marketing dropped in the previous quarter: 22% of local businesses say they are now
using Facebook Places to market their business, compared with the 32% who said so in MerchantCircle’s 1Q11 report; similarly, 7.3% are now using Foursquare, compared with 9% in 1Q11.
Local businesses have also been cautious about using top group-buying sites such as Groupon (4.3%) and Living Social (3.6%) for marketing their business through discounted promos.
Group-Buying Marketing Low, but Favorability High
1 in 10 local businesses (9.4%) say they have used a groupon style site within their marketing strategy; of them, 77% admit that they would definately offer a 1 day promotional deal again :
And 8.4% of local businesses plan to use group-buying sites in the next six months.
Among the local businesses who said they would not use group-buying sites again, 42% say that their deals didd not bring them any new customers, 25% stated that the costs where way too high, and 24% say that groupon style sites is are a no win strategy.
Evolution of The Group-Buying Market
Within the rapidly evolving group-buying community, familiarity with well-known brands Facebook and Google may give those brands a long-term advantage over current market leaders Groupon and LivingSocial: 52% of local businesses say such familiarity would lead them to choose Facebook Deals or Google Offers over other competitive offers like Groupon.
Other reasons for choosing Facebook Deals are a bigger audience size (26%) and better local targeting (21%). Those more likely to use Google Offers stated Google’s bigger audience (42%) and Google’s brand reputation (34%).
Very few local businesses are experimenting with mobile: only 18% of local business owners reported doing any sort of mobile marketing or advertising.
We believe this is down to a lack of understanding as a barrier to mobile marketing strategies: a massive 71% of business owners say they don’t have a clue of how to reach new consumers using mobile marketing.
Not surprisingly, most local businesses say they neither have the funds or time for marketing:
- 61% are spending less than $2,500 a year on their marketing campaign.
- 73% have amde no plans to increase their marketing budgets this year.
- 37% stated lack of time and resources as their main marketing challenge.
About the data: Findings are based on the sixth Merchant Confidence Index survey, fielded online from April 30 to June 6, 2011 among 4,942 local business owners ; 78% of respondents employ fewer than five people.


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For Matagrano Inc., a beverage distribution company serving the counties of San Francisco and San Mateo, delivering to 6,000 customers on a weekly basis has its challenges.
Although the short distances keep the trucks’ mileage low (averaging 5,000 to 7,000 miles per year), the narrow, hilly streets of San Francisco make it hard to unload deliveries, make U-turns and navigate the 7-square-mile city.
About 20 years ago, the company became the first distributor to use 16- and 18-wheel tractor-trailers instead of a traditional 12-bay beverage truck. “They said it couldn’t be done to deliver with tractor trailers,” says Frank Matagrano, co-owner, noting that a tractor trailer has a tighter turning radius than the 12-bay trucks.
The city even accommodated the larger trucks by creating a loading zone, from which the trucks could deliver to 10 to 15 accounts in the immediate vicinity. Now all beverage distributors use tractor trailer rigs for their deliveries in San Francisco, Matagrano says.
Nonetheless, Matagrano’s bill for tickets due to double parking can be as much as $1,400 a month. “It’s the cost of doing business,” he says, adding that his drivers pay for other types of violations such as parking in a red zone or in front of a fire hydrant.
In the last few years, the Matagrano fleet has migrated to the Kenworth T370 (33,000 lbs. GVW) along with a handful of the larger Kenworth T660 with 45-foot trailers.
While the drivers love the new trucks and fuel economy improved by three to four gallons, the T370 has a wider turning radius than the model it replaced. This is where his dealership, NorCal Kenworth in San Leandro, stepped in.
The dealership not only changed the type of tires on each truck to improve the steering radius, it also made other accommodations for Matagrano’s specific needs such as changing the position of a battery box, making modifications to the fuel tank and painting the visors, window trim and a bumper to match company branding.
“We have never had a dealer that was so knowledgeable about an appropriate truck for its use,” Matagrano says.
Matagrano even uses one of his customized Kenworth trucks for his other venture — hauling grapes from his vineyard to four different wineries.
To cycle fleet, the company took part in a grant program from Bay Area Air Quality Management District — with the assistance of NorCal Kenworth, who helped Matagrano better understand how to qualify for the grant.
Through this clean air initiative, Matagrano has been able to get rid of 15 older trucks and use the grant money — $35,000 for a two-axle truck and $55,000 for a three-axle — to help buy six new cleaner-burning diesel Kenworth trucks, says Matagrano.
A Striking Look
Celebrating more than 40 years in business, the Matagrano team pays close attention to its drivers, who in turn take pride in the appearance of each of the fleet of 50 trucks. Management does monthly ride-alongs with drivers to improve processes and increase safety.
The company offers quarterly barbecues and prize drawings worth up to $8,000 for meeting worker’s comp and fleet safety goals. In turn, drivers wash the trucks every other week and wax them.
Painted in bold red, the trucks feature the company logo in gold leaf lettering. And some of the trucks include red Budweiser body trailers, creating a striking look.
“Every day, tourists come up to our drivers and ask if they can get their pictures taken with our trucks,” says Matagrano. “That says something about the quality equipment we run and the colorful graphics splashed on the rigs.”


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The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed a rule in early August that would include fresh fruits and vegetables in the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program for the first time in the program's 32-year history.
WIC, designed to supply nutritious food to low-income pregnant and postpartum women and children under age 5, currently provides monthly vouchers for milk, eggs, cereal and juice. In order to better align the WIC food packages with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA is proposing revisions to what can be included in the WIC packages. The proposed rule is open for comment through Nov. 6.
If the proposed rule is instated, the 8 million people who receive WIC benefits each month would have increased access to a variety of nutritious foods. But the addition of fresh fruits and vegetables could make the WIC voucher exchange process more complicated for retailers.
"The WIC program basically supplies vouchers for one product—one can of applesauce, [for example]—that a client will redeem at a store. The store then bills the government," said Frank McCarthy, vice president of marketing for Albert's Organics, the nation's largest distributor of organic produce. "Part of the reason [WIC] has taken so long to include produce is that it is a lot easier to bill back a can of pears than a pear itself. Produce tends to come in uneven sizes, grades, weights and prices and it is a bit of a challenge to standardize it for this kind of program."
To answer that challenge, the USDA is considering the use of cash-value vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to the traditional one-voucher, one-product system for other items.
To stay within the program's budget, however, vouchers for other items will have to be reduced to make room for fresh fruits and vegetables. The International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation have both expressed apprehension about cuts in funding for milk vouchers.
Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVII/number 9/p. 12


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According to the latest news, rental car company Hertz has ordered as many as 100,000 Tesla Model 3 sedans as part of an ambitious plan to electrify its fleet. In a press statement, Hertz said, the first tranche of Model 3 sedans will be available to rent from Hertz in major US and European markets from early November. Interestingly, this announcement comes just months after Hertz escaped bankruptcy.
The purchase report was first reported by Bloomberg. The publishing house reported this deal as the single largest order ever for electric vehicles. The deal was worth $4.2 billion in revenue for Tesla. Tesla’s stock was up 4.3 percent on the news in pre-market trading. This morning, it was also reported that Tesla’s Model 3 became the first electric vehicle to top monthly sales charts in Europe last month. Earlier this month, Tesla reported record sales in its third quarter even though it had to fight a chip shortage that dented the auto industry across the globe.
It is to be noted that anyone renting a Tesla from Hertz will be able to use Tesla’s network of 3,000 superchargers across the US and Europe. Hertz said it is planning to supplement these chargers with “thousands” of its own “throughout its location network.”
Last year, in May, Hertz went into bankruptcy after the car rental market was hit hard by the pandemic. This more than a hundred years old company was eventually refinanced $5.9 billion by investors like Knighthead Capital Management and Certares Management. Bloomberg reported that Hertz now plans to electrify almost all of its roughly 500,000 cars and vans.
Recently, in a press statement, Hertz’s interim CEO Mark Fields said: “Electric vehicles are now mainstream, and we’ve only just begun to see rising global demand and interest. The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America and a commitment to grow our EV fleet and provide the best rental and recharging experience for leisure and business customers around the world.” In order to market its efforts, Hertz has launched a new ad campaign featuring Tom Brady.


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Don't miss the latest stories
Square Wine Bottles That Take Up Less Storage Space On Shelves
By John Yong, 30 Sep 2013
Packaging design and branding company Stranger & Stranger has designed a beautiful line of square bottles for wine company Truett Hurst.
Called ‘California Square’, these bottles will take up “less space” on wine shelves and will allow consumers to save on cardboard boxes, which are used during shipping and storage.
“Square bottles take up less space but you never see them on the wine shelves,” said the company. “If the wine industry turned over to square instead of round bottles we’d save almost a million trees in outer cardboard boxes alone. Not to mention savings in shipping and storage.”
Besides their smart functionality, the bottles are also wonderfully designed with vintage typography and glass embossing.
Check them out below:
[via The Dieline]
More related news
Also check out these recent news


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Last month, Robert Schaulis of Andnowuknow interviewed Engage3 COO Edris Bemanian on his observations of pricing pressures from the likes of Amazon and Lidl. “The biggest trend is that pricing and assortments are becoming more dynamic and localized,” Edris says. He notes that e-commerce is now becoming a fundamental part of retailers’ strategies versus just a “me too” approach. Read the full article in Andnowuknow.com.
- Webinar Recording – From Panic Buying to Value Focused: Building Loyalty & Winning Baskets Through Price Image July 1, 2020
- A Price Image Primer from Engage3 Data Scientist, Sahar Pirmoradian June 30, 2020
- Value Wines from Grocery Outlet, Aldi, and Costco Recognized in America’s 50 Best Wine Retailers June 23, 2020
- With Virtual Dietitians, Retailers Move into Telehealth June 23, 2020
- Grocery Pickup Policy Changes May 5, 2020


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||Wireless Carriers Hold Consumers' Loyalty
In the battle of "carrier vs. handset" in building loyalty among wireless customers, the winner is clear: the carrier.
According to research from Market Strategies International, almost three-quarters of consumers (74%) said they consider remaining loyal to their carrier (due to factors such as coverage, customer service and plan) rather than their device (61%) or the operating system (60%) when the time comes to purchase a new plan or phone.
"The carriers own the customer, (who) then buys the handset," Paul Donagher, senior vice president, Communications Division, Market Strategies International, told Marketing Daily. "Typically, the carrier owns the customer relationship and that probably drives the loyalty."
The one exception is Apple, for whom 82% said they would remain loyal to the device, regardless of the carrier because of the familiarity they have with the phone and its operations. Among the loyalty drivers, 24% of Apple users said they were drawn to the phone's features (compared with 15% of other phone users), and 20% cited ease of use (compared with 12% of other users).
"Apple's loyalty is driven by a couple of things," Donagher says. "The brand is incredibly powerful. But when we asked consumers to break down what they liked, it's the ease of use and the functionality of the device. Once the consumer has learned the operating system, they're very loyal to it."
Comparatively, 83% of consumers said they would remain loyal to Verizon, regardless of phone choice. (Combining the two -- i.e., taking into account Verizon customers who use an iPhone -- increases Apple's loyalty scores by about 6%, while Verizon's stays about the same.)
"What consumers tell us is it's the network quality," Donagher says. "Consumers choosing Verizon have a superior network experience and are thus very loyal. Verizon has spent a lot of money and effort to gain that perception, and it's paying off."
Such brand differentiation will be more important now that every major carrier now offers the iPhone, and the U.S. wireless market is reaching saturation. The big key for telecommunications companies in the future will be loyalty, Donagher says.
"It's very much leveled that playing field," he says. "So the carriers need to build and work on their own loyalty. It will be interesting to see what they do. It's probably too early to tell, but this year is probably going to be a huge year when it comes to loyalty."
(Source: Marketing Daily, 05/06/13)


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Along with increasing mobility worldwide traffic volume keeps growing as do the related customer expectations. Bottlenecks such as entrances to parking garages and toll gates particularly call for solutions that accelerate traffic flow.
With the expected number of smart devices predicted to hit 20 million by 2020, smart technology is now mainstream. Over the last five years, says Oliver Iltisberger, managing director of ABB’s Building Products business line, we have seen a shift from simple functions like thermostats, doorbells and light bulbs to truly intelligent buildings that adapt to meet user needs.
In a new report on electric vehicle developments the Global Smart Grid Federation (GSGF) highlights new business opportunities, key trends and policy initiatives, as well as providing a global view of the large-scale roll-out of electric vehicles. The report also gives recommendations on how to accelerate the take-up of electric vehicles.
Greenvity Communications is partnering with Mitsumi Electric to provide modules and systems for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, battery-charging systems, smart meters and smart energy management systems
Although the OEM in-vehicle telematics market is still in an early phase in China right now, IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc.) forecasts it will soon become a billion dollar market.
Energy management company Navetas has been awarded a contract by British Gas to help roll out a new initiative that will enable households within a Plugged in Places region to understand how much energy their electric vehicle consumes.
Telefonica, through its O2 mobile brand, is to provide M2M technology to connect Chargemaster’s UK-wide network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 5 October, 2011 — Today at Metering, Billing/CRM Europe 2011, Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG) announced a partnership with Plug Smart to provide real-time rating, billing and data management support for electric vehicle charging stations.
Electric vehicles, or EVs, offer a compelling option for environmentally sustainable travel and transportation and they are fast becoming a regular part of daily life worldwide.
It is an exciting time to be involved in smart grid, says Amy Cooke, Strategic Business Development Director at Cable&Wireless Worldwide. At the time of writing, there are a number of positive stories on the subject:
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AED Program Management
Online crime is growing at an alarming rate. According to the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report, the number of organizations affected by cyberattacks rose from 41% in 2018 to 61% in the first half of 2019. Ransomware attacks aimed at businesses are al..
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The Pushing the Envelope blog recently described some of the barriers that have prevented the Postal Service from optimizing its network of retail facilities. This week we’d like your thoughts on the factors the Postal Service should consider in developing a retail network for the future. If the Postal Service were to rebuild its retail network from scratch — focusing on today’s consumer behaviors and needs — would it look as it does now? Today, there are about 32,000 brick and mortar postal-operated retail facilities.
Amateur astronomers are excited about the total solar eclipse set to appear (or disappear?) on August 21. This is the first time in 99 years a total solar eclipse will cross the entire United States.
Capitalizing on the public’s excitement, the U.S. Postal Service...Read More


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You can find the tested products at C&S in the respective sections listed in the menu on the left.
The lists contain only those products whose release was given by the manufactures, therefore not all products tested at C&S are included.
Publication of Control Engineering
Read an exciting and up-to-date article by our employee Christoph Wosnitza here:
Presentation at 2017 JSAE Annual Congress (Spring) in Yokohama, May 24-26, 2017
On Wednesday, May 24th, 2017, our employee Patrick Isensee
Open Day for Students on the 27th of April 2017
On this year's Open Day for students, we were also able to let two students get into our company.


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Los Angeles (Knewz) — “Now Hiring”... “Help Wanted”...
Such signs on the front of U.S. businesses are a staple of the post-pandemic world. A new survey from Provident Bank offers insights into how companies are trying to deal with the worker and employee shortage.
According to the 2022 “National Labor-Staffing Shortage Survey,” three-quarters of American businesses are currently affected. Leading impacts cited by the 1,000 survey participants are being forced to turn down business and cutting back operating hours.
The hiring managers, department heads, recruiters, HR people and managers-owners who took part in the poll reflected small businesses and larger companies of 101+ employees, at a 40 and 60 percent rate respectively. Anyone who believes at this late 2022 stage that the worker shortage is primarily hitting smaller places like fast food joints, retail stores and such is mistaken.
Among small business people, 60 percent said their company is currently impacted by staffing shortages. For individuals at aforementioned larger-size companies, the proportion was 85 percent.
Perks and benefits play a big role currently when it comes to companies trying to attract and retain talent, with 33 percent of respondents indicating they had boosted that part of their operation. Most commonly, the companies reported they are sweetening the pot with wellness stipends, a casual dress code and extended maternity or paternity leave.
Still, a majority of businesses, 69 percent, reported that they have had candidates decline job offers because of better packages elsewhere.
A whopping 79 percent of those folks tried to counter by raising the proposed salary up to 20 percent.
Intriguingly, the aforementioned 85 percent of larger business that are experiencing staffing shortages is identical to the proportion of hospitals, medical groups, home health provider and other healthcare facilities measured by a separate AMN Healthcare poll. Signing bonuses and higher pay rates are being relied upon by 67 and 59 percent respectively.


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An empty Newport shop is getting a new lease of life thanks to a £3million project to improve affordable housing in Newport. Mayor of Newport Cllr Margaret Cornelius cooked up a storm with Newport City Homes’ residents and staff at the opening of a new kitchen and bathroom showroom in a former shop in the Ringland Shopping Centre.
The new venture means that an empty unit has been transformed so residents of 620 homes across Broadmead, Moorland Park, Ringland and Royal Oak will be able to view kitchen and bathroom samples due to be fitted in homes between now and December 2012. Ian Williams, which is working with Newport City Homes to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms and rewire homes across the city, is opening the shop.
Residents attending the shop opening were given the chance to join in the celebrations, refreshments for all were provided and young people enjoyed cakes, sweets and balloons. Children’s activities were provided by Newport City Homes in their East Area office including a swap shop and badge making.
Mrs Hall of Playford Crescent, who recently had her kitchen refurbished by the Ian Williams team, said: “My kitchen is brilliant, they are lovely people and I couldn’t fault them. They kept me informed and the end result is fantastic.”
As well as bringing an empty shop back into use, Ian Williams is also investing in the local community by working with Newport City Homes to offer apprentice opportunities in the city.
Ian Williams’ resident liaison officer, Gemma Murphy, said: “The community shop is going to give residents the opportunity to come and see first-hand what the kitchens and bathrooms will look like once they are finished. There will always be a member of staff available so they can pop in and ask any questions they may have.”
Sinead O’ Neill, community engagement manager at Ian Williams, added: “We are committed to having a positive impact in the communities in which we work. This new shop is improving the outlook of the shopping centre by bringing the shop back to life. We are also committed to tackling unemployment and through our contract with Newport City Homes, we have been able to offer three apprenticeships to local people.”
Mervyn Green, Head of property services and investment at Newport City Homes said: “We are very pleased that Ian Williams has decided to use Ringland shopping centre as a base for the work they are carrying out in the community. Being in such close proximity to our East Area office makes this a convenient location for residents to discuss the upgrade works taking place”.
The shop will be open Monday to Friday from 9 to 10am, and from 3 to 4pm.


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|By PR Newswire||
|February 7, 2014 05:55 AM EST||
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Red Dress Collection kicked off Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City last night with a star-studded runway backed this year by the first-ever collaboration of the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) awareness campaign, The Heart Truth.
To view the multimedia content associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/64681-aha-and-macy-s-go-red-for-women/
The Red Dress Collection has kicked off Fashion Week since 2003 with celebrities taking to the runway and this year was no different. Lindsey Vonn, AnnaSophia Robb, Colbie Caillat, Giada De Laurentiis, Bella Thorne, Daphne Oz and Jill Martin wowed in red gowns created by top designers including Carolina Herrera, Nicole Miller, Carmen Marc Valvo and Mark Zunino and introducing Lagi Nadeau, Annina King, and Sarah Liller from Fashion Incubator programs housed at Macy's in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
"It's an exciting night for the leaders in the fight against heart disease and icons of fashion to come together," said Martine Reardon, chief marketing officer of Macy's. "With the star power of both celebrities and designers, including the young designers of the Fashion Incubators housed at Macy's across the country, this was an evening that gave credence to the true power of red and its ability to unite so many in the movement for women's heart health. Macy's is proud of our 10 years and $46 million in support of Go Red For Women, and we were honored to be a part of tonight's incredible Red Dress Collection 2014 show."
More than 900 fashion-forward, health-minded attendees turned out in red to support the cause. The event kicked off with Martine Reardon and Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, welcoming the audience. Star Jones, who is a heart disease survivor and an American Heart Association National Volunteer, shared her passionate heart story and introduced the premier of Go Red For Women's new digital film, The Common Thread. Twenty-two celebrities then walked the runway in their own style—some walking, dancing, and even twirling—to make a statement in red, dressed by both world-renowned designers as well as emerging designers in the fashion incubator programs at Macy's.
The Fashion Incubator program provides six emerging designers each in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco with the resources – including work space, mentoring and workshops/classes to launch their careers in fashion. The Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy's on State Street, Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy's Center City and the Fashion Incubator San Francisco at Macy's Union Square are each individual 501(C)3 not-for-profits housed at Macy's with strong community and industry support in their respective cities. One designer was chosen from each city to present a red dress at last night's show.
Lagi Nadeau, a designer with the Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy's on State Street had the honor of dressing Martine Reardon. "I'm proud that programs like the fashion incubator are cultivating young talent and that these designers have the opportunity to be displayed on a national stage. Lagi did an amazing job creating this custom red dress that I wore tonight." stated Reardon. Nadeau's label LAGI NADEAU blends high-end sophistication with a dash of edge. The burgundy sequined dress has a plunging v-neckline, long sleeves and an A-line silhouette.
Annina King, a designer with the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy's at Center City designed the dress worn by Jill Martin. King's label Granate Pret is an artisanal ready-to-wear collection evoking the detailed process and limitless luxury of custom design. The gown designed for Jill Martin is a fitted midi-length red sheath with ribbons that create illusion details in the bodice.
Sarah Liller, a designer with the Fashion Incubator San Francisco at Macy's Union Square designed Daphne Oz's gown. Liller's label Sarah Liller, San Francisco is a women's wear line that is feminine, yet versatile, inspired by the city's culture. The gown she designed for Daphne Oz is patch-worked chiffon and lace, which is then pleated to add texture and movement to the silhouette.
The Red Dress symbol made its debut as the national icon for women and heart disease awareness during Fashion Week in 2003 in partnership with America's top fashion designers, helping to bring the important issue of heart disease in women into the national spotlight. A year later, the AHA's Go Red For Women was officially launched with Macy's as its founding national sponsor. Over the past decade, Macy's has brought awareness of the issue to consumers across America raising $46 million for the cause through efforts like the Red Dress pin sale and three exclusive red dresses that give 10 percent of the purchase price back to Go Red. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement is nationally sponsored by Macy's and the Red Dress Collection Fashion Show is sponsored by both Macy's and SUBWAY® restaurants.
Go Red For Women
Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association's national movement to end heart disease in women. We are committed to the fight, for as long as it takes. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement advocates for more research and swifter action for women's heart health. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement was created by women, for women. Because our health is non-negotiable, because we have the power to save our lives, and because the best force for women is women. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement is nationally sponsored by Macy's, with additional support from our cause supporters. For more information please visit GoRedForWomen.org or call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278).
The Heart Truth
The Heart Truth is a national campaign for women about heart disease and is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Through the campaign, the NHLBI leads the nation in a landmark heart health movement embraced by millions who share the common goal of better heart health for all women. The centerpiece of The Heart Truth is the Red Dress, which was introduced as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 by the NHLBI. The Red Dress reminds women of the need to protect their heart health, and inspires them to take action.
Macy's, the largest retail brand of Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M), delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at approximately 800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as to customers in the U.S. and more than 100 international destinations through its leading online store at macys.com. Via its stores, e-commerce site, mobile and social platforms, Macy's offers distinctive assortments including the most desired family of exclusive and fashion brands for him, her and home. Macy's is known for such epic events as Macy's 4th of July Fireworks® and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®, as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows and celebrity appearances. Macy's flagship stores -- including Herald Square in New York City, Union Square in San Francisco, State Street in Chicago, Dadeland in Miami and South Coast Plaza in southern California -- are known internationally and leading destinations for visitors. Building on a more than 150-year tradition, and with the collective support of customers, employees and Macy's Foundation, Macy's helps strengthen communities by supporting local and national charities giving more than $70 million each year to help make a difference in the lives of our customers. For Macy's media materials, including images and contacts, please visit our online pressroom at macys.com/pressroom.
SOURCE American Heart Association; Macy's
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In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, provided an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life sett...
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Cloud computing is being adopted in one form or another by 94% of enterprises today. Tens of billions of new devices are being connected to The Internet of Things. And Big Data is driving this bus. An exponential increase is expected in the amount of information being processed, managed, analyzed, and acted upon by enterprise IT. This amazing is not part of some distant future - it is happening today. One report shows a 650% increase in enterprise data by 2020. Other estimates are even higher....
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19th Cloud Expo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 94% of enterpri...
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Businesses are struggling to manage the information flow and interactions between all of these new devices and things jumping on their network, and the apps and IT systems they control. The data businesses gather is only helpful if they can do something with it. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Witeck, Principal Technology Strategist at Citrix, will discuss how different the impact of IoT will be for large businesses, expanding how IoT will allow large organizations to make their legacy ap...
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Despite the unusually bitter cold temperatures and record snowfall in Chicagoland this winter, home buyers continued to take advantage of the opportunity to buy now as home sales continued at pace with last year’s February trends, reported the North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors (NSBAR).
“The weather undoubtedly can act as a deterrence to any buyer looking to home shop; however, sophisticated first viewings, which often happen on the Internet, help buyers scan inventory and then immediately schedule to see only what they are very interested in before aggressively making an offer,” said Jim Votanek, president of the NSBAR and a broker associate with @properties in Libertyville.
Interest rates, paired with competitively priced homes and low inventory, continue to move buyers who were previously on the fence to pursue their purchase.
“Today’s market really allows for buyers to evaluate their own long-term goals and make a purchase that will act as a positive investment for years to come. Changes in job, family situations, a desire to be closer to certain schools and lifestyle choices are often the reasons– regardless of season– that a buyer considers when purchasing a home,” Votanek said.
Several North Shore communities reported improvements in home sales from February of last year. Lake Forest saw the largest increase in sales, up 29.6% from February 2013, with 35 homes sold year-to-date compared to 27 last year. Golf-Glenview had a sales increase of 11.1% despite the median home price increasing 24.1%, the largest price increase in the area. Evanston also saw increased home sales among rising home prices with sales increasing 6.7% and the median home price increasing 18.1% from $357,000 to $421,500.
For towns that did not see growth, sales still remained steady. Fifty-two single-family homes were sold in the Barrington area, compared to 58 last year, and Northbrook saw 43 home sales, only two less than last year despite a median sale price increase of $10,000.
“The spring market is now,” Votanek noted. “Sellers are not waiting to list their homes later in the year, but rather, are meeting with realtors to assess their home’s value based on comparative marketing pricing in their neighborhood. With this also comes the conversation of knowing what your game plan is after selling. Making the costly mistake of listing your home without having planned can cost you more in relocation, as well as decrease your ability to negotiate on your next purchase if time is of the essence.”
Sales and price information is generated by NSBAR with Midwest Real Estate Data. Visit NSBAR online at www.NSBAR.org.


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As part of its brand identity growth, the new site is designed to reflect its core values of truth, trust and transparency shared across relationships with media and clients as professional public relations practitioners.
Alisa D’souza, Owner at ALISA PR says in a statement, “The new mobile-friendly website also reflects our belief that brand communication should be built on strategic ideas that connect to your audience, and we understand the power of storytelling to create newsworthy and compelling opportunities to build credibility and spread our client’s message across the stakeholder universe.”
The orange color is reflective of energy, warmth and the sun. “In color psychology, orange is a power color, optimistic, uplifting and is associated with meanings of happiness, success, joy, freedom, creativity, balance and expression. [It] relates to social communication and encourages two-way conversations. It is a vibrant and welcoming color that is both physically and mentally stimulating. It makes people think as well as speak. Hence, we believe in being a creative catalyst for starting a conversation with clients about meeting their needs in a competitive market,” she adds.
App analytics and market data company, App Annie, have released a new report that sheds light on Gen Z’s mobile behavior, in order to help marketers develop effective strategies to reach them. 98% of Gen Z report owning a smartphone, on average receiving their first at the age of 10. They are also part of […]
Experticity, the world’s largest community of influential category experts have released a new study that sheds new light on the importance of micro-influencers on the average consumer. The study was conducted with online interviews of more than 6,000 individuals from the United States drawn from Experticity’s micro-influencer network and the general population. In addition, more […]
Market research companies eMarketer and Global Web Index have collaborated together to release the 10th edition of the global media intelligence report. The report is a detailed compilation of data and insights about internet users’ traditional and digital media usage in 42 key markets worldwide. Communicate will be highlighting the key trends that are shaping the […]
Social Bakers, a global AI-powered social media marketing company has released the Q3 edition of their social media trends report. The report reveals where the industry is currently standing with regard to spending and engagement globally. Here are the key findings – ADVERTISING Worldwide ad spend increased by 56.4% in Q3 compared to where it […]