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The birth of Netflix wasn’t just the death knell for video stores like Blockbuster. It reshaped how the world watches TV. It forced big companies like Amazon and Disney to adopt the streaming model it pioneered.
The latest season of the podcast “Land of the Giants” looks at the “Netflix Effect,” and whether the company can maintain its streaming supremacy.
KCRW speaks with Peter Kafka, co-host of the podcast and senior correspondent at Recode.
KCRW: How did Reed Hastings come up with the idea for Netflix?
Peter Kafka: “This is in many ways the sort of archetype Silicon Valley startup. You've got two guys [Reed Hastings and co-founder Marc Randolph] who've been successful, to varying degrees, in other tech companies, and they're .... trying to figure out what they want to make. They don't really have a good idea there. They want to ship something over the internet like Amazon is doing with books. And they eventually end up with movies primarily because DVDs have just come out, and they're very thin, and you can mail them easily. … Had it been videotapes, there would be no Netflix.”
Blockbuster initially dismissed Netflix. Former Netflix human resources chief Patty McCord told you, “One of the analysts asked Jonathan Antioco, the CEO of Blockbuster, ‘What do you think of Netflix?’ And he was furious. He's like, ‘Do not ask me about that stupid little company. They’re a gnat. They're nothing. They're nobody. And people are never going to give up their video stores.’” Why was he [Antioco] so angry?
“He was angry because Netflix was this tiny little company that had no hope of overtaking Blockbuster. But it showed up and said, ‘This is what we're going to do.’ And because it was an interesting story, people started paying attention.
It was not a big service. It was very much a coastal service. It was kind of a novelty. And John Antioco is both frustrated about hearing about Netflix, but there's an interesting twist. He is actually interested in what Netflix is doing. And he thinks eventually that Blockbuster can do it themselves.
Blockbuster actually did a very, very good job, up until a certain point, at actually fending off Netflix, and looked like it was going to win for a long time.”
Netflix didn’t topple Blockbuster. Blockbuster toppled Blockbuster. They had internal problems and a lot of debt.
“They had a lot of debt and used to be owned by Viacom. Viacom shoved them out of the company and said, ‘Here's a billion dollars of debt while you go on.’
Most people who have heard this story, or told parts of the story, including Reed Hastings, say the big problem that Blockbuster had was Carl Icahn, the corporate raider, had bought a bunch of their shares, and influenced the company, and generally distracted them, and made them do [sic] a bunch of terrible decisions, including basically stopping the most effective tool they had used to fight off Netflix.
Reed Hastings rubs his hands together and says, ‘We were really lucky because Carl Icahn showed up, and that was bad for them and good for us.’”
Why was it just Netflix versus Blockbuster?
“In retrospect, it makes sense that someone would come in and blow up a service that people have a fondness for now and nostalgia for, but was really disliked by its customers. They didn't have a better choice.
Blockbuster rented you movies, but they really made their money charging you late fees. It was like 70% of their profits, assuming that you would not come back in time and they could charge you. And they also knew that you weren't going to get the video you wanted when you showed up, that only 20% of the time when you showed up [you’d find the video].
If you imagine a company today, operating in the age of the internet, where you didn't get what you wanted, and then you had to pay more than you thought, those companies have a much harder time surviving today because there's no sort of geographic moat around them. You can just go to the company that has the thing you want, and that's what Netflix figured out.”
How did Netflix transition from mailing out DVDs to the internet? Was that a rocky transition?
“This is something Reed Hastings was talking about forever. He’s got a Stanford engineering degree. He’s really nerding out about the idea of transferring lots of data around the world. He was someone who would always sort of light up talking about one gig of fiber and what you could do with that. So he wanted to do this forever.
Netflix started streaming in 2007. They have really nothing to show in 2008. They back into a deal through Starz to get Sony and Disney movies, and all of a sudden, they have a very good streaming service. It's still kind of a niche thing. It's hard to get video onto your TV or streaming it on your laptop. But by 2010-2011, he's got 20 million people streaming and it's starting to take off. And then he screws that up a little bit.
Reed Hastings is very smart. He's seen around many corners. But he got one thing wrong — it was called Qwikster. ... It's both a terrible name, and a bad idea, and a bad rollout. But the net effect was he wanted people to basically give up on DVDs and move to streaming. He was trying to push them there by effectively raising rates 60%. He didn't quite say it that way, and they never spelled it out that way. But he was making it much more difficult for you to get DVDs than streaming. He really wanted you to move into streaming.
Customers hated it. Stock tanked. … Eventually he got what he wanted, which is Netflix as a streaming service. You can still get DVDs from them, but you have to go to a site called DVD.com.
But this is when Netflix was sort of not used to being wrong. And Reed Hastings wasn't used to being wrong. And it was a difficult six or seven months while they figured out how badly they screwed up.”
Netflix corners the streaming model, uses other people's content, and realizes companies are going to clamp down on sharing with them. They decide to create their own content.
“This is the most fascinating part of the story. Netflix, again because there are smart people running it, says, ‘We're paying AMC, and NBC and Disney a bunch of money for their stuff. And they're kind of looking at us like we're the suckers who are overpaying for their content. But we're doing a better job than they are, of showing people their stuff. And we know that eventually they're going to figure out that this is not a good plan for them, that we’re training people to watch TV shows and movies on Netflix.com instead of nbc.com,’ which eventually gets you ‘House of Cards.’”
They throw an unprecedented $100 million at David Fincher [executive producer of “House of Cards”] and have this hit on their hands. What did that say to the industry?
“Netflix is intent. … [Ted] Sarandos [Netflix Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Content Officer] famously said this in a GQ interview, ‘We want to become HBO faster than HBO can become us.’ They were very much oriented around comparing themselves to HBO and sort of measuring themselves by HBO.
The idea of ‘House of Cards’ was to say, ‘We are not in the internet video business. We're not this weird tech company. We're making stuff that is as good as TV.’ But making their own stuff is the plan from here on out.”
The pandemic must be great for them. People are stuck at home.
“They don't use words like great. But yes, they've had an amazing couple of quarters. … They signed up 26 million people in the first half of this year. Last year, in the same time, they did 12 million. That extra 14 million is all people being sent home, having nothing to do, and ordering Netflix.”
What is Netflix afraid of, and what can undo them?
“Wall Street's been going after them forever. They're always one of the most shorted companies in corporate history. That goes back to when they were delivering DVDs. The shorts were betting against the company. The shorts would call me when I was working at Forbes and say, ‘You know, the U.S. Postal Service is going to raise rates, and that's going to doom Netflix.’
So now the argument is Disney is going to doom them. Or more often you hear, ‘Hey, they have all this money they're spending. They don't make enough to cover it.’ Blockbuster got sunk because they had $1 billion in debt. Netflix has $15 billion. And what happens if the economy tanks? Well, we've seen the economy tank. Netflix still looks pretty strong.
But honestly at this point, it's sort of up to the Disneys, and AT&Ts and Apples of the world to prove that they can catch Netflix — more than Netflix has to worry about stumbling.”
The internal culture at Netflix is almost cult-like. For example, the $100 million that Ted Sarandos spent on “House of Cards,” he didn't clear it with his boss, right?
“That is the story he [Sarandos] tells. Obviously, he did not create the entire thing out of thin air in one day, and show up and tell Reed Hastings they had decided to move into original content. Reed Hastings knew they were going to do that. But ... in Sarandos’ telling, they didn't clear the purchase.
The Netflix culture is broadly we're going to give you a ton of flexibility and freedom. We're also going to pay you really well, we’ll pay you above market. The downside is there's all sorts of limits and expectations around your behavior. You have to submit yourself to constant criticism from your colleagues sort of at all times. There's a lot of vocabulary you've got to use. There's also a constant fear of being fired.
The idea is if you've performed really well over the course of your time with us at Netflix, that's great. But if we can replace you with someone who does a better job now, we will. You were a great quarterback for us two Super Bowls ago, but now we can find a better model.”
The co-founder and HR head Patty McCord were fired.
“Marc Randolph was let go, Patty McCord was let go, they all say it's fine. Other folks close to Reed Hastings have been let go. I asked Reed Hastings about this. He said, ‘Well, you know, at first it was difficult for me to fire people. And then I sort of realized you had to stop bringing these human emotions into it.’
When you hear someone say that, you step back for a second and pause. But he's got a very sort of logical mindset. ‘This is the best for the company. It's best for you. You'll be better off in the long term.’ I think he believes it when he says that.”
When he’s firing people, he says you’ll be better off?
“Yeah. You have worked somewhere, where someone had a job above you who probably wasn't great at their job, and they were stuck there forever. And you didn't like working there because that person really was not pulling their weight and kind of keeping you down. In the Netflix version of the world, that person doesn't exist, and you get to rise up.”
Is that actually true? Because human beings are political animals.
“Human beings are absolutely political animals. And you will talk to people there who say, ‘Yeah this idea of ... looking for replacements for people who are underperforming — the worry is what if your team is great and you don't let go of anybody? Are you not doing a good enough job as a manager then? So maybe you should let go of somebody anyway.’
And every culture has its built-in and baked-in flaws. And I've absolutely talked to people who say, ‘I really don't like it here, I'm definitely going to leave. On the other hand, when I do leave, I'm never going to get paid this well again.’
They have their own words like “sun shining?”
“Yes. Sun shining is when you have made a mistake. You're supposed to sort of go up in front of your peers. And if you're Reed Hastings, that includes a big chunk of the company, and publicly admit what went wrong, and explain what went wrong.
… Their idea is like you're learning from this. Your peers are learning from this. You're not being punished for screwing up. We have maximum transparency. We're all learning it together.
By the way, there's hundreds of top level Netflix executives who can see the salary of everyone they work with. And at one point, Reed Hastings wanted all 7000 people in the company to be able to see each other's salaries. That one did not go through.”
Netflix is not very transparent when it comes to their ratings or how much money they’re paying for certain properties.
“One of the things that I found really fascinating is they do share really, really important numbers really widely throughout the company.
I think pretty much anyone in the company can see their daily subscriber count, which would be enormously valuable. Hundreds of people get to see their quarterly numbers before they're released, which does not happen at any other big company. Those things are really closely held.
Their transparency does not apply outside the company. Although I will say in talking to Reed Hastings over the years, he's been fairly straightforward about what they want to do and what they're going to do. It drives Hollywood and the remaining parts of New York media nuts that they don't have that transparency.”
Reed Hastings’ goal is for Netflix to take over the world as one of the biggest media companies?
“He talks about a billion subscribers. They're around 200 million now. So they’ve got a ways to go. I think they're a fascinating company. I've been trying to find an example. But I can't think of any other global media company that has direct access to their customers over the internet.
YouTube is the obvious analog. But YouTube insists that it's not a media company. It's a programming business that happens to display videos and they don't program stuff themselves. And obviously big global content brands like Disney, but they don't have direct access to their consumers. I don't think we've ever seen anything like Netflix before.
It may still not work. It may be that the world actually can't be programmed — that what people want in France and what people want in India and what people want in Indiana are too radically different. And this is not going to work. But they are trying to prove that it can. We’ll see.”
— Written by Jennifer Wolfe and Amy Ta, produced by Angie Perrin


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Redefining Conscious Consumption in The Age of Covid-19
In our article ‘What Does Covid-19 Mean for Sustainability’, we explained how Covid-19 has shone a light on sustainability issues that were further amplified by the crisis. Fashion Revolution, an organisation committed to making the fashion industry more transparent, has recently revealed its Fashion Transparency Index 2020.
The index ranks the world’s most transparent fashion brands based on information disclosed on their social and environmental policies, as well as supply chain traceability. This year, H&M, C&A and Adidas were the three most transparent brands in the industry – overall, there has been a 3% uplift in brand transparency across the fashion industry from 2019.
The report highlights the growing number of consumers interested in ethical and sustainable issues and how this affects consumer behaviour. Naturally, this has motivated brands to further push their green agendas to gain the favour of more conscious shoppers – especially in a time like now, when brand loyalty matters the most.
Here are some ways brands are bringing conscious consumption to the forefront of their businesses.
One of the key considerations in the Index is supply chain accountability. At the core of a transparent supply chain is the ability to share in-depth information on how products are made.
H&M, which has consistently ranked on the Index since 2017, is one of the most transparent brands in terms of supply chain visibility. The H&M group website has an entire page dedicated to the brand’s sustainability commitments, where it discloses the full list of suppliers and manufacturers it works with. The list currently includes tier-2 suppliers and the group has shared that it will provide information on its dyeing and printing facilities by 2021, making their supply chain accountability even greater. This is an impressive feat for a brand like H&M considering the scale and the complexity of its production.
The second way brands are tackling supply chain transparency is by going deep into fabric composition and materialisation. A heated topic under scrutiny within the industry is the use of non-biodegradable materials such as synthetic fibres that pollute the environment. This is an especially troubling issue for activewear brands that require polyester for the majority of their products.
Well-known activewear brand, Outdoor Voices has successfully found sustainable alternatives to many conventional poly-blend materials, some of which were specifically created for the brand. Adidas is taking a similar approach in replacing nearly 40% of its use of virgin plastic with either recycled materials or a more organic substitute.
Data has shown that these efforts are paying off. Since 1st March, Omnilytics detected 242 new Adidas SKUs made of recycled plastic with more than 84% of those items selling out at full-price. Top categories include activewear tops, outerwear followed by sneakers.
Increasing Shelf Life
In an attempt to reduce wastage, many brands are also taking initiatives to prolong the lifecycles of their products.
Denim brand, Madewell is offering three sustainable methods for bringing a new life to its products – any Madewell product can be repaired, recycled or even donated to create housing insulation for communities in need. Efforts like this allow products to avoid landfill and move towards a circular lifecycle.
Another trend on the rise in sustainable fashion is resale. In the past few years, there has been huge headway made in the secondhand market with an increasing number of brands and retailers venturing into ‘re-commerce’. From Depop to Poshmark, there are several major names in this niche that target all segments of the fashion industry.
The latest retailer to join the resale bandwagon is Nordstrom. Its new ‘See You Tomorrow’ store is a finely curated collection of returned Nordstorm goods that have been refurbished and cleaned to resell. The website and the physical store were launched at the end of January, just before the virus outbreak in the US. While it’s still too soon to judge the effectiveness of this new business model, it could be a direction that more retailers take in the future due to inventory problems caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
Fashion on Lease
Undeniably the crisis’ impact on the economy will create lasting change to consumer behaviours. In a time where fixed assets are being depreciated, owning a designer handbag or an expensive watch is less significant than having cash-on-hand. As reported earlier, the luxury resale market in Hong Kong is booming, as consumers rush to liquidate their luxury goods amid recession concerns.
Shifting attitudes on product ownership means brands can no longer push constant newness and will have to look at fresh ways to communicate. One of the possibilities is exploring a greater emphasis on rental-based retail models.
When rental fashion was first introduced nearly 10 years ago, it was met with strong scepticism as consumers doubted the quality and hygiene aspects of the items. However, rental fashion companies have made great advancements since then with various quality control processes in place that reassure consumers.
One of the early adopters of this trend was Rent The Runway which offers a monthly subscription to receive four new designer items monthly. Other big names in this space include Stitch Fix, Le Tote and Banana Republic’s new venture ‘Style Passport’.
The Business of Fashion summarised, the pros and cons of rental fashion services and how they can be improved, with the general consensus being that while there are some trade-offs to the system, it is a more affordable way to shop.
As the market remains volatile due to Covid-19, brands may be struggling to stay committed to these greener, more ethical values, however, this period calls for greater transparency than ever.
With consumers currently unable to interact with brands in person, having in-depth information on supply chain or sustainable practices play a larger role in the customer journey, conveying the brand’s wider values.
In tough times, consumers are often only loyal to brands that align with their own sentiments . This crisis is a call to action for brands to do so.
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NEW DELHI: The government is lining up big-ticket power sector reforms that will change the architecture of domestic electricity market, make it more responsive and reduce cost for distribution utilities as well as consumers through intense competition.
The power ministry has set up an expert group headed by special secretary in the ministry to chart a course for "deepening of power markets in India". Simultaneously, the ministry has also appointed consultants EY (Ernst & Young) to suggest ways to bring alive the power market by identifying the voids in the current system.
The reforms push, potentially the biggest since the enactment of the Electricity Act of 2003, has been initiated as part of power minister RK Singh's efforts to lay a roadmap for a thriving domestic power market by 2030 to ensure the Narendra Modi government's objective of providing 24X7 affordable and quality power.
"We are going to bring about a wholesale change the way we approach the power market. The idea is to make the sector more responsive and viable so that investments can come. Make it accountable to consumers on quality of service. Giving rights to consumers. Deepening of market is to create competition and encourage efficiency and flexibility," Singh told TOI on Wednesday, confirming the ministry's move.
The broad contours of the current exercise revolves around encouraging discoms to buy bulk of the power through trading platforms, just like in developed markets such as Europe. This will bring about several changes down the the value chain. Generators will optimise their capacity and source - coal, hydel, renewables - and compete to offer lower tariffs. This will reduce the cost of power purchase for discoms, who will have to manage the demand-supply slate more efficiently and be nimble to be able to tie up cheaper power when on offer. Trading is also expected to address the issue of delayed payments to generators by discoms, improving vibaility in the sector.
Most of the building blocks for this phase of reforms are already there: India is near-surplus in generation capacity and has a decade of operating power exchanges. Utilities and generators were given flexibility to use their coal linkages at more efficient plants. Recently, Singh allowed flexibility to generators to supply from any plant of their choice instead of the plant designated in a PPA (power purchase agreement. To ensure timely payment to generators, he used PPA provisions to introduce a pre-paid system for discoms.
On the consumer side, pre-paid meters are being rolled out. There is plan for introducing time-of-the-day tariff and open access for large consumers by separating carriage and content. Large-scale trading will bring all these together to turn India into a viable, thriving power market.
"The negative outlook reflects the risk of a deterioration in the credit profile of Adani Ports and Adani Electricity Mumbai due to governance risks and funding challenges for the larger Adani Group," it said.


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It would be foolhardy for the game development company if it would be participating in this year’s event and coming up with a lackluster participation compared to last year. It should be looking at building on its gains from the same event last year.
As it is, only “The Elder Scrolls 6” is the major hype-inducing and crowd-drawing upcoming game that Bethesda has in its stable at the moment so the company must be looking at launching the game at the event to really make its presence felt big and meaningful.
In addition to Bethesda’s big participation at the E3 2016, gamers and fans of “The Elder Scrolls” franchise are also looking at the launching pattern of the games since “The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.”
The company has been releasing games after every five years and this year actually marks the fifth year since “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” was launched.
In other words, it is possible that “The Elder Scrolls 6” is well underway in terms of development and Bethesda may have finally decided to launch the game at the E3 2016.
Late last year, the game development company may still not be certain on whether its development team can come up with a gameplay feature of “The Elder Scrolls 6” at the E3 2016. But when Bethesda found out in January that it is possible to do so, it may have decided to launch the highly-anticipated role-playing game for good.


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This year’s campaign NGO Prevent from Novi Sad, Serbia, started on June 11th by publishing a contest for the best short video on the topic “Support, Don’t Punish”. The idea is that a video needed to send a message that is consistent with key campaign messages. The best video has been awarded money prize.
The next step was the beginning of promoting infographics on social networks Facebook and Instagram Important data for use in the infographics were previously extracted and graphic designer was engaged to prepare layouts. The advantage of the infographics is that they are much more compact and easier to read than the text itself. People like this way of displaying data and this is the reason why this method is chosen. The first of a total of 5 infographics was promoted on June 18th.
On June 21st, Prevent begun to promote previously created Facebook profile picture frame, with the logo and campaign message. Those who set up this frame for 7 days, received symbolic gifts from the Prevent Association (game similar to “Don’t get angry, man” created by the Prevent members, which indicates dangers of using psychoactive substances).
On June 21st, the press release was sent about the action of the Prevent Association in Novi Sad, within the global campaign. On the same day, the news was posted on the Prevent site and Facebook ads were paid for better promotion of the event. The result was a good response from the media.
The action lasted from 17:00 to 20:00 on 26 June at the city beach “Štrand”. The “Selfie” photo cabin has succeeded in attracting a fairly large number of people, who also had the opportunity to be informed by members of the Association to Prevent and get promotional educational material.


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Payette Brewing Expands Distribution to Seattle This Winter
(Boise, ID) – Payette Brewing is adding Seattle to its distribution footprint beginning mid-February with Rustler IPA, North Fork Lager, and Rodeo Rye Pale (Spring Seasonal). Payette was the first Idaho brewery to can beer and it excited to bring their products in draft and canned form to more consumers in the Northwest with The Odom Corporation.
Founder Mike Francis’s brewery dreams first started in Seattle. The UW alum and former Boeing engineer has grown his post-it note brewery into Idaho’s largest brewery after moving back to Idaho and launching distribution into Seattle is a huge milestone for Payette.
“I brewed my first batch of homebrew in my Ravenna apartment almost 10 years ago. My time living in Seattle and experiencing the amazing craft beer scene inspired me to attend brewing school and want to open a brewery. Being able to share Payette beer throughout Seattle is something I’ve been looking forward to since the day I moved back to Boise.” says Francis.
A couple months shy of their fifth anniversary, Payette Brewing is available in five northwest states and looking to expand to additional markets upon completion of its second production facility in Boise, ID. Payette’s River Street brewery is expected to be up and running early April with an initial production capacity of 40,000 barrels annually.
Founded in Boise, ID by Mike Francis in 2010, Payette Brewing Company produces four year round beers; Rustler IPA, Payette Pale, Mutton Buster Brown and North Fork Lager as well as seasonal releases and single batch specials in the “Ales of No Return” series. Payette Brewing Co. wanted to be able to take beer wherever adventure took them so in June 2012, Payette Pale and Mutton Buster Brown were the first Idaho beers to be available in cans. Visit www.PayetteBrewing.com


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Officials say counterfeit money is circulating in the Cedar Rapids area.
In the past 11 days, Cedar Rapids Police have gotten eight different calls from businesses that have received counterfeit money as payment for goods or services. Police now have half a dozen five dollar bills, three ten dollar bills and one fifty dollar bill — all counterfeit. Cedar Rapids Police are going through video from surveillance cameras in some of the stores to try to track the transactions.
A Cedar Rapids police spokeswoman says this "funny money" doesn’t have the feel of real currency. The fake bills also lack the appropriate water marks.


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Hot on the tail of a Godfall footage findings it's way onto the internet earlier this week, a full trailer has now surfaced online.
This week has been a busy one for the first confirmed PlayStation 5 title, fantasy RPG Godfall. Hot on the tail of a short snippet of game play findings it’s way onto the internet earlier this week, the full trailer has now surfaced on Reddit.
Reddit account YeaQuarterDongIng, since deleted, uploaded the full trailer yesterday. In parallel, Godfall developer Counterplay Games confirmed via the game’s official Twitter handle that the trailer is ‘year-old PC footage used as part of an internal presentation’ as many speculated.
Simultaneously, Randy Pitchford, the head of Godfall publisher Gearbox Software, mirrored Counterplay’s announcement, adding that the game has evolved considerably the internal trailer since. He also noted ‘how awesome this game looks and plays on PlayStation 5.’
This being the internet, the leaked trailer has since popped up on YouTube, and you can check it out in all it’s glory below.
Aside from providing context for the earlier leaked footage, we also catch glimpses of impressive vistas and gorgeous lighting set to define Godfall, including a towering city that appears to stretch into the skies.
It’s hard to fault Godfall for its impressive visual style despite the year-old footage. We fully expect Counterplay Games to up the stakes with Godfall’s PlayStation 5 performance.
But, a pretty game doesn’t make a great game, and there’s a sense the gameplay isn’t all that innovative. It’s the familiar hack and slash formula propped up by stellar graphics.
Calling it bland this far from the release of Godfall is both a disservice to the game and potential players. Nevertheless, Godfall will need more than the hype surrounding the PlayStation 5 to carry it forward.


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Ford is kicking off the new year with not one, but two coveted accolades as the all-new, all-electric 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E has been named the 2021 North American Utility of the Year, while the all-new 2021 Ford F-150 has been named the 2021 North American Truck of the Year. It is the first time since 2014 that the same brand has won multiple North American vehicle of the year awards in the same year.
“This recognition for Mustang Mach-E and F-150 is validation not only for our brand but also for our Ford team, which continues to innovate and deliver on its commitment to creating must-have products and services,” said Kumar Galhotra, president, Ford Americas and IMG. “The North American Car, Utility, and Truck of the Year awards are among the most prestigious in the industry and such an honor serves as a capstone achievement for years of hard work for the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 teams.”
This is the third in a series of recent awards that saw a Mustang Mach-E and F-150 double feature – both earned accolades in December for the Edmunds Top Rated Luxury EV and Edmunds Top Rated Truck of 2021, on top of recognition as the Green Car Journal’s 2021 Green Car of the Year and Green Truck of the Year.
The North American Car, Utility, and Truck of the Year awards are intended to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, and value for the dollar.
The organization gives out three awards – “North American Car of the Year,” “North American Utility Vehicle of the Year,” and “North American Truck of the Year.” The awards are given by an independent jury of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada instead of by a single publication, website, radio, or television station.
In addition to the 2021 North American Utility of the Year, the Mach-E was also named the Best Car to Buy in 2021 by The Car Connection and Green Car Reports earlier this month, as well as the Best Electric Car to Buy in 2021 and the Best Crossover to Buy in 2021.


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"We're still here!"
That's the message from some Dallas businesses damaged by the October tornadoes.
Those businesses are working hard to get things back to normal.
At Royal China in Preston Hollow, customers are on a first name basis. George Kao's parents opened the restaurant 45 years ago.
He said it would take more than a tornado to take it out.
“Business got interrupted for nine days,” Kao said.
Like his, many businesses in Preston Royal Village have reopened.
The latest news from around North Texas.
The Toy Maven had to temporarily relocate and the dining room of Cantina Laredo is still drenched.
“We've received a lot of calls from our customers, hoping that we're going to be open and then it doesn't happen. That's the most frustrating part,” owner Victor Johnston said.
Johnston said he’s waiting on his insurance company to settle his claim, and it would be a few more weeks until he could reopen.
He said he hoped customers return too.
“Please, definitely, we don't have another restaurant,” Johnston said.
A reminder that things could be worse is right across Royal Lane.
Dozens of businesses were damaged so badly, they'll be out of commission for months.
“That's unimaginable, devastating,” Kao said.
Thursday, businesses that have reopened are inviting customers back to sip, shop and show support for a place that brings a community to the table.
The "Sip and Shop" event is from 4-7 p.m. Thursday at Preston Royal Village.
There will be food, drinks and live music. The event is free.
Saturday, a local church said it would canvas neighborhoods damaged by the tornadoes giving out food, household goods and spreading hope for the holidays.


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Asking whether or not one should exercise to lose weight isn’t the same as asking whether or not someone can. Dave puts a recent Vox article into its proper perspective and asks “do they even lift?”
So it begins…
Dave discovers one of his old mini-posts and realizes that a full-length “do over” was the appropriate response.
In light of the recent FTC settlement involving Herbalife, Dave has a few things to say about it.
Dave, in his inaugural post on fitness and nutrition-related topics, discusses high intensity interval training.
A recent court case in Illinois may mean that not-for-profit hospitals will lose their tax exemptions.
Properly understood, carried interest is a return on capital. Dave brings a unique perspective to the carried interest debate.
A property that was the center of major controversy the last time it was purchased is being sold once again.
The title says it all and Dave says little else.
Undisclosed ingredients in dietary supplements are not a good thing, and it’s one of many problems with that industry. However, Dave is especially troubled by the discovery of DNP in a supplement that has nothing to do with weight loss.
While Dave does not expect to change hearts and minds when it comes to privatizing municipal assets, he hopes to provide some clarity by addressing critiques pertaining to the economics of those transactions.
Coca Cola wants us to believe that weight problems have nothing to do with diet and everything to do with exercise. Dave beats up on this woeful tale of broscience.
Dave shares an article about the possibility of state licensing for personal trainers.
Dave has no love for the anti-GMO movement and was not paid by Monsanto to write this post.
Arby’s takes a rather unconventional approach with the vegetarian and vegan critics of its slogan.
A rent freeze… In a 7-2 vote on June 29, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board approved their first ever rent-freeze in the board’s 46-year history. The freeze will apply to one-year rent-stabilized leases, while rents on two-year leases will increase by 2 percent. The decision will affect the nearly one million units of…
Dave discusses the unilateral exit right (i.e. secession), how the legal argument was framed, and shares a few additional thoughts. Dave also suggests reading it before bed time.
I didn’t know that the country of origin is required on meat packaging. I guess I won’t miss it if it goes away.
Need I say more?
Here, Dave presents the historically-evidence for a strict construction reading of the Constitution. This Part II of II.
In the first of two posts, Dave tries to make the argument that a proper understanding of the Constitution’s structure points to strict construction as the proper way to interpret the document.
I turn 42 at the end of the week. I’m way too old to waste my time dealing with the pissing contests between and within the various fitness subcultures.
As if pandering to the Christian nation crowd with a large granite monument of the Ten Commandments in the lobby of Alabama’s Supreme Court building wasn’t bad enough, now Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore thinks it’s a hell of an idea to follow in the footsteps of George Wallace and John Calhoun:
An interesting development in the healthcare space:
This article caught my interest. It addresses speculation in the market for Super Bowl tickets.
The question is whether or not the wonks can save finance from itself. So long as lobbyists from the financial industry maintain the influence they currently enjoy, it’s not going to happen.
Municipalities looking to address budget concerns have shifted their focus to historically tax-exempt not-for-profit entities:
While this could have been included as part of Linky Friday, it probably deserves standalone recognition:
Dave take a look at the intersection between food and fitness.
Alternatively titled “If you want regulations, make sure the rules are crystal clear” zic gets the honor of today’s comment rescue: Pointing out the good side of regulation — how it protects small people (despite the concern trolling that always happens about how it’s the little guy screwed) is another. And a third thing I rarely hear…
In the category of “People Taking Fitness Far Too Seriously”, this has to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious examples I’ve ever seen:
Nike seems to think so Being a bit of a fitness geek, stories like this pique my interest.
In a recent interview, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara took a few shots at his critics (my emphasis added):
It could very well happen…sort of…
Throughout the course of a series of email exchanges, Saul and I discussed the story centered around Market Basket, a regional New England-based chain of grocery stores that drew national attention after a longstanding dispute between two sides of the family that owns it boiled. A brief introduction is in order. Market Basket is New…
In my last mini-post, Saul Degraw mentioned a company called Market Basket, a New England-based grocery store chain that easily falls under the definition of good corporate citizen. Historically, the company has been able to offer very low prices to its customers while paying its employees very well (including benefits, profit participation and pension contributions).…


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Google has received a provisional authority to operate under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program for its suite of cloud computing services and underlying common infrastructure.
FedRAMP’s Joint Authorization Board issued Rev. 4 P-ATO approval to the Google Cloud Platform at the moderate impact level, Jennifer Lin, director of product management for Google’s GCP security and privacy business, wrote in a blog article published Wednesday.
The certification allows the company to offer its platform through data centers in various countries and from multiple cloud regions.
Federal agencies and contractors interested in adopting Google’s FedRAMP package can submit an electronic access request form to the General Services Administration.
Dome9 offers a compliance test suite to evaluate payment card data security based on industry standards, while Rackspace provides managed security services alongside Google’s cloud platform.
RedLock markets the Cloud 360 Platform designed to help customers manage and secure cloud environments.


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The prodigal daughter, Ivanka Trump, is back at it again with the questionable Twitter likes.On Wednesday, the @TrumpsAlert Twitter account notified followers that Ivanka liked a tweet by Tommy Pistol, an actor and director of adult films, which said, "I don't support Trump in any way.
We may now know the reason why a Parks and Recreation revival is yet to happen — and the issue doesn't appear to be the willingness of certain cast members.The problem may be that the show's co-creator Mike Schur is just too damn busy.SEE ALSO:
Actor Emilia Clarke has published a very honest and moving essay about the health problems she faced while filming Game of Thrones.After collapsing at the gym shortly after she'd finished making Season 1, Clarke was diagnosed with a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)Per the NHS website,
Every once in a while, social media is swarmed by people participating in 10 year challenges, where people dig up photos of themselves from a decade ago and juxtapose them with a more recent picture. These challenges are meant to show how much time has changed someone,
National Puppy Day is here and it's about time you celebrate "man's best friend" with this deal from BarkBox. When you sign up for a 6-month or 12-month subscription, you can get your first box for just $10, which is a savings of up to $15 (depending on the plan.)SEE ALSO:
Editor's note: Mashable and PCMag are both owned by Ziff Davis.Listen, maybe you don’t necessarily need a new TV just yet. Yes, we know you don’t want to be tempted to blow your savings, but just trust us here. Once in a while, a deal comes around that you simply cannot refuse. Let us explain:
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are obviously incredible, the envy of their chocolaty peers. But as Easter approaches and we begin to consider our springtime candy lineups (I assume everyone does this),
Warning: Spoilers for The Act lie ahead.I'm a fan of true crime the same way some people are fans of Halo Top. After a long day, I'll crack open nearly any true crime account and eat up the terrifying, true-to-life details with a metaphoric spoon. Whether it's a movie, series, or podcast,
Though the internet rarely unites for a common cause, the mystery of who had the gall to bite Beyoncé Knowles brought the sleuth out of everyone earlier this year.In March, actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish shared with GQ that an unnamed actress bit Queen Bey during a party in 2017.
Germany-based budget grocery store chain Aldi is known for offering incredible bargains on your basic sundries. But that's not all. The store is now also the proud purveyor of two award-winning whiskies, for sale in its UK stores.
Let’s face it: Whether you’re FaceTiming with your parents on your iPad or curling up with a juicy read on a lazy Sunday, hoisting your tablet up for what feels like an eternity (not to mention craning your neck) puts a total damper on your downtime.SEE ALSO: Which tablet to buy for your kid:
如何创建证书： makecert.exe -sr LocalMachine -ss My -a sha1 -n CN=JiangServer -sky exchange -pe (服务端证书） makecert.exe -sr LocalMachine -ss My -a sha1 -n CN=Ji...
Satya Nadella向员工发布了电子邮件备忘录，提前预告了新财年他的新“施政纲领”。在备忘录中，Satya Nadella将微软称为一家专注于移动和云计算的“生产力和平台公司”，并称将转变企业文化，调整组织架构和流程。
Following its announcement that it would be cutting 18,000 jobs over 12 months, Microsoft has continued to ring the changes with the formal merger of its Yammer and Office 365 teams.Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2014/07/29/microsofts-re-shuffle-continues-yammer-and-office-365-teams-merge/
通常我们需要监测ASP.NET MVC 或 Web API 的应用程序的性能时，通常采用的是自定义性能计数器，性能计数器会引发无休止的运维问题（损坏的计数器、权限问题等）。这篇文章向你介绍一个新的替代性能计数器的工具Metrics.
上海2014年11月10日电 /美通社/ -- 它是“全世界拥有最多读者”的一部经典文学名著，百余年来备受追捧、历久弥新；她是令所有女孩仰望与崇拜的精神偶像、梦想典范，对爱与尊严的执著坚守堪称现代女性“心灵之鸡汤”，这就是英国作家夏洛蒂.
编者按：本文是TechCrunch中国合作方动点科技独家稿件，作者李书航是TechCrunch中国联合主编。 上周三，我在三里屯 SOHO 的 App Annie 办公室，见到了公司 CEO Bertrand Schmitt 以及 App Annie 中国区总监戴彬。 App Annie… Read More


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Heatwave Interactive recently released Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, a massively multiplayer online game that’s been in development since at least 2005, and it looks just as good as it looked back then. Unfortunately it’s 2011 now.


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The long-awaited return of fast-food brought with it a phenomenon that has not been missed at all by tidy Kiwis - the disgusting habit of dumping fast-food rubbish.
People across the country shared photos of the mess and their disgust at the actions of the dumpers, labelling them "paru huas", "pigs" and "grubs".
On Facebook, one person shared a photo of dumped rubbish and unloaded on the people responsible.
"Here we go, you paru huas gonna ruin it for everyone else. Just when earth gets a good rest from you humans, not even 5mins and already s****ing on our beautiful land.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
"Wake up you idiots or stay in lockdown crying," they wrote.
One commenter noted that fast-food fans "queue up for hours to get food but can't stop for a few seconds next to a bin".
• Covid 19 coronavirus: Queues at McDonald's drive-thru as Kiwis wake to level 3
• Covid 19 coronavirus: Auckland Maccas' queues cause traffic jams
• Covid 19 coronavirus: McDonalds' level 3 plans in breach of rules, union says
• Covid 19 coronavirus: McDonald's working towards opening once lockdown lifts
A photo shared of an overflowing bin at a popular spot in New Plymouth known as "Pig Out Point" generated a huge response with comments suggesting the mess was "disgusting" and one user stating "I'd hate to see the houses of some people".
Elsewhere on social media, some users drew a link between the quality of some fast-food and the amount of discarded packaging: "Look I don't care if you put junk in your body just put your Mcdonalds rubbish in the bin. I drove past a lot of it today in the three hours since Maccas NZ reopened, it's not hard you know."


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Hit Entertainment has kicked off a major campaign for Thomas the Tank Engine, taking in partnerships across toys, books and live events, plus a feature-length DVD special.
Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery features former James Bond Pierce Brosnan as the voice of the narrator. To celebrate the release, Hit has partnered with Vue cinemas for a special 'blue carpet' premiere at Vue Leicester Square, plus weekend screenings across 40 Vue cinemas in the UK.
During the premiere, Thomas fans will be given the chance to meet The Fat Controller, while a number of activities and attractions will also be held, including a large scale Thomas train (provided by Lego), face painters and balloon makers.
Children will also receive a goodie bag packed with licensed Thomas products including toy engines, DVDs, books, stickers and vanilla cake kits from Green's.
The release of the DVD will be supported by a big hitting marketing campaign including TV, print and online activity. There will also be a number of Great Discovery consumer products from Tomy, RC2 and Hornby.
"Thomas fans will be thrilled to rediscover their favourite character on the big screen as the popular series is bought to life in a fantastic 60-minute special," said Peter Byrne, EVP consumer products worldwide at Hit. "It's a big movie-style action adventure. There's also a chance for fans to see some brand new characters for the first time, so it's very much the major consumer product event in the Thomas calendar for 2008."


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The Venture Center Announces 2019 Pitch 'N Pint Winners
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. December 10, 2019 – MaryJane Eason of MaryJane & Company took home the $5,000 Judges’ Choice prize last night at The Venture Center’s annual Pitch ‘N Pint event. MaryJane & Company touts their mantra of “Where healthy hair & extensions co-exist,” as they help brides, fashion designers, models, stay home moms, other interested customers, and patients undergoing chemotherapy.
“Congratulations to Ms. Eason for delivering a flawless pitch and easily selling the crowd and our judges on her product,” said Wayne Miller, Executive Director of The Venture Center. “We are grateful for every entrepreneur who spent the evening with us, bravely pitching their very worthy ideas. With a crowd of over 150 people, last night’s Pitch ‘N Pint proves that anyone with an idea and the drive to execute that idea has the powerful support of a wonderful community behind them.”
At the event, 15 entrepreneurs delivered their 60-second elevator pitches to investors, judges, and a crowd of 150 enthusiastic start-up folks. A panel of local business leaders selected the winner of the Judges’ Choice Award. Darrin Williams, CEO of Southern Bancorp CEO Darrin Williams, The Venture Center Board Chairman James Hendren, and Arkansas Capital Corporation’s Marie Bruno all volunteered their time and expertise for the event, listening to pitches and asking questions of the business owners. Audience Choice Awards were chosen by the crowd who voted via state-of-the-art, text-your-vote technology.
The full slate of winners are:
• Judges’ Choice Winner: $5,000 Seed Capital: MaryJane Eason, MaryJane & Co
• Audience First Place Winner: $1,000 Seed Capital: Audra McAnally, AM Solution
• Audience Second Place Winner: $500 Seed Capital: Neill Linebarier, Apex Dental Education Network
• Audience Third Place Winner: $250 Seed Capital: Abby Sims, Idestini
All 15 pitch participants were Arkansas businesses for five years or less, and have Annual Recurring Revenues (ARR) of at least $25,000. Anyone interested in competing in next year’s Pitch ‘N Pint should email firstname.lastname@example.org.
About The Venture Center
The Venture Center is a globally recognized Arkansas based Entrepreneurial Support Organization (ESO) that helps entrepreneurs turn their start-ups into viable, high-growth businesses. By leveraging the expertise of a world-class team of mentors, intensive programming, and introductions to the investor community, The Venture Center serves as an engine for economic growth in Arkansas and beyond.


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Beyoncé has partnered with her trainer Marco Borges to launch a new vegan meal delivery service.
The company is called 22 Days Nutrition after the belief that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit.
All meals will be 100% plant-based and delivered once a week. All ingredients will be non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and organic.
Prices will range from $9.76 to $16.50 each.
Beyonce herself has dabbled in veganism before. She and her husband Jay-Z famously adopted the diet for 22 days in the winter of 2013 and she has since made an effort to include more plant-based foods in her diet.
“All you have to do is try. If I can do it, anyone can,” Beyonce said in a press release.


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It was announced today that Naomi will be the face of the new Chloé Nomade Fragrance which will be launched on Feb 1st 2022. I have added the HQ campaign photo & a promotional photo to the gallery.
Hi Everyone – In 2019/2020 Naomi appeared in Bvlgari’s Mai Troppo ‘Never Too Much’ Campaign for Bzero1 & Diva jewels with Zendaya & Lily Aldridge. The campaign appeared as print advertisements in magazines & a video clip. The HQ behind the scenes photos, print campaign, photoshoot & HD screen captures have been added to the gallery & the video advertisement along with the Director’s cut of the video can be found in the VIDEO ARCHIVE.


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IBM plans to deliver the world?s first 1,000MHz processor in the first half of next year with its latest breakthrough in chip technology ? silicon on insulator (SOI), writes Colin Barker. IBM will use...
Companies are challenging Amazon in retail and cloud
Cosmetics firm is undergoing a top-to-toe tech refresh with GDPR compliance thrown in
DFS resorts to cloud to help handle spikes in online demand
Economy and business performance not a problem, reckon small firms
Charity engages Braintree to move away from previous payment system which was in danger of failing and losing millions of pounds of donations, admits CTO


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MEXICO CITY — French perfumery giant Sephora is upping the ante in Latin America with plans to roll out at least 50 stores by 2016, according to Paula Larroque, general manager and senior vice president of Latin America for Sephora Americas.
Sephora recently opened its sixth, 4,306-square-foot Mexican store in Mexico City’s Santa Fe luxury shopping center on Nov. 16. Larroque told WWD exclusively that Sephora hopes to roll out five stores in Mexico next year. At the same time, it will install another six outlets in Brazil. Emboldened by what Larroque described as a “fantastic consumer response” in Mexico, Sephora opened shops in Puebla and Guadalajara in 2012 and added stores in Mexico City’s Satelite and Antara malls. Sephora’s first Mexican store opened in the Interlomas shopping center last October.
Since then, sales have “far exceeded our initial expectations,” Larroque said, adding that 30 exclusive brands were launched in Mexico this year. “We are very happy with our performance so far which is why we are going to double our distribution next year,” she said.
Sephora will also continue growing in Brazil, Latin America’s largest beauty market. In the next three months, the LVMH-owned chain will open three new stores in Brazil. The first 4,951-square-foot shop was inaugurated on Nov. 23 in Sao Paulo’s Morumbi shopping center. Sephora is opening 4,306-square-foot and 3,767-square-foot stores in Rio’s Rio Sul and Shopping Village Mall, Larroque added. Sephora opened its first, 3,800-square foot Brazilian store in São Paulo’s JK Iguatemi mall on July 13.
The expansion blitz will boost Sephora’s regional store count to 10.
Next year, Sephora’s expansion will continue with plans to open a second store in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, and a shop in the Cancun beach resort. That will be followed by another opening in an undisclosed Mexico City location and the chain’s arrival in Querétaro, a quaint and fast-growing city two hours north of Mexico City.
In Brazil, the chain will open three more stores in São Paulo, and shops in Curitiba and Niteroi, Larroque added.
In total, Sephora hopes to add five stores in Mexico and six stores in Brazil in 2013 to operate 21 stores in Latin America by 2014.
The story doesn’t end there. Larroque said Sephora is scouting locations to enter other Latin American countries and that it may enter the region’s other large markets in 2014.
“In 2014 we will start looking at the other big markets after Mexico and Brazil and this could include Argentina, Colombia and Chile,” she added.
If the chain’s expansion succeeds in those markets, Larroque predicted Sephora could easily operate over 50 stores in Latin America.
“We think every main city in Latin America can definitely have a Sephora,” she concluded.
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)
As one of the most recognizable models in the world, Christy Turlington Burns has an insider’s view of the fashion industry and the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around it. “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry. The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experiences at some point in our careers,” Turlington told WWD, along with her suggestions for how the modeling world should protect younger women and men. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: Tony Palmieri) #wwdnews
@asics America has tapped a new brand ambassador: famed DJ/record producer @steveaoki. This initiative is intended to set the tone for the new brand identity and philosophy and will include partnerships with influencers and in-store and off-line activations that will continue into next year. This is Asics’ most significant marketing effort in two decades, and is expected to attract younger consumers to the brand. #wwdfashion
24-year-old Jean Prounis is redefining the rules of jewelry. Formerly a studio assistant to Jemima Kirke and a design apprentice at Ghuran, she focuses on handcrafted subtleties and ancient goldsmithing techniques. “There was a really sterile feel in the environment and I wanted to have jewelry with character that shapes how you wear it everyday,” Prounis said. Each piece is hand made in New York, either by Prounis or three other jewelers in the district. #wwdfashion
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews


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- IAB Technology Laboratory certified 17 companies for correctly using its Open Measurement Software Development Kit (OM SDK) to track mobile in-app advertising. The OM SDK is a set of software tools designed to facilitate third-party viewability and verification measurement for ads served in mobile app environments and is being deployed among hundreds of thousands of apps with a combined global reach of about 2 billion devices, according to an announcement.
- Flipboard, Gameloft, GetDabbl, Google, inmarket, InMobi, intowow, Pandora and Tapjoy are the first certified companies in the United States. IAB Tech Lab also certified BuzzSDK, Display.io, Madvertise and Teads.tv in Europe; Pokkt and Verse.in in India; Bytedance in China and Mezzomedia’s Signal-Play and Manplus platforms in Korea.
- “The Open Measurement SDK gives our advertising partners an unprecedented level of transparency and measurement by enabling the independent, third-party reporting of their choice. Currently, around 75% of our inventory is OM-enabled and measurement is no longer the inhibitor it once was,” said Paul Longhenry, Senior Vice President of Strategy, Corporate, and Business Development, Tapjoy, in the statement.
IAB Tech Lab has worked to remove barriers to growth in the growing market for mobile in-app advertising. That effort includes the development of the OM SDK and certification program to give brands and marketers greater assurance that mobile users are actually seeing in-app ads. About three-fourths (77%) of brands have asked their media agencies to buy in-app ad placements due to their favorable metrics, according to a Sapio Research survey commissioned by Fyber. In-app ads can improve campaign ROI by an average of 41%, the survey found.
The IAB’s tools, which officially launched in April, have been in limited release since October 2017 and aim to eliminate the use of different SDKs by app publishers and ad verification vendors. They could enable brands to more accurately assess ROI and determine what is and isn’t working, possibly leading to increased ad spending. Already representing more than half of mobile ad spend, in-app ad spend grew at a rate of 21% year-over-year, according to data from PubMatic reported by Media Post.
In-app ads likely will become a more important source of revenue for app developers. Revenue from app marketing has surged 80% since 2016, but developers still face challenges in boosting user loyalty, retention and profitability, a separate study from measurement platform AppsFlyer suggested.
Along with ad viewability issues, ad fraud also is a significant problem for brands and marketers in the in-app market. Mobile in-app ad fraud surged 800% in 2018 from the prior year, according to a study by measurement firm DoubleVerify. App spoofing, hidden ads and mobile hijacked devices fraudulently divert ad spending, the company said.
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The concluding chapter in the most critically acclaimed open world action role-playing video game series has been out for grabs for a only little more than a week now, and there is all sorts of content regarding the game on the internet. Like other major releases, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is also affected by some issues that need to be patched, and fortunately, CD Projekt RED is patching the game rather quickly. The latest Patch 1.03 is expected to arrive on Xbox One tomorrow, with a 30fps frame-rate cap and a fix for the game save problem.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Patch 1.03 for Xbox One Comes with 30fps Frame-rate Lock and a Fix for Game Save Problem - Expected to go Live Tomorrow
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an epic game all around. Not perfect, yet still one of the best games available on eighth generation consoles that one can buy without giving it a second thought. While hardware is the only limiting factor for PC players, the game is restricted to certain standards on the consoles. One issue with the Xbox One version of the game so far has been the varying frame-rate, which changes depending on the in-game graphical situation. However, thanks to CD Projekt RED, players will soon have to worry about it no more, as the upcoming patch 1.03 will lock the frame-rate at 30fps.
The news first came via Twitter when a fan asked why the developer hadn’t already locked The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s frame-rate at 30fps on Xbox One. Community Lead and Website Coordinator for CD Projekt RED Marcin Momot replied saying: “The lock should be there in the upcoming patch.” Later, Momot also took it to CD Projekt RED’s official forums and stated that in addition to the 30fps frame-rate lock, the 1.03 patch will also remove the bug that causes loss of saved games on the Xbox One. He also mentioned that the patch is expected to go live by tomorrow.
The 1.03 patch on Xbox One will feature both, the FPS lock on 30 and will remove the save problem. We are hoping it will go live by Friday.”
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has already been patched on PC several times, with the latest patch providing a few graphical improvements. The patch 1.03 for Xbox One is currently going through Microsoft’s certification process. While the game is already enjoyable on all three platforms, it is certainly great to see how CD Projekt RED is working at its best to further improve the performance of the game.


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KINGSPORT, Tenn., April 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Global specialty plastics provider Eastman announces three groundbreaking product developments marking the milestone 10th anniversary of Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, a clear, tough, chemical-resistant polymer found in products made by companies such as Newell, Nalgene, CamelBak and NuGlass. Recent innovations in smart technology are emerging to position Tritan as the right plastic for applications in digital agriculture with Arable Labs, which uses Tritan in its solar-powered smart device to monitor crops and weather. Tritan is also a key component in the SproutsIO smart microgarden and Hidrate Spark smart water bottles that track water intake and integrate with fitness trackers like Fitbit, Apple Watch and Google Fit. Tritan has inherent properties that make it the ideal material for an increasing number of products in the Internet of Things (IoT).
“Tritan has been a game changer in the plastics industry for the past decade,” said Burt Capel, Eastman vice president and general manager of Specialty Plastics. “Eastman is committed to enabling market success for our customers. We help people clear hurdles, so they can adapt and move forward. We’re proud of the history of Tritan as well as its relevance as the right plastic now for a myriad of applications.”


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There was a time when Facebook made no money from the use of its mobile products — and its ability to do so, in the company’s own words, was “unproven.”
Now, almost two years since admitting those and other risks in a prospectus for its IPO, Facebook just enjoyed its first billion dollar quarter for mobile ad revenue, which makes up 53% of its revenue overall.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
That’s almost as much revenue from mobile alone as it made from mobile and desktop combined in the same quarter one year ago.
It’s a marked turn of events for a company born of the desktop era that has attempted to adapt its product, in lockstep with the habits of its users, to a world of tablets and phones. And if Facebook’s latest earnings are any indication, it’s succeding thus far.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company’s most recent fourth quarter results offer a good sense of just how far the social network has come over the past ten years. Revenue is up 63% year-over-year to US$2.59-billion, and total users have climbed to 1.23 billion, up 16% over the same period of time.
More than 750 million of those users now access Facebook daily. But a more telling figure is the 556 million that access Facebook daily from a tablet or mobile phone — not to mention the 296 million people who use Facebook on their phones alone each month.
These are users that, two years ago, were not being monetized at all. Now, quarter-over-quarter, mobile revenue has grown 41%.
Chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg credited that growth to increased demand from marketers for mobile ads, improvements in Facebook’s tools meant to demonstrate the effectiveness of its ads, and an increase in small businesses on the platform.
But what Ms. Sandberg did not credit was an increase in the frequency of its ads.
After the company’s third quarter results, investors reacted negatively to Facebook’s plans not to boost ad frequency, sending the company’s stock price down. But Facebook has been chasing a different goal, preferring to serve higher quality, more valuable ads instead.
In the U.S. and Canada last quarter, average advertising revenue per user was US$5.34 – an increase of 27% over the previous quarter. Users in Europe were worth $2.36, an increase of 34% quarter-over-quarter, while users in Asia, worth $0.88, where up 19% during the same period.
According to Mr. Zuckerberg during last quarter’s investor call, the average daily user is engaging with more than one ad per week.
Ultimately, higher-quality ads – such as video and ads for mobile app downloads – make more sense than increasing ad frequency, especially on mobile where screen space is at a premium. And though Facebook doesn’t break-down average advertising revenue per user between desktop and mobile, given the amount of revenue now coming from mobile, it should be encouraging that those numbers are up overall.
What will prove most interesting is how this strategy evolves over time. In the halcyon days of 2011, games developer Zynga Inc. still accounted for about 12% of Facebook’s revenue, when payments revenue still seemed as important as ads. Payments revenue as a whole is now but a small part of the pie — around 7% last quarter — and no longer is Zynga mentioned by name.
Now, rather than rely on others for revenue, or even on ads alone, Facebook may begin looking to other parts of itself. With news that Facebook is launching another standalone app – this time, a story-centric app called Paper for interacting with the platform’s News Feed – the recent introduction of Instagram ads, and the revamping of its Messenger chat app, how Facebook monetizes its mobile users outside of the core app may soon be the thing to watch.


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Breweries know how to adapt. When hard sparkling water became a trend, many added the stuff to their roster. When the pandemic hit, some started making hand sanitizer. And, now that THC-derived beverages are legal, breweries are getting in on that, too. Fair State Brewing Cooperative is one such local brewery, and they did it the only way they knew how: by forming a new collective.
“We recognized that we wanted to lean into [THC beverages] rather than shy away from the uncertainties of the landscape,” says Chill State’s principal and program director Rob Shellman. “We kind of just dove right in and got into work.”
Located within Fair State’s St. Paul manufacturing center, Chill State has teamed up with five other businesses to put more types of canna-beverages on the Minnesota market via their production, distribution, and co-packing center. So far, they’ve brought five other companies aboard. One partner, Bent Paddle, is local (Duluth), while the others—Happi, Plift, FIND WUNDER, and Offfield—hail from faraway places like California and Michigan. Shellman says they hope to keep expanding the gang, including adding more local makers.
Offfield is an especially intriguing Chill State member. They make products intended to be enjoyed while active, be it while running, doing yoga, or hiking—think Gatorade, but with electrolytes, CBD, and small doses of THC instead of sugar. Though they mostly peddle gummies on their site, they’ll be making non-carbonated bevvies with Chill State.
“There’s a whole segment of people out there who enjoy working out while high,” says Shellman. “I think that, especially here with our active lifestyle, it will do well in Minnesota.”
Meanwhile, Chill State, which makes a THC drink of the same name, has added a second variety, Pineapple Express, to its lineup. Shellman describes it as baked pineapple-forward with a pine-y finish. One thing about Chill State’s beverages is that you can usually smell and taste the weed; that’s thanks to their use of the cannabinoid-derived terpenes in their drinks. It’s a flavor note that may be familiar or reminiscent of dank brews.
“It might be easier to gravitate toward terpenes for if you’re already a hophead,” Shellman notes, “but we’re finding that more cautious people trying it are like, ‘Oh, that’s really good.’”
Shellman is no stranger to the beverage industry; he’s worked in craft beer for over 15 years, founding the Better Beer Society, a best practices organization dedicated to craft beer growth and education. That experience transfers handily to this new cannabis venture.
“There are a lot of similarities between early years of craft beer and THC,” he says. “A lot of those pages from the craft beer playbook we're now seeing play out in cannabis. We’re obviously trying to take the good parts from past experience and apply them.”
But THC is different from IPA. As a formerly illegal substance, cannabis is up against decades of hysterical propaganda. If you were a child in the DARE program in the '80s, you may remember being told that weed was a gateway crack, homelessness, and death—even though data suggests a different, more complex story. That’s a lot of baggage, man.
“There’s definitely a stigma,” says Shellman. “It's our job to help normalize this as a new social beverage segment. It truly is the future; people are consuming alcohol less and less, and it’s our responsibility as leaders in this space to educate.”
There’s also incoming legislation. While legislators may have semi-accidentally legalized THC edibles in July of 2022, several days into 2023 the DFL-led Legislature had already come up with a proposed 250-page bill that could change Minnesota from a stoner Wild West to highly regulated state.
“We’re used to our quirky laws in Minnesota,” says Shellman. “This is a lifeline for breweries, especially after Covid. The ability to have this lifeline in place has been a blessing for us.”
Shellman also hopes that breweries will play a big part in pioneering the landscape. (“Why wouldn't you want to put this in the very capable hands of people who have been working with safe manufacturing of beverages for a millennia?”)
So is there any possibility of Fair State Brewing segueing into a mostly weed business?
“Obviously we’re a brewery first,” he says. “We are very much ‘church and state’ with our entities—we call it ‘beer church’ and ‘Chill State.’ But supporting each other is really what is going to help us get through the crazy days of the green rush.”


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Last month, RPM hosted its Digital Transformation Summit, a virtual, companywide event focused on the latest trends and best practices in digital technology—from artificial intelligence and data analytics, to application software and chatbots.
This two-and-half-day event included many participants throughout the organization. Although RPM’s corporate IT team has conducted many similar events over the years, this was the first time the summit was held virtually—and, I must say, it was very successful. Thank you to all of the presenters, attendees and our Digital Transformation Center of Excellence team. I also want to recognize Mark Rankin, senior director of global systems, who did much of the heavy lifting.
This past year has certainly brought a lot of changes—not just at RPM, but around the world. It has taught us that we need to be quick to adapt, react and evolve across all aspects of our businesses. The pandemic has clearly demonstrated the growing importance of digital technology not only in our personal lives, but across RPM and its operating companies. I believe we have risen to that challenge, but there is always more room for growth.
The virtual summit highlighted some of the technology advancements that our organization is implementing, as well as key insights into emerging trends that will help our businesses continue to compete and win in the markets we serve.
The event kicked off with an overview of the current digital landscape and various initiatives underway across RPM to address changing needs in digital technology. Topics ranged from data security and compliance, to RPM’s overall strategic plan for driving policy across the enterprise. Over the next two days, presenters took a deeper dive into hot topics such as chatbots, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) technology, data analytics and digital marketing during a crisis.
For example, in a session on Google Analytics, CPG Europe’s Digital Marketing & Sales Manager David Podmore reminded us that digital marketers aren’t the only ones looking to gain insights from digital platforms like Google Analytics—they work alongside content creators, sales teams, designers and even product experts who can all find value in this data.
“I think it can be easy for non-digital natives to feel overwhelmed by large data sets. We, as digital experts, have a responsibility to make sure they are as navigable as possible,” said David, pointing to the need for reporting to be consistent across all accounts, properties and views.
In another session on web development, Rust-Oleum’s Senior Manager of Internet Applications & Development John Zohoranacky shared that the company recently kicked off a pilot program utilizing Solr, a new open-source platform with enterprise search and analytics capabilities, such as full-text search, real-time indexing and database integration. Quickly gaining popularity, it powers some of the most heavily trafficked sites, like AT&T, eBay and even Disney.
As Mark stated to jumpstart this event, “The power of technology has allowed us to find different ways to make RPM a much better company.” Although we certainly wish it could have been held in person, this year’s virtual summit provided a global venue for employees across RPM to be inspired, drive collaboration and learn from one another. To access a video replay of any of the event’s presentations, please contact Mark Rankin at email@example.com.
I suspect this won’t be the last time we hold an event like this virtually. In fact, we plan to host another virtual IT summit over the summer to share corporate initiatives related to IT operations and cybersecurity with our many employees across the organization.
Chief Information Officer
RPM International Inc.


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Fans of electric cars should get all charged up over this!
Okay, bad puns aside, there’s some dang cool happenings coming out of the electric-vehicle world lately.
For starters, Toyota plans to begin leasing a plug-in hybrid vehicle later this year. The odds of you or me getting one aren’t good; only about 500 will be offered, and they’ll be spread across mostly government clients in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Still, this is a sign that the Prius won’t be Toyota’s only hybrid star for much longer.
And if you think that’s cool, check out scrappy little Subaru, who just beat Toyota to the punch by announcing that their own plug-in hybrid, the Stella, will be available for sale in Japan starting this July. For our Japanese friends, you might want to set up camp outside your Subie dealer now, because only 150 will be offered in the first year.
Out of Santa Monica, Calif., comes news that a company called Coda Automotive will offer a four-door, five-seat electric sedan priced around $35K. It’s said to be powered by 728 batteries and have a top speed of 80 mph. I don’t know about you, but with 728 batteries I’d expect a top speed closer to 8,000 mph. The Tesla Roadster reaches 125 mph on… let’s see… one battery pack. Hmmm.
Then there’s the insanely cool news that Jaguar may develop a hybrid version of its all-new XJ. The buzz around the unveiling of the completely redesigned Cat has me giddy already, and offering an electric version would firmly place Jag back in the upper tier of world-class luxury cars.
The rumors are that the XJ would use technology similar to the Chevy Volt’s, making it a long-range EV rather than a true gas/electric hybrid.
Finally, there’s this news: Ferrari is developing a hybrid 4X4.
I know, on first read it can’t even be comprehended by the human mind. But it’s actually pretty cool:
Ferrari is working on a system that would provide electric power to a vehicle’s front wheels while keeping a traditional RWD gas-powered setup in the back. The main purpose is to create a better-handling, more stable supercar… but a side effect is electric-only power at slow speeds, resulting in cleaner emissions when tooling around the city.
Of course Ferrari wouldn’t do that on purpose!
Are you interested in following the development of electric vehicles, or are you the type who’d just rather know when they’re at the dealership?


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Lufthansa aims at business customers in 2005
THE year 2004 has been among the most successful for Lufthansa in the UAE, said Uwe Wreidt, general manager, passenger sales UAE and director, Gulf and Pakistan.
“In terms of passenger sales, we’ve seen a 17 per cent increase over last year.” Revenuewise, too, the company has posted double-digit growth, he says, indicating that the country is not just a leisure destination for tourists with cheaper fares but also a high-yield business centre.
Part of that has been reflected in the airline’s increased Munich-Dubai frequency to seven weekly services as of October. The airline also introduced its own online check-in system in the UAE last year, in line with its high standards.
“For 2005, we hope to grow five or six per cent in terms of services to Westbound destinations,” said Wreidt. This year, Lufthansa plans to position itself as a high-quality business travellers’ airline. “We aim to look after the comfort and service needs of customers that really pay money, such as long-haul passengers flying two or three times a week,” he explained.
The recently-opened First Class terminal in Frankfurt is part of this plan. The airline will also emphasise the high-technology aspects of its products. The new Business Class seat, for example, in addition to a flat bed, has features no other airline offers, such as a real massage function and 15 different motors so the seat moves with the customer. A new inflight entertainment and Flynet, the in-cabin high-speed broadband choice complement this offering.
“Additionally, we have a BBJ tie-up with Private Air, and the Hon Circle black card add-on to our frequent-flyer programme, Wings and More, which has just been launched for customers who fly more than 600,000 miles within two years,” said Wreidt.
Overall, he says, the airline is trying to automise as many processes as possible. “Lufthansa aims to use technology to make handling processes seamless. At major hubs, it is possible to check-in automatically with your luggage and ticket, at the press of a button. There is no line and this saves many of the hassles associated with flying.” The airline even offers its electronic ticket (E-tix) passengers automatic self-boarding at international hubs, something which has yet to be implemented regionally, given local airport requirements.
While sales of E-tix are rising in Europe – with as many as 57 per cent of passengers choosing the electronic ticketing system – the local market has a good way to go yet, said Wreidt. Future technological processes in the pipeline include eye scanning and other security-enchancement procedures.
Lufthansa also plans to further capitalise on its network with Star Alliance, an asset that already makes the airline a real global carrier with 755 destinations in 182 countries. “We’re not a point-to-point carrier – we offer seamless travel from point A to Z.” While the alliance’s Visit USA and Visit Europe passes sell out almost as soon as they go on sale, putting out a similar Visit the Middle East pass depends on a regional partner airline. “We are evaluating various airline options, it’s obvious that we need a partner here. In the interim, we have inter-airline agreements with national carriers.”
Despite the resurgence in the travel industry being attributed to a rise in budget travel, Wreidt said Lufthansa’s Business Class has seen a rising number of passengers. “While more corporates have downgraded to Economy Class, funnily enough, the number of passengers in our Business Class is still increasing, which only shows that if you provide the right product for the right needs, it will be the preferred option.”


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For a long time, reports have told us that the games industry was stagnant. A huge industry, sure, but one whose annual revenues seemed caught in the doldrums. The pervasive idea that gaming spend has largely plateaued is based on the NPD’s reports. As you may know, that NPD only really tracks physical retail sales – and only estimates digital sales.
Turns out they’ve been underestimating those digital sales for years. The latest edition of the Entertainment Software Association report has – as it always has – an overview of the game industry. This year it’s a little different though – in that the reports has revised data going all the way to 2010. The new “restated” data shows that the gaming industry has been steadily increasing – it’s just that physical game sales have declined, and digital has mushroomed.
The NPD, responsible for those numbers, says the discrepancy is down to a lack of data on digital game and DLC sales in previous years. The NPD has since emboldened its digital tracking, through its acquisition of EEDAR, and it all now paints a much rosier picture of the games industry.
Instead of the $16.5 billion reportedly spent on video games and its related content in 2016, the new reports suggests as much as $24.5 billion left gaming consumer wallets last year.
The NPD’s David Riley told ARS Technica why the numbers were changed:
“The numbers have been restated to account for better visibility on mobile and digital full games and DLC spending. The acquisition of EEDAR, data informed from DLP [a “digital panel” of data directly from publishers], and re-sizing PC DLC spending is what led to the restatements.”
That shows just how wildly the firm has been underestimating the digital market. It’s not all roses though; the numbers now show that only 26% of purchases are for physical games, which obviously has an effect on retailers.
The rise of digital will have more profound effects locally. Many publishers don’t have local offices, so rely on third party distributors to market and sell games. With consumers locally moving towards digital, it puts these distributors in peril.
Read the full report, over at Ars Technica.
Last Updated: April 25, 2017


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When the next recession will begin still is the $64,000 question, but Riverside, Calif., Phoenix, and Miami most likely will see home values crash when it does while Rochester and Buffalo, N.Y. and Hartford, Conn., are among the top 10 markets that probably will not.
Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather looked at data such as the ratios of home sale price to household income ratio, loan-to-value of homes sold among other statistics and calculated a risk score for 50 markets.
“Home prices are high right now, but they’re high because there’s not enough supply to meet demand, which means there’s not a bubble at risk of bursting,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “Most of today’s financed homeowners have excellent credit and a cushion of home equity, making them unlikely to default on their mortgage even if their weekly grocery bill grows or their stock portfolio shrinks in the next recession.”
Fairweather continued, “If the U.S. enters a recession in the next two years, it will likely be caused by the global trade war. U.S. industries that rely on exports, like the automotive industry and the agricultural industry, would be the most vulnerable and susceptible to layoffs. Homeowners who are laid off may not be able to continue covering their monthly mortgage payment and may be forced to sell their homes. And would-be homebuyers won’t feel so confident about making a big purchase when they don’t feel confident about their job security or their financial wellbeing. That could cause declines in home prices in markets whose economy depends on global trade, but home prices nationwide are likely to hold steady.”


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In recent weeks, the aroma of fat, juicy peaches, redolent of summer, have lured dozens of people downtown on Sundays to Hank & Hazel’s Really Good Sausages on Merchant Street.
Though the eatery — which does have really good sausages and other edibles — is closed on that day, owners Sarah and Andy Harper opened their large patio to local businesses impacted by the destructive LNU Lightning Complex Fire.
Brazelton Ranch was one of those businesses hurt by the August blaze, and it’s their notable peaches and stone fruit that brings people out in droves. Let’s just say that if you had Brazelton fruit, you understand the draw.
“They’ve been really amazing in allowing us to do this,” said Liz Brazelton by phone on Thursday. “Them letting us use their space was huge for us. We would have had a lot of fruit loss otherwise.”
It’s been a learning curve, she added, as she’s not used to selling off property. But since much of their neighborhood was destroyed and Pleasants Valley Road had become somewhat of a disaster zone, the family is grateful for the opportunity.
For their part, the Harpers are happy to help.
Sarah credits her dad with the idea. He apparently lives near Brazelton Ranch and loves to go grab peaches and chat with the folks as he does so.
“When he realized the implications of Pleasants Valley Road being closed on their farmstand, he started trying to come up with ideas of where they could sell their produce,” she explained. “When I heard his idea, our patio came to mind – it’s perfectly laid out for them to sell over the bar/counter.”
Very simply, it was a way to offer a helping hand to others in need.
“It felt like a way we could have a much bigger impact than if we made a financial contribution to a GoFundMe,” she continued. “Now that we’re in the midst of it, there are so many other benefits. We’ve gotten to know the Brazelton family as we’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with them on their peach sales days, and they are wonderful!
“We’ve been inspired to add peach relishes and salsas to our menu, which have been so fun for our customers to try, and we’ve been able to meet so many new potential customers that had never heard of us before the peach pop ups. That was so unexpected for us, but it’s been a blast getting to serve these new customers.”
Longtime customers visit them at the eatery, but there have also been newcomers.
“We definitely did get some people, they saw what was going on and stopped by,” she said. “We sell everything out here, except the prunes.” Aside from peaches, there have also been nectarines and pluots.
Another bonus — strong relationships.
“Now we have new friends in Sarah and Andy,” Brazelton said.
New recently has been the addition of olive oil from Soul Food Farms.
Harper said she plans to keep the Sunday fruit stand going through the season, “or at least until the roads open back up for the Brazelton farmstand to reopen.”
Essentially, it’s all about community.
“When we originally founded Hank & Hazel’s it was with a mindset to promote better food options in Vacaville. In our home we cook from a CSA box, and buy whole animals from ranches where they raise them right,” she said. “Any chance we have to promote that type of agriculture that is better for our health and better for the earth, we’re all about it.”
Hank & Hazel’s is located at 501 Merchant St. The Sunday stand is open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/hankandhazels.


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What Happened: On August 18, Alimama — Alibaba’s marketing, technology, and big data platform — released an insight report profiling Chinese fashion trends and consumer behaviors. The report found that China’s Gen-Z made up 30 percent of Alibaba’s total consumption, increasing by over 400 percent year-on-year. The study is further proof that this age bracket has become the most lucrative one amid the current bear market. Meanwhile, fashion retail consumption increased by over 300 percent in first- and second-tier cities in China but grew by 570 percent in third- through sixth-tier cities. Moreover, niche trends continue to inspire more collaboration opportunities.
Jing Take: Alimama developed its insight report with big data coming from Alibaba’s retail platforms, so it is a good indicator of where China’s fashion business will be heading, and therefore, what moves brands should make to attract consumers. In China, Gen Z is gradually taking the reins from millennials to become the top consumption drivers, which was exemplified by Balenciaga’s new Qixi campaign. For it, the brand adopted the “Too Cool” style that is currently favored by fashion-forward Gen Zers.
The youngest spending generation is powering many of the new fashion trends listed in the report, as that market aspires to differentiate themselves from older generations via unique or niche tastes. At the same time, the power of lower-tier cities in China cannot be underestimated thanks to the rapid development of telecommunications technologies, affordable smartphone costs, and convenient express delivery services that support expedited spending.
The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.