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The Boston-based retailer Bodega recently sat down with Eiichiro Homma the co-founder and managing director for the Japanese brand Nanamica. While shopping the Fall/Winter 2013 line, Bodega spoke with Homma at New York’s Ace Hotel to talk all dimensions of the brand. Check out the full preview recap and interview here.
Bodega: Eiichiro Homma of Nanamica Interview
August 22nd 2012


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In this article, we ask ‘How important is Facebook to businesses now?’ In the light of the recent Cambridge Analytica controversy are people still interested in Facebook?
The truth is that the majority of Millennials are using Facebook less than ever. Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube are there most frequently used social media platforms. They are now attracting more organic traffic from Google than from Facebook.
The recent change in the Facebook algorithm could be a factor contributing to the decline in use. But, this does not mean that Facebook is any less important. The content on the platform will be less, but the quality will be better.
Facebook is being used less as the older generation started using the site more and more. The majority of Millennials moved to other social media platforms such as Instagram.
Decline in Use
According to statistics from Pew Research, teenagers use YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Only half of the U.S. teens have a Facebook account. Ten per cent of the teenagers stated that Facebook is a social platform that they use most often. Less than three years ago Facebook was the dominant social media for U.S. teenagers. These statistics show how fast audience demographics can change.
In 2017, Facebook found itself in the spotlight and under governmental scrutiny. This was for reasons such as being used by Russia to meddle in the 2016 election. Other issues were allegedly allowing advertisers to exclude minorities from real-estate advertising. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, then made the decision to change the algorithm. The new algorithm was made to help promote meaningful posts. It was designed to stop users being presented with content that is being passively consumed.
Marketing Strategy Changes
So, how will this impact businesses? Posts won’t be appearing on the Newsfeed in the same way as before. A lot of previous marketing strategies will now be outdated. Facebook plays a serious role in many company’s marketing strategies. It is used to engage with customers on a personal level, or for collecting leads via tools like Ad Manager. There are actions that can be taken by businesses to retain and increase engagement.
By focusing on producing quality content you are more likely to create engagement with customers and prospects. Try and see every post you make as an ad for your business. You’re trying to draw attention to your business with your posts.
Brian Grimes-Viorrt from Social Element stated: “The days of organic reach are definitely over. Businesses already have to invest in ads on Facebook so their content is in front of their audiences. But there will be fewer opportunities to buy ads, so the prices will be higher.”
Increasing Engagement Levels
It is going to be harder for businesses to reach a high level of engagement. However, there are still a lot of ways to keep getting traffic from Facebook. To increase traffic to a website then you will need to look to other social media platforms to achieve this.
You may feel as though platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat do not fit in well with your business. Yet, there is now an entire generation (Millennials) using these tools. Try out a variety of platforms to see which one is the most successful in engaging a target audience.
About Blackberry Design
Blackberry is a creative design agency. We work with businesses in Redditch, Worcester, Birmingham, the Midlands and nationally. We help our clients build strong brands that can create loyalty and add value.
Got any questions about targeting your audience? Speak to Blackberry Design to see what we could do for your business. Get in touch on 01527 517309 or fill in our contact form.

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By Dominic Chopping
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S (NOVO-B.KO) on Wednesday posted first-quarter earnings that beat forecasts, but it cautioned that despite expecting robust sales growth in the future, intensifying competition and price pressure will have an effect.
Net profit for the three months ended Mar. 31 rose to 10.75 billion Danish kroner ($1.74 billion) from DKK10.16 billion in the same period last year, beating the DKK9.87 billion forecast in a FactSet poll of analysts. Sales fell to DKK26.93 billion from DKK28.45 billion, but still beat the expected DKK26.72 billion.
Sales in the quarter found support from Novo Nordisk's new diabetes and obesity treatments, partly offset by declining sales of long-acting insulin Levemir. However, a significant hit from the depreciation of the U.S. dollar and related currencies versus the Danish krone meant that reported sales fell.
Measured in local currencies, 2018 sales growth is now seen at 3% to 5% compared with an earlier estimate of 2% to 5%. Reported sales growth is now expected to be around six percentage points below that range, having earlier been anticipated at seven percentage points lower.
Operating-profit growth in local currencies is now seen at 2% to 5% from a previous estimate of 1% to 5%, with reported growth seen around nine percentage points lower, from a drop of 10 percentage points expected earlier.
Growth this year is expected to be underpinned by a robust performance in Novo Nordisk's modern insulin and obesity drugs, but the company said intensifying global competition both within diabetes care and biopharmaceuticals, as well as continued pricing pressure within U.S. diabetes care, would keep a lid on growth.
Looking into next year, Novo Nordisk said new U.S. legislation will hit group sales by 1% to 2%. Funding of the Medicare Part D coverage gap will be changed from 2019, with pharmaceutical companies required to cover 70% of the coverage gap compared with a current level of 50%, it said.
Write to Dominic Chopping at firstname.lastname@example.org; Twitter: @domchopping @WSJNordics


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“LOOK Good and Feel Great” was the message to patients at Princes Alice Hospice as a new campaign was launched.
St Valentine’s Day at the hospice in West End, Esher, saw patients getting some well-deserved pampering.
Now the hospice is looking for volunteers to help them offer more treatments.
Expert beauty and fashion tips were given to residents by Nadine Baggott, beauty editor at Hello! magazine and TV’s This Morning and LBC fashion presenter John Scott.
John lives in Twickenham and was keen to support his local hospice with Nadine, who has a long-standing relationship with the hospice, with family members working and volunteering for the charity.
John and Nadine visited the hospice to launch its new health, beauty and fashion initiative and were on hand to offer advice, while the patients received hair, make-up and nail treatments.
Beauty Salon Ltd in Hinchley Wood donated gift sets of products and the time of two beauty therapists, who helped volunteers Jane Mitchell and Suzi Parry.
Jane has been volunteering as a manicurist for 15 years; Suzi is also a long-term volunteer and has been volunteering for 10 years.
They agreed the sessions were not just about looking good but also bringing normality to the patients’ lives.
The day hospice also provides therapy treatments for patients, such as hand massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and relaxation clinics.
The team would like to offer more services, such as Indian head massage and Reiki. However, they need more volunteers to make sure that greater numbers of patients are able to benefit from these therapies.
Julian O’Kelly, day hospice manager, said: “The visible side-effects of some cancer treatments can be pretty hard to cope with, but sessions like today seem to help on many levels — both psychological and physical.
“The only way we can continue to run this scheme and develop our therapy treatments is with additional volunteers and the support of local companies donating products.”
Companies who would like to support the scheme by allowing their staff to volunteer at the hospice or through sponsorship and product donation should contact Julian O’Kelly on 01372 461802.


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Forty farms in Nova Scotia will open their doors to the public during the province’s annual Open Farm Day on Sept. 23.
The day will be based on the theme of “Buy Local…Eat Fresh,” in keeping with the province’s new Select Nova Scotia campaign to encourage consumers to buy locally-grown or -raised products where available.
“Farmers feed us all, and this is a great opportunity to enjoy local produce and thank a farmer,” said provincial Agriculture Minister Brooke Taylor in a release.
The provincial and federal agriculture departments, the Nova Scotia Agricultural Awareness Committee and Sobeys are supporting the event. A map and list of participating farms are available online and through Sobeys, Price Chopper and Foodland grocery stores.
(Note: One of the scheduled participants, West River Holsteins of Antigonish County, recently announced on the province’s web site that it won’t take part this year “due to current circumstances at the farm” but did not elaborate.)


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CONGERS, N.Y. -- The rain may have put a damper on the fifth annual Congers Ultimate Yard Sale and Flea Market on Saturday, but the sun will come out again -- hopefully for the event's scheduled rain date this weekend.
The yard sale and flea market is now scheduled from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, according to the Veterans Memorial Association of Congers, Inc. (VMA), the local group organizing the event.
In 2015, more than 60 vendors attended the market to offer their goods and wares. This year, even more are expected, according to the VMA, which said that space is still available for those wishing to sell their household items, furniture, antique books, toys, sporting equipment, collectibles, arts and crafts.
The event is to take place in the field at the VMA building at 66 Lake Road, Congers. Space can currently be reserved for $40. Anyone interested in becoming a vendor, or who may have questions about the event, should call 845-268-5831 for more information.
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25/09/2007 (The Economic Times), NEW DELHI - National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), which has so far imported 40,000 tons of edible oil, will keep a track of international prices before deciding on further imports.
"We have so far contracted import of 40,000 tons of crude palm oil (CPO) and soya oil, out of which 9,000 tons are degummed soya oil," NAFED Managing Director Alok Ranjan told reporters here today.
He said the international prices of edible oil have firmed up in last few days after being stable for quite sometime. The prices of CPO have increased by 6.18 per cent in the last one month while the increase in soya oil is 8.59 per cent. The price of crude soy oil is $859 per tonne while that of CPO is $790 a tonne.
Ranjan said output of both soyabean and groundnut is expected to be more this year making larger availability for crushing. However, the country will still need to import about 50 lakh tons this year, he added.
The NAFED MD denied any plan for retail sale of imported edible oils saying "it is not a priority for us".
Meanwhile, the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) is scheduled to meet today to take stock of the situation on edible oil prices and oilseeds production in the country.
According to the first advance estimate released by the Agriculture Ministry, oilseeds production, which declined last year, is likely to go up by about 16 per cent at 16.13 million tons in kharif 2007, compared to 13.94 million tons a year-ago.
Groundnut production is pegged at 5.18 million tons while soyabean at 9.04 million tons.


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Barteca Restaurant Group announced the appointment of Sabato Sagaria as president of bartaco, the group’s popular coastal-inspired, upscale street food concept. Sagaria succeeds bartaco’s co-founder Scott Lawton, who has been vital in growing and evolving the brand as well as bartaco’s sister concept, Barcelona Wine Bar. A seasoned hospitality industry veteran, Sagaria brings vast expertise to the thriving brand from time spent over the past two decades at several nationally acclaimed hotels and restaurants.
Before joining bartaco, Sagaria served as Chief Restaurant Officer at Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), where he oversaw the company’s New York-based restaurants, helping them expand from nine to 17 concepts over the course of four years. He also brings over 20 years of experience holding various culinary, beverage, and leadership roles at esteemed restaurants and hotels around the country, including The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado; The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA; and The Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, WV.
As president of bartaco, Sagaria will work closely with Barteca’s CEO Jeff Carcara and the entire executive team to establish long-term goals and strategies for bartaco’s continued growth. Additionally, Sagaria will oversee all of the brand’s existing locations, which currently span 15 locations across the U.S., advising on overall operations, design, and brand messaging.
“Sabato is joining us from one of the most well-respected companies in the industry,” Carcara says. “The work he has done with concepts that are hyper-focused on hospitality aligns with our company’s constant focus on prioritizing the guest experience. With our planned growth for bartaco and the foundation Scott Lawton has laid, we feel we’ve really found the right person to take it to the next level.”
“When I look at the restaurant industry today, I can’t imagine a more exciting concept to be working with right now than bartaco,” Sagaria says. “It is the perfect vehicle to bring great food, beverage, and hospitality to guests all over the country. I am looking forward to working with the team and continuing to build on their well-deserved success over the past seven years.”
Lawton, who also played an integral role in developing Barteca’s first concept, Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant, will continue to advise on special projects and be a resource to the team as Sagaria assumes his new role.
There are 15 bartaco restaurants in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.


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Cave to Shmup the Vita
Cave are finally back on the Sony wagon. According to Andriasang.com, the company infamous for super hard bullet hell shooters will be bringing an original shmup to the Vita. There are zero details about the game right now, but if I were a betting man, I’d say the game will use the touch surface on the back of the Vita. Cave have been going bonkers over the iPad for a few years now between ports of their 360 ports [meta!] and even some original games spun off of their series like Mushihime-sama. They love that touchy feely stuff. In other news, I just turned “shmup” into a verb.


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A plethora of new-fangled venture capital firms have emerged, but how are they different?
The tides are turning. That is, non-dilutive. No longer are startup founders limited to traditional venture capital that gives only a 1% chance of “success.” Entrepreneurs are in revolt and paying attention to new models of financing that give them refreshed optionality when looking to fund their growth.
In a recent New York Times article titled More Start-Ups Have an Unfamiliar Message for Venture Capitalists: Get Lost, Josh Kopelman, a venture investor at First Round Capital and an early backer of Uber, Warby Parker, and Ring…
As experts postulate on the future of supply chains, the healthcare system, the retail landscape, and the workplace in a post-COVID world, the industry that funds these economic engines is already adapting. Investing is being transformed in both predictable and surprising ways by the new economic reality abruptly created by Covid-19.
Some companies face urgent investment needs as revenue dries up during the Covid-19 shutdown. Other businesses are overwhelmed with the demand for products and services undergoing sharp spikes in usage during the crisis and seek partners to help them meet that demand.
Meanwhile, venture capital and other popular sources…
A long list of weird and wonderful health secrets from around the world.
I spent the last two years traveling around the world with Danyelle Pollock learning from the world and about my mind, body, and gut. We arrived back home in the US just weeks before COVID-19 struck, and I thought all these health secrets might help people stay in peak shape during the viral outbreak.
All of these health hacks were gathered from reading books, talking to people, and trying things. Not all will work for you, but some will. Others are just strange.
I’m not advocating any…
Or… Just Make You Laugh
How COVID-19 may change society in the years to come
I’ve been very curious about how the global impact of coronavirus will change our lives and culture long after it disappears. Here are some predictions, or maybe more appropriately, my hopeful thinking, about what we may see in the years to come.
Imposter syndrome is a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success.
It sneaks up on you.
It sucks your positive energy.
It creeps in the worst possible moments.
It makes you feel inadequate and unneeded.
You feel like a fake even though you’ve done it before.
Like you don’t care when it’s all you care about.
But you’ve been here before.
You are creative enough to figure it out.
Be open about your concerns and challenges.
And in the end, you will overcome.
You will believe in yourself.
We believe in you.
There are no…
RBF or Revenue-Based Financing is quickly integrating into the world of venture capital, and it’s working.
While revenue-based financing (RBF) might not yet have the name recognition of venture capital or angel investing, it is quickly becoming a powerful growth engine for diverse and innovative companies. This flexible, scalable, and easily accessed capital is a new and nimble form of growth funding that is fueling how companies scale across industries.
To examine how revenue-based financing helps companies grow without the drawbacks of other forms of funding, you can analyze the stories of three entrepreneurs who leaned on this funding model…
The face of venture capital is changing and more startups are turning to new methods of fundraising to fuel their growth.
For seven years, Christopher Columbus pitched wealthy rulers with an innovative idea: fund an expedition that would disrupt the spice trade. He eventually found a sponsor in the Spanish monarchs, and as history would have it, that trip led to the discovery of the Americas.
The tale of blue light in technology and the world.
Blue light has been around since the sun. It’s the blue light or HEV rays that make the sky look blue. Today blue light is defined as the region of ultraviolet (UV) light-ray spectrum in the 400–490 nanometer range.
What that means is that blue light has shorter wavelengths and higher energy rays than the rest of the visible light spectrum. …


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State-owned mining firm produced 4 million carats in 2021
Zimbabwean miner expects to exceed 2021’s record output
Russia’s Alrosa is the world’s biggest diamond producer by volume at 30% and the slightest disruption to its ability to supply distorts the market, according to Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Co. Chief Executive Officer Mark Mabhudhu.
“It may end up creating the supply gap that may drive demand for our product, as well as that of other players,” he said in an interview Monday. “However, we don’t wish for the worst case, but if it happens we will be able to sell our production.”
The southern African country is targeting $12 billion of mining industry revenue by next year, and state-owned ZCDC plans to contribute $1 billion of that, Mabhudhu said.
The company produced 2.3 million carats of diamonds in 2020 and last year, the miner operating in eastern Zimbabwe had 4 million carats of output, surpassing its target of 3 million, he said. That resulted in profit for the first time since its inception in 2015.
“For 2022, we are set to not only achieve, but exceed our diamond production target by more than 40% when compared to the 2021 baseline target,” he said.
ZCDC will resume diamond auctions in April after an eight-month hiatus as a result of the coronavirus and expects buyers from Dubai, Israel, India and South Africa.
“We have sizeable parcels for sale and the ultimate quantum per sale is determined in consultation with our selling agent, the Minerals Marketing Corp. of Zimbabwe,” Mabhudhu said.


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KSAT Behind the Kitchen Door: Rocky's Taco House, Taco Palenque fail health inspection
San Antonio Metro Health cites Rocky's for grease buildup, Taco Palenque for expired food
KSAT Behind the Kitchen Door reports a pair of taco restaurants failed their recent inspection by San Antonio Metro Health.
Rocky's Taco House located at 1302 Cupples Road failed with 32 demerits. Their violations included:
- A condiment cooler not working.
- Food debris found on shelves.
- Heavy grease build up on the stove-top and grill.
Metro Health said the restaurant had to do some serious cleaning and Rocky's manager says they have.
Taco Palenque at 1002 Northeast Loop 410 was also told to clean up after getting 32 demerits. Their violations included:
- Expired food.
- Dirty food contact surfaces.
- Toxic cleaners stored near the food area.
Taco Palenque tells KSAT Behind the Kitchen Door all the problems have been corrected. The restaurant added they've always passed their inspections in the past.
Three local restaurants received zero demerits in their latest inspection. They are:
- Kirby Steakhouse at 123 North Loop 1604.
- Big Apple Bagels at 8434 Fredericksburg Road.
- Tokyo Steakhouse at 9405 San Pedro Avenue.
Copyright 2012 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Scottish economy shows improvement
A survey of the Scottish economy has found the turnover of firms at its most positive for more than two years.
The Lloyds TSB Scotland Business Monitor said the production sector had recorded a "robust recovery" in the three months to the end of November.
Service businesses also showed an improvement and export activity held steady.
However both production and service firms' assessments of their prospects has deteriorated.
Service sector businesses are particularly gloomy about how they will fare over the next six months.
Cost pressures remained high, according to the survey, with the number of firms experiencing higher prices up significantly on a year ago.
However concerns about the availability of credit have declined in the latest three months although concerns about just how much that credit is costing remained largely unchanged.
The picture emerging, according to this latest monitor, is of Scotland continuing to recover from recession with the results the best in 2010.
Donald MacRae, chief economist, Lloyds TSB Scotland, said: "Manufacturing is leading the emergence from recession. However, a slowdown to low growth is in place at the end of 2010.
"Both consumer and business confidence remain positive but at low levels keeping consumer spending and retail sales increasing at moderate rates."


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https://www.dw.com-The European Commission expects economic growth in the eurozone to contract. Recession is highly probable over the winter, as inflation is expected to drag on for longer than initially expected.
The European Commission is predicting the eurozone will slide into recession in the winter, as inflation continues to rise , according to the latest economic forecast released on Friday.
The forecast projected that high energy bills currently eroding consumer purchasing power will prolong inflation, which is expected to spike to 8.5% this year, then fall to 6.1% next year.
Growth forecast for 2023 was meanwhile lowered to 0.3%, down from July’s projection of 1.4%.
Germany is likely to be next year’s worst performer , with the country’s economic output predicted to shrink by 0.6% over the next year.
Europe’s largest economy was the most dependent on Russian gas before the Ukraine war, and it is grappling to find alternatives to Russian energy.
Growth expected ‘in spring’
The Commission’s autumn forecast expects economic output to plummet in the remaining three months of this year, as well as the first few months of 2023.
High energy prices, increased cost of living and interest rates are all “expected to tip the EU, the euro area and most member states into recession in the last quarter of the year,” the Commission said.
“Growth is expected to return to Europe in spring, as inflation gradually relaxes its grip on the economy,” the report said. “However, with powerful headwinds still holding back demand, economic activity is set to be subdued.”
rmt/wmr (AFP, AP)


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Disney-backed Indian film and TV firm UTV Software Communications has bought its way into the 360-degree production business with the acquisitions of digital media companies in India and the UK.
UTV has acquired a controlling stake in India's largest mobile and online gaming company Indiagames for US$15m, and paid a further US$13m for UK-based console gaming company Ignition Entertainment.
A further US$30m has been committed to the production of three animated movies to be released over the next three years, as part of a combined outlay of US$57m to make UTV one of the biggest gaming and animation entities in India.
Explaining the major expansion moves, UTV pointed to Cisco- and Adobe-backed Indiagames' annual revenues of around US$5m, and a client list that includes Vodafone, Verizon, Hutch and Airtel.
Under the UTV buy-in, Vishal Gondal, CEO and founder of Indiagames, will continue to head the company.
Ignition, now 70% owned by UTV, is expected to generate annual revenues of around US$15m this year, and is busy developing a new US$20m high-end game called War Devil for Sony PlayStation 3.
The two deals are part of UTV's plans to "capture world markets and build efficiencies through cross synergies" and "derive cost efficiencies by using India as a base for game development."
The three animated movies in which UTV will invest US$30m are being developed by an international talent base: Simi Nallaseth (Ice Age) is developing one title, while Arnab Chaudhury, former head of Channel V and creative director of Turner International (Asia), will be working on another.
UTV is also in the scripting stage of its CGI animation production with US star Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment, an alliance that was announced earlier this year.
The deals have allowed UTV to create what it is now calling India's biggest gaming and animation company, with an estimated annual turnover of US$22m. Throwing in its TV, movies and broadcasting arms, UTV intends to multiply this tenfold by 2010.
"With the fragmentation of media and the emergence of interactivity as one of the key drivers of entertainment with the youth, we see new media platforms as the key to future growth," said UTV chief operating officer Ronald D'Mello.
UTV made US$31m in July by selling its kids channel Hungama TV to Disney, which also bought just under 15% of UTV for a further US$14.5m. It also recently agreed a deal with Malaysia-based Astro TV to launch a youth channel.
The US$44m latter deal will see the launch of the as-yet unnamed channel across multiple platforms, including TV, gaming and mobile. The channel will first launch in Hindi in Q2 2007, followed by other Asian languages.
UTV and Astro already operate a joint-venture kids channel called Astro Ceria in Malaysia and Indonesia. The upcoming youth channels will be aimed at 17- to 25-year-olds.
11 Dec 2006
? C21 Media 2006


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China’s model of economic development has brought huge success to the country in the last few decades. Alongside its achievements, however, are various implications to uneven growth. For example, China’s nutrition transition displays changing diets that lean more toward unhealthy, less diversified diets. The economic inequalities and rural-urban disparities are also alarming, and environmental pollution together with food safety are raising concerns among Chinese consumers.
The following 10 facts paint a picture of China’s economic development, the opportunities for change, and efforts to address the country’s existing challenges. Currently the largest economy in the world, China must face its challenges with a new outlook that focuses on sustainable, inclusive, and durable growth to reach high-income status and avoid the middle income trap.
- China is experiencing the triple burden of malnutrition—coexistence of hunger, undernutrition and overnutrition: Despite remarkable progress in reducing hunger, almost one fifth of the world’s hungry live in China (about 145 million), over 9 percent of children under 5 are stunted (about 89 million) and obesity is growing—over 27 percent of men and women were overweight and obese in 2013. The triple burden of malnutrition is costly. For example, overweight and obesity costs China US$7.4 billion a year, or 8 percent of its GDP in 2013.
- China has a growing appetite for meat: Higher incomes, more urbanized, sedentary lifestyles have changed dietary habits in China. The nutrition transition shows a growing prominence of meat in Chinese diets—meat consumption increased more than ten fold from 1975 to 2012, from 7.3 to 71 metric tons of beef, chicken and pork. In 2012, China overtook the US as the largest global meat consumers, where more than a quarter of meat produced worldwide were consumed in China. China is the top global buyer of soybean meal (used for animal feed), and is estimated to have bought 54 million tons of soymeal in 2014.
- The Chinese food value chain is growing longer, with less participants: The rice value chain is an example of the China’s modernizing value chains that are becoming geographically longer but involves less participants—farm equipment holdings doubled between 2004 and 2009, and rice mills are consolidating and modernizing. Mechanization is transforming the agriculture sector with the emergence of private mechanized service providers, such as Combine Service Enterprises (CSEs). These farmer companies are replacing expensive labor with machinery, assisting farmers with land preparation and harvesting services at competitive prices. For example, a cluster of CSEs has developed in the Jiangsu Province that travel inter-regionally to harvest and thresh rice.
- China is the world’s largest producer, and importer of rice: While China is expected to produce 141 million tons of rice in 2014, making it the top global rice producer, it is also the biggest importer of rice—in 2013, rice imports were estimated to increase to 3 million metric tons, almost 30 percent higher than the previous year. High labor costs (that causes domestic rice price to increase) and concern for safety of domestically produced rice are among several factors that drive demand for imported rice.
- China is Africa’s largest trading partner: China has had long-standing relations in Africa. In 2009, China surpassed the US as Africa’s largest trading partner. Agricultural trade has been growing between China and Africa. For example, China’s share of all Africa’s food exports increased from 1.4 (US$32 billion) to 3.2 percent (US$159 billion) from 2005 to 2012. China could further contribute to Africa’s development transformation through a south-south cooperation based on China’s successes in agriculture-led growth, evidence-based policy-making, and strong institutions. China’s agricultural technologies, for example, are highly transferable to Africa, suited to geo-economic and political landscape of a fellow developing country.
- China is experiencing widening inequalities: China’s successes have been met with emerging challenges in inclusive and durable growth. Inequalities manifest in income, education, and healthcare. China’s Gini coefficient rose from 29 in 1981 up to 0.47 in 2012, displaying wide income inequality across the country. Rural-urban disparities exhibit these inequalities: Children under five and pregnant women in rural areas are more likely to be anemic than those in urban areas. Unfavorable farm prices and development strategies that privileged coastal or more developed provinces over inland or less developed provinces have exacerbated rural-urban disparities. Urban inequality has also risen due to massive retrenchment of workers of state-owned enterprises in the 1990s and a shift in government policy in favor of the state sector over private enterprises.
- China plans to establish universal social security by 2020: China’s 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015) is projected to increase public social expenditure, which is expected to rise faster than the country’s GDP in the coming years. China has many challenges to overcome—social protection in rural areas is low compared to urban settlements; percentage of unemployed receiving benefits is less than 10 percent, especially for migrants (lower than Brazil and Russia); and the pension system is segmented. Establishing a universal social security system that covers rural and urban residents are expected to include a combination of social insurance and social protection schemes.
- Environmental problems and food safety are now among the top concerns of urban residents: Air pollution is an increasing concern—Beijing’s pollution index exceeded the safety threshold 19 out of 31 days in January of 2013. Water pollution equally alarming, as the Ministry of Environmental protection reported that less than half of water in China can be treated for safe drinking. In addition, the contamination of milk, the use of tainted meat and gutter oil in food production, and poisonous materials in fertilizers are increasing consumer concerns about food safety and driving the need for better food safety regulation.
- Renewable energy is sparking interest among Chinese investors: As one of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, China aims to shift to a more sustainable development model that focuses on energy efficiency and environmental protection. It intends to create a “green, circular, low-carbon economy.” Currently, China is the largest global investor in renewable energy, with investments reaching US$ 67 billion in 2012. The nation’s first electric aircraft, the RX1E, is set to be mass produced for domestic markets, with promising prospects for European and US markets.
- Climate change mitigation is in the works: China has agreed to cap emissions by 2025 in a carbon deal with the United States. The 12th Five Year Plan includes climate change mitigation at various levels, including city level—in light with urbanization trends, low-carbon pilot cities will be built. Five provinces and 8 cities will be built in the first stage, and 1 province and 28 cities will be built in the second stage.
Headline Image: Red Lantern by michmutters. CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr


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Even although China’s largest digital price platform, Ant Financial, had to terminate its IPO and Beijing has stepped up scrutiny on monetary technology corporations, more tech corporations are introducing their own on-line finance services and products as they are searching to have interaction a fragment of the pie.
China’s main inch-hailing firm, Didi Chuxing, launched a credit score price carrier named Yuefu (that manner “month-to-month pay”), which permits its customers to inch now and pay later, per Yicai (in Chinese language).
- Didi Yuefu supplies as a lot as 38 days of passion-free loans of much less than 1,000 yuan ($153) for inch-hailing services and products in Didi’s cellular app.
- The carrier is currently easiest available for selected customers. It is anticipated to attend all of Didi’s over 550 million customers in the terminate to future.
- Customers are encouraged to mark in to get a 10 yuan ($1.50) coupon, but nervousness having their Didi story suspended in the occasion that they fail to pay encourage the loans 15 days after the closing date.
Didi is hasty expanding its in-app monetary services and products and aiming for independence from the dominating third-occasion digital price platforms — Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay.
- The inch-hailing big this July officially launched Didi Pay, a digital price platform that may perchance well well perhaps also furthermore be veteran on services and products in Didi’s ecosystem, in conjunction with inch and taxi hailing, bike sharing, and public transportation.
- Didi launched Didi Finance final January and started to provide automobile insurance coverage and financing, neatly being insurance coverage, and funding services and products.
- Going by the government’s rising scrutiny on fintech, Didi built a relationship with Beijing by turning into the first cyber web firm to toughen China’s govt-backed, central-bank-issued digital forex this July.
- Experts seek recordsdata from monetary services and products will turn out to be a considerable revenue provide for Didi, which now takes over 90% of China’s inch-hailing market but has yet to expose a revenue, per China Situations (in Chinese language).
A vogue of tech giants are furthermore crowding into the credit score price market dominated by Ant Financial’s Huabei and JD.com’s Baitiao.
- Food provide big Meituan launched its own Yuefu carrier in July. Below equivalent terms to Didi Yuefu, the carrier may perchance well well perhaps also furthermore be veteran for on-place a matter to provide, hotel and flight reserving, and inch-sharing services and products in Meituan’s ecosystem.
- TikTok’s Chinese language model, Douyin, furthermore started to provide a credit score price carrier, Fàngxīnhúa 放心花, and a loan carrier, Fàngxīnjìe 放心借, this November. Both services and products are currently easiest available for selected customers.
Luz Ding is a contract journalist essentially based completely in Washington, D.C., preserving China, U.S.-China kinfolk, and the Korean Peninsula. She previously labored as a researcher for the Unusual York Situations in Beijing and a reporter for Caixin Media. Be taught more


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Small businesses are among the hardest hit sectors during the Covid-19 shutdown. Unlike many national chains and big box stores that have remained open, while also experiencing a surge in online sales, small merchants have seen a staggering loss of business. Many small retailers may never re-open. But E-commerce can be a lifeline for small businesses as the recovery begins. So Facebook is launching its Shops platform to make it easier for businesses to list and sell products on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook also announced that Shops will partner with existing web marketplace platforms including Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. How this will work from a competitive standpoint remains to be seen. But with the current and future spike in E-commerce sales, there should be enough business to go around.
The following TechCrunch article reports more on this topic which is excerpted below:
Starting today, you’ll be able to browse and buy products directly from a business’ Facebook Page or Instagram profile. Both Facebook and Instagram already supported a degree of e-commerce — for example, Facebook has its Marketplace and will likely make a bigger push through its Libra cryptocurrency initiative, while Instagram allows users to buy products featured in posts and ads. But the company’s new tools go further, enabling businesses to create a full-fledged Facebook Shop.
After all, the pandemic has probably made consumers even more likely to treat Facebook and Instagram profiles as the go-to source of information on local restaurants and stores — if your favorite store has changed their hours, or switched to online delivery/curbside pickup, they’ve almost certainly posted about it on Facebook or Instagram. So why not allow visitors to make purchases without having to leave the Facebook and Instagram apps?
It’s also worth remembering that the pandemic’s economic fallout is already hurting and killing off many small businesses — businesses that post and advertise on Facebook. So the company has a stake in helping those businesses survive in any way it can.
Overview provided by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group.


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Today Broadcom took the lead by announcing two new Wifi combo chip solutions meant for the smartphone and tablet market. The BCM4359 is a high-end 2x2 MIMO solution for high-performance smartphones, while the BCM43455 is an updated 1x1 MIMO 802.11ac for mass market phones. Taking a closer look at the BCM4359, we see several innovative new features, the most characterizing one being the inclusion for the first time of Real Simultaneous Dual Band (RSDB). RSDB enables the chip to connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously. This is achieved by doubling up on the baseband processors on the combo chip. Broadcom uses ARM Cortex R4 as the processing units of the IC, and the 4359 uses two of them. What this enables is a...
Mobile World Congress is in full swing today and Microsoft woke the press up early to discuss new features coming to their smartphone and tablet space. Top of the...35 by Ian Cutress & Andrei Frumusanu 3 days ago
Today, Qualcomm is announcing the new Zeroth Platform, which is enabled by the Snapdragon 820 SoC. While Qualcomm is avoiding any real disclosure of the SoC at this point, we...33 by Joshua Ho 3 days ago
In addition to a new SoC, Qualcomm is announcing a new fingerprint sensing technology for Snapdragon-based devices. While most fingerprint sensors currently use high-resolution capacitive sensors, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sense ID...7 by Joshua Ho 3 days ago
We've first heard about plans to adopt UFS (Universal Flash Storage) with the announcements of Toshiba and Qualcomm reported over a year ago. While the promised late 2014 schedule...31 by Andrei Frumusanu on 2/25/2015
Today Motorola has announced the launch and immediate availability of the 2015 version of the Moto E, the latest member of the company’s line of low-end smartphones. The 2015 edition...29 by Andrei Frumusanu on 2/25/2015
Today Google has acquired the technology and IP behind Softcard. Softcard is a joint venture between AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to support NFC based mobile payments in the United...18 by Brandon Chester on 2/23/2015
Today Samsung revealed what they claim are the first flash memory chips based on the eMMC 5.1 standard which was just approved by JEDEC, the group that oversees the...42 by Brandon Chester on 2/17/2015


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A rip-off artist is trying to lure Lady Gaga fans into wiring cash for phony premium seats at a pair of Madison Square Garden concerts.
The events on February 21st and 22nd are sold out, but ads on Craigslist promise heavily-discounted tickets that are available through a “verified eBay payment agent.”
There is just one problem. The online auction site doesn’t employ payment agents. NBC New York contacted several consumers throughout the United States who told stories of being targeted by a similar scam, though not always for concert tickets.
“It all seemed pretty legitimate at the time,” said Aaron Brockler, an NFL fan who fell for the fraud while trying to buy Cleveland Browns tickets for $500. “He never responded to me after we sent him the payment.”
Brockler happens to be an assistant criminal prosecutor in Ohio. After conducting some research on the Craigslist post, he found the ad originated from either Romania or the United Kingdom.
NBC New York responded to a similar suspicious posts advertising Lady Gaga seats in the Loge 78 section of Madison Square Garden. The asking price was $900 per ticket. Similar seats on StubHub.com went for $1,600 or more.
The author of the ad sent us a fabricated invoice with eBay and PayPal logos requesting the $900 be wired by Western Union to an address in London.
“As soon as we saw the Western Union we stopped,” said Laila Watkins, a math teacher who was targeted by the scam as she shopped for NHL hockey tickets last year.
Watkins described receiving a fraudulent eBay invoice that is nearly identical to the bill NBC New York received after replying to the Lady Gaga Craigslist ad. “It was amazing to me,” said Watkins.
"It looked like a form email," she added. "It looked like a real email from eBay. I mean they had the little eBay symbols and trademarks. It looked legit.”
According to a statement from eBay, all legitimate eBay transactions begin and conclude inside the online auction site.


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Let’s go, Fenerbahçe Ülker
Fenerbahçe Ülker meets Montepaschi in the very critical second match of the Euroleague quarter final series.
If the yellow and navy team, who lost the first match of the quarter final series against Italy by a score of 73-66, comes out on top in this game, a third and deciding match will be played on April 10th in Siena, to determine which of the two teams will advance into the final 4. However, is Siena is the victor, that team will immediately advance into the final four. At the game, which will be televised on channel 24 will start at 20:15, the Fenerbahçe will be depending on support from their fans. During this hugely exciting game, fans who attend will be treated to an audio and visual display and a concert by pop singer Murat Boz. The combination of basketball and the special show is expected to draw full attendance at Abdi Ipekçi. Tickets are already beginning to run out.
Ülker announced its first quarter 2022 financial results
Ülker Bisküvi increased its sales revenue to 5.9 billion TL in the first quarter of 2022. The share of Turkey operations in the sales was 60 percent where as the share of export and international operations in the sales revenue was 40 percent...CLICK FOR MORE
Yıldız Holding made Türkiye a production and export base with Ülker Biscuits
Yıldız Holding produces Ülker Biscuits and Ülker branded products as well as global snack brands such as Godiva, McVitie's and Flipz in Türkiye and brings them to consumers around the world. In 2021, the export figure of Ülker Biscuits in the snack area reached 291 million dollars....CLICK FOR MORE
Ülker announced its 2021 financial results
Ülker Bisküvi, Turkey's leading food company, announced its financial results for 2021. Despite all the uncertainties experienced globally during the pandemic, Ülker, strengthed its position in its markets and also continue to growth in domestic and international operations....CLICK FOR MORE
A SENIOR APPOINTMENT AT ÜLKER...
A significant change of position has been made in Turkey’s leading food company Ülker. Mustafa Kabakçı, who worked as Marketing Manager of Ülker Bisküvi Business Unit for the last two years, has been appointed as CMO of Ülker. Kabakçı will be responsible for creating and implementing marketing strategies for Godiva’s market series and McVitie’s brands as well as for Ülker brands....CLICK FOR MORE


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Which Surface makes the most sense for you? Here's how they stack up against one another, and against the Apple competition.
Viewing two apps side by side on a Mac just got a lot easier.
Microsoft has taken the wrapping off the latest version of its two-in-one Surface Pro device -- let's see how it stacks up against its chief competitors.
The storefront for handcrafted items is another effort by the e-commerce giant to become the everything store while simultaneously gunning for Etsy's business.
Apple is selling fewer MacBooks and iMacs, according to analyst IDC, but declining PC sales across the board means the company actually occupies a larger slice of the market.
The company will bring a high-resolution 4K screen to its smaller desktop machine, going on sale ahead of the iPad Pro, according to 9to5Mac.
Scientists from Australia dress sea turtles in little swimsuits to collect and study their poop. Yeah, the story loses a bit of its cuteness after that little fact.
The next version of Apple's Mac software is available for download. CNET explains where you can get it and how to use it.
There's a new "Game of Thrones" fan theory making the Internet rounds this week, and this one suggests Jon Snow might have a secret twin sister. Warning: Spoilers are coming.
Hulu snapped up a ton of new movies thanks to a deal that Netflix turned down. Find out what shows and movies are hitting the streaming service right here.


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Digital TV News: CBS All Access
317 million SVOD subscriptions for the U.S. in 2025
Sep 24, 2020 – According to Digital TV Research, the number of SVOD subscriptions in the U.S. will climb from 203 million in 2019 to 317 million by 2025 despite this being the most mature market in the world.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, Subscribers, USA
ViacomCBS global streaming service to be called Paramount+
Sep 15, 2020 – ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC, VIACA) has unveiled 'Paramount+' as the brand name for the company’s upcoming global streaming service. CBS All Access will be rebranded as Paramount+ in early 2021 as part of the service expansion.
News categories: ViacomCBS, Bob Bakish, Marc DeBevoise, Australia, Denmark, Digital TV, Finland, Latin America, Norway, Streaming, Sweden, USA
Apple TV app launches on VIZIO SmartCast TVs
Sep 8, 2020 – VIZIO has announced that customers in the US and Canada can now access the Apple TV app on SmartCast TVs. Eligible VIZIO SmartCast customers in the US can sign up for Apple TV+ and receive three months free.
News categories: VIZIO, Apple TV, Mike O'Donnell, Apps, Canada, Digital TV, Smart TV, Streaming, USA
Syncbak's VUit aggregates Local TV streaming content
Sep 1, 2020 – Syncbak has announced the launch of VUit, a free, ad-supported streaming service built in partnership with local television station groups. VUit aims to be the 'Netflix of Live, Local and Free'.
News categories: Syncbak, Jack Perry, Digital TV, Streaming, USA
ViacomCBS to launch connected video ad platform
Aug 4, 2020 – ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC, VIACA) is to launch ViacomCBS EyeQ, a connected video advertising platform that will serve as a single transactional point of entry for digital video content from ViacomCBS’ portfolio of networks.
News categories: ViacomCBS, John Halley, David Lawenda, Advertising, Digital TV, USA
U.S. consumers spend nearly seven hours per week watching online video
Jul 1, 2020 – Parks Associates has announced research showing that the number of hours per week U.S. consumers spend watching online video has almost doubled from 3.6 hours per week in 2017 to nearly seven hours per week in 2020.
News categories: Parks Associates, Dr. Kenneth Wacks, Digital TV, Market Research, USA
Netflix, Hulu user numbers fell as COVID-19 measures were relaxed
Jun 25, 2020 – The surge in users of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services during the stay-at-home period was not always sustained once people were allowed to move around more freely, according to Strategy Analytics.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, Michael Goodman, David Mercer, COVID-19, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA
Disney+ and Apple TV+ both see success during first six months in the market
May 29, 2020 – Parks Associates has released research showing that new OTT services Apple TV+ and Disney+ have captured significant market share in the streaming video space, rounding out the top five behind the 'Big 3' Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.
News categories: Parks Associates, Steve Nason, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA
Coronavirus expected to add 5% to global VOD subscriptions in 2020
Mar 25, 2020 – Strategy Analytics has published a forecast for SVOD services taking into account the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The forecast expects global subscriptions to increase by 5% in comparison to the pre-pandemic model.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, Michael Goodman, COVID-19, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, Worldwide
- SoftAtHome implements Alexa voice control software for etisalat by e&
- Arabsat Badr-8 satellite successfully launched
- Streaming TV growth in Latin America driven by ad-supported viewing
- STARZ domestic OTT subscribers up 700,000 in 1Q 2023
- New DIRECTV STREAM customers get priority access to Telly waiting list
- Insys Video Technologies simplifies video streaming with Bitmovin
- BeIN Media and Google Cloud announce media and broadcast collaboration
- Activated STBs grow to 3,166,461 for South Africa's Openview
- Singtel TV subscribers down 6,000 in 1Q 2023
- Orby Elevate selects EUTELSAT for DTH TV distribution in the US
- U.S. SVOD revenues to grow at a 6.3% CAGR over 2022-2027
- Netgem releases trading update
- IPTV to partially offset revenue losses in cable and DTH in Korea
- Player.pl available on Xbox consoles, powered by Redge Media
- CHiQ launches latest Google TV series in Europe
- Imagination launches GPU for smart home platforms
- BMW 5 Series to include TiVo video media platform
- Chopin launches streaming service in Poland with Nagra
- Airtel Digital TV subscribers down 39,000 in 1Q 2023
- HBO Max becomes Max


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Denver-based Frndly TV officially launched in October 2019 offering a skinny bundle of family-friendly programming targeted at cost-conscious customers in Middle America.
Founded by former Dish Network veterans — including CEO Bassil El-Khatib, chief programming officer Michael McKenna, chief financial officer Mike McClain and chief operating officer Andy Karofsky — the service offers a no-frills alternative to the bloated bundles of other vMVPDs and cable operators.
“We saw some opportunities both on the consumer side and on the programming side where there were some networks that were under-distributed on an OTT basis, that had well-established brands and audiences, and so we felt that rather than trying to copy the traditional cable bundle, which is what a lot of people have done, we could capitalize on some of these opportunities that were out there,” said McKenna.
The service, which tops at $10.99 per month, has since grown to more than 500,000 subscribers (as of Q3 2021), reaching profitability within just 15 months after launch.
“I think that we pretty much hit the target on our market,“ McKenna said. “We weren't looking for global domination. We were just looking to carve out a nice market.”
Of course, many other services that started out as a skinny bundle eventually succumbed to the same contractual obligations that have bloated the traditional cable bundle for years. The perennial challenge facing vMVPDs is that if they want to carry Disney Junior, for example, they’re also forced to carry a suite of other Disney channels, including ESPN, which wholesales for up to $10 per month per subscriber.
YouTube TV started out in 2017 as a skinny bundle offering 40 channels for $35 per month. It has since ballooned to over 85 channels at $64.99 per month. Philo also launched in 2017 at $16 per month with a lineup of 37 channels and has since grown to over 60 channels for $25 per month.
But McKenna said that Frndly intends to remain financially disciplined and keep the price low and stable.
“We're not interested in Disney,” said McKenna. “Those types of deals are not net positive for us or our audience.”
On June 23, Frndly TV rolled out a number of new tech features it said were requested by its subscribers. Navigation was simplified, making it easier to find live and on-demand programming, with tabs added to highlight available shows. The service has also improved the “timing bar” graphic on the screen that tells viewers how much of a program they’ve watched.
Frndly TV Basics
- Niche vMVPD: Frndly TV features a low-cost skinny bundle of 40-plus family friendly live channels and on-demand programming.
- Friendly pricing: Priced at under $10.99 per month, Frndly TV was built from the ground up with Middle America in mind. Frndly TV’s core service package includes the Hallmark Channel, Game Show Network, The Weather Channel and many more networks.
- User experience: The service is designed to be easy for subscribers to use. “We set out to make the product not only cost friendly and programming friendly, but also friendly in terms of navigation, so there’s a degree of familiarity that consumers can easily jump into,” said McKenna.
- Customer service: Most of Frndly TV's 30 employees are dedicated to customer service. “It's a funny customer service experience, because there are a lot of things out of your control, like what type of bandwidth is coming into the house,” Mckenna said. “And we get questions like, ‘how do I get my Roku device to work?’ A lot of it is getting them set up for the service and troubleshooting quality issues.”
How much does Frndly TV cost?
Frndly offers three packages. The basic plan offers a single SD stream for $6.99 per month. The Classic tier for $8.99 per month allows users to stream two simultaneous HD streams and offers three months storage on a cloud DVR. At $10.99 per month, the Premium offering supports four simultaneous HD streams and nine months DVR storage.
All three packages include the same lineup of 40-plus channels and on-demand programming.
The service includes a 72-hour look back feature that lets users watch shows that they may have missed and forgotten to record on their DVR. It also offers a “Start Over” feature that lets users restart a program from the beginning when joined in progress.
What channels are on Frndly TV?
Frndly TV’s lineup of 31 channels includes: A&E, Hallmark Channel, The History Channel, INSP, Lifetime, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Game Show Network, Lifetime Movie Network, FETV, The Weather Channel, Hallmark Drama, UPtv, FYI, GAC Family, Circle, CuriosityStream, Pixl, Outdoor Channel, Dove Channel, getTV, BYUtv, GAC Living, Military History, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, Vice TV, Local Now, Recipe.TV, BabyFirst, QVC, Hallmark Movies Now, and FMC (Family Movie Classics).
McKenna explained that the company is supported by three revenue streams. Basic linear streaming subscriptions, SVOD add-ons, (including offerings like Hallmark Movies Now), and most recently advertising.
In November, the company signed Magnite as its ad server and supply-side platform, delivering targeted ad inventory similar to any cable system.
McKenna reported that the company is very pleased with the return on its advertising initiative at this nascent stage and hopes to grow that part of the business significantly over the coming year.
Viewership and Advertising Gains
Frndly TV reported crackerjack viewership gains in the third quarter of 2022, reporting a 53% year-over-year increase in the total time subscribers spent viewing the service in Q3 2021. The service has reported a viewing increase each quarter since it launched in October of 2019, driven by the addition of some 17 new channels in 2021 and six more to date this year.
Ad impressions on Frndly TV grew 133% in the third quarter, the company said.
How do I watch Frndly TV?
The service is available on Amazon Fire sticks and smart TVs, Android Mobile (OS 4.4 or higher), Android TV (5.0 or higher), Google TV, Chromecast, Apple TV (Gen 4 or newer tvOS v10.0 or higher), iPhone 4s or newer, iPad 2 or newer, iPod Touch Gen 5 or newer, iOS/iPadOS v10.0.0 or higher, Roku (Gen 3 and newer) and the latest versions of all the major web browsers.
While the company doesn’t offer native apps for Samsung, Vizio or LG Smart TVs, users can still watch via casting. Meanwhile, Amazon Fire Tablet/Kindle and Windows Phone users can access the service via a web browser.
Who owns Frndly TV?
Frndly TV is privately owned by the company founders, including CEO Bassil El-Khatib, chief programming officer Michael McKenna, chief financial officer Mike McClain and chief operating officer Andy Karofsky, with backing from a private investment fund called Talkot Capital.
Get ready for the holidays with Frndly TV's Cozy Holiday Bonfire Presented by Solo Stove pop-up channel. The channel, which is Frndly's answer to the more-traditional Yule log, will feature the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 outdoor fire pit.
Frndly TV in March inked a deal to add Weigel Broadcasting‘s diginets to its channel lineup, including MeTV, a classic TV network that is one of Weigel‘s oldest and most-popular digital broadcast networks. MeTV and Story TV were made available to subscribers in March. In April, the service added Weigel's Heroes & Icons, Decades and Start. The additions give Frndly TV a lineup of more than 36 channels.
In January, Frndly TV expanded its relationship with Family Entertainment Television, adding FET’s FMC (Family Movie Classics) to its channel lineup.
In mid-November the company announced that it had selected Magnite as its ad server and supply-side ad platform to tap into the hot market for connected TV advertising.
“Magnite’s ability to deliver seamless ad experiences combined with the expertise of its teams have already added meaningful value to our bottom line and are helping us maximize our platform’s capabilities, which have translated to growth of our ad business,” said Steve Sklar, head of advertising sales for Frndly TV.
Also in November, the company added seven channels from A+E Networks to its lineup, bringing the total to 30. The channels include A&E Network, the History Channel and Lifetime, with its collection of holiday movies.
In October, Hallmark Movies Now video-on-demand service joined Frndly TV’s offering as a $5.99-a-month add-on for subscribers. Frndly TV subscribers also have an option to get Hallmark Movies & Mysteries for $59.99 annually.
Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama were already offered as part of the core package.
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Freelancer Scott Lehane has been covering the film and TV industry for almost 30 years from his base in southern Ontario, near Toronto. Along with several Future plc-owned publications, he has written extensively for Below the Line, CinemaEditor, Animation World, Film & Video and DTV Business in the U.S., as well as The IBC Daily, Showreel and British Cinematographer in the U.K. and Encore and Broadcast Engineering News in Australia, to name few. He currently edits Future’s Next TV, B+C and Multichannel News daily SmartBriefs. He spends his free time in the metaverse, waiting for everyone else to show up.


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The plundering of Africa continues. According to highly regarded estimates from the Washington-based think tank Global Financial Integrity, the cost of “illicit financial flows” from the continent to the rest of the world sits at around $50 billion per year in lost revenues. This equates to nearly 6% of African GDP which trumps the continent’s spending on healthcare and exceeds all the external aid and foreign direct investment. In short, Africa subsidises the rest of the world.
Most of these losses stem from tax evasion by global multinationals. For example, take a company that mines £500 million worth of diamonds from Tanzania for export to the UK. To cut its tax bill it may choose to report only £300 million to the local tax authorities. To facilitate the fraud, it sets up a shell company in a tax haven – to which it claim it exports the diamonds. It then collects an invoice from its shell associate for £300 million which it delivers to the Tanzanian authorities. Meanwhile the shell company “re-sells” £500 million worth of gems to UK importers. Other ruses include overstating costs.
Of course, such tactics are also employed in the rest of the world, including the UK. George Osborne is in the privileged position of having a squadron of tax officials who can forensically examine the books of suspected domestic miscreants, including one well-known US coffee chain, yet this is not widely shared. However, he is much less forthcoming when it comes to helping uncover similar practices by UK companies abroad. Surprising, that.


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Rite Aid has launched a new line of better-for-you private label snacks called Ello Market.
The retailer has divided the line into categories – Core, Better for You, and Indulgent. Products include “healthy snacks, pantry essentials and indulgent treats,” according to a release from Rite Aid. Actual products include things like savory nuts (pistachios and dry roasted peanuts), assorted sweets (chocolate almonds, peach rings and gummy butterflies), as well as trail mix varieties including Protein Trail Mix and Probiotic Trail Mix, and other kitchen items like honey and spices.
“We’ve been paying close attention to consumption habits to ensure our offerings fulfill the needs and desires of our customers,” said Pamela Kohn, SVP, chief merchandising officer at Rite Aid.


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Deloitte’s Harry Greenspun talks about what research is revealing when it comes to consumers and caregivers plugging into tech-enabled home health.
What about the doctor-patient relationship? This is the question that many whisper yet few ask directly as technology gives greater rise to remote treatment methods. Take CareKit, released from Apple, Inc. in March, which allows users to collect medical data and share with physicians. Will what’s achievable on screen disrupt the crucial care that needs to happen behind it?
Recent research from Deloitte Life Sciences and Health Care shows that while consumers and caregivers are open to using home health technology, they are concerned about how the technology will impact the relationships they have with doctors.
This report has no direct connection to Apple Inc.’s CareKit release. However, the findings revealed from Deloitte may shed light on how consumers will respond to Apple’s Inc. third medical framework (following HealthKit and ResearchKit) when it comes to sharing more medical information remotely—as well as how they may feel about incorporating data-monitoring technologies into their lifestyles—in the pursuit of managing or improving their lifestyles.
We spoke to Deloitte’s Director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions Dr. Harry Greenspun, for his insights on CareKit and on the findings from the report:
We are seeing a lot of development in technology right now circulating around telehealth services and technologies. Apple Inc.’s CareKit certainly falls within that realm, with the promise of providing tools and apps to help patients and their physicians track illnesses and monitor chronic conditions remotely. Going into conducting this research, did you have any preconceived notions as what the research would find?
While we try to avoid preconceived notions, we did have a few hypotheses. Health care has often lagged other industries in its adoption of technology. With so many tools and apps available for consumers in other aspects of their lives, such as retail, travel, and finance, we wondered if those experiences would drive acceptance or expectations.
Did anything that the report revealed surprise you?
There were a number of interesting surprises. Overall the biggest surprise, or even relief, was the overall embracing of technology, particularly among older participants.
In the report it’s stated: “Technology-enabled solutions that are perceived to intrude on people’s privacy, such as sensors that monitor an individual’s sleep quality or motion patterns at home, face resistance.” Were you surprised by this type of reluctance? Why or why not?
We expected privacy to be a big deal, and it was. What was somewhat surprising about this was that many people already share some of this data willingly as part of their fitness and wellness goals. However, when put into a “health” context, reluctance grows.
The study emerged some interesting findings regarding remote monitoring, including that control and choice are important: e.g., consumers want the ability to scale up or down the level of physical environment and biometric monitoring. Does this mean that consumers may not be ready for some of the more invasive technologies, even if they could more automatically monitor and help manage their health?
Ultimately, people are concerned about privacy and being able to control the level of monitoring based upon need. When someone perceives they are getting a lot of value out of sharing data, they are willing to give up a lot of privacy. However, as that need diminishes, the balance shifts.
Do you think developers will have to consider that consumers are not ready for some of the more invasive technologies, especially in terms of wearables, implantables or home-monitoring devices?
Again, this is really about value to the individual. If they need it, they will want it. However, just because something can be monitored, doesn’t mean that people will want it monitored. This is especially true regarding data that has implications that may be of concern or could potentially result in some form of discrimination.
One participant said the following: “As a society, I don’t want us to get to where everything we are doing is not human-based anymore and is all automated and monitored and ‘big brother’.” What are your thoughts on such a comment? Is this type of sentiment really going to slow the pace or change the application of health technologies?
As a doctor, and having been a patient myself, I never lose sight of that fact that health care is intensely personal. It is about caring. Technology plays an important role, and consumers really do like innovation. However, they also want to know that whoever is on the other end of that data stream cares about them and has their best interests at heart. While this again raises issues of privacy, it also reflects how much we value the human touch.
From the findings, it looks like the millennial population may one day be ready for more invasive health-tech solutions. But do you think these types of solutions (such as remote wearables and monitoring) will not be as effective in treating the large aging, baby-boomer population as developers and providers may have hoped?
This is a bit of a conundrum in the sense that the question is a bit hypothetical for millennials, but quite real for baby-boomers who may already have a range of health issues. In addition, adoption of technology by baby-boomers is more variable than among millennials. Developers should appreciate that to get the most out of technology, they should consider scenarios in which the person with the devices is not the person managing them.
It seemed like video-enabled health-tech solutions were highly embraced by the older study participants (ages 45-65). This seems to play nicely into the telehealth movement that is now taking place in healthcare. Still, there were negatives to using such technologies mentioned (including lack of touch, impersonal, social isolation, usability, hacking, loss of privacy). Do you think that as technology further evolves, the need for these concerns will erode, or will technology only shift the perspective of healthcare delivery so much?
The barriers to telehealth are less about technology than they are about incentives. As providers become incented to utilize it and consumers find it a more convenient way to access care on their terms, adoption will accelerate.
A major stumbling block for many developers, health providers and the like remains the issue of interoperability. There has recently been a push from the FDA to have app-developers create interoperable devices from the blueprint. Similarly, we have seen HHS ask the major EHR vendors to pledge to more open ways of data sharing. Do you think either of these efforts will make a difference at all when we talk about achieving interoperability to take telehealth technology to the next level? Will this issue of interoperability stunt consumer embracement of such technology?
Much of the focus of interoperability has been on EHRs. However, to really transform health care, interoperability will have to extend to medical devices in the hospital, in the home, and in the body. The government is working on this, as are EHR vendors. It is great to see providers pushing this through the Center for Medical Interoperability. As consumers get direct access to more devices, they will start to demand seamless connections.
The report also points to the many data siloes that currently exist in technology, both for medical providers and patients. These siloes upset physician workflows and complicate and disengage patients. With that being said, does this make the issue of interoperability the most crucial as to when and how tech-enabled home health will evolve?
Other studies have shown that if the providers have to move from one application to another to accomplish something, they are unlikely to do it. I have seen many great ideas from innovative companies that I know are doomed to failure because they create a standalone system. For many of them, silo is an overly generous term. Drive by any farm, and you’ll see that silos are enormous and can hold a tremendous amount of grain. Many technologies are more like cereal bowls.
The overall conclusion of the focus group results suggest that consumers are open to adopting new technology that enables home health care and their concerns and reservations do not pose insurmountable barriers. If the challenges are not insurmountable, any insight on how some of the current reluctances or barriers that now exist will or should be dealt with?
Probably the most important thing is to focus on needs over capabilities. As we demonstrated, when consumers need something, they are willing to do a lot to satisfy it. Heaping on unwanted or unnecessary functionality only breeds confusion and resistance.
As a result of this study in conjunction with your own perspective, where is tech-enabled home health really headed say in the next five to 10 years?
It’s heading home! I think we will continue to see accelerated adoption as we solve the various issues highlighted here. Another thing to bear in mind that is that as time moves on, the population changes. Younger, more tech-savvy and tech-accepting people become older and will embrace innovation in their care as they do in all other aspects of their lives. The same goes for their doctors (and other caregivers).
Any closing thoughts to share with our readers?
The big driver for adoption of these technologies is the shift toward value-based care. That will focus our industry on population health, prevention, and wellness. Doing so will require us to share information, coordinate care, engage consumers, and analyze data in profoundly new ways. This creates tremendous opportunity for innovation.


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Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Qualcomm bought Capsule from JMI Equity and Bulger Capital Partners, which had held majority ownership stakes in the company since 2012.
Qualcomm Life's main product is 2Net, a home gateway device that collects and encrypts biometric data coming off a patient's medical devices. Once the data is collected in the gateway device, it's sent to a cloud backend for doctors or medical institutions to access. This allows doctors to better keep track of patients when they're at home.
Founded in 1997, the Andover, Massachusetts-based company Capsule does something similar to Qualcomm, but does it instead for medical devices physically located in hospitals and other healthcare clinics. Capsule builds the hardware that helps translate all the data coming off medical devices into digital information, and then plugs that data into backend management systems. The company has already built up a pretty big business here -- it has more than 1,900 hospitals signed up as customers in 38 countries.
“Hospitals today are looking at less than 1% of the data they’re generating. They don’t have the infrastructure,” said Chris Bulger, managing partner at Bulger Partners. “Capsule is by far the leading provider of infrastructure solutions for collecting and analyzing all that data.”
With the acquisition, Qualcomm is aiming to create a more comprehensive platform for how patient health is tracked.
“We now have the largest ecosystem of connected medical devices with Capsule,” said Rick Valencia, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life. “We’re extending our reach from the home to the hospital and all the points in between, so wherever the patient might be. We’ll create the connective tissue to bring all this data back into the system.”
Best known for its chips that go into many of today's premium Android smartphones, Qualcomm has been looking for new markets to fuel future growth. The smartphone market (where it has amassed most of wealth) is going through some major shifts and it's getting harder to make a decent profit for many legacy companies. The top-tier market has solidified around
As with many tech giants, one area that could potentially offer the next major growth opportunity is in the Internet of Things, the broad term for the rapidly growing number of smart, connected devices out in the world. Qualcomm's 2Net product fits into that category. It started 2Net about four years ago and currently sells the product to more than 500 companies to help them collect patient data in the home.
“We launched 2Net with the belief that there is going to be a fundamental shift in the way healthcare is delivered,” Valencia said.
Updated to add comment from Bulger Capital Partners.


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UD Trucks have Transynd as standard fill
Sep 1, 2005 12:00 PM
All Allison transmissions installed in 2006 model year medium-duty UD Trucks will feature Allison's Transynd automatic transmission fluid as factory-fill standard equipment, according to Dayle Wetherell, Nissan Diesel America's senior vice-president and general manager.
“By extending the service intervals from 24 months or 50,000 miles to 48 months or 100,000 miles, we're keeping the truck on the job and out of the shop for routine service”, said Wetherell.
© 2013 Penton Media Inc.


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Spectrum Global Battery and Appliances Net Falls in Q4
November 20, 2013,
MIDDLETON, Wis.-Due to a downtrend in sales, the global battery and appliances segment of Spectrum Brands saw net income fall 5 percent in the fourth quarter and 2.8 percent for the fiscal year.
Net income for the segment was $55.8 million in the quarter, which ended on Sept. 30, bringing the bottom-line total for the year to $237.5 million. Net sales were down 0.5 percent in the quarter to $577.3 million, while for the fiscal year, net sales were $2.2 billion, down 2 percent.
A Spectrum statement attributed the sales shortfall to the planned elimination of low-margin promotions in North American small electrics, along with changes in foreign exchange rates. By product category, sales of personal-care items gained 6.1 percent, thanks to increased revenues from Europe and Latin America. Small-electrics sales edged up 0.5 percent, driven mostly by a double-digit sales increase in Europe.
Other Articles By Author
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HFN's DIGITAL EDITION
COVER STORY: HFN Turns 90
We commemorate HFN's 90th anniversary by paying tribute to the iconic retailer and supplier brands--and the people--that have helped the industry flourish, then and now.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Up & Coming Leaders - The home industry is in capable and visionary hands as this year’s 40 Under 40 list attests. Today’s young leaders span all disciplines and varied levels of operation.
- Omnichannel Retailing - In the Mobile App World, Time is Money


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For the third straight quarter, Lotus Software saw double-digit revenue growth.
Lotus' revenue gain was pegged at 17%, IBM said in its quarterly financial report, which was released Monday. In the first quarter of 2005, amid news that Big Blue fell short of revenue expectations, Lotus nonetheless gained 11%.
During a conference call with reporters this week, Ambuj Goyal, former general manager of IBM Lotus software, also noted that the quarter marked the third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth for Notes itself. In a round of executive moves announced yesterday, Goyal was named general manager of IBM Information Management solutions.
"We have amazing strength in our Notes business, our Portal business has been having double-digit growth for a long period of time and our Workplace business is gaining traction in the marketplace, almost doubling its revenue in this quarter," Goyal said. His remarks preceded the announcement that IBM acquired e-forms firm PureEdge Solutions Inc.
The entire WebSphere family of software products, which facilitates customers' ability to manage a wide variety of business processes using open standards to interconnect applications, data and operating systems, performed well in the second quarter, with revenue rising 18 percent, IBM said.
Overall, revenues from IBM's Software Group were $3.8 billion, an increase of 10 percent (7 percent, adjusting for currency) compared with the second quarter of 2004. Revenues from IBM's middleware brands, which include WebSphere, DB2, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational products, were $3.0 billion, up 11 percent versus the second quarter of 2004. Operating systems revenues increased 3 percent to $592 million compared with the prior-year quarter.
As a result of the growth, the company said in its report, IBM expects to gain market share in collaborative software, systems management, Web services and data management..


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High-profile names in retail banking like Barclays and HSBC have already adopted biometric authentication in some form. So, how comfortable are you with banks using biometrics to confirm your identity? In Great Britain, they seem pretty comfortable. According to research from Visa, British consumers are nearly twice as likely to trust banks (60 percent) to store and keep their biometric information safe than they are to trust government agencies (33 percent).
When asked whom they would trust to offer biometrics authentication as a service to confirm identity, the largest percentage selected banks (85 percent) and payment networks (81 percent) ahead of global online brands (70 percent), and smartphone companies (64 percent). This level of trust has grown significantly in the past two years, up by 20 percent since 2014, when the Visa Biometric Payments study was first conducted.
Fingerprint authentication is viewed by survey respondents as the most secure form of payment (88 percent), ranking higher than other biometric authentication options such as iris-scanning (83 percent) and facial recognition (65 percent). The growth in fingerprint authentication for mobile payments is bringing to life the benefits of biometric authentication. This is why 80 percent of the people surveyed said they were the most comfortable with fingerprint recognition.
Since many banks and lenders are now using the latest biometric technology to give customers a more convenient way to check their account balance or make payments, how safe is it? A cyber security expert from consultancy NCC recently provided a demonstration to the Financial Times for how simple it is to hack into a smartphone’s biometric authentication software. Matt Lewis, NCC research director, showed how to make a copy of his own fingerprint using wood glue, candle wax and a printed circuit board that allowed a Financial Times correspondent to hack into his smartphone. Mr. Lewis also tricked voice-recognition software by playing back recordings of his own voice and produced a 3D-printed mask of his face based on photos of himself, which was then worn by the Financial Times correspondent to hack into his phone.
While you cannot forget your voice or face — making them a simpler way to verify your identity — they are also much harder to change than your password if they are ever stolen by cybercriminals. This means that if biometrics become the dominant form of authentication it is likely to be much more damaging if the systems are hacked.
“Unlike passwords, physical biometrics can’t be changed. It’s the lasting and permanent nature of physical biometric data that may have more negative impacts than passwords since, as in the OPM [Office of Personnel Management] Breach, once these have been released into the wild, they pose a risk for the lifetime of the victim who can do nothing to change this core data,” cautioned Robert Capps of NuData Security in an interview with The Register.
Ultimately, making mobile banking truly convenient while reassuringly secure is likely to rely on even more sophisticated systems that use hundreds of different data points — from how fast we type to where we are — to build up a unique profile that can be used to recognize us automatically whenever we use our phone. These behavioral biometric systems are already being piloted by several banks and have the advantage of being much harder to fake while also not being usable across multiple accounts of the same person. Consequently, identity authentication used by banks in the next several years is likely to go well beyond fingerprint-based biometrics. Given what’s at stake, it should.
(Photo: Binary Digital, PublicDomainPictures.net)


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But a little-known Chinese rival could now pose a threat to their global dominance of the sale of fine art and antiques.
China Guardian said last week that it would hold its first auction outside mainland China in Hong Kong on October 7.
Although the sale will be conducted in Mandarin Chinese, Yannan Wang, China Guardian’s president and director, said the company hoped to target overseas customers.
Future auctions will be held in both English and Mandarin.
“We have a very strong base of Chinese collectors and some loyal Western buyers,” she said in an emailed response to questions.
“Hong Kong is an international city, we expect to see an increase of international collectors,” she added.
Deadbeat art buyers on the rise in China
China’s art market has boomed in recent years as the country’s newly affluent look to collect their own art and heritage.
According to the website Artprice, Chinese painters Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian now outsell Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso at auction.
China Guardian has been holding sales in mainland China since 1994 and according to French auction body Conseil des Ventes now ranks as world’s fourth largest.
Another Chinese auctioneer, Beijing Poly, ranks third after Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
The Hong Kong auction, which will feature ink paintings, calligraphy and classical Chinese furniture, marks the first time a Chinese auction house will compete with Sotheby’s and Christie’s on their home turf.
Chinese law prohibits foreign auction houses from auctioning cultural relics in China but Sotheby’s and Christie’s hold regular auctions of Chinese art and artifacts in Hong Kong, London and New York.


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Malaika Arora’s sartorial choices don’t seem to ever go out of fashion. The Munni Badnaam Hui star regularly makes headlines for her style choices. And her latest pick is a summer must-have. Recently, she was spotted outside a restaurant in Mumbai wearing a spotless white off-shoulder dress and black leather strapped high heels. The monochrome look was breezy and casual yet made an effective statement. The actress completed her look with a black and white clutch and pulled her hair back in a sleek ponytail.
She is often seen hitting the gym and is a self-proclaimed fitness freak. But even when she goes gymming, she makes sure her style game is on point. She was recently spotted outside her gym in black and white sweatpants and a white tank top.
In fact, Malaika has also opened up about her fitness love several times. In a recent interview with The Peacock magazine, the actress said, “My workout regime is a mix of a couple of things. Whether it is pilates or yoga or functional weight training.
I kind of incorporate all of them so I get the best of everything.” That’s not all, she also went on to speak about where she gets her fashion inspiration from. She said, “I think I would give a lot of credit to the people I work with- like my stylist and hair/ makeup people. Yes, my awareness is very high. As in, I know what looks good on me and what doesn’t. But I would give them all the credit because they really put in a lot of hard work.”
Credits: Zoom TV


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The Fanwood-Scotch Plains Service League Thrift Shop, 1741 East Second St. in Scotch Plains, is currently gearing up for Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12, by readying regular and sales merchandise that will be perfect for gift giving on Mom’s big day. Beginning Tuesday, May 7, at 10 a.m. and continuing throughout the week, customers will find gift items, floral arrangements, and selected new clothing items on prominent display.
In addition, gifts can be selected from the store’s regular merchandise that includes scarves and other accessories, books, bric-a-brac and collectibles, costume jewelry, and artwork in addition to clothing. All items are reasonably priced and many selections will be featured at half price. On Saturday, May 11, prize drawings will be held throughout business hours (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) as a special bonus for customers who are present in the store.
The Fanwood-Scotch Plains Service League is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that has served the community since 1974 through the operation of its thrift shop in Scotch Plains.
Since its founding, the League has donated more than $1 million to area service organizations and charitable causes. Anyone interested in learning more about the League or League membership is invited to call 908-322-5420 or to speak to any of the volunteers at the shop.
General information about the League and the Thrift Shop is also available online at scotchplainsthriftshop.weebly.com.


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When a California court issued an order to Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by one of the perpetrators of the San Bernardino, Calif., massacre, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a counterterrorism hawk who in December called on tech companies to stop selling devices that encrypt information, switched sides.
“I thought it was that simple,” Graham told Attorney General Loretta Lynch during a Senate hearing. “I was all with you until I actually started getting briefed by the people in the intel community.”
The public battle waged between the FBI and Apple put the spotlight on encryption and data privacy. According to Chris McClean, an analyst at Forrester Research, that’s a good thing. Now, ordinary people not only know what encryption is — many know enough to argue whether the government should be able to dismantle the technology during investigations. Informed citizens could, he said, push progress in the privacy debate faster than the government can.
The FBI dropped its case against Apple on Monday, saying it accessed the contents of the iPhone. But a larger discussion over privacy and encryption has just begun. Congress is making moves toward legislation that addresses the government’s investigation powers and citizens’ right to protect their information. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) are pushing for a commission to study digital security and privacy issues and then make recommendations to Congress. But, McClean said, it might not matter much.
He explained using a two-word phrase you may recall seeing plastered on news shows a few years ago: pink slime. That’s the unflattering nickname for processed beef used as a food additive in school lunches. (ABC News did a series on the stuff, and the rest is history.)
“This wasn’t the [U.S. Department of Agriculture] coming down on the manufacturer saying, ‘You can’t serve this to our children.’ They actually said, ‘We give this a thumbs-up,'” McClean said. “But once average citizens saw that, that went viral and they shut it down. Two or three of the companies that created that product were out of business within a couple of months.”
Customers and the privacy debate
McClean sees the same thing happening in the encryption and privacy debate. What happens if the feds petition other companies with people’s information in their databases for intel — cell phone providers, utility companies, makers of home-automation systems? Apple took on a powerful government agency. Will other businesses do that in the name of customers’ privacy?
They might, if customers expect it. Apple’s public opposition to the FBI may have given consumers the push they need to start asking tough questions of the companies that serve them. Once they start digging into privacy policies and asking how their data is being collected and how it’s being used, they may find practices they don’t like — and then voice their displeasure.
“Every company now is a data company,” McClean said. “Your grocery store, your hospital, your bank — they’re all data companies. It will be really interesting to see how much consumers are putting pressure on those types of companies to see whether or not they would stand up the same way Apple has.”


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Five marketing takeaways from Cannes 2013
Beyond rewarding the most creative work to emerge around the globe in the past year, Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity also offered an array of lessons for marketers. Here are five key marketing takeaways from this year’s festival.
Cannes Lions is renowned for is celebrating successful work and there is much inspiration to be gleaned from the shortlisted and winning work. But, of equal, if not more, importance is the discussion around how brands and marketers embrace failure and what can be learned from it.
A common theme from senior marketers at the event was that if you’re not failing somewhere along the line, your’e not trying hard enough to succeed.
Rather than seeing failure as a negative, successful brands will be the ones that can embrace it, learn from mistakes quickly and strengthen a brand as a result. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer recently introduced a quarterly “award” to officially recognise the value in unsuccessful projects, says Yahoo EMEA marketing director Robert Bridges. Tata Motors has a similar process in place.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is said to have a huge piece of artwork hanging in the social network’s Silicon Valley HQ with the words “fail faster” created from coloured drawing pins – a clear statement of the company’s attitude.
Adapt, readjust and improve
Andrew Bosworth, Facebook’s director of engineering, who created Facebook’s News Feed, said he was “proud” that when News Feed was introduced, there were a number of protests outside the Facebook offices from angry users who hated the new feature. He said: “News Feed was unpopular at first but we listened, and changed it and constantly update it. Now it’s one of the most popular features. Even when things don’t go well initially, you listen and refine.”
Similarly, Keith Weed, Unilever CMO, describes marketing as akin to a “heat seeking missile” which is by definition, always slightly off course but is constantly readjusting to meet its target.
Universal Music’s global SVP of branded content Jennifer Frommer, used Robin Thicke’s current number one track Blurred Lines, featuring Pharrell Williams, to demonstrate that not getting it right first time around doesn’t mean it’s game over for a brand. The record label has “relaunched” Thicke’s “brand” with a new look and sound three times before achieving success, she said.
A campaign is not the final destination
The concept of continually correcting the path of a brand strategy should also be applied to the way the marketing industry approaches campaigns, according to marketers in attendance.
Speaking alongside Bosworth and Facebook’s Mark D’Arcy, Droga5 founder David Droga – the most awarded individual in the history of Cannes Lions – says he spent most of his career obsessed with creating campaigns. He has now realised the creative is the beginning not the end point. Marketers should stop viewing campaigns as finished articles but as something that can be continuously added to and improved, he says.
There is a feeling that digital marketing is still more focused on the technology, than the user. A recurring topic this year was how brands can “humanise” their use of digital technology in marketing.
Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy Group UK vice-chairman, suggested marketers look at technology and digital “from the wrong end of the telescope” adding that it is more valuable to look at what it tells us about human behaviour than at what we can do with it.
Purpose and deeper meaning
According to Facebook’s Mark D’Arcy, the marketing industry used to be about “creating a myth then getting people to believe it” but now the onus is on finding a truth. Building truth and purpose into a brand’s strategy was something marketers from some of the world’s biggest brands including PepsiCo and Coca-Cola touched on.
PepsiCo China chief marketing officer Richard Lee believes that one problem brands and consumers face, particularly in China, is that the price of economic progress has been a “loss of humanity”. He shared the insights from the brand’s Chinese New Year campaign to remind younger consumers that family values are very important in Chinese culture.
Likewise, Coca-Cola’s new European marketer Guido Rosales said he wants to bring purpose to the brand’ marketing in Europe in a similar way to what he has done in Latin America and the way the brand tries to unite people with differing political backgrounds elsewhere in the world. The brand is currently running activity in India and Pakistan that allows people in the divided nations to “touch” each other’s hands via Coke branded vending machine that is fitted with a real-time video screen.
Keep up to date with all Marketing Week’s coverage from Cannes Lions 2013 here