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Shapermint, the direct-to-consumer shapewear brand founded in 2018, is expanding its social media presence, upping its ad spend on Pinterest and TikTok.
The brand, which is owned by e-commerce group Trafilea, is looking to scale beyond its 6 million current customers by using Pinterest and TikTok to find new audiences, according to Massimiliano Tirocchi, CMO and founder of Shapermint. Per Tirocchi, Shapermint’s spending on TikTok has more than tripled since late last year. And on Pinterest, those figures are between four to five times more than what they had been spending. He did not offer exact spend amounts.
“We really believe in testing new platforms,” Tirocchi said. “We know that if you’re the first mover, you’re really trying to understand how to make it work, you can get an initial advantage.”
Since late last year, Shapermint’s TikTok strategy has centered around its community of creators and influencers. But Tirocchi says the brand predominately finds scale through paid ads. Here, the shapewear brand aims to launch a new campaign every two to three days, he added. On Pinterest, Shapermint is less reliant on influencers and more so paid ad units.
The goal is to boost brand awareness via Pinterest and TikTok, then retarget users through Facebook and Instagram, pushing them through the marketing funnel to purchase. Because users vary platform to platform, it’s important to have a broad range of touchpoints across the social media landscape to get more audience share, Tirocchi said.
“This way, the consumer can see you three, four or five times in a week across different platforms,” Tirocchi said. “That will give them a better understanding of the story that you’re going to be telling through your ads.”
From January to September of last year, the DTC brand spent more than $400,000 on media, per Kantar. That number is down from the $1.3 million spent during that same time period the year prior. (Those numbers do not include social media as Kantar does not track those figures, and figures for network radio are through March 2021.)
At the beginning of 2020, Digiday reported that Shapermint was spending 80% of its marketing budget on Facebook and Instagram. By that fall, the DTC brand was planning to scale its television advertising. And now by expanding its social media presence, it’s a sign that the startup is looking to capture shoppers wherever they are, said Adam Puchalsky, global head of content at Wavemaker.
“We talk all the time about how eyeballs are shifting in a major way,” he said. “What TikTok has done really well and what Pinterest has done really well is they’ve made the ad experience almost endemic to the platform themselves, which is what brands must be thinking about.”
As more advertisers continue to diversify their digital advertising spend and gravitate toward platforms like Pinterest and TikTok to diversify, CPMs will certainly increase, Puchalsky added. But at the same time, the platforms are improving their ad offerings, making the cost worth it, per Puchalsky.
At Shapermint, Tirocchi said the same. And as long as the ads work across Pinterest and TikTok, Shapermint will continue to spend.
“The reality is that, apart from the fact that the CPM has been increasing, so is their platform and their algorithm,” he said. “That means that they’re being better in terms of how and who they’re showing their ads.”
Member ExclusiveDigiday+ Research: Agencies execs see more long-term value in the metaverse than blockchain
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‘Honesty goes a really long way’: Why Nando’s chicken is keen on social commentary ads
While most brands have played it safe during the polarized pandemic, Nando's chicken has leaned into cheeky messaging that takes a stand.
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The task force was inspired by the MRC’s decision to release a September 2021 interim guidance memo discussing shortcomings in the IAB’s 2009 standards.
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Talbott Roche, CEO and president, Blackhawk Network A marketer’s holy grail is deeply understanding the end-users of their company’s products and services. Marketers study demographics ad nauseam and create personas for customers to understand their needs and preferences better. And when the pandemic hit, everyone’s lives were fundamentally transformed. Customer playbooks changed instantly because, in […]
‘The absolute perfect person for it’: Naz Aletaha’s path to the top of League of Legends esports
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The 4A’s is telling its members how to crack down on unscrupulous ad tech players
The trade body representing media agencies urges 'simplicity' as advertisers demand transparency on things like dynamic take rates or the intricacies of content verification.


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Meet One Of The World’s Best Business Minds
♦ Mark Millar’s latest Netflix comic, Prodigy, drawn by Rafael Albuquerque, hits comic shops this week and here’s a little trailer for it from the title’s Twitter feed…
Meet Edison Crane. Solving intricate, expensive, gruesome alien invasions is his prerogative.
Prodigy Issue #1 arrives in comic shops December 5. pic.twitter.com/DDxL8N9zEm
— Prodigy (@ProdigyNetflix) November 29, 2018
Edison Crane’s not content being the world’s smartest man and most successful businessman—his brilliant mind needs to be constantly challenged. He’s a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, genius composer, Olympic athlete, an expert in the occult, and now international governments are calling on him to fix problems they just can’t handle.

domain: news


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Even one is expecting Symbian to take over the mid and slightly low end market from S40 devices but if this SDK release is anything to go by, it isn’t happening as soon as we would have liked.
The S40 5th Edition, Feature Pack 1 ‘Lite’ SDK, targeted at the world’s highest volume mobile developer platform is now available globally. The new SDK is likely to make it easier for publishers and developers to create innovative applications for millions of mobile consumers thus giving a new lease of life to S40 devices.
The SDK includes features such as Java runtime, APIs, emulator, example applications & documentation and API reference. This SDK will support popular IDEs Eclipse and Netbeans, and will also feature support for Indian regional languages like Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Marathi and Bengali.
Quotes from the release:
“Mobile users everywhere are consuming more and more content daily. Considering that the next billion mobile users will be from emerging markets similar to India, our developers have the opportunity to not only shape local and global consumer mobile experiences but also lead the mobile applications ecosystem,” said D. Shivakumar, Vice President and Managing Director, Nokia India. He added, “Nokia India continues to invest heavily in its Services strategy roll-out including application development and addressing infrastructure and technological distribution challenges to access. We encourage the 180,000 local Forum Nokia developer members to leverage off our investments and the market opportunity to innovate and create new revenue opportunities for themselves.”
According to Purnima Kochikar, Vice President, Forum Nokia and Developer Community, “India has the largest and most vibrant pool of qualified developers in the world. As the Internet is entering into the core of mobile experiences, we see unprecedented opportunities for Indian developers in shaping the future of mobile services. This is just the beginning. We will work in close collaboration with the large, talented developer base in India. Our goal is clear, and that is to make it effortless for our partners to create and market highly appealing, relevant applications that consumers globally will find indispensable. Our focus is on open collaboration with the ecosystem and we continue to invest in creating large scale revenue opportunities for application developers and as well as new powerful experiences for our consumers,”
Catch the live feed from the event at http://thehandheldblog.com/fndc09/


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CRYPTO MOVERS AND PRICES
Crypto is rallying this morning, led by ethereum which is up over 7.5%. In spite of the rally, spot volumes are below the 30-day average.
CRYPTO STORY OF THE DAY
Ledger private wallet service recently announced they had suffered a data breach. We believe the episode highlights misconceptions of different wallet types/custody solutions.
Ledger makes hardware wallets that allow clients to store their crypto information offline. The company announced that a hack of their database had exposed customer information including emails, names, and addresses. A researcher who had previously participated in the company's bug-bounty program identified the vulnerability that led to the hack on July 14. The company noted that prior to the fix, their database had been accessed on June 25. Competitor Trezor, following the breach, noted that they delete all customer and ordering data within 90-days of receiving it.
The typical narrative around custody solutions is that private wallets are more secure than exchange wallets. We have felt, particularly recently, that such statements didn’t properly describe the nuance of the situation. The concern with exchange wallets is that the client is effectively trusting a 3rd party with their coins and, in many cases, has little legal recourse if the funds are lost or stolen.
Conversely, using private and even hardware wallets doesn't involve this trust component or counterparty risk. That said there are benefits that favor exchange wallets. First, customers are relying on themselves as custody agents. There are plenty of issues that come with that, such as a lack of experience in dealing with security matters and even the possibility of losing credentials. Well-established exchanges now have long histories around dealing in coin security, in many cases their user interfaces allow for easier use and many exchanges have offered recourse when they've had breaches. Furthermore, the Ledger episode demonstrates that the possibility of privacy leaks can even exist in private hardware wallets. In general, we find that the safety of self-custodying in private wallets is overestimated and the benefits of exchange wallets are underestimated.


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A Crayola branded double-decker bus will be stopping off at various locations across the UK this week inviting kids and adults to celebrate '100 years of colour’ with games, activities, themed play areas and performances.
The anniversary tour kicked off on 24 August and has been visiting selected Toys R Us, Smyths and Hobbycraft stores in the UK, targeting key back-to-school buying periods over the end of the summer holidays. It will culminate at Smyths in Wallsend on Saturday (3 September).
Crayola character performers, Pip and Tip, will be on hand to guide families through the various games and activities.
Cheryl Read, senior brand manager at Crayola UK, said: "We are thrilled to announce the Anniversary Bus Tour to celebrate 100 years of colour in the UK. This year is a milestone for the Crayloa brand and this is a fantastic way to celebrate. The tour is part of a UK-wide consumer engagement programme launching on a local level celebrating the history of this global brand."
Updates and appearance schedules for the tour are being posted on the Crayola UK website and via social media using the #CrayolaOnTour hashtag. Visitors are being encouraged to upload their pictures from the bus onto the Crayola Bus Tour Facebook Event Page for their chance to win a limited edition Crayola 100th Anniversary bundle.
Comment below to let us know what you think.
For your daily hit of news from the brand experience community, weekly brand and inspiration updates or your monthly trend download, register and subscribe to Event and our bulletins.


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Saturday, July 5, 2014
An interesting article in an industry trade magazine of this month discussed the pros and cons of working on “foreign” cars – how some shops still did not want to deal with them due to difficulty matching paint, parts that were hard to get, and parts prices that were very volatile. However, the article notes, so-called “foreign” cars were becoming a larger part of the repair landscape. Moreover, domestic cars were becoming more like “foreign” cars inasmuch as the difficulty matching paint colors and the fact that, like “foreign” cars, most domestics were becoming unibody construction. According to Ward’s Automotive Reports import cars sales were 14% of total U.S. cars sales in 1972. By 1981, that number jumped to 27.3%.


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Tribute to Great affection
According to news on December 2ed, The Wall Street Journal online reported that Zuckerberg CEO of Facebook has upgraded to a father. To celebrate their daughter's birth, Zuckerberg and his wife announced that they will donate 99% Facebook shares held to charity, currently worth about $ 45 billion. Zuckerberg and his wife also said that they will Set up a new entity charitable donation, which is named by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative . In next three years, Zuckerberg sold or donated annually Facebook stock no more than 1 billion US dollars.
For professional pogo pin supplier ,Suzhou Shengteng Electronics Co., Ltd, Facebook is a saftware often used to communicate with the client. Last week, there is a new product (brass pin) is ordered by Japanese client. Meanwhile, foreign trade salesman communicated the transaction order via facebook.Our company's foreign sales are also very concerned about the development of facebook. When we heard the news that Zuckerberg to donate to charity 99% of the shares, we are touched by such a great affection . Xu- Lifeng, the general manager ofSuzhou Shengteng Electronics Co., Ltd also express that the future development of Shengteng Electronics should learn from Facebook. Although we do not have such a strong power, we still have to do our best to contribute more to society.


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Pearson India has launched a comprehensive digital learning solution,
in line with its commitment to support the Digital India initiative and NEP 2020’s aim to enhance the accessibility of e-content and digital libraries across the country.
The initiative will provide institutes, teachers and learners with a vast range of e-book collection and digital content across multiple disciplines.
The digital library will act as a one-stop, digital handy repository for students, thereby allowing them to learn on the go with hassle-free study material, available anytime, anywhere.
Offline reading capabilities and quick revision tools such as voice notes, highlights, hyperlinks and weblinks and access to study material round-the-clock make this digital library a tailor-made solution to meet the demands of today’s learners and the integration of UI/UX enhances the ease of learning and access. Students can access the digital library through multiple devices like laptop, mobile, and desktop.
Explaining how this 360-degree comprehensive learning ecosystem for teachers and institutes would work, Rajesh Pankajakshan, product director, Pearson India said, “Our newest offering is a testament to our commitment of supporting the government in its mission and providing learners with the most affordable, flexible and student-friendly etext solutions. With over 4000+ e-book titles, we are certain that our vast repository of content by renowned authors will help us cater to the growing demand for quality resources and lead India to become the global study destination.”
- 4000+ title and precise quality content
- In-built analytics for informed decision making
- UI/UX for the enhanced learning experience
- Easy LMS integration and single sign-in access
- Access on multiple devices like laptop, mobile and desktop
- Quick revision tools like voice notes, highlighting, hyperlinks, weblinks
In addition, the digital library also aims to enhance the higher education learning ecosystem by offering precise quality content using built-in analytics, which will help learners to see their usage and teachers and institutes to track student progress.
Easy learning management system (LMS) integration for institutes will give the benefit of single-sign-on access for students and teachers, which means that they can access the products with a single credential into the college system, instead of needing a separate login. Based on a subscription model on the cloud and IP, it will help institutes to drive cost efficiencies by moving to digital and saving significantly on physical infrastructure.
Commenting on the launch, Siddharth Banerjee, MD, India and Asia, Pearson said, “The COVID-19 crisis acted as a critical inflection point for the education landscape and global trends such as the high rate of smartphone penetration, increase in ICT-based reading devices, and the entrenched habit of seeking information online have led to an exponential growth in digital libraries. Based on the NEP 2020, the Indian government is also devising plans to build a robust digital infrastructure and enhance the availability and accessibility of learning content across the country. At Pearson, we understand this vision and have therefore launched this product to empower the higher education learning ecosystem.”
Disciplines offered through the digital library include Engineering, Humanities & Social Sciences, Business Management, Nursing & Personal Development, New Age Technologies, Business & Economics, Science & Mathematics, Exam Preparation (Competitive), English Language and much more.
To get more information regarding the product, check out


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The umbrella body for all advertisers in Nigeria, The Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) is poised to scale up its goal of growing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria with the introduction and expansion of some categories of this year’s ADVAN marketing excellence awards.
Commentators have indentified one of the new categories – Marketing on a Shoestring – with a strong capacity to appeal to serious –minded SMEs. This explains why ADVAN had specifically invited SMEs to submit entries for this special category that focuses on the maximisation of limited budget in achieving impact and measurable result.
Commenting on ADVAN’s current focus on SMEs, ADVAN’s President, David Okeme explained that the decision to open the elite platform to SMEs was informed by lessons learnt during the World Federation of Advertisers global conference in Malaysia where bodies like ADVAN were enjoined to open a second tier membership to accommodate small scale businesses.
Okeme believes that relating with existing ADVAN members would be of immense benefits to SMEs as they would be interacting with seasoned analysts and experts who can conveniently dissect key marketing issues, insights and emerging consumer engagement trends. Okeme also believes that SMEs are veritable tools that can help Nigeria move out of her current recession.
Also commenting on the tilt towards SMEs by ADVAN, Emmanuel Young, a member of Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and keen commentator on Marketing issues feels there are other ADVAN Awards categories that should interest small and medium scale organizations. According to Young, categories like Experiential Marketing, Innovation,Digital/Social Media Marketing and Future Leader of Marketing Awards can equally throw up SMEs that can demonstrate verifiable success in total marketing if they are bold enough to submit entries.
Speaking in details about the relevance of SMEs, Young further explained that although global corporations tend to dominate the business pages, a healthy small business sector is essential to a prosperous economy. His words: “SMEs play increasingly important roles in ensuring that economic growth is sustainable. The small business sector makes a huge contribution on multiple fronts: from employing a diverse workforce and engaging with their local communities, through to bringing jobs to employment black-spots. It is highly commendable that ADVAN is trying to motivate growth in this segment. It is equally commendation that successful ADVAN Award entries by SMEs this year can give them a direct chance to become ADVAN Member with all the concomitant benefits”
The ADVAN Awards is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious and respected awards in the Nigerian marketing community. This year’s Awards nite, which is its sixth edition, is billed to take place at the prestigious MUSON centre, Onikan, Lagos on October 29, 2016.
Just like previous editions, the 2016 award is structured for the express purpose of highlighting the fundamental position marketing occupies in business and public sectors, besides celebrating outstanding marketing achievements across a range of industries. According to David Okeme, ADVAN’s President, this award is part of ADVAN’s greater design to establish the marketing profession on a sustainable path to greatness. Okeme also feels this achievement could really be consolidated this year with the ADVAN Awards for Marketing Excellence now endorsed by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA).
Okeme also stated that the Awards Committee tasked with mandate of organizing a world class event is populated by seasoned marketing professionals led by the Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Franco Maria Maggi, who would also serve as Chairman of the 2016 ADVAN Awards.
The ADVAN President also spoke on the on-going judging process handled by the Panel of Judges led by Ikechi Odigbo, Managing Director DDB Lagos and Vice President Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN). He revealed that the team is presently taking pains to page through a deluge of entries that have come in since the process remains one of the most valuable assets of the Awards.
Promasidor Nigeria to boost expansion with over N8billion
Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell, Onga, Toptea and Loya Milk, has concluded arrangements with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, to inject a $25 million loan (over N8billion) into its production with a view to increasing efficiency and to produce more products for the benefit of Nigerian populace.
Olivier Thiry, Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited- PNL, explained that the capital injection would be used to support purchases of new machinery that will enable PNL to increase efficiency, expand production and develop new products, leading to greater availability of nutritious food products in Nigeria at competitive prices.
His words: “This is a very competitive market for food products. We expect that this investment will help us optimize production costs, enabling us to reach and nourish more consumers with our affordable range of quality products. We will also target our portfolio extension by gradual integration of more locally sourced raw materials from producers in Nigeria and widening our network of distributors”
According to him, the investment became necessary in view of the numerous business opportunities in the Nigerian market.
He disclosed that Promasidor Nigeria is currently faced with production limitations as it could not produce enough quantity of its nutritious products to service the demand for them from different parts of the country.
Meanwhile, Mary-Jean Moyo, IFC Head of Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services for sub-Saharan Africa said, “Agribusiness is Nigeria’s largest employer. Increasing investment in food-processing companies like PNL will help diversify Nigeria’s economy and improve nutrition by expanding the supply of affordable food.”
IFC said it invests in Agribusiness to enhance productivity with the goals of greater food security, higher rural incomes, and improving environmental and social sustainability. Today, it added, the average African farm performs at just 40 percent of potentials. The organization said by 2030, Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness market is expected to triple in value to reach $1 trillion. Africa needs more than $10 billion in new investment annually to achieve this aspired expansion of output.
In the fiscal year ended in June 2016, IFC’s overall, long-term investments in sub-Saharan Africa totalled nearly $3.7 billion, including more than $1.8 billion mobilized from other investors. IFC clients provided 240,000 jobs, supported nearly 1.2 million farmers, and treated nearly 960,000 patients.
PNL is a subsidiary of Promasidor Holdings limited (the Company), a leading Pan-African consumer goods company operating in 25 countries across the continent. The Company was founded in 1979 in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Mr. Robert Rose, who pioneered formulations and packaging of dairy products which extended shelf life and made them more accessible and affordable for millions of low-income consumers.
Lagos NIPR deepens communicators’ skills with digital PR Summit
Lagos State Chapter, the flagship branch of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) recently unveiled plans to deepen the skill-set of communication and media practitioners in new media with Lagos Digital PR Summit; first of its king in Sub Saharan Africa.
In partnership with Microsoft, Google, TrendWatching, Red Media Africa and other leading corporate and digital marketing communication firms in Nigeria, the Lagos PR Summit is an experiential gathering of communicators focused on achieving collective intelligence to equip and capacitate practitioners with high-level digital media strategies and tactics aimed at increasing their effectiveness to lift their campaign results on social media.
The Lagos Digital PR Summit with the theme: ‘New Media: Public Relations Practice in Networked Communities’, will hold at the Nigerian Institute of Management, Lagos on Wednesday 19thand Thursday 20th, October 2016.
This Summit is targeted at Generation X and Millennials from diverse sectors, who will learn new insights about digital public relations in a technologically driven world. Presenters at the Summit will share practical knowledge on deploying, integrating and using social media Apps and tools to connect, inform, engage and evaluate campaigns in line with specific business goals.
Speaking on the Summit, Chairman, Lagos State Chapter, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Olusegun McMedal said, “The Lagos Digital PR Summit is focused on achieving collective intelligence with a view to sharpen the skillset of communicators with high-level digital media strategies, tactics and how-to’s so they can do their jobs better, train their team mates, and lift their campaign results on social media”.


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State-backed China Enterprise has shouldered aside a pair of competing bids from China Vanke and China Resources Land to win a residential site in Shanghai’s Yangpu district for just over RMB 3.81 billion ($540 million), according to an announcement by… Read More>>
Lujiazui Group, the largest state-owned developer in Shanghai’s Pudong district has agreed to pay RMB 9.1 billion ($1.28 billion) to acquire a mixed-use site in the city’s Zhangjiang High Tech Park, according to an announcement last week by the Shanghai… Read More>>
Hong Kong restaurant operator Tsui Wah Holdings is said to be offering for sale its flagship location in Central at an asking price of HK$400 million ($51 million), as the city’s ongoing civil unrest chips away at consumer spending.
The… Read More>>
Financing for Chinese property developers plunged by 58.15 percent month-on-month in August amid an intensifying government clampdown on the housing market, according to data cited by the Securities Times.
Total new financing provided to China’s builders reached RMB 36.83 billion… Read More>>
Hong Kong-based asset manager iProsperity has acquired a set of 23 Australian hotels from French hotel investment firm AccorInvest, according to an account this week in the Australian Financial Review.
iProsperity, which manages funds for high net worth individuals and… Read More>>
Hong Kong-listed CSI Properties has acquired the remaining four floors in a building on Wellington Street in Hong Kong’s Central district for HK$185 million ($23.59 million), according to an account in the Hong Kong Economic Times
The purchase brings the… Read More>>
Dai Zhikang, the founder and legal representative of Shanghai-based property and finance conglomerate Zendai Group, has surrendered to the police after his company was brought under investigation for illegal fund raising with regard to a RMB 10 billion ($1.4 billion)… Read More>>
The uncertainties of the US-China trade war negotiations and the political turmoil in Hong Kong have combined to cool down investor interest in Hong Kong’s property market, with sales of retail real estate bearing the brunt of investor reluctance… Read More>>
The People’s Bank of China has unveiled a new minimum interest rate system for home loans according to an announcement on the central bank’s official WeChat social media account, as the mainland government continues to clamp down on the housing… Read More>>
Sweden’s IKEA will plough RMB 10 billion ($1.41 billion) into its China operations in the upcoming 2020 fiscal year, in a bid to upgrade and expand its store network and boost its e-commerce offerings in the country.
The planned investment… Read More>>


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Mary-Kate Olsen may have wedding bells on her mind. The teeny tiny former Full House actress and current fashion designer has been spotted shopping several times at the Neil Lane boutique in L.A., and rumor has it that she’s even set aside some of her favorite diamond engagement rings.
Her boyfriend of more than a year, French banker Olivier Sarkozy, was not with her. The couple’s relationship has raised some eyebrows due to the height and age difference. He’s 17 years older and more than a foot taller.
Sarkozy’s ex-wife has even called the odd couple “grotesque” and “not right.” Because sweetness!
Anyway, a source told Page Six that MK has been checking out engagement rings “several times in the last three weeks.”
“She really likes cushion-cut diamonds, and all of the rings she has looked at are over five carats,” the source divulged. “She has narrowed it down, but still hasn’t made the final decision.”
More from The Stir: Mary-Kate Olsen & Her Much Older Boyfriend Look Creepy Together -- Let's Face It
Another source said that 27-year-old mini mogul was “drawn to platinum settings,” and that all of her choices were in the six-digit price range. “I don’t think price was an issue,” said the tattler.
Tying the knot would make Mary-Kate an insta-mom, as Sarkozy has two children from his first marriage.
Forget the height and age difference -- I’m still trying to wrap my brain around Michelle Tanner being old enough to even shop for engagement rings, let alone having stepkids. Let’s file that under Things That Make Me Feel Old.
Do you think Mary-Kate is getting ahead of herself?
Image via David Shankbone/Flickr


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Scripps Networks Interactive CEO: Travel Channel Growth Is Priority
Exec Ken Lowe also outlined plans for international expansion and new online programming
Scripps Networks Interactive CEO Ken Lowe called the company's Travel Channel "a work in progress" and said its growth, especially among women, is one of his top priorities.
"We're really going out of the Scripps playbook where it's more about catering to an upscale audience," Lowe said Thursday at the 23rd Annual Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference in New York. "Just over the past year we've seen median income levels go up almost to double digits...that continues to be our top priority."
He said he's "very excited about" new online programming coming in October through the first quarter.
Lowe also named international expansion among his priorities. Today, about 15 percent of the company's revenue comes from foreign markets, and executive vp finance Lori Hickok, also at the conference, said she'd like to grow that to between 25 and 30 percent over the next five years.
Lowe said Scripps owns 98 percent of its programming and more shortform content for digital distribution is to be expected.
While he acknowledged a down upfronts season, he said Scripps still sold $1 billion in advertising for the third year straight. He said half of the company's ad inventory was sold, by design, and that he's "cautiously optimistic" about the scatter market.
"What helps us is to be able to take national brands, like an HGTV let's say, and localize it for a Home Depot or Lowes," he said. "We consistently are at the top of the peer group when it comes to year-over-year percentage increase in advertising. We deliver a high-quality audience, an engaged audience, an audience that, if you will, rings the cash register."
The "Holy Grail" going forward, he said, is "quality measurement."
So-called C7, whereby viewership is measured seven days after a show first airs, "doesn't work for everybody," he said. "If you've got a Labor Day special you don't want your commercial airing seven days from now, you want them airing this weekend."
He said that 93 percent of the viewing on Scripps' channels happens in the C3 window, nearly as high as sports and news.
"Part of that is the fact that we're viewed for long periods of time and people tend to watch brand from show to show as opposed to just individual shows," he said. "They leave the Food Network on, they leave HGTV on. They're more engaged with the commercials because they don't necessarily view them as interruptions. In some cases, our research shows, they view them as additional information."
Lowe said one of his ad executives coined the term "C-zero" at the recent upfronts, a stark contrast to CBS CEO Les Moonves who, at the same conference Wednesday, used the term "C-infinity" to express his opinion that advertisers should pay at least some fee for reaching audiences no matter how a show is viewed. "Overnight ratings are virtually irrelevant now," Moonves said Wednesday.
Sept. 12, 9:55 a.m. An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Scripps would like to grow international revenue to 25 to 30 percent within the next 12 months. THR regrets the error.


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Why electric cars are not the future in India?
While solar and wind power make for great headlines, they can’t provide reliable power. Nuclear energy is expensive and large hydro-electric projects are not exactly great for everyone. Indian electricity, therefore, is ‘dirty’. There is also the cost of producing a car.
Are electric cars allowed in India?
Generally, all-electric vehicles in India must be approved by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). Powerful automobiles want to undergo a complete trying-out system following CMVR rules, while E-bike, as described below, are exempt from this sort of approval requirements.
Are electric vehicles successful in India?
However, the reality seems to be far from this. When we turn to the Indian roads of today, we see that about 1 in 125 vehicles is electric, most being three wheelers and two wheelers. And the narrative around the factors affecting the success of EVs seem to have seen no change in the past two decades.
Why is India pushing for electric cars?
The push is also expected to play an important role in the local EV manufacturing industry for job creation. Additionally, through several grid support services, EVs are expected to strengthen the grid and help accommodate higher renewable energy penetration while maintaining secure and stable grid operation.
Is Tesla a motor in India?
Tesla India Motors And Energy Private Limited is a subsidiary of Tesla Inc. for its operations in India. The company was registered on 8 January 2021 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It has officially registered with the Registrar of Companies in India at its Bengaluru office, confirmed by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla on Twitter.
Can a 14 year old drive an electric scooter in India?
Teenagers between 16-18 to get valid driving license to drive e-scooters in India. The Road and Transport Ministry of India decided to amend the motor vehicle rules in order to provide a valid driving license to youths between 16 to 18 years of age to drive e-scooters in India at a maximum speed of 70 km per hour.
Is India ready for electric vehicles disadvantages?
What are the disadvantages? The main disadvantage is the limited range that the EV’s offer. They need to be recharged before they can go further. Automakers such as Tesla have introduced Superchargers for their electric vehicle that are available at many US locations.
Do you need a licence to drive an electric car?
Driving electric cars no licence required.
Do electric vehicles have future in India?
Despite several new Indian companies entering various parts of the EV value chain, significant capital infused in the space and large-scale execution efforts, EVs are not mainstream yet. It is 2021 and it seems we have hit the inflection point for EVs to take off, finally.
Why are electric cars not popular?
So why aren’t there more electric vehicles (EVs) on the world’s roads? Reasons for the slow uptake of electric vehicles vary between countries. A UK survey found the most common reason for not buying one was a lack of fast charging points (37%) followed by concerns about range (35%) and cost (33%).
Will electric cars be the future?
By 2035, the largest automotive markets will go electric
On a global level, we expect EV (BEV, PHEV, and FCEV) 1. Battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles. adoption to reach 45 percent under currently expected regulatory targets.
What percent of Indian vehicles are electric?
In 2021, 3,29,190 electric vehicles were sold in India, representing a 168 per cent increase over last year’s sales of 1,22,607 units. With a combined market share of 90%, 2-Wheelers and low-speed L3 Category 3-Wheelers are the most popular electric vehicles.


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FCA Canada today reported sales of 17,770 vehicles for the month of August.
For the calendar year, Jeep brand sales of 54,019 vehicles are up 7% compared with the same time one year ago. The all-new Jeep Wrangler remains the most popular-selling Jeep in the country with 19,774 sold so far in 2018. For the month, Jeep Wrangler sales of 1,757 are up 41% from the same time last year. August was also a noteworthy month for Jeep Cherokee, where sales of 2,417 are up 27% compared with the same month last year.
Chrysler brand reported sales of 331 vehicles for the month. Only 19 of the made-in-Canada Chrysler 300s were sold across the country last month. While Dodge Charger sales were almost 12 times that of it’s Chrysler full-size sibling.
Dodge brand reported sales of 3,611 vehicles for the month. Two made-in-Canada vehicles led the largest monthly growth for the brand. 202 of the Brampton, Ontario-built Dodge Chargers were sold, up 67% compared with sales in August 2017, and 2,740 of the Windsor, Ontario-built Dodge Grand Caravan minivans were sold, up 2% compared with the same month last year. Canada’s best-selling minivan for 35 years running comes in six models, from the entry-level Canada Value Package with standard features like remote keyless entry, third row Stow ‘n Go and seven airbags to Grand Caravan GT where versatility meets performance and attitude with a distinctive monochromatic exterior. Dodge also sold 1 new 2016 Dodge Dart for the month of August as well.
Ram brand reported sales of 7,712 vehicles for the month. While the Ram 1500 was down 11% compared to the same time period last year, the Ram ProMaster van increased 34% over this time last year. The ProMaster City also increased in sales by 2% over the August 2017 numbers.
Alfa Romeo brand reported sales of 109 vehicles for the month. While sales haven’t been too great for the Italian brand in Canada, the Alfa Romeo sold 64 Stelvio SUVs for the month. That number was only 7 units off of the entire Fiat brand during the same time period.
|Month Sales||Vol %||CYTD Sales||Vol %|
|Model||Curr Yr||Pr Yr||Change||Curr Yr||Pr Yr||Change|
|Town & Country||0||0||0%||0||5||-100%|
Source: FCA Canada


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Leading milk supplier Mother Dairy, which sells cooking oils under Dhara brand, on Monday said the company's production and sales of edible oils have been hit by 35-40 percent post nationwide lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19
Coronavirus Outbreak: Mother Dairy says milk demand up 5-10%, facing no major supply disruptions amid lockdowns
Mother Dairy, which supplies over 30 lakh litres of milk everyday in the national capital region, said it is not facing any major supply disruptions in spite of 5-10 percent increase in demand on Tuesday, amid lockdowns in the wake of coronavirus spread
Onion prices shoot up to Rs 80 per kg; govt to facilitate imports of kitchen staple from Iran, Egypt, Turkey
Onion prices have remained high in most retail markets of Delhi and other consuming states for last more than a month because of supply disruption following heavy rains in main growing states like Maharasthra.
Tomato prices continue to soar at Rs 60-80 per kg in Delhi despite govt measures to boost puree supply
Tomato prices have come under pressure in Delhi and the National Capital Region due to supply disruption owing to heavy rains in producing states like Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Onion price rise temporary phase, country has buffer stock to meet shortage; govt boosting supply: Ram Vilas Paswan
Among metros, onion was quoting at Rs 34 per kg in Chennai, Rs 43 per kg in Mumbai, Rs 44 per kg in Delhi and Rs 45 per kg in Kolkata on Friday, the ministry data showed.
In a bid to check rising tomato prices in the national capital, the Centre on Friday asked state-owned Mother Dairy to boost its availability and sell the key kitchen staple at Rs 40 per kg
After Amul and Mother Dairy, DMS may soon hike milk prices, says Animal Husbandry Secretary Tarun Shridhar
Dairy firm Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) is expected to soon hike retail milk prices in the national capital in line with major competitors Mother Dairy and Amul to ensure remunerative rates to farmers, Animal Husbandry Secretary Tarun Shridhar said on Monday
Mother Dairy hikes milk prices by up to Rs 2 a litre for first time in two years on rising procurement costs
Mother Dairy, which supplies over 30 lakh litres of milk per day in Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region), had increased the price last in March 2017.
The episode was dedicated to the importance of following a schedule when it comes to vaccination.
Mother Dairy forays into organic food biz to diversify product portfolio; eyes Rs 50 cr revenue in 2019
Mother Dairy has launched its organic range of fresh fruits and vegetables and other kitchen ingredients under its horticulture brand Safal.
Arundhati and Aditi were joined by TV actor Karanvir Bohra, who gave his inputs on the role of dads in parenting today.


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An online petition accusing Starbucks Corp of “extreme” cutbacks in work hours at its U.S. cafes, hurting both employee morale and customer service, has been signed by more than 9,000 people.
The world’s biggest coffee chain, trying to address cooling growth at its U.S. shops, recently introduced technology that allows customers to order and pay from mobile devices. That service aims to boost sales and reduce bottlenecks in stores.
Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz and other top brass have spoken with Jaime Prater, a Southern California barista and the online petition’s creator, the Seattle-based company said.
It declined to give details but Starbucks spokeswoman Jaime Riley said it is not uncommon for Schultz to reach out to members of its 160,000-strong U.S. workforce. She also said no nationwide cutback in labor hours or jobs was underway at Starbucks stores.
Starbucks has a software system that determines labor needs based on business trends. Store managers can work with leadership in their respective regions to determine labor needs based on any factors not taken into account by the system, Riley said.
Prater told Reuters he is cautiously optimistic after executives said they are looking into the issues raised in the petition.
“There is a small window right now” to act, he said.
Comments on the petition painted a picture of broad discontent at the company known for offering better wages and benefits than other chains, including healthcare coverage, retirement account contributions and paid vacation days.
Prater and many signers say they noticed cutbacks in U.S. staffing hours after Starbucks in April reported a deceleration in quarterly cafe sales growth. Several of them said store managers were under pressure to comply with the dictates of Starbucks’ software system.
Almost 7,000 signers of the petition described themselves as employees, according to Prater. They did not give their full names and Reuters was not immediately able to confirm that signers worked for Starbucks.
“The labor situation has gone from tight to infuriating,” Prater said.
One central California store has seen its labor allotment shrunk by about 10 percent, even though sales are up, its manager, who asked not to be identified for fear or reprisal, told Reuters.
Similar complaints were heard from many signers of the online petition.
“No matter what we do to save on labor at my store, the system tells us EVERY SINGLE DAY that we are at least 8 hours over in labor for the day and have to cut even more,” wrote signer Aaron I.
“We’re suffering, & so are our customers. It’s not working,” wrote Leslie S, a self-described shift manager.
RISING PRESSURES A GRIND
“Mobile orders have increased sales and created more need for labor, yet the company is cutting labor,” wrote Makenna S, a shift supervisor.
Like other restaurants and retail companies, Starbucks is wrestling with the effects of local minimum wage increases. Some petitioners said Starbucks had not boosted pay for existing workers in areas where minimum wages have increased – creating a situation where new hires are paid about the same wage as more experienced peers.
Others said take-home pay had also taken a hit because tipping has fallen substantially amid broad customer adoption of the “Starbucks Rewards” program, which allows customers to pay with a loyalty card or mobile phones.
During the second quarter, Starbucks’ U.S.-dominated Americas region posted a 7 percent gain in sales at established cafes, down from 9 percent in the first quarter. The current quarter rise is expected to be 6.2 percent, according to Consensus Metrix.
“They’ve been posting industry-leading same-store sales growth for the last five years while reducing labor costs – a trend that can’t continue,” said Howard Penney, an analyst at Hedgeye Risk Management, who follows Starbucks.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles, editing by G Crosse and Tom Brown)
Conservative columnist blasts GOP as ‘partisan hacks for whom hypocrisy is second-nature’
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump once again ripped into The Squad, this time to undercut an emotional press conference in which Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MN) described the conditions her Palestinian relatives live under.
“Sorry, I don’t buy Rep. Tlaib’s tears. I have watched her violence, craziness and, most importantly, WORDS, for far too long,” the president tweeted. “Now tears? She hates Israel and all Jewish people. She is an anti-Semite. She and her 3 friends are the new face of the Democrat Party. Live with it!”
Sorry, I don’t buy Rep. Tlaib’s tears. I have watched her violence, craziness and, most importantly, WORDS, for far too long. Now tears? She hates Israel and all Jewish people. She is an anti-Semite. She and her 3 friends are the new face of the Democrat Party. Live with it!
‘They’re with me all the way’: Trump uses Log Cabin endorsement as shield when asked about destroying LGBT rights
President Donald Trump has not publicly acknowledged the early endorsement he received late last week from the gay Republican group Log Cabin Republicans, but he was quick to mention it when asked about his record of destroying the civil rights of LGBTQ people.
Trump bragged, “they’re with me all the way, and I just got a big endorsement from the Log Cabin group,” during a Tuesday afternoon press gaggle, according to pool reports.
Convicted Cardinal Pell’s fate hangs on appeal
An Australian court will rule on George Pell's appeal against child sex abuse charges Wednesday, when the convicted cardinal could walk free or begin a new round in his protracted legal fight.
Once the Vatican's third-ranking official, 78-year-old Pell was sentenced this year to six years in jail for sexually assaulting two 13-year-old choirboys at a Melbourne cathedral in the 1990s.
After more than two months of deliberations, a three-judge appeals panel will hand down their decision.
Pell is the most senior Catholic convicted of child sex abuse, making his case and Wednesday's ruling a touchstone moment for believers and victims groups around the world.


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Amadeus and SpiceJet have announced a new distribution agreement that gives Amadeus’ global network of travel sellers access to the airline’s range of fares and prices through the Amadeus Travel Platform.
This is the first time that SpiceJet is working with a distribution partner. By connecting to travelers through the world’s largest community of travel sellers and buyers, the airline will be able to showcase its products on a global scale, access new markets and partners, and grow its customer base.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “I am delighted to announce our new partnership with Amadeus which will help SpiceJet reach new customers both within and outside India. SpiceJet is in the midst of its most exciting growth phase and I am sure that this new distribution network will enable a large number of customers to connect with our huge domestic and growing international network.”
Cyril Tetaz, Executive Vice President, Airlines, Amadeus, Asia Pacific said, “With our partnership including distribution and IT solutions, we are very proud to support SpiceJet in its growth in India and beyond. SpiceJet will be able to differentiate its offers and empower travelers with the transparency and customization they need through our global travel network.”
SpiceJet is a PSS customer of Navitaire, an Amadeus company, and has relied on the New Skies reservation platform to keep pace with the carrier’s strong growth since its launch.


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Bell tolls for 53-year-old motorcycle shop outside US airlift hub in Tokyo
Stars and Stripes July 25, 2023
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A motorcycle shop that has served American and Japanese customers near the home of U.S. Forces Japan for more than a half-century is closing.
Bike Land Keisho — across from Yokota, an airlift hub in western Tokyo — opened in 1970, owner Sho Satake said Monday as he stood near a vintage Harley-Davidson and piles of merchandise.
Keisho is closing its doors for good this month, he said. New owners plan to knock down the store and build apartments.
His face, emblazoned on the shop’s sign, is familiar to people who drive to and from Yokota along Route 16. The avid motorcyclist said he opened his business after selling cars and motorcycles on the base in the 1960s.
“When [President John F. Kennedy] was assassinated, I was working on Yokota,” he recalled, noting that an American dollar bought more than 350 yen at the time.
U.S. spending on the Vietnam War subsequently devalued the dollar and the soaring yen prompted restrictions on the sale of foreign autos on base. So, Satake set up shop just outside the gate where the strong yen was a boon for locals.
“We started importing Harley-Davidsons,” he said. “It was a very low price.”
A photo in an old magazine from the 1970s shows the motorcycle shop with a big Harley-Davidson sign. On the same side of the street stood Pony, an electronics store popular with Americans.
Satake was an avid rider in his younger days but has swapped his iron horse for golf clubs. He’s visited the U.S. many times and, in 1984, rode from Baltimore to the White House, he said.
America is a much better place to ride than Japan, Satake said.
“In the States, it is so huge and beautiful, and the air is clean, and you can see wild animals,” he said.
In recent years, Americans haven’t bought many motorcycles from Keisho, Satake said, though they often do turn to his shop for repairs.
Yokota used to be home to the Japan Motorcycle Club, managed by Satake, which included Japanese and American riders. These days the Green Knights, a club geared toward active-duty riders with branches worldwide, is active on base.
Keisho is well known to motorcyclists, said Evan Hall, vice president of the Green Knights chapter at Yokota.
The shop had a collection of old, dusty motorcycle manuals and could get Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki parts quickly, the former airman, who works as a civilian technician on Yokota’s C-130J Super Hercules simulator, said Monday.
Japan’s aging population means many old shops are closing these days, Hall said, adding: “It’s a sign of the times.”


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After the announcement of the reactivation of Puerto Vallarta, including the hotel industry and the airport, several airlines are resuming their flight routes.
With the enforcement of different security measures that guarantee the health of passengers and after the recent announcement of the reopening of several venues in Vallarta · Nayarit, various national and international airlines are resuming their flights and are ready to bring visitors to this Mexican Pacific coast.
Here is the list of airlines that have announced their new itineraries:
Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Air Transat, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Copa Airlines, Delta Airlines, Interjet, Magnicharters, Southwest Airlines, Suncountry, Sunwing, TAR Aerolíneas, United Airlines, VivaAerobus, Volaris, Westjet.
Source: Vallarta Lifestyles
The Hotels and Motels Association of Puerto Vallarta has announced that some hotels & resorts already began implementing the security and sanitary measures required by Intedya to grant the Coronavirus Free certificate.
Different hotel groups from Puerto Vallarta are getting ready for their reopening in a gradual way on June 1st of 2020, but no before obtaining the Coronavirus Free certificate, which is issued by Intedya, an international company specialized in consulting and auditing risk management systems and regulatory compliance that guarantees the correct implementation of new sanitary measures.
The new health protocol, which seeks to guarantee the safety and tranquility of guests, includes actions such as: Periodical disinfection of public spaces, social distancing, use of masks by all the staff, delivery of an essential care kit to visitors, temporary closure of common areas (swimming pools, buffet restaurants and event rooms).
The Hotels and Motels Association of Puerto Vallarta announced that some resorts have already begun to implement these security measures, including Blue Chairs Resort, Container Inn Puerto Vallarta, Crown Paradise Club Puerto Vallarta, Emperador Vallarta Beachfront Hotel and Suites, Flamingo Vallarta Hotel & Marina, Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta, Hotel Mousai, Hotel Tropicana, Hotel Villa Mercedes Puerto Vallarta, Villa del Mar Resort & Spa and Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa Vallarta.
Currently, it is expected that more than 30 hotels will open its doors during the first week of June, 2020.
Source: Vallarta Lifestyles
After the plan issued by the state government, the different areas of the tourism sector (accommodations, food and services, transport and general commerce), now have a detailed guide of the different protocols they must follow in the midst of the economic reactivation of Puerto Vallarta over the next few weeks.
In general, the plan defines concrete actions that must be followed by the different actors in the tourism industry to transmit confidence as a tourist destination that is carrying out comprehensive, not isolated, actions in all areas visited by tourists from their arrival to their departure from the destination. .
AIRPORT: Since the arrival of the visitors, at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, the Pacific Airport Group (GAP) will maintain the installation of sanitary controls in coordination with the competent authorities, the measurement of temperature with remote thermometers, the installation of thermographic cameras and the implementation of posters and videos to inform or promote Covid-19 hygiene and prevention recommendations.
HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS: In all the hotels in Puerto Vallarta, recognized for their excellence in service, emphasis should be placed on disinfecting spaces such as the lobby, corridors, common areas and, of course, the rooms. Cleaning will be thorough and detailed in high contact spaces such as floors, elevators, handles, railings, and toilets.
Meanwhile, in restaurants – great representatives of the destination’s renowned gastronomic offer – hygiene, always relevant, becomes essential, which is why the number of diners will be reduced to a maximum of 50 per establishment with a distance of not less than 1.5 meters between tables.
Source: Out & About PV
Starting Monday, May 25, restaurants in the Malecon will reopen after they reached an agreement with the municipal government of Puerto Vallarta.
Councilor Guadalupe Guerrero Carvajal, president of the Commission of Tourism and Economic Development, held a meeting with representatives of this union, in which the options were discussed so that these businesses located on the Malecon could resume their activities.
It was determined that only one access point to the restaurants will be opened, while the rest of the boardwalk will continue to be closed.
On Friday, officials from the different areas of the City Council met and made a tour of the area to define the viability of this proposal, agreeing that it will be from this Monday when a section from Uno de Octubre to El Faro (points that will serve as access), which will be duly delimited and the rest of the boardwalk and the intersections will be cordoned off and closed.
Despite the reopening, the boardwalk will continue to be closed to the public until the Federal or State Government announces the new provisions.
Source: Vallarta Daily
According to the API, a twelfth cruise ship arrived in Puerto Vallarta for humanitarian reasons this past Wednesday.
The Seven Seas Splendor ship, which belongs to the Regent Seven Seas Cruises, arrived with 125 crew of different nationalities but without passengers, the API stressed.
They reported that the cruise ship from the port of Los Angeles, California, will remain docked and guarded for 30 days in Puerto Vallarta, “where the main port services will be provided.”
The cruise is commanded by Diego Michelozzi, who has been working aboard cruise ships for 20 years. The Seven Seas Splendor, launched in February 2020, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy, is 224 meters long, being the second in the Explorer class of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and the fifth ship of the company, said the API.
“As in each humanitarian arrival, the respective authorities such as International Health, Migration, Customs and SENASICA were present, verifying, among other things, the health of the crew,” the API Puerto Vallarta detailed.
Source: Vallarta Daily


text: Don't worry — Taylor Swift isn't coming out with a book of selfies, nor is she starring in her own reality show. She is, however, following Kim Kardashian's lead by launching a mobile game of her own. The BBC reports that the pop star has signed a multi-year partnership with Glu Mobile, the gaming company behind Kardashian's hugely successful Kim Kardashian: Hollywood app. Swift's first app will come out later this year. "We realize that Taylor and her global fan base expect a new and highly differentiated mobile gaming experience," Niccolo de Masi, Glu Mobile's chief executive, said in a statement to the BBC. "Glu is equally committed to designing never before seen gameplay elements that utilize Taylor's unique creativity." How will you earn points? By adding celebrities to your squad? By getting over a breakup? By collecting cats and naming them after TV heroines? Inquiring minds want to know. Stay tuned for more details, Swifties.


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The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition filed by two cellular operators associations, challenging the order by the Delhi High Court. A few days ago, the Delhi High Court had upheld a decision by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to penalise telecom operators for dropped calls. According to a report by PTI, the plea was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice T. S. Thakur and Justice U. U. Lalit, and the latter asked the associations, “Why don’t you correct the system?” Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the telecom associations, said that the matter required urgent hearing, after which the bench agreed to hear the plea on Friday
The Delhi High Court had dismissed a batch of petitions filed by telecom operators associations and said, “We are of the view that regulation cannot be held to be beyond the scope of the regulating power of TRAI on any ground whatsoever.” In October last year, TRAI mandated that telecom operators would have to compensate subscribers Re. 1 for every call dropped, up to a maximum of Rs. 3. The operators chose to ignore the mandate calling it “arbitrary and whimsical.” In addition, operators said that providing compensation to consumers amounted to interfering with the tariff structure, which could be done by an order and not a regulation.
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While the number of overall closed residential sales, median home prices, and inventory are all up from this time last year, the Sarasota/Manatee area continues to be a seller’s market. Sarasota county residential sales are only slightly up from September 2015 with a 3.3% increase in condominium sales and a 3% decrease in single family home sales. By contrast, Manatee county single family homes sales are up 13.8% from last year, while condominium sales have dropped 6.2%.
Inventory for the two counties is up nearly 20% from last year at this time even though the current levels have followed the expected trend of off-season decline. According to the September 2016 data, Sarasota county has a 4.2-month supply of inventory for single family homes and a 5-month supply for condominiums while inventory levels for Manatee county are slightly lower; however, neither county is too far off from a balanced market indicator of a 6-month supply.
Pending sales are have also decreased an overall 11% from 2015 but as the Realtor® Association of Sarasota and Manatee reports, this was not unexpected since 2015 recorded a historically high number of residential sales. Additionally, Linda Formella, the 2016 RASM® President pointed out other factors that can slow down the rate of pending sales such as back-to-school activities, storm warnings, and the anticipation of election results.
If you are interested in buying or selling property, please contact me for further details.


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September 27, 2006
Springfield, Mo. — Attorney General Jay Nixon today obtained a temporary restraining order to stop a Springfield man from offering “credit repair” services to consumers. Nixon says at least 17 consumers filed complaints about Tim Holthaus, claiming they paid membership fees of $495 on the promise of improved credit reports but received little or no help in return.
“Mr. Holthaus has made a habit of preying upon people whose credit was bad and were willing to pay hundreds of dollars for what they thought was a quick fix,” Nixon said. “Negative, but accurate, information on your credit report can only be removed through the gradual building up of good credit. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to sell you services that won't help.”
Holthaus is the owner of Success Systems, a company he claimed provided credit repair services. Nixon alleges that Holthaus previously operated another company, Dreamlife, that also provided credit repair services. The defendant allegedly advertised Dreamlife on the Internet, claiming that for a membership fee of $495 consumers would receive credit repair services.
Consumer complaints to the Attorney General's Office stated that they saw no improvements in their credit reports after paying the membership fee, nor were they able to cancel their membership and receive their money back as guaranteed. At least 17 of those consumers filed complaints, saying they were unable to contact Dreamlife or Holthaus by phone or email.
“Mr. Holthaus' track record of taking advantage of people who are in need is well documented from his first business,” Nixon said. “We will do everything we can to ensure that those who parted with nearly $500 and got nothing in return will get that money back, and that he is prevented from continuing such fraudulent activity under a new name.”
Nixon also claims that Holthaus has made misrepresentations in his advertisements for his new business to consumers, including that Success Systems is a legitimate credit services organization as well as a fully licensed mortgage banking institution. The company is not registered as either with the Missouri Division of Finance.
Today's temporary restraining order on Success Systems and Holthaus prevents them from continuing to falsely represent that Success Systems is a legitimate credit services organization. The lawsuit also asks the court to:


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BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- The Food and Drug Administration has informed Forest Laboratories FRX, +1.23% that it will not have a decision on whether to approve Forest's new product milnacipran by the agency's previously-assigned deadline of Oct. 18, the company said Monday. Forest and partner Cypress Bioscience cypb have been seeking to have the product approved to treat the symptoms of fibromylagia. Milnacipran is already sold in several countries overseas to treat pain and depression. "The FDA indicated that their assessment could be completed in a matter of weeks, but could not confirm specific timing," Forest said, in a statement. Forest added that it and Cypress are still planning for a first quarter 2009 launch meeting.
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Pebble has kicked off its first ever press conference, and the smartwatch company has opened with the first thing Kickstarter supporters wanted to hear: a ship date. The watch has gone into mass production, the company has confirmed, and will begin shipping out to preorder customers from January 23.
That mass production is pumping out 15,000 Pebble watchers per week, so it’ll take a little time to satisfy all of the multi-million spending Kickstarter backers. In fact, Pebble estimates that it’ll be around 6-8 weeks before all of those orders are met.
Of course, after that there’s a small legion of subsequent preorder customers who jumped onto the smartwatch after it made its Kickstarter goal last year. They’ll have to wait a little longer for their new toy.
In the box will be a standard 22mm watch strap, but Pebble says it’s easily interchanged with a standard band. It’s also water-resistant, and has a scratch-resistant glass on top of the e-paper display. More hardware details in the timeline below.


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Runners have superimposed a giant poppy on the city of London, with help from Vodafone and its agency AKQA.
As a tribute of remembrance on the 100th anniversary of World War I, Vodafone invited joggers to fill out the middle of a Poppy-shaped outline on top of the capital city. In total, 635 runners downloaded a dedicated Vodafone running app and filled the streets with GPS signals.
A dedicated website with a map was continually updated with the progress of filling out the streets of London with red and black GPS signals. Running in the very center of London marked the streets in black and outside the center was marked in red. A timelapse of the campaign can be seen here:
From Oct. 29 until Nov. 9, the runners covered 7492 miles and created the world’s largest poppy across the city. Participants and their friends and families donated more than £15,000 ($23,5000) to veterans charity the Royal British Legion in support of the campaign.
The campaign was led by former Royal Marines Commando Ben McBean, who lost a leg on duty in Afghanistan. He undertook a 31 mile run around the city to mark an outline from which others would fill in the red and black of a poppy via GPS. Here, he explains why he did it:
Corporate acts of remembrance can be a risky business for brands. Things can quickly turn sour if a campaign is seen as a crass attempt to exploit the event. It’s a fact U.K. supermarket Sainsbury’s is painfully aware of: Its 2014 Christmas advertising campaign recreated a famous real-life scene from WWI. The Christmas Day Truces saw opposing troops put down their weapons and play soccer with one another in neutral territory. Some members of the public saw this as a distasteful marketing ploy. It received 240 complaints to the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority.
Vodafone will be pleased that its remembrance campaign is seen as tasteful. The campaign is one of a series of #Firsts documenting first-time experiences of inspirational individuals.
The open programmatic market is in a tough spot
There’s a ballooning number of publisher-initiated programmatic auctions being pushed through a shrinking ad tech pipe.
Governments around the world are changing their policies to support esports
Governments' interest in esports is encouraging, but despite this groundswell of policy-level support, not all countries are equally enthusiastic about the space.
Can Snap make it as an AR company?
The real question Snap faces is whether adding AR elements to its platform will help it continue growing in the face of competition and uncertainty.
SponsoredHow ad tech is tackling waste by optimizing supply chains
Sponsored by Bidtellect The programmatic and digital advertising industry is well aware of the inefficiencies in buying and selling — from auction duplication and volume bias to multi-integrations and reselling — but how did it get this out of control? How can we fix it? A redundant, multiple-step process to ad delivery has become the norm, […]
How NFTs could evolve for brands — now that marketers know what they actually are
NFTs are finally growing out of crypto novelty into next-gen loyalty tools. Tyler Moebius, founder and CEO of SmartMedia Technologies, explains where else they can go.
Why digital clutter is driving brands to rethink the value of newspapers advertising
GE, Equinox, Take 5 Oil and agency TBWA New York are among those investing in newspaper ads to generate social media buzz in an ever-more cluttered digital environment.


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The big news is that Sasquatch! 2014 has added a second show, on Fourth of July weekend, but that’s no guarantee tickets will be any easier to get. Like last year — when tickets sold in 90 minutes — there are only three-day passes available. No single-day tickets will be sold. Tickets for both the May 23-25 and July 4-6 weekends will be $325; or you can buy a two-weekend pass for $550. Tickets go on sale here Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. (Though there is an Internet pre-sale beginning Thursday, Feb. 6, which requires a password that LiveNation is releasing through “eblasts.”)
Of course, there are ways to spend far more than $325 on your Sasquatch! experience (which you can find here, including the luxury yurt (forgive the oxymoron) option at Cave B Inn, which is right next to the Gorge Amphitheater, “featuring a king-sized bed, private in-yurt bathroom, cement floor, sofa, table and chairs, mini-fridge, etc.” That’ll set you back $6,500 per weekend.


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UK Heatwave Creates Leisure Vehicle Sale Boom
Heatwaves and summer sales in the leisure vehicle industry
Monday, 30, Jul 2018 01:50
By William Coleman
So it seems as though the heat wave that the UK has been enjoying for the past month or so is not set to continue despite the blip we have seen over the weekend. As the heat continues to rise so do the sales of motorhomes, caravans and holiday bookings.
It really is no surprise that the heatwaves we have been experiencing has had a positive effect on the UK tourism and touring home sector. Why would you need to travel abroad when you can have a 5 star mediterranean temperature holiday right at home here in the UK? No need to pick one location with one hotel when you can travel in total freedom with a motorhome or caravan.
The caravan industry in Shropshire and Mid Wales has experienced a 40% rise in first time buyers of motorhomes and caravan, and it has just happened to coincide with the soaring temperatures hitting the UK.
Another company who is enjoying the weather and success it brings is Salop Leisure in Shrewsbury. The company has recently been named "Large Dealer of the Year" by Swift Group. Salop are over the mood with the recent success but they believe they will not see the real benefit of the hot weather until next year.
"Based on previous experience, we believe the heatwave will have the most positive effect next year when couples and families are booking their holidays," said managing director Mark Bebb.
"Because they have enjoyed themselves so much this year by taking a staycation during the heatwave, they are more likely to want to spend their holiday here again next summer.
"The last time we had a heatwave like this was 1976 and there's nowhere better than the UK to spend your holiday when the sun is shining and it's great value for money., continued Mark.
Having spoke to people both in and out of the industry there seems to be a lot of foreshadowing or issues and drama travelling abroad post Brexit: "More people are opting to invest in touring caravans, motorhomes, caravan holiday homes and luxury lodges, which give them the chance to get away for a break any time they wish.
"We are expecting staycations to become increasingly popular due to Brexit, which is causing great uncertainty in the country and is likely to cause even longer delays at airports and ports due to customs checks.
"If you're living in the Midlands or North West England, you can jump in your car and be at your holiday destination in Wales within a couple of hours without all the hassle of waiting for hours in an airport or at port."
Salop Leisure, which has sales centres in Shrewsbury, Machynlleth and Stourport-on-Severn, has been delighted to see so many new customers and first time buyers this summer.
"We are seeing huge demand for touring caravans and motorhomes aided by the hot weather and the fact that staycationing is fashionable and affordable by using the range of financial products now available," added Mr Bebb.
Touring caravan parks across Mid Wales have been enjoying a very busy summer and Mr Bebb reported that Salop Leisure's glamping and caravanning resort, Love2Stay in Shrewsbury is fully booked throughout the school holidays and every weekend until the end of September. Having visited the site on several occasions it really is easy to see why so many people keep coming back.
"This week, there are 650 people staying at Love2Stay and we have a huge waiting list, which shows the demand for staycationing and the concept of the resort," said Mr Bebb. "We are passionate about camping and caravanning and we believe it should be peaceful, restorative and enjoyable."
The resort recently opened Hot Springs, 240 square metres of heated rock pools, a real sandy play beach, waterfall, boardwalk and deck chairs, which is proving a big hit with visitors.
The £6 million resort aims to raise the bar for quality UK holidays. It has 122 touring caravan pitches and a village of 11 luxury glamping lodges on a 22-acre site offering panoramic views across to Wales and the Shropshire Hills.


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Windows Insiders were recently invited to Microsoft’s launch event – which will be held in both Manchester and London on December 2 – to be the first to experience the company’s new flagship phones Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL with Windows 10.
Insiders will also have the ability to purchase the 950 or 950 XL at the event. Those who do purchase either device will also receive a Microsoft Display Dock to “turn an external screen into a PC-like experience”, as mentioned in the invitation. The event will begin at 18:00 local time.
The Lumia 950 and 950 XL both feature liquid cooling, USB Type-C, Windows Continuum, and 1440p OLED displays. The 950 XL will also have a larger 5.7 inch display vs the 950’s 5.2 inch display.
Check out our hands-on of Microsoft’s new Lumia line of handsets.


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Bakers Circle counts global quick service restaurant chains such as Jubilant Foodworks, Subway, Yum Brands and Café Coffee Day among its clientele.
In an exclusive interview with ET, Barnes, CEO of Baker Tilly International, says India would be one of largest markets in the world for auditing.
The reaction came a day after the Adani Group said it has reached an agreement with the natives to provide them significant and lasting benefits.
According to a Euromonitor report released last month, average unit price of chocolates rose by 9 per cent mainly due to premiumisation.
In the year ended August 2014, Ferrero India’s sales surged 76% to Rs 1,014 crore, according to filings at the Registrar of Companies.
Weatherford, which currently employs about 56,000 people across the world, expects the job cuts to result in annualized savings of over $350 million.
Akbar al-Baker accused Delta of flying "crap airplanes that are 35 years old", when talking about pollution by the aviation industry.
The chief of Qatar Airways, Akbar al-Baker, has furiously denied claims that its flight attendants are sacked if they get married.


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- Snapchat has reduced the size of its creator fund for its short-video feature Spotlight.
- The once $1-million-a-day program is now doling out millions throughout the year, a spokesperson said.
- The change comes amid a rough 10 months for Snap, whose stock has dropped 79% this year.
Snapchat has once again lowered the total amount it's paying to creators who use its short-video feature Spotlight.
The tech company is now offering creators millions of dollars per year, down from millions per week in June 2021 and $1 million per day in November 2020, a company spokesperson told Insider. They added that while the overall pot is smaller, the company is paying more creators in more markets than it has in the past.
It's the latest drop in spend for the Spotlight funding program, which mirrors the Reels and Shorts funds of Instagram and YouTube, respectively.
The fund began with a splash, but the troubled company — which has seen its stock fall 79% since the beginning of this year — has been offering smaller payouts to creators over time.
Nathan Kessel, who has nearly 9 million followers on TikTok, was averaging between $20,000 to $50,000 a month on Spotlight last year until the payouts halted in November 2021, according to documentation viewed by Insider.
"Life was good," Kessel said, adding that he moved several times and purchased a car during that time. "I was getting paid for any video that had about 150,000 views or more."
By August 2021, Kessel said he had earned six figures from Spotlight. He was prioritizing Snap over other platforms and filming all of his content directly in the app. Kessel was so dedicated to the platform that he even got a tattoo of the Snapchat logo on his leg.
In November 2021, reality hit when Kessel temporarily stopped receiving payouts from Snap, suggesting his videos had not met the minimum $250 threshold for payment. The money began flowing again in mid-2022, but the checks were significantly lower, he said, and inconsistent.
"As a creator, it is absolutely terrifying to go from making this kind of money to then absolutely nothing," Kessel said. "It will last for some time, and then all of a sudden it's gone — without any kind of notice."
A second Snap creator, who spoke to Insider on the condition of anonymity to preserve their relationship with Snap, said their creator payouts from Spotlight had drastically decreased this year compared to last.
In 2021, they said they were paid around $15,000 for every 150,000 views. Now, however, they said they earn around $15 per 150,000 views, according to documentation viewed by Insider. (Snapchat pays a minimum of $250 for any Spotlight video that qualifies for rewards.)
The creator said they'd switched their focus to other, more lucrative ways of making money through Snapchat, including developing branded AR lenses for the platform.
Two other Snapchat creators similarly told Insider they saw drops in their Spotlight payments in this year and that Spotlight is less lucrative than it was when it first launched in November 2020.
Overnight Spotlight millionaires seem to be a thing of the past
When Spotlight first kicked off in late 2020, Snapchat announced it would pay $1 million a day (in total) to its top performers, which turned several creators into overnight millionaires. The company said its big payouts would last "at least through the end of the year."
Some creators raced to earn as much as they could before the Spotlight pot of gold disappeared.
"This won't last forever," TikTok star Cam Casey told Insider in January 2021. "We are just taking advantage of it while here and just trying to do the most with it."
About six months after Spotlight's launch, the company lowered the amount it was putting in its fund to millions of dollars per week, citing its desire to "have more flexibility to reward more creators in more markets." Even with the reduction, the company told Variety that in 2021 it paid out more than $250 million to more than 12,000 creators via its Spotlight program.
Snapchat doesn't say exactly how it decides which creators get paid from the Spotlight fund. In its submission and revenue terms, it says it may consider a video's total number of unique views, its relative performance compared to other Spotlight videos, and the geographic location of the creator and their viewers.
In late 2021, the company expanded its Spotlight program to include Challenges, a format designed to encourage creators to add a specific lens, sound, or hashtag to a Spotlight video. Total prize money for Challenges is smaller, typically falling between $1,000 and $25,000 per challenge, though the company has paid out as much as $100,000 at times.
Snapchat also offers other funding programs for creators outside of Spotlight. Its Sounds Creator Fund pays out monthly grants of up to $100,000 to music artists, and its Black Creator Accelerator offers "25 aspiring Black creators" a $10,000 per month stipend.
In addition, the company is trialing a mid-roll ad revenue feature for some creators who post Stories. And in 2017, it released Lens Studio, a free application for building AR experiences, which some creators have used to earn money by developing lenses for the platform.
The company declined to say whether the total money it's paying out to Snapchat creators has increased, reduced, or stayed the same between 2021 and 2022, when considering all of these monetization opportunities.
Is ad-revenue sharing in Spotlight's future?
Snapchat's move to reduce its Spotlight fund comes at a perilous moment for Snap.
The company laid off about 20% of its full-time workforce in August, and cut spend for products like Snap Originals, Minis, Games, and Pixy. Its goal was to make cuts to areas of its business that don't contribute directly to community growth, revenue, and augmented reality, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel wrote in a memo to staff at the time.
Spotlight has been a bright spot for the distressed company. In its Q3 earnings presentation earlier this month, the company reported that total time spent watching Spotlight content grew 55% year-over-year.
"Spotlight, of course, is growing very rapidly year-over-year, and we're excited about that," Spiegel said during the earnings call.
Spotlight's reduction in fund payouts also points to a larger trend among platforms that are shifting away from creator funds toward more long-term, sustainable monetization options. Recently, both YouTube and TikTok announced plans to roll out ad-revenue sharing models for short-video content.
As for Spotlight, Snap has begun testing mid-roll ads for the feature, but declined to say whether it plans to split that ad revenue with its creators.


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The coffee brand has created The Best Part, a news community focused on positive content on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Coffee brand Folgers is no longer satisfied to simply be the "best part of waking up," and instead wants to add "spreading optimism, one share at a time."
To this end, Folgers has launched The Best Part, or what it calls "a new interactive way to read and share positive news through social news feeds."
According to the brand, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram users can like and/or follow The Best Part to receive "positive, fun and optimistic content," like, "Optimism is not the destination, it's the journey," and, "A smile can go a mile."
"The aroma of good news is sure to become the best part of each and every day," Folgers says.
In addition, the brand is asking fans to share their own inspirational content, like a meaningful story or a photo of an act of kindness. Folgers says it will share some of these inspiring fan posts to motivate others.
As of October 9, The Best Part had 86,000 likes on Facebook, 1,700 Twitter followers and 92 followers on Instagram.
A YouTube video posted September 20 about the effort has 7,000 views:
"The Best Part community is an opportunity for those who share the Folgers optimistic outlook to join together and brighten days everywhere," said Maribeth Burns, vice president of corporate communications at The J.M. Smucker Company, in a prepared statement. "We hope to see this community grow and have a positive impact on people's lives."
Folgers is a J.M. Smucker Company brand.
Folgers did not respond to requests for comment.
However, according to John Lee, manager of brand and social marketing at analytics firm Webtrends, The Best Part is "indicative of a larger trend in social, which is using creativity to build brand affinity away from a particular sales message."
That means brands are using social to connect with users on a human level rather than to drive immediate purchases. The challenge then becomes quantifying the impact of these social initiatives, he adds.
"The good thing is [brands are] creating a concept that isn't so branded that people get turned off, but the problem of doing that in social is that it's easy to create experiences that look and feel good, but it's hard to keep the momentum going," Lee says. "The challenge for marketers at Folgers and in general is to create a concept that's sustainable beyond the experience."
According to Folgers, The Best Part is also introducing a Folgers Wakin' Up alarm app that greets fans with "upbeat tunes, positive pieces of good news and inspiring comments from The Best Part community," that can be shared via social channels and email.
In addition to ClickZ and Search Engine Watch, Lisa's work has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Luxury Spot, LearnVest, MarthaStewart.com, GoodHousekeeping.com, amNewYork, and The Wall Street Journal. She's a graduate of Columbia's School of Journalism.
2015 Holiday Email Guide
The holidays are just around the corner. Download this whitepaper to find out how to create successful holiday email campaigns that drive engagement and revenue.
Three Ways to Make Your Big Data More Valuable
Big data holds a lot of promise for marketers, but are marketers ready to make the most of it to drive better business decisions and improve ROI? This study looks at the hidden challenges modern marketers face when trying to put big data to use.
December 2, 2015
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College Park, Maryland-based Inky Technology has closed on a $6 million Series A funding round. This is the company’s second Series A raise, following its June 2018 raise worth $5.6 million.
Dave Baggett, CEO at Inky, said in a press release that the fresh funding will go toward market expansion.
Launched a few years ago, Inky makes cloud-based email protection software. This latest funding round was led by ClearSky Security with participation from Gula Tech Adventures.
“In the 18 months since our foundational investment in INKY, the company has racked up numerous key commercial wins and has improved the intelligence of the core INKY Phish Fence product well beyond what incumbent vendors are capable of,” Peter Kuper, managing director of Clear Sky Security, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to support Inky at this exciting inflection point for the company.”
Inky has a team of 19 employees working out of its College Park office. In October 2018, the company released its flagship anti-phishing product, INKY Phish Fence, which detects phishing attacks using computer vision, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The software is designed to protect enterprises from widespread phishing, spear phishing and extortion attacks.
As a result of the funding transaction, Gula Tech Adventures founder Ron Gula will join Inky’s board of advisors.
“As an early investor in INKY and team, I’ve seen the real benefits of the company’s computer vision technology in preventing and catching phishing attacks before they are able to execute ahead of legacy anti-phishing technologies on the market today,” Gula said.
This is Gula’s second investment this week, following his firm’s investment in Cybrary. He also serves on Cybrary’s board of advisors.
Inky currently has five open positions listed on its website, one of those being a director of partners. A media rep from the company shared with Technical.ly that Inky specifically has plans to expand its sales and customer service team following this funding raise.


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Several members of the orchestra filed complaints seeking unpaid wages. The church, which is facing severe financial troubles, has also been sued by a television company for about $55,000.
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In what may be its most pressing peril, today’s wine industry is heading for a dilemma of demographics with the potential to disrupt sales and derail growth, possibly for years.
That’s according to a new report that looks at the “indulgence gap” – a rift between the spending of older, wealthier wine drinkers and that of younger, more frugal consumers.
Released Wednesday, Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) State of the Wine Industry Report, a yearly look at the ins and outs of wine industry affairs, offers this and other takes on the industry trends taking hold in Napa and wine grapegrowing regions beyond.
As Rob McMillan, founder of SVB’s Wine Division and the report’s author writes, “the issue of greatest concern for the wine business today is the millennial generation’s lack of participation in the premium wine category.”
Millennials – which the report groups as those between 22 and 37 years old – have not greatly increased their buying of premium wine in at least the last five years, lingering at around 17 percent of the current premium market. The group’s spending capacity is stunted in part by the lasting effects of the 2008 financial crisis, the report reads, which left many then-graduates struggling to begin their careers.
Even as the economy recovered and members of older demographics were able to participate, the report states, “The younger millennials were frozen in place, without assets and looking for work, unable to take advantage of the asset reflation. To make matters worse, they were also loaded down with student debt. These are the consumers we’re depending on for growth.”
Meanwhile, premium wine’s largest spending group, 54-to-72-year-old baby boomers, are beginning to change their spending habits due to retirement, age and other life changes.
In turn, what lies ahead for the wine industry will be what McMillan calls “the indulgence gap,” and a period of lower spending from both groups, as millennials take longer to replace baby boomers’ spending on premium wine, opting instead to spend on necessities while their careers progress. At a Napa meeting of the California Association of Winegrape Growers last summer McMillan offered a few paths growers could take to cope with the changes.
Millennials’ persuasion toward lower-priced premium wine can be seen in SVB’s survey of wine consumer demographics by region, with regions producing less costly wines like Southern Oregon, Virginia and San Luis Obispo reporting more millennial consumers than regions like Napa County. According to the report, baby boomers made up the largest group of wine buyers in Napa last year, coming in at almost 50 percent of all wine consumers here.
For now, the duration of lower spending from millennials while they essentially catch up to boomers’ consumption levels is unknown, though the report cites economists that place this period between five and 10 years.
Demographics have also come into play in other areas of the industry, particularly in the reshaping of the wine country visitor.
A survey of winery tasting rooms showed monthly visitor counts have been declining in Napa County, with wineries reporting an average of less than 1,500 visitors per month over the last three years.
A similar drop has been noted in Sonoma County, where visitor numbers are generally lower, while in upcoming regions, tasting room visitorship has steadily risen. According to the survey, tasting rooms in Virginia and New York saw almost twice as many visitors per month as tasting rooms in Napa Valley.
However, the dip in Napa’s winery visitors is not tied to fewer tourists in the area. Biennial studies from Visit Napa Valley show a steady rise from 2.9 million visitors here in 2012 to 3.5 million in 2016, the last year of available statistics. The group will release its next batch of visitor stats in March 2019.
The report offers that the key to the equation is a different kind of visitor, for whom wine is no longer the focal point of a trip to wine country. Whereas older visitors would have visited a handful of wineries in years past, today they will visit only a few tasting rooms while staying in an upscale hotel. Younger visitors will look to cut on costs, seeking out only a few wineries with tastings and experiences at the best values.
The report offers several Napa-centric points, such as the county’s place atop the list of wine grapegrowing regions that brought in higher-volume yields of higher quality during 2018’s harvest. On the other end of the spectrum, the report notes East Coast hurricanes that left Virginia wine grapegrowers with a largely ruined harvest.
SVB’s analysis said that vineyard prices in the North Coast, which have risen consistently for nearly 25 years, will begin to stop climbing in values, save for “all but the most sought-after pieces.”


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A guitar played by Nirvana’s lead vocalist Kurt Cobain was sold at auction in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, for a record $6m, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The guitar was made famous in Nirvana’s 18 November 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, with the subsequent live album one of the grunge rock band’s only acoustic recordings. The performance took place less than five months before Cobain tragically committed suicide at the age of 27.
Bids opened at $1m for the record-breaking sale, with the guitar, a 1959 Martin D-18E, eventually sold to Peter Freedman, owner of Rode Microphones.
Other items sold at the auction, as part of the Music Icons event by Julien’s Auctions, included a guitar owned by Prince, a belt worn by Elvis Presley and a gown worn by Madonna. While all of these items fetched several hundred thousand dollars, none could quite compete with Cobain’s guitar.
The previous record for the most expensive guitar was set in 2019, when Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmor’s instrument was sold for around $4m.
Souvenirs of Cobain’s life regularly fetch high figures, but the acoustic guitar marks a new record.


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The service will be available through a network of 650 India Post Payments Bank, 1.46 lakh postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).
"The mobile update service of UIDAI through the ubiquitous and accessible network of post offices, postmen and GDS will help in actualising IPPB's vision of serving the underserved and unbanked areas, and bridging the digital divide," IPPB Managing Director and CEO J Venkatramu said in a statement on Tuesday.
At present, IPPB is only providing mobile update service and will very soon also enable child enrolment service through its network.
As on March 31, 2021, UIDAI has issued 128.99 crore Aadhaar numbers to residents of India.
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- Adani Enterprises Board OKs Raising up to ₹20kcr Via FPO
Adani Enterprises said Friday that the company’s board approved the raising of up to ₹20,000 crore ($2.5 billion) through a follow-on public offering (FPO) by issuing new shares to retail and institutional investors.All Aboard Black Friday Express — From US to India
Samsung, Amazon, Uniqlo and Domino’s were among several companies looking to turn Black Friday, yesterday, into another big sale day in India.Slew of Reforms brings Ease to Insurers
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) allowed private equity funds to invest directly in insurance companies and banks to tie up with as many as nine insurance companies as part of several measures approved at its meeting on Friday that will free up about ₹3,500 crore capital.
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