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CBR's Guide to Free Comic Book Day 2016
Passings | Egyptian cartoonist Mostafa Hussein died Saturday following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 79. Hussein had been a cartoonist for the state-owned Al Akbar newspaper since 1974, and was often accused of being sympathetic to those in power. His final cartoon, published in Al Akbar two days before he died, was inscribed “I ??don’t have time to finish this cartoon, forgive me. I will miss you.” [Ahram Online]
Awards | The Cartoonist Rights Network International (CRNI) has announced the winners of this year’s Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning, and for the first time in the history of the award they are women: Indian cartoonist Kanika Mishra and Palestinian cartoonist Majda Shaheen. Mishra faced death threats for her cartoons about a religious leader who raped a 16-year-old (and eventually went to prison); Shaheen also was threatened with violence after she drew a cartoon depicting the Al-Quds Brigades as a dog in a cartoon critiquing Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s relationship with the organization. [Comic Riffs]
Publishing | Leyla Aker, Viz Media’s vice present of publishing, and Kevin Hamric, its director of publishing sales and marketing, discuss the state of the manga market and how the company’s books are selling through the print and digital channels (including comiXology, where Viz just signed on last month). One interesting tidbit: Viz products are carried by 64 percent of Diamond Comic Distributors’ accounts (i.e., comic shops). “Some of the store owners just don’t understand manga yet,” Hamric said. “They’re like librarians were years ago. They’re afraid of it, but if it’s children’s and Pokemon, or has a tie-in, especially to anime or television, then they’re not afraid to take it.” [ICv2]
Publishing | Tom Spurgeon talks to Drawn and Quarterly’s Tracy Hurren about the company’s new website, which launched this week, as well as life in the D+Q offices. [The Comics Reporter]
There are a lot of battle manga, and there are a lot of food manga, but Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro’s Toriko is one of the few where the hero battles the food — literally.
The series, which runs in both the American and Japanese versions of Shonen Jump, is about a gourmet hunter who tracks down the rarest foods in the world. Like the lead character in the foodie manga Oishinbo, Toriko is trying to assemble the greatest meal ever, but that’s where the similarity ends.
Passings | Retailer, creator, superhero fan and occasional crime-fighter Geoffrey Patterson Sr. died Sunday at age 72. The owner of Geoffrey’s Comic Shop in Gardena, California, Patterson created the character Captain Greedy, who appeared on local access TV and in the shop, as well as in comics. “Patterson was well-known for his eccentric love of super heroes,” writes Jordan England-Nelson. “His home in Torrance is decorated inside and out with super-hero statues, wooden cutouts and other comic book memorabilia. The home would get hundreds of visitors on Halloween, when Patterson would hand out comic books with candy and let people check out his superhero-themed graveyard.” And Patterson chased down purse snatchers and other wrongdoers on several different occasions, at least once while wearing his Captain Greedy costume. [The Daily Breeze]
More than 500 volumes of such top-selling manga as One Piece, Naruto and Death Note debuted today on comiXology as part of a new North American distribution agreement with Viz Media.
The publisher, which already had its own self-contained app for multiple platforms, brought its digital catalog to the Amazon Kindle in October; just days later, comiXology announced a deal to distribute titles from Viz Media Europe and its subsidiary Kazé to French-speaking European countries. Amazon purchased comiXology in April.
Over the past four decades, Hello Kitty has planted her flag on the worlds of toys, fashion, animation, music, video games, comic books, restaurants and even home appliances. And next the adorable Japanese bobtail/merchandising juggernaut is setting sail for new waters: conventions.
As part of the character’s 40th-anniversary celebration, owner Sanrio is staging the first-ever Hello Kitty Con Oct. 30-Nov. 2 in Los Angeles. Held at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the four-day event will feature lectures, panels, workshops, exhibits, a pop-up shop, a tattoo parlor, parties, an arcade and, of course, plenty of exclusives.
Retailing | A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order halting the $21.4 million purchase of retail chain Hastings Entertainment by Joel Weinshanker, president and sole shareholder of Wizkids parent National Entertainment Collectibles Association. The order was granted at the request of two Hastings shareholders who sued to stop the sale, insisting the price paid for the retailer is too low; it will remain in effect until a hearing can be held on June 12. Hastings issued a statement Monday pledging to “vigorously dispute these claims.” Hastings operates a chain of 149 stores that sells books, comics, video games and more. [Amarillo Globe-News, via ICv2]
Retailing | Amazon may be charging full price for Hachette’s graphic novels as part of its continuing contract dispute with the publisher, but Barnes & Noble has leaped into the breach with big discounts and a buy-two-get-one-free promotion on Hachette’s Yen Press manga and Little, Brown’s Tintin books. [ICv2]
Viz Media has announced it will publish Battle Royale: Angels’ Border, a new graphic novel by Koushun Takami, author of the original Battle Royale novel. The two-chapter story is complete in a single volume and features artwork by Mioko Ohnishi and Youhei Oguma. It’s a stand-alone story about six of the girls who lock themselves in a lighthouse during the competition, and like all of Battle Royale, it deals with the precarious balance between the need to unite with others and the need to kill them in order to survive.
In the original, an authoritarian government transported a high-school class to a deserted island, gave them deadly weapons and instructed them to fight each other to the death; only one student could survive. Viz published the original novel in 2003, and this year released a new translation, Battle Royale: Remastered, under its Haikasoru science fiction imprint. The manga was published in 2003 by Tokyopop, which re-released it four years later in Ultimate Edition format.
Viz Media has partnered with Japanese manufacturer Gecco to release a limited-edition Naruto Shippuden figure at Comic-Con International. The exclusive 1/6-scale PVC statute will be available July 23-27 exclusively at the publisher’s booth (#2813).
Priced at $150, the 27-centimeter-tall figure is crafted by acclaimed Gecco sculptor/painter Shin Tanabe.
Created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto debuted in 1999 in Weekly Shonen Jump, and quickly became a global sensation, appearing in anime, light novels, video games and across a host of merchandising tie-ins.
Viz Media has announced the fall release of print editions of World Trigger, the sci-fi action series by Daisuke Ashihara that’s been serialized in the publisher’s digital magazine Weekly Shonen Jump.
Set four years after a mysterious portal to a parallel universe opened in Makado, allowing invincible monsters called Neighbors to invade, World Trigger centers on Osamu Mikhumo, a geeky teen who isn’t necessarily the best of the elite warriors devoted to defend Earth. But with a feisty humanoid Neighbor named Yuma, he’ll co-opt other-dimensional technology to do whatever it takes to fight back. Continue Reading »
Fandom | Rachel Edidin attends a gathering of the Carol Corps, the group of mostly female Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel fans that has built a community around a shared interest. “It is not a formal organization,” says Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. “There are no rules. People write and ask me all the time, ‘How do I join the Carol Corps?’ You join Carol Corps by saying you are Carol Corps. There is no test. You don’t have to buy anything. You don’t need to sign up anywhere. If you decide you are a part of this community, bam, you are. The other part of that is that if you decide you are a part of this community, you will be embraced and welcome.” [Wired]
Piracy | The Japanese government will consider several measures to fight online piracy of anime and manga in the next few months, while publishers are taking a if-you-can’t-beat-‘em-join-‘em approach by launching two free digital manga services, ComicWalker and Manga Box, to lure readers away from bootleg scanlation sites. [The Japan News]
With Tom Cruise poised to battle aliens (again and again and again) in Edge of Tomorrow, Viz Media has announced the May 5 release of the graphic novel adaptation of the book that inspired the sci-fi action film.
Written by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and illustrated by alt-manga artist Yoshitoshi ABe, All You Need Is Kill is a 2004 light novel about a new recruit to the United Defense Force who’s killed in his first fight against Earth’s mysterious invaders — only to find himself caught in a time loop: He wakes up the day before that fateful battle, only to die and be resurrected time and again.
Adapted by sci-fi author Nick Mamatas and comic artist Lee Ferguson (Green Arrow, Miranda Mercury), the graphic novel will be available in print for $14.99 or digitally across multiple platforms for $8.99.
On April 29, Viz will also release a new movie tie-in edition of Sakurazaka’s light novel, which in 2009 launched the publisher’s Haikasoru imprint, with a new title (Edge of Tomorrow) and a covering bearing the poster of stars Cruise and Emily Blunt. It’s priced at $7.99.
Graphic novels | An estimated 200 students, faculty and community members gathered Saturday at the College of Charleston in South Carolina to protest proposed budget cuts to that school and the University of South Carolina Upstate in retaliation for selecting gay-themed books — including Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home — for their summer reading programs. The South Carolina House of Representatives approved a proposal early this month that would slash $52,000 cut from the College of Charleston and $17,142 for USC Upstate, which represent what each school spent on the programs. The budget is now before the state Senate. [The Post and Courier]
Following news that it had acquired the North American rights to Naoki Urasawa’s Master Keaton, Viz Media announced a handful of other releases for the fall and winter, including Yūsei Matsui’s supernatural action/comedy Assassination Classroom and the print edition of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s newest work.
Debuting in July 2012, Assassination Classroom centers on a class of misfits who try to kill their new teacher, an alien octopus with bizarre powers who destroyed most of the moon and is threatening to do the same to Earth within a year — unless his students can destroy him first. The series will be available bimonthly in print and digitally from Viz beginning in December.
Previously serialized digitally by Viz, Toriyama’s quirky comedy Jaco the Galactic Patrolman follows a retired scientist who lives alone on a desert island, where he researches time travel. However, that quiet life is interrupted when galactic patrolman Jaco crash-lands on the island and decides to move in. Featuring new, bonus content for Dragon Ball Z, the print edition debuts in January.
Those two manga are joined by One Piece Box Set 2 (November), which includes Vols. 24-46, the third and fourth story arcs of the “Skypiea” and “Water 7″ arcs, as well as the “Strong World” minicomic, and Naoki Serizawa’s Resident Evil, a five-volume prequel to the video game Resident Evil 6 (November).
Viz Media, which has already released Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, 20th Century Boys and Pluto is North America, is adding another work to the list: the post-Cold War thriller Master Keaton.
Produced with Hokusei Katsushika and Urasawa’s frequent collaborator Takashi Nagasaki, the detective drama centers on Taichi Hiraga-Keaton, an archeology professor and former member of the British Special Air Service whose skills serve him well as a rather unorthodox insurance investigator for Lloyd’s of London.
Master Keaton was originally serialized from 1988 to 1994 in Big Comic Original magazine, and inspired a 39-episode anime.
The 12-volume manga will debut in December as part of the Viz’s deluxe Signature imprint, with each $19.99 book featuring 18 pages of full-color art. Read the full announcement below.


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Ubisoft is the latest studio to face takeover rumors amid the gaming industry’s whirlwind of acquisitions. Two private investors are reportedly interested in buying the developer as their stock price drops.
Ubisoft, originally launched by five brothers from the Guillemot family, could join Bungie and Activision Blizzard in the recent tidal wave of major takeovers rocking the gaming world.
Ubisoft has had a hand in creating groundbreaking titles since 1986, with the Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy franchises being 100% owned by the company. This is just the tip of the iceberg on the Ubisoft game package.
Rumors have been circulating around the company since February 2022, when the financial world became interested in the company. Multibillion-dollar investment firms Blackrock and KPP began actively sniffing around the AAA game studio, according to a Bloomberg report.
A collection of the extensive library that currently exists as Ubisoft
The Ubisoft brand has long been fiercely defensive to maintain a strong Guillemot family presence. The company has already rebuffed takeover attempts, but a series of bad communication and bad decisions left the company struggling.
The internal instability has been accompanied by growing distrust among gamers around the world towards Ubisoft’s attempts to integrate NFTs into their gaming ecosystem as well as their lax anti-cheat systems.
- Read more: Everything we know about Ubisoft’s Project Q
The fight surrounding Ubisoft means that all parties interested in buying the company are getting an incredible deal on the game studio package. share from $110 per share to less than $50.
Ubisoft Quartz, the developer’s NFT project, has been criticized by gamers.
Speculation has swirled on Twitter about who might buy the gigantic game studio and what this IP change would do to the gaming landscape.
- Read more: Asmongold hits out at ‘delusional’ Horizon and Ubisoft devs criticizing Elden Ring
In a response to Kotaku about the rumours, a representative from Ubisoft said “We do not comment on rumors or speculation.” Before continuing, “we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the rapid industry growth and platform opportunities that are emerging right now.”

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Twenty-one shops, restaurants and fitness studios have joined forces to remind Jacksonites and the rest of the world that even during the shutdown they are still serving their customers, albeit in different ways than before the pandemic.
“We are all working to sell our merchandise in the ‘new normal,’ ” said Dana Sanders Souther, owner of the clothing store Terra.
ShopStrongJH is the name of a new group website and one of the hashtags Terra and other businesses are using on Facebook and Instagram posts.
“The idea of #shopstrongjh is to say, ‘We’re still here,’ ” said Lisa Roarke, a web developer who created the site gratis.
Roarke worked for Made and Mountain Dandy for a number of years. Before the COVID-19 shutdown she’d seen retail ups and downs, she said, but “nothing like this.”
Businesses are doing all they can to stay afloat during the shutdown, including applying for the new Payment Protection Plan loans created in Congress’ rescue package (see story on page 6C). Marketing efforts like #shopstrongjh are another tactic.
The participating businesses intend ShopStrongJH.com to spotlight what they bring to Jackson as a collective. Most are in the Town Square area.
“We are all members of this community, and we are in this together,” Souther said. “Having one store in town does not make a fun shopping experience. If we’re not all there the charm of downtown is gone.”
Though ShopStrongJH.com is not an e-commerce site, visitors will see phone numbers, brief descriptions of current services and Instagram handles so they can click through and learn more and start shopping.
On the website the clothing and retail shops are grouped into a “This and That,” page. Other pages are for “Food and Drink” and “Health and Wellness.”
“We kept it strictly to small and locally operated businesses,” Roarke said. “It’s not supposed to be the Yellow Pages.”
Souther sees it as a great cross-promotional tool.
“We are all obviously sharing clients,” she said. “I do think someone who’s checking it out to order something from The Phoenix and the Dragon might cruise around and say, ‘Wow, this is what so and so is doing.’ ”
Though #Shopstrongjh is new, it’s gaining traction, according to Jennifer Nelson-Hawks, co-owner of another participating business, Simply Health, a supplements and holistic wellness business in Smith’s Plaza. She can attribute some fresh customer interest to the promotion.
“We have had a couple of people register for our online shopping,” she said. “I don’t recognize the names from [people] purchasing supplements on our shelves.”
During the pandemic, Simply Health is offering curbside pickup for store purchases. One-on-one treatments have been suspended, but customers can still receive certain hands-free treatments on-site as well as remote scans.
“We joined [ShopStrongJH] because we are a small business and we want to be part of the community and helping out our community,” Nelson-Hawks said. “We are grateful to be one of the essential places that is actually open.”
Souther said at least one potential new customer found her through ShopStrongJH.com. The woman is out of state, so Souther shipped her a pick box, what she also calls a (retail) therapy box, with a selection of clothes to look at.
“I curate a box, pop it in the mail,” Souther said. “It’s on the honor system.”
In another effort to spark interest during the shutdown, Terra has banded with fellow clothing stores Altitude, Habits and Nest on a gift card promotion. For every $100 gift card you buy at one store you get a $20 gift card for one of the others.
“In this situation you’re still able to support your favorite boutiques, and you get a little something in return,” she said.
Souther said the pandemic-inspired group spirit is different from what she saw during the Great Recession.
“During the recession everybody ran to their own corners,” she said. “So this has been a very different experience, and that’s a silver lining.”
Eds. note: This story was updated to correct the spelling of Lisa Roarke's name.


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- Hologic said Wednesday it entered into a deal to sell off Cynosure, the underperforming medical aesthetics business it purchased for $1.6 billion in 2017.
- The Marlborough, Massachusetts-based medtech said it would net approximately $138 million in cash proceeds from a $205 million deal with an affiliate of investment funds managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
- Hologic expects the deal to close at the end of calendar year 2019 pending regulatory clearances. The company said approximately 825 employees will transfer with the Cynosure business.
The divestiture of Cynosure allows Hologic to concentrate on its core businesses of breast health and molecular diagnostics and rids it of products that have been an Achilles heel the past two years.
“Since we acquired Cynosure in 2017, it has significantly underperformed our expectations,” CEO Steve MacMillan said in a statement Wednesday. ”We believe this transaction will unlock value for Hologic shareholders, and at the same time provide Cynosure and its employees the best opportunity to succeed in the medical aesthetics marketplace.”
MacMillan said the company’s future M&A plans will concentrate on smaller, tuck-in deals rather than acquisitions rivaling the size of Cynosure.
Last quarter, the company beat revenue expectations, but growth was driven by its core diagnostic and breast health businesses. While Cynosure sales jumped 10.3% in the third quarter, those numbers were artificially inflated by refunds and rebates paid out in the fourth quarter of 2018, and sales would have been basically flat excluding that, MacMillan said.
Hologic had hoped its purchase of Cynosure, which was experiencing double-digit growth at the time of its acquisition, would allow it to ramp up its presence in the growing medical aesthetics market.
But the bet hasn’t paid off. Instead, the Cynosure unit has struggled since Hologic purchased it, facing increased competitive pressures and troubles integrating its sales force. In 2018, Hologic was forced to write down Cynosure’s value by $732 million.
And that wasn’t the only trouble for the Cynosure unit. In 2018, the FDA warned women and their healthcare providers of potential risks from the unapproved use of energy-based devices for “vaginal rejuvenation” or cosmetic procedures. Cynosure made one of the devices included in the warning.
Hologic “fought hard over the last 2.5 years to try to right the ship,” William Blair analyst Brian Weinstein said in an investor note Wednesday, but “revenue and profitability never caught up.”
“We fully support the team’s decision to walk away from this troubled asset and turn its efforts back to the core pillars that have made Hologic successful,” Weinstein wrote.


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A new statement from the game’s official accounts notes publisher/investor MyTona is working with Valve and its Steam platform (the only place you could buy the game) to refund “all game purchasers.”
Alongside news of the mass refunds is the date on when the game is officially shutting down: on January 22nd of next year.
When the game was confirmed to be shutting down and its developer will close up, there was no indication of whether refunds were possible.
In fact, at the time its developer Fntastic said “all income received is being used to pay off debts to our partners,” leading many owners confused and even angry at the debacle.
Here’s the full word from the team:
We regret to inform you that the development company Fntastic has officially ceased operations, and as a result The Day Before will be retired and the servers will be turned off on 22 January 2024.
As previously communicated, Mytona, as the investor, has been working in collaboration with Steam to facilitate refunds for all game purchasers. For any players that have not already had their purchase refunded, Steam will now proactively refund all remaining players.
We extend our gratitude for the community’s support throughout the project’s life. Unfortunately, without a development team, we had no alternative choice but to officially close the project.
We sincerely thank all our supporters throughout this journey and wish you all a happy holiday season.


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With Memorial Day weekend here, what better way to enjoy it than to view a brand spanking new video?
That’s what Fred The Godson and Ishan did last night at Daddy’s House Recording Studio in Manhattan.
Check out highlights from the last night’s event:
Approximately 150 folks were in attendance to check out the exclusive premiere of the Janelle Abraham directed, Damn Shame video. Of course, it wouldn’t be an enjoyable event without folks savoring the taste of the all new Birthday Cake Wines on hand during the exclusive video premiere.
The video has not officially dropped yet, but you can catch a glimpse of the making of the video below:


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“We look forward to working with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in arranging a safe way to reopen those non- essential businesses that have been affected by the crisis,” Friedman added.
The most recent County order (No. 120295 of the California Health and Safety Code), states that its intent is to “protect the public from the avoidable risk of serious illness and death resulting from the spread of COVID-19.”
The County order, which governs the minimum standard at which businesses in Beverly Hills must practice safety measures including physical distancing, limited access, cleanliness and entry screening, also mandates that people throughout the County practice physical distancing and wear a face covering when in contact with others.
“Our ability to reopen depends on a very high level of cooperation from the public,” L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl (who represents Beverly Hills) told the Courier. “If it weren’t for the public’s willingness to practice social distancing, wear face covers and take necessary precautions, we would not be in a position to begin to plan a reopening,” she said.
Local businesses have slowly begun to reopen throughout the City. Nearby shopping malls will also be reopening again. The Beverly Center announced plans to reopen on May 29, with Westfield Century City planning to reopen on May 30.
As Regional Manager for Jaeger Le Coultre, Cagliata said that his brand was now in the process of determining how many employees would be on site as well as the number of hours that the store will be open.
“We are so happy,” said Cagliata. He added, “My guess is by Monday everyone is going to be ready to open with a big smile under their mask.”
One Beverly Hills mainstay, GEARYS on North Beverly Drive, reopened its doors even sooner, on May 28. According to its CEO and President Tom Blumenthal, the 50 percent occupancy limitation was not expected to be problematic.
“Our main store is 15,000 square feet and we’re allowed to have 250 people in our building. So that means 125 people under this rule. We will monitor it constantly. But we have plenty of room,” he told the Courier.
In addition to taking the temperatures of GEARYS employees, all customers will also have temperatures taken by the store’s security detail.
“We’ve been preparing for this for a couple of weeks,” said Blumenthal, noting that GEARYS had hired extra help to enforce health and safety regulations. “We’re totally ready to go.”
The County order also allows faith- based services to resume at 25 percent of the building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower. Pools, hot tubs and saunas that are in a multi-unit residence or part of a homeowners association are allowed to reopen. Flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movie theaters may also resume operations.
The County’s order came one day after Gov. Newsom announced on Memorial Day that retail stores could resume operations pending County directives. That same day, May 25, the Beverly Hills City Council also sent a letter to the Governor urging him to allow cities to exert local control in reopening non-essential retail and restaurant establishments by June 1. While multiple counties across the state have already resumed dine-in services, including Ventura County, L.A. County has not given its approval to a single one of its 88 incorporated cities.
The Council’s letter was sent three days after it conducted a Special Session, during which dozens of local business owners made impassioned pleas for reopening.
Bruce Meyer, one of the founders of the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance, was the first to advocate that the City Council work to expeditiously reopen the City further. The world-famous car show, a Father’s Day tradition, was slated to mark its 27th year on June 21 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m about to turn 80 next year,” he said, noting that his age alone placed him among the City’s most vulnerable population. “As a resident, business owner and property owner, I just feel compelled to speak on the restrictions.”
“I’m really here to lobby for all Beverly Hills business, big and small. Especially for the many family-owned businesses, this situation is absolutely dire,” Meyer said. “It’s time to fight for what we want.”
“We do want to write in support of our businesses,” Councilman Julian Gold, M.D., shared at the virtual meeting after hearing public comment.
During the Special Session, Councilman John Mirisch questioned the appropriateness of sending the letter in support of businesses reopening, given that the City’s Medical Advisory Task Force had not weighed in on the safety concerns involved. He was the only member of the Council not to sign the letter.
“While we appreciate all of your work on behalf of the State’s residents, we believe that further delay of the economic recovery will have lasting and devastating financial consequences to our local economy. As such, we urgently request that nonessential retail and restaurant establishments be allowed to safely reopen on June 1st with limited in-store shopping and indoor/outdoor dining capacity with all necessary health and safety protocols in place as determined by State and L.A. County medical experts,” stated the Council’s May 25 letter to Gov. Newsom.


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Some TVNZ OnDemand viewers have reported feeling alarmed at a series of ads that address them by their names. So how does it work? Jihee Junn finds out.
Recently in a Spinoff Facebook group, a rather lively discussion was sparked by a post about an ad shown on streaming platform TVNZ OnDemand.
“Does the Skinny Mobile guy know all your names or does he call everyone Rebecca?” the post’s author, Rebecca Moody, asked fellow members of the Real Pod Corner. “When watching TVNZ OnDemand, it totally freaks me out when he says my name – like did they just get him to record everyone’s names and then link to our accounts? I’m investing in a tinfoil hat very soon.”
Soon, it became clear she wasn’t the only one getting a custom shout out, with at least a dozen more comments reporting similar experiences of having the bejesus scared out of them by the ad’s Morpheus-like character, welcoming them by name “to the Unlimited”.
“Oh my god, this just happened to me and I almost screamed,” commented Kellie Ngaire, another rather alarmed user. “Then I remembered this post and came here to reassure myself that I’m not going crazy.”
So how does it work? According to TVNZ and Skinny’s parent company, Spark, TVNZ pulled 200 of the most popular first names currently registered on its streaming platform. Those 200 names were then recorded by Skinny’s creative and rendered into a personalised version of the video.
If a name from their list matched the name on the user’s TVNZ OnDemand account (such as ‘Rebecca’ or ‘Kellie’), they’d be served a personalised ad from Skinny. If a user’s name wasn’t on their list, then they’d receive the generic version of the ad, such as user Ollie Chick who reported seeing the ad but that “no one said [his] name”.
This isn’t the first time TVNZ has freaked people out with its personalised commercials. Last year, it ran a series of ads for BNZ that pulled users’ first names to appear in a graphic within the video. In fact, it freaked some people out so much that at least four people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about it, with one complainant even suggesting it was a form of “subliminal advertising”.
“We do not share your name, gender or personal information with any advertiser when we use this type of technology, or give an advertiser permission to use your personal details (except for aggregated anonymised information) unless you’ve given us permission to do that.”
TVNZ’s general manager of corporate communications, Rachel Howard, reiterated this point, adding that while online ad personalisation is relatively new, it’s much like personally addressed direct mail that many receive in their letterboxes. “The insertion happens in a similar way to how a mail merge system would work, and is done by TVNZ, and/or our third-party personalisation technology service providers on our behalf,” she says.
TVNZ is far from the first commercial video platform to use this technology. Channel 4 ran an ad in 2017 for Alien: Covenant urging viewers to flee from the movie’s extraterrestrial menace by name. David Amodio, Channel 4’s digital and creative leader, told The Drum that the feature was inspired by scientific studies showing “higher attention and neurological activity” in people who have just heard their own names, pointing to the ‘cocktail party effect’ which is when people look around after hearing their name in a crowded space.
There’s certainly some truth to this statement. According to one TVNZ OnDemand user, Anna Sheridan, the ad also addresses her by her first name and notes that “it’s very effective, I look up involuntarily every time.”
With that said, there’s no denying there’s an element of creepiness, with such advertising reminiscent of scenes in sci-fi films like Minority Report. In the 2002 film, the protagonist, played by Tom Cruise, is assaulted by a series of immersive, audio-visual billboards for brands like Guinness, Lexus and Gap. Those in advertising have often referred to the film as indicative of what technology is capable of, including industry expert Faris Yakob.
Yakob, in his much-read 2016 piece, wrote that “as the economy shifts from products to experiences, consumers want [more personalisation]”. However, he also noted that ads that rely on “invasive personalised targeting” have had the adverse effect of triggering a rise in adblocking, and while the ‘cocktail party effect’ is real, “that doesn’t mean it should appear in ads, because this turns a cultural stimulus into a personal exhortation.”
“Seeing [an ad] with my name all over it, for example, pulls me out of a social, cultural space and into a defensive mode of being sold to,” wrote Yakob.
Howard says that currently there’s no way for users to opt out of this feature with their TVNZ ads but says that “it’s continually evolving the service based on feedback from viewers.”


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April 29 (Reuters) - Thomson Reuters Corp on Wednesday reported a rise in total quarterly revenue on the strength of its Legal and Tax & Accounting business and improved sales at its Financial & Risk division.
For the first quarter, total revenue increased 2 percent before currency changes to $3.04 billion, in line with analysts expectations, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. However, when currency changes were factored in, total revenue fell 3 percent.
22:53 LG Display reports record fourth quarter profit of $778 million16
01:45 Japanese shares fall 1% as yen strengthens, Samsung presser announcements ahead18
19:39 $1M '100 percent Swiss Made' watch made of real Swiss cheese16
23:37 Here’s Why Netflix’s Share Price Just Hit a New All-Time High11


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Microsoft Ending Equipt Consumer Service
Microsoft plans to discontinue an all-in-one consumer software offering called Microsoft Equipt after April 30.
Microsoft plans to discontinue an all-in-one consumer software offering called Microsoft Equipt after April 30. The decision was announced at Microsoft's Equipt home page
The Equipt subscriptions -- which bundled Windows Live OneCare and other Windows Live services, along with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 software -- were launched in July and sold exclusively through Circuit City retail stores.
Last month, Circuit City announced it was going out of business. However, Microsoft's reasons for ending the consumer offering, originally code-named "Albany," have more to do with its earlier decision to cease OneCare subscriptions.
OneCare is noteworthy as a ground-breaking effort by Microsoft to sell software as a service to consumers. The suite of online applications in OneCare provides PC upgrade support and antivirus protection based on an annual subscription fee. Microsoft already announced a phase out of OneCare retail sales by June 30, but customers are supported for the life of the annual subscription, Microsoft said at the time.
Microsoft is winding down OneCare because it plans to offer a free antivirus solution enabling PC protection globally. The solution, which currently goes by the code name "Morro," is expected to be available by the end of this year.
Microsoft is telling its Equipt subscribers to seek a prorated refund, or a complete refund for those who never used the service. In addition to the refund, Microsoft is providing a free copy of Office Home and Student 2007.
The Equipt software will continue to work until the service finally expires in April. When it expires, Microsoft cautions consumers to have antivirus software in place, according to its FAQ.
Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.


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Kuliza partners with Happy Horizon Consulting, a design-consulting firm, Minjar, a cloud consulting firm, and Shephertz, an app development API provider, to train developers to create cloud-ready social, mobile and web apps.
Bangalore, India – October 25th, 2013 – Kuliza, a Bangalore based digital technology firm that builds social, mobile and web apps for global brands, has launched an educational program called ‘AppSchool’ to train developers in building next generation apps.
The 3-month program is structured like an extended hackathon. Selected developers will be trained in the basics for the first week, followed by two and a half months of app building under the mentorship of experts in technology, design and cloud computing. Senior executives from leading consumer Internet companies have enrolled as mentors for the program.
Developers will be trained in technologies such as social APIs, mobile apps, analytics, cloud computing and user experience design. All developers who successfully complete the courses will get access to partner companies and mentors’ companies to apply for jobs.
“There is an increasing demand among technology companies for developers who can create next generation social, mobile and web apps but there are no good educational programs that include the essentials for creating such apps in their curriculum. Our inspiration for AppSchool is to close this demand–supply gap by teaching developers a mix of technology, user experience design and cloud computing so they can create aesthetic and scalable digital apps”, said KshitizAnand, CEO of Happy Horizon Consulting, a Bangalore based design firm.
“AppSchool is our approach to find smart developers who can create the next generation social, mobile and web apps. We have a constant demand from our clients for such apps and recruiting fresh talent from AppSchool will help us get smart, well-trained developers who are ready to take up such development challenges,” said Kaushal Sarda, CEO of Kuliza.
“Having cloud ready developers is a boon for organizations to reduce their application development cost and time to market. Minjar is working with businesses across the world in creating and deploying mission critical applications on the Cloud and AppSchool is a natural fit for us to help the ecosystem at large,” said Vijay Rayapati, CEO of Minjar.
“Appschool is a great initiative to serve the talent requirements of the Indian startup ecosystem and I see many of our portfolio companies would be interested in recruiting trained new age developers from this program” said KarthikReddy, Managing Partner at Blume Ventures
The AppSchool initiative is powered by Amazon Web Services global cloud infrastructure. Interested students can go to www.appschool.us to find out more.
About Kuliza: Kuliza is a software development company that has built web, mobile and social experiences for global clients since September 2006. Kuliza’s team of agile developers has experience in building scalable web apps, innovative social and mobile apps, high-performing media and e-commerce sites and smart big data apps. Clients include leading brands such as Intuit, Pearson, Van Heusen, Whirlpool, Myntra, Zansaar and Mobstac.
About Minjar: Minjaris a cloud consulting company that helps enterprises to productively embrace the cloud. Minjar manages hundreds of mission critical business applications for Fortune 500 companies and fast growing businesses such as Babyoye, Café Coffee Day and iCarAsia on AWS cloud.
About Happy Horizon Consulting: Happy Horizon Consulting is a Bangalore based design firm that works in user experience, social innovation, brand and strategy, and design evangelism. Clients include Whizckard, Ocradle and Krizda.
About Shephertz: ShepHertz is cloud ecosystem provider for app and game developers. Shephertz offers mobile backend as a service (BaaS, MBaaS), platform as a service ( PaaS ) and multiplayer gaming server platform
About AWS: Amazon Web Services (AWS) delivers a set of services that together form a reliable, scalable, and inexpensive computing platform ‘in the cloud’. These pay-as-you-use cloud computing services include Amazon S3, Amazon EC2, Amazon SimpleDB, Amazon SQS, Amazon FPS, and others .


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From Sam Bankman-Fried to Bitboy, cryptocurrency fans have been too quick to support divas who gained notoriety on social media. It’s a phenomenon that needs to end.
Adams said New York is still focused on becoming a crypto hub, but statewide efforts to reduce emissions can be combined with this goal.
According to analysis from blockchain firm Arkham Intelligence, over 50% of the funds transferred after Nov. 6 were in US pegged stablecoins.
Bitcoin is a “buy the dip” opportunity with the BTC price at $16,000 or a bear market capitulation waiting to happen, depending on who you ask.
The first and the last major attempt to encourage a comprehensive crypto framework was buried in the House of Commons on Nov. 23.
Blockchain benefits the supply chain industry by enhancing the traceability, transparency and tradability of goods and services that move along the value chain.
The growing presence of projects identified as DAO raises the question: What makes them sustainable across time and technology changes?
Bitcoin capitulation action could send BTC price back to an area double the 2018 bear market bottom, says Decentrader’s Filbfilb.
On Nov. 19, Coinsquare had to temporarily shut down operations to investigate an unusual activity on its platform.


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Google buys parts of HTC in order to make more Pixel phones. A team from HTC had initially helped Google to manufacture its flagship mobile: Pixel.
Google is purchasing a part of HTC. More specifically speaking, Google is all set to purchase that particular HTC team, which initially joined forces with Google in order to reinvent the Pixel phones. In the previous year, HTC aided Google to make the Pixel and Pixel Xl phones. This year, HTC has also allegedly helped the online giant to create the Pixel 2. Google mentions that this contract with HTC seemed more of talent acquisition; however, the deal has turned out to be pretty expensive, as Google is paying $1.1 billion to HTC for hiring its skilled staff. This news was broken out hours after HTC declared that it was ready to stop the trading of its shares on Wednesday, 20 September 2017.
Why did Google Buy HTC?
Google has acquired a whole bunch of engineers and resources that HTC had sincerely allocated to the Pixel phones. Google will also attain non-exclusive rights to some of HTC’s intellectual property. This apparently refers to the features that already exist in the HTC phones. All these technologies will almost certainly wind up in Google Pixel phones. One such example will be the “squeezable frame”. HTC uses this technology inside the U11. Reports suggest that Google to may include such a technology in the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL mobiles.
However, this deal doesn’t mean HTC will not manufacture mobiles anymore. The mobile manufacturing company declared to the world about its deal with Google, and HTC also marked that it will not stop making smartphones. Actually, HTC also stated that the company is working on a new flagship phone. This new phone will be released before the end of the year. Reports also hint that the new device will be based on an updated hardware for the U11 smartphone. Apart from cellphones, HTC has also made a heavy investment in making virtual reality headsets. The company masters making the Vive VR headset, and the company will also continue to keep on working on it.


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Take a trip to West Sussex for two festivals in one, a whole month of festivities, food and fun.
This September will see a national celebration of some of the most superlative street food traders across the UK when they come together for the launch of the StrEat Food and Family Fun Festival.
The Festival, which is the biggest food event in the Northern Irish calendar, brings together more than 60 suppliers
Venues all across Emsworth will be rolling out the welcome mats in a two week long celebration of local food and drink. Prepare to be wined and dined.
Haslemere hosts another exciting food festival this September. Unfortunately we don’t have a funny strapline – surrey about that.
Local is the buzzword at Narberth Food Festival
Back by popular demand, Fife’s Bowhouse Food Weekend is waiting to take you by the hand and show you all the very best of Fife produce
Now in its 13th year, the Capel le Ferne farmer’s market is thriving


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Thank you to the many advocates who are helping create a healthier world for youth in Colorado.
The Edgewater City Council voted unanimously last month to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, while the Denver City Council will consider a similar policy in October.
hero_image_alt_text===teens at school
thumbnail_alt_text===teens at school
In Edgewater, the council also removed penalties on youth for purchasing or possessing tobacco. This strengthens the city’s tobacco retail license, ensuring more accountability for tobacco retailers.
Denver’s Safety and Housing committee will look at a policy on Oct. 6.
For decades, tobacco companies have targeted young people with attractive flavors like menthol, gummy bear, blueberry muffin, and more that appeal to kids and mask the harsh taste of tobacco. More than 8 in 10 youth who have ever used tobacco products started with a flavored product.
In addition to targeting kids, tobacco companies have targeted communities of color with marketing for menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products like flavored cigars for decades. Their predatory marketing has had a devastating impact and is largely responsible for tobacco-related health disparities for communities of color.
The Longmont City Council had a first reading on Tuesday night for a policy that will make the default beverage with kids meals water or milk, making the healthy choice the easy choice.


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Wholesale sandwich supplier Raynor Foods has relaunched its brand with new packaging.
Rolling out with a soft launch from 9 April, the new design includes a nature-themed revamp with panoramic views of British landscapes and an A-Z ‘Sandwichology’ across the side of packs that “spells out what makes Raynor products special”.
The revamp will also provide nutritional information on pack.
The relaunch process involved consulting Raynor customers with five different designs to choose from, and eventually picking the favourite one.
“The 16- to 24-year-old age group is one of our largest consumer bases, so it was important to gauge their opinion during the redesign process,” said Raynor Foods marketing manager Tanya Everest-Ring. “We saw a huge difference of opinion between age groups and it was interesting to see what topped the vote.”
The new packaging is expected to fully launch at the beginning of June.
Raynor Foods supplies ready-made sandwiches, wraps and paninis to a variety of foodservice outlets.


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The South Korean tech giant Samsung has started pushing out the latest August 2023 security firmware update to its eligible devices. The company is now selected the older Galaxy S20 FE model to push its first-ever August 2023 security patch.
Note that the official August 2023 security bulletin has yet to be unveiled. With this update, the smartphone will get improved privacy and security. Also, in the coming weeks, several Galaxy smartphones including Galaxy S Series, A Series, M Series, Fold Series and tablets will get the August 2023 security update.
Galaxy S20 FE August 2023 security update
As per the official changelog, the latest software update for the Galaxy S20 FE is rolling out with the firmware version G780GXXS6EWG9 and it is currently available in Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Trinidad & Tobago.
The changelog only contains a security update, so don’t expect it to bring any new features or performance improvements to the Galaxy S20 FE.
If you have a Galaxy S20 FE and live in any of the countries mentioned above, you can now check for the new update. You can do that by navigating to Settings > Software update > Download and install.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Update History
The Galaxy S20 FE’s 4G version was launched with the Snapdragon 865 processor in H2 2020 with Android 10 onboard. After that the model received the Android 11 update by the end of 2020 and the Android 12 update in the fourth quarter of 2021. It also received the Android 13 update, marking as the last major firmware update.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- CKE Restaurants Inc. ckr Wednesday said its blended same-store sales for November rose 2.9%. The company's Carl's Jr. restaurants posted an increase of 0.5% in comparable sales for the four weeks ended Dec. 4, while its Hardee's restaurants saw a jump of 5.2% in same-store sales for the period. Carpinteria, Calif.-based CKE said total consolidated revenue from company-owned stores for the period reached $95.9 million. The stock closed Tuesday at $18.86, up 4 cents.
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The Tesla Bot is a humanoid robot that the popular electric car manufacturer is working on. Information about it was confirmed by Elon Musk. The robot uses artificial intelligence.
During AI Day, Elon Musk said that his company is working on a humanoid robot. The machine is called the Tesla Bot and is based on an artificial intelligence system. It looks a bit like what the autopilot used in popular brand cars offers.
From the information provided by Elon Musk, it appears that the Tesla Bot will be a safe robot. It should move relatively slowly, and in case of problems it will be easy to “disable” it. The robot will be able to perform simple actions.
Tesla already has some vision related to the appearance and construction of its bot. The robot will be less than 1.8 m tall and should weigh almost 57 kg. This will be possible due to the use of lightweight materials for the body. In addition, there will be a display at the top instead of the head, showing various information.
Tesla Bot will be able to reach speeds of up to 8 km/h. Moreover, it will be able to lift objects weighing about 20 kg. The prototype of the robot should be ready next year, and we know that its code name is Optimus.


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A quarter of fast food diners underestimate their meals by 500 calories - with teenagers and Subway customers the worst
When people are asked to guess the calorie count of their fast food meal they often look on the bright side, and estimate far lower than reality, a Harvard study has revealed.
Alarmingly, 25 percent of all participants underestimated the calorie content of their food by at least 500 calories.
How badly you get your fast food calculations wrong also depends on what age group you're in and which fast food establishment you're eating at. Teenagers and Subway come off particularly badly.
Mind the gap: Subway customers had the biggest divide between estimated calorie count and the reality
The study, led by Jason Block of Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, was published in BMJ, a journal of the British Medical Association, last Thursday.
It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Block concludes: 'We found that people, especially teens, are consuming more calories than they think they're getting when they eat fast food.
'Teens underestimate the number of calories in their meals by as much as 34 percent, parents of school-age children by as much as 23 percent, and adults by as much as 20 percent,' he found.
The research was carried out over 3,400 adults, teens, and school-age children during 2010 and 2011 at 89 fast-food branches of Subway, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's, and Dunkin' Donuts in four New England cities.
A boy eats McDonald's with his father but parents of school-age children underestimated the calories in their fast food order by as much as 23 percent
The study revealed that adults ordered meals containing 836 calories on average, but typically underestimated the calorie count of those meals by 175 calories.
Teens had the biggest gap - they underestimated the calories in their average order, which contained 756 calories, by 259 calories.
Parents of school-age children underestimated their orders, which contained an average of 733 calories, by 175 calories overall.
Interestingly, Block added that: 'We also saw differences by food chain.'
Subway customers, for example, underestimated the number of calories in their orders by a larger amount than diners at the other chains.
Obligation: In New York City large food chains are made to show the calorie count on their menus, but they aren't in the New England region surveyed in this study
So, compared with McDonald's patrons, estimates provided by adults and teens who ate at Subway were 20 percent and 25 percent less accurate, respectively.
Block wrote that Subway's marketing may provide a 'health halo' among the public.
He concluded: 'These findings tell us that many people who eat at fast-food restaurants may not be making informed choices because they don't know how many calories they're consuming.
'Having the information is an important first step for anyone wanting to make changes.'
At the time of Block's study, none of the chains his team analyzed routinely posted calorie information on their menus.
In some cities, like New York, the health department requires larger food chains to display calorie counts on their menus.
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Payments platform provider Adyen has expanded its partnership with Alipay to enable retailers worldwide to more easily accept non-cash payments from Chinese customers in store, according to a press release.
The partnership enables retailers using Adyen’s point-of-sale product to take payments in store from Chinese consumers paying with their Alipay-enabled mobile device. The Adyen-Alipay product is integrated into the current in-store product Adyen retailers use, so there’s no need for additional terminals or devices.
The Alipay payment option is simply added as a new option to the existing payment terminal.
“Europe and the U.S. are popular destinations for the Chinese tourists, so it’s vital that retailers are able to cater to their needs,” Souheil Badran, president of Alipay North America, said in the release. “Given the capabilities built into Adyen’s omni-channel service for retailers, as well as Alipay’s included marketing solution, we look forward to enhancing what it means to deliver an integrated retail solution for retailers.”


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Mobile is Everything: The Search for Manners
Mobile has transformed people’s life, society and business –to refer to the Mobile World Congress’s (MWC) tag-line: Mobile in Everything. Laura Desmond, CEO of Starcom Mediavest, referred to this century at ‘the mobile century’ with ‘Mobile and brands reinventing themselves many times over in order to keep pace.’
Despite being in the mobile century, it’s clear by listening to WPP’s CEO Sir Martin Sorrell that some companies still view mobiles as an extension of a brand’s online presence rather than a stand-alone platform. The winners, as he identified, will be companies who ” understand the unit economics of the mobile economy.”
With over 100,000 attendees the 2016 MWC in Barcelona delivered through it’s keynotes, presentations and product launches.
Four major trends
Four big trends emerged from the event; the scaling power of the mobile economy, which is intrinsically linked to the move from eCommerce to mCommerce. There was also a great emphasis on consumer disruption and virtual reality.
Vittorio Colao, the CEO of Vodafone, spoke about the economic opportunities the mobile world has to offer. He talked about the ‘Gigabit Society’ explaining that ‘Companies can get instant scale,’ such as Mpesa. The Kenyan-based mobile payment platform is responsible for over 40% of the country’s GDP. Today the digital economy is enabling ‘very different business models.’
Julie Meyer, the founder of EntrepreneurCountry Global concurs with Colao’s observations: “for the leading firms in the traditional industries to become leaders in the future ecosystems, they have to understand the Unit Economics of the transaction and how consumer behaviour is changing the business model which is changing the industry.”
The second trend to emerge is the increasing role consumers play in the economy. Brian Krzanich, the CEO of Intel, held the view that while ‘People are disrupting the world today’ it will be ‘Devices that will disrupt the word tomorrow.’ AT&T’s CEO Ralph de la Vega shared these views adding that as ‘Barriers come down, businesses and consumers can get the same experience across borders.’
The third trend is that consumers are no longer passively digesting the content thrown at them, they are actively participated in its creation. The rise of the User Generated Content era means that every person becomes a content creator, and as such, every person will begin to play a role in how advertising is associated to their created content. Visa’s SVP Sandra Alzetta shared that today 30% of their transaction volume for shopping is on mobile, and this is expected to grow to 50% by 2020. Meaning that content, advertising and commerce will eventually converge, especially as Michael Jaconi, the CEO of Button shared that the daily spend is moving to the mobile device. Moreover, he added: ‘Internet on the mobile is completely different paradigm to the web. Traditional media advertising on mobile is being challenged, consumers are standing up.’
It was one of the hot topics at this year’s MWC. Virtual Reality (VR) serves as a perfect metaphor to demonstrate how easy it is to become immersed in something without being aware of the needs of your environment. The defining moment of the event is probably this iconic photo of Mark Zuckerberg walking past an audience so immersed in a digital experience at the Samsung press event that they were oblivious to the world around them; specifically, him walking past them.
We, today, have access to so many forms of technology, but we struggle to offer meaningful communication. In the case of Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s speech, it was marred with failing communication equipment. Thankfully he recovered by sharing anecdotes of his daughter, demonstrating that even if things do not work out the way you intend, you can find a way to recover and, often, do better.
For me, MWC opened with innovation. Showstoppers and Mobile Focus Global showcased some of the best technology innovators. But it ended with a stark reminder.
In an age where we are all content creators, where we do not reject advertising outright, just, do not want it interrupting our digital experiences, mobile may indeed be everything. But instead of living autonomously along a linear path void of innovation, let us find better direction, and so ensure that all of our innovations also reflect the best of manners.
Here is a taxonomy of the topics covered at the event:
But Simon Segars (CEO, ARM) provided a valuable warning, ‘Unless we get it right, I do not think we can deliver on it’s full potential,’ adding, ‘we have to think about security in different ways.’ Data and information is a valuable commodity and last year over one third of US medical records were stolen. So better standards and trust in the digital economy are fundamental.
Anne Bouverot (CEO, Morpho) elaborated further saying that with 200 million smartphones having fingerprint technologies, the future of biometric recognition may actually rest in this generation’s addiction to selfies, with facial recognition. There are of course different solutions to digital security and while it is easy to replicate a fingerprint and break into an Apple iPhone (the internet has many such videos), Goodix have developed an industry first where they have integrated an optical sensor into the fingerprint sensor making those youtube videos obsolete.
Digital Economy – Business models
Returning to new business models, Pavel Durov (CEO, Telegram) spoke of how his platform has over 100 million active users and one offering named ‘Channels,’ enables brands to deliver digital content directly to an audience. For example, the BBC use Channels on Telegram to reach over 300,000 users worldwide today. Even the Pope uses their solution.
The rate of change was summed up perfectly by Sigve Brekke (CEO, Telenor) who shared that while it took ‘15 years for customers to adopt mobile (properly in their domestic market), in Bangladesh it took just 15 months.’ He continued to say ‘Markets are not different any more, they are more and more alike.’
Chuck Robbins (CEO, Cisco) shared a wider holistic approach: ‘We desire that what we do has meaning and provides benefit at the end of the day.’ William Ruh (CEO, GE Digital) added that ‘Everyone has to have a digital DNA,’ while Kaan Terzioglu (CEO, turkcell), said that we have to be ‘Bold enough to question things that no-one questioned before.’
Richard Fain (CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises) said that ‘It’s amazing how much cr@p we have to deal with. The cr@p gets in the way of your experience.’ He did however add an air of positivity: ‘It is the people who make us successful.’
Content/Media / Advertising
Addressing global growth is Buzzfeed whose CEO, Jonah Peretti observed that ‘Mobile flipped, from killing social distribution to being the key to social distribution.’ Three trends have converged: mobile, social and digital video. But as Ralf Reichert (CEO, Turtle Entertainment) confirmed, ‘the touch interface needs to improve on mobile to give as rich a game like experience (as possible).’ Usability is often misunderstood and can stop any meaningful solution which can add value, from adding value.
Gavin Patterson (CEO, BT) weighed into the ad-blocking discussion suggesting that ‘carte blanche blocking is not the way forward’ and that there should be a way to ‘find a happy medium.’ This conflicts with growing consumer expectation to not have their digital experience interrupted, especially on mobile. Transferring traditional advertising methodologies such as on TV, onto mobile, while profitable causes undue frustration.
Jonathan Skogomo (CEO, Jukin Media) shared that 60% of the 1.5 billion videos viewed per month through their platform are via mobile, with 80% of content being seen outside the US. ‘Content can be used on many different screens which can be repurposed,’ a strategy reflective of how viewers consume content differently across devices. He added that consumers are becoming ‘more smarter and innovative with regards to ad-blocking,’ and that ‘people will always find a way to ad-block.’
Dawn Airey (CEO, Getty Images) demonstrated this sharing that a significant number of photographs on their service, 25%, are actually from smartphones: ‘Two billion people in the world have a camera, the majority are in phones. The world is becoming an expert in taking a picture.’
‘Internet on the mobile is completely different paradigm to the web. Traditional media advertising on mobile is being challenged, consumers are standing up.’ - The latest report from Quantcast entitled Mobile + Me, shows that Millennials are paving the way for a new mobile advertising age.
Scott Snyder (President, Mobiquity) did ask, ‘How do we intervene at the right time without being annoying,’ adding that ‘47% of people are incentivised by financial awards.’ The truth is that no single person desires that their mobile digital experience is interrupted, no matter how sophisticated the algorithm.
In an article earlier this year Ethan Zuckerman, the man who created pop-up adverts wrote: ‘The simple truth is that web adverts don’t work vey well. People hate them – which is why they block them – and almost no-one voluntarily clicks on them.’
Dan Schulman (CEO, PayPal) shard that ‘With mobile blurring the distinction between shopping online and in store, ‘Retailers want to create value propositions to use mobile in a fundamentally different way, turning money from transaction into an experience.’ This was a philosophy Guo Ping (CEO, Huawei) shared as he said that a ‘Connection is like oxygen for the digital economy.’
With over a billion 4G connections today, Mats Granryd (Director General, GSMA) touched on the Internet of Things, ‘Everything that has a benefit in the future will be connected,’ encouraging all, saying that the industry ‘Needs to be more innovative.’ The theme was echoed by Shang Bing (Chairman, China Mobile) who said that a ‘Technological revolution is taking place,’ and that ‘Information consumption is the new growth.’
With 73% of Europeans living in cities, Mark Fields (CEO, Ford) shared that on average a Ford owner spends 900 hours a year in their car, so their focus in and around the car experience is on ‘Making people’s lives better.’
Derek Aberle (President, Qualcomm) shared that the car of the future will be autonomous and the technology already exists today. On display just outside the main conference stage was the Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion concept car. Having sat in and experienced the comfort and feature set within this reported $20m+ car, I share his sentiments that we must ‘Get these technologies commercialised.’
A glimpse of the car with it’s lead engineer can be seen here:
After extolling the virtues of how leading technology delivers a competitive edge to his racing, Lewis Hamilton (Cool Guy, F1) said, ‘I wish you could feel how I feel.’ And given that he loses up to 4kg per race weekend given the g-forces endured driving on track, I too wish I could feel the weight loss!
Paddy Lowe (Executive Director, Mercedes Formula One) said, ‘I want (us) to be the first at something, and I get annoyed when we’re not.’ ‘You can’t win without a great car, I’m amazed at how technology is advancing.’ – So it is with all entrepreneurs and innovators, driven by the need for change.
Anthony Lake, (Executive Director, UNICEF) opined that ‘before, governments used to represent societies. Today, people talk to each other so governments need to adapt.’ Innovation empowered by mobile he added was ‘Making it possible to achieve results that I could not imagine a few years ago.’ This sentiment was contextualised by Ann Cairns (President, Mastercard) who said that we should seek ‘Full digital inclusion, not just financial inclusion’ citing that 90 million people in Europe still do not have a bank account.
Karim Khoja (CEO, Roshan), one of the network providers in Afghanistan, went futher saying, ‘People can call their families to say that they are safe. This is digital inclusion.’
- Tags: 2016, advertising, at&t, blog, Brian Krzanich, business model, Button, content, data security, digital economy, disruption, entrepreneurcountry, f1, featured, global, intel, internet of things, laura desmond, media, Michael Jaconi, mobile, mobile is everything, mobile world congress, Ralph de la Vega, retail, Sandra Alzetta, sir martin sorrell, smart vehicles, societal impact, starcom mediavest, visa, Vittorio Colao, vodafone, wpp


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Danube Building Materials FZCO, a leading Jafza-based construction, building materials and shop fitting company, posted more than four times growth in the last 5 years and reported an AED 1 billion sales turnover in 2009, despite the slump in the regional and global real estate and construction sectors last year.
Danube has grown into one of the largest building materials company in the region, since it started operations in 1993 and established a base in Jafza in 2001. With eight branches in the UAE, two in Oman, one in Bahrain, two in China and one in India, the company operates from its head offices - a 285,000 square foot facility in Jafza north and a 365,000 square feet base in Jafza south, which houses its logistics centre, kiln drying facility, factory and warehouses.
Commenting on the company’s performance in 2009, Rizwan Sajan, Chairman of Danube Building Materials said: “2009 as we all know has been a challenging year for companies in the real estate and construction industry in general. Despite that, Danube has managed to maintain its growth momentum by being involved in several construction jobs in a number of high-profile projects around Dubai. 2010 is projected to be a better year. Dubai real estate prices and development are already rebounding and we expect to expand our presence in the region with the establishment of more retail outlets and a more extensive regional network.”
Danube operates a retail chain of ‘Building Materials Mart’ a new one-stop-shop concept that features over 15,000 products under one roof classified under 20 sections, including kitchens, bathrooms, tiles, shower rooms, Jacuzzis, flooring for ceramic and wood, ceilings, doors, wallpapers, designed glasses, marble, granite, wall panelling, different finishes of laminates, veneers, mouldings, paints and luxury paints. The complex also features a 'Design Centre', where customers can get expert advice on the best products and other design-related inquires.
Danube has a team of 1000 people working from strategic locations across the UAE including Jebel Ali, Deira and Abu Dhabi. The company has been and is currently involved in major projects across the UAE, Oman and Bahrain, including Emirates Hills, the Burj Al Arab, Shangri-La Hotel, Grand Hyatt, Motor City, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Airport Terminal 3, Yas Island, Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, and Al Raha Beach Hotel, among others.
© 2000 - 2022 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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Why is Michael Kors buying Versace?
What will change now that the fashion brands are under one roof?
Michael Kors is buying Italian fashion brand Versace, and renaming itself Capri Holdings. What is the thinking behind the deal and what will happen next?
Why is Versace being sold?
The sale could give Versace the boost it needs to compete with rivals.
Gucci, another Italian luxury brand, has far outstripped Versace under the ownership of conglomerate Kering. Last year Gucci brought in sales of 6.2 billion euro (£5.55 billion), compared with Versace’s 668 million euros.
Versace also sold a 20% stake to private equity giant Blackstone in early 2014. This added extra pressure for Versace to provide an exit.
Why does Michael Kors want to buy it?
Michael Kors says it can help Versace to reach two billion US dollars (£1.5 billion) in revenue.
In turn, the company, which is to be renamed Capri Holdings after the acquisition is complete, hopes the brand will help it to build overall revenues to eight billion US dollars.
Although Versace has lagged behind some peers, the brand is on course for double-digit growth in revenue, earnings and comparable sales growth.
This makes it attractive as a growth prospect, with Michael Kors chief executive John D Idol saying on Tuesday that the brand is “very relevant in the modern culture today”.
What will change?
Versace’s new owners want to increase the amount of revenue brought in by accessories and footwear from 35% to 60%.
On a call with analysts, Idol said this could include developing items in fast-growing sectors such as men’s sneakers.
The brand will also increase its store footprint across the world from 200 to 300 sites.
Combined with Michael Kors’ plans to expand wholesale partnerships with luxury department stores like Harrods and Galeries Lafayette, this means Versace products will be available in more physical retail spaces.
Will the Versace family still be involved?
Versace’s existing senior management team, which includes Donatella Versace, her brother Santo and daughter Allegra, will continue to lead the company.
The Versace family, who currently own 80% of the brand, will also receive 150 million euro in shares of the enlarged business.
Mr Idol said on Tuesday that Donatella Versace, who has been the creative leader of the brand since the death of her brother Gianni in 1997, was “an icon” and that her “leadership in the fashion field is a very key component” in the company’s success.
Will Michael Kors buy anything else?
The company has completely transformed in the last two years, going from a single-brand firm to a luxury conglomerate comprising three of the world’s best-known labels.
Mr Idol said on Tuesday: “We will focus on the three brands we have right now. We will not focus on any further acquisitions for the moment.”


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I’ve read about this today on a great (and proud) portuguese online business/marketing journal/newsfeed/press, “Imagens de Marca“.
And if Coca-Cola and Pepsi were less caloric?
Due to high rates of obesity in the American continent, some leading brands in the beverage industry, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi want to reduce the calories of their products, advances the Direct Marketing. The same source ensures that this initiative is driven by the American Beverage Association, an organization that aims to reach 2025 with a lower calorie intake per person 20%. According to Yahoo, these brands of soft drinks now aim to educate their consumers, so will bet a new communication and packaging.
In Europe, meanwhile, the Samsung is the topic that generates buzz this morning. It seems that South Korean brand announced, according to the Direct Marketing, which will stop selling laptops in the European market. This is a new strategy of Samsung, which is intended to align demand with supply, and you want to bet on the growth of sales of tablets. According to the same site, the decision is only temporary and does not necessarily have to be reflected in other markets. To the same source assures, Sony and Toshiba also followed the same steps some time ago. The brand sold its first unit and the second portable Vaio announced that he was going to focus its work in selling computers to businesses, rather than developing home computers.
Even with regard to the technological area, Apple is also being highlighted by the press, but not for the best reasons. According to Mashable, the update iOS8 that the brand launched for the iPhone is full of bugs and was canceled. Several complaints from users were presented throughout the week and to the same site Vanca, all are confirmed.
On Portugal, there is one more airline to fill the newspapers besides TAP. According to the Observer, Easyjet wants to start selling tickets to Ponta Delgada, Azores, starting in October. The low cost company wants to start flying to the Island from March 2015 and ensures that the time begins to be scarce, advances the same source. The idea of Easyjet undergoes transpose the Azores what is already being done in Madeira, ranging from transporting passengers across Europe to Lisbon and you can avail affordable to visit the islands.


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Global Trade: Tariffs to push up inflation, but growth impact less certain – Emboldened by the strong momentum in the US economy and probably keen to score points among his base ahead of the midterm elections, President Trump is pressing ahead with his threat of further tariffs on Chinese imports. In addition to the 25% tariff on USD50bn of imports, the US is now set to impose a 10% tariff on a further USD200bn on 24 September, with this rate going up to 25% on 1 January. The staggered implementation will a) soften the economic blow to businesses and consumers, and b) leave room to negotiate (and potentially avoid implementation) ahead of the expected Trump-Xi summit at the end of November. China has in the meantime promised to retaliate with a 5-10% tariff on a further USD60bn of US imports (there is already a 25% tariff on USD50bn of imports), which could ultimately lead to the US imposing a tariff on all c.USD500bn of Chinese imports.
With this ratcheting up in the trade war, we now see upside risks to our 2019 core inflation forecast in the US, which could be pushed higher by up to 30bp, assuming full implementation and pass-through of tariffs (Global Daily 2 August – What a 25% tariff would mean for US inflation). However, the growth impact is far from clear. The biggest concern around the President’s trade policy has always been over the confidence effects rather than the direct macro impact, which is relatively small. Indeed, the total USD110bn of US exports to China that would be affected represents 6.6% of 2017 total US exports, and 0.7% of GDP (and it is not as though these exports would stop, but rather the demand for them perhaps would be dampened). Meanwhile, confidence – both business and consumer – has been remarkably resilient in the face of new tariffs, both implemented and threatened. This could change, but we are inclined to think at this stage that consumers and businesses would weather new tariffs. While somewhat higher core inflation would reduce consumers’ real purchasing power at the margin, 30bp higher inflation is unlikely to be enough to seriously derail consumer spending (for evidence of this, one need only look at how strong consumption has been this year in the face of significantly higher energy prices). There is plenty of room for consumers to dip into savings or to take on more debt to make up any shortfall, while wage growth is picking up somewhat more quickly than we had expected.
For China, we expect the impact of these new tariffs on GDP growth for this year to be moderate, also reflecting the fact that Beijing is offsetting the downside risks from the trade conflict by stepping up fiscal stimulus and tweaking its financial deleveraging campaign (China Watch: The 200bn dollar question answered for more background). Moreover, an import tariff of 10% is not yet really ‘prohibitive’ in our view. In fact, looking at recent macro data, we also see some upside risks to our 6.5% growth forecast for 2018. For next year, the impact may become more material should US-China negotiations fail to bring a truce on the trade front and the US would indeed proceed with higher rates and/or expanded the scope to all imports from China. Note that, if need be, China has more ways to retaliate than through import tariffs; think of administrative measures (nontariff barriers), or renewed CNY deprecation, for instance. (Bill Diviney and Arjen van Dijkhuizen)


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A decade ago, I started my "blogging" career as a Nokia and Symbian enthusiast. For the better part of 5 years, most of my online life and work revolved around the brand, its new phones, announcements, events, apps, games, themes, and more. It's both ironic and nostalgic to say, but Nokia is part of the reason I'm here on Android Police now. So you can imagine I have a lot of love and unconscious attachment for the brand. I have kept an eye on its recent resurrection at MWC with the Nokia 3, 5, 6, and revamped 3310, and this news today makes me even more excited about it.
In a reply to a user enquiring about the new Android phones coming to the US, Nokia officially said a global release is planned and yes, that does mean the US too. Now whether that means the phones will be made available for purchase online globally or will be sold unlocked at retailers in the US or will come through carriers, we have no idea. But the word is clear: somehow, these phones will be released in the US. Nice.
We're planning on a global release so yes they will be. Get the latest updates by registering at https://t.co/waNGfPppQ8
— Nokia Mobile (@NokiaMobile) March 22, 2017
For those of you who are still lost as to why we're talking about Nokia here, please check out Corbin's explanation of the company's comeback.
For everyone else, I have a question. Would you buy a Nokia phone if they were released stateside? I know the Nokia 6 is pretty midrange and we still don't have a real flagship Nokia phone, but there are rumors of one. I'd be very tempted to, honestly.


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According an article in today's New York Times, the Smart car, which we've all marvelled at on our trips across the pond, may be coming to a dealership near you as soon as 2008! According to the article:
DaimlerChrysler, which shelved an earlier plan to bring its Smart mini-car brand to the United States, plans to announce on Wednesday that it will introduce the tiny, two-seat vehicle to the American market early in 2008, according to several executives at the company.
Since it's appearance in The Da Vinci Code, Steven Schneider, CEO of ZAP, a Santa Rosa firm that markets alternative-fuel cars, says "We have 53,000 e-mails (from prospective buyers) that we've not been able to get back to."
So what's so smart about the little bugger, other than its size? Here's the skinny:
* First called a Swatchmobile by Swiss Swatch inventor, Nicolas Hayek, when he designed it; the Smart Car is a compact, 2-seat, hybrid, fuel-efficient and environmentally sound car.
* Size: 8 feet 2 inches long; 4 feet 11 inches wide * Weight: 1,588 pounds.
* Gas mileage: 60 mpg in Europe; 40 mpg expected in the U.S. because of emissions tinkering.
* Price: Mid-$20,000s. (Though this hasn't been confirmed.)
* It just looks so cute, especially when sized up next to the Hummer in the photo above. How could you not want one? Even just as a pet? "Hey, Bob, you see my pet Smart car yet? Check it out!"


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The boss of UK high street giant Marks & Spencer has launched an outspoken attack on the idea of government intervention in the pricing of alcohol.
Specifically addressing the wine market, Sir Stuart Rose (pictured) called proposals to introduce a minimum price for alcohol ‘insane’.
‘Artificially fixing a base price to stop people drinking wine is insane,’ he told decanter.com. ‘As an extreme example, if you go back to 1930s America, prohibition doesn’t work.’
England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson has called for a minimum pricing policy.
The government initially ruled out the suggestion, but has said it wants to crack down on cheap alcohol. It has not yet said how it would do this, and has made it clear that it does not want to impose additional burdens on the majority of ‘moderate’ drinkers.
The Scottish Government has signalled support for the introduction of a minimum price of 40p per unit if its debated Alcohol Bill is passed. The Conservatives, meanwhile, have said that instead of raising taxes on all drinks, they would want targeted increases in duty on problem drinks like super-strength beers and action against below-cost selling.
Rose, who is set to retire as chief executive of M&S later this year, said he felt that the wine industry is being unfairly penalised.
‘They keep whacking up the tax on wine, dressing it up by saying it’s [motivated by concern over] health. That’s rubbish – it’s a guaranteed revenue method for them.’
Rose said he was against legislation, but in favour of ‘common sense’.
‘Giving stuff away for nothing isn’t helpful,’ he said. ‘But having a government impose a minimum price for wine is insane.
‘In any society, there are always some people who can’t say no. But why should the majority of people be dictated to by the bad habits of the minority just because a few people get drunk in the streets?’
Asked about the practice of loss-leading by some of his competitors, Rose said he didn’t like the practice, but was against outlawing it.
‘We live in a free market economy,’ he said. ‘As a retailer I’m against putting regulation in to say what you can and cannot do.
Where do you draw the line? We all know customers like a bargain. Why should wine be exempt from that?’
Despite the concern over irresponsible drinking, Rose claimed he was ‘more worried that the nation is becoming obese than I am about people drinking too much’.
Click to see Decanter’s top 10 wines from the recent M&S press tasting.
Bordeaux 2009: All the coverage
Written by Guy Woodward


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Papa John's growing rift with founder casts doubts on recovery
Aug 8 (Reuters) - Shares of Papa John's International Inc slumped as much as 7 percent on Wednesday and hit a near four-year low, a day after the U.S. pizza chain cut its current-quarter forecast blaming its ongoing tussle with the chain's founder.
The company said on Tuesday second-quarter comparable sales fell 6.1 percent in North America and would continue to slip for the coming months, citing negative publicity from the acrimonious exit of founder and former Chairman John Schnatter.
Schnatter, who founded the company in 1984, was forced to leave in July following reports that he had used a racial slur on a media training conference call.
"Papa John's results proved to be as eventful as expected with a sizable comp downturn, dueling press releases and ongoing boardroom drama," BTIG analyst Peter Saleh said in a note on Wednesday.
Saleh said the pizza chain is now faced with an uncertain path to recovery as founder Schnatter continues to advocate for more control. The analyst also said that a sale of the pizza chain would be unlikely under these circumstances, despite depressed stock prices.
Right after the results on Tuesday, Schnatter issued a statement blasting Chief Executive Officer Steve Ritchie for the poor results.
The company's shares hit a low of $38.05, levels last seen in September 2014, in early trading on Wednesday. The stock has lost 19 percent since Schnatter's departure in July.
Ritchie on Tuesday vowed to move beyond the fight with a new advertising and marketing campaign, while also removing Schnatter's image from company promotions.
Papa John's said the efforts would cost it $30 million to $50 million over the rest of the year.
However, Stifel analyst Chris O'Cull questioned how effective the company's campaign would be, given that Schnatter holds a 30 percent stake in the pizza chain. O'Cull cut his price target to $35 from $38.
Jefferies analysts said any turnaround would take time and that it did not expect same-store sales to turn positive until the second-half of 2019. (Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Sriraj Kalluvila)
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Final Fantasy, formerly regarded as the best Japanese role-playing game (RPG), has recently started a quest to adapt and stay relevant in a market dominated by games like Witcher 3. The series’ creator, Square Enix, has investigated a variety of strategies to ensure a solid future for the property, from the popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) Final Fantasy XVI to the polarizing reception of the open-world adventure of XV.
Highlights include the well-liked Final Fantasy VII remake and Nier Automata’s success. Final Fantasy XVI, Square Enix’s most recent release, appears to have hit a nerve.
Players have reported the bugs on Twitter and Reddit, but as of this writing, developer and publisher Square Enix has not yet addressed them.
Although some claim to have played through the identical portion without incident, dozens of other gamers have stated that they, too, have encountered the issue in the exact same location. The affected PS5s contradict the theory that they are overheating because they are in an inadequately ventilated area.
In other developments, real-world merchandise featuring the popular low-poly grapes has returned. The Final Fantasy 14 community lamented the removal of the cherished low-poly grapes two years ago after a Square Enix update rounded off the fruit’s jagged edges, breaking oh so many hearts.The MMO’s Endwalker expansion included the obelisk fruit, which the community soon embraced through fan art and incessant jokes.
Thankfully, some fans can now squeeze the real grapes tightly to make up for lost time and relive the glory days. Sadly, the mushy grapes will undoubtedly be resold online at exorbitant prices to people who can’t make it to the festival. One day, hopefully, Square Enix will formally offer the merchandise.