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Billions of people could get online for the first time thanks to helium balloons that Google will soon send over many places cell towers don’t reach. Availability: 1-2 years
A simple wireless technology promises to make driving much safer.Availability: 1-2 years
A nonprofit experiments with using digital currency to give poor teenagers their first experience of financial services.
As the Apple Watch casts a shadow across the smart-watch market, Pebble preps a wrist-worn gadget with a color e-paper display.
Startup aims to give mobile devices the power to display full-color holographic images and video.
Software upgrades that can change the circuitry of the silicon chips inside computing devices could make them more powerful.
A simple but powerful app offers a “Do” button that can bend Internet services and gadgets to your will.
“Open Internet” rules are on the verge of being approved in the U.S., but crucial details remain unclear.
Touch feedback that’s more nuanced than a simple buzz could make virtual reality more real and cars safer.
Google’s artificial intelligence researchers say software that learns to play video games could graduate to the real world before long.
Another chance to catch the most interesting, and important, articles from the previous week on MIT Technology Review.
A roundup of the most interesting stories from other sites, collected by the staff at MIT Technology Review.
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SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 9, 2002 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) and Toshiba Corporation jointly announced today that they will develop 90 nanometer (nm or 0.09 micron) process technology that will lead to overall increased supply and improved competitiveness of NAND flash memory. Shrinking die sizes allows more megabytes (MB) per wafer, increasing total output capability and adding to product competitiveness. The joint development calls for various capacities including 2 gigabit (Gb) and 4Gb MLC NAND flash memory devices as well as various smaller densities. The 90nm technology will allow for the doubling of capacities from previous generations of 130nm products.
The integration of multiple 4Gb (512MB) flash chips on a single memory card will enable handheld computers, mobile phones, digital cameras or other devices to store a feature-length DVD-quality video, thousands of high-resolution images, more than 30 hours of digital music or gigabytes of computer files. Both companies also plan to offer MLC NAND flash in addition to binary NAND flash using the same process to advance product competitiveness and increase available output.
Toshiba's advanced expertise in NAND flash process technology and the multi-level cell (MLC) technology pioneered by SanDisk will accelerate the joint development of 90nm process technology and contribute to the early launch of 2Gb (binary) and 4Gb MLC NAND flash memory. SanDisk and Toshiba expect to sample 90nm devices in the second half of 2003 with production scheduled for the first quarter in 2004. Both SanDisk and Toshiba view the commercialization of NAND MLC on the 90nm technology as a crucial step for reinforcing their technology and market-leading position, expanding existing markets and cultivating new markets for flash memory data storage.
Masashi Muromachi, General Manager of Toshiba's Memory Division, said: "Toshiba and SanDisk have responded to diversifying market demand in a close collaboration dedicated to offering the highest capacity binary and MLC NAND flash memories. This joint development underpins our shared commitment to leadership in all aspects of the NAND flash memory business and our determination to provide our customers with the fullest possible line-up of NAND products. We continue to devote our energy and resources to development, and we are already working on future-generation, leading-edge technology including 70nm and 55nm process technology that will assure more powerful NAND devices and cultivate new applications."
Eli Harari, president and CEO at SanDisk, said, "The ever-increasing demand for larger capacity and competitive storage cards for use in consumer electronics devices and industrial applications is the driving force behind our relentless efforts to accelerate our flash technology roadmap and expand the markets for our flash storage products. SanDisk and Toshiba have leveraged the experience gained over the years to achieve 210nm, 160nm and 130nm process technologies and we will be able to leverage this expertise toward the development of 90nm technology. We have already made significant strides in understanding and overcoming the challenges required to get this technology into production. Once again, Toshiba has proven to be a strategic and valued partner for SanDisk."
The 90nm NAND memory chips will be produced for both companies in Toshiba's advanced fabrication production facility at Yokkaichi, Japan under the FlashVision Joint Venture established by Toshiba and SanDisk.
About SanDisk Corporation
SanDisk Corporation, the world's largest supplier of flash data storage products, designs, manufactures and markets industry-standard, solid-state data, digital imaging and audio storage products using its patented, high density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is based in Sunnyvale, CA.
About Toshiba Corporation
Toshiba Corporation is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. The company's integration of these wide-ranging capabilities assures its position as an innovator in advanced components, products, and systems. Toshiba has approximately 176,000 employees worldwide, and annual sales of over US$40 billion. Visit Toshiba's website at http://www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
The matters discussed in this news release contain forward looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties as described under the caption, "Factors That May Affect Future Results" in the company's annual report on Form 10-K-A and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies assume no obligation to update the information in this release.

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That perimeter was so tight, that it even disrupted the seniors’ regular meal delivery service.
“So I said, we’ve got a kitchen. We’ll take care of it,” said Chef Kathy Fang.
Fang runs Fang Restaurant – a popular eatery nearby.
She said when she heard what was going on, she felt obligated to help – delivering more than 150 meals on Thursday.
APEC summit to boost SF Chinatown tourism despite tight security
“I immediately thought of my grandparents. And I’m thinking, all these elderly people in there, they’re other people’s grandparents, they’re other people’s parents,” Fang said.
But even outside of the perimeter, daily life has been impacted for countless people around San Francisco.
That includes in Chinatown – a neighborhood that was hoping to get one of the biggest boosts from APEC.
At the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, owner Kevin Chan says business has been significantly down.
“The traffic cannot cross Market Street. And the locals don’t want to go out, and the tourists can’t come in,” Fang said.
It’s a similar story at other places around Chinatown too, where streets have been noticeably empty in recent days.
SF glams up city to wow visitors for APEC summit
Steven Lee owns several businesses in the area.
On Thursday night, he hosted a walking tour of several historic bars and lounges in the neighborhood.
He said with most of the major APEC events now wrapping up, he hopes the city’s international visitors will now have more time to explore parts of San Francisco.
“Thursday, Friday, Saturday should be really busy for all our businesses. We’re crossing our fingers,” said Lee.
Until that time comes though, Chan is encouraging locals to remember to stop by their favorite spots too.
“They should come to support. Not just APEC, but local business, mom and pop stores,” he said.
RELATED APEC STORIES & VIDEOS:
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live


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Mattel Pays Up to Refinance Debt at Tough Time for Toymakers
(Bloomberg) -- Mattel Inc. sold $1 billion of bonds due 2025 with a yield of 6.75 percent as investors demanded the struggling toymaker pay a premium to refinance short-term debt.
While the pricing was at the tighter end of initial talk of up to 7 percent, it’s more than 2 percentage points above the average for similarly rated bonds, according to Bloomberg Barclays indexes. The maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars was cut to junk by two major bond-grading firms earlier this week as it began the debt sale.
Mattel, in its first bond offering this year, sold the debt at a difficult time for the toy industry. The company lowered its full-year sales and guidance in October, prompting Chief Executive Officer Margo Georgiadis to increase Mattel’s cost-cutting plan by threefold and suspend its dividend. Fourth-quarter sales could also be hurt by underperforming brands and retailers exerting tighter control over their inventories, Mattel said in a filing Monday.
The new bonds will be “critical to the recovery of core brands and its growth in emerging markets,” Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Mariam Sherzad and Michael Halen said in a report Tuesday. “Discontinued products, residual holiday inventory, plummeting sales and higher advertising and interest expenses will pressure 2018 results.”
El Segundo, California-based Mattel didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The proceeds of the bonds, which can’t be bought back for three years, will refinance debt due next year and repay Mattel’s commercial paper borrowings, the filing said. The company also plans to replace its revolving credit facility with a new $1.6 billion credit line secured by assets including its inventory.
The lower forecasts led Moody’s Investors Service, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings to downgrade the toymaker on Monday. Moody’s, assigning the second-highest junk rating with a stable outlook, cited the bankruptcy of retailer Toys “R” Us Inc. for Mattel’s drop in sales during the several “critical weeks” at the end of the third quarter ahead of the holiday shopping season. S&P cut the company one level to BB-, three steps below investment grade. Fitch rates it one step higher at BB. Moody’s and Fitch both cut Mattel to junk this week.
Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Mizuho Financial Group Inc. and HSBC Holdings Plc managed the bond sale, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.
©2017 Bloomberg L.P.


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Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has warned that prices will increase as passengers rush to holiday in Europe next summer.
Mr O’Leary said this huge demand for holidays would coincide with fewer flights, meaning a price rise for flights and also for hotels.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said: “I think there will be a dramatic recovery in holiday tourism within Europe next year. And the reason why I think prices will be dramatically higher is that there’s less capacity.
“Take out Thomas Cook (six million seats), Flybe (eight million seats), Norwegian (nearly 24 million seats) – Alitalia’s reducing its fleet by 40 per cent. There is going to be about 20 per cent less short-haul capacity in Europe in 2022 with a dramatic recovery in demand.”
Ryanair prices will be cut this winter, to “grab market share everywhere”, Mr O’Leary said.
It comes as earlier in the week he said British airports will struggle to cope with Christmas traffic due to the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit border controls.
“Certainly [for] Europe's airports Christmas volumes will be no difficulty. The one exception to that will be the UK airports where you have places like Heathrow and Gatwick struggling with ... Brexit border controls and Covid,” Mr O'Leary said.
“The UK airports, I think will struggle.”
Mr O'Leary said Ryanair is willing to wait years for Boeing to drop its prices before placing a big new plane order with the US firm, while he also downplayed the chance of a deal with rival Airbus.
The airline, one of Boeing's biggest customers, said on Monday it had ended talks over a new order of 737 MAX 10 jets worth tens of billions of euro after the budget carrier said the prices on offer were too high.


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PropTech Lunch: What we learnedThursday, 11th April 2019
A new addition to the pro-manchester calendar, our PropTech Lunch brought together over 100 of Manchester’s leading professionals.
Alistair Cree, chair of pro-manchester, opened the event and reiterated how important both the tech and property sectors are to Manchester. Admitting that although he hears the term “PropTech” a lot, Alistair is here ready to learn and to understand what the future might hold.
Alistair introduced the host for the day: Heather Gray, Business Development Manager – Bruntwood and co-chair of pro-manchester’s Property & Regeneration sector committee. Heather gave a brief overview of the exciting developments in the industry, and the new products and services disrupting the way we live.
Heather then welcomed the first panel to the stage: Danny Simpson – CEO, MID Communications; Adam Posner – Associate Director, KPMG; Aisling McNulty – Development Director, Bruntwood; James Smith – Technology Evangelist, CTS.
Danny has seen some bold claims for 5G, with commentators saying it is set to be as big as electricity. It reduces the latency between devices, enabling technology to become quicker than human brain. This has a huge impact for autonomous vehicles, smart cities and evolving technologies.
Reflecting on a career than saw the introduction of 3G and 4G, Danny believes the smartphone is the most disruptive innovation. 95% of consumers now shop with Amazon. The smartphone enables retailers and other businesses to get to the end user within seconds. If companies are not mobile ready, they will struggle going forwards.
James is seeing a move towards trying to reduce physical footprint, including servers and data centres. It is now all about connectivity with businesses looking to combine flexible working spaces, monitor usage, book meeting rooms and adapt use as technology develops. All new buildings must be future proofed, allowing for additional WiFi and cabling.
Bruntwood is using technology to understand and deliver client demands. Aisling explained key features of the No. 1 Piccadilly renovation including sensors in co-working spaces which enables them to track the quality of these spaces as well as usage. It is tempting to flood buildings with technology but need to make sure they are actually useful to help staff and businesses work more efficiently. The right tech may demonstrate that less space is required, or that energy demands can be reduced, or increase productivity by making spare desks easier to find.
KPMG recently conducted a review of 270 property business leaders to establish the likely impact of technology on the industry. As might be expected 97% believed digital and tech were a key part of the future, and 73% saw tech as more of an opportunity than a threat. Despite this, 65% admitted they had no real plan for digital and tech. Adam explained how KPMG is working to help clients adapt to tech and how to use it. In his view, data is both the single biggest opportunity and biggest risk for property and real estate businesses.
Opening out to questions from the floor, Sarah Lawless – BIG Partnership, asked about the skills gap and how the industry is addressing it. James is passionate about developing new and innovative ways of learning and upskilling staff. We have to move away from traditional classroom environments. Danny agreed, and encouraged delegates to utilise apprenticeships and enable on-the-job training. Aisling recommends appointing champions to advocate new tech throughout the business. They need not be senior, just enthusiastic and happy to answer questions.
After a wonderful lunch, Heather welcomed the second panel to the stage: Melanie Dawson – Director of Digital Construction, GRAHAM; Christian Armstrong – Chief Experience Officer, Get Living; Ian Mayhew – Managing Director, Barings; and Laura Crandley – Executive Director, Leonard Cheshire.
Melanie has specialised in BIM since 2012 and led some really exciting R&D projects at Graham. She sees BIM as a gamechanger and initially started the Academy to upskill their own staff and has since opened it out to supply chain and customers. Looking ahead, Melanie expects laser scanning to continue increasing in popularity as it is becoming more affordable, simpler and smaller. GRAHAM is working on a KTP with the university on immersive tech.
Conscious that not everything turns out to be “the next big thing”, Melanie tries to focus on the value to the business and/or customers. They try to work out the problem first, then test the solutions. Melanie understands they won’t always get it right first time, so encourages a fail fast environment.
Ian is responsible for developing Landmark, a 180,000 square foot office block in St Peter’s Square which is set to bring a huge change to the look and feel of the very centre of the city centre. To deliver best in class offices, tech is essential. The two key drivers are energy efficiency and digital connectivity. These are being addressed through photovoltaic cells in glass, EV charging points, mobile coverage, WiFi and destination- controlled lifts.
The residential sector sees similar trends. Get Living is the largest build to rent operator and has been active since the start of the scheme 5 years ago. When considering new tech, Christian considers its impact on efficiency and customer quality of life. He notes that three years is a long time in tech – buildings must be future proof and able to adapt. Changes implemented include 10GB connectivity, an Alexa app for residents to report issues and communicate with building managers and drone delivery.
Heather noted that we’re starting to see tech that might previously have been considered to be assisted living tools find their way into the mainstream. For example, an estimated 5 million homes in the UK have Alexa or the Google equivalent. This has a huge impact on inclusivity.
Laura told delegates that 14m people are living with a disability or long-term health issue, and these technologies keep them in their own homes for longer. Non-intrusive monitoring is particularly important, with developments including walking sticks that know if you’ve fallen and sensors to report if people have moved around the house. Laura is keen to see businesses start to implement changes to make offices more inclusive. DDA compliant is not enough; developers need to start spending time with end users and design with them in mind.
Finally, the panellists were asked what tech trends they are most excited about for 2019. Answers included navigation inside buildings, AI, 5G, photovoltaic glazing and more intelligent use of data. All agreed that collaboration is essential for innovation and whilst Manchester is good at knowledge sharing there is still more we can do.
Sam Booth, Chief Executive at pro-manchester, closed the event with final thank yous to Heather, our speakers, all delegates and the Crowne Plaza for hosting.


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Carlson School Alumni Branch Out with Side Hustles
Friday, October 14, 2022
BY BRIDGET BURNHAM
What happens when the side hustle takes off?
A lot of fun, it turns out. Alumni share stories of building something from nothing, using hard work, ingenuity, and passion. From pies to butter, plants to art and a minor league baseball team, we see how hustles work.
Better Berry Pies
Crystal Osman, ’22 MBA, knew she would use business to combine her love of community with her values of justice, inclusion, and sustainability—but wasn’t sure how. “Starting a business is a privilege,” says Osman. “With whatever I do, I want to ensure I can use my opportunity to create more opportunities for others.” In search of the best structure for her business, Osman began studying local food systems and sustainable food chains.
Meeting the founders of successful food start-ups fueled Osman’s curiosity. But Ann Cohen, senior lecturer of Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship, ignited Osman’s confidence and encouraged her to leap. “I remember Ann saying, ‘If you’re waiting for the perfect prototype, you’re waiting too long,’” Osman says. As the idea for a more inclusive pie company started to take shape, Osman spent her 2021 spring break formulating the business plan for Better Berry Pies.
The first iteration of the gluten-free, meringue-crust cream pies first emerged when Osman altered her oft-requested pie recipe to fit the dietary restrictions of a family member with celiac disease. The dessert was a hit, and Osman loved the idea of bringing more joy to people who might not otherwise be able to indulge in a delicious pie.
After getting access to a gluten-free commercial kitchen and the required licensing and training on food safety, Better Berry Pies sold its first pie in July of 2021 at a farmer’s market in Hopkins, Minn. The company, which Osman runs with the support of her partner, Andy, went on to make nearly 800 pies by the end of last year. But fast growth isn’t the objective for Osman, who has also been building and refining a sourcing strategy that focuses on high-quality ingredients that are certified organic and as local as possible while also aligning the company with partners who hold similar values. While Osman acknowledges navigating the food industry as a startup isn’t always easy, she says the appreciation from customers, community connections, and joy that comes with each intentional step forward keeps her going. “It’s exciting to see what we’ll learn and how we can shape the business to create more opportunities,” says Osman. “It’s a long-term vision, and we’re taking it one day at a time.”
Some people face challenges, and some run toward them with enthusiasm. Ryan Bucki, ’14 MBA, is one of the latter. The propensity to lean into the hard things with positivity is at the heart of Fit Butters, the nationally distributed brand of nut butters he and his wife, Danielle, founded in April 2020.
When people stopped going to the gym during the pandemic, Bucki, who produces content to support workout supplement product launches, knew it would be bad for business. Instead of backing down, he doubled down. With fewer product promotions, Bucki began supporting viewers with healthy, step-by-step recipes. One of those recipes became the first flavor of Fit Butter.
Inspired by recipes on Pinterest, the Buckis knew they had something special as soon as they tasted what would become the first proprietary Fit Butters blend of nuts, flavors, healthy fats, and high-quality complete protein sources. “We compared our nut butters to all the other brands, and none of them tasted as good or had as many sources of healthy fats,” says Ryan, who has a background in food marketing as a former brand manager for General Mills’ Cascadian Farms. He stayed up the rest of that night trademarking the name, designing the logo, and brainstorming more flavors. Within two weeks, the first commercial run of Fit Butters came off the production line. You can now find Fit Butters nationwide in more than 1,500 retail locations.
There is sure to be a wild ride ahead for Fit Butters, which faces unprecedented global supply chain disruptions and growing economic uncertainty in a highly competitive sector. But the brand and the Buckis continue to make big moves, even through challenging times. The company recently announced plans to roll out a proprietary protein flavoring system in late 2022, and the Buckis are expecting their third child in February. “We’re building something valuable with hard work, hustle, and humility,” says Ryan. “It’s amazing to have the opportunity to see the world through something you created.”
The Plant Penthouse
Shayla Owodunni, ’12 BSB, describes herself as an “expressive soul.” From her early days sporting green, knee-high stockings and a pink dress on the playground to developing her personalized approach to management consulting, Owodunni feels most at home when she can joyfully inspire others to embrace their authentic selves.
In 2020, while Owodunni was leveraging her relationships and audit and compliance background to build her Minneapolis–based management consulting firm, Corporate Carpentry, she also launched a lifestyle blog, called “The Plant Penthouse.”
What started as a place to showcase a love of interior styling and plant care soon evolved into opportunities for broader reach and deeper connection, an intention Owodunni built into the name of her business. “The definition of a penthouse has broadened,” says Owodunni. “It doesn’t necessarily mean space on the top floor of a building. A penthouse can be anywhere you can use unique style choices to create a different level of extravagance.”
As her posts amassed followers and ignited community engagement, Owodunni began to expand her brand as a “plant concierge,” providing styling recommendations, guided plant shopping, and full interior styling, as well as personalized scouting, shopping, and staging. You can find her space and ideas in features on major local and national media outlets, including Apartment Therapy, Artful Living, HGTV, Midwest Home, and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
Owodunni is living out unapologetic self-expression by intentionally growing The Plant Penthouse in a way that lets her stay authentically connected to her community while staying true to herself. After multiple requests to host photo shoots in her apartment, Owodunni decided to open a separate Plant Penthouse space in a commercial studio in Northeast Minneapolis. She looks forward to using The Plant Penthouse II to host clients, deliver plant and styling workshops, and bring new ideas to life.
“I’m excited to see where this idea will go as a brand that is bigger than me,” says Owodunni. “The real joy is building and sustaining the intentional relationships that allow us to grow together.”
When Alexandra Starr, ’08 BSB, saw contestants on The Bachelorette slinging paint together as part of a creative date, she knew it was something she wanted to try.
“I thought, ‘That looks like a lot of fun! Why can’t I do that?’” says Starr. But as she looked for a venue where she and her husband, Steve Knier, ’08 BSB, could go, her search came up empty. Instead of seeing a dead end, Starr saw a blank canvas.
“What if there was a place you could go to create art without purchasing all the materials and dealing with the mess?” says Starr. “When you see people making cool abstract pieces on TikTok with different materials and techniques, I think a lot of us would like to try it for ourselves. We just might want a little help.”
Starr, who has two small children and was working full-time, sat on the idea for three months before telling her husband she wanted to do it. “There was something inside me telling me, ‘You’ve got to do this,’” says Starr. “I knew if I died tomorrow, I would have wished I started Mess Hall.”
A friend with an art background agreed to run the day-to-day operations, so Starr started looking for a space. Many people would see signing a lease during the height of the pandemic as overwhelming, but Starr shone. “The business and accounting sides have set me up for success,” says Starr. “Our strengths in taxes, accounting, and finance have allowed us to see growth opportunities we might have missed.”
Mess Hall officially opened in October 2021 in Hopkins, Minn., with guided art experiences and messy activities for all ages and occasions. Starr says the bestselling packages are for kids, but she loves when adults come in to create as part of a networking group or teambuilding exercise. “It’s fun to see another side of people in what they create and share,” says Starr. “It can be hard for adults to step out of their comfort zones and play. They want to replicate something they’ve seen or be told what to do. But the magic is in the mess of finding your creativity.”
The Sioux Falls Canaries
When Brian Slipka, ’00 BSB, and Anthony Albanese, ’01 BSB, met during first-year orientation at the Carlson School, they quickly became lifelong friends. The ambitious undergraduates became roommates and even discussed—somewhat in jest—buying a baseball team together way back when. Although the two eventually went their separate ways, their paths stayed connected. And 24 years later, Slipka and Albanese had the opportunity to revisit their dream of owning a minor league baseball team from a new shared perspective.
After graduation, Albanese left the Twin Cities for Chicago, building a successful career in brand marketing before starting the fast-growing men’s grooming company, Duke Cannon Supply Co. Slipka stayed in Minnesota, holding several high-profile sales and leadership positions in professional services and technology while investing in a portfolio of 20 independent operating companies he now has a controlling interest in under North Equity Partners.
In addition to achieving business success, both Carlson School graduates became community leaders and philanthropists. Part of Albanese’s mission is to support U.S. veterans, and a portion of Duke Cannon’s proceeds supports causes like Operation Homefront and the Honor Flight Network. Slipka and his wife, Megan, founded the Slipka Foundation, a nonprofit committed to character in leadership and community stewardship, where they have endowed numerous scholarships and community projects.
When Slipka and Albanese reunited in November of 2020, and the topic of owning a baseball team resurfaced, they weren’t looking for another pastime or business venture. The friends and former classmates wanted to unite to make a difference. In March of 2021, after a cross-country search for the right team and community to partner with, Slipka and Albanese became co-owners of the Sioux Falls Canaries, a minor league team in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the city where Slipka was born.
For the past year and a half, Slipka and Albanese have been rebuilding the team’s culture by meeting with community leaders, donating to charities, and establishing recurring events like Faith and Family Nights and Daycare Days. There have been plenty of opportunities for fun, with game promotions such as Seinfeld bobbleheads and Big Lebowski Night.
Still, Slipka says the most enjoyable part of team ownership is the community: “Transforming this team into a powerful force for good in the community is an opportunity and a blessing that goes beyond baseball.”
This article appeared in the Fall 2022 alumni magazine
Transitions present a time for celebration and reflection.
The Carlson School looks at past and present initiatives with an eye toward the future.


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It's the biggest advertising campaign in the brand's history, complete with the biggest stars of sport and pop: David Beckham, Katy Perry, Lionel Messi and NBA star Derrick Rose.
BY Melissa Whitworth | 16 March 2011
Adidas launched their biggest advertising campaign today, starring David Beckham, Katy Perry, Lionel Messi and NBA star Derrick Rose.
Under the strictest of embargoes, the company released a four-second teaser of the video to accompany the global advertisement, a spot so fast it could induce an epileptic fit.
It's called the " all Adidas " campaign because, says the company, it "show that when you love the game, whatever the game you put your all into it."
The soundtrack for the commercial is by Justice although the album it's taken from, 'Civilisation', isn't released until April 4, adding to the hype.
Director Romain Gavras, who has shot music videos for M.I.A, has created a 30 and 60 second version of the ad for television and cinema. Online, Adidas will launch a two-minute version where fans can then interact via Facebook and Twitter, and the company is exploiting social media to the max by giving away Katy Perry concert tickets and a new range of trainers.
" All Adidas is the biggest campaign we have ever executed," says Erich Stamminger, member of the Executive Board responsible for Global Brands. "Its creative concept brings together the diversity of the brand under one strong roof. From the court to the catwalk, the stadium to the street, we are giving an authentic statement with credibility that only Adidas has."
However, at the time of press, Adidas wouldn't release a single image of the biggest star of their campaign: David Beckham. So it's hard to judge having not seen "all" of it yet.


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The prices of 18 staple vegetables rose 62.4 percent in China in the first 10 days of November from a year earlier, said a senior official with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) in Haikou, capital of South China's Hainan province.
The average wholesale price of the 18 staple vegetable prices in 36 major cities stood at 3.9 yuan ($0.58) per kilogram in the same period, up 11.3 percent from the beginning of the year, said Wang Bingnan, director of the MOC's Market Operation Department, at a meeting to discuss vegetable supply for this winter and next spring.
The MOC press department confirmed the figures with Xinhua Monday.
Price hikes in North China were higher than those in South China, Wang said.
Several factors contributed to the rises, Wang said.
Abnormal climate events such as spring cold and flooding had cut vegetable output. Increasing costs for oil, pesticides, transport and labor had also contributed to price hikes, Wang said.
Speculation had pushed up prices for produce like garlic and ginger since September last year along with increasing prices of international agricultural commodities.
The wholesale prices of garlic rose 95.8 percent and ginger 89.5 percent in 36 cities in the first 10 days of November year-on-year, Wang said.
The 18 staple vegetables include Chinese cabbages, potatoes and cucumbers.
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This is a problem with the front seatbelts – over 400,000 Swedish owners are covered.
Volvo Cars is now recalling 2.2 million cars worldwide, since a fault associated with the front seat belt fasteners has been detected, reports Swedens radio. 412,000 car owners in Sweden are affected, and will be contacted by letter.
This is the steel wire in which the seat belts are fastened, which in some cases may be subject to wear.
The cars in question are Volvo S60, S60L, S60CC, V60, V60CC, XC60, V70, XC70, S80 and S80L made 2006-2019. But according to Volvo Cars press spokesman Stefan Elfström, you can continue to use your car as usual.
– With the information and instructions we give the customers, we say that you can continue to use the car until the action, says Stefan Elfström to Ekot.


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Return of the neighborhood hardware store
Subscriber? Log in for full article. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe to read all articles (print + online delivery) about how to implement better cities and towns. Or, get the July-August 2012 issue (instant pdf download).
In 2003, in Washington’s Logan Circle, Gina Schaefer opened what she believes was the first new neighborhood-scale hardware store in the nation’s capital in 20 years. Since then, she’s opened six more in other Washington neighborhoods, in suburban Takoma Park, Maryland, and in Baltimore—all affiliated with the Ace Hardware national co-op.
Another Washingtonian, Anne Stom, opened Annie’s Ace Hardware last February in Petworth, a District of Columbia neighborhood where in recent years there’s been housing construction near a Metro station, along with homebuyers fixing up older detached dwellings and rowhouses.
The neighborhood-scale hardware store isn’t dead after all; it was just waiting to be revived. “People flocked to big-boxes for a while,” says Stom, but “I think it’s occurring to them that what they gave up was a personal connection to the store and the people in the store, and the knowledge base.”
A neighborhood hardware store is easier to get to than a big box, Stom says, and it’s likely to be staffed by “someone who’s lived in one of these old houses for 20 years” and knows what’s needed. Stom’s store has about 6,000 sq. ft. of retail space, plus another 1,000 sq. ft. for its office and glass-cutting/window screen


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The mandatory use of a mask in stores up to 200 square meters with an open door to the street is one of the conditions, while in hairdressers and similar businesses, services are to be made by appointment.
In closed spaces, the maximum capacity is five people per 100 square meters.
The departments of finance and conservatories also open, among other public services, with prior appointment and mandatory use of a mask.
Today, the libraries will also reopen and there will be the possibility of practicing individual outdoor sports.
Bookshops, regardless of their area, can also open to the public, as part of the return to local commerce, as well as gardens and outdoor spaces for museums, palaces and monuments.
The presence of family members at funerals is also now possible.
The use of masks or visors in public transport and supermarkets has been mandatory since Sunday, a protective measure that also extends to educational establishments and daycare centres, when they reopen, for teaching and non-teaching staff and students over 6 years old.
Any news about when dentists will be resuming ?.
By Dave from Algarve on 04 May 2020, 21:22


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Business and political leaders say a slight cooling in China's economy should not harm New Zealand, despite China being this country's second biggest trading partner.
Growth in the Chinese economy slowed from an annual rate of 11.9% to 10.3% in the year to June.
Beijing has been scaling back massive stimulus spending and trying to rein in soaring property prices.
New Zealand's Trade Minister, Tim Groser, says China's attack on inflation will make its growth more sustainable, and that's what New Zealand wants from a major trading partner.
The head of the China New Zealand Trade Association says the growth rate is a correction for the Chinese economy, rather than a faltering.


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In an industry not often noted for innovation, COVID-19 has proven that insurers can rapidly innovate to help businesses and consumers manage risks and protect against losses. For example, insurers quickly added benefits for COVID-19 critical illnesses and waived member cost sharing for diagnostic testing related to COVID-19. In addition to COVID-19, other significant changes, such as technological advances and healthcare reform, have fostered innovation in life and health insurance products.
Innovative products and services enable insurers to respond to client needs in new ways that competitors have not considered or been able to provide. However, innovation may be viewed as disruptive in the heavily regulated insurance industry, and regulators charged with protecting consumers might be concerned with ideas that are untested. Even when regulators are convinced that an innovative insurance product or service would greatly benefit a consumer population, they might be constrained by regulatory limitations.


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THE SPRING OF 2003. Apple was still in the early stages of what became one of the biggest comebacks in the history of business. Steve Jobs, who had returned to the company six years earlier, had already taken bold steps: He had killed off product lines, won Apple great attention with its colorful iMacs, and begun to open retail stores that -- given the lousy, post-tech bubble economy -- seemed like a crazy idea.
Yet sales of personal computers -- and the Mac was Apple's mainstay product -- weren't budging. It was a Windows world, and it sure … Read more


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The brand-new Facebook advertisements can just run as soon as an audience has actually viewed a clip for at least 20 seconds. And they can likewise just appear in videos that run for a minimum of 90 seconds. To puts it simply, Facebook is informing publishers that in order to generate income, they have to make clips that go on for a while and keep users’ attention.
Facebook started moving strongly to reveal videos to its users a few years earlier, and by 2016 stated those users were enjoying 100 million hours each day. Unlike practically everybody else in the advertisement organisation, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has actually prohibited “pre-roll” video advertisements, which run prior to a clip begins.
Facebook has actually likewise attempted other experiments to develop marketing chances for publishers. In 2015, it developed a different video area and enabled some publishers to share profits from standalone video advertisements it ran there. In 2015, it likewise started evaluating mid-roll advertisements in live videos.
Facebook wishes to reveal more advertisements to individuals who view its videos and begin generating income for individuals who provide it with those videos.
If the brand-new advertisements remove, they might represent the very first opportunity lots of video publishers have actually needed to materialise loan from the things they’ve been working on Facebook.
Market sources state the social media network is going to begin evaluating a brand-new “mid-roll” advertisement format, which will offer video publishers the opportunity to place advertisements into their clips after individuals have actually seen them for a minimum of 20 seconds.
A Facebook associate decreased to comment. Last fall, Facebook VP Dan Rose, who runs the business’s material operations, informed Poynter that he anticipated talking about broadening the mid-roll advertisements it was attempting in live videos to more video formats “early next year.”
That suggests that a lot of publishers have actually seen little or no advertisement profits from the clips they reveal on Facebook, although numerous are investing substantial resources aiming to develop a video existence there. That position has actually likewise dissuaded some Facebook publishers, like sports leagues, from putting important material on the network.
The strategy Facebook is attempting now might have the most significant effect, given that it consists of all type of videos throughout the network– most crucially in the News Feed, its main circulation system.
In 2015, Facebook began enabling publishers to produce videos sponsored by marketers, which has actually permitted some publishers– most significantly Buzzfeed’s Tasty system– to create considerable advertisement dollars. Sources state that choice followed BuzzFeed executives grumbled to Facebook executives that they weren’t making adequate cash from a Facebook video.
In the meantime, Facebook will offer the advertisements and share the profits with publishers, providing 55 percent of all sales. That’s the exact same split provided by YouTube, which controls the online video advertisement company.
Up previously, Facebook has actually specified a “video view” as at any time a user sees a clip for a minimum of 3 seconds. That’s given debate in the media company, specifically given that Facebook instantly plays videos when they appear in users’ feeds.
The specifications of the brand-new advertisements likewise recommend that Facebook is putting more value on the time individuals invest enjoying videos, instead of the overall variety of videos they enjoy.


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Microsoft Corp. Tuesday announced it had wrapped up work on Windows Vista Service Pack 2, but said it could be months before users get their hands on the upgrade to the problem-plagued operating system.
Microsoft Corp. Tuesday quietly launched the release candidate of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) to the general public, making good on a promise from last week.
Microsoft announced it has wrapped up a near-final version of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2), and has posted it to a pair of subscriber-only services for download.
Microsoft has wrapped up work on a release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 2, according to reports on the Web, corroborating a schedule disclosed last month that slated final delivery of SP2 by mid-May.
Microsoft has delayed Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) by at least a month, and will now ship it to manufacturing sometime in May or June, according to a Web site that has accurately predicted Windows release dates in the past.
Friday morning I installed Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta onto an HP notebook I am using for my testing. We'll post some more hands-on coverage of SP2, but for now here are some of my first impressions while installing Service Pack 2 Beta.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


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- Amazon Go may not be the future of retail because of the cost and complexity of its proprietary technology, according to consultants with Oliver Wyman. The consultants also argue that the grocery format doesn't save enough or generate sufficient new revenue to covers its cost, and that many customers don't like the futuristic experience it offers.
- "Amazon has already benefited from the industry buzz around its concept store, which could very well set customer expectations for the in-store experience of the future," the consultants write in Harvard Business Review. "But other retailers will most likely find the initial costs too high and benefits too uncertain to immediately follow in Amazon’s footsteps."
- Others believe the concept is the very definition of disruption and, though a major rollout is unlikely anytime soon, Amazon Go offers time-saving solutions consumers want. Other retailers, including Walmart, are testing cashier-free technology, including mobile product scanning.
In an increasingly tech-dependent world, Amazon Go seems like a big win. Because the new retail format offers convenience and time-saving solutions, tech savvy consumers, major publications and investors alike heralded the opening.
Despite the early excitement, though, a few consultants at Oliver Wyman remain skeptical, writing in the Harvard Business Journal that “retailers shouldn’t rush to rip out their registers just yet." They noted several high-fanfare technologies that have whipped up industry and consumer excitement in the past, but have fallen short of expectations. This includes radio-frequency identification (RFID), electronic shelf labels and even self-checkout.
No doubt, RFID has failed to live up to expectations, but self-checkouts have become a mainstay in grocery stores over the years — even if research shows they don't live up to the promise of a faster experience. Electronic shelf labels, meanwhile, could see adoption accelerate with the rollout of Kroger Edge in numerous stores this year.
Amazon has failed before — note the Fire Phone in 2014, the Amazon Webstore, Amazon Destinations, WebPay, PayPhrase, Askville, Amazon Auction and “a very brief range of premium diapers,” according to Retail Gazette. But the concept of quick and frictionless shopping seems to be here to stay. Walmart's startup incubator, Store No. 8, is developing a technology-heavy Amazon Go-like store that uses computer vision and cashier-free checkout. Kroger’s new “Scan, Bag, Go” technology allows customers to scan and pay for products while they shop, and will roll out to 400 stores this year.
Indeed, Amazon Go seems to be the most advanced solution yet to a prominent consumer demand. The main issue, then, as the Wyman consultants note, is whether that technology is scalable and attainable for other retailers.
Brendan Witcher, an analyst with Forrester Research, told USA Today that the technology likely wouldn't translate to large, full-service supermarkets — at least not in the near future. As Amazon itself has noted, the current technology is meant for small-format stores. Still, Witcher calls Amazon Go the very definition of disruption, comparing it to Netflix replacing Blockbuster and Uber replacing taxi cabs. If it isn't the future of retail front ends, it will likely inspire better, more cost-effective models that could become widely available to grocers and ultimately, consumers.


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Chewy Inc., the with out warning growing online vendor feeding on the “pet humanization” pattern, goes public.
The corporate, which used to be launched in 2011, boasts that it’s the biggest “pure-play pet e-tailer” within the U.S., with a expedient desire of more than 1,600 manufacturers and the shipping of more than 100 million orders since inception. Chewy operates as an honest subsidiary of PetSmart Inc., which obtained Chewy.com in Can also simply 2017.
Chewy’s mission is to be the “most trusted and convenient online vacation situation for pet fogeys all over.” The thought since its launch has been to bring the simplest of the neighborhood pet store buying abilities to a increased viewers, while asserting a buyer- and pet-centric culture.
“At Chewy, we like pets and pet fogeys. We detect pets as family and are interested in serving pet fogeys by meeting all of their needs and exceeding expectations through every interaction,” constant with the company’s mission assertion.
There’s a motive Chewy loves pet fogeys: The assortment of them retains growing, and as well they’re inclined to use more, the longer they’ve their pets. And most of the cash they use is computerized, as a part of the company’s Autoship subscription program.
This week’s S-1 submitting with the Securities and Change Rate doesn’t present exiguous print on what number of shares Chewy’s plans to present to the public, or expectations for pricing and market valuation or what alternate it plans to list its frequent inventory.
However the company did present some exiguous print about the offering:
• The publicly traded inventory’s ticker image is expected to be “CHWY.”
• Chewy plans to make use of the proceeds from the IPO for working capital and frequent corporate suggestions
• The lead underwriters of the offering are Allen & Co., JPMorgan Scuttle & Co., and Morgan Stanley.
Chewy will be defined as a “managed company,” with fresh majority stockholder PetSmart owning an undetermined quantity of inventory, representing an undetermined piece of the inventory prominent.
The corporate has been led by Chief Executive Sumit Singh since March 2018. Extra than proper a pet lover, Singh knows the e-commerce commerce effectively. Before Chewy, Singh used to be director of Amazon.com Inc.’s consumables commerce (Unusual and Pantry) from 2015 to 2017, and used to be frequent supervisor of Amazon’s North American provider provider success and third-occasion companies from 2013 to 2015.
The corporate is having a think to pass public at a time that the alternate-traded Renaissance IPO
has urge up 35% one year to this point, outperforming the S&P 500 index
which has succesful 17% over the the same interval.
Listed below are 5 reasonably a few things to take hold of about Chewy ahead of the IPO:
Chewy is bigger than you watched, and growing very immediate
Despite the reality that the company misplaced money closing one year—it misplaced $267.9 million in fiscal 2018 after losing $338.1 million in 2017—it furthermore raked in a whopping $three.fifty three billion in income, up sixty eight% from 2017.
To set apart apart that figure into viewpoint in opposition to reasonably a few private companies which like impartial not too prolonged ago floated shares publicly, Lyft Inc.
had income of $2.16 billion in 2018, Pinterest Inc.
had income of $755.9 million and Past Meat Inc.
had income of $87.9 million.
And 2018 used to be the principle one year income didn’t more than double, as it grew thirteen-fold in 2012, on the sphere of tripled in 2013 and 2014, and increased 107% in 2015, 113% in 2016 and 133% in 2017.
As effectively as, Chewy had 9,833 fleshy-time workers — or “Chewtopians,” as the company describes its group — as of Feb. three, 2019. Meanwhile, Pinterest, with a fresh market cost of $16.8 billion, had proper 1,797 workers as of Dec. 31, while Lyft, with a market cap of $17.zero billion, said it had 4,680 fleshy-time workers as of Dec. 31. Past Meat, with a market cap of $three.4 billion, had proper 383 fleshy-time workers as of March 30.
Dual-class construction, so no S&P 500 inclusion
The everyday inventory can like a twin-class construction. Class A shares will be equipped to the public, and lift one vote, while Class B shareholders will be entitled to 10 votes.
The Class B frequent inventory will be convertible at any time into one piece of class A inventory.
The twin-class construction system Chewy can’t be included within the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400
the S&P SmallCap 600
or the Russell 2000
indexes, since these indexes exclude companies with a lot of classes of shares.
There is an exception to that rule, given turnover and liquidity concerns, however that S&P Dow Jones Indices reserved that for Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
There are risks connected with the dearth of inclusion in these indexes, as it system funding funds that strive to trace the indexes obtained’t make investments in Chewy shares. So there is a possibility that exclusion from main market indexes makes its inventory less elegant than of us who’re included.
Lyft and Pinterest furthermore like twin-class constructions, however the vote casting ratio between their Class B and class A shares is 20-to-1.
‘Excessive-contact’ provider is key for the e-tailer
Because one of Chewy’s missions to present “customized, high-contact buyer provider to every buyer, each day and in every interaction,” the company needs inventory pickle to ship merchandise mercurial and buyer-provider centers. The corporate for the time being has seven success centers all over seven states, three buyer-provider centers and two co-headquarters, in Florida and Boston.
“Our strategic placement of seven success centers all around the US permits us to cost-effectively ship to approximately eighty% of the U.S. inhabitants in a single day and 100% in two days,” the company said in its S-1.
The corporate believes this consideration to provider helps boost buyer loyalty and spending over time.
“Our customers use more on moderate the longer they continue to be entertaining, growing their total spending with us after the principle one year from their preliminary justify,” Chewy said. “Possibilities who remain entertaining on our situation use an moderate of three to four cases as mighty of their third one year as they did of their first one year, and total to find sales all over all customers in that cohort amplify over time, reaching approximately 1.5X their first-one year sales.”
Uncover sales per entertaining buyer used to be $334 in 2018, up 7.7% from $310 in 2017, which used to be 4.4% more than $297 in 2016.
And as proof of a high buyer-retention charge, the company said in 2018, it accomplished a hundred twenty% of sales from the gift buyer snide from the prior one year.
Of us are spending more on pets, and for a in point of fact prolonged time
Chewy said it believes it’s a long way effectively positioned to reap the advantages of continued growth within the “extremely elegant” pet commerce. One motive the pet market is sublime is growth has continued unabated, even throughout the closing recession from 2008 to 2010.
Gross sales of merchandise and services and products reached $70 billion in 2017, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth charge (CAGR) of 4.2% to 2022, constant with Packaged Info recordsdata.
But Chewy can grow even sooner than that, as the e-commerce piece of the pet food and affords market is projected to grow to 25% to 2022 from 14% in 2017.
Serving to to present a opt to sales growth is a rising assortment of households with pets, which climbed to eighty five million as of the conclude of 2016 from seventy three million in 2010, constant with the American Pet Merchandise Affiliation (APPA). The expansion spans generations, as the proportion of young adults, ages 18 to 24, that like pets has grown to fifty three% in 2017 from 44% in 2010, constant with Packaged Info.
Chewy said it believes the “pet humanization” pattern is what’s riding the increased spending per pet. There are three areas the company believes the pattern manifests itself:
• Premium consumables: Pet fogeys are changing into more taking into consideration pet effectively being, as about seventy five% of pet product traders in 2018 were willing to pay more for more healthy pet food merchandise, constant with Packaged Info.
• Health care: When interested in huge clinical charges, about 25% of dog and cat owners said they would prioritize their pets over themselves and one other 25% weren’t particular who they would prioritize, constant with the APPA look. And about seventy five% of dog owners and more than half of of cat owners gave their pets remedy in 2016.
• Providers and products: Annual spending on nonmedical pet services and products, corresponding to grooming, boarding, sitting, walking and coaching, grew to $131 in 2017 from $one zero five in 2013, constant with Packaged Info.
Most of Chewy’s sales come from subscriptions, and that’s growing
One other elegant sing of the pet-merchandise market is that it’s a long way effectively matched to recurring income through subscription sales, as evidenced by the gigantic soar in Chewy’s Autoship subscription program, which presents computerized ordering, cost and shipping of merchandise. Autoship buyer sales jumped to $2.three billion in 2018, representing Sixty six% of total sales, from $1.three billion, or which present, like increased to Sixty six% of to find sales in 2018 $2.three billion, or sixty two% of total sales in 2017.
The corporate believes greater recurring sales like helped to power growing lifetime cost (LTV) of its customers. And Chewy said its customers like longer LTV than most e-commerce web sites, helped by the length of pet possession.
LTV is calculated as the cumulative contribution profit over a interval of a explicit “cohort” divided by the assortment of latest customers obtained at some stage in that interval. A cohort is the assortment of latest customers obtained at some stage in a given interval.
The frequent length of dog and cat possession is roughly 18 years, Chewy said, citing an APPA look. The look furthermore showed that simplest 16% of contemporary pet owners wouldn’t salvage one other pet if the brand new pet died.


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A little while ago we shared news on Brawlout, a title by Angry Mob Games that isn't hesitant to affirm itself as an Indie take on the Smash Bros. style of brawling. Similar techniques are cited as key to gameplay, and you use assorted - in some cases familiar - indie characters to bash others off the screen.
Back in August it was confirmed to be due this year, and the developer has hit that target - it'll land on Switch on 19th December globally (includes Europe, North America and Japan, for example). Check out the launch trailer below.
It certainly looks enticing, and previous details around what it has to offer suggest quite a lot of modes, along with flexibility in local and online multiplayer. It costs £14.99 as an early access release in the UK on Steam, for example, and has 'Mostly Positive' reviews on the PC platform.
We're looking forward to testing this out - is it the Indie Smash Bros. alternative we've all been waiting for?


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3 Mins Read
New European rules could spell the end of the throwaway culture where products are constantly bought and binned, fuelling the global climate crisis and mounting waste problem. The regulations, announced by the European Commission, will apply to a range of items such as smartphones, clothing, electronics and packaging.
The European Commission has just announced a plan to require manufacturers to make products that last longer, and are easier to repair and reuse instead of thrown away. The regulations, due to take effect by 2021, are an attempt to fight the throwaway convenience culture that has driven up greenhouse gas emissions, resource extraction, waste and pollution.
Known as the Circular Economy Action Plan, it will require manufacturers of smartphones, tablets, laptops and other electronics to incorporate more repairable and replaceable parts in their products. Phones should therefore be designed to last longer, and sections such as display screens and batteries need to have replacements. Products that currently use glue to hold parts in place will likely have to switch to using screws.
These standards already exist for a number of other products manufactured within the EU, such as dishwashers, televisions and laundry machines. Extending these rules will help to fight what is known as “premature obsolescence,” whereby companies intentionally make goods with a lower lifespan to force consumers to buy a new model.
Current rates of unsustainable extraction of resources to produce and consume products that quickly get thrown away is wreaking havoc on the planet and fuelling the climate crisis. According to EU experts, global consumption of biomass, fossil fuels, metals and minerals is predicted to double within the next 40 years.
As a direct consequence of resource extraction, processing and wastage, our throwaway culture of consumption will contribute over 50% of total greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress.
The proposal comes as the global movement called the “right to repair” is gaining traction, a campaign advocating for the right for consumers to fix the electronics and other items they own. Major manufacturers tend to have monopolies over repair parts, which often means that the option to fix a broken item is expensive or only available at the brand’s authorised agents.
Commenting on the Commission’s goal to make more environmentally-friendly products the norm, green organisation European Environmental Bureau (EBB) said that the strategy is a “one-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way we manufacture, use and dispose of our products in a way that benefits people and the planet.”
Aside from electronics and other consumer goods, the proposal will also cover targets to reduce food waste and end the over-packaging of food products contributing to plastic pollution. Typical plastic packaging found in commercial products and condiment sachets tend to be flimsy and mixed with other materials such as foil, and are considered low-value plastics because they are near impossible to recycle, contributing to the bulk of landfilled waste.
Although the measures will need to be agreed by EU member states and MEPs before they come into effect, they are likely to be approved given the pressure from increasingly eco-conscious citizens. According to a Eurobarometer survey, 94% of citizens across EU member states say that environmental protection is important to them, and 91% stated that climate change is a serious problem.
Similar policies would be impactful in other regions outside of the EU, especially in Asia, where rapid development and rise in population will balloon demand for the planet’s resources. By 2050, Asia’s population is projected to reach 2.3 billion, making it crucial for urgent action to be taken to shift towards a more sustainable circular economy.
Lead image courtesy of Sascha Schuermann / Getty Images Europe.


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With its patented processed sugarcane beverage, the food and beverages startup Nutricane Beverages is planning to have a presence at nearly 10,000 retail outlets in India.
The company, which last week started rolling out its range of products, is planning to be present in states, including NCR, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan in the first phase.
It also aims to have 3 per cent market share in the beverages segment in India by the next three years.
Founded by Sachin Goel and Dipin Kapur, the startup claims to have 80 per cent original juice in the drink without any preservative and is betting on the millennials for its sales.
As per the retail strategy, Nutricane plans to put up the product at all modern trade and other retail outlets, hotels and restaurants.
The target is to be present in about 10,000 retail touch-points in one year through 400 distributors.
|FSSAI joins hand with IGNOU to provide food safety training and certification courses|
|RP-SG aims Rs 1k Cr revenue from its food product|
|FSSAI now puts a scanner on coveted education institutes of the country|
|Marico planning to develop brands for online platform|
|Reproduction in whole or in part in
any form or medium without
written permission is prohibited..


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RECENT BIG WINNERS ON THE FORTUNE LOUNGE WINNERS WALL
Published: August 20, 2016
While playing at the Fortune Lounge casinos over the past week or so, several lucky Canadian players have managed to win big, collectively netting hundreds of thousands of dollars. We decided to pick just a few of the big wins that recently occurred at top Canadian online casinos such as Royal Vegas Casino, Platinum Play Casino, Vegas Palms Casino, 7 Sultans Casino, Red Flush Casino, Euro Palace Casino and Casino La Vida.
There was player B.D. who ended up winning CA$9,822.00 from the Agent Jane Blonde slot machine. While playing on the Break da Bank Again slot machine, player Y.J. won a total of CA$18,835.00 and player K.S. won a cool CA$19,602.00 from a relatively new online slot machine called Pretty Kitty.
There was also player M.A. who won a total of CA$20,810.00 from the High Society slot machine and player M.T. who ended up winning a tidy CA$48,360.00 from another brand new online slot called Bar Bar Black Sheep. Finally, one of the biggest Canadian winners in recent times was player T.P who ended up winning an incredible CA$219,820.00 from the Burning Desire slot machine.
To find out more about the very latest Canadian winners, simply click on the Winners Wall button when you visit any of the top-rated Canadian online casinos that were mentioned above. All of these eCOGRA approved online casinos are fully licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, they are all eCOGRA approved and they are all free to sign up to.
You can play at these casinos from within Microgaming’s state of the art download client which is packed with more than 800 individual games and comes with built in support, or you can play instantly in your web browser without the need to install any software onto your computer. All of these Canadian friendly online casinos are also now available on mobile as well.
Head over to any of these fully licensed online casinos today and remember to take advantage of the new player welcome bonus that you are entitled to when you deposit for the very first time. Some of these online casinos are offering each new player more than CA$1,000 in free bonus cash, plus there are free spins for selected online slots that can also be claimed.
If you do visit any of these highly recommended online casinos, be sure to keep an eye out for blockbuster titles such as Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, The Dark Knight, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Bridesmaids, Jurassic Park and Terminator 2.
Added: September 14, 2021


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Microsoft has rolled out a new version of its OneDrive app for Windows Phone, introducing an updated user interface, and - at long last - integrated support for OneDrive for Business.
Hands On with Microsoft's new Comfort Headset
microsoft comfort headset
Windows 10 for phones news
Windows 10 for phones
All the latest on Windows 10
Windows 10 promo
Microsoft updates the Band
Hands On with Microsoft's wireless charging pad, the DT-903
Is Denim available to you yet?
Onedrive for business
Microsoft has stated that it is pulling another update from its Patch Tuesday release that was designed to update OneDrive for Business but has not stated why the update was pulled.
Microsoft has updated the web experience for OneDrive for Business users, adding in features such as Simple Controls for faster and better access to files and more.
Microsoft has announced it has increased the amoung of storage space for OneDrive For Business from 25GB to 1TB per user, along with offering the same amount of space for Office 365 ProPlus customers.
Microsoft has announced plans to add some major new features later in 2014 for its free Outlook Web App in Office 365, including a way to quickly get rid of unimportant emails.
Microsoft has announced that it has increased the amount of cloud storage that each SharePoint Online OneDrive for Business user can have from a maximum of 100GB to 1TB.
Microsoft has announced that starting April 1st it will offer companies a way to access OneDrive for Business (formerly SkyDrive Pro) as a stand alone service in addition to access via Office 365.
Microsoft has now launched its OneDrive for Business apps, formerly known as SkyDrive Pro, for iOS and Windows 8.1 platforms, made for subscribers to the business versions of Office 365.


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Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) will launch a nationwide Voice over LTE service in early 2013, according to a report in Light Reading. Previously, Verizon executives had said the carrier would launch VoLTE in 2012.
The report, which cited unnamed sources, as well as Catharine Trebnick, a vice president at Northland Capital Markets, said that Verizon is testing VoLTE in two markets but will not conduct a nationwide rollout until early next year. The report noted, however, that Verizon could still launch VoLTE service this year before expanding it nationwide early next year.
Verizon spokeswoman Debi Lewis told FierceWireless the company continues "to work on VoLTE and its associated services, and will share more on any launch or availability plans in due course." She did not provide any further details.
Last year Verizon executives repeatedly affirmed that the company, which now covers more than 200 million POPs with LTE, would launch VoLTE in 2012. Verizon Communications CTO Tony Melone told FierceWireless in 2011 that that the reason the company is moving from CDMA voice to VoLTE is not driven by cost but because of the benefits that VoLTE offers such as providing enhanced call quality and the ability to conduct a simultaneous voice and data session. VoLTE is an IMS-based take on delivering voice via LTE that was launched by the GSMA at the 2010 Mobile World Congress trade show.
Verizon is not the only carrier moving toward VoLTE. Flat-rate carrier MetroPCS (NASDAQ:PCS) announced in October that it had completed its first VoLTE call using end-to-end commercial equipment. The carrier is still testing the technology and plans to launch VoLTE service in 2012, a spokesman told FierceWireless. MetroPCS CEO Roger Linquist has said that moving to VoLTE will allow the company to refarm its spectrum currently reserved for CDMA services. AT&T Mobility has said it is targeting 2013 for a VoLTE launch.
- see this Light Reading article
Dell'Oro: Infrastructure market grew 15% in Q3, driven by LTE
Verizon says cost is not behind move to VoLTE
VoLTE becoming competitive need for Verizon
Verizon adding VoLTE capability in 2012


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Director General of Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, has revealed that the agency is making effort to review the punishment for those found guilty of importing sub-standard products into Nigeria.
Shortly before the commencement of the South-West leg of the organisation’s Zero Tolerance Campaign in Ibadan on Tuesday, Odumodu said the campaign team would go round the South-West states with the target of getting five million campaigners in the fight against the spread of sub-standard products in the country. He also lamented the light penalty that the law spelt out for those who break the SON order, describing it as a way of aiding crime against humanity.
“The last time that the penalty for offenders was reviewed was 1990. The highest penalty is about N100,000 which is not enough to punish anyone who brings in fake products to Nigeria because such person is endangering the lives of the people,” Odumodu said.
“We are reviewing the punishment now. In the new bill which is before the National Assembly, we are pushing for lengthy jail term for offenders without option of fine. Most of the products involved are live-endangering. What these people are doing is crime against humanity. We are collaborating with all government agencies especially those at the border areas to check influx of these products,” he added.
The DG pointed out that importation of sub-standard products had massive negative impact on the economy, lives of the people and future of the nation’s youths.
“Sub-standard products pose a serious risk to our environment and economy. They dry up our employment reserve and endanger the future of our youths. We have had companies who folded up because we opened our doors and allowed all kinds of sub-standard products into our society to the disadvantage of indigenous companies. We embrace fake foreign products and refuse locally manufactured products. The truth is that many of the products made in Nigeria are better than the ones imported into the country. Most of the products we embrace in Nigeria are made only for export because they will not be accepted in the country where they are produced,” said Odumodu.


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For nearly 20 years, CNET has told the stories of technology and the people behind it with our groundbreaking website. Now we're bringing those stories to you in a new medium--print.
If 2014 was the best of times for TVs, it was also the worst of times. The death of plasma, the birth of OLED. The emergence of 4K. And the dumbing down of smart TV. Join us for a tour, won't you?
Just how much distortion -- and the favored type of distortion, analog or digital -- varies from listener to listener, and that's where the story gets complicated.
The devices we all rely on continue to evolve radically. So why has the battery industry failed? Here's how you can take charge.
Tim Berners-Lee thinks scrubbing false information off the Web is fine, but the truth should be preserved for reasons of free speech and history. Also: the robots are already here.
Looking for tips on safely using your Android phone with your car's stereo? CNET has you covered.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wants to ship goods using unmanned aircraft. Some are skeptical, others nervous, but drones already are improving the way we live.
In his time at Apple, Bill Fernandez helped develop technologies that have shaped modern computing. He also has a keen perspective on what's next.
AV receivers are embarrassingly backward compared with the rest of your home theater gear. Here's how they can get back on track.
Trains in the Netherlands are getting armed with lasers as part of a test to see if they can burn away dangerous material on the tracks, including autumn leaves.
MrSpeakers' new Alpha Prime boasts 3D-printed earcups, radical driver technology and gorgeous sound quality.


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A state of the art service station in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, which was only opened by Topaz four months ago, has won a leading international retailer award.
The Cashel site, at Junction 8 on the M8, was awarded the Insight NACS 2011 International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award at a gala ceremony in London last week attended by delegates from 20 countries.
NACS is the Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailers and represents retailers and suppliers worldwide.
The award is seen as particularly significant because of the quality of those competing and the fact it is voted on by suppliers and industry peers. Topaz beat off stiff competition from a short list which included Morrisons M-local from the UK, LS travel retail from France and Shell/7-Eleven from Norway.
Topaz, the fully Irish owned and managed company only came into existence as a brand in February 2008. The Cashel site is the first of up to 15 motorway sites which the Company plans to build close to the motorway network. Services on offer at the site include a hot food buffet and café, children’s play area, wi-fi internet access, toilets and showers. The site also has a McDonald’s restaurant, which is also a first motorway location for that company.
Eddie O’Brien, Chief Executive of Topaz, said the award was a huge boost for the company generally and Cashel in particular.
‘This is an acknowledgement by our industry peers from across Europe that the range of services on offer at Cashel, transform the customer experience. This site is our template for future sites close to the motorway network and it is extremely encouraging that our ‘first-born’ has won such a prestigious award. Our aim is to provide five star rest and refueling stops for motorists and winning this award re-enforces our belief that we are on the right track. The judges were impressed with our commitment to our customers, our staff and the community as a whole and that was especially pleasing’ O’Brien said.
One of the judges Joe Bona, President Retail Division at CBX a New York based strategic branding company said; ‘Through the integration and use of technology across multiple platforms, from pay at the pump to social media and smart phone apps, Topaz appears to be an innovation leader for the convenience channel’.
Last year Topaz was crowned Irish Retail Company of the Year at the Retail Excellence Ireland Awards in Galway, while in May it was recognised as one of the Best Large Workplaces in Europe.


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Since the HP began offering its TouchPad at the fire sale price of $99 over the weekend, consumers have been scouring stores and websites trying to snag one (or a half-dozen) of the tablets—which sold at retail not long ago for (yikes) $500 apiece. The search for the heavily discounted tablet continues today for many shoppers who so far have been frustrated by the inability to find the item in stock.
Certainly, there are consumers out there who regret paying $500 for the TouchPad. Given the sale, and HP’s decision to stop making WebOS phones and tablets like the TouchPad, it’s also worth asking: Will there be just as many, or more, consumers who soon regret paying even $100 for the tablet?
A new PC Mag post suggests the 10 best things one can do with a freshly bought TouchPad. Among the suggestions are using the tablet as a fancy alarm clock, and for looking up recipes in the kitchen or the names of actors while you watch TV. These are hardly essential functions, which is probably why so few consumers have been willing to plunk down several hundred bucks for the TouchPad. The list should serve mainly as a reminder that tablets—even iPads—are basically expensive toys. Indeed, one of the PC Mag recommendations is that the TouchPad be handed over to a child as “baby’s first tablet”:
I positively cringe when I see people letting their kids play with $500 iPads and $600 iPhones. But a $99 TouchPad? Hit it, kids! There are a few childrens’ books/coloring pages apps out there for the TouchPad, such as Scruffy Kitty ($2.99) and Coloring Book ($1.49), as well as some simple sketching apps, a typewriter app, and of course, the Web browser.
That’s a pretty expensive baby toy—especially because the kid, like so many other consumers, is probably going to be whining for an upgrade before you know it.


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New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher cut the ribbon, last week, for the grand opening of the Red Barn Milk Company, located just north of Hopewell Township in West Amwell. The business, started by Hun-Val Dairy Farm owners Jared and Treacy Weeks, is selling the first Jersey Fresh ice cream and custard, along with other farm products.
“The Red Barn Milk Company has a great vision for what can be accomplished using Jersey Fresh products,” Secretary Fisher said. “Hun-Val Dairy Farm has produced Jersey Fresh milk for the past two years and it’s great to see them take this next step by opening the Red Barn Milk Company and serving the first Jersey Fresh ice cream as well as other menu items.”
Jared Weeks started milking cows on farms while a teenager and eventually started his own dairy farm after graduating from North Hunterdon High School. He first rented a barn that had 12 milk cows and now has built his total to about 160 cows, including new born calves as the herd is split between Holsteins and Brown Swiss. Weeks has the capacity to milk 50 cows at a time at Hun-Val. The ice cream is not the Weeks’ first venture into Jersey Fresh dairy products. They also introduced Jersey Fresh milk in 2015.
“To have the first ice cream with the Jersey Fresh label on it means a lot to us,” Jared Weeks said. “We are proud of what we have been able to do with our dairy farm and our products. This is a big day for us and we hope the Red Barn Milk Company will become a trusted fixture in our community.”
Along with Jersey Fresh ice cream, which will be available in hard pack and soft serve, the Red Barn Milk Company will also feature a traditional menu that will include meat products such as hamburger and hot dogs from Double Brook Farms in Hopewell, owned by Robin and Jon McConaughy.
The Red Barn Milk Company is located on Route 31 in West Amwell and is open Wednesday-Sunday.
To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA1 and @JerseyFreshNJDA.
If you rely on MercerMe for your local news, please support us.
To keep the news coming, we rely on support from subscribers and advertising partners. Hyperlocal, independent, and digital — MercerMe has been providing Hopewell Valley its news since 2013. Subscribe today.


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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy replaced top officials at the state’s veterans affairs agency on Friday, less than two weeks after a Wall Street Journal investigation showed deadly lapses at one of its facilities amid a Covid-19 outbreak.
Gov. Murphy’s announcement said that effective immediately, the top Department of Military and Veterans Affairs official, Maj. Gen. Jemal Beale, would be replaced by a deputy at the agency. He said a new interim administrator would be appointed at the agency’s Menlo Park Veterans Memorial home, the focus of the Journal report, and at a second home the agency runs in Paramus, N.J.
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Marketing spending as a level of income was correspondingly affected by the shockwaves of the pandemic.
This number will in general change, yet for the most part drifts between 6.5% to 10%. The February 2020 pre-COVID CMO overview showed an expected 8.6% of income for the normal showcasing spend, with B2C item organizations committing 11.9% of income to advertise, and B2B administration organizations spending just 4.8% of income.
With the June 2020 study, that 8.6% normal promoting spend as a level of firm financial plan had ascended to an astounding 11.4%.
For what reason does promoting seem to have been given a high need? As by and large firm financial plans and incomes fell in numerous areas, promoting financial plans regularly still rose, mirroring the emphasis on keeping up brand mindfulness and holding clients.
The outline underneath, from a CMO Survey in a previous year, shows how much advertising spending as a percent of all our income can change by industry.


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Real Madrid attacker Brahim Diaz has signed a lucrative, long-term deal with Adidas after leaving Nike. The Spanish attacker had been a Nike athlete for the last 14 years and while no numbers of this sponsorship agreement have been disclosed, several reports from Spain indicate that Brahim has been rewarded with a “big contract.”
Diaz had spent the last 14 years with Nike, who wanted to retain him in the brand before Adidas sent Brahim a better offer.
Brahim’s reputation in world football has been increasing very rapidly for the last few months as he has established himself as a very relevant player in the Spanish capital. He had already showed his potential during his years in Italy, but making his return to Madrid has taken his career to new places.
Diaz will make his debut wearing Adidas boots when Real Madrid host Girona in a crucial game this Saturday.


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Key dates to help you with your finances this autumn
Starting from today, investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown has highlighted the important dates to keep an eye on this autumn to help you to manage your finances.
More than a million families on tax credits will get their first cost-of-living payment from 2 September. There will be a £326 automatic payment into bank accounts, followed by a second payment during the winter.
After the much-followed leadership race between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the new prime minister will be announced on 5 September, providing the nation with much-needed clarity on what to expect in terms of financial support as prices continue to soar.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will announce wage increase data, covering May to July 2022. This is important because it feeds into the “triple lock guarantee” which underpins the rise in state pensions in April. This figure isn’t expected to drive the increase because the inflation figure (measured in September and announced in October) is likely to be higher.
14 September or 21 September
Whether it is Liz Truss, the current favourite, or Rishi Sunak, the new prime minister will be expected to make a financial statement as soon as possible, laying out plans to help with the cost-of-living crisis.
The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee will make its next interest rate announcement. At the moment, a 0.5% rise is widely predicted.
The £150 disability cost-of-living payment will be paid from this date. Anyone who qualifies will receive the money automatically and most will do so by the start of October.
The new UK and London Living Wage rates for 2022-2023 will be announced. This is the voluntary real living wage rather than the government minimum.
This is the last day that the old paper £20 and £50 notes can be used. After this date, you won’t be able to spend them in stores. Shoppers are being encouraged to spend or swap these notes either at a bank or the Post Office.
Other September announcements to keep an eye on
A law in England is expected to be announced at some point in September. It will protect parents from needless school uniform costs for branded items. This law already exists in Scotland. Schools will have until September 2023 to bring the changes in if it means they need to find a new supplier.
Another law is also expected to change in September to allow unmarried parents to claim bereavement benefits.
The 80% rise in the energy price cap will come into force on 1 October, pushing the cost per year for dual fuel for the average household from £1,971 to £3,549.
The same date marks the deadline for whether enough people sign up in support of a ‘Don’t Pay’ protest. If a million people sign up to take part by this point, it will encourage consumers to cancel their energy bill direct debits in protest at energy price rises.
Hargreaves Lansdown notes that anyone who is considering doing this must appreciate that their energy supplier will still pursue the money. Building up debts and not paying them could have a profound impact on your credit rating. The supplier could insist on installing a pre-payment meter, so you can’t use energy without paying for it – and the cost of energy will be even higher as a result.
This is HMRC’s deadline to register for self-assessment tax returns.
September’s inflation figure will be announced on this date. This is used as one of the measures in the triple lock on the state pension, as well as the basis for uprating benefits too. There are concerns that due to the timing it won’t reflect October’s energy price cap hike or any further rises in January and April next year. By the time the inflationary increase kicks in next April, prices could have risen significantly beyond this level.
The deadline for submitting paper tax returns is midnight 31 October. It is worth noting that the deadline for online tax returns, which is by far the most popular route, is midnight 31 January 2023.
Other potential announcements
The Budget is usually scheduled around the end of October. In light of soaring inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, this Budget will be an important one for the incoming prime minister, particularly if they haven’t announced measures to help struggling families before this date.
Another announcement to look out for is the date for second cost-of-living payment for people on universal credit, pension credit and other means-tested benefits, following the first payment in July. The second payment of £324 will be made during the autumn but a date hasn’t been confirmed yet.
This date marks the next interest rate announcement. At the moment the market is expecting another rise, which could be as much as 0.5%.
The energy price cap for January will be announced on 24 November. Bar a resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, it is widely expected to spell more bad news for households.
Black Friday marks a day of supposed ‘deals’ from retailers. While shoppers will no doubt be tempted to look around for bargains, particularly when it comes to big-ticket items, it is worth monitoring prices in the run-up. Previous investigations by the likes of consumer group Which? have revealed that prices of a number of products were in fact cheaper in the six months prior to Black Friday.
Cyber Monday is the online e-commerce equivalent of Black Friday. Once again, shoppers are encouraged to make sure there are genuine deals on offer.
Other November announcements
The cost-of-living payment for pensioners will be rolled up and paid with the winter fuel allowance. This will be paid to anyone over the state pension age in November or December. The total you receive will depend on your age and living circumstances.
Cold Weather payments will also be made from November of this year. In England and Wales, older people and those on specific benefits will get £25 for each seven-day period between November and the end of March that the average temperature outside is below freezing. In Scotland, this has been replaced by a £50 one-off payment to everyone who qualifies in February, regardless of how low the temperature gets.


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DETROIT (Reuters) - Forget the Super Bowl: Ford’s marketing chief Jim Farley says he can get more for less on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
If Farley is right, millions of hits for Ford Motor Company on social media websites will dwarf the impact of ads broadcast during the National Football League’s February championship game -- high-profile space selling for $3 million for 30 seconds.
“Customers are spending as much time with the mobile smart phone or online as they are watching TV now, so our advertising dollars have to flow to where the people are,” Farley told Reuters in an interview.
Under Farley, 48, who joined Ford from Toyota Motor Co in 2007, the No. 2 U.S. automaker has bet bigger on the emerging category of digital advertising including websites and social media than any of its rivals.
Farley has taken the approach credited with the early success of the youth-oriented Scion brand he launched at Toyota and applied it to the makeover of an established auto brand.
He is betting Ford can use Facebook and Twitter to accelerate the word-of-mouth recommendations long familiar to the auto industry and help the blue-oval brand connect with younger and richer people.
Farley said he learned at Scion that the only way to push past consumer skepticism is “to break into their world.”
“You have to shove your way in there. The way we do that is to break down myths. The great thing about Americans is they are always hungry for something new,” he said.
Ford’s U.S. sales are up almost 22 percent so far this year, twice the growth rate of the industry overall.
Farley’s term at Ford has coincided with a sharp turnaround in its image. ALG, a firm that tracks consumer perceptions, said in a report issued on Monday that Ford cars and trucks lead all brands in gains in perceived quality since 2008.
FORD SEEKS FACEBOOK FRIENDS
Farley, who is seen as a potential successor to Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally, called the Super Bowl, “a fantastic advertising opportunity” -- for unknown brands.
“If you are a company that wants to launch a new product that no one has ever seen before, it’s a great venue.”
Under Farley, Ford has spent 25 percent of its advertising budget on digital media in 2010, the same proportion as in 2009. That ratio is twice what J.D. Power and Associates says will be the average digital media spend in 2012.
Farley would not disclose the dollar amount of that spending.
One of the first experiments in Ford’s new approach was its 2009 move to recruit Web-based “agents” who would help promote its launch of the Fiesta subcompact. In a follow-up, Ford used Facebook to reveal key aspects of the Explorer SUV rather than wait for an established auto show.
Now, Ford is seeking “bloggers, social media mavens and Facebook friends” to submit video applications to be one of 100 who will drive the 2012 Focus around southern France or Spain early next year, ahead of the car’s launch.
The effort, called “Ford Focus Global Test Drive” seeks to create buzz ahead of the launch of a vehicle central to Mulally’s vision for a streamlined product lineup.
Farley said that the Fiesta campaign had boosted consumer awareness of the Ford subcompact over direct competitors like the Honda Fit or the Toyota Yaris. At the same time, Ford only spent one tenth of what it would have through traditional media, including television, he said.
Farley’s moves mark something of a contrast with the approach by cross-town rival General Motors Co.
Under its new marketing chief Joel Ewanick, GM is pushing back into advertising at the kinds of high-profile, high-cost events like the Super Bowl that it had abandoned in its slide toward bankruptcy.
In one example, last week GM rolled out a campaign for Chevrolet that plays to its base -- patriotic Americans with memories of the days when Chevy dominated.
By contrast, Ford is playing up the new elements in its product line-up, both new vehicles and new technology like the MyFord Touch system for navigation, entertainment and communications in campaigns that include videos for Google’s YouTube.
Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor of Intellichoice, a consumer auto consultant, said Ford had pushed beyond its rivals in the way that it is building online buzz.
“Everyone is involved in digital marketing. The extent that Ford is doing it, wrapping it around events and utilizing the media with its launches, that is where Ford is taking leadership,” he said.
Reporting by Bernie Woodall. Editing by Robert MacMillan
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.