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Toyota Motor Corp. and two partners in China are setting up a joint venture aimed at bringing self-driving electric vehicles to the masses.
(Bloomberg) — Toyota Motor Corp. and two partners in China are setting up a joint venture aimed at bringing self-driving electric vehicles to the masses.
The Japanese automaker and its manufacturing affiliate in China along with autonomous technology company Pony.ai Inc. will invest more than one billion yuan ($139 million) in the driverless EV initiative, the companies said Friday. They provided no timeline or estimate on the number of vehicles expected to be deployed.
The three-party venture aims to “advance the future mass production and large-scale deployment of fully driverless robotaxis,” according to a statement from Pony.ai.
Self-driving car technology has attracted investment from a number of top auto and technology companies and many have pilot programs scattered across the US and in China. But progress has been slower than once projected.
Toyota announced the venture on its Chinese language website. The automotive giant invested $400 million in Pony.ai three years ago, solidifying a partnership forged in 2019.
Pony.ai, founded in 2016, also has a relationship with Guangzhou Automobile Group, which is Toyota’s manufacturing partner at GAC Toyota Motor Co.
Pony.ai, which is based in Fremont, California, develops and operates self-driving fleets in the US and China.
–With assistance from Ed Ludlow.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.


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Brewing any beer is, to all intents and purposes, a manufacturing pursuit designed to bring joy to consumers. But Ocean Reach’s latest release shows how it can be so much more.
This weekend sees the Phillip Island brewery release Bionic Beer, a West Coast IPA from which all profits will be donated to another business on the island, Free 3D Hands.
The not-for-profit organisation uses 3D printers to produce hands and other assistive devices for people across the world – and the charity's story is mighty impressive too. It can be traced back to 2014, when Toyota announced it was to wind up its manufacturing operation in Australia. The news left engineer Mat Bowtell unsure of his future once his redundancy came through, although he was confident in one regard: he wanted to do something good.
“I just wanted to keep in a positive mindset during that whole close down of the auto industry,” he says.
The impending closure saw him put his mind to helping an Australian kid: using freely available designs to manufacture a hand that looked like that of Avengers superhero Iron Man.
“My initial goal was to make one hand for one kid,” Mat says.
“It was quite a simple, open source design, and I thought there was some room for improvement as an engineer. So I wanted to come up with something that was more functional and cooler."
Starting with a single 3D printer in his lounge room, Mat was soon making more and more hands alongside similar products, later expanding to three printers on a kitchen table, then six in a spare room. Today, his business operates around 40 machines in their warehouse in the Phillip Island suburb of Newhaven, and while they send those hands to countries across the world, as an open-source operation anyone can download Mat’s designs and print their own.
It's a venture that saw Mat awarded Australian of the Year – VIC Local Hero in 2018, and honoured by the Queen the following year too.
Mat says he’s driven by a goal to make assisted devices far more accessible to those who need them, with Free 3D Hands printing and posting their products for free.
“It’s all kinds of things,” he says. “Individual fingers for people who have lost them in accidents to hands for kids born without them so they can hold a skipping rope or play a piano.”
For Mat and the team at Free 3D Hands, the current design focus has been on developing a low cost bionic arm; at present, he says available devices are prohibitively expensive.
“We’re in the trial phase at the moment of a prototype,” he says. “It’s the equivalent of $40,000 to $60,000 an arm and it currently costs about $27 to manufacture.”
The team has been working on creating the assistive device as a means to help people better manage their own mobility. Technologically speaking, it’s a little more advanced than their other products, using advanced code to respond to muscle movements in the arm, a feature which provides the user with a range of different functions.
“It’s a massive step up and it has massive potential,” Mat says. “We’re really starting to connect and collaborate with some really awesome people from around the world who are interested.
“You can put a sensor on the arm to calibrate it so it can read the signals in your arm and the settings in the fingers to open and close, and we’ve got different grip patterns.”
The prohibitive cost of such products puts them out of reach for many, especially kids.
“They can outgrow them in months, not years,” Mat says. “The major gap to people being able to get what they need is the cost.”
As a registered charity, Mat and his team rely on donations, which is why Ocean Reach are collaborating with them on Bionic Beer.
“They’re supporting us with developing this bionic arm and making sure we can pay the bills and keep going," he says.
“We’re just really fortunate that we can do that through the kindness of the community in Australia and companies like Ocean Reach who just reached out to us – mind the pun.”
For Simon Bismire, director and head brewer at Ocean Reach, providing support for the project is something they’d wanted to do for years. After enjoying a beer with Mat in their Cowes taproom some time ago, he wanted to find a way they could contribute, but at the time felt they were too small to make a difference.
“Once you get into his story, you start to really see the impact he’s having on people’s lives,” Simon says. “We weren’t really in the position to do anything because we were so young and couldn’t commit a whole tank.”
Suppliers and others in the drinks industry have been quick to lend their support, including Bluestone Yeast, Craft Instinct, Totem Marketing, Onpack, Cryer Malt and Yakima Chief Hops.
“Everyone jumped on board, we’ve had amazing support,” Simon says. “So I think we’re really going to make a big impact.”
The beer itself features significant input from Mat too. He chose the hops – Simcoe, Centennial and Mosaic – and Bionic Beer has been brewed to 6.25 percent ABV because six, two and five are his lucky numbers.
As for the choice of style, well, that made a lot of sense, as Mat explains. "I said, 'Since this is going to support us with the development of the bionic arm, I want something that will punch you in the face'."
For Simon and the team at Ocean Reach, they’re keen to bring the beer back in the future – and equally keen for people to know that buying the beer isn’t the only way to support Free 3D Hands.
“We want to do this yearly; that money is going to run out and they’ll need more,” he says. “It doesn’t have to stop here. Buying the beer is the first step but there’s a QR code on the can so you can give more money and we really encourage everyone to do that.”
Simon’s also excited by the fact it’s a collaboration between two local businesses; initially, he'd been surprised to learn the extent of Free 3D Hands' operation in an often quiet coastal town.
“There’s more than the penguins down here,” he says. “There’s a lot of businesses doing amazing stuff, and to be able to paint the picture of Phillip Island in a different way is really special.”
Bionic Beer's launch coincides with an open day at Free 3D Hands in Newhaven on Sunday, March 20. The event includes live music, a sausage sizzle and demonstrations. You can register your attendance here.

domain: news


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Articles tagged with: Tales of
Namco Bandai’s Tales of Xillia is less than two weeks away from release on August 9th, but fans still have time to pre-order their copy of the game. If you act quickly enough, you might be able to snag one of the two limited special editions being offered. Joining the Tales of Xillia: Milla Maxwell Collector’s Edition is the new Day One Edition which is being offered at the same price as the standard retail edition.
Tales of Xillia is finally coming to NA and EU after a gruelling 2 years of being an exclusive in Japan. PS3 has seen a port of Tales of Vesperia, also exclusive to Japan, and Tales of Graces f – which was my game of 2012 – and whilst they are great games they are let down by the lack of character animation.
Xillia is created from the ground up on PS3 and this is why we think it benefits from it.
Here’s another ‘Tales of’ that might not release outside of Japan. Yay!
We recently highlighted how Japan was about to get “Vesperiafied” with a demo of previously 360 exclusive Tales of Vesperia bound for the Japanese store.
Such a demo did in fact land, and just in case you’ve been wondering what a cute pirate looks like as she fends off opponents accompanied by a raucous guitar soundtrack — why, you’re in luck!
With previous 360 exclusive Tales of Vesperia scheduled to hit the PS3 this September, it appears our friends in the East will be getting their hands on a demo a full two months before its release.
Confirming to Dengeki Online that a demo will hit the Japanese Store on July 13th, Namco Bandai expect to see the RPG taster light up Japan’s internet connections next week.
After enjoying an extended stay on the 360, we’ve known for a while now that Namco Bandai’s RPG ship-jumper Tales of Vesperia was coming this fall for the PS3.
Not content with a vague seasonal release date, we know now that the latest edition in the colourful Tales series is coming, to Japan at least, on September 17th.
Tales of Vesperia, Namco Tales Studio’s crazy haired and wide-eyed story of ancient technology intermixed with global catastrophe, scored highly with critics from both the East and West alike (Famitsu gave it 35/40 while Edge scored it a heady 8/10) attracting a whole legion of new devotees to the series.
We have details of what’s coming as part of the upcoming PS3 version.


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Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder of Ola cabs and Ola Electric has just announced that Ola will be giving away 10 more S1 Pro electric scooters to the customers that are able to cross 200 km riding range on a single charge. The 10 scooters will be finished in the Gerua colour scheme which came as a limited edition. The winners will be taken to Ola’s FutureFactory in June for the delivery of the new scooters.
Looking at the excitement, we’ll give a free Gerua scooter to 10 more customers who cross 200km range in a single charge!
We have 2 who’ve crossed, one each on MoveOS 2 and 1.0.16. So anyone can achieve!
Will host the winners at the Futurefactory in June to take their delivery!
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) May 20, 2022
The tweet also said that customers who are on the Move OS 1.0.16 were also able to cross the 200 km mark which is quite good. This is because the Eco mode was introduced from Move OS 2. The new riding mode helps in extracting most of the riding range from the battery.
The Move OS 2 is currently in beta and Ola Electric is currently testing it by rolling it out to a few users. The update is supposed to be a big improvement and bring in a lot of features. It is supposed to bring Hill Hold Control, Bluetooth connectivity, Cruise Control, music playback from the speakers, a navigation system, Eco Mode, a new mobile application and much more.
Bhavish gifted S1 Pro to S1 Owner
Bhavish Aggarwal already has gifted an S1 Pro to an S1 owner who was able to cross 200 km on a single charge. The new S1 Pro was finished in Gerua limited edition paint scheme. The owner drove the scooter for 202 km after upgrading to the Move OS 2.0.
Karthik is the name of the owner. He used Eco mode to achieve the 200 km of riding range. The scooter was used in the city as well as on highways. He also shared a picture of the display screen that shows the riding statistics of the scooter. The top speed that Karthik achieved was 48 kmph and his average speed was 27 kmph. The data was confirmed by Ola Electric by using cloud data. Once the stats were confirmed, the new S1 Pro was delivered.
Ola Electric starts upgrading scooters
Ola Electric has started working on upgrading the VCU or Vehicle Control Unit of their scooters. It is being said that the manufacturer is silently upgrading the VCU of the scooters that were manufactured before March 2022. So, it is expected that the scooters that are produced after March 2022 already come with the upgraded VCU. The new VCU is expected to come with more storage and more RAM so it should be able to accommodate more data and software upgrades. Moreover, because of the added RAM, it would have more processing power.
The issue is that the current VCU has limited processing power because of which it gets stuck with heavier tasks and the screen blacks out. The screen would not respond to the rider’s inputs. Essentially, the CPU started bottlenecking and the temperature would start increasing. So, the upgraded VCU should at least solve the issues with the touchscreen.


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How to protect your money from card skimmers this holiday season
MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- As customers swipe away while shopping this holiday season, Madera police are warning about the new strategies that thieves are using to steal bank information.
What might look like an ordinary checkout stand could actually be a card-skimming device intended to steal your bank card information.
Police say that criminals work in teams to distract employees while installing card skimming devices at gas stations, stores, and even banks.
Earlier this year, suspects were caught on camera as they worked together to install a skimmer at Rancho San Miguel Market.
The FRPA alert system distinguishes us from other groups by gathering and providing information to law enforcement, retailers AND financial institutions.more information
Your electronic library to help in fighting financial fraud for all of our partners.more information


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As of March 2014, Maryland employment strengthened with the addition of 5,150 jobs from the year before, while the preliminary unemployment rate continued its descent to 5.6%, the lowest it’s been in five years. Baltimore’s February unemployment rate, at 6.0%, declined 1.0 percentage points (pp) from the year before. Tax credit initiatives geared towards the development of disadvantaged areas, partnerships with Maryland Port
Administration and the Maryland Transit Authority, helped lure big-box retailers like Amazon to the State, which is expected to add over 1,000 jobs in 2014. The trade, transportation, warehousing & utilities sector led in monthly job gains totaling 2,200 jobs.
Source : Cushman & Wakefield


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Paid Click Joy Returns To Google
The latest monthly assessment of clicks on contextual ads from comScore found Google regaining a little of the activity it lost in recent months.
Google’s push for higher quality ad experiences for its visitors may have contributed to a little slippage in their volume of ad clicks in recent months. The company believes a more stringent devotion to ad quality will lead to better conversions for advertisers, and in turn an increased amount of lucrative business for the search advertising company.
Measurement firm comScore has been reporting on its view of ad clicks in the industry. One of their reports in prior months set off concerns about Google’s stock price, but those were righted after Google reported impressive quarterly numbers.
Silicon Alley Insider cited via Lehman Brothers the latest comScore look at paid clicks in the US for the big search advertisers. Google enjoyed a nice uptick year over year for April, gaining 19.6 percent.
Yahoo and Microsoft saw fewer year over year clicks in comScore’s view. The April year over year change for the two saw Yahoo give up 4.4 percent of its US paid clicks. Microsoft dropped 9 percent year over year, but compared to February and March losses, this represented an improvement.
The news seems to be lifting Google on Wall Street. Last night’s $583 close will see another dollar tacked onto the share price when the bell rings this morning as the market opens.


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Google’s lovely little Chromecast with Google TV dongle device has found a fresh update to kick off the weekend, bringing with it a new security patch and probably not much else. That’s not telling you much, and I’m sorry.
The update arrives as Android TV OS build QTS2.200918.033.7115981 and with the December Android security patch (was on September’s). It’s still Android 10 and not Android 11, in case you were wondering. At just 78.2MB, it’s likely that the update is mostly a bug fixer.
To update, since the update is quite live for the pullin’, head into Settings>About>System update. Be aware that the update takes a bit to apply and reboot, so if you are in the middle of watching something or need to shortly, hold off.


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The designated operator of Australia, Australia Post, informs that the government has eased the stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne (Victoria).
As a result, the Melbourne office of exchange is now able to accept inbound international letter-post and parcel-post items, effective immediately. However, Australia Post would like remind that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have a direct impact on international inbound and outbound mail to and from Australia. The provisions set out in previous alerts regarding suspension of signature on delivery for inbound items and declaration of situation of force majeure for all international letter-post, parcel-post and EMS services continue to apply.
Start date: 06 October
End date: ongoing
The designated operator of the Cayman Islands, Cayman Islands Postal Services, informs that it has suspended all postal services because of a severe weather warning linked to the approach of Tropical Storm Delta. All international flights will be suspended and postal facilities will remain closed until the government announces that it is safe to resume normal operations.
The designated operator of Estonia, Eesti Post, informs that, with effect from 1 October, all inbound items will be delivered as follows:
- agreed delivery standards will be observed;
- boxable registered letters (under 2 cm thick) will be delivered to the addressee’s mailbox without a signature being collected; registered letters over 2 cm thick will be handed over at post offices;
- all courier shipments requiring a signature will be delivered to the addressee; a photo will be taken of the address card signed by the addressee;
- couriers will not enter addressees’ premises during delivery; all handovers will be made outdoors.
The designated operator of Guatemala, the General Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs, would like to inform that it is again able to process inbound international mail (parcel post, letter post and EMS) received from other designated operators, and it will soon also be offering its customers the international outbound mail service again.
Trinidad and Tobago
The designated operator of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago Postal Corporation (TTPost), wishes to remind of its current situation with borders being closed and no inbound or outbound commercial flights until further notice.
Only cargo flights are entering and departing the country on a scheduled basis, and specifically only from the United States (Miami). TTPost is therefore unable to receive or send international dispatches at this time.
The Government of Zimbabwe has further relaxed COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Partner airlines have resumed the conveyance of outbound international mail with effect from 1 October 2020. Zimpost has therefore resumed limited mail conveyance to other Union member countries. Both inbound and outbound mail will be handled in line with government measures and guidelines intended to curtail the spike in COVID-19 infections. However, owing to limited staff capacity resulting from adherence to COVID-19 protocols, such as social distancing and decongesting the work place, Zimpost is still unable to guarantee delivery standards.


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Fresh off a $20 million Series B funding round, last-mile delivery firm AxleHire has announced its expansion to the Chicagoland area. The expansion represents AxleHire’s 10th sortation center.
In addition to Chicago, AxleHire currently operates and has sortation centers in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Phoenix, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
AxleHire, based in Emeryville, California, offers same-day and next-day delivery service through an asset-light transportation network that utilizes the gig economy, couriers and traditional carriers. It leverages proprietary technology to create denser delivery routes that move more packages in fewer vehicles. Routes are dynamically changed on demand based on needs. All its sortation centers are located close to dense populations to facilitate faster delivery times with 99% on-time delivery with package tracking.
“We’re looking forward to operating in the Chicago metro area, one of the most dynamic logistics markets in the country,” said AxleHire CEO Adam Bryant. “With so many Midwest retail, e-commerce and perishable products companies in the region, we’re now in a great position to help our current customers expand and offer new companies a better overall last-mile delivery service.”
Read: Santa Monica to pilot delivery zones for zero-emissions vehicles
Read: Seattle goes zero emissions with last-mile delivery zones
AxleHire counts HelloFresh, Deliverr, Freshly and Pet Food Express among its customers.
In April, AxleHire announced it had closed a $20 million Series B funding round led by Ajax Strategies. The company at the time said the new funding, which included participation from Eclipse Ventures, Quiet Logistics, Bee Partners and Acorn Pacific Ventures, would be used to enhance its sortation technology, expand its network of locations and add staff.
AxleHire was founded by Daniel Sokolovsky, who had grown up working in his family’s courier business. Realizing that many of the tasks in the business were repetitive and required manual coordination, Sokolovsky used his math background from Berkeley and went to work on a solution with a group of engineers.
AxleHire is participating in zero-emission delivery zone projects in Santa Monica, California, and Seattle. The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and the city of Santa Monica launched the first Zero Emissions Delivery Zone (ZEDZ) in the nation in March. Seattle followed earlier this month.
The Santa Monica effort features a zero-emissions zone that encompasses 1 square mile covering ZIP codes 90401, 90405 and 90403. The zone is home to 15,850 residents and two primary commercial districts — downtown Santa Monica (including Third Street Promenade) and Main Street — that together employ roughly 28,900 workers in a wide range of industries. The ZEDZ is a pilot program and a voluntary one at that, but it has the support of many major companies, including Ikea, Guayaki, Alsco Uniforms, Foodcycle, Shopify and REEF Technology as well as AxleHire. The firms will voluntarily deploy and test zero-emission modes for last-mile delivery in Santa Monica’s downtown, Main Street and Ocean Park neighborhoods, LACI said. Tech providers include LACI startups Automotus, Maxwell Vehicles, Circuit and FreeWire as well as collaborations with Coco, Kiwibot, Tortoise, Rollo, Blue Systems, Fluid Truck, Motiv Power Systems, Nissan, ROUSH CleanTech and Lighting eMotors.
In Seattle, AxleHire is part of a group that includes the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab (UFL) along with Coaster Cycles, BrightDrop and REEF. The pilot is being conducted in collaboration with the Seattle Department of Transportation.
The Seattle Neighborhood Delivery Hub will allow companies to test zero-emissions vehicles and other technologies designed to create a greener delivery service. It is part of the city of Seattle’s strategy to reduce climate emissions related to goods delivery by 30% by 2030 as outlined in the city’s Transportation Electrification Blueprint.
Click for more Modern Shipper articles by Brian Straight.
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Social Auto Transport raises $1.5M in seed funding to expand gig economy auto-moving business
Bringg’s collaboration with Uber opens new doors for e-commerce


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By Nihad Ahmed
U.K. retail sales fell more sharply in March as looser Covid-19 restrictions led to a decline in online shopping while a surge in petrol and diesel prices reduced automotive fuel sales.
Retail sales volumes last month weakened by 1.4% from February, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast retail sales would fall by 0.2%.
Retail sales fell by a revised 0.5% in February, more than the 0.3% decline previously reported.
The largest contribution to the fall came from non-store retailing in which sales volumes fell by 7.9% over the month following a fall of 6.9% in February, the statistics office said.
Compared with a year earlier, March retail sales were up 0.9%. Economists had expected a rise of 2.8%.
Write to Nihad Ahmed at firstname.lastname@example.org
This article was originally published by Marketwatch.com. Read the original article here.


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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday announced that the company changed its corporate name to Meta.
“To reflect who we are and the future we hope to build, I’m proud to share that our company is now Meta,” he said.
Meta’s focus will be to bring the metaverse to life and help people connect, find communities and grow businesses, the company said in an announcement.
“The metaverse will feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world. It will let you share immersive experiences with other people even when you can’t be together — and do things together you couldn’t do in the physical world,” it said.
According to the announcement, it’s the next evolution in a long line of social technologies, ushering in a new chapter for the company.
“The next platform will be even more immersive — an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it. We call this the metaverse, and it will touch every product we build,” Zuckerberg wrote in a founder’s letter.
“From now on, we will be metaverse-first, not Facebook-first. That means that over time you won’t need a Facebook account to use our other services,” he added.
According to Zuckerberg, the world is at the beginning of the next chapter for the internet, and it’s also the next chapter for the company.
The company confirmed that its corporate structure is not changing. However, starting with financial results for the fourth quarter of 2021, the company plans to report on two operating segments: Family of Apps and Reality Labs.
Zuckerberg expressed his hope that within the next decade, the metaverse will reach a billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce, and support jobs for millions of creators and developers.


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As the criteria (price, most importantly) for defining a high-end smartphone becomes more and more blurred, new devices are filling in the gaps of... ...https://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Samsung-unveils-the-upper-midrange-Galaxy-C9-Pro-headed-to-the-Indian-market-next-month-86962
Avantha Group Company CG has won a significant order of USD 105 million (INR 720 crore approx.) from PT PLN, the state-owned electricity company of... ...http://www.energetica-india.net/news/cg-wins-usd-105-million-order-from-pt-pln-indonesia
BMW Motorrad is planning its official entry into the Indian market with the launch of the BMW G310R . While the company has confirmed the launch of... ...http://www.india.com/auto/bmw-g310r-spy-image-completely-reveals-the-bike-india-launch-by-april-2017-1765334/
Motoroids To say that we have a thing for Italian machines would be a gross understatement.On top of our favorites list is the insanely... ...http://www.motoroids.com/features/video-and-images-mv-agusta-f4-rc-with-212-ps-worth-inr-60-lakh-otr/
The NDF market seems to have led local markets in price-discovery during 8 and 9 November Over the past few years, there has been a growing... ...http://www.livemint.com/Money/lfH08YMZ3VjCYumnVgNHXK/What-the-demonetisation-episode-tells-us-about-offshore-curr.html
Bank of Baroda, USA (American Pacific...
New Investment(latest Bamper Dhamaka)...
We solve all type of sexual problems...
var tz = '5.5';
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Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
47.59 - Retail sale of furniture, lighting equipment and other household articles in specialised stores
Type of Restructuring:
Employment Effect Start:
Foreseen End Date:
Planned Job Creation:
Austrian furniture retailer XXXLutz will create between 150 and 200 new jobs in the upcoming year. The group will open two new stores, one under the trademark "XXXLutz" in Parndorf (Burgendland) and one under the "Möbelix" brand in St. Veit (Carinthia). Overall, XXXLutz is investing €240 million in business expansions across Europe, creating 1,200 new jobs, with the largest share going to stores in Germany.
The group is currently operating 237 stores and employs 20,800 people.


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In the social media age, businesses have no excuse for tardy customer service. Customers know this too, expecting brands to be available at all times of the day, regardless of whether or not they have the resources to be “always on”.
Not only do they demand an instant response, the reply needs to emanate human interaction and be personalised to their experience.
While this might sound budget sapping, customer service via social media might allow you to claw back resources from your call centre, making it a very cost-effective option indeed.
There’s nothing stopping any business from utilising social media for the purpose of customer service, but that doesn’t guarantee contented customers.
Twitter, which probably has the edge over Facebook as a business platform for customer service, suggests success or failure is largely dependent on the tone a brand chooses to adopt.
An impersonal air won’t suffice
Many marketers feel that business-like interactions with customers on social media only serve to further antagonise the already irritated. In an interview with Marketing Land, Twitter research manager Meghann Elrhoul confirms as much.
“Customers are really looking for a humanised connection,” he explained. “They want to feel that they are talking to a real person and having that personalisation helps add that component.”
Elrhoul’s comments follow a comprehensive study from his employer which suggests that even firms operating in more serious industries would be wise to ensure they are connecting with their customers on a human level.
Of the 14,000 people – who have sought to engage with brands’ customer service Twitter accounts – questioned by the social media giant, 77% said they were likely to recommend a firm if they created personal interactions.
By comparison, when brands took a more detached tone, 66% said they were unlikely to give them their seal of approval. Customers were also 19% more likely to settle a dispute and 22% more likely to come away from an interaction suitably satisfied.
Elrhoul also explained that with Twitter interactions taking place for everybody to see, it’s not only existing customers who will form their views on a brand based on their Twitter activity, but potential new prospects too.
“They see that brands are doing it and doing it right, so they know they’ll get the response they are looking for,” he said of new customers.
While Twitter’s ‘Customer Service Playbook’ makes no mention of content marketing, content marketers could learn plenty from the conclusions it draws; especially the finding that new customers might assess a brand’s timeline before deciding whether to interact with them.
I guess the question is: should content be tailored to appeal to new customers, or should existing customers remain the core focus of your content marketing strategy?


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We are delighted to announce the addition of our new founding member, Jason Gale.
Jason is the founder of the London Lifestyle Awards® which celebrates the best of hospitality, the arts, health & fitness and beauty have now attracted over two million public votes. His hospitality career started as the youngest promotions manager for the Rank group that owned Ritzy nightclubs, he then went on to work with independents and groups alike from members clubs to restaurants to bars and hotels, helping them create communication campaigns and maximising their returns. Jason is a keen advocate of the power of new media and the use of influencers but combining with traditional marketing elements such as events and press promotion.
We know that Jason is going to be a fantastic addition to our founding member’s board. His experience and expertise will help to further the reach and benefits the Titans can bring to its members.
We are incredibly excited about the future of the Hospitality Titans and can’t wait to watch it grow.
For information on all of our Titans board members, click here.


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Come fly with me! Pre-pandemic that was a pretty straightforward proposition – and a very desirable one for those jetting off on holiday. But Covid-19 has hit the travel industry hard and brands across the sector have a big job on their hands restoring confidence. On a positive note, as a new Wooshii report underlines, video can help travel marketers inspire, engage and reassure. There’s more on that below.
We also have a news round-up, some ‘triple play’ insight for CMOs and a couple of quirkier stories about a TV wider than the length of a cricket pitch and a content creating camel.
Video lovers, it’s time to buckle up and enjoy the ride…erm, we mean read.
VIDEO IN THE NEWS
PwC Australia predicts massive growth in streaming video revenues
According to PwC Australia’s annual Outlook report, the overall entertainment and media industry in Australia declined by an unprecedented 3.6% in 2020. Hearteningly, although the shadow of COVID-19 has not yet left the sector there are signs of a strong recovery for most, with consumer revenue set to grow to A$52.6 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 3.3% while advertising revenue is set to grow to A$19.6 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 2.6%. Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) revenues will grow at a much higher 20.4% CAGR through to 2025, becoming a US$81.3 billion industry globally, and an estimated A$3.3 billion in Australia. Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD) revenue grew 38.8% in 2020, and its rapid growth is projected to continue.
YouTube will label some health videos amid misinformation backlash
YouTube announced it will promote more credible health resources and label some videos to direct viewers away from misinformation, which has been prevalent across the service for more than a year. The delayed action comes as the company faces questions about hosting misinformation surrounding Covid-19 and vaccines as cases and deaths begin to rise again. The US Surgeon General last week called out tech companies for their role in hosting misinformation and urged companies to take a number of actions, including sharing data with researchers. The Google-owned company said it will “highlight” more videos with authoritative sources when a user searches for specific health topics and add “information panels” that display a link to credible sources.
Carlyle buys live video streaming company LiveU for over $400m
Global investment firm Carlyle has acquired LiveU, a developer of live streaming hardware and software used by 3,000 major media organisations. The seller, PE firm Francisco Partners, bought Israel-based LiveU just two years ago for $200 million. Sources close to this latest sale confirm Carlyle is paying over $400 million. LiveU’s valuation doubling over two years is partly a reflection of the state of media today. Specifically, video is the centrepiece of how content and information are consumed, and its presence is only growing. Therefore companies building tools to improve how it is captured and transmitted are hot.
Vimeo and TikTok partner to drive small business success
TikTok is teaming up with Vimeo to integrate video creation tools into its app. The Vimeo Create feature, now available in the TikTok Ad Manager, is targeted at small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to help them trim production times and costs. Ahead of the rollout, the companies asked marketers new to TikTok to test the product, with soy-based candle brand NaturalAnnie Essentials reporting conversion rates more than five times higher than those on other online channels. Courting more SMBs is a further sign that TikTok is quickly maturing into a digital advertising heavyweight.
[Source: Marketing Dive]
HOW VIDEO CAN HELP REVIVE TRAVEL
Wooshii launches Seeing is Believing report
Many people want to travel, but are just too worried to buy a ticket yet. In a survey in February this year, Wooshii found the main barriers cited by those who do not want to travel in 2021 were, perhaps unsurprisingly, safety concerns around Covid-19 and new variants, along with the risk of losing money if holidays are cancelled. Our new report, Seeing is Believing, shows video is a uniquely useful tool to connect with customers at every stage of the marketing funnel, stand out from the competition, overcome the hesitancy that many still feel and thereby facilitate a return to growth. We show how marketers can use video to inspire, engage and reassure.
Download our report here.
Is it a mirage? No, it’s a content capturing camel
Saudi Telecom has sent a “content creating camel” named Sahra deep into the remote areas of the Kingdom’s desert land to capture stunning imagery of places people cannot easily access. Sahra roamed the desert to connect both regional and international photographers to the country’s most remote corners. A team from Wunderman Thompson installed a dedicated high-tech camera rig system on the hump of the camel. This included a laptop, solar panels, cam-ranger and hotspot router connected to the internet, so that photographers could connect remotely to the camel while it roamed the desert to get the shots they wanted. Footage will appear in online films, ads and other content.
How CMOs can win in the ‘next normal’
Companies that integrate creativity, analytics and purpose are dramatically surpassing the average growth rates of their peers, finds McKinsey & Company research. Not only are these ‘triple play’ companies doubling the growth rate of their peers, but their revenue growth has shot up to more than 12% during the pandemic. But writing in The Drum, McKinsey senior partner Brian Gregg cautions that executing the growth triple play is no simple task, because as things stand “only 7% of companies have shown that they can do this.” Is your video strategy in line with triple play thinking?
Samsung launches enormous 1,000-inch TV
Samsung has released a new version of The Wall, a massive modular MicroLED display TV measuring over 1,000 inches (83 feet) in size. If you’re thinking, that wouldn’t fit in the living room, you’re right. The new IWA Series display is aimed at businesses and commercial applications rather than homes, and Samsung’s promotional images showcase it being used as a huge display in a retail environment. The Wall is available in “select markets”. Imagine your videos appearing at that scale!
Tell a story that ends on a high point
Storyboarding your video helps make it more memorable by providing changes of pace. A 2020 study carried out by Unruly found that brand recall is 220% higher for ads with multiple emotional peaks, in line with behavioural economist Daniel Kahneman’s peak-end rule. For maximum impact you should have a high point at the end of your video.


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Two leading furniture stores have become embroiled in a legal dispute over the use of a "copycat" design and branding campaign.
In what could shape up to be a David and Goliath-like battle in the highly competitive retail sector, independent producer Raft Furniture has instructed its legal team to send a strongly worded letter to its larger rival Harvey's Furniture over the launch of its new 'Raft' range.
Harvey's, known for its high profile sponsorship of ITV's flagship soap Coronation Street, has launched a product range with a similar design and using the distinctive grey-coloured background and font of the Raft Furniture branding. The Raft name has been trademarked by the London-based SME retailer and it believes Harvey's has copied its designs.
Mick Quinn, founder of Raft Furniture, told the Daily Telegraph that he was first made aware of the range when a "confused" franchisee contacted him to ask why he was suppyling a major manufacturer like Harvey's. Raft works on an SME franchisor model and has a strong environmental policy. Raft's ethos is to only source reclaimed teak from Forest Stewardship Council woodland to create its furniture, a CSR commitment which Harvey's does not adhere to.
A Raft spokesman confirmed to AOL Money that "our legal team are in contact with Harvey's" but could not comment further. Both Harvey's and Steinhoff International were contacted but unavailable to comment on the case.


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West Bengal witnessed a beer crisis in the month of May whereby complaints were made by buyers that beer of more than one brand was not available. Not only that but in some shops, signboards saying ‘no beer’ were also seen hanging. At that time, the officials of the excise department had estimated that record beer will be sold in the state and as predicted, the state made record earnings by selling beer records during the hot summer months.
There are now about 4,500 beer shops across the state. According to the excise department, a certain number of beers had to be supplied to these off-shops across the state due to the beer crisis in the summer. The West Bengal state excise department had generated a huge amount of revenue in the state in the last financial year. However, the excise department earned the most by selling local liquor.
The excise officials think that this year’s beer sales may surpass the previous record. However, the beer supply has become normal since the end of May this season. All in all, beer brought a huge amount of money to the excise department in the government treasury in the state.


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- Food and drink manufacturers are capitalizing on the COVID-19 pandemic to increase consumption of unhealthy products such as alcohol, soft drinks and high-fat snack foods, according to a study by the NCD Alliance and the Spectrum Consortium. The majority of instances in which marketing messages were adapted to align with pandemic recovery efforts and capture more customers were in Britain and the United States.
- The report gave hundreds of examples of this corporate behavior, including a Brazilian beer company adapting its logo to look like lungs and telling consumers one of the three tips for pandemic survival is "drink beer for fun," burger companies geo-tracking customers with the lure of lockdown freebies, and soft drink giants donating thousands of cans to the homes of struggling communities in Mexico.
- The two groups who authored the report suggested pushing these products onto consumers further exacerbates the public health crisis by fueling increases in chronic, non-communicable health conditions.
Noncommunicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension and lung problems are the world's biggest killers, leading to 40 million deaths every year, according to the NCD Alliance, which is an international group of more than 2,000 health groups in 170 countries. Obesity is also a major public health concern because it carries a higher risk of a host of health complications. Nearly two billion people worldwide are overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organization. The pandemic has only exacerbated the severity of these conditions on public health as people living with these chronic illnesses often suffer worse outcomes from COVID-19.
But Big Food and Big Alcohol are heavily invested in selling their items. Many companies seem to be working to change their market perception to be equated with promoting and supporting health.
Mars, Diageo and PepsiCo all donated to nonprofits working to mitigate the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 and promoted their philanthropy, the study said. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola also rebranded their cans to feature messages thanking essential workers. By positioning themselves as heroes and partners in the pandemic public health crisis, the study said these companies are appealing to groups of vulnerable workers. They are also looking to engage consumers who want to support those on the front lines.
This is not the first time companies peddling less healthy food have engaged in perception manipulation to promote their products. Studies have found the food and beverage industry used marketing to change perceptions and have pressured officials to influence regulations for years. Last year alone, there were multiple reports indicating Coca-Cola's marketing communications and spending before 2016 had focused on creating an aura of healthiness surrounding their products. Much like Coca-Cola, many of these same companies made public commitments to change, while simultaneously continuing to target vulnerable groups with promotional efforts.
In some countries, Big Food also used lobbying to increase their market share in different countries through relaxing regulations and pushing policymakers to enact legislation to actively promote their products, though there weren't any examples of this happening in the United States. In Europe, alcohol producers lobbied for lower taxes as a crisis measure. In Kenya, alcohol and processed food and beverages made the list of essential items and services.
Both the NCD Alliance and the Spectrum Consortium, a U.K.-based research group focused on disease prevention, have a goal of promoting health through food. It makes sense this research highlights Big Food’s marketing pivot and calls it “an attempt to capitalize on the pandemic and lockdowns.”
While this study may grab the consumers' attention, it is unlikely that it will have long-lasting effects. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have repeatedly been accused of using cause-related marketing to fuel company growth, but the companies have been able to weather the criticism. The other corporations called out in this study will likely be able to do the same.


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Tesla fans have been waiting in anticipation for a full reveal of its upcoming Cybertruck since the initial introduction way back in 2019. Do you remember 2019? TikTok was a niche app for teens and the iPhone 11 Pro arrived with (gasp) three cameras. Simpler times.
But finally, Elon Musk is holding an event on November 30 to deliver the first Cybertrucks to its very patient customers, live-streaming the entire thing to the world and inviting a limited number of shareholders to attend, in person, at the company's Gigafactory in Texas. Time to pop the bubbly then?
Maybe not. Although we didn’t expect the hundreds of thousands of customers who originally put down a deposit to receive a pick-up, recent reports suggest just ten Cybertrucks will be delivered at the event.
The news comes after Tesla's global product design director Javier Verdura gave a keynote speech in Monterrey, where Mexican national newspaper Milenio not only reported that he predicted EV sales to surpass gasoline-powered cars around 2026, but also that only the first ten Cybertrucks would be delivered at the upcoming event, as reported by Inside EVs.
Hopefully, Tesla will prove Verdura wrong and we’ll see a veritable stream of production-ready Cybertrucks roll out of Tesla's Gigafactory to rapturous applause from customers. Or maybe we won't.
After all, the final specification still hasn’t been announced (that's due at the event), and Elon Musk himself told shareholders to "temper expectations" when it comes to the steel-bodied electric pick-up truck. He admitted Tesla "dug its own grave" in reference to the complicated production techniques required to make one.
Better news for Tesla showrooms
Despite the fact Tesla may or may not deliver just ten Cybertrucks at its big delivery event, the company has been delivering models to showrooms across the US.
Electrek reports that witnesses have seen Cybertruck arrive in Tesla's store in the Westfield UTC Mall in San Diego, as well as Tesla’s San Jose store.
It's safe to say the models rolling into showrooms look a lot more presentable than the pre-production version that turned up to Malibu's Cars and Coffee meet up earlier this month, causing a furore with online commentators who bemoaned the fit and finish.
Despite the fact we are yet to get eyes on official specification, Tesla is likely delivering Cybertrucks to showrooms in key locations to drum up interest. According to Electrek, the original Cybertruck announcement helped boost sales of the Model 3 and Model Y.


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Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has pointed to Sino-British manufacturing cooperation as he launched the first new MG motor model in 15 years during the British leg of a brief visit to Europe.
Diplomats say China and Britain are expected to announce over £1 billion of deals during his three-day visit in a range of industries.
Mr Wen will meet Prime Minister David Cameron for the latest of a series of bilateral summits focused largely on trade and business, though this will also likely encompass the eurozone debt crisis and human rights issues.
Protesters demonstrated with banners and loudspeakers as Mr Wen toured the MG Motor car factory in Longbridge, near Birmingham, where the new MG6 will be assembled.
"The successful cooperation of the production of the MG6 and other MG vehicles is a symbol of the friendship between China and the UK," Mr Wen said.
"The model can be summed up as designed in the UK, manufactured in China and assembled in the UK, thereby making the most of China's capital and markets, as well as the UK's technology and managerial expertise."
China's leading car maker SAIC Motor Corp became the owner of MG Rover's 10,000-unit Longbridge plant after a merger in late 2007 with its much smaller rival, Nanjing Automobile Group. Longbridge will also serve as a platform for tapping the European market in the future.
Stephen Green, trade and investment minister, said SAIC was a "pioneer for Chinese investors in the UK".
Several dozen human rights protesters gathered outside the factory gates, including yellow-shirted supporters of the Falungong spiritual movement that's banned in China, waving placards and denouncing China's human rights record.
"Cameron and Wen. Human rights before trade," their banners read.


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Virgin woos pets with new scheme
Virgin Atlantic has announced that it will be the first scheduled airline to start to carry cats and dogs from the USA into London Heathrow under the government's new Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)The Pets, which only applies to cats and dogs commenced mid-May and will initially start between London and Los Angeles as a trial service. Extending to all USA routes after a three-month period from January 2004. The scheme will then be open to all (Pets) territories that Virgin operates to (USA, Japan, Antigua and Barbados). The new scheme allows cats and dogs to travel from certain countries to enter or re-enter the UK without quarantine as long as they meet certain criteria. Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, commented: "I am really excited to be able to implement this scheme. Cats and dogs are regarded by owners as one of the family, and I am pleased to offer our passengers the chance to take their pets away with them on holiday or bring them back home after a period of living abroad. "On average 250 cats and dogs travel to the UK from the US each month and I hope that we will see this figure double as more airlines sign up to the scheme. "As we expect some pets to be regular travellers with us we'll be introducing a special 'Pet Miles' section of the airline's flying Club to reward frequent flying animals. There'll be special 'Bone-us Miles' for the dogs and a 'Frequent Feline' club for the cats. We're talking to a number of reward partners and hope to offer special treatments and pampering weekends."


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NEW YORK Colgate-Palmolive has introduced a single-use mini-toothbrush with a breath freshening and can be used anytime, anywhere — no water or rinsing required.
Colgate Wisp has unique bristles that gently remove food and plaque from between teeth to provide consumers with a just-brushed clean. A refreshing liquid-filled bead releases a burst of freshness in one's mouth. Additionally, there is no need for water or rinsing.
The innovative mini-toothbrush fits in a pocket or purse and is conveniently packaged in a portable case for on-the-go cleaning and breath freshening.
"We are very excited to announce this breakthrough innovation and offer consumers a convenient way to both clean and freshen their mouths on-the-go," said Spencer Pingel, Colgate-Palmolive, U.S. Oral Care. "Whether a consumer is looking to freshen their breath after a meal or to remove that filmy feeling after a cup of coffee, Colgate now offers the perfect portable, effective solution."
Available in peppermint, spearmint and cinnamint, Colgate Wisp will be available in the oral care aisle at retailers nationwide beginning in April 2009. The suggested retail price is $2.39 for a 4-pack and $7.99 for a 16-pack.


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Bogura handicrafts makers hit hard by back-to-back natural disasters
The spiralling prices of raw materials have been taking a heavy toll on the handicrafts makers in Bogura, as the Covid-19 outbreak, incessant rain and the fourth spell of flood have destroyed the whole supply chain in the district.
Businesses in the district now have to spend three times higher to purchase sea grass and kans grass—two most widely used raw materials in the region—to produce different items, including rugs, bags, bucket and furniture.
"Every year, we need at least 4-5 lakhs bundles of kans grass for our Hapunia village factory in Sherpur," said Saiful Islam, manager of Classical Handmade Products BD in Bogura.
"But this year we could hardly collect 2.4 lakh bundles, as the three natural disasters that came one after another have damaged a huge amount of the grass."
The company spent Tk 5 last year to buy each bundle of kans grass, which are naturally grown in the char areas.
"But this year the prices of each bundle went as high as Tk 13."
Classical Handmade could not collect kans grass for two months since March as it had to keep its factory shut for the pandemic.
After that the rains and flood came and damaged the grass in the char area before harvesting, he said.
"Now, we have money, but there is no kans grass to buy."
Bogura has eight handicrafts factory with which around 12,000 artisans are directly or indirectly involved, and handicrafts worth over Tk 150 crore are exported from the district a year.
In Bangladesh, out of the 400 handicraft manufacturers, around 100 produce handicrafts from sea grass, kans grass, jute, palm leaves, date leaves, banana fibre and some have recently started making the products with pineapple fibres.
In 2019-20 fiscal year, Bangladesh earned $20.52 million by exporting handicrafts products abroad, according to the Export Promotion Bureau.
"I used to sell each bundle of kans grass at Tk 4 before the coronavirus hit Bangladesh," said Sariful Islam, a local grass trader of Bogura's Dhunat upazila.
"But now I have to sell at Tk 12 a bundle to cover up the losses I incurred in the last seven months."
Islam could not find buyers for the grass he collected in March, as most of the factories were closed complying with the countrywide shutdown announced by the government.
"Most of my kans grass got damaged under the open sky. Later, the Jamuna River overflowed and destroyed the rest of my grass, as they shrunk after remaining under the water for months."
"After all these when the factories reopened, I had to sell the rest of my grass at three times higher prices to earn my living."
Abul Khayer Lato, a local sea grass trader of the Noakhali sadar upazila, said this year he also had to incur huge losses as he could not prepare his collected grass for sale due to continuous rains.
"Floods also restricted me from harvesting the grass in time, which are normally grown beside the rivers in Noakhali and Barishal," said Lato, who supplies raw material to leading handicraft exporters like BD Creation, Classical Handmade Products BD and Sun Trade.
Repeated floods have also disturbed the harvesting of jute, another popular raw material for handicrafts, said Golam Ahsan, owner of Sun Trade.
Last year, the price of the raw jute was Tk 1,800-2,200 a maund, which went up to Tk 3,000-3,500 this year, he said.
"I had cultivated jute in 10 bighas of land in the Jamuna's char area. The prolonged flood destroyed eight bighas of jute, and I could only harvest two bighas of immature jute, which I sold at Tk 3,000 per maund recently," said Anowar Ali, a farmer of the Bogura's Sariakandi upazila.
This year, around 12,563 hectares of jute worth Tk 101.74 crore got damaged in Bogura, Sirajganj and Pabna districts, according to data of the Department of Agricultural Extension.
"Heavy downpour and floods have damaged a lot of sea grass, kans grass and jute and has created a crisis of the raw materials," said Ahsan, also the president of Bangladesh Handicrafts Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Banglacraft).
That is why the handicrafts production cost has increased by around 30-40 per cent based on the location of the manufacturing factories, he said.
"We have over 400 entrepreneurs who produce handicrafts under Banglacraft and around 92 per cent of them export their goods to nearly 80 foreign countries, earning name and fame for the country."
"The DAE should encourage the farmers to grow raw materials for the handicrafts factories. Otherwise, we will face this kind of crisis again and again."


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Average home now has seven web gadgets: Smartphones most popular device as poll finds four in ten households own a tablet
- Smartphones are the most common web devices, at 1.7 per home
- Laptops and tablets are just behind, a YouGov poll has found
- Meanwhile, digital advertising has hit a record high of £7.2billion
The average household now owns 7.4 internet devices and four in 10 bought a tablet in the last year.
Smartphones are the most common internet-enabled device, at 1.7 per household, followed by laptops (1.3) and tablets (1.2), the YouGov poll of more than 2,000 consumers found.
Four in 10 households now own one tablet, one fifth have two, and 11 per cent own three or more.
Top of the table: Smartphones are the most popular item, with an average of 1.7 per household
The latest Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK Digital Adspend report, conducted by PwC, found digital advertising hit a record £7.2billion.
IAB chief strategy officer Tim Elkington said: 'Advertisers are increasing their digital budgets to reach people as they go online through an increasing array of devices.
'It's a win-win for consumers, because digital advertising pays for the wide range of free online services they increasingly rely on in their daily lives, but don't necessarily want to pay much for.'
The survey found the average Briton who is online is willing to pay a maximum of £1.53 a month for their email service, £1.33 to use search engines, £1.10 for video content, 92p for news websites, 88p for social media, 55p for online games and 52p for price comparison sites.
Popular: Laptops were second, followed by tablets - with a fifth of homes owning two of the latter
Just over half of people said banking and finance was the area of their lives that would be most affected without the internet or mobile phone, followed by keeping up with current events (42 per cent), shopping (38 per cent) and their relationships with friends and family (37 per cent).
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Behind the Seal
Follow the latest news, announcements, and real-life stories about the fair trade vision unfolding as a way of life.
COVID-19 Update from Around the World
“I would rather lose my entire crop and keep the health of my family.”
Fair Trade Zoom Backgrounds to Help You Rep Your Values Remotely
Keep your video calls interesting with these free downloadables.
Fair Trade USA's Statement on Xinjiang
Our statement regarding the reports of forced labor toward Uyghurs and other ethnic minority workers in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China.
Motherhood in the Era of COVID
A Q&A with mothers around the world on what it's like mothering during a pandemic.
An Interview with Indigenous Rights Activist Nikki Sanchez
Nikki talks social justice, environmental protection, and the interconnectedness of the two.
COVID-19: How Fair Trade USA Is Responding and What You Can Do
We're doing our part to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and so can you.
Fair Trade Campaigns National Conference Goes Virtual
Updates from the Fair Trade Campaigns team.
Women Rise Against 'Toxic Machismo' in Latin America
How women in Peru are taking steps toward a more equitable world.


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Internet Marketing More Important Than Ever In Brazil
Last year, the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, announced that it would be banning all forms of outdoor advertising. For a city with 20 million people and thousands of businesses, the new law has turned out to be quite controversial, and the change in the scenery very dramatic.
Don E. Schultz, in the June 15, 2008, issue of Marketing News, called the new Sao Paulo “visually peaceful.” But there have been obvious drawbacks to the change, including a claimed loss of 20,000 jobs and other possible social impacts.
With billboards gone, bus stops vacant of ads, and store signs diminished to 1.5 meters per 10 meters of storefront, Sao Paulo has turned into an advertising graveyard. People seem to be enjoying the peace, but advertising agencies are very upset, calling the new restrictions “unreal, ineffective and fascist.”
Consumers must now rely on other forms of advertising in order to find products and services they are looking for. Television, Radio, and Internet advertising are now more important than ever to the citizens of Sao Paulo. This will most likely create huge opportunities for web marketing companies.
So if you’re thinking of expanding to international markets, you might consider brushing up on your Portuguese.If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!


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LOGAN, Utah (ABC 4 Utah) A major retailer in Cache County now has a solution to its beaver pond problems.
Since it opened, the south Logan Walmart store has been dealing with flooding because of beavers that created a pond nearby.
That pond at times has gotten full of water and threatened nearby roads and the store. Instead of trapping and removing the beavers, Walmart worked with local agencies to keep them around, but also protect the area.
The solution is a pond leveler.
"A pond leveler keeps the water from reaching above a certain level that we consider potential to cause harm," said Nick Bouwes with Eco Logical Research Inc.
The hope is that the pond leveler will let the beavers stick around providing a list of benefits to both the ecosystem and the human infrastructure.
"Beavers, they create these ponds that recharges ground water. It slowly releases water throughout the summer, so it stores water but also delivers it in low water periods during the summer. It creates wetlands far cheaper than we can create wetlands... Which we often have to do. And that creates habitats for birds, creates habitats for fish... Other mammals.... And all sorts of vegetation," said Bouwes.
Walmart hopes that by keeping the pond, it will create a viewing area where people can watch those birds, fish and if lucky even spot one of the beavers.
UPDATE: 6:36 a.m.: Salt Lake City Police say there…
After a contentious open house meeting Wednesday night, Draper City…
AMERICAN FORK, Utah (ABC 4 News) - An American Fork teen could be…


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The National Highway Transport and Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently launched investigations into Tesla’s 580,000 vehicles over its passenger game feature capabilities at the center of its dashboard.
However, the video game capabilities on Tesla vehicles are not a new feature. It has existed in all Tesla models released between 2017 to 2022, including models 3, S, X, and Y.
Passenger Gaming Has Existed Since 2017
According to NHTSA, the gaming feature has been present in all Tesla’s passenger game-enabled vehicles but could only be activated when the car was in parking mode.
However, a 2020 update of Tesla’s gaming feature made it possible for passengers to play even when the car is in drive mode.
The gaming feature became the center of attention after the New York Times highlighted the feature triggering a lot of concern from industry players.
While highlighting the game feature, the Times said that Tesla added three games in the update, including solitaire, a conquest strategy scenario, and jet fighter games. The feature requires a player to confirm that they are not the driver.
However, it doesn’t provide measures to stop the driver from playing, which increases the possibility of distracted driving.
NHTSA’s Commitment to Safety
“Our commitment is to ensure the highest safety standards on the roads,” cited the NHTSA when addressing the issue. According to the road safety regulator, investigations will involve a preliminary evaluation of all aspects of the feature, including its use scenario.
A preliminary evaluation is only a first step that will advise the regulator whether or not to upgrade the investigation into a full-blown engineering analysis that must precede a recall.
Tesla’s passenger gaming feature update by all standards indicates a level of disregard of 2013 NHTSA guidelines that required automakers to consider safety and distraction avoidance when designing and incorporating infotainment devices in vehicles.
In the guidelines, the regulatory body recommended that all in-vehicle devices adopt a design that prevents a driver from performing an inherently distracting task while on the wheel.
Investigations Have Been in The Works
While interest in the passenger gaming feature appears to have been triggered by the Times, the regulatory body claimed that investigation has been in the works since November when it received a complaint from a Tesla Model 3 driver. When making the report, the driver said that it was recklessly negligent for Tesla to install a distraction for drivers.
This was not the first-time Tesla faced investigations in 2021; in August, the NHTSA launched investigations into over 76,000 Tesla cars over its autopilot driver assistance system after a series of crashes linked to the system.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) hailed the move by the regulatory body and encouraged all drivers to be vigilant and avoid distraction when on the wheel.
According to some experts, there is a simple fix to Tesla’s problem with the gaming feature; rolling back the updates.
Rolling back updates to a time before December 2020 would mean that the feature would not work while the car is in drive mode, just like before the update.
Alternatively, they could update the feature to lock while in drive mode.


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Officer DeWarns is the founder of Internet Child Safety (www.internetchildsafety.net) and currently sits on the Consumer Advisory Board for McAfee, Inc. DeWarns also serves as a police officer in the San Francisco Bay Area. As an advisor to SocialShield over the last year, his consultation has been integral in helping the company shape the features and direction of its award-winning product.
For the past 12 years, Officer DeWarns has dedicated himself to teaching online safety to parents and children, having lectured to more than 500,000 students throughout California. He has also worked with the F.B.I.’s Innocent Images department and the U.S. Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force. Officer DeWarns’ media appearances include NBC’s Today Show, The Dr. Phil Show and other national news outlets.
“Parents depend on us not only for their children’s online security and privacy, but also for our counsel and general leadership,” said George Garrick, chief executive officer of SocialShield. “Officer DeWarns is unmatched in his authority on the subject of child safety on the Internet, and his expertise and vision will be invaluable as we continue to roll out new products and programs to help parents manage their children online.”


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Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The first sitting of the Parliament of Malaysia expected to open on March 9 will be postponed till May 18, according to local media. Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof said he had received a letter from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on March 3 informing him of the postponement and the new date. Earlier, the Malaysian parliament announced the session would be held from March 9 to April 16, with King Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah expected to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony./. … [Read more...] about Malaysia delays first parliament sitting in 2020
Barry murphy md
Caption I: New World Development CEO Adrian Cheng (right) listened to Dr. Tom Kong, CEO of Master Dynamic about the characteristics of NanoDiamonds technology. The company's goal is to transfer the antibacterial coating technology applied to jewellery to the non-woven material of surgical masks, thereby blocking and inhibiting bacteria and viruses. Caption II: New World Development CEO Adrian Cheng (right) met with leading nanotechnology company Master Dynamic to learn how to apply the patented NanoDiamonds technology to the production of low-cost, antibacterial masks. Picture shows Dr. Tom Kong, CEO of Master Dynamic showing Adrian Cheng a sample of NanoDiamonds. With global shortages of surgical masks during the COVID-19 outbreak, there is an urgent need to produce high-quality yet affordable masks locally to meet rising demands from society, especially from low-income families. This initiative is underpinned by the Group's Creating Shared Value (CSV) principles and aims to … [Read more...] about New World’s Adrian Cheng Announces New Initiatives to Combat Coronavirus
Coles and German-owned discounter Aldi Inc did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. U.S.-listed Kimberly-Clark Corp, which makes toilet paper for the Australian market via local subsidiaries, was not immediately available for comment. … [Read more...] about Australian stores ration toilet paper amid coronavirus panic buying
He said the piece, called Three Hundred and Twenty, was also meant as a tribute to Nicolas de Grigny, on whose work it is based. A contemporary of Bach, his genius was not recognised during his short lifetime, and he never got his music played in front of French royalty at the Louvre. — AFP … [Read more...] about Vuitton hits high note with all-singing Paris fashion show
Prof Garg compares the rush to what occurred in many Asian nations. She notes that in China for example, there was a greater motivation to stock up on white ply because "there's a thinking that toilet paper can be substituted for tissues and napkins and to make makeshift masks". … [Read more...] about Coronavirus panic: Why are people stockpiling toilet paper?


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Could it be that the daytime television world might want to change their course a little bit? That’s what some fans can’t help but wonder as it seems like some of the major soap operas like The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives are struggling to find new audiences. In other words, there seem to be more people tuning out from the shows than tuning in, according to the latest statistics. Keep reading below to find out why.
Are Daytime Television Soaps Struggling To Find New Audiences?
According to iSpotTV, which measures advertisements on television, it seems like the major daytime television shows are going to have to try something new in order to keep audiences interested in their day-to-day storylines. The new report says that The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, and Days of Our Lives all saw fewer ad impressions in households compared to the numbers from this time last year. The only soap that managed to see an increase in ad impressions was The Bold and the Beautiful, which saw a jump by 7.6 percent.
But then again, this isn’t all bad news. The major cause of the decline in the soaps’ ad impression is because Days of Our Lives moved to the NBC network’s online streaming service, Peacock.
However, that hasn’t stopped both daytime television fans and critics alike from complaining about the lack of quality storylines and even script writing from their favorite soaps. A lot of people are tired of the same old recycled love triangles and mystery baby daddy storylines. Some people also say that new plot twists would also bring back more fan interest and even engagement online.
What’s Next For The Soap Opera World?
Unfortunately for the soap world, the Hollywood writer’s strike isn’t helping either, as there’s a good chance that the soaps might have to pause production soon because of the lack of new scripts. Here’s hoping that for the sake of our beloved soap operas and the entertainment world, an agreement will come between all parties involved sooner rather than later.
Tell us celebrity gossip fans, how do you feel about this story? Contribute to the buzz by dropping us a line with your thoughts in our comments section below. Also, come back here for all the latest news about your favorite Hollywood and reality television stars right here.


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Online retailer giant Amazon plans to open its first fulfillment center in Iowa with a 645,000ft2 (60,000m2 ) facility in Bondurant.
The site is expected to open in late 2020 and will create 1,000 new full-time jobs.
Employees will work alongside Amazon robotics to pick, pack and ship small items such as books, electronics and toys.
Alicia Boler Davis, vice president of global customer fulfillment at Amazon, said, “The site will help us continue to serve customers with great delivery options and we appreciate the strong support from local and state leaders.”
State representative Brian Lohse said, “The city of Bondurant has seen tremendous growth and success over the last decade. Today’s announcement by Amazon will add another chapter to our city’s story. This is great news for the hundreds of Iowans who will be employed at the fulfillment center as well as the people of Bondurant.”
Jay Byers, CEO of the Greater Des Moines partnership, added, “We are excited that Amazon is establishing a highly advanced robotic sortation center in Bondurant. Amazon’s project in Iowa further demonstrates the region is a logistics and technology hub and adds to the presence of other major tech companies with operations here.”


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The U.S. Commerce Department has temporarily relieved Chinese manufacturer Huawei of its inclusion on the federal Entity List, allowing the company to continue to do operate with its business partners for 90 days.
Huawei was added to the Entity List on May 16, effectively banning the company from doing business in the United States, but Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security gave the company some breathing room on May 20 with the “issue of a Temporary General License amending the Export Administration Regulations to authorize specific, limited engagement in transactions involving the export, reexport, and transfer of items – subject to the EAR – to Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and its sixty-eight non-U.S. affiliates,” the Commerce Department wrote.
“The Temporary General License grants operators time to make other arrangements and the Department space to determine the appropriate long term measures for Americans and foreign telecommunications providers that currently rely on Huawei equipment for critical services,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “In short, this license will allow operations to continue for existing Huawei mobile phone users and rural broadband networks.”
Huawei was added to the Entity’s List after the federal government determined the company engaged in activities detrimental to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. In reaction and to remain within the law Google, Intel and Qualcomm all announced they would be severing ties with Huawei.


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Coca-Cola Amatil still expects no growth in its full year profit, as outgoing chairman David Gonski warns the drinks giant needs more time to lift its performance.
The company last month said trade has been weak in its Australian beverages business, and Mr Gonski told his final annual general meeting as chairman that steps are being taken to react to changing trends and consumer appetites.
"So far this year we have experienced weaker than expected trading conditions in Australia, which will impact our performance in 2017," Mr Gonski told shareholders in Sydney.
"We are continuing with our strategies to address these issues - which include rebalancing the portfolio in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company - and we recognise that more time is required for these initiatives to gain traction."
Coca-Cola Amatil has previously noted a shift in demand away from full sugar soft drinks, and it has also felt the impact of strong competition in bottled water.
Chief executive Alison Watkins told the meeting the company had introduced new bottle sizes for its soft drink products, and struck a new partnership with energy drink brand Monster.
She reaffirmed April's guidance of a decline in underlying net profit in the first half of 2017, and a full year underlying profit in line with the previous year's $418 million.
Coca-Cola Amatil shares were steady at $9.62 at 1530 AEST.


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Spending at least 3 years in production is vital to flourish career in the textile industry
Engr. Md. Nasir Uddin, Country Manager, Officina + 39 and Engr. Gulshun Ara Munni, Business Governance Manager, H&M both suggested graduates spend at least 3 years in production at the beginning of their career then shift anywhere else if they want to achieve a shining career in the textile industry. They expressed this thought in a webinar organized by Textile Today on ‘Career Planning & Opportunities in Textile and Apparel Industry’.
In response to a question related to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the universities, Mustafijur Rahman, Assistant Professor, Dept. of DCE, BUTEX and Farhana Afroze, Acting Head, Dept. of TE, BUFT informed that universities were able to adopt online learning system after a few months of uncertainty amid the advent of the pandemic situation. As a result, students were able to continue their study flawlessly and even they became much more self-oriented in learning by utilizing the resources available online.
“Majority recent graduates of BUTEX show interest in the corporate jobs related to retail brands, and sales and marketing rather than production related jobs in the factories. Some graduates are also choosing Industrial Engineering (IE) to start their career in garments factories. As many industries are working on medical textile related products after the pandemic begins, many BUTEX graduates are also working in such industries. A trend of going abroad for higher study and taking part in BCS exam among the students are also noticeable,” Mustafirur Rahman informed when asked about the trends of the students of BUTEX.
“In BUFT, the rate of getting job is very good amid the pandemic, most of the students are getting jobs right after finishing their study. And, many of the students are going abroad to pursue higher education in countries like China, Germany, USA, India etc. As BUFT has collaboration with many foreign universities, it is helping students to pursue higher study. After all the pandemic did not leave any significant impact on the students,” said Farhana Afroze about the students of BUFT.
“Amid the pandemic the business execution was not hampered as the government allowed to run the garments industry. We were able to source our targeted products. The big change was that we had to adapt with the digital and from home working environment,” Gulshun Ara Munni said when asked about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the industry.
“Most of the industry has adapted with the pandemic vicissitudes to run their businesses. The businesses are running well even, in many industries got more orders than before. But the big challenges are increasing transit time due to the lengthy time of shipment, and the increase in price of the raw materials. The pressure from the buyers to reduce the FOB price is also a big challenge for the industries. Working on more value added products to generate more revenue may be a solution to these problems. For this industries need to focus on research and development and this requires good textile engineers,” Engr. Md. Nasir Ullah said about the current industry situation amid the ongoing pandemic.
When asked about the career journey Gulshun Ara Munni said, “I started my career in a knit dyeing factory and worked there for 3 years and now working as a business governance manager in H&M. It was the factory from where I was able to learn the basic technical things of the textile industry which are still beneficial to my professional life. Factory was the place where I was able to apply the theories that I learnt during my graduation.”
Engr. Md. Nasir Uddin also emphasized starting a career in production to gain basic technical knowledge about the industry. He suggested to find a comparatively different sector to start a career where there is less competition to flourish in career. He started his career in washing factory and now working as country manager of an Italian chemical company in Bangladesh. He mentioned knowledge in wash technology as his strength which he achieved from production experience.
In response to a question about the future leadership programs in textile industries, Gulshun Ara Munni said that there are many such programs in factories and buying houses where they take interns and train them to be fit for the industries.
For the same question, Nasir said that each industry has its own way to train the freshers may be through a training program or engage in work under an experienced supervisor. He also urged the fresh graduates to stay at least 3 years in a company after joining so that the company can get some return from what it invests to train them.
To build a career in research sector it is necessary to earn at least a Masters and a Ph.D. Degree. And factory experience also add value to be a good researcher, as the research topics are often selected based on factory problems. Interested graduate students should prepare them for higher study from the beginning of university life.
They should prepare for tests like GRE/ TOEFT, if they want to go to USA, and for IELTS, if they want to go in European countries. In addition, learning the German language will be helpful for study in Germany, Mustafijur Rahman said while talking about building career as a researcher.
“MBA can be helpful for industry job to hold top managerial positions. And other job-relevant degrees or training programs can also be helpful,” Md. Nasir said in response to a query about the higher study.
Gulshun Ara Munni also shared her experience of continuous learning to sustain in his career. She also suggested to keep eye on their LinkedIn ID to get updates about the next internship intake. Applicants can also send their resume in advance to HR through the mail for future recruitment as an intern. Minimum 3 years of experience in production is also valued in buying houses.
She was inspired to design a career to create something new for the industry.
Mustafijur Rahman hoped that Bangladeshi textile engineers would shine rapidly in the IE sector. Md. Nasir considers R&D and the Garments sector as most prospectus sectors in the textile industry.
Planning a long-term career goal, having a big dream, developing communication skills, technical skills, and having patience for investing in oneself for learning 3-5 years were the exclusive advices for the graduate students expressed by the panelists.
Job is an echelon of the career, not itself career. So, one should choose a job considering his long-term career plan. One should set a long-term goal for his career and choose job related to the goal. Life is much bigger than a career, planning of career should be in a way that it may build a happy life.
The webinar was moderated by Tareq Amin, Founder & CEO of Textile Today.


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Lloyds Bank analysts on why media remains significant to economy
Keith McLagan and Chris Loring from the technology, media and telecoms team at Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets, give their view on where the media industry finds itself at the dawn of 2012.
Keith McLagan and Chris Loring
The media sector is a significant and growing part of the UK economy, currently impacted by numerous challenges posing both opportunities and threats, as it deals with the double impact of structural change and a recession.
Best estimates show that it accounts for 4% of the UK economy as a percentage of GDP, making it comparable in size to the pharmaceutical and construction sectors.
Our latest forecasts show that media will grow by 2.5% over the next two years, faster than the economy as a whole. It is therefore an important part of the UK's economic turnaround.
There are some considerable divergences within the media sector, with some parts of the industry performing better than others over the past decade.
This means that successful businesses have been able to diversify by opening up more routes to market which, in turn has led to more revenue opportunities.
Digital migration remains the biggest challenge
The biggest change facing media is the move to an online world – it is said that the average living room now has more connected devices than scatter cushions.
Business models need to be adapted in order to respond to a rapidly changing environment, as people are now consuming media in different ways from even five years ago.
This has been keenly felt by newspaper publishers. The recent National Readership Survey showed that the percentage of adults who read a daily newspaper has fallen 30% since 1978, marking a real shift towards online news.
Other parts of the media sector have not been immune from the digital changes sweeping across the globe, with some well-known businesses struggling to adapt, while others have thrived.
Online development poses challenges as to how media businesses can make their digital offerings profitable in their own right. Consumers have generally not warmed to paying for online content, particularly whilst there are so many free sites.
The move to apps, coupled with simple micropayment solutions, has made the paying online somewhat easier for consumers, generating revenue from the resulting volume of small transactions. However, placing the right value on content remains a conundrum.
The other huge opportunity is the ability to "go global" as a result of the reduced cost distribution methods it affords. Coupled with social networking, some sub-sectors of consumer media are really benefiting with the right product offerings.
Business-to-business offerings where the content is of a must-have nature and high up the value chain, have also thrived.
Strong management has become the most important factor
The pressure to diversify income streams whilst controlling costs has led to a measure of M&A activity in the sector in recent years.
This has been characterised by larger, more mature companies acquiring more youthful, specialist businesses (particularly those with a strength in digital media) in order to expand their offerings.
This has helped reduce concentration risk– one of a number of factors that banks take into account when evaluating funding. However, the strength of management has become the most important factor in supporting an acquisition.
That said, with equity markets depressed and share prices low, it has recently become more difficult for quoted companies to use their paper to acquire other businesses without diluting their own shareholding.
To keep M&A momentum, it has been even more important for companies to have strong banking relationships, along with appropriate headroom within their debt facilities to allow for further acquisitions and diversification in what is a fast-paced market place.
Despite the challenges facing the sector, there are a number of steps that media businesses are taking to ensure they can continue to capitalise on the sector's growth.
Successful businesses are very mindful of the new knowledge and skills that they require to face the changing technological landscape and are focusing on making the right new hires and training their current staff.
Additionally, it will be no surprise that sound financial management including appropriate use of bank funding is essential. Financial management in the media sector has improved considerably over the last decade with businesses far more conscious of their cash flow, whilst building business models more around contracted revenues.
A strong and balanced senior management team with a good mix of skills, knowledge and experience is key.
In a rapidly changing sector, it is those companies that embrace change and strategically focus their businesses through the current economic climate that will succeed.
Banks within the UK remain supportive to media companies, and we expect there will continue to be plenty of opportunities available to those who are prepared to seize the opportunities in 2012 and beyond.
Keith McLagan is lead relationship director and Chris Loring is relationship director on the technology, media and telecom team at Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets.
This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk
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BEIJING (Reuters) – China aims to increase local production of baby formula so that more than 60% of the market can be supplied domestically, according to a document jointly released by the country’s central planner and several ministries.
The document, dated in May but released on Monday, said production of domestic baby formula is increasing, there is more consumer confidence in domestic formula, and Chinese brands are getting more competitive globally.
Chinese parents switched heavily to buying foreign brands after a domestic 2008 tainted-milk scandal, when several infants died after the industrial chemical melamine was added to milk powder to raise protein levels.
The document was jointly stamped by the National Development and Reform Commission and six other ministries, including the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
It didn’t say when it expected China to reach the 60% target.
The document also called for further consolidation and restructuring within the industry to eliminate outdated capacity and equalize product quality.
The push to expanded domestic sources comes as international food groups, such as Nestle, launch new lines of baby formula targeting smaller cities in China.
Domestic infant and toddler formula accounted for 43.7% of the Chinese market in 2018, after production grew 21% that year, data analytics firm Nielsen said in a report in March.
Reporting by Pei Li and Brenda Goh; Editing by Neil Fullick


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Alongside the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Statement this week, the UK government published its Future of Payments Review (FoPR), which will potentially affect how the channel, alongside the rest of industry, handles its business transactions going forward.
The FoPR considered whether the UK’s current payments infrastructure supported customers, and how it could be improved to increase competitiveness.
The FoPR recommended the government should develop a National Payments Vision and Strategy, covering resilience and safety, competition and customer experience, international integration, regulation, fraud, interoperability, digital IDs, and innovation.
It just so happens, that while the government was considering changes, IT Europa was attending a payments industry conference at Landing Forty Two in the Leadenhall Building, in the heart of the City of London. We were able to glean the progress that is already being made in changing the payments infrastructure for the better, helped by channel players.
The conference was organised by payment services player Bottomline, and included an informative panel led by UK regulators and industry bodies, including UK Finance.
Like other service providers to the financial services market, Bottomline is busy making its offerings available in go-to-market initiatives with other providers across EMEA, integrating them with the technologies offered by cyber security vendors, and making them available through IT services marketplaces. The company says it is working to make sure managed service providers can adopt its technology too, for the benefit of their own end customers.
Payment services are changing in response to the wider adoption of Open Banking, the entry of new FinTechs, and the acceptance of the legacy banks and insurance companies that the market has to evolve to match customer expectations, and to satisfy ever more proactive industry regulators. This is all driving an ever more potentially lucrative services market for those that can jump on board with ecosystem partners.
Richard Ransom, manager, solution consultants: corporates for EMEA and APAC, at Bottomline, told IT Europa: “From our research, over half of the industry hasn’t even heard of the New Payments Architecture (NPA) that providers, regulators and others are already moving towards. Often banks think more about consumer payment initiatives rather than corporate ones.
“But it’s corporates that will have to push initiatives such as the NPA through, so this is why we decided to hold this event.”
While individual banks weren’t invited to the event, they were represented by their industry body UK Finance, and corporate users of financial services systems were in attendance.
Ransom said service providers should be making it easier for corporates to adopt more automated payment processing through Open Banking schemes, to help them move away from slower and less reliable Excel spreadsheet systems, which are still widely used, and more expensive credit card payments.
Automatic Variable Recurring Payments (VRPs) using Open Banking networks are one alternative payment solution being developed as part of the New Payments Architecture covered by the conference. The NPA is also set to replace the existing BACS payment infrastructure and Faster Payments within the next five years, the conference heard.
On the aforementioned industry panel, Nick Davey, payment specialist at the Payment Systems Regulator, said: “Changes to payment messages [in the NPA] will deliver more information to those involved in payments, and will help in preventing mistakes and fraud, but it is going to be painful getting there.”
Alex Harris, payments and identity programme director at Capita, explained: “The banks are not ready very often, as their systems are harder to change. For instance, often their global systems are different in every country they operate in.”
“Banks are going to have to deliver the changes to payment messages [related to ISO20022 in the NPA], and you can have variant messages, but you have to register them to support consistency in the system,” added the PSR’s Davey. “Will BACS be replaced in five years?, I’m not sure about that. But Faster Payments will, and a new name will be found for it. Direct Debits will probably not be replaced though. The Bank of England will have a say on such matters.”
Phillip Mind, director for digital technology and innovation at UK Finance, reminded the audience how quickly new payments systems can be taken up by users. He asked how many of the audience now used Apple Pay, and over half did on a show of hands. Only one did two years ago.
Mind said Variable Recurring Payments may well advance quickly as an alternative to Direct Debits, but that the banks would have to be brought fully on board to make it happen.
Davey said VRPs may be beneficial to certain customers, but that he didn’t think they would fully replace DDs. If VRPs are going to take off, they will need to provide greater protection and control, like that provided by DDs, he said..
Capita’s Harris chipped in: “Regarding VRPs, many of us rely on SAP platforms, for instance, and we all know how difficult it is to make changes, everything moves incredibly slowly.”
Davey replied: “A long time ago I was involved in implementing a SAP system at the Bank of England, and that was horrendous. But, we know these changes are coming along, and you have to ask your system providers the correct questions.
“And if the changes are mandated by the operator of the system, it should be easier to push things forward.”
The UK government has asked for change in the payments regime, and whatever obstacles are in the road, it sounds like the payments industry ecosystem is at least moving forward.