Yandex, Mail.ru and Utkonos took the top three positions as the country's leading Internet companies in rankings by Forbes published Thursday.
Yandex, Mail.ru & Utkonos took the top three positions as the country's leading Internet companies in rankings by Forbes published Thursday.
It suffered a setback in January when the special application it developed to search Facebook was blocked by the social network.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Shazam: 'TV advertising to become our primary revenue stream'
With tens of millions of weekly active users, British startup wants to make second-screen ads a big deal for broadcasters
Shazam says its users are currently tagging 10m songs, shows and ads a day. They're also tapping through to buy the content they tag from download stores like iTunes and Amazon MP3 – to the tune of a run-rate of $300m of sales a year. The vast majority is music, but TV shows, films and apps are a small but fast-growing percentage.
It's that second-screen TV business that holds the key to Shazam's future, though. Starting in the US, which accounts for 90m of those first 300m users of the company's app. Shazam creates content within its app for every programme on 160 American TV channels, serving it up when viewers tag the show.
Content? That's a mixture of episode descriptions, quizzes, tweets, cast information and playable clips of every song on the soundtrack, with links to buy song downloads, TV episodes and merchandise – the latter through a partnership with e-commerce firm Delivery Agent.
For big events like the Super Bowl, Grammys and Oscars in the US – and recently the Brit Awards in the UK – Shazam builds what Jones calls "custom experiences", with polls, predictions, and video highlights for 2012's Olympic Games, with official US broadcaster NBC.
Shazam says its users are currently tagging 10m songs, shows and ads a day. They're also tapping through to buy the content they tag from download stores like iTunes and Amazon MP3 – to the tune of a run-rate of $300m of sales a year. The vast majority is music, but TV shows, films and apps are a small but fast-growing percentage.
It's that second-screen TV business that holds the key to Shazam's future, though. Starting in the US, which accounts for 90m of those first 300m users of the company's app. Shazam creates content within its app for every programme on 160 American TV channels, serving it up when viewers tag the show.
Content? That's a mixture of episode descriptions, quizzes, tweets, cast information and playable clips of every song on the soundtrack, with links to buy song downloads, TV episodes and merchandise – the latter through a partnership with e-commerce firm Delivery Agent.
For big events like the Super Bowl, Grammys and Oscars in the US – and recently the Brit Awards in the UK – Shazam builds what Jones calls "custom experiences", with polls, predictions, and video highlights for 2012's Olympic Games, with official US broadcaster NBC.
The Future of the Bookstore - The Economist
THE digital onslaught of e-books and Amazon-style e-tailers have put bookstores in an existential predicament. Digital books are expected to outsell print titles by 2015 in Britain, says Sam Hancock, digital product manager at HarperCollins, and even sooner in America. So, what is the future of the bookstore?
There are plenty of ways to delight the bookstore customer, but few are easily monetised. The consensus is that bookstores need to become cultural destinations where people are prepared to pay good money to hear a concert, see a film or attend a talk. The programming will have to be intelligent and the space comfortable. Given how common it is for shoppers to browse in shops only to buy online later, some wonder whether it makes sense to charge people for the privilege. Victoria Barnsley, head of HarperCollins, thinks it might be a good idea. She cited similar experiments among clothing retailers to charge customers for trying on merchandise. (Only 35% of fiction in Britain is bought in a physical store, says Ms Barnsley.)
There are plenty of ways to delight the bookstore customer, but few are easily monetised. The consensus is that bookstores need to become cultural destinations where people are prepared to pay good money to hear a concert, see a film or attend a talk. The programming will have to be intelligent and the space comfortable. Given how common it is for shoppers to browse in shops only to buy online later, some wonder whether it makes sense to charge people for the privilege. Victoria Barnsley, head of HarperCollins, thinks it might be a good idea. She cited similar experiments among clothing retailers to charge customers for trying on merchandise. (Only 35% of fiction in Britain is bought in a physical store, says Ms Barnsley.)
Red Bull's VIP trip...
...budget airline, hotel in the wrong country, and you're not a VIP
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised Red Bull for misleading the winner of a competition which stated: "Win a VIP trip to watch the Belgium Grand Prix."
Red Bull argued that the VIP description was accurate since the Grand Prix was "one of the most prestigious races on the F1 calendar". They said the advert did not claim that event tickets were VIP and that the VIP headline referred to "the entire package that entrants could win, which included tickets to the event, flights and accommodation at a 4-star hotel". Red Bull offered the winner compensation for having to leave the event early.
But the ASA said the term "VIP" would most likely be understood by readers as "exclusive" treatment, and specifically "non-standard", so they would not reasonably expect budget airline flights. "Given that the Grand Prix issued tickets that included admission to a VIP area, readers would expect the winning tickets to include this," the body also found.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised Red Bull for misleading the winner of a competition which stated: "Win a VIP trip to watch the Belgium Grand Prix."
Red Bull argued that the VIP description was accurate since the Grand Prix was "one of the most prestigious races on the F1 calendar". They said the advert did not claim that event tickets were VIP and that the VIP headline referred to "the entire package that entrants could win, which included tickets to the event, flights and accommodation at a 4-star hotel". Red Bull offered the winner compensation for having to leave the event early.
But the ASA said the term "VIP" would most likely be understood by readers as "exclusive" treatment, and specifically "non-standard", so they would not reasonably expect budget airline flights. "Given that the Grand Prix issued tickets that included admission to a VIP area, readers would expect the winning tickets to include this," the body also found.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The Academy Awards - The Economist
An indictment of Hollywood
As for the coming 12 months, we can look forward to “Thor 2”, “Captain America 2”, “Wolverine 2”, “GI Joe 2”, “Despicable Me 2”, “Monsters Inc 2”, “The Smurfs 2”, “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2”, “RED 2”, “300 2”, “Grown Ups 2”, “Percy Jackson 2”, “The Hunger Games 2”, “The Hobbit 2”, “Anchorman 2”, “Iron Man 3”, “The Hangover 3”, “Scary Movie 5”, “Paranormal Activity 5”, “Fast & Furious 6”, “Superman 6” and “Star Trek 12”.
As for the coming 12 months, we can look forward to “Thor 2”, “Captain America 2”, “Wolverine 2”, “GI Joe 2”, “Despicable Me 2”, “Monsters Inc 2”, “The Smurfs 2”, “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2”, “RED 2”, “300 2”, “Grown Ups 2”, “Percy Jackson 2”, “The Hunger Games 2”, “The Hobbit 2”, “Anchorman 2”, “Iron Man 3”, “The Hangover 3”, “Scary Movie 5”, “Paranormal Activity 5”, “Fast & Furious 6”, “Superman 6” and “Star Trek 12”.
Baku to the Future
Private jets have a new destination – Azerbaijan’s capital, where pioneering galleries and a handful of world-class luxury purveyors are changing the gritty post-Soviet landscape at exhilarating speed.
Azerbaijan was the first predominantly Muslim country to have a theatre, film studio and concert halls; in the 19th century Baku was dubbed the “Paris of the east” – visiting oil barons, the Rockefellers and Rothschilds, bequeathed the French villas that line the city’s esplanade. At night the buildings are lit as extravagantly as works in the Louvre; every pillar seems to have its own spotlight.
Azerbaijan was the first predominantly Muslim country to have a theatre, film studio and concert halls; in the 19th century Baku was dubbed the “Paris of the east” – visiting oil barons, the Rockefellers and Rothschilds, bequeathed the French villas that line the city’s esplanade. At night the buildings are lit as extravagantly as works in the Louvre; every pillar seems to have its own spotlight.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Is the iPad saving lads' mags?
Lads’ mags are enjoying renewed popularity on digital devices. Is it possible the iPad could do for lads’ mags what the Kindle did for Fifty Shades of Grey and take the stigma out of saucy content, asks Dr Brooke Magnanti.
The lads' mag is moribund, they say. After the dizzying heights of 90s Britain when everyone from Mariella Frostrup to Danniella Westbrook graced the pages of Loaded, the fall has been harsh and unrelenting, taking no prisoners. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) figures for the magazines show the circulation of printed copies of Nuts down from just over 100,000 in the second half of 2011, to 80,186 by the end of 2012 - a decrease of 29.7 per cent in only a year. Other lads' mags show similar trends, with the once-mighty FHM down 18.5 per cent to about 115,000 and Zoo down 19.3 per cent to 44,068.
To those who dislike the content of lads' mags this may look like an encouraging trend. But as criticism of the ABC audits points out, this doesn't incorporate statistics about digital versions. Even that is not an accurate reflection of the market - while ABC does collect data on things like PDF-based digital versions, they don't include the growing iPad and mobile app markets.
The lads' mag is moribund, they say. After the dizzying heights of 90s Britain when everyone from Mariella Frostrup to Danniella Westbrook graced the pages of Loaded, the fall has been harsh and unrelenting, taking no prisoners. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) figures for the magazines show the circulation of printed copies of Nuts down from just over 100,000 in the second half of 2011, to 80,186 by the end of 2012 - a decrease of 29.7 per cent in only a year. Other lads' mags show similar trends, with the once-mighty FHM down 18.5 per cent to about 115,000 and Zoo down 19.3 per cent to 44,068.
To those who dislike the content of lads' mags this may look like an encouraging trend. But as criticism of the ABC audits points out, this doesn't incorporate statistics about digital versions. Even that is not an accurate reflection of the market - while ABC does collect data on things like PDF-based digital versions, they don't include the growing iPad and mobile app markets.
Nokia: From ‘burning platform’ to a slimmer management model
“If you go into these stores and look at these devices, it’s hard to tell most of them apart. You can look at a piece of paper next to them and see it’s got a Snapdragon quad-core blah blah blah . . . [Instead], we asked ‘What are the improved consumer experiences that really make a difference?’”
“Marketing remains their weakest link in terms of being able to regain that ‘wow’ factor,” says Gartner’s Carolina Milanesi. While Nokia’s share of the market for more affordable mobile phones slipped just over four percentage points between 2011 and 2012 to 19.1 per cent, its smartphone share dropped from 17.9 per cent to 5.8 per cent.
(you may need to register to view the full article)
“Marketing remains their weakest link in terms of being able to regain that ‘wow’ factor,” says Gartner’s Carolina Milanesi. While Nokia’s share of the market for more affordable mobile phones slipped just over four percentage points between 2011 and 2012 to 19.1 per cent, its smartphone share dropped from 17.9 per cent to 5.8 per cent.
(you may need to register to view the full article)
Audrey Hepburn advertises Galaxy chocolate bars? The Independent
Audrey Hepburn has come back to life to flog chocolate. She’s not the first posthumous saleswoman, reports Simon Usborne
...the image rights and posthumous fortunes of the departed can lay legal and ethical minefields for brands, and raise the morbid question: who owns dead people?
Last year, a Los Angeles judge ruled it was legal for General Motors to use the image of Albert Einstein’s face planted on top of the rippling torso of a model bearing an e=mc² tattoo. The scientist’s estate had sued but lost because, the judge said, the right of expression trumped an estate’s right to control an image more than 50 years after a death.
Forbes, meanwhile, keeps a dead-star rich list: Elizabeth Taylor was chief among 13 names last year who had earned a combined £350m during the previous 12 months.
...the image rights and posthumous fortunes of the departed can lay legal and ethical minefields for brands, and raise the morbid question: who owns dead people?
Last year, a Los Angeles judge ruled it was legal for General Motors to use the image of Albert Einstein’s face planted on top of the rippling torso of a model bearing an e=mc² tattoo. The scientist’s estate had sued but lost because, the judge said, the right of expression trumped an estate’s right to control an image more than 50 years after a death.
Forbes, meanwhile, keeps a dead-star rich list: Elizabeth Taylor was chief among 13 names last year who had earned a combined £350m during the previous 12 months.
Oscar Broadcast Rivals Super Bowl as Showcase for Ads
THIS year, Madison Avenue seems to be anticipating the Oscars as much as Hollywood.
Advertisers are paying ABC the highest prices since 2008 for commercials during the network’s coverage of the Academy Awards. ABC, part of the Walt Disney Company, charged $1.65 million to $1.8 million for each 30 seconds of commercial time in the broadcast on Sunday; the rate five years ago was $1.7 million.
Also, a recent trend of advertisers treating the Oscars like the Super Bowl — as a platform for prominent new ads that consumers will rave (or rant) about on social media like Facebook and Twitter — seems to be intensifying. Blue-chip brands like Chobani, Grey Poupon, Hyundai, Neutrogena and J. C. Penney plan to show new campaigns or new commercials in continuing campaigns.
For many years, the Academy Awards was heralded as “the Super Bowl for women” until gains among female viewers put the Super Bowl ahead of the Oscars in total women watching. Still, the Academy Awards usually draws the most female viewers of any entertainment show.
Advertisers are paying ABC the highest prices since 2008 for commercials during the network’s coverage of the Academy Awards. ABC, part of the Walt Disney Company, charged $1.65 million to $1.8 million for each 30 seconds of commercial time in the broadcast on Sunday; the rate five years ago was $1.7 million.
Also, a recent trend of advertisers treating the Oscars like the Super Bowl — as a platform for prominent new ads that consumers will rave (or rant) about on social media like Facebook and Twitter — seems to be intensifying. Blue-chip brands like Chobani, Grey Poupon, Hyundai, Neutrogena and J. C. Penney plan to show new campaigns or new commercials in continuing campaigns.
For many years, the Academy Awards was heralded as “the Super Bowl for women” until gains among female viewers put the Super Bowl ahead of the Oscars in total women watching. Still, the Academy Awards usually draws the most female viewers of any entertainment show.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
BBC Takes Another Stab at Filming 'War and Peace'
It was announced this week that Davies will work on a six-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace," which will be broadcasted by BBC One in 2015 as event television
There have been five previous adaptations of the novel. The earliest version was a little seen 1915 silent Russian film. The most recent, a 2007 Russian-French-Italian-German television mini-series.
Three adaptations stand out in particular. King Vidor's 1956 "War and Peace" was a typical 1950s Hollywood epic with a cast headed by Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rostova and Henry Fonda as Pierre Bezukhov. The film was lushly scored by Nino Rota and richly photographed by Jack Cardiff in Italy. Yet, it took eight screenwriters to fashion a film-able 208-minute screenplay from the novel's ample page count.
Sergei Bondarchuk overcame this problem by filming the movie in four parts. The director shot the film between 1962 and 1967 and included members of the Red Army as extras. At the time it was the U.S.S.R.'s most expensive film, and it went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.
The British Broadcasting Corporations's previous attempt came in 1972 when a young Anthony Hopkins starred as Bezukhov in the BBC's 20-part version of "War and Peace."
There have been five previous adaptations of the novel. The earliest version was a little seen 1915 silent Russian film. The most recent, a 2007 Russian-French-Italian-German television mini-series.
Three adaptations stand out in particular. King Vidor's 1956 "War and Peace" was a typical 1950s Hollywood epic with a cast headed by Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rostova and Henry Fonda as Pierre Bezukhov. The film was lushly scored by Nino Rota and richly photographed by Jack Cardiff in Italy. Yet, it took eight screenwriters to fashion a film-able 208-minute screenplay from the novel's ample page count.
Sergei Bondarchuk overcame this problem by filming the movie in four parts. The director shot the film between 1962 and 1967 and included members of the Red Army as extras. At the time it was the U.S.S.R.'s most expensive film, and it went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.
The British Broadcasting Corporations's previous attempt came in 1972 when a young Anthony Hopkins starred as Bezukhov in the BBC's 20-part version of "War and Peace."
Johnnie Walker does not want to walk alone - The Economist
Why Scotch-whisky makers want to stay in the European Union
The rise of Scotch is a story of canny marketing, innovation and political luck. One boon was the devastation of Europe’s vines in the 1860s by an infestation of lice, allowing whisky to supplant brandy as England’s favourite tipple. Trading ships brought whisky to the ends of the British empire. Yet in the 19th century Ireland’s malts had more prestige. Only by the turn of the 20th century had Scotch begun to supplant them. One reason was the rise of Scottish blenders, such as the descendants of the original John Walker, a grocer from Kilmarnock, who mixed malts with mass-produced spirit derived from other grains using continuous-distillation techniques. This allowed the marketing of lighter, more affordable whisky of consistent quality. A Royal Commission in 1909 ruled that blends could be called whisky.
The rise of Scotch is a story of canny marketing, innovation and political luck. One boon was the devastation of Europe’s vines in the 1860s by an infestation of lice, allowing whisky to supplant brandy as England’s favourite tipple. Trading ships brought whisky to the ends of the British empire. Yet in the 19th century Ireland’s malts had more prestige. Only by the turn of the 20th century had Scotch begun to supplant them. One reason was the rise of Scottish blenders, such as the descendants of the original John Walker, a grocer from Kilmarnock, who mixed malts with mass-produced spirit derived from other grains using continuous-distillation techniques. This allowed the marketing of lighter, more affordable whisky of consistent quality. A Royal Commission in 1909 ruled that blends could be called whisky.
Napster: the day the music was set free
The digital music revolution started with Napster – the file-sharing service dreamt up by two teenagers in 1999. As a new film tells Napster's story, Tom Lamont recalls the incredible sense of liberation he felt as a young music fan, one of millions happily plundering the world's record collections…
By the summer of 2000, Napster had dramatically expanded and about 14,000 songs were being downloaded every minute. Fanning was a star, sought out at a tech conference by two little-known developers, Larry and Sergey, who told him how much they envied what he'd built. When Time magazine put Fanning on its cover in October 2000, an accompanying article gushed: "[His] programme ranks among the greatest internet applications ever, up there with email and instant messaging."
But the truth was that, for Napster, terminal rot had set in. Sean Parker had been quietly, hurtfully ousted from the company after an email was unearthed in which he referred to file-sharers as pirates, something Napster's lawyers were always careful to deny. Shown the door, Parker asked Fanning for help, but his friend was so weary and disillusioned that he only said: "You're lucky. You can go and do something else." Before long, Fanning left too.
Napster had lost its zest. Rudderless and haemorrhaging relevance, it began a series of doomed manoeuvres. After the court-ordered shutdown, bosses flirted with the idea of reinstating free sharing, but with music that had the lo-fi quality of radio. They gave away free MP3 players. A UK collaboration was announced with Dixons, never the sexiest brand, and by the time Apple was ready to launch its slick iTunes Store in Britain, Napster had a new tie-up – with the Post Office.
By the summer of 2000, Napster had dramatically expanded and about 14,000 songs were being downloaded every minute. Fanning was a star, sought out at a tech conference by two little-known developers, Larry and Sergey, who told him how much they envied what he'd built. When Time magazine put Fanning on its cover in October 2000, an accompanying article gushed: "[His] programme ranks among the greatest internet applications ever, up there with email and instant messaging."
But the truth was that, for Napster, terminal rot had set in. Sean Parker had been quietly, hurtfully ousted from the company after an email was unearthed in which he referred to file-sharers as pirates, something Napster's lawyers were always careful to deny. Shown the door, Parker asked Fanning for help, but his friend was so weary and disillusioned that he only said: "You're lucky. You can go and do something else." Before long, Fanning left too.
Napster had lost its zest. Rudderless and haemorrhaging relevance, it began a series of doomed manoeuvres. After the court-ordered shutdown, bosses flirted with the idea of reinstating free sharing, but with music that had the lo-fi quality of radio. They gave away free MP3 players. A UK collaboration was announced with Dixons, never the sexiest brand, and by the time Apple was ready to launch its slick iTunes Store in Britain, Napster had a new tie-up – with the Post Office.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Tom Cruise: Lone Star - GQ magazine
With studios cutting budgets & branded film franchises storming the box office, being a movie star is a risky business
Movie stars, in so many ways, are over. Here, typically, and according to common industry knowledge, branded franchises have replaced traditional star vehicles (eight out of the top ten global box-office hits of 2012 were franchise films, only one of which - Men In Black 3 - was a star vehicle) while domestic box-office receipts in the States have fallen to a 16-year low ($10.2bn in 2011), resulting in a brutal cutback on actual movie production - only 104 studio movies were made in Hollywood in 2011, as opposed to 131 in 2006. Add to this the competition from social media and quality television, the rise of starbaiting celebrity culture, and the dominance of overseas box office (roughly 70 per cent of Hollywood tickets are sold to international audiences who are ostensibly drawn to spectacle, simplicity and sparse amounts of dialogue) and you have a doomsday scenario for a star system that has nothing left to offer but overpriced fees and paltry returns.
Movie stars, in so many ways, are over. Here, typically, and according to common industry knowledge, branded franchises have replaced traditional star vehicles (eight out of the top ten global box-office hits of 2012 were franchise films, only one of which - Men In Black 3 - was a star vehicle) while domestic box-office receipts in the States have fallen to a 16-year low ($10.2bn in 2011), resulting in a brutal cutback on actual movie production - only 104 studio movies were made in Hollywood in 2011, as opposed to 131 in 2006. Add to this the competition from social media and quality television, the rise of starbaiting celebrity culture, and the dominance of overseas box office (roughly 70 per cent of Hollywood tickets are sold to international audiences who are ostensibly drawn to spectacle, simplicity and sparse amounts of dialogue) and you have a doomsday scenario for a star system that has nothing left to offer but overpriced fees and paltry returns.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Changing channels: why TV has had to adapt - Tim Harford in the FT
Technological change has swept through broadcasting as surely as it has through music and newpapers
First, consider advertising revenue: time-shifting makes it easy to avoid adverts, which undermines the traditional ad-funded model. However, there are some events that most people demand to watch live: sporting events, of course, but also talent shows and reality TV. These are events that our friends and colleagues will talk about and if you don’t watch live, you will miss out. Such programmes remain attractive to advertisers.
But while time-shifting technology has pushed ad-funded television towards live events, it has also provided a foundation for complex storylines. Thanks to DVDs and digital recorders, people can catch up on what they’ve missed. Because the intricate plots are addictive, they are a natural fit with DVD box sets or cable TV.
Some formats sit uneasily with either model. A standalone documentary or sitcom offers neither the addictiveness of the extended series, nor the immediacy of sport or reality TV. The golden age of the sitcom is, perhaps, behind us. And it did not escape my notice that the kind of news coverage that really matters – thoughtful, analytical, investigative – also fits poorly. Perhaps in the future all TV news will take the form of either epic narrative documentaries, or helicopter chases.
First, consider advertising revenue: time-shifting makes it easy to avoid adverts, which undermines the traditional ad-funded model. However, there are some events that most people demand to watch live: sporting events, of course, but also talent shows and reality TV. These are events that our friends and colleagues will talk about and if you don’t watch live, you will miss out. Such programmes remain attractive to advertisers.
But while time-shifting technology has pushed ad-funded television towards live events, it has also provided a foundation for complex storylines. Thanks to DVDs and digital recorders, people can catch up on what they’ve missed. Because the intricate plots are addictive, they are a natural fit with DVD box sets or cable TV.
Some formats sit uneasily with either model. A standalone documentary or sitcom offers neither the addictiveness of the extended series, nor the immediacy of sport or reality TV. The golden age of the sitcom is, perhaps, behind us. And it did not escape my notice that the kind of news coverage that really matters – thoughtful, analytical, investigative – also fits poorly. Perhaps in the future all TV news will take the form of either epic narrative documentaries, or helicopter chases.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Hollywood : Split Screens - The Economist
A tale of two Tinseltowns
...even though studios are selling more tickets in emerging markets like Russia and China, they are taking home less money for their hits. In America the big studios keep around half of box-office receipts. In China Hollywood studios keep only a quarter. Moreover, no more than 34 foreign films may be released in China each year. (Last year, the big six studios released 134 films in total.) These countries also generate puny home-entertainment revenues, and this will not change for years. To compete with pirates in Russia one studio starts selling DVDs only a month after a movie’s release.
Squeezed between rising costs and falling revenues, the big studios have responded by trying to make more films they think will be hits: usually sequels, prequels, or anything featuring characters with name recognition. But, as William Goldman, a script writer, once wrote, “nobody knows anything”—ie, hits can’t be predicted. Independent filmmakers can still make money on surprise hits but these have limited markets abroad: American dramas and comedies tend not to perform as well overseas as cartoon and action flicks.
...even though studios are selling more tickets in emerging markets like Russia and China, they are taking home less money for their hits. In America the big studios keep around half of box-office receipts. In China Hollywood studios keep only a quarter. Moreover, no more than 34 foreign films may be released in China each year. (Last year, the big six studios released 134 films in total.) These countries also generate puny home-entertainment revenues, and this will not change for years. To compete with pirates in Russia one studio starts selling DVDs only a month after a movie’s release.
Squeezed between rising costs and falling revenues, the big studios have responded by trying to make more films they think will be hits: usually sequels, prequels, or anything featuring characters with name recognition. But, as William Goldman, a script writer, once wrote, “nobody knows anything”—ie, hits can’t be predicted. Independent filmmakers can still make money on surprise hits but these have limited markets abroad: American dramas and comedies tend not to perform as well overseas as cartoon and action flicks.
Heinz : Now, 56 varieties - The Economist
Under new ownership, Heinz will both slim down and bulk up
Hunkering down at home is unlikely to be the limit of Heinz’s ambitions. Starting with Brazil’s second-biggest beer maker, Mr Lemann helped create the world’s biggest, most efficient brewer, AB InBev, through mergers and acquisitions with Belgium’s Interbrew and America’s Anheuser-Busch. Heinz is already global. It owns Foodstar, a Chinese soy-sauce maker, and Quero, a Brazilian ketchup company. Under new ownership it will start on its long-standing plan to become a big producer of baby food, reckons Ildiko Szalai of Euromonitor International, a research firm. The Swiss food giant Nestlé could sell baby-food businesses in Mexico, Thailand and elsewhere to satisfy competition authorities. Heinz is a likely buyer.
Heinz is a long way from being the AB InBev of food (it ranks 13th globally). But with Brazilians at the helm and Mr Buffett in the background it is likely to move up.
Hunkering down at home is unlikely to be the limit of Heinz’s ambitions. Starting with Brazil’s second-biggest beer maker, Mr Lemann helped create the world’s biggest, most efficient brewer, AB InBev, through mergers and acquisitions with Belgium’s Interbrew and America’s Anheuser-Busch. Heinz is already global. It owns Foodstar, a Chinese soy-sauce maker, and Quero, a Brazilian ketchup company. Under new ownership it will start on its long-standing plan to become a big producer of baby food, reckons Ildiko Szalai of Euromonitor International, a research firm. The Swiss food giant Nestlé could sell baby-food businesses in Mexico, Thailand and elsewhere to satisfy competition authorities. Heinz is a likely buyer.
Heinz is a long way from being the AB InBev of food (it ranks 13th globally). But with Brazilians at the helm and Mr Buffett in the background it is likely to move up.
Borjomi - Georgia's legendary mineral water
BORJOMI mineral water is probably Georgia's best-known brand. It is popular across the former Soviet Union where some see it as an effective hangover cure.
Even if Georgian wine and mineral water return to Russia, they may not thrive. Over the last seven years, Borjomi lost its niche in the Russian mineral water market, where it once accounted for 13% of the market, to mid-range domestic brands. According to the company's boss, Zaza Kikvadze, Borjomi will now target the market's premium segment with French brands such as Evian and Perrier as its main rivals. Similarly, Georgian wine now faces new competition from Latin American wines and others in Russia.
Even if Georgian wine and mineral water return to Russia, they may not thrive. Over the last seven years, Borjomi lost its niche in the Russian mineral water market, where it once accounted for 13% of the market, to mid-range domestic brands. According to the company's boss, Zaza Kikvadze, Borjomi will now target the market's premium segment with French brands such as Evian and Perrier as its main rivals. Similarly, Georgian wine now faces new competition from Latin American wines and others in Russia.
Video games: All to play for - The Economist
Sony’s newest console launches into a suffering industry
THESE days video games rival films as a form of entertainment. Sales figures are murky, but most estimates put annual revenues at between $60 billion and $70 billion. So the launch by Sony, on February 20th, of the PlayStation 4, its latest games console, was appropriately full of razzmatazz. Those attending the launch in New York were treated to a dazzling light show and images of goblins and ice goliaths from games for the new gizmo, which goes on sale towards the end of the year.
Away from the glitz, though, the console industry is having a torrid time. According to NPD, a firm of analysts, sales of consoles and other hardware fell by a fifth in America last year. Sales of the games themselves are doing no better. Both Sony and Microsoft, which makes the Xbox, a rival line of consoles, have reported falling income from their games divisions.
THESE days video games rival films as a form of entertainment. Sales figures are murky, but most estimates put annual revenues at between $60 billion and $70 billion. So the launch by Sony, on February 20th, of the PlayStation 4, its latest games console, was appropriately full of razzmatazz. Those attending the launch in New York were treated to a dazzling light show and images of goblins and ice goliaths from games for the new gizmo, which goes on sale towards the end of the year.
Away from the glitz, though, the console industry is having a torrid time. According to NPD, a firm of analysts, sales of consoles and other hardware fell by a fifth in America last year. Sales of the games themselves are doing no better. Both Sony and Microsoft, which makes the Xbox, a rival line of consoles, have reported falling income from their games divisions.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The Making of Pulp Fiction - Vanity Fair
The first independent film to gross more than $200 million
Pulp Fiction was a shot of adrenaline to Hollywood’s heart, reviving John Travolta’s career, making stars of Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, and turning Bob and Harvey Weinstein into giants. How did Quentin Tarantino, a high-school dropout and former video-store clerk, change the face of modern cinema? Mark Seal takes the director, his producers, and his cast back in time, to 1993.
Pulp Fiction was a shot of adrenaline to Hollywood’s heart, reviving John Travolta’s career, making stars of Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, and turning Bob and Harvey Weinstein into giants. How did Quentin Tarantino, a high-school dropout and former video-store clerk, change the face of modern cinema? Mark Seal takes the director, his producers, and his cast back in time, to 1993.
New screens require new TV strategy - FT
Russian meteor sightings are a reminder of the huge and growing audience for short clips, but the shift is clear. “We’re seeing the form of content change back towards TV, but with a very different engagement model,” Mr Knapp says.
For a start, a market once defined by YouTube’s user generated clips is starting to look more like TV. Ooyala sees long-form programming – TV shows and films – growing much faster than short videos.
For a start, a market once defined by YouTube’s user generated clips is starting to look more like TV. Ooyala sees long-form programming – TV shows and films – growing much faster than short videos.
Hardware has played a role: it is easier to watch a half-hour show on a
tablet, connected TV or games console plugged into the living room screen.
Debates about whether Sony is right to bring out a fourth-generation
PlayStation as gaming moves online often ignore
such devices’ importance for accessing video content.
Investments in original programming from digital distributors such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu have also helped, and the Olympics proved
there is an appetite for watching lengthy live events online.
(you may need to register to view the full article)
Content & Creativity - A Mini Adventure
Mini backflip: stunt driver Guerlain Chicherit flips car 360 degrees - video
Champion skier and rally driver Guerlain Chicherit performs an audacious 360 degree backflip in a Mini Countryman John Cooper Works SUV. Mini claim it is the first time a backflip like this has been pulled off. It takes place in Tignes in France against a snow white backdrop
Champion skier and rally driver Guerlain Chicherit performs an audacious 360 degree backflip in a Mini Countryman John Cooper Works SUV. Mini claim it is the first time a backflip like this has been pulled off. It takes place in Tignes in France against a snow white backdrop
Content & Creativity - Ford giving away Fiesta in bid for social feedback
Car giant to hand out 100 cars to bloggers and tweeters in exchange for their contributions on the Fiesta driving experience
Those wishing to become a Ford "agent" can apply through a specially established website, listing their presence across various social networking websites alongside a video application. An advertising video played at the Ford event on Tuesday said the 100 people will "create cool shareable content and become celebs of the social space", with the possibility of seeing their faces "in print ads, and maybe even on TV".
Those wishing to become a Ford "agent" can apply through a specially established website, listing their presence across various social networking websites alongside a video application. An advertising video played at the Ford event on Tuesday said the 100 people will "create cool shareable content and become celebs of the social space", with the possibility of seeing their faces "in print ads, and maybe even on TV".
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Eurovision: Meet the new song. Same as the old song
The Eurovision Song Contest is no stranger to controversy.
Whether it’s claims that Franco rigged the 1968 show to boost Spain’s flagging tourism industry, or the Azerbaijani government being accused of forcibly evicting people from their homes to make way for beautifying its capital, Baku, ahead of 2012’s contest, barely a year goes by without at least a whiff of scandal.
Well, this year, the mud-slinging is already under way. Cascada, the electro act that instructed you to “Evacuate the Dancefloor” a few years back and this year’s entry for Germany, have been accused of ripping off last year’s winning song, “Euphoria”, by the Swedish singer Loreen.
A quick listen to both songs confirms that they are pretty similar: they’re both remarkably awful.
Whether it’s claims that Franco rigged the 1968 show to boost Spain’s flagging tourism industry, or the Azerbaijani government being accused of forcibly evicting people from their homes to make way for beautifying its capital, Baku, ahead of 2012’s contest, barely a year goes by without at least a whiff of scandal.
Well, this year, the mud-slinging is already under way. Cascada, the electro act that instructed you to “Evacuate the Dancefloor” a few years back and this year’s entry for Germany, have been accused of ripping off last year’s winning song, “Euphoria”, by the Swedish singer Loreen.
A quick listen to both songs confirms that they are pretty similar: they’re both remarkably awful.
Breakthrough Prize announced by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Sergey Brin of Google and venture capitalist Yuri Milner set up foundation to reward excellence in life sciences with 11 individual prizes of $3m
A Russian internet investor who quit a PhD in physics and invested in social networking, Milner persuaded his fellow internet billionaires to contribute to the bounty to encourage a new generation of molecular biologists and geneticists. "Young people will hopefully get the message that not only the careers in sports or entertainment can get a public recognition."
To honour the 11 scientists named on Wednesday, who will collectively receive $33m, he reached out to Zuckerberg, whom he has known since buying a $200m stake in Facebook in 2009. He also enlisted Brin, a Russian American entrepreneur, despite Google's occasionally testy relations with Facebook. Brin's wife, Anne Wojcicki, was named as a fourth sponsor.
A Russian internet investor who quit a PhD in physics and invested in social networking, Milner persuaded his fellow internet billionaires to contribute to the bounty to encourage a new generation of molecular biologists and geneticists. "Young people will hopefully get the message that not only the careers in sports or entertainment can get a public recognition."
To honour the 11 scientists named on Wednesday, who will collectively receive $33m, he reached out to Zuckerberg, whom he has known since buying a $200m stake in Facebook in 2009. He also enlisted Brin, a Russian American entrepreneur, despite Google's occasionally testy relations with Facebook. Brin's wife, Anne Wojcicki, was named as a fourth sponsor.
Sanoma Independent Media Gets New CEO
Jean-Emmanuel de Witt has been appointed CEO of Sanoma Independent Media, the parent company of The Moscow Times, the publishing house said Tuesday.
SIM's previous CEO, Yelena Myasnikova, resigned in September, complaining of excessive control by the company's Finnish management.
SIM publishes Vedomosti, Cosmopolitan and Esquire, among others. Founded by Dutch expatriate Derk Sauer in 1992, Independent Media was bought by Finnish media group Sanoma in January 2005
SIM's previous CEO, Yelena Myasnikova, resigned in September, complaining of excessive control by the company's Finnish management.
SIM publishes Vedomosti, Cosmopolitan and Esquire, among others. Founded by Dutch expatriate Derk Sauer in 1992, Independent Media was bought by Finnish media group Sanoma in January 2005
Monday, February 18, 2013
DreamWorks Battles NBCUniversal for Theme-Park Title
DreamWorks Animation is challenging fellow U.S. media company NBCUniversal for the title of first major theme park operator in Russia, just as the overall entertainment-park market is heating up from competition small and large.
DreamWorks chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg announced at a Moscow press conference that his company will open parks near Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in 2015, or more than three years ahead of NBCUniversal's Galactica Park in Moscow.
With the designs for the parks done and two of the sites acquired, "we're ready to go," Katzenberg said in an interview with The Moscow Times. Each site is expected to consist of a year-round theme park, 400-room hotel, concert hall, 4-D movie theater and a mall, and those components will be launched simultaneously at each site.
DreamWorks chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg announced at a Moscow press conference that his company will open parks near Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in 2015, or more than three years ahead of NBCUniversal's Galactica Park in Moscow.
With the designs for the parks done and two of the sites acquired, "we're ready to go," Katzenberg said in an interview with The Moscow Times. Each site is expected to consist of a year-round theme park, 400-room hotel, concert hall, 4-D movie theater and a mall, and those components will be launched simultaneously at each site.
Meteor strike was US weapons test - Zhirinovsky
The meteor, which was travelling at around 33,000 mph rained down over the Ural Mountains last week
In language echoing that of the Cold War, nationalist Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky, said: "Those were not meteorites, it was Americans testing their new weapons.
"John Kerry wanted to warn (Russia’s Foreign Minister) Lavrov on Monday, he was looking for Lavrov, and Lavrov was on a trip.
"He meant to warn Lavrov about a provocation against Russia."
According to Zhirinovsky, who is perhaps more famous for fist-fights than physics, meteorites falling on Russia is an impossibility.
Referring to outer space Zhirinovsky said: "Nothing will ever fall out there, if something falls, it’s people doing that. People are the instigators of wars, the provocateurs.”
In language echoing that of the Cold War, nationalist Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky, said: "Those were not meteorites, it was Americans testing their new weapons.
"John Kerry wanted to warn (Russia’s Foreign Minister) Lavrov on Monday, he was looking for Lavrov, and Lavrov was on a trip.
"He meant to warn Lavrov about a provocation against Russia."
According to Zhirinovsky, who is perhaps more famous for fist-fights than physics, meteorites falling on Russia is an impossibility.
Referring to outer space Zhirinovsky said: "Nothing will ever fall out there, if something falls, it’s people doing that. People are the instigators of wars, the provocateurs.”
Sunday, February 17, 2013
'Optimistic' Channel Gets a Sobering Makeover - Moscow Times
Dozhd was the first television channel in Russia to show the mass demonstrations in December 2011. Due to its willingness to broadcast news not usually shown on state or commercial channels, audiences labeled it an opposition channel. However, it was not created for this.
The channel was originally meant to be optimistic and recruited young people who lacked previous media experience and the self-censorship habits of other channels' news teams.
"I think we were able to do it," Dozhd owner Natalya Sindeyeva told The Moscow Times. "Optimistic for us is the sense, the aftertaste that you get after watching the channel. After watching Dozhd, you don't get the feeling that everything is bad, that you should leave the country. After watching Channel One, you want to commit suicide."
However, audiences have grown frustrated with Dozhd and say it has stopped being the optimist it claims to be.
"When Dozhd channel was founded, it was like a private happiness to me," one viewer said. "I believed that it would be a real optimistic channel that would tell us how our world is great despite all the problems and the horror. Eventually, the channel started to impose its own views on political and social problems and offer coverage just about the problems and the horror, forgetting about its own slogan."
The channel was originally meant to be optimistic and recruited young people who lacked previous media experience and the self-censorship habits of other channels' news teams.
"I think we were able to do it," Dozhd owner Natalya Sindeyeva told The Moscow Times. "Optimistic for us is the sense, the aftertaste that you get after watching the channel. After watching Dozhd, you don't get the feeling that everything is bad, that you should leave the country. After watching Channel One, you want to commit suicide."
However, audiences have grown frustrated with Dozhd and say it has stopped being the optimist it claims to be.
"When Dozhd channel was founded, it was like a private happiness to me," one viewer said. "I believed that it would be a real optimistic channel that would tell us how our world is great despite all the problems and the horror. Eventually, the channel started to impose its own views on political and social problems and offer coverage just about the problems and the horror, forgetting about its own slogan."
Formula One TV viewing hits the skids
Concerns over pay-TV strategy after audience declines in markets such as China, Russia, the US and the UK
F1's largest market is Brazil where viewing figures accelerated 8.9% year on year to 85.6 million in 2012. There were also improvements in Spain and Italy, where respective increases of 11.5% and 15% compared to 2011 were fuelled by the strong performance of Spanish Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso.
UK coverage was split for the first time between the BBC and pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB in 2012, which led to viewing figures falling by 3.8 million to 28.6 million.
Audiences also dropped in other new markets for F1. In Russia they fell by 12.8% ahead of the first Russian grand prix next year which will take place at Sochi's $50bn Olympic Park. This drop was attributed to the poor form of Russia's only F1 driver, Vitaly Petrov, who failed to score a point in the 2012 championship and has not been signed up this year.
F1's largest market is Brazil where viewing figures accelerated 8.9% year on year to 85.6 million in 2012. There were also improvements in Spain and Italy, where respective increases of 11.5% and 15% compared to 2011 were fuelled by the strong performance of Spanish Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso.
UK coverage was split for the first time between the BBC and pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB in 2012, which led to viewing figures falling by 3.8 million to 28.6 million.
Audiences also dropped in other new markets for F1. In Russia they fell by 12.8% ahead of the first Russian grand prix next year which will take place at Sochi's $50bn Olympic Park. This drop was attributed to the poor form of Russia's only F1 driver, Vitaly Petrov, who failed to score a point in the 2012 championship and has not been signed up this year.
Magazines must embrace their digital future – or disappear
Newsstand sales of magazines in America have fallen by around 25 million in a decade
The most credible sign that magazines have a future is the growth in digital sales. The titles that are discovering a life beyond print are those with distinct offerings, high production values and – most crucially – a publisher with a genuine commitment to realising the potential of technological change.
Thus the Hearst-Rodale magazine Men's Health has piled 12,676 digital sales onto its monthly circulation. Condé Nast's GQ is another digital front runner, with 11,779 copies delivered via iPad (9 per cent of its total circulation). The male obsession with gadgetry means there is a gender bias in digital sales, although this is rapidly disappearing as tablets become smaller and more ubiquitous.
The most credible sign that magazines have a future is the growth in digital sales. The titles that are discovering a life beyond print are those with distinct offerings, high production values and – most crucially – a publisher with a genuine commitment to realising the potential of technological change.
Thus the Hearst-Rodale magazine Men's Health has piled 12,676 digital sales onto its monthly circulation. Condé Nast's GQ is another digital front runner, with 11,779 copies delivered via iPad (9 per cent of its total circulation). The male obsession with gadgetry means there is a gender bias in digital sales, although this is rapidly disappearing as tablets become smaller and more ubiquitous.
Cannabis as an investment - The Economist
The audacity of dope - A fund seeks opportunity in the weed
...despite its heft, the cannabis industry operates like, well, a grass-roots movement. The drug’s legal status is messy: although medical marijuana is legal in 18 states and in the District of Columbia, cannabis is illegal elsewhere in America. For social reasons, too, the industry is unfinanceable through normal channels. People in the business lack expertise in everything from branding to staffing.
Data are scarce. Formal benchmarks for quality, such as tests for the presence of contaminants including mould, mildew and pesticides, do not exist. Neither do proper classifications for the different varieties of the drug. Thousands of strains of cannabis can be grown, many with odd names like Apollo 11, Sour Kush, Broke Diesel and the less-than-mellow Chernobyl. Characteristics vary, too. Some strains depress; some stimulate; some suppress nausea, a key reason why marijuana is used by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Consumers cannot compare what is legally produced in California with what is legally produced in Colorado— to say nothing of what is illegally sold in New York’s Washington Square Park (where a small army of salesmen all have the same patter: “Smoke. The good stuff”).
...despite its heft, the cannabis industry operates like, well, a grass-roots movement. The drug’s legal status is messy: although medical marijuana is legal in 18 states and in the District of Columbia, cannabis is illegal elsewhere in America. For social reasons, too, the industry is unfinanceable through normal channels. People in the business lack expertise in everything from branding to staffing.
Data are scarce. Formal benchmarks for quality, such as tests for the presence of contaminants including mould, mildew and pesticides, do not exist. Neither do proper classifications for the different varieties of the drug. Thousands of strains of cannabis can be grown, many with odd names like Apollo 11, Sour Kush, Broke Diesel and the less-than-mellow Chernobyl. Characteristics vary, too. Some strains depress; some stimulate; some suppress nausea, a key reason why marijuana is used by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Consumers cannot compare what is legally produced in California with what is legally produced in Colorado— to say nothing of what is illegally sold in New York’s Washington Square Park (where a small army of salesmen all have the same patter: “Smoke. The good stuff”).
Finally I’ve found some good corporate guff - Lucy Kellaway
J&J’s ‘Our Credo’ got me excited. Alas, since it was written in 1943 there has been some slippage
Last week I came by chance on some startlingly sharp business writing, made even more freakish as it was in an area where communication is invariably dismal – statements of values and purpose. But before settling down to extol it, I can’t resist a small fix of guff, as a reminder of how bad things have become.
Last week Barclays declared that its new purpose was: “Helping people achieve their ambitions – in the right way.” On the positive side, the words are nice and short and it’s encouraging that after 300 years the bank has decided that the right way is better than the wrong one.
The only snag is that it is hogwash. The purpose of a bank is nothing to do with ambition. It is, as I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, to keep depositors’ money safe and to lend it to people who aren’t going to run off with it.
(you may need to register to read the full article)
Last week I came by chance on some startlingly sharp business writing, made even more freakish as it was in an area where communication is invariably dismal – statements of values and purpose. But before settling down to extol it, I can’t resist a small fix of guff, as a reminder of how bad things have become.
Last week Barclays declared that its new purpose was: “Helping people achieve their ambitions – in the right way.” On the positive side, the words are nice and short and it’s encouraging that after 300 years the bank has decided that the right way is better than the wrong one.
The only snag is that it is hogwash. The purpose of a bank is nothing to do with ambition. It is, as I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, to keep depositors’ money safe and to lend it to people who aren’t going to run off with it.
(you may need to register to read the full article)
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Medvedev Lauds Local Car Design Potential - Moscow Times
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is sure the domestic automotive industry can make good-looking cars.
He also said that now makes more modern-looking cars and that "one can like them or not, but the main thing is that we have a choice in the market. You can buy a Russian-made car or a foreign brand car if you have enough money."
In October 2011, AvtoVAZ hired Steve Mattin, a graduate of Britain's Coventry University car design faculty, to be director of design. Prior to that, Mattin worked at Mercedes and Volvo. His arrival marked the first time the auto giant had hired a foreigner as its chief designer.
He also said that now makes more modern-looking cars and that "one can like them or not, but the main thing is that we have a choice in the market. You can buy a Russian-made car or a foreign brand car if you have enough money."
In October 2011, AvtoVAZ hired Steve Mattin, a graduate of Britain's Coventry University car design faculty, to be director of design. Prior to that, Mattin worked at Mercedes and Volvo. His arrival marked the first time the auto giant had hired a foreigner as its chief designer.
The Future of Shopping
Shopping centres are proving well-suited to the digital age
And yet beneath the gloom, retailers are rethinking how they build their businesses, to the benefit of shopping centres. Weak spending and higher rates (property taxes levied on businesses) are leading many firms to give up their high-street shops. But they are opening bigger, jazzier outlets. “Before you needed 250 or so stores to reach most of the population,” says Andrew Shepherd of BNP Paribas, a bank. “Now big retailers want perhaps 75.” Shops must become “brand ambassadors”, complementing websites. That means keeping the whole range in stock, having good customer service and being sufficiently appealing that people will travel a long way to visit them.
And yet beneath the gloom, retailers are rethinking how they build their businesses, to the benefit of shopping centres. Weak spending and higher rates (property taxes levied on businesses) are leading many firms to give up their high-street shops. But they are opening bigger, jazzier outlets. “Before you needed 250 or so stores to reach most of the population,” says Andrew Shepherd of BNP Paribas, a bank. “Now big retailers want perhaps 75.” Shops must become “brand ambassadors”, complementing websites. That means keeping the whole range in stock, having good customer service and being sufficiently appealing that people will travel a long way to visit them.
Warren Buffett swallows Heinz
Sauce for the sage
Heinz is a typical Buffett target. It has strong brands—not just Heinz, but Classico pasta sauces, ABC soy sauce and Ore-Ida French (and other) fries. These give it a decent chance of standing up to competition from cheaper taste-alikes, including supermarkets’ own-label products. Heinz is also in an easy-to-understand business, a plus in the eyes of the Omaha sage. And it will sit naturally alongside Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble, two of the biggest holdings of Berkshire Hathaway, Mr Buffet’s holding company.
Heinz is a typical Buffett target. It has strong brands—not just Heinz, but Classico pasta sauces, ABC soy sauce and Ore-Ida French (and other) fries. These give it a decent chance of standing up to competition from cheaper taste-alikes, including supermarkets’ own-label products. Heinz is also in an easy-to-understand business, a plus in the eyes of the Omaha sage. And it will sit naturally alongside Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble, two of the biggest holdings of Berkshire Hathaway, Mr Buffet’s holding company.
Carrefour - Up the right aisle
Georges Plassat is reviving the world’s second-biggest retailer
Not long ago Carrefour was in such trouble that a break-up seemed likely. It was rapidly losing market share in France, its biggest market, to Leclerc. The “hypermarket” model that it invented in the 1960s is considered to be well past its sell-by date. With more single and older customers, convenient city-centre supermarkets are becoming more popular, rather than vast stores on the edge of town selling everything from charcuterie to televisions. And retailing specialists in consumer electronics and fashion have eaten into Carrefour’s non-food business. Under Carrefour’s former chief executive, Lars Olofsson, a Swede, the firm issued five profit warnings in a year, more than any other big French company has ever made.
Not long ago Carrefour was in such trouble that a break-up seemed likely. It was rapidly losing market share in France, its biggest market, to Leclerc. The “hypermarket” model that it invented in the 1960s is considered to be well past its sell-by date. With more single and older customers, convenient city-centre supermarkets are becoming more popular, rather than vast stores on the edge of town selling everything from charcuterie to televisions. And retailing specialists in consumer electronics and fashion have eaten into Carrefour’s non-food business. Under Carrefour’s former chief executive, Lars Olofsson, a Swede, the firm issued five profit warnings in a year, more than any other big French company has ever made.
Swiss watchmakers - Time is Money
An industry ripe for a shake-up
THE average Swiss watch costs $685. A Chinese one costs around $2 and tells the time just as well (see chart). So how on earth, a Martian might ask, can the Swiss watch industry survive? Yet it does. Exports of watches made in Switzerland have grown by 32% by value over the past two years, to SFr21.4 billion ($23.3 billion). Demand in the biggest markets (China, America and Singapore) dipped recently, but some of the slack was picked up by watch-loving Arabs and Europeans.
No one buys a Swiss watch to find out what time it is. The allure is intangible: precise engineering, beautifully displayed. The art of fine watchmaking has all but died out elsewhere, but it thrives in Switzerland. “Swiss-made” has become one of the world’s most valuable brands.
THE average Swiss watch costs $685. A Chinese one costs around $2 and tells the time just as well (see chart). So how on earth, a Martian might ask, can the Swiss watch industry survive? Yet it does. Exports of watches made in Switzerland have grown by 32% by value over the past two years, to SFr21.4 billion ($23.3 billion). Demand in the biggest markets (China, America and Singapore) dipped recently, but some of the slack was picked up by watch-loving Arabs and Europeans.
No one buys a Swiss watch to find out what time it is. The allure is intangible: precise engineering, beautifully displayed. The art of fine watchmaking has all but died out elsewhere, but it thrives in Switzerland. “Swiss-made” has become one of the world’s most valuable brands.
Football in New York - The Cosmos come back
The team, once synonymous with American soccer, is reborn
“YOU can say now to the world that soccer has finally arrived in the United States,” said Pelé, as he signed a contract said to be worth $4.7m with the New York Cosmos in 1975. Attendance suffered when Pelé left in 1977, and eight years later the team disbanded. Three decades on, the Cosmos are returning.
Football in America is in a very different state now. More high-schoolers play soccer than baseball. One ESPN poll showed that Americans between the ages of 12 and 24 ranked professional soccer as their second favourite sport, behind only football of the helmeted and padded sort. Attendance at Major League Soccer matches is higher than at National Hockey League and National Basketball Association games. The MLS, America’s premier league, has a mixture of home-grown players and international ones, like Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane. David Beckham has just completed a five-year stint playing for LA Galaxy.
“YOU can say now to the world that soccer has finally arrived in the United States,” said Pelé, as he signed a contract said to be worth $4.7m with the New York Cosmos in 1975. Attendance suffered when Pelé left in 1977, and eight years later the team disbanded. Three decades on, the Cosmos are returning.
Football in America is in a very different state now. More high-schoolers play soccer than baseball. One ESPN poll showed that Americans between the ages of 12 and 24 ranked professional soccer as their second favourite sport, behind only football of the helmeted and padded sort. Attendance at Major League Soccer matches is higher than at National Hockey League and National Basketball Association games. The MLS, America’s premier league, has a mixture of home-grown players and international ones, like Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane. David Beckham has just completed a five-year stint playing for LA Galaxy.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Keira Knightley Chanel advert banned for being 'overtly suggestive'
A Chanel advert featuring actress Keira Knightley has been banned during children's programming after a watchdog ruled its sexually suggestive content was unsuitable for younger viewers
Chanel said the ad appeared during the day, and Ice Age 2 was chosen because it included sharp humour and involved recognised celebrities as voice actors which gave it an appeal to adults.
The company said a degree of sexual charge was common in perfume ads, but while Knightley's character was playful and sensual she was not overtly sexual.
It believed the ad was not unsuitable for children and that it was therefore scheduled appropriately. However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad involved sexually suggestive content, noting that Ice Age 2 was of particular appeal to children.
For more pictures of banned sexually suggestive perfume ads click here or on "view gallery".
Chanel said the ad appeared during the day, and Ice Age 2 was chosen because it included sharp humour and involved recognised celebrities as voice actors which gave it an appeal to adults.
The company said a degree of sexual charge was common in perfume ads, but while Knightley's character was playful and sensual she was not overtly sexual.
It believed the ad was not unsuitable for children and that it was therefore scheduled appropriately. However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad involved sexually suggestive content, noting that Ice Age 2 was of particular appeal to children.
For more pictures of banned sexually suggestive perfume ads click here or on "view gallery".
Financial Times at 125: The world in focus
Today the FT celebrates its 125th anniversary. It still appears in its trademark pink printed format (a marketing wheeze conceived in 1893) but its news and views are now published to a global readership in real time on multiple platforms: the smartphone, the tablet and the desktop computer
The global financial crisis and its implications for western liberal capitalism have again offered an opportunity for the FT to connect the dots and cover a crisis spanning New York, London, Dubai, Moscow and Beijing. In this sense, history has come full circle. The City of London may have been diminished by the recent crisis but it remains one of the world’s great financial centres – open to immigrants, innovation and talent. It would be churlish to compare today’s bloggers with the unregulated tipsheets of the late 19th century. But in this – the second wave of globalisation – the premium once again is on accuracy and authority.
The global financial crisis and its implications for western liberal capitalism have again offered an opportunity for the FT to connect the dots and cover a crisis spanning New York, London, Dubai, Moscow and Beijing. In this sense, history has come full circle. The City of London may have been diminished by the recent crisis but it remains one of the world’s great financial centres – open to immigrants, innovation and talent. It would be churlish to compare today’s bloggers with the unregulated tipsheets of the late 19th century. But in this – the second wave of globalisation – the premium once again is on accuracy and authority.
Retail 2.0: the technology is on its way, but are brands ready?
Radio-frequency identification and near field communication can revolutionise the high street, so why is it taking so long?
It would actually be a lot like the good parts of e-commerce, with all of the fun and tactile richness of real life thrown in. Imagine starting at home on your sofa. You find a product you like on your tablet or smartphone, which then reminds you about it later when it recognises you're near the store. Once you're there an interactive window display, communicating with you about your interests, draws you inside.
Your mobile device now becomes a useful tool in browsing the store, allowing shop attendants to spend less time finding products and more time delivering higher forms of customer service. Other screens throughout the store provide an array of useful information. Take a blouse into the changing room and the screen-enabled mirror not only suggests the right skirts and accessories to try with it, based on your stated tastes and past purchases, but it can also let you try them on virtually, on the same mirror. You can then share your virtual catwalk with friends on social networks.
It can go further. If you were to opt-in, the tracking of your visits, searches and purchases over time could generate tailored customer loyalty offers and discounts – as websites are currently able to do. And when it's time to buy, you can do it yourself from your phone. The potential savings to the brand through reduced transaction management are huge.
It would actually be a lot like the good parts of e-commerce, with all of the fun and tactile richness of real life thrown in. Imagine starting at home on your sofa. You find a product you like on your tablet or smartphone, which then reminds you about it later when it recognises you're near the store. Once you're there an interactive window display, communicating with you about your interests, draws you inside.
Your mobile device now becomes a useful tool in browsing the store, allowing shop attendants to spend less time finding products and more time delivering higher forms of customer service. Other screens throughout the store provide an array of useful information. Take a blouse into the changing room and the screen-enabled mirror not only suggests the right skirts and accessories to try with it, based on your stated tastes and past purchases, but it can also let you try them on virtually, on the same mirror. You can then share your virtual catwalk with friends on social networks.
It can go further. If you were to opt-in, the tracking of your visits, searches and purchases over time could generate tailored customer loyalty offers and discounts – as websites are currently able to do. And when it's time to buy, you can do it yourself from your phone. The potential savings to the brand through reduced transaction management are huge.
Amazon beats Apple and Google - Telegraph
The online retailer Amazon has overtaken Apple and Google to become the most respected company in the US, according to a report.
But Amazon leapfrogged them both to come out on top this year, leaving Apple
a very close second, Disney third, Google fourth and Johnson & Johnson
fifth.
Among other tech showings in the report, Microsoft ranked 15th, and, Facebook made its first appearance at 42.
The results come from online polling of over 14,000 people.
Among other tech showings in the report, Microsoft ranked 15th, and, Facebook made its first appearance at 42.
The results come from online polling of over 14,000 people.
Even Russians Need a Visa for Sochi - Moscow Times
Shortly before sales started, the Organizing Committee posted a statement on its website saying that only cards issued by Visa would be accepted as payment for tickets. Furthermore, Visa, a longtime sponsor of the Olympics, will enjoy a monopoly for payments for goods and services at the Sochi venues.
"Sponsorship is enormously important to commercially support the games," Visa's chief executive for Russia and CIS, Steven Parker, said at a news conference Wednesday.
Visa is one of the top 10 companies that support the Olympic Games globally, and those companies obtain certain exclusivity rights in exchange for their sponsorship, he said.
Other major sponsors include Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Panasonic, Samsung and Procter & Gamble, according to the official website of the Olympic movement. The funds generated by the sponsoring companies account for 40 percent of total Olympic revenues, the website says.
"Sponsorship is enormously important to commercially support the games," Visa's chief executive for Russia and CIS, Steven Parker, said at a news conference Wednesday.
Visa is one of the top 10 companies that support the Olympic Games globally, and those companies obtain certain exclusivity rights in exchange for their sponsorship, he said.
Other major sponsors include Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Panasonic, Samsung and Procter & Gamble, according to the official website of the Olympic movement. The funds generated by the sponsoring companies account for 40 percent of total Olympic revenues, the website says.
Using Silly Cat Videos to Sell Litter-Box Products
WATCHING cat videos is so popular that it has become shorthand for being unproductive, whether or not someone being distracted by the Internet is actually watching a cat riding a robotic vacuum or playing the piano.
Klausner said her favorite YouTube cat video stars include Maru, whose amusing habits include getting his head stuck in boxes, with more than 194 million views on his YouTube channel; two cats playing patty-cake, with more than 16 million views of a single video; and Henri, a cat to whom a sense of ennui is ascribed in four short videos in the style of French noir films, with more than 11 million views collectively.
“It’s advertising funny,” said Ms. Klausner of the music videos. “But comedy funny is actually funny, and advertising funny is just funny for advertising.”
Klausner said her favorite YouTube cat video stars include Maru, whose amusing habits include getting his head stuck in boxes, with more than 194 million views on his YouTube channel; two cats playing patty-cake, with more than 16 million views of a single video; and Henri, a cat to whom a sense of ennui is ascribed in four short videos in the style of French noir films, with more than 11 million views collectively.
“It’s advertising funny,” said Ms. Klausner of the music videos. “But comedy funny is actually funny, and advertising funny is just funny for advertising.”
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Simon Kuper - Why I’ve fallen out of love with football
Anyone who peeks behind the game’s curtain discovers there is no magic there
Much worse than the football is that vast critical apparatus attached to it. The 24-hour humourless hype is exhausting. Every comment by Alex Ferguson about a referee is treated as world news – bigger than, say, a massacre in Mali. Last June about 500 of us journalists crammed into one of the England team’s meaningless press conferences in Donetsk, Ukraine. Meanwhile, the media lack resources to cover actual news.
Much worse than the football is that vast critical apparatus attached to it. The 24-hour humourless hype is exhausting. Every comment by Alex Ferguson about a referee is treated as world news – bigger than, say, a massacre in Mali. Last June about 500 of us journalists crammed into one of the England team’s meaningless press conferences in Donetsk, Ukraine. Meanwhile, the media lack resources to cover actual news.
Tim Cook: specs are no substitute for a great experience
Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, has dismissed product specifications as "things tech companies invent because they can't have a great experience".
Asked about the possibility that Apple had reached the limit as far as iPhone sales go, Cook pointed out that the iPhone is still only available to around 50 per cent of the world's mobile phone subscribers.
Cook said: "On a longer-term basis, all phones will be smartphones and there's a lot more people in the world than 1.4 billion, and people love to upgrade their phones very regularly."
Asked about the possibility that Apple had reached the limit as far as iPhone sales go, Cook pointed out that the iPhone is still only available to around 50 per cent of the world's mobile phone subscribers.
Cook said: "On a longer-term basis, all phones will be smartphones and there's a lot more people in the world than 1.4 billion, and people love to upgrade their phones very regularly."
Financial Times editor Lionel Barber: 'News now is not the newspaper'
As the FT celebrates its 125th birthday, Barber outlines his plans for a digital revolution
"Our business is changing," he says. "We don't need to update the paper through the night, so we don't need so many people working anti-social hours producing a newspaper for real-time news. That's the equivalent of the steam age. News is now updated on the website."
About 25% of the paper's traffic comes through mobile. Reading news on the move is part of a growing culture, especially among the young, and they prefer to use apps too. Among the paper's registered users, there is a growing trend in the 25-34 age-group to access the paper through an app rather than through a browser.
"Our business is changing," he says. "We don't need to update the paper through the night, so we don't need so many people working anti-social hours producing a newspaper for real-time news. That's the equivalent of the steam age. News is now updated on the website."
About 25% of the paper's traffic comes through mobile. Reading news on the move is part of a growing culture, especially among the young, and they prefer to use apps too. Among the paper's registered users, there is a growing trend in the 25-34 age-group to access the paper through an app rather than through a browser.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Internet Leads in Advertising Growth - Moscow Times
The amount spent on advertising in 2012 reached 297.8 billion rubles ($9.9 billion), up 13 percent from the previous year, according to figures released by the Association of Communication Agencies of Russia
Last year, the Internet was the best-performing sector in terms of growth rates, with the amount spent by advertisers skyrocketing 35 percent to 56.3 billion rubles. However, growth rates were lower than they were a year before, when online advertising sales surged 56 percent over the 2010 level.
The Association of Communication Agencies of Russia expects the growth of advertising spending to continue to slow down this year and ultimately correspond with the country's GDP growth in the future
Last year, the Internet was the best-performing sector in terms of growth rates, with the amount spent by advertisers skyrocketing 35 percent to 56.3 billion rubles. However, growth rates were lower than they were a year before, when online advertising sales surged 56 percent over the 2010 level.
The Association of Communication Agencies of Russia expects the growth of advertising spending to continue to slow down this year and ultimately correspond with the country's GDP growth in the future
Viral Video Chart - The Guardian
This week's viral chart couldn't help returning to the Russia after all the fun we had watching the thrill and spills on the country's roads. On this visit, we get to see what the locals get up to in their free time. There's water skiing, horse riding, some gentle gymnastics and, of course, a bit more street action.
1. We Love Russia compilation
How could you not?
How could you not?
2. Skyfall – Honest Trailers
Telling it like it is
Telling it like it is
3. Phil Spector trailer
Pacino pulls out all the stops
Pacino pulls out all the stops
3. Small Talk: Kids on Valentine's Day
How does love make you feel? 'Awkward and embarrassed'
How does love make you feel? 'Awkward and embarrassed'
5. Sky News: 24 Years Of 24 Hour Breaking News
The breakiest breaking news of over two decades in two minutes
The breakiest breaking news of over two decades in two minutes
6. David Beckham H&M underwear advert directed by Guy Ritchie
He really, really wants his dressing gown back
He really, really wants his dressing gown back
7. Brain Tricks - This Is How Your Brain Works
Grey matters
Grey matters
8. The Walking Dead 80's Sitcom Intro
Zombies in a whole new light
Zombies in a whole new light
9. The Church of Scientology Super Bowl Ad
'For those who care less about labels and more about the truth', by those rich enough to pay for a Super Bowl ad
'For those who care less about labels and more about the truth', by those rich enough to pay for a Super Bowl ad
10. PSY's Super Bowl Ad
Aw, go on … just one more. In case you feel like you need to cleanse your eyes after the previous Super Bowl ad
Aw, go on … just one more. In case you feel like you need to cleanse your eyes after the previous Super Bowl ad
Friday, February 8, 2013
Amazon Unpacked - Financial Times
The online giant is creating thousands of UK jobs, so why are some employees less than happy?
Inside the warehouse, Amazon employees wear blue badges and the workers supplied by the agencies wear green badges. In the most basic roles they perform the same tasks as each other for the same pay of £6.20 an hour or so (the minimum adult wage is £6.19), but the Amazon workers also receive a pension and shares. A former agency worker said the prospect of winning a blue badge, “like a carrot, was dangled constantly in front of us by management in return for meeting shift targets”. Amazon’s Darwinian culture comes from the top. Jeff Bezos, its chief executive, told Forbes magazine last year (when it named him “number one CEO in America”): “Our culture is friendly and intense, but if push comes to shove, we’ll settle for intense.”
Inside the warehouse, Amazon employees wear blue badges and the workers supplied by the agencies wear green badges. In the most basic roles they perform the same tasks as each other for the same pay of £6.20 an hour or so (the minimum adult wage is £6.19), but the Amazon workers also receive a pension and shares. A former agency worker said the prospect of winning a blue badge, “like a carrot, was dangled constantly in front of us by management in return for meeting shift targets”. Amazon’s Darwinian culture comes from the top. Jeff Bezos, its chief executive, told Forbes magazine last year (when it named him “number one CEO in America”): “Our culture is friendly and intense, but if push comes to shove, we’ll settle for intense.”
Lunch with the FT: Chris Hughes
After co-founding the social network, Chris Hughes directed Barack Obama’s digital campaign for president. So why has he switched to old media?
“I think that era of significant profits in the media industry in the 20th century is largely over. But we’ve done a lot of market research and there is a real feeling that people are barraged by facts all day long, that they’re overwhelmed, and that they want one or two sources that they can go to for depth and context and analysis.”
Although he says he has no plans to stop publishing the print edition of the magazine, he clearly sees a migration to digital form as inevitable. “Four or five years from now I think we’ll be at the point where moving from print to the iPad doesn’t seem like the death of anything; it will just seem like a natural progression,” he says. Still, he jokes, the magazine is unlikely to become “the next Facebook”.
“I think that era of significant profits in the media industry in the 20th century is largely over. But we’ve done a lot of market research and there is a real feeling that people are barraged by facts all day long, that they’re overwhelmed, and that they want one or two sources that they can go to for depth and context and analysis.”
Although he says he has no plans to stop publishing the print edition of the magazine, he clearly sees a migration to digital form as inevitable. “Four or five years from now I think we’ll be at the point where moving from print to the iPad doesn’t seem like the death of anything; it will just seem like a natural progression,” he says. Still, he jokes, the magazine is unlikely to become “the next Facebook”.
Lessons from the Bolshoi brouhaha - The Economist
Businessmen & Ballerinas
...the rise of knowledge-intensive companies that run on “economies of ideas” rather than economies of scale. These companies are all hungry for the best and brightest: for the brilliant pharmacologist who can create a blockbuster drug, for the extraordinary investment banker who can engineer an industry-changing merger or for the razor-sharp accountant who can shave millions off a firm’s tax bill.
The need to hire the best means firms have to put up with prima donnas. That has costs. Talent-driven firms can be torn apart by feuds or rendered dysfunctional by egocentric behaviour: clever people are as clever at finding reasons to argue with each other as they are at thinking up new ideas.
...the rise of knowledge-intensive companies that run on “economies of ideas” rather than economies of scale. These companies are all hungry for the best and brightest: for the brilliant pharmacologist who can create a blockbuster drug, for the extraordinary investment banker who can engineer an industry-changing merger or for the razor-sharp accountant who can shave millions off a firm’s tax bill.
The need to hire the best means firms have to put up with prima donnas. That has costs. Talent-driven firms can be torn apart by feuds or rendered dysfunctional by egocentric behaviour: clever people are as clever at finding reasons to argue with each other as they are at thinking up new ideas.
Television - Counting couch potatoes
Measuring TV audiences keeps getting harder
Whereas most people still watch big sporting events live, around half of Americans use digital-video recorders (DVRs) to watch shows later, or order “video on demand” from their set-top boxes. They are also watching more TV on their computers, tablets and smartphones—particularly younger folk. Nielsen’s data say that cable and broadcast ratings in America are down by 8% for 18- to 24-year-olds compared with a year earlier. If that is true, advertising dollars could migrate. But young things may simply be watching the same shows on other devices, where viewing is harder to track. No one knows.
Whereas most people still watch big sporting events live, around half of Americans use digital-video recorders (DVRs) to watch shows later, or order “video on demand” from their set-top boxes. They are also watching more TV on their computers, tablets and smartphones—particularly younger folk. Nielsen’s data say that cable and broadcast ratings in America are down by 8% for 18- to 24-year-olds compared with a year earlier. If that is true, advertising dollars could migrate. But young things may simply be watching the same shows on other devices, where viewing is harder to track. No one knows.
Retail technology - We Snoop to Conquer
Security cameras are watching honest shoppers, too
Stacey Shulman, technology chief of American Apparel, a clothes chain, craves “the same type of analytics in-store as I can get online”. In many cases the equipment is already there: security cameras watch out for thieves and Wi-Fi networks pick up mobile-phone signals. A “furious amount” of testing is going on to see whether such technology can help retailers understand customers better and thus boost profits, says Anthony Mullen of Forrester Resea
Stacey Shulman, technology chief of American Apparel, a clothes chain, craves “the same type of analytics in-store as I can get online”. In many cases the equipment is already there: security cameras watch out for thieves and Wi-Fi networks pick up mobile-phone signals. A “furious amount” of testing is going on to see whether such technology can help retailers understand customers better and thus boost profits, says Anthony Mullen of Forrester Resea
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The 'Mad Men' who took on Pinochet
As the story of the advertising campaign which ended Pinochet's brutal rule is told in a new film 'No', Paul Kendall talks to the men who smashed a dictatorship.
The story of that campaign and how García and a small group of fellow advertising executives, the Mad Men of Eighties Chile, risked their lives to stand up against Pinochet and, employing all their advertising nous, inspired a nation to overthrow one of the world’s most repressive regimes, has now been dramatised in a new film, No, which opens in UK cinemas this week and is nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film. For fans of a certain television series about advertising folk in Sixties New York, it’s a reminder that advertising can, sometimes, be used as a force for good rather than a psychological weapon to make people feel bad about themselves and buy things they don’t need. Its hero, played by Gael García Bernal (a composite of García and his colleague, José Manuel Salcedo), is no Don Draper.
The story of that campaign and how García and a small group of fellow advertising executives, the Mad Men of Eighties Chile, risked their lives to stand up against Pinochet and, employing all their advertising nous, inspired a nation to overthrow one of the world’s most repressive regimes, has now been dramatised in a new film, No, which opens in UK cinemas this week and is nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film. For fans of a certain television series about advertising folk in Sixties New York, it’s a reminder that advertising can, sometimes, be used as a force for good rather than a psychological weapon to make people feel bad about themselves and buy things they don’t need. Its hero, played by Gael García Bernal (a composite of García and his colleague, José Manuel Salcedo), is no Don Draper.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Making of The Blues Brothers - Vanity Fair
The pitch was simple: “John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Blues Brothers, how about it?”
But the film The Blues Brothers became a nightmare for Universal Pictures, wildly off schedule and over budget, its fate hanging on the amount of cocaine Belushi consumed. From the 1973 meeting of two young comic geniuses in a Toronto bar through the careening, madcap production of John Landis’s 1980 movie, Ned Zeman chronicles the triumph of an obsession.
But the film The Blues Brothers became a nightmare for Universal Pictures, wildly off schedule and over budget, its fate hanging on the amount of cocaine Belushi consumed. From the 1973 meeting of two young comic geniuses in a Toronto bar through the careening, madcap production of John Landis’s 1980 movie, Ned Zeman chronicles the triumph of an obsession.
Sochi : Hard Nut to Crack for PR Gurus - Moscow Times
One year before the Winter Olympics are to kick off, it looks like Sochi 2014 is getting mired in controversy
However, PR experts interviewed for this article said that while it is facing an uphill struggle, the government might still reap a positive outcome.
They say that while media typically devote attention on controversy and criticism in the run-up to the games, their successful conduct can make this quickly forgotten.
"In the Olympic cycle you typically get a dip in confidence around a year before the start," said Dan Timms, who was the British government's head of communications for the 2012 London Summer Games, and who now works for Portland, a London-based communications agency.
However, PR experts interviewed for this article said that while it is facing an uphill struggle, the government might still reap a positive outcome.
They say that while media typically devote attention on controversy and criticism in the run-up to the games, their successful conduct can make this quickly forgotten.
"In the Olympic cycle you typically get a dip in confidence around a year before the start," said Dan Timms, who was the British government's head of communications for the 2012 London Summer Games, and who now works for Portland, a London-based communications agency.
How Oreo Won the Marketing Super Bowl - Wired
How Oreo Won the Marketing Super Bowl With a Timely Blackout Ad on Twitter
So how did Oreo put their own twist on the lights-out scenario so quickly? Turns out they had a 15-person social media team at the ready to respond to whatever happened online in response to the Super Bowl — whether it was a mind-blowing play or half the lights shutting off. So not only did they have a regular commercial run during the first quarter, they also had copywriters, a strategist, and artists ready to react to any situation in 10 minutes or less.
So how did Oreo put their own twist on the lights-out scenario so quickly? Turns out they had a 15-person social media team at the ready to respond to whatever happened online in response to the Super Bowl — whether it was a mind-blowing play or half the lights shutting off. So not only did they have a regular commercial run during the first quarter, they also had copywriters, a strategist, and artists ready to react to any situation in 10 minutes or less.
Lebedevs win London local TV licence
Independent owners' Evening Standard-backed service seen as most lucrative licence to be awarded since Channel 5 in 1997
Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev have won the hotly-contested battle for the local TV licence for London, with Ofcom awarding the franchise to the Evening Standard's London Live bid.
The victory is significant for Independent proprietors the Lebedevs, with the London franchise regarded as the most lucrative new UK TV licence to be awarded since the launch of Channel 5 in 1997.
London Live was one of five bids for the licence, and the Lebedevs will be banking on their entry into the UK TV market helping to move their newspaper assets to profitability.
Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev have won the hotly-contested battle for the local TV licence for London, with Ofcom awarding the franchise to the Evening Standard's London Live bid.
The victory is significant for Independent proprietors the Lebedevs, with the London franchise regarded as the most lucrative new UK TV licence to be awarded since the launch of Channel 5 in 1997.
London Live was one of five bids for the licence, and the Lebedevs will be banking on their entry into the UK TV market helping to move their newspaper assets to profitability.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Why are Super Bowl commercials such a big deal?
Click here for the best ads from this years Super Bowl
This Sunday is the biggest day in the USA's sporting calendar as the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens go head-to-head at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Almost as big as the game though are the adverts that pepper the game's stoppages. Some of the world's biggest companies pay £2.5 million for 30 seconds of air time and creatively they pull out all the stops
This Sunday is the biggest day in the USA's sporting calendar as the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens go head-to-head at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Almost as big as the game though are the adverts that pepper the game's stoppages. Some of the world's biggest companies pay £2.5 million for 30 seconds of air time and creatively they pull out all the stops
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Japanese Agency Paying Girls To Put Ads On Their Thighs
A Japanese marketing firm is recruiting girls to promote companies by wearing sticker adverts…on their thighs. Katy Brand takes a closer look and ponders if having a larger thigh is more lucrative.
With advertising revenues plummeting in the midst of a global recession, it’s time for the ‘creatives’ to get, well, creative. And for any ad-exec worth their salt, the female body is never far from the client pitch. Draping half-naked women over the bonnet of a super-car is SO yesterday – far more interesting (and cost effective) to paint a picture of the car onto the women and just let her walk around all day.
With advertising revenues plummeting in the midst of a global recession, it’s time for the ‘creatives’ to get, well, creative. And for any ad-exec worth their salt, the female body is never far from the client pitch. Draping half-naked women over the bonnet of a super-car is SO yesterday – far more interesting (and cost effective) to paint a picture of the car onto the women and just let her walk around all day.
How Super Bowl commercials became a cultural phenomenon
“Everybody always asks [if there is a limit to the price of a Super Bowl ad], then they get more expensive. People [have woken] up to the fact that digital hasn’t killed television advertising. When it works together, it works really well.”
Taco Bell hadn’t planned on buying a Super Bowl ad campaign this year until it brought in Deutsch LA to help with a broader campaign called “Live Mas” (mas being Spanish for “more”). The brand’s 10m Facebook fans and 325,000 Twitter followers had started to share stories about how they were “living more” but, says Brian Niccol of Taco Bell, “the stories were not about skydiving or swimming with sharks,” but more down-to-earth events such as road trips or high school reunions. “We saw this and thought, ‘You know what? Our fans are looking for us to do some communication that goes beyond our product innovation to tell stories about the brand.”
Friday, February 1, 2013
Twitter - What Next...?
Twitter may only use 140 characters but it’s valued at more than $9bn, and Biz Stone, its co-creator, is already moving on
When I ask where he expects Twitter to be a year from now, Stone’s answer includes no mention of a Nasdaq listing. “From my perspective, a year from now or 10 years from now, Twitter should be considered a triumph of humanity not a triumph of technology,” he says. “It’s not about the algorithms or the datacentres or that sort of thing – it should be measured by what people are using it for and whether or not it’s considered a force for good in the world. That’s difficult to measure, but you should be able to answer that question yes or no.”
When I ask where he expects Twitter to be a year from now, Stone’s answer includes no mention of a Nasdaq listing. “From my perspective, a year from now or 10 years from now, Twitter should be considered a triumph of humanity not a triumph of technology,” he says. “It’s not about the algorithms or the datacentres or that sort of thing – it should be measured by what people are using it for and whether or not it’s considered a force for good in the world. That’s difficult to measure, but you should be able to answer that question yes or no.”
Original programming hits the web
“House of Cards”, an adaptation of a BBC mini-series, has big-name actors and a big budget (the first 26 episodes are thought to have cost more than $100m). But when the show premieres on February 1st, it will do so exclusively on Netflix, not cable or broadcast television.
Online video used to be amateur and short-form. But it is starting to follow the path of broadcast television, and then cable, by offering high-quality content. People are watching more video online, and will be consuming even more of it as quality improves. During the third quarter of last year, Americans on average clocked up seven hours of online video a month, 37% more than they had watched a year before, according to Nielsen—although this is still much less than the 148 hours a month (yes, really) that they spent in front of their television sets.
Online video used to be amateur and short-form. But it is starting to follow the path of broadcast television, and then cable, by offering high-quality content. People are watching more video online, and will be consuming even more of it as quality improves. During the third quarter of last year, Americans on average clocked up seven hours of online video a month, 37% more than they had watched a year before, according to Nielsen—although this is still much less than the 148 hours a month (yes, really) that they spent in front of their television sets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)