Wednesday, April 30, 2014
He was king of the A-list and the most exciting actor of his generation but now Johnny Depp turns in flop after flop - has he lost his mojo?
One reason Depp is paid $20m or more per movie is that his name above the credits is supposed to guarantee that an audience will show up. There is no sentimentality about this. Stars are still what sell movies and one like Depp is regarded as an insurance policy against failure. As the Hollywood director Joel Schumacher once observed: "If their relatives could do what we do, they [studio executives] would hire them instead." The flip side is that when failure comes, the stars are the first to be blamed.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
How Obama's Russia Sanctions Will Destroy Vladimir Putin
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2014/04/28/heres-how-obamas-sanctions-will-destroy-vladimir-putin/
While it’s true that the nationalist fervor in the wake of the Ukraine crisis have increased Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings, it is doubtful that will last. The May holidays—a big deal in Russia—are coming up and many Russians will have to alter their travel plans. Others will find that their credit cards don’t work. Foreign adventures become decidedly less attractive when they inhibit the ability to enjoy your life.
While it’s true that the nationalist fervor in the wake of the Ukraine crisis have increased Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings, it is doubtful that will last. The May holidays—a big deal in Russia—are coming up and many Russians will have to alter their travel plans. Others will find that their credit cards don’t work. Foreign adventures become decidedly less attractive when they inhibit the ability to enjoy your life.
When Russians arrive back home, they will find things only getting worse. The Russian economy is expected to fall into recession this quarter and Putin’s continued adventures will only get more expensive. Before long, imported goods will become scarce and social payments will need to be cut. Russians will begin to remember what the Soviet Union was really like.
In the years to come, decreased gas exports to Europe and a softening market for oil could cost the Russian economy as much as $100 billion annually—roughly 5% of GDP. Putin promised a new stronger Russia, respected throughout the world. Now he is delivering an impoverished pariah state.
As strange as it may seem, Vladimir Putin, the bare-chested, horse riding tiger hunter, is about to be taken down by a bunch of accountants.
As strange as it may seem, Vladimir Putin, the bare-chested, horse riding tiger hunter, is about to be taken down by a bunch of accountants.
Ad break: HBO's Game of Thrones, EastEnders' Who Killed Lucy
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/25/ad-break-hbo-hame-of-thrones-eastenders-lucy
Watch a campaign capitalising on family viewing conflict and a trailer for the soap's big murder plot in our review of new work
Watch a campaign capitalising on family viewing conflict and a trailer for the soap's big murder plot in our review of new work
Viral Video Chart: Snoop Dogg take-off, American Hustle hair and Gravity
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/25/snoop-dogg-american-hustle-spiderman-lupita-n-yong-o
1. Brian Williams Raps "Gin and Juice"
Time to rap it up
Time to rap it up
2. Conan's "American Hustle" Hair Prep
Conan gets a wigging
Conan gets a wigging
3. Everything Wrong With Spider-Man In 11 Minutes Or Less
Not such a Marvel
Not such a Marvel
4. John Barnes has still got it ...
Sticking to the score
Sticking to the score
5. GRAVITY - Exclusive Alternate Scene (Redefines Entire Movie)
Spaced out action
Spaced out action
6. Me at the zoo
YouTube first
YouTube first
7. Orange Is The New Black - Season 2 - Official Trailer
Colourful coverage
Colourful coverage
8. Reporters Can't Pronounce Lupita Nyong'o
Beauty and the beasts
Beauty and the beasts
9. 10 Animals That May Go Extinct In The Next 10 Years
Wildlife warning
Wildlife warning
10.Action Movie Kid - Volume 01
Oh boy, he's powerful
Oh boy, he's powerful
Source: Viral Video Chart. Compiled from data gathered at 14:00 on 24 April 2014. The Viral Video Chart is currently based on a count of the embedded videos and links on approximately 2m blogs, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
Popular Demand - US media in Numbers
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/28/business/media/28most.html?ref=media&_r=0
Record Store Day, which began in April 2008, is a self-styled celebration of the “unique culture” surrounding independent record stores. Some titles released on vinyl for the April 19 event, like “Because the Internet,” saw revitalized sales weeks after a release on CD.
Record Store Day, which began in April 2008, is a self-styled celebration of the “unique culture” surrounding independent record stores. Some titles released on vinyl for the April 19 event, like “Because the Internet,” saw revitalized sales weeks after a release on CD.
Monday, April 28, 2014
How marketing is helping to marry profits & purpose
http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/apr/28/marketing-profits-purpose-whole-foods
There has been much debate about whether companies are moral entities. The Rana Plaza factory collapse, which serves as a bleak reminder of how human life became the cost of maximising profits, shows how the bottom line of some of the brands involved have not been impacted one year on, according to a report in The Observer.
Successful brands of the future are building trust capital now
http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/apr/24/brands-trust-future-internet-things
According to a recent survey, almost 80% of Britons are distrustful of how companies use their personal data. Many respondents are those who accept connectivity as integral to society, yet fear they've relinquished control. In future, they will be the most demanding over how the complex details of their lives are stored and used. If a brand is to be truly trusted, it must satisfy their concerns and develop a mutually beneficial "value exchange" with the customer in which the given data is protected, valued and not secretly monetised.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
The Economist: Anthology Series
Download the Innovation Edition FREE, courtesy of Brocade
The Anthology Series is available for the iPad in the iTunes App Store and for Android tablets on Google Play.
Inside the app, you can:
Get exclusive content from The Economist
The Anthology Series is available for the iPad in the iTunes App Store and for Android tablets on Google Play.
In-store technology: top tips for high street retailers
http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/apr/24/technology-high-street-topshop-burberry
1. The latest technology isn't always the best
2. User experience matters
3. Make use of a shoppers own devices
4. Not everybody wants a salesperson in their face
5. There are more but I'm bored typing so click the bloody link above
1. The latest technology isn't always the best
2. User experience matters
3. Make use of a shoppers own devices
4. Not everybody wants a salesperson in their face
5. There are more but I'm bored typing so click the bloody link above
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Apartheid, just less black and white - By Simon Kuper
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/be6cf4d4-ca7e-11e3-8a31-00144feabdc0.html#axzz300NC7ool
South Africa showed me that progress can happen. Apartheid ended partly for the same reason why communism collapsed in 1989, and why inequality may yet diminish: the ruling class became ashamed. Apartheid’s demise taught me that politics matter, that individual politicians matter (the white regime trusted Nelson Mandela with the country) and that history never happens the way you expect. South Africa avoided civil war. Instead, as the old communist Albie Sachs told me, “The communists made the liberal revolution.” I’ve learnt that utopia never arrives: South Africa won’t ever be Switzerland. But it could become Chile.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Putin calls internet a 'CIA project' renewing fears of web breakup
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/vladimir-putin-web-breakup-internet-cia
A purely Russian-run system could make it easier for the Russian intelligence services to monitor and control traffic. The Kremlin already has powerful tools in place for this, but nonetheless the internet offers a platform for Russian opposition groups denied a voice on the country's television and radio. At the same media conference, Putin also referred directly to the most popular search engine in Russia, Yandex – a reference that caused its shares to plummet.
Ofcom should be looking again at Putin's TV news channel
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/24/ukraine-russia-putin-news-reporting
As much as RT dislikes the shorthand description "Kremlin-backed channel", its coverage of Ukraine could not have been kinder to Moscow if Vladimir Putin had chosen the running order himself. While Putin kept up the pretence that there were no Russian troops in Crimea, so too did RT. The storming of government buildings across eastern Ukraine has been portrayed as the understandable actions of peace-loving protesters who fear "chaos" in Kiev. Meanwhile reports about the crackdowns on independent media in Russia or the arrest of anti-Putin protesters struggled for airtime.
As much as RT dislikes the shorthand description "Kremlin-backed channel", its coverage of Ukraine could not have been kinder to Moscow if Vladimir Putin had chosen the running order himself. While Putin kept up the pretence that there were no Russian troops in Crimea, so too did RT. The storming of government buildings across eastern Ukraine has been portrayed as the understandable actions of peace-loving protesters who fear "chaos" in Kiev. Meanwhile reports about the crackdowns on independent media in Russia or the arrest of anti-Putin protesters struggled for airtime.
Television in America - The bandit of broadcast
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21601285-supreme-courts-decision-aereo-may-affect-more-tv-business-bandit
Many are watching the case to make sure the verdict does not imply that it is piracy to transfer any sort of content via the internet without a licence from whoever owns the copyright to it. That could be costly for firms that store media files in the “cloud” for paying clients, such as Apple and Google. As Stephen Breyer, one of the Supreme Court justices, said in this week’s hearing, “What disturbs me…is I don’t understand what the decision for you or against you…is going to do to all kinds of other technologies.”
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304065704577424373775083522
Many are watching the case to make sure the verdict does not imply that it is piracy to transfer any sort of content via the internet without a licence from whoever owns the copyright to it. That could be costly for firms that store media files in the “cloud” for paying clients, such as Apple and Google. As Stephen Breyer, one of the Supreme Court justices, said in this week’s hearing, “What disturbs me…is I don’t understand what the decision for you or against you…is going to do to all kinds of other technologies.”
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304065704577424373775083522
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Putin's Empire of the Mind ..... & what he'll do next.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/04/21/putin_s_empire_of_the_mind_russia_geopolitics
IN 1999, SOON BEFORE HE BECAME ACTING PRESIDENT, Putin released a personal manifesto in which he admitted that Soviet communism was "a road to a blind alley, which is far away from the mainstream of civilization." Now, he is looking for exit ramps from that mainstream. Speaking in 2013 at the Valdai International Discussion Club, he warned against "mechanically copying other countries' experiences" because "the question of finding and strengthening national identity really is fundamental for Russia." It is a quest that he has taken upon himself in the name of personal and national greatness: A people with a destiny cannot be allowed to let him, themselves, their country, and their mission down.
IN 1999, SOON BEFORE HE BECAME ACTING PRESIDENT, Putin released a personal manifesto in which he admitted that Soviet communism was "a road to a blind alley, which is far away from the mainstream of civilization." Now, he is looking for exit ramps from that mainstream. Speaking in 2013 at the Valdai International Discussion Club, he warned against "mechanically copying other countries' experiences" because "the question of finding and strengthening national identity really is fundamental for Russia." It is a quest that he has taken upon himself in the name of personal and national greatness: A people with a destiny cannot be allowed to let him, themselves, their country, and their mission down.
RAF fighter jets intercept Russian bombers off coast of Scotland
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10783730/RAF-Typhoons-scrambled-to-Russian-bombers.html
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The Lego Movie: content marketing at its finest
http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/apr/17/lego-movie-content-marketing
The benefits of this Lego film are not just limited to the supportive spending of adults either. What makes a children's movie such an enduring legacy is that it firstly finds its excitable audience in the cinema, then the young viewers eagerly snap up a DVD that can be viewed several times over and will probably sit in the DVD collection for years. As the child grows up, they will inevitably feel nostalgic about the films they watched as a mite and watch them again in adulthood, perhaps even showing it to a young relative and beginning the cycle again. Think about how Disney's hand-drawn classics have endured, or the acclaim that meets Pixar's more modern masterpieces; a lifetime or more of awareness is created.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Empire strikes back in the battle for readers by embracing digital
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/22/empire-strikes-back-magazine-wars
Empire magazine sells 145,000 copies a month
Between 2007 and 2012 total circulation declined 30%, from 1.68m copies to 1.17m copies per annum, with advertising falling a third to £537m a year.
Mark Dinning, Empire's editor-in-chief, says the title has embraced the digital age – X-Men stars including Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Lawrence created a "social media storm" after a stunt tweeting the 25 covers of its special February edition – with the print edition receiving increased investment.
"We have revelled in digital," he says. "Upped word counts, kept paginations, introduced more lavish photography than ever before. There is blood on every page. We have also benefited hugely from the industry we report on, breaking world exclusives. I categorically believe it is the place for it in the monthly magazine."
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
The birth of a new media species
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/96eb4986-c5df-11e3-a7d4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2zK3Te2X8
This might seem like classic New York sociology: in a city that is devoted to the cause of reinvention, and where politics, philanthropy, money and media collide constantly, new foundations emerge all the time, amid parties and brave speeches. But on another level, Barsky’s gathering also signalled a shift that is under way in the ecosystem of information – and philanthropy. Three decades ago, US print and television journalism was dominated by a collection of commercial media behemoths, supplemented by a host of regional tiddlers. Today, many of those regional players have vanished, and most of the largest newspapers are struggling to make (much) money.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Ad Break: Adidas Chelsea 'Forever Blue' viral, Ikea, Smirnoff
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/17/ad-break-adidas-chelsea-forever-blue-ikea-smirnoff
Watch the sports brand celebrate stars including Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres and the retailer revolutionise the kitchen
Watch the sports brand celebrate stars including Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres and the retailer revolutionise the kitchen
Viral Video Chart: Game of Thrones, the X Men, Gogglebox and Greg James
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/17/game-of-thrones-x-men-googlebox
1. George R.R. Martin Shouldn't Plan Your Wedding
Veiled threats
Veiled threats
2. Honest Trailers - The Wolf of Wall Street
Baying for laughs
Baying for laughs
3.Hilarious SWA Flight attendant- In Mid Life Crisis
Dolly off her trolley
Dolly off her trolley
4. Greg 'Gregsza' James - Hideaway
Life's such a drag
Life's such a drag
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past | Official Trailer 3 [HD] | 20th Century FOX
Out of this world
Out of this world
6. Kids react to Walkmans (Portable Cassette Players)
Shake, rattle and roll
Shake, rattle and roll
7. If The People Of Gogglebox Watched Gogglebox
Sofa so good
Sofa so good
8. Worst wheel of fortune contestant ever
In a spin
In a spin
9. Portrait of Lotte - 0 to 14 years in 4 min. (The Original)
A lot of Lotte
A lot of Lotte
10. World's Toughest Job - #worldstoughestjob
Mum's the word
Mum's the word
Source: Viral Video Chart. Compiled from data gathered at 14:00 on 17 April 2014. The Viral Video Chart is currently based on a count of the embedded videos and links on approximately 2m blogs, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
EDWARD LUCAS: I hope I'm wrong but historians may look back and say this was the start of World War III
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2605578/Edward-Lucas-I-hope-Im-wrong-historians-look-say-start-World-War-III.html
The hypocrisy is breath-taking. But the Ukraine adventure is stoking a patriotic frenzy at home which distracts the public from his regime’s incompetence and thievery.
The hypocrisy is breath-taking. But the Ukraine adventure is stoking a patriotic frenzy at home which distracts the public from his regime’s incompetence and thievery.
But the biggest benefit to the Russian president lies abroad. He makes no secret of his hatred for the West. He is contemptuous of, yet fears, our soft power. He resents the laws, liberty and prosperity that our citizens enjoy. They throw into bleak contrast the dismal life that his own corrupt and incompetent rule offers Russians.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
China backs IMF support for Ukraine
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/12/china-backs-imf-support-ukraine
In addition to supporting the IMF programme for Ukraine, which Zhu said was subject to finalisation by the IMF board, China was keeping in close bilateral contact with Kiev, with which it had many areas of cooperation in agriculture and industry. "We will continually expand our cooperation," Zhu said
Russia Is an Arsonist, Pretending to Be a Fire Safety Inspector
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/04/10/russia_is_an_arsonist_pretending_to_be_a_fire_safety_inspector_ukraine_putin
But it's unlikely that Russia is interested in a good-faith discussion about Ukraine's future. As Sergeyev readily concedes, Putin is once again marshaling the same semitransparent tradecraft of provokatsiya(which is exactly what it sounds like) that the KGB and Communist Party used to justify their domination of half of Europe in the 20th century. All the markers of forthcoming "fraternal" assistance to the supposedly embattled ethnic Russian population of Ukraine are on display now
But it's unlikely that Russia is interested in a good-faith discussion about Ukraine's future. As Sergeyev readily concedes, Putin is once again marshaling the same semitransparent tradecraft of provokatsiya(which is exactly what it sounds like) that the KGB and Communist Party used to justify their domination of half of Europe in the 20th century. All the markers of forthcoming "fraternal" assistance to the supposedly embattled ethnic Russian population of Ukraine are on display now
Freedom of Russian press under scrutiny following Ukraine crisis
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/freedom-russian-press-scrutiny
Deputy editor of last truly independent Russian TV station says it has come under immense pressure to close down
Deputy editor of last truly independent Russian TV station says it has come under immense pressure to close down
Big data: are we making a big mistake? By Tim Harford
Big data is a vague term for a massive phenomenon that has rapidly become an obsession with entrepreneurs, scientists, governments and the media
Friday, April 11, 2014
Viral Video Chart: Spiderman's Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Abba
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/11/spiderman-andrew-garvey-emma-stone-abba
1. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield do Bamboleo
Spiderman's web hit
2. ABBA Waterloo Eurovision 1974 (High Quality)
Brighton breezy
3. Stockholm - it's not a coincidence!
Swede magic
4. Oeps interview blooper hahaha
Leaning and learning
5. Best classroom April Fools prank ever
School of laughs
6. A Game of Social Thrones
Credit to Google, Twitter and Facebook
7. Bambo and Janice epic wedding trailer
All of the lights - and more!
8. Rat on the New York subway!
This train is running
9. A tour of the British Isles in accents
Mapping out dialects
10. Big surprise for Bride and Groom...Chris and Leah Wedding 5 April
Singing vicar
Source: Viral Video Chart. Compiled from data gathered at 14:00 on 10 April 2014. The Viral Video Chart is currently based on a count of the embedded videos and links on approximately 2m blogs, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
1. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield do Bamboleo
Spiderman's web hit
2. ABBA Waterloo Eurovision 1974 (High Quality)
Brighton breezy
3. Stockholm - it's not a coincidence!
Swede magic
4. Oeps interview blooper hahaha
Leaning and learning
5. Best classroom April Fools prank ever
School of laughs
6. A Game of Social Thrones
Credit to Google, Twitter and Facebook
7. Bambo and Janice epic wedding trailer
All of the lights - and more!
8. Rat on the New York subway!
This train is running
9. A tour of the British Isles in accents
Mapping out dialects
10. Big surprise for Bride and Groom...Chris and Leah Wedding 5 April
Singing vicar
Source: Viral Video Chart. Compiled from data gathered at 14:00 on 10 April 2014. The Viral Video Chart is currently based on a count of the embedded videos and links on approximately 2m blogs, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Ukraine and Russia - Wearily back to the battlefield
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21600722-disturbances-eastern-ukraine-demonstrate-russia-wants-destabilise-country
The disturbances in eastern Ukraine demonstrate that Russia wants to destabilise the country before next month’s election
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Fast and slow lessons for marketers
http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/apr/07/thinking-fast-slow-marketers-consumers
Consumers don't think what they feel, don't say what they think and don't do what they say – behavioural economics can prove it
Robots are stealing your online advertising budget
http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/apr/07/robots-stealing-advertising-budget-digital-bot-traffic
Digital advertising budgets are being spent on ads that are never seen while bot traffic silently pollutes the internet
Digital advertising budgets are being spent on ads that are never seen while bot traffic silently pollutes the internet
Monday, April 7, 2014
McDonald's Closes Its Doors in Crimea
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/mcdonalds-closes-its-doors-in-crimea/497520.html
News of McDonald's leaving Crimea was mostly received well by Russian Internet users, with several commentators on the Ekho Moskvy website saying that Crimeans will now get healthier, while some remarked that Russia's fast-food restaurants did not have much to offer in terms of healthy food either.
Popular Demand - US Media in Numbers
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/07/business/media/07most.html?ref=media&_r=0
Liberty Media, the investment company, said last week that it would sell most of its stake in Barnes & Noble, partly because the Nook tablet failed to meet long-term expectations. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Kindle is competing well with the iPad, and last week Amazon introduced Fire TV, a set-top box
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Ad break: Under the Skin director Jonathan Glazer takes risks with Nike
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/04/ad-break-under-the-skin-jonathan-glazer-nike
The sportswear firm features twice in this week's roundup, plus a Danish travel agency pushes patriotism and mums take control
Viral Video Chart: Game of Thrones, Putin calls Palin, and Lion King
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/04/game-of-thrones-sarah-palin-lion-king
Why Westeros?
Why Westeros?
2. The Lion King Australia: Cast Sings Circle of Life on Flight Home from Brisbane
Fasten your seatbelts
Fasten your seatbelts
3. Coke + Nutella + Mentos + Durex ITALIA world record
Let's get fizzical
Let's get fizzical
4. Putin & Sarah Palin Phone Call on "Tonight Show"
Shooting their mouths off
Shooting their mouths off
5. Aventador Crash - Moment of Impact
Car-ang!
Car-ang!
6. The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch)
Drawing a line
Drawing a line
7. Trombone loop cover of "Happy"
Sliding scale
Sliding scale
8. GoPro: Dane Jackson's 60ft Waterfall Drop
Oar-some
Oar-some
9. Baby reveal gone wrong!
Sisters aren't doing it
Sisters aren't doing it
10. Slow Life
Coral blimey
Coral blimey
Source: Viral Video Chart. Compiled from data gathered at 14:00 on 3 April 2014. The Viral Video Chart is currently based on a count of the embedded videos and links on approximately 2m blogs, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
April Fools' 2014 round-up, the best jokes live
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10734564/April-Fools-2014-round-up-the-best-jokes-live.html
Richard Moynihan compiles the best April Fools' jokes in the press and on the web.
Richard Moynihan compiles the best April Fools' jokes in the press and on the web.
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