U.S. Business Activity Shows Signs of Pickup Against Sharper Global Slowdown 

According to a recent article by the Wall Street Journal entitled "U.S. Business Activity Shows Signs of Pickup Against Sharper Global Slowdown" by Paul Hannon and Sarah Channey, the United States business activity is showing signs of pickup even in the midst of a global showdown. The article mentions that "the U.S. is offering signs of a pickup in late 2019, contrasting with more sluggish economic performances in some of the world’s other largest economies" which provides the beginning of an interesting discussion, especially in regards to how the United States is fairing after the unrest the US has faced with politics. 
One of the most important things marketers and businesses need is the reliability of their data and this unknown political landscape has been greatly impacting businesses and their ability to plan strategies for products moving forward. As time under this administration has passed, more questions have come up of course, but there is also an improvement in the markets as investors and foreign companies and domestic companies alike learn how to handle the politics of this administration. 
The article also mentions that "The Paris-based research body, which represents 36 advanced economies, said those low rates of growth could become standard if governments don’t roll back newly erected obstacles to trade and take steps to boost investment" which also shows the power that governments have when it comes to enforcing trade deals and promoting trade opportunities within their countries. Without government influence, or too much influence, trade between countries ceases. It's a fine line that must be walked at all times. 

Source for article and picture: https://www.wsj.com/articles/slowing-business-activity-sounds-alarm-for-global-economy-11574417281

Bayer’s Roundup Woes Deepen as Germany Bans Key Chemical.

 

As we continue to close the gap globally between consumers with the use of the internet. We can see how a change, an issue, or strategy imposed by a company can not only effect its current market but can also disrupt markets in other countries.

As of September 4, 2019, Bayer AG the owner of the product Roundup has decided to gradually restrict the use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, and ban it outright as of the end of 2023. This announcement may affect multiple lawsuit that are currently being held around the world. This change can show that the chemical may not be as safe as it was originally thought to be.

Another major effect this is causing is to the European market. With this announcement this helps the EU solidify its action to oppose another bloc-wide license that is set for renewal in 2022 by the company Bayer to use glyphosate in their products in the EU. With Bayer banning the use in 2023 their market in the EU will dissolve.

This not only affects the EU but also brings the attention to other countries such as the U.S. and South America. These countries are the two major consumers of this product and this can affect the agricultural market in those countries. This may even bring up concerns of consumer health not only by being exposed to the chemical directly, but also residual contact from produce or other agricultural products that may be sold to the consumer.

As we can see the global market is very intertwine and there can be many cause and effects of a single decision. As the global gap decreases companies may need to focus more on their marketing strategies and understand better what their markets needs and or requirements are.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bayers-roundup-woes-deepen-as-germany-bans-key-chemical-11567610126

By: Ruth Bender - Updated Sept. 4, 2019 1:03 pm ET

Coach, Givenchy Have Apologized to Chinese Consumers for the Controversial T-Shirts

Luxury brands Coach, Givenchy, and Versace have apologized to China for selling T-shirts that depict Chinese territory as independent countries.

Netizens found that Coach, Givenchy, and Versace listed Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau as separate countries in their specially designed T-shirts. After Chinese consumers complained about product issues, the brands apologized to Chinese consumers on main social networking sites in China and quickly removed the wrong products from the shelves to correct them.

Coach, Givenchy and other brands of Chinese brand ambassadors have ended them contracts with these brands to show their attitude and firmly upheld China's sovereignty.

China, the world's second-largest consumer market, had retail sales of $5.1 trillion in 2018, compared with $5.3 trillion in the United States. According to research firm eMarketer, China is expected to surpass the U.S. as the world’s largest consumer market by 2021. However, due to these incidents involving national sovereignty, these luxury companies may face the risk of losing huge Chinese consumers.

Researchers have found that Chinese consumer behavior is increasingly affected by political issues. At the time of the foreign brand incident, it was the peak of the China-US economic trade war, coupled with the tension between Hong Kong protests and the mainland. In this sensitive period, it is easy to make people misunderstand and even doubt whether these brands are making statements, even if the heads of these brands claim that these incidents are caused by negligence.

I hope that the practices of these brands are due to cross-cultural misunderstandings and not for other reasons. By studying in international market courses, I think these cognitive errors are caused by the fact that these brands deal with the business of other countries according to Self-Reference Criterion. The Self-Reference Criterion (SRC) is an unconscious reference to one’s own cultural values, experiences, and knowledge as a basis for decisions. The SRC can influence how a company positions products in the market and how to recognize the target markets.

When companies are dealing with businesses in other countries, it is necessary to understand the country's overall cultural background, rather than just defining some concepts with their own stereotypes. If foreign marketers plan to set the target market in other countries, a comprehensive study of the country's history and geography will help foreign marketers thoroughly understand the country's marketing environment and cultural background and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Written By: Mei Zhang

WSJ Article Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/geopolitical-faux-pas-prompts-foreign-brands-to-apologize-to-china-consumers-11565721993

Consumers Will Be Able to Pay for Doctor Visits on Their Phones, Via Anthem

Aksa Siddiqui
Consumers Will Be Able to Pay for Doctor Visits on Their Phones, Via Anthem
https://www.wsj.com/articles/consumers-will-be-able-to-pay-for-doctor-visits-on-their-phones-via-anthem-11563793201
By Anna Wilde Mathews
Updated July 22, 2019 5:39 pm ET


It is known now in today's world that most developed countries have got their healthcare industry figured out for the most part for their citizens. Whereas the USA is still lacking in this sector. Whether it's the government, health insurers, doctors/hospitals, it always feels like the system is screwed up and everyone is just out to get your money. Though most insurances want you to believe they are "racing to roll out new digital tools that give them a deeper role in healthcare, aiming to reduce costs and improve convenience for consumers."

Anthem, Inc. is a company trying to help not just its consumers but they are broadening their horizons for everyone to enjoy their products. Their motto is: "Anthem, Inc. is working to transform health care with trusted and caring solutions." They have developed an app that will allow patients to "schedule and pay for medical visits through their smartphones, as well as learn potential diagnoses and text with doctors." Other insurance companies have incorporated other techniques to get more involved in their consumer's health. The biggest issue they run into is user-error and the patients are having a difficult time navigating through.

The process of remote access to doctors has already been created and being offered for years, through phone, messaging, and/or video but the results are varied. According to a study in the journal Health affairs through this, it was cheaper to meet in person. Humana tested a new plan that allowed patients who see their primary care doctor on the regular to get devices, like blood pressure machine to link up with the doctor, so that they can do regular visits via video. This plan is called "digital-first" and the premiums are significantly lower than the competing products. 

Anthem wants to differentiate themselves by first and foremost allowing anyone to use their products and services. They have designed the app to be user-friendly and just answer some questions about any symptoms you may be having and use AI technology to diagnose them and/or pass the information on to a physician. along with other tie in features, they will be able to provide a whole care package for its consumers.  They will first test this out in one state then move on to the rest of the states for further research.

Small Businesses’ Faith In Economy Hits Low on Tariff Uncertainty

It is becoming expensive to import from china, especially for small businesses.

The U.S economy is becoming harder to penetrate with the higher tariffs. As a result, for the first time since 2012, economic confidence has decreased to a new low. Economic confidence is a measurement which indicates how likely businesses are pursuing trade. Also, economic confidence has propagated companies to delay recruiting and make investments.

These higher tariffs are expected to cost American small businesses an estimate between $1 million and $20 million dollars, according to Vistage Worldwide polls. For example, an auto maker terminated an order worth $2 million for parts amid the heated trade tensions. In the case of Wiscon Products Inc., they have opportunistically changed their strategy to an administering aggressive marketing to recoup from their 40% lost revenue. This strategy is expected to diversify their customer base, but at the same time they are holding off from purchasing new machines.

Despite the economic harms, the data gathered displays that small businesses are actually in favor for what seems like a shift to a protectionist economy. Small businesses believe that they are financially capable of surviving the recently implemented policies.

The main concern that both sides of the spectrum have is whether these tariffs will be applied and when, the extensiveness of it, and how long they will be in place. The uncertainty is making it difficult for businesses to plan ahead, as a result, hurting their businesses. The founder of White + Warren, Susan White Morrissey commented on the undefined policy saying “It’s overwhelming. It’s exhausting. It’s demoralizing,” thus clearly displaying the weight of the issue on her business. For example, the tariffs applied over the summer have cut the profit on the ribbed cashmere hats that were made in China in half. 

The trade policies have led to concern over the future of the US economy. However, President Trump responded that it is actually “badly run and weak companies” that are to blame. Meanwhile, he is also pushing the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates.

Some companies are seeking domestic suppliers but are struggling with the higher costs that they are being met with.

One of the companies affected is Argosy Cruises, a tour-boat operator in Seattle. This company is delaying the replacement of two of their vessels as the price went from $8.5 two years ago up to $9.5 million. Another one of their main concern, as a service-based company, is their uncertainty on whether they will continue to receive Chinese tourists as the trade tension escalates. This has made signing long-term contracts very risky as the issue remains unstable.

However, larger companies however will be able to topple the tariff issue by making bulk purchases and buying ahead, a privilege smaller companies do not have because of their smaller-sized funds.

As mentioned above, some companies are in favour of the tariffs, but the quick shift in trade policy has not allowed for some companies to prepare for its sudden implementation. For example, the higher tariffs enforced during the spring was brought to Jay Albere’s attention days before a shipment was due to arrive. Albere, Chief Executive Officer at LumiGrow, had to say “Just give me the ability to plan for it and make a smart business decision. The lack of certainty is really, really hard.”

Remodeez, a 3 decade old company, finds the change in supplier an impractical move because other companies would not have the facilities or knowledge to produce their product. Additionally, they have in fact already made heavy investments in China making it a waste of resources.The enforcement of tariffs will be especially detrimental to the company as they, not only sell their deodorizers at $9.99, but use a specific psychological strategy that does not allow them to sell at double digits. Subsequently, they plan on absorbing the costs.

In conclusion, tariffs are tax imposed by the government on goods entering its borders. Tariffs can be used as revenue-generating taxes or to discourage the importation of goods.  The consequences of the protectionist policy by enforcing higher tariffs are as follows:

     

     Increase: Inflationary pressures, government control, and political considerations in economic matters.

     Weaken: Balance-of-payments positions, Supply-and-demand patterns, and international relations.

     Restrict: Manufacturers’ supply sources, choices available to consumers, and competition.

Opportunism can be an option, but it is a sword with two edges, the costs can be less but again at the same time the consistency in quality may be affected.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/tariff-uncertainty-weighs-on-small-businesses-11567346801

https://www.google.com/search?q=america+tariffs+china&rlz=1C1ZKTG_en-gbQA811QA811&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiBz_mw2bbkAhUNP6wKHTYDAcEQ_AUIFCgD&biw=1022&bih=992#imgrc=qUC2f00P4Niz6M:

Cateora, P., Gilly, M., & Graham, J. (2013). International Marketing. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin

Young Chinese Spend Like Americans

Economist are becoming more and more concerned with the massive amounts of debt the young in China are bringing upon themselves. Chinese under the age of 30 aren’t savers like previous generations growing up in an unsettled economy. The freewheeling consumption, spent on gadgets, entertainment and travel, is helping China diversify its economy, yet it still has a downside. Household debt has rapidly risen because of borrowing for their purchases. Liu Biting, 25 years old, says she “spends all of her paycheck each month: 10,000 yuan ($1,400) a month… A third goes to rent, the rest on food, going out, music, and other products.” She also stated that times are different from when her parents were growing up. “For them to get a decent job, a stable job, is good enough – they save money, they buy houses, and raise kids. We see money as a thing to be spent”. 

As the US debt levels have fallen about 34% since 2008, China has passed the US in household debt and risen 74.5% since 2008. The average credit-card holder between ages 21-30 in 2016 was about $8,820. Wang Xinyu, 24, says he has about $11,200 in debt that is spread across 6 different credit cards. Most of this was from college as he saw it easy to swipe cards for his everyday living expenses. Today he puts his entire paycheck towards his debt, but still relies on credit cards to pay for his food, rent, and sometimes to pay toward other credit cards. The mindset for this younger generation and the question they are dealing with is - “If money isn’t spent on bringing you happiness, then what’s the point? Are we supposed to live to that we can save money?”. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/young-chinese-spend-like-americansand-take-on-worrisome-debt-11567093953

What Can France Teach the United States About Free Markets

What Can France Teach the United States About Free Markets

When discussing "Free Markets" the first country that comes to mind is probably not France. Rather, countries like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, or perhaps Canada are more likely to to be attributed as the countries with the most economic freedom. In fact, the Economic Freedom of the World Index puts Hong Kong, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Australia as the top 5 on their list. The United States comes in at 12 and France is all the way down at 71. The Wall Street Journal writes in an article entitled "What France- Yes, France- Can Teach the U.S. About Free Markets" by Greg Ip is suggesting that the United States can learn a few things from France and their move towards more economic freedom. 
Ip explains that because France is governed by European Union (EU) regulations and the EU sees "competition policy as key to stamping out dangerous economic nationalism and protectionism. Coal and steel trusts had underpinned the Nazi war machine and thus they were the first industries to be transferred to European from national oversight" and it's this vendetta of making sure that history doesn't repeat itself in cases such as World War II where France has started to flourish. The EU recognizes that competition not only ensures that better prices are being delivered, but also ensures that it is harder for monopolies to form- a lesson that was taught after the Germans were able to gather so much funding and power from the monopolistic entities such as coal and steel. The United States has not had to learn such a lesson and hence is not as dedicated to preventing monopolies. Because of this free market competition that France is benefiting from from EU policies, one example being the airline industry. In 2007, Air France had a monopoly on flights within the nation. After French reformers declared that a rival from Britain, EasyJet could enter the market, prices decreased. US airlines on the other hand don't allow foreign carriers on domestic routes so the 4 major airlines can dictate their prices rather than allowing the market to. It is in areas like this that the United States could perhaps learn a thing or two from the French and their free market strategies. 

See original article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-franceyes-francecan-teach-the-u-s-about-free-markets-11567591204
Picture: http://www.startribune.com/it-s-time-for-business-leaders-to-stand-up-for-the-community/379462921/

Amazon Invests in U.K. Food-Delivery Startup Deliveroo

          Amazon has decided to invest in British food-deliver company, Deliveroo which is becoming one of the startup's biggest investors. This is indicative of a large interest in a new sector for these chains. This is becoming bigger with other brands such as Postmates or Grubhub who also delivers food from restaurants straight to consumers' doors. This investment reflects Amazon's "fascination with finding ways to get all kinds of goods in the hands of the consumers as quickly as possible." Amazon has been experimenting with new technology and delivery services and now has decided to invest to further their company goals. Since consumers nowadays are increasingly expectant for their meals and groceries to arrive as quickly as their other goods, this will account for more than 10% of restaurant sales by 2022. However, it was noted that "food delivery so far as been largely unprofitable" due to fees and coordination of drivers. Grubhub Inc., a delivery service has fallen nearly 60% since last year while profits keep dropping. By analyzing what other companies have decided to do with delivery of food services, companies can try to market differently to the consumer group or rebrand themselves as more convenient to gain more customers.

The big picture from Google Marketing Live: With multi-channel campaigns, Google aims to own the funnelThe company introduced new and expanded ad surfaces for campaigns that run across multiple channels, and Search becomes a spoke in the wheel.

Beyonce Is Going To Make Bank From Uber Going Publicly

ennard Robinson

       Beyonće Is Going To Make Bank From Uber Going Public

Beyoncé is a very smart woman but the move she made in 2015 was a big one yet !

Uber asked her to perform for her and instead of her payment she asked for her payment to be in stocks and equity. Now as she was only getting 6 million from the corporate company after going public Beyoncé money is turning into much more and she can becoming even more richer than she already is because the marketing was one of the biggest tech IPO’s in recent history discovered Beyoncé isn’t the only one who is going to benefit from this well the only celebrity, Ashton Kutcher in invested in 2011 , Gwyneth Paltrow , Jay-z , Olivia Mann, and Leonard DiCaprio they all invested because they had faith and saw the greater cause in life and what they was doing . With that being said all of these celebrities that support made Bank from the Uber and the tech and all the good things they have done .

Hewlett Packard Enterprise to Buy Supercomputer Builder Cray

          In an effort to invest in high-performance commuting, Hewlatt Packard Enterprise has agreed to buy supercomputer maker Cray. They have decided to pay $35 a share in cash for each share that Cray held. Cray designs and builds supercomputers as well as software for high-performance computers but does not produce the main processing chips. For HPE, "the deal brings in a business booking strong revenue from government-led supercomputing projects that have multiplied in recent years as competition between the U.S. and China." This is a good move for HPE as they continue to rebrand themselves and by adding this component, they can appeal to more customers as 80% of Clay's customers are government officials. This is a move in the right direction to keep their company ahead of the times as "the market for high-performance computing and associated storage and services is expected to grow about $35 billion in 2021 from about $28 billion in 2018." HPE is actually expecting the deal to boost earnings the first full year after the deal closes and by acquiring Clay, HPE has effectively been able to reach a larger target audience and rebrand themselves to be more inclusive.

Chick-fila-A's Lean Menu Helps Chain Bulk Up

          While many fast-food chains have a variety of options, Chick-fil-A goes against the norm by focusing on chicken sandwiches only. They boast a simple menu consisting of sandwiches and a few breakfast and salad options. Now, five decades after this chain has opened, it is poised to become the third-largest U.S. restaurant chain by sales right behind McDonald's and Starbucks. Sales have tripled in the past decade and has also nearly doubled its store count. The company focuses on "ensuring that all customers, employees, restaurant operators and other partners are treated with care and respect." Chick-fil-A is well known for their customer service and how workers always go above and beyond.  Since 2015, Chick-fil-A has been the top-rated fast-food restaurant on the American Customer Satisfaction Index. With this, other competitors can see how popular food chains are building and keeping their business and take cues to do the same. For chick-fil-a, the fact that they ranked so high on the American Customer Satisfaction Index can be a way to market and promote their business by ensuring that customers are sure to be treated well if coming into the store.

Pixel 3a Review: Google’s $400 Challenge to the $1,000 Smartphone

Google has been struggling lately to sell their mobile devices due to the strong amount of competition around such as Apple and Samsung. Google's previous phone, the Pixel 3 was priced at $800 and up which was not doing too sharp in sales. Google simply could not compete with Apple and Samsungs massive marketing budget and their ability to rapidly change and improve their products. Google decided to introduce to the market with the brand new Pixel 3a starting at $400 and the Pixel 3a XL starting at $480. This will cut the prices in half from their previous more luxurious model. Many companies have cut back and developed a more affordable devices such as The iPhone XR from apple in comparison to the more expensive model iPhone XS. The Google Pixel 3a phone is a lot slower and does not have the same specs as the previous model but the camera is the same and can be compared to some of the top line phones on the market right now. Other features on the Pixel 3a such as the incapability to wireless charge compared to the Pixel 3 and the brought back the headphone jack on the Pixel 3a for those who they assume do not want to pay for a wireless headset. I personally do not like the idea that they introduced a new device and it actually turns out to be a downgrade. Apple simply made a cheaper  phone but performs the same and there's slight differences in specs that you wouldn't see on normal usage of the device. Google has been struggling to sell phones due to the competition around and need to develop a new marketing strategy to push these phones to the consumers. 

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pixel-3a-review-googles-400-challenge-to-the-1-000-smartphone-11557265509

Tinder Ghosts the Stigma of Online Dating

Technology is advancing faster than we can keep up with it and many things that were seen as abnormal are now becoming the norm. Online dating has always been seen as people who were anti social or introverted. Tinder has been able to break the stigma of online dating and actually made it attractive to users and is revolutionizing the world of dating. Tinder is the most successful  brand under the Match group which most people are familiar with. The youth contribute to roughly half the subscriptions, and with Tinders new college focused feature "Tinder U," they had a 14% increase of subscribers with their Spring break mode in March. Not only are they having positive feedback with the youth, the company is quickly expanding around the world, and becoming very international. Tinder has reached out into Many new countries including India, where Tinder is the number one dating app and since the arrival of the app, there has been a decline of arranged marriages. In terms of marketing spending, the are reducing their expenses and increasing the traffic of customers from -2% to -3% marketing spending and a growth of 9% subscribers to 16%. Tinder has been very successful is making their brand known and has been able to cut promotion costs and now is looking to further expand and urbanize new cultures.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/tinder-ghosts-the-stigma-of-online-dating-11557330537?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1

Artificial Meat

Artificial Meats is coming, but at what price?

This article talks about artificial food, and the changes it's going through. Currently, it cost Finless slightly less than $4,000 dollars to make a pound of tune while competitors sell it for $8 to $12 dollars. This creates a big complication for these companies since customers would most likely go for the $8 dollar product rather than the $4,000. These prices are high but it is surprising that companies are in a production phase within this concept. 

It is the future of the food industry and as stated in the article:

"The Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department last year agreed to work together on regulations for cell-grown foods. Mike Lee, founder of the Future Market, a food lab that works with companies to conceptualize food prototypes, anticipates that lab-grown meat will be available for purchase in 2019. JUST Inc., which makes a cell-grown chicken product, said it plans to start selling to at least one restaurant by the end of the year, though it previously planned to hit the market at the end of 2018."

I selected this article because it is important for everyone to know what they are eating. This is especially true for those who have health problems or are restricted to eat certain foods. In general, artificial products have taken over many fields and users need to understand the impact these changes are causing. 

Name: Gorman Aguilar

Title of Article: Lab-Grown Meat Is Coming, but the Price Is Hard to Stomach
Time published: May 2nd, 2019

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/lab-grown-meat-is-coming-but-the-price-is-hard-to-stomach-11556805600?mod=foesummaries

America's Biggest Supermarket Company Struggles With Online Grocery Upheaval

          The last time large grocery chains had ever faced such a large problem was when Walmart Inc. decided to go into groceries. But with technology advancing faster and faster as the years pass and the generation of people who are used to technology continue getting older and more wanting of convenience, these large grocery chains are now facing a new struggle. In this day and age, "e-commerce is transforming the business, forcing cash-strapped companies to overhaul their operations and invest heavily in technology and talent to keep customers from straying to Amazon.com Inc." While dealing with the potential loss of customers to online grocery stores that deliver straight to your door, they are also dealing with the fact that they have to keep food prices low to be competitive. This is an issue as it is hard to find a balance between keeping food prices low and still making a profit. For Kroger specifically, this has been hard because rather than transitioning to online-ordering technology and delivery services, they have stayed focused on store sales.
          As times are changing, stores should also change how they market themselves. In this case, it is obvious that online options are becoming more popular and rather than staying stagnant and unchanging, they should change their promotion techniques and how they are delivering their products. In this way, Kroger and other grocery store chains that are facing these issues can continue to make a profit rather than go bankrupt.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-biggest-supermarket-company-struggles-with-online-grocery-upheaval-11555877123

These are the Fashion Brands that Rappers Name Drop the Most

Updated April 22, 2019

Rappers in the United States are more likely than ever to name drop a popular fashion brand. And this has deeper roots than many may have expected. It started around decades ago around 1985 when brands started being mentioned, and both adults and children took notice. Other rappers of this time, such as MC Ricky D, started producing lyrics with fashion brands incorporated and others followed. Children raised during this period heard these lyrics and if they produced music in their career as adults, they did the same.

In this music era rappers express their individuality by choosing smaller fashion brands to reference in their music. One notable example of this is the brand Off-White, which is founded by a successful African American man by the name of Virgil Abloh and many rappers reference the brand as a way of implicitly stating the success of those who they relate to. Not only do rappers consider fashion to be a major aspect of their industry now, it benefits the market by offering more diversity and exposure. It expands sales and increases market growth. New customers and market options are becoming available by rappers sharing the brands in the lyrics. Most rappers seem to consider high fashion and rap to now go hand in hand. All of this is very relevant to marketing in terms of context, customer, and environment (social).

I am interested because I enjoy music and culture and enjoy understanding how brands interact with new opportunities and what the brand means to the individual representing.


https://www.wsj.com/articles/these-are-the-fashion-brands-rappers-namedrop-the-most-11555943601

What Beyond Meat Can Teach Big Food

What Beyond Meat Can Teach Big Food

Updated May 6, 2019

Beyond Meat is a food manufacturer that produces vegetable based products that are similar to meat. Although it's shares are quite expensive to individuals and competition from traditional meat products, the strategy that they are using to attract customers seems very wise. However, a unlikely twist is that Beyond Meat is marketing to not only vegetarians and vegans but also meat eaters, as many meat customers are lowering their daily intake. The reason this seems a good strategy is because the vegetarian market is only 5% of the population however many meat consumers also buy non-meat products. These include dairy and animal product alternatives such as almond milk or veggie nuggets. Studies were conducted in grocery stores to prove this point. This article involves relevant marketing topics such as price, place, and external environment. As an individual who loves to try new foods and experiment with meat replacement products, this article really interested me.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-beyond-meat-can-teach-big-food-11557140580

Nootropic or Not? Brain-Booster Business Raises Concerns

Nootropic or Not? Brain-Booster Business Raises Concerns

Update April 10, 2019

Several individuals who are looking for a mental or energy boost are looking to a new type of supplement currently on the market. Nootropics are supplements that are unique and meant to assist in particular mental or health specific qualities, and have a quite foreign and experimental nature... in fact, they are not currently regulated by the FDA. The FDA has investigated some of these drugs, including Vinpocetine for memory and Phenibut for anxiety and insomnia, because it is unclear if they are dangerous. Often people purchase them for their marketed benefits, which must be vague and not imply cures of any kind. These are very general marketing terms. Other customers are wary to try the supplements due to the lack of clear definition and effectiveness. Company representatives say that they are confident that the supplements are not addictive and d onot have harmful side effects. They may not take into consideration other medicines that the individual customer may be taking.   This is relevant to marketing in terms of context and customer. I am personally interested because I am interested in nutrition and supplements.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/nootropic-or-not-brain-booster-business-raises-concerns-11554912076

“Comcast is Surviving Big Media’s Horror Flick”

“

Comcast is Surviving Big Media’s Horror Flick” April 25, 2019

“Comcast is Surviving Big Media’s Horror Flick” April 25, 2019

https://www.wsj.com/articles/comcast-is-surviving-big-medias-horror-flick-11556215034

Due to big media companies growing in popularity for streaming service, it may appear that
Comcast is in risk of losing their revenue base for cable, however, while cable sales are down
internet sales are up. Revenue is increasing for Comcast over previous years, rising to 77
cents a share from 66 cents a share, and with internet sales increasing by 10%. Television
and cable customers have declined year over year for eight years, increasing to a 121,000
subscriber loss from a 96,000 subscriber loss this year over the previous year for cable
subscription. Comcast is likely to continue to see benefits in internet streaming customers,
though as they have a growing base of customers needing a high streaming internet service.
Comcast also just purchased a British TV telecommunications and streaming company.
In addition, Comcast is interested in their own streaming service in 2020.
Comcast owns Hulu, and so they will be watching Hulu as well as Hulu may soon
actually by back 10% of their own share from AT&T. As time passes, both Hulu and
Comcast may see continued benefit from the streaming industry. This article applies
to media marketing by explaining the context in which Comcast will position it’s own
streaming service. I am interested as a previous Comcast customer.

Lyft Reports Strong Revenue Growth, $1.1 Billion Loss

After being public, Lyft Inc. encounter an important growth of $776 million in its first quarterly report, or about 95% from the previous year.  However, losses of 1.1 billion continue to be present due to $859 million of stock based compensation for being public in March. 

This result was unexpected and will continue to grow as Lyft portrays itself as "the faster-growing-ride-hailing service" compared to Uber. Lyft even got a partnership with Alphabet Inc, the selft driving car unit Waymo. They will soon let people use their robot taxis in Phoenix using the Lyft app.

 Some of the losses were due to rider and driver subsidies, as well as $227 million spent by the company on sales and marketing (30% of revenue).
However, Lyft expects its revenue to slow for the rest of the year, or at least $800 million in the second quarter and $3.3 billion for the year. 

I liked reading the article as I felt like Lyft took a risk by becoming public. I was also amazed to see how much they grew in only three months. I am looking forward to seeing more growth in the future and maybe expend their services in new things. In a competitive market, they were able to distinguish themselves from their other competitors such as Uber. They are expanding their idea such as associating with Alphabet Inc to generate more revenue. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-reports-strong-revenue-growth-1-1-billion-loss-11557259916

 In a Tight Labor Market, Gig Workers Get Harder to Please

Everybody knows at least one of the "Gig economy"startups and services such as Uber, Lyft, Postmates, Doordash, Field Agent, Grubhub. The benefit of these jobs is that people usually work with their own schedule. However, the more you put in the work, the better it pays. 

Jason Noorzai worked for eight different gig economy and the least he liked among them was working for Uber Eats because according to him, "it offered the lowest pay and fewest tips." Mr. Noorzai never stayed in one job for more than few months, and was mostly working there to complete his months. 

Venture capitalists gave amounts of cash to companies having a "gig" twist on their contractor approach to hiring people.  Uber used that cash to grow but ended up paying more than they were hiring. 

Years after the founding of Uber, the companies and their investors tolerated losses and the availability of the workers. However, the biggest of these companies were facing losses and their unemployment rate were at its lowest in 50 years. Therefore, Lyft went public, Uber and Postmates applied for the IPOs. 

The chief operating officer of Fountain was able to hire a bunch of people that was interested in working for them. 

Turnover is frequent on those kind of sector. The Fountain companies turnover could be as high as 500% per year. In the fast-food industry, the 2017 turnover was as high as 150% per year. 

More an more people are trying to work for companies like Uber and Instacart, but we don't know how much these companies are willing to spend to keep them interested. 

A food delivery company named Waitr hires full time delivers to minimize turnover. It is possible that each food delivery doesn't make enough money for the companies that handle them. 

Uber and Lyft would raise the pay of the workers and improve their condition in response to high turnover rates even though people are still protesting for pay and working condition cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.

When Gilbert Aquino first stated driving for Lyft  in 2013, it was about $2.50 per mile. Now it is 80 cents in LA, and 70 cents in Minnesota. Mr. Aquino ended up quitting the company. 

I am familiar with those services as I myself use them. However, I was not aware about what was going on and their pay rate. I was even wondering how they were payed after each ride. 

The article is more about gig economy competitors such as Uber, Lyft, Postmates.. In a market in demand, those companies try their best to hire people and to keep them on field by giving benefits such as "shares and cash bonuses for their longest-serving drivers," raising pay, improving the workers condition. However it is not always easy for those companies to keep up because drivers usually quit after few months.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-a-tight-labor-market-gig-workers-get-harder-to-please-11556942404

Casino Upstarts Give U.S. Operators a Run for Their Money in Asia

Gambling venues are opening across the region to lure Chinese bettors from Macau—home to Las Vegas brands Wynn, Sands

The Las Vegas Strip now has a bigger and better competitor. Macau China has a three year old casino that is famous world-wide. The gambling revenue was six times greater than the Las Vegas Strip in 2018. However, the revenue began to decline due to the absence of the high roller gamblers that are frequent customers of the casino. In response, a private investment bank is said to invest $22.5 billion dollars for planned projects in Japan by 2025. Competitors such as Wynn and MGM on the Las Vegas Strip became anxious because, "none of which know whether Macau will renew their licenses when they expire in 2022." Both Wynn and MGM believe the $22.5 billion dollar investment will run them out of the business in China. Parisian Macau casino resort has the upper hand in the market since they are being newly renovated and the Macau, China is the only legal place for casino gaming. 

By 

Ese Erheriene

Updated May 6, 2019 12:17 p.m. EThttps://www.wsj.com/articles/casino-upstarts-give-u-s-giants-a-run-for-their-money-in-asia-11557145039

Disney's Movie Lineup.

Disney's Movie Lineup

This article concentrates on the films Disney is planning to make through 2027. "The company on Tuesday listed several former 21st Century Fox properties, including the release date of “Avatar 2” in 2021, a new untitled “Kingsman” movie and “New Mutants,” from the “X-Men” series, in 2020." 

Yet this was only possible after they acquired 21st Century Fox's assets. Now Disney who owns "the Pixar, Marvel and the Star Wars brands, will now also get Deadpool and the Fox-owned Marvel characters such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four, allowing for the full Marvel family to be united" as stated on npr. It is also known that Disney will now own former Fox television networks, which consists of FX Networks and National Geographic Partners. Disney will also get Fox's 30 percent ownership of Hulu, giving Disney a controlling share of 60 percent  (https://www.npr.org/2019/03/20/705009029/disney-officially-owns-21st-century-fox). Overall, Disney is slowly growing and eventually, they will have the ability to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime. 

What makes Disney so dominating is the adaptation they have to their products. For example, the company originally planned to release a Star Wars movie every year after they acquired it in 2012. But when the latest Star Wars film received mixed reviews, Disney decided to put a hold on production. By taking this decision, Disney stopped losing money and kept the dedicated fans. In my opinion, this is the best solution since Star Wars has a big fan base. 

I selected this article because Disney is slowly taking over all the movie franchises I enjoy. In my opinion, they hold the power when it comes to movies. This is relevant to marketing because they force their competitors to rethink the movies they produce. If Disney continues on this route, they will have the ability to produce amazing products.   

Name: Gorman Aguilar

Title of Article: Disney Reveals Movie Lineup Through 2027
Time published: May 7th, 2019

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-reveals-movie-lineup-through-2027-11557256610?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1

Bayer Loses Millions Because of Lawsuit

German pharmaceutical giant Bayer is losing millions of dollars from legal setbacks regarding their recent acquisition, Monsanto. The case in questions is a lawsuit that was filed in San Francisco, claiming that Monsanto's Round-Up weed killer caused a man's cancer. That case was recently settled in the man's favor, causing Bayer to pay a large monetary sum, and leading to thousands of new lawsuits also claiming that Round-Up led to medical problems and cancer for people.

Monsanto is a pretty new purchase for Bayer, and this onslaught of lawsuits and bad publicity is causing their stocks to fall as investors lose confidence in Bayer. Before Bayer bought Monsanto many had said that it was a bad move for the company to make, because Monsanto already has a bad reputation to environmentalists due to their GMO products and use of chemicals and pesticides.

Bayer plans to fight the outcome of the suit to prove that Round-Up was not the cause of the man's cancer, but the damage has already been done, as Bayer's stocks continue to fall. Right now Bayer needs to try to fix their reputation with the public in order to gain their trust again.

Bayer Shares Fall After Jury Finds Exposure to Roundup Helped Trigger Cancer

In a Tighter Labor Market, Gig Workers are Getting Hard to Please

Not Staying with One Company

Summary of the Article: 

The drivers for Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, and more of the like enjoy the flexibility of these services. These drivers also added that there was a great pay but only if an individual could commit most of their time into driving. However, for many of them, they switch between jobs and/or this is just something to supplement their income apart from their full-time job. The reason is that they are not treated like traditional employees so they do not get the same benefits such as health insurance. These companies are facing with high turnover rates in employment. They are having a hard time keeping drivers working for them. For the past few years, many drivers have been protesting their conditions as well as pay. Many of these companies face difficulties between pleasing their workers and their shareholders, especially after the 2008 Market crash. In order to turn a profit, many of these companies have started to raise prices.

How this Article is related to Marketing:
In order to market themselves to new and potential, they need to improve their driver's conditions. Since these companies such as Uber and Lyft rely on drivers, they should consider their conditions and try to please their workers so that they have a better time working for them.

URL:https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-a-tight-labor-market-gig-workers-get-harder-to-please-11556942404

Wayne Rooney Appears Headed to Major League Soccer

The Latest English Premier League legend linked to the MLS, Wayne Rooney

According to sources over the other side of the pond, Wayne Rooney, former Manchester United and England superstar, is considering a change of scenery which appears to be the east coast of America. 

DC United certainly isn't one of the big names in the MLS which is leaving supporters confused. As we have seen in the past, most superstars treat the MLS as a retirement league as they chase their final big paycheck. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham all paved the way for Rooney, signing for respectable teams such as LA Galaxy & New York City. 

The problem some spectators may see with this is that Rooney is 32 years old and currently on the decline of his career. What the league does not want is for Rooney to just be another bust like previous European stars.  

I decided to choose this articles as I am a soccer player and I would love to see the MLS excel. America has an excellent opportunity to grow, with its size and population they have real potential to compete globally. What must change is the marketing of the sport. They currently focus on bringing in declining stars at the end of their careers like Rooney, instead they should push grassroots soccer, promoting the lower leagues, doing everything they can to promote youngsters to get involved with the sport. 

The Ethical Thing To Do

The Ethical Thing To Do

This article focuses on age restrictions different transportation services have today. The biggest transportation services, Uber and Lyft, both say no to transporting kids. I personally agree with this rule because with accepting kids, they have to accept the responsibility too. 

Recently, a young girl was killed when she got into a car thinking it was her Uber. Sadly, some people make their cars look like Uber vehicles with the purpose to kidnap individuals. After reading this article I agree with some of the requirements other transportation services have. Yet, it is always risky since intentions are not shown in a report or test. I believe the best way to detect intentions is through an interview, but to interview all drivers would be hectic for any company.  

Even though the article provides postive examples, there is always a risk and for that reason I belive these companies will only succeed if they constantly improve their procedures. They will need to adapt to any issues and advancements to provide a better service. A great example is how Uber now gives the user the ability to share their route with anyone. This is important because it gives individuals and their loved ones a peace of mind. 

I selected this article because it addresses a service many individuals use. I personally don't like the idea of Uber, but I do find the use in it. I limit my use of Uber, but in certain scenarios it is the best option. This article is related to marketing because it explains the competitors Uber and Lyft are dealing with in their field. If there is a transportation service that gives rides to all ages, there will be questions and concerns regarding their process.

Name: Gorman Aguilar
Title of article: Uber Says No Kids—These Other Car Services Say Yes
Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-says-no-kidsthese-other-car-services-say-yes-11557221402
Time published: May 7th, 2019