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

Coca-Cola moves into the alcohol market 

Coca-Cola is launching its first premium mixers under the Coke brand as it looks to expand into the growing premium mixer market. Coca-Cola Signature Mixers features four flavors designed to be mixed with dark spirits, which will launch in the UK from June alongside a fully integrated marketing campaign.

Coca-Cola Signature Mixers marks an exciting time for the brand and expansion into dark spirit mixology. The change of markets comes because drinkers increasingly opt for more expensive mixers. According to figures from research company CGA, premium mixers are growing at 32.9% compared to the 7% decline seen for mainstream mixers, a trend which is set to continue.

Inspired by the brand’s heritage, Coca-Cola Signature Mixers are served in a contemporary Hutchinson glass bottle, first used by Coca-Cola in 1894 when the product was bottled rather than served at a soda fountain. The new range, which is available in Smoky, Spicy, Herbal, and Woody, was created in collaboration with mixologists and marks the first time Coke has invited outsiders to help develop its own brand.

Consumers were invited to taste the new recipes, with the four most popular going into production, with each bottle stamped with the signature of its co-creator.

In my opinion, this new marketing strategy is showing how Coke-cola is trying to streamline its innovation pipelines in order to keep up with consumers’ changing tastes. Coca-Cola has always been part of cocktail culture and history. So why not profit from it.

UFC on the rise

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, is an American mixed martial arts promotion the company, a subsidiary of the parent company William Morris Endeavor, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the largest MMA promoter in the world and features most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport.

WME-IMG, an entertainment agency known for representing Hollywood actors and directors, recently purchased UFC for approximately 4 billion dollars. After WME-IMG's initial investment, they were able to get multiple high profile celebrities to also invest in their endeavor. 

Twenty-three celebrities, including Ben Affleck, Adam Levine, Serena, and Venus Williams, Jimmy Kimmel and Tyler Perry have invested in the UFC since it was purchased. Terms of their investments have not been disclosed, but with a a company as successful as WME-IMG, celebrities have no issue investing in a a company that already has a large fan base that continues to grow.

Target Market
MMA fighting has quickly grown in popularity, taking over for sports like wrestling and boxing. The rise in popularity is due to the fact that mixed martial arts is a combination of multiple fighting styles and it is very violent. This sport, which at first was targeted towards adults, has quickly become popular among younger audiences. The UFC is targeting all age groups now.

Competition
UFC is in a world of its own. There really is not a sport that offers the same type of excitement, except boxing, as the UFC. Combine that with incredibly brash and cocky athletes, and you have must see tv that millions of people pay to watch on tv.

Bustle eyes

In the wake of slow-moving fundraising efforts and inadequate exists, but that is not the case in the realm of digital media. Bustle Digital group, a young news and culture outlet targeted mainly at millennial women, is on track to increase its revenue by 50% this year to approximately $45 million, according to its founder Bryan Goldberg. It is widely believed that digital media is a solid growth sector. The firm is on track to reach its revenue targets, due to its high sales in the native advertising to its audience on Instagram. It had signed video deals with Facebook Inc. and YouTube to support boosting its commercial activities, generated by links included in its posts. The firm’s growth is in the mid of a turbulent phase for digital media publishers such as Alphabet’s Google and Facebook who have gobbled up larger portions of the online advertising pie, as they account for 63% of U.S digital ad spending this year, according to rough estimates from eMarketer. This led to much investor’s uncertainty and made it quite challenging for digital media companies to survive up to higher valuations

A new era for package delivery services are under development! With drones being sold to the public today, we anxiously wait for them to be used by online shopping websites to deliver our packages. However, we may have to wait just a bit longer.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has set up specific rules to which all package-delivering drones must follow. This so makes delivering packages by air as safe as possible. However, companies such as Amazon, Alphabet Inc. and United States Parcel Service Inc. are advocators in the idea that we need drones now! They have been pushing for faster check-ups by the FAA, stating that we need to speed up the regulatory process. With the pushing of faster check-ups, the FAA stays firm with their decision to take their time.
It is important that the FAA clears up any issues with the drone manufacturers so that a sky is a safe place for drones to fly. We do not want damage to the drones or packages. Most of all, we do not want accidents which could put people down below in harm's way of falling debris.

China Car Makers Pioneer 'Mild Hybrids'

In a world that focuses on decreasing emissions and saving the environment, people tend to see nothing but the bottom line. However, China car makers are increasing use in an emerging battery technology that provides a way to boost fuel economy to near hybrid performance. 

Chinese automakers Geely Automobile Holdings and FAW Group Corp. will begin introducing gas powered cars with a 48-volt battery system that provides additional energy for steering and other high energy devices. This battery system is similar to the 200-volt battery systems that are used in current hybrid cars, but instead of relying mostly on the 200-volt battery, the new mild hybrids will rely on gasoline first, with the 48-volt battery system as a helper for better fuel economy. 

This 48-volt battery adds to the fuel economy of the vehicle without the large price tag of the current hybrid cars. Consultants at AlixPartners LLP say that the 48-bolt battery driven hybrids lead to a 15% increase in fuel economy compared to the 25%/30% improvement in current hybrids, but with a cheaper selling price. “What’s nice about the 48-volt systems is that you are getting a lot of the same benefits of a full hybrid at 30% of the cost,” said Dan Hearsch, a partner with AlixPartners. 

Although China has long been behind in the technology concerning cars, it is the front runner in this new technology. Analysts soon expect this emerging technology to make its way to the more advanced USA and Japanese auto industry. 

The major concern regarding these battery systems is the required complexity of the internal electric system. However, Mary Gutanksi of Delphi Automotive PLC says that the "industry has no choice." With more advanced technologies needing a more stable source of power, the auto industry has to adapt to feed these power-hungry advancements.