Here are some of the creative new business models and strategies that have come out of the coronavirus pandemic cnn

- A + A (Aug 18): Apple Inc is aiming to hold a launch event on Sept 7 to unveil the iPhone 14 line, according to people with knowledge of the matter, rolling out the latest version of a product that generates more than half its sales. The new iPhones will kick off a busy fall product season, which will also include multiple new Macs, low-end and high-end iPads, and three Apple Watch models. Apple is updating its flagship product at a precarious time for the industry. Smartphone sales have begun to flag as consumers cope with inflation and a shaky economy. But Apple appears to be faring better than its peers: The iPhone sold well last quarter, and the company has signaled to suppliers that it doesn’t foresee a dropoff in demand. The Cupertino, California-based tech giant typically announces other products alongside the iPhone, including the latest Apple Watches. The company usually releases the new iPhone in stores about a week and a half after it’s unveiled, and … [Read more...] about Apple targets Sept 7 for iPhone 14 launch in flurry of new devices

Cameo is ready to go live again. advertisement advertisement The platform that allows users to purchase personalized video messages from celebrities unveiled today Cameo Live, a new feature allowing 10-minute video calls for up to 10 fans. Cameo Live is an extension of Cameo’s past efforts to expand beyond pre-recorded videos. The company actually launched a version of Cameo Live in June 2020, which facilitated conversations with celebrities via Zoom; that iteration was nixed in April 2021. That same year, the company also rolled out Cameo Calls, which were two-minute sessions billed as virtual meet and greets. “A live video component has always been part of our mission to offer the most authentic and personalized fan experiences on Earth, but we wanted to really perfect it,” says Cameo CEO and cofounder Steven Galanis. “The team has previously experimented with other versions of live video calls and collected valuable insights from talent and fans … [Read more...] about Cameo re-introduces live video calls in a bid to boost business

Every week, the same headline repeats: DTC upstart heads to retail. You can now find Magic Spoon at Target, Glossier at Sephora, and Away at Amazon, and the list goes on. This month, Yumi, the company I co-founded, also threw our proverbial hat into the brick-and-mortar ring, with a full nationwide launch at Target and nearly 2,000 stores. So, yes, the "era of DTC" as we know it is dead . But I would argue that the DTC era was an important pit stop to the inevitable omnichannel future. In the initial version of our company pitch deck, we created a future road map inspired by Walt Disney's famous Synergy Map in 1957, when he envisioned Disney's 60-year road map in a napkin sketch. He doesn't explicitly name Disney+, its big gambit in connected TV, or the purchase of Pixar, but all the breadcrumbs are there for the sprawling online and offline empire we know today. Our Disney map slide showed Yumi's later-stage selling channels would include real-life festivals for … [Read more...] about How a Disney Map Helped My Company Survive the Death of the Direct-to-Consumer Model

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin For especially millennials, seeing Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti brings a strong sense of nostalgia from their days starring on the hit 2004 MTV reality show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County , which followed a group of high schoolers weaving their way through young love & friendship in the California beachfront town. These days, however, you will find two very grown-up entrepreneurs that have paved their own unique paths in business, understanding that Laguna Beach gave them their start but they alone have built what will ultimately become their legacies. Now nearly 18 years since they were first introduced to the world on reality television, Cavallari and Colletti are now the hosts of their own Laguna Beach rewatch podcast with Dear Media called Back to the Beach . On the weekly show, which surpassed one million downloads in its first week alone, they dive into the parts that never made it to … [Read more...] about Kristin Cavallari & Stephen Colletti Get Candid About Their New Podcast And Finding Success Beyond Reality TV

The last two years have changed how young investors look at real estate. The far-reaching effects of pandemic on their personal and professional lives was the game-changer. They realized the value of owning living spaces that are not only conducive for their ideal lifestyle, but also infallible when it comes to financial gain and stability. Let’s take a look at the reasons why property investments capture this segment’s interest, and why Angeles City, Pampanga is a hotbed one should definitely consider. Property as the wisest investment Now Residences, a mid-rise garden community in Angeles City, Pampanga presents both end-users and investors a sure and wise choice when it comes to investing outside of Metro Manila. Financial gurus agree that r eal estate is emerging as a strong hedge against the roaring inflation, and young investors are at the forefront of it. Industry leader SM Development Corporation (SMDC) realized this with 54% of their increase in revenue … [Read more...] about A new SMDC community in Angeles City, Pampanga built for the new breed of investors

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline TikTok on Wednesday unveiled a strategy for fighting misinformation ahead of the midterm elections, including a ban on paid political content from influencers, after Facebook and Twitter also outlined a series of steps to prepare for the November election after facing a barrage of criticisms for fueling the spread of false information during previous elections. Key Facts TikTok will launch an Elections Center this week to “connect people” with “authoritative information” about voting in more than 45 languages, which the company will link to through labels, TikTok’s Head of Safety Eric Han wrote in a blog post . TikTok is reinforcing its 2019 ban on paid political advertising to include paid content from influencers as well, after challenges arose during the 2020 election educating influences on that rule, Han said. The plans come a day after Facebook’s parent company Meta briefly shared some … [Read more...] about TikTok Blocks Influencers From Creating Paid Political Content Ahead Of Midterms—Here’s How Social Media Platforms Are Preparing

Dodge’s popular muscle cars, the two-door Challenger and four-door Charger, will be discontinued in 2023 and replaced in 2024 by a fully electric model, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Dodge announced two new electric vehicles at the Dodge Speed Week event in Pontiac, Michigan, this week, according to a press release by Dodge parent company Stellantis. The first was the Dodge Hornet, a Compact Utility Vehicle that offered both a plug-in hybrid and traditional gas engine model, and the second was the battery-powered muscle car, the Charger Daytona SRT Concept, named in honor of the Charger Daytona, the first car to break 200 mph on a NASCAR track. “The [Concept] exists because performance made us do it,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Chief Executive Officer in a press release. “Dodge is about muscle, attitude and performance, and the brand carries that chip on its shoulder and into the [electric vehicle] segment through a concept loaded with patents, innovations, and … [Read more...] about Historic American Muscle Car Will Be Fully Electric By 2024

- A + A (Aug 18): Embracer Group AB, one of Europe’s biggest gaming firms, ramped up its acquisition pace after striking deals for six companies including the intellectual property rights for “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy and “The Hobbit.” “Gaming is the best way to monetize IPs in the long term but not necessarily the most efficient way to create new IPs,” Embracer’s chief executive, Lars Wingefors, said in an interview following the group’s second-quarter report. The CEO says the acquisition of Middle-earth Enterprises “enables many companies within the group to work on IPs we control over the long term” and it will now join Embracer’s existing catalogue of more than 800 owned and controlled IPs. Gaming companies such as Embracer are increasingly focused on IP as a way to generate sales from the mass appeal of characters and stories that have already drawn big audiences. Embracer’s IP of JRR Tolkien’s famed trilogy also contains the film rights, giving them a … [Read more...] about Embracer CEO eyes IP boost after buying ‘Lord of the Rings’

- A + A (Aug 18): Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd plans to double down on its efforts to boost the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) as well as bolster exports as it seeks to recover from disappointing first-half earnings that were pummelled by Covid-19 lockdowns and supply chain snarls. The shipments of new-energy vehicles will account for more than 30% of the overall sales by the end of this year and continue the upward trend in 2023, company's group chief executive Gan Jiayue said in a media briefing on Thursday. The Hangzhou-based automaker will also focus on stepping up its exports, especially in Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Gan said. Geely saw its exports surge by 64% in the latest half-yearly earnings reported earlier in the day, well above the industry average of 50%, he said. The renewed thrust toward what Geely deems its growth engines comes after the company posted a disappointing first-half profit. Net income … [Read more...] about Geely doubles down on EVs, exports after disappointing earnings

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin As cultures and communities evolve, TV and streaming genres do as well. So, it is particularly refreshing to see how positively the audience (and the critics) have responded to HBO Max’s limited documentary series The Last Movie Stars . Designed both as a showcase for the older generation familiar with the body of work on film by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and for the younger generation, perhaps, not as aware of them (if at all), The Last Movie Stars breaks the stereotype that viewers of a specific age range will only consume certain types of content. Fans and viewers of all ages have responded to this documentary tale of these two film legends who, surprisingly, kept much of their lives private. “They had love, they had family, and they were ethical citizens,” noted director Ethan Hawke in the film, who in this six-part tour de force assembles a wide array of celebrities (including George Clooney as Paul Newman … [Read more...] about ‘The Last Movie Stars’: The Coveted HBO Max Limited Documentary Series Appeals To All Ages