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Elon Musk Sold $3.5 Million Worth Of Flamethrowers In A Day http://ift.tt/2GupkJ2 First it was ‘Boring’ baseball caps—now the Tesla founder is selling flamethrowers ‘to liven up a party’ Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire founder of electric car company Tesla and tunnelling company Boring, has sold $3.5m (£2.5m) worth of “boring” flamethrowers in less than 24 hours. The maverick businessman, who last week secured a pay deal that could see him collect $55bn, had pledged that if The Boring Company sold 50,000 baseball caps at $20 each he would start selling flamethrowers. The caps sold out, and Musk started selling $500 flamethrowers on Sunday, tweeting: “Guaranteed to liven up any party!”
In a video post on Instagram, Musk said “don’t do this” and then proceeded to run towards the camera with the flamethrower alight. “Also, I want to be clear that a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don’t buy one. Unless you like fun.” Within hours, customers had placed orders for 7,000 flamethrowers, which at $500 each works out at $3.5m. The company had 20,000 in stock. Musk joked on Twitter that rumours that he was “secretly creating a zombie apocalypse to generate demand for flamethrowers [were] completely false”.
Musk did not respond to questions from the Guardian about the safety implications of selling flamethrowers to anyone over the web. On Twitter, he said the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) decrees that “any flamethrower with a flame shorter than 10ft is A-ok. Our design is max fun for least danger. I’d be way more scared of a steak knife”. The Boring Company said fire extinguishers were “sold separately (for exorbitant amounts of money)”. “Buy an overpriced Boring Company fire extinguisher! You can definitely buy one for less elsewhere, but this one comes with a cool sticker and the button is conveniently riiight above,” the website said. Musk set up the Boring Company a year ago after getting stuck in a traffic jam and tweeting: “Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging …” The company’s website states it plans to connect cities with underground tunnels and superfast electric “skates” that can carry cars and people. The company is planning to construct a tunnel parallel to Los Angeles’s congested I-405 – conveniently also speeding Elon Musk’s personal commute from his home in Bel Air to Hawthorne, California. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress. Lead Image: The Boring Company Flamethrower. Photograph: Supplied Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ January 30, 2018 at 06:02AM
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Makeup Brand Helps Shoppers Try New Eyebrow Shapes In AR http://ift.tt/2FtaXmP Makeup Brand Helps Shoppers Try New Eyebrow Shapes In ARBenefit launched an augmented reality app for users to experiment with new eyebrow looks before they reach for the tweezers Looking for the perfect brow shape but don’t want to make a long-term commitment? Cosmetics company Benefit teamed up with ModiFace to create its Brow Try-On app, which lets users virtually try on a variety of different eyebrow looks through augmented reality. The app scans the user’s face through a device’s camera or an uploaded photo to detect the location, shape and color of the eyebrows. From there, it generates an array of eyebrow choices for the user to browse and view on their face. The new eyebrow shapes are designed to suit the user’s personal look and not stray too far from an option they could realistically create, given their facial features. Benefit made the app available for free on its website. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ January 30, 2018 at 05:47AM
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Budweiser Will Add Logo To Show Its Commitment To Renewable Energy http://ift.tt/2rQ2yb9 Budweiser Will Add Logo To Show Its Commitment To Renewable EnergyBudweiser signifies the shift to using 100% renewable energy for its U.S. beer production with a new label on bottles and cans Budweiser said it has shifted its beer production in the United States to use only renewable energy—a goal parent company AB InBev plans to extend to all of its brewing by 2025. To signify this policy, the company is adding a new “100% renewable electricity” symbol to its U.S. packaging so customers will recognize the brand’s commitment. AB InBev expects to use 31% renewable energy in its beer production by the end of this year. The company says it has plans to use the logo on other brands it owns in the future, but for now it will only appear on Budweiser products. The new Budweiser label launches this spring. Lead Image: Budweiser bottles, LunaseeStudios via Shutterstock Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ January 30, 2018 at 05:33AM
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Reactive Lighting Makes Video Games More Immersive http://ift.tt/2npetbl Reactive Lighting Makes Video Games More ImmersivePhilips and Razer announced a partnership to give gamers an experience that matches the lighting in the room to the activities on their screen Philips announced a partnership with gaming lifestyle brand Razer. The partnership gives Razer customers access to Philips Hue Entertainment to create a more immersive experience during gaming sessions through reactive lighting that corresponds to what is happening on the screen—essentially a surround sound effect for the eyes. This partnership also allows developers of video games to construct unique lighting and color effects to match the graphics on the screen with lights on Razer devices. Users have the opportunity to customize their setups however they like. The program was made available on January 9 on Razer products with Razer Synapse 3 software and only works with video games that were designed to function with the Philips Hue and Razer Chroma Link integration. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ January 30, 2018 at 05:19AM
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Google Viewer Adds AR Graphics To Any Mobile Website http://ift.tt/2nrudK1 Google Viewer Adds AR Graphics To Any Mobile WebsiteGoogle announced a prototype that lets users pull images straight from a browser to display in augmented reality, removing the need to open a separate app Google showed off a new 3D model viewer called Article in a recent blog post. The post details how the viewer can be embedded in any mobile website, allowing smartphone users to pull an image directly from the a browser and display it in front of them in augmented reality. A smartphone user will have to look for a small AR button located at the bottom right of an image on a website. Tapping on it activates Article and causes the user’s display to switch to the device’s camera. When the a user locates a good spot, they can tap to transport the image into the view in front of them. Google describes this project as a prototype has invited developers to play around with the program and make their own models. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ January 30, 2018 at 05:05AM
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Reaching the Unreachable: Innovid Launches New Solution to Help Brands Engage with ‘Unreachable Consumers’ http://ift.tt/2DUTGWL Innovid, a leading global video marketing platform, announced Monday a new solution and partnerships to help brands reach, measure and engage the elusive ‘mobile first’ audiences. MMW has learned that these new solutions include improvements to measurement that will scale mobile in-app video viewability and that will provide support for personalization and interactivity in video. Innovid and leading SDK providers Fyber, InMobi and MoPub–working in tandem with verification providers—offer increased transparency and performance across VAST inventory for in-app mobile, enabling marketers to measure and engage in-app audiences on a much larger scale than previously possible. Video is now most commonly viewed on mobile devices. eMarketer has predicted that 77 percent of all video spend will be executed programmatically in 2019, and that nearly 80 percent of programmatic ad spend will go to mobile rather than desktop. “2018 is an inflection point for mobile video – advertisers are aware they cannot effectively reach certain audiences without being in-app, but up to this point, the lack of measurement and engaging formats has been a roadblock,” said Michael Tuminello, VP of Solutions and Partnerships, Innovid. “The rollout of standardized in-app viewability, and now the availability of a standardized format for delivering dynamic and engaging messages alongside mobile video, should help to close the gap between brands and audiences in the programmatic mobile video space, which – according to current trends – will make up the majority of the video market worldwide. We are partnering with some of the largest and most innovative mobile advertising companies to kick start what we hope will be an industry-wide effort to support transparency and engagement at scale for mobile video.” Want to know more? Click here. The post Reaching the Unreachable: Innovid Launches New Solution to Help Brands Engage with ‘Unreachable Consumers’ appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch. Mobile Marketing via Mobile Marketing Watch http://ift.tt/HGJCKG January 30, 2018 at 04:57AM
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Trusted Media Brands Expands Partnership with Taboola http://ift.tt/2rTCyLU Taboola, a leading discovery platform, has just announced a strategic partnership with Trusted Media Brands to bring Taboola Feed to its audiences in the U.S. and Canada. We’re told that the deal builds on an existing partnership between Taboola and Trusted Media Brands with the goal of generating increased engagement and revenue across its websites in the U.S. and now Canada. Under the partnership, Trusted Media Brands will launch Taboola Feed on its digital network, which includes iconic brands such as Taste of Home, the world’s largest circulation food media brand; Reader’s Digest across US and Canada; Construction Pro Tips; The Family Handyman; and Selection.ca. Taboola Feed serves sponsored content, video and organic recirculation in a continuous feed of ‘cards’ that appear below articles, similar to social feeds. Since rolling out Taboola Feed in November, Trusted Media Brands has already seen an increase in its RPM/Pageviews/Engagement metrics. “Native advertising is paramount to our digital strategy for both growing revenue and audiences. We tapped Taboola because their platform helps us create truly personalized experiences that engage our audiences to spend more time on our sites as well as engaging with our content,” said Vince Errico, Chief Digital Officer. “The innovation of the Taboola Feed helps Trusted Media Brands provide a brand safe environment for our users to engage with both organic and sponsored content at the moment they are deciding what content to consume next.” The post Trusted Media Brands Expands Partnership with Taboola appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch. Mobile Marketing via Mobile Marketing Watch http://ift.tt/HGJCKG January 30, 2018 at 04:40AM
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hoopo Aims to Provide Low-Power Geolocation Solutions for IoT http://ift.tt/2Fuk5aJ In an effort to radically improve precision for low-power Internet of Things (IoT) tracking, hoopo today announced the launch of the company and its innovative, accurate geolocation solution for low-power wide area (LPWA) networks. The company also announced it has received $1.5 million in funding to further grow its business from a group of investors, including the initial investors in Mobileye; noted Israeli investor Zohar Gilon; and Ben Marcus, CEO of AirMap. The need to understand and quantify asset location is quickly becoming a requirement for the enterprise and industrial IoT. However, the accuracy of today’s low-power geolocation isn’t precise enough to deliver on the full promise of the IoT. hoopo’s geolocation solution enables companies to locate their valuable assets, without the significant cost or battery consumption that can be associated with GPS. hoopo’s IoT solutions help companies precisely track specific assets in areas such as ports, vehicle dealer yards, parking lots, cattle ranches and other asset-dense areas. LPWA networks are becoming the driving force behind Smart City and other IoT applications because of their low-cost, low-power consumption, and high-coverage capabilities in rural and urban environments. The long battery life of LPWA devices allows businesses to deploy a maintenance-free device in the field for several years. “hoopo is addressing a real business need of companies around the world: cost-effective, yet precise, tracking of their valuable assets with longevity of battery life up to 10 years in the field,” said Ittay Hayut, CEO of hoopo. “LPWA checks off all of the boxes companies need in terms of cost and coverage, and hoopo’s solutions work alongside these LPWA networks to help businesses keep their assets safe, anytime and anywhere.” The post hoopo Aims to Provide Low-Power Geolocation Solutions for IoT appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch. Mobile Marketing via Mobile Marketing Watch http://ift.tt/HGJCKG January 30, 2018 at 04:24AM
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Edgy Content Marketing has Brands and Media Taking Notice http://ift.tt/2np4GlB In 2018, we can expect to see digital marketing experts roll out breakthrough strategies to capture consumer audiences in provocative new ways. To that end, Take 5 Media Group is “raising the bar” with a new content marketing strategy that is singular in its approach and delivers unrivaled results. From the group’s official announcement: In contrast to the simplistic sort of content marketing which is the norm, with its helpful tips for everything from losing weight to managing your money, the edgy content Take 5 creates grabs the attention of consumers and media alike and seems to shout, “Share me!” So how does it all work? Take 5’s creative content marketing team works closely with clients to develop highly original news stories that are supported by unique data sets, culled from detailed survey results, social media scrapes, governmental data, and internal client data. The new stories are vetted for originality and packaged in a way that resounds with top-tier media publishers, which in turn produces huge exposure for the client’s brand. “As a data owner and compiler, Take 5 has access and experience analyzing large data sets, so this new offshoot of content marketing is a natural extension of what we already do well,” said managing partner Alex Radetich. “Our content marketing team has achieved such success because they offer both statistical knowledge and creativity to the process, which is an unusual combination in our industry.” To learn more, click here. The post Edgy Content Marketing has Brands and Media Taking Notice appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch. Mobile Marketing via Mobile Marketing Watch http://ift.tt/HGJCKG January 30, 2018 at 03:49AM Tourism Australia Breaks Through Super Bowl Clutter http://ift.tt/2DLR1LH So far the brand most associated with the Super Bowl is a brand not even taking credit for its campaign. Between Jan. 1-28, Tourism Australia was the brand with the most Super Bowl ad-related digital content engagement, according to marketing technology company Amobee. There have been a couple of teasers online for a Crocodile Dundee sequel called “Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home” starring Danny McBride and Chris Hemsworth, which is reportedly is not an actual movie but is instead a stealth Super Bowl ad campaign by Tourism Australia to promote travel. Three of five of the brands on top of the Super Bowl marketing buzz leaderboard are in the beverage category and auto brands are lagging. advertisement advertisement Beverage brands like Pepsi, Coke, and Anheuser-Busch have been fixtures of the Super Bowl for years and, even before most of the teasers are unfurled, they are already are top of mind around the event for the audience, says Jonathan Cohen, principal brand analyst, Amobee. “That doesn’t mean that first time advertisers can’t make an impact around the Super Bowl, just that the audience has a built up awareness and expectations around the ads from those more veteran participants,” Cohen says. “For newer advertisers to stand out, augmenting the broadcast buy with a robust digital campaign will likely help level the playing field, in terms of awareness." Between Jan. 1-28, Pepsi had the second most Super Bowl Ad related digital content engagement. The soft drink company is sponsoring the halftime show featuring Justin Timberlake and will be recreating their iconic 1992 ad featuring Cindy Crawford, whose adult son will also be featured. Of the Pepsi digital content engagement that was Super Bowl-related, 68% of it mentioned Cindy Crawford with only 1% of the digital content engagement mentioning Justin Timberlake. Bud Light and Budweiser are in third and fourth place, followed by Skittles in fifth place. Since Skittles first announced their Super Bowl campaign, where only one person would actually see their expensive Super Bowl ad, digital content engagement around Skittles has increased by 112%, comparing Jan. 16-28 to Jan. 3-15. "So far two of the most successful Super Bowl ad campaigns this year have had at their center a mystery,” Cohen says. “The Tourism Australia spots which they still haven’t officially taken credit for sparked an online debate if a Crocodile Dundee sequel really was being produced or not; while Skittles has teased the audience by promising that their big expensive Super Bowl ad is only going to be seen by one person and everyone else is just going to see that person's reaction to it.” In both cases the brands have revealed just enough to keep an open-ended discussion going around their campaigns, he says. “These are both extremely successful examples of audience engagement, but reinforcing brand messaging becomes that much more important when the focus is what’s not being said or shown,” Cohen says. “Online amplification will help solidify for the audience the intended takeaway of these imaginative campaigns." Sixth-place Groupon will feature a Super Bowl ad starring Tiffany Haddish, who famously used a Groupon to take Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith on a swap tour in Louisiana. Squarespace is in seventh place, followed by Coke. Auto brands bring up the rear with Hyundai in ninth place followed by Toyota in tenth. Amobee analyzes digital content engagement across more than 600,000 sites across mobile, video, web and social, which is a measure of what people are seeing, reading, interacting and engaging with online. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://ift.tt/2oB2PsH January 30, 2018 at 03:35AM |
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