Facebook Just Invested 5.3 Billion Into An Indian Company–It’s Largest Investment To Date

On April 22, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn Brand, Data, Distribution, facebook, Marketing, Media Covergence, News Media, Social Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Yesterday, Facebook made its largest single investment into Jio Platforms of India which was a huge bet on the developing company.

Because Facebook wants to appeal more to the Indian audience, they felt the investment was essential, especially since over the past four years, more than 388 million people in India have been connected to the internet.

Mark Zuckerberg spoke on this in a Facebook post saying,

The country is in the middle of a major digital transformation, and organizations like Jio have played a big part in getting hundreds of millions of Indian people and small businesses online…With communities around the world in lockdown, many of these entrepreneurs need digital tools they can rely on to find and communicate with customers and grow their businesses.

Jio Platforms itself is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries (which is one of India’s biggest multinational companies and a major provider of cellular and internet services in the country,) therefore, the investment proves to be something that will propel the company forward and will ultimately help the Indian people to stay connected through the internet.

Although the Coronavirus pandemic has created a very fragile time for large tech companies when it comes to moving forward with investments, Facebook felt that taking a risk with Jio Platforms was necessary during this time and wants to display perseverance during this difficult period.

With this deal, Facebook will incur a 9.9 percent stake in Jio Platforms, and the respective money from Facebook will help Reliance to reduce some of their debt and invest further into its network (which it needs to do after regulators delayed approval of a high-profile $15 billion deal to sell 25 percent of its energy business to the Saudis.)

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/technology/facebook-jio-india.html

Due To The Coronavirus, We Are In The Midst Of A Global Food Crisis

On April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn Consumer behavior, coronavirus, UncategorizedLeave a comment

With the deadly Coronavirus looming over everyone’s heads, many are stuck wondering where their next meal will come from. Although global hunger has been prevalent for as long as we can remember, the Coronavirus has made things increasingly worse for both Americans and those around the world because there has been both a lack of resources as well as a lack of jobs that can provide a steady income to families so that they are able to eat.

According to the New York Times,

The world has never faced a hunger emergency like this, experts say. It could double the number of people facing acute hunger to 265 million by the end of this year.

To put things into perspective, people desperate to eat in the biggest slum in Kenya’s capital set off a stampede during a recent flour and cooking oil giveaway, leaving many injured and two people dead. In India, thousands of workers are lining up twice a day to keep hunger at bay for bread and fried vegetables, and throughout Colombia, poor households hang red clothing and flags from their windows and balconies as a cry for help to show that they are hungry.

Often, the coronavirus has been considered an equalizer because it has sickened the rich and poor alike, but when it comes to food, the commonality ends because people in poverty, including large segments of poorer nations, now are growing increasingly more hungry and face the prospect of starvation. In addition to that, the sudden loss in income for countless people who were already living hand-to-mouth, the collapse in oil prices, widespread shortages of hard currency from tourism drying up, overseas workers not having earnings to send home, and ongoing problems like climate change, violence, population dislocations, and humanitarian disasters have accentuated the issue of widespread hunger around the world.

As many go hungry, there is a concern in a number of countries that food shortages will lead to social discord, and as the Coronavirus continues to loom over us, we have to be mindful of the ways in which food will no longer be readily available to a vast majority of people around the world.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/world/africa/coronavirus-hunger-crisis.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

The Department of Defense is Warning People Not To Use Tiktok And Here’s Why:

On April 13, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn Cable, China, Consumer behavior, Content Restriction, Distribution, Gaming, Marketing, Online Safety, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The App Tiktok has taken over social media it seems, with tens of millions of Americans downloading the app just this year, but with these increased downloads came a great deal of controversy surrounding the app.

For those who are unfamiliar with the app, TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to express themselves by uploading and share short-form videos. However, because the app is developed by a Chinese company, there has been a lingering concern that information of U.S. citizens could be compromised or revealed. For this reason, the Defense Department is particularly worried–especially as it relates to military personnel.

Specifically, The Department of Defense created an advisory memo in regards to the app which stated that:

TikTok (formerly Musical.ly) application 12.2.0 for Android and iOS performs unencrypted transmission of images, videos, and likes. This allows an attacker to extract private sensitive information by sniffing network traffic.

Now, although changes have been made to the app since then that claim that user information is safe, there have still been national concerns surrounding the app and security.

If you are an avid Tiktok user, how does this make you feel?

How Antigua and Barbuda Plan To Both Encourage and Capitalize Off Of Americans During The Covid-19 Pandemic

On April 5, 2020April 5, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn Brand, coronavirus, Environment, Instagram, Marketing, Social Issue(s), Social Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

It seems as though the Covid-19 pandemic will be our reality for the next few months now, and other countries (or should I say islands) are well aware of this too. So, as an effort to make Americans and other people around the world feel a little bit more secure and happy during these unprecedented times, Antigua and Barbuda created a social media campaign called, ‘Message in the Sand’.

As bored, lonely tourists in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis imagine where they’d like to be or where they might go once the green flags fly again, a pair of Caribbean destinations are using social media to send an S.O.S. to the world.

Antigua and Barbuda are islands in the West Indies that rely specifically on tourism to drive their economies–in saying that they have decided to launch this social media campaign to not only spread kindness and encourage people in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic to keep their heads up but to also encourage travelers to keep Antigua and Barbuda in mind for future trips when the pandemic subsides.

For their first post, they took to Instagram to write the message, “Be well” in the sand, followed by this caption:

𝘚𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦. .

𝘉𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 365 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮. .

𝘉𝘦 S𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦 W𝘦𝘭𝘭. .

#𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 #𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘢 #stayhome #staysafe

You can view each message across all of Antigua’s social media channels and interact with them as well! In my opinion, this is an incredible marketing strategy that I am interested to see whether or not it will increase tourism activity in the respective locations when people are allowed to travel freely again.

Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnscottlewinski/2020/04/05/antigua-and-barbuda-kicking-sand-on-social-media-during-covid-19/#5c1b7eec3b2d

Hundreds of Journalists Are Being Laid Off When The Public Needs Them Most

On April 1, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn ads, Brand, Commercials, News Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Yes, this is, in fact, another coronavirus article–but unfortunately, it’s imperative to talk about this pandemic and the way we receive information about it.

With the Coronavirus pandemic well underway, the economic state of our country is steadily plummeting it seems. To combat the spread of the virus, our governments (both federal and state) have implemented initiatives to keep people at home and stop them from coming into work where they could potentially contract the virus and further spread it to individuals they encounter. Although in theory, this may sound like a great plan, it has been at the expense of many hardworking peoples’ livelihoods. For people who have to support themselves, their children, and/or their families during this pandemic and have gotten laid off for the sake of the virus’ spread is extremely unfortunate and upsetting.

In this specific case, I am talking about journalists who are now unemployed due to Covid-19. According to CNN,

On Sunday at least 100 people in local newsrooms in the US lost their jobs in March. By Friday, that number shot up to at least 300 people as the impact of coronavirus continues to roil newspapers and digital media companies.

While some companies, like Buzzfeed, are implementing salary reductions instead, this is not the case for many news sources/companies. And the sad, most unfortunate part about these layoffs and restructuring is that they have come at the most inconvenient time–when the public is hungry for information about the pandemic. But because of these layoffs, there are now fewer journalists to provide vital information about it. Traffic is up for many sites and TV ratings have increased as people are stuck at home watching the news, however we lack the adequate resources of journalists to provide us with accurate information on the virus. Unfortunately, all we can do is hope that our country gets back to normal in time.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/27/media/media-layoffs/index.html

The Hottest Parties In The Country Are Now At Your Fingertips And Here’s Why

On March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn Consumer behavior, coronavirus, Instagram, Media Covergence, News Media, Online Safety, Social Issue(s), Social Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

With the spread of the coronavirus causing quarantine to be in full effect, all social gatherings of any and all sorts have been put to a halt. With this, many night-life seeking individuals have felt deprived of fun, entertainment, and a means to socialize, but on Friday, March 21st, this problem found a solution.

On Friday night, the world mourning the loss of loved ones, freedom, and access to the world due to the coronavirus were able to let loose, unwind, and partake in the biggest social gathering around the world without the fear of spreading or contracting the virus.

According to the NY Times,

Over 4,000 people were in attendance, including headliners like Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Naomi Campbell, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, T.I., Queen Latifah and Tracee Ellis Ross.

There was no charge at the door, no security, no drink minimum and you could attend in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home.

This party, (you guessed it) was online and available to anyone who had access to an Instagram account. The party was called ‘Homeschoolin’ and could be found on DJ Nice’s Instagram live–where he held hour-long jam sessions from his home in Los Angeles (playing all of the hits, new and old, but you never heard the same song twice with his mixes.)

With the tragedy of the coronavirus negatively impacting our world and changing the ways in which we navigate our lives, partying on social media apps–that are designed to allow people to spend time together without having to see one another in person, has both eliminated the risk of spreading the virus and brought an abundance of joy to those who have not been able to leave their homes amongst the pandemic.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/arts/d-nice-instagram.html?auth=login-facebook&searchResultPosition=4

Coronavirus Anxiety Causes Grocery Frenzy And Empty Shelves

On March 16, 2020March 16, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn Brand, Consumer behavior, coronavirus, Marketing, Media Covergence, National coverage, News Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

With the number of coronavirus cases growing by the day, anxieties have risen to new heights–causing people to take drastic measures.

As President Trump declared a national emergency last Friday, hordes of shoppers rushed to various grocery stores across the country–filling their carts completely and emptying shelves to prepare for the unknowns surrounding the coronavirus.

For many stores (such as Target and Walmart), hand soap, sanitizer, toilet paper, and other necessities like tampons and cold and flu medicine were completely sold out. People flooded stores trying to obtain some of these items only to find that they were completely cleared from shelves by other anxious shoppers around the country. Stores were not only being cleared of their resources, but they were also overwhelmed with long lines of stressed customers waiting to check out their large quantities of groceries.

“Soon after the 9 a.m. opening on Friday of the Trader Joe’s in Hoboken, N.J., a line of nervous customers stretched along the block in the rain, waiting to pick through the mostly bare shelves inside. There was no chicken available, nor garbanzo beans, coffee or chips. The store was restocking regularly, but many of its registers were unstaffed” (NY Times).

Unfortunately, this grocery store frenzy has gotten so bad to the point where stores are beginning to ration products and put limits on how much a customer may buy. Even online grocery shopping resources have been affected by the coronavirus panic–making it that much harder to obtain groceries in a timely manner if using those grocery shopping sites.

I wonder how much longer this panic will last, and if we will ever be able to buy more toilet paper.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyregion/coronavirus-panic-buying.html

Why Food Giant ‘Unilever’ Has Vowed To Stop Marketing Its Ice Cream Products To Children

On March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn ads, Brand, Content Restriction, Data, Marketing, Uncategorized

Food giant, Unilever announced recently that they were going to change the way they market their products to children due to the rising childhood obesity rates in America. According to their company,

“By the end of 2020, we will stop marketing and advertising foods and beverages to children under the age of 12 in traditional media, and below 13 via social media channels…We’re implementing strict controls concerning the placement and content of our ads, and we won’t use any influencers, celebrities or social media stars who primarily appeal to children under the age of 12.”

The company plans to implement a “Responsibly Made For Kids Promise” specifically for their ice cream business that ensures all ice creams will be responsibly communicated, responsibly sold, and responsibly developed. What this means is that they are shifting their advertising to speak to parents and caregivers – the people they feel should be the decision-makers when it comes to their children having a treat. In addition to that, they are going to sell their products with a “Responsibly Made For Kids” logo to further communicate their promise, and by the end of 2020 they are going to make sure that every ice cream in the kids’ range will have no more than 110 calories and a maximum of 12g of sugar per portion.

By making these positive changes, Unilever strives to promote a company that is not only transparent with their consumers but who also puts children at the forefront.

Source:

https://www.unilever.com/news/news-and-features/Feature-article/2020/why-we-are-changing-the-way-we-market-products-to-children.html

We’re Putting Your Many Misconceptions About The Coronavirus To Rest, And Here’s Why:

On March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn China, Consumer behavior, Diversity, Media Covergence, News Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

With the Coronavirus being heavily discussed in the media and amongst individuals in our present society, it’s natural for many to be fearful of the virus and its potential threats. In saying that, however, it is evident that much of the world’s fear of the virus stems from misconceptions and misinformation that the media has put out into the world.

For this reason, I find it important to debunk the biggest misconceptions about the virus to lessen the amount of fear one may have when thinking about its said severity and its spread throughout different countries.

To start, many believe that contracting the Coronavirus means you will automatically find yourself on your death bed–which in fact, isn’t the case at all. In an article with Business Insider, two pathologists sat down to discuss popular misconceptions about the virus and said:

“Based on the data that is coming out, it seems to be a mild type of viral infection. There’s a 2% fatality rate and about 18% to 20% that may be in, kind of in the critical condition range…And those 2% who die are the sickest. They’re in the hospital already. So even those in the hospital have probably a 98% chance of surviving.”

Another misconception that many people seem to believe as fact is that wearing a mask will protect you from contracting the virus. The thing about these masks that many do not know is that the typical doctors mask that you see the majority of the population wearing is oftentimes not worn properly which decreases its effectiveness entirely. In addition to that, there are more effective masks that healthcare workers wear which are called the N95 masks, and although these masks are meant to filter particles that are airborne with 95% efficacy, they are meant for people who are actually sick, rather than people who are fearful of becoming sick. So, instead of going out and purchasing a mask, washing your hands for at least 20 seconds and avoiding touching areas of your face and mouth are much more effective practices when it comes to decreasing your chances of contracting the virus.

Lastly, one of the biggest misconceptions about the Coronavirus is that it is the most dangerous virus–which is not the case. Although the media has made it out to be a very frightening/deadly virus, it is much like the flu and as I mentioned before, only kills about 2% of people infected, which is much less than that of the flu. In fact, pathologists Stephen Morse and Syra Madad expressed that there are many more recoveries than there are fatalities.

“I think the official count is now 6,000 recoveries. But, you know, one of the funny things is that we don’t usually report recoveries when someone is discharged from the hospital. So all those recoveries, probably there are many more on the way as well.”

So, next time you hear something about the Coronavirus, ask yourself, “Is this fact, or is this merely a misconception that is making me more fearful than I should be?”

Sources: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-myths-debunked-wuhan-china-2020-2

Why Brands Are Moving Away From Unrealistic/Retouched Photos in Skincare Ads

On February 19, 2020 By Kirsten BeachIn ads, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Within our current society, beauty and reaching ‘perfection’ are very much emphasized ideals that consume our visions and thoughts surrounding our self-worth.

In saying this, many people have grown outraged at the fact that brands (makeup and skincare brands specifically) constantly share unrealistic/retouched photos of models to promote their products within their brand campaigns.

In fact, just over ten years ago, Olay came under fire in the UK for a magazine ad for a beauty product featuring English model and actress Twiggy, which the company admitted had been retouched. However, since then, many brands (Olay included) have moved away from altering photos in their advertising to promote being comfortable in one’s skin and embracing all imperfections.

To move away from this false portrayal of perfection, Olay recently announced that they will stop retouching skin in its advertising by the year 2021. Kate DiCarlo, Olay’s senior communications leader, said during a panel at the announcement that the brand had tested out the new no-retouching policy in its Super Bowl ad. “We tested ourselves with the Super Bowl shoot; Our Super Bowl shoot was also unretouched,” she said. And in addition to this, the brand plans to attach their ‘skin promise’ to each ad/campaign in the U.S. and Canada to show that the skin on women featured has not been retouched.

This “Skin Promise” will expand to all of the brand’s ads on print, digital, out-of-home and with influencer partners by 2021.

Do you think that other beauty/skincare brands should follow in Olay’s footsteps, or do you feel like retouching is necessary in certain instances?