Approximately one year after leading roof window manufacturer VELUX Group joined forces with social business Little Sun and NGO Plan International, launching a design competition to bring clean, sustainable light to Africa, the first solar lamps have now arrived on African soil.
The VELUX Natural Light International Design Competition received 172 proposals from 65 countries. A high-level jury of experts in the fields of architecture, art and design subsequently selected the winning design, by Mariana Arando and Luca Fondello of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their solar lamp design was inspired by the way light can bring people together.
The VELUX Group has so far produced and donated 14,500 of the solar-powered lamps, and 150 local sales agents are now being trained in how to sell the lamps in off-grid communities in Senegal, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The training combines workshops, roleplay, demonstrations, and group work.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7724551-velux-natural-light-solar-lamps-in-africa/
https://youtu.be/9a--dmZ8cm8 Without social media and marketing knowledge it’s not likely that your Etsy store, ecommerce biz, or blog will get off the ground or that you’ll be able to compete effectively on the internet of MEGA COMPETITION.
Some say that when China sneezes the rest of the world catches cold, but the biggest luxury brands are catching on in China, becoming the most exclusive and desirable ones in fashion according to the wealthiest Chinese women. Still, our ranking also reveals a stronger competition that is accentuated by the wealthy customers’ increasingly stronger maturity. This barometer Promise Consulting / BNP Exane classifies the 15 most exclusive and desirable brands in China in the universe of feminine Fashion. This Barometer is conducted amongst the wealthiest Chinese women, and is about the 30 luxury brands in ready-to-wear/handbags/shoes/accessories that have invested the most in communication (source: Industry Interviews, Exane Paribas). Promise and BNP Exane already conducted the same survey amongst French women in May 2015 (http://bit.ly/1ESTZGu).
”This barometer in association with BNP Exane reflects our determination to move closer to the marketing and cross-section financial analysis. Our Monitoring Brand Assets® approach itself features very complementary analyzes with those conducted by BNP Exane’s experts. Hence, the obtained results from our joined barometer are based on two different angles of expertise, marketing and financial, which brings a unique added value to the managers and decision-makers in the Luxury sector. More concretely, our measure of the exclusivity of a brand takes into account the upper and more constant quality of products, the strong and unique valuation of the customer, the brand’s prestige, but also a matchless “savoir-faire” that justifies a very high price premium associated with top luxury. Finally, our measure of desirability synthesizes the dimensions of attractiveness of an intimate, social and symbolic nature, which are the strengths of exclusive brands, and characterize the particular relation that they maintain with their customers. In this respect, our Barometer synthesizes, in two proven scales, the numerous criteria to establish a ranking between the high-end brands from their customer’s point of view", states Pr. Philippe Jourdan, Promise’s CEO.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7727851-exclusivity-desirability-luxury-brands/
Tempur Sealy announced today the debut of Cocoon™ by Sealy, the company’s new offering in the below-$1,000 e-commerce space. Made with the high-quality materials that consumers expect from Sealy, Cocoon by Sealy is sold exclusively online at CocoonBySealy.com and delivered in a box directly to consumers’ doorsteps. A queen Cocoon by Sealy mattress sells for $849, including free shipping.
“Tempur Sealy is committed to having high-quality products available wherever and however consumers want to shop,” said Scott Thompson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tempur Sealy.
“Cocoon by Sealy is a logical extension of our family of products. We have products that serve just about every consumer need and at just about every price point,” Thompson added. “We entered this specialized distribution channel because we knew we could provide a product that meets the needs of this target consumer, is superior to the competition and consistent with our Sealy brand promise of quality and value.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7778651-cocoon-by-sealy-launch/
Regional winners of the Rotten Sneaker Contest® gathered at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Times Square for the 2016 national competition. Six contestants from across the country, ages seven to thirteen, went head-to head in New York City today to show off their foul smelling sneakers for a chance to win the national title. But only one pair of sneakers could be crowned the winner and they belonged to 12 year old, Mason Young-Hiss, from Berthoud, CO.
The Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest is the ultimate test that shows how offensive kids’ sneakers can get when they are playing outdoors, splashing through puddles, slogging through mud and more. The contest has a long history (over 40 years) and kids from across the country look forward to this annual event in their hometown. Participants take pride in mucking up their shoes to stand out from their competitors to ultimately win over the judges. Sneakers are judged on the interior and exterior conditions of the shoe, and most importantly odor, by a professional panel that includes NASA “Master Sniffer” George Aldrich, Chemical Specialist for NASA space missions, and Rachel Herz, Ph.D., an expert and author on the psychology of smell. Additionally, Brittany Every, Marketing Manager of Ripley’s Believe Or Not! Times Square joined the expert judges this year. Brittany is accustomed to seeing the unexpected and unusual at Ripley’s so she was up for the task.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7720051-odor-eaters-rotten-sneaker-contest/
Known as some of the toughest men in the country, the lumberjack lifestyle has been a part of American culture for over a century, reaching as many as 500,000 lumberjacks in the forests of Maine and Minnesota in the early 1900s. However, the lumberjacks many people think of today are not the typical axe throwing, wood chopping or crosscut sawing burly men of the logging world, rather, they are now typically spotted in a fitted flannel and trendy lace-up boots with freshly trimmed beards to match: the lumbersexuals.
As part of the Dinty Moore® brand campaign to bring back the true lumberjack, Hormel Foods went to the depths of Minnesota in search of a team of lumbersexuals to transform into real lumberjacks and, ultimately, compete in a professional lumberjack competition this summer. The brand is partnering with STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® and professional lumberjack Adrian Flygt to train the lumbersexuals in core areas of logging and forestry, giving them the necessary skills to walk, talk and compete like a lumberjack.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7811951-dinty-moore-stew-lumbersexuals-campaign/
The 11th annual Amgen Tour of California presented by AEG entered its second decade as America's most prestigious annual cycling event, welcoming an unsurpassed field of professional teams for the race start in San Diego. One of the most important races on the international calendar, the 8'day event attracts some of the brightest cycling stars in the world to the golden state each May. This year’s field features 11 World Champions, five Olympic medalists and Rio Olympic hopefuls, with more than 30 countries represented.
The 2016 Amgen Tour of California includes 10 UCI WorldTour Teams, the most in race history, as some of the top cyclists in the world face off across nearly 800 miles of California terrain May 15-22, visiting 12 Host Cities from San Diego to Sacramento.
2016 marks the debut of the UCI Women's WorldTour, which brings the highest level of professional women's cycling competition to cities around the world. The four-day Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women's Race Empowered with SRAM May 19-22 marks the U.S. debut of the Women’s WorldTour and will showcase some of the best talent in the sport. The peloton will include two-time Olympic champion Kristin Armstrong and eight Rio Olympic hopefuls.
The eight-stage men’s event began Sunday with 18 of the world’s most decorated and esteemed teams competing for one of the sport’s most coveted titles. World Champion and reigning race champion Peter Sagan of Tinkoff roared to victory in a bunch sprint to the finish line in Mission Beach, San Diego, putting him back into the yellow leader jersey he wore at the race’s conclusion last year.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7831951-amgen-tour-of-california/
The Space Potatoes rocketry team from Bellevue, Washington, bested 100 of the top student rocketry teams in the country to claim first place at the 2016 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) National Finals.
The five-student team outscored nearly 5,000 students on 789 teams that participated in this year’s competition from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Space Potatoes, comprised of Mikaela Ikeda (12), Larry Jing (13), Karl Deerkop (14), Srivatshan (Sri) Sakthinarayanan (13) and Stephanie Han (13), were awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships and funds for their school.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7615351-team-america-rocketry-challenge/
Today the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Ad Council and Project Yellow Light announced the winners of the fifth annual Project Yellow Light scholarship competition. The contest calls on students to develop and produce a short video educating their peers on the dangers of using mobile devices behind the wheel of a vehicle. For the first time, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas has joined longstanding partners Mazda Motorsports, the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and U-Haul to launch the first Project Yellow Light out-of-home media design contest. The winners of both the video and out-of-home design contests will be unveiled this afternoon on a digital billboard in New York’s Times Square that was donated by Clear Channel Outdoor.
Brothers Sam and Wrenn Senser from Louisville, Nebr. scooped the two grand prizes of $5,000 for the video contest, with Sam winning the college category, and Wrenn winning the high school category. The winners of the out-of-home media design contest were college student Bethany Wheeler from Snellville, Ga., and high school student Emily McDonald from Anaheim, Calif., with both receiving $2,000 scholarships. The winning videos can be viewed here.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7854051-ad-council-project-yellow-light-winners/
As consumers seek ways to determine authentic EVOO from the fake, Bellucci, headquartered in Grosseto, Italy, is offering a multi-pronged solution: traceability and sophisticated tasting skills. The company offers precise, detailed information to empower customers in choosing true EVOO products, while ensuring the authenticity of Bellucci EVOO at all levels of production.
Bellucci keeps digital track of each olive grower’s contribution throughout the cooperative milling and bottling process, so any bottle of Bellucci EVOO can be traced to its origin in rural Italy. In addition to its traceability function, the Bellucci App teaches users how to evaluate for freshness and taste for flavors unique to EVOO. Advanced instruction in discerning flavor nuances based on harvests, regions and olive cultivars offers an experience of EVOO as an expression of terroir.
The value of the Bellucci App in communicating with consumers was recognized at the 2015 Anuga International Food Show. Bellucci has also received several awards for its line of EVOO. The Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition awarded silver medals to both the 2016 Toscano PGI Organic and the 2015 100% Italian Organic, and the 2016 harvest of 100% Italian won a gold medal at this year’s New York International Olive Oil Competition. A brand less than three years old, Bellucci is already being widely recognized for its flavor and contribution to the industry.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7716352-bellucci-olive-oil-consumer-education-app/
Geoffrey Zakarian is back to host the deceptive and suspenseful series, Cooks vs. Cons, where amateur cooks go head-to-head against professional chefs while concealing their true identities, adding to the mystery of this culinary competition! Each episode the contestants battle it out in two rounds of timed challenges to create delicious restaurant quality dishes using a secret ingredient. The pressure is on as a rotating panel of judges, including Richard Blais, Anne Burrell, Josh Capon, Monti Carlo, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Katie Lee, Marc Murphy, Daphne Oz, Marcus Samuelsson, and more, decide who is a novice in the kitchen and whose cooking skills have been seasoned to perfection. Tune in to Food Network on Sunday, July 10th at 10pm to see if you can figure out who’s who before the final reveal!
“Viewers were captivated as they played along with the judges to figure out who was the professional chef and who was the home cook,” said Didi O’Hearn, Senior Vice President Programming, Food Network & Cooking Channel. “Now audiences will be on the edge of their seats as they share in even more of the fun and mystery with twice as many episodes this season.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7619252-food-network-cooks-vs-cons-2016/
The following statement is being issued by Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings, PLLC regarding In re Prograf Antitrust Litigation.
A lawsuit is currently pending claiming that Astellas Pharma US, Inc. (“Astellas” or “Defendant”) violated state antitrust, unfair competition, consumer protection, and unjust enrichment laws of certain states by delaying the availability of a less expensive generic version of the immunosuppressant prescription drug Prograf® (known as tacrolimus). Plaintiffs allege that Defendant’s conduct caused some consumers and third party payors to pay too much for Prograf in certain states from September 3, 2008 to December 31, 2010 (also referred to as the “Class Damage Period”). This lawsuit does not claim that Prograf is unsafe or ineffective. Astellas denies any wrongdoing.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7933851-prograf-antitrust-class-action-settlement/