Category Archives: Economy

Great Marketing Initiative or Poor Taste?

Economy, ,

The Vancouver Whitecaps may have had a great promotional idea for their marketing video, but it has been criticized as being too provocative.  The video in question was of a woman with body painting, emblazoned with the question, “Where will you be March 19?” referring to the team’s Major League Soccer debut against Toronto on that date.  


But it has definitely achieved what the team set out – mega exposure – with the video going viral getting over 33,000 YouTube hits.  But is this good enough? Isn’t there still a problem with the actual video, despite its obvious success?  It has been said that the Whitecaps have overstepped their bounds with the model having a Whitecaps jersey and Bell logo painted onto her body.  An associate director of media relations, Marie-Eve Francoeur said, “We’ve spoken to the Whitecaps about this issue and they clearly understand our position.”

The argument in favor of the video – as given by the team’s marketing director Kim Jackman – is that it was only intended “to demonstrate the passion soccer fans have for their sport, including the tradition of body-painting and how it is done.”  It was meant as an “artistic expression” and was only released after receiving positive feedback from the female sector of the Whitecaps staff.

iPhone Apps Do it Again: This Time in Japan

Blackberry, Economy, iPad 2, iPhone, Japan, , , , , , ,

During the craziness of the catastrophe to hit Japan last week, how were people trapped about to stay in touch? What was the best piece of technology that linked people to loved ones? A 25-year-old woman from Tokyo who was traveling by train to the airport, spoke about how she managed to tell people she was okay, despite the fact that there was no cellphone network available for voice calls.

3G Saves the Day While Blackberry Is Fruitless

It was the 3G Data Network and a bunch of iPhone apps that came to the rescue. The Blackberry on the other hand, was incapable of sending and receiving messages at all. The iPhone worked, so long as you could keep charging it; it provided consistently good reception. As well, Viber was the only method out of all the networks for getting calls through (Skype was unavailable for many hours).

iPad 2 Figures: Not Surprising

Perhaps given all this it’s not all that surprising that when the iPad 2 was unveiled just over 2 weeks ago, it immediately sold out “within hours” of its launch. It is thinner and more powerful than the first model; has a camera in the front and back to enable video conferencing with photos and videos and is the same price as the first one. Even though this is really just a slight upgrade from the first, customers kept on coming, with one lady selling her spot in the line for $900 to a businessman who just didn’t have time to wait in line from 5 am and had to have the new iPad before his business trip!

Jobs Always on the Job

If Apple creator Steve Jobs just keeps getting it right and his communication tools are even helping in situations such as Japan’s catastrophe, then it makes sense that his products will keep gaining in popularity. Just make sure you reserve your spot in line early for any new Apple launches in the future; you never know, it could be more than just a great gadget; it may be your rescue tool out of a crisis.

Be My Valentine? It’ll Cost You

Consumerism, Economy, ,

It seems Valentine’s Day still gets to the romantics, despite the current global economic situation. Figures just now released for the end of February for the sale of online jewelry were even higher than those from last February, getting a boost of 7.2 percent.

Americans Ignore Global Economy on February 14

Regardless of what is going on in the financial big wide world, Americans just love to love…or at least all the Valentine’s Day hype.  It was expected that spending on the day reached around $15.7 billion.  And it’s not just the traditional men buying women and vice versa….some individuals are spending decent amounts of cash on their pets.  Well, after all, some do say that the four-legged friends who don’t speak back are the most companionable and loving.

Eating Apples on the Job(s)?

Economy, Tech News, , , , ,

Whether it’s true or not, it’s definitely worth mentioning that co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc. Steven Paul Jobs’s favorite food is apples…allegedly.  That fact one might have guessed.  But here are some other interesting anecdotes about Mr. Jobs one might not have known about.  He’s actually a dyslexic 501 Levis jeans lover, owning one hundred pairs of them.  As well, it took him until the age of 27 until he found his biological parents; a staggering 15 years after he’d found his first love — computers.  When he was 12, he saw a computer for the first time and immediately fell in love, deciding then and there that this would be the field he’d work in.


‘60’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Fan


Steve Jobs is a big Beatles fan.  Indeed, he even claims that he based his business plan on their musical career.  It must have been a pretty good idea, because together with his mega-Apple inventions, statistics released two years ago show him as the owner of 5.426 million shares in the company.  No doubt that gives the guy quite a lot of apple-purchasing potential.

Crunchy New Apple?

Economy, Tech News, , ,


There’s new and then there’s new.  If something is new but doesn’t offer anything particularly original, is it really considered new?  Well, Apple marketers seem to be able to convince their groupies that it is.  Last week the company released the second version of the iPad but to all those who aren’t obsessed with every single breath the Apple takes, the bottom line is, it’s not really offering much new.  Yes, the gadget is thinner (and lighter) than its original one and faster too but if you’re not someone who needs the additional camera it comes with (and why would you?) you may as well save a few bucks and continue enjoying your “old” one. 


True it has a self-cleaner to counter any smudge marks and a cover that turns the iPad off when you lay it on top.  But if you can live without that, let your “old” iPad remain the apple of your eye.