Urban Outfitters caters to younger adults through powder pink Polaroid cameras, distressed band tees and checkered bucket hats, but Gen X mom Laura Goldberg never feels ignored when she tags along with her daughter to the store. “They shouldn’t target me, but their marketing doesn’t alienate me,” said Goldberg, chief marketing officer at marketing company…Read More
Atlantic Ventures, an internal unit of The Atlantic charged with launching business endeavors rooted in its journalism, is on pace to generate between 8% to 10% of the publisher’s total annual revenue, according to chief executive Nick Thompson. The publisher declined to offer precise financial figures. The Atlantic launched the in-house operation in late 2019–and…Read More
Nearly two years after Walmart first began experimenting with drone delivery in North Carolina, the retailer is extending a partnership with last mile delivery service DroneUp to 24 sites in six states by the end of 2022. That will bring the fast but limited delivery service to Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia, which,…Read More
Whirlpool Corp is launching an expansive in-house agency and bringing a large part of its marketing investment in-house. Dubbed the World of Whirlpool Studios (WoW Studios), the in-house group is already over 100 employees large and will manage marketing duties for Whirlpool’s entire North American product portfolio including the Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, JennAir and Amana…Read More
This Is Us will end its run Tuesday night with a series finale that is likely to leave viewers an emotional wreck, as has been the case throughout much of the NBC drama’s six-season run. But tonight, the loudest crying might be coming from NBCUniversal execs, as they bid farewell to what could be one…Read More
In this episode of our video series Unwind With Boris — where TNW co-founder Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten talks shop with Dutch entrepreneurs and innovators — Crisp co-founder Eric Klaassen discusses the future of online supermarkets. When online supermarket Crisp launched in 2018, it wasn’t as if the Dutch didn’t have any grocery stores to pick from. There are several big supermarket chains in the Netherlands, such as Jumbo and Albert Heijn, while organic, more high-end food had already found an outlet with Marqt. Despite this, Crisp proved to be one of the fastest-growing startups of the past decade. In…
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Ever since there have been taxes, people have been against paying them.
If we define a tax as a “non-productive burden on our activities,” then it makes sense. And a payment doesn’t have to be to the government to be a tax.
Is paying your electric bill a tax? Most people don’t mind paying for electricity, because it makes their lives safer and happier, and helps them do their job with dramatically more productivity.
So the payment isn’t what makes something a tax, it’s the non-productive part.
When industrial systems arrive, they’re usually embraced because the transactions they offer are so productive. When Walmart comes to a town, everyone gets a short-term raise, because the cost of buying the things we want and need goes down. When a new technology or system offers to save people time and money in the short run, it’s often embraced because it’s a free choice and productive.
But then the rules start to change.
Monopolies are a tax. They limit choice and raise prices. As a result, we pay “taxes” on a regular basis for things like broadband and spare parts because there are no options.
Loss of vibrant markets is a tax. When local businesses are upended, then jobs are lost, choices are diminished and the essence of a community fades away.
Lobbying is a tax. As large industrial entities invest money to capture government control, each of us pay for this even though it only benefits the lobbyists.
Subsidies and duties are a tax. Last year, Americans spent 50 billion dollars subsidizing the beef industry. Constraints on trade aren’t called taxes, but they are.
Traffic is a tax. The time we spend waiting for a train or sitting in traffic is time we don’t get back, and unmade investments in mass transit infrastructure cost us far more than the ones we do make.
Lack of public health systems is a tax. The inability to find clean water, or the prospect of often getting ill is a real cost.
And climate change is a looming and sneaky tax. The money and loss of productivity that it already costs us, and the extraordinary amounts it will cost us are unproductive burdens on meeting our goals and living our lives.
There are no government taxes on an abandoned desert island. But it’s almost impossible to imagine living or working there.
Once upon a time, 8 megapixels on a smartphone camera was a big deal. 50 megapixels used to be impressive. Then 100 MP phones arrived and that was neat too, I guess. But does anyone really want 200 megapixels? That’s what Motorola seems to be banking on with its upcoming flagship phones. Lenovo’s general manager posted an image teasing a 200-megapixel smartphone on Weibo (Lenovo owns Motorola). The post didn’t reveal much about the device beyond a July release date, although a separate post did tease a foldable device (presumably the Razr 3) sporting the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1…
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NFT’s to Instagram Yes, we’re talking NFT’s again, in efforts to prepare for and better understand web 3.0 Instagram just launched a new NFT feature for creators and collectors to share their NFTs on Instagram. This is a major leap in the development of the creator economy. Why? Well, its bringing a lot more eyes to the digital artwork created, therein establishing something akin to a virtual creators to make money out of their work. “By building support for NFTs, we aim to improve accessibility, lower barriers to entry, and help make the NFT space more inclusive to all communities. It is also important that we keep Instagram a safe and enjoyable place for everyone. Therefore, people can use our tools to keep their accounts secure and report digital collectibles which go against our community guidelines. In addition, we understand that blockchain technology and NFTs raise important questions on sustainability.” – META The feature includes connecting a digital wallet, sharing digital collectibles and automatically tagging the creator and collector. There will be no fees associated with posting or sharing a digital collectible on Instagram. Introducing Instagram Subscriptions In 2020, Facebook launched Subscriptions, which has helped creators build sustainable businesses powered by the support of their communities. As the creator economy continues to boom and through the successes shown by platforms like Onlyfans and Patreon, Meta has naturally stepped into the fray. Instagram Subscriptions allows creators to develop deeper connections with their followers and grow their recurring monthly income by giving subscribers access to exclusive content and benefits, all within the same platform where they interact with them already. Subscriptions has since the start of the year been rolled out to a handful of creators who have had a “subscribe” button added on their profile. Through Subscriber Lives: Creators can broadcast exclusive Lives to their subscribers, allowing them to engage more deeply. Subscriber Stories: Allows creators to create stories just for their subscribers, allowing them to share exclusive content and to use interactive story stickers with their most engaged followers only. Subscriber Badges: Creators will see a subscriber badge next to comments and messages so they can easily identify their subscribers. While the feature will only be available to a limited number of US creators during this initial test, there are plans to expand access to more creators over the next few months. If you want to see Subscriptions in action, you can follow and subscribe to these creators: @alanchikinchow, @sedona._, @alizakelly, @kelseylynncook, @elliottnorris, @jordanchiles, @jackjerry, @bunnymichael, @donalleniii and @lonnieiiv.
After two years of virtual events, Creative Week returned as both an in-person and online celebration. “It feels great because we’re really emphasizing the coming back together part,” Yash Egami, chief operating officer at The One Club, told Adweek. “‘Come Together’ is our theme, and there are a lot of people who haven’t been able…Read More
