Nissan recently introduced an innovative new technology called “Self Healing Paint.” Nissan’s intent is to scratch proof a car. For now, this feature is only available on certain Nissan models that are targeted at affluent, technology seekers.
To show off the “Self Healing Paint,” Nissan ran a special iPad ad in The Economist.
Take a look at a video clip.
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Yahoo has had some tough times in recent years. But things have slowly begun turning around since Marissa Mayer (formerly a senior executive at Google) became CEO.
So, the announcement that Yahoo would purchase Tumblr for $1.1 billion is not surprising; however, it is interesting. Once again, a major company has decided to acquire a growing social media firm for a lot of money, even though the social media firm itself does not generate much sales volume or profit.
Consider these observations from CBS News:
“Acquisitions are a way of life in Silicon Valley, a place where two plus two frequently adds up to billions. That is to say, deals are often conducted for reasons other than numbers in a ledger, whether for a promising piece of software or a viable business model. In this case, Tumblr has something that went missing at Yahoo years ago: growth potential. And that is key to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer ultimately keeping her job. Yahoo is funding the deal mostly with cash. As with many acquisitions, the question is what the purchase ultimately delivers to the acquirer.”
“How much could Tumblr add to Yahoo’s traffic? According to comScore, Tumblr in March had 29.3 million unique U.S. visitors. Yahoo’s combined sites got 191.4 million visitors, more than another other company except Google, which had 1 million more. There is no way to tell from the outside how much use overlap Yahoo and Tumblr have. If there were none, which seems unlikely, Tumblr would add just over 15 percent. But what would that practically mean for Yahoo? Not significantly more on the bottom line. Profits have been kept up through cost-cutting, including the steady drop in spending on research and development. That is dangerous at a tech company like Yahoo, whose CEO has stressed the importance of innovation.”
“Yahoo’s trouble hasn’t been traffic. Its sites collectively are a major destination on the Internet. But unlike Google, Yahoo has struggled to turn that volume of users into money. Revenue has been flat. Display ad revenue, the type that you might expect to be important at a site like Tumblr, continues to drop. But a 15 percent increase in users won’t fix that picture for Yahoo.”
Click the Yahoo icon to read more and to view a video clip.
The answer to the question raised in the title above is probably no — especially with the most severe critics of the company and its soft drinks.
Here’s what Coke is planning to do, as reported by Mike Esterl and Paul Ziobro for the Wall Street Journal: “Coca-Cola Co. is broadening distribution of its low-calorie drinks and said it will put calorie counts on the front of its packaging around the world as it ramps up global efforts to counter criticism its sugary drinks are fueling obesity. The beverage giant also promised to sponsor physical activity programs and reiterated its commitment to not market its drinks to children under 12 years old in each of the more than 200 countries and territories that it operates. The moves come as Coke and other soda makers such as PepsiCo Inc. find their products under rising scrutiny in a growing number of countries amid climbing obesity rates. Coke, the world’s biggest drink company, is the main target despite diversifying beyond its namesake cola into dozens of other categories including fruit juices, bottled water, and sports drinks.”
Click the image of Coca-Cola’s CEO Muhtar Kent to read more.
Photo by the Associated Press
As we have noted before, crowdfunding has become a major online investment source for entrepreneurs and start-up companies.
Reporting for Fortune, Michal Lev-Ram and Kurt Wagner note that: “Welcome to the new world of fundraising, in which so-called crowdfunding Web sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter let just about anyone with an idea try his or her hand at bankrolling a dream. Proponents of crowdfunding believe it has the potential to upend traditional financing models, such as loans and venture capital, and unleash a tidal wave of capital for entrepreneurs, creative types, and, yes, cheesemongers. Reliable estimates of the industry’s size are hard to come by, but one research outlet, Massolution, predicts some $5 billion will be raised through crowdfunding this year, up from $2.7 billion in 2012.”
Click the image to read a lot more from Lev-Ram and Wagner. And click here for a video.
Illustration by Alex Nabaum
Thus far, General Motors’ electric Chevy Volt has been an under performer — except in the eyes of General Motors.
Take a look at this video interview with GM CEO Dan Akerson, who has high expectations for the future role and success of the Volt.
What do YOU think?
