The Tipping Point Is Coming.

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Succumbing to the inevitable shift to clean energy, Ford put a stake in the ground. Clearly, this is an investment in the future — the EV market still only represents 3% of the auto industry’s U.S. sales and only 5% of the global sales. But the tipping point is coming. GM, and now Ford are both betting the ranch on it. 

Ford has partnered with SK Innovations, a South Korean battery maker that is contributing $4.4B to the initiative. Ford is joining Volvo and Jeep in the last few decades. the real change is how Ford leverages its supply change. As Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley said Ford noted in the WSJ, “That’s a significant strategic change over supply-chain management.” Tesla led the way by bringing in more development and manufacturing in-house to drive efficiencies and profitability. Not to mention the scarcity of raw materials for chips and batteries. Not being hostage to a middleman in the supply chain has its advantages.

Clearly, the industry sees electric vehicles, digitally connected cars, and related digital services as a growth opportunity. Tesla and other EV startups are realizing significant valuations and Ford, as well as GM, don’t want to be left behind.

Digital and physical collectables coming together.

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Earlier this year, with a fresh round of funding from Andreessen, a partnership between next-gen fashion brand RTFKT and Fewocious created and minted tokens for three one-of-a-kind pairs priced at $3,000, $5,000, and $10,000. When it was done seven minutes later, they’d sold for 608 digital pairs of digital kicks for a cool $3.1 Mil. Welcome to digital fashion.

Interestingly, actual physical sneakers come with the price, a potential blueprint for integrating real-world objects and NFTs. The NFT alone is not enough, having a physical shoe is adds value to the overall collectible, it’s the digital and physical coming together.

They should be because the physical thing matters. “We think that emotional bond to physical objects is still important and can increase the attachment,” said Benoit Pagotto, from RTFKT. Makes sense.

Wonder if NBATopShots is listening…

With its Akira Project, RTFKT will mint 20,000 unique and playable 3D avatars ready to jump into your favorite metaverse, 10,000 of which will be available for pre-sale to current collectors of RTFKT’s NFTs on Ethereum. The other 10,000 will be available in a public sale that many expect will sell out.

Pretty sweet deal, if you can get it. To the winner go the spoils.

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Pretty sweet deal, if you can get it. Beyond the Olympic experience itself, winning gold can be a life-changing event for many athletes around the world.

While less prevalent in western countries, cash bonuses can be significant in nations like Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It’s a significant incentive for many athletes in any Olympics. But bonuses do vary.

As reported by Statista: British athletes do not receive a bonus for winning a gold medal whereas American competitors get $37,500 for every gold they take home, according to CNBC and Nikkei. Britain, like several other European nations, offers its athletes year-long funding and training but no bumper payout. But some countries that do lump sums also offer monthly payments, sometimes even life-long pensions like Malaysia does.

And it’s not just cash, but prominent business leaders and politicians contribute lavish gifts exceeding official medal bonuses, often significantly. To the winner go the spoils.

Welcome to the Great Resignation. Better treat your people right.

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"I quit." At the end of Q1 2021, there were 7.64M job vaccines in the US. While the employment rate has improved, unemployment continues to hover around 5.9%, with 9.5 million people unemployed.

Compounding the problem is what psychologist Anthony Klotz has termed the Great Resignation, and it's a significant problem. While millions were laid off during the pandemic, millions more simply quit, leaving their jobs for various reasons, from burnout to retirement to career changes.

It is decidedly a job-seekers market today with only one available worker for every job opening. And sadly, the recovery is shining a light on occupational segregation.

On the positive side, there is a newfound sense of no longer feeling captive to a job because of new and better-paying employment opportunities.

Frustrated with restrictive or overly demanding employment where many employees are fed up with treatment at their workplace has contributed to "rage quitting," where potential new opportunities mitigate the risk of saying "see ya."

Employers - do right by your people.

Change is not a choice. Change or humanity will suffer.

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Humans are in trouble. Not down the road, we’re in trouble now. But there is hope.

The Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, an international group of asset managers launched last year, now has 128 signatories and $43 trillion in assets under management that are aligned with a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

As reported in Fast Company, since 2015, the amount of money flowing to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds has grown tenfold. Venture capital and private equity deal flow related to sustainability have doubled.

Investment in renewable energy is on pace to surpass upstream oil and gas investment this year. The percentage of the market cap coming from the green economy has tripled.

There are 7 million electric vehicles on roads and in Europe, renewables produced more energy than fossil fuels.

If we see the world as one place for all humanity, and we all participate, my kids’ kids will be able to dive on a coral reef or go to a rainforest. Let's keep real change happening.

As brand awareness strategies go, it doesn’t get much better.

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An enduring brand strategy and a Fourth of July holiday staple, Nathan’s hot dog eating contest again dominated Coney Island this year here in NYC.

The contest is now managed by Major League Eating; yes, there is actually a professional league…

Joey Chestnut, stunned the global hot dog-loving world eclipsing his world record of 75 to eat 76 of the famous dogs in 10 minutes. A dominating performance and his 14th title.

Too bad ESPN lost the video feed interrupting the broadcast at the critical moment leaving many viewers pretty pissed off.

As brand awareness strategies go, it doesn’t get much better. Broadcast globally, the contest generates billions of brand impressions and is covered in hundreds of publications worldwide.

A Condom Marketing Strategy

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So don’t actually use them.

The International Olympic Committee in Japan wants you to take them home. Spread the word, build the brand, generate awareness.

And then there’s this, which we just love. Reported back in 2018 by Reuters in anticipation of the 2020 games: "Only two companies, Sagami and Okamoto, are producing the 0.02 and 0.01-millimeter condoms and so we think the Olympics are a good opportunity to show this Japanese quality all over the world," said Hiroshi Yamashita, Senior Sales Manager, Sagami.

Marketing genius, right there.

FWIW, condoms first appeared at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea in a humanitarian effort to raise awareness of the HIV epidemic. It’s been a tradition ever since. The record remains with the 2016 Rio names where 450K were given out.

This dopamine-fueled obsession with our phones can't go on.

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Something’s gotta give.

Social media anxiety disorder is a real thing. And with the isolation created by the pandemic, it can only have gotten worse since these numbers came out in 2019.

The changes reported in this post were not found in adults 26 years and over. We have to find a way to teach balance and time away from digital media. As of 2020, the average social media usage is 145 minutes per day.

Interviews with almost 10,000 teens ages 13 to 16 published in the medical journal the Lancet suggest it’s the exposure to cyberbullying that’s the real issue, as well as the way social networking wreaks havoc on sleep and exercise habits.

This can’t go on, this dopamine-fueled obsession with our phones. It is wrecking lives. Who should take responsibility? How does it change?

There’s even talk of esports being included in the Olympics.

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There’s even talk of esports being included in the Olympics.

Accelerated by the pandemic, viewership is huge and growing.

Take Twitch for example. In 2020, Twitch saw an average of 15 million daily active users. Over 2.2 million Twitch creators broadcast their games live on Twitch monthly. Twitch viewers consumed 18.6 billion hours of streamed video content in 2020.

Twitch reported each visitor averages a 90-minute viewing session. YouTube averages 40 minutes.

Jupiter Research estimates the global esports and games streaming business will be worth $3.5B by 2025 with prize money bigger than most professional sports today.

Crazy numbers. But an Olympic sport? Idk about that…