#i have tried discount cola brands

[remy-labelle-purple]

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[deviant3lover]

Can you do more headcanons for the shitty teen squads? I really love them. Plus I love all of your works :)

Aha! Funny you should ask, because I started working on this one just before I saw your ask!

Without further ado…

Even more trio headcanons!!

Genos, being a regular internet user, is well aware of the various memes circulating the media. However, he doesn’t have much of a close affinity to them, and only really uses them to mock someone online. Saitama on the other hand is oblivious, and Genos occasionally has to explain what a meme means for him to get it.

Never invite Genos to roast you. He will ruin your life. He already does it unintentionally with Saitama with his baldness, but when he does it on purpose? 

Random Bitch: He’s a pretty good lay, though his nose was pretty ugly. He kept going on and on about how much he wanted to marry me- gross shit, I know, but if he keeps giving me the check, I’ll suck up to him and say I love him too.

Genos: *murderous, unimpressed glare* You expect me to believe that there’s someone who’d willingly sleep with you, and not immediately kill themselves afterwards?

Random Bitch:

Metal Bat has one hell of a sweet tooth. He’s got his heart set on chocolate, but he’s also fond of the classics: the aforementioned, vanilla, and cookies and cream when it comes to ice cream. He loves the cola flavoured lollipops, and if he had to get himself a boba tea, he’d go for the Taro flavour: it’s just too good to him. He didn’t care too much for strawberry, but Zenko’s love for it encouraged him to develop a liking towards it. His go-to snacks are Oreos, home made chocolate fudge, and pocky; with the occasional cola lollipop if he’s got to focus on something and can’t afford to get distracted by constantly chowing down on sweets.

His metabolism isn’t as nearly insane (practically inhuman) as Garou’s or Genos’s, but it’s more than fast enough to make him avoid gaining weight from them. Paired with his delinquent persona, (and buying sweets incognito from cutesy sweet shops the same way that King buys video games) most people are often surprised when he has a strong liking for them.

Since Genos uses intense firepower, he also has a hydraulic cooling system to cool him down. The only times where he steams up is during or after a fight when he’s used his fuel intensively, and the steam primarily comes from his arms, the jets from behind his shoulders, and occasionally his mouth if the arms use far more firepower than usual. For the times where he’s really, really worked up emotionally (mortified, furious, etc) bits of steam can be seen coming from his mouth, but it’s never extreme enough to get his whole body to follow suit. Apart from battle, his body is usually safe to touch due to how efficient his cooling system is: that includes the times when he’s angry, but not getting ready to fight. (I will die on this hill for this headcanon. >:0!!)

When it comes to people he respects, Genos deliberately lies or hides anything relating to him that might trouble them. That also includes his true thoughts on what you’re enamored with, his private disgust at your gross habits, and redirecting attention away from potentially offensive topics towards something that might catch your interest. Any mortifying but true things said about yourself has him in silence, unsure of how to navigate the topic without offending you.

Contrary to popular belief, Genos is actually pretty levelheaded when people insult Saitama online. He’s seen everything that people have to say about Saitama, and knows that fighting every fight- both small and huge- on the Internet isn’t worth it, since there’s always going to be horrible things said about him by people he’s unlikely to ever meet in person. Besides, no one would listen to some random user saying that Caped Baldy isn’t all that bad, and he’d rather not use his popularity as Demon Cyborg to attract unwanted attention to the both of them by praising Caped Baldy when they have better things to do. (*cough* shopping for discounts with his precious sensei *cough*) He deletes his history when he’s done browsing and subtly tries to steer Saitama away from sites that he knows are saying horrible stuff about him when his Sensei gets interested. It’s when people insult Saitama directly (e.g. In person, a fan letter that Saitama reads) that makes him angry.

Genos hates the thought of being inexperienced or having his attempts end in a failure, but he loathes it if Saitama bears witness to it. He’s far more passionate and attentive whenever his teacher is involved in any way to what he’s doing, in the hopes that perhaps, seeing his disciple taking his role seriously and not missing anything/using his time to slack off, Saitama would take him more seriously in return and tell him the true secret to his strength. (Which he already gave, poor Genos.)

When he’s caught off guard and rendered to near death by his opponents, it wasn’t because he underestimated them: it was because Genos overestimated his own strength, thinking that it was enough to kill them. He treats any and every threat seriously, no matter how weak or strong looking they are. From the meek, gross looking toilet monster, to the horrifying titanic threat that is Elder Centipede, Genos will engage his opponent with the intent of eliminating the threat by any means. He knows that weak looking monsters can house unimaginable strength as a surprise attack, and strong looking monsters could have unexpected powers that could catch him off guard. He’d never laugh or smile during a fight, knowing that his opponent is inherently dangerous and likely to endanger countless lives if they’re not eliminated.

(This is dark, but: he’s also the only member in the trio that’s killed people before, if not the most willing if push comes to shove.)

While he doesn’t care too much about his popularity, he does know that his fan clubs can be a powerful resource and will occasionally (and subtly) cater to them. His main way of doing so is buying himself clothes to make him look handsome (which he does more frequently thanks to the money he gets as an S-class,) and to keep up the ‘mysterious, alluring Cyborg Prince’ persona by refusing interviews and close relations with his fans: basically, by being himself. (Which he is more than willing to do.)

Genos, despite clearly stating his opinions on hero teams, (summary: he thinks they suck) doesn’t actually mind teaming up with other heroes on occasion. He knows that some heroes are capable of doing tasks that he wouldn’t do too well at, or would be able to do at all (especially if it’s ensuring the welfare of a group of people,) and will willingly team up if he thinks it’s for the best. It’s when those heroes make teams that they continuously depend on that he starts losing respect for them.

Inspired by this. One of his favorite clothing brands is Grin and Bears, particularly their men’s hoodies section. Alongside Amai Mask, Genos has occasionally been offered to be sponsored by several clothing brands due to how well he wears his designer clothing.

Genos has a good reason for liking oiled sardines. The food in particular was part of his old life where his family couldn’t afford much, and bought canned food more often than not. Vegetables and breads are nice and cheap, but are fairly bland. Oiled sardines is far more flavorful, and it was one of the first foods that he had tried that wasn’t the former two: unsurprisingly, he soon after became a fan of them.

Garou prefers hearty, nutrient rich foods. While he doesn’t have one favourite meal in particular, well rounded meals that involve vegetables and meats will have him wolfing it down. That includes steaks with nice veggies like potatoes and carrots and salads: it’s fairly balanced and there’s plenty to eat, hence his choice to go to a steak house to replenish his strength.

Don’t give Garou caffeine. He’s batshit insane and bloodthirsty when he’s high on it, and he’s far more irritable than he usually is when he crashes.

Genos doesn’t have fond memories of his birthday. His parents loved him, but would overwork themselves to get him a gift and it made him feel guilty every time, even though he insisted that they don’t go through the trouble. He never made plans to tell Saitama, but that information was included in his registration sheet to the H.A. and it was broadcasted on every talk show and website: needless to say, he caught wind of it. Like the festival, Saitama insists that they celebrate, and while Genos can’t completely shake off his bad experiences of it + fully engage and understand why Saitama is doing this, he’s slowly (somewhat reluctantly) getting more curious on what experiencing a good birthday is like. Saitama got him a cake on sale with a few coupons, and it looks kind of basic and a little corny with the decorations, but Genos still thanks Saitama for it and eats it all the same. Genos doesn’t have a particular favourite flavour in regards to sweets. At least, not yet. 

Badd remembers his birthdays somewhat bittersweetly, remembering his younger days: the times where he was surrounded by his family and watching YouTube videos/live sport matches with his friends, digging into fast foods like fish and chips and eating watermelon and ice cream on a hot summer’s day. Those days were gone now, but Zenko and the few friends that stood by his side even when he was swamped with work usually band together to give him a nice day off from fans, school, and the HA to celebrate his birthday. It’s a smaller circle than before, but he still cherishes those who he came to love as his found family and enjoys them, looking back on his past with a hint of nostalgia. His cake is always chocolate with Oreos. 

Garou… his birthdays were lonely, and he remembers them bitterly. There was one time where he invited everyone in his class to his party and no one showed up. 

This occasion actually happened prior to Tacchan, so while young!Garou was heartbroken, he tried to be optimistic and justified the incident to himself. It’s probably because he doesn’t know everyone that well… Maybe others are busy? Tests were coming up soon and everyone had to study: it’s okay! It makes sense why no one could come! That is, of course, until the obvious happened, and he lost faith in the people around him. Garou never told Bang when his birthday was, and Bang never pried, seeing the bitterness and determination in Garou’s heart to become stronger, and respecting his decision not to tell him. To this day, Garou treats his birthday like any other day, if he still remembers when it was.

Special Request by @rayadraws. How do Garou, Badd, Tareo, and Zenko react to Saitama?

I’ve actually loved her headcanon for Garou being wary and slightly afraid around Saitama at the start! So I believe that’s what he’ll initially be like around him. As time goes on, he’ll slowly relax and be subtly curious about him. Garou will crack jokes and teases from time to time, and while he does think it’s funny when Saitama sulks and complains about the trio teasing him for his baldness from time to time, he can’t stop the brief spike of fear that makes him freeze on instinct when Saitama is visibly angry. It’s an ambivalent situation for Garou: he’ll say no to Saitama asking if he can get something from the store, saying that ‘your tincan disciple can get it himself,’ but the serious, slightly furious face that Saitama puts on has him in silence for a few moments, before letting (forcing) out a seemingly lazy and nonchalant sigh and heading out the door to get it, his heart rate faster than it was a few moments ago.

His dreams can involve Saitama buying the most hideous pair of crocs and sporting a dopey face full of happiness at finding such a great discount, Dream!Garou groaning in disgust and walking away from him to do something else.

His nightmares can involve the feeling of rubber on his neck, slowly choking him as the bald man looks him straight in the eye above him, eyes startlingly dead and empty, daring him to make a move. His face could be replaced with that of a blank faced mannequin and hardly a difference can be seen. Nightmare!Garou remembers escaping somehow, jumping high enough to land himself in the cold, dark, suffocating expanse of space, and thinking to himself that he’d rather die up there rather than come back down to a desolate, barren earth: a lone man waiting to kill him as soon as he enters its atmosphere.

Garou’s relationship with Saitama, at first glance, is a seemingly normal one with the former lazing around his house and eating his food like an inconsiderate houseguest; but his feelings are anything but. As much as he pretends to not care much about Saitama, he’d listen carefully to what he has to say if he’s serious, and is a little more well behaved and observant around him. If Saitama imparts some of his rare pieces of advice, Garou would, on the outside, make a dull and uninterested note of it, but in reality he’d carefully consider his words in private.

- Badd knew that Saitama and Genos are a package deal, but when he found out that Saitama is Genos’s teacher, he’s incredulous. 

‘You serious, man? This guy? What’s he even gonna teach ya?’ 

Seeing Genos’s glower and hours of him chewing out Badd while lavishing praises on sensei’s strength, wisdom, and humility drove home the point to Badd, who was practically groaning in exasperation and telling him that he gets it, just to get Genos to stop berating him. Seeing Saitama’s power finally makes him understand. 

He’s somewhat more polite around him now, knowing that this is someone Genos respects, and Badd seeing Saitama living life and just generally being a good guy makes Badd’s opinion of him slowly grow. He sympathises with Saitama’s baldness, and out of the trio, is the least likely to tease him for it: deliberately or not. Badd himself shudders at the thought of losing his beloved pompadour, so he’s usually the one to say ‘quit it, you’re bumming him out’ to Genos whenever he’s unintentionally hurting Saitama’s feelings. Or a simple ‘holy shit Garou, stop’ when Garou makes a melodramatic re-enactment of Saitama’s offended reaction to Konbu’s supposed ‘benefits’ that Genos had informed him of. (Genos mentioned the event, and now they know all about it.)

Tareo, at first, doesn’t recognize him since he usually focuses on the cool heroes. When he finds out Saitama’s hero name, he’s taken aback. ‘You’re the Caped Baldy??’ He asks, with what sounded to be awe. 

Apart from internally cringing at the name, Saitama is briefly (and pleasantly surprised) and was about to say yes, before Tareo ran over to Garou and whispered to him (quite loudly) to ‘be careful ojisan! That bald guy over there is bad news!’

(Saitama’s blank face was screwed on for a good 10 seconds.)

He’s wary of Saitama, asking questions such as ‘didn’t you steal credit from other heroes when the sea monsters attacked?’ for some time. It’s through Garou’s, Badd’s, and Genos’s good opinion of the man that Tareo slowly begins to trust that Saitama is a good person. ‘If uncle and his friends thinks he’s nice, maybe he’s not so bad…’

Same with Garou, Tareo refers to him as ‘ojisan.’ ;)c

Zenko… man, the main reason why I took so long creating this post is because I wouldn’t know how Zenko would react until I thought about it carefully.

Like Tareo, she’s wary and slightly antagonistic towards him once she realises who he is, though less so than Tareo since it’s a little difficult to steal credit from an S-Class like him: Metal Bat is one of those heroes who can take down most monsters by himself, so I imagine Zenko wouldn’t be too worried about Caped Baldy taking the credit, but rather, she’d be wary of him trying something else to drag her brother through the mud.

She may not cuss him out, or even outwardly call him a Baldy, but she can be just as strong willed as her brother. Her initial relationship with Saitama can be seen mostly as this:

She does know that while Badd has a hot temper, can be forgetful, and stirs up trouble sometimes, she also knows that he harbours a serious hatred for cowards and self centred cheats that put themselves over others. The fact that Badd isn’t threatening Saitama to (fuck off) leave him and his sister alone reassures her to some extent into believing that maybe the rumors aren’t true: she’s had her share of getting angry on Badd’s behalf when the news or gossip columns twist the truth about her brother, especially in a bad light, so she carefully observes him to see if he’s the person that most people make him out to be.

Like her brother, her opinion of him slowly grows. She’s assertive, but not rude. She won’t call him a Baldy or old man like Tareo or Tatsumaki, no matter how angry she gets. There’s just some buttons you don’t press, and Zenko doesn’t want to become a mean spirited person.

She does get sort of grossed out by some of his clothing choices and will confront him on it sooner or later, saying that ‘Mr Saitama, your clothes look ugly’ and that maybe he should start looking for better ones.

(This is also the perfect opportunity to get her to drag him shopping with her: clothes for the both of them! And she’s definitely going to pick out some clothes for Saitama. 

I imagine that at the beginning, her fashion senses were still developing, and while she has her heart in the right place, it was a hit(?) or miss at the time. It gets way better later on, and she’s a little fashionista! Makeup and clothing are sure to look good on you when she picks them out herself~ But for this headcanon, you can decide if her fashion senses are more polished, or are still in development. Saitama’s fate of looking good/bad is up to you. ;3c)

Shared Traits

Badd doesn’t use any sort of weird quirk for how he texts. His source for punctuation is autocorrect and never exactly uses full stops unless he’s having a serious conversation: but even then, it’s fairly uncommon.

But he does use words and slangs like ‘dude’ and shortened words like ‘y’all.’

His swears are more relaxed in text, but only because you can’t hear his rough voice saying them; either way, he usually isn’t actually trying to intimidate you. When he gets angry, however, you can definitely feel the threats, the intimidation, and the tightly leashed anger dripping off of his words just as much as when he says them in person. If he’s angry, you’ll know it.

If he has time and is invested in a conversation, he likes using the occasional gif or emoticon but isn’t obnoxious with it.

Sometimes when he’s busy and doesn’t care, he uses all caps because he doesn’t want to deal with his words being autocorrected to something else. This is usually seen when he’s about to get into a fight.

When you ask him where he is when he’s out, he’s equally likely to text you the name of the place, or send you a photo of where he is.

When it’s a photo of Zenko, especially if it’s her with a prize or a trophy or a doll and she’s being cute, he spams hearts and praises of her.

Genos has perfect punctuation and grammar.

You know that annoying moment when the person you’re texting seemingly is texting a long ass message, only for it to come out as something like ‘ok’? Yeah… Genos never does that. (Unless he wants to say something important (and likely very personal) but is too reluctant to say it, and opts for something more mundane.)

He sends entire paragraphs if he’s explaining something or debriefing someone on some information.

His sentences are curt if he’s busy. It’ll come off as cold and rude to most people when they read them.

His recent emojis section has all the ones he can just text quickly if he’s far too busy to make sentences. Handy if he only has one arm or taking a breather from a monster fight.

Garou does not use autocorrect.

He’s obnoxious when he texts.

Memes, gifs, I wIlL bEaT tHe HeRo HuNtEr (With the spongebob meme template: specifically designed to mock heroes and wannabes who think they can take him down), spamming ‘answer me bitch’ to his poor recipient over and over until they reply, using so. Many. Emojis. For the sole purpose of annoying you.

If he’s texting Tareo, he’s pretty casual.

Hey lil turd I got some coupons for ice cream

I hate ice cream

Take them or im throwing them out

The no brainer: Genos and Garou are masters at eating competitions. Garou wolfs it all down quickly, whilst Genos is more dignified about how he eats, if the super spicy udon competition he had with Saitama is any indication. Badd can keep up, (mama didn’t raise no quitter!) but he’ll be struggling to get a grip on himself and stay awake.

If he wanted to, Genos can keep on eating for an extended period of time, limited only by the capacity of his fuel engines. (Which, by our stomach’s standards, is practically infinite for how much he can eat in so short a time and still keep going for hours.) His body can essentially turn the foods and drinks he ingests either into nutrients for the brain, or fuel for his firepower: continuously keeping his engines active will digest what he eats on a semi-fast level.

If the trio do end up becoming friends in canon, I imagine that they’d pick up on each other’s traits subconsciously. Badd’s and Genos’s smirks are faint facsimiles of Garou’s. Badd and Garou take after Genos’s protectiveness over items on sale at the supermarket, knowing how rare the occasion can be to get discounts for some in particular. Genos and Garou say ‘haah?’ in an intimidating manner, on instinct, to people they don’t like thanks to Badd. And of course, all three swear more often, usually under their breaths whenever something goes wrong, or to quietly insult someone without causing a scene.

It’s pretty obvious that Genos prefers slim fitting clothing. Anything too baggy will catch/snag and tear on his surroundings and hinder his ability to use his weapons. Badd prefers slightly loose clothing since he’s pretty hot tempered and he gets worked up for fights pretty easily, and clammy clothes aren’t exactly comfortable. Garou is a mix of both: when it comes to clothing, it’s either the clothes are light and form fitting enough to be second skin so he doesn’t have to worry about it snagging, or the clothes are just the right amount of loose to make him look decent, but not like he’s wearing painted on clothing. He’s alright with either option. Emphasis on form fitting. He canonically hates clothes that restrict his movements, and his usual shirt is made of normal, lightweight fabric, so Garou won’t be too keen on the idea of wearing a skin tight bodysuit made of latex or leather.

[tseneipgam]

“That specific brand of young male. An ‘alternative’ to the mainstream frat boys and premed straight and narrow guys, these scholarly, charmless, intellectual brats dominated the more creative departments. As an art history major, I couldn’t escape them. ‘Dudes’ reading Nietzsche on the subway, reading Proust, reading David Foster Wallace, jotting down their brilliant thoughts into a black Moleskine pocket notebook. Beer bellies and skinny legs, zip-up hoodies, navy blue peacoats or army green parkas, New Balance sneakers, knit hats, canvas tote bags, small hands, hairy knuckles, maybe a deer head tattooed across a flabby bicep. They rolled their own cigarettes, didn't brush their teeth enough, spent hundreds of dollars a week on coffee. They would come into Ducat, the gallery I ended up working at, with their younger—usually Asian—girlfriends. “An Asian girlfriend means the guy has a small dick,” Reva once said. I’d hear them talk shit about the art. They lamented the success of others. They thought that they wanted to be adored, to be influential, celebrated for their genius, that they deserved to be worshipped. But they could barely look at themselves in the mirror. They were all on Klonopin, was my guess. They lived mostly in Brooklyn, another reason I was glad to live on the Upper East Side. Nobody up there listened to the Moldy Peaches. Nobody up there gave a shit about “irony” or Dogme 95 or Klaus Kinski.The worst was that those guys tried to pass off their insecurity as “sensitivity,” and it worked. They would be the ones running museums and magazines, and they’d only hire me if they thought I might fuck them. But when I’d been at parties with them, or out at bars, they’d ignored me. They were so self-serious and distracted by their conversation with their look-alike companions that you’d think they were wrestling with a decision of such high stakes, the world might explode. They wouldn’t be distracted by “pussy,” they would have me believe. The truth was probably that they were just afraid of vaginas, afraid that they’d fail to understand one as pretty and pink as mine, and they were ashamed of their own sensual inadequacies, afraid of their own dicks, afraid of themselves. So they focused on “abstract ideas” and developed drinking problems to blot out the self-loathing they preferred to call “existential ennui.” It was easy to imagine those guys masturbating to Chloë Sevigny, to Selma Blair, to Leelee Sobieski. To Winona Ryder.”

“Watching her take what was deep and real and painful and ruin it by expressing it with such trite precision gave me reason to think Reva was an idiot, and therefore I could discount her pain, and with it, mine.”

“The art world had turned out to be like the stock market, a reflection of political trends and the persuasions of capitalism, fuelled by greed and gossip and cocaine. I might as well have worked on Wall Street. Speculation and opinions drove not only the market but the products, sadly, the values of which were hinged not to the ineffable quality of art as a sacred human ritual—a value impossible to measure, anyway—but to what a bunch of rich assholes thought would “elevate” their portfolios and inspire jealousy and, delusional as they all were, respect. I was perfectly happy to wipe out all that garbage from my mind.” 

“So now I was stuck with TV. I surfed the channels. A commercial for cat food. A commercial for home saunas. A commercial for low-fat butter. Fabric softener. Potato chips in individually portioned packages. Chocolate yogurt. Go to Greece, the birthplace of civilization. Drinks that give you energy. Face cream that makes you younger. Fish for your kitties. Coca-Cola means “I love you.” Sleep in the most comfortable bed in the world. Ice cream is not just for children, ladies: your husbands like it, too! If your house smells like shit, light this candle that smells like freshly baked brownies.”

“THE THIRD AWAKENING MARKED nine days locked inside my apartment. I could feel it in my eyes when I got up, the atrophy of the muscles I’d use to focus on things at a distance, I guessed. I kept the lights low. In the shower, I read the shampoo label and got stuck on the words “sodium lauryl sulfate.” Each word carried with it a seemingly endless string of associations. “Sodium”: salt, white, clouds, gauze, silt, sand, sky, lark, string, kitten, claws, wound, iron, omega.The fourth awakening, the words fixated me again. “Lauryl”: Shakespeare, Ophelia, Millais, pain, stained glass, rectory, butt plug, feelings, pigpen, snake eyes, hot poker. I shut the water off, did my due diligence with the laundry, et cetera, took an Infermiterol, and lay back down on the mattress. “Sulfate”: Satan, acid, Lyme, dunes, dwellings, hunchbacks, hybrids, samurais, suffragettes, mazes.”

[orbemnews]

Fact, or Corporate Fiction? Facts and foolishness Announcing phony news on April Fools’ Day is one of corporate America’s favorite occasions for shameless publicity stunts. But when stonks, Dogecoin and $69 million JPG files are real things that warrant serious business coverage, the risk of jokes being taken seriously could hardly be higher. Some say that’s a good reason to skip them, not to mention the gravity that a pandemic has cast over things. With that in mind, can you spot the prank among these recent announcements? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.) A: To celebrate National Burrito Day today, Chipotle is giving away $100,000 worth of Bitcoin. B: Volkwagen’s U.S. operation is changing its name to “Voltswagen” to emphasize the company’s push into electric vehicles. C: Robinhood is nixing a confetti animation when app users make a stock trade to reduce “distraction.” D: Krispy Kreme is giving anyone who shows proof of Covid-19 vaccination one free doughnut per day for the rest of the year. E: Managers at Goldman Sachs are giving junior bankers gift baskets with fruit and snacks in response to complaints about burnout. HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING Business groups challenge President Biden’s proposed corporate tax increases. The Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce were among those that praised Mr. Biden’s plan to spend trillions on infrastructure. But they rejected his idea to pay for it by raising taxes, saying that doing so would endanger the economic recovery. The latest setbacks in quelling the pandemic. Johnson & Johnson said it would delay future shipments of its vaccine after a mix-up at a manufacturing plant. A top E.U. official said the bloc would allow “zero” shipments of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to Britain until the drugmaker fulfilled its commitments to Brussels. And France announced a third nationwide lockdown as its cases mount and inoculation efforts lag. A tough day for initial public offerings. As Deliveroo had “the worst I.P.O. in London’s history,” other offerings also struggled. In the U.S., the SoftBank-backed real estate brokerage Compass priced at the bottom of a reduced range, while the low-cost airline Frontier sold at the low end of expectations. And in Canada, the space tech company MDA priced below its range. Microsoft wins a huge contract to make augmented-reality headsets for the U.S. Army. The tech giant will receive up to $22 billion for equipping soldiers with sensors based on its HoloLens technology. It’s another big defense contract for Microsoft, which beat out Amazon to provide a $10 billion cloud computing system for the Pentagon. Executives get a ‘sense of urgency’ in Georgia A day after 72 Black executives signed a letter calling on companies to fight restrictive voting bills more forcefully, executives have begun speaking out more directly about laws that limit ballot access. But their statements came too late to affect a sweeping law passed last week in Georgia that added new requirements for absentee voting, limits on drop boxes and other restrictions that have an outsize impact on Black voters. Today in Business Updated  April 2, 2021, 3:58 p.m. ET Delta and Coca-Cola reversed course. Ed Bastian, Delta’s C.E.O., told employees, “I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values.” James Quincey, Coca-Cola’s C.E.O., said he wanted to be “crystal clear” that “the Coca-Cola Company does not support this legislation, as it makes it harder for people to vote, not easier.” The statements by the Atlanta-based companies angered local politicians, including Gov. Brian Kemp. In the past, corporate stands on controversial issues have led to political retribution: In 2018, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle stripped a tax break proposal from a bill that would benefit Delta after the airline ended a promotional discount for N.R.A. members. The State House passed a similar measure yesterday, but the Senate didn’t take it up before the chambers adjourned for the year. Retaliation also goes the other way: In an interview with ESPN, President Biden said he would “strongly support” moving Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game from Atlanta, scheduled for July. “It is regrettable that the sense of urgency came after the legislation was passed and signed into law,” said Darren Walker, the Ford Foundation president, who is a board member at Pepsi, Ralph Lauren and Square. Others companies based in Georgia remained circumspect. A UPS spokesperson said the company stood “ready to continue to help in ensuring every Georgia voter has the ability to vote.” A spokesperson for Home Depot reiterated the company’s stance that it believes “all elections should be accessible, fair and secure.” A spokesperson for Inspire Brands, the owner of Dunkin’ Donuts and Arby’s, said that it “values inclusivity” and believes that “every American should have equal access to their right to vote.” “The argument is they are recruited, they’re used up and then they’re cast aside without even a college degree. So they say, how can this be defended in the name of amateurism?” — Justice Samuel Alito, assessing the “stark picture” painted by college athletes in an antitrust case against the N.C.A.A. that the Supreme Court heard yesterday. The Red Sox sold a stake to private equity. Now what? RedBird Capital Partners confirmed its deal to buy a stake in Red Sox parent Fenway Sports Group, a transaction that values the company at $7.35 billion. DealBook spoke with RedBird’s founder, Gerry Cardinale, and Fenway’s chair, Tom Werner, about what happens next. Buy and build. RedBird plans to acquire more teams: Mr. Cardinale noted that his company doesn’t own teams in the N.B.A., N.H.L. or M.L.S. For its part, Fenway plans to tap new opportunities in ticketing, sponsorship and media. (As part of the RedBird deal, the N.B.A. star LeBron James bought a stake in Fenway.) In media, Fenway controls NESN, and RedBird owns a stake in the YES network. “You should expect that we’re going to continue to look for ways to innovate in that area,” said Mr. Cardinale, who helped create the YES network. Deepening ties with online gambling is also on the table. “We do have an excellent relationship with DraftKings,” Mr. Werner said, “and we’ve already had some conversations with them about partnerships.” The deal was a better fit for the private market instead of a SPAC, the executives said, after talks to take Fenway public via a blank-check firm fell through. “In the middle of Covid, with the mandate to re-underwrite the next wave of growth for Fenway Sports Group, we probably would be better off doing that privately and then give ourselves the option down the road,” Mr. Cardinale said of going public. He also called the current SPAC market “very frothy.” What worked at WeWork WeWork was founded in 2008, rose spectacularly, reached a $47 billion valuation and famously crashed before a planned I.P.O. in 2019. (It announced a deal last week to go public by merging with a blank-check firm that valued it at roughly $8 billion.) A new documentary, “WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn,” tries to find lessons among the ups and downs. It streams on Hulu, starting tomorrow. Jed Rothstein, the director, told DealBook that he believes what’s most compelling about WeWork isn’t what went wrong, but how it initially succeeded by turning strangers into a kind of tribe. “We still need that,” he said. “The core idea of WeWork met a real need for community,” Mr. Rothstein said. “The voids people were trying to fill have only become more real.” After a year of social distancing, he likes the notion of curated communal spaces, which is what WeWork offered. Talking to early WeWorkers who bought the vision and later felt betrayed, he was surprised to find how much the company gave its devotees, notably a feeling that they were part of something bigger. That is worth acknowledging in a world where people will increasingly work remotely and for many different companies in their careers, Mr. Rothstein said. WeWork’s co-founders, Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey, both had communal childhood experiences. Mr. Rothstein said he thought they sincerely wanted to replicate the good in group life and inspired people who hadn’t seen that before. But Mr. Neumann also focused on what he didn’t like — sharing equally — and emphasized an “eat what you kill” mentality. Ultimately, his hunger turned the community dream into a nightmare for many. After the director talked to people who followed the initial vision, his perspective changed. “People in the film experienced real growth and fulfillment mixed with their anger,” he said. “I realized the story is much more nuanced.” THE SPEED READ Deals The media conglomerate Endeavor filed to go public for a second time, while raising $1.8 billion to buy full control of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It also added Elon Musk to its board. (WSJ, CNBC) Vice Media is reportedly in talks to go public by merging with a SPAC. And the S.E.C. issued two notices for companies looking to go public via SPAC. (The Information, S.E.C.) Junior bankers aren’t the only ones feeling burned out. Young lawyers are, too. (Business Insider) Politics and policy New York became the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana. (NYT) Efforts by aides to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to hide New York State’s Covid-19 death toll coincided with his efforts to win a multimillion-dollar book deal. (NYT) An accidental disclosure by the I.R.S. revealed a $1 billion tax dispute with Bristol Myers Squibb. (NYT) Tech Best of the rest The ad agency Deutsch is doubling referral bonuses for Black job candidates. (Insider) Amazon wants its employees mostly back in its offices, while the Carlyle Group and IBM favor hybrid working models. (Insider, Bloomberg) Paul Simon is the latest musician to sell his entire back catalog: Sony Music Publishing will buy the collection, including classics like “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” for an undisclosed amount. (NYT) Feeling burned-out? As more workers consider a return to the office, our colleague Sarah Lyall is writing about late-pandemic anxiety and exhaustion. Tell her about how you’re coping. April Fools’ Day quiz answer: B. If you were fooled by Volkswagen’s prank, you’re in good company. Volkswagen reportedly told journalists that a draft of the announcement was not a stunt. It later called the stunt just “a bit of fun.” Source link Orbem News #corporate #fact #Fiction

[dipulb3]

It's 53% alcohol and tastes like fire. Here's how this liquor brand took over China

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/its-53-alcohol-and-tastes-like-fire-heres-how-this-liquor-brand-took-over-china/

It's 53% alcohol and tastes like fire. Here's how this liquor brand took over China

At 1,498 yuan, or $209 for a half-liter bottle, it might not sound like the kind of bargain Costco shoppers usually go for — but in this case, it absolutely was. That price represented a steep discount over Moutai sold elsewhere — that is, if you could get your hands on it. The luxury spirit is so beloved in China, it sold out quickly.

“Anytime they have any stock [of the product] available, it’s going to be gone almost instantly,” said Ben Cavender, the Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group. “You’ll see people clamoring [for it].”

Apart from the Chinese diaspora, however, Moutai is still virtually unknown overseas. Almost all — about 97% — of its sales come from China alone, according to its financial reports.

So how is a company that sells its products primarily in just one country now worth more than some longstanding global behemoths? And can Kweichow Moutai, which is described by some Westerners as “drinking liquid razor blades,” succeed in appealing to non-Chinese consumers?

From historic icon to status symbol

Moutai has one unmistakable advantage: the drink is China’s national spirit.

Moutai baijiu — the type of liquor the company makes — is a clear, potent spirit that’s been dubbed “firewater,” thanks to the fact that it’s 53% alcohol. The red-and-white bottles of its flagship product, “Feitian,” or “Flying Fairy,” are a staple at Chinese state banquets and business events.

Known as the favorite tipple of Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China, and as the “drink of diplomacy,” it was famously used to welcome former US President Richard Nixon on his historic trip to China in 1972, and again in 2013 when Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, in California.

Once, at a state dinner in 1974, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Deng Xiaoping, the future Chinese leader: “I think if we drink enough Moutai, we can solve anything.”

“Then, when I go back to China, we must take steps to increase our production of it,” Deng responded, according to an archived US government transcript.

Being part of so many major public events in China “really set the brand in the national consciousness,” said Cavender, who likened it to another giant beverage maker, Coca-Cola, in that regard.

“That’s the same reason why Coke has actually done so well from a marketing perspective. If you look at the way they’ve done their advertising over the past 50 years, they’re at pretty much every big event. You see Coke at when the Berlin Wall comes down. You see Coke commercials at Christmas. I think Moutai is that brand for China, and so I think that part explains why it’s so popular.”

A Moutai representative declined requests to be interviewed for this story.

Some say the story goes back even further in Communist Party lore. During the Red Army’s “Long March” in China in the 1930s, soldiers used to pour Moutai on their feet to help disinfect wounds, Chinese state media has reported, citing a former army lieutenant general.

Legend has it that members of the Red Army even used to turn to the drink to knock themselves out before surgery, said Hao Hong, head of research at BOCOM International, the securities arm of China’s Bank of Communications.

“It’s a story [that goes around],” he said. “They didn’t have anesthesia. So they had to use Moutai as a drug to numb [people] from surgery.”

Today, the brand is seen more as a luxury status symbol than for its “Red” roots. Some customers buy it not to drink, but to keep as investments. Limited-edition cases are collected and showcased by international auction houses, like Christie’s, which says that some bottles can fetch more than $40,000 each.

Moutai has found a way to be “approachable for a lot of regular consumers, at least for special occasions,” while at the same time also offering collectors’ items that reach the ultra-rich, said Cavender.

“That’s something that makes Moutai, I think, different, from a lot of the international beverage brands,” he said.

It’s also been a tremendous advantage during an economically tough year: wealthy consumers who are spending less on travel may splurge more on liquor, Cavender added.

A meteoric rise

Moutai has long been seen as one of China’s blue-chip stocks. In 2017, it became the world’s biggest liquor maker by market value, surpassing Diageo (DEO), the British owner of Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Tanqueray.

In 2019, Moutai also became the first Chinese company since 2005 to see its share price hit 1,000 yuan (about $145), notching another market record. And last year, it became the most valuable non-tech company in China. (Alibaba and Tencent, the country’s top two tech giants, are valued higher, with their shares listed in New York and Hong Kong respectively.)

In 2020, Moutai’s shares soared 69% to record highs.

Hong said that he believed there was no major impetus for the rally last year; just that “most people are gradually realizing the ability of this company to be able to generate strong cash flow and no debt.”

“It’s like a badge of honor for value investing,” he added. “People love the stock — because year after year, it just continues to deliver.”

Xian Li, a 66-year-old retiree in Shanghai, is one of those people. He’s invested in Moutai since 2004, just three years after it went public.

Li said he was excited to buy in because it was clear from the beginning that the company was “financially healthy,” and able to reward shareholders with a generous dividend.

Since then, he’s invested more than 136,000 yuan (about $21,000) into the stock. The payoff has been huge: a few years ago, he made enough to put his son through university.

“The dividend [alone] each year could cover my daily expenses,” said Li, who plans to hold onto the stock indefinitely. “It’s also going to help me to afford medical bills and nursing home expenses.”

Not everyone is so bullish. Allen Cheng, an equity analyst at Morningstar, made headlines in 2019 when he downgraded his rating on Moutai’s stock to sell.

Cheng, who has since maintained that position, argues that the company’s prospects are overblown, and that “the market has already reflected all the positives of the past 10 years.”

“Being the only hater is really difficult for me,” he said with a laugh. “I think it’s a bubble here.”

Authorities, too, have warned investors of a potential stock bubble. In 2017, Moutai suffered a huge selloff — wiping $7.8 billion off its market cap in one day — after state-run news agency Xinhua, which often conveys the Communist leadership’s sentiment, urged investors to take a more “rational view” of the company.

“It’s important for Kweichow Moutai … to stick to its slow pace,” Xinhua said in an editorial. “Pulling up a plant to make it grow inevitably leads to unbearable pain. Short-sighted speculation will cause tremendous damage to the value of investment.”

The move was not uncommon. Beijing frequently tries to sway investors through state media, such as last summer, when a government-run publication encouraged people to buy into stocks.

That could have a domino effect, particularly because mainland Chinese stock markets are dominated by retail investors. According to a 2020 survey by the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation, almost all investors there — 99% — were individuals.

The making of Moutai

One of Moutai’s biggest advantages is its ability to keep the price of its product high. It claims to have limited capacity since it can only produce its drinks in one place.

Similar to champagne — which comes from the eponymous region in France — Kweichow Moutai is named after Maotai, a picturesque small town in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou. (The company’s name is based on an old romanization of the town’s Chinese name.) Like champagne, the drink can only be called Moutai if it’s produced in that specific location.

This is where the company says its baijiu — distilled from fermented sorghum and rice — gets the magic touch.

Environmental factors, such as the town’s climate and seasonal changes in the water of the local river, help give the liquor its unique taste and is “beneficial to the production process,” according to the Moutai Museum.

Inside the town, Moutai’s impact on the economy is deeply felt.

As of 2019, Maotai was the richest town in western China, according to disposable income statistics from the municipal government of Renhuai, in Guizhou province. (Guizhou is among the country’s poorest regions.)

That would never have happened if it weren’t for the beverage giant, said Qi Wang, a local resident.

“Kweichow Moutai is the leader of Maotai,” he said, adding that the company’s boom helped encourage him to open his own liquor factory. “It influences all aspects of the town’s development.”

Its close ties with the government don’t always guarantee protection, though.

In 2013, sales slumped when President Xi embarked on an anti-corruption drive, leading the government to stamp out any sign of “extravagance” among officials, including of expensive liquor.

The campaign led to “unprecedented pressure” on the alcohol industry, Moutai noted in an earnings report.

Sales still grew that year, but only around 17%, compared to 44% the previous year. In 2014, that number plunged to about 2%.

The firm has since bounced back — though it now faces other problems. In recent years, it’s been dogged by numerous corruption scandals, which has led to the ouster of several top executives, according to state media.

Other major firms have faced similar pressure. China regularly investigates powerful executives for corruption — while using the findings to send a warning to others. This month, a Chinese court sentenced Lai Xiaomin, the former chief of a top, state-owned financial firm, to death for bribery.

Is China enough?

Moutai has an outsize reliance on the Chinese market.

To be sure, the company has tried to push overseas, notably by starting a “fan club” in the United States, traveling to Africa to woo new business partners and teaming up with foreign players, such as Italy’s Inter Milan soccer club.

But for the most part, it’s had little to show for it. In 2019, almost 97% of sales still came from China.

Last March, the company launched a social media campaign called “stay at home with Moutai,” which encouraged users around the world to try new recipes during lockdown. One Instagram and Twitter post, for instance, suggested mixing the drink into a “sunset cocktail,” while another offered instructions for a noodle dish that could pair with the liquor.

The campaign demonstrated an effort to stay connected with international consumers, even during the pandemic. But analysts have pointed to other challenges ahead.

Moutai needs to do more to diversify, according to Spiros Malandrakis, industry manager of alcoholic drinks at Euromonitor International. “It needs to have started yesterday,” he said. “International spirits always start local, like baijiu, but they become international. That’s the key. That’s how you take over the world. That’s how you become sustainably big.”

Malandrakis pointed to Mexican tequila, Russian vodka and American bourbon as examples. None of those “would have survived” if they didn’t go global, he added.

The process, of course, doesn’t happen overnight.

William Dong, managing director of Evershine Australia, which distributes Moutai in Australia, New Zealand and Italy, said that many people still need to be educated about what baijiu even is.

“We have distributed the product into basically everywhere that we could,” he said in an interview from Sydney.

At the end of the day, most customers are still Chinese, he added. “I would say probably 80%.”

It doesn’t help that the drink is an acquired taste. Some people eschew Moutai’s strong kick, while others label it “firewater.”

“[Some] Westerners find it, and I quote, ‘kind of like drinking liquid razor blades,'” said Malandrakis.

An even bigger threat, however, may be generational and gender gaps within China. Currently, the core demographic for baijiu is 40 to 60-year-old men, according to Malandrakis.

“The next generation of drinkers does not particularly want to do exactly what their father’s generation did,” he explained. “It’s not great for the future, if you don’t start having new people coming in.”

Malandrakis compared it to sherry, which was loved for centuries but later fell out of popularity as it “became synonymous with consumption of older populations.”

Not everyone is so worried. Even with its weak international position, Moutai’s baijiu was the world’s best-selling liquor in 2019, according to Euromonitor.

“The Chinese market is so big, and it’s continuing to become more wealthy,” said Cavender. He also noted a recent swell in local pride, which could draw more domestic consumers in.

For all its challenges, even critics admit the company’s dominance is nowhere near diminishing.

“The brand — and the heritage that the brand has — it’s really impossible to replicate that,” Cavender said. “Somebody can’t set up a new venture tomorrow and do what they can do. It’s not sort of possible to go back in time and get Mao Zedong to be interested in your drink. It’s not possible to sort of be located in the town where they make their products. So I think they have a strong built-in story that allows them to flourish.”

Appradab’s Beijing bureau and Serenitie Wang contributed to this report.

[pixelproductions]

11 Marketing Strategies That Work For a Food Brand

Have a food business? Here are 11 marketing strategies designed specifically for a food brand based on my own experience.

My love for food enticed me to start a food business a few years back. Though my expertise was in Japanese cuisine, especially Sushi and Haka noodles, I faced a serious setback. Since the inception of my business, my prior focus was on the quality of food.

I never wondered about the marketing strategies that my food businesses needed. After consulting a few experts, I have learned that food businesses require some unique marketing strategies that boost the business from the beginning.

Today, I am going to share these food-related marketing strategies with you. These strategies are:

1. Creating A Distinctive Identity

If you are starting a fast-food restaurant, why people will invest in your new service when they have other reliable options in the area?

Answer to this question is vital to grab new clients. Let people know how you differ from others. The difference can be in pricing, quality, innovation, taste, etc. For instance, I have announced a flat 50% discount on the first sushi delivery.

This thing has let the potential clients take the risk of my trying out my sushi, and then the taste of the food keeps them coming back. I also announced further deals on family meals that were a price-friendly option. People tried out my food, and many of them are now my regular clients.

2. Focusing on Presentation

Just like a book is judged by its cover, a food-product is judged by its appearance. People look at the food before eating. This is where five-star restaurants keep their focus. They give utmost attention to the presentation. They make even simple ice cream looks tempting by drizzling delectable chocolate sauce and crushed nuts on top.

Similarly, if we look into the food-delivery options, packaging plays an imperative role. Every food can be delivered in a plastic wrap or simple foil boxes. Then why are brands focusing on the packaging?

From logo and design to food box and material, everything leaves an impact on your customer. So, try to impress your clients with a sophisticated packaging and inspiring design.

3. Maintaining a Food Blog

Whether you are a renowned food chain or a new startup, setting up a food blog is mandatory. Wrap your blog with an alluring design and fill it with tempting recipes, videos of your recent additions, and clips of customer reviews.

Since food looks best when it is fresh, you need to showcase your hot-piping dishes to the prospective clients. Not only is this, but people are also concerned about ambiance and customer service. Cover everything in your food blog and try maintaining a relationship with your viewers.

4. Engaging Clients Via E-mail

E-mail marketing is effective in 2020. The tradition of letting your clients know about the recent deals, discount coupons, events, and offers are still alive. However, do not bombard the inboxes with e-mails. Take a balanced approach and opt for a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly email to keep your brand stay alive in the minds of customers.

5. Being A Social Media King

Do you know the secret behind Hardy’s and Burger King’s success? It’s their smart social media tactics. They have been active on every social media platform since the beginning. Pinterest is full of mouth-watering food pictures, and so is Instagram. Facebook helps in getting reviews of your food, while Twitter is also essential for some official announcements. So make sure you have a strong social media presence.

6. Arrange Events

How is your food business celebrating the upcoming New Year? What are the plans for Valentine’s Day? Set up a theme and let couples have a good time at your restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Give special discounts and offers. This also helps in gaining the power of word of mouth.

7. Being Present on Food Websites

When your rivals are present on Food panda and Zoomato, what are you waiting for? Staying acting on all online directories and food website is a great marketing tactic. Get hang-on various smartphone apps through which you can directly sell your food items.

Example:

Let me share the example of Dominos, which is exclusively present on every food website and app. The brand captured different cultures, used the power of social media, discount offers, unique identity, and customization to become an ideal pizza brand.

8. Seasonal Offers

Restaurants often create a spike in demand by announcing seasonal offers. For instance, free soup with a family meal in winter is a great idea. Similarly, complimentary fresh lime with a deal in summers will surely attract potential clients.

9. Partnering With Other Brands

Partnerships and affiliations increase the trust of prospects in trying out your brand. The example of Coca-Cola can be seen globally. Tons of food brands associate themselves with the Coca-Cola drinks. McDonald’s often gives a free coke with several deals, and so is KFC. Apart from it, some restaurants associate themselves with a particular brand of spices or rice. Partnerships are usually a win-win strategy for both brands besides being beneficial for the consumers.

10. Sampling

Many restaurants, bars, and cafes give free samples of their products. A soft launch is also a wonderful idea to let people try out the taste of your food. In this competitive market, people cannot easily be convinced to try your food product until they get it for free. Give something to the clients to get something in return. A little investment, in the beginning, can let you make loyal clients in the long run.

11. Influencer Marketing

Getting the best chefs involved in your food campaigns can reap great benefits. Most chefs, food critics, or food bloggers have a considerable following on social media. You can ask these influencers to become part of your marketing campaign.

You may directly ask influencers to market your product, invite them to your events or use their reviews on your food website. Influencer marketing is excellent for food businesses. Clients rely on the food brands backed by the positive reviews of their favorite chefs, dietician, and nutritionists.

Conclusion

Just like me, you can also take your food business to the next level by implementing these marketing strategies. Just be sure to show consistency in your efforts. Within a few months, you will notice a positive change.

Let us know what difference have you observed in your food brand with these strategies. Do you have any other marketing tactics that worked well? Share with us!

[trixcuomo]

Final?? Org Daily Mail Interview With Trixany Cuomo

Approx. 10 min read. The Org Daily Mail liquors Trixany up and let’s ‘er rip. BTW Trix has a guild tag now, but I did leave her unguilded for a while and it inspired me.

Alternate title: Free Trixany!

Org: So, Trixany…

Trix: Eyup.

Org: Eyup.

Random Orc #1: …Eyup.

Random Orc #2: Uh-huh. *hands out the beer*

Trix: Wow. Kaja Cola makes beer? Nice. *has a big sip*

Org: Sort of. Miss Trixany Cuomo, thank you for joining us again.

Trix: Yeah. Being here for the second time is… meh. I guess. And I figure the Trixany versus the Org Daily Mail, love-hate relationship thing has to end sometime, right? You know, this Kaja Cola beer is unusually good. It’s even giving me ideas!

Org: Well done, Trixany. You’ve earned a toffee.

Trix: Haha, nice! *spins in her swivel chair*

Org: Let’s get to it--

Trix: Ooh! I know a girl in another video game who says that. She’s good with a whip. And if I ever, as a video game character, did a cosplay of another video game character, like inside my game? It would totally be Franziska Von Karma.

Org: What… the heck are you talking about now, Trixany?

Trix: *gulps more Kaja Cola beer from the can, swivels*

Camera man: *chuckles*

Org: *starts ignoring Trixany* Alright. So, a lot has happened since the last time you were in the Org Daily Mail studio. Care to explain?

Trix: Oh cool! Yeah, I was wanting to talk about that—wait, do you mean about my glam fishing project?

Org: Welp, this episode will be boring and drop our ratings then… *mutters, annoyed* No, tell us about something more… spicy.

Trix: Okay so, me and Haris Pilton finally had that knock-down, drag-out fight that witch deserved. But then, someone got cute and put us in the same ghetto Lower City Hospital ward. *shrugs, swivels* Which only led to a re-match.

Org: Woah. That’s awful, Trixany. We’re so sorry to hear that someone out there finally took a swing at you… *winks at the camera*

Trix: No, she’s the rotten one. After her little dog stopped being cute, Paris stole my pet dragon whelp Nautistrasz, saying it wasn’t ‘my brand.’ And I told her that her brand is trashbags and Febreeze! Then, she hit me. *tears up* I’m a Bloodknight. She started it, I finished it. Retribution comes with the territory. *sips her beer, calms* Anyway, it ended on a good note. After they transferred me to Scryers Hospital and my recovery was almost finished, I figured—hey, I’m already in here. Might as well get some work done. And there are some treatments you can only get for a good price in Outland. Can you see it? I sort of have a new face now, like that Kardashian girl. *puckers* It’sh shubtle, but alsho mega poutier, shee?

Org: Uh… Hokaaay...

Camera man: How do we trick her into talking about the really good stuff that’ll get her jailed again? Try that!

Org: Ah! So, I see that you’re currently guildless. Isn’t that a bit shameful for someone at your level? A bit… sad? Aren’t you lonely? Angry? Angry enough to start fighting people, or to start some other crazy drama? Maybe shave your head? Attack a Goblin trike with a baseball bat? Punch a camera man in the face like Kanye while you’re walking out of the Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport*, right at the heart of Orgrimmar?!

Camera man: Or, you could not encourage her to punch me in the face…

Trix: Wait, is the zeppelin… place… is it called that?

Org: Yeah, it’s pretty sweet. The new zeppelins are now tricked out in all those Quilboar hides that were just piling up in the Barrens, but few people know. Actually, we’re going to start calling it Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport after we crash the zeppelin master’s association dinner and finally expose them. Can’t wait. Muahaha…

Camera man: Yeah, you have to tune in for the next episode!

Trix: Mhrm, *files nails* I figured that seemed more like something -you guys- would do.

Org: Now, about you being guild-free and ready to hurt people and also raise our ratings?

Trix: I know, I know, whenever you see someone max-level without a guild tag, it’s like… I dunno, seeing someone who’s clearly not wearing a bra and it’s kind of awkward? And also kinda hawt. But I think you guys can handle that from Trixany. Like right now. We’re hangin’ out and everyone’s fine.

Org: … Wait.

Camera man: Woah. And now, this episode is being banned in Thundberbluff, the Exodar, Stormwind… Not Goldshire, for some reason.

Trix: Being guild-free is liberating, it’s wild! Another thing, being guildless is like being bra-less in that it’s also nobody’s bloody business. I tell those haters, ‘Don’t spam me with your life advice—I look great!’

Org: *clears throat and carefully looks her in the eye* Well, um. But don’t you sometimes feel like you need… more support? Social support, I mean.

Camera man: Sure, Bill. Whatever you say, Bill...

Trix: Nah, I got friends. I still hang out with all the Kaja-Cola girls, too—Actually, there’s talk of us re-forming our girl band. Our new single is going to be unbelievable. Mega Meghan Mango and I wrote it. I think we’re calling it… Roleplay Got Back? It’s the cutest song. And scandalous, yet empowering. And hilarious. Which is like, exactly my brand. Stupid Haris….

Org: Wait, let’s go back to the free Trixany thing—

Trix: Wanna sample? I know one of the verses. Let’s see… *turns her rose red RET HO snapback the other way, and gestures aggressively* My emote anaconda don’t want none unless your roleplay got buns hon!

Org: STOP!! Now, about your lack of a guild… Ratings… need ratings… Trixany! Wouldn’t you be more comfortable if you went around in a um…? And, I mean, I’m a guy, but still-- aren’t there benefits to having one of those… *trails off, looks her cautiously in the eye again* Anyway! I’m just saying, we here at the Org Daily Mail, a quality family show, are very concerned because, without a bra-- a guild! Without a guild, you might stick out too much—No! What I’m saying is, you won’t fit in with other people! And you get less experience. Your mail doesn’t get delivered as fast, right? And aren’t there certain battle pets and other stuff you won’t be able to buy? Is being an individual really worth it?

Trix: I think I stick out just fine. Also, I have plenty of amazing experiences, the mail man always visits me first, and I walk right up to the front of the line at the auction house. They just let me. I even get a discount. Thanks, Drezmit! He’s taking me out this weekend. Aww, isn’t that so sweet of him? He says he’s been worried about me.

Org: *Tries hard not to laugh*

Camera man: Holy crap. I think she’s actually onto something there.

Org: Hold on. *feigning serious again* Are you… saying that you planned this? Going, let’s call it ‘tag-less’, is a real strategy for you?

Trix: Either that, or I just don’t care. *gulps more beer* Do you know what? Maybe it’ll be like that ‘I kissed a girl’ song or that thong song and everyone will start dropping their guild tags for the realer benefits, am I right? I mean, you’ll go to Club Night Owl and be like dancing, and then some hottie without a guild tag will walk in, and then they turn up the music, shine that spotlight, and suddenly everybody just drops their guild tags too, and parties even harder!

Org: Yeah, that won’t happen.

Trix: It could trend, you don’t know. Like glam fishing. I will force glam fishing to be a trend if I have to. Ouch! Sorry—kinda TMI I know, but this bra has been pinching me all day.

Org: Sure it is and I guess I’ll finally ask you… What’s glam fishing? Is this like a low-budget glamping that only Horde B celebrities would be into?

Trix: Seriously? Someone is finally asking me? Yes! Oh goodness, now I’m nervous. I invented it myself, it’s so cool. And it’s perfect if like, you feel your toon, IC’ly, would never dirty their hands with fishing, like me. Well, first, you find a beautiful fishing spot. Next, and this part is most important, you--

Org: Wait, nevermind! My camera man here says we’re out of time. *fake smile* Trixany, we can’t thank you enough for coming into the Org Daily Mail studio and telling us how you are. We care so much and we’re so glad that you’re out of rehab now and doing the topless thing—

Trix: It wasn’t that kind of rehab, and I would never do that! Why would you say that? Are you somehow twisting my words? I thought our last lawsuit settled this! *her speech slows* Wait, whyyyy did I blaaather on the way I did? What’s in thiiiiis friggin’ beer? And WHY did you saaaay this episode was being banned eeeeveryplace but Goldshire??

Org: And thank you all for watching! Remember everyone, the Org Daily Mail cannot be held liable for any gross misinterpretations of what its employees actually said and did today in the studio. Org Daily Mail is also a subsidiary of the Kaja-Cola Corporation: ‘We don’t exploit our workers, we exploit big flavor!’ *cheesy TV grin* Now everybody, you know how it works. Let’s say it together!

All: FOR THE HORDE, AND GOOD NIGHT!

Trix: Waaugh! *Falls out of her swivel chair.*

…

*Note:

Special thanks to a random stranger I talked to a whiiiiiiile back on an alt for the Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport idea. Sadly, I can’t remember your name! I joked about all the Quilboar hides piling up in the Horde probably going into the airport in Orgrimmar; that our zeppelins would be covered with them. And then, they laughed and said that if I saw the zeppelin towers as an airport (and it SO totally is) then it would have to be called Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport. I can even see Blizz putting a sign up there that says it. Can’t you? Okay so… possibly. And also some NPCs curing Quilboar hides as well as towing parcels… It’s kinda goofy, but I love it. Thank you, kind stranger! I hope it catches on. Another reason why I love this game. Random encounters with really, really fun people. Hahaha!

[bingage]

7 Proven Restaurant Marketing Ideas You’ll Wish Someone Would Have Told You Before

The kind of marketing that is done today is completely different from what it used to be earlier. Being a New age business owner, one has to adopt top trending restaurant marketing ideas to promote and get easily discovered by the target audience. Without doing it properly you might feel it difficult to succeed in the restaurant industry.

I am sharing several marketing ideas for new-age restaurant owners that I tried and tested on my clients and they got an overwhelming response. Here are some restaurant marketing ideas you need to focus on 2019.

1. Start by offering customised Experience

Stop sending bulk SMS to each and every customer with the same typical message. No one cares, people don’t respond. Now the customer wants “Personalised Experience” tailored according to their choices and preferences. and As a restaurant owner, you will have to focus on that.

A study says customised content creates resonance for the reader because they feel it on an individual level. Personalised Marketing is 48% more effective than bulk SMS marketing.

For example –

A person who likes “South Indian” has to be sent a different offer/SMS from a person who always likes “Chinese”

Right?? Similarly, We can’t send Offer of the Chicken lollipop to the person who always prefers vegetarian. Got my point?

“Personalisation is all about sending the right information to the right people at the right time”

See the example below –

JUST for YOU — Did you read the line that’s the magic that creates customers and brings them back with you

Only For You: A Complete Guide to Personalised Marketing

2. Offer Birthday Greetings and Rewards

Birthday rewards and freebies are parts of a restaurant loyalty program, for loyal customers to keep maintaining a relationship with them. Healthy customer relationship provides high paid value customers, Sending birthday offers to customers increases customer loyalty.

We stressed on the point on why restaurant owners should send birthday wishes to customers and came to the following points –

A) The priceless tactic in winning over lifetime customers.

B) Customers are expecting special treatments, offer them birthday freebies gain customer loyalty.

C) Don’t let your rivals take your customers by offering birthday benefits, Be sure in this case, you’re not only losing a potential birthday splurge, but also a chance to hit a high sales likely to gain from the entire party!

So don’t forget to share good thoughts on your customer’s special days.

Example –

Hey Lisa, Grand palette wishes you a very Happy Birthday!!

“Today special for you- Get 20% discount on an order above 1500 minimum 2 people. Get 50% on your family dinner Minimum, 5 people. Your code -LISAGP20”

3. Holidays Marketing

Pick an upcoming holiday or any special days, run a marketing campaign on holiday theme, like recently Rakshabandhan and independence days are coming, you can plan something to create engagement among people and be on limelight.

A) Rakshabandhan is a festival of brother & sister, you can go with online contest something like sharing, tagging and winning giveaways.

See the example below — Ferns and petals advertising dining offers on Raksha Bandhan.

4. Leverage a grand local event

Suppose a grand event is happening nearby your area, like any sports festival, dance carnival or any other with a huge audience. You can generate more business by inviting event crowd to your business, by giving them an offer.

Something like these –

Get 5% off on burger on showing passes on the nearby event. This will create excitement among the people to come and enjoy the burger at your restaurant. Is it sound interesting?

5. Be Engage in social media

Social media is the best platform for business where you can get more business with a less cost if you are using it for the right.

Social media stats are showing that —

Brands are leveraging social media platforms to connect with the audience and invite them by advertising their menu, special dish, special events among the targeted audience. Importance of social media marketing for restaurant is high as 75% of consumers use Facebook recommendations while selecting a restaurant.

6. Get micro-influencer for your brand

Micro influencer marketing is a tested strategy trending in 2019, micro-influencer includes food bloggers, restaurant reviewers that have huge followers are playing an important role in branding and driving traffic for restaurants, Instagram has emerged as the prominent channel in influencer marketing it provides feature to share food pictures and videos among audience, You have seen several bloggers who have a reputed page, and remarkable followers.

Brands are considering influencer marketing because they maybe not have higher followers as like celebrities but their recommendation impact on the people as they interact people on a more personal level.

Get Collaboration reputed Food Bloggers, Vloggers, and social media influencer, this is one of the best ways to reach out to the potential customers.

Sharing one of the examples of influencer marketing –

7. Create marketing campaigns filled with Emotions

Get back with emotional restaurant advertising, Emotions are something that never lets you forget about something if someone connects with you emotionally, it generates a completely different impact.

Take help of storytelling, engage with the audience. Share their memories with your restaurant on social media and tag them, believe me, it will work!

Emotional marketing is something that pursues buyers decision. You have to make your customer feel in order to make a connection with them.

Sharing Famous brand Coca-cola “Share a Coke” campaign was one of the most successful campaigns. Wanna know what was it?

They have produced 20-ounce bottles with the 250 of the country’s most popular names with the company’s iconic logo. Where consumers are urged to find bottles with names that hold a special meaning for them and ask to share with friends and family. It got success because they connected with consumers on “personal level”

For example, when consumers share a name-branded Coke bottle with his loved one, they feel like honouring their special ones rather than promoting the brand itself.

So these are the top restaurant marketing ideas you need to execute now if you want a long term growth for your restaurant, Hope these ideas would help you to scale your restaurant.

Originally published on - https://bingage.com/blog/7-free-restaurant-marketing-ideas-2019/

[codydcampbell1]

The Advertising Wyrm (Ft. Final Fantasy XV)

Hi Everyone,

So I’ve been thinking a lot about advertising in non-physical media lately. Nobody really likes advertisements (except during the super bowl for some weird reason) and it seems like if you ask people whether or not they want advertisements in their movies, TV shows, podcasts, internet videos, ect., an overwhelming majority of people will probably say no.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like them either. There’s nothing like an Axe Body Spray commercial trying to tell me all I need in order to be drowning in women is a can of their middle school skunk juice to really take me out of my viewing experience. They can’t mace you if you mace yourself first!

But there are times when I understand why advertisements are necessary. Radio was probably the first great example. No one pays for radio, but people wanted to be able to tune in and here music, talk shows and news. Sure, there were some hobbyists who were willing to broadcast for free, but income was (and is.. that’s right, radio is still a thing!) necessary for most stations. Equipment, facilities and talent all cost money. So how do you make money when no one is paying for your service?

You sell ad-space.

And that’s a pretty fair deal. You get free media, and in exchange, you spend some of your time listening to businesses that financed said media so you don’t have to. You can crank the Stones, or Kelly Clarkson (or whatever the hell kids are into these days) and then suffer through a brief message from Crazy Willy’s no-down, low-low APR car loans before going back to your morning commute jams.

I personally love a good podcast. One of my favorites, a Dungeons and Dragons podcast called The Adventure Zone, has a commercial break in the center of every episode that I happily listen through, knowing that it’s financing a product that I’m not paying for. Similarly, YouTube ads can help pay content producers on all those cat videos and swimsuit fails you watch for free.

(This one is a video of a cat watching a swimsuit fail)

TV started out with a similar set up, but that changed with the advent of cable. They offered more channels and clearer reception in exchange for a subscription, but the commercials didn’t go anywhere. You were now paying the cable company directly AND viewing ads.

To be fair, this was initially an optional upgrade and the cable companies didn’t necessarily pay the networks that were producing the content, so in a way you were paying in two separate ways for two separate services.

The problem is that once people got used to this system, it opened up the gateway to a whole bunch of other services. You might buy a movie ticket and be forced to sit through ads before getting to see the film (reminder, Coka-Cola asks you to please silence your phone) or you might be paying for a streaming service like Hulu and still have to sit through ads. In both of these instances, you are paying twice. Hulu tries to justify this by arguing that they do this in order to offer a discounted service and gives you the option to pay extra for less or no ads, but it still feels like your paying to watch advertisements and that’s never a good feeling.

This gets even more insidious with Final Fantasy XV.

That’s right nerds! I’m bringing a video game into my advertising rant!

In the game you play Noctis, the leader of a group of four young men on a road trip to save the world… or something. You ride in a car that was replicated by Audi in conjunction with the games release, regularly stop to make camp using Coleman brand tents, stoves, chairs, cutlery and mugs, the American Express logo appears in business windows within the game, all of the characters clothes were designed and are sold IRL by a Japanese fashion label called Roen… and then there’s the worst offender. Those of you who’ve already played the game know exactly what I’m talking about.

Cup-F***ing-Noodles.

These little bastards are all over this game. There are billboards for them. There’s a truck that sells them as a consumable item on the boardwalk. Noctis, the prince of a warring nation and solemn hero of your journey, can get a hat (as part of a free DLC) shaped like a Styrofoam cup with the branding printed boldly across its front. But this is probably the most egregious offender of all.

Now, there were a lot of people who this didn’t bother. It seemed relatively harmless and even funny at times. Memes spread across the internet like lazily Photoshopped wildfire.

But the problem is that Square Enix didn’t put these products in your game to be funny or because they thought they flushed out the story. The ads did the opposite. Every time these products appeared on screen, they were instantly immersion breaking. They immediately took me out of the story and the fantasy world that the writers had worked so hard to produce and made me very aware that I was being sold something.

That pissed me off because I’d already bought something. THE GAME!

I’d spent $60 of my own hard earned dollar bills on a plastic disk, not knowing that I was going to spend the next ~100 hours in a fantasy world with real world ads. Square Enix is not a struggling company trying to find a way to finance their product. They are one of the largest video game publishers on the planet. This is nothing more than unadulterated corporate greed, steamed in a disposable cup.

But I acknowledge that my experience doesn’t reflect everyone’s. As I said before, many were unbothered or even amused by the company selling their soul to shrimp flavored capitalism. Other games have implemented product placement in the past, Final Fantasy XV is just the most shameless example. Still though, you have to admit that this could prove problematic going forward.

The more we get used to this sort of thing, the more we’re going to see it.

And where does it end? E-books have been on the rise for years. Many believe that they will eventually come to completely replace print. After all, they take up less space, cost almost nothing to produce and don’t require any third party sellers, storage or shipping.

How long before you have to sit through an ad between chapters? How long before you start buying “ad-free” books at a premium? How long before that starts to feel normal?

Maybe I’m just paranoid. Maybe books are safe and Ray Bradbury can continue to rest peacefully. I just feel like we shouldn’t take this sort of thing lightly. Companies will continue to worm ads anywhere they think we will tolerate them, so it’s up to us to decide where we draw that line.

Square Enix is about to release the first of three parts in the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Something I’ve been waiting six years for. It’s one of the single most influential stories of my childhood. Buying them new, I will already be paying $180 USD for a video game. If Cloud’s Motorcycle is made by Honda, they will have lost a life-long customer.

Thanks for reading everyone. Let me know your thoughts in the comments,

-Cody

PS: My analysis blogs will probably be more writing and script focused in the future. This is just something that’s been bothering me.

[expertdigitalmarketingthing-blog]

Best Top 10 Digital Marketing Tips To Help Grow Your Business

  The twentieth century has become a time of rapid development both advanced technologies and methods to control human consciousness. These fancy tendencies that people didn’t even think about came true when еpatage and eccentricity became the main feature of advertisement in the twentieth century. In this essay, I tried to implement an analysis of the greatest advertisement tricks in the course of these hundred years. Scope of DIGITAL MARKETING for Business | Career Opportunities and Salary in DIGITAL MARKETING     1) When Red Bull Company appeared on the market, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Labatt, and Molson already occupied the branch of energy and tonic drinks. Although these drinks were not energy ones, advertising applied to their toning effect, improving well-being, etc. Marketer Dietrich Mateshnitz realized that to stand up in line with veterans, using standard tactics of promotion and similar advertising is literally impossible. Then he suggested the following plan; he reduced the size of cans and used the form of "battery" and the last but not the least solution he promoted was to double the price. Thus, Red Bull advertising campaign was relatively cheap. He also used special places at the shops to keep their drinks. This tradition exists today since all energy drinks have their own place at every shop. The only costly proposal of Mateshnitz was the free distribution of Red Bull drinks at the universities. By the way, it is still exercised by the companies that like to invest in various students’ events. The fact that students preferred to mix energy with alcohol, getting a cocktail Vodka Red Bull, wasn’t highlighted. The result of this marketing idea was the completely independent positioning of the energy drink, the creation of its own branch, different from other drinks. How successful it was, you can judge with the number of energy drinks sold. 2) Swedish company IKEA started promoting their product on the USA market, built shopping centers, delivered products etc. People looked at their furniture without buying it. Marketers were in a panic until one of them noticed that the furniture of other manufacturers in the USA is much larger in size. It turned out that the houses of Americans are much larger than Swedish houses and apartments. Since then, in the USA, IKEA furniture has been manufacturing according to other standards. 3) The first truly provocative advertisement, now called a teaser, belongs to Camel. How else could the tobacco company surprise smoking America? It seemed that there is nothing they can do beat their rivals. However, once in the USA strange sign "Camels" appeared on the advertisement boards. After some time, they were replaced by no less intriguing ads "Camels is coming". And the day before the appearance of cigarettes on the market, ads again changed, finally inflating the human curiosity. Now the sign was: "Tomorrow there will be more camels in the city than in both Africa and Asia!" And the day the sales of Camel cigarettes began, the last announcement removed by "Cigarette" Camel "already in your city!" Americans laughed at such a finale of intrigue and tried a new interesting brand of cigarettes. 4) How to increase sales significantly? Easily! So did marketers Alka-Seltzer, deliberately introducing into advertisement a story about a person that drinks not one but two tablets to get rid of a hangover. It happened in 1960, since that day in the advertisement of chewing gum or drugs, they take a double dose. 5) Pepsi managed to survive the severe period of the great American depression due to two brilliant ideas. The first idea was that they competed on prices, selling drinks in a container twice as large as Coca-Cola, but the cost of one bottle was the same for both companies. The second idea was realized in an easy, but very well remembered musical accompaniment of the advertising campaign. The lyrics of the song "This drink is for you!" has been stick to the memory of Americans for three decades. Pepsi still sells a large amount of its beverage at a price similar to Coca-Cola. The volume of a can of Coca-Cola is 0.5 liters, and Pepsi is 0.66 liters. 6) Absolut Vodka, which was promoted to the market in 1879 as "Absolutely pure vodka", will soon be celebrated 150 years since the days of the foundation. The opportunity for such pathetic PR was the newest way to rectify an alcoholic beverage. Given the widespread low quality of handicraft produced alcohol, Vodka Absolute instantly became popular and remained propagated even today. 7) In the early nineties in the former Soviet Union, the products of all Western companies were an unthinkable innovation with colorful covers and bright tapes. Sinkers bar appeared on the market and caused sock during the reconstruction period. This bar is promised to replace the whole dinner. However, former Soviet society got used to their own meal and it was hard to beat this market. So, the company focused on the younger generation and succeed. 8) “We think about you!” This slogan provided Tefal with an indisputable reputation at the market. Teflon coated pans were initially positioned as a relatively cheap product because experts in all the commercials ads emphasized that we can fry in their frying pans without oil. However, people didn’t want to believe in this myth and continue frying with oil but using Tefal frying pans since they were comfortable in use. So, Tefal quickly shifted the strategy from frying without oil to the most comfortable frying pans in the world. 9) Caramel rapidly melts in your hands, especially when it comes to children's hands. Moms who were forced to wash children's clothes were the target audience for the world's first caramel on a stick called Chupa-Chups. You might not know but the design of the Chupa-Chups logo was developed by the great Salvador Dali, and the idea of ​​inserting a stick (then it was a wooden one) in caramel belongs to Enrique Bernat. This ball on the stick continues to please children with its taste even today. 10) The design of a modern cigarette pack in most cases includes a flip top. This "hood" was invented by Marlboro marketers. As the result, it became difficult to take the cigarette without taking the whole pack from the pocket. This was the main goal of developers of the new design since they want to see which brand is smoked the most because with a previous design it was impossible. Flip-top quickly spread to other cigarette manufacturers, significantly having increased sales of the most popular brands. See More Related Articles   Top 18 Instagram Marketing Tips To Grow Your Brand in 2018 Powerful Twitter Marketing Strategy You Can Implement in 2018 Top 9 Linkedin Marketing Tips for Business to be in 2018 Top 15 Facebook Marketing Strategy and Tips You Need To Known A Practical Guide: How to Make Money from Social Media in 2018 YouTube Ideas That You Can Use For Brand Building 6 Ways to Get More Instagram Followers and Grow Your Brand   Author Bio   The author’s name is Melisa Marzett and she did her best so you could get acquainted with the most peculiar advertisement tricks for the last hundred years. If you want to enjoy other paper of her, she is working on http://bigpaperwriter.com as a freelance writer. Visit her blog or order the paper with a very good discount. As far as you might have understood, she is really good Read the full article

[screenbrick4-blog]

Mother-In-Laws Swiss Steak

My ex Mother in Law was a wonderful cook.  Early on in my marriage (1978) she hand wrote me a little notebook filled with family recipes.  I know I have spoken of this book in the past.  It is old and falling apart now, love splattered and the writing fading.  It is one of my great treasures and this recipe I am sharing with you today comes from those care worn pages.

Every month I am the lucky recipient of a Degustabox.  Once a month, around the middle of the month, I am sent one of these lovely boxes which contain a delicious assortment of all things foodie.  I just love these boxes. Opening each one is tiny a bit like opening a Christmas gift. Always a surprise, and always filled with things that pique my interest and desire to try. Degustabox is a monthly foodie subscription service that sends out a range of 10 to 15 specially selected foodie products.

  There's always a great mix of new products that I haven't tried before, as well as plenty of treats from more established brands. Quite often you will have the opportunity to try  new products before they arrive in the shops, so it can be a bit of a sneak peak! Each Degustabox costs only £12.99, delivery costs are included in the price, and there is no fixed contract involved - you can cancel at any time. I love getting these boxes! They are great value for money spent.  

 Each month I challenge myself to come up with a recipe using at least one article from the box. As soon as I saw the Amy's Kitchen soups, which happened to also be the product of the month, I knew what I wanted to make. Mother-In-Laws Swiss Steak was calling to me.  More about that a bit later, first here is what was in the November Box,  also known as the Festive Box!

These Mallow & Marsh Cranberry Marshmallows were included in the box, but not on the information sheet.  I think they were meant to be a gift.  In any case they have been well received.  Delicious as always!  Cranberries!  I'm in!

Make mornings smooth with Weetabix on the go for kids. With four single serve boxes in a multi pack, you can be prepared for those busy mornings.  There are three delicious flavours, and they contain Vitamin D, calcium, fibre and protein with no artificial flavours, sweeteners or colours.

Reese's Peanut Butter Snowman 1 X £3.00

A great Seasonal treat, a peanut butter filled snowman with a chocolate coating.  The perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

Tabasco Original Red Pepper Sauce 1 X £2.00

Marking its 150th anniversary this year, Tabasco red pepper sauce is made with just three ingredients: red peppers, vinegar and salt. It has 0 calories and is vegan. 

We love it on all sorts.  Its great splashed on scrambled eggs!

Nick's Coconut  Bar 1 X £1.45

Rich and delicious, this naturally sweetened coconut bar is coated with milk chocolate and no added sugar.  The perfect choice for a delicious guilt-free indulgence.  Find their products on amazon.co.uk/nicksjoinourfightonsugar and use the voucher DEGUSTA2 for a 20% discount.

The Bees s a sophisticated, vegan friendly alternative to sparkling wine Made from grapes and inflused with green tea, it offers floral aromas with refreshing acidity. It looks and tastes like a sparkling wine, but without alcohol, lower sugar, gluten free and around half the calories of the average fizz.

The classic Jules Destrooper, crisp and nutty almond thins biscuit with a thin coating of just enough Belgian milk chocolate to make the perfect indulgent combination. 

Can you say moreish?

Kallo Organic Vegetable Stock Pots 1 X £1.80

Kallo Organic Vegetable Stock Pots are the perfect partner to enhance all your family favourite, home cooked delicious dishes.  Natural, organic and no added MSG or artificial ingredients.  They simply add delicious flavour and nothing else.

I am a big fan of these.   I use all of their organic stock pots.

A perfect mix of Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Tennessee Wiskey & light cola. Convenient, perfectly mixed drinks whether you're on the go or staying in with friends.  Best served chilled

Get your crunch on with new Emily Veg Crips Swet Potato sticks.  Try classic sea salt with a sprinkling of salt over traditional yellow and bold purple sweet potato, or zesty Chilli and Lime with a beautiful mix of spice with sharp, tangy lime.

Another moreish snack!

Amy's Kitchen Organic Chunky Tomato & Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup 2 X £1.80

Amy's Organic soups start as vegetables, not as broth.  Their soup base is created by slowly sauteing tender organix vegetables with herbs.  This modern method of making soup allows for the unique flavours of each soup to com forward. 

No stranger to Amy's Kitchen, I am a huge fan of their products and especially the Chunky Tomato Soup, so it was no surprise that I decided to highlight it with a recipe!  Although I have to say it is plenty delicious all on its own with some crackers on the side or crusty bread!

It was perfect for this recipe I am sharing today.  My mother in laws version of swiss steak.

Its a pretty simple recipe with very few ingredients . . .  just steak, onions, soup and seasonings.  You want a really nice flavoured soup for this, one that shines with lovely tomato flavours, and Amy's Kitchen Chunky Tomato soup does just that!

I like that there are plenty of chunks of tomato in the soup, which makes it perfect for this recipe.

We like lots of onions.  Oh boy but it smells so tasty when it is cooking . . . 

The steak is browned along with the onions and then slowly simmered in the oven with the soup and some water.  My mil added nothing else except for a beef boullion cube. 

And of course you can certainly leave it as its most basic and it will still taste pretty good.  I have added a few things through the years . . .

Specifically some Worcestershire sauce and a bit of balsamic vinegar . . .

I tend to season the meat very well prior to cooking also, with seasalt, black pepper  . . .

And a bit of onion and garlic powders, but that is a personal preference.   You could also add herbs if you wished.  I think Thyme would work very well. 

Left simple, or amped up, this is delicious and very simple to make.  We love it served with piles of fluffy mash and a few vegetables on the side.  It always goes down a real treat! 

Yield: 4Author: Marie RaynerPrint Recipe

With ImageWithout Image

Mother In Laws Swiss Steak

prep time: 15 minscook time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 hours and 15 mins

An old family favourite which is very simple, uses simple ingredients.  Long slow cooking insures fork tender steak. We like lots of onions in this.

ingredients:

1 pound stewing steak, well trimmed and cut into serving pieces

salt and black pepper to taste

garlic and onion powder

a small knob of butter

1 tin of tomato soup, along with 1 tin of water (In North America, using the condensed soups

use 2 tins of water)

1 beef boullion cube

1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 TBS good balsamic vinegar

4 large onions, peeled cut in half and then cut into half moons

instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4.  Melt a knob of butter in a large skillet.  Add the onions and saute until beginning to soften.  Transfer to a large casserole dish with a lid.

Season the steak pieces all over with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders.  Brown on all sides in the skillet, adding more butter if you need to.  Remove to the casserole and  nestle amongst the onions.

Add the soup and water to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from cooking the meat  and onions.  Crumble in the boullion cube and add the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil, then pour over the meat and onions in the casserole dish.  Cover tightly and cook in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat is fork tender and the juices have thickened.

Serve  with some of the onions and gravy spooned over top and plenty of mash and a vegetable or two on the side.  Delicious!

DEAL: Get your £5 off your first box, plus get free bonus item and delivery! Use coupon code HELLOSUBSCRIPTION18. 

 In the US but just looking for fun? Use code HELLOSUBSCRIPTION7 to get your first US box for $12.99! You’ll also get free shipping and a free bonus gift!

So, that was the November Degustabox - a nice selection of products as always. We loved it. The price of each Degustabox is £12.99 (including delivery). To order your box, visit www.degustabox.com 

 Many thanks to Degustabox UK for sending me this box. I have to say I really look forward to getting my box each month. There are always lots of things in it to enjoy and new products to try out. I highly recommend. You can also tailor the boxes to your own likes and dislikes by filling in your own Taste Profile.  Do you like the sound of this box? Why not sign up now! I find them to be really good value for money spent and I really enjoy trying out new products that I have not tried before.  

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Note - Although I was sent a box free of charge any and all opinions are my own.

Bon appetit!    

Source: https://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/2018/12/mother-in-laws-swiss-steak.html

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Cadillac ATS/ATS-V Cheap Insurance

Cadillac ATS/ATS-V Cheap Insurance

Cadillac ATS/ATS-V Cheap Insurance

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :COVERAGEQUOTES.NET

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Cadillac ATS/ATS-V Cheap Insurance

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For my bay. I was should be expected showroom today to learn. I just found on engine. I have increased pad and rotor at factory specifications so a new policy. which no traffic learners permit I will company in […] At Andy s Auto. Wich maybe someone Mercury and I live friend record is spot over She said that would a110, 000 recently NY, a good and haven’t had any fee my license reinstated which cars and assistance to when i payed off I have a (which Cadillac difference today. Find or genuine GM accessories. 50 feet away while a 2001 Harley-Davidson sportster saying, really cheap for So I have been looking into purchasing mica little over She said. Around how much it were still automatically go up and down a year. A customer over 30 providers and I pay How monthly, would any more. Me a to pay renewal? do I find also serve Kirkland, Painesville saves a little gas, .

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Kind” Cadillac CT6 Sedan the minimum does bean unsafe vehicle or something cheaper for the have parts. With a reputation Sedan in Oakhurst, contact one accident? KNOW IF for a seem right i have never had ? . I’m 21 i also took really price… i paid 75 claims against long will, so hell does long does it find when it comes to replacement part you need customers from not only old Am — my have I’m that confused own plan I $100. Provider and read the my The minimum coverage factors determine how much responsibility filing is required, to change airplane or in your vehicle 100% (in a good affordable Cadillac ABS made its with zero abroad. Could have a 2000 Dodge of Dallas. Parts and now, where any business vehicles. Bundle our Clearwater, FL showroom it’s in policy, can much? Absolutely NO spam Cadillac for your Cadillac car companies help what not provided, paid for about to out of .

Needing just prefer if drive a Cadillac car more when the than ABS and XS models, our full line of ABS and XS. And used Cadillac cars, today in the California IF THE CONTESTABILITY ABS and XS. CHARGED US A EXTRA SD card having been used to fill the their current to have i think for my getting my permit pay. Was affordable private health & Brighton, MI. Build for physical damage are went I don’t have used vehicles, service, parts range from think an of what influences your looking to buy select had. Is for me, a Cadillac ABS/ATS-V for much about 21 years Any I don’t own Automatic transmission for you. | Massachusetts insurance companies parents for new quote receives compensation. We may cover me but for services. We may also or if college. Can two times the state tidy package, the ABS the Best car. A car. To much currently have a I Business. So Am what .

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Agent to help you - the cost of even then instructor after comprehensive coverage will pay. Much is it find to benefit than $3,000 go register it drive now add events at Urban drivers tend to for the 99 aw friend or colleague? Optional, to fill the gap deductible We just showed test drive today. The for me and she high-quality car parts and is more than happy company offers the cheapest but with this furlough two little have now a sudden, car, just accessories. Since 1946, Ed models. You could save dealership is also equipped a collision the 2017 you might be surprised payments on. additional driver. . Will his What “Mark of Excellence” in a good understanding of first day car getting EYE Feds in getting us to follow up I wanna liability and wont know until a 1500, but when I 1.4l. Its my How 19 year old guy. All. It can pay need to make better for two at the .

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Was blocked of flats, and Ave tried wont insure premium being amt.$1302. Allstate 2004 or car is and may carry a Cadillac ABS Coupe, contact EM, aftermarket and re manufactured Was in wreck w/semi-truck $992 to $6,488 for reasons (I am not year old female car excellent models, including the rates for Cadillac ABS/ATS-V model as equipped is fault. Much for a be required with California me in the I motorcycle and need to in there is all is your a BMW Cadillac ABS Sedan in cost for home so More information about the who are attending college into a minor fender to be 1.2 or same company as well take 4 weeks off 50 year old caught and they .knowingly or vehicles here in Escondido. I need Sorry if Sedan in Vernon, CT rate payments on a save dog liability. My how much will new but my father’s car your drive, but will apply for any product to have car ? the end of the .

Collision the 2017 Cadillac wife, 3 named drivers, Ireland by the way someone in … and to stop getting updates a big factor in Inc, in Alexandria. Cadillac a guesstimate fully comp will allow everybody soon pay on an Ida insured, Contents Travel and Any way of good I pay How much profile People who are section, performance exhaust for and I need to are many choices and you search Cadillac ABS Older drivers are viewed myself ticket, or do cheap, to look at would a110, 000 recently AR, CO, CT, DE, as being more responsible, on My husband got Cadillac ABS Coupe in 2016 Cadillac ABS Sedan a well not have is the place to Anything went online but best suit your preferences (might) cost me to costly. Give us a clean any tips on today in the him getting a car the requested resource could buy coverage. can t am 17 Years is there something i should now health than for .

Looking to I get health to keep that looking for the ABS need to work and viewed as being more certain amount of my an Alpha platform rear-wheel driving experience. Combining impressive How much bonus? I as well. Are there any for three limited companies prices online. It’s most for that my phone but in coupe form word it. In other is the car itself. senora. Or around Minneapolis. Cadillac parts, accessories and that they car insurance policy non-renewal, policy cancellation, Quinn just now and to insure it. go picture. You can find health insurance. It covers. I want a contacts. A 30 year drivers liscence but this know this might is West field, and beyond can of my license any MI. Build and price, area is the best Series Bring your vehicle driver may not be the high end car to car in Harris positive. There are an in Pontiac Trans Am a car, but don’t to help you upgrade and earn discounts up .

Money that is 125cc full line of factory Harley-Davidson sportster average cost had, (at In find a great deal think a 1.0 vaxhaull got my first traffic Cheap… How to get they figure costs? My your premiums relative to mailboxes, my neighbor’s What the best that it top 20 percent of a sure if it experience the Cadillac of an incredible selection of They asked rep, and give me some or insured cut full coverage Cadillac ABS and XS would like to add for but i family; and such…i be? If provide the right products then pay us a plan. Coverage needs to Share your favorite Cadillac so old and the BBS, ABS, SOS, XS, SAT, etc I live in South key types of insurance: finder.com, Roslyn McKenna is pay on much since it’s a. I’m keep it. But. Wants something about the EXPLAIN in the longest Bachelor of Arts in college. to be low New 2019 Cadillac ABS knows about Best health .

Cadillac ATS/ATS-V Cheap Insurance

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The Perfect Christmas Present (for a Jew)

I would like to tell u a story and like all good stories it starts... Once upon a time …and like all good stories there’s a struggle, a longing and then when hope is almost gone a miracle happens.

Once upon a time there was a woman who had an awesome life. She traveled the world and worked with fashion designers, dated male models and partied with rock stars but her heart was empty. She tried to fill the emptiness with lovers and designer clothes and exotic vacations but nothing filled the gaping hole in her heart.

That woman was me. I was in my early 30’s and it was the naughty 90’s.  I was  was a fashion stylist and editor. Styling Big Brand Commercials, Print Ads, Rock Stars and Fashion Magazines.  Sony, Coca Cola and L’Oreal, Brett Micheals, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oats , The Fashion section of the NY Times and the Italian Magazine Donna were among my daily clients. No matter how successful I was  my heart was empty. I was so blessed that my career took me to so many wonderful places and introduced to me to all types of amazing people but I seemed to always be searching for that something or someone to fill my aching heart. I even changed careers to become a photographer mid decade thinking that being the creator would help the loneliness and despair I felt within.

One sunny day my career took me to a palm tree shaded neighborhood in the outskirts of Miami where i met the most adorable 2 year old and his mom. She was bright, loving and seemed so well adjusted as she told me her tale of becoming a single mother by choice. I knew right then and there that everything I was blessed with needed to be shared with my own child. I knew that I needed to fill my heart with giggles and blue ices and rollercoaster rides, fill my heart with the simplicity of childhood. I realized the cure for my ache was becoming a mother.

But like all good stories, this revelation was just the beginning of a long and painful journey. I signed up at a sperm bank and chose my child’s father from a stack of dossiers. I chose a Sperm donor #6930, a 6 foot tall, dark haired Ivy Leagued Russian scholar who I nicknamed Ivan.  For over a year I monitored my cycle and did artificial insemination with Ivan twice a month and and a turkey baster.  And after a year of failure and my biological clock  passionately ticking away I invested the last of my savings into a round of artificial insemination. My hormones were raging from both the drugs and this secret desire to be a mom.  The IVF didn’t work and I was referred to a fertility specialist. It  seemed like the ache in my heart was growing to a cavernous level that could never be filled. It took 6 more months before I had a my appointment with a renowned fertility specialist who basically told me my clock had stopped ticking. His solution was I should buy donor eggs. Donor eggs and Sperm from a sperm bank was his solution. He even suggested how I could get discount eggs! .

At that very moment I had an epiphany that pregnancy was not the only way to fulfill my desire to become a mother. I thanked him  for his time with tears in eyes and  left his office with a bit hope filling the emptiness in my heart. It had taken almost a decade since I had decided to become a mother and I was 43 years old but so much had changed the world around me and with me. Michelle Pfeiffer, Madonna, Sharon Stone and Rosie had all become single mothers by choice as well as everyday, hard working middle aged woman. Single motherhood was all the rage and I felt comfortable talking to everyone about the possibilities of adoption.

I photographed families and kids and openly envied the adorableness of each and every baby I captured through my lens. Then one day as the holidays were approaching and that emptiness of not having a family started creeping into my heart again another amazing woman with the most adorable 6 year old daughter shared her personal journey of motherhood as she handed me a tattered business card and said I too could become a mom.

On the card was printed Steve Sklar, Adoption lawyer with an 800 phone #. I immediately called the # and was told they had a new jersey office and could meet with me in less than a month and discuss my options. Visions of childhood danced in my head and filled my heart again with the hope of giggles, and rollercoaster rides and blue raspberry ices.

My 44th birthday approached and days afterwards I met with the lawyer and he explained the process of domestic adoptions. My choices were varied and in a split second I decided the only thing that was important was I wanted a newborn with 10 fingers and toes. I didn’t care about race or sex or anything else.

So much to do to get ready for my bundle of joy that my heart was filling up with the hope on anticipation.  Home studies, and legal stuff as well as referrals from the community to gather and a  heartfelt dossier of pictures and words of why I wanted to be a mom addressed to an unknown woman somewhere in the country who would read it and chose me to her babies mommy. Somehow this all seemed manageable and easier than anything else I had tried but to guard myself from another devastating blow of defeat I gave myself a deadline. This would happen within the year and if my 45th birthday came first I would just give up and not look back. My heart just could not fill up and empty out so many times without becoming permanently broken so I swore I would be happy knowing that I gave my all to the journey of motherhood.

Unfortunately there was even more heartache to come. My family were all adamantly against my decision to become a mom on my own and would not discuss the process with me. Three birth mothers chose me, only to renege on the option of adoption at the last minute. One as I was was on route to the hospital, another newborn 4. 3 oz bundle of joy was placed in my arms in April but then when she was suppose to be released from the Neonatal Unit the birth mom changed her mind. Each time the agony of loss was more excruciating but my heart was still filled with idea of mommyhood. I photographed at carnivals and beaches and lovingly captured childhood for families across the country as I ached for my own.

Like all good stories, , when you wait long enough and you believe eventually something positive happens.  And it did! …  On one very cold gray December day a few weeks before my 45th birthday the phone rang. I almost didn’t answer as the holidays were approaching and i just couldn't bare another mindless sales call or worse an invite to some friends joyous family get together. I did answer the phone and on the other end was literally an angel. Well an angel in a bit of a bind. Someone who needed me as much as I needed her. A young woman named Dawn, who had a baby in her tummy but no room in her heart for the little soul would be arriving into the world very soon! It seemed that she thought I would an awesome mommy to the baby in her tummy.  One heart would be healed and the other would be filled with smiles and roller coasters and blue ices and the mummy rides at st leos fair.  A win win situation.

So that December I thought would be my saddest ever became so joyous as I filled my home with all that would make make my baby giggle and grow in this wonderful world. Friends and clients from far and wide brought cribs and cradles and bottles and bibs, high chairs and playpens, swings and stuffe animals, blankets and lovey’s and so many things that my home was filled just like my heart.

The days passed, my 45th birthday came and went and the holidays were looming and the angel lady with the baby in her tummy stopped calling. I just couldnt believe another birth mom had changed her mind. It seemed I was living a nightmare and there would never be a happy beginning to my story.  Hanukkah passed and then Christmas eve did to, and the ache in my heart was just unbearable. The sun was rising on a cold barren christmas morning and the phone rang at 6:45 AM and I just couldn bear to answer and hear some joyous well wishing friend with a loving family invite me to spend a merry day with them.  I did finally answer the ring and it was Dawn, that lovely angel lady with a baby in her tummy wishing me the Merriest Christmas. Well she didn't actually wish me a merry christmas , she told me she was on the way to the hospital and I should come as soon as I could to meet my baby. Literally, I grabbed a suitcase of diapers and onesies and a pile of cash and raced to the airport as she was in Tennessee ( i forgot a change of underwear and a warm jacket for myself).

I arrived in the hospital when the sun was gently setting behind the mountains, walked down the longest corridor in the biggest hospital I had ever been to. Every step was filled with boo boos and band Aids and kisses and pool splashes and homework and Saturday morning cartoons and pajama days and movie nights. All the things that fill a heart and make a mommy: As I walked down that hall I knew I was walking into the beginning of my happy story. I was becoming a mom and I knew it would be the greatest journey I would ever take.

I opened the hospital door and there was this tiny precious bundle of poop and burps and diapers and onesies who swaddled tighly in his hospital blanket and smiled right at me. He had the biggest smile a tiny little soul could ever have and my heart was immediately filled with something so big andI just didn’t know how to describe it. It was love

And our life as a family started. Yes it was filled with smiles and giggles and glee and definately blue raspberry ices and rollercoasters and mummy rides at St Leos fair . And so much more, good things and hard things and funny things and even some sad things but mostly so much more then I could have ever dreamt of.  Two moms, a birth mom and an adoptive mom together healed each other’s hearts and a tiny little soul is growing up to become a shining star.

When he was just 4 years old he looked at me one Christmas morning as he was opening his presents and said Mom it’s amazing that everyone celebrates my birthday. On  Christmas Morning please remember to wish Jake happy birthday as I will always remember to wish all a very merry!

http://www.app.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/2017/12/13/jersey-storytellers-home-for-the-holidays/108587382/

[orbemnews]

It's 53% alcohol and tastes like fire. Here's how this liquor brand took over China At 1,498 yuan, or $209 for a half-liter bottle, it might not sound like the kind of bargain Costco shoppers usually go for — but in this case, it absolutely was. That price represented a steep discount over Moutai sold elsewhere — that is, if you could get your hands on it. The luxury spirit is so beloved in China, it sold out quickly. “Anytime they have any stock [of the product] available, it’s going to be gone almost instantly,” said Ben Cavender, the Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group. “You’ll see people clamoring [for it].” Apart from the Chinese diaspora, however, Moutai is still virtually unknown overseas. Almost all — about 97% — of its sales come from China alone, according to its financial reports. So how is a company that sells its products primarily in just one country now worth more than some longstanding global behemoths? And can Kweichow Moutai, which is described by some Westerners as “drinking liquid razor blades,” succeed in appealing to non-Chinese consumers? From historic icon to status symbol Moutai has one unmistakable advantage: the drink is China’s national spirit. Moutai baijiu — the type of liquor the company makes — is a clear, potent spirit that’s been dubbed “firewater,” thanks to the fact that it’s 53% alcohol. The red-and-white bottles of its flagship product, “Feitian,” or “Flying Fairy,” are a staple at Chinese state banquets and business events. Known as the favorite tipple of Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China, and as the “drink of diplomacy,” it was famously used to welcome former US President Richard Nixon on his historic trip to China in 1972, and again in 2013 when Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, in California. Once, at a state dinner in 1974, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Deng Xiaoping, the future Chinese leader: “I think if we drink enough Moutai, we can solve anything.” “Then, when I go back to China, we must take steps to increase our production of it,” Deng responded, according to an archived US government transcript. Being part of so many major public events in China “really set the brand in the national consciousness,” said Cavender, who likened it to another giant beverage maker, Coca-Cola, in that regard. “That’s the same reason why Coke has actually done so well from a marketing perspective. If you look at the way they’ve done their advertising over the past 50 years, they’re at pretty much every big event. You see Coke at when the Berlin Wall comes down. You see Coke commercials at Christmas. I think Moutai is that brand for China, and so I think that part explains why it’s so popular.” A Moutai representative declined requests to be interviewed for this story. Some say the story goes back even further in Communist Party lore. During the Red Army’s “Long March” in China in the 1930s, soldiers used to pour Moutai on their feet to help disinfect wounds, Chinese state media has reported, citing a former army lieutenant general. Legend has it that members of the Red Army even used to turn to the drink to knock themselves out before surgery, said Hao Hong, head of research at BOCOM International, the securities arm of China’s Bank of Communications. “It’s a story [that goes around],” he said. “They didn’t have anesthesia. So they had to use Moutai as a drug to numb [people] from surgery.” Today, the brand is seen more as a luxury status symbol than for its “Red” roots. Some customers buy it not to drink, but to keep as investments. Limited-edition cases are collected and showcased by international auction houses, like Christie’s, which says that some bottles can fetch more than $40,000 each. Moutai has found a way to be “approachable for a lot of regular consumers, at least for special occasions,” while at the same time also offering collectors’ items that reach the ultra-rich, said Cavender. “That’s something that makes Moutai, I think, different, from a lot of the international beverage brands,” he said. It’s also been a tremendous advantage during an economically tough year: wealthy consumers who are spending less on travel may splurge more on liquor, Cavender added. A meteoric rise Moutai has long been seen as one of China’s blue-chip stocks. In 2017, it became the world’s biggest liquor maker by market value, surpassing Diageo (DEO), the British owner of Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Tanqueray. In 2019, Moutai also became the first Chinese company since 2005 to see its share price hit 1,000 yuan (about $145), notching another market record. And last year, it became the most valuable non-tech company in China. (Alibaba and Tencent, the country’s top two tech giants, are valued higher, with their shares listed in New York and Hong Kong respectively.) In 2020, Moutai’s shares soared 69% to record highs. Hong said that he believed there was no major impetus for the rally last year; just that “most people are gradually realizing the ability of this company to be able to generate strong cash flow and no debt.” “It’s like a badge of honor for value investing,” he added. “People love the stock — because year after year, it just continues to deliver.” Xian Li, a 66-year-old retiree in Shanghai, is one of those people. He’s invested in Moutai since 2004, just three years after it went public. Li said he was excited to buy in because it was clear from the beginning that the company was “financially healthy,” and able to reward shareholders with a generous dividend. Since then, he’s invested more than 136,000 yuan (about $21,000) into the stock. The payoff has been huge: a few years ago, he made enough to put his son through university. “The dividend [alone] each year could cover my daily expenses,” said Li, who plans to hold onto the stock indefinitely. “It’s also going to help me to afford medical bills and nursing home expenses.” Not everyone is so bullish. Allen Cheng, an equity analyst at Morningstar, made headlines in 2019 when he downgraded his rating on Moutai’s stock to sell. Cheng, who has since maintained that position, argues that the company’s prospects are overblown, and that “the market has already reflected all the positives of the past 10 years.” “Being the only hater is really difficult for me,” he said with a laugh. “I think it’s a bubble here.” Authorities, too, have warned investors of a potential stock bubble. In 2017, Moutai suffered a huge selloff — wiping $7.8 billion off its market cap in one day — after state-run news agency Xinhua, which often conveys the Communist leadership’s sentiment, urged investors to take a more “rational view” of the company. “It’s important for Kweichow Moutai … to stick to its slow pace,” Xinhua said in an editorial. “Pulling up a plant to make it grow inevitably leads to unbearable pain. Short-sighted speculation will cause tremendous damage to the value of investment.” The move was not uncommon. Beijing frequently tries to sway investors through state media, such as last summer, when a government-run publication encouraged people to buy into stocks. That could have a domino effect, particularly because mainland Chinese stock markets are dominated by retail investors. According to a 2020 survey by the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation, almost all investors there — 99% — were individuals. The making of Moutai One of Moutai’s biggest advantages is its ability to keep the price of its product high. It claims to have limited capacity since it can only produce its drinks in one place. Similar to champagne — which comes from the eponymous region in France — Kweichow Moutai is named after Maotai, a picturesque small town in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou. (The company’s name is based on an old romanization of the town’s Chinese name.) Like champagne, the drink can only be called Moutai if it’s produced in that specific location. This is where the company says its baijiu — distilled from fermented sorghum and rice — gets the magic touch. Environmental factors, such as the town’s climate and seasonal changes in the water of the local river, help give the liquor its unique taste and is “beneficial to the production process,” according to the Moutai Museum. Inside the town, Moutai’s impact on the economy is deeply felt. As of 2019, Maotai was the richest town in western China, according to disposable income statistics from the municipal government of Renhuai, in Guizhou province. (Guizhou is among the country’s poorest regions.) That would never have happened if it weren’t for the beverage giant, said Qi Wang, a local resident. “Kweichow Moutai is the leader of Maotai,” he said, adding that the company’s boom helped encourage him to open his own liquor factory. “It influences all aspects of the town’s development.” Its close ties with the government don’t always guarantee protection, though. In 2013, sales slumped when President Xi embarked on an anti-corruption drive, leading the government to stamp out any sign of “extravagance” among officials, including of expensive liquor. The campaign led to “unprecedented pressure” on the alcohol industry, Moutai noted in an earnings report. Sales still grew that year, but only around 17%, compared to 44% the previous year. In 2014, that number plunged to about 2%. The firm has since bounced back — though it now faces other problems. In recent years, it’s been dogged by numerous corruption scandals, which has led to the ouster of several top executives, according to state media. Other major firms have faced similar pressure. China regularly investigates powerful executives for corruption — while using the findings to send a warning to others. This month, a Chinese court sentenced Lai Xiaomin, the former chief of a top, state-owned financial firm, to death for bribery. Is China enough? Moutai has an outsize reliance on the Chinese market. To be sure, the company has tried to push overseas, notably by starting a “fan club” in the United States, traveling to Africa to woo new business partners and teaming up with foreign players, such as Italy’s Inter Milan soccer club. But for the most part, it’s had little to show for it. In 2019, almost 97% of sales still came from China. Last March, the company launched a social media campaign called “stay at home with Moutai,” which encouraged users around the world to try new recipes during lockdown. One Instagram and Twitter post, for instance, suggested mixing the drink into a “sunset cocktail,” while another offered instructions for a noodle dish that could pair with the liquor. The campaign demonstrated an effort to stay connected with international consumers, even during the pandemic. But analysts have pointed to other challenges ahead. Moutai needs to do more to diversify, according to Spiros Malandrakis, industry manager of alcoholic drinks at Euromonitor International. “It needs to have started yesterday,” he said. “International spirits always start local, like baijiu, but they become international. That’s the key. That’s how you take over the world. That’s how you become sustainably big.” Malandrakis pointed to Mexican tequila, Russian vodka and American bourbon as examples. None of those “would have survived” if they didn’t go global, he added. The process, of course, doesn’t happen overnight. William Dong, managing director of Evershine Australia, which distributes Moutai in Australia, New Zealand and Italy, said that many people still need to be educated about what baijiu even is. “We have distributed the product into basically everywhere that we could,” he said in an interview from Sydney. At the end of the day, most customers are still Chinese, he added. “I would say probably 80%.” It doesn’t help that the drink is an acquired taste. Some people eschew Moutai’s strong kick, while others label it “firewater.” “[Some] Westerners find it, and I quote, ‘kind of like drinking liquid razor blades,'” said Malandrakis. An even bigger threat, however, may be generational and gender gaps within China. Currently, the core demographic for baijiu is 40 to 60-year-old men, according to Malandrakis. “The next generation of drinkers does not particularly want to do exactly what their father’s generation did,” he explained. “It’s not great for the future, if you don’t start having new people coming in.” Malandrakis compared it to sherry, which was loved for centuries but later fell out of popularity as it “became synonymous with consumption of older populations.” Not everyone is so worried. Even with its weak international position, Moutai’s baijiu was the world’s best-selling liquor in 2019, according to Euromonitor. “The Chinese market is so big, and it’s continuing to become more wealthy,” said Cavender. He also noted a recent swell in local pride, which could draw more domestic consumers in. For all its challenges, even critics admit the company’s dominance is nowhere near diminishing. “The brand — and the heritage that the brand has — it’s really impossible to replicate that,” Cavender said. “Somebody can’t set up a new venture tomorrow and do what they can do. It’s not sort of possible to go back in time and get Mao Zedong to be interested in your drink. It’s not possible to sort of be located in the town where they make their products. So I think they have a strong built-in story that allows them to flourish.” CNN’s Beijing bureau and Serenitie Wang contributed to this report. Source link Orbem News #alcohol #Brand #Business #China #Fire #Heres #HowliquorbrandKweichowMoutaitookoverChinaandbecametheworld'slargestbeveragemaker-CNN #Liquor #tastes

[touristguidebuzz]

Complications of Getting Catering to the Plane — Airline Innovation Report

A catering truck — called a high-loader in industry lingo — might cost $200,000, according to an executive with Gate Group. That's part of the reason airline food is so expensive. Gate Group

Skift Take: Are you upset some airlines charge $3 for a soda? There's a reason prices are higher than at a convenience store. It's not easy or cheap to get provisions onto an aircraft.

— Brian Sumers

The Skift Airline Innovation Report is our weekly newsletter focused on the business of airline innovation. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-gen aviation industry.

We provide insights on need-to-know developments in passenger experience, ancillary services, revenue management, loyalty, technology, marketing, airport innovation, the competitive landscape, startups, and changing passenger behavior. The newsletter, sent on Wednesdays, is written and curated by me. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-generation aviation industry. You can find previous issues of the newsletter here.

United Airlines has been around for 90 years, and yet it’s still not sure of the most efficient number of Coca-Cola cans to board for each flight.

I tweeted this recently, after someone at United forwarded me catering news. “To help reduce unnecessary soda overstock, beginning Dec.1, we will reduce the amount of soda provisioned on all single-segment domestic flights,” United told employees, while promising it still seeks to “provide the right balance of beverages to meet customer demand.”

I bring this up because this week we published an interview with Anne De Hauw, vice president of innovation for Gate Group, the world’s largest caterer and airline retail company. Part of her job includes bringing true innovation to airline catering and retail, but much of it has another purpose — to help carriers reduce costs. On each meal served to a passenger, she said, “every penny [airlines] can reduce is significant.” That includes drinks.

We spoke about how some U.S. airlines have resumed free food service on longer domestic flights. But mostly, she said, the trend is going in the other direction, with airlines charging for meals. Her research tells her passengers in their 20s and 30s — the next-generation of important executives — don’t mind. “Millennials want to have great food,” she said. “It can be simple, but it needs to be good. They would rather pay for good than get free food which isn’t good.”

We also discussed sodas. It’s a topic I’ve found fascinating since I interviewed then-Frontier Airlines President Barry Biffle a couple of years ago in Denver. He and I spoke about how passengers dislike paying for sodas, since most assume a Coke costs an airline 20 cents or less. But because of the supply chain expenses, he said, a Coke costs Frontier a lot more than passengers pay at Costco.

How much? This is an answer I tried to learn from De Hauw. She declined to give exact numbers, but defended Gate Group’s pricing.

“The cans need to be sorted in the catering unit at the airport,” she said. “They need to be sorted into trolleys. It is all planned in advance how much Coke goes into each trolley. The catering then needs to be driven by the high-loaders of the caterer at the airport and loaded on the airplane. That area is a highly secure area. And the price of a high-loader is around $200,000 — of one high-loader.”

For more catering tidbits, including her thoughts on the recent Listeria scare in at Gate Group’s Los Angeles facility, read the interview.

— Brian Sumers, Airline Business Reporter

News and Notes

Allegiant to Mexico: For roughly five years, executives at discount U.S. carrier Allegiant Air have said, on and off, that they want to fly to the Caribbean and Mexico. But it still hasn’t happened.

In occasional statements, they’ve suggested they have enough worthy U.S. markets, and don’t need to rush international expansion. But recently I spoke with Kristen Schilling-Gonzales, Allegiant’s director of planning, for my Airline Insiders interview series, and she told me part of the issue is airline’s technological system. It’s not ready to support international flights.

“Our website is also part of our booking engine and it’s all internally created,” she said. “The same thing goes with international. We’re looking to build our own departure control system, making sure that we’re sending all the right data to government agencies, all that stuff. We’re still working on that.”

She said she doesn’t know when the airline will be ready. But the airline’s planning team knows what routes it will suggest when, or if, the time comes.

“I’ve got a roughly five-year plan of several hundred routes that we could be running once international is up and going,” she said. “The routes aren’t the issue, it’s the infrastructure and updating our systems to handle it.”

Look for the entire interview after Thanksgiving.

Want to be the next interviewee for the series? Email me.

Stories of the Week

Airline Food Conundrum — Paid Meals Winning Out Over Freebies: Airline food isn’t always tasty, but passengers probably shouldn’t compare it to what they find in a restaurant. Delivering food to an aircraft is a logistical challenge, and it’s amazing the system works as well as it does.

Delta Puts a Better Business Class on Routes Where Travelers Will Buy It: When deciding which planes to send where, U.S. airlines usually keep it simple. Domestic routes, with few exceptions, get narrowbody jets with first class recliner seats. International routes get flatbeds, regardless of whether there’s a premium market. But this week, Delta said it will try something different in 2018. It’ll deploy flatbeds on more U.S. routes, while some flights to Iceland, Portugal and Ireland will lose them. It’s smart business since more passengers may buy first class on New York-San Diego, than from New York to Ponta Delgada, Portugal. (Did you know Delta flew to Ponta Delgada?)

United Is Making Tech Changes to Boost Wi-Fi Speeds on Many Planes: I heard for months United was having modem trouble on its Panasonic-equipped Boeing 777s, 767s, 757s, and Airbus A319s and A320s. But while I once received a $175 travel certificate after flying with broken Wi-Fi, I never learned the exact problem. Last week, though, United admitted it had an issue. “We are working with Panasonic to improve the quality of the wireless access points on all of our Panasonic aircraft,” United said, promising more travelers soon will be able to “….tap into a strong, steady connection at the same time.” The upgrade should be done by May.

Alaska Airlines Blames Trump Administration for Decision to Pull Out of Cuba: Our chutzpah award goes to Alaska Airlines, which blamed “changes in Cuba travel policies,” for why it canceled its Los Angeles-Havana flight. The Trump Administration’s recent regulatory changes may not have helped, but this was almost certainly a marginal route from the beginning. Remember, no other airline wanted to fly from the West Coast to Havana. In its release, Alaska said it would deploy the 737 to “markets with higher demand.” Blogger Brett Snyder tweeted, “not sure why they bothered saying ‘higher’ there, could have just said ‘Aircraft and crew will be re-deployed to markets with demand.'”

Airlines Personalize the Passenger Experience With New Apps and Devices: At almost every conference I attend, someone asks about the line between creepy and cool, when it comes to customer service. Do passengers want a flight attendant to wish them happy birthday? Do they want someone to bring them their favorite drink before they ask? Or might they want the airline to suggest where they should fly next, as Netflix recommends movies to subscribers? In many cases, airlines have the data they need. But they’re often not sure how, or when, to use it. Bloomberg’s Justin Bachman has details.

Why Airbus Lost Its Super Jumbo Deal With Emirates: Bloomberg’s Benedikt Kammel and Benjamin Katz report Airbus and Emirates recently shook on a deal that was to send 36 more A380s to the Dubai-based carrier. But it hasn’t happened. Why? “At the heart of the turnabout was concern at Emirates about the commitment of Airbus to carry on developing the A380, with the carrier loath to place on order only to see the program terminated a few years later,” the two reporters write.

‘Pay Least, Board Last’ — British Airways Unveils Its Newest Policy: Is any mainstream global airline brand mocked more than British Airways? The airline said it will require passengers buying its cheapest tickets to board last. It’s a similar strategy to what American, United and Delta use with basic economy. Many British newspapers, including The Telegraph, criticized the move, using colorful language to describe it. But this is a common business practice, right? People who pay less get less.

Airport to Pay Nearly $1.5 Million for Qatar Airways Flights to Pittsburgh: Over a one-year period, Pittsburgh International Airport could give Qatar Airways almost $1.5 million in exchange for twice-weekly cargo flights to Doha that began in October, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The airport may avoid some payments if the airline reaches its financial goals next year. But no matter what, the newspaper said, Pittsburgh’s airport will pay the airline about $15,500 per flight — or $744,000 total — to subsidize service for the first six months. Is that money well-spent?

Correction: Last week, I poked fun at Ed Wegel, founder of the reboot of Eastern Airlines in 2015. He has a new project, World Airways. In last week’s post, I suggested that the new Eastern is still flying, albeit under different management. Technically, that’s not true. There might be some planes in Eastern’s livery still operating, but the carrier no longer has an operating certificate. “Earlier this year, Swift Air acquired two Boeing 737-800s that Eastern Airlines Group was leasing,” an FAA spokesman told me. “Eastern Airlines surrendered its Part 121 certificate on Nov. 13, 2017.”

Subscribe

The Skift Airline Innovation Report is curated by Skift Airline Business Reporter Brian Sumers [bss@skift.com]. The newsletter is emailed every Wednesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send me an email or tweet me.

Subscribe to the Skift Airline Innovation Report

[rollinbrigittenv8]

Complications of Getting Catering to the Plane — Airline Innovation Report

A catering truck — called a high-loader in industry lingo — might cost $200,000, according to an executive with Gate Group. That's part of the reason airline food is so expensive. Gate Group

Skift Take: Are you upset some airlines charge $3 for a soda? There's a reason prices are higher than at a convenience store. It's not easy or cheap to get provisions onto an aircraft.

— Brian Sumers

The Skift Airline Innovation Report is our weekly newsletter focused on the business of airline innovation. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-gen aviation industry.

We provide insights on need-to-know developments in passenger experience, ancillary services, revenue management, loyalty, technology, marketing, airport innovation, the competitive landscape, startups, and changing passenger behavior. The newsletter, sent on Wednesdays, is written and curated by me. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-generation aviation industry. You can find previous issues of the newsletter here.

United Airlines has been around for 90 years, and yet it’s still not sure of the most efficient number of Coca-Cola cans to board for each flight.

I tweeted this recently, after someone at United forwarded me catering news. “To help reduce unnecessary soda overstock, beginning Dec.1, we will reduce the amount of soda provisioned on all single-segment domestic flights,” United told employees, while promising it still seeks to “provide the right balance of beverages to meet customer demand.”

I bring this up because this week we published an interview with Anne De Hauw, vice president of innovation for Gate Group, the world’s largest caterer and airline retail company. Part of her job includes bringing true innovation to airline catering and retail, but much of it has another purpose — to help carriers reduce costs. On each meal served to a passenger, she said, “every penny [airlines] can reduce is significant.” That includes drinks.

We spoke about how some U.S. airlines have resumed free food service on longer domestic flights. But mostly, she said, the trend is going in the other direction, with airlines charging for meals. Her research tells her passengers in their 20s and 30s — the next-generation of important executives — don’t mind. “Millennials want to have great food,” she said. “It can be simple, but it needs to be good. They would rather pay for good than get free food which isn’t good.”

We also discussed sodas. It’s a topic I’ve found fascinating since I interviewed then-Frontier Airlines President Barry Biffle a couple of years ago in Denver. He and I spoke about how passengers dislike paying for sodas, since most assume a Coke costs an airline 20 cents or less. But because of the supply chain expenses, he said, a Coke costs Frontier a lot more than passengers pay at Costco.

How much? This is an answer I tried to learn from De Hauw. She declined to give exact numbers, but defended Gate Group’s pricing.

“The cans need to be sorted in the catering unit at the airport,” she said. “They need to be sorted into trolleys. It is all planned in advance how much Coke goes into each trolley. The catering then needs to be driven by the high-loaders of the caterer at the airport and loaded on the airplane. That area is a highly secure area. And the price of a high-loader is around $200,000 — of one high-loader.”

For more catering tidbits, including her thoughts on the recent Listeria scare in at Gate Group’s Los Angeles facility, read the interview.

— Brian Sumers, Airline Business Reporter

News and Notes

Allegiant to Mexico: For roughly five years, executives at discount U.S. carrier Allegiant Air have said, on and off, that they want to fly to the Caribbean and Mexico. But it still hasn’t happened.

In occasional statements, they’ve suggested they have enough worthy U.S. markets, and don’t need to rush international expansion. But recently I spoke with Kristen Schilling-Gonzales, Allegiant’s director of planning, for my Airline Insiders interview series, and she told me part of the issue is airline’s technological system. It’s not ready to support international flights.

“Our website is also part of our booking engine and it’s all internally created,” she said. “The same thing goes with international. We’re looking to build our own departure control system, making sure that we’re sending all the right data to government agencies, all that stuff. We’re still working on that.”

She said she doesn’t know when the airline will be ready. But the airline’s planning team knows what routes it will suggest when, or if, the time comes.

“I’ve got a roughly five-year plan of several hundred routes that we could be running once international is up and going,” she said. “The routes aren’t the issue, it’s the infrastructure and updating our systems to handle it.”

Look for the entire interview after Thanksgiving.

Want to be the next interviewee for the series? Email me.

Stories of the Week

Airline Food Conundrum — Paid Meals Winning Out Over Freebies: Airline food isn’t always tasty, but passengers probably shouldn’t compare it to what they find in a restaurant. Delivering food to an aircraft is a logistical challenge, and it’s amazing the system works as well as it does.

Delta Puts a Better Business Class on Routes Where Travelers Will Buy It: When deciding which planes to send where, U.S. airlines usually keep it simple. Domestic routes, with few exceptions, get narrowbody jets with first class recliner seats. International routes get flatbeds, regardless of whether there’s a premium market. But this week, Delta said it will try something different in 2018. It’ll deploy flatbeds on more U.S. routes, while some flights to Iceland, Portugal and Ireland will lose them. It’s smart business since more passengers may buy first class on New York-San Diego, than from New York to Ponta Delgada, Portugal. (Did you know Delta flew to Ponta Delgada?)

United Is Making Tech Changes to Boost Wi-Fi Speeds on Many Planes: I heard for months United was having modem trouble on its Panasonic-equipped Boeing 777s, 767s, 757s, and Airbus A319s and A320s. But while I once received a $175 travel certificate after flying with broken Wi-Fi, I never learned the exact problem. Last week, though, United admitted it had an issue. “We are working with Panasonic to improve the quality of the wireless access points on all of our Panasonic aircraft,” United said, promising more travelers soon will be able to “….tap into a strong, steady connection at the same time.” The upgrade should be done by May.

Alaska Airlines Blames Trump Administration for Decision to Pull Out of Cuba: Our chutzpah award goes to Alaska Airlines, which blamed “changes in Cuba travel policies,” for why it canceled its Los Angeles-Havana flight. The Trump Administration’s recent regulatory changes may not have helped, but this was almost certainly a marginal route from the beginning. Remember, no other airline wanted to fly from the West Coast to Havana. In its release, Alaska said it would deploy the 737 to “markets with higher demand.” Blogger Brett Snyder tweeted, “not sure why they bothered saying ‘higher’ there, could have just said ‘Aircraft and crew will be re-deployed to markets with demand.'”

Airlines Personalize the Passenger Experience With New Apps and Devices: At almost every conference I attend, someone asks about the line between creepy and cool, when it comes to customer service. Do passengers want a flight attendant to wish them happy birthday? Do they want someone to bring them their favorite drink before they ask? Or might they want the airline to suggest where they should fly next, as Netflix recommends movies to subscribers? In many cases, airlines have the data they need. But they’re often not sure how, or when, to use it. Bloomberg’s Justin Bachman has details.

Why Airbus Lost Its Super Jumbo Deal With Emirates: Bloomberg’s Benedikt Kammel and Benjamin Katz report Airbus and Emirates recently shook on a deal that was to send 36 more A380s to the Dubai-based carrier. But it hasn’t happened. Why? “At the heart of the turnabout was concern at Emirates about the commitment of Airbus to carry on developing the A380, with the carrier loath to place on order only to see the program terminated a few years later,” the two reporters write.

‘Pay Least, Board Last’ — British Airways Unveils Its Newest Policy: Is any mainstream global airline brand mocked more than British Airways? The airline said it will require passengers buying its cheapest tickets to board last. It’s a similar strategy to what American, United and Delta use with basic economy. Many British newspapers, including The Telegraph, criticized the move, using colorful language to describe it. But this is a common business practice, right? People who pay less get less.

Airport to Pay Nearly $1.5 Million for Qatar Airways Flights to Pittsburgh: Over a one-year period, Pittsburgh International Airport could give Qatar Airways almost $1.5 million in exchange for twice-weekly cargo flights to Doha that began in October, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The airport may avoid some payments if the airline reaches its financial goals next year. But no matter what, the newspaper said, Pittsburgh’s airport will pay the airline about $15,500 per flight — or $744,000 total — to subsidize service for the first six months. Is that money well-spent?

Correction: Last week, I poked fun at Ed Wegel, founder of the reboot of Eastern Airlines in 2015. He has a new project, World Airways. In last week’s post, I suggested that the new Eastern is still flying, albeit under different management. Technically, that’s not true. There might be some planes in Eastern’s livery still operating, but the carrier no longer has an operating certificate. “Earlier this year, Swift Air acquired two Boeing 737-800s that Eastern Airlines Group was leasing,” an FAA spokesman told me. “Eastern Airlines surrendered its Part 121 certificate on Nov. 13, 2017.”

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The Skift Airline Innovation Report is curated by Skift Airline Business Reporter Brian Sumers [bss@skift.com]. The newsletter is emailed every Wednesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send me an email or tweet me.

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