Ben Sherman hopes to make a come back with sale to private equity firm
British fashion brand Ben Sherman has been snapped up by Marquee Brands, controlled by US investment group Neuberger Industries. The business made a loss in 2014 for owner Oxford Industries but was founded in 1963 and shot to fame thanks to mod culture and its popularity with Brit-pop and rock stars from The Who to Oasis. The brand is ramping up with hopes to make a come back.
Source: The Guardian
Drone completes official delivery for the first time
A drone in the US has delivered medical supplies to a clinic, the first time an unmanned aircraft has been given the green light from the Federation Aviation Authority to make a delivery. It delivered 24 packages of medical supplies to the clinic, in Virginia as part of a research test.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Programmatic accounted for 20% of online ad spend in US in 2014
According to a report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PriceWaterHouseCoopers, programmatic accounted for 20% of all online ad spend in 2014. The research highlights that programmatic buying reached over $10bn US dollars last year, accounting for 55% of ad tech companies' revenue. Display banner ads made up to 80% of all programmatic ads, the report claimed.
Source: IAB
n case you missed It...two longer reads
Airbnb's Mildenhall on value-driven marketing and being 'transkind' to Caitlyn Jenner
Airbnb is taking its first major step into value-driven marketing, aligning itself with positive support for the kindness of strangers and diversity by asking 'Is Mankind?'. We spoke to Airbnb CMO Jonathan Mildenhall about the shift in strategy and why the brand stepped up to support Caitlyn Jenner's award.
Tinder's Sean Rad: there is no question, we invented swiping
In an interview with Marketing and SapientNitro SVP and European MD Nigel Vaz, Tinder founder Sean Rad says there is no question that his app invented the swipe as a decision maker. The interaction is certainly synonymous with the dating app and has been mimicked across all areas of mobile apps ever since. However, he admits that there is a lot more that apps and brands need to do to keep millennials engaged via their phones.
If you watch one video today...
Watch executives from Google, Microsoft and the BBC discuss the UK's "pipeline" problem – the demand for digital skills outstripping the supply of workers with those capabilities.
The key is education, with private firms and the government racing to convince more young people – particularly women – to take up science and tech.
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