Interesting facts on Technology and the Changing Paradigms...

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs - Carmine Gallo from Carmine Gallo Make your Presentation Pop Make Your Presentation Pop from Artisan Talent Death by PowerPoint Death by PowerPoint from Alexei Kapterev 5 Killer ways to your next Presentation 5 killer ways to open up your next presentation from Big Fish Presentations 5 ways to step up your Presentation Game 5 Ways to Step Up Your Presentation Game from Big Fish Presentations Taking your Slide Deck to the Next Level Taking Your Slide Deck to the Next Level from selias22 Slide:ology-The art and Science of creating great Presentations Slideology sample30 from Giulia Nicoletto Presenting Like the Artist Presenting Like The Artist from Emiland The Presenter Manifesto The Presenter Manifesto : 8 Distinctions of a World Class Presenter by @eric_feng @sl...

Introducing Apple Watch from JJ Wu

Here are the trends that are bringing virtual experience into reality... The Future Of Retail: 4 Trends Bringing The Virtual Experience Into Reality from Samsung Business USA

BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Brands 2015 Report from Millward Brown

Tencent is one of the largest internet companies. Tencent is China's most used internet portal and 4th largest internet portal after Google,Amazon and eBay. It's brand value is worth $66B as per 2015 BrandZ Top 100 Brands. It brings all the good features of Facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon,Yahoo and many more rolled into one. Their services are grouped in 6 broad categories  - instant messaging service, - on-line media - wireless internet value added services - interactive entertainment services - mobile messaging services; and - on-line advertising services Here is the story of the most valuable Chinese brand    

The new behemoth in the world of retail!!

Here is a beautiful presentation that talks about the hype and buzz around the Apple Watch Apple Watch for News. The Hype and Beyond from Deniz Ergurel

Sweetgreen is capitalizing on the healthy food trend by offering locally sourced, fresh, and affordable ingredients. Founded in 2007, sweetgreen is a fast-casual destination for fun, delicious food that's both healthy and aligned with values of healthy food. They source local and organic ingredients from farmers and partners they trust, supporting the communities and creating meaningful relationships. 

How is it like to download a coffee table? Or at least a digital model of a coffee table that you could customize and then you just print it out. Mind it, it is not a picture of a coffee table but an actual, physical three-dimensional object that lives in your living room. Well, it is all possible. It is the world of 3D printing and it is going to change everything. It will redefine the way we think about innovation, design, manufacturing and distribution. Simply put, 3D printing is the process of making 3 dimensional, solid objects from a digital file. 3D printers bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds. It uses very thin layers of plastic, which are as thin as a sheet of copy paper, to build an object from the bottom up. Unlike other forms of manufacturing where the excess is carved, cut or melted away, leaving a ton of waste. It creates a new item by adding only what is needed. And 3D printing isn’t limited to plastics. Already, you can print stuff to gla...

How many objects do you have which are connected to the internet? About a decade ago you probably would have said 1 or may be 2.  But today we have computers, personal computers, tablets, smart phone, video games, media player, smart TV, wearable devices and smart refrigerators. Now extend this trend outward, what do we get?  Gartner ,  a research firm estimates that by 2020, there will be 25 billion objects connected to the internet.  We are talking about the world blanketed with billions of sensors. These sensors are taking addresses from real physical objects in the world and uploading them to the internet. We are creating an environment where everything is getting connected.  Internet of Things is no more a buzzword, it is the next mega trend . IoT’s roots can be traced back to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from work in the field of networked radio frequency identification (RFID) and emerging sensing technologies. Kevin Ashton ...

Top-tier professionals whose hard work brought their companies to the forefront of their industries

These are some of the classic product placements in movies without being annoying

Health and Nutrition in Fast Food Industry from Amit Das

World Champion of Public Speaking 2014 Dananjaya Hettiarachchi Just loved. Awesome and natural speaker...

Sephora is a beauty retailer and belongs to the LVMH group. It was founded in Paris, France in 1970 and focuses on prestigious and emerging brands across the categories make-up, fragrance, skincare, haircare and nails. While, the beauty specialist retailers have grown at a CAGR of 6% since 2009, Sephora has outgrown the market with double digit growth. Technology plays a big part in that growth. Technologies inside the store enable Sephora to provide customers with very individual recommendations and unbiased feedback that can hardly be found in department stores or branded beauty outlets. Technology allows Sephora to capture different shopping profiles and allows to capture a large share of demand. The technologies in store and omnichannel integration transformed the previously rather offline focused beauty industry to an online platform. Digital technologies are used to create an integrated multi-channel experience to capture most shopping preferences and thus sales. Addi...

Folks, I created my first poster on Canva. Here you go!!

A value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered. It’s the primary reason a prospect should buy from you.  A value proposition is a clear statement that explains how your product solves customers’ problems or improves their situation ( relevancy ), delivers specific benefits ( quantified value ), tells the ideal customer why they should buy from you and not from the competition ( unique differentiation ). Value proposition needs to be in the language of the customer. It should join the conversation or connect with issues and motivations that is already going on in the customer’s mind. Value proposition usually consists of a block of text (a headline, sub-headline and one paragraph of text) with a visual (photo, hero shot, graphics). Headline.  What is the end-benefit you’re offering, in 1 short sentence. Can mention the product and/or the customer. Attention grabber. Sub-headline or a 2-3 sentence paragraph . A specific ex...

The realities in the physical and virtual worlds are fast disappearing. Augmented Reality is nothing but something that enhances the physical with digital.  Augmented reality is a new medium for communication. Virtual reality requires stepping out of the physical world into the digital world, while augmented reality merges both the physical world and the digital world.  One of the fascinating examples of augmented reality that I have come across is the DAQRI Smart Helmet that will change how we work in future.  Have a look!!        

One of the pertinent questions on leadership is that how do we become more inclusive? Inclusive leadership benefits everyone. It positively impacts everyone. It doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman, young or old, of any skin color, race, ethnicity, or nationality. Anyone can be an inclusive leader. You can be an inclusive leader, and inclusion benefits everyone. So you must be wondering what exactly is inclusion. The dictionary says, inclusion is the action or state of being included, or including others in groups and structures. Inclusion happens when we value both the differences and the commonalities of others . When we value differences it means that we value uniqueness or distinctiveness in others. Standing out from a crowd and being recognized for what we bring to the table, what's unique about us? When we value commonalities we value belongingness in others. Being and feeling accepted as part of the crowd, regardless of our differences or simila...

It's no secret that a dependence on technology affects individuals and families, with studies showing that 80 percent of teens own mobile devices. Kids in general spend only four to seven minutes playing outside daily, according to the American Camp Association. To rally against this over-connectivity, Cabela's, in partnership with country singer Justin Moore, announced today the launch of Disconnect Day, a nationwide campaign encouraging Americans to step away from their devices for a day of their choosing to enjoy outdoor activities, while reconnecting with themselves, family and friends. The core idea behind Disconnect Day is to remember how rewarding the outdoors can be in strengthening the relationships in our lives, said Scott Williams, Cabela's chief marketing officer. "When our children grow up, they aren't going to remember how many likes they got on a status update, but they will remember their family camping trips and the first fish they caught...

Awesome way to teach the message of diversity and inclusion....This is pretty interesting; probably the best ever video on diversity and inclusion...    

CMOs need to work ceaselessly to keep up with trends in the digital marketing ecosystem. From mobile apps to the marketing technology stack, early adopters and digital laggards alike are evolving along with the consumer media landscape. eMarketer has curated a Roundup of interviews with CMOs at brands, publishers and more to collect insights about the challenges and opportunities on marketers’ horizons today. Key elements of the report include  Key elements include: How CMOs are implementing technology as part of the marketing stack Why major brands are still using traditional media for big campaigns What retail CMOs hope to achieve with visual search How CMOs decide what to do—and not do—on mobile Interviews with CMOs at Dun & Bradstreet, Arby's, Neiman Marcus, AOL and more   EMarketer CMO Interview Roundup

According to the study by PWC and NRF, retail is the largest private employer in the United States. Retail directly and indirectly supports 42 million jobs, provides $1.6 trillion in labor income and contributes $2.6 trillion annually to U.S. GDP. The report also makes clear that retail is American small business. An overwhelming majority of retail businesses (99%) employ fewer than 50 people. In fact, these retailers provide 40 percent – or 11.5 million – of the 29 million jobs in retail.

2014 holiday season: What really happened in retail and what you need to know for 2015 No two holiday seasons are the same, whether it’s an economic swing, unexpected weather or a shift in gas prices — retailers must be prepared for the consumer response. The 2014 holiday season was by most accounts a successful season for the retail industry. With a strong national economy and individual economies, consumers felt confident in shopping for gifts and décor and retailers were prepared with deals and customer services.   Holiday Season Deep Dive 2014

For decades, athletes saw emotional vulnerability as something to be shunned, a personal shortcoming that must be internalized and kept out of the limelight at all costs. Competitors seemed to hatch into life as fully formed adults—stoic, hardened and almost inhuman in their single-minded fortitude. Nico Calabria, born with one leg, is not a professional athlete. But his story and accomplishments sparked Coca-Cola's sports drink brand to feature him as part of its 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign. In the ad, by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, we watch home videos as Nico grows from a toddler to a confident child and finally into his teen years, when his talent for soccer becomes truly remarkable. For all the amazing moments in the video, one subtle scene stands out above the rest: Asked how old he is, Nico says he's 8—and the look he gives speaks volumes. In the span of a minute, we've watched him learn to make the most of the body he was born with, and his hard...

Approximately 2.37 billion chip cards have been issued worldwide, helping countries create more secure payment experiences for consumers.  Countries that accept EMV chip cards have seen a variety of benefits. For example, the UK has seen a 72% drop in face-to-face fraud since 2004. Between 2011 and 2013, Canada has seen domestic counterfeit card fraud decrease by 48%.  Know more in the infographic below

The National Restaurant Association’s comprehensive, annual outlook for and overview of the U.S. restaurant industry, covering national and state-by-state sales and employment forecasts, as well as workforce, segment, consumer, technology and menu trends. Driven by an improving economy, restaurant industry sales are expected to hit a record high of $709.2 billion in 2015. Although this will represent the sixth consecutive year of real growth in restaurant sales, the gains remain below what would be expected during a normal post-recession period due to a range of challenges. However, the restaurant industry will remain the nation’s second-largest private sector employer with a workforce of 14 million. 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast

The results of Entrepreneur's 36th annual Franchise 500 published in Dec, 2014 reveal that franchises of all stripes are continuing to rapidly expand, with these top 10 franchises leading the pack.  Here, is a quick look at the SUBWAY's strategies for success and goals for the upcoming year. SUBWAY has 43,664 restaurants across 110 countries as on today. T he company says there’s still room for another 8,000 in the U.S. (on top of the nearly 27,000 currently open). If it seems like there aren’t enough available strip malls or street corners left for that, you may be right: Subway’s growth is chiefly in international markets and nontraditional spaces. The company has more than 1,900 units in Walmart stores and put its emphasis in 2014 on moving into hospitals (about 300 across the globe so far). But Subway is not trying to dominate the franchise world by sheer unit numbers alone; it’s also going after consumers with all-day options. New breakfast items were rolled out...

Branding has been a complex subject...needless to say that over 6400+ books have been written on this subject and we are still counting. So, let us simplify the notion of Branding. This video was conceived, written and narrated by award-winning designer, branding specialist and Fast Company blogger David Brier to distill branding down to its basics answering that basic question "What is branding?"  Written plainly with equally minimalistic motion graphics, this video unveils the magic, the spark and the simplicity that is branding in its most fundamental form. Perfect for entrepreneurs, CEOs, innovators, rebels and disruptors of any kind. Here is the narration What is branding? As creators, we want to think it’s about us, our brilliant talent, our skills we’ve perfected over the years — all these magical things: color, space, shape, tension, harmony, typography, beauty, simplicity. Then why do certain brands become great brands?  Brands that: • connect,  • resonate...

Technology trends are moving fast these days.  This infographic from  Needa.ie  is a complilation of 3 Gartner reports that were published in Networkworld. -  Top 10 Technology Trends for 2015 IT can’t ignore -  Make way for digital business, risks or die? -  Top 10 strategic predictions for businesses to watch out for Courtesy of: Visual Contenting

Very insightful and detailed analysis on Silicon Valley Competitiveness and Innovation Project for 2015. The project looks at the factors driving employment and economic development at the Valley, and issues that might hinder further growth. Some of the interesting facts include disproportionate employment of people in innovation related work, high presence of VCs, 62% higher labor productivity than US’ average, and escalating housing cost.   Silicon Valley Competitiveness and Innovation Project 2015