• Instagram Quietly Launches Snapchat Rival
    Bolt, Instagram's new messenger is on iTunes and Google Play for people in Singapore, South Africa and New Zealand. The Snapchat rival is touting speed. Instead of having to deal with options lists, one needs only tap a contact's picture to capture and send a photo. Bolt doesn't require a Facebook or Instagram account. Users have to sign up with their phone number for sorting through your contacts.
  • Fiat Profits Plunge 55%
    Fiat says its second-quarter profits plunged 55% as its U.S. partner Chrysler struggled to move old product with new incentives, while the Fiat brand saw sales drop in South America. Fiat, which expects to complete its takeover of the U.S. maker in October, earned a net profit of 197 million Euros, or $264 million, for the three-month period ending on June 30, compared with 435 million Euros a year before.
  • Jagermesiter Ad Banned For Toasting Bad Behavior
    Jgermeister has been forced to pull a UK TV ad that tried to put the brand at the center of the bonding experiences that the country's advertising watchdog ruled "tough, daring." The ad shows friends traveling across Iceland to go surfing in frozen waters. At the end they're at a bar toasting their achievement. The ban is hard for the brand because it's part of a new campaign to focus on its emotional aspects.
  • Target Taps Pepsi's Cornell For Chairman And CEO
    In the midst of troubles with its big data breach, Target has hired Pepsi executive Brian Cornell to be its new chairman and CEO. He replaces interim CEO John Mulligan, whose regular job is Target CFO. He stepped in last May to replace Gregg Steinhafel, who had left following the huge pre-Christmas data breach at the company. Cornell was most recently CEO of PepsiCo Americas Foods. Before that he was CEO and president of Walmart's Sam's Club unit.
  • Shirt Flap As Celtic's Forced To Change Logo In Poland
    C&C Group plc will have to swap branding on Scottish football club Celtic's shirts from its cider brand, Magners, to its lager brand, Tennent's because advertising alcohol brands is taboo in Poland, where the team is set to play. Beers are the exception. C&C says the rule counters its right to commercial expression under the European Convention on Human Rights. The company has written to the Scottish Government, the Scottish FA and the European Cider and Fruit Wine Association (AICV) seeking support.
  • VW Sneaks Up On Toyota Global Sales
    Thanks to China, Volkswagen is closing in on Toyota Motor for the global sales crown. While VW has been aggressive there, Toyota's growth has slipped as it focuses on quality fixes. Toyota held the top spot in the auto industry for two years in a row. Although Toyota posted a 3.8% increases to 5.097 million vehicles for the first half of the year, Volkswagen is growing faster and its half-year total could pull even with or even surpass Toyota.
  • IPad Is Struggling
    Apple's iPad is not helping Apple's stock as it is, apparently, losing its own momentum. New data from IDC shows that Apple's once dominant tablet is falling victim to the sheer number of choices in that category. The company shipped 9.3% fewer tablets during the second quarter, meaning Apple now has a 27% market share in tablets, down from 33% in the second quarter of 2013, IDC says.
  • Boston Millennials Are Extra Caffeinated And Boozy
    Affluent Millennials in Boston and other markets in Massachusetts are spending big on alcohol and coffee, but much less than other states on fast food. A recent study by Level Money shows consumers in Boston spend an average of $277 every year on coffees and pastries sold by coffee shops, nearly half of that at Starbucks, with Dunkin Donuts second. Massachusetts is 44th in fast food intake.
  • OKCupid Could Be In Trouble For Mind Games
    OkCupid's disclosure that it intentionally misled couples on compatibility by artificially changing compatibility scores to examine their influence could mean a U.S. Federal Trade Commission inquiry. That is what lawyers and experts in consumer-protection law are saying, as they assert the actions violate an FTC provision that prohibits "unfair and deceptive" practices by a company that result in misleading or harming consumers.
  • Greenpeace Launches Global Tiger Campaign
    Greenpeace has launched a campaign featuring a dozen playful cats to mark today as International Tiger Day. The 90-second film, created by Mr President, features domestic cats dressed up as tigers to highlight of the plight of the wild animals, of which there are only 3,000 left in the wild and which, without help, could become extinct. The film is part of a social media campaign to encourage cat owners to join the cause by creating their own "Cats Save Tigers" picture.
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