Things to think about... |
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There are 62 bits of Lego for every person on the planet. |
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Customers at a newly-opened cafe in Croatian capital, Zagreb can pay for drinks with prayers instead of money. The most expensive drink at the Jedro cafe is a Coca-Cola, which costs five Hail Marys. A cappuccino is just four Our Fathers. |
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Microsoft launched a $46.6bn bid for Yahoo in an attempt to grapple a larger piece of the online advertising market from Google. Yahoo formally rejected the bid. Incidentally, Microsoft is The Marketing Society's digital partner. Ask them a question via our sparkling new website and they'll get back to you within 48 hours. |
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Shell made British corporate history with record profits of £13.9bn, the equivalent of more than £1.5m an hour. |
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How's yr txt life? Did u no Brits send 5,000 txt msg evry sec? |
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In the US, women make 80% of consumer spending decisions, including cars, computers and financial products, says Why Women Mean Business by former FT journalist Alison Maitland. In Japan, women make or influence two-thirds of car purchases. In the UK, young women represent the single biggest group of web users. There are more female than male millionaires aged 18-44. |
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A new ad-funded directory enquiries service has launched, adding to the 400 already in existence. 0800 100 100 is free providing customers listen to a 20 second ad before they receive a number. The company has said that ads should be "relevant to the individual enquiry."Meanwhile, a Japanese man has been arrested for calling Directory Enquiries 10,000 times because he was lonely. |
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Starbucks founder, Howard Schultz is returning to his coffee chain brand as CEO. His famous memo from last year deriding the 'commoditisation of the Starbucks experience,' revealed his concern that rapid expansion had removed the romance and theatre from the coffee shops. If he can crack it, there'll be some valuable lessons for us all. |
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The final line-up for the Retail Forum on 20 May has been confirmed. Jacqueline Gold, chief executive Ann Summers and Knickerbox and Hugh Harvey, managing director, Comet join a stellar list of speakers including Brian McBride, managing director, Amazon UK, Tim Mason, group marketing director and chief executive US fresh&easy (Tesco) and Luke Mayhew, chairman Pets at Home. |
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Is Michael O'Leary, the bullish CEO of Ryanair the low-cost airline, the only leader excited about difficult times ahead? He told The Guardian he welcomed "a good, deep, bloody recession". |
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