Adidas and Sephora test Facebook's integration of Messenger, Instagram
The Mobile Marketer reports that Facebook's update to its Messenger API aims to help businesses improve their interactions with customers who use Instagram, the photo-sharing app that's especially popular among teens and young adults. The deeper integration between Messenger and Instagram could help mobile marketers that either advertise on Instagram or sell directly through Facebook's family of apps by giving them more tools to manage communications with consumers.
With millions of people spending more time at home during the pandemic, Facebook has seen a more than 40% surge in daily conversations between people and businesses on Messenger and Instagram, according to the company. Those conversations can become unwieldy for businesses if they must manage and maintain them on separate platforms, or require them to have dedicated teams just for Instagram and Messenger.
AARP Awards $300K To 2021 Purpose Prize Winners, Fellows
AARP unveiled the 2021 AARP Purpose Prize award recipients and fellows, the only national award that celebrates people 50-plus who use their their knowledge and life experience to solve tough social problems.
These Americans tap into the power of life experience to build a better future, founding and leading initiatives from school-safety and violence-prevention efforts to an organization that helps people with disabilities acquire assistive technologies to improve the quality of their lives.
Each of the five AARP Purpose Prize winners will receive a $50,000 award for their organization. AARP also announced 10 AARP Purpose Prize fellows, who will be honored for the mission-focused work of the organizations they lead and will receive a $5,000 award to further the mission.
Lenovo, Zoom announce video collaboration for ThinkSmart devices
Device manufacturer Lenovo and communications technology company Zoom Video Communications Inc. (Zoom) announced their partnership that will provide businesses with video conference solutions.
At Zoom’s annual user conference Zoomtopia, the two companies revealed that Lenovo ThinkSmart Hub and ThinkSmart View will be offered with Zoom Rooms and Zoom for Home, respectively.
The new Hub announced last month offers smarter collaboration for conference rooms of all sizes with richer audio featuring full duplex speakers and four omnidirectional microphones integrated into an all-in-one personal device. Built on the Zoom Rooms platform, the Hub allows participants to communicate through video or voice and content can be easily shared in real-time.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts Celebrates Second Annual Independent Hotel Day
Preferred Hotels & Resorts declared today the second annual Independent Hotel Day to foster an unwavering rallying cry for independent hotels globally. As part of this year's celebration, Preferred, in partnership with its sister division, PHG Consulting, have released a whitepaper outlining how independent hotels represented within its brand portfolio significantly outperform those affiliated with a major chain - both in banner years and times of crisis - and debuted a video encouraging hotels around the world to choose freedom on their terms by going (or staying) independent.
"The hotel industry was born out of the independent spirit and belief in the power of travel. Every day, including Independent Hotel Day, we encourage hoteliers to be true to themselves by charting their own path as they pursue success, recognizing that the quest for independence is an innately human need," says Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. "Backed by irrefutable data that highlights their superior performance in addition to demographic and psychographic shifts showing how travelers favor independent experiences over generic offerings, now is the time for independent hotels to enjoy the spotlight and get the recognition they have worked so hard to deserve."
John McClane Is Back In 'Die Hard' Action For Advance Auto Parts
Bruce Willis will reprise his iconic role as Det. John McClane, but "Die Hard" fans expecting a return to the big screen will be disappointed. Instead of battling villains, Willis' tough cop character is promoting a lineup of car batteries available at auto parts retailer Advance Auto Parts, Inc.
The two-minute commercial first aired during Fox's NFL telecast of Green Bay vs. Tampa Bay on Sunday and focuses on McClane fixing his dead car battery with Advance Auto Parts' DieHard battery. The commercial includes a major throwback to the original 1988 action film with appearances from De'voreaux White who played the limo driver Argyle.
Clarence Gilyard Jr., best known for playing Chuck Norris' partner on "Walker, Texas Ranger" reprised his second most famous role as Theo, one of the key "Die Hard" villains.
7-Eleven Launches Frozen Vegan Meals in Hong Kong Locations
7-Eleven, the convenience store on every street corner across the globe, now carries frozen vegan meals that are ready to heat and eat in all 800 of its Hong Kong locations.
Designed in partnership with Green Monday, an advocacy group for plant-based sustainability, Hong Kong residents can purchase plant-based versions of local favorite rice dishes such as Spicy Thai Basil OmniPork Rice and Thai OmniPork Stir-Fried Noodles. The meals are made using OmniPork, a meatless pork alternative designed by the Green Monday brand.
N.J. Man Who Brought $300 In Coins To Wawa Won Free Hoagies For A Year
A New Jersey man who helped Wawa address its pandemic coin shortage with $300 worth of coins – $100 of it in dimes – will receive tons of free hoagies as winner of the chain’s “Shortis for a Year” sweepstakes.
Steven Leventhal exchanged the change at Wawa Store No. 8330 at Route 33 and Butcher Road in Monroe Township in Middlesex County, where he’s a longtime customer, according to a spokeswoman for the company. He received a raffle ticket that allowed him to enter the drawing on the chain’s website.
“Leventhal was randomly selected from a pool of thousands of entries through a computer-drawing as the lucky winner,” Wawa announced on Tuesday.