Monday, 11 April 2016
Insightful Quotes About Marketing And Branding
Monday, 4 April 2016
Late Night Talk Shows and YouTube
The Late Late Show with James Corden scored a major coup with its 'Carpool Karaoke' sketch by having Paul McCartney as a guest in his hometown of Liverpool. The YouTube video immediately attracted massive publicity, 10 million views in two days, showing that YouTube has become as important as actual TV viewers for late night talk shows.
This follows on the heels of Jimmy Fallon's Classroom Instruments version of the song Enter Sandman with Metallica that has garnered 10 million+ views. Another recent one with magician David Blaine also has 10 million+ views, helping Fallon's YouTube channel gain over 6 BILLION views so far!
With the fragmented nature of television viewing these days, it wouldn't be a surprise if NBC is nostalgic for the glory days of Johnny Carson when the network dominated late night television. Carson ruled the airwaves after 11:30 pm for decades and also gave a significant boost to David Letterman who followed him at 12:30.
This occurred back in the days when there were three major national networks along with the local affiliates. NBC had very few competitors and those that did compete such as ABC's Nightline or Fox's Arsenio Hall didn't make much of significant dent in NBC's ratings.
When Johnny Carson retired in 1992, there was a huge controversy over his succession involving David Letterman and Jay Leno. Letterman was the heir-apparent because he was already on NBC while Jay Leno was a frequent guest host on Carson's show as well as NBC's choice. Eventually. Jay Leno did win the Tonight Show while David Letterman went to CBS and hosted his own late night show at 11:30.
They both dominated the late night airwaves until just a couple of years ago when both men retired from last night TV, despite the fact that they were still at the top of their game. What happened?
Television and the Internet
The traditional notion of people watching shows in front of their TV when the network airs them has been severely disrupted. Viewers can PVR their favorite shows and watch them at a later date, fast-forwarding through the commercials. They can binge watch a series on Netflix or they can catch a show online on their laptop or smartphone while they're commuting.
Late night talk shows have been affected also. People don't watch an episode from 11:30 until 12:30 like they used to (let alone shows from 12:30 am onward). These days, people will want to catch the highlights, whether it's the best jokes from the monologue or the skits that take place before the first guest comes on. So, while viewers will watch entire episodes of a TV series, they might only watch bits and pieces of a late night talk show episode. This holds especially true for the all-important millennial viewing audience.
Unfortunately neither Letterman nor Leno were able to adapt to these new circumstances, as they themselves acknowledged. Like Carson with his skits such as the Carnac the Magnificient, Letterman also produced memorable routines such as Stupid Pet Tricks and Top 10 Lists which would have been viral online had the internet been prevalent in the 80's and 90's. Jay Leno relied on his famous joke-filled monologues for his laughs but that wasn't quite enough for NBC in the current digital age.
Enter Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon succeeded Jay Leno on the Tonight Show and brought his unique brand of comedy that went beyond the typical monologue and interview. His YouTube channel now has 10.5 million+ subscribers and almost 5 billion views. His most popular YouTube videos include his famous routines such as Lip Sync Battles and Wheel of Musical Impressions, skits that go instantly viral online as soon as they air.
Fallon dominates the late-night TV ratings over Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and his YouTube channel also has the most viewers by far, leading Jimmy Kimmel who has 3 billion viewers and Conan O'Brien with 2.2 billion.
Enter James Corden
James Corden hosts the Late Late Show on CBS at 12:30 am and might have fremained very unknown if he hadn't have gone extremely viral with his popular sketch Carpool Karaoke. This basically consists of Corden driving around Los Angeles with musical guests such as Adele, Justin Bieber and One Direction.
It's a very simple concept and a very inspired idea. Everyone, or mostly everyone, loves to sing when they're driving alone in a car or with a group of friends joining in. Likewise, a celebrity guest who might not want to belt out a song when on the couch with a talk show host is a lot more willing when driving around in a car. Carpool Karaoke became so popular that CBS even gave him a prime-time special in March showcasing his best carpool karaoke moments.
What does this show? It shows the power of digital marketing and the huge influence of social media. There is a segment of the audience (usually older) that will watch late night talk shows at 11:30 pm but the younger viewers will pick and choose the parts of the show that they want to watch, especially when it's viral. YouTube has definitely become a major player in the late night television world, something Johnny Carson might never have envisioned in the good old days of watching TV in the bedroom!
This follows on the heels of Jimmy Fallon's Classroom Instruments version of the song Enter Sandman with Metallica that has garnered 10 million+ views. Another recent one with magician David Blaine also has 10 million+ views, helping Fallon's YouTube channel gain over 6 BILLION views so far!
With the fragmented nature of television viewing these days, it wouldn't be a surprise if NBC is nostalgic for the glory days of Johnny Carson when the network dominated late night television. Carson ruled the airwaves after 11:30 pm for decades and also gave a significant boost to David Letterman who followed him at 12:30.
This occurred back in the days when there were three major national networks along with the local affiliates. NBC had very few competitors and those that did compete such as ABC's Nightline or Fox's Arsenio Hall didn't make much of significant dent in NBC's ratings.
When Johnny Carson retired in 1992, there was a huge controversy over his succession involving David Letterman and Jay Leno. Letterman was the heir-apparent because he was already on NBC while Jay Leno was a frequent guest host on Carson's show as well as NBC's choice. Eventually. Jay Leno did win the Tonight Show while David Letterman went to CBS and hosted his own late night show at 11:30.
They both dominated the late night airwaves until just a couple of years ago when both men retired from last night TV, despite the fact that they were still at the top of their game. What happened?
Television and the Internet
The traditional notion of people watching shows in front of their TV when the network airs them has been severely disrupted. Viewers can PVR their favorite shows and watch them at a later date, fast-forwarding through the commercials. They can binge watch a series on Netflix or they can catch a show online on their laptop or smartphone while they're commuting.
Late night talk shows have been affected also. People don't watch an episode from 11:30 until 12:30 like they used to (let alone shows from 12:30 am onward). These days, people will want to catch the highlights, whether it's the best jokes from the monologue or the skits that take place before the first guest comes on. So, while viewers will watch entire episodes of a TV series, they might only watch bits and pieces of a late night talk show episode. This holds especially true for the all-important millennial viewing audience.
Unfortunately neither Letterman nor Leno were able to adapt to these new circumstances, as they themselves acknowledged. Like Carson with his skits such as the Carnac the Magnificient, Letterman also produced memorable routines such as Stupid Pet Tricks and Top 10 Lists which would have been viral online had the internet been prevalent in the 80's and 90's. Jay Leno relied on his famous joke-filled monologues for his laughs but that wasn't quite enough for NBC in the current digital age.
Enter Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon succeeded Jay Leno on the Tonight Show and brought his unique brand of comedy that went beyond the typical monologue and interview. His YouTube channel now has 10.5 million+ subscribers and almost 5 billion views. His most popular YouTube videos include his famous routines such as Lip Sync Battles and Wheel of Musical Impressions, skits that go instantly viral online as soon as they air.
Fallon dominates the late-night TV ratings over Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and his YouTube channel also has the most viewers by far, leading Jimmy Kimmel who has 3 billion viewers and Conan O'Brien with 2.2 billion.
Enter James Corden
James Corden hosts the Late Late Show on CBS at 12:30 am and might have fremained very unknown if he hadn't have gone extremely viral with his popular sketch Carpool Karaoke. This basically consists of Corden driving around Los Angeles with musical guests such as Adele, Justin Bieber and One Direction.
It's a very simple concept and a very inspired idea. Everyone, or mostly everyone, loves to sing when they're driving alone in a car or with a group of friends joining in. Likewise, a celebrity guest who might not want to belt out a song when on the couch with a talk show host is a lot more willing when driving around in a car. Carpool Karaoke became so popular that CBS even gave him a prime-time special in March showcasing his best carpool karaoke moments.
What does this show? It shows the power of digital marketing and the huge influence of social media. There is a segment of the audience (usually older) that will watch late night talk shows at 11:30 pm but the younger viewers will pick and choose the parts of the show that they want to watch, especially when it's viral. YouTube has definitely become a major player in the late night television world, something Johnny Carson might never have envisioned in the good old days of watching TV in the bedroom!
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Business Start-Up Lessons Of Some Famous Companies
In a previous article, business startup lessons were given from success stories such as Pez, Gillette and Scrabble. Here are some more example of successful companies that were started by people with a unique vision who worked hard to see them through.
WRIGLEY
After the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016, there was a huge celebration at Wrigley Field. This brought back the moniker 'Wrigley' in a huge way, which belonged to William L. Wrigley Jr. who founded the company that bore his name more than 120 years ago in 1891.
Forming the company in 1891, Wrigley had $32 to his name and the idea of selling of selling soap called Wrigley's Scouring Soap. Had he limited himself to simply trying to sell the soap on its own merits, his story would have turned out very differently. Instead, he offered baking powder as a bonus to anyone who bought his soap. He found out that the baking powder was more popular than his Scouring Soap so he sold the powder instead.
Again, his story would be much different had he simply tried to sell the baking powder on its own merits. Instead, he offered two packages of chewing gum to anyone who bought a can of baking powder and discovered that the gum was more popular.
Figuring the third time's the charm, Wrigley decided to focus on chewing gum. Seen more as a product for women, he introduced new flavors such as Juicy Fruit and Spearmint to appeal to men and young people. This worked beyond anyone's expectations and, along with his innovative advertising, turned Wrigley into the largest manufacturer of chewing gum in the world.
His belief that everybody likes a free 'something extra' led him to discover that chewing gum was more popular than soap or baking powder. In 1907, he mortgaged everything to advertise his product in every way possible to tell people 'quick and often'. He sent chewing gum samples to everyone listed in U.S. phone books, a pioneering nation-wide direct mail venture. His son in the 1920's advertised Wrigley's Gum on radio programs and newspaper comic pages.By advertising everywhere and anywhere, he imprinted the words 'Wrigley gum' on the public's mind. Keep in mind that this was in the days before television and social media.
What are some of his lessons? Believe in yourself, even if you have only $32 to your name. Be flexible and ready to adapt if you discover that your original product isn't your most popular one. Realize that it's pretty well a given that there's no such thing as too much advertising. Plus, buying a baseball team and naming a stadium after yourself can pay dividends in the future!
STARBUCKS
Anyone who's been to Italy knows how much they love to sip their espresso at cafes, especially outdoors when the weather is nice. Howard Schultz, like many others, noticed how there was practically a coffee bar on every corner during a trip in the early 1980's.
Schultz was the Director of Marketing for Starbucks when he made this trip to Milan. He went back and tried to sell the owners of Starbucks on the idea of setting up cafes which would sell espressos and brewed specialty coffee. At the time, Starbucks sold coffee beans, tea and spices and only brewed coffee for samples. The owners weren't interested in the restaurant business but preferred having people making their purchases and leaving.
However, Schultz believed in his idea so much that they helped him out and eventually sold him the Starbucks name. The end result is well-known with Starbucks having over 23,000 locations in 67 countries, including 3,400 in China. The original owners are doing well with their company Peet's Coffee and Tea but obviously not quite as well as Starbucks.
As Howard Schultz was say, you must pour your heart into it if you want success. As he is quoted as saying, "When I first discovered in the early 1980s the Italian espresso bars in my trip to Italy, the vision was to re-create that for America - a third place that had not existed before. Starbucks recreated that in America in our own image; a place to go other than home or work. We also created an industry that did not exist: specialty coffee." He copied the success that he found in Italy by realizing that the same need existed in the United States. His success was due to his vision and hard work, the results of which can been seen everywhere today.
In an interesting twist, Howard Schultz announced on February 28, 2016 that Starbucks would open its first store in Milan in 2017!
As he states in his press release, “Now we’re going to try, with great humility and respect, to share what we’ve been doing and what we’ve learned through our first retail presence in Italy. Our first store will be designed with painstaking detail and great respect for the Italian people and coffee culture."
This is definitely the proper approach, as opposed to saying "We'll show the Italians how it's done!!". It's good to be driven when starting a business but it's better to also have humility and respect for others.
XEROX
Electrophotography is a mouthful when using a term to copy a document, and xerography isn't much better. However, asking someone to xerox a document is universally understood and can be attributed to Chester Carslon. Carlson invented the Xerox machine
which performed dry copying as opposed to wet copying as in a mimeograph machine. He persevered despite receiving 20 rejection letters by those who couldn't foresee how indispensable photocopying would become. One letter even asked "Who wants to copy a document on plain paper?".
He experienced years of rejection before the Haloid Company purchased his idea in 1944. From there, the first copier was sold in 1950 and Carlson went on to earn over $150 million in his lifetime.
Q-TIPS
Most everyone uses cotton swabs, or Q-Tips, to clean out their ears or other areas which require a delicate touch. They can also be used to clean items such as laptop keyboards.
The original concept itself was simple enough - basically a toothpick with cotton attached to both ends. Leo Gerstenzang is said to have been inspired to produce the Q-Tip back in 1923 after observing his wife attaching cotton to the end of a toothpick to clean out her baby's ears. Since he was the owner of the "Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Company", he was able to construct a machine that made these cotton swabs. The product was first called 'Baby Gays', then 'Q-Tips Baby Gays' and then finally Q-Tips, the brand that became popular worldwide.
ebay
Founder Pierre Omidyar wasn't even 20 years old when he developed his Auctionweb site in his living room back in 1995, little knowing that it would turn into a multi-billion dollar online auction and sales site. It was a simply a hobby to sell some personal items, including a broken laser pointer that someone actually bought ("I'm a collector of broken laser pointers"). People were already buying and selling items through internet bulletin boards but Omidyar had the vision of a real marketplace where people could interact and make bids on items.
His side project kept growing so much that his ISP told him he had to upgrade his account due to the traffic. Instead of thinking it wasn't worth it, Omidyar pursued this avenue and started to charge people to use his site. When this met with little or no objection, the site grew exponentially to the ebay that we know today. The basic model was that people could explore the site for free but would be charged for listing and selling items. This model enabled the company to grow to a market value of nearly $30 billion in 2016.
A&W ROOT BEER
Roy Allen worked as a hotelier after World War 1 when he encountered an old soda fountain operator who convinced him to buy his root beer formula. Told that he could make a fortune selling 5-cent root beer with the formula, Allen took a chance and opened a root beer stand in Lodi, California in 1919.
Allen wasn't counting on blind luck to make his business venture succeed. Prohibition had come into effect and sales of alcohol were banned across the country. Allen believed that people would flock to a stand that resembled a Wild West saloon with a bar and even sawdust on the floor. It also helped that many customers felt that 'root beer' was close enough to 'beer' to enjoy on a hot summer day!
A stand in Lodi did so well that Allen opened a second one in Stockton, California. He partnered with one of the employees, Frank Wright, and they named their company A&W in 1922. From there, the company grew nationwide and continues to be a success story to this day, all because Roy Allen took a chance on a formula for root beer.
Creating a business can be started through a stroke of inspiration but it does take hard work before true success can be attained. Still, the results are very often well worth it. If you think of an idea that might seem strange, follow through on it! The world can be yours.
My Twitter Page
My Pinterest Page
Travel Discounts!
WRIGLEY
After the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016, there was a huge celebration at Wrigley Field. This brought back the moniker 'Wrigley' in a huge way, which belonged to William L. Wrigley Jr. who founded the company that bore his name more than 120 years ago in 1891.
Forming the company in 1891, Wrigley had $32 to his name and the idea of selling of selling soap called Wrigley's Scouring Soap. Had he limited himself to simply trying to sell the soap on its own merits, his story would have turned out very differently. Instead, he offered baking powder as a bonus to anyone who bought his soap. He found out that the baking powder was more popular than his Scouring Soap so he sold the powder instead.
Again, his story would be much different had he simply tried to sell the baking powder on its own merits. Instead, he offered two packages of chewing gum to anyone who bought a can of baking powder and discovered that the gum was more popular.
Figuring the third time's the charm, Wrigley decided to focus on chewing gum. Seen more as a product for women, he introduced new flavors such as Juicy Fruit and Spearmint to appeal to men and young people. This worked beyond anyone's expectations and, along with his innovative advertising, turned Wrigley into the largest manufacturer of chewing gum in the world.
His belief that everybody likes a free 'something extra' led him to discover that chewing gum was more popular than soap or baking powder. In 1907, he mortgaged everything to advertise his product in every way possible to tell people 'quick and often'. He sent chewing gum samples to everyone listed in U.S. phone books, a pioneering nation-wide direct mail venture. His son in the 1920's advertised Wrigley's Gum on radio programs and newspaper comic pages.By advertising everywhere and anywhere, he imprinted the words 'Wrigley gum' on the public's mind. Keep in mind that this was in the days before television and social media.
What are some of his lessons? Believe in yourself, even if you have only $32 to your name. Be flexible and ready to adapt if you discover that your original product isn't your most popular one. Realize that it's pretty well a given that there's no such thing as too much advertising. Plus, buying a baseball team and naming a stadium after yourself can pay dividends in the future!
STARBUCKS
Anyone who's been to Italy knows how much they love to sip their espresso at cafes, especially outdoors when the weather is nice. Howard Schultz, like many others, noticed how there was practically a coffee bar on every corner during a trip in the early 1980's.
 |
| The original Starbucks location |
Schultz was the Director of Marketing for Starbucks when he made this trip to Milan. He went back and tried to sell the owners of Starbucks on the idea of setting up cafes which would sell espressos and brewed specialty coffee. At the time, Starbucks sold coffee beans, tea and spices and only brewed coffee for samples. The owners weren't interested in the restaurant business but preferred having people making their purchases and leaving.
However, Schultz believed in his idea so much that they helped him out and eventually sold him the Starbucks name. The end result is well-known with Starbucks having over 23,000 locations in 67 countries, including 3,400 in China. The original owners are doing well with their company Peet's Coffee and Tea but obviously not quite as well as Starbucks.
As Howard Schultz was say, you must pour your heart into it if you want success. As he is quoted as saying, "When I first discovered in the early 1980s the Italian espresso bars in my trip to Italy, the vision was to re-create that for America - a third place that had not existed before. Starbucks recreated that in America in our own image; a place to go other than home or work. We also created an industry that did not exist: specialty coffee." He copied the success that he found in Italy by realizing that the same need existed in the United States. His success was due to his vision and hard work, the results of which can been seen everywhere today.
In an interesting twist, Howard Schultz announced on February 28, 2016 that Starbucks would open its first store in Milan in 2017!
As he states in his press release, “Now we’re going to try, with great humility and respect, to share what we’ve been doing and what we’ve learned through our first retail presence in Italy. Our first store will be designed with painstaking detail and great respect for the Italian people and coffee culture."
This is definitely the proper approach, as opposed to saying "We'll show the Italians how it's done!!". It's good to be driven when starting a business but it's better to also have humility and respect for others.
XEROX
Electrophotography is a mouthful when using a term to copy a document, and xerography isn't much better. However, asking someone to xerox a document is universally understood and can be attributed to Chester Carslon. Carlson invented the Xerox machine
which performed dry copying as opposed to wet copying as in a mimeograph machine. He persevered despite receiving 20 rejection letters by those who couldn't foresee how indispensable photocopying would become. One letter even asked "Who wants to copy a document on plain paper?".
He experienced years of rejection before the Haloid Company purchased his idea in 1944. From there, the first copier was sold in 1950 and Carlson went on to earn over $150 million in his lifetime.
Q-TIPS
Most everyone uses cotton swabs, or Q-Tips, to clean out their ears or other areas which require a delicate touch. They can also be used to clean items such as laptop keyboards.
The original concept itself was simple enough - basically a toothpick with cotton attached to both ends. Leo Gerstenzang is said to have been inspired to produce the Q-Tip back in 1923 after observing his wife attaching cotton to the end of a toothpick to clean out her baby's ears. Since he was the owner of the "Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Company", he was able to construct a machine that made these cotton swabs. The product was first called 'Baby Gays', then 'Q-Tips Baby Gays' and then finally Q-Tips, the brand that became popular worldwide.
ebay
Founder Pierre Omidyar wasn't even 20 years old when he developed his Auctionweb site in his living room back in 1995, little knowing that it would turn into a multi-billion dollar online auction and sales site. It was a simply a hobby to sell some personal items, including a broken laser pointer that someone actually bought ("I'm a collector of broken laser pointers"). People were already buying and selling items through internet bulletin boards but Omidyar had the vision of a real marketplace where people could interact and make bids on items.
His side project kept growing so much that his ISP told him he had to upgrade his account due to the traffic. Instead of thinking it wasn't worth it, Omidyar pursued this avenue and started to charge people to use his site. When this met with little or no objection, the site grew exponentially to the ebay that we know today. The basic model was that people could explore the site for free but would be charged for listing and selling items. This model enabled the company to grow to a market value of nearly $30 billion in 2016.
A&W ROOT BEER
Roy Allen worked as a hotelier after World War 1 when he encountered an old soda fountain operator who convinced him to buy his root beer formula. Told that he could make a fortune selling 5-cent root beer with the formula, Allen took a chance and opened a root beer stand in Lodi, California in 1919.
 |
| The original A&W root beer stand |
Allen wasn't counting on blind luck to make his business venture succeed. Prohibition had come into effect and sales of alcohol were banned across the country. Allen believed that people would flock to a stand that resembled a Wild West saloon with a bar and even sawdust on the floor. It also helped that many customers felt that 'root beer' was close enough to 'beer' to enjoy on a hot summer day!
 |
| The closest thing to a mug of beer during Prohibition! |
A stand in Lodi did so well that Allen opened a second one in Stockton, California. He partnered with one of the employees, Frank Wright, and they named their company A&W in 1922. From there, the company grew nationwide and continues to be a success story to this day, all because Roy Allen took a chance on a formula for root beer.
Creating a business can be started through a stroke of inspiration but it does take hard work before true success can be attained. Still, the results are very often well worth it. If you think of an idea that might seem strange, follow through on it! The world can be yours.
My Twitter Page
My Pinterest Page
Travel Discounts!
Monday, 14 December 2015
Some Events To Look Forward To In 2016
As the calendar winds down on 2015, there are a few major events it keep an eye on for 2016. As the media would say, even-numbered years are better than odd-numbered ones, partly due to all of the advertising dollars spent for the Olympics and political campaigns along with the soccer World and Euro Cups.
Here are some of the major events which will be very hard to miss
SUPER BOWL 50
The Super Bowl is the a huge sporting event and is often the most-watched television program of the year. Super Bowl XLIX drew more than 114 million viewers who tuned in to watch Tom Brady lead the New England Patriots to victory. Super Bowl 50 is expected to top 120 million viewers and television commercials are costing $5 million for 30 seconds!
This year's game will feature the Denver Broncos versus the Carolina Panthers. Will Peyton Manning finally win his second Super Bowl ring or will Cam Newton be victorious?
Super Bowl 50 is being played in San Francisco and will most likely be the most successful one in history. Silicon Valley is obviously in the area and companies such as Apple and Google raised money for the city's bid committee for the game. Look for Super Bowl 50 to be the most tech-friendly version of all time, especially with social media. "This will be the most technologically advanced Super Bowl ever," says Keith Bruce, CEO of the Super Bowl Host Committee (this committee includes Google, Apple, Intel, Yahoo and Verizon).
The NFL chose to call it Super Bowl 50 as opposed to Super Bowl L. This was to emphasize the 50th anniversary and, possibly, to counteract any confusion for people wondering the 'L' means!
IOWA CAUCUS - U.S. PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
Thanks to Donald Trump, the Presidential Primaries have dominated the news for much of 2015 and will continue to do so as 2016 rolls around. The results of the Iowa caucus in Februray , as well as other ones in the same month such as New Hampshire, will undoubtedly attract worldwide attention.
Had Donald Trump not been involved, the Republican race would have been much more subdued. The question will be how much support he can maintain until February. As the date approaches, it will be very hard to avoid the hoopla.
QUEEN ELIZABETH TURNS 90
Any milestone for Queen |Elizabeth, such as the 60th anniversary of her monarchy, always attracts international headlines along with the corresponding pomp and circumstance. Her 90th birthday on April 21 will have huge celebrations in her honour as well as wall-to-wall coverage.
There will also be speculation as to whether she will step down on her birthday and allow her son Charles to become King. This would be a drastic change as people under 60 haven't known any other British Monarch besides her. It would also be different having King Charles on the pound note!
EURO 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016, take place in France this year starting in June. There will be 24 teams this year, up from the previous 16 team format.
Taking place in France, security will be very tight and the eyes of the world will be watching the matches and hoping that everything runs without any incident. The event won't be quite as large as the World Cup but Europeans are very passionate about their sport and a championship for France would probably be the ultimate feel-good story of the year.
SUMMER OLYMPICS - RIO DE JANEIRO
Rio de Janeiro is well known for its annual Carnival celebrations and the 2016 Summer Olympics will certainly have the same joyous spirit. Brazil has a population of over 200 million people and many people will think that they are all attending the Games.
It's going to be a interesting Games with veteran athletes such as Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps coming back yet again for gold medal glory. People will also keep an eye out for any problems as there have been a few media reports about preparation issues leading up to the event, such as heavily polluted water where some sports are to take place. However, like other Olympics, it will be a full-blown spectacle on TV and there will be a lot of amazing highlights, especially with the Opening Ceremonies. Mais rápido, mais alto, mais forte!
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
This is touted to be one of the most important elections in recent history as an electoral divide seems to have been created in the United States between the right and left leaning elements with very little common ground in the middle. Hillary Clinton is expected to win the Democratic nomination but the Republican race is very much up in the air.
The 'x' factor is Donald Trump. If he wins the Republican nomination, it could be a very divisive election. If he doesn't gain the nomination, it's possible that he may run as a third-party candidate, which is seen as favouring the Democrats. Whichever the case, there will be a lot of mud-slinging and the winner will have many fences to mend.
The G-20 Summit will take place in September 2016 and will be held in China for the first time. This will be Barack Obama's last such event after 8 years of being President. Who will be his successor the next time the world leaders get together? The world will be watching and anticipating.
There will obviously be many other major events and anniversaries taking place in 2016 but the ones mentioned above will be dominating headlines for much of the year. Be sure to keep informed!
Here are some of the major events which will be very hard to miss
SUPER BOWL 50
The Super Bowl is the a huge sporting event and is often the most-watched television program of the year. Super Bowl XLIX drew more than 114 million viewers who tuned in to watch Tom Brady lead the New England Patriots to victory. Super Bowl 50 is expected to top 120 million viewers and television commercials are costing $5 million for 30 seconds!
This year's game will feature the Denver Broncos versus the Carolina Panthers. Will Peyton Manning finally win his second Super Bowl ring or will Cam Newton be victorious?
Super Bowl 50 is being played in San Francisco and will most likely be the most successful one in history. Silicon Valley is obviously in the area and companies such as Apple and Google raised money for the city's bid committee for the game. Look for Super Bowl 50 to be the most tech-friendly version of all time, especially with social media. "This will be the most technologically advanced Super Bowl ever," says Keith Bruce, CEO of the Super Bowl Host Committee (this committee includes Google, Apple, Intel, Yahoo and Verizon).
The NFL chose to call it Super Bowl 50 as opposed to Super Bowl L. This was to emphasize the 50th anniversary and, possibly, to counteract any confusion for people wondering the 'L' means!
IOWA CAUCUS - U.S. PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
Thanks to Donald Trump, the Presidential Primaries have dominated the news for much of 2015 and will continue to do so as 2016 rolls around. The results of the Iowa caucus in Februray , as well as other ones in the same month such as New Hampshire, will undoubtedly attract worldwide attention.
Had Donald Trump not been involved, the Republican race would have been much more subdued. The question will be how much support he can maintain until February. As the date approaches, it will be very hard to avoid the hoopla.
QUEEN ELIZABETH TURNS 90
Any milestone for Queen |Elizabeth, such as the 60th anniversary of her monarchy, always attracts international headlines along with the corresponding pomp and circumstance. Her 90th birthday on April 21 will have huge celebrations in her honour as well as wall-to-wall coverage.
There will also be speculation as to whether she will step down on her birthday and allow her son Charles to become King. This would be a drastic change as people under 60 haven't known any other British Monarch besides her. It would also be different having King Charles on the pound note!
EURO 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016, take place in France this year starting in June. There will be 24 teams this year, up from the previous 16 team format.
Taking place in France, security will be very tight and the eyes of the world will be watching the matches and hoping that everything runs without any incident. The event won't be quite as large as the World Cup but Europeans are very passionate about their sport and a championship for France would probably be the ultimate feel-good story of the year.
SUMMER OLYMPICS - RIO DE JANEIRO
Rio de Janeiro is well known for its annual Carnival celebrations and the 2016 Summer Olympics will certainly have the same joyous spirit. Brazil has a population of over 200 million people and many people will think that they are all attending the Games.
It's going to be a interesting Games with veteran athletes such as Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps coming back yet again for gold medal glory. People will also keep an eye out for any problems as there have been a few media reports about preparation issues leading up to the event, such as heavily polluted water where some sports are to take place. However, like other Olympics, it will be a full-blown spectacle on TV and there will be a lot of amazing highlights, especially with the Opening Ceremonies. Mais rápido, mais alto, mais forte!
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
This is touted to be one of the most important elections in recent history as an electoral divide seems to have been created in the United States between the right and left leaning elements with very little common ground in the middle. Hillary Clinton is expected to win the Democratic nomination but the Republican race is very much up in the air.
The 'x' factor is Donald Trump. If he wins the Republican nomination, it could be a very divisive election. If he doesn't gain the nomination, it's possible that he may run as a third-party candidate, which is seen as favouring the Democrats. Whichever the case, there will be a lot of mud-slinging and the winner will have many fences to mend.
The G-20 Summit will take place in September 2016 and will be held in China for the first time. This will be Barack Obama's last such event after 8 years of being President. Who will be his successor the next time the world leaders get together? The world will be watching and anticipating.
There will obviously be many other major events and anniversaries taking place in 2016 but the ones mentioned above will be dominating headlines for much of the year. Be sure to keep informed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)