Tag: U.S.

  • Jim Beam Partners with Mila Kunis for Global Marketing Campaign

    Jim Beam Partners with Mila Kunis for Global Marketing Campaign

    MUMBAI: Jim Beam, the world’s #1 Bourbon, and award-nominated actress Mila Kunis are teaming up to “make history” in 2014 and beyond. Kunis joins the Jim Beam family as a global partner and spokesperson, and will play a leading role in Jim Beam’s new Make History™ multi-media brand campaign that will reach more than 100 markets worldwide. Make History™ is the first-ever global marketing campaign for the iconic American brand, which traces its history to 1795. The television campaign featuring Kunis will premiere in the next few months in the brand’s largest markets, including the U.S., Australia and Germany.   
     

    “Jim Beam has been making history by producing the world’s finest bourbon through seven generations of family distillers, and this partnership truly signifies a new era for the brand – an era in which we push boundaries even further, attracting new fans across the globe and continuing the great growth we’ve enjoyed on the brand,” said Kevin George, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Beam Inc. [NYSE:BEAM]. “Mila’s love of bourbon, her appreciation for the authenticity of our brand, her warm personality and her global relevance to our Make History™ campaign makes her the perfect partner. Anyone would want to share a Jim Beam with Mila. We love that about her, and couldn’t be happier to have her join the Jim Beam family.”

     

    The Make History™ campaign will premiere three new television commercials featuring Kunis in the U.S. in mid-February and will roll out in markets worldwide over the next few months. Kunis will also be featured in retail materials and content on Jim Beam’s website, www.jimbeam.com, Facebook (www.facebook.com/JimBeamUS) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/jimbeamofficial).

     

    “As a fan of bourbon and a huge proponent of making history, I am thrilled to be the newest member of the Jim Beam family,” said Kunis, who has spent time in Clermont, Ky., with Jim Beam’s seventh generation Master Distiller, Fred Noe, immersing herself in the heritage, traditions and craftsmanship of “America’s Native Spirit.”

     

    Jim Beam’s TV advertising campaign was created by FutureWorks, a partnership between three independent agencies who lead Jim Beam creative efforts in key markets: StrawberryFrog (New York), The Works (Sydney) and Jung von Matt (Hamburg). In the U.S., the ads will appear across multiple media properties, including Turner Sports/BleacherReport, NBA telecasts, FXX, Spike, History Channel, AMC, Food Network and ESPN networks, as well as in media properties across the globe.
     

    The U.S. campaign will feature Jim Beam’s full portfolio of brands, including Jim Beam® White, Jim Beam Black®, Devil’s Cut®, Jim Beam® Honey, Jim Beam® Maple, Jacob’s Ghost® Aged White Whiskey, Jim Beam® Signature Craft and Red Stag by Jim Beam®. To view a video of Kunis’ visit to the Jim Beam Distillery, visit: http://youtu.be/MC_35SsHANM. And for more information on the world’s #1 bourbon, please visit www.jimbeam.com, www.facebook.com/JimBeamUS or http://twitter.com/jimbeamofficial.

  • Goldthwait signs a deal with MPI for Willow Creek

    Goldthwait signs a deal with MPI for Willow Creek

    MUMBAI: Comedian-turned-filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait has signed a deal with MPI for all U.S. rights to his latest film, Willow Creek that stars Bryce Johnson and Alexie Gilmore.

     

    The pact adds to MPI’s Dark Sky line-up that includes Goldthwait films World’s Greatest Dad and God Bless America.

     

    Willow Creek written by Goldthwait puts a faux-docu spin on the Bigfoot mythos as seen through the eyes of an aspiring documentarian (Bryce Johnson) and his skeptical actress girlfriend (Alexie Gilmore) as they take a tour of Northern California’s Trinity National Forest in search of Sasquatch. The film release in Q2 2014.

     

    MPI’s Greg Newman negotiated the deal with Preferred Content’s Zac Bright and Kevin Iwashina and Cassian Elwes.

  • Netflix becomes bigger than HBO

    Netflix becomes bigger than HBO

    NMUMBAI: Orange is the New Black may have helped make Netflix the new HBO with investors.

     

    On Monday, Netflix reported a U.S. paid subscriber leap, which according to analysts, puts the streaming service squarely ahead of Time Warner’s HBO.

     

    The advances by Netflix spotlight a winning formula around original programming to attract new membership. Original titles such as Orange is the New Black and the Emmy-winning show, House of Cards, were big attractions for subscribers. Binge viewing of these titles have turned Netflix into a hit maker for the new generation.

     

    Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos remarked that the only reason to adapt the forecast model for the second season of Orange Is the New Black was because they were highly confident in the model and the quality of the show.

     

    Netflix’s U.S. paid subscribers jumped to 29.9 million in the third quarter, up from 28.6 million in June, passing HBO’s 28.7 million, according to market researcher SNL Kagan.

     

    Wall Street investors applauded Netflix’s programming results. Shares of Netflix rocketed 10 percent, at $391.39, in after-hours trading on the news. Overall membership at Netflix soared in the quarter from last year. It also reported more than 33 percent jump in members from last year, at 40 million compared with less than 30 million in the prior period.

     

    Since Orange has been a great success for them, Netflix wants to do more content like Orange.

     

    Netflix quarterly results beat estimates, top to bottom, according to a survey of forecasts from Thomson Reuters. Company net income popped 315 percent, at $31.8 million, compared with a year ago. Revenue nudged past estimates by $6 million on just over $1.1 billion in the quarter. Earnings per share of 52 cents beat analyst forecasts for 49 cents in the period.

     

    Netflix’s international audience jumped by 1.4 million new members from a year ago, driven by Nordic and Netherlands expansion efforts, the company said.

  • CareerBuilder Releases Striking Differences in Typical Workdays Around the World

    CareerBuilder Releases Striking Differences in Typical Workdays Around the World

    MUMBAI :  A new global study from CareerBuilder shows that a typical day in the office is not so typical across the globe: When you look at the average workday in the 10 largest economies around the world, you begin to see how alike workers can be—and also where they differ the most. The global survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive© from May 9 to June 5, 2013, included more than 5,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals in countries with the largest gross domestic product.

    INFOGRAPHIC:http://cb.com/1gnMhxK

    Driving vs. Public Transportation

    While the 10 countries surveyed have the largest economies on the planet, they also have some of the largest populations, but instead of taking public transportation or using other ways of getting to work, the majority of workers indicate they drive themselves to work every day,
    •    U.S. 82%
    •    Brazil: 74%
    •    China: 69%
    •    Germany: 63%
    •    France: 62%
    •    Italy: 60%
    •    Russia: 60%
    •    U.K.: 58%
    •    India: 52%
    •    Japan: 44%

    Suit and tie optional

    Of the 10 surveyed countries, India is the only place you’ll see the majority of workers in business formal attire (50 percent), such as suits. In every other surveyed country, business casual (e.g., slacks, button-down shirts, sweaters) is the standard dress code as below
    •    U.S. 64%
    •    Brazil: 57%
    •    Italy 51%
    •    UK: 51%
    •    Russia: 50%
    •    China: 49%
    •    France: 45%
    •    Germany: 45%
    •    Japan: 42%
    •    India: 36%

    Communication preference

    Although everyone might seem to be glued to their smartphones, tablets and laptops these days, face-to-face conversations still rule the workplace. In all 10 surveyed countries, in-person communication beat electronic messages such as emails, texts and instant messages by large margins, with phone conversations being the least used.

    •    U.S.: 
    o    Face-to-face: 59%
    o    Digital: 30%
    o    Phone: 10%
    •    UK:
    o    Face-to-face: 68%
    o    Digital: 20%
    o    Phone: 11%
    •    France:
    o    Face-to-face: 79%
    o    Digital: 15%
    o    Phone: 6%
    •    Germany:
    o    Face-to-face: 73%
    o    Digital: 15%
    o    Phone: 13%
    •    Italy:
    o    Face-to-face: 66%
    o    Digital: 23%
    o    Phone: 11%
    •    Russia:
    o    Face-to-face: 80%
    o    Digital: 10%
    o    Phone: 9%
    •    India:
    o    Face-to-face: 60%
    o    Digital: 23%
    o    Phone: 17%
    •    China:
    o    Face-to-face: 81%
    o    Digital: 16%
    o    Phone: 2%
    •    Japan:
    o    Face-to-face: 42%
    o    Digital: 32%
    o    Phone: 27%
    •    Brazil:
    o    Face-to-face: 45%
    o    Digital: 32%
    o    Phone: 23%

    Socializing with coworkers

    Socializing with coworkers outside of office hours can be a good way to learn about your colleagues or relax after a hard day at work. Yet, not everyone is eager to participate. Workers in China and India are more than twice as likely to attend social events than workers in Germany and the U.S.When asked do you socialize with coworkers, the following said yes,
    •    China: 98%
    •    India: 93%
    •    Brazil: 76%
    •    Russia: 68%
    •    Japan: 66%
    •    France: 64%
    •    UK: 55%
    •    Italy: 53%
    •    US: 41% 
    •    Germany: 38%

    Hours spent at work each week

    The number of hours workers spend at work is pretty consistent around the world, but while Chinese workers spend slightly less time at work each week, they report (29 percent) bringing work home with them at least once a week, higher than the other countries.
    How many hours do you work each week?
    •    31-40: U.K. (47%), China (46%)
    •    41-50: Japan (48%), U.S. (47%), India (46%), Germany (44%), Brazil (43%), Italy (42%), Russia (40%), France (37%)

     

    How often are youbringing work home?
    •    US: 
    o    1 Day a week: 18%
    o    Never: 26%
    •    UK:
    o    1 Day a week: 17%
    o    Never: 30%
    •    France:
    o    1 Day a week: 19%
    o    Never: 32%
    •    Germany:
    o    1 Day a week: 19%
    o    Never: 39%
    •    Italy:
    o    1 Day a week: 25%
    o    Never: 43%
    •    Russia:
    o    1 Day a week: 25%
    o    Never: 39%
    •    India:
    o    1 Day a week: 26%
    o    Never: 29%
    •    China:
    o    1 Day a week: 29%
    o    Never: 30%
    •    Japan:
    o    1 Day a week: 18%
    o    Never: 59%
    •    Brazil:
    o    1 Day a week: 22%
    o    Never: 30%

    Taking vacation

    When asked how many days they took off from vacation, workers had strikingly different answers depending on where they live. Italian workers took off the fewest days, with the nearly two-thirds majority taking 7 days or fewer (64%). Forty-six percent of Japanese workers took more than 35 days off, more than workers in any other countries.
    •    0-7 days:
    o    Italy: 64%
    o    UK: 29%
    o    Brazil: 20%
    •    8-14 days:
    o    India: 34%
    o    U.S.: 27%
    •    15-21 days:
    o    China: 28%
    •    22-28 days:
    o    Russia: 35%
    o    France: 25%
    •    29-35 days:
    o    Germany: 30%
    •    35+ days: 
    o    Japan: 46%

    Survey Methodology

    This survey was conducted online within the U.S., Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.K. by Harris Interactive©on behalf of CareerBuilder among400 to 2,279 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, government and non-government) in each country between May 9 and June 5, 2013 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With pure probability samples ranging from 400 to 2,279, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error between +/- 4.9 and +/-2.05 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

  • Iron Man 3 rakes in the even before its US release

    Iron Man 3 rakes in the even before its US release

    MUMBAI: The third installment in Marvel’s Iron Man series is breaking records in many markets as reported by the Hollywood Reporter.

    The Robert Downey Jr starrer has continued to give a strong performance since Thursday when it opened in supplementary foreign markets, grossing $23.3 million to bump its two-day international total to an astounding $36.5 million.

    The Disney  and Marvel Studios tent-pole, returning Downey in the title role, is racing ahead of Iron Man 2 in many international markets, prompting box-office observers to speculate that the ‘threequel‘ is benefiting mightily from last year‘s mega blockbuster The Avengers, which starred Downey‘s character along with other Marvel superheroes.

    Iron Man 3 is opening internationally a week ahead of its North American debut on 3 May, similar to Iron Man 2, which posted a foreign opening of about $100 million in 2010. Pundits expect Iron Man 3 to post a foreign opening north of $110 million.

    The superhero franchise rolled out in a dozen countries on Wednesday, making $13.2 million. On Thursday, it opened in another raft of markets. In Korea, the movie opened to $3 million — the third-biggest opening of all time behind the final Pirates of the Caribbean movie and the third Transformers.

    Iron Man 3 opened to $3.6 million in the UK, just 9 per cent behind Avengers. while in Argentina, it opened to $700,000, the second-biggest debut of all time behind the final Harry Potter movie.

    By Sunday, the threequel will be playing in 80 per cent of the international marketplace, minus the U.S., China and Russia. Disney said on Friday that the Chinese release date has been shifted from 3 May to 1 May.