3 minutes estimated reading time
OceanGate Titan
Plenty have already covered the OceanGate Titan implosion in more detail. I will not repeat that work but wanted to bring to wider attention how marketers have jumped on the bandwagon. The following advert appeared in the print edition of the Financial Times, placed by Omega watches promoting their Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep series of watches.
‘Seamaster – Precision at every level’ next to a scale going beyond 6,000 metres.
Omega
I personally thought that the advert was too soon after the implosion for good taste. Although the watch community has seen a renewed interest in deep diving capable watches after the OceanGate Titan incident.
Beauty
What European beauty brands need to know about Chinese consumer trends – S’Young International
China
Police harassing woman who danced for Tiananmen massacre anniversary — Radio Free Asia
Design
Peter Yee and Oakley: futuristic fashion’s unsung hero — sabukaru – Peter Yee was responsible for about half the golden age designs of Oakley products. This a nicely written and researched profile of him.
Energy
Fact check: why Rowan Atkinson is wrong about electric vehicles | Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars | The Guardian – not convinced by the quality of the fact checking with the author citing his own organisation as an information source in this ‘fact check’
Ceramic solid state battery to ship to car makers at end of year | EE Times
Finance
China censors financial blogger as economic recovery falters | Financial Times
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s crypto push puts HSBC and StanChart in a bind | Financial Times – I am surprised at how hard charging Hong Kong is on crypto, especially given the benefits it provides for capital flight from mainland China
Japan
Young Japanese are craving fast fashion. What happened? | Vogue Business – it’s the economy stupid, luxury is less accessible. Secondly, much of the youth looks like Gyaru peaked in the early 2000s due to financial issues and things haven’t improved since. Shibuya subcultures were as dependent on the ability to spend as on youth creativity.
Luxury
Kering/Creed: posh perfume buy embraces luxury gap doctrine | Financial Times – interesting purchase by Kering of a British heritage luxury perfume brand
Court Orders Rolex Dealer To Reimburse Client | Fratello Watches – there seems to be an uptake in successful legal cases disputing the practices of luxury watch manufacturers.
Marketing
Richard Edelman: “Clients Are Really Nervous About Politics” | Provoke Media – fire department chief asks for more fire risks
Media
ixar flop shows Walt Disney struggling to revive the magic | Financial Times – there is a bit of snake oil salesmanship going on here, The Little Mermaid did well in the US but has underperformed in international markets such as Korea
Online
The Google Analytics transition away from Universal Analytics to GA4 is now being parodied.
Singapore
Singapore jails Indonesian who filmed himself having sex with 76 women without their consent | South China Morning Post – that this happened in Singapore was incidental. This is a problem around the world, Singapore managed to hand down a custodial sentence. The second thing that struck me was how what would have been fantastical in an old James Bond film is now commercially available for those with the inclination to buy the gadget.
Software
Apple’s Vision Pro SDK is now available, in-person developer labs launch next month | TechCrunch
Technology
Rebuilding Intel – Foundry vs IDM Decades of Inefficiencies Unraveled