DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Digital ad firm The Croud Group is actively on the hunt for a new private-equity investor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK digital marketing firm The Croud Group is working with the investment bank GP Bullhound to search for a new private-equity investor, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Croud is already PE-backed, having taken on a 30 million pound, or around $28 million, minority investment from LDC in 2019. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. But unlike some of its closest competitors, Croud hasn't been particularly acquisitive since it took on LDC's investment in 2019. "The valuation expectations would have been very high for Croud," Rosie McKeith, SI Partners director, told Business Insider.

Persons: Bullhound, Croud, Luke Smith, Smith, Ben Knight, Greg Paull, it's, Croud hasn't, Rosie McKeith, McKeith, OakNorth Organizations: Business, OakNorth Partners, HSBC, Campaign, Harvest, Croud, Ford, Guinness, Impakt Advisors, Partners Locations: LDC, Ford Europe, Dubai, OakNorth

☆ 6 wedding traditions that are overrated, according to wedding planners
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Mykenna Maniece | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Sleeping apart the night before the weddingCouple getting ready in the bathroom. Monkey Business Images/ShutterstockThe tradition of spending one's wedding eve apart stems from marriage's roots as a contractual obligation rather than a romantic one, Brides reported. Keeping the couple apart until the wedding was a way to ensure the bride's virginity and create some mystery before the ceremony, as many unions were arranged. So, with more couples living together before tying the knot, the tradition has lost some appeal. If you like to work out together, go work out," she added.

Persons: Lara Mahler Organizations: Pew Research Center

☆ How 12 brands are using generative AI in their ad campaigns, from bringing the artist Salvador Dalí to life to helping shelter pets get adopted
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Virgin Voyages created a virtual version of Jennifer Lopez, "Jen AI." Virgin Voyages/VMLAgency: VMLThe campaign: Last summer, Virgin Voyages created "Jen AI," an online platform that allowed users to send a personalized video of Jennifer Lopez to their friends to invite them to go on a cruise. The "Jen AI" was trained on Lopez reading a script using technology from SpeakUnique. Meanwhile, guardrails were built in by a team of moderators, including an updated list of banned words Jen-AI wouldn't say. VML says the campaign delivered nearly 20 million impressions and that 15% of global visitors to VirginVoyages.com had consumed content related to the Jen-AI campaign.

Persons: Jennifer Lopez, Jen, Lopez, Deeplocal, VML, Billy Bohan Chinique, Chinique Organizations: VML Agency, Virgin Voyages Locations: SpeakUnique, VirginVoyages.com

☆ Israel could win Eurovision. That would cause major headaches for the song contest’s organizers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

But this year, “the presence of Israel has become such a big issue (that) I think it’s going to overshadow the event,” he said. And they are leading perhaps the tensest three minutes in the contest’s history, when Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, performs live. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: Eden Golan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Golan, ”, Jessica Gow, ” Paul Jordan, Weeks, Johan Nilsson, Israel, Noel Curran, KAN, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, ” Curran, “, Fredrik Persson, –, ” Jordan, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, Getty, TT, Agency, Reuters, Israel, RAI, United, AFP, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Malmo, Israel, Gaza, Israel's, AFP, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

☆ Eurovision braces for its most tense contest yet, as protesters and artists bristle at Israel’s presence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The competition – which tries desperately to retain its “apolitical” tag – has become the largest cultural event so far to be rocked by the repercussions of Israel’s war in Gaza. Those protesting or boycotting the song contest claim it is “artwashing” the conflict; others defend Israel’s inclusion, insisting the contest should not be dragged into geopolitics. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: ” Paul Jordan, ”, Weeks, Eden Golan, ” Jordan, “, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, Noel Curran, KAN, ” Curran, Golan, Fredrik Persson, –, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Johan Nilsson, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, TT, Agency, AFP, Getty, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Gaza, Israel, Malmo, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

☆ Take a look inside a $12,500-a-year underground wellness club featuring only the 2nd Tracy Anderson studio in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Surrenne, a luxury wellness and longevity club, has just opened in London's Knightsbridge. The four-floor subterranean space features a gold-leaf ceiling, a snow shower, and the UK's only Tracy Anderson studio. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementIn April a new luxury wellness and longevity club sprung up in London's affluent neighbourhood of Knightsbridge. Besides the beautiful decor, Surrenne has gathered together an all-star line-up of the best health, fitness, and beauty gurus.

Persons: Tracy Anderson, that's, —, Inge Theron, she's, Surrenne, Theron, David Cummings, Lara Devgan, Stella McCartney, Rose Ferguson, Mark Mikhail, there's Tracy Anderson, She's Organizations: Service, Maybourne, David Cummings Products, Emory Locations: London's Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge, Emory, Berkeley, Hyde, London, Surrenne, Europe, Madrid

☆ Opinion: The latest example of Trump’s seeming obsession with Nazism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Opinion Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Dean Obeidallah CNNIt’s not the first time Trump has kicked off an event by playing this song that celebrates the January 6, 2021, attackers. But that wasn’t even the most offensive thing Trump did at Saturday’s private luncheon for donors, which was held at his Mar-a-Lago club. It was Trump, after all, who has said that he would be a dictator on “day one” of his administration. And the fact is, there is one major party presidential candidate who repeatedly has invoked Nazi language — and it’s not Biden. In December, Trump caused a firestorm when he parroted language used by Hitler by describing migrants as “poisoning the blood” of the United States.

Persons: Dean Obeidallah, Donald Trump, ”, Dean Obeidallah CNN It’s, Trump, —, Joe Biden, indignantly, Prosecutors, Stormy Daniels, Adolf Hitler, it’s, Biden, Hitler, Mein, Trump hasn’t, “, ’ ” Trump, Hermann Göring, Lara Trump Organizations: CNN, Republican National, Trump, Dean Obeidallah CNN, Nazi, Republican National Committee, Gestapo, Republican, Beer, Twitter, Facebook, GOP, RNC Locations: Europe, New York, United States, Iowa, Bavaria, Germany

☆ Many Gen Zers in their 'decisive decade' are leaving school and struggling to find work. They're part of America's disconnected youth.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Allie Kelly | Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewYoung Americans are feeling increasingly isolated from their offices and classrooms, and these "disconnected youth" — or "opportunity youth" — may be ill-positioned for the future. Loneliness and a tough job market are leaving many Gen Zers feeling stuck, isolated, and unsupported. In fact, they're members of the disconnected youth — defined as Gen Zers who are not in school and not working. Disconnected youth are at risk of long-term stagnationMost Gen Zers — who are between the ages of 12 and 27 — are in this decisive decade. How to help disconnected youthAlthough many disconnected youth struggle with school and work, researchers cautioned against a "one size fits all" solution.

Persons: —, Gen Zers, Richard Reeves, Reeves, Zers, aren't, Zers —, Jonathan Zaff, Ian Rowe, Lara Aknin, Zaff, Zer, isn't Organizations: Service, Brookings, Business, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, National Center for Education Statistics, Boston University, American Enterprise Institute, Partnership Locations: North America, Brookings

☆ Donald Trump says he doesn't care too much about his legal troubles: 'Life is life'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewDonald Trump told attendees at a private donor event in Florida on Saturday that he wasn't too bothered about his numerous legal troubles. Nevertheless, Trump told those in attendance that he was shocked when he first found out he had been indicted. I got indicted," Trump said, per the report. REUTERS/Jane RosenbergDuring the Mar-a-Lago event, Trump also took the opportunity to hit out at Democrats, saying they were "running a Gestapo administration," referencing the Nazi secret police force. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Florida Rep. Byron Donalds.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, It's, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Jane Rosenberg, Biden, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Elise Stefanik, Doug Burgum, Doug Burgum , Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, Byron Donalds, Mike Johnson, cochair Lara Trump, Donald Trump's Organizations: Service, Mar, NBC News, Business, REUTERS, Manchurian, Republican National Committee's, Sunshine, CNN, Tim Scott , New York, North Dakota Gov, Florida Rep, House GOP Locations: Florida, New York, China, Russia, Ukraine, Sunshine State, South Carolina, Tim Scott ,, North, Doug Burgum , Ohio

☆ 3 reasons your teens and 20s are 'the decisive decade'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Allie Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And there are three key reasons Gen Zers' decisive decade will shape their ongoing mental and financial health. Unhappiness can shape long-term mental healthGen Zer's mental health outcomes are shaped by their involvement in school and work, Brookings researchers said. AdvertisementAt work, many Gen Zers are struggling with anxiety, work-life balance, and burnout — more so than millennials, Gen X, and boomers. Unhappiness and social isolation are especially affecting Gen Zers who reached adolescence during the pandemic. Not all Gen Zers start on equal footingTo be sure, Gen Zers' education, work, and financial outcomes are also dependent on their life circumstances in childhood.

Persons: —, Zers, Gen Zers, Ian Rowe, Gen X, Lara Aknin, it's, Zer, isn't Organizations: Service, Pew, Business, Brookings Institution, Brookings, Urban Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Research Locations: America, Brookings

☆ Trump says Democrats are ‘running a Gestapo administration’ at Republican National Committee’s annual retreat
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Alayna Treene | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hundreds of people attended the event, and several attendees gave $40,000 or more, sources familiar with the fundraiser told CNN. Trump also touted efforts to prevent cheating in the upcoming election by RNC chairman Michael Whatley, the attendees told CNN. During the remarks, Trump stated he would need an attorney general with “courage” while simultaneously mocking his former attorney general, William Barr, according to the New York Times. Barr, who has been a fierce critic of Trump since leaving his administration, recently endorsed the former president. Blagojevich told CNN he considers himself a “Trumpocrat,” which he described as a Democrat who supports Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump ramped, ”, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Trump, Jack Smith, Lara Trump, Michael Whatley, William Barr, Barr, Rod Blagojevich, Blagojevich, Ronny Jackson Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Republican National Committee, Billboard, New York Times, Trump, Illinois Gov, Mar, Texas Rep Locations: Nazi Germany, Palm Beach, Lago

☆ We're entering advertising's new era
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In today's big story, we're looking at the biggest topic at this year's TV upfronts , and how it's a sign of advertising's new era. What's on deck:Markets: Morgan Stanley's new wealth boss outlines the bank's playbook for hitting $10 trillion in client assets. Andy Kiersz/Business InsiderYou might be wondering what retail data has to do with television advertising.

Persons: —, Morgan, Don Draper's, Burton, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Business Insider's Lara O'Reilly, Lucia Moses, Andy Kiersz, Andy Jassy, hasn't, Finn, Morgan Stanley, Michael M, Tyler Le, Jed Finn, Andy Saperstein, there's, Joseph Stiglitz, Jerome Powell, Justin Sullivan, Wells Fargo, Kevin Scott, Satya Nadella, Bill Gates, Pablo Declan, Shari Redstone's, tanked, BI's Peter Kafka, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Tech, Wall, Getty, Google, Amazon, Disney, Kroger, Walmart, Big Tech, US Department of Labor, Apple, Department, Paramount, Trump Media Locations: China, OpenAI, New York, London

☆ Roblox steps up its 'year of scale' with new ad formats, hires, and key partnerships as it aims to build a $1 billion ads business
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Video ads within Roblox are similar to real-world digital out-of-home advertising. A Roblox Portal Ad for a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" pizza party experience. Roblox/GamefamRoblox's partnerships boss, Christina Wootton, previously told Business Insider that while 2023 was a year of testing, 2024 would be the "year of scale" for its ads business. Roblox ads are labeled and can only be served to users over the age of 13, the company said. "If you literally just slap ads within the game, people are going to run a mile," Litman added.

Persons: Roblox, we'll, Stephanie Latham, Christina Wootton, Michael Guthrie, Latham, Ben Fox, David Vesper, it's, Nathan Pillot, Pillot, It's, Michael Litman, Litman Organizations: Business, Walmart, Warner Bros . Pictures, HUGO, Meta, Yahoo, Google, Social, viewability, Media.Monks, Logitech Locations: Roblox

☆ Presenting the star of this year's TV upfronts: Retailers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Usually, at the US TV upfronts — the annual event where the networks showcase their best upcoming programming in the hopes of securing big advertising commitments — the celebrities are the stars of the show. With more money being spent, advertisers are paying closer attention to what data they can use to inform their TV ad buys and prove that TV is powering their sales. It found that taking advantage of a media company's unique upfront data offerings, including retail data, was a top reason for advertisers to buy linear TV or connected TV in the upfronts, cited by 37%. US retail media CTV ad spend will increase by 86.6% this year to reach $4.19 billion, according to Emarketer. And Walmart's recent deal to acquire the TV manufacturer Vizio reflects the growing trend of retail media's convergence with TV advertising.

Persons: Eric Haggstrom, Dave Morgan, Andrea Montano, there's, NBCU, Mark Marshall, Marshall Organizations: Hollywood, Business, Amazon, TV, CTV, Kroger, Walmart, Netflix Locations: New York

☆ Finding opportunities beyond the 'Magnificent Seven'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFinding opportunities beyond the 'Magnificent Seven'Lara Castleton, Janus Henderson Investors U.S. head of portfolio construction, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss markets, finding opportunities outside of the 'Mag 7', and more.

Persons: Lara Castleton, Janus Henderson Organizations: Janus Henderson Investors U.S

☆ The Best Red Carpet Looks at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Vanessa Friedman | More About Vanessa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Once a popular target of jokes about bad fashion (and not just from the evening’s featured comedian host), the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has morphed in recent years into a less campy, more staid prelude to the Met Gala, which takes place days later. It’s only fitting, really, given the subtext of journalists being jailed around the world. Still, the bar for serious style has been raised by the mix of media, political and Hollywood figures that populate the guest list. Not that it’s just the celebs au fait with stylists and designer brands who are working the entrances. And whether Lara Trump, sitting with Politico, would represent in MAGA glory.

Persons: Biden, Brandon, John Fetterman, Gisele, Lara Trump Organizations: White, Politico Locations: MAGA

☆ Newly minted RNC chair Lara Trump says they've got lawsuits cooking in 81 states. There are 50 states.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Advertisement"We have lawsuits in 81 states right now," Trump told Bolling. "Maybe there are 81 states in the future and she's a time traveler," an X user named Mike Freeman said in a post. AdvertisementLate-night host Jimmy Kimmel couldn't resist mocking Lara Trump either when he referenced the moment in his monologue on Wednesday night. "In 81 states! Last week, she fired back when a viewer questioned her intellect on her podcast, "The Right View with Lara Trump."

Persons: —, Lara Trump, — who's, Donald Trump's, Eric —, we're, Eric Bolling, Jocelyn Benson, Trump, Bolling, 3vZ8mRYvgE —, Mike Freeman, Jimmy Kimmel, they're, Kimmel, Donald Trump, Michael Whatley, Lara, MAGA, hasn't, Lara Trump's Organizations: Service, Republican National, RNC, Business, South Virginia ., North, North Carolina GOP Locations: Tennessee, . West Dakota, South Virginia, South Virginia . Indiana, North Carolina

☆ Equativ is closing in on a deal to acquire fellow adtech company Sharethrough, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

French adtech company Equativ is in talks to acquire Sharethrough, per multiple sources. AdvertisementFrench adtech company Equativ is nearing a deal to acquire fellow adtech firm Sharethrough, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. These people asked for anonymity to discuss private deal talks. Their identities are known to Business Insider. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Equativ, couldn't Organizations: Sharethrough, Service, Business Locations: French, American

☆ Aid to Ukraine Is on the Way. Here’s How It Might Help.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Now that the Senate has approved a nearly $61 billion aid package to Ukraine, and with President Biden poised to sign it, desperately needed American weapons could be arriving on the battlefield within days. The weapons package — which has been delayed over political wrangling by House Republicans since last fall — is “a lifeline” for Kyiv’s military, said Yehor Cherniev, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s national security committee. But it will not include everything that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has asked for as his military struggles to hold firm after two years of war against invading Russian forces. Here is a look at what Ukraine says it needs, what it is expected to get in the American aid package and whether it will be enough to make an immediate difference.

Persons: Biden, Yehor Cherniev, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: House Republicans, Ukrainian Locations: Ukraine, Russian

☆ Sex and marriage patterns in an ancient empire revealed by DNA
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

With opulent graves but no written records, the empire and its people have remained largely in the shadows of history until recently. But a landmark April 2022 study involving ancient DNA taken from the graves of the Avar elite shed light on the empire’s far-flung origins. A tiny sample is drilled from a bone at the ancient DNA laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. In the case of men, researchers found two partners in 10 cases, three partners in four cases and four partners in one case. “Polygamy (having multiple marriage partners), serial monogamous marriages and extramarital relations are all possible explanations,” she said.

Persons: ”, Zsófia Rácz, Rácz, aren’t, Guido Alberto Gnecchi, Max Planck, Eötvös Loránd University Múzeum Lara Cassidy, “, polygyny, Ruscone, Cassidy, Bryan Miller, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd, Múzeum, University’s, Archaeological Sciences, Max, Max Planck Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Trinity College Dublin, Turks, Central, University of Michigan Locations: Central, Eastern Europe, Hungary, Rákóczifalva, Budapest, Leipzig, Germany, Europe, Mongolia, Caucasus, what’s, Constantinople, Byzantine, Eurasia

☆ Google is once again dictating the future of the online ad industry and all its rivals can do is brace for impact
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When Google sneezes, the entire online advertising industry catches a cold. Google's announcement Tuesday that it would again delay its planned timeline for killing off third-party tracking cookies had long been anticipated by the digital advertising industry. Google has a 28% share of the online ad market, according to market research firm Emarketer (a sister company to BI). Regulators could step in to resolve the cookie chaosSome industry experts are hoping regulators will step in to untangle the mess. Amid the four years of confusion, chaos, and harumphing, there has been one consistent theme: When it comes to the future of online advertising, Google calls the shots.

Persons: Ciaran O'Kane, WireCorp, hasn't, Sundar Pichai, Stephen Lam, Mathieu Roche, James Rosewell, Google's, haven't, Pierre Devoize, Devoize Organizations: Google, Business, Gmail, Antitrust, US Department of Justice, European Commission, UK's, Markets Authority, CMA, Industry, IAB Tech, EU Google, Chrome, Movement Locations: FirstPartyCapital

☆ Half of American workers support a ban on talking politics in the office
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Office politics have always been a point of frustration for workers, but now it's politics in the office that's getting to many American workers. In an era during which more workers have felt emboldened to challenge bosses over politics — with the recent Google worker protests and arrests a prime example — just under half of American workers polled by CNBC and SurveyMonkey say they would support a ban on political conversations at work. Younger workers show less hesitancy toward political discussions, with 41% of Gen Z workers saying they would choose to bar any political discussions at work. That's lower than millennial workers (46%), Gen X workers (52%), and boomers (49%). The CNBC | SurveyMonkey online poll was conducted April 3-5 among a national sample of 5,993 workers in the United States.

Persons: Lara Belonogoff Organizations: Google, CNBC, SurveyMonkey, Survey, Columbia University Locations: Google's San Francisco, Gaza, San Francisco , California, United States, Israel

☆ Mark Penn's Stagwell Group is on the hunt for adtech as the ad company continues its acquisition spree
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Stagwell Group, the advertising agency holding group operated by Mark Penn, a former advisor to Bill and Hillary Clinton, is actively looking to buy adtech companies as it continues to grow through acquisitions. Penn's theory is that by bringing such adtech in-house, Stagwell can offer more self-service software to advertisers who want it while also shrinking those clients' ad prices and expanding its own margins. Challenger brand Stagwell is competing for bigger contractsPenn founded Stagwell Group in 2015 with $250 million in funding from investors, including former Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. Stagwell recently made a near-$700-million bid for S4 Capital, another challenger ad company founded by longtime WPP CEO Martin Sorrell, The Wall Street Journal reported. Publicis Groupe has the biggest market capitalization of the largest holding companies, at $28.2 billion, while Stagwell is trading at around $1.6 billion.

Persons: Mark Penn, Bill, Hillary Clinton, Penn, we're, Stagwell, Penn didn't, Ana Milicevic, Milicevic, Brian Wieser, Wieser, Steve Ballmer, Sunny, GALE, Allison, Martin Sorrell, they're Organizations: Stagwell, Penn, Business, Google, Harris Poll, Next Partners, Sparrow, Madison, Challenger, Stagwell Group, Microsoft, MDC Partners, WPP, Publicis Groupe, Veritas, S4 Capital, Street Journal, S4, EMEA Locations: adtech, London

☆ Ukraine War Helped Push World Military Spending to 35-Year High, Study Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The study, by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, concluded that global military spending reached $2.4 trillion last year — a 6.8 percent increase from 2022. “The unprecedented rise in military spending is a direct response to the global deterioration in peace and security,” said Nan Tian, a senior researcher at the institute, which has tracked military expenditures since at least 1988. He described an “increasingly volatile geopolitical and security landscape.”Ukraine, in its first full year of war with Russia, devoted $64.8 billion to its military in 2023. That accounted for 58 percent of the government’s overall spending last year and 37 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Only seven other countries spent more on military and defense costs than Ukraine in 2023, analysts found.

Persons: spender, ”, Nan Tian Organizations: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Locations: Ukraine, Stockholm, Asia, United States, Russia

☆ Do Tanks Have a Place in 21st-Century Warfare?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The drone combat in Ukraine that is transforming modern warfare has begun taking a deadly toll on one of the most powerful symbols of American military might — the tank — and threatening to rewrite how it will be used in future conflicts. Over the last two months, Russian forces have taken out five of the 31 American-made M1 Abrams tanks that the Pentagon sent to Ukraine last fall, a senior U.S. official said. A vast majority of those are Soviet-era, Russian or Ukrainian-made tanks; only about 140 of those taken out in battle were given to Ukraine by NATO states. And Russia has so far lost more than 2,900 tanks, the Oryx data show, although Ukraine claims that the number exceeds 7,000. German Leopard tanks have also been targeted in Ukraine, with at least 30 having been destroyed, Oryx says.

Persons: Markus Reisner, Abrams, ” Organizations: Abrams, Pentagon, NATO, Leopard, Hudson Institute Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Austrian, Russia, Washington

Search resuls for: "lara"

25 mentions found