1. Elon Musk’s “Teslaquila” Drink
Tesla Inc. co-founder Elon Musk and Mexico’s tequila producers could be heading for a collision after the agave-based drink’s industry group opposed the billionaire’s efforts to trademark an alcoholic drink dubbed “Teslaquila”. Musk tweeted “Teslaquila coming soon” with a red and white label of the Tesla logo and “100 percent Puro de Agave.” “Not so fast,” said Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). It argued that the “name ‘Teslaquila’ evokes the word tequila… (and) tequila is a protected word.” The spirit must be made in the Mexican states of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit or Tamaulipas, among other requirements. Similarly, Champagne has to come from the Champagne region of France, otherwise, it’s sparkling wine. Make no bones about it, Mexico’s CRT is telling Musk to lick it, slam it, suck it.
(Source: The Guardian)
2. Losers of Amazon HQ2 Still Winning
17 US cities were not awarded Amazon’s HQ2. Actually, it was exactly 283 that were cut down to 20. While it appears they lost, they might actually have won. The winners were DC and New York (shocking, we know). The process has cast the remaining cities into the spotlight and allowed them to set the precedent to become tech centers in the upcoming years. “Just being in the top 20 has put the spotlight on the city and has made people pay attention that we’re not just a sunny, low-tax city,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said. This is nice political spin, but it also does make PR sense as many companies will use the Amazon Top 20 list when making location decisions. Others benefitting include Nashville, who is beginning to ready itself for Amazon’s operational center– set to create 5K jobs downtown. Similarly, Birmingham won their first fulfillment center from Amazon adding 1.5K jobs.
(Source: CNN)
3. YouTube Says, Go Long
YouTube has subtly transformed its direction to favor long-form videos as opposed to the zippy, brief videos it has been known for in the past. As more people go mobile for video content, the difference between television and YouTube has become almost obsolete. YouTube viewers feel a sense of intimacy and a connection to their favorite bloggers and beauty gurus when watching more lengthy videos as if they were part of the conversation or event. The ideal time for these popular videos ranges anywhere between 15 minutes to 2 hours. This is a win-win for YouTube who can pack the additional content with more advertisements tailored specifically to viewers of each channel.
