... cars, bikes and other appliances which can be hired online on an hourly basis. 

According to Frank Pörschmann, the head of CeBIT: "Knowledge is the only resource that multiplies when it is shared. That's the core of what we are seeing today on social networks - in the age of Twitter and Facebook people are sharing knowledge, contacts and experiences.

"And that - what I call 'facebookisation' - is also a growing trend in the economy. Through it, the availability of knowledge as a scarce resource is widened - that can help the economy develop faster and bring about innovation."

Mr Porschmann is not alone in his enthusiasm for the concept. Mobile operators also want to be the drivers and beneficiaries of the shareconomy.

Because of the steadily falling prices of internet flat rates, mobile networks are forced to investigate other areas able to generate revenues in the future. Vodafone Germany, for instance, feattured at its CeBIT stand a new idea for a carsharing model.

Explains Vodafone spokesperson Kuzey Esener: "Using your smartphone, you find a car, book it, and open it."

Vodafone is also trying to offer integrated solutions to the working world because jobs are becoming more mobile, Esener says: "The trend spans many sectors. We are also linking the health sector and many other industries, which we're thereby making more efficient."

[Editor's Note: CeBIT is a German language acronym for Centrum für Büroautomation, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation. Literally translated: 'Center for Office Automation, Information Technology and Telecommunication'.]

Read the original unabridged Deutsche Welle article.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... that whether tactics are digital or otherwise, they'll need to drive positive customer experience and interaction with their brand/s. 

Although companies have been investing in digital marketing for years now, Forrester posits that there’s now "an understanding that on some level, all marketing is inherently digital".

On this basis of this understanding, the forecast predicts that interactive marketing budgets in the USA will account for some $50 billion, or 20% of all marketing expenditures. This trend will almost certainly be replicated in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

Even though companies have been investing in digital marketing for years now, Forrester analyst Corinne Munchbach argues that the attitudinal shift is driven by the long overdue realisation that at some level, all marketing is inherently digital.

As a result, she expects interactive marketing budgets within the USA to account for some $50 billion, or 20% of all marketing expenditures.

Read the original unabridged MediaPost.com article.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... American and European companies into relocating their manufacturing operations.

This combination of multinationals' corporate greed and Chinese guile caused millions of US and European jobs to move to China, and manufacturing became the underpinning of China’s growth and prosperity.

But rising labor costs, concerns over government-sponsored intellectual property theft ... and production time-lags are already causing companies such as Dow Chemicals, Caterpillar, General Electric, and Ford to start moving some manufacturing processes back to the US.

Google recently announced that its Nexus Q streaming media player would be made in the US, thereby putting pressure on Apple to start following suit.

But political pressure and rising costs aren’t what’s going to rapidly change the equation. The disruption will come from a set of technologies that are advancing at exponential rates and converging.

These technologies include robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and nanotechnology. These have been moving slowly so far, but are now beginning to advance exponentially, reflecting the growth trajectory of computing overall.

Computing has advanced to the point at which the smartphones we carry in our pockets have more processing power than the super computers of the ’60s — and how the internet, which also has its origins in the ’60s, went on an exponential growth path some fifteen years ago and rapidly changed the way we work, shop, and communicate.

That’s what lies ahead for these new technologies.

Read the original unabridged article here.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... "[in which] the technology has advanced to the level where anyone can do it.” 

It seems Mr Spangenberg is not exaggerating. For example:

• Singapore Airlines uses a scent called Stefan Floridian Waters to perfume the cabins of its airplanes.
• Samsung has reportedly pumped the summery scent of honeydew melons into its New York flagship store.
• British Airways diffuses the fragrance of meadow grass in business-class lounges.
• The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York greets guests as they step in from the street with the aroma of Sequoia, a scent designed by Lorenzo Dante Ferro. 
• Victoria’s Secret and Juicy Couture customers just walk into the stores and sniff the air, no longer having to hunt-down a sample bottle of the stores’ branded perfumes to experience their aroma.

Says Andrew Kindfuller, ceo of ScentAir, the largest manufacturer of scent diffusers in the US: “Brands realize now that this is a part of doing business. We’re implementing these systems in many different environments—not just hotels and retail—but funeral homes, retirement villages, and medical and dental and law offices.”

Reports AdAge: "According to Zev Auerbach, executive creative director for Miami-based Zimmerman Advertising, an ambient scent works best when it evokes imagery that’s tied to the merchandise.

“If you see a bathing suit in a store, and you smell the scent of ocean, you’re more likely to want to buy the suit and go on vacation,” he says. “It’s the combination of the see and the smell.”

Auerbach points out that such a connection isn’t just anecdotal. “This is pure science,” he says.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... "We already know online ads impact [on] instore behavior. We would, however, like to help merchants have a better understanding of the real impact."

Merchants have begun to put a heavy focus on 'loyal' consumers, identifying those who continually return to either websites or physical stores to purchase products and services.

Freed-Finnegan said merchants will provide the point-of-sale data, and Google will then analyze the number of impressions, clicks and coupons generated and saved to Wallets. Combining the two manually at first will provide a starting point.

Google offers options to drive website and instore traffic, but the key remains finding the most valuable consumers through loyalty and rewards programs.

At present, says Freed-Finigan, "you can run a promotion and find it's only generating one-time customers."

But it's early days as yet and Google Wallet is in its infancy with only a handful of companies supporting the system. Vivotech provides the technology to enable payments and conduct transactions, while NXP Semiconductors, a Philips Semiconductors spinoff, supports Google Wallet via its chips.

The project, designed as an open platform, will encourage other manufacturers -- such as Broadcom, also a member of the NFC Forum -- to build out applications for the platform.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... video content provided by the station's FYi TV channel.

This, in turn, will take them to the daily What the Blipp? in-paper feature and to additional video content, provided by fyi.

The innovative concept was implemented via a deal with Blippar, which works by using the built-in cameras in smartphone or tablet’s to recognise real world objects and print, instantaneously providing digital connections to information or interactive entertainment on users' devices.

No scanning or photography is needed; users simply hold their device up to (or hover over) anything 'blippable' to obtain an instant response - for example a web link, video, coupon, a 3D product experience or an augmented reality game.

Metro Herald will also be using Blippar across additional editorial content, including a Guilty Pleasures daily poll, daily crossword answers and email the Mailbox (letters page). Also, by blipping the masthead, readers will be able to see an introductory video explaining how Blippar works.

Says Kiearan Forde, marketing manager for Metro Herald: "We know 70% of our readers now own a smartphone and internet usage via their handset is very high. Therefore, as a newspaper, we are always looking for ways to embrace smart technology and make our product as interactive as possible.

"We have already launched QR codes and an augmented reality campaign with Mazda into the Irish print market.

Metro Herald is a joint-venture between the UK's Associated Newspapers, Independent News & Media and The Irish Times.  

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... battery-powered pocket devices such as smarthones and digital cameras.

"What is very important is that our system is flat, so it is not necessary to carry a bag [for the charging device] and it’s not necessary to place this system in a pocket, for example," Blums told Deutsche Welle.

The system can be implanted in a normal-looking men’s jacket by placing flat induction coils in each side of the garment. Measuring just 1.5 centimeters in diameter each, the coils aren't noticeable.

The mini-generator also features a tiny standard microelectronic transformer placed beside the coils which turns the energy from the jacket's wearer into electricity.

Explains Blums: "Coils are placed in the sides of the jacket, and at the end of the sleeve we have a magnet. The natural motions of our hand which we are moving while going forward - this energy of the motion is transformed into electrical energy."

The average person's walking speed is around five kilometres (three miles) per hour. That means that a pedestrian can generate 200 to 300 microwatts during an hour.

Predictably the system, still in its development stage, is as yet far from market-ready. Powering an iPhone, for example, would take several hours, and it's sufficient to power wireless sensors for up to six hours.

The concept of harnessing the body’s energy to produce electricity has roused interest among Latvia's military, who would like to adopt energy harvesters for what they call a Combat Individual Protection System.

That's a kit that includes all of the standard gear - camouflage systems, helmets, sleeping bags, boots, night vision goggles and more. The energy technology would allow the soldiers to recharge their devices while they are in the field without having to carry extra batteries.

And marketeers will not be slow to recognise the system's potential for consumer markets, for example the leisure and camping industries.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... by a massive margin the previous world record of 1,003 kilometers, set by the Japan Electric Vehicle Club in May last year.

The commercial implications have considerable long-term significance, although Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, an automobile economist at the University of Duisburg-Essen, doesn't view the new world record as a great breakthrough.

"These are individual items, prototypes," he said of such research projects. "What we need is mass production, economies of scale." Nonetheless, Dudenhöffer believes the new world record could act as a stimulus.

The Schluckspecht's success largely lies in its ultralight chassis, which replaces a base plate with a frame based on the bowstring concept, developed with the Fraunhofer Institute in Freiburg.

The vehicle, with a regular car seat for one driver, has motors integrated into the wheels. Without the need for an engine or transmission, the researchers were able to develop a particularly slim and aerodynamic shape.

There's even a little extra room for equipment, or as Ulrich Hochberg, one of the project's leaders quipped: "You can put a case of beer into it."

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... increase CAFE at 5% annually for cars and 3.5% for light trucks through 2021, with an overall target of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The current timeline is 35mpg CAFE by 2016.

Speaking at the White House ceremony, President Obama said: "This agreement on fuel standards represents the single most important step we've ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil ... so as we look to close the deficit, this agreement is a reminder of why it's so important that we have a balanced approach.

"We've got to make serious spending cuts while still investing in our future; while still investing in education and research and technology like clean energy, which are so important for our economy." 

Also present at the event to signify support for the initiative were the Big Kahunas of the US auto industry: Dan Akerson, ceo of General Motors; Alan Mulally, president/ceo of Ford; James E Lentz III, president and managing officer of Toyota Motor Sales USA and John Krafcik, who heads Hyundai Motor America.

The White House, Big Busineess USA and Joe Public are apparently of like mind with regard to the need to reduce the nation's reliance on foreign oil. 

A poll for the Pew Clean Energy Program taken between July 8 and 12, found that 91% of Americans believe dependence on foreign oil is a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" threat to US security, and those opinions pretty much cut across ideological lines.

Eighty-two percent of respondents said they support 56 mpg by 2025, with 68% saying they favor it strongly. The polls showed that "overwhelming majorities" in every demographic subgroup support increased fuel efficiency to 56 mpg, including 70% of Republicans, 87% of Democrats and 88% of independents. The 'pro' vote also cut across geographical regions.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

... with plans to install 800 electric vehicle [EV] charging stations across the country by the end of this year -- a move that will make it the nation's largest such facility.

What's more, there is ample room for growth, with 8,169 Walgreens locations across all fifty states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Installations have already begun at more than sixty locations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Chicago.

Business Wire reports that the Walgreens charging stations will feature either a high-speed direct current charger that can add 30 miles of range in as little as ten minutes of charging time, or a Level 2 charger that can add up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge.

According to Mark Wagner, Walgreens president of community management and operations: "Consumer interest and enthusiasm has been incredible and we're excited to provide locations to charge up in neighborhoods across the country.

"As more Americans embrace environmentally sustainable technologies, our convenient locations make us uniquely positioned to help address the concern around accessibility or 'range confidence."

How long, wonders MarketingTomorrow, before Walmart, Costco, Home Depot and other US retail giants follow suit?

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.