2017 Podcast Highlights

Podcasts are a cultural phenomenon that cover everything from pop culture to business practices. 2017 has been a great year for Podcasts, especially in the human interest and culture verticals. These are some of the highlights for content this year.

S-Town

From American Public Media, who produced Serial, S-Town is a complex human story about an Alabama town and the people living in it. S-Town explores John B McLemore’s claims of corruption, murder and other unpredictable problems in the community. The podcast is a wild and impactful story that feels like a mix of true-crime and human interest.

Sincerely, X

TED Talks are universally known for inspiring audiences, but there are topics that have value to listeners that are sometimes better kept anonymous; whether they may be damaging to the speaker or too sensitive to share with an identity attached. Sincerely, X by TED and Audible allows the speakers to share stories that range from costly burnout for a doctor, PTSD, and other often delicate confessions.

LaVar Burton Reads

LeVar Burton, famous for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Roots and PBS show Reading Rainbow made dreams come true for many adults with the debut of his podcast LaVar Burton Reads, which to many brings back the feeling of watching Reading Rainbow. Burton, who reads with a focused and measured tone, shares short stories that he has hand-picked to share with listeners. With a five-star review on iTunes, this podcast is dynamic, funny and heartwarming to the nostalgic fans of Reading Rainbow.

Missing Richard Simmons

Fitness and pop culture icon Richard Simmons disappeared suddenly from the limelight in 2015. This disappearance triggered a response that brought us Dan Taberski’s Missing Richard Simmons, a weekly real-time report of the progress in the search for answers. The ethics of the show were questioned, but still became a topic of mass interest, a phenomenon for many in the age of defining the nature of celebrity.

Which Podcasts have you enjoyed this last year?

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Holiday Ads of 2017

The holidays are right around the corner and the commercials that are airing right now are becoming more festive, heartwarming and gift focused. So far, these are some of the best ads from around the world this holiday season.  

Waitrose: “#ChristmasTogether”

John Lewis “Moz the Monster”

Marks and Spencer “Paddington & The Christmas Visitor #LoveTheBear”

Cost Plus World Market “The Performance”

Heathrow Airport “#HeathrowBears”

Apple “Sway”

Audi USA “Parking Lot”

Amazon “Give”

Old Spice “Ye Olde Exploding Yule Log”

Spanish Lottery “#DANIELLE”

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The Best and Worst Ads of 2017

The Best

Fearless Girl, Agency: McCann New York

The winner of five Grand Clio awards was created by Kristen Visbal and commissioned by State Street Global Advisors. The award-winning and now iconic installation was placed in front of Wall Street’s Charging Bull to promote and celebrate International Women’s Day. The statue’s strength paved the way for McCann New York to win agency of the year, and for State Street to win advertiser of the year.

MailChimp “Did You Mean MailChimp?”, Agency: Droga5

MailChimp is already an established brand, but their first major campaign introduces them to a new audience in a way that subverts almost every expectation. By creating goofy and fun mispronunciations of their name MailChimp is able to prove that they are true to themselves and use creative ways to help their customer base.

Samsung “Ostrich”, Agency: Leo Burnett

Samsung’s tagline “do what can’t be done” refers to their virtual reality headsets and what you are able to experience when you put it on. This ad premiered during the product launch of the S8 and S8+ and used #DoWhatYouCan’t to further promote the new Samsung product lineup.

Audi “Daughter”, Agency: Venables Bell & Partners

Rated as one of the top commercials aired during the Super Bowl, ‘Daughter’ pushes for equal pay and employment opportunities for women, pushing for progress with #DriveProgress. Though not directly related to any specific Audi model, spokespeople for the company say that progress is at the core of the brand.

The Worst

Jennifer Aniston Smart Water campaign, Agency: AR New York

Bland print ads and unfunny attempts to go viral have plagued the bottled water company’s campaign with a very popular spokesperson. However, a bright spot in an otherwise unexciting campaign takes an aim at celebrity gossip: a video that shows Jennifer Aniston’s “leaked security tapes” revealing all of her secrets, from being pregnant to wearing a wig.

GoDaddy “The Internet Wants You”, Agency: Bullish

GoDaddy was once the king of scandalous ads, especially during the Super Bowl, but this year’s ad went in a different direction, poking fun at internet trends, from sneezing pandas and water bottle flipping, to “David After Dentist” and Rick Astley. The commercial itself was clever, but fell flat, with almost too much going on to effectively promote GoDaddy’s services.

T-Mobile #Unlimited Moves, Agency: Publicis Seattle

The Super Bowl commercial featuring Justin Bieber was in one word, underwhelming. Coming off of last year’s spot with Drake dancing to ‘Hotline Bling’, Bieber plays a “celebration expert” narrating touchdown celebrations throughout the years. Bieber is refreshingly down to earth, but his presence alone is not enough to give life to an otherwise unfunny commercial.

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Tech Gifts for Holidays 2017

The holidays are fast approaching, and with Black Friday less than two weeks away, it’s time to start thinking about the gifts you may need for your family and friends. If someone you know is into all of the newest technology, these gifts might be just what they’re hoping for!

Garmin Speak

If you drive a car without an infotainment center, the Garmin Speak is one way to upgrade your vehicle without having to buy a new car. This mountable device with Amazon Alexa voice assistant allows you to control smart devices in your home, ask for directions, and stream music all hands-free. The only thing to consider is that the device runs off of a data connection from a smartphone, so strong network coverage is key to using it to its full potential.

Amazon Kindle Oasis

Water-resistant, super light and thin, Amazon’s new Oasis eReader is a giant step up from previous models the company has released. The Kindle Oasis is available in 8GB and 32GB builds.

GoPro Hero6 Black

This new iteration of the GoPro Hero series comes on the heels of a rather rough year for the action camera company, but this camera is nothing short of exciting, especially for those looking to capture super high quality and high-resolution video. The hero 6 Black can shoot in 4K, has digital motion stability and is just as tough as it’s predecessors. Just make sure your recipient has the proper capabilities for 4K playback.

DJI Spark

The selfie lover will take their pictures to a new level with this tiny camera drone. DJI’s drones are known for their quality, and the Spark is no different. With all the features a novice drone user could want in a small and easily portable design. Perhaps the most exciting feature for selfie queens (and kings) is the gesture control option.

Amazon Echo Spot

For those who haven’t gotten into the hype of the Amazon Echo and Google Home movement, the Echo Spot operates as a high tech alarm clock that does more than just wake you up. Plan the entire day with an alarm clock that can also tell and show you the weather, read the news, set timers and more.

Xbox One X

Though the reviews are mixed about the newest Xbox game console, there is no denying that the powerful console is impressive, especially for those looking to show off 4K picture quality and high-definition visuals.  

iPhone X

The hefty price tag on the new iPhone makes it a controversial choice, but with the reviews that are starting come out, with some calling the iPhone X the best smartphone on the market.  The highly upgraded phone is just the beginning of Apple making high powered and exciting changes to their product lineup making the iPhone X one of the most sought-after tech gifts of the year.

Smartphone Camera Lens Kit

If the iPhone X isn’t in the budget but taking high-quality smartphone photos is a priority for someone on your gift list, a smartphone camera lens kit can upgrade their photos in a flash. From fisheye to macro and wide angle, you can use interchangeable lenses to go beyond the normal smartphone photos. There are many options for these kits available online, so you can look and find the one that will suit your needs.

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Black Friday 2017 Predictions

With only a few weeks until Thanksgiving on November 23rd, savvy shoppers are ramping up to this year’s Black Friday deals and sales. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become some of the biggest shopping days of the year, and sales keep getting bigger and bigger. In the past, sales have started on Thanksgiving and gone into Black Friday proper and the weekend and Monday following the holiday (Cyber Monday), but in recent years, retailers have begun their sales earlier and earlier, sometimes having promotions all month long. Look for these trends this November!

Spending

According to predictions by the National Retail Federation, Holiday sales (retail sales between November and December) will grow by up to 4% from last year, up to a $682 billion dollar amount. PwC’s holiday outlook data suggests that the average holiday spend for 83% of US consumers is expected to be $1,189.

Top Stores

DealNews.com suggests keeping an eye on sales at Kohl’s (where your savings will largely be in Kohl’s Cash), Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon this year, however, the best places to make your purchases will depend on what your items of interest are and will also be largely based upon price point. Forbes has a list of where to look for tablets and laptops this year, which can be found here.  If you are interested in Apple Products, online retailers will likely have better discounts on Apple products than the Apple Store itself.  Last year, Apple’s Black Friday deal included a gift card with the purchase of older product models at an undiscounted rate, and that is expected to continue this year, hinging on whether Apple even decides to participate in Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

Top Deals

Video game bundles for the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are rumored to be heavily discounted this year, as well as many smartphones including the newest iPhones (8, 8 Plus and X), the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 and the Google Pixel 2. Discounted prices for 4K TVs and 4K media players are also expected.

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