Once The Domain Of Millennials, Uber And Lyft Are Now Pursuing Seniors

Ride-hailing services want to make sure Grandma Betty can get to bridge club just as easily as her 22-year-old grandson travels to and from ... whatever it is young folks are doing these days.

Once the domain of 20-somethings who might have a drink or two and need a safe ride home, companies like Lyft and Uber have set their sights on a different age range entirely: senior citizens.

Lyft announced Tuesday it has partnered with GreatCall, a mobile phone company that specializes in providing cell phones to seniors, to extend its ride-hailing services to those who ― like the elderly ― may not have a smartphone, much less want to learn how to use an app on one to hail a ride.

Instead of an app, GreatCall customers dial “0” to talk to an operator, who can provide a cost estimate and book a ride. The fare is tacked onto the customer’s monthly cell phone bill.

The L.A. Times notes Uber struck up a similar arrangement with a company called 24Hr HomeCare last week.

Several third-party ride-hailing services also specialize in giving lifts to older adults who don’t have smartphones, including GoGoGrandparent, a newer entrant that adds additional features like meal and grocery delivery options.

As people age, one thing to go is the ability to drive. That means losing your freedom to get to doctor’s appointments and to stay social with friends.

This is far from either company’s first foray into the senior market, which, judging by recent moves from both Uber and Lyft, seems ripe for disruption.

And it couldn’t come at a better time. The first wave of the so-called “baby boomer” generation turned 65 in 2011, with the number of Americans aged 65 and older projected to keep growing until 2030, when it’s expected to peak at around 71 million people.

Earlier this year, both Uber and Lyft began offering non-emergency medical transport services, specifically targeting customers whose rides would be reimbursed by Medicaid. 

And in the Denver suburb of Centennial, where 15 years from now at least 30 percent of the population is projected to be over the age of 65, city officials are exploring replacing current dial-a-ride services with less expensive, more efficient rides via Lyft.

Starting Aug. 17, the city has embarked on a first-of-its-kind, six-month long pilot project, paying for Lyft rides to and from the area’s major light-rail station in a bid to increase mobility.

“We call Centennial the Silver Tsunami,” Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon told The Atlantic blog CityLab. “As people age, one thing to go is the ability to drive. That means losing your freedom to get to doctor’s appointments and to stay social with friends. We really want to help keep the people who started Centennial engaged in it.”

Note: The Huffington Post’s editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington is a member of Uber’s board of directors and has recused herself from any involvement in the site’s coverage of the company.

CEO Of Giant Corporation Tells US Government He's The Boss Of Them

Are We the People the boss of giant multinational corporations, or are they the boss of us?

Imagine, if you will, going to the IRS and saying, "I don't think the tax rate is fair so I'm not going to pay it." Regular Americans can't do that. But Apple just did.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook was interviewed by the Washington Post early this month. He was asked about the vast sums of profits that Apple has shifted into overseas tax havens thanks to a loophole in US tax law that lets them "defer" paying taxes on those profits as long as the money technically stays outside the country. Cook said (emphasis added, for emphasis):

And when we bring it back, we will pay 35 percent federal tax and then a weighted average across the states that we're in, which is about 5 percent, so think of it as 40 percent. We've said at 40 percent, we're not going to bring it back until there's a fair rate. There's no debate about it.

What would happen to any regular American if they did what Cook did, and said they they aren't going to pay taxes because they don't think the tax rate is "fair"? (Hint: Jail. And maybe 2 or 3 years added to the sentence for the contempt of saying, "There's no debate about it.")

But Apple is a huge multinational corporation, and these days huge multinational corporations are the boss of our Congress. So, CEO Cook gets away with it -- and with keeping $181 billion in tax havens to dodge paying $59 billion in taxes. Cook knows he can just come out and say they are not going to pay their taxes until there is a "fair rate."

Of course, huge multinational corporations will tell you a "fair rate" would be zero. Or better yet, how about We the People just bow down and pay taxes to them. The corporate tax rate used to be 50%. CEOs complained it was "unfair" so it was lowered to 35%. Also, by the way, Apple can deduct taxes it pays elsewhere, including to states, from its federal tax bill.

Think about what We the People could do with that $59 billion Apple owes us.

In all multinational corporations have more than $2.4 trillion stashed in tax havens, dodging maybe $700 billion in taxes.

Think about what We the People could do with that $700 or so billion they owe us.

Meanwhile

Americans for Tax Fairness released a new investigative report showing that Gilead Sciences exorbitantly priced hepatitis C medications -- price gouging ill American patients -- then shifted billions of dollars of the resulting profits to offshore tax havens to dodge taxes.

An August 21 news story in FORA, an Irish business publication, confirmed key findings of the report:

Company filings show that one of the firm's main Irish subsidiaries had revenues of $2 billion in 2012 and made a full-year profit of $1.3 billion but paid nothing to the Irish exchequer as the firm was tax resident in the Bahamas - where zero corporate taxes apply.

At the end of the year, after which the subsidiaries finances are not publicly accessible, the Irish subsidiary had accumulated profits of just under $7 billion.

The company also transferred the ownership of one of its most valuable money-makers, which it acquired for $11 billion, to a separate Irish subsidiary.

So, this company gouges sick Americans and shifts the profits out of the country to dodge taxes. Are We the People the boss of these giant corporations, or are they the boss of us? Whose government is this, anyway? Who is our economy for?

"The Little People Pay Taxes"

Times have changed. People and companies didn't used to get away with snubbing their nose at We the People, and doing things like dodging taxes.

In the 1980s Leona Helmsley was known as the "Hotel Queen." Helmsley and her husband Harry were known for buying apartment buildings, forcing out the tenants, and converting them into condominiums. The Helmsley real estate empire included the Empire State Building.

They also owned hotels. Leona ran as many as 30 Helmsley hotels, with the luxurious Helmsley Palace at the peak, and became famous after she was featured in advertisements.

But Helmsley became known as "the Queen of Mean," because she was notorious for doing things like abusing employees, firing them at Christmas, even evicting her son's widow a few days after he died. Eventually a dissatisfied employee turned her in for various tax crimes and she was indicted on 235 state and federal counts.

The Helmsleys were charged with using hotel money to buy personal items to evade income taxes. Helmsley famously said of the charges, "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."

We the Little People sentenced Helmsley to 12 years in jail for evading $1.7 million in taxes (eventually resulting in 19 months in jail and 2 years of home arrest.) At her sentencing the judge said:

'There is a community that needs to be served by the enforcement of the law. . . . It is my judgment the motion for sentence reduction should be denied.'

Griesa said that Helmsley's conduct had been 'deliberate, fraudulent, directed against the United States government. It involved evasion of taxes.'

Helmsley was sentenced to jail for evading a pittance of $1.7 million in taxes. Today Apple owes $59 billion. In this age of "mass incarceration" for regular people, imagine a wealthy Wall Street banker or corporate CEO going to jail for something. Actually, you can't even imagine it.

No, instead this is today's reality: Lawmakers Overseeing Wall Street Given Bigger, More Favorable Loans Than Others: Study.

Senator Wyden Says End Deferral Loophole

Some people are trying to restore our democracy, and make We the People the boss of the giant corporations and wealthy CEOs again.

Senator Bernie Sanders has been calling for ending this deferral loophole for a long time. His residential campaign platform called for using the resulting revenue to pay for $1 trillion of infrastructure repair. Senator Elizabeth Warren has also called for ending this loophole.

Last week Oregon Senator Ron Wyden penned an op-ed calling for an end to this corporate tax haven "deferral" loophole, titled "Ending the Biggest Tax Rip-Off -- Tax Deferral." In it Wyden wrote:

...[Tax deferral] is the rule that encourages American multinational corporations to keep their profits overseas instead of investing them here at home, and it does so by granting them $80 billion a year in tax breaks. This policy is as foolish as it is unfair. It simply defies common sense.

Most Americans probably aren't familiar with deferral ...but ... some of the most profitable companies in the world can put off paying taxes indefinitely while hardworking Americans must pay their taxes every year.

Unfortunately, Wyden resorts to offering to bargain with the corporations, offering lower tax rates if they would please invest in the US. Like so many others, Wyden has forgotten that Congress is supposed to be the boss of the corporations.

Sign The Petition

SIGN THE PETITION: Stand with Americans for Tax Fairness and Public Citizen and demand that U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew investigate Gilead's multi-billion-dollar tax dodging scheme and make Gilead pay the taxes it owes U.S. taxpayers.

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This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF. Sign up here for the CAF daily summary and/or for the Progressive Breakfast.

5 Reasons Content Marketing Isn't Working For You

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Having worked with several clients on developing and executing content marketing strategies for their business, one of the questions most business owners want answers to is why it isn't working for their business. This often leads to content marketers spending on content marketing without seeing any significant results in their bottom line.

If your content marketing efforts haven't been yielding the desired results for your business, you might need to look deep into the structure of your strategy and to discover why content marketing isn't working for you.

The following are reasons most marketers don't see results with content marketing.

You're Ignoring Documentation

Documentation is critical to content marketing, and this very essential strategy has been neglected by many content marketers. Your marketing documentation is what will help you identify the missing link between what is working and what you're doing.

In a CMI research that studied B2B marketers, 53 percent who reported that their content marketing was highly effective had a documentation strategy, while the 40 percent with the least result had no strategy at all. If you're not paying attention to content marketing documentation, you might be finding it hard to validate your content marketing strategy.

Targeting Customers with Irrelevant Content

Targeting your customers with highly relevant content is necessary for content marketing effectiveness. A lot of content marketers confuse meeting content demands with actually meeting the needs of their readers. For your customers to engage with your content, it's very necessary that the content you're pushing to them carries a message that will be valuable to them.

To effectively create content that connects with your customers, you need to evaluate your content marketing plan and come up with your audience persona. This means you have to evaluate your different audiences, identify their pain points and create content that will meet their needs in their journey through your purchase cycle.

Inefficient Distribution Strategy

Overcoming the content distribution hurdle is where a lot of content marketers are usually held back. Without the right distribution strategy, your content marketing is bound to fail. To tackle your content distribution challenges and reach your customers with your content, an effective approach would be to combine the three distribution channels.

There are three forms of distribution: owned media, earned media and paid media. While focusing on a single channel can help you take advantage of concentration, leading digital marketers advise to exploit the potentials of combined channels by getting more creative with your outreach and distribution strategy.

"An efficient distribution strategy combines available distribution channels, helping the target asset acquire more attention through a streamlined effort," says Ali Pourvasei, the founder of a Los Angeles SEO Company.

Your Content Strategy Lacks Credibility

Credibility is a valuable currency in content marketing, and indeed in the entire digital sphere. Brands have learned that their content can help establish credibility and are pushing to see that their content marketing efforts portray their best image to consumers.

If your content marketing lacks credibility, your customers will not trust your brand. There are a lot of factors that can help strengthen the credibility of your content marketing efforts. The following are some:

1. Addressing real concerns
2. Discuss a fresh message
3. Easily solves customer issues
4. Carries brand signals

By utilizing these factors in your content, consumers will engage with your content and you'll find that content marketing easily works for you.

You're Measuring the Wrong Signals

To understand the impact of content marketing efforts, it's necessary to take measurement into consideration. However, content marketers are still struggling with identifying the right signals to measure.

Measuring the wrong signals will give a false representation of your content marketing results -- which will eventually lead to implementing inefficient strategies.

Why An Outsized Number Of Blondes Are Leading The Country

Blondes. They’re stereotypically portrayed as ditzy. They famously have “more fun.” But here’s the head-turning part: women with blonde hair disproportionately hold positions of power in the U.S.

A stunning 48 percent of female chief executives at S&P 500 companies and 35 percent of female senators are blonde, according to findings presented by two business school researchers earlier this month at an Academy of Management annual meeting in Anaheim, California.

The first women to get a major party nomination for president? Blonde. First woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court? Blonde. First women president of Harvard. You guessed it. 

Blond male leaders are far less common. (Sorry, Donald Trump.) Just 2.2 percent of male CEOs had blond hair, a 2005 study found. That’s more in line with the hair color’s natural occurrence. Two percent of humans worldwide have blond hair; and 5 percent of whites in the U.S., according to the researchers.

Stephen Lam/Reuters

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer -- 48 percent of female CEOs on the S&P 500 sport blonde locks.

If you include women and men who dye their hair, certainly, the blond population rises, but probably not anywhere near 50 percent, Jennifer Berdahl, who coauthored the presentation, told The Huffington Post. “If women are choosing to dye their hair blonde, there’s something strategic about the choice,” Berdahl said.

The prevalence of blonde female CEOs doesn’t contradict the stereotype of the dumb blonde ― it plays into it ― Berdahl and her coauthor Natalya Alonso, of the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, explain in their presentation.

In addition to incompetence, light-colored hair is also associated with youth, attractiveness, dependence and warmth. All of these traits counter-balance the more aggressive, dominant ― and stereotypically male ― characteristics required to run a large organization, the researchers explain.

Andy Katz/Pacific Press via Getty Images

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) -- 38 percent of women in the Senate are blonde.

“If the package is feminine, disarming and childlike,” Berdahl told The Huffington Post. “You can get away with more assertive, independent and [stereotypically] masculine behavior.” 

The researchers didn’t consider TV news anchors, but it seems anecdotally true that Fox News ― a conservative network with somewhat antsy views on the role of women ―  employs an awful lot of blonde anchors. Consider Megyn Kelly and, until recently, Gretchen Carlson, who certainly played up a “dumb blonde” image to counterbalance her background as a Stanford educated violinist.

Berdahl and Alonso don’t claim that women are consciously going blonde to disarm their overwhelmingly male colleagues. But their work, which includes three studies where men were asked various questions about photos of the same woman, with either brown or blonde hair, shows this disarming factor is very much at play for women leaders.

Researchers from Northwestern University school of business discovered a parallel phenomenon with black male leaders, who are more likely to have a roundish “baby-face” than their white counterparts. In studies, black leaders were also rated as warmer and less threatening. While it’s fairly acceptable for white male leaders to get angry (see: Bernie Sanders/Donald Trump.) Black men are judged harshly for displaying that kind of emotion.

Berdahl and Alonso also found that male CEOs are more likely to be married to blondes: 43 percent of the highest-paid male CEOs have a blonde spouse.

The blonde thing is likely a natural reaction to the racist and sexist notions that underpin the dominant conception of what a “leader” looks like. White. Male. Conduct a Google image search for CEO, you’ll get a lot of pictures of caucasian dudes. Or just look at the faces of the CEOs on the Fortune 500.

Very few women make it to the CEOs office and those who do are overwhelmingly white. After Ursula Burns steps down from her perch at Xerox later this year, there will be no black women CEOs in the S&P 500. It’s worth noting that blonde hair is a caucasian trait. It’s also more common in children.

For their presentation, Berdahl and Alonso conducted three studies, using about 100 male participants, to see how they felt about women CEOs who were blonde and brunette. The first two studies confirmed stereotypes: Respondents rated blondes and brunettes equally attractive, but blondes were found to be less competent and independent.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

IBM chief executive Virginia 'Ginni' Rometty. Nearly half of the (very few) women on the S&P 500 have blonde hair.

Then, participants were shown a picture of the same woman ― with blonde and brown hair and asked who they’d recommend for a CEO or Senate position. The majority of participants voted for the brunette because she is “intelligent, professional and serious,” the presentation quotes a respondent saying. 

The third study is where “the blonde paradox” lies: Men were asked to rate female leaders who displayed a dominant leadership style ― they read a quote where the CEO says “I don’t want there to be any ambiguity about who’s in charge,” and “My staff knows who the boss is.” When this came out of the brown-haired woman’s mouth, she was rated very harshly on warmth and attractiveness.

The blonde did much better.

“The same woman changes her hair color from blonde to brunette, and she’s seen as a bitch,” Berdahl said.

David Giesbrecht/Netflix

Claire Underwood, played by Robin Wright, didn't stay brunette for long on "House of Cards."

Fans of Netflix’s “House of Cards” may recall that the first lady on that series, the ruthless “ice queen” Claire Underwood, dyed her hair back to its natural brown during Season 3 of the show in a fit of rebelliousness.

It didn’t play well and her handlers were soon urging her to go back to blonde: “Iowa voters love the blonde,” she’s told by an advisor.

Of course they do.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Natalya Alonso’s surname as Alfonso. 

Top GOP Congressman Tells Trump To Release His Taxes

Donald Trump should release his tax returns and full medical records, Republican Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Jason Chaffetz (Utah) said Wednesday.

“You’re just going to have to do that, it’s too important,” Chaffetz said on CNN. “If you’re going to run and try to become the president of the United States, you’re going to have to open up your kimono and show everything, your tax returns, your medical records.”

Chaffetz said that the standard applies to both candidates. Clinton has released her 2015 tax return and medical history. Trump has only released a cursory, bombastic letter from his doctor.

Trump said in May that he hoped to release his tax returns, but has since refused to, saying he can’t because he’s under audit by the IRS. However, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said that being under audit does not prevent a person from releasing returns. “If you’re being audited, and you want to do something else, share that information with your returns, you can do that,” Koskinen told CSPAN in February. 

In July, Trump’s then-campaign chairman was adamant that the Republican nominee would not release his tax returns. Earlier this week, Eric Trump said it would be “foolish” for his father to release his taxes. “You learn a lot more when you look at a person’s assets,” Eric said. “You know how many hotels we have around the world? You know how many golf courses we have around the world?”

The value of Trump’s assets, however, is not the simple matter Eric Trump implies it is. In his personal financial disclosure detailing those assets, Donald Trump says he is worth $10 billion. Bloomberg and Forbes, however, estimate his wealth at $2.9 billion and $4.5 billion, respectively. And Tim O’Brien wrote in his 2005 biography of Trump that “three people with direct knowledge of Donald’s finances, people who had worked closely with him for years, told me that they thought his net worth was somewhere between $150 million and $250 million.”

The New York Times reported last week that Trump’s debt totaled $650 million, about twice as much as the candidate had disclosed. The discrepancy, the Times said, arises from the fact that the financial disclosure forms for candidates are not designed for a person with business dealings as complex as Trump’s are.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.

To Stand Out in a Crowded Market, Think Luxury, Not Price

Marcia Roosevelt, Saatchi & Saatchi NY

In an era where household brands are locked in a battle for attention and loyalty in an overcrowded market, Amazon’s recent announcement that they would be launching a line of private label products felt like yet another blow to an already struggling industry.

The breadth of this new product line, which will offer everything from coffee to diapers to cleaning supplies, stands as a threat to hundreds of brands who are working to find new ways to compete in an environment where sales are shifting online, a category that Amazon itself already owns, and functional performance differences between leading brands are often negligible. The rules of engagement have changed, as the tried and true formula of strong product claims and mass distribution is failing to get the results it once did.

So how can legacy mass-market brands win against these odds, shoring themselves up against private label encroachment, and at the same time, stand out from one other? By taking a page from the luxury playbook. While many companies see fit to engage in a race to the bottom on price, smart brands - even those with a less than lux background - can use a luxury approach to win loyalty and create memorable, covetable user experiences that elevate them above the rest. Here’s where to begin.

Prioritize the “in-use” experience - For decades, mass marketers have been focusing on that first moment of truth - the retail encounter. But with brand loyalty at a low, it’s time to create meaningful engagement by shifting focus to the second moment of truth - the experience of actually using the product. One brand doing this well is Lululemon, who designs their products to evoke a response long after a buyer sees them for the first time with in-use experiences they call “engineered sensations.” Available in relaxed, naked, held-in, hugged and tight, these sensations are unique to the brand and allow buyers to choose how they want the product to make them feel. These experiences don’t always need to be tied directly to how the product functions. Aesthetics also play a huge role in this, as people will pay more for a product that they would be proud to display after the packaging is thrown away. Brands need to remember that luxury is an experience that lasts, not just something that drives a decision at the shelf.

Embrace simplicity - Today’s store aisles are a visual overload, with brands vying for attention with shiny packages, in-aisle promotional devices and ever more complicated display pieces. Brands working to convey luxury should think of packaging as a display and a means of generating equity building repeat business, rather than something screaming for attention in the aisle. To give consumers a luxurious respite in this chaotic marketplace, brands should consider refined graphics, nomenclature and character. Simplicity is reason why Apple products are synonymous with luxury and style, while also being a mass-market success story. You don’t have to be rich to own them, and yet they feel aspirational. This approach also works for many small cosmetics brands that command a higher price point by selling understatement and an air of refinement.

Make memories through emotion: As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said…but people will never forget how you made them feel.” In the competition for memorability, emotional resonance is what brings consumers back for more. Household brands have always worked to connect with buyers through emotional messaging around caring for their families. For example, last June Saatchi helped Pampers launch its #BetterForBaby campaign which featured a re-write on the beloved “Hush Little Baby” lullaby that listed all the things people would do better for babies in the modern age. The heartwarming spot showcased how everyone can do their part to make a newborn’s life a little bit better, and gained an overwhelming number of pledges to make these ideas a reality.

Adding to this, brands would be well advised to find an emotional appeal that connotes luxury and is unique to their product such as making a buyer feel special, as if they’re getting something exclusive, or smart, in that they’re more knowledgeable than other consumers for buying your product.

Think about where you’re seen as well as how you’re seen - Where your brand is distributed conveys context and sets expectations about what products sold in that environment are worth. The reason why salon hair care products cost much is that they are equated with the expertise of stylists in salons. Think outside the normal retail channels and try to find another space for your product that will raise its cache, whether it’s placing a brand of coffee into high-end coffee shops or personal care products at luxury hotels.

There’s more to developing a luxury brand than just being expensive, or associated with the right celebrity or social influencer. With the right mindset and messaging, brands at any price point can communicate the values that make luxury goods special and memorable, and keep consumers coming back for more.

Advertising Week returns to NYC September 26 - 30, 2016! Our Huffington Post readers enjoy a 20% discount on Delegate and Super Delegate passes by clicking here.

Tesla Just Unveiled The Quickest Car You Can Actually Buy

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc <TSLA.O> Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Tuesday the company will offer a larger upgraded battery pack for performance versions of its Model S and X vehicles that will extend range and allow for super fast acceleration.

The new 100 kilowatt hour battery pack means high end versions of the Model S sedan, called the P 100D, will be the world’s fastest accelerating car in production, the Silicon Valley automaker said.

“These are very profound milestones and I think will help convince people around the world that electric is the future,” said Musk on a conference call with journalists.

The new battery extends the range of performance versions of the new Model S beyond 300 miles (482.8 km), Tesla said. Musk said that if the weather is not too hot, a driver could travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles without recharging.
After rising 2.1 percent to $227.71 in afternoon trade, shares dipped from session highs to $224.87, up less than 1 percent.

News of the upgrade comes as the all-electric car maker lays the groundwork for a controversial buyout of SolarCity Corp <SCTY.O>, while it also prepares for next year’s launch of its high profile Model 3 mass-market vehicle.

SolarCity agreed to Tesla’s $2.6 billion offer to buy the solar panel installer earlier this month, clearing one obstacle in the way of Musk’s ambitious goal to create a carbon-free energy and transportation company.

Both companies are still trading below where they were when SolarCity’s approval for the deal was announced.

In May, Tesla said it was stepping up production plans for its upcoming Model 3 mass-market sedan and would build a total of 500,000 all-electric vehicles in 2018, two years ahead of schedule, but it warned that spending will ramp up as well.

Tesla earlier this month reported a steeper than expected quarterly loss on higher spending at its vehicle and battery factories.
 
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Tom Brown)

 

 

Looks Like Ivanka Trump Doesn't Pay Her Interns

Ivanka Trump, who markets herself as a champion of working women and learned about business by walking her father’s construction sites, apparently does not pay interns at her namesake fashion and jewelry company in New York City, according to a blog post on IvankaTrump.com that also appeared on her official Twitter page on Thursday.

How to make it work as an unpaid intern: https://t.co/pwMIYWh4kw #nomoneynoproblems #interntips #internships pic.twitter.com/BRoWuO6bq7

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) August 18, 2016

Yes, that actually says #nomoneynoproblems, and comes from the Twitter account of the daughter of self-proclaimed billionaire and Republican nominee for president Donald Trump.

In the post, unpaid intern Quincy Bulin offers tips and includes advice from three of her unpaid colleagues ― all women, two named Mackenzie.  

The advice includes finding a part-time job that actually pays, saving money during the school year, setting a budget and socializing cheaply.

Of course, Bulin leaves out the real key to surviving an unpaid internship: having well-off parents. Kids with families that can support them while they take on jobs for nothing are more likely to take on jobs for nothing. 

Unpaid internships at for-profit companies are not legal in New York City, where Ivanka’s workers are based ― unless the positions are for college credit. And even then, there are a host of restrictions around how the job is structured. Regulations regarding unpaid interns at nonprofit organizations are slightly less strict.

Ivanka Trump is certainly not the only employer to use unpaid interns. In an email, Chief Brand Officer Abigail Klem told The Huffington Post, “We strive to create a fulfilling learning opportunity tailored to the unique interests and career goals of each intern. It is our goal that at the end of the program, our interns leave with experiences that will help guide them into choosing a fulfilling career path.”

The company didn’t respond to requests for comment on whether those interns also leave with school credit or some other kind of reimbursement. And Trump herself likely didn’t even send out the tweet yesterday. She’s vacationing in Croatia while her father’s campaign goes into full meltdown mode. 

The notion that she would employ women without paying them is newsworthy for a couple of reasons, though. 

@IvankaTrump what the hell do you know about being an unpaid intern? Or making it work? Why all your emojis black women?? #TrumpPence16

— bodhizwanya (@malikazwanya) August 18, 2016

Ivanka and her brothers sold themselves as in-touch with working-class people at the Republican National Convention last month, talking up their experience on their father’s construction sites when they were growing up. 

Unpaid internships just aren’t the province of working-class people. An unpaid internship is “a handout that, best intentions aside, accelerates a cycle of privilege and reward,” Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, pointed out in a piece for The New York Times recently. Companies should get rid of unpaid internships, Walker argues, because they reinforce a lack of diversity. Unpaid interns land jobs eventually at these companies, and you wind up with a pretty homogenous workforce, which leads to all kinds of problems.  

.@IvankaTrump is this a joke? Is all of this some sort of Kaufman-esque performance art piece?

— Chris Bea (@CJosephBea) August 18, 2016

Not paying these women for their work also looks off, coming from Ivanka, who is a self-proclaimed supporter of women’s equality in the workplace. Indeed, her website bills itself as the “ultimate destination for women who work.”

Unpaid internships lead to lower-paying jobs, according to research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. For these unpaid interns, that first lower-paying job would start a cycle of under-earning of the sort that reinforces pay gaps between men and women.

Speaking of supporting women: Ivanka reportedly gives 8 weeks paid parental leave to her employees. That’s not terrible, considering the United States has no paid leave policy. Yet, it falls short of what most proponents of paid leave and maternal health researchers consider optimal. She recently came under fire because her label works with companies that do not offer any paid leave.

In all, not a great look for a fashion company.

This article has been updated to include additional information about regulations surrounding unpaid internships, and with a comment from the company.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.

The Dreaded Annual Review -- 5 Ways To Fix Them

While reviews come and go, all too often behaviors, and performance, don't change. So it makes sense that companies are now asking, why continue this painful and often pointless exercise? Companies of all sizes, but certainly noticeably industry-leaders like Gap, Adobe and Deloitte are eliminating them altogether.

SAP recently made its own headlines on this as we pilot using our SAP SuccessFactors continuous performance management capabilities. The headlines have been pretty provocative, but what I've written here is our reality. It's less about "ditching" an annual process completely and more about ongoing and in the moment feedback. I like to think of it as similar to taking golf lessons. The point is to keep making the adjustments you need to improve, and not having your instructor wait six months to tell you your swing is all wrong.

The answer to effective performance management in my view is not doing away with reviews altogether. It's institutionalizing effective, actionable feedback - something managers and colleagues should contribute to throughout the entire year. Here are five ways to make it work.

Understand the motivation
Before you start to appraise an employee's performance, you need to understand both their behaviors and your role in shaping them. People don't always do things just because you ask. Most people do things because they have the capabilities and confidence to be successful at them. So your job as a manager, and even more so as a leader, is less about developing people and more about creating an environment where they can develop themselves. Head into the review process with the knowledge that being a great leader is not about what you do, but rather what you inspire and enable others to achieve.

Get on the same page
The foundation of effective feedback is establishing clear goals and expectations. It may seem obvious that people need to understand expectations in order to meet them, but it's easier than you might think to cross signals on what someone's job goals are. Discussing goals and progress should be a regular event or you'll likely find you're nowhere near on the same page. A good way to measure whether you are aligned is to ask people on your team what their top five priorities are and compare that to what you think they should be. Is it a match? Make this exercise a jumping-off point to discuss where your expectations align and where there may be inconsistencies - and then agree on what to do about it. 

Look ahead, not just back
Resistance to feedback is natural when we don't believe it comes from someone who has our best interests at heart. Make knowing what people on your team want, what they are good at and where they want to go in their careers a priority when assessing performance. Look for ways to tie your assessment not just to performance, but to future development.

No surprises
As a manager, you are failing your employees if you hold out until an annual review to level-set on things that are detrimental to their career. If an employee is on the wrong path, don't wait weeks or months to let them know. Most of us don't see our own shortcomings. Don't only focus on the negative though, or you'll lose your audience right away. Talk about what is working, and encourage employees to focus on those areas. I think we've moved away from worrying about how to improve what people aren't good at; instead, focus on having them spend time on what they do well so they'll get even better.
 
Support success
I talked about development being an individual responsibility with leaders owning the creation of a culture that supports learning and growth. Make sure people on your teams have access to resources, training, coaching or other things you can provide to help them improve their performance and develop in their careers. Today we are all lifetime learners and teachers. Connect people to each other and to resources.

Today we have the technology to support effective, "always on" feedback loops. Think about how much more successful you are when you have a chance to course correct along the way and not have to wait until an entire year is behind you to find out if you were doing the right things and doing them successfully. Ultimately though, it's about the old adage that says "people don't leave companies, people leave managers." Those of us who lead have the responsibility to enable all-in - committed, motivated and inspired - people. If we fail, it's our own performance review we should dread.
 

One Of Donald Trump's Quietest Critics Just Called Him Out On Diversity

Marc Benioff doesn’t want to talk about Donald Trump. Rather than give more airtime to the bombastic Republican presidential nominee, the Salesforce chief prefers to plug Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for whom he raised $500,000 earlier this year.

But on Wednesday, Benioff called Trump out for holding a televised campaign meeting about security with about two dozen people, almost all of whom appear to be white men. The move came a day after he delivered a speech aggressively appealing to black voters. 

This table reflects how @realDonaldTrump sees America : homogeneous. pic.twitter.com/odI2AeyWNp

— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) August 17, 2016

Two women do appear to be sitting at the end of the table, according to Reuters footage of the meeting. Still, Trump’s tone-deafness a day after he attempted to woo African-Americans by speaking in a 94.8 percent white Milwaukee suburb underscores the extent to which Trump’s campaign as a whole ― and not just the candidate’s crass rhetoric ― has gone out of its way to alienate minority and female voters. 

Benioff, for his part, isn’t a perfect beacon of inclusivity. The workforce at his cloud computing giant remains 67 percent white. Hispanics make up 4 percent, and African-Americans just 2 percent, of Salesforce employees.

But that’s not a problem that’s unique to Salesforce ― it reflects hiring trends in the tech industry, which began grappling with its lack of diversity a few years ago. In the past year, Benioff spent $3 million to eliminate the gender pay gap at Salesforce and publicly protested against laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. 

Benioff did not respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post. Neither did Hope Hicks, Trump’s campaign spokeswoman. 

Kevork Djansezian/Reuters

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has been a vocal advocate for women and LGBTQ people. 

Until recently, Benioff has stayed fairly quiet about the Republican nominee to amplify his reasons to vote for someone ― in this case, Clinton ― rather than his reasons to vote against someone else.

Benioff’s relative silence seemed to signal a departure from his usual style. He comments on progressive political issues almost daily, mostly to his roughly 244,000 Twitter followers. He has spearheaded almost every corporate charge against state laws that either legalize discrimination against queer people based on “religious freedom” or prevent trans individuals from using bathrooms associated with their gender identities. 

In response to a HuffPost article probing his low-profile opposition to Trump, Benioff said he preferred to advocate against the Republican behind the scenes. When other CEOs and entrepreneurs email him to ask how to deal with Trump, he said he answers, “If you want to defeat Donald Trump and you’re that upset about him, then you should support Hillary Clinton, which is what I’m doing.” 

On Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to get his faltering campaign back on track, Trump named Breitbart News Executive Chairman Steve Bannon as his new chief executive. This has been widely interpreted as a sign that Trump will intensify his uncivil, scorched-earth campaign tactics. And if that happens, even Trump’s quietest critics may be tempted to weigh in before November’s votes are cast.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.

Amazon Adds 19 Million US Prime Members Since Prime Day 2015

Majority of US Customers Are Prime Members for First Time

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) today released second quarter 2106 analysis of buyer shopping patterns for Amazon, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).

This analysis indicates that Amazon Prime now has 63 million US members, spending on average about $1,200 per year, compared to about $500 per year for non-members. The current membership estimate compares to an estimated 44 million US members at the end of the June 2015 quarter, or an increase of 43%.

As of June 30, 2016, CIRP estimates that in the US, 52% of Amazon customers are Prime members, the first quarter where a majority of US Amazon customers were Prime members (Chart 1).

Chart 1: US Amazon Prime Members

US Amazon Prime membership continued its strong growth over the past 12 months. Amazon added a net 19 million members since July 2015, compared to an increase of 16 million members in July 2014-June 2015 period. Amazon promoted the service aggressively starting with the first Prime Day in July 2015, and continuing with exclusive product offers and enhanced services throughout the year.

In the April-June 2016 quarter, US Amazon Prime membership grew 9%, compared to 7% in the same quarter last year.

Prime is a somewhat different service than it was two years ago. Amazon has expanded its media offerings greatly, including exclusive video content, HBO programs, streaming music, and now personal photo storage. Prime also offers a much richer environment for Amazon device owners, with access to free Kindle books, the improved video library for Fire TV, and Prime music and shopping tightly integrated into the Alexa service on Echo devices. In addition, Amazon recently introduced a monthly payment option, which may succeed in opening the market to a new a group of potential members. About 22% of Prime members that joined Amazon Prime in the quarter opted for the monthly payment plan.

CIRP bases its findings on surveys of 500 US subjects who made a purchase at Amazon.com in the period from April-June 2016. For additional information, please contact CIRP.

3 Must Attends at eTail East 2016

It's that time of year again. eTail East is kicking off next week bringing together eCommerce and Omni-Channel Retail Innovators. I sit back and think of what the first eTail was like in 1999 right before the .com bubble burst and find it amazing the transformation retail has undergone since then. Responsive site design- what was that? Shop online and pick up in store- come again? Can anyone say Cartwheel App?

eTail East is happening August 15-18, 2016 at The Sheraton in Boston, MA. It will bring together 900 retailers, 100 speakers and many service and solution providers under one roof. Working for one of the retail industry's most trusted eCommerce agencies, Echidna, I love following industry events like this. Not only for the purpose of future partnerships, but being able to learn how other brands are taking on their online presence through eCommerce and digital marketing. Being able to celebrate what is working and learn from what is not is invaluable.

At eTail East last year it toted some great presentations from industry leaders like Jason Goldberger from Target, Stormy Simon, now former President at Overstock.com and Marshall Porter, now former SVP and GM, International of Gilt Groupe. This year promises some amazing keynotes, sessions and networking opportunities. So how can you pick just the cream of the crop? In the end, it depends where your brand sits today and their goals for tomorrow, but as usual I took the time to pick my top 3 Must Attend's.

1. Panel Discussion: Turning Traffic Into Sales: Making The Mobile Experience Better For Today's Consumers

This made my Top 3 for obvious reasons. More consumers are shopping on mobile devices and it is predicted this will continue to increase. Make sure your brand is ready and join the panelists to hear their thoughts around taking your mobile strategy from soup to nuts and firing out what updates you need to really see a difference in conversion on these devices. The panel that they have brought together to talk on this topic should make for a great discussion. All with extensive experience in various facets of eCommerce, digital marketing, IT management and User Experience.

Industry Experts Speaking:

Eileen Shulluck, VP of eCommerce for luxury boutique Kirna Zabete.

Michael Zuccato, Director of Online Marketing for Sourcebooks

Mike DiMiele, Director of Marketing for Pampered Chef

Damon Burgess, Web Development for One Way Furniture

When: 3:25pm, Tuesday, August 16 (Track C)

2. Keynote: The Future Of Retail And The Convergence Of Customer Centricity, IoT And Omnichannel

First of all, if you aren't familiar with Thoryn Stephens, you should be. He has an incredibly interesting background as a business professional and web analytics guru. As the Chief Digital Officer of American Apparel, he manages their digital business across a global network of 17 websites. During the holiday season, his digital transformation resulted in American Apparel’s highest holiday season in history. This keynote will be discussing how to leverage customer centricity as the foundation of your consumer strategy, practical applications of omnichannel and how IoT is shaping the consumer experience. I'm looking forward to hearing his thoughts on what is considered a loaded topic for many retailers in this can't miss keynote.

When: 9:55am, Wednesday, August 17th

3. Retailer Only Chats and Cocktails

I stated it earlier, but a huge part of this conference is learning what has (or hasn't) worked for other brands. We are all in this together, so network with fellow retailers before the actual conference kicks off! With several tables to choose from, this is a great time to mingle with fellow retailers and also learn from them.

Industry Experts Hosting:

Table 1: Achieving Omni-Channel Success with Eileen Shulock, VP eCommerce, Kirna Zabete

Table 2: Jumpstart Your Start Up with Christine Monaghan, Director/VP eCommerce, Villa

Table 3: Hosted By: Rosie Manfredi, Director, User Experience, Digital Commerce, Harry and David

Table 4: Attribution Best Practices with Amy Boaz, Sr. Manager Global Digital Marketing, Global eCommerce, Lenovo

When: 5:00pm, Wednesday, August 17th

What sessions are you excited to attend? What speakers are not-to-be-missed in your book?

5 Frugal Ways Every Entrepreneur Can Start And Grow A Business On The Cheap

I should start by clearing the confusion, just in case you are wondering. Being cheap and being frugal are two entirely different things. The first is just plain silly if you are trying to run a business, but the later is being smart when applied in the same context.

Starting and growing a business can be a very stressful period in the life of an entrepreneur. Among the key things that he/she has to worry about are payroll, insurance, spreading the word (marketing) while also seeking to make and keep employees satisfied. Add the burden of proper financial management to that list and the burden seems almost too much for anyone to bear.

Money management is one of the factors that is key in launching a business that has a solid foundation. Being unnecessarily tight fisted when it comes to money will almost certainly drive your business into the ground. On the flip side, being unnecessarily generous with spending has not helped anyone either. This are the two extremes of money management that should always be avoided.

Every smart entrepreneur knows that the answer lies in striking a balance somewhere in the middle - the sweet spot if you can call it that. That balance is what I call 'being frugal'.

So if you own a business or you are about to start one, here are a few tips that will ensure you tow the line of entrepreneurial success without burning a hole through your money bag.

1. Take advantage of free advice

Every person knows - or should know - the value of advice, especially in the business world. This becomes even more evident if you are running your business on a very tight budget and cannot allocate money to pay for consultation on matters such as legal, accounting and other major business issues.

This is the time when you capitalize on all the contacts you have made in your business journey. By this, I mean your mentors and advisors; people who you look up to that have been in business longer than you. Another vital resource would be your network of entrepreneurs, perhaps in a mastermind group or any other kind of group.

These people want to see you succeed in business and so will most likely give you professional, actionable advice that you can capitalize on to grow your business.

The best part is that these invaluable pieces of advice are free.

2. Use coupons for purchases whenever possible

Here is a fun fact: American households with average earnings of $100,000 and above use coupons for purchases more than families making $35,000 and below.

Purchasing with coupons is a smart business move that will save your business tons of money, especially when you use it to buy stuff that you normally would not be able to afford because of its original value.

You can find coupons online for almost anything, from accessories to culinary masterpieces and everything in between. Also, you can find reputable coupon dealers all over the globe such as from coupons.com in the US to promocodeclub.com in India.

So no matter your location and your major trade currency, utilizing coupons for your business purchases will not be a problem.

3. Use distributors, Reps and affiliate partners

This strategy of marketing your goods and/or services is widely used by many industries. You can have distributors, representatives of manufacturers and affiliate partners who will market and distribute your products to their customer base via their own distribution channels.

The advantage of this method is that it helps you to thin down your marketing budget and grow sales faster. It also ensures that you always make money because you do not pay these partners until your products are sold, which means you only sign payouts from your profits; no loss incurred.

4. Outsource occasional jobs

In every company, there are certain tasks that are not part of its day-to-day activities. It is not a financially wise move to have someone on full time salary for such jobs.

The outsourcing industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and is extremely diverse in the range of services offers. Outsource jobs that you cannot afford to have a fulltime salary staff for and save more money doing so. Outsourcing runs on a pay as you work system; this is good because it means you only have to pay for the service when you need it.

5. Buy efficiency, not aesthetics or luxury

You do not have to buy the best of everything for your business; always go for efficiency and effectiveness over aesthetics or luxury.

Say, for instance that you are shopping for some PCs for your office and your business is one that manages a small size database of customers and partners. It will be silly to go purchase the latest in PC technology when a few, simple, non-sophisticated PCs will do the trick. Luxury does not grow a business, productivity does. You are not buying office equipment to flaunt it; you are buying it to use it.

So take your time to study equipment you want to buy and read reviews about them. This will help you pick the best and most effective piece of equipment for your office that is every bit your money's worth.