.jpg) Ben Affleck continues to support Jennifer Lopez's professional endeavors, People reports. Lopez, 56, stars in the upcoming musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and appeared at the Monday, Oct. 6, New York City premiere. Along with Lopez, the film's executive producer, Affleck, made a surprise appearance at the N.Y.C. event. Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artist Equity production company co-produced the movie. At the premiere, the former couple posed together in celebration of the production. A few photos captured the two A-listers chatting with each other on the carpet. Affleck, 53, also spoke to the press about the film. For the occasion, Lopez wore a sculptural gown from Harris Reed's spring 2026 collection. Ahead of the screening, Lopez introduced the film and thanked her ex-husband, saying, “Thank you so much, thank you everybody for being here tonight. Thank you, Ben, this movie wouldn’t have been made without Ben and without Artist Equity.” “I read the script, if you know, I was in bed and I was just floored," she continued. "I was just like could this be happening right now. I get to sing, I get to dance, I get to act. I get to be an old-time Hollywood movie star." Affleck's supportive appearance follows their 2025 divorce. The former couple initially met in 2002 and began dating. After ending their engagement in 2004, they both pursued other relationships and started families of their own. Then in 2021, they rekindled their romance and they married in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony in July 2022. The next month, they celebrated their nuptials with a second ceremony in Georgia in front of friends and family.In 2024 they split, citing irreconcilable differences. They settled their divorce in February. Source: https://www.panorama.am/
|
How advertising can repurpose itself to serve cities in more sustainable ways (2026-01-01T13:36:00+05:30)
Sergio Brodsky, RMIT UniversityNoisy, ugly and dirty. Advertising has polluted cities, annoyed consumers, and jeopardised its own existence. Beyond a mass-media cacophony, brand communications’ significant carbon footprint and runaway consumption are certainly contributing to what economists call market failure. In this sense, should messages such as a City of Melbourne campaign inviting people to cycle more even be allowed? On the one hand, it is better to communicate a solution (cycling) to the issue than not. On the other, if the communication contributes to the problem more than the solution, what’s the point of it? Jerry Seinfeld’s 2014 infamous line at the Clio awards called out the advertising sector to its face:
Still, contrary to that sentiment, marketers and their brands can (and should) move away from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution for sustainable development and the industry’s own sustainability. Offering a new outlookThe urbanisation megatrend wholly underpins other forces shaping the way we live, now and in the future. Although cities occupy only 2% of Earth’s landmass, that is where 75% of energy consumption occurs. Advertising growth is also concentrated in big cities. Because of increased demand for ever more comfortable lifestyles, urban infrastructures have been feeling “growing pains” for decades now. Whether it’s energy, education, health, waste management or safety, cities’ services are struggling to keep up with their larger and “hungrier” populations. The strategic opportunity here is to reframe brand communications from the promotion of conspicuous consumption to becoming a regenerative force in the economy of cities. That means using brands’ touch points as more than mere messengers, but rather delivering public utility services. I’ve coined it Urban Brand-Utility. For example, Domino’s Pizza’s Paving for Pizza program fixes potholes, cracks and bumps said to be responsible for “irreversible damage” to pizzas during the drive home. This may sound silly, but the US National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission estimates that simply to maintain the nation’s highways, roads and bridges requires investment by all levels of government of US$185 billion a year for the next 50 years. Today, the US invests about US$68 billion a year. In Moscow, major Russian real estate developers approached Sberbank to collaborate on better infrastructure planning in residential areas. People’s opinions on local needs fuelled targeted campaigns, promoting loans for small businesses. The “Neighbourhoods” campaign generated nine times as many small-business responses as traditional bank loan advertising. In other words, people had their needs met. And neighbourhoods become more attractive as a result. The city increases tax collection from the new businesses being set up, which also reduces the costs of having to deal with derelict areas. A shift to serving citizen-consumersIf we could see ourselves as citizen-consumers, as opposed to individual shoppers in the market, every dollar spent would enable business to tackle the issues that matter most. Here’s a hypothetical situation. Let’s assume Domino’s Paving for Pizza program is taken to its full potential, generating a large surplus to the City of Bartonville by minimising the costs of repairing potholes. Rather than treating this as a one-off campaign, smart mayors would try to create a virtuous cycle, where the city retains 50% of the surplus, 25% is returned to the advertiser, and 25% goes to the agency and media owner – a value only unlocked by repeating the approach. This way, marketing budgets are effectively turned into investment funds. The returns are in the form of brand cut-through, happier customers, social impact and more effective city management, as shown in the model below. Brands with some level of foresight will be able to broaden their audiences from customers to citizens and their revenue model from sales to the creation of shared value. These will be game-changers for profit and prosperity. Markets, choice and competition are not just a consumer’s best friend, but their civic representation. After all, as one of the tribunes asks the crowd in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus: “What is the city but the people?” Sergio Brodsky, Sessional Lecturer, Marketing, RMIT University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
British Rail wasn’t all bad. Sixty years after the brand launched we should remember its marketing successes (2025-12-24T12:39:00+05:30)
|
Lewis Smith, Brunel University of London, In 2025 Britain is marking the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. Many will be quick to celebrate the legacy of steam engines and the old red lion railway logo, but there’s one bit of Britain’s railway that perhaps doesn’t get enough praise – British Rail. Abbreviated to BR, the brand is 60 this year. BR officially began trading in 1965 and ended with the privatisation of the railways in 1997. But despite the brand coming to the end of the line, many of its iconic elements remain on the railways today. These include the “double arrow” logo, the font known as Rail Alphabet and a whole palette of colours and styles. State-owned Great British Railways, which is replacing Network Rail as the operator of most of Britain’s rail infrastructure as well as taking over the privatised franchise system, will unveil a logo in May. This may well incorporate the double arrow. The messaging is about the hope of “restoring pride” in Britain’s rail network. BR as an organisation, on the other hand, has an often controversial legacy. Those who remember it are quick to complain of late-running trains, high fares and a poor standard of service – including the soggy British Rail sandwich. This legacy is often politicised. One could equally argue that it was a cutting-edge business that served the people in times of dire economic crises, with recessions in the 1970s and 80s as well as the decline in manufacturing that led to widespread unemployment. The railways were nationalised under the 1947 Transport Act and managed by “British Railways”. Back in the 1950s, the railway had a poor reputation. As one survey respondent described, the railway was a “big, monolithic institution, not at all concerned with the welfare of the individual”. Trains were often late and dirty, the result of a lack of investment combined with the dying days of the steam era. Coupled to this, British Railways was hesitant about outside intervention, whether from managers, government officials or even passengers. Efforts to improve the railway began with the 1955 modernisation plan, which made a number of strategic recommendations. But by 1960 it had failed to deliver any financial benefits. For all nationalised industries in Britain, the 1960s were different. With the release of a government white paper in 1961, all the state-owned industries including gas, electricity and airways were set financial targets. One of the outcomes of this for the railways was Dr Richard Beeching’s Reshaping of British Railways plan published in 1963. It included a number of changes, including slashing the number of unprofitable routes. My recent research has examined BR marketing in the 1960s and 1970s, and found that this period represented one of great change in the history of marketing the railways. This included the introduction of the “British Rail” brand, with the publication of a corporate identity manual in July 1965. This represented management slowly opening up to recruit marketing and PR experts from the private sector, including from consumer giants like L'Oréal. Compared to other operators in Europe, BR received one of the lowest government subsidies. Over its operational life, BR fought hard to innovate in the market with the support and resources it had. It used new methods to locate and identify consumers, targeted advertising and services, and teamed up with private-sector giants like Kellogg’s and Persil with offers for discounted tickets. It also created new pricing structures, including Awaydays, Weekend Returns and Railcards. A fierce competitor
As a nationalised railway, it might be easy to assume that BR had a monopoly and therefore did not have to compete. But this couldn’t be further from the reality. The car business was booming, with cheaper, more reliable models on offer. And, thanks to government infrastructure policy, more roads, car parks and fuel stations were being built. Other domestic transport like coaches (the National Bus Company was formed in 1968) applied constant pressure. And British Airways launched its domestic “shuttle” services between London and other UK cities in 1975, promising passengers they could just “turn up and go” without the need to book. This also marked a point at which marketing experts shifted their focus from places to people, identifying not only who wanted to travel but why. This included focusing on specific market segments by gender. In the 1970s, BR’s InterCity launched a TV campaign with the slogan “Travel Inter-City Like the Men Do”, which focused efforts on middle-aged women looking to travel to get away from their domestic duties. Rail travel could be a feminist issue too. Similarly, messaging for business travellers tightened. Before the 1960s, business travel was about luxury. Now it was about economic efficiency, where businessmen could work, eat and sleep on the train in advance of their meetings (none of which you could do if you were driving to a meeting). In the 1980s, before his horrifying crimes came to light, BR brought in TV star Jimmy Savile as the face of rail travel. Although hard to believe today, given what the public now knows about Savile, it was a coup at the time because of his media and business profile. But today, the railways are at a turning point. The government’s plans to nationalise railway franchises has prompted excitement from organisations like passenger group Bring Back British Rail. Let’s be clear: nationalisation on its own is not a silver bullet, though the BR case shows that it should be possible to have a nationalised industry that can serve the public interest and compete within the wider economy. Crucially, BR was an innovative marketer. What follows next should endeavour to be the same.  This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
The marketing tricks that have kept Barbie’s brand alive for over 60 years (2025-12-23T12:19:00+05:30)
|
Rejected by the toy industry at first, Barbie is now one of America’s most trusted brands. “She” – the 11.5 inch blonde doll, but also her brand persona – generated worldwide sales of around US$1.5 billion (£1.3 billion) in 2022, and has a brand value of US$590 million. Barbie debuted on March 9 1959 at the New York International Toy Fair as Barbie Teenage Fashion Model. Sixty-four years later, the doll continues to be the subject of cultural, sociological and psychological interest. By creating an iconic brand with special meaning for fans of all ages (Barbie is marketed to children aged three and older), toy company Mattel has successfully extended the lifecycle of the Barbie brand for well over half a century. Barbie is also a polarising figure. The brand embodies the notion of a “double bind”, celebrated as an inspirational role model while at the same time blamed for creating unrealistic expectations of women, particularly when it comes to how they should look. But while most toys remain popular for only two or three years, Barbie’s long-term success reflects Mattel’s responsiveness and adaptability to the changing cultural and political discourse in society and around this doll. So how has the company done it? A Barbie girl, in a Barbie worldResearch shows there are many ways to build and sustain brand characters, but Mattel has used a “multiply” strategy for Barbie. This has involved introducing other characters that play supporting roles in Barbie’s “world”. Over the years, these supporting acts were introduced to portray Barbie’s relationship with friends and family. First there was Ken (1961), Barbie’s boyfriend, then her younger sister Skipper (1964), followed by friends including Midge (1963) and Christie (1968), the first black Barbie character. The storylines and individual characteristics of these additional characters connect to Barbie’s persona and increase brand visibility. Mattel has also used storytelling tactics such as announcing that Barbie and Ken had officially broken up on Valentine’s Day in 2004 (they got back together in 2011). Such stories resonate with fans’ emotions, sustaining interest in the brand. These tactics typically work for a while, but how has Mattel sustained true brand longevity for this long? There are many strategies designed to revitalise mature brands. Mattel successfully extended Barbie’s brand to capture new audiences, drive growth and expand into new types of products beyond dolls. This is a risky endeavour if the brand is stretched too far. But Barbie’s brand has been successfully extended into other profitable categories such as clothes, accessories, cosmetics and entertainment (music, movies and games). And now, after several computer-animated, direct-to-video and streaming television films, Barbie’s first big budget, live action movie will be released in cinemas in July 2023. Early reports suggest the movie – helmed by Oscar-nominee Greta Gerwig, who also directed Little Women (2019) and Lady Bird (2017) – is likely to be rated PG-13. This is not the “universal” rating you might expect for a film about a popular toy. It hints at another strand of Mattel’s successful Barbie branding strategy: nostalgia. Life in plastic, it’s fantasticAlongside ongoing efforts to appeal to young girls, Mattel also deliberately targets older consumers. Specific objects – not just toys but clothes, food such as sweets, or even items like vinyl records – can give a physical form to a set of attitudes, relationships and circumstances for people. This evokes a powerful sense of the past. This kind of nostalgia generates trust and positive attitudes towards a brand, influencing consumer preferences when it comes to choosing between toys. In addition to the upcoming film, Mattel has attempted to capitalise on the nostalgia Barbie evokes in other ways. It sells more sophisticated designer and limited edition lines of collectible dolls aimed at adult fans, for example. These items are typically sold in speciality or boutique stores, and carry higher price tags than the average doll. As Barbie’s brand has expanded and evolved, the doll has also encountered criticism. Over the years, Barbie went through many transformations to look more confident, and was marketed as having many life options, particularly when it comes to work. There are now Barbie dolls representing more than 200 careers – from astronaut, surgeon, paratrooper, game developer, architect and entrepreneur to film director and even US president. But critics have argued that these career dolls are a “misfire attempt at inspiring girls”. This negative perception of the brand’s moral vision is linked to the notion that Barbie is rooted in an ideal of femininity that still characterises women by their physical appearance. Barbie has been accused of promoting unrealistic body standards, stereotyping and objectification of women, as well as having a negative influence on girls’ self-esteem and body image. But research suggested that young girls aged between three and ten prefered the original tall and petite dolls. They were negative about “curvy” Barbie, and this doll also received intense public scrutiny. In 2017, Mattel took another significant step by introducing ethnically and racially diverse dolls of different nationalities, including the first hijab-wearing Barbie doll. However, this approach prompted criticism that Mattel was treating race and ethnic differences as “collectible”, and commodifying culture. Despite this, Barbie continues to be a toy that many children play with. The longevity and iconic status of the doll is a tribute to Mattel’s astute marketing and reinvention efforts. These have helped the brand remain relevant even now, 64 years after it was launched. Sameer Hosany, Professor of Marketing, Royal Holloway, University of London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
Historic Tokyo Bridge Liberated from Concrete Overpass Will Shine Again Thanks to Grassroots Campaign (2025-12-22T13:29:00+05:30)
 Nihonbashi Bridge before WWII – credit Urbz CC 2.0. via Flickr24-09-2025, Imagine the outrage if construction of a highway interchange was approved directly overhead of the Brooklyn Bridge—that’s what one Tokyo neighborhood has had to deal with for more than 60 years. The most historic bridge in the city has long been bathed in the shadow and tumult of a concrete overpass, but things are looking up for the Nihonbashi Bridge—literally.  The bridge under the overpass – credit Charles, CC 2.0. via Flickr A coalition of the metropolitan governments is preparing to remove the overpass as part of an urban rejuvenation project. The result will take the area back to the days of the Meiji Restoration, when the bridge was a center of community activity, and a symbol of both progress and order. Construction of Nihonbashi was ordered in 1603 by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and it was to serve a huge purpose in the future organization of the state. It was considered the first reference node of the entire Japanese national road network at the time. The network consisted of five postal routes which reached from Tokyo—then the prosperous merchant-artist-fishing town called Edo—to the Imperial capital at Kyoto, and four other major provincial capitals. Road signs to and from the locations grew or shrank in distance according to the sign’s distance from Nihonbashi Bridge. It was the point from which all distances in the country were measured, and this collection of digitized postcards and other drawings shows how it and the neighborhood named after it changed over the years.  A depiction of the Nihonbashi Bridge during the Edo period – credit, Urbz, CC 2.0. via Flickr Rebuilt in a European style in 1911, it survived all the ravages of World War II, only to be crowded over by the elevated expressway during the hasty modernization of the city in the lead up to the ’64 Summer Olympics. “Historically, Nihonbashi used to be a place where people could look up and see Mount Fuji,” Taneo Nakamura, chairman a local preservation group pushing to remove the overpass, told Japan Times. “Now, you look up and just see concrete.” Nakamura was an executive of a department store chain that had a location near the bridge, and he was there day in and day out while it was being built. “At the time, the river was dirty and the area run-down, so there was excitement about modernization,” he said. “But when it was completed, the structure was lower and darker than anyone had expected. The entire atmosphere of the bridge was lost.” On the current bridge’s centennial year, the Tohoku earthquake struck the city, and the government began reassessing infrastructure on a nationwide scale. Nakamura and other community leaders seized the opportunity to collect signatures on a petition calling for the overpass to be removed, and to bring “light to the river” again. Half a million John Hancocks later, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Chuo Ward municipal government, national government, and Metropolitan Expressway, formally submitted a plan for a $2.2 billion rejuvenation project that would see the overpass move underground, and the bridge returned to its place at the center of the community. A hugely sensitive project that will involve tunneling under the river and between subway lines all while redirecting a major traffic artery, it will be coupled with the building of a riverside pedestrian walkway about 0.8 miles long lined with recreation areas. Tunneling is slated for completion by the next decade, and the whole area should be finished by 2040. Historic Tokyo Bridge Liberated from Concrete Overpass Will Shine Again Thanks to Grassroots Campaign |
After Five-Year Campaign, Woman Successfully Rallies a Nation to Protect 763,000 Square Miles of Ocean (2025-12-18T12:45:00+05:30)
Over 763,000 square miles of ocean are now protected from pollution, seabed mining, and overfishing thanks to one 48-year-old marine conservationist. Jacqueline Evans is the hero behind the Marae Moana legislation that was passed in the Cooks Islands, protecting the ocean territory rich with stunning array of marine biodiversity—including whales, sea turtles, manta rays, seabirds, several threatened shark species, and migrating humpbacks. Despite how traditional Polynesian cultures have come to rely on large-scale commercial fishing, Evans spent five years tirelessly persuading, traveling, and advocating for the legislation’s approval.In July 2017 her conservation goals became enshrined in law, and now Evans is being honored with the 2019 Goldman Prize for Islands and Island Nations. After Five-Year Campaign, Woman Successfully Rallies a Nation to Protect 763,000 Square Miles of Ocean
|
Hyundai Motor, Kia showcase latest electric SUVs at LA Auto Show (2025-12-17T11:31:00+05:30)
 IANS Photo Los Angeles, November 22 (IANS): Hyundai Motor said on Friday it has showcased the Ioniq 9, the company's first large electric SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show, along with over 40 other models. The Ioniq 9 is set to launch in early 2025, starting in South Korea, followed by rollouts in the United States, Europe and other regions. For the US market, the vehicle will be manufactured at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, the automaker's dedicated EV plant in Georgia, reports Yonhap news agency. It boasts a spacious and lounge-like interior, which can accommodate up to seven occupants, and a "sleek aerosthetic" exterior design that reflects the company's commitment to blending aerodynamic innovation and sophisticated, futuristic styling, according to the company. The car also features its innovative E-GMP architecture to enhance the power electric system, which works as an engine and power inverter for hill climbing and efficient driving. Hyundai also unveiled the Initium, a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) concept car, for the first time in North America. The concept model provides a glimpse into the design and product direction of Hyundai's passenger FCEV, set to debut in the first half of 2025. Hyundai's booth features 42 vehicles, including the Ioniq 9, Initium, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and the Santa Fe SUV. The Santa Fe has been named a finalist for the 2025 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year at the L.A. Auto Show. Jose Munoz, Hyundai's global chief operating officer, highlighted Hyundai's strong U.S. performance and said the company anticipates achieving its highest annual retail sales in the U.S. market this year. Meanwhile, Kia said it has unveiled the high-performance version of its flagship EV9 electric SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The EV9 GT, which made its debut at the LA Convention Center, features a 160 kilowatt front motor and a 270 kilowatt rear motor, delivering a targeted maximum output of 508 horsepower. The three-row model is the first Kia SUV to be equipped with an advanced suspension system, ensuring stable handling and ride comfort. Its electronic stability control functionality optimally adjusts the shock absorbers' damping force by utilising road surface data from its front camera and navigation inputs. The EV9 GT is scheduled for release in South Korea in the first half of 2025. Kia also showcased revamped versions of the EV6 and Sportage SUVs, both making their North American debut.The EV6, which was a finalist for the 2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year, and the Sportage, Kia's best-selling model in the United States, are expected to perform well in the market following their updates, according to the company. Hyundai Motor, Kia showcase latest electric SUVs at LA Auto Show | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com |
Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Panday promote 'Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri' on Amitabh Bachchan's KBC (2025-12-11T10:47:00+05:30)
 Mumbai, (IANS) Actors Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday are all geared up for their upcoming movie Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, which is slated for a Christmas release this year. The actors who are currently on a promotional spree were spotted at the Kaun Banega Crorepati sets on the 1st of December to promote their movie on the iconic quiz reality show hosted by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. Ananaya was seen dressed in a beautiful and classy saree, while Kartik looked dapper in his suit-boot avatar. Apart from imparting knowledge to the audience, KBC has become a hotspot for movie and show promotions for the entertainment industry, owing to its popularity. Earlier, the cast of Family Man, Jaideep Ahlawat, Manoj Bajpayee, and Sharib Hashmi, had appeared on the show to promote their series. The cast, along with Big B, was seen having a blast. Talking about Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, Kartik and Ananya were recently in the city of Jaipur to promote their movie. At a packed press conference in Jaipur, Kartik was seen opening up about Ananya’s journey as an actress, especially when asked what it felt like to come together again after seven years, referring to the movie Pati, Patni Aur Woh. The actor had recalled how she was just starting out when they first collaborated and how today she stands tall with a newfound confidence, sharper craft, and a mature ease that shows both on and off screen. Kartik also spoke warmly about watching Ananya grow not just as an actor but also as a person. Reuniting after their Pati Patni Aur Woh days, the duo seemed to slip straight back into their spark. Recently, Kartik and Ananya had opened up about filming the title track of “Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri” Kartik, in a statement, had shared, “The energy on set while shooting this track was an absolute banger!! Vishal and Sheykhar have delivered something extraordinary with this one. And with Remo bringing his magic to the choreography, the vibe on set was next-level electric. Can’t wait to see the audience grooving on this track!! ” Ananya had added, “This track is totally on fire! It captures the entire feel of the film, the fun, the chaos, and the electric connection between Rumi and Ray. We had such a blast shooting it, and I truly believe this is the biggest party anthem of the season.” She added, “Huge props to Vishal and Sheykhar for this banger! And of course, Remo sir’s choreography just makes you want to get up and dance; he brought such infectious energy to the song with his choreography! ”The season’s biggest, loudest, and most addictive banger.”On November 28, the makers of the upcoming film released the first and the title track, “Tu Meri Main Tera”. Directed by Sameer Vidwans, the film is slated to release this Christmas on 25th December. Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Panday promote 'Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri' on Amitabh Bachchan's KBC | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com |
Vicky Kaushal to Rashmika: Your recovery is more important than anything else (2025-11-21T12:24:00+05:30)
 IANS Photo Mumbai, February 1 (IANS) Bollywood heartthrob Vicky Kaushal shared that the recovery of his “maharani” Rashmika Mandanna is more important than anything else. In the late hours of Friday, Rashmika took to Instagram, where she shared two photographs from the promotional event of their upcoming film “Chhaava”. The first picture, Vicky is seen bowing down with folded hands in front of the actress, who is sitting on a wheelchair due to a fractured leg. The second photograph showed the two stars sitting as they addressed the crowd. For the caption, Rashmika wrote: “Maharaj. Bhosle parivaar ka har purush pahaadi toofan hai. You as Vicky Kaushal and as Raaje are most definitely a toofan. You truly have a way of making all of us feel very special.” She mentioned that it was lovely to have the actor in Hyderabad. “And next time please do allow me to host you properly. I am so sorry I am not in my best capacity to run around supporting you with the promotions but I promise you I will do my best,” she added. Vicky took to the comment section and wrote: “Maharani!! Your recovery is more important than anything else. See you super soon.” During a promotional event, Vicky was seen greeting the audience in Telugu with the help of Rashmika. Vicky Kaushal said, "Namashkar to everyone. Are you all doing well? Very happy to be here in Hyderabad!" In another video doing rounds on social media, Vicky Kaushal was seen helping Rashmika. The actress sustained a severe leg injury on her right foot during a gym session. In the meantime, the makers of "Chhaava" recently unveiled the first track from the much-awaited movie, “Jaane Tu”. Composed by music maestro AR Rahman, the track has been crooned by Arijit Singh.Irshad Kamil has penned the soulful lyrics for the song. The song captures the electrifying chemistry between Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and his better half Maharani Yesubai. Vicky Kaushal to Rashmika: Your recovery is more important than anything else | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com |
Swiss Event Is the Artist’s Vision of the World Economic Forum: Designing the Future with Creativity (2025-11-18T12:44:00+05:30)
 The first day attendance, in the old town of Basel – credit : Natalia Lorenzo, Maribel Lorenzo, Birgitte Kronsbjerg, Jonas Singer. Average folk might have all kinds of questions about the World Economic Forum and what goes on there, but for two visionary women, the question was clear: where are all the artists? For such a high-profile gathering of world leaders, thought leaders, and business leaders, how could there be no room for authentic creativity? That burning inquiry inevitably led them to ask: if Klaus Schwab can organize a conference in a beautiful Swiss town and try to plan the future of human society, shouldn’t artists help expand that vision, bringing bold perspectives, fresh imagination, and the soul, story, and spirit of our time to the decision-making tables? The Future of Humanity Experience, recently concluded across five locations in Basel during Art Basel Week, could be styled as a complementary expansion of what was inaugurated in Davos earlier this year. Hosted, energized, and enlivened through art and collaboration, four full-day events unfolded, each gathering a new constellation of 40 co-creators from diverse disciplines and from all corners of the globe to co-create a shared vision of the future. Artists and organizers Iwona Fluda and Murièle ‘Solange’ Bolay put together the whole event in roughly 4 months, guided by a shared understanding of the scope and character of the project that almost never needed to be explained or spoken aloud. Speaking to American media for the first time since the successful event launch during ArtBasel, the two women document their remarkable journey and success in creating what may become one of the most hotly anticipated conferences in Europe.  Event artist Replicah (Sabrina Bühlmann) invites the conference to immerse themselves in her street-side installation – credit: Natalia Lorenzo, Maribel Lorenzo, Birgitte Kronsbjerg, Jonas Singer.Meeting in the ‘Under Davos “I have been to Davos during the World Economic Forum 4 times at least, and I felt that creatives and artists are not represented there,” said Fluda, originally from Poland. “There is a type of void and missing space.” “How come in this huge arena of world leaders, politicians, entrepreneurs, business people and investors there’s very little creativity or creative output visible?” Solange, who has been attending the WEF on and off since 2007, recalls a different energy back then. “In my opinion, it was very different then than what it is now. It was a lot more exclusive to attend the inner programs,” she told GNN. “Now, the village area has opened up to a much broader audience, and that’s where more conscious, less transactional conversations start to flow.” According to her, Davos village is now the largest circle and what attracts the most independent thought leaders and entrepreneurs during WEF Week today. It’s also where the two women, who met through entrepreneur chats, curated an art exhibition that offered a glimpse of what stages like Davos could become if artists and creatives were given a place in the spotlight. Originally proposed in Davos, their Future of Humanity Art Walk was a resounding success, reaching over 300,000 people worldwide, welcoming 4,000 on-site visitors, and featured artists from all continents, ranging in age from 6 to 85. With just seven weeks of preparation, what began as a small passion project quickly evolved into a full-blown immersive experience and event week during Art Basel. “With my company MSB & Partners, we’ve been doing business transformations for over 18 years, and for the past 2.5 years, we’ve started incorporating art into these transformation processes.” Solange says. The paintings not only help inspire new ways of thinking and problem solving, she says, but act as an “anchor”, reinforcing that transformative mindset among company employees. By Solange’s estimation, most enterprising activities focus on predicting certain trends, gravitating towards mega trends, and then somewhere in between products and services arrive on the market, a process she describes as “very brainy and calculated.” “It’s a transactional focus versus an explorational one where we design the world we want to see.” In the case of the Future of Humanity Experience, co-designing a world was a notion both women had arrived at independently: with society changing so fast, what kind of world do we want to live in? “We both have worked in different setups… internally in organizations; externally, as consultants, as business owners, and for me personally it was always the question about how can we really co-create things together without fighting against each other?” Fluda said. “There really wasn’t time to think about it too much,” Solange remembers. “We were just in action mode and we were kind of ‘guided’ by a vision, that we never really spoke about, but we seemed to have and it was a very special time.”  Co-creators viewing an exhibited work by Maritsa Kissamitaki – credit: Natalia Lorenzo, Maribel Lorenzo, Birgitte Kronsbjerg, Jonas Singer. The Future of Humanity Experience The bootstrapped and crowdsourced events were a whirlwind 9 months of envisioning, organizing, partaking in, and debriefing after the most recent Future of Humanity Experience in Basel. “How I operate is more like, ‘oh, there is an idea’—just this little spark. ‘I align with that, I feel like there is so much more we can do, how about we run the 1st sprint and see if it sticks?,'” Fluda told GNN. “That’s kind of my approach for anything. And then, if it does, as in this case, surprisingly, it did, then what else can we do with that?” Some 100 artists from all around the world—from Trinidad and Tobago to China—submitted works for the exhibitions. A week of enjoying curated art shows, presentations, open forums, and exquisite catered lunches left this reporter exhausted, but with a distinct feeling that Fluda and Solange had struck a chord with the very fabric of Western society. The advent of the internet has seen the metaphorical ‘public square’ distributed online, while the traditional forums of our time: the corner cafe, the library, the bookstore, the townhall—have lost their relevance. Academia’s trend towards hyper-specialization dampens cross-disciplinary dialogue; the behavior of our public intellectuals gradually came to be governed by social media engagement, and the rise of the digital influencer means that from travel, to fitness, to history and politics, topics are examined almost exclusively at the surface level. The curated exhibitions at the Future of Humanity Experience were powerful. The themes they explored were broad and impactful, but even if an attendee has never visited an art gallery in their lives, what the event offers is the ‘forum’ as it may have been in our ancestors’ day. Here was a chance to discourse with mastery and enterprise from all over the professional world, and for the noblest of aims—co-creating a vision of the future we’d all like to see. “I was there as a business person,” Solange says remembering her first art exhibit in Under Davos, “no one knew who created those pieces.” “So I was able to listen to the conversations that happened in front of these canvases, and it was so interesting because it’s exactly the conversations that we want to hear happening, you know, in the boardrooms.”After a successful launch, their outlook is broad and bright. Fluda and Solange perceive the future of the Future of Humanity Experience to be more than just an art exhibit, but a force, a forum, a service, and a community. Next year’s edition can only be bolder. Swiss Event Is the Artist’s Vision of the World Economic Forum: Designing the Future with Creativity |
Dimapur: DMC enhances market transparency with Digital Rate Board (2025-11-18T12:43:00+05:30)
 Digital Rate Board installed by Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) at New Market, Dimapur on November 17. (DIPR Photo) Dimapur, (MExN): The Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) has officially launched its Digital Rate Board, displaying updated pricing information, offering customers real time access to essential rate details at New Market, Dimapur on November 17. The inaugural programme marked a significant step towards enhancing transparency and accessibility of market rates for the public, stated a DIPR report. In a short speech CEO, Thungchabemo Tungoe, emphasised the Dimapur Municipal Council’s commitment to modernising public services and this small initiative shows that Dimapur is progressing. Today digital rate board install at three places in Dimapur is a beginning and will be installing more in other areas. He said, “information of prices for consumers shows that DMC is for all fairness and accountability and in align with advancements of technology have brought some changes in DMC area.” He urged other counsellor to initiate such small changes and make their presence be felt and take Dimapur city forward. He mentioned that the digital system is designed to enhance transparency and reduce confusion and with the installation it will showcases daily rates, category-wise pricing, and other key service details in a clear, easily readable format. He also informed the business house that their products and services can be advertised and through the digital board chart, the DMC can earn revenue too. Not only the business house but if there is important events or programmes, one can reach out to DMC to display their publicity. He also mentioned that is for the first time digital chart has been installed and the DMC will do more out of the revenue that they generate, and are ready to take the initiative with the cooperation of the counsellors. Delivering the keynote address, Neingutoulie Kenguruse, Convenor of the Market Review Committee (MRC), highlighted the importance of digitisation in streamlining market operations and ensuring that consumers receive accurate, updated price information. He informed that the market regulations and price control branch of DMC is pleased to set up Digital Board in three main market - Supermarket, New Market and Murki Pati with a view of helping general public efficiently and to know the rate of daily essential commodities for fair, transparent business in the city. For business promotion, one can advertise their business at minimum rate and that revenue will help maintain the board to beautify the Town, he said. Taking the opportunity, he requested all the business establishment to beautify and decorate their shops during the coming festive seasons and make Dimapur a beautiful place. The Digital Rate Board was formally inaugurated by Chairperson, Hukheto Yepthomi, who noted that the initiative reflects DMC’s broader goal of improving public convenience through technology-driven solutions. He thanked and expressed the initiative of the DMC for taking the project with their limited resources. He hoped that this installation of Digital rate board will help people know what to pay for which items and to prevent items from getting sold at high prices. For complain & redress, contact: 9862929908, 8837207162, 7005697120, 7085473756.Defaulters- Rs 3000 (Retail), Rs 6000 (Wholesale) Dimapur: DMC enhances market transparency with Digital Rate Board | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com |