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The biggest brands pour creativity into being instantly recognizable. A logo you can spot at 20 paces. A color palette that becomes cultural shorthand (think Oreo blue or Coca-Cola red). That visual obsession runs through every corner of marketing. TV, social, out-of-home, retail, and packaging. Millions go into crafting imagery, with every frame revised until it perfectly reinforces the brand. So, of course visuals matterthey always will matter. But the best performing brands arent blinded by them. They understand that a cohesive sonic identity that spans campaigns and touchpoints ensures your brand is remembered long after someone closes their phone or walks away from the TV. YOU CANT AFFORD TO TUNE OUT AUDIO Too often, sound is an afterthought. Tracks are chosen on personal taste, or even whatever can still be licensed at the end of a strained budget. But audio isnt decoration. Its not the garnish. It deserves the same rigor as visuals. Treating it as a last-minute flourish isnt a creative misstep, its a missed business opportunity. Thats because sound is one of the fastest, most powerful emotional triggers we have. Attention research shows that audio advertising generates at least 50% higher active attention and brand lift than visual formats. A drum roll can build tension. A chord can pull you into nostalgia. A single synth line can do what a thousand highly polished frames cannot. Leaving that kind of influence to chance limits effectiveness across channels. It also leads to global inconsistency, with local teams relying on instinct rather than strategy. The fix is simple. Stop treating audio as a backing track. Bring it into the creative process from minute one. HERES HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT FIT Choosing music is more than scanning the charts. A trending track isnt automatically the right choice. To score effectiveness, you need to look past taste and into the science, assessing four dimensions: 1. Engagement: Will it capture and hold attention? 2. Fit: Does it complement the narrative and the visuals? 3. Surprise: Does it offer the unexpected? 4. Recall: Will it be remembered? Take a well-known commercial track. Immediate recognition is a win. But over-familiarity can also blunt surprise, reducing impact. A better route might be a reimagined version: a cover that keeps the sentiment but feels new, distinctive, and more ownable. Often, its also more cost-effective. Look at music through both a creative and an objective lens and you give your brand cultural relevance without compromising quality. And the data backs this up. IPA research, created with MassiveMusic, shows that: Highly memorable music makes your brand four times more effective at driving brand recall Unexpected music makes ads five times more likely to drive brand fame Highly fitting music makes consumers nearly seven times more willing to pay higher prices Highly engaging music boosts ROI by around 32% on average, and the very best performers on engagement can double your return on marketing investment. SOUND ISNT OPTIONAL ANYMORE For years, music sat in the category of well know it when we hear it. That era is over. We can now quantify musical effectiveness with the same precision we apply to visuals, linking specific sonic choices to measurable gains in attention, salience, and commercial return. Its no longer guesswork. In the attention economy, where differentiation is under threat, music can be the lever that cuts through the noise. From recall to emotion to willingness to pay, its impact is too broad to ignore. Brands that embrace a scientific, strategic methodology for sound build sonic identities that are consistent, creative, and emotionally resonant. And brands that dont? If your campaign budget is in the millions, youre effectively gambling six-figure returns by not testing your music. The uplift from a well-chosen track dwarfs the cost of getting it right. Paul Langworthy is chief revenue officer at Songtradr.
Category:
E-Commerce
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping countless industries; education is no exception. As AI tools rapidly enter classrooms, there are concerns about fair access, effective implementation, and the risk of widening the still persistent digital divide. Who are the players best positioned to guide this transition in a way that truly benefits every student? I recently spoke with Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose, an education nonprofit where teachers submit funding requests based on classroom needs. Ninety percent of public schools in America have teachers using DonorsChoose, which tackles funding gaps by focusing on the most granular level: individual teacher requests. Alix, a former math and science teacher, edtech founder, and nonprofit leader, shares why he believes listening to the front linesthe teachersis the most important strategic bet we can make to ensure AI fulfills its promise for all students. Q: Your background as a public school teacher and startup founder is unique. How has that journey shaped your vision for DonorsChoose and its mission to resource every classroom? Alix Guerrier: Im a proud product of the New Haven, Connecticut, public school system. I had a front-row seat to the resourcing challenges schools face, which inspired me to become a public school teacher. Despite funding constraints, teachers went above and beyond for their students, and I saw the potential of a grassroots approach that serves individual teachers, which I later brought to my startup. DonorsChoose is unique because we maintain a laser-like focus on the needs of individual teachers and their students, while partnering with school, district, and state leaders. Together, we can learn from the grassroots innovation, then use those insights to shape broader policy and funding decisions, which we have been leaning into as an organization. Q: DonorsChoose has an unrivaled view of teacher needs. What is your data currently telling you about changing trends in classroom requests? Alix: We have access to a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data, because our model requires teachers to submit descriptions of the resources they need and how they plan to use them. Some requests remain the same year over year. For example, books were a primary request at our founding in 2000 and remain an important need today. Instructional technology, however, has been a major category of change. Over the past 25 years, weve tracked the shift from older tech to smartboards and Chromebooks. And starting in 2020, we saw a dramatic, sustained change in the amount of instructional technology requested. While AI-specific requests are still a small category, they are rapidly growing. Last school year, we saw around 600 requests for AI learning tools and resources; that number is already 1,000+ this school year. What has been most surprising is the primary AI use case emerging from our data. We expected to see requests centered on student productivity or teacher planning, and those exist. But the majority are focused on addressing diverse student needs. Teachers are using AI to generate real-time translation tools for multilingual language learners, or to rapidly adapt a lesson plan for students with disabilities. We are seeing teachers leverage AI to hyper-personalize learning. Q: How can we ensure that AI funding doesnt exacerbate existing challenges, like the digital divide? Alix: Resource equity is explicitly woven into DonorsChoose DNA. Its our goal that every student in every community has access to a great education regardless of a schools resources. This year, over 80% of funding directed through DonorsChoose went to projects in historically under-resourced schools. Moreover, our work to close the digital resource gap felt by these schools must include AI learning tools. Access to the hardware is only part of the equation. We know that the vast majority of teachers97%, according to a survey we conducteddont feel they have the necessary training to successfully implement AI in the classroom. Educators have a hunger and readiness to incorporate AI learning tools, but theres a clear gap in preparedness. This points to our biggest strategic bet: The sector-wide conversation about the future of AI in K-12 education must be driven by what teachers know about the actual needs of their kids. Q: If you had a single message for those designing the next wave of AI tools and the policymakers making education funding decisions, what would it be? Alix: Stay forcefully focused on the needs and experiences of students. In education, as in other fields, new technologies are often first adopted by individuals on the groundthe teachers running micro-experiments every day in their classrooms. Their collective wisdom about what works and enables a better learning outcome is an invaluable dataset. If we, as a sector, choose to be guided by those use casesthe ways teachers are actually succeeding, like using AI to personalize learning for a non-native English speakerwe can effectively scale. The technologies that truly support student learning and growth are those that are human-centered, supporting a learners exploration and creativity. By staying anchored to the individual learner, we ensure the immense power of AI is directed toward the highest and best usemaking a meaningful difference in the life of every child. Q: Looking ahead 10 years, what is the most important role you hope DonorsChoose played in ensuring this AI revolution was accessible, effective, and human-centered? Alix: I hope we will have been the critical platform that elevated the teacher’s voice to the forefront of the AI conversation. We want to be the connective tissue that translates the thousands of successful, human-centered AI experiments happening in classrooms across the country into actionable insights for the entire system. We have an opportunity now to steer the ship. We know more than ever before about how students learn and what they need to thrive, and we have the technology to make dramatic improvements. Our role at DonorsChoose is to use our unique access to the grassroots to keep the entire sectorthe companies, the foundations, the policy leadersfocused on the human impact, not just the technical promise. We are equipped to do amazing things, but we just have to decide to do so. And Im optimistic that we will. Celia Jones is global chief marketing officer of FINN Partners.
Category:
E-Commerce
The U.S. auto safety regulator said on Wednesday it has opened a defect investigation into Tesla Model 3 compact sedans over concerns that emergency door release controls may not be easily accessible or clearly identifiable in an emergency. The Office of Defects Investigation said the probe covers an estimated 179,071 model year 2022 vehicles. The investigation was opened on December 23 after the agency received a defect petition alleging that the vehicles’ mechanical door release is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during emergencies. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s vehicles rely primarily on electronic door latches, which open via buttons rather than traditional mechanical handles. While Tesla includes a manual door release for use in emergencies or power failures, experts have long argued that the mechanical releases are not consistently visible, labeled, or intuitive, particularly for rear-seat passengers. Last month, Tesla was sued over a fiery Wisconsin crash that killed all five occupants of a Model S, who were allegedly trapped inside because of a design flaw that prevented them from opening the luxury sedan’s doors. The automaker has also been sued by families of two college students killed in a Cybertruck crash last year in November in a San Francisco suburb, after allegedly being locked in the burning vehicle because of its door handle design. The opening of a defect petition does not mean a recall will be issued, but it marks the first step in a regulatory review process that could lead to further action if safety-related defects are confirmed. The auto regulator, NHTSA, said in September it had opened a preliminary evaluation into about 174,290 Model Y cars over reports of electronic door handles becoming inoperative. By Akash Sriram, Reuters
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E-Commerce
It may be a very Merry Christmas for one lucky Powerball winner. The Christmas Eve Powerball jackpot is accumulating like a snowball tumbling down an epic sledding hill. The total is now so large, it’s a number rarely attainable even for high-stakes gamblers. The prize has continued to grow after five drawings worth at least $1 billion went unclaimed with no ticket matching all six numbers. According to the Powerball website, that makes the current prize of around $1.7 billion the fourth-largest in Powerball history. It’s also the longest the game has ever gone without a winner. Much like the holidays, Powerball is a game that brings people together to dream big and hope for a brighter future, said Matt Strawn, Powerball product group chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. We hope this growing jackpot inspires excitement and joy and, most importantly, good will to all. A portion of every ticket helps support programs and services that benefit local communities. The next drawing takes place on Christmas Eve at 10:59 p.m. EST. And while it’s rare, a winner could claim the grand prize this very night. It happened once before, on December 24, 2011. Historically, Christmas Day has been a bit merrier for Powerball players, with four winners over the years having claimed the jackpot on December 25in 1996, 2002, 2010, and 2013. Not quite a billionaire Still, even if a lucky Powerball player’s Christmas wish came true (and what a wish!), that doesn’t mean they’ll have $1.7 billion in the bank when its all said and done. According to Powerball, after federal taxes the lump-sum prize will have an estimated cash value of $781.3 million. But that’s before state taxeswhich vary widely across the countrycome into play. Some states take a hefty portion of lottery winnings: In Maryland, the tax rate is 9.5%; in New York, its 8.82%; while New Jersey takes 8%. Washington, D.C., imposes the highest tax on lottery prizes: a whopping 10.75%. On the other end of the spectrum, a winner in Arizona would have to turn over just 2.5% of the prize to the state. Indiana and Louisiana take 3% and North Dakota takes 3.9%. A handful of locations won’t take a dime of the winnings. If you live in California, South Dakota, Washington, New Hampshire, Texas, Wyoming, Tennessee, or Puerto Rico, the jackpot is yours to keep after federal taxes are imposed. Therefore, after all the taxes are sliced off the top, the final takeaway could range from $492,261,980 for locations with no state tax down to $408,272,230 for Washington, D.C. While no one has walked away with the grand prize just yet, nine tickets in the most recent drawing matched five numbers, earning $1 million prizes: one each in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, and two in New York. That drawing produced 28 tickets eligible for $100,000 in winnings, and more than 100 tickets worth $50,000. Hardly a Dollar Store stocking stuffer!
Category:
E-Commerce
The S&P 500 hit a record high on Wednesday, with broad gains across sectors supporting the main indexes during a shortened Christmas Eve session. The benchmark S&P 500 touched an intraday record high of 6,921.42 points, surpassing its previous peak in October, as investors continued to bet on more interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve next year following mixed economic data. The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, government data showed on Tuesday, after the release was delayed by a 43-day federal shutdown. Worsening consumer confidence in December and a flat reading on November factory production, however, tempered the outlook. Data on December 24 showed new applications for U.S. jobless benefits unexpectedly fell last week. “Despite ongoing seasonal volatility, initial jobless claims remain in ranges consistent with relatively steady labor market conditions and don’t change our outlook for the labor market or Fed policy,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics. Trading volumes were thin, with U.S. stock markets set to close at 1 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) on Wednesday. The markets will remain shut on Thursday for Christmas. Micron Technology jumped 4% to scale a record high, extending its rally after issuing a strong forecast last week. Bank stocks were also among the top boosts to the S&P 500, with financials rising 0.4% to a new peak. Recent gains in U.S. stocks have spurred hopes of a “Santa Claus rally,” a seasonal phenomenon where the S&P 500 posts gains in the last five trading days of the year and the first two in January, according to Stock Trader’s Almanac. That period began on December 24 and would run through January 5. At 10:36 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 167.50 points, or 0.35%, to 48,610.95. The S&P 500 gained 10.24 points, or 0.15%, to 6,920.24, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 2.48 points, or 0.01%, to 23,558.35. U.S. equities have swung sharply this year as tariff-related headlines, concerns about high valuations in technology and AI companies, and rapidly shifting interest-rate expectations boosted volatility. Wall Street’s “fear gauge” was hovering near its lowest since December 2024. Still, the bull market, which began in October 2022, stayed intact as optimism around AI, rate cuts, and a resilient economy supported sentiment, with all three main indexes set for their third straight yearly gain. In the year ahead, global markets will be closely watch potential successors to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday anyone who disagrees with him would “never be the Fed chairman.” Nike climbed 4.7% after Apple CEO Tim Cook, the sportswear giant’s lead independent director, bought about $3 million worth of shares. Intel fell 1.6% following a report that said Nvidia has halted tests to manufacture on Intel’s 18A chipmaking node after initial tests. Dynavax Technologies surged 38.5% after French drugmaker Sanofi said it would buy the U.S. vaccines company for around $2.2 billion. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.69-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.33-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 11 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 43 new highs and 117 new lows. By Sruthi Shankar and Shashwat Chauhan, Reuters
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E-Commerce