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Dutch secondhand marketplace Marktplaats has launched a childrens book aimed at normalizing used toys as holiday gifts, addressing an apparent disconnect between childrens and adults attitudes toward pre-loved playthings. While research shows that 66.6% of (grand)parents acknowledge children are just as happy with secondhand toys as new ones, only 9.7% of Dutch adults plan to give pre-owned gifts this holiday season. The hesitation stems largely from ingrained habits and social pressure, with 26.6% of parents feeling uncomfortable giving secondhand presents and 20.1% worried about judgments from friends and family.To help shift these preconceptions, Marktplaats collaborated with children's author Lisa Maschhaupt to create De kraam van Billy (Billys Stall), a storybook about a child who opens a market stall to help friends find their dream toys without buying new ones. According to Florence Schmit, General Manager at Marktplaats, the book targets parents as much as it does children, using storytelling to challenge consumption habits and nudge people towards more sustainable gift-giving. The initiative comes as research reveals that 56.7% of parents would consider secondhand toys as gifts if it became more socially acceptable, suggesting that shifting social norms could significantly impact buying habits.
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Marketing and Advertising
Sony announced that it will run a beta test for cloud streaming on its PlayStation Portal gaming handheld. The feature will begin rolling out in an update today, with Europe due to get it starting on Wednesday. Only PlayStation Plus Premium members will be able to access cloud streaming during the beta test, but it's a promising sign that Sony is finally working on this function, even though it took a year to get here. Adding cloud gaming to the Portal addresses one of the big critiques in our review of this handheld, which didn't seem to have an obvious target audience. More than 120 titles from the PS5 Plus Game Catalog will be available in the beta test. That covers a range of games including Dave the Diver, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvels Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Monster Hunter Rise and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. No games from the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3 will be supported during the beta, but maybe those will join the roster whenever the feature is more broadly available. Portal owners might also want to know that this update adds a couple tweaks to audio and volume controls. But let's be honest, cloud gaming is really the point.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-will-trial-cloud-streaming-for-the-ps5-portal-230817262.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
UK mobile operator O2 has unveiled an innovative approach to fighting phone fraud: an AI-powered digital grandmother who wastes scammers time with meandering conversations about knitting and family stories. Named Daisy, this Head of Scammer Relations combines various AI models to conduct real-time, human-like conversations with fraudsters, successfully keeping them on the line for up to 40 minutes at a time.O2s campaign arrives as new research reveals 67% of Brits are concerned about being targeted by fraud, with one in five experiencing attempted scams weekly and not just older demographics. While 71% of people would like revenge against scammers whove targeted them or their loved ones, most are unwilling to waste their own time doing so. By deploying Daisy around the clock to answer suspicious calls, O2 is not only preventing scammers from reaching real victims but also gathering intelligence about their tactics to better protect customers.The scam-baiting nana is part of O2s broader Swerve the Scammers campaign, which includes spam-fighting tools and caller identification services. The company blocked 89 million fraudulent texts last year and intercepted over GBP 250 million in suspected fraudulent transactions. O2 is encouraging people to report suspicious calls and texts, giving them the satisfaction of knowing that an AI granny might well launch a counterattack.
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Marketing and Advertising
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