SHANGHAI, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Acorn International, Inc. (NYSE: ATV) ("Acorn" or the "Company"), a media and branding company in China engaged in developing, promoting and selling products through extensive direct and distribution networks, today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.
Summary Financial Results for the Second Quarter of 2012:
- Net revenues were $46.1 million, down 44.3% from $82.9 million for the second quarter of 2011.
- Gross profit was $23.2 million, down 34.1% from $35.2 million for the second quarter of 2011.
- Gross margin increased to 50.3% from 42.4% for the second quarter of 2011.
- Operating loss was $7.4 million, compared to operating loss of $0.2 million for the second quarter of 2011.
- Net loss attributable to Acorn was $5.2 million, compared to net income of $3.8 million for the second quarter of 2011.
- Diluted loss per American Depositary Share ("ADS") was $0.17, compared to diluted earnings per ADS of $0.13 for the second quarter of 2011.
"In the second quarter of 2012, we saw a 44% decline in revenue, primarily due to decreased demand for existing mobile phone models and slower-than-expected sales of new mobile phone models launched in the second quarter of 2012. Higher media costs continued to impact the Company during the quarter, with rates 17% higher than the same period last year.? In response, we reduced our TV advertising airtime by focusing on TV channels with the most effective media utilization and ceased the cooperation with less effective TV channels, which adversely impacted our TV direct sales, particularly for lower margin products.? We also discounted prices of our older electronic learning products in order to clear our existing inventory in advance of the July launch of our new products incorporating mobile internet interactive features.? Although we saw an improvement in gross margin and kept other operating expenses under control, we incurred a loss during the quarter," said Mr. Don Yang, CEO of Acorn.? "Going forward, we will seek to maximize the effectiveness of our media spending and accelerate new product launches to energize our sales platforms, diversify our product mix and help us return to a growth trajectory.? We recently introduced new product upgrades to our popular line of Yierjian fitness products that have been well received by our customers.? We expect to see accelerated sales of our new electronic learning products from recent levels in the third quarter and plan to launch new beauty products in October in advance of the peak season for cosmetics. We will continue to monitor China's mobile phone market and plan to test market new models in the second half of the year. Additionally we will cooperate with certain insurance companies to promote and sell insurance products.? Finally, we are also in the process of establishing a joint venture between Acorn and Guthy-Renker LLC ("Guthy-Renker"), which, upon completion, will sell Guthy-Renker branded products in China. We expect that such joint venture will be completed in the second half of 2012. "???
Business Results for the Second Quarter of 2012:
- Sales of mobile phones generated revenues of $14.1 million, representing 30.5% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2012.? Mobile phone sales declined 74.1% from the second quarter of 2011, primarily due to decreased demand for existing mobile phone models and slower-than-expected sales of the new mobile phone models launched in the second quarter of 2012.? The Company intends to launch new mobile phones models in the second half of 2012.
- Sales of fitness products (namely our Yierjian product line first launched in the third quarter of 2011), performed well in the second quarter of 2012 and generated revenues of $13.7 million, representing 29.6% of total revenues. The Company expects the fitness product line to remain one of its major revenue drivers in 2012.
- Other direct sales platforms, represented by third-party bank channels, outbound calls, catalogs and Internet sales declined 53% in the second quarter of 2012 as compared to the second quarter of 2011.? The decline in other direct sales was primarily due to the lower sales from third-party bank channels as the Company ceased its cooperation with certain banks where sales through these banks were unprofitable, and slower sales from outbound calls and Internet sales as a result of the lower-than-expected performance of newer products including newly launched mobile phones.
Second Quarter 2012 Results:
Total net revenues were $46.1 million for the second quarter of 2012, a decrease of 44.3% from $82.9 million for the second quarter of last year.? Direct sales contributed to 93.4%, or $43.1 million, of the total net revenues for the second quarter of 2012, a decrease of 44.3% from $77.3 million for the same period last year. The decrease in direct sales levels resulted mainly from a decline in sales generated from mobile phones, cosmetics and collectible products.
Distribution sales net revenues decreased 45.0% year-over-year to $3.1 million from $5.6 million for the second quarter of 2011, primarily due to the decreased demand for existing electronic learning device models and price discounts offered to distributors on older models prior to Acorn's launch of new electronic learning devices incorporating mobile internet interactive features.
The table below summarizes the gross revenues of the Company for the second quarter of 2011 and 2012, broken down by product categories:
| 2012?Q2 | Sales | 2011 Q2 | Sales | |
| $'000 | % | $'000 | % | |
| Mobile phones | 14,104 | 30.51% | 54,495 | 65.61% |
| Fitness products | 13,692 | 29.62% | N/A | N/A |
| Collectible products | 4,133 | 8.94% | 6,625 | 7.98% |
| Consumer electronics | 3,069 | 6.64% | 4,064 | 4.89% |
| Electronic learning products | 2,335 | 5.05% | 4,559 | 5.49% |
| Jewelry and accessories | 1,708 | 3.69% | 1,387 | 1.67% |
| Cosmetics | 1,329 | 2.87% | 6,541 | 7.87% |
| Health products | 1,180 | 2.55% | 1,627 | 1.96% |
| Other products | 4,683 | 10.13% | 3,763 | 4.53% |
| Total gross revenues | 46,233 | 83,061 |
Cost of sales for the second quarter of 2012 was $22.9 million, representing a 51.9% decrease from $47.7 million for the second quarter of 2011, primarily due to the decrease in sales.
Gross profit for the second quarter of 2012 was $23.2 million, a decrease of 34.1% as compared to $35.2 million for the second quarter of 2011. Gross margin was 50.3% in the second quarter of 2012, as compared to 42.4% in the same period in 2011. The increase in gross margin was largely due to a shift in product mix toward fitness products sales, which generally have higher margins, and reduced sales of lower margin mobile phones. This was partially offset by lower average selling prices for electronic learning products.
Advertising expenses were $12.9 million for the second quarter of 2012, down 16.3% from $15.4 million for the second quarter of 2011. Gross profit over advertising expenses, a benchmark Acorn uses to measure return on its multiple sales platforms, was 1.80 in the second quarter of 2012, down from 2.28 in the second quarter of 2011. The decline was primarily as a result of higher media prices, as well as the decline in our sales.
Other selling and marketing expenses decreased 18.1% to $11.6 million from $14.1 million for the second quarter of 2011.? The decrease in expenses was not in line with the decline in our sales, mainly due to larger contribution of fitness products to total revenues, which have higher delivery costs, as well as the increase in labor costs of sales and marketing personnel.
General and administrative expenses were $6.6 million for the second quarter of 2012, representing a 3.0% increase from $6.5 million in the second quarter of 2011.
Other operating income, net, was $0.5 million for the second quarter of 2012, as compared to $0.6 million in the second quarter of 2011.
As a result, operating loss was $7.4 million, as compared to operating loss of $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2011.
Other income, primarily from interest income and income from the sale of the Company's Eroda trademark, was $3.0 million, as compared to $5.6 million in the second quarter of 2011.? In the year ago period, the Company generated investment income of approximately $5.4 million from the disposal of the equity interests in a jewelry sales company.
Share-based compensation was $124,392 for the second quarter of 2012, as compared to $34,116 in the second quarter of 2011.
The Company recorded an income tax expense of $0.9 million in the second quarter of 2012 as compared to income tax expense of $1.0 million in the second quarter of 2011.
Net loss attributable to Acorn was $5.2 million, as compared to net income of $3.8 million in the second quarter of 2011.
Diluted loss per American Depositary Share ("ADS") was $0.17, as compared to diluted earnings per ADS of $0.13 for the second quarter of 2011.
As of June 30, 2012, Acorn's cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash and short-term investments, totaled $110.5 million, as compared to $122.7 million as of December 31, 2011.
Other information:
In June 2012, our subsidiary, Shanghai HJX Digital Technology Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai HJX") received 18 court briefs and relevant case materials from Beijing City First Intermediate People's Court alleging that Shanghai HJX and Beijing City Large and Medium Sized Home Appliances Chain Sale Co., Ltd. ("Beijing Home Appliance"), infringed copyrights controlled by the plaintiff Yang Ya Zi Dian Co., Ltd. ("Yang Ya Zi Dian"). Yang Ya Zi Dian claims that in Mainland China it is the exclusive licensee of the copyright "Let's Talk In English" and "Studio Classroom" (the "Copyrights").? Yang Ya Zi Dian claims that Shanghai HJX's unauthorized use of the foregoing content on its website and its nine models of electronic learning products manufactured by Shanghai HJX and Beijing Home Appliance's sale of the foregoing products infringed upon the Copyrights, and brought separate lawsuits for each alleged infringement against Shanghai HJX and Beijing Home Appliance.
Damages or remedies sought by Yang Ya Zi Dian primarily focus on (i) monetary damages for the alleged infringements (possibly totaling up to RMB 10.8 million); (ii) termination by Shanghai HJX of the manufacture and sale of electronic learning devices allegedly infringing the Copyrights; and (iii) termination by Beijing Home Appliance of the sale of electronic learning devices manufactured by Shanghai HJX allegedly infringing the Copyrights. The Company is actively defending such allegations and the dates of relevant court hearings are to be determined.
Fiscal Year 2012 Business Outlook:
Due to lower-than-anticipated performance in the first half of 2012 and the overall macro-economic environment in China, the Company is revising its guidance. The Company now anticipates revenues between $260 million and $280 million and a net loss between $14 million and $16 million.
In the second half of 2012, Acorn will seek to improve effectiveness of its media spending by collaborating with its most effective TV channel partners to choose the best programs and times to air infomercials for its top performing products. Acorn also intends to build up new sales channels for its own branded products on the platforms of China's leading e-Commerce companies and plans to strengthen control and management of its distribution network, which is expected to have a positive impact on sales in the second half of 2012. The Company plans to further diversify its product offerings with seven to nine new products planned for the second half of 2012, including electronic learning products, fitness products, cosmetics and mobile phones, helping energize its direct sales platforms. At the same time, the management team remains focused on controlling costs and continuously improving operations.
These estimates and actions are subject to change.? Also, Acorn reminds investors that its operating results in each period vary significantly as a result of the mix of products sold in the period and the platforms through which they are sold. Therefore, the operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the full year.? Consequently, in evaluating the overall performance of Acorn's multiple sales platforms in any period, management also considers metrics such as operating margin and gross profit return on advertising expenses.
Conference Call Information
The Company will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. ET on August 31, 2012 (8:00 p.m. Beijing Time) to review the Company's financial results and answer questions. You may access the live interactive call via:
??? -- 1-800-860-2442 (U.S. Toll Free)
??? -- 1-412-858-4600 (International)
??? -- 1-866-605-3852 (Canada Toll Free)
??? -- 800-962475 (Hong Kong Toll Free)
??? -- 10-800-120-2304 (China South Toll Free)
??? -- 10-800-712-2304 (China North Toll Free)
Please dial-in approximately 5 minutes in advance to facilitate a timely start.
A replay will be available until 9:00 a.m. ET on September 11, 2012 and may be accessed via:
????-- 1-877-344-7529 (U.S. Toll Free)
????-- 1-412-317-0088 (International)
????-- Conference number: 10017303
A live and archived webcast of the call will be available on the Company's website at http://ir.chinadrtv.com.?
About Acorn International, Inc.
Acorn is a media and branding company in China, operating one of China's largest TV direct sales businesses in terms of revenues and TV airtime, and other direct sales platforms and a nationwide distribution network. Acorn's TV direct sales platform consists of airtime purchased from both national and local channels. Acorn's other direct sales platforms include catalogs, third-party bank channels, outbound telemarketing center and e-commerce websites. Acorn has built a proven track record of developing, promoting and selling proprietary-branded products, as well as products from established third parties. For more information, please visit http://ir.chinadrtv.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including, among other things, Acorn's anticipated operating results for 2012; Acorn's marketing strategy; Acorn's ability to maximize the effectiveness of its media spending and enhance media return; Acorn's ability to accelerate new product launches or further diversify its product mix, the potential impact on the sales of Acorn in connection with its new electronic learning products in the third quarter and the planned launch of new beauty products in October; Acorn's ability to test market new mobile phone models in the second half of 2012 or at all; any continued or sustained improvement in sales of Acorn's mobile phones, fitness products or electronic learning products; the Company's ability to successfully introduce new products and services as planned; Acorn's ability to enter into cooperation with certain insurance companies; Acorn's ability to complete the joint venture with Guthy-Renker in the second half of 2012 and the expected benefits from such joint venture; the ability for the fitness product line to become a major revenue driver in 2012; the Company's ability to further diversify its product offerings; its ability to defend any litigation and anticipated damages and remedies related to the alleged copyright infringement by the Company's subsidiary; and the Company's ability to further enhance its direct sales platform, strengthen its distribution channels and improve effectiveness of its media spending. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. The Company's actual results and financial condition and other circumstances may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Acorn's business may not improve in the remainder of 2012 and the Company may fail to meet the operating results expectations. In particular, the operating results of the Company for any period are impacted significantly by the mix of products and services sold by the Company in the period and the platforms through which they are sold, causing the operating results to fluctuate and making them difficult to predict. The Company may not be able to maintain the sales and margin of such products at current level in the event that there is a change in the customers' preference, which may results in a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations and financial conditions.
Other factors that could cause forward-looking statements to differ materially from actual future events or results include risks and uncertainties related to: the Company's ability to effectively consolidate the distribution channels, the Company's ability to successfully improve or introduce new products and services, including to offset declines in sales of existing products and services; the Company's ability to stay abreast of consumer market trends and maintain the Company's reputation and consumer confidence; the Company's ability to execute and maintain a successful market strategy, continued access to and effective usage of TV advertising time and pricing related risks; relevant government policies and regulations relating to TV media time and TV direct sales programs, including the new SARFT regulations and actions that may make TV media time unavailable to the Company or require the Company to suspend or terminate a particular TV direct sales program; potential unauthorized use of the Company's intellectual property; potential disruption of the Company's manufacturing processes; increasing competition in China's consumer market; the Company's U.S. tax status as a passive foreign investment company; and general economic and business conditions in China. The financial information contained in this release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's 2011 annual report on Form 20-F filed with Securities and Exchange Commission on April 23, 2012. For a discussion of other important factors that could adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, see "Risk Factors" beginning on page 6 of the Company's Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. The Company's actual results of operations for the second quarter of 2012 are not necessarily indicative of its operating results for any future periods. Any projections in this release are based on limited information currently available to the Company, which is subject to change. Although such projections and the factors influencing them will likely change, the Company will not necessarily update the information. Such information speaks only as of the date of this release.
Statement Regarding Unaudited Interim Financial Information
The condensed, consolidated financial statements included herein are unaudited. These statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) that we considered necessary to present a fair statement of our results of operations, and financial position. The results reported in these condensed, consolidated financial statements should not be regarded as necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire year. It is suggested that these condensed, consolidated financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our 2011 consolidated financial statements.
?
| ACORN INTERNATIONAL, INC. | |||
| CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | |||
| (In US dollars) | |||
| December 31, 2011 | June 30, 2012 | ||
| (audited) | (unaudited) | ||
| Assets | |||
| Current assets: | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 111,180,139 | 99,950,459 | |
| Restricted cash | 1,556,852 | 512,577 | |
| Short-term investments | 9,993,720 | 9,994,688 | |
| Accounts receivable, net | 16,693,959 | 12,770,587 | |
| Notes receivable | - | 536,752 | |
| Inventory | 32,888,645 | 26,318,443 | |
| Prepaid advertising expenses | 11,654,922 | 8,486,308 | |
| Other prepaid expenses and current assets, net | 9,928,245 | 8,340,161 | |
| Deferred tax assets, net | 3,465,795 | 1,204,261 | |
| Total current assets | 197,362,277 | 168,114,236 | |
| Prepaid land use right | 8,105,061 | 7,988,419 | |
| Property and equipment, net | 29,803,901 | 28,589,110 | |
| Acquired intangible assets, net | 2,126,596 | 1,961,355 | |
| Investments in affiliates | 6,794,955 | 6,769,171 | |
| Other long-term assets | 1,482,881 | 817,883 | |
| Total assets | 245,675,671 | 214,240,174 | |
| Liabilities and equity | |||
| Current liabilities: | |||
| Accounts payable | 21,023,807 | 10,798,205 | |
| Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 18,910,178 | 11,907,839 | |
| Notes payable | 4,411,840 | 1,558,602 | |
| Income taxes payable | 3,603,813 | 247,397 | |
| Dividend payable | 467 | 122 | |
| Total current liabilities | 47,950,105 | 24,512,165 | |
| Deferred tax liability | 831,006 | 827,852 | |
| Total liabilities | 48,781,111 | 25,340,017 | |
| Equity | |||
| Acorn International, Inc. shareholders' equity: | |||
| Ordinary shares | 945,666 | 945,944 | |
| Additional paid-in capital | 160,632,659 | 160,811,936 | |
| Statutory reserve | 5,442,682 | 7,547,128 | |
| Retained earnings | 10,517,590 | 989,400 | |
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | 30,320,856 | 29,657,265 | |
| Treasury stock, at cost | (11,463,946) | (11,463,946) | |
| Total Acorn International, Inc. shareholders' equity | 196,395,507 | 188,487,727 | |
| Non-controlling interests | 499,053 | 412,430 | |
| Total equity | 196,894,560 | 188,900,157 | |
| Total liabilities and equity | 245,675,671 | 214,240,174 | |
?
| ACORN INTERNATIONAL, INC. | ||||||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS | ||||||||||||
| (In US dollars) | ||||||||||||
| 3 Months Ended June 30 | 6 Months Ended June 30 | |||||||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||
| (unaudited) | (unaudited) | (unaudited) | (unaudited) | |||||||||
| ?Net revenues | ||||||||||||
| ?Direct sales | 77,281,772 | 43,062,899 | 138,464,498 | 94,947,901 | ||||||||
| ?Distribution sales | 5,570,146 | 3,063,849 | 28,339,447 | 19,293,795 | ||||||||
| ?Total | 82,851,918 | 46,126,748 | 166,803,945 | 114,241,696 | ||||||||
| ?Cost of revenues | ||||||||||||
| ?Direct sales | (43,572,386) | (20,076,929) | (75,690,138) | (46,847,985) | ||||||||
| ?Distribution sales | (4,116,819) | (2,864,559) | (18,970,648) | (13,516,865) | ||||||||
| ?Total?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? | (47,689,205) | (22,941,488) | (94,660,786) | (60,364,850) | ||||||||
| ?Gross profit | ||||||||||||
| ?Direct sales | 33,709,386 | 22,985,970 | 62,774,360 | 48,099,916 | ||||||||
| ?Distribution sales | 1,453,327 | 199,290 | 9,368,799 | 5,776,930 | ||||||||
| ?Total | 35,162,713 | 23,185,260 | 72,143,159 | 53,876,846 | ||||||||
| ?Operating (expenses) income | ||||||||||||
| ?Advertising expenses | (15,417,458) | (12,902,859) | (32,037,888) | (28,735,819) | ||||||||
| ?Other selling and marketing expenses | (14,101,677) | (11,552,324) | (26,197,640) | (24,866,230) | ||||||||
| ?General and administrative expenses | (6,454,672) | (6,645,693) | (13,514,455) | (13,135,313) | ||||||||
| ?Other operating income, net | 583,492 | 549,176 | 1,053,656 | 1,361,382 | ||||||||
| ?Total operating (expenses) income | (35,390,315) | (30,551,700) | (70,696,327) | (65,375,980) | ||||||||
| ?Income (loss) from operations | (227,602) | (7,366,440) | 1,446,832 | (11,499,134) | ||||||||
| ?Other income | 5,603,559 | 3,032,501 | 5,766,930 | 4,046,878 | ||||||||
| ?Income (loss) before income | 5,375,957 | (4,333,939) | 7,213,762 | (7,452,256) | ||||||||
| Income tax (expenses) benefits | ||||||||||||
| ?Current | (1,045,339) | 1,384,275 | (2,006,183) | 2,196,152 | ||||||||
| ?Deferred | - | (2,252,622) | - | (2,252,622) | ||||||||
| ?Total income tax (expenses) benefits | (1,045,339) | (868,347) | (2,006,183) | (56,470) | ||||||||
| ?Equity in losses of affiliates | (581,329) | - | (689,519) | - | ||||||||
| ?Net income (loss) | 3,749,289 | (5,202,286) | 4,518,060 | (7,508,726) | ||||||||
| ?Net income attributable to | 48,574 | 42,725 | 160,226 | 84,982 | ||||||||
| ?Net income (loss) attributable to | 3,797,863 | (5,159,561) | 4,678,286 | (7,423,744) | ||||||||
| ?Income (loss) per ADS | ||||||||||||
| ?Basic | 0.13 | (0.17) | 0.16 | (0.25) | ||||||||
| ?Diluted | 0.13 | (0.17) | 0.16 | (0.25) | ||||||||
| Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in calculating | ||||||||||||
| ?Basic | 89,380,055 | 89,960,438 | 89,338,169 | 89,953,271 | ||||||||
| ?Diluted | 89,818,437 | http://www.businessreviewaustralia.com/press_releases/acorn-international-reports-second-quarter-2012-financial-results 2012 draft colt mccoy philadelphia eagles arbor day packers mike adams janoris jenkins Brain tumors and birthers: Dumbest political quotes of the weekEach week, the Daily Caller picks the dumbest political statements and ranks them (just for Yahoo! readers) on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the worst). Who do you think said the dumbest thing? Vote in our poll below! Not very many people like Missouri Rep. Todd Akin right now (because of his very ill-advised comments last week about rape) -- especially not the GOP establishment. But that doesn?t mean it?s a very good idea to allude to the Senate candidate?s untimely death. In an interview with Business Week published Friday, former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove talked about his distaste for Akin. ?We should sink Todd Akin,? Rove said. ?If he?s found mysteriously murdered, don?t look for my whereabouts!? Everyone knows you should never implicate yourself in a future hypothetical murder plot ? especially not to a reporter. Cringe Factor: 1/5 *** One of Mitt Romney?s biggest problems is that people just don?t really like him. He has one of those faces that you just want to punch. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee made an interesting metaphor for the GOP presidential candidate?s likability problem, and why in the end it doesn?t really matter: ?The sicker the patient, the less important is bedside manner,? Huckabee told The Daily Beast in an interview published Wednesday. ?If you?ve just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, you honestly don?t care if your neurosurgeon is a jerk. You don?t care if he has a great personality. You want to know if you?re going to cut my head open, can you get the job done?? Translation: America is a cancerous brain and Romney is the surgeon that nobody likes, but who cares if nobody likes him because he?s going to fix that brain tumor. It might not be the greatest idea to compare the nation to a horrible disease and your party?s presidential candidate to a disliked surgeon. Next time, it might be better to go with a more pleasant image like a dying plant and Romney as a misunderstood florist. Anything other than brain cancer. Cringe Factor: 2/5 *** By most accounts, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a rousing and inspiring speech Wednesday during the Republican National Convention. Her speech was praised by both sides of the political aisle as one of the best speeches of the entire convention. But MSNBC host Chris Matthews reduced her remarks down to a thinly-veiled birtherism attack on President Barack Obama. In an incredibly awkward live-TV moment, NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell was on the convention floor interviewing Rice when Matthews buzzed in his coworker?s earpiece. He said to Mitchell: ?Could you ask the secretary -- her speech was so overpowering and positive ? but was it kind of a rejoinder to all the birtherism and the narrowness that she?s heard in her party?? Mitchell begrudgingly repeated the nonsensical question and Rice, eloquent as ever, diverted the question back to the true meaning of her speech. Cringe Factor: 5/5 the pitch brandon inge freedom tower freedom tower eric church world trade center quick silver LOCAL15NEWS: Tornado Watch for George, Greene, and Jackson County in MS until 8:00am CDT. Stay With Local 15 For More Updates #mswxSorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content. Source: http://twitter.com/LOCAL15NEWS/statuses/241032271434506241 phil mickelson 10 year old gives birth c. difficile carmelo anthony nurse jackie nurse jackie peeps Thursday, August 30, 2012Rush of asylum-seekers before Australian crackdownFILE - In this July 4, 2012 file photo released by the Indonesian National Search And Rescue Agency, a wooden boat which is believed to have up to 180 asylum seekers on board floats on the waters off Christmas Island, Australia. Australia calls it a ?closing-down sale? for people smugglers: Asylum-seekers in rickety boats have been reaching its shores in record numbers to avoid a tougher new deportation policy the country is preparing to implement. For many migrants, the price of haste may be death. (AP Photo/Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, File) FILE - In this July 4, 2012 file photo released by the Indonesian National Search And Rescue Agency, a wooden boat which is believed to have up to 180 asylum seekers on board floats on the waters off Christmas Island, Australia. Australia calls it a ?closing-down sale? for people smugglers: Asylum-seekers in rickety boats have been reaching its shores in record numbers to avoid a tougher new deportation policy the country is preparing to implement. For many migrants, the price of haste may be death. (AP Photo/Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, File) FILE - In this July 29, 2012 file photo, asylum seekers who were rescued from a troubled boat adrift in heavy seas off Java while trying to reach Australia, are escorted by police officers upon arrival at a local marine police station in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. Australia calls it a ?closing-down sale? for people smugglers: Asylum-seekers in rickety boats have been reaching its shores in record numbers to avoid a tougher new deportation policy the country is preparing to implement. For many migrants, the price of haste may be death. (AP Photo/Trisnadi, File) CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australia calls it a "closing-down sale" for people smugglers: Asylum-seekers in rickety boats are reaching its shores in record numbers ahead of a tougher deportation policy starting in September. For many migrants, the price of haste may be death. About 150 people were aboard an overcrowded, wooden fishing boat that sank off the Indonesia coast as it headed for a remote Australian island. Only 55 people had been rescued by Thursday night, and the captain of one rescue vessel believes he saw bodies in the water. The emergency was the latest created by a growing human smuggling trade in which thousands of would-be refugees from countries including Afghanistan, Iran and Sri Lanka attempt dangerous sea voyages from Indonesia to Australia. Australia's center-left Labor Party government announced plans this month to deter future arrivals by deporting new asylum seekers who arrive by boat to the Pacific atoll of Nauru or to Australia's nearest neighbor, Papua New Guinea. The government says they will be held in tent camps for as long as they would spend in refugee camps if they had not paid people smugglers to take them to Australia. The new approach will begin when the Nauru camp opens in September, but meanwhile the rush is on. More than 1,900 people have arrived in Australia in August ? the highest monthly total on record ? in hopes of accelerating a refugee claims process that can take years. The numbers have been steadily climbing: More than 9,800 asylum seekers have arrived this year, more than double the total for all of 2011. "People smugglers are running a closing-down sale," Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said. He predicts asylum seekers will stop paying people smugglers $10,000 or more to transport them more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Indonesia or Malaysia by boat if they are not guaranteed that they will be accepted by Australia. A previous conservative government established camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea a decade ago as part of a policy that slowed boat arrivals to a trickle but was condemned by human rights groups as cruel. A Labor government closed the camps after winning elections in 2007, a year when only 339 asylum seekers arrived by boat. As the numbers have grown, the influx, and the deaths of would-be migrants at sea, have angered many Australians. No asylum-seeker deaths have been confirmed since the policy change was announced, but more than 300 have lost their lives making the perilous journey across the Sunda Strait between Indonesia and the Australian territory of Christmas Island since December. More than 90 of them died in two boat accidents that occurred within a week of each other in June. Authorities also fear the worst for 67 asylum seekers who have not contacted family or friends since they left Indonesia on an Australia-bound boat in late June. In the latest incident, a boat reportedly carrying 150 asylum seekers sank off the main Indonesian island of Java on Wednesday. The crew of a merchant ship taking part in the search, Liberian-flagged APL Bahrain, spotted survivors in the water early Thursday 75 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Java and rescued six, Clare said. "There are grave fears for a lot more," Clare told reporters. The Bahrain's captain, Manuel Nistorescu, told the Fairfax Media website that he was about to abandon the late-night search when he heard whistles and yelling from the dark water. Nistorescu said the six rescued, all Afghan men, appeared to be in good condition and had been in the water for almost 24 hours. There were also women and children aboard the asylum-seeker boat when it sank, he said. He added that he believed he saw bodies in the water. "I think I saw some of them dead," he said. Other merchant ships, Indonesian government ships and Australian military boats and planes also were involved in the search. Indonesian search and rescue official Sunarbowo Sandi said that an Australian navy patrol boat and other merchant ships later retrieved an additional 49 survivors. He said six of them were hurt and in critical condition. "High waves are hampering our search and rescue efforts," Sandi said. The distress call was received by Australian authorities early Wednesday by satellite phone from someone aboard the missing boat requesting help. The person said there were 150 people aboard and the vessel had engine trouble. The boat was then 15 kilometers (9 miles) off Java, officials said. Indonesian authorities initially searched with two boats and a helicopter but found no trace of the boat by late Wednesday. The merchant ship found the first six survivors after Australia expanded the search area. ___ Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini contributed to this report from Jakarta. Associated Pressjon corzine austin rivers austin rivers sweet home alabama etch a sketch the host hoodie Parts of Arctic now 'like a giant slushie'Sea ice in the Arctic has hit a record low, and scientists say that it could accelerate global warming.? Sea ice in the Chukchi Sea, on July 20, 2011. Scientists are setting out to conduct the first comprehensive study of marine life in the Chukchi Sea. NASA/Kathryn Hansen EnlargeLong-term thinning of Arctic sea ice combined with an intense, windy storm over the Arctic in early August contributed to a new record low for sea-ice extent, scientists said Monday (Aug. 27). Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + ' Subscribe Today to the Monitor "It used to be?the Arctic ice cover?was like a big block of ice," said Walt Meier, a research scientist with the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) during a press conference held after the new record low was set on Sunday (Aug. 26). "Now it's become crushed ice and that is a lot easier to melt and melt more quickly. Parts of the Arctic have become like a giant slushie. [That] makes them more vulnerable to these types of storms." The storm persisted over the central Arctic Ocean for several days, bringing warm and very windy conditions to the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas, followed by low temperatures. Strong wind and wave action from storms like this can increase melt by breaking up ice, according to a NSIDC report following the storm. On Sunday (Aug. 26), Arctic sea-ice extent fell to a new record: 1.58 million square miles (4.10 million square kilometers), surpassing the previous low, 1.61 square miles (4.17 square kilometers) set on Sept. 18, 2007, the NSIDC reported. [10 Things to Know About Sea Ice] Sea-ice watchers?saw this coming, at least to some degree. "As early as maybe July we were able to project that the 2012 ice cover will likely be similar to 2007, but then in August, when we have this storm, the values for 2012 started to go down lower," said Josefino Comiso, a sea ice researcher with NASA. Sea-ice extent describes the area of ocean?covered at least 15 percent by sea ice?as measured by satellite instruments. Continuous satellite measurements of sea-ice extent date back to the late 1970s. Sea-ice extent grows and retreats with the season every year. While there are significant fluctuations in this cycle from year to year, by the late 1990s satellite measurements indicated there was a strong downward trend in sea-ice extent, said Claire Parkinson a climatologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. By the end of the 1990s, submarine data showed the ice was thinning as well, Parkinson said. The old ice, which survives year after year and maintains thicknesses of 10 to 12 feet (3 to 3.6 meters), has been disappearing from the Arctic waters, Meier said. Now, Arctic sea ice has become thinner and is more easily melted or pushed around by storms, he said. "The Arctic Ocean is really a different place than it used to be," he said. The loss of Arctic sea ice has serious implications for the animals ??polar bears?and walruses ? that use it as habitat. Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DPYkY-HAgh0/Parts-of-Arctic-now-like-a-giant-slushie steelers vs broncos chris herren jay z patsy cline pierre thomas beyonce gives birth portlandia UN nuke agency: Iran 'significantly' hampers probeVIENNA (AP) ? Iran has effectively shut down a probe of a site suspected of being used for work on nuclear weapons development while doubling the number of machines it could use to make the core of nuclear warheads at an underground bunker safe from airborne attack, the U.N. nuclear agency said in a report Thursday. Senior diplomats familiar with the International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report called both developments troubling, while cautioning that it was unclear how many of the more than 2,000 centrifuges now installed at the Fordo site were operational. They noted that agency inspectors did not have access to check their inner workings. They also said it was unclear what the ultimate use of the machines would be, if and when they are turned on. Iran is enriching uranium at a level that could be used for reactor fuel as well as grades closer to?the level used for nuclear warheads, and the officials said Iranian officials had not said what level the centrifuges now installed but not working would be used for. The two diplomats, who are familiar with the IAEA's Iran investigation, demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the confidential report. Importantly, the report noted that Iran had not significantly increased the pace of either low or higher-level uranium enrichment. It noted that less than 700 of the machines ? all producing higher level material at 20 percent ? were operating at Fordo, and about 10,000 were turning out lower-level enriched uranium at another site. Those are approximately the same numbers as mentioned in the agency's last report in May. The report also noted that Iran has turned much of the uranium that was enriched to the higher, 20-percent levels into reactor fuel plates that are difficult to retool into fissile warhead material. As a result, it is still far short of the amount of higher enriched uranium it would need to quickly enrich the element further to weapons-grade levels. While Iran already has enough low-grade enriched uranium to make several nuclear weapons, that process would take long enough to send alarm signals to the outside world. Tom Z. Collina and Daryl Kimball of the Washington-based Arms Control Association said the common assumption is "that if Tehran were to decide to 'break out' and race to build a bomb, it would try to do so by using its still small stock of 20-percent enriched uranium." They called the IAEA report "another troubling reminder of Iran's proliferation potential," while describing it as "not a 'game-changer' in terms of Tehran's capability to build a nuclear arsenal if it were to decide to do so." Iran denies any interest in nuclear arms, insisting it is enriching uranium only to make reactor fuel and medical isotopes, and for scientific research. Still, concerns have grown about its ultimate aims because it has refused to stop enriching uranium despite increasingly severe international sanctions and outside offers of enriched material for its stated needs. As signs grow that international efforts are failing to engage Iran diplomatically on its nuclear program, so are threats of attack from Israel, which says it will not tolerate an Iran armed with nuclear weapons. Asked about the latest report, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that President Barack Obama "has made clear frequently that he is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and he has led an unprecedented effort to pressure Iran to live up to its obligations." "The window of opportunity to resolve this diplomatically remains open but it will not remain open indefinitely," he said. In Tehran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, denied his country wanted such arms, describing the pursuit of nuclear weapons on Thursday as a?"big and unforgiveable sin." But he insisted Tehran will not abandon its "peaceful" atomic program. "I declare that the Islamic Republic of Iran has never been after nuclear weapons and it will never abandon its right for peaceful use of nuclear energy," Khamenei? told a summit of 120 nations that call themselves nonaligned and generally share distrust of highly developed Western countries they view as suppressing their rights. Khamenei singled out the United States, which accuses the Islamic Republic of trying to reach the nuclear weapons threshold, by calling Washington's stance a "bitter satire" because of the size of America's nuclear arsenal and its use of atomic bombs against Japan during World War II. Khamenei, who has final say in matters of state, has denied that Iran harbors nuclear weapons aspirations before, and U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Washington was not reassured by the supreme leader's comments. "We have heard that before, but mottos and pledges and slogans are one thing," he told reporters, adding, "we have not seen them come into compliance" with international demands. Aside from enrichment, suspicions that Tehran is working secretly on developing various components of nuclear arms have also added to international concerns about its intentions. Thursday's report confirmed that a building at Iran's Parchin military installation southeast of Tehran, which was suspected of having been used for nuclear weapons-related experiments, has been covered with pink shrouding. That effectively blocks the U.N. agency's attempts to monitor a suspected cleanup of the site. The?agency has tried ? and failed ? to gain access to the site since February. When it does, "its ability to conduct effective verification will have been significantly hampered" because of the alleged cleanup and then the covering of the site, said the confidential report circulated among the IAEA's 35 board member nations and forwarded to the U.N. Security Council. Because of the lack of Iranian cooperation, the agency "is unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities," said the report. ___ Associated Press Writers Jim Kuhnhenn and Mathew Pennington contributed from Washington. Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-nuke-agency-iran-significantly-hampers-probe-164929953.html rock and roll hall of fame 2012 brandon rios oklahoma news nascar news doppler radar colorado rockies moonshine Wednesday, August 29, 2012Mobile marketing | Your Mobile Marketing 2.0
Mobile marketing?can refer to one of two categories of interest. First, and relatively new, is meant to describe marketing on or with a mobile device, such as a cell phone using?SMS Marketing. (this is an example of?horizontal telecommunication convergence). Second, and a more traditional definition, is meant to describe marketing in a moving fashion ? for example ? technology road shows or moving billboards. Although there are various definitions for the concept of mobile marketing, no commonly accepted definition exists. One definition comes from marketing professor Andreas Kaplan who defines mobile marketing as ?any marketing activity conducted through a ubiquitous network to which consumers are constantly connected using a personal mobile device?.[1]Within this definition, Kaplan uses two variables, i.e. the degree of consumer knowledge and the trigger of communication, to differentiate between four types of mobile marketing applications: Strangers, Victims, Groupies, and Patrons. Mobile marketing can also be defined as ?the use of the mobile medium as a means of marketing communication?[2]?or ?distribution of any kind of promotional or advertising messages to customer through wireless networks?. More specific definition is the following: ?using interactive wireless media to provide customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services and ideas, thereby generating value for all stakeholders?.[3] In November 2009, the?Mobile Marketing Association?updated its definition of Mobile Marketing: Mobile Marketing is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.[4] Mobile marketing is commonly known as wireless marketing. However wireless is not necessarily mobile. For instance, a consumer?s communications with a Web site from a desktop computer at home, with signals carried over a wireless local area network (WLAN) or over a satellite network, would qualify as wireless but not mobile communications.[5]
Marketing on a mobile phone known as?SMS Marketing?has become increasingly popular ever since the rise of?SMS?(Short Message Service) in the early 2000s in Europe and some parts of Asia when businesses started to collect mobile phone numbers and send off wanted (or unwanted) content. On average, SMS messages are read within four minutes, making them highly convertible.[6] Over the past few years?SMS Marketing?has become a legitimate advertising channel in some parts of the world. This is because unlike email over the public internet, the carriers who police their own networks have set guidelines and best practices for the mobile media industry (including mobile advertising). The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and the?Mobile Marketing Association, as well, have established guidelines and are evangelizing the use of the mobile channel for marketers. While this has been fruitful in developed regions such as North America, Western Europe and some other countries, mobile SPAM messages (SMS sent to mobile subscribers without a legitimate and explicit opt-in by the subscriber) remain an issue in many other parts or the world, partly due to the carriers selling their member databases to third parties. In India, however, government?s efforts of creating National Do Not Call Registry have helped cellphone users to stop SMS advertisements by sending a simple SMS or calling 1909.[1] Mobile marketing via SMS has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia as a new channel to reach the consumer. SMS initially received negative media coverage in many parts of Europe for being a new form of spam as some advertisers purchased lists and sent unsolicited content to consumer?s phones; however, as guidelines are put in place by the mobile operators, SMS has become the most popular branch of the Mobile Marketing industry with several 100 million advertising SMS sent out every month in Europe alone. In Europe the first cross-carrier SMS shortcode campaign was run by Txtbomb in 2001 for an?Island Records?release, In North America it was the?Labatt Brewing Company?in 2002. Over the past few years mobile short codes have been increasingly popular as a new channel to communicate to the mobile consumer. Brands have begun to treat the mobile shortcode as a mobile domain name allowing the consumer to text message the brand at an event, in store and off any traditional media. SMS Marketing?services typically run off a short code, but sending text messages to an email address is another methodology. Short codes are 5 or 6 digit numbers that have been assigned by all the mobile operators in a given country for the use of brand campaign and other consumer services. Due to the high price of short codes of $500-$1000 a month, many small businesses opt to share a short code in order to reduce monthly costs. The mobile operators vet every short code application before provisioning and monitor the service to make sure it does not diverge from its original service description. Another alternative to sending messages by short code or email is to do so through one?s own dedicated phone number. Besides short codes, inbound SMS is very often based on?long numbers(international number format, e.g. +44 7624 805000 or US number format[7], e.g. 757 772 8555), which can be used in place of short codes or premium-rated short messages for SMS reception in several applications, such as product promotions and campaigns. Long numbers are internationally available, as well as enabling businesses to have their own number, rather than short codes which are usually shared across a number of brands. Additionally, long numbers are non-premium inbound numbers. One key criterion for provisioning is that the consumer opts in to the service. The mobile operators demand a double opt in from the consumer and the ability for the consumer to opt out of the service at any time by sending the word STOP via SMS. These guidelines are established in the MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines[8]?which are followed by all mobile marketers in the United States. InCanada, opt in will be mandatory once the?Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act?comes in force in mid 2012. [edit]Mobile marketing via MMSMMS mobile marketing can contain a timed slideshow of images, text, audio and video. This mobile content is delivered via?MMS(Multimedia Message Service). Nearly all new phones produced with a color screen are capable of sending and receiving standard MMS message. Brands are able to both send (mobile terminated) and receive (mobile originated) rich content through MMS A2P (application-to-person) mobile networks to mobile subscribers. In some networks, brands are also able to sponsor messages that are sent P2P (person-to-person). Good examples of mobile-originated MMS marketing campaigns are?Motorola?s ongoing campaigns at?House of Blues?venues, where the brand allows the consumer to send their mobile photos to the LED board in real-time as well as blog their images online. Push Notifications were first introduced to smartphones by Apple with the advent of the Iphone in 2007. They were later further popularized with the Android operational system, where the notifications are shown on the top of the screen. It has helped application owners to communicate directly with their end users in a simple and effective way. If not used wisely it can quickly alienate users as it causes interruptions to their current activities on the phone. It can be much cheaper if compared to SMS Marketing for the long run, but it can become quite expensive on the short run, because the cost involved in application development. Once the application is download and installed provided the feature is not turned off It is practically free, because it uses internet bandwidth only. SMS and Push Notifications can be part of a well developed Inbound Mobile Marketing Strategy. [edit]In-game mobile marketingThere are essentially four major trends in mobile gaming right now: interactive real-time 3D games, massive multi-player games and social networking games. This means a trend towards more complex and more sophisticated, richer game play. On the other side, there are the so-called casual games, i.e. games that are very simple and very easy to play. Most mobile games today are such casual games and this will probably stay so for quite a while to come. Brands are now delivering promotional messages within?mobile games?or sponsoring entire games to drive consumer engagement. This is known as mobile advergaming or Ad-funded mobile game. | ||||||||||
