Weekly Run Down:: 01.12.22
Each week on the ‘Weekly Rundown’ part, we highlight interesting stories, notable across business and technology. In this episode, we discuss Oracle’s entrance into the healthcare space, and what that means for data sharing, Levi gets smart with AI, social networks continue to fragment the market, how to brand your social with Tagg, how to connect with your community via an app, and oh yeah GA is getting a $5-Billion Rivian Factory!
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Story-1:: Oracle joins Microsoft in spending big to dominate healthcare vertical
Overview: Of the top 10 M&A deals of the year, and the top two transactions are today’s $28.3 billion agreement by Oracle to buy Cerner and Microsoft’s $19.7 billion deal to buy Nuance Communications in April. That comes to just under $50 billion for two health-related companies.
“The pandemic brought to light the fragmentation of care in healthcare systems and the persistent problem of disparate, siloed data”
Why It Matters: With companies like Oracle and Microsoft jumping into the mix, they have the opportunity to synthesize the data and make it actionable to providers and various third parties. This is not a new concept and certainly one that the healthcare industry has rustled with for years. On one side of the spectrum, you have a massive amount of computing power on the other end there are always risks of personal information being exposed. But with the proper governance and controls put in place, this can help truly unlock some of the serious focus on a given issue and pool resources around the globe.
Link: WSJ
Story-2:: AI at Levi, Yes, that Levi
Overview: Levi Strauss & Co. said its use of artificial intelligence in critical areas such as pricing has helped the apparel maker boost revenue growth and improve its margins.
“For example, the system found that a particular T-shirt with a thicker material had become popular with female consumers in China. The company had considered discontinuing the product. The machine-learning analysis convinced the company to continue offering it in China, where sales have remained strong, according to Ms. Walsh.”
Why It Matters: The company is using AI to support decisions on where to ship from, product launching/product management. More importantly, this story highlights Katia Walsh who is the Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy and Artificial Intelligence Officer.
Story-2:: The Top 15 Social Media Sites and Apps by Active Users
Overview: A Closer Look at the Top 15 Social Networks
Facebook – 2.74 Billion Active Users
YouTube – 2.291 Billion Active Users
WhatsApp – 2.0 Billion Active Users
Facebook Messenger – 1.3 Billion Active Users
Instagram – 1.221 Billion Active Users
Weixin/WeChat – 1.213 Billion Active Users
TikTok – 689 Million Active Users
QQ – 617 Million Active Users
Douyin – 600 Million Active Users
Sina Weibo – 511 Million Active Users
Telegram – 500 Million Active Users
Snapchat – 498 Million Active Users
Kuaishou – 481 Million Active Users
Pinterest – 442 Million Active Users
Reddit – 430 Million Active Users
Why It Matters: Promoting your brand on it is absolutely critical to social media marketing success. Different functions and features make certain platforms more appropriate for one brand than another. At the same time, different legacies and cultures also attract specific audience demographics. The aim of this article by Dream Grow is to highlight the different strengths of each platform so you know where to put your dollars to invest.
When reading this article, I always assumed FB was the most visited social website, but it turns out Youtube is the most visited with ~35-Billions visits to the ~26-Billion of FB. So if you were thinking about where to spend your time landing content or where you were going to put your money for advertising, you could argue, you should go where the eyeballs are. One notable site that wasn’t on the list was Linkedin which, I thought for sure would be here. Need to do a bit more digging on the active users. Also, am curious if anyone has the details on market penetration for ad-spend; one would assume if you are looking for spend on B2B business Vs. B2C, Linkedin might be a solid space to look.
Link: dreamgrow.com
Story-3:: Change the Narrative of Self-Branding with Tagg
Overview: The aim of Tagg is tp create a community for Gen Z micro-creatives where you can build your creative network while growing your brand exponentially! As we push content and publications, we want to give our creatives a chance to broadcast their opinions, stories, and advice along with us! Creating with us will not only give you more exposure, it will also let your experiences guide fellow micro creatives in and around your niche.
Tagg is for Gen Z micro-creatives. We are pioneering social-branding to even the playing field of self-branding online. We want everyone to feel as comfortable as Kylie Jenner when it comes to branding yourself in order to meet people who align with your presence. This is because we BELIEVE being a creative is not about the following you have. It’s about being able to create the presence you want for yourself online.
“In the digital world, the more authentic your brand, the more genuine your connections. Current social platforms fall short as they were not built for this evolving intersection of branding and connecting,” the company explains. “Tagg is building and growing an environment allowing for full creative expression of oneself — no restrictions, no stigma.”
Why It Matters: The goal is to help us change the narrative of self-branding so everyone can feel comfortable showing their favorite selves online. When I look at some of the snapshots of the app and read a bit more about Tagg on the web, it is really more about putting a slightly different spin on social media management of the app’s services, features, and construct. These are not dramatically different features, it is more about what is being prioritized as a prioritized feature to the user base, and based on those prioritizes, can they attract enough market share to gain critical mass to then attract the advertisers to invest in the platform to keep it an afloat. Additionally, when I see these pop up social platforms, I always wonder, is the goal to really set up a NEW social platform and became the next <insert successful social network> or is it really just to showcase a different spin on social and then get acquired by one of the big providers; i.e., FB-Meta, Twitter, TikTok.
Link: Tagg.id
Story-5:: Discover Local Events Where Ever You Are
Overview: A big part of curating your free time with fun and unforgettable experiences is knowing exactly what’s going on in your city. Knowing the coolest spots is easy with the Go Disco app. This new event discovery platform allows you to choose your unique interests and receive a curated feed of the best events going on in your area.
They realized that physical connections matter. That getting off your phone and into the real world matters. And that mental health matters. So, boom. Go Disco was born.
Why It Matters: The founders of this app (Sean Conrad & Jesse Berns) wanted to create a digital platform that would actually make people feel less isolated and more in touch with the hidden gems all around them. Years back, we were big fans of Localeur and their mobile app for the curation factors. So we are curious that if we move to less curation and more ‘STUFF’ how will that play out in finding events in our local area.
Link: letsgodisco.com | NewsWatchTv.com | iOS App
Story-6:: The social network that gives back
Overview: Supernova is a new app that has now gone live on the Apple and Android app stores, billing itself as a new “ethical alternative” to Instagram and Facebook, where most of the ad revenues go to charities. Social media is amazing. But it’s far from perfect. We began with a desire to make things better - in whatever ways we could. The team set out to build something that would leave you feeling better than when you arrived; a community offering real value to its members, and the world at large. We called it Supernova, the brightest, most powerful thing we could think of. And we gave it a tagline: The Social Network That Gives Back. Supernova gives back to the world, donating the lions’ share of our profits to charity. And it gives back to users, offering a brighter, more positive social experience. The following are ways we intend to deliver on this, a blueprint for growing and maintaining a positive, inclusive community with MORE LOVE and LESS HATE.
Why It Matters: Social media is not going away in my life time, even when we think of the MetaVerse, you will have parents always trying to keep up with kids, kids always looking for ways to do their thing and not be bothered (monitored) by parents, you will have people flying their flag for their brand, the list goes on and on. The take away for me, is we have hopefully a different wave of tech companies that are not just looking for a quick buck but trying to help and do some good. I say all of that, to say, I have jumped on the platform, so only time will tell how effective it is at achieve the defined goal and of course, reaching critical mass.
Link: go-supernova.com
Story-7:: GA X Rivian
Overview: It's official: Rivian will build the next EV plant in Georgia. Amazon-backed electric vehicle startup Rivian Automotive Inc. will build a $5 billion plant in Georgia, its second U.S. assembly plant, as it looks to expand production.
Why It Matters: This story really didn’t fit with the rest, yeah, we get it. But there are two things that are really important here. The first, that Rivian is taking all that new capital and investing it in American Job and that is great. The second, they picked Georgia to land a $5-Billion dollar factory, and as someone who knows people who will be directly impacted by this growth and new jobs for friends, I am fired up!!! Oh, yeah, and the SUV and Pickup Trucks are pretty darn good looking too.
