<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/35633466.cms" /> Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd (HCCBPL) and <keyword id="114815" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jain-Irrigation">Jain Irrigation</keyword> have announced a plan to scale up their initiative for <keyword id="6368690" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mango">mango</keyword> production, targeting involvement of 25,000 farmers and entailing an investment of Rs 50 crore over 10 years. The project, called <keyword id="2257102" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Project-Unnati">project Unnati</keyword>, targets mango farmers with the aim of increasing the yield. 

	The first phase of the project was launched in 2011 with an investment of $2 million and has covered nearly 4,000 farmers till date, the companies said in a joint statement. It established 200 demo farms in the mango-growing Chittoor region in Andhra Pradesh and covered around 4,000 farmers.
 

	After achieving the desired results in Phase 1, HCCBPL made the announcement of scaling the initiative fivefold, reaching 25,000 farmers in Phase 2 at an investment of Rs 50 crore over the next 10 years. The second phase of the project will identify nearly 25,000 farmers covering around 50,000 acres and support them in adopting the Ultra High Density Plantation (UHDP) technology.
 

	The UHDP technique enables plantation of nearly 600 trees in an acre, instead of the conventional method of planting 40 trees, thereby increasing yield and improving the livelihood of the farmers. The agricultural practices under Project Unnati offer the basis to improve mango productivity and hence, enhance supply of mango pulp for the industry. 
 

	While Unnati Phase 1 has successfully trained farmers on UHDP technology and encouraged them to adopt the new technology, Unnati Phase 2 is built around building deeper relationship and engagements with farmers.
 

	The project will mainly harness higher productivity of potential of mango farms for making HCCBPL’s mango drinks Maaza and Minute Maid, T. Krishnakumar, chief executive of HCCBPL, said. He also added that the scaled up initiative is expected to deliver close to 300,000 tonnes of fruit by the 2022-23.
 

	Over two-thirds of the 5,000-crore-a-year Indian juice drinks market consists of mango drinks alone. If managed on a long-term, sustainable basis, juice drinks offer a tremendous business opportunity.
 

	HCCBPL is the largest bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company in India and is part of the Atlanta-based firm's Bottling Investment Group. 
	Image: Thinkstock

Coca-Cola, Jain Irrigation To Invest Rs 50 Crore To Scale Up Mango Farming

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9172230" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="white-claw">White Claw</keyword> is launching a new <keyword id="9329097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hard-seltzer">hard seltzer</keyword> with higher <keyword id="6359858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alcohol">alcohol</keyword> content.</li><li>Alcohol sales were up in 2020, especially hard seltzer and canned cocktails.</li><li>Analysts predict continue growth this summer even as bars reopen.</li></ul>White Claw is releasing a new seltzer with higher alcohol content for summer, called Surge.Surge contains 8% alcohol, compared to 5% in a typical White Claw, <a href="https://www.whiteclaw.com/flavors/">the company says.</a> It will only be available in single 16-ounce cans priced at <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/white-claw-high-alcohol-surge">$2.99</a> in blood orange and cranberry flavors.White Claw dominates the hard seltzer market, which has exploded over the past few years. In 2019, retailers couldn't keep White Claw in stock, and the manufacturer was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-claw-shortages-increase-supply-2019-9">"working around the clock"</a> to increase inventory. Now the market is more crowded, and <a href="https://fourloko.com/deliver?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgtWDBhDZARIsADEKwgMU-rsTx_b8jz19BQoA_lbgW9rmlyY2bpZyLYYI1XHKnBE9f-rHcbYaAvu3EALw_wcB">Four Loko</a>, <a href="https://pabstblueribbon.com/pbr-stronger-seltzer-finder/">Pabst</a>, <a href="https://www.budlight.com/en/our-seltzers/bud-light-seltzer.html">Bud Light</a>, <a href="https://www.labattusa.com/product/labatt-blue-light-seltzer-lemonade/">Labatt</a>, and <a href="https://www.naturallight.com/our-beers/natural-light-seltzer.html">Natural Light</a> each sell hard seltzers. Alcohol content ranges from 5% on the low end to <a href="https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/what-standard-drink">12%</a> in Four Loko, closer to alcohol levels found in <a href="https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/what-standard-drink">wine.</a> Coco-Cola is also introducing hard <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coca-cola-coke-diet-spain-topo-chico-drink-beverage-fizzy-2021-3">Topo Chico</a> seltzer, and Mike's Hard Lemonade will launch a seltzer, too.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/booze-to-go-permanent-restaurants-alcohol-industry-underage-drinking-2021-4">A battle is brewing over the industry push to make booze-to-go permanent in the US. Public-health groups fear they're losing the fight.</a>Alcohol sales were up in 2020 as Americans stayed home during the pandemic, and hard seltzers led the growth. Overall alcohol sales rose about 2% in 2020, while ready-to-drink sales including seltzers and canned cocktails rose 43%, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-drinking-more-alcohol-2020-pandemic-hard-seltzer-sales-growth-2020-11">IWSR Drinks Market Analysis found.</a> Analysts at Goldman Sachs predict hard seltzers will become a $30 million market by 2025, taking up about 25% of total alcohol sales, <a href="https://www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com/adult-beverages/sizing-seltzers-2021">Winsight Grocery Business reported.</a> 93% of retailers that stock hard seltzers plan to increase shelf space dedicated to the product, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hudsonlindenberger/2021/01/12/the-hard-seltzer-market-is-getting-more-crowded/?sh=56b0e9e91201">Forbes reported</a>. And as new brands enter the category, experts predict a "shakeout" between classics and newcomers, with <keyword id="341869" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Truly">Truly</keyword> and White Claw likely to remain on top, according to Winsight.Analysts predict sales will remain strong even as the US reopens this summer with easing COVID restrictions and consumers can return to bars."[We] believe hard seltzers' penetration of the on-premise channel will accelerate as consumers will now increasingly ask for/demand hard seltzers," Bonnie Herzog of Goldman Sachs told <a href="https://www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com/adult-beverages/sizing-seltzers-2021">Winsight Grocery Business.</a> "Importantly, distributors in general believe there is still much upside ahead for hard seltzers given consumers' clear enthusiasm and the sheer size of the addressable market which includes total alcohol."Do you have a story to share about a <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at <a href="mailto:mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com">mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com</a>.

White Claw is launching Surge, a higher alcohol seltzer for summer 2021

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cdc2439021b4c6ba7210c82-2400/silkestuckenbrockcocosg0098118low.jpg" border="0" alt="SilkeStuckenbrock_Cocos_G0098118LOW" data-mce-source="Silke Stuckenbrock" data-mce-caption="Beach debris along the north side of Direction Island in the Cocos." />Silke StuckenbrockBeach debris along the north side of Direction Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>About <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768">14 million tons of plastic</a> enter the ocean every year. Some scientists estimate that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/victor-vescovo-five-deeps-ocean-plastic-2019-5">in oceans worldwide</a>.</li><li>In a new study, scientists tallied the amount of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch-ocean-cleanup-problems-2019-4">plastics and microplastics</a> that have accumulated on an archipelago in the Indian Ocean called the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.</li><li>The researchers estimated that 414 million pieces of man-made debris - pieces of plastic, foam, metal, and glass - have accumulated across the archipelago, with a total weight of 262 tons.</li><li>About 25% of that pollution was determined to be single-use plastics like straws, food packaging, and bottles, which pose a grave threat to marine life, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wwf-sounds-alarm-after-48-lbs-of-plastic-found-in-dead-whale-2019-4">particularly whales</a>. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>There are more pieces of plastic in the ocean than stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Pieces of plastic have been found in every corner of the ocean, from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/victor-vescovo-five-deeps-ocean-plastic-2019-5">the deepest part</a> of the Mariana Trench <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-arctic-seas-called-dead-end-for-plastic-floating-from-us-europe-2017-4">to the Arctic Circle</a>.Up to 14 million tons of plastic enters the ocean annually; 40% of that is considered "single-use plastic," which means it enters the ocean within the same year that it was produced. This category includes items like plastic food packaging, bottles, and straws.Measuring where and how this plastic accumulates can be challenging for scientists. To address that question, the authors of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43375-4">a new study</a> published in the journal Scientific Reports catalogued the amount of plastic found on one archipelago: the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean.They discovered that the beaches of Cocos collected an estimated 414 million pieces of man-made debris in 2017. That included 977,000 shoes and 373,000 toothbrushes. Over 95% of the debris pieces were plastic, and 25% could be classified as single-use plastic.The researchers estimated that in total, the debris weighed more than 262 tons.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cdc2c13021b4c1e022b13a4-2400/cocos is plastic credit silke stuckenbrock.jpg" border="0" alt="Cocos plastic" data-mce-source="Silke Stuckenbrock" data-mce-caption="One of the researchers examines the accumulated Cocos Islands plastic." />Silke StuckenbrockA researcher examines the accumulated plastic pollution on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.</div></div></div>Jennifer Lavers, the lead author of the new study, told Business Insider that her group studied these islands because they don't have a big human population, which means that almost all the debris found on the archipelago comes from the ocean."Islands such as these are like canaries in a coal mine, and it's increasingly urgent that we act on the warnings they are giving us," <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2019-05/uot-aih051219.php">Lavers said in a press release</a>.<h2>'Truly the tip of the iceberg'</h2>The Cocos are a group of 27 small islands roughly 1,300 miles northwest of Australia. In 2017, Lavers and her colleagues surveyed 25 beaches on seven of the islands. The researchers sampled roughly 2,200 square-foot tracts of land from each beach, as well as 430-square-foot tracts further back from the water line, to count the average number of visible debris pieces. Then they calculated the total beach area for each island by using aerial imagery from Google Earth Pro, and multiplied that area by the average number of pieces found in those smaller chunks of beach.They used the same measurement process to estimate the amount of buried debris on each beach. Lavers and her colleagues believe their estimate of 414 million pieces of debris is conservative, since they only looked for pollution down to a depth of 4 inches, and couldn't access some beaches that the study authors termed debris hotspots.Another stark finding, Lavers said, is that buried debris accounted for a significant proportion of the total estimate. About 93% of the man-made debris - roughly 383 million pieces of plastic - wasn't visible on the islands' surface. Instead, it was buried underground."It's cliched, but what you see truly is the tip of the iceberg," Lavers said. "You may see photos and think, 'that's horrendous,' but that's only 7% of what's there on Cocos."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cdc287b021b4c109e04bf34-1500/silkestuckenbrockcocosp1130230low.jpg" border="0" alt="SilkeStuckenbrock_Cocos_P1130230LOW" data-mce-source="Silke Stuckenbrock" data-mce-caption="Beach debris along the eastern side of South Island in Cocos." />Silke StuckenbrockBeach debris along the eastern side of South Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.</div></div></div>The Cocos beaches weren't the first place Lavers surveyed for plastic pollution. In <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/23/6052.short">another study</a>, her work revealed that a remote, uninhabited island in the South Pacific called Henderson Island had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-remote-island-has-no-residents-but-17-tonnes-of-plastic-waste-2017-5">the highest density of man-made plastic debris anywhere on Earth</a>.Henderson Island was listed as a World Heritage site by the United Nations, which means the international body considered the place to be of outstanding international importance and therefore deserving of special protection."Humans couldn't throw any more protection at [Henderson Island]," Lavers told Business Insider. "But all the protection we could give it on paper couldn't protect it from plastic. Plastic doesn't respect man-made boundaries."<h2>Plastics - especially bags - are harmful to marine life</h2>The scientists also found that 25% of the Cocos debris could be classified as single-use plastic, including disposable consumer items like food packaging, bottles, straws, and toothbrushes.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cdc2c57021b4c1661351a32-2400/jennifer lavers with cocos is plastic credit silke stuckenbrock.jpg" border="0" alt="Jennifer Lavers with Cocos Is plastic." data-mce-source="Silke Stuckenbrock" data-mce-caption="Researcher Jennifer Lavers catalogues the Cocos Islands plastic." />Silke StuckenbrockResearcher Jennifer Lavers catalogs plastic debris on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.</div></div></div>Shoppers worldwide use about 500 billion (yes, billion) single-use plastic bags annually. That's roughly 150 bags per year for every person on Earth, <a href="http://oceancrusaders.org/plastic-crusades/plastic-statistics/">according to the nonprofit group Ocean Crusaders</a>. Strung end-to-end, that's enough plastic to circle the globe 4,200 times.Most bags wind up languishing in landfills, where they can remain for up to 1,000 years. Some make their way into the ocean, where they entangle and kill roughly <a href="http://oceancrusaders.org/plastic-crusades/plastic-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100,000 marine mammals</a> each year. Recently, a pregnant sperm whale washed up dead on the shores of Sardinia with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wwf-sounds-alarm-after-48-lbs-of-plastic-found-in-dead-whale-2019-4">nearly 50 pounds of plastic in its stomach</a>. Less than a month earlier, another dead whale was found to have <a href="https://www.insider.com/dead-whale-found-with-90-pounds-worth-of-plastic-waste-in-its-stomach-2019-3">ingested 88 pounds of plastic</a>.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wwf-sounds-alarm-after-48-lbs-of-plastic-found-in-dead-whale-2019-4">A pregnant sperm whale was found dead with nearly 50 pounds of plastic in its belly - the second such death in the past month</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cdc27df021b4c1466164cf5-1357/0a392db874994d06805ecd21bf801771.jpg" border="0" alt="dead whale" data-mce-source="SEAME Sardinia Onlus/AP" data-mce-caption="A whale is lifted up onto a truck after being recovered off Sardinia island, Italy. The 26-foot-long sperm whale was found dead with 48.5 pounds of plastic found in its belly." />SEAME Sardinia Onlus/APA whale is lifted up onto a truck after being recovered off Sardinia island, Italy. The 26-foot-long sperm whale was found dead with 48.5 pounds of plastic in its belly.</div></div></div>"Virtually everything on Cocos was potentially edible, including a reasonable amount of sheet plastic and rope, which commonly lead to sperm whale deaths," Lavers said.Plastic pollution also stunts the growth of tiny ocean-dwelling bacteria called Prochlorococcus, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-019-0410-x">which produce 10% </a><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-019-0410-x">of the oxygen we breathe</a>.<h2>The authors are pushing for limits on plastic production and consumption</h2><div title="Page 7">The study authors wrote that it's important for governments to implement strategies that could limit plastic production and consumption, such as widespread bans on single-use plastics. According to a United Nations report, 127 countries had implemented a policy regulating plastic bags by July 2018, while 27 countries enacted <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-bans-around-the-world-2019-4#most-countries-are-taking-the-threat-of-plastic-pollution-seriously-according-to-a-un-report-127-countries-had-implemented-some-type-of-policy-regulating-plastic-bags-by-july-2018-1">some ban on other single-use plastics</a> like plates, cups, straws, or packaging.But Lavers said it's also important to hold specific companies responsible for their waste. <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/no-plastic-in-nature-a-practical-guide-for-business-engagement">According to the World Wildlife Fund</a>, as few as 100 companies - including Coca-Cola and L'Oreal - have the potential to prevent roughly 10 million metric tons of global plastic waste.Lavers added that addition to recognizing which brands and products are creating waste and calling for greater accountability, individual people can also help address the issue by participating in beach clean-up efforts. </div>"Every item we remove from a beach is one we prevent from fragmenting into microplastics," Lavers said. (Microplastics are particles of plastic smaller than half an inch.) On the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, 60% of the debris was in the form of microplastics. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cdc2846021b4c149c7eec05-1800/microplastic-southisland.jpg" border="0" alt="Microplastic SouthIsland" data-mce-source="Jennifer Lavers" data-mce-caption="Microplastics less than half a centimeter in size along the eastern side of South Island in the Cocos." />Jennifer LaversMicroplastics less than half a centimeter in size are seen along the eastern side of South Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.</div></div></div>Plastic persists virtually forever, Lavers said. "It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces."She and her co-authors estimate that there are now 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean."It's truly remarkable that, if we fast-forward 500 years, we could look back in time and see a layer of plastics in the planet's record and it could define our generation," she said. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-giving-birth-changes-brain-2019-4">Giving birth changes a mother's brain. Here's how it prepares her for raising her baby.</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/qC49MJ3E-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

Scientists found 414 million pieces of trash on these tiny islands in the Indian Ocean - more proof that the plastic problem is out of control

Hello. Lucia Moses here, writing to you from the cozy home office. Hope this finds you safe and healthy. Welcome to another Advertising &amp; Media Insider newsletter, where we spotlight the week's top <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">BI Prime</a> ad and media stories.<h3>'We're going to be totally different'</h3><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e838fab2ff83962bd0c6c17-2400/gettyimages-1157155496.jpg" alt="Alicia Hatch, Deloitte Digital" />Richard Bord/Getty Images for Cannes LionsCMO of Deloitte Digital Alicia Hatch speaks on stage during the Deloitte Digital and Lego session at the Cannes Lions 2019 in Cannes, France.We've entered a new phase of the economic downturn, with companies from BuzzFeed to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/internal-memo-confirms-coronavirus-pause-on-new-hires-at-linkedin-2020-3">LinkedIn</a> variously cutting pay and pausing hiring as advertisers take an axe to their spending. There's no doubt the coronavirus pandemic will dramatically change the world as we know it. And while it's too early to say definitively how, the advertising world is no exception.Think of your own behavior. You're probably cutting back on extras, buying more of your essentials online, staying connected with people on Zoom or Hangouts, and replacing live entertainment with Netflix. When the economy comes back, sure, there may be pent up demand for face-to-face gatherings, but some of those habits will stick, and advertisers will have to adapt.Read more about how advertising will change here: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/industry-insiders-reveal-how-the-coronavirus-will-change-advertising-2020-3">Ad insiders from Burger King, Freshly, McCann, and Vita Coco say the coronavirus will radically change advertising, from elevating brand marketing to shrinking the holding companies</a><h3>"Brand safety is a very hot space"</h3><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e838f512d654f283e1a8abd-1240/lisautzschneidercrop.jpg" alt="Lisa Utzschneider Integral Ad Science" />Integral Ad ScienceLisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS.The pandemic has also renewed debate about a longstanding practice where advertisers steer their ads away from hard news, making it hard for news publishers to monetize the big spikes in readership they're seeing.Funding has poured into this arena in recent years because, as one knowledgeable source put it to me, it's one area of advertisers' budgets that'll never be cut. In fact, the leading companies in this space, Integral Ad Science and DoubleVerify, are still hiring while most companies have hit the pause button.As Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of Integral Ad Science, told Lauren Johnson, "brand safety and suitability is a very hot space right now."These companies have plausible deniability here because the advertisers ultimately call the shots. But critics say it's unrealistic to put the burden on advertisers to whitelist news and that the adtech companies should step up and take the lead. Meanwhile, media companies that are working hard to keep people informed about the pandemic are grappling with getting through the crisis, because no one knows what'll come next.Read our coverage on the topic here: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/adtech-companies-hire-during-coronavirus-as-news-publishers-struggle-2020-3">The two biggest adtech companies that help advertisers defund news are hiring to keep up with demand</a> And here: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/integral-ad-science-doubleverify-help-brands-avoid-coronavirus-news-2020-3">Media companies have never had more readership, but a group of adtech companies are making it tough to monetize</a><h3>Here are some other great stories from media and advertising:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/internal-memo-confirms-coronavirus-pause-on-new-hires-at-linkedin-2020-3">LinkedIn pauses new hires over coronavirus uncertainty - read the leaked internal memo</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coca-cola-backed-startup-iris-nova-layoffs-due-to-coronavirus-2020-3">Iris Nova, the buzzy direct-to-consumer startup backed by Coca-Cola, has laid off half its staff as the coronavirus pandemic hits its retail business</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-2020-adtech-firms-get-squeezed-by-advertising-drops-2020-3">Digital ad firms are finding themselves pinched between publishers and advertisers, and industry insiders say some could go under</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-slack-is-running-national-ad-around-the-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-3">Slack's chief marketing officer explains why its first national ad campaign as a public company centers on its response to the coronavirus pandemic</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-memos-reveal-how-weber-shandwick-executives-responded-coronavirus-crisis-2020-3">How top PR firm Weber Shandwick responded to the coronavirus crisis in real-time, leaked documents show</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-media-companies-disney-fox-affected-by-coronavirus-analysis-2020-3">The key factors analysts are watching at 5 major media companies including Disney and Fox to help determine whether their stock will keep falling or rebound</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/influencer-marketing-how-to-run-sponsored-posts-during-coronavirus-linqia-2020-3">7 key lessons for brands that want to run sponsored social-media posts during a crisis without appearing tone deaf, according to an influencer-marketing exec</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cannes-lions-festival-faces-uncertainty-as-coronavirus-rocks-advertising-2020-3">Millions of dollars are at stake as big advertisers and agency holding companies consider sitting out the Cannes Lions ad festival</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retailers-suspend-influencer-affiliate-program-macys-ralph-lauren-2020-3">10 retailers like Macy's, Ralph Lauren, and Victoria's Secret suspended their affiliate programs with a top influencer platform</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pr-changes-pitches-and-strategy-during-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-3">PR firms are scrambling to change their pitches to keep up as the coronavirus crisis upends public-relations strategies</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blockone-is-launching-new-social-network-voice-with-150-million-2020-3">A Forbes alum armed with $150 million is building a new social network to fix fake and misleading news on social media</a></li></ul>See you next week. Stay safe, and as always, if you're new to this email, sign up for your own and share it with others <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/advertising-media-weekly&amp;hash=f4e91136c13f3c40c496d77bc7347502">by clicking here</a>. - Lucia <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/brand-investment-esports?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=advertising&amp;itm_campaign=brand-investment-esports"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5d3718e78d66427858223be4" alt="Exclusive FREE Report: Brand Investment in eSports by Business Insider Intelligence" style="width: 100% !important" /></a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-planes-future-of-aviation-problems-regulations-2020-3">Why electric planes haven't taken off yet</a></h3> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/TaTZxhEi-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>

The coronavirus pandemic will dramatically change advertising

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5df28dcbfd9db2774d10930b-2148/in n out-43.jpg" alt="In n Out" />Irene Jiang/Business InsiderRead on for Irene's In-N-Out review.Hello! Welcome to The Drive-Thru. I'm Kate Taylor, and I'll be offering a rundown of the biggest stories in retail every Friday. If someone forwarded you this email or it is your first time reading for some other reason, <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/drivethru">you can subscribe here!</a> This week, I can finally share the details of an investigation I've been working on for more than a month. Read on for the details, plus more on shopping, fast food, and a delightful return to In-N-Out. <h2>Inside black McDonald's franchisees' struggles </h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dd82650fd9db223cc466d75-1200/mcdonalds systematic discrimination 4x3.png" alt="mcdonalds systematic discrimination 4x3" />Samantha Lee/Business InsiderI've spent the last month talking to McDonald's franchisees and poring over leaked internal documents from the company and franchisee groups. It was a difficult story to write, and I am indebted to people who talked to me. Here are some takeaways: <ul><li>Black franchisees, on average, make less than white franchisees. And, the disparity has been growing. In 2012, the cash-flow gap between the averages was less than $24,600, according to leaked documents from the National Black McDonald's Owners Association. In 2017, it reached $60,600. Two franchisees say the gap has since grown to about $68,000.</li><li>McDonald's franchisee count is shrinking, with black franchisees being hit particularly hard. Franchisee count went from 2,100 to about 1,700 during Steve Easterbrook's time as CEO from 2015 to this November. The number of black franchisees went from 261 to less than 200. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-steve-easterbrooks-franchisee-ceo-2019-11">Read the deep dive on Easterbrook's impact on franchisees here</a>.</li><li>There are many systemic reasons why black franchisees are struggling. Lack of generational wealth, alleged discrimination from McDonald's consultants, and higher costs are just a few of the issues. </li><li>Many black franchisees are fed up. "We have said for many, many years as African American operators, there's two standards. There is one for us and there's one for our general market operator," Ken Manning, who sold his McDonald's locations in 2017, told me.</li><li>McDonald's new leadership team is leaning in on diversity and corporate ethics messaging. On Monday, McDonald's announced it had elected WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to its board of directors, a move that Chairman Enrique Hernandez Jr. said underscores the company's "commitment to diversity at all levels." <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-new-ceo-chris-kempczinski-tackles-values-ethics-2019-12">Read the inside story on new CEO Chris Kempczinski's work to push a renewed emphasis on corporate values here.</a></li><li>On Wednesday, McDonald's announced it had created a new role focused on franchisee diversity. The title: "vice president of operator diversity." <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-creates-new-operator-diversity-position-2019-12">Read my scoop here.</a> </li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-black-franchisees-earn-less-than-white-counterparts-2019-11">Read the full investigation here.</a> And, feel free to reach out with your thoughts at ktaylor@businessinsider.com - especially if you're a McDonald's employee or franchisee. <h2>How Chipotle's new CEO turned the chain around</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5df283befd9db26e0868f566-1668/chipotle ceo 4x3.png" alt="Chipotle CEO 4x3" />Robin Marchant/Getty; Shayanne Gal/Hollis Johnson/Business InsiderI also finally published my look into Chipotle's turnaround! In November, I talked to the chain's CEO, CFO, and CTO about how the company pulled out of its downward spiral over the last year.The most interesting thing about the turnaround, to me, was CEO Brian Niccol's focus on Chipotle's second make line, which the company renamed the digital make line earlier this year. "Once you actually get into the business, you realize, well jeez, not only is there opportunity to continue to take a different point of view on food, with the real cooking, the real ingredients, the idea of giving everybody access to that - but it's like, wow, we've got the second make line," Niccol told me. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ex-taco-bell-ceo-brian-niccol-turned-around-chipotle-2019-12">Read the full profile on Niccol - who used to be Taco Bell's CEO! - here.</a> <h2>Coca-Cola's CEO talks regrets</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b43a2b345aaf519008b4b00-833/rtx232vy.jpg" alt="james quincey" />Benoit Tessier/ReutersShoshy attended this year's Beverage Digest Future Smarts conference and got the scoop on some of Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey's regrets.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coke-ceo-james-quincey-biggest-regret-since-becoming-ceo-2019-12">On the topic of his biggest regrets,</a> Quincey said: "I wish I'd just paid attention to the truisms and gotten on with it even faster."And, Quincey had some more concrete regrets as well. When asked whether his company waited too long to launch a new sparkling water, Quincey cited the company's existing sparkling water offerings such as Dasani Sparkling drinks, but then added, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coke-ceo-sparkling-water-aha-brand-2019-12">"We should have done it a lot sooner."</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coke-ceo-sparkling-water-aha-brand-2019-12">Read Shoshy's full story on Coke's plans on sparkling water here.</a><h2>The saga of the cocaine Santa sweater</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5df10f32fd9db23df73b1553-1036/screen shot 2019-12-11 at 101105 am.png" alt="cocaine santa" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cocaine-Santa-let-snow-Sweatshirt/dp/B082JJ347X/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&amp;keywords=cocaine%2Bsanta&amp;qid=1576074817&amp;sr=8-12&amp;customId=B078RXFXST&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1">Amazon</a>This week, Walmart pulled a controversial sweater that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-pulls-christmas-sweater-santa-cocaine-2019-12">appeared to show Santa Claus doing cocaine.</a> However, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colombia-threatens-to-sue-walmart-cocaine-santa-sweater-2019-12">the Colombian government said that apologizing was not enough,</a> and it is demanding compensation from Walmart over the product description's reference to "quality, grade A, Colombian snow," saying it's an "offense to the country."Meanwhile, the sweater and others like it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-cocaine-santa-sweatshirt-remains-amazon-2019-12">are still for sale on Amazon.com,</a> highlighting the challenges the e-commerce giant faces as it builds out its marketplace of third-party sellers.Read more about the saga <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-pulls-christmas-sweater-santa-cocaine-2019-12">here</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colombia-threatens-to-sue-walmart-cocaine-santa-sweater-2019-12">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-cocaine-santa-sweatshirt-remains-amazon-2019-12">here</a>. <h2>The rise of the digital Santa </h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5de83596fd9db208f74c29d5-2387/screen shot 2019-12-04 at 53710 pm.png" alt="Welcome Santa" />YouTube/Welcome SantaBethany reports on how digital services and apps are offering virtual chats with Saint Nick this holiday season."The kids are so used to it. They FaceTime with their grandparents and they talk to everybody through video calls anyways, so this is a totally natural way for them to be able to interact with Santa," said Meredith Lueck, cofounder of Welcome Santa, a service that helps kids video chat with Santa. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/santa-apps-services-kids-not-at-mall-2019-12">Read the full, festive story here. </a><h2>Taste test of the week: Irene revisits In-N-Out </h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5df285a6fd9db2334970716d-2151/in n out-21.jpg" alt="In n Out meal double double animal style fries" />Irene Jiang/Business InsiderIrene is on the West Coast this week and took the opportunity to stop by In-N-Out. The burger was as good as ever, but the fries disappointed. Irene's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/in-n-out-review-double-double-animal-style-fries-2019-12#i-walked-back-to-my-hotel-basking-in-the-afterglow-of-an-extraordinary-meal-debating-whether-itd-be-rash-to-move-to-la-just-for-the-sun-and-the-in-n-out-38">take</a>: "I walked back to my hotel basking in the afterglow of an extraordinary meal, debating whether it'd be rash to move to LA just for the sun and the In-N-Out."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/in-n-out-review-double-double-animal-style-fries-2019-12#i-walked-back-to-my-hotel-basking-in-the-afterglow-of-an-extraordinary-meal-debating-whether-itd-be-rash-to-move-to-la-just-for-the-sun-and-the-in-n-out-38">Read the taste test here. </a><h2>Everything else you need to know </h2><ul><li>Away's CEO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/away-ceo-steph-korey-steps-down-lululemon-coo-new-ceo-2019-12">stepped down days after an explosive exposé</a> of the company's culture. </li><li>Shoshy talked to a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sneaker-resale-expert-tips-breaking-into-market-2019-12">27-year-old about how he makes millions of dollars reselling sneakers.</a></li><li>Áine analyzed how Sears' <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sears-rise-fall-retail-world-last-decade-2019-12">rise and fall explains the decade of the retail apocalypse</a>. </li><li>Costco admits it<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-ceo-addresses-thanksgiving-website-crash-stopped-shoppers-2019-12"> "left something on the table"</a> with its Thanksgiving website crash. </li><li>Build-A-Bear says its "Frozen 2" toys <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/build-a-bear-workshop-cuts-revenue-forecast-blames-frozen-2-2019-12-1028751958">aren't selling as well as expected!</a> </li><li>The cocaine Santa shirt is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-cocaine-santa-sweatshirt-remains-amazon-2019-12">still available on Amazon,</a> even though Walmart pulled it from its site. </li><li>IHOP is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ihop-opening-new-fast-casual-chain-called-flipd-2019-12">opening a fast-casual chain. </a></li><li>We got our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/beyonce-posted-first-look-adidas-collaboration-ivy-park-2019-12">first look</a> at Beyoncé's new Ivy Park collab with Adidas. </li><li>I am calling it - the worst tweet of the decade <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-tweet-of-decade-vita-coco-urine-tweet-2019-12">was the Vita Coco pee jar incident.</a> Fight me on Twitter about it at <a href="https://twitter.com/Kate_H_Taylor">@Kate_H_Taylor. </a></li></ul><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/drivethru">First time reading The Drive-Thru? Subscribe here!</a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mars-ceo-gen-z-transforming-the-35-billion-company-workplace-2019-12">Mars CEO explains how Gen Z is transforming the $35 billion company's workplace</a></h3> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/Fcluu7FU-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>

The Drive-Thru: McDonald's black franchisees struggle, Chipotle stages a comeback, and we revisit In-N-Out

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/563ccd32dd08951e678b456a-2790-2093/dsc_6699-1-2.jpg" alt="Rohan Oza" data-mce-source="Andreea Radutoiu" />Andreea RadutoiuRohan Oza.</div></div></div>Rohan Oza is arguably one of the most successful marketing men in the US.He's made millions from his success in turning food and beverage products into global brands that everyone from across the globe will recognise - Vitamin Water, Pop Chips, and Vita Coco. Prior to this, he turned around the fortunes of Powerade and Sprite by boosting revenue through some innovative brand endorsements.He even worked as an executive at Coca-Cola but he admitted to Business Insider that he "quit before I got fired" because he wasn't very corporate.But the self-depicted "brand messiah" didn't have it all handed to him on a plate. He started off his career in manufacturing in an M&amp;Ms factory in the industrial British town of Slough. Now he counts 50 Cent, Guy Ritchie, and Rihanna - who he calls RiRi - as some of his closest celebrity business partners and friends.He has come an incredibly long way, so Business Insider decided to sit down with him to see how on earth he managed to get out of manufacturing and into the worlds of Hollywood and marketing.Business Insider: How did this all come about? Did you always want to be in marketing?RO: After going to Harrow [a famous private boarding school in Britain] and then Nottingham University, my first job was actually in a factory for Mars' M&amp;Ms. I was involved with the manufacturing side but I really wanted to get into marketing. I asked my boss but he said I didn't have the necessary marketing skills. I said "alright, let's agree to disagree," and I left to go to Michigan in the US to study for my MBA. I always wanted to be building an iconic brands and the US is the place where all of those global brands were at the time.BI: So you ended up working at Coca-Cola, surely that was the pinnacle for you?RO: I was an executive at Coca-Cola and was part of an amazing team that made Sprite one of the coolest brands in America. I helped build the brand with smart partnerships and built a bridge between Sprite and hip-hop culture and got American artists, NBA athletes and all those people on board. I brought Sprite to life on basketball courts and at concerts. I then was moved to (another Coca Cola brand) Powerade. While I helped sales grow more than 30% at brands like Sprite, it is very hard to make the same massive impact at other brands - these companies are too big and there are too many cooks in the kitchen. I wasn't very corporate either so I thought I would jump ship before Coca-Cola fired me.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/563b808edd0895034e8b4624-2302-1727/gettyimages-81936698.jpg" alt="50 cent" data-mce-source="Getty" data-mce-caption="Rappers Tony Yayo, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks attends Vitaminwater's MLB All-Star week celebration at Hudson Terrace on July 14, 2008." />GettyRappers Tony Yayo, 50 Cent, and Lloyd Banks attend Vitaminwater's MLB All-Star week celebration at Hudson Terrace on July 14, 2008.</div></div></div>BI: What did you do after that and how did Coca-Cola take your resignation?RO: I had a party and then my boss asked where I was going. I said I was going to be a partner in Vitamin Water, which was small and made around $25 million in profits annually in 2002, and he just laughed and said "good luck with that." Well it was funny because we ended up selling the company to Coca Cola for $4.2 billion in 2007. BI: How did you grow the company so rapidly? (Oza helped grow the company's sales to $700 million a year by the time he left in 2004.)RO: I believe in the brand and Vitamin Water is a breakthrough product in the food and beverage industry. I believe in making a product a success you need to be a brand messiah, not a marketing manager. I only hire brand messiahs - they live and breathe the product, not just sell it. They have to create a culture around the product itself. There's a statistic out there that 1 in 10 people influence the rest of us. So you have got to find who those people are to spread the word. Unfortunately due to terrorist activities, this stopped one of the best ways in doing that.BI: Terrorist activities? What do you mean?RO: Before airports changed [referring to the September 11th attacks in 2001] I used to take products everywhere, which were mainly bottles of drink. I would hand the flight attendants the goods, the hostess on the gates, other people on the flight. You've got to think about how these people influence large amounts of society. They see thousands of a people on a regular basis and it just takes people with that reach to say they love something and recommend it to as many people as possible. You win brand fans that way.Obviously now we can't take a large amount of liquids on a plane but this is an example of how you can build up a brand culture without taking just traditional routes of <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword>.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5512b332dd0895c8298b4578-2556-1917/taylor-swift-4.jpg" alt="taylor swift" data-mce-source="Isaac Brekken/Getty Images" />Isaac Brekken/Getty ImagesOza counts Taylor Swift as one of the most influential celebrities in the world.</div></div></div>BI: So is that where celebrity endorsement comes in? How did you get rapper 50 Cent to become part of the Vitamin Water brand?RO: I was looking for someone who already loved the product and would be an easy fit for it. My friend knew 50 Cent so we gave him a call and spoke to him and his manager. They were great. Fiddy said he didn't want or need any money for being involved, he just wanted skin in the game. He loved the product. [<a href="http://addicted2success.com/motivation/how-50-cent-scored-half-a-billion-dollars/">50 Cent doesn't drink alcohol and regularly drank Vitamin Water, ate healthily, and trained in the gym every day</a>]. That was good as we didn't have much money to give him. It worked out and the rest was history. He was one of two biggest rap artists at that time - him and Jay Z. [<a href="http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/how-much-did-50-cent-make-off-vitamin-water/">50 Cent was paid $5 million in cash and asked for a 5% stake in the company in exchange for his endorsement</a>.]BI: Vitamin Water ended up selling for billions to Coca-Cola, why didn't you retire after that? What's your net worth?RO: [Laughing] Let's just say my mum is very proud. I know business publications like to talk about net worth but I don't really like talking about it. You can make a guess from knowing I entered Vitamin Water very early on and the company sold for $4 billion.When it sold, though, I didn't want to retire, so I became a venture capitalist and be involved with products that I really connect with - like Vita Coco (coconut water), Pop Chips, and Bai (anti-oxidant infusion drinks). Bai itself is now valued at $500 million.BI: So what's next on the venture list for you?RO: Bai is my favourite in the gang in a nutshell. It solves the diet dilemma - everyone wants things to taste good but without a tonne of sugar. This takes out the likes of Pepsi and the Coca-Cola. People also are growing more towards to not having artificial sweeteners, so that strips out the Diet Cokes and Diet Sprites out there too. Bai solves this. It's not big in the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> but it will be.BI: So which celebrity are you looking for to join Bai as an ambassador?RO: We are brainstorming on that as we speak, but not every brand needs a celebrity partner. It has to be a good organic fit where the brand is a fan of a celebrity and the celebrity is a fan of the product. People are smart and need a natural fit otherwise it will be too forced. If a celebrity endorsement is clearly forced and the people will reject it and people will tell you about it. People's antennas for bullshit is a lot sharper these days.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/563ccd32dd08951e678b456b-1333-1000/rihanna-vita-coco-ad.jpg" alt="rihanna vita coco ad" data-mce-source="Vita Coco" data-mce-caption="Rihanna in a Vita Coco advert." />Vita CocoRihanna in a Vita Coco advert.</div></div></div>BI: I know you said that you have to find the right fit for a brand but surely you must have a dream celebrity to tout Bai?RO: If you ask me who's my favourite celebrity, it's Taylor Swift. And yes, she would be good for Bai. Unfortunately she currently sponsors a product that may not be as good for you as Bai [referring to her endorsement of Coca- Cola,] but you never know.Taylor's the most iconic musician and celebrity on the planet. She does what she wants and isn't deterred by the press or anyone else. She managed to influence one of the biggest corporations on the planet - that's real power. She also rolls with a posse and a crew of people who are all beautiful females.BI: Do you ever get celebrities approaching you to get involved in products that they love?RO: Not really. We usually look for celebrities that are a natural fit. For example, with Vita Coco, I knew Guy Ritchie and Madonna (his wife at the time) was a fan already. Through him, I got her on board and that became huge. Then RiRi (pop star Rihanna) got on board and it was just perfect. She's a great example of having the exact right fit for a celebrity for a brand. She personally drank it, comes from the Caribbean, which is where coconut water comes from, and is big on social media.BI: The equity share in endorsements seems a pretty good deal. Who else gets it?RO: I believe everyone should have a share in the success, not just endorsers or myself - that's why everyone who works for me gets an equity stake early on.BI: It really does sound like you live and breathe every product you market - sounds a bit hectic! When and what do you do to relax?RO: I travel a lot. I self-diagnosed myself with Seasonal Affective Disorder so I follow the sun, like most British explorers I suppose! In the winter I spend my time in Beverley Hills, and then in the summer I go to the Hamptons - it's a great place to relax and reminds me a lot of England.I also love throwing parties and dancing. I throw a lot in LA and even have Western and Bollywood style dance-offs. People always say I throw the best parties because everyone dances. But every now and again, I like to do a spot of bowling. It reminds me of my days at Nottingham University (where Oza did his first degree), where we'd just go bowl and get pissed. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fourfiveseconds-music-video-rihanna-kanye-west-paul-mccartney-four-five-seconds-2015-2">Paul McCartney and Rihanna just released a music video featuring Kanye - and it's actually pretty awesome</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="p1eWo2czqi3oXDJ1TAee050Q_OOOPht0" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'p1eWo2czqi3oXDJ1TAee050Q_OOOPht0',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

Meet the millionaire 'brand messiah' who went from working in a factory to having 50 Cent and Rihanna on speed dial

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48555456.cms" />Three Indian companies, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=hindustan+lever">Hindustan Unilever</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=TCS">Tata Consultancy Services</a> (TCS) and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=sun+pharma">Sun Pharma Industries</a> made it to the list of world's 100 most innovative companies by Forbes. 
 
While <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=tesla+motors">Tesla Motors</a> topped the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=forbes+">Forbes</a> List of ‘The World’s Most Innovative Companies’, HUL was ranked 41, TCS at 64 and Sun Pharma stood at 71th position. 
 Elon Musk’s California-Based <keyword id="156689" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tesla-Motors">Tesla Motors</keyword> has a market capitalization of USD 25.5 billion. He inherited "Steve Jobs' mantle as the cult favourite CEO. And his electric car company has grabbed Apple's creative crown”. 
 
Forbes said companies are ranked by their innovation premium, which is the difference between their market capitalisation and a net present value of cash flows from existing businesses. 
 
Companies need seven years of public financial data and USD 10 billion in market cap to be included in the list. 
 On FMCG company, <keyword id="6365619" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hindustan-UniLever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword>, Forbes said the company had over 35 brands spanning 20 distinct categories. 
 
Meanwhile, this is the eighth time that India's largest IT company TCS, with a market cap of USD 80.3 billion, has appeared on the list. The company took a major step toward bolstering its digital services when last month it announced a training program in digital technologies for a third of its workforce. 
 
Forbes stated that in the past year, TCS crossed the milestone of employing 100,000 women, meaning that one out of three employees is now a woman. 
 
For Sun Pharma, which had a market cap USD 39 billion and India's largest drugs company, this is the fourth time it has been included in the list. 
 
Billionaire Dilip Shanghvi - who owns more than half the company - pipped Mukesh Ambani earlier this year to become the richest man in India. 
 
The list also includes software company salesforce.com on the second spot, followed by Amazon (8), Hermes International (22), Netflix (27), MasterCard (36), Starbucks (45), Adobe (74), Coco Cola (81) and Cognizant (96).

HUL, TCS, Sun Pharma in Forbes list of world's most innovative firms

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/596906c4c50c29a8008b4aec-884/hamptons%20free%20ride1.jpg" alt="Hamptons Free Ride" />The Free RideIt's similar to Uber or Lyft, but eco-friendly - and free. (Pictured: Founders Alex Esposito and James Mirras.)Growing up in the Hamptons, Alex Esposito and James Mirras knew one thing to be true: The beach was great, but the parking sucked.Between the crowds and the permit-required parking lots, there was rarely an easy - or cheap - way to enjoy a summer day on the sand.In 2009, Esposito and Mirras, now both 30, finished their undergraduate studies at the University of Florida and Bentley University, respectively. They toyed with the idea of starting a shuttle bus company as a solution to their childhood grievance.But there were vehicle costs, like insurance, maintenance, and fuel, to consider. Plus, the two were eager to begin their professional lives; Mirras was off to work at Morgan Stanley and Esposito was pursuing his MBA at Bentley."We ended up putting the idea on the back burner," Esposito told Business Insider. That is, until a few years later when a discussion about using freebies as a tool to sell products came up in one of Esposito's business school classes."So, Starbucks gives away internet to sell coffee, Gillette gives away razors to sell blades. James and I kind of scratched our heads and said, well, what if we made our beach bus free?" Esposito told Business Insider. "We decided to put together this model where, if electric cars can cut out the cost of fuel, and if advertisers can pay to sponsor the service, then we can provide a totally free service for this one-to-two mile gap."They ran with the idea - but kept at their day jobs - and founded <a href="http://thefreeride.com/">the Free Ride</a> in the summer of 2011, debuting with a few open-air, fully electric cars operating in East Hampton. Riders could either <a href="http://www.thefreeride.com/the-app.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hail a shuttle from the app</a>, or wave one down on the street for a ride to the beach or a local restaurant. The next summer, the network expanded to include routes in Montauk and Southampton.In a crowded summer destination like the Hamptons, Esposito and Mirras found companies were willing to pay big for innovative and interactive advertising. Big enough, in fact, that it covers operating costs, and riders don't have to pay a dime.By the following summer, Mirras had left Morgan Stanley to run operations for the Free Ride full-time. They added additional routes in South Florida and Santa Monica, California, and were soon partnering with household brands like JetBlue, Corona, Coco-Cola, and, later, L'Oreal. Since then, ad revenues have surpassed seven-figures, nearly doubling every year, according to Esposito. Not only are the cars wrapped in fun, cheeky advertisements, some of the companies provide freebies, like cold drinks, snacks, and beauty product samples, to riders. Plus, an iPad inside each car doubles as an interactive video advertisement and photo booth.Esposito eventually quit his job at consulting company Accenture to join Mirras to bring the Free Ride to other cities around the country. "I think a lot of people nowadays look at startups as a way to get away from a desk job, but you really need to create the startup before you can take that leap, and I think that's something we both did well," Esposito said. They recently started expanding beyond beach-only routes. Late last year, they partnered with the city of San Diego to launch <a href="http://thefreeride.com/fred/">FRED, Free Ride Everywhere Downtown</a>, an e-hailing service covering about a two-mile radius within the city.Esposito calls it a "micro-transit solution" because it fills a gap that buses, trains, yellow cabs, and even Uber and Lyft don't fill: short, free rides you can request via an app or hail from the street."The response was tremendous, we had over 20,000 people sign up for the app within the first six weeks of the program, and almost 4,000 rides a week in San Diego," Esposito said.Esposito envisions a more efficient, eco-friendly, and data-driven solution to public transit, and says other municipalities have reached out to bring the Free Ride to their cities as well. "The idea of having three buses that carry 25 passengers running all the time is just horribly inefficient," he said. "That's really where our eyes kind of opened up and we said, why have three caterpillars when we can have 20 ants?"The Free Ride currently operates a fleet of 82 shuttles - all driven by Free Ride employees rather than contractors - operating throughout the Hamptons, South Florida, Southern California, and the Jersey Shore, each with its own <a href="http://thefreeride.com/venice.php">operating hours and pre-determined route</a>. Cars that aren't being used in one market, like New York during the winter, are either transferred to a busier market, or used for private events. To date, the company has given 1 million free rides."We haven't burned an ounce of fuel doing it and it's really been exciting seeing the business pivot from what was once a fun, little beach shuttle idea into now what we see as being a huge micro-transit solution that's applicable in areas all over the country and all over the world," Esposito said. <iframe src="//instagram.com/p/BVVfKOwgngK/embed/" width="800" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe> <iframe src="//instagram.com/p/BTPKMkcAoLx/embed/" width="800" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blade-seaplane-uber-luxury-travel-hamptons-2016-6">What it's like to take the 'Uber of seaplanes' from NYC to the Hamptons</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

2 Hamptons locals started a free beach shuttle that has now given 1 million rides - and may solve a problem that even Uber can't

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/52473058.cms" /><keyword id="3205550" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="LeEco">LeEco</keyword>, the global internet and ecosystem conglomerate has roped in three industry heavyweights to bolster its <keyword id="906237" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Leadership-team">leadership team</keyword> in India. The company has announced the hiring of Shrinivas Bairi, as Senior Director R&amp;D and Manish Aggarwal as Vice President, Marketing Communications for Smart Electronics Business. For LeEco’s Content Marketing Business, Divya Dixit comes in as Director from Percept Live. 
 Atul Jain, Chief Operating Officer, Smart Electronics Business of <keyword id="3237410" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="LeEco-India">LeEco India</keyword> said, “Over the last several months, we have been extremely focused on strengthening our team and capabilities. We are delighted to get three industry veterans onboard. They bring with them a wealth of experience which is exceedingly valuable at this juncture of our growth in India. These hires are well in line with our initiative of attracting top talent to strengthen our leadership team in India”. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/52473060.cms" /> 
 
Mr Bairi joins LeEco from Qualcomm, where he spent 17 years. His last role in Qualcomm was Director Engineering. Shrini is a well-known professional in the R&amp;D field and has an enviable track record with several achievements to his credit. He moved back from Qualcomm San Diego and was part of initial Qualcomm India R&amp;D Center setup team. He has been recognized for operationalizing the BREW division in Qualcomm India, leading Qualcomm India Android Products team and was actively involved in commercialization of all major handset OEMs. With this high profile hire, LeEco is one step closer towards fulfilling its goal of having a full-fledged R&amp;D centre in India. The company is also looking to set up its R&amp;D centre in India as part of its “Make in India” journey. The internet major is planning to increase the headcount of its R&amp;D centre based in Bangalore substantially. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/52473067.cms" /> 
 
Manish Aggarwal joins LeEco from Myntra where he was V.P. Marketing &amp; Head of Monetisation. With over 16 years of experience across geographies, Manish has worked with marquee organizations in the industry such as The Coco-Cola Company, Procter &amp; Gamble and Mindshare. He has been constantly recognized for conceptualizing award-winning campaigns. In his current role at LeEco, Manish will be responsible for spearheading the company’s marketing communications. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/52473082.cms" /> 
 
Divya Dixit has joined LeEco as Director, Content Marketing and in this role, she is responsible for growing the company’s content platform across India and will be establishing the brand leadership. Divya joins LeEco from Percept Live where she was Head, Marketing. She has experience of close to 19 years and has worked with organizations such as Tata Docomo, Saregama India, Sony Entertainment Television and Barista to name a few. Her expertise pans across industries including retail, broadcasting, telecom and music where she has successfully built new brands and rejuvenated existing brands. 
 
With its headquarter base in Bangalore, LeEco India in under 6 months already employs more than 200 people and aims to become over 1000 people-strong by the end of 2016. Since its India entry in January this year, LeEco has announced several initiatives in the country, a testimony to its commitment of strengthening its base in India. 
 
LeEco is also setting up in-house Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) in 10 cities across India which will be implemented by end of 2016. For this, the company has made a significant investment of over 10 million USD to set up this CDN/cloud infrastructure. Offering consumers, a comprehensive Ecosystem, which is unique to the company globally, LeEco plans to replicate its successful model in India. 
 
About LeEco: 
 
LeEco, formerly known as Letv, is a global pioneering internet and technology company with multiple internet ecosystems across content, devices, applications and platforms. Founded in November 2004 by Jia Yueting and Liu Hong, LeEco employs more than 10,000 people and is the world’s first video company to go public with a market capitalization of more than $12 billion USD. Headquartered in Beijing, China, it has regional headquarters in Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. 
 
With “Complete Ecosystem, Groundbreaking technologies, and Disruptive Pricing” as the guiding principle, LeEco is engaged in a myriad of businesses, spanning from Internet-based Super TV and Superphones, video production and distribution, smart devices/accessories and large-screen applications, to e-commerce and even connected super-electric cars. The company also features one of the world's largest content libraries, comprising of movies, TV dramas, entertainment shows, sports and music, which can be conveniently viewed on LeEco products, including the Superphones, Super TVs, and in the near future, Le Autos. Breaking the barriers of industries, LeEco provides personalized products and services for an enhanced user experience at disruptive prices. 
 
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