Apple becomes biggest company in U.S. history; stock reaches $623B

Apple has become the most valuable company in American history. Its surging stock propelled the company's value to $623 billion, beating the record for market capitalization set by Microsoft Corp. in the heady days of the Internet boom.

Apple's stock has hit new highs recently because of optimism around what is believed to be the impending launch of the iPhone 5, and possibly a smaller, cheaper iPad.

The company is now worth 53 percent more than No. 2 Exxon Mobil Corp. Microsoft is worth $257 billion.

Friends of the Needy celebrate Children's Day with Makoko Kids.

Friends of the Needy, a small group of young, upwardly mobile Nigerians who share a common goal of supporting the less privileged in the society gathered at the Makoko Slum Area of Lagos on the 27th of May to celebrate Children's Day with some of kids in the Area.

The Friends of the Needy group took the kids to party at Talimul Ahmadiya Nursery & Primary School where Music, food, games could be enjoyed. The children, who were exceptionally bright answered questions, won prizes and had a great time.

The event started at about 12noon and ended at 4pm at the Red Cross Center for kids in Makoko, where gifts were given to the kids there.

The Friends of the Needy group mentioned that they will continue to support the poor in every way they can. Adedolapo Abimbola, one of the members mentioned that they were motivated by a popular quote from Mother Theresa which says "If you cant feed a hundred people, then feed just one".

The Children's day party was organized by 3010 media, a full service marketing communications firm and supported by Indomie Noodles and Dhastor International Ltd and Errandboiz ltd.

Some Pictures from the event.

Mortein World Malaria Day Theme Song by Omawumi

This song is the isssh..... Lyrics written by Cobhams. Hats off to Omawumi, chick can sing.

Great brand strategy by Mortein.

Click here to watch Video

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTmdBN7u14&feature=youtu.be

Branding ideas from Jay-z and Kanye West

Jay-Z and Kanye West released one of the most anticipated albums on the year, Watch the Throne on August 8, 2011, Its sales of close to 500,000 albums in the first week wasn't just serendipity. It went No. 1 in 23 countries on iTunes.

On the day of the release, Island Def Jam used Twitter to generate excitement for a pop-up store in Manhattan, simultaneously connecting the digital and physical experiences. 

For three days only, fans in New York City were able to see the Maybach featured in the video for the first song off the album and purchase the physical album, amplifying excitement for the video and the album. Securing assets can be difficult, but they can give a big boost your connections with fans.

Utilize social media tracking tools you are familiar with to track data for reporting once your project is complete. Through a partnership with Vevo, both the label and the artists were able to be compensated for each of the 5,000,000 views the video received on YouTube.

Creating buzz in the online world and social media space is no easy task. You will need to utilize your relationships with online editors, bloggers, and the general fan base of your client. Initiate contact, follow up, provide content, and follow up again!

Once you've delivered your message and made all of your cool content available to the public, keep an eye on the conversations across all spaces. Here, you can see seven of the top trending topics on Twitter are song titles from Watch the Throne.

MasterCard, Starwood Hotels reward travellers

The electronic payment solution leader, MasterCard Worldwide is partnering Starwood Hotels & Resorts on customers’ rewards, who book and pay for their accommodation online at any of the Starwood line of hotels and resorts using their Mastercards in Nigeria.

Also, ITRealms gathered that the partners offers Nigerian MasterCard travelers a breakfast buffet for two people, each time guests book and pay for their accommodation onlineat one of the group’s hotels using their MasterCard credit or debit cards.

Vice President and Country Manager for West Africa at MasterCard Worldwide, Mr. Omokehinde Ojomuyide, said this offer is available at 237 Starwood hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa, including five leading hotels in Nigeria, from the March 1, 2012 through May 15, 2012.

He listed some of the participating Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Nigeria to include  Sheraton Abuja Hotel, Sheraton Lagos Hotel,  Four Points by Sheraton Lagos, Le Méridien Ogeyi Place in Port Harcourt and   Le MéridienIbom Hotel and Golf Resort in Uyo.

The benefits, he said further support the ongoing ‘Cashless Lagos’ initiative spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Equally commenting, Director Partner Marketing, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, EAME, Nadege Dumont, said that they are excited to continue long-standing relationship with MasterCard and to reward guests with this offer.

“A great breakfast selection complemented by a superior range of beverages and outstanding service is one of the features that have made our hotels famous, and we look forward to welcoming MasterCard cardholders to our establishments, in both Nigeria and abroad,” says Dumont.

Guinness, First Bank win "Best place to work" Award

The Great Place to Work initiative has ranked Guinness Nigeria Plc and First Bank Plc as great workplaces in Nigeria for the 2011/2012 assessment period.

The Great Place to Work institute is a global research, consulting and training organisation that identifies and creates assessment tools for workplaces.

Other companies, from the sixth to 10th position include the Lagos BusinessSchool; Financial Institutions Training Centre; Total Nigeria Plc; Access BankPlc; and Glaxosmithkline Nigeria Plc.

The Chairman, GPTW Nigeria, Mr. Ghandi Olaoye, said a company would attract good hands and talents when it was recognised as a great place to work.

My people, know where to drop your CV from now on.....

Battle of the Brands: Arik Air Vs Aero Contractors

 

Which would you rather fly? Ermm.... Both are not exactly world standard but for Nigerian standards, which of these Airlines delivers a decent service, at least?