Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini provides a message of hope at the Tokyo Olympics 2021

Mardini is the most prominent of them all. At her first Olympic appearance five years ago in Brazil, she made headlines around the world as a teenager with her moving refugee story: an odyssey through eight countries, along with her sister during which the two of them, among other things, dragged an overcrowded and then broken, rubber dinghy behind them for three and a half hours before arriving in Lesbos.

However, for the Syrian-born Mardini, who has lived in Germany since fleeing in 2015 and is competing for the international refugee team for the second time since 2016, it is very much a special moment. "For me, Tokyo is even more emotional than Rio de Janeiro," she said upon being nominated.

She is now an ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and was once received by the Pope. While a book on her life has already been published, a film is currently being made about her, which will be available on Netflix next year.

According to People magazine in the United States, she is currently one of the "25 Women Changing the World."

Read more:

https://www.eurosport.com/swimming/tokyo-2020/2021/olympics-my-biggest-dream-yusri-mardini-s-journey-from-being-a-syria-refugee-to-swimming-at-tokyo-20_sto8425926/story.shtml

Top 10 Greatest Olympic Moments

THE 2020 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXII Olympiad is here.

Branded as Tokyo 2020 (東京2020), it is an ongoing international multi-sport event that is currently held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events beginning on 21 July.

Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 7 September 2013.

Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the event was postponed in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is held largely behind closed doors with no public spectators permitted under the state of emergency.

Despite being rescheduled for 2021, the event retains the Tokyo 2020 name for marketing and branding purposes

Let’s take a look back to some of the greatest Olympic moments of all time

1) 1936 Berlin – Jesse Owens defies Hitler: Hitler wanted the 1936 Games in Berlin to showcase the superiority of the “new Aryan man”. Owen’s 4 gold medals shattered that myth, though ironically Owens faced significant discrimination when he returned to a racially divided USA.

2) 1968 Mexico – Beamon’s impossible leap: Before American Bob Beamon’s amazing jump in the high altitude of Mexico City, no one had jumped further than 27 feet, 10 inches. Beamon’s leap of 29 feet 2.5 inches was so long that the organizers had to bring in a long tape to measure it. His incredible record stood for 23 years.

3) 1976 Montreal – Nadia Comaneci scores the perfect 10: At 4ft 11 and weighing just 6st 2lbs, the 14-year-old Romanian gymnast took to the asymmetric bars in Montreal and achieved what experts said was impossible – the perfect 10.00. So unexpected was the result that the digital scoreboard couldn’t actually display 4 digits.

4) 1980 Moscow – Coe v Ovett: The 1980 Olympics, played out under the cloud of the US boycott, was the event of reckoning for Britain’s great middle-distance runners, Seb Coe and Steve Ovett. They’d only met once on the track before the Games and the media hyped up their rivalry in the lead-up to the Games. In the end, honors were even. Ovett won 800m, but Coe took gold in the 1,500m.

5) 1988 Seoul – Ben Johnson tests positive: Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson broke the 100m world record in taking gold at the Seoul Olympics. But within 48 hours, triumph turned to disgrace as Johnson’s urine sample was shown to have tested positive for the banned substance stanozolol. Johnson was stripped of his medal and world record. 6 of the 8 100m finalists in Seoul were tainted by positive tests or rumors of doping.

6) 1992 Barcelona – heroic Redmond crosses the line with his Dad: British 400m runner Derek Redmond was a genuine medal prospect but halfway into the semi-final his hamstring gave way and he collapsed to the track in agony. Instead of being stretchered off, Redmond bravely hauled himself up and began limping around the track, eventually crossing the line supported by his father who had rushed onto the track to support his son.

7) 2000 Sydney – Redgrave makes it 5 in a row: Some athletes have won more titles than rower Steve Redgrave’s haul of 5 gold medals. But what makes Redgrave arguably the greatest Olympian of all time is that his medals spanned 16 years, and 5 Olympic Games, culminating in a narrow victory, aged 38, in the men’s coxless 4s.

 8) 2008 Beijing – Phelps wins 8 golds: Mark Spitz had won 7 golds in Munich, but American swimmer Michael Phelps went one better in the pool at Beijing in 2008. Over the course of 8 days, he won all 8 events he entered (in World Record times) and secured the greatest single haul of gold medals the Games has ever seen. Including the Athens and London games, Phelps won an incredible 18 Olympic golds.

9) 2008 Beijing – Bolt astonishes the world: The 100m had long been mired in controversy and drug-cheating when Usain Bolt suddenly re-ignited the world’s love affair with sprinting. The popular and charismatic Jamaican sprinter smashed the world record in both the 100m and 200m finals. He was so far ahead of the field he was even able to slow down as he approached the winning tape.

10) 2012 London – Super Saturday’s British gold rush: A joyous London Games reached its pinnacle for the host nation on the middle Saturday. Earlier gold medals in rowing (x 2) and cycling set the scene for an unforgettable night of athletics in the Olympic stadium. First Jess Ennis won the heptathlon gold, Greg Rutherford then surprisingly leaped to victory in the long jump, and then in a thrilling finale Mo Farah was victorious in the 10,000m.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wX8J-karv7do2DlLJ2sFqMWh6zgaTSjFDvzAsGddGug/edit?usp=sharing

GOOD LUCK TO THE MALAYSIAN TEAM AT TOKYO OLYMPICS 2020

 LET the games begin!

The 2020 Summer Olympics is scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan from 23 July to 8 August 2021.

A total of 30 Malaysian athletes have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics so far. 

On behalf of The BrandLaureate, we would like to congratulate the Malaysian team and wish them good luck on their participation at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Here is the list of their names and the 10 sport categories.

1. SHOOTING - Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi (Women's individual 50m rifle three-position).

2. GOLF - Gavin Kyle Green (Men's golf); Kelly Tan (Women's golf).

3. ARCHERY - Khairul Anuar Mohamad (Men's individual recurve). Syaqiera Mashayikh, (Women's individual recurve).

4. GYMNASTICS - Farah Ann Abdul Hadi (Women's individual all-around artistic, and Jeremiah Loo Phay Xing (Men's individual all-around artistic).

5. TRACK CYCLING - Azizulhasni Awang (Men's sprint and Men's Keirin) and Shah Firdaus Sahrom (Men's sprint and Men's Keirin).

6. ATHLETICS - Lee Hup Wei (Men's high jump) and Azreen Nabila Alias (Women's 100m sprint).

7. SWIMMING - Welson Sim Wee Shieng (Women's 200m and 400m Freestyle) and Phee Jinq En, (Women's 100m and 200m Breaststroke).

8. SAILING - Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy (Men's Laser), Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif (Women's Laser Radial), Nuraisyah Jamil and Juni Noor Jamali (Women's 470).

9. DIVING - Nur Dhabitah Sabri (Women's individual 3m Springboard), Ng Yan Yee, (Women's individual 3m Springboard), Cheong Jun Hoong (Women's individual 10m platform), Pandalela Rinong (Women's individual 10m platform and Women's synchronised 10m platform) and Leong Mun Yee (Women's synchronised 10m platform)

10. BADMINTON - Chan Peng Soon, Goh Liu Ying, Chow Mei Kuan, Lee Meng Yean, Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, Soniia Cheah Su Ya & Lee Zii Jia.

Ever since the first modern Olympics was held in 1896 in Athens, it has only been disrupted three times before. 

The first time it happened was in 1916 due to the First World War, and then during the Second World War in 1940 and 1944, when they were cancelled altogether.

Despite this postponement, the upcoming games will still be referred to by their original name for marketing purposes, and will show "Tokyo 2020" on all of the winning medals.

Since the nation's official debut in 1956 under the name Malaya, Malaysian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of the United States-led boycott.

“Make the country proud! May your success be an inspiration to us all!” said DrKKJohan on behalf of The BrandLaureate.

TOP 10 Timeless Branding Terms

DO YOU know what are the Branding terms that inspire your employees, your customers, and your fans? What about your brand personality and brand promise to your customers and fans?

Consider these questions: What does your brand stand for? What values are synonymous with your Brand? What are the compelling benefits? And is there consistency each time you interact with your target audience?

Here is the Top 10 list of timeless branding terms that may help you and your team answer these important branding questions.

1.      BRAND AMBASSADOR: In the simplest form, all employees are brand ambassadors representing the community's brand.

2.      BRAND ARCHITECTURE: is the structure and names of brands within a portfolio, like a “family tree” of brands and sub-brands.

3.      BRAND AUDIT: This is a comprehensive exam to determine the health of a brand.

4.      BRAND EXPERIENCE: influences how customers feel about your brand through a simple but meaningful encounter which builds consumer trust and awareness.

5.      BRAND EXTENSION: brings the brand into a new category, sub-category, or industry (for example, when Coca-Cola sells Dasani water)

6.      BRAND PERSONALITY: is the brand image and identity expressed in terms of human characteristics (for example, the Energizer Bunny)

7.      BRAND POSITIONING: This is how a company positions itself within the industry to reach out to its target audience in terms of benefits, and differentiation.

8.      BRAND PROMISE: is the experience brand consumers and fans can expect to receive every single time they interact with a brand – the more an organization can deliver on that promise, the stronger the brand value in the mind of employees and customers

9.      BRAND STANDARDS/BRAND GUIDE is the standard by which a brand is communicated at all consumer touchpoints: from the logo usage specifications, color palettes, fonts, writing & design style, and other company-wide details.

10.   BRAND VOICE: This is how a brand is communicated to its audiences – whether written on a corporate website, social media or spoken over the phone. Once determined, this must be done invariably.

 

CONGRATULATIONS to Lionel Messi for winning the first Copa America 2021 (Argentina -1 vs Brazil - 0)

 CONGRATULATIONS to Lionel Messi, recipient of The BrandLaureate Legendary Award (Nov 2017), for winning the first Copa America with Argentina at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

Argentina won their first trophy since 1993 after defeating eternal rival Brazil 1-0 on Saturday in the 22nd minute, to win the Copa America title. It was Argentina’s first major tournament with Brazil, the two most powerful national teams in South America in the final of Copa America in Rio. 

The 2021 Copa America is Messi’s 10th major tournament with Argentina - comprised four World Cups and six editions of the competition to determine the champions of South America.

Lionel Andrés Messi, 34, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Argentina national team. He holds the record for over 500 senior career goals for club and country. He also won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues during a trophy-laden career at Barcelona.

EARLY DAYS

Born in June 24, 1987, Messi made his competitive debut at age 17 in 2004, and became the youngest Argentine to play and score in the 2005 FIFA World Cup Youth Championship -- finishing the tournament with the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

As the squad's captain from August 2011, Messi led Argentina to three consecutive finals -- the 2014 World Cup, for which he won the Golden Ball, and 2015, and 2016 Copas América. 

Considered one of the greatest footballers of all times, Messi is the only player in history to win five FIFA Ballon d'Or awards and the first to win three European Golden Shoes. 

As of 2017, Lionel Messi is worth an estimated $80 million, according to Forbes.com, and is well-deserving of The BrandLaureate Legendary award as a multi-faceted sportsman and one of the best soccer players in history

Read more: https://www.business-standard.com/article/sports/copa-america-2021-brazil-vs-argentina-final-live-match-time-and-telecast-details-in-india-today-121071000182_1.html

BLOGAZINE: http://thebrandlaureate.net/2017/11/23/argentine-footballer-lionel-messi-wins-thebrandlaureate-legendary-award-2017

DRKK'S SUCCESS QUOTE: “Take Charge, Take Control and Take Care of Your Brand.”

 “Take Charge, Take Control and Take Care of Your Brand.”  – DRKKJOHAN

When becoming an entrepreneur, one is literally taking charge of their own future. 

It means grabbing the wheel and growing something based on your beliefs. 

And the only way to do so is by being a front runner. 

As a leader, the buck stops with you. You must be willing to do what it takes to make it work.

Your decisions not only impact yourself, but those on this journey with you.

Being so, learning how to Take Control of your finances and business is extremely important. 

Taking Charge also means care and attention, as a wrong decision could result in losing money and time, so you must know where your priorities are. 

Take Charge and Take Care of Your Brand, to Take Control of Your Destiny.

Microsoft Unveils Windows 11 Operating System

Microsoft has unveiled Windows 11, its "Next Generation" operating system, at a virtual event recently. The new software will let Android apps run on the Windows desktop.

Product manager Panos Panay promised smaller, faster security updates --  and said they would happen in the background. Windows 11 will also let users configure multiple desktops for work, home, and gaming, like on a Mac.

Microsoft says there are currently about 1.3 billion devices running Windows 10. An early preview version of the new system was  released for app developers earlier this month.

Windows 11 will be available as a free update to existing Windows 10 users - although some devices will not have the right specifications. These include a minimum of 64 gigabytes of storage and 4 gigabytes of RAM.

One cosmetic change is putting the "Start" button at the bottom-centre of the screen rather than left-hand side.

In addition, Windows 11 will feature tighter integration with Microsoft's communications platform Teams. Xbox Games Pass, a subscription service offering access to hundreds of games, will also be pre-installed.

The tech giant said it would share more profits from its app store with creators and developers - as rival Apple continues to face challenges over its business model.

When Windows 10 launched in 2015, Microsoft said it would be the final version of the operating system. It has since announced Windows 10 will be retired in 2025.

Read more:

https://www.techradar.com/sg/news/windows-11-home-and-pro

COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY AND BRANDING

Colour psychology is the connection between colour and human emotion. The theory is, colours, whether they’re primary, secondary or tertiary, can evoke weird and wonderful psychological responses to humankind.

Kellogg's, Fanta, McDonalds, Spotify, Dell and Cadburys - well-known brands that all utilise different elements of the colour wheel.

Responses to colours can vary from person to person with some more evolutionary, some personal and others cultural.

That said, in general, colours tend to trigger the same sort of emotions in all of us. For example, red represents love, passion and anger, whereas green  tends to make people feel calm and at one with nature.

It’s this knowledge that designers apply when generating colour schemes for organisations in consideration of how the business wants people to feel about their brand.

Here is a list of colours that may represent the color of your brand. How do they make you feel? Would you agree to the list below?

·        Red (primary colour) - Passion, love, anger

·        Orange (secondary colour) - Energy, happiness

·        Yellow (primary colour) - Happiness, hope

·        Cool colours and their associations

·        Green (secondary colour) - Nature, abundance

·        Blue (primary colour) - Calm, sadness, trustworthy

·        Purple (secondary colour) - Creative, wealth

·        Neutral colours and their associations

·        Black - Elegant, formal

·        White - Clean, pure

·        Grey - Formal, conservative

·        Brown - Wholesome, nature

·        Tan and beige - Devotion, conservative

·        Cream and ivory - Calm, elegant

Top 10 Smartwatches to Keep You Fit and Connected

FOR  many people, smartwatches have become an essential accessory— they monitor your health, keep you on track for fitness goals and even let you make digital payments at the checkout and listen to music without your phone.

The right smartwatch can help you stay connected, informed and on track for your fitness goals.

And there’s one for you out there -- from budget watches, style-forward models, fitness-focused smartwatches, and more, here are the 11 best smartwatches you can get right now.

1.Apple Watch Series 6

It’s something of a cliché to call the Apple Watch Series 6 the best Apple Watch yet— but if the price is no object, the Series 6 is a worthy investment. It has all the great features from the Series 5, including the always-on display, plus the all-new SpO2 blood-oxygen sensor. It also has faster charging, which comes in handy for the new sleep tracking feature.   

2. Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 has a lot to offer, including an innovative rotating bezel to spin through apps, notifications, music, and more. You can get there using the on-screen menus and runs with an excellent Tizen o/98perating system with a wealth of health and fitness features.

3.  Motorola Moto 360 3rd Generation

The Moto 360 is the one you want if the style is your key criteria. The classic round display with a stainless steel bezel, always-on display, tasteful watch faces, and optional leather band make this watch look good on any wrist.  You can also opt for a silicone strap that’s well-suited to exercise.

4. Kate Spade New York Scallop 2

What do you get when a major women’s fashion brand combines fashion and tech? The “Scallop” is the answer, which makes sense as its most noticeable feature is the sculpting around the watch face.  It’s also one of the smallest and lightest smartwatches you can find, weighing just 8 ounces. If you’re so inclined, you can even use the “Choose Your Look” app to make the watch face match the color of your outfit each day.

5. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

Clocking in at a budget price tag, this watch is exciting because it gets the smart Tizen OS -- a great rotating bezel for quick access to the watch’s major features, and even the same ECG, VO2 Max, and fall detection. This is a superb health and fitness watch for Android owners. There’s also menstrual tracking for those in need.

6. Apple Watch SE

If you’re shopping for an Apple Watch right now, you have more choices than usual, since there’s a new flagship (the Series 6), a budget model (the Series 3) and Apple Watch SE all available. For a mid-range price tag, you get most of the features found in the iPhone Series 5 and Series 6 except the always-on display, ECG and SpO2 sensors.

7. Fitbit Versa 3

A powerhouse fitness-focused smartwatch, Fitbit has exercise and tracking down to a science. The Versa 3 has GPS on-board, besides the obligatory heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, with waterproofing, you can take to the shower or pool. Overall, it seems to do everything, from great battery life to health, fitness, and notification duties.

8. Verizon GizmoWatch 2

Depending on the age of your child, you may want a kids’ smartwatch as a tracking device. This watch is relatively rugged and has an IP67 rating. Your kids can make calls and text as well. Perhaps the most important feature for parents is its tracking ability—you can see exactly where your kid is anytime from a mobile app on your phone. You can also geofence your kid and get alerts when he or she leaves the area you specified.

9. Garmin Vivoactive 4

If you are serious about your fitness routine and you are an Android user, there may be no better watch than the Garmin Vivoactive 4. It’s hard not to love the on-screen animated exercise demonstrations, including Pilates and yoga routines. It also includes Garmin Pay (contactless payments like Apple Pay or Android Pay).

 

10. AmazFit Bip S Smartwatch

There are budget smartwatches, and then there are budget smartwatches. For well under US$100, the AmazFit Bip S is a stunningly good value. It has all the most important features including heart rate monitoring, water-resistance up to 5 ATMs, built-in GPS, a slew of exercise tracking modes and more. It does all this with impressive 40-day battery life, one of the longest of any smartwatch.

 (Reference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2021/03/11/best-smartwatches/?sh=18706e838c1a)

 

Corporate Branding And Customer Perception

BRANDING gives products an identity. People know the mission and values of a company through its products and services.

A recent survey reveals that the type of branding most consumers were most likely to encounter over the past year were: Product branding: 39%, Retail branding: 37% and Service branding: 31%

Branding also captures a company's personality and characteristics. For example, Apple Store with its signature sleek, minimalist design, is an example of a distinct retail experience that reflects the values of the company.

Retail Branding affects people’s opinion of the company from the layout of their store to the virtual design of their website, because it aligns their brand goals with people's shopping behaviours.

The principles of retail branding should also be applied to the growing field of e-commerce.

Matthew Paxton, founder of Hypernia, a guide to video gaming servers and consoles said: "When consumers are shopping online they are looking for convenience and tools that assure them they are making the best purchasing decisions possible."

Therefore, a website's layout design and loading speed help contribute to the user’s experience, and affect whether the consumer will buy the products or not.

Finally, Service Branding happens through word of mouth as one-third of people (36%) say the last time they hired a company or booked a service, was because they heard about it from an acquaintance.

AIRCAR: Futuristic Flying Car Takes to the Sky

The AirCar by Slovakia-based company Klein Vision completed a 35-minute journey from Nitra to Bratislava in the country at around 6am on Monday morning.

Using wings that fold away in less than three minutes and a propeller at its rear, the dual-transportation vehicle has now completed more than 40 hours of test flights.

It runs on fuel from a regular petrol station and is fitted with a 160-brake horsepower BMW engine.

It has flown at 2,500 metres with a cruising speed of 190 kilometres per hour.

Its creators say the AirCar's new, pre-production model will be capable of cruising speeds of 300km/h and of flying distances of just over 965 kilometres.

AirCar inventor Professor Stefan Klein said: "This flight starts a new era of dual-transportation vehicles. It opens a new category of transportation and returns the freedom originally attributed to cars back to the individual,"

Meanwhile Michael Cole, the president and chief executive of South Korean car maker Hyundai's European operations, said that flying cars will be deployed in cities by the end of the decade.

"We think that by the latter part of this decade certainly, urban air mobility will offer great opportunity to free up congestion in cities, to help with emissions, whether that's intra-city mobility in the air or whether it's even between cities," he told a conference organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

VIDEO: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/30/business/flying-car-flight-slovakia-scli-intl/index.html

Read more: https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/motoring-news/race-for-flying-cars-gathers-speed/news-story/4684c06bceebadc7a081ba480d5586b3

 

Top 10 Social Media Trends in 2021

Here is a list of Top 10 social media trends that will rule the year in 2021. Adapting to these new trends will help businesses gain better engagement and improved online visibility, amidst fierce competition.

If you haven’t adapted to these new trends, it’s time you do so to leverage your Brand on social media, and stay ahead of the competition.

1.        LIVE Videos -- With a majority of Brands focusing on video marketing to promote their business, live videos are becoming more popular on Social Media in 2021. Brands and celebrities are now exploring live videos frequently to create opportunities for bonding with their audience and customers.

2.        Stories – This trending short-duration content that disappears within 24 hours of posting, AKA Facebook and Instagram Stories, is elevating engagement with its fun and ephemeral contents to give customers a sneak-peek into their world.

3.        Chatbots -- As many brands don’t have the facility to provide 24X7 support to their customers, these AI-powered chatbots are a welcome addition to the dream team to improve brand-customer relationships by answering your queries and concerns, and offering you the best solutions within seconds.

4.        Augmented Reality (AR) -- Many e-commerce companies have adapted AR-powered shopping to allow users to try-on products before purchasing them. On the other hand, affordable VR gears are now available to enable users to enjoy an immersive gaming experience in virtual space.

5.         Influencer Marketing -- Big brands are now collaborating with micro-influencers and niche bloggers to bring inclusivity and transparency in their marketing efforts, through a series of social media promotion posts -- with long-form content, how-to videos, demos, and photo stories.

6.         Local Targeting -- Local brands are finding ways to connect with their target audience to build brand awareness and gain popularity by geo-tagging their social media posts and stories. Just like local SEO, local targeting has become prevalent in 2021, and will continue to be in the coming years.

7.        Twitter News Portal -- Twitter has prioritized news stories from around the world, and it is now expected to rise as a mainstream news media platform with a stricter check on fake news, allowing only those that are 100% authentic to form reliable news sources.

8.        The Death of Instagram Likes -- In 2021, Instagram has initiated an experiment to make the LIKE counts private for some users, and this may be the year where digital marketing professionals need to shift their focus from LIKES  as an indication of success,  to engagement, and the quality of their content.

9. User-generated Content -- Many brands have started leveraging on UGC as social proof of the quality of their products and services. UGC is entirely authentic, as brands don’t have control over what users might say or post. And it is the most trustworthy source of information to boost their engagement rate further.

10. Social Media Communities -- The growth of social media communities is on the rise this year. These forums are very useful in getting customer feedback and suggestions to carry out discussions, resolve grievances, and share personalized content that customers love.

In the future, brands may use these exclusive online communities to get feedback on new products before launching them, and gain much richer customer insights at every step of their business journey.