Britain bans Calvin Klein ad featuring FKA Twigs
Britain's Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Calvin Klein poster campaign featuring singer FKA Twigs. The photos featured the artist posing naked with a denim shirt draped over half her body, accompanied by the words “Calvins or nothing.”
According to The New York Times, the ASA investigated two complaints surrounding the poster campaign, which also featured Kendall Jenner. One investigation focused on whether the ads were “offensive and irresponsible, because they objectified women;" while another attempted to address whether they were "inappropriate for display in an untargeted medium.”
The group ultimately ruled that the ad presented Twigs as a “stereotypical sexual object,” whereas the two images of Jenner, one showing her topless in jeans and another showing her lying on her back, wearing underwear, and pulling down a pair of jeans past her hips were deemed “No more than mildly sexual.”
The decision also follows the release of Jeremy Allen White’s recent Calvin Klein campaign, which depicts the actor exercising on a New York rooftop in briefs.
Calvin Klein defended the banned ad, stating that it was similar to ads they had been publishing in the UK for many years. FKA Twigs also shared a response on Instagram, writing “I do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labeled me. I see a beautiful, strong woman of colour, whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.”
Netflix's ad tier has 23 million users
Netflix’s ad-supported tier has attracted more than 23 million monthly users since its launch, says the streamer’s president of advertising, Amy Reinhard. That’s represents an 8 million increase in about two months, says CNN.
Netflix launched its ad-based plan in 12 markets, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, and the U.K., in 2022. In an October letter to shareholders, it said that ad memberships in the third quarter increased nearly 70% over the prior quarter, accounting for about 30% of all new sign-ups.
Speaking at the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES last week, Reinhard said that the company is taking a long-term perspective of its ad business. “Scaling our business is absolutely our biggest priority right now, but we want to make sure we’re doing that in a meaningful way for the members,” she said.
In its letter, the company said that its immediate priority is building its ad tier base so that the service becomes an “essential buy” for advertisers. “While we have much work to do to build out this business, we’re making good progress and laying the foundation for what we believe should be a multi-billion-dollar revenue stream over time.”
The world's first trillionaire is just years away, says Oxfam
Anti-poverty organization Oxfam says that if current trends persist, the world could see its first trillionaire within a decade.
Timed to coincide with the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Oxfam's Inequality Inc. report says that the world's five richest men have more than doubled their wealth since 2020, from $405 billion to $869 billion. At the same time, nearly five billion people have been made poorer.
According to the report, seven of the world's 10 biggest corporations have a billionaire as CEO or principal shareholder. These companies are worth $10.2 trillion, which is more than the combined GDP of all the countries in Africa and Latin America ($9.4 trillion), says Oxfam.
“We’re witnessing the beginnings of a decade of division, with billions of people shouldering the economic shockwaves of pandemic, inflation and war, while billionaires’ fortunes boom," said Oxfam International's interim executive director Amitabh Behar in a release. "This inequality is no accident; the billionaire class is ensuring corporations deliver more wealth to them at the expense of everyone else.”
AI will affect about 40% of all jobs: IMF
The rise of AI has left the world on the brink of a "technological revolution" that is poised to jumpstart productivity, boost global growth, and raise incomes around the world, says the IMF. However, the global body also cautions in a new study that it has the potential to replace jobs and deepen inequality.
According to IMF estimates, AI will affect about 40% of all jobs around the world, "replacing some and complementing others." It said that a careful balance of polices is necessary in order to tap its potential.
While automation and IT have traditionally affected routine tasks, one of the things that sets AI apart is its potential to affect high-skill jobs. That means advanced economies face "greater risks" from AI, but also more opportunities to capitalize on its benefits.
The IMF says that up to 60% of jobs in advanced economies could be affected, with roughly half benefiting from AI integration, enhancing productivity. The other half may see AI applications executing "key tasks" currently performed by humans, lowering labour demand and leading to lower wages and reduced hiring. "In the most extreme cases, some of these jobs may disappear," it says.
Google begins 2024 with mass layoffs
Google laid off hundreds of employees in a reorganization effort spanning several divisions last week. According to The New York Times, the cuts affected workers in core engineering as well as some working on the Google Assistant product and hardware like the Pixel phone, Fitbit watches, and Nest thermostat.
Amazon also laid off hundreds of people last week, from its Audible, Twitch, MGM Studios, and Prime Video units.
Google told the Times that most of the hardware cuts were directed at teams working on augmented reality, in an effort to lower expenses as the company pivots towards artificial intelligence. The losses are small relative to last January, when parent company Alphabet cut 12,000 employees—the largest layoffs the company has conducted.
In response, the Alphabet Workers Union, a group representing more than 1,400 workers at the tech company, stated in a post on X that "our members and teammates work hard every day to build great products for our users, and the company cannot continue to fire our co-workers while making billions every quarter.”
Britain's Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Calvin Klein poster campaign featuring singer FKA Twigs. The photos featured the artist posing naked with a denim shirt draped over half her body, accompanied by the words “Calvins or nothing.”
According to The New York Times, the ASA investigated two complaints surrounding the poster campaign, which also featured Kendall Jenner. One investigation focused on whether the ads were “offensive and irresponsible, because they objectified women;" while another attempted to address whether they were "inappropriate for display in an untargeted medium.”
The group ultimately ruled that the ad presented Twigs as a “stereotypical sexual object,” whereas the two images of Jenner, one showing her topless in jeans and another showing her lying on her back, wearing underwear, and pulling down a pair of jeans past her hips were deemed “No more than mildly sexual.”
The decision also follows the release of Jeremy Allen White’s recent Calvin Klein campaign, which depicts the actor exercising on a New York rooftop in briefs.
Calvin Klein defended the banned ad, stating that it was similar to ads they had been publishing in the UK for many years. FKA Twigs also shared a response on Instagram, writing “I do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labeled me. I see a beautiful, strong woman of colour, whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.”
Netflix's ad tier has 23 million users
Netflix’s ad-supported tier has attracted more than 23 million monthly users since its launch, says the streamer’s president of advertising, Amy Reinhard. That’s represents an 8 million increase in about two months, says CNN.
Netflix launched its ad-based plan in 12 markets, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, and the U.K., in 2022. In an October letter to shareholders, it said that ad memberships in the third quarter increased nearly 70% over the prior quarter, accounting for about 30% of all new sign-ups.
Speaking at the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES last week, Reinhard said that the company is taking a long-term perspective of its ad business. “Scaling our business is absolutely our biggest priority right now, but we want to make sure we’re doing that in a meaningful way for the members,” she said.
In its letter, the company said that its immediate priority is building its ad tier base so that the service becomes an “essential buy” for advertisers. “While we have much work to do to build out this business, we’re making good progress and laying the foundation for what we believe should be a multi-billion-dollar revenue stream over time.”
The world's first trillionaire is just years away, says Oxfam
Anti-poverty organization Oxfam says that if current trends persist, the world could see its first trillionaire within a decade.
Timed to coincide with the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Oxfam's Inequality Inc. report says that the world's five richest men have more than doubled their wealth since 2020, from $405 billion to $869 billion. At the same time, nearly five billion people have been made poorer.
According to the report, seven of the world's 10 biggest corporations have a billionaire as CEO or principal shareholder. These companies are worth $10.2 trillion, which is more than the combined GDP of all the countries in Africa and Latin America ($9.4 trillion), says Oxfam.
“We’re witnessing the beginnings of a decade of division, with billions of people shouldering the economic shockwaves of pandemic, inflation and war, while billionaires’ fortunes boom," said Oxfam International's interim executive director Amitabh Behar in a release. "This inequality is no accident; the billionaire class is ensuring corporations deliver more wealth to them at the expense of everyone else.”
AI will affect about 40% of all jobs: IMF
The rise of AI has left the world on the brink of a "technological revolution" that is poised to jumpstart productivity, boost global growth, and raise incomes around the world, says the IMF. However, the global body also cautions in a new study that it has the potential to replace jobs and deepen inequality.
According to IMF estimates, AI will affect about 40% of all jobs around the world, "replacing some and complementing others." It said that a careful balance of polices is necessary in order to tap its potential.
While automation and IT have traditionally affected routine tasks, one of the things that sets AI apart is its potential to affect high-skill jobs. That means advanced economies face "greater risks" from AI, but also more opportunities to capitalize on its benefits.
The IMF says that up to 60% of jobs in advanced economies could be affected, with roughly half benefiting from AI integration, enhancing productivity. The other half may see AI applications executing "key tasks" currently performed by humans, lowering labour demand and leading to lower wages and reduced hiring. "In the most extreme cases, some of these jobs may disappear," it says.
Google begins 2024 with mass layoffs
Google laid off hundreds of employees in a reorganization effort spanning several divisions last week. According to The New York Times, the cuts affected workers in core engineering as well as some working on the Google Assistant product and hardware like the Pixel phone, Fitbit watches, and Nest thermostat.
Amazon also laid off hundreds of people last week, from its Audible, Twitch, MGM Studios, and Prime Video units.
Google told the Times that most of the hardware cuts were directed at teams working on augmented reality, in an effort to lower expenses as the company pivots towards artificial intelligence. The losses are small relative to last January, when parent company Alphabet cut 12,000 employees—the largest layoffs the company has conducted.
In response, the Alphabet Workers Union, a group representing more than 1,400 workers at the tech company, stated in a post on X that "our members and teammates work hard every day to build great products for our users, and the company cannot continue to fire our co-workers while making billions every quarter.”
—With files from Emma Johnston-Wheeler
