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Cultural relevance has never been more important or desired by brands and marketers than it is right now. As fragmented as our media landscape has become, a brand with cultural relevance is better at attracting our attention and, importantly, keeping it. Why? Because we care. We talk to our friends and family about it. We engage in online and IRL communities about it. So if a brand can genuinely embed itself in that experience, or make that experience better, more interesting, helpful, or entertaining, then it’s really earning our attention. A new report from global ad agency network TBWA takes a deep dive into 39 cultural shifts happening around the world, and categorizes them for marketers to learn more and potentially tap into. The goal of the report is to arm brands with the necessary information to make better decisions when it comes to how they show up in culture. The agency calls these shifts “edges,” which it defines as “global shifts with the scale and longevity to help brands turn cultural blur into business opportunities.” The shifts in this year’s report range from generative AI to sustainability, and personal development to survivalism. TBWA’s global chief strategy officer Jen Costello says one thing that stuck out from this year’s research was the idea of culture rot, in which content and culture are confused for one another. The former is just regurgitating what’s already out there, while the latter has more influence and impact. For Costello, too many brands are focusing on content over actual culture. “Brands and creators are churning out this endless stream of stuff, much of which isn’t actually landing, making a difference, or shifting how people are actually living in the real world,” says Costello. New shifts Most brands are chasing cultural relevance by mimicking the latest buzzword or online micro-trend. TBWA’s report argues that this endless stream of what it calls “copy-and-paste content” is contributing to the culture rot. The challenge is for brands to stop trying to please the algorithm and start using cultural insights to actively contribute to the human experience. “There’s nothing inherently wrong about toying around in the language of the internet,” says Costello. “It’s quick, it’s fun, and it typically doesn’t make a huge dent one way or another. The bigger deal is the longer term view. We think culture is the biggest opportunity for brands, but it can also be the biggest threat if you don’t harness it correctly.” Three new shifts found in this year’s report are what the agency calls “Eco-Realism,” “Maturity Paradox,” and “Transparency Receipts.” Advertising buzzwords? Maybe, but they’re also rooted in real human behavior. “Eco-Realism” is about how environmental action plans are taking a turn for the practical. It comes as a growing number of corporations scale back their previous sustainability targets, and common practices like carbon offsetting and tree planting are exposed as not-so-effective distractions. The report predicts that vague ambitions will be better replaced by more affordable, scalable, and readily available solutions. “Maturity Paradox” is about the decoupling of age and maturity. The report anticipates that behaviors and expectations tied to certain age groups will no longer be relevant and impact how brands target and design for different generations. Psychographics over demographics. “Transparency Receipts,” meanwhile, are about how supply chain transparency is gaining traction as more shoppers are demanding a peek behind the curtain. This is being met by better traceability with technologies like blockchain and RFID tags, and upcoming laws like the Europe’s Digital Product Passport Regulations. The report advises brands to proactively provide clear proof of a product’s social and environmental impact. It was surprising to hear about these new shifts, particularly on the environment and supply chain transparency, as companies have significantly turned the volume dial way down in talking about these issues. Costello says that it’s not that these issues have become less important to consumers, but that our BS detectors were being set off much too frequently. “I’d say eco-realism and transparency receipts are almost direct reactions to the bullshit,” she says. “People are no longer impressed with the flashy buzzwords or one-off sustainability stunts that are made for Instagram. Their trust has been diminished. Now people want to be taken behind the scenes more. They want to be given the facts. There’s a pragmatism or a practicality coming into place now.” Shift impact Reports are only helpful if the information is actually useful and utilized in practice. Costello points to work like Levi’s and McDonald’s as examples of how her agency has used culture in client work for maximum impact. Last year, the agency worked with Levi’s to remake a classic ad, this time starring Beyoncé. Bey starred in an updated version of the 1985 ad “Laundrette,” tying it into her award-winning album Cowboy Carter, which included a track called “Levii’s Jeans.” In Japan, Gen Z makes up 60% of McDonald’s workforce. But applications were steadily decreasing. The agency found Gen Z disliked being forced to smile as McDonald’s employees. So they created a campaign that included an original song with the artist ano, who is known for not smiling, and revitalized the brand’s recruitment. It increased job applicants by 115%. “I want to see more brands become rabbit holes of inspiration, fun, and experience for people, rather than just seeking it out,” says Costello. “I want to see them choosing paths and sticking with it. I want to see them building around fandom for obsessive fans.” View the full article

Discover seven ways AdClarity – Advertising Intelligence refines your ad strategy, from analyzing competitors‘ ad spend to decoding top campaigns and spotting global market opportunities. View the full article

Six skills that an auditor needs. By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. View the full article

Six skills that an auditor needs. By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. View the full article

Participants with type 2 diabetes had an average weight loss of 15.7 per cent after 68 weeks on CagriSema View the full article

By CPA Trendlines Research High-income clients have special needs. They want strategic guidance beyond basic compliance and tax preparation. MORE Listicles here Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today. For obvious reasons, they deserve the … Continued Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

By CPA Trendlines Research High-income clients have special needs. They want strategic guidance beyond basic compliance and tax preparation. MORE Listicles here Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today. For obvious reasons, they deserve the … Continued Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Nigel Higgins tells court that information which has come to light ‘paints a different picture’ of nature of tiesView the full article

While many X-pats have flocked to alternatives like Bluesky and Threads, there are still plenty of users checking Elon Musk's infamous platform. If you're one of them, you might have noticed something odd today: X is down. Depending on when you see this article, X may be back up and running. But multiple times Monday morning, the platform was unreachable. According to Downdetector, most of the complaints funneled in at three peaks: The first came around 5:41 a.m., the second at 10:11 a.m., and the third around 11:11 a.m., which is when I initially noticed the issues. There are a large number of reports associated with event, as well. Scanning through the Downdetector graph, it appears as though users have issued over 150,000 reports at the time of this article. When I tried to access twitter.com (muscle memory and pettiness refuse to let me type x.com into my browser's address bar) the site tried loading for quite a while, before returning the following error screen: Credit: Lifehacker There's no telling why the site has been having so many technical issues this morning—other than the fact it's run by a fraction of the staff it used to have—but it's not the first time the site has gone down under Musk's watch. Last May, the site had similar issues staying afloat, which the X team resolved in due time. The same will likely occur today, though in the meantime, enjoy your much-deserved break from X. View the full article

The van makes its way slowly but surely through the city streets, braking gently when a car swerves into its lane. But its steering wheel is turning on its own, and there’s no one in the driver’s seat. The driverless technology from Nissan Motor Corp., which uses 14 cameras, nine radars, and six LiDar sensors installed in and around the vehicle, highlights Japan’s eagerness to catch up with players like Google’s Waymo that have taken the lead in the U.S. Japan, home to the world’s top automakers, has not kept pace with the global shift to autonomous driving, so far led by China and the U.S. But momentum is building. Waymo is going to land in Japan this year. Details haven’t been disclosed, but it has a partnership with major cab company Nihon Kotsu, which will oversee and manage their all-electric Jaguar I-PACE sport-utility vehicles, first in the Tokyo area, still with a human cab driver riding along. During Nissan’s demonstration, the streets were bustling with other cars and pedestrians. The vehicle stayed within the maximum speed limit in the area of 40 kph (25 mph), its destination set with a smartphone app. Takeshi Kimura, the Mobility and AI Laboratory engineer at Nissan, insists an automaker is more adept at integrating self-driving technology with the overall workings of a car — simply because it knows cars better. “How the sensors must be adapted to the car’s movements, or to monitor sensors and computers to ensure reliability and safety requires an understanding of the auto system overall,” he said during a recent demonstration that took reporters on a brief ride. Nissan’s technology, being tested on its Serena minivan, is still technically at the industry’s Level Two because a person sits before a remote-control panel in a separate location outside the vehicle, in this case, at the automaker’s headquarters, and is ready to step in if the technology fails. Nissan also has a human sitting in the front passenger seat during the test rides, who can take over the driving, if needed. Unless there is a problem, the people in the remote control room and the passenger seat are doing nothing. Nissan plans to have 20 such vehicles moving in the Yokohama area in the next couple of years, with the plan to reach Level Four, which means no human involvement even as backup, by 2029 or 2030. Autonomous vehicles can serve a real need given the nation’s shrinking population, including a shortage of drivers. Other companies are working on the technology in Japan, including startups like Tier IV, which is pushing an open source collaboration on autonomous driving technology. So far, Japan has approved the use of so-called Level Four autonomous vehicles in a rural area in Fukui Prefecture, but those look more like golf carts. A Level Four bus is scuttling around a limited area near Tokyo’s Haneda airport. But its maximum speed is 12 kmph (7.5 mph). Nissan’s autonomous vehicle is a real car, capable of all its mechanical workings and speed levels. Toyota Motor Corp. recently showed its very own “city” or living area for its workers and partnering startups, near Mount Fuji, being built especially to test various technology, including autonomous driving. Progress has been cautious. University of Tokyo Professor Takeo Igarashi, who specializes in computer and information technology, believes challenges remain because it’s human nature to be more alarmed by accidents with driverless vehicles than regular crashes. “In human driving, the driver takes responsibility. It’s so clear. But nobody is driving so you don’t know who will take responsibility,” Igarashi told The Associated Press. “In Japan, the expectation for commercial services is very high. The customer expects perfect quality for any service — restaurants or drivers or anything. This kind of auto-driving is a service form a company, and everybody expects high quality and perfection. Even a small mistake is not acceptable.” Nissan says its technology is safe. After all, a human can’t be looking at the front, the back and all around at the same time. But the driverless car can, with all its sensors. When a system failure happened during the recent demonstration, the car just came to a stop and all was well. Phil Koopman, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, believes the autonomous vehicle industry is just getting started. The main problem is what’s known as “edge cases,” those rare but dangerous situations that the machine has not yet been taught to respond to. Using autonomous fleets of a significant size for some time is needed for such edge cases to be learned, he said. “We will see each city require special engineering efforts and the creation of a special remote support center. This will be a city-by-city deployment for many years,” said Koopman. “There is no magic switch.” Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama —Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Ever since Apple released the latest Apple Watch Series 10 earlier in September, it has been steadily dropping in price; it's currently sitting at $299 (originally $399) after a $100 drop, the lowest price yet, according to price-tracking tools. This price is for the 42mm case, 130 to 180mm size bands, in black, denim, and rose-gold case colors. The bigger 46mm case is down to $329 (originally $429), also the lowest price yet after a $100 discount. Memory Storage Capacity: 64 GB, Connectivity Technology: GPS, Screen Size: 42 Millimeters Apple Watch Series 10 [GPS 42mm case] $299.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $399.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $299.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $399.00 Save $100.00 Memory Storage Capacity: 64 GB, Connectivity Technology: GPS, Screen Size: 46 Millimeters Apple Watch Series 10 [GPS 46mm case] $329.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $429.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $329.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $429.00 Save $100.00 SEE -1 MORE The Apple Watch Series 10 is the best Apple Watch for most people and a great replacement if you're still wearing the more budget SE, according to Lifehacker associate tech editor Michelle Ehrhardt's review. There are also some key upgrades from the Apple Watch 9, although they're less noticeable than previous Apple watch upgrades. If you're curious to know how it compares to other flagship smartwatches, you can check out our head-to-head comparison post here. Some of the first things you'll notice on the Series 10 are a thinner case and a bigger OLED screen (either 1.6 inches or 1.8 inches, depending on which size you get). Unlike the Series 9, which could only take calls on the speaker, the Series 10 has audio playback, meaning you can listen to podcasts or Spotify on its speakers. The sleep features were also improved, with a notification that gets triggered by sleep apnea symptoms. There are also new depth and water temperature sensors that automatically turn on when you go underwater, a feature that used to be unique to the more premium Apple Watch Ultra series. The battery will last you anywhere between 18 and 36 hours, depending on your use. You still get the same fitness features, heart rate monitor, and sleep tracker from previous models—but still no blood oxygen sensor. View the full article

By now everyone knows that scrolling social media isn’t exactly good for you. But did you know it might be making you sweat? Researchers from the psychology department at Durham University tracked the physiological responses of scrolling on social media and found a rather strange side effect. The researchers asked 54 young adults to browse Instagram for 15 minutes while monitoring their heart rate and their skin conductance (which would tell how much sweat they produced). Compared to reading a news article on a phone, they found scrolling Instagram made people’s heart rates slow down and, simultaneously, made them sweat more. From the control group, who just read the news article, they could tell it was not being on the phone or reading that was causing this response. It was something about social media. Researchers found that the physiological responses were present in all participants, regardless of how they scored on a questionnaire that assessed the symptoms of social media addiction. When participants were purposefully interrupted from their scrolling, rather than snapping out of the excitement and returning to a calmer state, participants continued to sweat and their heart rates increased. When they were asked to completely disconnect, participants reported being stressed and anxious. They even reported having cravings for social media at that moment. Such bodily and psychological stress responses are similar to those addicts experience when going through substance withdrawal. Most Americans don’t need another reason to want to cut down on screen time. Over half (53%) of Americans say they want to cut down on phone usage in 2025 (33% more than in 2023), with people spending an average of 5 hours and 16 minutes per day on their phones—a 14% increase from the 4 hours and 37 minutes people reported in 2024. While researchers didn’t attempt to answer the question of whether we’ve developed a physical addiction to social media, the study does suggest that social media indeed has addictive elements. My screen time could’ve told you that. View the full article

Project management is the planning & organizing of resources to achieve a specific goal. Learn about types and examples to get started. The post What is Project Management? Definition, Types & Examples appeared first on project-management.com. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. A reader writes: I’m a volunteer for an after-school program for high schoolers interested in my profession (similar to, say, a robotics team). I’m a woman in my mid-20s, and one of the kids is a 16-year-old boy we’ll call Marvin. Marvin is a very bright and hardworking kid who excels academically (AP classes, honor society) and works at a fast food place. He is also what some would call a “nerdy outcast” and only has a few acquaintances his own age. He gets along much better with teachers than other students, and I’m no exception. I was exactly like him when I was his age and remembered the deep relationships I had with my teachers, so I’ve steadily become his de facto mentor. We talk about club-related things, but he also vents to me about his troubles and info-dumps about his hobbies and interests (some of which I share). When I arrived home one day, I opened my bag to find a box and a red envelope. Unfortunately, Marvin had left me a Hallmark card with a long-winded confession of feelings for me, and in the box was a ring with a diamond look-alike. The next time I saw him, I pulled him aside out of view from the others, and I gently told him that while I was flattered, as an adult, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to be his girlfriend, although I’m very grateful to have him as a student. I asked how much he paid for the ring, and he said that he had bought it at a pawn shop for $500 with his own money from his job. I told him that someday, there would be a woman his own age who would appreciate the thought, but that he should return it. I gave him back the ring and the card, and although he was clearly sullen, he gave me a quiet “sorry” and returned to work with the others. A few days passed before the teacher who runs the volunteer group scheduled a meeting with me and Marvin’s parents. His parents had discovered the withdrawn $500 from Marvin’s checking account, and they had found the card and receipt from the pawn shop in his room. After questioning him, he confessed that he had given them to me and that I had rejected him. His parents went to the teacher to ask if he knew about this, and they scheduled the meeting to ask me. I confirmed to them exactly what had happened, and both the parents and teacher were mad that I didn’t tell them. I said that I didn’t tell them because I trusted Marvin to take the rejection with grace since he was more mature than the other students, which I felt he did. I also said that I figured the rejection would be enough of a lesson for him, and that letting anyone else know about it would be needlessly humiliating, especially for a good kid like him. The $500 was confirmed to be his own money, too, so all the financial consequences were his own to deal with without extra judgment needed from others. The teacher and parents seemed to take issue with my response, and after the parents left, the teacher told me that he would have to schedule a separate meeting to discuss my standing as a volunteer. I was completely taken aback by their responses and left speechless by the teacher’s mention of my standing. I never had an issue with the teacher before this. Marvin had admitted to his parents himself that I had rejected him, but the parents and teacher acted like this was something I had encouraged for nefarious reasons. Marvin is just an odd one out in the cruel Mad Max thunderdome that is high school, so anything social is scary. I was just trying to make it easier for him. This will probably turn into one of those embarrassing memories that keeps Marvin up at night in 10 years, so I didn’t want to rub salt on his wound. Did I do something wrong? With the caveat that I don’t work in education and so am answering this as someone outside the field (but who has been licensed to work with teens): yes, I think you should have proactively reported what happened to the teacher who manages you as a volunteer, for your own protection. Teenagers don’t always handle rejection with grace — hell, plenty of adults don’t handle rejection with grace — and as an adult trusted to work with kids, it’s important to make sure stuff like this is documented somewhere in case there’s any question later about what happened. I do appreciate your desire to protect Marvin’s privacy and 100% believe you acted with the best of intentions … but again, adult / kid / rejection — there’s just too much risk for something to get misunderstood or told differently later. That might get more intuitive if you swap the genders and think about whether you’d tell an adult man to keep a student’s advances secret. Keeping it secret might feel respectful to the student, but there’s too much risk to that. (An example of that from your letter: “the parents and teacher acted like this was something I had encouraged for nefarious reasons.”) The $500 is an added complication, because that’s a lot of money (for anyone, but especially for a teenager). You were right to tell him to return the ring, but the price is another factor raising the stakes and pushing the situation past something you should handle on your own. Ideally you would have talked to the teacher who oversees you, shared what happened, explained your desire not to embarrass Marvin any further, and asked about policies or best practices for handling the situation. Not looping in the organization you’re working for is where you went wrong. For what it’s worth, the organization you’re volunteering for is also to blame if they didn’t give you training that covered the sorts of things you should report and not attempt to handle on your own. Outside adults shouldn’t be thrown together with kids without some pretty intensive training about things that need to be reported and the limits of confidentiality, so the organization is also in the wrong for leaving you unprepared and then blaming you when you didn’t get it quite right. View the full article

March 10, 2025 Hey folks, Who's watching the new season of The White Lotus? What if you could stay in paradise, minus the murder mystery subplot? Turns out, you can! Keep reading for the latest news on digital nomad visas and more 😉 Vic Our Favorite Articles 💯Software Engineers Share Their Best Tips For Landing a Coding Job In Tech (Business Insider)Engineers from Google and Microsoft share strategies to stand out in a crowded job market using creativity and experience. Use Brave to ​read this​ (let me know if you need to know how!) How to Build Your Own AI Assistant (HBR)Learn to build your own AI assistant to, for example, automate applications, track leads, and stay organized. ​Check it out.​ Wharton Psychologist Adam Grant: How To Rethink The Work Day - And The Soft Skill Future Leaders Need (WEF)​Watch/listen/read the transcript​ of this super interesting podcast episode with Adam Grant. 43 Countries Offering Digital Nomad Visas in 2025 (Remotive)We rounded up everything you need to know about digital nomad visas—including Thailand's—​right here​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Too many emails? Declutter your inbox with Meco, your home for reading newsletters. Try it for free Remotive Jobs 💼Is this job for you? 👉 ​Backend Engineer at Clerkie​ (USA) 👉 ​iOS Developer at nooro​ (USA) 👉 ​Senior ERP Solutions Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) 👉 ​Senior Backend Developer at Mimo GmbH​ (EMEA, UK) Free Guides & Tools​Public Job Board​We curate 2,000 remote jobs so you don't have to! ​Find your remote job →​ ​Exclusive Webinar​3 Mistakes to Avoid When Looking For A Remote Startup Job (And What To Do Instead) ​Register for free →​ ​Job Search Tips​Looking for a remote job? Here are our tips to help you work remotely ​Check it out → Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit ​ View the full article

Researchers find AI writing tools like ChatGPT and Claude create specific patterns. These patterns can help you spot and edit AI content. The post AI Writing Fingerprints: How To Spot (& Fix) AI-Generated Content appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Rocket expects the combined company to achieve more than $200 million in run-rate synergies by 2027, it said in a statement. View the full article

Gold-adjusted GDP forecasts. Really!View the full article

HSBC on Monday downgraded U.S. equities, citing uncertainty around tariffs, while turned bullish on European stocks following boost from Germany loosening its fiscal reforms. The brokerage lowered U.S. equities to “neutral” and raised rating on European stocks, excluding UK stocks to “overweight” from “underweight.” The Trump administration’s massive moves on trade and other policies have injected uncertainty, while a proposed $1.2 trillion European fiscal bazooka and the emergence of China as the tech race leader are marking a potential turning point for investor capital away from the United States. The S&P 500 has pulled back about 6.1% from its February 19 record high on worries that the trade war will hurt corporate profit and slow growth. “It is important to stress that we are not turning negative on US equities — but tactically, we see better opportunities elsewhere for now,” said HSBC’s Global Equity Strategist Alastair Pinder said. Morgan Stanley Equity Strategist Michael Wilson believes the S&P 500 could fall another 5% to 5,500 points by mid-year, before ending the year at around 6,500, which is a 12.7% upside from the benchmark index’s last close. “The path is likely to be volatile as the market continues to contemplate these growth risks, which could get worse before they get better,” Morgan Stanley’s Wilson said in a note on Monday. —Kanchana Chakravarty and Medha Singh, Reuters View the full article

Detroit-based fintech platform Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT) has reached an agreement to acquire the Seattle mortgage services company Redfin (NASDAQ: RDFN) in an all-stock transaction valued at $1.75 billion, the companies announced on Monday. Each Redfin share will be exchanged for 0.7926 shares of Rocket’s Class A common stock, with the deal expected to close in mid-2025, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals. Following the announcement, Redfin’s stock soared nearly 70%, reaching $9.91 in premarket trading. This surge came after Rocket Companies agreed to acquire Redfin for $12.50 per share, representing a premium of 63% over Redfin’s recent average price. On the other hand, Rocket’s stock dropped around 13%. Forming a real estate-lending powerhouse The acquisition brings together two major players in real estate and mortgage lending. Redfin, founded in 2004, operates one of the nation’s most visited real estate platforms, with nearly 50 million monthly users and a network of over 2,200 agents. Rocket Companies, known for its mortgage and financial services, views the deal as a step toward streamlining the home-buying process. “Rocket and Redfin share a unified vision of a better way to buy and sell homes,” said Rocket CEO Varun Krishna. “Together, we will enhance the experience by connecting traditionally separate steps of the search and financing process with leading technology.” The acquisition is expected to drive Rocket’s mortgage growth, giving Redfin users direct access to Rocket’s financing products. Rocket anticipates over $200 million in synergies by 2027, including cost savings and new revenue opportunities. View the full article

All of this work is done by our tireless Partnerships Manager, Igor Gorbenko. I spoke to him to extract everything he learned about partnerships. The first time we sponsored podcasts, we spent $14,000 on five podcast campaigns. Like any good…Read more ›View the full article

When U.S. President Donald Trump first suggested buying Greenland in 2019, people thought it was just a joke. No one is laughing now. Trump’s interest in Greenland, restated vigorously soon after he returned to the White House in January, comes as part of an aggressively “America First” foreign policy platform that includes demands for Ukraine to hand over mineral rights in exchange for continued military aid, threats to take control of the Panama Canal, and suggestions that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. Why Greenland? Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and Trump wants to make sure that the U.S. controls this mineral-rich country that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America. Who does Greenland belong to? Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a long-time U.S. ally that has rejected Trump’s overtures. Denmark has also recognized Greenland’s right to independence at a time of its choosing. Amid concerns about foreign interference and demands that Greenlanders must control their own destiny, the island’s prime minister called an early parliamentary election for Tuesday. The world’s largest island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people who until now have been largely ignored by the rest of the world. Why are other countries interested in Greenland? Climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting the competition with Russia, China, and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources. “Let us be clear: we are soon entering the Arctic Century, and its most defining feature will be Greenland’s meteoric rise, sustained prominence and ubiquitous influence,” said Dwayne Menezes, managing director of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative. “Greenland—located on the crossroads between North America, Europe, and Asia, and with enormous resource potential—will only become more strategically important, with all powers great and small seeking to pay court to it. One is quite keen to go a step further and buy it.” The following are some of the factors that are driving U.S. interest in Greenland. Arctic competition Following the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. But climate change, the hunt for scarce resources and increasing international tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are once again driving competition in the region. Strategic importance Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. That has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure that it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial North Atlantic shipping lanes. The U.S. has retained bases in Greenland since the war, and the Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Force Base, supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO. Greenland also guards part of what is known as the GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) Gap, where NATO monitors Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic. Natural resources Greenland has large deposits of so-called rare earth minerals that are needed to make everything from computers and smartphones to the batteries, solar and wind technologies that will power the transition away from fossil fuels. The U.S. Geological Survey has also identified potential offshore deposits of oil and natural gas. Greenlanders are keen to develop the resources, but they have enacted strict rules to protect the environment. There are also questions about the feasibility of extracting Greenland’s mineral wealth because of the region’s harsh climate. Climate change Greenland’s retreating ice cap is exposing the country’s mineral wealth and melting sea ice is opening up the once-mythical Northwest Passage through the Arctic. Greenland sits strategically along two potential routes through the Arctic, which would reduce shipping times between the North Atlantic and Pacific and bypass the bottlenecks of the Suez and Panama canals. While the routes aren’t likely to be commercially viable for many years, they are attracting attention. Chinese interest In 2018, China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in an effort to gain more influence in the region. China has also announced plans to build a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, which has created economic links with countries around the world. Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected China’s move, saying: “Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarization and competing territorial claims?” A Chinese-backed rare earth mining project in Greenland stalled after the local government banned uranium mining in 2021. Independence The legislation that extended self-government to Greenland in 2009 also recognized the country’s right to independence under international law. Opinion polls show a majority of Greenlanders favor independence, though they differ on exactly when that should occur. The potential for independence raises questions about outside interference in Greenland that could threaten U.S. interests in the country. —Danica Kirka, Associated Press View the full article

Transform your workday with generative AI and discover practical ways to save time. Quick Tech Talk With Steve Yoss CPE Today Go PRO for members-only access to more Stephen Yoss. View the full article

Transform your workday with generative AI and discover practical ways to save time. Quick Tech Talk With Steve Yoss CPE Today Go PRO for members-only access to more Stephen Yoss. View the full article

A Position 1 ranking only matters if your result resonates with users and earns clicks. That’s why optimizing your click-through rate (CTR) is just as crucial as climbing the search results. By analyzing your current performance and making strategic improvements, you can turn rankings into real traffic. This article provides actionable tips to boost CTR, attract more clicks, and maximize your SEO efforts. Understanding the role of CTR in SEO CTR is a crucial SEO metric that’s often overlooked. For years, it was considered an indirect factor, but the antitrust trial against Google revealed that CTR is used as a ranking signal. Regardless of its impact on rankings, CTR determines how many users actually reach your site. As Eli Schwartz explains: “Rankings are just the potential; CTR is actualizing that potential.” – Eli Schwartz, “Focus on SEO CTR and not just rankings“ As an SEO professional, what could be more important? All our hard work is fruitless if we fail at the first hurdle, and no one wants a below-par CTR. With this in mind, I’ve outlined key tactics to help improve this critical metric. 1. Identify pages that need CTR optimization The best benchmark for click-through rate performance is your own dataset. Every industry is different, and so is every individual website. While comparing against industry averages can be valuable in some cases, it’s usually more beneficial to determine your own CTR range and “run your own race.” Start with Google Search Console data to check and download search performance metrics, including CTR. I recommend using at least 90 days of data and filtering out pages with very low impressions that might skew your results. From there, find your average CTR and focus on pages that fall below it. You might also revisit your keyword research and review search volume metrics to prioritize pages with the most potential – ensuring you get the maximum impact for the time invested. Pages with an above-average CTR can also be valuable. If they generate traffic despite lower rankings, they could perform even better in higher positions. A little optimization on these could go a long way. 2. Create high-performing title tags and meta descriptions The key to better click-through rates is compelling title tags and meta descriptions. This limited space is your chance to grab attention on a crowded search engine results page. Think of it as the organic equivalent of a search ad – adopting this mindset can help you optimize for CTR effectively. So, how do you write metadata that truly performs? Here are some tips. Use paid search data to improve SEO CTR If you’re running Google Ads, you already have a treasure trove of CTR data at your fingertips. Talk to your PPC team, review your Google Ads account, and analyze which ad copy performs best. Use this CTR data to inform your strategy for writing effective title tags and meta descriptions. Testing and learning are much easier with ad campaigns. Headline and ad copy testing are standard practices, and your colleagues are likely already working on ways to improve Google Ads CTR. Yet, sharing this data with SEO professionals is far less common. Don’t miss out on this goldmine of insights into what your target audience actually responds to. Dig deeper: Top 7 Google Ads and SEO synergies you should act upon Review email and social media campaigns Email marketing is another directly measurable channel, and subject lines are quick and simple to test. Assessing CTR data from email campaigns can provide valuable insight into your target market – what type of language they respond to and what drives them to click. The same applies to social media. Analyzing popular posts can help you better understand your audience and craft more effective title tags and meta descriptions. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Match search intent A mismatch between search intent and your key messaging can lead to a low CTR. After all, if users don’t expect your landing page to deliver what they’re looking for, why would they choose to click? Your average CTR could improve significantly by aligning your copy with user intent. Consider whether you’re using transactional or commercial wording appropriately, or if certain areas require a more informative tone. The right approach may vary across different sections of your website, so take the time to understand the intent behind key queries and adjust your language accordingly. Incorporate E-E-A-T in your metadata E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) factors may also shape user perception. Since title tags and meta descriptions have limited space, adding language that builds trust in your brand could be the difference between earning a click and losing one. For example, some retailers differentiate their Apple Watch listings by mentioning warranty details to provide trust signals within search results. Others highlight affordability by showcasing deals and payment plans. Can you mention awards, accolades, guarantees, or promises specific to your industry? Even a small trust signal could be a game-changer in capturing more clicks. Harness AI to address CTR gaps If you’re optimizing click-through rate at scale, AI tools can help analyze data to identify behavioral patterns and preferences. This data can be used to create more compelling headlines or even generate different elements automatically. For example, Buddler offers an SEO CTR benchmark report that identifies CTR drops, below-average pages, and high-performing pages that may be worth improving. This can save valuable analysis time, allowing you to focus on tactics that drive better results. Taking a generative approach, the Danish news outlet TV 2 Fyn used AI-generated headlines to increase CTR by 59%. Tap into FOMO and psychological triggers to drive action Improving CTR isn’t just about SEO or using relevant keywords. Psychological triggers can have a powerful effect by tapping into user behaviors and emotions. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a particularly strong motivator. While it’s more difficult to apply in long-term SEO strategies, limited-time or exclusive offers can be highlighted to boost clicks. For example, pages dedicated to Black Friday or time-sensitive deals should make this urgency clear. Power words can also trigger emotions, encouraging users to take action. However, use them carefully. Empty promises or unsubstantiated claims can backfire, reducing clicks and damaging customer trust. 3. Leverage rich snippets and schema markup Beyond title tags and meta descriptions, structured data provides more opportunities to increase engagement. Certain types of markup can trigger SERP features, making your listing stand out. For example, proper review markup can display star ratings in search results, helping your page attract more clicks. Pricing, return policies, and delivery details can also be shown, increasing visibility and credibility. Implementing these at scale can lead to incremental gains. 4. Optimize URLs for click-worthiness Often overlooked, URLs can send strong signals to potential visitors. Unnecessary parameters or overly complex URLs may deter users who are unfamiliar with your brand. Keeping URLs short, clear, and relevant reinforces trust and transparency. A well-structured URL can be the deciding factor for a user unsure about clicking. With these four SEO tactics in place, you can boost CTR and drive more traffic. But how does CTR interact with rankings? Let’s explore the connection. The interplay between ranking and CTR It’s well-recognized that higher-ranking pages generally attract more clicks. A recent FirstPage study found that on average: Position 1 organic search result receives 39.8% of clicks. Compared to 18.7% for the Position 2 result and 10.2% for Position 3. Since higher-ranked pages typically have better CTRs, looking beyond title tags and meta descriptions to improve page content, user experience, and page speed can help boost rankings – and, in turn, click-through rates. A better page ranks higher, leading to a higher CTR, which then further improves performance. One gain feeds into the other, creating a positive feedback loop. Testing and measuring CTR improvements Once you’ve implemented changes, tracking performance is key to success. Google Search Console allows you to monitor progress and adjust your approach if results aren’t meeting expectations. A/B testing can also be set up using tools like Bigmetrics, allowing you to measure the impact of different changes over time and determine what works best. Key takeaways for CTR success Remember to review your CTR metrics and make improvements alongside other SEO work. Prioritizing CTR optimization will help maximize your impact. Leverage data from other digital marketing channels, psychological triggers, and search intent matching for the best results. Test, learn, refine – and grow your traffic with smarter CTR strategies. View the full article