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The GILT co-founder, Alexis Maybank, is also taking on a similar approach in enabling users to purchase the same apparel that someone is wearing in a photo (http://fortune.com/2016/04/14/project-september-alexis-maybank/). The mobile-app is called Project September (www.projectseptember.com). Any fashionista on social media can post photos of themselves, and users can purchase that same outfit. A green dot will hover over those chic boots or leather jacket and you too can rock out the same fashion look. It will be interesting to see how fashion powerhouses like Net-a-Porter continue to compete on the tech front.

The Met was smart in embracing social media (i.e. Instagram) and providing users with high-quality content. Seasonal art exhibits bring in new visitors to check out the new art and providing a sneak peek on social media is a way to draw crowd. I really like that the Met is experimenting with virtual reality. For some, this will be the first time engaging with virtual reality and mastery of the technology could be a signature of the Met. Art is experiential. Technology can further enhance the user’s experience by optimizing on sensory.

First, I had no idea that this was a current problem with beer inventory (thank you for sharing!). Second, from reading your article, it seems the major selling point is the tracking of inventory and its accuracy; however, I think an equally if not more important selling point of the technology is optimizing the types of beer to sell and recommendations of new beer. I’d imagine that the company is now collecting data of beer consumption and can help bars and restaurants compete by offering the “right” beer to their consumers. I’d be curious if this is a robust part of the business and the success rate SteadyServ is in improving a bars beer sales.

There is so much potential to make a huge impact on the way consumers engage with their health care. I heavily rely on ZocDoc for all my medical needs. I dread having to call around different doctor’s offices, wondering if 1) they take my insurance, 2) are taking new patients, 3) when is the next appointment, and 4) will I even like this doctor? ZocDoc also saves your contact information/family’s medical history which can immediately transfer onto a doctor’s office systems and streamlines paperwork. I do agree that the next wave of innovation is enabling a synchronization of a patient’s medical exams/tests/records that can be readily accessible from one doctor’s office to another. Imagine a seamless transition of my dental x-rays from one doctor to next.

I think truly targeted ads are to be hyper-targeted and focused on one specific individual. In other words, I walk down the streets of NYC and the electronic billboard ads I see are specific to me only, while the person next to me may see a completely different ad. That seems to be the ultimate utopia for marketers. However, utilizing beacons steers us in the right direction as a creative way to target consumers via mobile devices. Specifically to Exterion Media, I like their programmatic buying platform as it creates real-time buying ads and enables companies to be more tactical in their marketing strategies.

Great timing on the article. While Iceland’s GDP is boosted in the short-term by the tourism industry, the country’s GDP is bound to suffer in the long run if the country cannot sustain its natural beauty, which is one of the main demand generators for tourism. To echo some of the previous comments, Iceland can simply reduce the number of visitors to the country and/or encourage more eco-friendly modes of transportation when visiting the country. For example, instead of encouraging individual car rentals, Iceland can institute public transit to the popular destinations. Also, a more drastic approach is for Iceland to close off specific regions to foreign visitors to further protect the unique eco-system.

The only way for Great Wolf Resorts to stay in business was to diversify outside of just water park and include hotel revenues. Their sustainability practices seem near-sighted and only used as a way to “check off” as a green business to enter new markets with water restrictions. If they were thinking big picture, they could have tracked their carbon emissions, total waste consumption, and partnered with local farmers to offload compostable goods.

Perhaps the next move for Levi’s is to move directly into their supply chain and own cotton fields to ensure sustainable efforts are being made. Alternatively, Levi can leverage its sway as a global brand to influence its supply chain to adopt sustainable practices (i.e. only do business with sustainable cotton fields). More drastic measures would be to adopt synthetic materials and reduce the amount of cotton needed for jeans.

Until now, I was unaware of sustainability service providers. From what you have shared, it seems the net impact is positive with having Veolia operating as it does. I would rather have a Veolia in place attempting to recycle, reuse, and reduce materials than nothing at all. Yes, some of Veolia’s practices contradict their attempt in reducing carbon emissions; however, I think Veolia practices lead to innovation such as platinum recovery.

I completely agree that LEED certifications should be a requirement for hotel development. Marriott has been encouraging its owners/franchisees to move towards LEED, but it is only a soft recommendation. Similar to other hotel companies, IHG could also provide their Green Engage system data to their large corporate clients who are interested in sending their group/conference business to hotels that have low carbon footprints.
From my perspective, it seems the company is participating in “green” efforts to protect their interests and not so much for good of humanity. For example, tracking their carbon footprint is in the company’s best interest in terms of trying to keep operating costs low; IHG will be impacted from foreign governments exercising a carbon tax.