Why Glu Mobile Celebrity Apps for Katy Perry and Taylor Swift will Fandom Fail

Glu’s most successful game ever is Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.

It was launched in 2014 with many doubting its success as reported in my blog article entitled “Glu Mobile's Kim Kardashian Hollywood App and How an A-List Celebrity boosts In-App Purchases”.

It then went on to make nearly US$541 million in four months as noted in my blog article “US$51 million in Four Months for Kim Kardashian Hollywood” and the money train has not stepped rolling in for Glu Mobile.

Until now.....and it’s due to the price of celebrity fame that has not matured.

Glu Mobile goes celebrity crazy - Katy Perry Pop fails to ignite twitter fandom

Glu Mobile, eager to cash in on the success of their previous games, decided to sign more celebrities of all stripes to make mobile games based on their professions.

They signed deals with the following celebrities in 2015 and 2016:

1.      Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay

2.      Jason Statham

3.      Nicki Minaj

4.      Britney Spears

5.      Katy Perry

6.      Kendall & Kylie (Jenner)

Since then their other celebrity games have flopped and they remain a loss-making entity, with the trend expected to continue in Q3 and Q4 of 2017. This includes the once highly vaulted Katy Perry Pop by Glu Mobile CEO Niccolo de Masi.

Already they've shuttered Katy Perry Pop, removing it from the Google App Store completely as noted in “Glu Mobile seemingly shuts down ailing celebrity-focused game Katy Perry Pop”, published November 25th, 2016 By Ric Cowley, PocketGamer.

No surprise here; the buzz on social media indicated that this was destined to be a flop since 2015 when it was first announced as noted in “Social Data Pointed To Glu Mobile's Katy Perry Flop” published December 2015, Seeking Alpha.

On a good note, Twitter and other social media and could be used as a future bellweather to detect if any of Glu Mobile's other play are destined for the same fate.

Glu Mobile Celebrity App flop - Fanbase are Fandom obsessed but Credit Card challenger

So far only Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is making money for Glu Mobile, with US$200 million lifetime revenue barrier by the end of 2017 as analyzed in the article “Taylor Swift Vs. Price Of Fame: Glu Mobile's Royalty Drag” published August 28 2017 by Jonathan Jordan, Seeking Alpha.

The only wise decisions that Glu mobile has made aside from Kim Kardashian's Game has been celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. To date, Glu mobile is set to make some US$30 and Kendall & Kylie app are set to pull in US$20 million.

So why is this happening?

Glu Mobile Celebrity App flop - Fanbase are Fandom obsessed but Credit Card challenger

The reason is simple; the fanbase for Kim Kardashian and Gordon Ramsay are older Americans (age 28 to 35 +) who have credit cards and money to spend on their favourite television celebrity.

Most of Glu Mobile apps have a lot of content that you have to purchase with your credit card........which can be a problem if you don't have one or you are trying to avoid maxing out your credit limit, even if you are a loyal fan.

The fanbase of Jason Statham, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears and Katy Perry are much younger (age 18 to 27) and are of the generation that likes Freemium apps where they play for fun such as Rovio Juice Cubes as noted in my blog article entitled “Rovio Juice Cubes is a Freemium In-App Purchase Gold Bar Mine - To get to Level 200, you have to become Goldfinger”.

Granted in that particular app, you have to spend money to reach higher levels, as those juice cubes are mighty tasty. But the challenge of doing so WITHOUT purchasing anything is what make the game a engaging.

Add to that the fact that hacks are available for games such a Rovio Juice Cubes and other similar games means player play longer in a game that is high paced. Games like Rovio Juice Cubes are focused on quick action and compelling and challenging game play and are not feeding on the fandom obsession of young girls.

So they might wanna think twice about that Taylor Swift ...and instead go for older celebrities with a older credit-card wielding fanbase.

How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Conduent Jamaica seeking 300 Customer Service Agents via Invitation Only

Call Centers in Jamaica are an every expanding business. So for you workers in Advantage Call Center, Xerox Jamaica, Startek and yes IBEX, I’ve got news more interesting than getting a free copy of Usain Bolt's Autobiography once you sign up to a US$91.99 subscription for 1spotmedia.com

The call center Conduent Jamaica, a subsidiary of Conduent Inc, is seeking some 300 customer care associates via invitation only as reported in “Conduent To Hold Invitation-Only Job Fair”  Published Sunday September 24, 2017 by Avia Collinder, The Jamaica Gleaner.

October 6 2017 is the deadline for applicants to submit their resumes online for one of the 300 positions on offer.  Conduent will then shortlist applicants and invitation letters will be end for job fair interviews. This is far more efficient than their last job fair in September 2016, which saw applicants a far away as St Elizabeth coming to their company’s Naggo Head, Portmore centre forming long lines waiting for hours in the blazing sun.

Many fainted and fell ill. Conduent Jamaica, seeking to avoid the image of a sweat shop and instead cultivate the image of a professional workplace, has decide to go this route as explained by Conduent Inc’s London-based European PR Manager for Marketing and Communications, Robert Corbishley, quote: “We are seeking to recruit 300 customer care associates. The job fair is an invitation only event and, as such, we have not disclosed the date or location of the event”.

This time around they a more orderly process and more specific targets:

1.      1,000 CSA's for Kingston

2.      1,500 CSA's for Montego Bay

The minimum qualifications are:

1.      A school-leaving certificate at the secondary level

2.      HEART Level II certification

Conduent Jamaica - A Call center on the Rise in St. Catherine

Conduent Jamaica employs 6,500 people at 11 call centres. They are the 4th largest Call center for Conduent Inc’s, the parent, whose global workforce of 130,000 is spread across 4 Call Centers:

1.      United States

2.      India

3.      Philippines

4.      Jamaica

Conduent has clients in health care, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, retail, transportation, and high-tech services. They provide the full suite of BPO services:

1.      Administrative assistance

2.      Finance and accounting

3.      Insurance claim processing

4.      Payroll services

5.      Technical support

6.      Transaction processing

Albeit only 300 workers, as their accounts grow, expect more orderly organized and professionally done interviews in the future.

How GraceKennedy Hi-Lo Online e-commerce features MPay and Courier delivery

“The platform will also enable customers overseas to shop and have products delivered to their loved ones”

General Manager of Hi-Lo Food Stores Renee Nathan

GraceKennedy, owners of some 13 Hi-Lo stores across Jamaica, has decided it's time to get online.

They're upgrading their stores with an online portal so that Jamaicans can buy products on their website as noted in the article “Hi-Lo Going Online - Grocery-Shopping Platform, Deliveries For Next Year”, Published Sunday September 24, 2017 by Avia Collinder, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Hi-Lo's online shopping platform will go live in the fourth quarter of 2018 as pointed out by General Manager of Hi-Lo Food Stores Renee Nathan, quote: “Our focus is to be able to serve and engage our customers across multiple channels, so customers can have a great shopping experience with Hi-Lo how and when they choose”.

This is part of a $1 billion on upgrading of their key stores. This announcement was made on Thursday September 21st 2017 when they revealed their recently renovated 24,000 square-foot Portmore store. Shopper in Portmore will now enjoy a dine-in deli, a bakery and a juice bar in addition to banking at First Global Bank.

Their online website is expected to add to the revenue expected from this upgrade, to quote Renee Nathan: “We see online as a complement to existing brick-and-mortar locations, and, as such, we plan to continue to grow in both spaces. We expect for this new platform to become increasingly significant to our business over time as our customers' lives become more hectic and they seek convenient ways to shop”.

So what will this online platform mean to Hi-Lo and GraceKennedy?

Hi-Lo and GraceKennedy Online - Tapping overseas Jamaicans to expand their MPay platform

For one, it'll allow relatives abroad to buy supermarket produce for their loved ones as noted by Renee Nathan, quote: “The platform will also enable customers overseas to shop and have products delivered to their loved one”.

This hints at the use of GK MPay as a means of accepting payments along with Credit, Prepaid Debit, Paypal and other trusted online payment options. They'll also be offering home delivery services with the help of a courier company as noted by Renee Nathan, quote: “We are still developing our plans, but many of these functions will be outsourced. There will be a charge for the added convenience of delivery”.

Cross Roads store in Kingston will be upgraded in 2019 with their Spanish Town, St Catherine branch to follow. All told, they've already spent some US$5 million to date on their storewide upgrading work.

Their main rival in the same space in Jamaica, Progressive Grocers, doesn’t allow Jamaicans abroad to buy items for local pickup by their relatives. So not only will they be the first, but they'll also be tapping into the foreign exchange that they already receive as remittances. It'll also expand their MPay platform considerably.

Why Jamaica faces a Green Iguana Invasion and how eating Iguana Patties may help

 “Here in Jamaica we have reports of Green Iguana sightings in 2013, but last year we got one in Portland Cottage. Everybody was surprised that the Green Iguana was here in the wild.”

Jamaican scientist Damion Whyte, a PhD research student at The University of the West Indies commenting on the Green Iguana in Jamaica

The Green Iguana has local scientists worried.

They've already been sighted in St Andrew four year ago and recently in Clarendon in 2016 as noted in the article “Green Iguana worry”, published Sunday, September 17, 2017 by Vernon Davidson, The Jamaica Observer.

This as the lizard has been wreaking havoc in Grand Cayman. They become such a nuisance and a threat to the environment that the Cayman Department of Environment has embarked on a programme to reduce their population.  The Green Iguana is also aggressively territorial, resulting in the indigenous Blue Iguana being declared an endangered species.

Jamaican scientists are concerned that Jamaica the Green Iguana could experience damage to our local ecosystem, based on the harmful effect they've been having on the Grand Cayman Ecosystem ago.

So how bad is it in the Cayman Island?

The Green Iguana and Cayman Island - Pets run amok when let loose by their owners

The problem is so acute that the Cayman Government has launched a Pilot program to reduce their population as noted in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “Iguana Invasion in Cayman Island presents Iguana Meat Export Opportunity”. 

In the Cayman Islands, authorities have resorted to culling in an effort to keep the Green Iguana population from growing. In June of 2017, the Cayman Island Government embarked on a weeklong cull by enlisting the help of 18 registered cullers who were selected for the job. After two weeks, 4,000 iguanas, representing a combined weight of two tons, were collected and taken to the George Town Landfill.

The Cayman Government is also promoting the Green Iguanas as food in much the same way we in Jamaica promoted eating the Lionfish as a way to reduce their numbers as noted in my blog article entitled “How a Parrotfish Ban with Lionfish replacement will save Coral Reefs”.

But while chefs serve Green Iguana and their eggs as cuisine to tourists, this may not sit well with Jamaicans despite out past love affair with iguana meat as pointed out by Damion Whyte: “We have old pictures of people downtown Kingston selling iguana meat. It was cheap meat”.

Back in 2015, Cayman scientists estimated that the Green Iguana population in Grand Cayman was around 152,000. Now in May 2017, the Scientists have declared it has hit 500,000. Their population is projected to hit 1 million by 2020 and spread to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

These herbivores not only destroy the landscape by eating the flora. They’ve also developed a taste for agricultural crops and have been damaging infrastructure as well. All because few tourists and locals wanted to have them as pets but let them go when they became too large to handle.

So how did they get to Jamaica?

The Green Iguana and Jamaica – Uptown Pet owners and South American chicken of the trees

The sighting in Portland Cottage, Clarendon in 2016, drew the attention of Jamaican scientist Damion Whyte, a PhD research student at The University of the West Indies who studies iguanas.

Good to note here that Damion Whyte is also a member of the Invasive Species Group at NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency) as describe in my blog article entitled “NEPA and UNDP Jamaica Invasive Species Database - Why Jamaicans may be the Environment's worst Enemy”.

The residents have pointed out that they've seen more of them and no, Clarendon people do not keep lizards as pets as Damion Whyte points out, quote: “Even though in that area it is possible that we could find our endemic iguana, we have been looking but have not yet seen any. It's not like those people there would be interested in having iguanas as pets, so we're doing work there now to see if we can find the others”.

But what about uptown people?

Turns out they may have imported a few Green Iguana as pets, as the 2013 sighting was by a resident of Stony Hill in St Andrew to quote Damion Whyte: “At the time we thought it was a normal green lizard, but when we got there we saw that it was an iguana.....We found one in Manning's Hill on the road, which was hit by a car. That could have been a pet that got away”.

However, uptown people and their love for breaking the laws isn't all to be blamed.

It's possible that they may have hitched a ride on South American boats fishing vessels that illegally fish in our territorial waters as noted by Damion Whyte quote: “We have anecdotal information as to how it got to Portland Cottage. Local fishermen were complaining that the animals were on some of the South American boats that came here”.

These South Americans love iguana meat, often calling it “gallina de palo” or “chicken of the trees”. They especially love iguana eggs and are known to travel with up to 200 of these “chicken of the trees” to provide meat for their meals as speculated by Damion Whyte: “It's part of the South American culture, when they're going on fishing trips, they have like 200 iguanas in their boats for food, and they like the ones with the eggs”.

So if a couple of males and females Green Iguanas got away, possibly pregnant and heavy laden with eggs, then Jamaica has reason to be worried.

But it gets worse......

Green and Blue Iguanas can mate - Discovery spells conservation Trouble for Jamaica

The rapid spread of the Green Iguana in Grand Cayman has been affecting the tourism industry.

Golf courses have been damaged by the burrowing activity of the Green Iguanas, who lay their eggs in these structures that weaken the gold courses, causing them to develope sink holes as pointed out by Damion Whyte: “Their habit is to burrow and build their nests in sandy soil. After a while that nesting cavity collapses, causing the road to collapse”.

But the concerns of the Cayman authorities grew after they made a frightening discovery; the Green Iguana can reproduce with their local Blue Iguana. This means that the same is possible in Jamaica, which represent a serious problem for Blue Iguana conservation efforts as declared nervously by Damion Whyte: “That's a big threat to their conservation programme. The Grand Cayman iguana is closely related to the Jamaican iguana, so if the Green Iguana can reproduce with their local iguana, we suspect it can reproduce with ours”.

So what can Jamaica do against this coming onslaught of Green Iguanas?

Jamaicans need to report Iguana Sightings - Eating Green Iguanas may be harder than Lionfish or Pork.

Damion Whyte his team are asking Jamaicans to report signings to NEPA, quote: “If people see them, we ask that they take a picture, if they can, send it to NEPA or report it by e-mail to dl_whyte@yahoo.com or call me at 435-9475 and we will come and remove them. We need people to tell us where they are seeing them because we don't have enough manpower to go around”.

Killing the reptiles is not an option; Jamaicans are not trained to distinguish between the Blue Iguana and the invasive Green Iguana. As such may kill the wrong iguana by mistake as Jamaican iguanas are protected by law.

Identifying them may not be hard, as the Blue Iguana live in the Hellshire hills. But allowing Jamaicans to kill them in an effort to mimic the culling efforts in the Cayman Islands may throw our ecosystem off balance as surmised by Damion Whyte, quote: “The problem we are having is that the only records we have of the Jamaican iguana here is in the Hellshire hills.There's a slim chance they could be somewhere else, so we don't want people go out and kill every iguana they see. Our regular green lizard looks like a juvenile Green Iguana, so you can see the problem we will have if people start going out to hunt and kill the Green Iguana”.

Finding them is important, as if they are in the island and start reproducing, we may have inherited the Cayman islands problem. 

Unlike Lionfish, getting Jamaicans to eat the Green Iguanas aka the South American chicken of the trees may be a tougher sell than getting Jamaicans to eat Lionfish or Pork.

OUR, NANP 658 area code for Jamaica heralds MVNO Telecoms for Digicel and FLOW

“It will be used once the existing telephone numbers under the 876 area code are exhausted. However, the most immediate change will be the introduction of 10-digit dialling for local telephone calls, come May 31, 2018”.

OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) explains the coming introduction of the new 658 area code and 10 digit dialing!

It official, Jamaicans!! We have a new area code - 658!

The OUR  (Office of Utilities Regulation) announced on Monday, August 28, 2017 in a tweet on their Twitter Page @TheOURja that  ten-digit dialling would soon be mandatory come May 31, 2018 as reported in the article “Jamaica gets additional area code — 658”, published  Monday, August 28, 2017, The Jamaica Observer. 

So says the tweet on @TheOURja twitter page:

Just released! Jamaica Gets Another Area Code and will Start Ten-Digit Local Dialling on...  Get Details: https://t.co/Cc6dr3JeUU pic.twitter.com/APyfjBWrP6

— The OUR Jamaica (@TheOURja) August 28, 2017

Simply put, by May 31, 2018, we will have 2 area codes and all local calls will require 10 digits to complete the call e.g. 876-555-5555 or 658-777-7777 as the @TheOURja indicates on their Facebook Page:

The OUR had also published their official press release as a *.PDF, which you can also download from their @TheOURja twitter page entitled “Jamaica Gets Another Area Code and will Start Ten-Digit Local Dialling”.

It really comes down to the increasing need for more numbers as we had begun petitioning NANP (North American Numbering Plan) for an additional area code as I'd explained in my blog article entitled “OUR applies for new Area Code for Jamaica as Mobile competition in Telecoms Catching Fire”. 

Thus there is a need for the additional numbers as explained in the OUR's Press Release, quote: “It became necessary for Jamaica to get an additional Numbering Plan Area (NPA) code, commonly called an area code, as the OUR, which is responsible for Numbering Administration in Jamaica, moves to ensure that there are sufficient numbers available to satisfy growth in demand for these resources over the next 25 years.”

Naturally, both Telecom Providers are compliant to this coming paradigm even as it opens up Jamaica to competition by the end of 2018 as noted in the article “Digicel, FLOW assure compatibility with new '658' area code”, published Tuesday, August 29, 2017, The Jamaica Observer.

So why is there a need for additional numbers?

OUR and the 658 area code - Coming change heralds coming MVNO Telecom Competition

The Telecommunications Act gives the OUR the power to allocate and assign the usage of telecommunication numbers in Jamaica.  Good to note here that both Telecom Providers are on board with this developement after months of public sensitization of the impending change as explained in “Telecoms Back New Area Code - Jamaica To Implement 10-Digit Dialling Next Year”, published Tuesday August 29, 2017, The Jamaica Gleaner.

The new 658 area code will not replace the 876 area code but will be included alongside the previous area code that has served us so well. It’s slated to come into effect May 31, 2018 as by then it’s expected that we'd have fully exhausted our pool of numbers as noted in the article “Call 658 ... Jamaica Gets Additional Area Code, 10-Digit Dialling Becomes Mandatory May 2018”, published Monday August 28, 2017, The Jamaica Gleaner.

To quote Director General of the OUR Ansord E Hewitt:  “It will be used once the existing telephone numbers under the 876 area code are exhausted. However, the most immediate change will be the introduction of 10-digit dialling for local telephone calls, come May 31, 2018”

No additional charges are involved and it won't be thrust upon us immediately; a period of permissive dialling after implementation on that date will be allowed.

If you still dial a 7 digit code, your call will still go through as noted by Ansord E Hewitt: “During this time, lasting at least five months, customers will reach numbers in the current area code by dialling ten digits or, if in error or unknowingly they dial seven digits. If only the seven digit telephone number is dialled, the caller will hear a recording reminding him/her to dial the number using the area code plus the seven-digit number; then the call will be completed to the called number”.

During that time, Jamaicans will have to change their advertising, signage and other printed material to reflect the new dialing paradigm, to quote Ansord E Hewitt: “However, we are encouraging persons, especially businesses and government agencies to start adding the current 876 area code on all their printed materials and signage. We are also encouraging users of alarm services and solutions with automatic diallers, and operators of PBX systems, to contact their respective service providers to ensure that their systems will be compatible with the new numbering and dialling arrangements”.

Best of all, this sets the stage for other Telecom Provider to enter Jamaica, as we'll now have enough numbers to accommodate up to 2 additional competitors, possibly MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) as noted in my blog article entitled “@TheOURja MVNO Licenses – How Telecom Providers benefit and Why MVNO are a source of Product Innovation”.

So set your calendars for May 31, 2018, as by then announcements of a new Telecom Provider may start permeating the airwaves!!!

Why the Gleaner Bill Johnson Poll indicates Jamaican Dream may be fuelled by Alternative Energy

Have Jamaicans stopped dreaming? Do Jamaican see the Glass as half-empty or half-full?

It would seem half-empty, according to a Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll conducted between June 9 and 11 2017 as reported in the article “Jamaicans Just Trying To Survive – Poll”, published Monday July 24, 2017, The Jamaica Gleaner. 

According to the survey:

1.      51% have no Jamaican dream

2.      48% do have an idea what the Jamaican Dream should be

Since I’m trying to be hopeful, I'll focus on those who do have a Jamaican dream, as the stats there are more promising:

1.      12% want a country where there is national/economic development

2.      8% want a crime-free country

3.      6% want financial security and stable employment

Pollster Bill Johnson claims that this poll indicates that the majority of Jamaicans are focused on day-to-day survival. Many may not think that Jamaica can be better as the social and economic problems facing people discourages them from thinking big. Clearly, Jamaicans see the glass as being half-empty

The Gleaner Bill Johnson Poll - The Glass Half Empty is full of Alternative Energy Jamaican Dreams

Still, I hope these 1500 people who were are a part of the Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll are not a reflection of the younger generation of entrepreneurs.

They offer me hope as they see the glass as being half-full and continue to dream big with an aim not to end up working in Call Centers but to create their own wealth. This I’d pointed out in my blog article entitled “How 9-y-o and Millennials in Jamaica are becoming CEO Entrepreneurs to avoid the Cubicle Rat Race”. 

It is true that employment prospects for High school and college graduates are grim. This reality is forcing many to look abroad for employment and higher education opportunities as the Private and Public Sectors cannot absorb all of them as concluded in my blog article entitled “UOPD UWI Graduate Trace Study reveals Bad choices, Entrepreneurship and brain-drain in 2016”. 

Still, I like to see the glass as being neither half empty of half-full, but potentially waiting to add more ingredients to make the right drink.

Vision 2030 is Jamaica outlook for that year that will see major shifts in our use of fossil fuels to biodiesel by the PCJ as noted in my blog article entitled “PCJ, UTECH develop Castor Oil-based Biodiesel to reduce Oil imports by 97,000 barrels”.

We’re also making the shift towards  electricity from solar and wind resources thanks to WRB Enterprises builds 20 MW Solar Farm as I’d pointed out in my Geezam blog article entitled “WRB Enterprises builds 20 MW Solar Farm in Content District, Clarendon”.

Hopefully, cheaper fuel sources means lower cost for manufacturing sector which will translate to lower cost of production, increased output and lower cost of living. Couple with an entrepreneurial drive in Jamaicans, a Jamaican dream where there is national/economic development fueled by this 48% is slowly beginning to form in the distant future, powered by Alternative energy.