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Apple has finally revealed its brand spankin' new MacBook Pro. The new lappy is getting rid of newer features (like the Touchbar) and returning old features like an HDMI slot and SD card slot. Yeeeew.

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Mercedes Benz Australia launches $650m court action against its mothership in Germany

Background: Mercedes Benz is a $140bn car maker from Germany. And it's pretty popular here in Oz too. It made more than $4bn in sales in Australia according to its most recent numbers.

What happened: Mercedes Benz HQ recently notified its dealers in Australia that their commercial arrangements would be changing. It would shift from a commission-based model to a fixed-price agency model.

What else: Mercedes Benz dealers in Australia ain't happy one bit. So now, they have launched a $650m Federal Court action against Mercedes Benz HQ. 

So what's the key learning?

💡 We are starting to witness the breakup of car manufacturers and their independent dealer networks. And Mercedes ain't the first. Last year, we also saw Honda push the 'agency' model on their dealers.

💡 The commission based model: Currently, car dealers operate as independent retail businesses. Mercedes HQ sells its cars directly to car dealers who then sell the cars to consumers at their own set prices. That's why they can throw in the car mats ("special deal - just for you").

💡 The agency based model: Car dealerships will sell cars at a fixed price and earn a set commission per vehicle. All customer relationships will be owned by Mercedes Benz HQ. And Mercedes dealers in Australia don't like this one bit.

LinkedIn is shutting its Chinese business.. and RIP to the last global social network operating in China

Background: LinkedIn is the professional network that encourages professional flexes. Got a promotion? That’d require a post stating what an “honour and privilege it is" to work at your company.

What happened: LinkedIn, who is owned by Microsoft, launched in China in 2014. China is now LinkedIn's 3rd largest market. But in March this year, the Chinese internet regulator told LinkedIn to better moderate its content 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩.

What else: But now, it's become all-too-much for LinkedIn. They are going to shut down LinkedIn in China because it is facing harsher internet censorship there.

So what's the key learning?

💡 China’s Great Firewall has created two totally separate internets. On the left side of the Firewall, you've got global social networks that have been banned. That'd be Twitter, Facebook, Google, Clubhouse and even Signal.

💡 On the right side of the Firewall, you've got Chinese social networks that are open for biz. Think WeChat (China's Facebook), Weibo (China's Twitter) and TenCent (a combo of all social media networks).

💡This means the Chinese government has a LOT more oversight of the content because it is Chinese-owned companies. But the real loser here is Linkedin.

Aussie startup CitrusAd is poppin' bottles as it sells for over $200m in just four years

Background: CitrusAd is an advertising start-up founded by a former AFL player. Back in 2017, the team saw that online shopping was growing - but there was no tech around it.

What happened: Unlike in bricks and mortar supermarkets, brands couldn't pay extra for promotional positions online. In fact, supermarkets would list products online in alphabetical order only. 

What else: CitrusAd built an advertising search engine specifically for grocers and their brands. And online retailers like Coles, Woolies and Target came knockin! Not long after, it was acquired by Publicis Groupe for $205 million. Not bad for 4 years of work. 

So what's the key learning?

💡The digital world often mirrors (or takes inspo) from the physical world. At least, that’s the philosophy that CitrusAd had when it created this product. 

💡At a supermarket, the “eye-level” is the buy level. And brands pay BIG BUCKS to be there (as opposed to the back-breaking bottom row). Interestingly, the eye-level products lead to significantly more sales (us humans, lazy beings).

💡 The same goes for the digital world. For supermarkets.. the vast majority of purchases come from the first two rows on a company’s website. And that's why CitrusAd landed on a goldmine.