Kingsford Charcoal Reaches for Some Kmart Pun Magic

By T.L. Stanley

Is it any wonder this goofy grill master is cooking for one?

In a new commercial for Kingsford Charcoal, a tech-obsessed guy who probably bought his “X4 Platinum” outdoor barbecue on Skymall can light the fire via app and take selfies while he’s making that single-serving kabob.

But he’s on the outside looking in to the real party.

That’s next door, where his much cooler neighbors are kicking it old school with Kingsford. They don’t need “the world’s most social grill” to have a good time or a tasty meal, or so the ad from DDB California says. Read more…

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Source: Mashable Business

Sequoia-Backed Bubbly Launches A Third-Party Payment Engine For App Users Without Credit Cards

By Catherine Shu

Bubbly has launched a new platform that lets users share voice messages on featurephones, smartphones, and its website. The Singapore-based startup also launched a payment engine that lets users on all of its platforms use carrier billing for Bubbly’s premium products and services, which include subscriptions and and in-app purchases. Read More

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Source: Tech Crunch

Qleek Brings Your Music Back In To The Physical Realm

By John Biggs

When I first heard about Qleek I was a little skeptical. You see, it’s a music player that uses physical, wooden blocks called Tapps to activate digital playback. You want to listen to some Jazz? Find the Coltrane block and stick it into the player. Want to listen to OK Computer? Dig out the block and slot it to make yourself a little fitter and happier. It’s like the old days of physical media… Read More

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Source: Tech Crunch

A.1. Steak Sauce’s Social Life is More Interesting Than Yours

By Andrea Romano

Breaking up is hard to do, and it’s even harder when you go as naturally together as steak and A.1. But not all change is a bad thing.

After nearly 50 years, A.1. is removing the “steak” from its name in order to include all the other delicious food pairings that the savory sauce can accompany. After years listening to customers’ stories of their sauce’s love affairs with various other dishes, A.1. Sauce is embracing all foodies with its “For Almost Everything. Almost.” campaign, which imagines the conscious uncoupling occurring on Facebook

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Source: Mashable Business

Anaplan Rakes in $100M In Series D Funding And Announces Anaplan Hub

By Ron Miller

It’s a busy week for Anaplan: They open their user conference later today, announced $100M in new funding and introduced Anaplan Hub, a marketplace where customers can share and find pre-designed planning models ready to adapt and use. Company president and CEO, Frederic Laluyaux said you could think of the Hub like an app store for planners, but instead of containing apps or music and… Read More

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Source: Tech Crunch