The vehicles deemed the 16 Best Family Cars of 2016 were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. After extensive testing and evaluation, with a keen focus on safety, comfort, convenience, spaciousness for both passengers and cargo, and fit of various rear-facing and forward-facing child safety car seats, the KBB.com expert editors recommend their choices for a diverse group of vehicles that best meet the needs of today’s modern families.
“For two weeks’ time we drove, lived-with, folded-down-seats-of, paired-phones-to and installed-baby-seats-in each and every one of the contenders,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “We loaded cargo, contorted ourselves into third rows, watched movies on rear-seat screens, toted rowing teams to marinas – in short, we did everything that you and your family might do with a vehicle day-to-day. And we did all this with a certain sense of what a family needs and wants, since many of our testers are simultaneously parents of kids ranging from mid-twenties to newborn. So this wasn’t just a cursory exercise, but instead it drew heavily upon our family-car experiences, needs and wants.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7748351-kelley-blue-book-best-family-cars-2016/
Continuing the excitement of the Esurance Pass It On Sweepstakes, which kicked off on Feb. 4 and selected 16 winners of $50,000 throughout tonight’s game, Esurance released a new post-game television commercial announcing it is giving away a grand prize of $250,000 to one lucky winner. To win the final $250,000 giveaway, people can continue to Retweet messages from the Esurance Twitter handle tagged #EsuranceSweepstakes.
Esurance surprised viewers with a television commercial that aired immediately after tonight’s game featuring a special cameo from Deadpool catching a football made of money. The character is the titular anti-hero in 20th Century Fox’s DEADPOOL, which opens in theaters everywhere this Friday, and stars Ryan Reynolds. Throughout the ad, Deadpool and others continue to drop everything they are doing to catch the football and “pass it on,” much like how Esurance saves money and passes the savings on to its customers every day. As part of the Allstate family, Esurance has innovative technology and knowledgeable experts to take care of customers and help them make smart decisions about their insurance.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7750152-esurance-pass-it-on-post-game/
Clayton, one of America’s largest homebuilders, announced the launch of a customer-driven ‘Clayton Built™ Storytelling’ initiative. The video series reinforces the national homebuilder’s purpose of opening doors to a better life, one home a time, through the eyes of manufactured and modular homeowners across America. The goal of the series is to tell the before and after stories of real customers who purchased Clayton Built™ homes.
The first video in the series tells the story of long-time spouses, Lucille and Lee Allen, as they reflect on the past 10 years of living in a Clayton Built™ home. The couple recounts this pivotal point in their lives and the excitement they experienced as their new home was delivered. They marvel as the home is built in steps by trained craftsmen and assembled in two sections at the final home site.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7716451-clayton-homes-storytelling-campaign/
Globally, 1.2 billion people have no access to electricity. On the occasion of VELUX 75th anniversary the company decided to address this issue. Together with the social business Little Sun and the NGO Plan International they are collaborating to bring clean, reliable and affordable light to off-grid regions in Zambia, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.
14,500 Natural Light lamps from the VELUX Group have now arrived in Africa and the first recipients can already look forward to a better quality of life.
Among them are young girls between 10 and 18 years of age who live in a safe house in the slum area Mntendere in the Zambian capital Lusaka.
"The lamps mean the girls can do their homework when they get back from school and can feel safer at night, instead of huddling together in the dark after sunset. And it’s particularly important for our children that they feel safe – many are carrying the mental baggage such as the trauma of violence, rape or drugs," says safe house manager Verann Delarey.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7769151-velux-natural-light-and-life-zambia/
According to the 2016 Franchise Business Economic Outlook report, employment growth in the franchise sector will continue to outpace the growth of employment in all businesses economy-wide, as it has in each of the last six years. The franchise industry is set to grow by 1.7 percent in 2016 which added over 13,000 new franchise businesses, generating over $900 billion in economic output and 278,000 new jobs in 2015.
Kumon, the world’s largest education franchise, continues to flourish as it surpassed company milestones in 2015 with nearly 300,000 students enrolled in its math and reading programs nationwide.
“Many of our 1,500 franchise owners opened Kumon centers after experiencing first-hand how Kumon gave their own children an academic advantage that put them ahead of their peers,” says Larry Lambert, vice president of franchise recruitment at Kumon North America. “Kumon is helping thousands of aspiring small business owners transform their lives with a career that rewards them and changes the lives of youth every day.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7720256-kumon-franchise/
Unprecedented planning by state and local authorities, law enforcement and the insurance industry established what is being called a national model for protecting the public from fly-by-night contractors in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), preparation in advance of the F-5 tornado that devastated the city of Moore and surrounding areas in May 2013 resulted in a well-coordinated effort to ensure that roofers and other contractors who swarmed into the area in the hours and days after the storm were properly licensed, insured and authorized to work in the area.
Local police assisted the Oklahoma Insurance Department Fraud Unit in patrolling the area and keeping suspected fraudulent out-of-state contractors from doing work unless all protocols were followed.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665251-nicb-limited-fraud-following-2013-moore-tornado/
Millennium Systems International, creators of Millennium and Meevo salon & spa software, have been busy working on a new initiative to showcase the deep connections consumers have with their hairstylists. “It’s so important to bring to light and recognize the deep connections that we have with our hairstylist,” said Millennium’s Marketing Director, Jen Martinelli. “I personally have been through proms, a wedding day, my daughter and son’s first haircut; all with my hair stylist by my side.”
The campaign starts with a grassroots effort by interviewing real people and real experiences in salons. Its purpose is to bring awareness to everyone, everywhere that beauty professionals play a very significant role in all of our lives. Happy moments, sad moments, and even in moments of feeling lost or confused, hairstylists are the consistent rock making us look and feel beautiful, confident, ready to take on the world. “Confidence is everything. It can mean landing a job, or picking up the pieces after a tragedy, or fighting through an illness,” continues Jen Martinelli. “You can’t buy confidence. Beauty professionals everywhere are making our lives more beautiful… in every sense of that word.”
Millennium Systems International has released its first video of the campaign today and it’s promising to be a tearjerker for everyone. One interviewee talks about the comfort she received from her hair stylist, “when my grandson passed away, when he was seven…. and I called her.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7753551-millennium-systems-dearhairstylist-campaign/
The modern beauty landscape is changing. After years of looking to preeminent stylists for trustworthy product recommendations and trendsetting style tips, today’s women are turning to additional sources for advice: real women. From bloggers and vloggers to Instagram stars, these “real women” are relatable for young viewers and resonate with fans who realize that looking “red carpet ready” every day isn’t always realistic. Now, the trailblazers at John Frieda® Hair Care are leading the charge by naming vlogger Blair Fowler to the brand’s House of Experts where she will join the likes of celebrity stylists such as Harry Josh.
“This year, we’re launching innovative in-shower colour products never before seen in the market, so it only makes sense to add a real beauty enthusiast to our team,” explains Heather Warnke from Kao USA, Inc. “Blair has been a pioneer expert in the beauty space and has a unique voice speaking to and relating with women. Now, she’ll be able to provide them with first-hand insight into how she uses our products and incorporates them into her routines. With her immense following as a trusted beauty expert, she will serve as an incredible, fresh voice for the brand.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7786251-john-frieda-hair-blair-fowler/
After much speculation and hype, Helper’s iconic white glove, Lefty, dropped his first mixtape today, featuring five original tracks and two music videos. Initial reports: it’s lit. Collaborating with Twin Cities hip hop artists and a group of young, hungry up-and-comers, Lefty stays true to the streets in creating a soundscape that’s both authentic and hilarious.
Seriously, this isn’t a joke. You can listen to the greatest mixtape of all time about Helper here and watch the music videos below.
Helper collaborated with McNally Smith College of Music students, along with Twin Cities artists, Dequexatron X000 (DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip & Bobby Raps), and Twitter, Vine and Snapchat rising star, Retro Spectro, to produce rhymes and beats that encapsulate Helper’s cunningly entertaining and relatable brand. The Helper mixtape, titled Watch the Stove, gives up-and-coming artists like the students at McNally Smith a platform to share their original music.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7769951-general-mills-helper-lefty-mixtape/
Three out of seven large pickup trucks evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in a new round of crash tests earn an acceptable or higher rating for occupant protection in a small overlap front crash.
IIHS evaluated two body styles of each 2016 model-year pickup — crew cab and extended cab. Crew cabs have four full doors and two full rows of seating. Extended cabs have two full front doors, two smaller rear doors and compact second-row seats.
IIHS last year decided it would test the two most popular variants of large pickups instead of just one after discovering that the Ford F-150 extended cab lacked structural countermeasures that helped the crew cab earn the top rating of good in the small overlap test. The test replicates what happens when a vehicle runs off the road and hits a tree or pole or clips another vehicle that has crossed the center line.
Ford improved the 2016 model F-150 SuperCab to clinch a good rating in the small overlap crash test, up from the 2015 model’s marginal rating. The F-150 is the only large pickup in the latest test group to earn the Institute’s top rating in the test. It joins the F-150 SuperCrew in earning a 2016 TOP SAFETY PICK award when equipped with Ford’s optional basic-rated forward collision warning system.
Vehicles that earn a basic rating for front crash prevention plus good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK. To qualify for 2016 TOP SAFETY PICK+, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the five crashworthiness tests and an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.
Official trailer for The Gift, by Rebecca J. Hubbard, a novel about horses, friendship and patience. www.RebeccaHubbardlmft.com. Video Production by www.Castelane.com.
All eleven-year old Pip wanted was a best friend. When Pip gets a horse for her birthday she is delighted. She thinks that the horse she names Buck will be her best friend the moment that they meet. But she finds out that friendship does not come easily. Her father gently guides her so that Pip can discover for herself how to make Buck a true friend.
Pip’s new friend, Buck, has a story of his own. After leaving his own herd, to move to Pip’s house, he is looking for a relationship that will help him feel safe. He, too, learns that making a friend takes patience and understanding.
Meredith Corporation, (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com) the leading media and marketing company serving 100 million American women and 72 percent of U.S. millennial women, today announced that Natalie Morales, TODAY show News Anchor and Third-Hour Co-Host; Erica Hill, NBC News’ Anchor and National Correspondent; and Carolyn Manno, NBC Olympics Host, will host and run the 2016 MORE/SHAPE Women’s Half-Marathon and kick off one of the largest women’s-only half-marathons in the country.
The race, held by Meredith’s SHAPE magazine in conjunction with the New York Road Runners (NYRR), will take place on Sunday, April 17, and draw 10,000 female runners and walkers of all ages, from around the world, to New York’s Central Park.
Morales and Hill are returning for the second year, after hosting the 2015 MORE/SHAPE Women’s Half-Marathon and completing the race in an impressive 1:38:59 and 2:06:52, respectively.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7788252-more-shape-womens-half-marathon-hosts/
