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Today, we have all the big highlights from Day 1 of Facebookâs F8 developer conference.
[The Hustle]( Wed, May 2
Brought to you by [MVMT]( introducing bronze for all.
Zuckerberg wants to help us find love: Day 1 of Facebookâs annual developer conference
Facebook kicked off its annual 2-day developer conference, F8, yesterday. Mark Zuckerberg wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room -- 2018, he admitted, âhas been an intense year.â
Zuck apologized for the data scandal (again), and offered a course of action for users: a new â[Clear History]( feature that allows users to clear their âbrowsing history on Facebook,â much like youâd clear your cookies on a browser.
Unfortunately for Facebook, their own company history isnât so easily erased. You can watch Day 2 of the conference on [Facebookâs livestream]( today. Hereâs what the âbook is cooking after Day 1:
The âOculus Goâ VR is $199⦠if youâre into that kind of thing
Facebook slashed about $200 from its OG Oculus Rift VR headset, announcing a new, more affordable [Oculus Go]( base model for $199.Â
FBâs had trouble finding a market for its previous VR-ware, and the company is hoping that this feature-light version is the gateway drug thatâll get people hooked on their headsets.
IG got some TLC
Facebook announced several updates to its Snapchat-killer, Instagram, including live videochat, a Spotify integration that lets you share songs and playlists on stories -- and a [more searchable Explore]( page with clickable topics for things you like.
So you can just skip the pleasantries and get straight to the [âoddly satisfyingâ]( slime videos.
Theyâre rolling out dating features⦠no, really
Weâre serious. In arguably the juiciest update of Day 1, Zuckerberg announced that the platform will be taking on Tinder with [dating profiles]( suggest matches with people you arenât already friends with.Â
Hey, if all that data theyâve been collecting helps us find true love⦠maybe it was all worth it after all.
Love at first poke
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Leviâs is back on top after a strong 2017, and a big Q1
In the â90s Leviâs was bigger than Nike. Sadly, by the turn of the millennium, they were still doing the [same old denim dance]( they were 165 years ago -- their sales had slipped from [$7B]( in â96 to $4B by 2001, and their name became synonymous with department store mom jeans.
But, according to Leviâs 2017 earnings report, theyâre getting closer -- recording their highest sales growth in a decade. And 2018 is looking up as well, with their sales spiking [22%]( in Q1.Â
Howâd they do it?
Itâs actually way more obvious than youâd think
When Chip Bergh became Leviâs CEO in 2011, he came up with the strategy to focus on the companyâs âprofitable coreâ -- AKA, their bread and butter: mens pants.
Not rocket science, right? But, the key was what he did with that extra cash cushion.
He used the revenue from menâs jeans to diversify, funding âunderdeveloped productsâ like womenâs clothing, athleisure, and âfutureâ stuff -- like teaming up with Google to create a âsmartâ jacket.
And that was just the tip of the âbergh
They also expanded consumer access -- utilizing their website and opening more retail stores to get away from third-party dependence.Â
In Q1, they opened 56 more stores, and last year their sales reached $4.9B up from [$4.4B]( in 2011, proving that sometimes you gotta put on pants more than one leg at a time.
[Strauss would be proud](
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Pandora jacked up ads for 35m of its users, and old people paid to make them just stopÂ
Pandora assaulted 35m listeners with ads to see just how much theyâre willing to put up with and [found]( that young listeners just switched platforms instead of paying -- while older listeners opt to pay a subscription fee instead of taking their streaming business elsewhere. Â Â
The [study]( published in the Social Science Research Network with Pandoraâs blessing, blitzed users with 3 to 12 ads per hour to measure ad-related audience decline.
Hold up: So were the researchers academics or tech workers?
The answer is: yes. The studyâs authors were David Reiley, a UC Berkeley professor who works in ad-science at Pandora, and two Pandora interns named Jason Huang (Stanford Ph.D. researcher/ Uber data scientist) and Nickolai Riabov (Brown Ph.D. researcher/ Netflix senior research scientist).
The report wasnât peer-reviewed like most academic articles, but it was [undertaken]( by academics over 21 months among 35m users in 3 countries.
The age-old digital debate: ads vs. subscriptions
The publication of the paper comes at a time when many ad revenue-based internet companies debate the merits of subscription models, especially as companies struggle with privacy concerns associated with advertising.
The main takeaway? Using ads to force users to upgrade to a subscription only works when they donât have many other options. Or when theyâre old.
[Gotta love interns](
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This is the diet vodka for you if you want to have your booze and diet too
Diageo, the maker of Smirnoff and Ciroc products, is rolling out a lower-calorie, lower-alcohol version of Ketel One, as [reported]( in The Wall Street Journal.
The largest liquor producer in the world, Diageo claims a 1.5 oz shot of Ketel One Botanical will have 40% fewer calories than a glass of white wine -- but theyâll have to sell the booze as a beverage âmade with vodkaâ instead of the real thang.
Ketel One has lost its buzzÂ
Ketel Oneâs market share has [dribbled]( out of the glass to a sobering 1.7%. Titos, on the hand, commands a full 8.1% -- and theyâre ordering another round.Â
But why are these buzzed newcomers outperforming the top-shelf boozes that got your granddaddy drunk? Hereâs at least one reason: itâs advertised as gluten-free.Â
Cuz if thereâs one thing Americans are more obsessed with than booze⦠itâs dieting.
Good for the waistline -- and the bottom line
The same wave of consumer preference that rocked the soda industryâs boat decades ago -- shifting 43% of Coca Colaâs [sales]( to reduced-sugar, reduced-calorie sodas -- is finally lapping the big booze industry.
New alcohol companies like [Skinnygirl]( and [SpikedSeltze]( cater to calorie-conscious consumers hoping to maximize ABV but minimize guilt -- and traditional booze brands are trimming down to compete.
So be bad and order that diet vodka with your diet Coke...
[Iâll have a water with a splash of vodka](
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Last chance to be a kid again (AKA Free Stuff)
Thereâs still time to enter our[latest giveaway]( the ultimate Nintendo Switch Bundle valued at $1,500. Itâs like winning a hall pass to be a kid again.
Weâre always out to hook Hustle readers up with some free swag.
So this time around, we thought âhow can we treat our readers to something nostalgic.â Then our friends at Product Hunt, Man of Many, and Digg called us up. The deal was too sweet to not share.
Enter to win a[Nintendo Switch Game Bundle](
And when we say bundle, weâre talking a $1,500 bundle with practically every game out there -- 10 in total. Plus, youâll get the Nintendo Labo and Robotics Kit.
So, how can you get your hands on this slice of tech heaven?
Easy. Click[this link]( to enter.
THE FINE PRINT: Gotta be 18 or older to enter. No minors, no exceptions, no fun.
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hustle hacks
Note: We partnered with [Microsoft](
4 hacks to grow your business (quickly)
Take it from us, growing a digital business takes more than money, an idea, and good looks. Sometimes, you gotta get scrappy.
In celebration of National Small Business Week, weâve collected tried-and-true growth hacks to put your hustle on the map, including a few Sam and John used to start The Hustle.
Hereâs what you can do to hit the streets running:
- Get reviewers and testimonials from[Fiverr]( Early on, customer reviews and testimonials are crucial. Just think about how you buy things -- reviews are key. Fiverr connects you with hundreds of honest reviewers quickly and on the cheap.
- Build a fake [mobile app]( to share mockups: If youâre building an app, getting feedback as soon as possible is best. Use one of the dozens of app builders to mockup your MVP using just a series of photos. The key here is that you donât need the features to work in order to get feedback -- just show it.
- Build a website from a Photoshop file with [PSD2HTML]( Build websites, WordPress sites, landing pages, and email templates from a barebones Photoshop mockup. Itâs super simple and allows you to quickly build responsive websites without technical chops.
- Run your company IT with[Microsoft 365 Business]( Your personal computer and free software got you rolling, but eventually, youâll need to lock down a real software provider. With Microsoft 365 Business, you get a complete hub for teamwork with the best productivity tools around and ultra-secure cloud storage in OneDrive. Plus, everything is covered with Microsoftâs industry-leading security, so no secret spilling.
Starting a business isnât always pretty, but these tricks can help you hit unicorn goals on a donkey budget. Know a tip? Let us know[in the comments](.
This edition of The Hustle was brought to you by
âEt, tu MVMT?â
We know you love [MVMT](
When we first advertised them over a year ago, y'all nearly shut down the site -- nice work BTW.Â
And theyâre no stranger to pushing the envelope. Their recent Monochrome collection sold out in the first week, and youâll be seeing a whole face-load of their newest sunglasses at a festival near you.
Now, theyâre revamping their most popular watch models with an earthy, bronzed treatment -- AKA they Julius Ceasarâd them.Â
Introducing: [The Bronze Age](
MVMTâs latest collection fuses the warm colorways of a Scandinavian cabin getaway with the refined elegance of a New York City penthouse -- trust us, [seeing]( is believing.Â
Soft, sage greys married with the warmth of bronze metal, the collection is both edgy and refined at the same time. Like a chameleon of style, a Bronze Age watch is the [perfect accessory]( to dress up or down.Â
See the full lineup of [Bronze Age watches]( -- and get one on your wrist before theyâre gone. Use code HUSTLE15 for 15% off your order.Â
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