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January 20, 2022
Yesterday's Question of the Day clearly struck a nerve: "What celebrity death hit you the hardest?" Your answers flooded our inbox and put us in our feels. Robin Williams, Princess Diana, Kobe Bryant, and Anthony Bourdain were the most common answers. But how did nobody say Billy Mays?
On the subject of legendary commercial faces, today's Wrap investigates the secret identity of a famous mattress mascot. Let's ride.
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The Rings of Power
Overview
- Wednesday, details emerged about Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power show, which is set to be the most expensive show of all time
- “Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many … and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all,” staff on the show said
- The series will tell the stories of the rise of Sauron, the forging of the rings, and the alliance between elves and mankind
- Amazon paid $250M for the show's rights and is spending $1B to create it. It's slated to debut September 2 on Amazon Prime
DIG DEEPER
Amazon says the show picks up with the death of Sauron, the original series' main villain, and it will “follow an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth.” Watch the trailer here.
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Australia Calls for Backpackers
Overview
- Australia is offering working backpackers free admission to the country
- The Australian government is refunding the $354 "working holiday visa" for backpackers, which allows them to work in Australia for up to a year
- Australia still bans tourism for pleasure, however it is encouraging tourism for work. Australia has long relied on backpackers to provide temporary work
- Before 2020, 300k+ holiday workers visited the country annually. The pandemic has eliminated that flow, exacerbating a labor shortage that's closed stores and restaurants, caused produce to rot, and more
DIG DEEPER
"We want you to come to Australia and enjoy a holiday . . . and at the same time join the workforce,” Australia's prime minister said.
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Cincinatti vs. Landlords
Overview
- A Cincinnati government agency took one of the biggest steps yet by a government in the US to block investors from controlling property
- The agency bought 194 homes worth $14.5M to continue renting them to low- to middle-income residents, with the goal of later selling residents the properties
- Investors have been buying US homes at increasing rates, contributing to rising prices. Investors bought 18% of homes in 2021, up from 8% in 2009
- The pro-investor side says investors provide better property management and supply. Critics say they are pricing potential homeowners out of the market
DIG DEEPER
Some governments and non-profits are pursuing "lease-to-own" models, where they buy properties and lease them to residents, to whom they eventually sell them. Critics say it's not the government's job to control housing prices.
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Wordle Solved
Overview
- A Spanish professor and data scientist has created an algorithm capable of beating Wordle 99% of the time
- Wordle is a viral spelling game in which people have 6 attempts to guess a word. On November 1, 90 people played it; last weekend, 2M+ did
- The professor found the best starting guess – “orate," which uses the 5 most common Wordle letters – then coded a program to optimize the following 5 guesses. The program beats the game 99% of the time
- The scientist said his achievement was to find "a bias in the words Wardle chose, and exploit this to improve the strategy”
DIG DEEPER
Brooklyn software engineer Josh Wardle created Wordle for his partner, who liked word games. They shared it with their friends, and it ended up going viral. Try it here.
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- Still hasn't found what he's looking for: Bono said he's "embarrassed" by most U2 songs in a recent podcast interview. "Vertigo" is his favorite
- On-location filming in Los Angeles set an all-time quarterly record in the Q4 2021 and doubled the annual output from 2020
- Cardi B has promised to cover the funeral costs for all 17 victims of the devastating Bronx fire. The star rapper is a Bronx native
Business
- Steppin' into correction zone: The NASDAQ fell 1% on Wednesday and is now 10% below its November high, putting it in correction territory
- The US' first 3D-printed house was reportedly assembled in just 22 hours. The printing company has partnered with Habitat for Humanity
- Big Brother Mark: Meta has patented a new technology for an “authentic” robot eye with the ability to track human eye movements
Wildcard
- Despite being a landlocked state, Nebraska technically has a navy and can confer the honorary title of "admiral" to great Cornhuskers
- Succession star Brian Cox claims he turned down a Pirates of the Caribbean role because he thought Johnny Depp was overrated
- The Chinese woman who was stuck with her date for more than 20 days amid a Covid lockdown told state media that the two are getting engaged
- Raining salmon, hallelujah! The rains that soaked California late last year brought back endangered salmon that "haven’t been seen for 25 years"
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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With 3600+ retail showrooms globally and $700M+ in annual revenue, Chinese mattress brand De Rucci is one of the largest and well-known mattress retailers in the world.
For years, its ads have been marked by a striking looking older man: Slim with a gray beard, silver hair, glasses, and quizzical gaze, his face looms over billboards worldwide. So common was the man’s image that one publication named him the “Most Famous Face in China.” But no one ever knew who he was.
On Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and various blogs, people organized to try to solve the mystery of the man’s identity. The man developed a cult following in parts of the world, including Australia, where a brass statue of the man became the centerpiece of the company’ “sleep festival.”
A major clue emerged last December, when De Rucci began prep work for its initial public offering (stock listing). As part of the process, China’s Securities Regulatory Commission sent the company a 777-page form full of questions. Buried deep on page 227 was a question about the company’s marketing strategy.
There, De Rucci disclosed that it had bought advertising rights to the image of “Timothy James Kingman” in 2009 for an undisclosed sum. So the man was “Timothy James Kingman.” But who was he really, and why did De Rucci choose him?
That first question may never be known. A Wall Street Journal examination found an American named “Timothy J. Kingman,” born in 1943 and died in 2012, who was an English teacher living in China. They found an SSN, P.O. box, and dormant online profile, but little else.
As for why De Rucci chose him, some think it was for “white monkey” advertising, which refers to the use of white foreigners in Chinese marketing to portray international quality. The foreigners need not be celebrities. Once common in China, the marketing is now looked down upon. Last month, the state-run China Daily asked whether “De Rucci uses a white man’s face to pass itself off as a European company” and promote “European blood.”
Because of that shift, Kingman's image is sliding out of view. De Rucci is increasingly using new images, including of China’s women’s volleyball team. Yet for now, Kingman’s face remains on De Rucci’s website, daring customers to solve his mystery and buy a new mattress.
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com!
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 Games
Name the famous TV drama series by the first names of its main characters.
- Don, Peggy, Betty, Joan, Roger
- Walter, Jesse, Hank, Skyler, Marie
- Ned, Cat, Jon, Daenerys, Tyrion
- Mary, Matthew, Sybil, Robert, Thomas
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Better movie genre: Rom-Coms or Thrillers?
Rom-Coms: 44.3%
Thrillers: 55.7%
Yesterday's Question:
In your lifetime, what celebrity death hit you the hardest? Why?
Madeline from Dayton: "Robin Williams. He was just someone I felt we could count on, as a society, to make us smile. When he died by suicide it felt as though we had let him down. It makes watching all of his movies different now, knowing his internal struggles that we didn't see."
Stephen from Martha's Vineyard: "Kobe and Gianna. Only ones to make me cry."
Jen from Alameda: "Anthony Bourdain. I still haven’t been able to watch any of his shows since then. He brought the world - and my dysfunctional family - together."
General Feedback:
Thank you to everyone who wrote congratulatory notes about our raise and acquisition. We are honored to be riding the Roca wave with you!
Basia from Southampton, UK: "I had a personalized license plate when I moved from Michigan to Hawaii. I was a big Pistons fan back there and I think the fee was very small to get on in Hawaii from what I can remember so I got PSTONS to fit. Btw in the U.K. it’s really expensive to get a vanity plate."
Brandon from Chicago: "Can't forget the plates from Canada that are shaped like bears, or the Jazz Cat plate from Tennessee, or even the burger or the Dr. Pepper plates from Texas. There are some really cool designs out there most people don't know about just because you have to pay to get most of them."
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20 Questions: 11-15
Every Friday, we ask the Roca Riders 20 questions and feature a few of our favorite answers.
11. Favorite podcast for road trips?
"How Stuff Works"
"Armchair expert with Dax Shepard. Pro tip don’t listen to true crime podcasts when you’ll be spending the night alone"
"Pardon My Take"
12. Favorite movie soundtrack?
"Pulp Fiction"
"The Lion King (1994)"
"Tarzan. Phil Collins didn't have to go that hard"
13. Go-karting or mini golf?
"Go-karting" (~50%)
"Mini golf" (~50%)
"Playing mini golf in a go-kart"
14. Best concession stand food?
"Corndogs"
"Dip n Dots"
"Soft pretzel w/ cheese"
15. How do you feel about the month of January?
"I mean I get half of it off from college so it's a dub"
"It's awful. I also live in Ohio"
"It's usually a slow, quiet month in my world, which is welcome relief after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I enjoy catching up on stuff and getting back into the swing of things for a new year."
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Games Answer(s):
1. Mad Men 2. Breaking Bad 3. Game of Thrones 4. Downton Abbey
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― Final Thoughts
We received an immense amount of positive emails from you all yesterday, regarding the news of our raise and expansion. That means the world to us, so we just want take another day to say thank you. We deeply appreciate it.
Happy Thursday, all! See you here for 20 Questions tomorrow!
-Max, Max, Billy, and Jen
There is no Instagram Wrap today. We've got a business-related announcement to make!
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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