Life Enjoyed

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) reports that 13.9 percent of all American mobile users or 32.5 million people accessed mobile banking information from their mobile device by the end of the second quarter in June. 12.7 million users actually used the mobile banking apps, a 45 percent increase from the end of the fourth quarter 2010.

Interesting Read From Business Wire Press Release on Tiger Woods Impact of Public Companies After Scandal Erupted:

Shareholders of Nike, Gatorade and other Tiger Woods sponsors lost a collective $5 to $12 billion in the wake of the scandal involving his extramarital affairs, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The losses are separate from - and potentially much larger than - damage to Woods' own earnings.

"Total shareholder losses may exceed several decades' worth of Tiger Woods' personal endorsement income," said Victor Stango, a professor of economics at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management and co-author of the study.

With fellow UC Davis economics professor Christopher Knittel, Stango looked at stock market returns for the 13 trading days that fell between Nov. 27, the date of the car crash that ignited the Woods' scandal, and Dec. 17, a week after the golf great announced his indefinite leave from the sport.

To assess shareholder losses, the economists compared returns for Woods' sponsors during this period to those of both the total stock market and of each sponsor's closest competitor.

Knittel and Stango also reviewed returns for four years before the car accident to determine how each sponsor's market performance normally correlates with that of the total market and of competitor firms.

The study focused on nine sponsors for which stock prices are available: Accenture (NYSE: ACN); American Express (NYSE: AXP; AT&T Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf (NYSE: T) (Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS)); Gillette (Proctor and Gamble (NYSE: PG)); Nike (NYSE: NKE); Gatorade (PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP)); TLC Laser Eye Centers; and Golf Digest (News Corp. (Nasdaq: NWSA)).

Overall, Knittel and Stango concluded that the scandal reduced shareholder value in the sponsor companies by 2.3 percent, or about $12 billion.

"(This) pattern of losses is unlikely to stem from ordinary day-to-day variation in their stock prices," the researchers wrote.

Investors in the three sports-related companies (Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, Gatorade, and Nike) fared the worst, the study found. They experienced a 4.3-percent scandal-generated drop in stock value, equivalent to about $6 billion.

On the other hand, Accenture, a global management consulting firm, experienced no ill effects following the accident.

"Economic theory would predict this," Knittel said. "For Tiger Woods, having a firm like Accenture as a sponsor probably does not enhance the overall value of the Tiger brand very much, giving Woods a lot of bargaining power when negotiating that deal. If the company therefore ends up paying Woods something close to its extra profit from his endorsement, it isn't much worse off without him than with him.

"However, Nike and other premier sports-related sponsors are special for an athlete like Tiger Woods. They are themselves powerful brands that add value to Tiger's brand and create other financial opportunities for him. This gives a premier sports sponsor the bargaining power to capture some of the profits generated by an endorsement deal with Woods - so that if the Tiger brand is tarnished, those profits may decline. Our study measures that decline."

The pace of losses had slowed by Dec. 11, the day Woods announced his leave from golf, Knittel and Stango found. But as late as Dec. 17, shareholders had yet to reverse their losses.

"Our findings speak to a larger question of general interest in the business and academic communities: Does celebrity sponsorship have any impact on a firm's bottom line?" Stango said.

"Our analysis makes clear that while having a celebrity of Tiger Woods' stature as an endorser has undeniable upside, the downside risk is substantial too."

Before the scandal, Woods earned about $100 million a year in endorsement income, more than any other athlete.

The UC Davis study is available online at: http://faculty.gsm.ucdavis.edu/~vstango

A separate note from Streetinsider.com editor, Steve Marra - I might add that I heard from television sources that there was a 42% drop in viewership on the Golf Channel after Tiger Woods injured his knee, requiring surgery, thus having to leave the PGA tour back in '08. Also, I noticed Tiger Woods' golf game (for all major consoles including Wii, xBox and PS3) was discounted at many retailers over the holidays....The guy isn't that intelligent, he's just a great golfer, and you could say that his teens and 20-something party lifestyle was taken from him because his father pushed and pushed for him to become great at golf. We've seen this before ala Michael Jackson....Anyway, I have a feeling that when he decides to return (which may not be until the middle of 2010), that if he isn't winning, sponsors will slowly but surely, start looking for the next best thing.

China GrenTech Corporation Limited (Nasdaq: GRRF) announced the resignation from the Board of Directors (the "Board"), effective September 21, 2009, of Mr. Liping Mao for personal reasons, following his earlier resignation from his position as a Vice President (responsible for overseeing sales and marketing) of the Company on June 30, 2009. Concurrently, the Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Qi Wang to the Board, effective September 21, 2009. Mr. Wang currently serves as a Vice President of the Company, responsible for base station RF business operations.

[SM]

Recently, Nike (NYSE: NKE) unveiled a new running shoe in time for the 2009 Boston Marathon. The Nike LunarGlide+ is touted as the answer to common runner complaints.

The shoe is a lightweight running shoe designed with an innovative mid-sole architecture called Dynamic Support, which adapts to a runner's gait with each step, providing superior cushioning and as-needed stability. You get both cushioning and stability from this shoe. The price point is set at around $100. It will have it's global launch in July of this year and the U.S. launch in August. It is being introduced in three colorways: black, grey and white. The shoes are also conscious of the different needs of male and female runners being gender specific in areas of adjustability and support. The women's shoe includes more soft foam under the heel than the men's model and Dynamic Fit Technology, a stretchy material, adjacent to the big toe, which expands to accommodate varying widths since women tend to have broader forefeet.

"Runners traditionally had to choose between stability or cushioning shoes based on their style," said Leslie Lane, Global Vice President and General Manager for Nike Running. "Now, consumers can choose a single running shoe that will respond to all of their needs, even adjusting on the fly during a run."

According to Phil McCartney, Global Director of Running Product, nearly seventy percent of global specialty accounts had already bought the product.

LunarGlide+ is going to be hot! It is already being hyped. The colors are nice, the price is good and the technology is long anticipated and much need.

Chile has been producing wine for over 500 hundred years, but it hasn't been until recently that this South American country has gotten the respect it deserves. In fact Chile is the fifth largest wine exporter to the U.S.  Chile is a great producer of high quality well priced wines. Much debate has surfaced in the "wine world" over the quality versus value of wines from this region. 

Some connoisseurs suggest that you get what you pay for and that "cheap" Chilean wine is unremarkable and disappointing. Other enthusiasts argue Chilean wine can be fantastic and that it can be purchased at a value is a definite bonus to the consumer. I tend to agree that when considering a Chilean wine a low price doesn't mean an inferior wine. Unlike purchasing a bottle produced in the U.S. for under $10., which gets you the likes of Boon's Farm or a wine in a "box", there are some very good Chilean wines in the $10-$20 range. Here are some I like: 

-  Don Amado, 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Especial, Cachapoal Valley, Rapel - $20: Score: 91
- Casa Silva 2006 Cochagua Valley Chile - $9.99 Santa Ema "Reserve", 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile - $9.99: Score: 90
- Concha y Toro "Terrunyo", 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile - $14.99: Score: 93

If you are just looking for a great bottle regardless of price you need look no farther than Chile. The wines produced here can be sensational regardless of price. According to Wine Spectator a Chilean wine won the prestigious wine of the year award for 2008. The top pick: Casa Lapostolle, 2005, Clos Apalta, Colchagua Valley, Chile. At $75 a bottle with only 5,987 cases made and a score of 96 points it is an exciting pick!