Digital News in Brief: Turning Denmark into Times Square

In other news, Facebook is testing its new group video chat app on Danish customers and a new startup is intent on cutting airport and hospital waiting times

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising – the Times Square-inspired images increasingly being seen in public space, on transport and in restaurants and venues – has never really taken off in Denmark, but all that might be about to change. Swedish specialists Visual Art have acquired Danish rival City Media with a view to significantly adding to an 80 percent market share that is worth around 31 million kroner a year. Visual Art’s clients include McDonald’s, 7-Eleven and Circle K.A

Facebook starting a Bonfire in Denmark
Facebook has chosen Denmark as its testing ground for its new group video chat app, Bonfire. It has this week become available on the Danish iOS App Store. Adam Blacker, an expert at app analytics firm Apptopia, told thenextweb.com that Denmark “typically has good user retention … which makes it an ideal test market for new products”. Bonfire is inspired by Houseparty and Snapchat and also allows users to share photos.

Reducing waiting times with maths
Danish startup called Copenhagen Optimization analyses data to establish patterns and successfully reduce waiting times. A recent demonstration of its approach cut waiting times at Geneva Airport by 50 percent. The company says that airports are ripe for such time saving as the passengers leave a steady trail of data during their visit. However, it is believed that the company’s mathematical models can be applied to all sorts of environments, and it now working with the pathology department at Rigshospitalet to reduce hospital waiting times.

Danish business prodigy profiled by Forbes
A Danish 17-year-old entrepreneur has been profiled by Forbes. From an early age Carl Kronika has dreamed of “earning money to buy cool stuff”, and in 2014, he founded Copus, an Odense-based social media company that conducts media and PR campaigns and also designs websites. Kronika’s parents, though, who are both teachers, would prefer him to continue with his education. Current clients include Carlsberg, but he will have to wait another year before he can legally consume their products in a bar.

Huge Chinese deal for Irma
The growing Chinese demand for high-quality Danish goods has been furthered demonstrated by a deal struck by one of the country’s e-commerce platforms, Kaola.com, with Irma supermarket to sell some of its products – mostly organic ones – from October. The deal will start with non-perishable food products, but gradually be expanded to include fresh goods. Jens Visholm, an executive vice president of Irma’s owner Coop, is confident the deal could generate a three-digit million amount in the future.

 

 




  • Danish Intelligence Service: Threat from Russia has intensified

    Danish Intelligence Service: Threat from Russia has intensified

    In the internal Danish waters, Russia will be able to attack underwater infrastructure from all types of vessels. The target could be cables with data, electricity and gas, assesses the Danish Defense Intelligence Service

  • Denmark to explore screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic sentiments

    Denmark to explore screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic sentiments

    A few weeks after Alex Vanopslagh’s comments about “right values,” the government announced that an expert committee would be established to examine the feasibility of screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic attitudes.

  • The Future Copenhagen

    The Future Copenhagen

    The municipality plan encompasses building 40,000 houses by 2036 in order to help drive real estate prices down. But this is not the only huge project that will change the shape of the city: Lynetteholmen, M5 metro line, the Eastern Ring Road, and Jernbanebyen will transform Copenhagen into something different from what we know today

  • It’s not you: winter depression is affecting many people

    It’s not you: winter depression is affecting many people

    Many people in Denmark are facing hard times marked by sadness, anxiety, and apathy. It’s called winter depression, and it’s a widespread phenomenon during the cold months in Nordic countries.

  • Crime rates are rising, but people are safer

    Crime rates are rising, but people are safer

    Crime in Denmark is increasing for the second consecutive year, but it is more focused on property, while people appear to be safer than before. Over the past year, there were fewer incidents of violence

  • Novo Nordisk invests 8.5 billion DKK in new Odense facility

    Novo Nordisk invests 8.5 billion DKK in new Odense facility

    Despite Novo’s announcement that its growth abroad will be larger than in Denmark, the company announced this morning an 8.5 billion DKK investment for a new facility in Odense. This is the first time the company has established a new production site in Denmark this century.