Windows XP Commercial 2001

 

Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 2000 for professional users and Windows Me for home users. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001.

Development of Windows XP began in the late 1990s under the codename "Neptune", built on the Windows NT kernel explicitly intended for mainstream consumer use. An updated version of Windows 2000 was also initially planned for the business market. However, in January 2000, both projects were scrapped in favor of a single OS codenamed "Whistler", which would serve as a single platform for both consumer and business markets. As a result, Windows XP is the first consumer edition of Windows not based on the Windows 95 kernel and MS-DOS.

Upon its release, Windows XP received critical acclaim, noting increased performance and stability (especially compared to Windows Me), a more intuitive user interface, improved hardware support, and expanded multimedia capabilities. However, some industry reviewers were concerned by the new licensing model and product activation system. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 were succeeded by Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, released in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Market share of Windows XP fell below 1% by the end of 2021, right when Windows 11 was released.

Mainstream support for Windows XP ended on April 14, 2009, and extended support ended on April 8, 2014. After that, the operating system ceased receiving further support. Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, based on Windows XP Professional, received security updates until April 2019. After that, unofficial methods were made available to apply the updates to other editions of Windows XP. Still, Microsoft discouraged this practice, citing incompatibility issues.[10] As of December 2021, 0.5% of Windows PCs[9] run Windows XP (on all continents, the share is below 1%), and 0.18% of all devices across all platforms run Windows XP. Windows XP is still very prevalent in many countries, such as Armenia, where 50–60% of computers use it.

GMC Truck Commercial 1986

 

The third-generation GMC pickup was introduced for the 1973 model year. Designated the "Rounded Line" generation by General Motors, the trucks grew in size inside and out. As pickup trucks increased in use as personal vehicles, cab features and options moved closer in line with GM sedans (with power windows and power door locks becoming options). To further expand its practicality, a four-door crew cab body was introduced (offering 6-passenger seating).

While relatively straight-lined and boxy in appearance (leading to their "Square-body" nickname from the public) the Rounded Line trucks were the first generation to be designed with the use of computers and wind tunnels, optimizing the exterior shape for lower drag and improved fuel economy. The chassis was an all-new design (with all trucks receiving a leaf-spring rear suspension); K-Series trucks moved to all-wheel drive (shift-on-the-fly 4x4 was introduced for 1981).

Alongside the introduction of the four-door crew cab, the third generation marked the introduction of a dual-rear-wheel pickup truck ("Big Dooley"). In 1978, GMC became the first American full-size pickup truck sold with a diesel engine (a 5.7L Oldsmobile diesel V8); a 6.2L V8 diesel was introduced in 1982. This generation also marks the first use of the Chevrolet Silverado nameplate (in use for Chevrolet full-size trucks today).

The Rounded Line generation is the longest-produced version of the model line, produced for 18 model years. For 1987, it was renamed the R/V series and was gradually phased out through the 1991 model year.

Tim Hortons Roll up the Rim Contest 2003

Each February, Tim Hortons holds a marketing campaign called Roll Up the Rim to Win. As of 2007, over 31 million prizes were distributed each year, including cars, televisions, and store products. Customers determine if they have won prizes by unrolling the rim on their paper cups when they have finished their drink, revealing the result underneath. Prizes are not distributed randomly country-wide; each of the company's distribution regions has distinct prize-winning odds. The idea for the campaign began in 1985 when Roger Wilson of one of Tim Hortons' supplier of cups, Lily Cup company, approached Tim Hortons with a new idea to increase their sales. Wilson explained his company had created a new cup design that allowed a message to be printed under the rim; the cup type cost no more than the current one and could enable a promotion or contest. Recognizing the opportunity to promote coffee in the normally weak sales period in the spring, the Roll Up the Rim to Win campaign was first held in 1986 when the biggest prize was a snack box of Timbits. In 2008, over 88% of major prizes were redeemed.

The contest is popular enough that Paul Kind has invented the Rimroller (as seen on Dragons' Den), a device for rolling up the rim mechanically.

In honor of Canada's sesquicentennial, a special edition of the Roll Up the Rim promotion was held in July 2017, with prizes including an "Ultimate Canadian Vacation" valued at $10,000.

The contest has seen several controversies including the theft of unrolled cups. In March 2006, two families were fighting over a Toyota RAV4 SUV prize of CA$32,000 value when their daughters found a winning "roll up the rim" coffee cup in a garbage bin of an elementary school in Saint-Jérôme, a town north of Montreal. The younger girl had found a cup in the garbage bin and could not roll up the rim, so she requested the help of an older girl. Once the winning cup was revealed, the older girl's family stated that they deserved the prize. Tim Hortons originally stated that they would not intervene in the dispute. A further complication arose when Quebec lawyer Claude Archambault requested a DNA test be done on the cup. He claimed that his unnamed client had thrown out the cup and was the rightful recipient of the prize. On April 19, 2006, Tim Hortons announced that they had decided to award the prize to the younger girl who had initially found the cup. The company has also faced concerns over the amount of additional litter generated by the promotion.

In 2018, Tim Hortons began to add digital components to the promotion, via the "Scroll Up the Rim" feature (which gave players a chance at food prizes) on the chain's mobile app. In 2020, as part of environmental initiatives and to promote the chain's new Tims Rewards loyalty program, Tim Hortons announced that it would only distribute Roll Up the Rim cups during the first two weeks of the campaign. Each eligible purchase by a Tims Rewards member during the first half of the promotion was to earn two electronic entries, and one electronic entry in the second two weeks, redeemable via the Tims Rewards mobile app. Any purchase using a reusable cup was to award three entries.

On March 7, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tim Hortons announced that it had cancelled the distribution of physical cups for the promotion due to concerns that the virus could be spread by returned cups, and that the promotion would be conducted solely via the app. The chain had also joined others in temporarily prohibiting the use of reusable cups for similar reasons. The changes from 2020 remained in use for 2021, with the promotion therefore being renamed to Roll Up to Win. In addition, Tim Hortons announced that every electronic entry would be guaranteed to win Tims Rewards points at a minimum.

 

Molson Export Commercial with George Wendt 2002

 

Beer Commercial for Molson Export featuring George Wendt as broadcast in 2002

Molson Export beer is a Canadian ale brewed by Molson at a strength of 5% alcohol by volume. First brewed in 1903, Molson Export is the oldest surviving of the Molson beer brands.

The beer was named Molson Export because the brewers deemed it of such high quality that it was good enough to be exported and was even better than the imports that were in high demand at the time. In 1955, the boat on the label was chosen to replace the previous anchor and crown logo.