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It's easy to set fitness goals for yourself at the beginning of the year, but the hard part is working to actually achieve them. In addition to needing the personal drive, attention span, and dedication, you're also going to need the right gear for your workouts — and, unless you're a kickboxer, what's on your feet is the most important consideration.

Instead of telling yourself you can work out or train in the same athletic sneakers you love to wear casually, you'll need to invest in footwear designed for your specific fitness needs. You'll be more likely to reach your goal without injury or discomfort as a result of wearing improper shoes or badly beaten sneakers you refuse to replace. In the long run, it'll pay off.

Whether you're into running, cross training, weight lifting, or cycling, you should be able to find the perfect pair of shoes to help you reach your fitness goals in the list below. We researched, tested, and read reviews far and wide on the best sneakers for different types of workouts and put that information all in one place. Of course, everyone's needs are different, and the pair that's right for you won't always be the same as what's right for your neighbor. But this list should at least guide you in the right direction. 

Learn more about each pair below:

Brooks Ghost 11 for all types of running

Brooks Ghost 11, available in nine colors on Amazon, $120

In 2018, Runner's World awarded the Brooks Ghost 11 its seventh Editor's Choice award as the best running sneaker for all types of runners. According to their review, the shoe is loved by amateur runners for its cushioning, by marathon runners for its ability to handle extended use, and by road runners for its smooth ride on any terrain. 

Under Armour Project Rock 1 for strength and agility training

Under Armour Project Rock 1, available in four colors, $120

As a WWE and big-screen movie superstar, it only takes one look at Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to know that he takes his training sessions seriously. Rather than putting his branding and likeness on it, the Under Armour Project Rock 1 was thoroughly designed in collaboration with Johnson to meet his and other athletes' training demands. The high-top trainer features a fully knit upper, synthetic overlays for support and durability, and a bootie construction for ankle support. The outsole uses a wrap-around textured pattern for traction and durability.

According to WearTesters' in-depth review, the Project Rock 1 is an evolution of a classic wrestling shoe, making it especially good for strength and agility training. It excels in traction, cushion, and support with sizing being the only concern. You'll want to go a full size down for an accurate fit.

Nike VaporFly 4% Flyknit for running track and speed training

Nike VaporFly 4% Flyknit, available in two colors, $250

Debuted in 2017, the VaporFly 4% Flyknit was designed specifically for running speed. The shoes feature Flyknit upper, an ultra-light ZoomX foam midsole, and a carbon fiber plate built into the tooling designed to propel you forward.

To prove just how innovative the design was, it was worn by Nike-sponsored runner Eluid Kipchoge, as he attempted to break the sub-two-hour marathon mark. Despite falling short by seconds, running 26.2 miles in two hours and 25 seconds, Kipchoge crushed the existing world record by more than two minutes. The Nike Vapor Fly 4% effectively claimed its stake as the fastest, most efficient shoe ever made. 

• Apple needs to cut the price of its iPhone XR in China by as much as 20%, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a research note Monday.
• The phone costs about $960 in the country, an example of Apple's "pricing hubris," he said.
• The danger for the company is that iPhone customers there will buy cheaper phones from rivals instead of paying Apple's price, Ives said.
• Apple needs to maintain its customer base to drive sales of its services, he said.

When it comes to China, Apple might be facing a "code red" situation and may need to respond to it equally dramatically with something it rarely does — cutting prices on recently launched products.

For Apple to successfully transform itself into a services company, as CEO Tim Cook has been talking about, it needs to maintain its base of customers, Dan Ives, an analyst who covers the company for Wedbush, said in a new research note. But it risks losing a significant chunk of its customer base in China because it priced its new iPhone XR too high, he said.

To right its ship, Apple is going to need to "significantly" cut the price of the XR in coming months — perhaps by as much as 20%, Ives said.

"Apple needs to make sure that over the next few quarters they do not lose any current iPhone customers, and thus speaks to the more significant price reductions on the way in China, in our opinion," Ives said. "This is a smart and necessary strategy."

Apple representatives did not respond to an email seeking comment about Ives' report.

Read more: Hey Tim Cook, there's a simple solution to your iPhone sales problem

Some thought the XR would be a big hit

Apple introduced the XR last fall as a lower-cost alternative to its flagship XS models. It has many of the same features, but it has a less costly screen and a lower price. While the XS models start at $1,000, the XR starts at $750. When it launched, some observers expected the XR to be a breakout hit.

Instead, many consumers appear to be rejecting the XR as too costly. Apple has reportedly cut back on production of the XR repeatedly since it launched. Earlier this month, the company warned that its holiday-quarter sales would fall short of its forecasts and blamed weak iPhone sales, particularly in China.

Ives pointed a finger at the XR for that shortfall. There the device has a base price of RMB 6,499, which is about $960.

"As we have discussed with investors, it has been Apple's pricing hubris on iPhone XR that was the major factor in the company's December earnings debacle," said Ives, who remains a bull on Apple's stock, with an "outperform" rating and a $200 price target.

Many analysts, including Ives, believe that the future for Apple is in selling services to owners of its devices. The company's services segment has been one of its fastest-growing businesses in recent years and such offerings as Apple Music, iCloud storage, and the money Google pays Apple to be the default search engine for the iPhone. For its services segment to continue to grow, Apple will need to at least maintain its user base, Ives said.

Apple needs to sell iPhones to drive demand for its services

That's a chronic challenge. Smartphone owners tend to replace their devices every two to three years, and some use it as an opportunity to switch the kind of device they own from an iPhone to an Android device, or vice versa. Apple's customers have tended to be very loyal, but its pricing mistake for the XR could test those ties, particularly in China, Ives said.

Some 350 million iPhones are due to be replaced within the next year to 18 months, he said. Of those, about 60 to 70 million are owned by Chinese consumers, he said. The danger for Apple is that those customers, because of its high prices, don't wait longer to buy their next device, but they buy a cheaper device from a competitor instead. That's why it's crucial for the company to cut its prices, he said.

"If the installed base declines in China, Apple will face an uphill battle in the region for years," Ives said.

He suggested that Apple could boost sales of the XR by cutting the price to about RMB 5,200, or about $768. Reports out of China in recent days indicate that some retailers are already slashing their prices on the XR and other iPhone models.

The price cuts could worry already nervous investors, Ives acknowledged. Some may fret that Apple will take a further revenue hit from such reductions or that it would lose its image as a luxury brand. But such considerations aren't as important as maintaining its user base, he said. 

Cutting prices "is a smart and necessary strategy for Apple as this is an installed base story going forward," he said. The growth of its services business, he added, "will be driven off that premise for the next decade, with China a key ingredient in Apple's future recipe for success."

• Read more about Apple:
• Hey Apple, what happens on iPhones doesn't stay there, and your 'clever' CES ad is promoting a dangerous illusion
• Longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster thinks the company should be valued less like a tech company and more like Coca-Cola. Here's why that could be good for shareholders.
• Longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster thinks the iPhone maker will reclaim its crown as the best tech stock in 2019. Here's why.
• These 5 charts show why Apple's big bet on services just doesn't make any sense

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPhone revenue is set to fall this year for just the second time ever

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I'm a diehard iPhone user who switched to Android for a week — here's what I loved and hated about the Google Pixel 3 XL

• Sen. Kamala Harris appears to be gearing up for a 2020 bid as a progressive champion and voice of the anti-Trump resistance.
• While Harris' 25-year career in law enforcement could boost credibility in a race against Trump, her prosecutorial record has come under renewed scrutiny by progressives.
• As San Francisco's district attorney and California's attorney general, Harris championed some incremental progressive reforms. But she's also been criticized for her record on criminal justice issues, including prosecutorial misconduct and the death penalty.

Sen. Kamala Harris is currently crisscrossing the country to talk about her newly-released memoir — released this month as she appears to be gearing up for a 2020 bid.

Over the last two years, the California Democrat has built a national following as a bold and media-savvy voice for the anti-Trump resistance. Long viewed as a rising star in Democratic politics, she's endorsed a host of progressive policies, including Medicare for All and rebuilding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

But Harris' 25-year career in law enforcement — including her two terms as San Francisco's district attorney and five years as California's attorney general — is facing renewed scrutiny. Some are arguing that her new memoir, "The Truths We Hold," doesn't adequately grapple with her record on criminal justice issues, including prosecutorial misconduct and the death penalty.

"Harris doesn’t meaningfully reconcile her punitive track record as a California prosecutor with her more recent activist-adjacent positioning as a national Democratic darling," The Atlantic wrote recently.

Branko Marcetic argued in Jacobin, a socialist magazine, that Harris's law enforcement career is "a combination of some notable progressive victories and pleasant rhetoric and a steadfast avoidance of structural change — paired, in some cases, with far-from-progressive policies."

A 'progressive prosecutor'?

Harris' critics on the left have long argued that her "smart on crime" approach, as she's called it, is nothing more than the the standard "tough on crime" methods.

As her home state's top law enforcement official, Harris faced heavy criticism for defending misconduct by prosecutors and sheriff's deputies. She appealed a judge's order demanding an inquiry into Orange County's district attorney and the office's unconstitutional use of informants — a move widely panned as a dereliction of her duty to investigate prosecutorial wrongdoing.

While Harris boldly rejected calls from powerful California Democrats to request the death penalty for a 21-year-old man who killed an undercover police officer, she later defended the state's system of capital punishment, appealing a federal judge's finding that it was unconstitutional.

She also fought the release of prisoners after the Supreme Court found in 2011 that overcrowding in California's prisons had led to a dangerous lack of medical care for those incarcerated.

She extracted $20 billion from Wall Street to compensate California homeowners following the financial crisis, but declined to prosecute Steve Mnuchin, then the head of California's OneWest Bank and now treasury secretary, for potentially illegal foreclosure practices.

But Harris also championed some progressive reforms in her home state, including instituting a program in San Francisco that offered first-time drug offenders education and work opportunities instead of jail time.

And she acknowledges the country's "deep and dark history of people using the power of the prosecutor as an instrument of injustice" in her new book.

"I know this history well—of innocent men framed, of charges brought against people of color without sufficient evidence, of prosecutors hiding information that would exonerate defendants, of the disproportionate application of the law," she wrote in her new memoir.

Democratic Party critics have long labeled Harris as politically cautious.

"She can point to some things she did as AG that took some courage, but her whole political history has been that of someone who is very cautious and tentative about really stepping out and being bold," Garry South, a veteran California-based Democratic political strategist, told INSIDER last year.

Now in a safe Senate seat, Harris has moved to the left on big criminal justice issues, including legalizing marijuana, bail reform, and reforming ICE.

SEE ALSO: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's allies announce their first Democratic primary target, conservative Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

Many companies use the term artificial intelligence, or AI, as a way to generate excitement for their products and to present themselves as on the cutting edge of tech development.

But what exactly is artificial intelligence? What does it involve? And how will it help the development of future generations?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in AI 101, a brand new FREE report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, that describes how AI works and looks at its present and potential future applications.

To get your copy of the FREE slide deck, simply click here.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles have a mutual $20 million contract option to decide on this offseason, and it makes Foles' future uncertain.
• While $20 million is a lot for a backup, given Foles' play and Carson Wentz's injury history, it may be smart for the Eagles to try to retain him.
• The Eagles could also try to trade Foles by hoping he agrees to his option, or by hitting him with the franchise tag if he turns down his option.
• On Monday, Foles told reporters that he wants to lead a team, meaning the Eagles may have no choice but to look into trading him.

Nick Foles' magic ran out earlier than the Super Bowl this year.

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles lost 20-14 to the New Orleans Saints, falling short of another miraculous, Foles-led Super Bowl appearance.

Read more: The 2018 NFL playoff bracket and TV schedule

Now, heading into the offseason, the biggest question for the Eagles, one that much of the NFL will be paying attention to, is how to handle Foles' future.

According to Spotrac, the Eagles and Foles have a mutual $20 million contract option next season that the Eagles must decide on within a week of the Super Bowl. 

The Eagles could approach the decision in several ways. They might decide that paying a more-than-serviceable backup quarterback $20 million (while Carson Wentz is on his rookie deal) is worthwhile. It would limit their ability to spend on other parts of the roster, but given Wentz's injury history and Foles' play as a starter, Foles could be a high-end emergency option.

The Eagles could also pick up Foles' option to trade him. Quarterback play around the league has largely improved, but desperate teams can never be discounted. Would the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, or even Oakland Raiders offer up draft picks for the Eagles to get Foles?

Foles' decision could be equally as calculated. Turning down a $20 million payday could be costly, particularly because Foles would also have to pay $2 million in his bonus back. But Foles could potentially make more in the open market, too.

If Foles' rejects his option, then the Eagles could also slap the franchise tag on him, keeping under their control for a one-year price that would certainly exceed $20 million.

That, too, could be a calculated move by both parties. If the Eagles sign Foles to the franchise tag, it won't prevent other teams from negotiating with Foles. Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman noted that the Eagles could give Foles the exclusive franchise tag in hopes that if a team offered Foles an even bigger deal, they would also have to give the Eagles two first-round picks as compensation. The question will be if any team wants Foles that badly.

For all of Foles' greatness over the last two seasons, it's only been in small bursts. Before re-joining the Eagles, Foles struggled with the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams, looking more like a backup than a starter.

However, Foles seems ready to take on the starter challenge again. On Monday, he told reporters that he would like to lead a team.

"I would love to lead a team," Foles said (via ESPN's Tim McManus). "The starter thing, leading a team, impacting a locker room ... that's why we play the game, to impact people, to create an atmosphere."

One NFL evaluator suggested to ESPN's Mike Sando that it might be better for the Eagles to move on from Foles to avoid any quarterback competition between him and Wentz.

If Foles is ready to lead his team, then the Eagles may be forced to retain him in some manner so they can get something in return for him. The big question will be just how badly quarterback-needy teams want Foles, and how much they're willing to give up for him.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is 35 — here's how he became one of the world's scariest dictators

• Trump hosted the Clemson Tigers on Monday to celebrate the team's national championship.
• Trump served the team a wide-ranging buffet of fast food options for dinner, including roughly 300 burgers.
• The White House, which had its staff reduced in light of the ongoing partial government shutdown, blamed Democratic lawmakers for the impasse and claimed Trump was providing the meal at his own expense.

On Monday, the Clemson Tigers took part in a White House visit to celebrate their national championship win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

While some might have expected a fine steak dinner would serve a team full of football players well, Trump announced on Monday morning that the team would be greeted with a wide-ranging buffet of fast food options to celebrate their hard-fought victory.

"I think we're going to serve McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger Kings with some pizza," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "I really mean it. It'll be interesting."

Trump made good on his promise, proudly displaying a sea of burgers for the players to indulge in later that night.

"So I had a choice," Trump said to the team during dinner. "Do we have no food for you? Because we have a shutdown. Or do we give you some little, quick salads that the first lady will make?"

"I said, you guys aren't into salads," Trump added.

"The President wanted to host a fun event to celebrate the College Football National Champion Clemson Tigers," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

The White House, which had its staff reduced in light of the ongoing partial government shutdown, blamed Democratic lawmakers for the impasse and claimed Trump was providing the meal at his own expense.

"Because the Democrats refuse to negotiate on border security, much of the residence staff at the White House is furloughed – so the President is personally paying for the event to be catered with some of everyone’s favorite fast foods."

Around 300 burgers were set out for the players to eat, according to White House pool reports.

Pictures from the event showed the wide assortment of fast food items.

Chick-Fil-A, Clemson's favorite fast food, did not immediately appear to be on the menu.

• Read more:
• Clemson's breakout true-freshman quarterback prepared for the playoff by studying opponents while eating at Chick-Fil-A
• CLEMSON WINS: Here are the top plays and big moments from the championship game everybody will be talking about
• Clemson's $55 million football complex shows how swanky college football facilities have become for the top programs
• Clemson demolished Alabama in the college football championship in their third meeting in 4 years — and both teams were immediately favored to play again next year

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This tiny building in Wilmington, Delaware is home to 300,000 businesses

• TSA employees have been required to work without pay during the federal government shutdown, which began on December 22.
• Some airports, including Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Miami International Airport, have had to close security lines due to worker shortages.
• Travelers have described unusually long lines on social media because of the lack of workers. 

Security lines at airports across the country are getting worse as the government shutdown continues to drag on. 

TSA employees have been required to work without pay during the federal government shutdown, which began on December 22. (They will be eligible to receive back pay once the shutdown ends.)

Since the shutdown began, many TSA workers have been absent from airports, and Hydrick Thomas, the president of the TSA worker's union, said some had quit or considered quitting.

Some airports, like Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Miami International Airport, have had to close security lines due to worker shortages, leading to unusually long lines. 

 Travelers stuck waiting in endless lines are taking to social media to share just how bad the situation has gotten. 

If you've worked for TSA and have a story to share, you can contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: From airport lines to food inspections, here are all the ways the government shutdown is impacting the lives of average Americans

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NOW WATCH: These bespoke metal cars take 2,000 hours to make by hand — see the step-by-step process

• Intel veteran Aicha Evans has been named the new CEO of the self-driving car company Zoox, according to the company on Monday. Evans will assume her new role as Zoox's CEO on February 26. 
• Evans comes from a 12-year career at Intel, where she was serving as Chief Strategy Officer.
• The company has 700 current employees and is valued at $3.2 billion after a $500 million funding round in July. 
• Evans replaces former Zoox CEO and co-founder Tim Kentley-Klay, who left the company last year under mysterious circumstances. 

Intel veteran Aicha Evans has been named the new CEO of the self-driving car company Zoox, the company announced on Monday. Evans spent 12 years at Intel, most recently as its chief strategy officer. 

Zoox — a Foster City, California based startup founded in 2014 — is building both self-driving software and its own vehicle with the vision of creating fully autonomous, zero-emission fleet focused on ridesharing in cities. Zoox has 700 current employees and is valued at $3.2 billion after a $500 million funding round in July. 

“I’m thrilled to join Zoox and challenge the status quo with an autonomous mobility system built from the ground up,” Evans said in a company press release. "Mobility is approaching a major inflection point, and Zoox has set itself apart from entrenched players as the only company creating a solution purpose-built to meet the needs of a fully autonomous future."

Zoox declined to make Evans available to Business Insider for an interview. 

Evans will replace former Zoox CEO and co-founder Tim Kentley-Klay, who was apparently ousted by the company's board of directors in August "without a warning, cause or right of reply," he said in a statement on Twitter at the time.  The reason for Kentley-Klay's removal remains unknown to the public.

Read more:The founder of $3.2 billion startup Zoox says that he was ousted as CEO 'without a warning' because 'the board chose a path of fear'

Evans has some experience in Zoox's industry — at Intel, she led the company's long-term strategy, including its push into autonomous vehicles. 

Carl Bass, Zoox’s executive chairman and a member of its board, said that Evans is "an accomplished business leader and a strategic thinker with the right mix of skills to help turn Zoox’s ambitious vision into a reality." 

Evans will assume her new role as Zoox's CEO on February 26. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: China made an artificial star that's 6 times as hot as the sun, and it could be the future of energy

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Especially for engagements, there's something incredibly special about shared, customized gifts.

Instead of two of everything, a couple can begin seeing their lives — and the things they own — as being created with one unit in mind. Even the most mundane objects become a cause for excitement and celebration: Those are now our towels, our cutting board, and our invitation stamps. 

For gift-givers, personalization is an easy way to celebrate the commitment of loved ones, shower them with keepsakes, and try to make each gift feel as unique as the love between two people. 

Below, you'll find 22 thoughtful and useful engagement gifts that you can personalize for the happy couple:

DON'T MISS: 27 engagement gifts under $100 for couples who don't have a registry yet

SEE ALSO: 20 sweet his-and-hers gifts for couples celebrating happy milestones

Personalized mugs with the year the couple was established

Personalized Mugs, available on Uncommon Goods, from $30

These cute mugs can be personalized to fit the couple, making for a special weekend morning coffee routine or just a nice reminder in the kitchen cabinet. On the back, you can add a family name and the year the couple was established. 

A professionally framed photo of one of their favorite memories or engagement photos

Photo Framing, available on Framebridge, from $39

Framebridge Gift Card, available on Framebridge, from $25

Frame one of their favorite engagement photos or memories to have at home. If you'd rather leave the final decision up to them, you can give a gift card.

A monogrammed decanter set

Tipsy Whiskey 5-Piece Decanter Set, available on Nordstrom, $84

A decanter set is a pretty safe bet for adults who like to enjoy a nice alcoholic drink from time to time. It's also something that they're probably unlikely to buy for themselves, but will love owning. 

• Life insurance is fundamentally hard to sell; it’s morbid to think about, promises no immediate rewards, and often requires a lengthy paper application with minimal guidance.
• Despite the popularity of personalized products in other areas of finance and fintech, life insurance largely remains unchanged.
• A small, but growing pocket of insurtech startups are shaking up the status quo by finding ways to digitize life insurance and increase its appeal.

Life insurance is a fundamentally difficult product to sell; it requires people to think about their deaths without promising any immediate returns.

And, despite tech innovations and the development of personalized services in other areas of finance, life insurance remains largely unchanged.

Luckily, there is a small but growing pocket of insurtech startups looking to modernize it. These companies are finding ways to digitize life insurance to  appeal to consumers — and they’re giving incumbents the opportunity to revamp traditional offerings, either by partnering with them or using their technology.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has forecasted the shifting landscape of life insurance in the The Future of Life Insurance report. Here are the key problems insurtechs are tackling:

• Lack of education: Forty percent of US consumers told the Life Insurance and Market Research Association (LIMRA) that they feel intimidated by the life insurance application process, often drastically overestimating its cost and facing uncertainty about how much or which type of coverage to buy.
• Inconvenient application process: It can take weeks or months for coverage to take effect because of the sheer number of meetings and parties combing through paperwork in each round of the application process. The risk for the insurer often warrants reviews from the carrier, a team of underwriters, a broker, and even a medical examiner.
• Low customer loyalty: Life insurance tends to be a “set it and forget it” type of purchase, with very few people revisiting it after buying. Insurers and consumers therefore have limited contact for most of the relationship — with the exception of an annual bill, of course.
• Inefficient data management and processing: The aggregate data life insurers rely on is typically fed into algorithms that make broad assumptions about particular populations, and often incorporate outdated medical documentation — all of which can delay applications and result in unnecessary rejections.

Want to learn more?

The need for modernization in life insurance is clear: Overall sales are slowing and policy ownership is hitting record lows. And because it’s such a tightly-regulated space, innovation from incumbents has stagnated — but they’re not helpless. Consumer-focused and insurer-focused startups have emerged to offer new technologies and process improvements.

The Future of Life Insurance report from Business Insider Intelligence looks at the two main strategies life insurtechs are adopting to drive change in this market, for the benefit of both buyers and sellers. In full, the report discusses best practices incumbents and startups should adopt to steer clear of the risks attached to applying emerging technologies to such a tightly regulated product.

Insurtech startups will soon set new industry standards and consumer expectations around this complex product. That, in turn will serve as a catalyst for innovation among legacy players.

Companies included in this report: Ladder, Haven Life, Getsurance, Tomorrow, Fabric, Atidot, AllLife, Royal London, Polly, Life.io, Legal & General, Vitality, Discovery, John Hancock, Dai-ichi Life.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Shaving giant Gillette knew that its new ad addressing the #MeToo movement would be divisive. But the brand still went ahead with it in order to continue to appeal to future generations of customers.
• The ad is part of a broader brand repositioning, and turns Gillette's 30-year-old tagline "The Best A Man Can Get" on its head, making it a call for men to take an inward look and placing the onus on them to be the best versions of themselves.
• Pankaj Bhalla, brand director for Gillette and Venus, called it it "a statement of self-reflection" from the brand.
• Gillette first started brainstorming the repositioning in the spring of 2018, and ran several qualitative tests before running it.

Gillette was well aware that its new ad would ruffle some feathers.

But it still went ahead with it because it knew it needed to reposition itself to continue to resonate with the next generation of its customers, and wanted to leverage its position as a 117 year-old brand and a market leader to spark dialogue.

"We knew that this particular commercial would trigger a conversation," Pankaj Bhalla, brand director for Gillette and Venus, told Business Insider. "The idea was to get people thinking, because the belief was that good advertising does trigger a healthy debate."

"We Believe," which debuted on Monday, minces no words in attempting to address toxic masculinity. The minute-and-a-half spot opens with a montage of news anchors covering the #MeToo-related movement, followed by a narrator asking: "Is this the best a man can get? Is it?" The narration then continues over scenes of men changing their behavior, whether it is how they respond to bullying or how they interact with women.

It turns Gillette's 30-year-old tagline "The Best A Man Can Get" on its head, repositioning it as a call for men to take an inward look — placing the onus on them to be the best versions of themselves. The idea was to make the tagline relevant in the current day and age in a way that appeals to people emotionally, not just practically, said Bhalla.

While certainly a deliberate move, Gillette insisted that the ad is not a political statement.

"It isn't a social statement or a political one at all," said Bhalla. "It is a statement of self-reflection from a brand that caters primarily to men — that one of the ways they can be the best version of themselves is by being great role models to the next generation."

The ad is the first one by a mainstream brand to tackle the #MeToo movement head-on, and comes on the heels of a string of other marketers taking a stand on hot-button issues in recent years. But it isn't first time that parent company Proctor & Gamble has promoted its stance on social issues like gender equality. Its "Like a Girl" campaign for feminine-care brand Always, for example, made waves as well.

"This new spot from Gillette continues our effort to spark conversation on issues of bias and equality, which drives reflection and understanding," a P&G spokesperson told Business Insider. "We take seriously our role as one of the world’s largest advertisers to use our voice to be a positive force for good in society."

"We Believe" was also backed by months of qualitative research and testing. Gillette first started brainstorming with its agency Grey in the spring of 2018, said Bhalla, followed by qualitative research across both men and women around the notion of masculinity. It also tested creative before greenlighting the final creative.

"Masculinity is a complex topic," said Bhalla. "It's still in the early days, but we feel good about the direction we've taken as a brand."

Gillette also teased the topic in other commercials encouraging men to be the best version of themselves in the run-up to the launch of the latest ad. "Your Best Never Comes Easy" featured Seattle Seahawks' Shaquem Griffin overcoming adversity to reach where he is, while "Handle With Care" showcased its assisted shaving product in recent months.

In recent years, Gillette has been facing stiff competition from direct-to-consumer upstarts like Dollar Shave Club and Harry's and declining sales as fewer men choose to shave. With this ad, the brand hopes to be both "a force for good, and a force for growth," ultimately helping it boost sales.

"The long term objective is that Gillette continues to grow, that its equity continues to get stronger at the hands of those young men that we're grooming now," said Bhalla.

Gillette will continue to address the issue and put it at the center of upcoming ads as well.

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NOW WATCH: This tiny building in Wilmington, Delaware is home to 300,000 businesses

• Wow Air is offering one-way flights from the US to Europe for as little as $49.
• The discounted fare will be available on select flights from Boston, Detroit, Washington D.C., and New York to Reykjavik, Dublin, Brussels, Frankfurt, and London. 
• Only 1,000 seats will be available at the $49 price point. 
• The sale ends at midnight on January 18 or until the discount tickets sell out. 

Wow Air launched a week-long fare sale on Monday with one-way flights from the US to Europe for as little as $49.

The Icelandic ultra-low-cost airline will offer the discount on select flights from Boston, Detroit, Washington D.C., and New York to Reykjavik, Dublin, Brussels, Frankfurt, and London. 

We are excited to offer our lowest price ever to travelers dreaming of a Eurotrip this year," Skúli Mogensen, founder and CEO of Wow Air, said in a statement. "At Wow Air, we are committed to making travel more affordable and accessible to all as traveling is a culturally enriching, enjoyable and enlivening experience."

However, only 1,000 seats will be made available at the $49 price point and they are only available if booked as part of a round-trip reservation. The sale ends at midnight on Friday, January 18 or until the discount tickets sell out. 

Read more: These 20 airlines are the least likely to have delayed flights.

The sale fare is for flights between January 21 and March 11, 2019. 

The seven-year-old airline known for its brightly painted purple plane and rock bottom tickets has been struggling to find solid financial footing.  

In November, Wow Air failed to complete a merger with Icelandair in a deal that valued the carrier at $18 million to $25 million. 

Last month, the airline announced the layoff of 111 employees. In addition, it has also returned all of its leased widebody Airbus A330s jets used on flights to the West Coast of the United States. The airline also sold four Airbus A321 jets to Air Canada. 

The airline is currently discussing investment opportunities with private equity firm Indigo Partners which also owns low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines and JetSmart. 

SEE ALSO: Houston Airport has shut down the TSA checkpoints in one of its terminals because there aren't enough TSA officers willing to work unpaid during the government shutdown

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• The most-liked post on Instagram is now a simple photo of an egg.
• The photo gained the top spot Monday, and now has more than 33 million likes, beating a record set by Kylie Jenner. 
• Here are the 20 most-liked photos on Instagram, featuring content from the Kardashian-Jenner family and from soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

If you thought 2018 was an odd year, a simple egg was just crowned the champion of Instagram.

Yep, you heard right: a picture of an egg, posted from the account @world_record_egg on January 4, beat a record set by Kylie Jenner with 18 million likes. As of Monday afternoon, the egg had more than 33 million likes.

Read more:A picture of a humble egg just became the most-liked Instagram post ever

The egg picture is an anomaly among the most-liked Instagram posts, which are dominated by pictures of celebrities posing with their families, or making major life announcements to their millions of fans.

Here are the 20 most-liked Instagram photos of all time as of Janurary 2019:

20. 10.65 million — Kylie Jenner posing with her sister, Kendall Jenner, in October 2018.

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19. 10.72 million — Selena Gomez's post-op photo after getting a kidney transplant in September 2017.

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18. 10.88 million — Kylie Jenner with her boyfriend Travis Scott and their daughter, Stormi, in November 2018.

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• President Trump is serving McDonald's and Wendy's on Monday night, as the Clemson Tigers visit the White House. 
• Trump has long had an obsession with fast food, which he says he appreciates in part due to chains' cleanliness. 
• According to Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," Trump also reportedly enjoys fast food because of a long-time fear of being poisoned.

President Trump is serving McDonald's and Wendy's at the White House on Monday night — but it's far from the first time the president's enjoyment of fast food has been apparent. 

On Monday, Trump announced plans to serve the Clemson football team fast food during their visit to the White House, following the team's national championship win. The decision was in part because most of the White House staff is furloughed due to the government shutdown, which is now in its 24th day, deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told CNN.

"I think we're going to serve McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King with some pizza," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "I really mean it. It'll be interesting."

Photos at the event show a spread of food wrapped in McDonald's and Wendy's packaging. 

According to a video taken by White House correspondent for Yahoo News Hunter Walker, Trump says there are hamburgers being served, along with french fries, pizza, and more.

Trump enjoys fast food, according to reports (and social media). "I like it all. It's all good stuff. Great American food," the president says in the video taken by Walker.

Read more: The only restaurant Trump is known to have visited in Washington, DC, as president is the steakhouse at the Trump Hotel

Throughout the presidential campaign, fast food was a staple in Trump's diet. The president's go-to McDonald's order was two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, and a large chocolate shake, according to former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and top Trump campaign aide David Bossie.

"Like an amazing professional athlete who has a routine that they do all the time when they're ready for a big game," Trump "would consistently do the same things," Lewandowski told Business Insider earlier this year.

Trump has previously applauded fast-food chains for their cleanliness.

SEE ALSO: How Donald and Ivana Trump transformed Pizza Hut's stuffed-crust pizza into a multibillion-dollar business

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• Volkswagen unveiled the all-new 2020 Passat sedan on Monday at the 2019 Detroit auto show.
• The redesigned VW Passat will continue to compete in a shrinking, but highly competitive mid-size sedan market currently dominated by the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Nissan Altima.
• It's powered by a mildly-updated version of the 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine found in the current model. Horsepower remains at 174, but torque output from 184 pound-feet to 207 pound-feet. 
• The 2020 Volkswagen Passat will arrive in US showrooms in the summer of 2019. Pricing information has not been released. 

Volkswagen unveiled the all-new 2020 Passat sedan on Monday at the 2019 Detroit auto show. It's the first major revamp of VW's mid-size sedan offering in the US since 2011. 

"Passat is the only midsize sedan to offer German driving dynamics at an affordable price and has long resonated with buyers for its combination of comfort, reliability and driving dynamics," Volkswagen North America CEO, Scott Keogh, said in a statement. "With this new model, we’ve stepped up the style factor and upgraded the technology to make it even more attractive. "

The redesigned Passat will continue to compete in a shrinking, but highly competitive mid-size sedan market currently dominated by the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Nissan Altima. 

Aesthetically, the Tennessee-built Passat draws heavily from the recently released 2019 Jetta compact sedan.

Read more: Infiniti just unveiled a striking electric SUV concept with Rolls-Royce-inspired coach doors and a marble interior trim.

Power for the Passat comes from a mildly-updated version of the 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine found in the current model. Horsepower remains at 174, but a new torque converter and updated software boost torque output from 184 pound-feet to 207 pound-feet. 

The only transmission available will be a six-speed automatic sending power to the front wheels. 

The Passat will get an updated touchscreen running Volkswagen's stellar MIB II infotainment system. MIB II is equipped with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Integration. 

VW's mid-size sedan will also get a host of updated safety tech such as adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights, lane keep assist, and park assist.

The 2020 Volkswagen Passat will arrive in US showrooms in the summer of 2019. Official pricing for the 2020 Passat has not been announced. However, the current 2019 model starts at $25,295.

SEE ALSO: The legendary Toyota Supra sports car has returned to America after a 20-year absence to take on Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

Regtech solutions seemed to offer the solution to financial institutions' (FIs) compliance woes when they first came to prominence around 24 months ago, gaining support from regulators and investors alike. 

However, many of the companies offering these solutions haven't scaled as might have been expected from the initial hype, and have failed to follow the trajectory of firms in other segments of fintech.

This unexpected inertia in the regtech industry is likely to resolve over the next 12-18 months as other factors come into play that shift FIs' approach to regtech solutions, and as the companies offering them evolve. External factors driving this change include regulatory support of regtech solutions, and consultancies offering more help to FIs wanting to sift through solutions. Startups offering regtech solutions will also play a part by partnering with each other, forming industry organizations, and taking advantage of new opportunities.

This report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, provides a brief overview of the current global financial regulatory compliance landscape, and the regtech industry's position within it. It then details the major drivers that will shift the dial on FIs' adoption of regtech over the next 12-18 months, as well as those that will propel startups offering regtech solutions to new heights. Finally, it outlines what impact these drivers will have, and gives insight into what the global regtech industry will look like by 2020.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Regulatory compliance is still a significant issue faced by global FIs. In 2018 alone, EU regulations MiFID II and PSD2 have come into effect, bringing with them huge handbooks and gigantic reporting requirements. 
• Regtech startups boast solutions that can ease FIs' compliance burden — but they are struggling to scale. 
• Some changes expected to drive greater adoption of these solutions in the next 12 to 18 months are: the ongoing evolution of startups' business models, increasing numbers of partnerships, regulators' promotion of regtech, changing attitudes to the segment among FIs, and consultancies helping to facilitate adoption.
• FIs will actively be using solutions from regtech startups by 2020, and startups will be collaborating in an organized fashion with each other and with FIs. Global regulators will have adopted regtech themselves, while continuing to act as advocates for the industry.

In full, the report:

• Reviews the major changes expected to hit the regtech segment in the next 12 to 18 months.
• Examines the drivers behind these changes, and how the proliferation of regtech will improve compliance for FIs.
• Provides our view on what the future of the regtech industry looks like through 2020.
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• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has two very specific examples of what's next when it comes to business software.
• Specifically, he sees two new categories of software emerging.
• One new category will track the performance of products as customers use them. It is business software built on the concept of Internet of Things, where objects get sensors and apps.
• The second adds a layer of artificial intelligence magic on top of it all, which will predict stuff about to happen (like something braking) and take actions to prevent it (like sending out a repair person).

There are two new categories of business software that will soon be coming to the corporate world, to hear Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tell it.

And he ought to know: Over his 27-year career at Microsoft, one of the world's largest makers of business software, he's helped bring his fair share of new corporate technologies into the world.

On Monday he told journalists at an invitational editors meeting at Microsoft's headquarters that two new categories of software are on the cusp of taking off.

• One of them he calls "systems of observation," which is software for the Internet of Things - the term for internet-connected gadgetry, like home appliances or autonomous vehicles. 
• The second he calls "systems of intelligence," which uses artificial intelligence to predict what will happen, respond and take action.

These two new categories follow what he calls "systems of record," his term for financial planning applications that track everything a company buys and earns, known also as enterprise resource planning software or ERP. They follow what he calls "systems of engagement;" his term for the sales software also known as customer relationship management or CRM. 

Read: CEO Satya Nadella didn't think it was worth celebrating when Microsoft became the world's most valuable company.

While the jargon is thick, the concept isn't that hard to understand, as Nadella described it.

Companies already track everything they buy from suppliers and all the product they sell. They already track who is doing the buying. Next up they will be making their products smart, adding sensors and apps that track how their product are used, how those products perform, and when they are showing signs of failing, he described.

So they will use "systems of observation" to watch this "digital trail" these products, in customers' hands, create.

At that point, companies can add software with artificial intelligence to the mix and "triangulate" on issues or opportunities, Nadella says.

An AI app will be able to watch for patterns and then predict them. The top example is seeing signs of failure in the product and then, before the product actually breaks, it can order the part from the supplier (from the ERP system), and coordinate a service professional to go the customer site (through the CRM system).

Read: The president of Microsoft says top leaders at the world's biggest tech companies meet regularly to talk about the major issues facing Silicon Valley and the world

Nadella calls this a "big shift"— knowing who bought it, how they're using it, and what's going to happen next, you can do all kinds of nifty new things. 

"Once you have these three things, you now can say, let me do a system of intelligence, which really triangulates these three and adds new value," he said.

And, as you might imagine, Microsoft already has popular ERP and CRM apps, in the form of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 suite of apps. And it also already offers IoT software and artificial intelligence technology. 

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• What family meal time looks like in each individual household can vary greatly.
• It's something photographer Lois Bielefeld wanted to explore in her series "Weeknight Dinners."
• She visited more than 80 households across the Midwest and the South to capture how, what, when, and where people spend dinnertime with their families.
• Take a look at her series.

SEE ALSO: Stunning photos show how different young people's bedrooms look around the world

DON'T MISS: This entrepreneurial power couple run 4 businesses together out of their West Village home — here's their best advice for making it work

Studies have repeatedly shown the benefits of having a set family meal time every day.

Source: Journal of Adolescent Health

Research has shown that the benefits are especially pronounced in children.

Source: The Washington Post

Those who regularly eat a daily meal with their families often show higher achievement scores and are generally more physically fit.

Source: The Washington Post

• A bipartisan working group is trying to create a compromise to end the record-breaking partial government shutdown.
• Any product they produce will have to get President Donald Trump's seal of approval or will face a veto.
• Most Republicans are holding the line on ensuring there is enough border security in any agreement that is to Trump's liking.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan working group of senators have formed to try to hash out the details of a solution to what has now become the longest government shutdown in US history.

But even as the small group of Senate Republicans and Democrats begin putting their heads together, they have to contend with the fact that whatever product they produce must have a guarantee from President Donald Trump that he would sign it, in addition to appeasing an equally stubborn House led by the newly powerful Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Read more: Trump's threat of a national-emergency declaration to fund the border wall is leaving Capitol Hill in shock

The bipartisan group held discussions on Monday and its members include what Texas Sen. John Cornyn described as the "usual suspects" who emerge during tense times to find a solution, including Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Joe Manchin.

Cornyn noted that some kind of clean funding bill without border security funding like Democrats have passed in the House is entirely off the table in the Senate, which Trump has so far refused to support. So in order for the bipartisan gang to find a solution, it is going to have to include significant border security funding, with physical barriers as a key component.

"This isn’t going to be decided unless and until everybody comes up with some good faith negotiations where nobody gets everything they want and nobody ends up empty handed," Cornyn said. "But again, until they come up with something the president will sign it’s kind of an unfortunate, futile effort."

Cornyn, who recently relinquished his role as Senate Majority Whip, placed blame on Democrats for being stubborn in negotiations by refusing to budge on border-security funding.

"This isn’t really about solving a problem. This is about point scoring," he said. "And at some point Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer take whatever they think they’ve got and settle it."

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is a member of the bipartisan group, told reporters in the Capitol Monday that "clearly structures are a part of" any deal that needs to be reached, but that it is just one component.

"I think again the big problem is people are simplifying this and just saying this is about the wall," he said. "But if you take a look, even in the $25 billion in the February proposals last year, a significant amount had nothing to do with a physical structure. So I’m very mindful of the words mattering to some of the members."

Tillis, like most Republicans, lamented Pelosi's hard line that she will not authorize funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border, comparing it to Trump's stubbornness.

"I think the same could be said for how could you advance these talks if [Pelosi] refuses to talk about funding border security," he said. "Somebody’s got to move and we’re trying to help that."

SEE ALSO: Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential nomination are turning to Instagram Live as a secret weapon

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NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and self-driving technology are helping the transportation and logistics industry finally transform by cutting costs, optimizing delivery routes, and automating mundane tasks.
• Startups will be the lynchpin of this transformation because they specifically target areas of need  with cutting-edge solutions.
• Business Insider Intelligence examined the top 5 startups within five key areas: digital freight services, warehouse robotics, AI for supply chain management, last-mile delivery robotics, and self-driving car software.

Transportation and logistics industries have operated largely the same way for decades. But the surge in e-commerce in the last several years, combined with consumers’ appetite for same-day delivery, has brought us to a tipping point.

Delivery companies are doing all they can to get orders to customers’ doors as quickly as possible, which has facilitated wholesale changes in how they operate.

Cutting-edge digital solutions (including digital freight services, warehouse robotics, AI for supply chain management, delivery robotics, and autonomous driving software) are forcing traditional delivery companies to either evolve or see their core businesses erode.

Transportation & Logistics Startups to Watch, a new report from Business Insider Intelligence, monitors the biggest change agents in the industry to offer unique insight into the development of the transportation and logistics space at large, and shows how traditional companies are adapting to their new environment.

Want to Learn More?

Business Insider Intelligence's Startups to Watch reports give a high-level overview of the funding trends for startups in a particular coverage area, as well as a list of key startups (by function, what they do, key news, and statistics). Businesses need to understand new competitive threats, technologies, and acquisition opportunities in order to thrive. These reports provide that contextual information in an easy-to-digest manner.

In full, the Transportation & Logistics Startups to Watch report dives into the top 25 companies - five startups across five key disruption areas - that are easing shipping burdens, improving order fulfillment efficiency, optimizing delivery, and automating processes.

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