Sales & Marketing news

• S&P 500 CLOSES AT ALL-TIME HIGH: Here's what you need to know

  22-07-2016 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Stocks closed little changed on a relatively calm summer Friday for the markets, and the S&P 500 inched above its previous closing high once again. 
  The Dow finished the week higher, after breaking a nine-day streak of gains to all-time highs on Thursday.
  First, the scoreboard:Dow: 18,570.79, +53.56, (0.29%)
  S&P 500: 2,175.03, +9.86, (0.46%)Nasdaq: 5,100.16, +26.26, (0.52%)
  WTI crude oil: $44.19, -$0.56, (-1.3%)
  Verizon is close to buying Yahoo. According to Bloomberg
  
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• Wall Street's stock pickers just got a lifeline

  22-07-2016 21:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Passive investing is shaking up the money-management world.
  Exchange-traded funds, which simply track an index, have hoovered up assets over the past decade.
  The funds, which are low cost, tax efficient, and offer liquidity and transparency, pose an existential threat to the actively-managed funds industry.
  Actively managed funds, which are run by stock pickers and bond managers, charge higher fees and have struggled for performance of late.
  Now those active managers have a chance to fight back
  
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• America's steakhouses are getting girlier

  22-07-2016 21:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  At least at Del Frisco's, one of the country's largest high-end steakhouse chains, Americans are starting to eat less steak and more seafood.
  This is troubling for the simple fact that seafood does not cost as much as steak at Del Frisco's.
  And it turns out the gender balance of the clientele could be a factor.
  "We've actually seen a shifting in our core comp group of a little bit heavier seafood, which is still great offerings, but the average price of some of our seafood items isn't the same a
  
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• This is the No. 1 mistake that traders make

  22-07-2016 20:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  We've all seen or heard of them — the traders who can't take their eyes off the market, who wake up in the middle of the night to check stock prices in Asia, who obsess over every basis point move.
  And that obsession, for many, is their downfall.
  "Whenever I see a prospective manager who says, 'I eat sleep, and drink the markets — it means everything to me,' I know I have a vulnerable person on my hands. I know I am going to be very busy," Dr. Brett Steenbarger, an associate profess
  
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• McDonald's has stopped selling Big Macs in Venezuela

  22-07-2016 19:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  McDonald's has stopped selling Big Macs in Venezuela, according to an Agence France-Presse report earlier this week.
  The fast-food giant reportedly is no longer able to source the slice of bread that goes between the two meat patties, AFP reports, citing Venezuelan media.
  "McDonald's Venezuela is working to resolve this temporary situation," Daniel Schleiniger, a spokesman for Arcos Dorados, which operates McDonald's restaurants throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, wrote in an emailed sta
  
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• American Airlines just signaled a harsh reality for the US economy (AAL)

  22-07-2016 19:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  American Airlines shares are rising after it reported second-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street's targets.
  But behind the Wall Street consensus are warning signs — and not just about the airline industry.
  At American, profits fell even though the airline managed to cut fuel costs — a major expense — by one-fifth. Overall operating revenue is down, while the average airfare paid fell 6.4% and load factor — a measure of how full flights are — dropped one half perc
  
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• Lockheed Martin managed to disclose all the issues with its F-35 in one simple sentence

  22-07-2016 19:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Earlier this week, Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's top weapons supplier and the manufacturer of America's most expensive weapons system, posted quarterly results that were better than expected.
  Lockheed Martin, which is considered a bellwether for the US defense sector, has faced no shortage of issues with the now nearly $400 billion F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet.
  In the company's latest 10-K filed with the SEC, the world's largest defense contractor concisely addressed the troubled F-35
  
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• The most important policy speech of the entire RNC was given by a 20-something who no one watched

  22-07-2016 19:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Republican National Convention was light on policy.
  Ivanka Trump said something about equal pay for women and another thing about child care — things her father then mostly left on the cutting room floor during his hour-long speech.
  The other show stoppers — Melania Trump's speech and Ted Cruz's non-endorsement — were just media circus.
  That's why we now have a strange situation on our hands — a situation in which the most important policy speech of the convention was
  
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• Oil rig count rises for a 4th straight week

  22-07-2016 19:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The US oil-rig count rose by 14 to 371 this week, a fourth straight week-over-week rise, according to Baker Hughes. 
  This tally has steadily climbed since it bottomed in May, indicating that producers activated rigs as crude prices also rose. 
  The gas-rig count fell by one to 88, and miscellaneous rigs rose by two to three, taking the total up 15 to 462.
  Last week, the tally of active rigs rose by six. The gas rig count rose by one, taking the total up seven. 
  The w
  
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• The ‘biggest turnaround story’ in emerging markets

  22-07-2016 18:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  India is taking it slow when it comes to growth, and it’s paying off. According to a new report from Nomura, India is the "biggest turnaround story" in emerging markets.
  Unlike the "typical emerging markets boom-bust cycle," India has been focusing on long-term, gradual GDP growth. It’s a slower method, but it’s more sustainable — and it’s working.
  The Nomura researchers expect India’s GDP growth to rise from 7.3% in 2015 to 7.8% in 2016, and then to 8.0%
  
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• One top trader hit Disney World for vacation and saw the 2 biggest stories in the global markets in plain sight (DIS, EUR, USD, DXY, NTDOY)

  22-07-2016 18:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Not much is going on in markets right now.
  Dave Lutz, the head of ETF trading at JonesTrading, is on vacation, as are many of his peers.
  Regular readers would know him from his daily "super-quick guides to what traders are talking about," which we feature.
  In an email on this summer Friday, Lutz sent three observations from Disney World, two of which capture the biggest stories in markets that everyone can't stop talking about.
  Here we go:
  It's hot (Yes, this is important. The US is headed for a
  
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• Valeant just got blindsided

  22-07-2016 17:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The last week or so was supposed to be one of tiny tidbits of happy news for Valeant Pharmaceuticals, but the company was just blindsided, as the Food and Drug Administration raised concerns about one of its drug candidates.
  The drug in question is glaucoma treatment latanoprostene bunod, and its approval was supposed to be a walk.
  Every analyst on Wall Street was thinking about it that way. Even Valeant bear David Maris of Wells Fargo had the approval of all of these new drugs modeled into his
  
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• Even steakhouses are getting crushed by the oil crash (DFRG)

  22-07-2016 17:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Even steakhouses are getting hurt by the oil crash.
  Texas holds some of the richest shale plays in the US, and it has been one of the places most affected by the downturn in crude-oil prices.
  The Dallas Federal Reserve's monthly manufacturing report consistently includes commentary from business owners whose operations are linked to the oil industry.
  And on Thursday we got another anecdote from the management of Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, a Texas-based operator of steakhouses across America.
  
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• Marriott focuses on ‘return on engagement’ with new London real-time lab

  22-07-2016 17:32
  
  Marriott International’s Matthew Glick on the launch of M Live Europe from Marketing Week on Vimeo.
  Hotel company Marriott International has launched it’s fourth ‘global command centre’, M Live London, dedicated to analysing social media trends and determining which of Marriott’s 19 brands certain content might be most appropriate to. Data is presented on screens across the walls of the lab and allows team members to keep a track of relevant content to push out in
  
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• Brand Recruitment: Marketing Events & PR Coordinator

  22-07-2016 17:28
  
  £20000 - £24000 per annum + benefits:Brand Recruitment:
  Marketing Events & PR Coordinator, Kings Lynn -Opportunities like this in the local area are few and far between, especially when it is a chance to contribute towardsKings Lynn
  
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• Goldman Sachs is getting back into the corporate buyout game

  22-07-2016 16:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Goldman Sachs Group is raising a new corporate buyout fund of between $5 billion and $8 billion — its first since the financial crisis.
  The new fund, dubbed "West Street Capital Partners," is shooting for an initial close by end of 2016, according to Liz Hoffman at The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.
  The new fund is much smaller than GS Capital Partners VI, the largest Goldman buyout fund in recent years, according to The Journal, where the firm raised $20.3 bi
  
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• American manufacturing is seeing a 'revival'

  22-07-2016 16:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  US manufacturing is showing new signs of progress.
  Markit Economics' flash purchasing managers' index for July — a preliminary reading — rose to 52.9, its highest level since November.
  Output growth jumped to the best level in eight months, and, more notably, manufacturing payrolls had the biggest gain in a year.
  "It remains too early to say if this is the start of a stronger upturn, but this is a welcome and encouraging sign of revival after the second quarter, in which the PMI sign
  
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• Airbnb, Sainsbury’s and Virgin Red to present at The Festival of Marketing

  22-07-2016 16:21
  
  Headliners WWP chief executive Martin Sorrell and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak are set to open and close day one of the event, with a further two (as of yet unannounced) headliners ensuring day two will not be any less captivating.
  With twelve streams of content and over 90 influential speakers providing their view on a variety of topics relating to the marketing world today, the Festival is not an event to be missed.
  The festival will feature talks by some of the industry’s top marketer
  
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• Starbucks aims to halve serving time as it launches first UK ‘express’ store

  22-07-2016 15:56
  
  Starbucks has opened its first ‘express store’ in London’s Canary Wharf as it looks to halve the time it takes to serve customers and provide them with a quick “in-and-out” service. 

Instead of ordering and paying at the till and picking up the order at the handoff, the new store breaks the consumer experience down into three stages: order, pay and collect.
  When a customer enters a store, they will be prompted to order. A label will immediately be prin
  
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• Nigeria's currency just tumbled to a record low

  22-07-2016 15:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Nigerian naira just dipped past 300 per dollar for the first time ever.
  The currency weakened by 2.3% to 300.25 per dollar around 8:41 a.m. ET, according to data from Bloomberg.
  The naira is trading around 296.50 per dollar as of 9:51 a.m. ET, according to Investing.com's data.
  Back in late June, the Central Bank of Nigeria finally unpegged the naira from the US dollar, which sent the currency down by 30% to about 280 per dollar. It was pegged around 197-198 per dollar.
  Notably, some an
  
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• Here are the star traders trying to become the hedge fund honchos of tomorrow

  22-07-2016 15:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  It may be tough to run a hedge fund, but that isn't stopping senior-level folks from trying to branch out on their own.
  Here's a short and nonexhaustive list of some of the top new funds to have come across our radar.
  The competition to raise assets is steep, particularly for startups that don't have long performance track records to woo investors. Instead, new managers often rely on the pedigrees of their previous employers and the backing of high-and-mighty investment titans to sway potential
  
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• Google has the most scope for future growth but Apple tops the latest FutureBrand ranking

  22-07-2016 15:21
  
  Using digital platforms to deliver a seamless, consistent and innovative experience for consumers is key to setting up businesses for future growth, according to the 2016 FutureBrand Index, shown exclusively to Marketing Week.
  Google emerges as the most future-orientated brand, with 89% of the 3,000 respondents interviewed across 17 countries agreeing the company will drive innovation forward over the next three years. And it would have topped the FutureBrand ranking, with 50% of respondents str
  
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• Verizon is reportedly in 'one-on-one' talks to acquire Yahoo for $5 billion (VZ, YHOO)

  22-07-2016 14:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Verizon is close to acquiring Yahoo, according to a report from Bloomberg.
  Bloomberg reports that Verizon is in "one-on-one" talks with the search giant to acquire the company and that an announcement could come in days.
  Bloomberg's report indicates a deal price of about $5 billion, which Recode has also confirmed. This deal would exclude Yahoo's patent portfolio — Verizon instead wants to add Yahoo's internal assets to AOL, according to Recode.
  CNBC reports that Yahoo'
  
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• SCHLUMBERGER: The worst is over for oil (SLB, HAL, WTI, OIL, USO, VDE)

  22-07-2016 14:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The world's largest oil field services company thinks the crude oil market has bottomed.
  "In the second quarter market conditions worsened further in most parts of our global operations, but in spite of the continuing headwinds we now appear to have reached the bottom of the cycle," CEO Paal Kibsgaard said in the earnings statement released Thursday.
  Schlumberger joined Halliburton, the world's second-largest oil field services company, in calling the bottom. On Wednesday, Halliburton CEO Dave L
  
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• The pound is tanking

  22-07-2016 13:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The British pound is tanking after some ugly data.
  The currency is down by 1.1% at 1.3090 against the dollar as of 7:27 a.m. ET.
  The composite reading for Markit flash PMI fell to 47.4 in June, its lowest reading since March 2009. Additionally, manufacturing PMI sank to a 44-month low of 49.1 and services PMI tumbled to an 87-month low of 47.4.
  All three readings were below the 50.0 level, which theoretically indicates a contraction.
  "The downturn, whether manifesting itself in order b
  
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• Red Sofa London: Midweight - Senior Sketchup Designers

  22-07-2016 13:40
  
  £200 - £300 per day:Red Sofa London:
  Freelance opportunities for Sketchup Designers to work with a leading agency
  City of London
  
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• Smartphones are causing a 'visual health crisis' in China

  22-07-2016 13:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A major Chinese health research center recently published a white paper on the country's visual health.The findings weren’t great.
  According to a recent Nomura research report, the main two takeaways from the paper, from Peking University’s China Centre for Health Development, were that the prevalence of visual problems in China is far above the global average, and that the problem is quickly getting worse.
  In 2012, around 500 million people in China had an uncorrected visual de
  
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• 10 things you need to know before the opening bell (spy, spx, qqq, dia, slb, sbux, cmg, ge, hon, sti, aal)

  22-07-2016 13:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Here is what you need to know.
  Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination. Speaking at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Donald Trump accepted his party's nomination for president. "I'm with you, the American people," Trump said. "I am your voice." The speech focused on topics including law enforcement, immigration, and the economy. Trump also took aim at the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. "Let's defeat her in November," Trump said, responding to chants of "
  
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• One part of Saudi Arabia's economy is 'suffering' — and it's not oil

  22-07-2016 11:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A few ugly economic signs have been bubbling up in Saudi Arabia.
  The state statistics office recently reported that the kingdom's first-quarter gross domestic product grew by 1.5% compared with the prior year — its lowest growth since the first quarter of 2013.
  Moreover, the non-oil sector shrank by 0.7%, with the non-oil private sector growing just 0.2% year-over-year, its lowest level in about 25 years.
  Still, Capital Economics Middle East economist Jason Tuvey argued in a recent note th
  
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• Alain de Botton: Art’s lessons can help brands be better for society – they just need to listen

  22-07-2016 11:36
  
  The Shanghai-based artist Xu Zhen is one of the most celebrated Chinese artists of our age. He operates in a variety of media, including video, sculpture and fine art. His work displays a deep interest in business; he appears at once charmed and horrified by commercial life. In recent years, he has become especially fascinated by supermarkets. Xu Zhen is interested, in part, in how lovely they can be.
  Xu Zhen loves the alluring packaging, the abundance (the feel of lifting something off a shelf
  
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• Alain de Botton: Artists can revolutionise the way brands do business

  22-07-2016 11:36
  
  The Shanghai-based artist Xu Zhen is one of the most celebrated Chinese artists of our age. He operates in a variety of media, including video, sculpture and fine art. His work displays a deep interest in business; he appears at once charmed and horrified by commercial life. In recent years, he has become especially fascinated by supermarkets. Xu Zhen is interested, in part, in how lovely they can be.
  Xu Zhen loves the alluring packaging, the abundance (the feel of lifting something off a shelf
  
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• Recruitment Genius: SEO Account Manager

  22-07-2016 09:47
  
  £30000 - £36000 per annum:Recruitment Genius:
  This digital marketing agency provides Analytics, search engine marketing (SEO & PPC), shopping, eCommerce, display and more to it's clients.
  Chesham
  
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• Twist Recruitment: Studio Manager

  22-07-2016 02:00
  
  £35000.00 - £40000.00 per annum:Twist Recruitment:
  This is a great opportunity to join a busy branding and design company based in East London.
  London
  
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• Salt: Account Manager (CRM + Loyalty) | London | £35k

  22-07-2016 02:00
  
  £30 - £35 per annum:Salt:
  Account Manager (CRM + Loyalty) | London | £35kMy client and I, a global leading loyalty agency, are looking for an Account Manager who has experience in CRM, Campaigns and Loyalty to join their marketing team.Purpose of the JobTo manage day-to-day activi
  London
  
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• Ellwood Atfield: Director of External Affairs

  22-07-2016 02:00
  
  £Competitive:Ellwood Atfield:
  Promote and protect one of London's greatest assets and the world's largest retail destination:
  London W1
  
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• Eden Marsh: Mid-Senior Designer (Digital)

  22-07-2016 02:00
  
  £30-40k DOE:Eden Marsh:
  Large creative agency is looking for a creative & experienced digital designer for a 5 month contract to work on a new and exciting drinks brand.
  London (Central), London (Greater)
  
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• Barker Graves: Account Managers and Senior Account Managers needed!- various accounts - from £28k up to £38k + bens

  22-07-2016 02:00
  
  from £38k up to £38k plus bens:Barker Graves:
  Top 10 integrated agency with positive, challenging and supportive culture needs AM's and SAM's with previous UK agency experience
  London (Central), London (Greater)
  
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• Barker Graves: ACCOUNT DIRECTOR NEEDED FOR DYNAMIC CREATIVE AGENCY

  22-07-2016 02:00
  
  £50k:Barker Graves:
  Account Director at creatively led and dynamic agency with opportunities for growth, training and development
  Up to £50k+ bens
  
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• VR confers advantage

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  SAN FRANCISCO: It may be an emerging platform that has yet to hit the mainstream but new research suggests that brands ought to be thinking about developing a virtual reality (VR) strategy to take advantage of potentially significant uplifts in...
  
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• Vietnam set for retail expansion

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  HO CHI MINH CITY: International retail brands are eyeing up expansion in Vietnam, where modern trade channels account for a quarter of retail business and new opportunities are opening up as trade agreements remove barriers.The country is on the...
  
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• P&G 'uberises' laundry

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  CINCINNATI, OH: Procter & Gamble, the FMCG giant, is trialling a number of initiatives that bypass traditional retail routes as it seeks to connect directly with consumers.One such, which the company has dubbed the "
  
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• Multi-screeners are more observant

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  LONDON: Rather than being distracted as one might expect, multi-screeners who shop online, check social media and browse the internet while watching TV turn out to be more observant of advertising than average.New data from YouGov Profiles, a...
  
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• Indian retailers tap Pokemon Go

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  MUMBAI: Indian retailers are seeking to capitalise on Pokémon Go by buying location-based incentives as the mobile gaming phenomenon continues to sweep the globe.Even though the game is not yet officially available in India, Indian consumers are...
  
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• Data drives 'moments-based marketing'

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  NEW YORK: Brands should tap the "personal-data tsunami" unleashed by digital media to pursue moments-based marketing, a paper published in the Journal of Advertising Research has argued.Shawn O'Neal, the Founder of SO-Analytics, suggested a...
  
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• CMT role gains ground

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  LONDON: Almost two thirds of UK marketers believe that an understanding of marketing technologies has become essential to career success, a new study has shown, with a similar proportion reporting that their organisation now has a role for a chief...
  
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• Blog: Stop problem solving

  22-07-2016 01:01
  
  Agencies need to stop taking briefs at face value and solving the same old problems, says Gareth Kay of Chapter. Better to become problem finders and supply real commercial solutions. 
  
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