Sales & Marketing news

• ‘Gutless leadership’ abounds at Wells Fargo's Senate hearing

  20-09-2016 23:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  If you wonder why Congress has an approval rating of only 18%, you clearly did not watch today’s Senate Banking Committee hearing on C-SPAN. 
  For nearly 3 hours, members of the Senate Banking Committee took turns feigning shock and anger in response to Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf’s testimony regarding the ongoing fraud scandal at the nation’s third largest bank.
  Don’t get me wrong, Stumpf rightly deserves to be hauled before Congress and explain the bank’s acti
  
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• BARRY RITHOLTZ: Here's how the media should respond when a presidential candidate is caught lying

  20-09-2016 23:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  How should the media respond when a presidential candidate is caught lying?
  I don’t mean the small political prevarications that all politicians engage in — I refer to the uniquely outsized BS that has been dominating this election cycle.
  So far, the mainstream press has been doing a mostly terrible job. However, that may be changing. 
  To wit: presidential candidate Donald Trump held a news conference Friday morning, where he:1) Promoted his commercial interests i
  
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• Microsoft is planning to buy back almost 10% of itself (MSFT)

  20-09-2016 22:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Microsoft is buying back a whole bunch of itself.
  The tech behemoth said on Tuesday that it has authorized a $40 billion share buyback program, according to a release from the company. With the market cap ending trading on Tuesday at roughly $440 billion, this means the firm is buying back just over 9% of the outstanding shares.
  This is the fourth $40 billion buyback program for Microsoft, and the company said it will complete the first round by the end of 2016.
  Microsoft also said it was r
  
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• Allergan just acquired two companies in one day (AGN, TBRA)

  20-09-2016 22:37 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  It's been a busy month for Botox-maker Allergan. 
  On Tuesday morning the company announced that it had acquired Tobira Therapeutics, which is developing two treatments for a liver condition called NASH in a deal worth $1.65 billion.
  Later that afternoon, the company announced it had also acquired Akarna Therapeutics, a  private company also working on drugs to treat NASH. That deal was worth $50 million up-front.
  Tobira closed Tuesday up more than 700% after the acquisition was an
  
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• FedEx beats on earnings, shares rise (FDX)

  20-09-2016 22:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  FedEx on Tuesday reported better-than-expected earnings for its fiscal first quarter.
  The courier giant said its operating results were boosted by higher volumes of FedEx Ground shipments, as well as cost reductions at FedEx Express. But costs associated with integrating TNT Express, the delivery company it bought in May, dented some of these gains. 
  It reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.90, beating analysts' median forecast for $2.79, according to Bloomberg. Revenue total
  
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• STOCKS DO NOTHING AHEAD OF THE FED: Here's what you need to know (WFC, AGN, SEAS, TBRA)

  20-09-2016 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Stocks had another quiet day of trading as the Federal Reserve started its two-day policy meeting in Washington, and traders geared up for the statement on Wednesday. 
  First, the scoreboard:
  Dow: 18,129.96, +9.79, (0.05%)
  S&P 500: 2,139.76, +0.64, (0.03%)
  Nasdaq: 5,241.35, +6.33, (0.12%)
  Wells Fargo's CEO got grilled by the Senate. John Stumpf met with the Senate Banking Committee in a tense testimony about fraudulent accounts opened by Wells employees. Stumpf s
  
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• EpiPen's maker has another problem on its hands (MYL)

  20-09-2016 21:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Members of the Senate Finance Committee have questions about EpiPen-maker Mylan's relationship with Medicaid.
  They just sent a letter to Daniel Levinson, the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services, to inquire about them.
  What the senators would like to know is whether or not Mylan manipulated the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP) by classifying EpiPen as a generic drug when it is in fact not.
  Mylan started an uproar earlier this month when the price of an EpiPen ro
  
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• A rare beast is taking over the bond market

  20-09-2016 21:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The appetite for corporate bonds has been soaring over the past few years, and companies are serving up entire feasts.
  The number of "jumbo bonds," or bond offerings over $5 billion, has increased to its highest level ever, according to Edward Marrinan, the chief credit strategist at HSBC.
  "Once rare, multi-billion, multi-tranche offerings have become commonplace in the corporate bond market," said Marrinan in a note to clients on Tuesday. "After reaching a record issuance of $330 bill
  
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• Here's every state's August unemployment rate

  20-09-2016 20:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The US Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its monthly report on unemployment rates for the 50 states and DC in August.
  According to the report, six states had statistically significantly higher unemployment rates in August than in July, three states had lower rates, and the other 41 states and DC were statistically unchanged.
  South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate in the country at just 2.9%, while Alaska had the highest at 6.8%.
  The map shows each state's August
  
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• The EpiPen pricing scandal just got even more complicated for the CEO and her family at the heart of it (MYL)

  20-09-2016 20:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Mylan CEO Heather Bresch has been in the hot seat over the price of the EpiPen.
  The cost of the device, used in emergencies to treat severe allergic reactions, has increased more than 500% since Mylan acquired it in 2007.
  Now Bresch's parents are being brought into the conversation.
  And it's no ordinary family — Bresch is the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Her mother, Gayle Manchin, was president of the National Association of State Boards of Education, USA Today reports.
  
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• This is the one area where Apple iOS simply destroys Android

  20-09-2016 20:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The iOS 10 launch has had some bumps. Shortly after the update went live last week, some users reported that it made their iPhones unusable, forcing Apple to push out a fix almost immediately. A couple days later, T-Mobile had to tell its customers to avoid downloading the software, due to reports of it causing dropped connections. Earlier this week, Apple told us it was working to fix an issue that causes its Lightning EarPods to not work as intended. These are all bad things.
  And yet! Com
  
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• The Mexican peso just collapsed to a new low against the dollar (USD, MXN, JPY, RUB)

  20-09-2016 19:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Mexican peso fell to new lows against the dollar on Tuesday. 
  The currency is down by 0.93% at 19.873 per dollar as of 1:48 p.m. ET. It fell to as low as 19.6044 earlier, below the psychologically key level of 20.
  The peso has tumbled through much of September, underperforming emerging-market currencies. 
  "We’re still hesitant to go to the old 'Trump Factor' here but continued peso underperformance is hard to explain," said Marc Chandler, global head of currency str
  
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• DEUTSCHE BANK: All of our recession indicators are flashing red right now, but ...

  20-09-2016 18:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Deutsche Bank's top European equity strategists published a big note on Tuesday examining the risks of a US recession.
  In short, all the warnings signs that preceded the previous three recessions are here.
  This time, however, there may not be reason for all-out panic.
  "We agree with our economist's projection of a 30% recession probability over the coming 12 months," Sebastian Raedler, head of European equity strategy, and his team wrote in the note.
  Here are the four indicators that popped up b
  
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• Addison Lee goes premium to drive global expansion

  20-09-2016 18:11
  
  Addison Lee has committed to a multi-million pound budget to promote its new brand identity, the private hire car firm’s first refresh since it was established in 1975.
  The new look is part of a wider expansion strategy following its £30m acquisition of executive car service Tristar International in June. The aim is to use this partnership to grow Addison Lee’s reach in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific, coinciding with expansion across key UK cities.
  READ MORE: How Addison
  
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• ELIZABETH WARREN RIPS INTO WELLS FARGO CEO: 'You should be criminally investigated'

  20-09-2016 17:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf is in front of the Senate Banking Committee to answer question about fraudulent accounts opened by Wells employees.
  The hearing has meandered here and there, but there is no doubt that the main event arrived when Senator Elizabeth Warren took to the mic. 
  Warren lit in to Stumpf.
  "Since this massive year's long scam came to light you have said 'I am accountable.' What have you done to hold yourself accountable?" she asked.
  "Have you returned one nickel of t
  
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• Here's why people on Wall Street cheat over and over again

  20-09-2016 17:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  John Stumpf, the CEO of what was once Wall Street's most squeaky clean bank, Wells Fargo, was in front of Congress answering for the fraudulent actions of thousands of employees on Tuesday.
  It's yet another exhausting example of how people working at a bank got up in the morning, cheated and lied to their customers, went home to their families, ate dinner, were fairly normal, went to bed, and then got up in the morning to lie and cheat at work again.
  Here's what happened at Wells Fargo: Und
  
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• SOROS: The refugee crisis 'has no simple solution'

  20-09-2016 17:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The refugee crisis is at the top of George Soros' agenda.
  At the 2016 Concordia Summit on Tuesday, the billionaire investor discussed his new plan to invest $500 million to address the needs of migrants and refugees.
  And he also addressed the crisis' relationship with the larger political problems brewing in Europe.
  "Let me make a crucial point: The refugee crisis is a complex problem. And it has no simple solution," Soros argued.
  He continued:
  "Anti-European, xenophobic poli
  
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• Adidas compares TV to the fax machine, claiming digital is its ‘most relevant channel’

  20-09-2016 17:27
  
  Adidas can “absolutely” win back dominance in North America – where it is now behind both Nike and newer entrant Under Armour – according to its global head of digital ecosystem design David Greenfield. And he said prioritising digital is a key focus.
  He explained: “Yes, we absolutely can win back dominance from Under Armour in the US but digital will play a big role in us achieving that.
  “If we look at our recent marketing activity for the NMD brand
  
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• PRESENTING: The most important charts in the world from the brightest minds on Wall Street (SPX, SPY, DJI, IXIC, GSPC, IWIM, TLT, TLO, USD, DXY, JPY)

  20-09-2016 17:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Here they are: the most important charts in the world. Once again, we’ve asked some of the sharpest strategists, economists, and reporters for one chart that’s at the top of their minds right now.
  We asked for a chart that reflects something that concerns them in markets and the economy right now. Or, for something that shows a trend they think everyone should be paying more attention to. Any commentary below the charts comes from them.
  All the charts were submitted before
  
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• EMO Unlimited: Senior Account Manager

  20-09-2016 17:23
  
  £30-34,0000 per annum + comprehensive benefits package:EMO Unlimited:
  We have a new and exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior Account Manager to join the team,
  Bristol
  
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• West Virginia has taken a huge shot at the maker of EpiPen

  20-09-2016 17:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  West Virginia is accusing Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen, a life-saving autoinjector used to treat severe allergic reactions, of Medicaid fraud.
  Specifically, it's accusing the company of inflating the price of the EpiPen 500%. 
  The price of the EpiPen (currently $608) caused national outrage earlier this year. Mylan purchased the drug back in 2007 when it cost $100.
  That price increase has angered Washington and sent the company's stock plummeting. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) request
  
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• EMO Unlimited: Business Director

  20-09-2016 17:04
  
  Competitive + comprehensive benefits package:EMO Unlimited:
  We have an excellent opportunity for an ambitious and talented Business Director to join the EMO Unlimited team,
  Bristol
  
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• Mark Ritson: The Coalition for Better Ads is destined for a glorious failure

  20-09-2016 16:53
  
  It has been a big week for digital advertising. As you may have heard, the Coalition for Better Ads has been set up to create global standards for online advertising. The Coalition includes P&G, Google, Facebook, The Washington Post, the WFA, the IAB, a guy in a computerised metal suit and the Norse god of thunder.
  READ MORE: Google, Unilever and P&G join coalition aiming to rid the internet of annoying ads
  Oops, sorry. Got my squads of superheroes mixed up there for a moment. Wher
  
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• Italy is a 'systemic risk' and could become investors' new obsession

  20-09-2016 16:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  For the past several years, investors have been held hostage by the threat of Greece defaulting on its debt and eventually leaving the eurozone.
  The thought process is that a "Grexit" would create a domino effect in Europe where other countries, like Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and Spain, would then also choose to leave the eurozone. 
  And while Greece's problems continue to be kicked down the road, a new problem is coming to the forefront. Italy is facing a full blown banking crisis.&nbs
  
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• Stoptober campaign uses Facebook Messenger bot to help smokers quit

  20-09-2016 16:36
  
  Public Health England (PHE) is making a big push on Facebook for this year’s Stoptober campaign as it looks to drive more people to quit smoking.
  Figures from the health body show that smoking has dropped to its lowest levels yet – with 16.9% of the population now smoking. And Stoptober has helped with that, with the campaign helping 500,000 people quit smoking last year – 20% of those who signed up. That is up from 13.6% five years ago.
  This year’s campaign will con
  
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• Comcast is going to launch a wireless service next year

  20-09-2016 15:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Comcast plans to launch its own wireless service in 2017, CEO Brian Roberts said Tuesday at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference.
  Since Comcast doesn't have its own cell towers, it'll rely on Wi-Fi networks for connectivity. Users will be switched to Verizon's network when they're away from Wi-Fi.
  A few smaller carriers already offer services like this, with options including Google's Project Fi and Republic Wireless. Those companies work as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, and p
  
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• LIVE: Wells Fargo CEO gets grilled by the Senate (WFC)

  20-09-2016 15:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf is in front of the Senate Banking Committee at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday to answer question about fraudulent accounts opened by Wells employees.
  2 million checking and credit card accounts were opened from 2011 onward by Wells Fargo employees without the knowledge of customers. The accounts were created in order to generate fees for Wells, as well as for employees to meet aggressive sales targets.
  The highlights:
  "This was not a mix up under the Christmas tree. This
  
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• Heineken on why now is the right time to tell the world it ‘is more than just one brand’

  20-09-2016 15:13
  
  Heineken is launching a campaign aimed at recruiting a new generation of employees, as it looks to convince them of its global influence and shake off the perception that Heineken is only made up of “one brand”.
  The digital ‘Go Places’ campaign focuses on a manifesto film, in which the brewer seeks to convince viewers “that the company is like no other”. There is also an interactive element to the activity, called ‘The Interview’, in which the onli
  
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• Barnardo’s: Assistant Director – Marketing

  20-09-2016 14:51
  
  £56,920 – £68,547 plus Outer London Weighting: £1,830 p.a.:Barnardo’s:
  You’ve already proved that you can drive outstanding results in a complex marketing and communications environment.
  Head Office, Barkingside
  
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• Allergan could pay up to a 1,800% premium to acquire a tiny pharmaceutical company (AGN, TBRA)

  20-09-2016 14:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Allergan, the pharmaceutical giant, is purchasing tiny Tobira Therapeutics in an interesting acquisition.
  The deal is initially for $28.35 per share in cash; however, according to the statement from Allergan, the deal could balloon to much more.
  Tobira, which closed trading on Monday at $4.74 a share and with a market cap of just $89 million, is developing two drugs to treat NASH disease. According to the Allergan statement, NASH is a buildup of fat in the liver for unknown reasons that can even
  
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• SeaWorld is tumbling after slicing its dividend (SEAS)

  20-09-2016 14:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SeaWorld shares are sliding after the company cut its dividend.
  The beleaguered theme park company said in a press release on Monday that it is lowering its dividend payout to $0.10 per share from $0.21 per share previously. In addition, the board of directors announced that it will no longer issue a dividend after the payment this quarter.
  Instead of issuing a dividend, the firm announced it would be "opportunistically repurchasing the company's shares in the open market." The re
  
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• HILLARY CLINTON: There's no place for Wells Fargo's 'outrageous behavior' in America (WFC)

  20-09-2016 14:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Hillary Clinton on Tuesday published an open letter to Wells Fargo customers, slamming the bank's illegal account openings and outlining what should happen next.
  In the letter published on her website, the Democratic presidential nominee said she was "deeply disturbed" by the news and said the bank owed all its customers a clear explanation.
  Earlier in September, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Los Angeles city attorney accused Wel
  
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• The ruble is sliding

  20-09-2016 13:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Russian ruble is sliding.
  The currency is down by 0.5% at 64.9531 per dollar as of 7:27 a.m. ET.
  Meanwhile, Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, is lower by 1.1% at $45.45 per barrel.
  Separately, data released on Monday suggests that the Russian consumer continues to struggle. 
  Retail sales fell by 5.1% year-over-over in August, compared to July's revised down 5.2%. Plus, real wages contracted by 1.0% year-over-year in August.
  As for the rest of the wor
  
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• One of Warren Buffett's investing gurus was named to JPMorgan's board (JPM, BRK.A, BRK.B)

  20-09-2016 13:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  JPMorgan Chase on Tuesday said it elected Todd Combs, a stock-picking deputy of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, to its board of directors.
  Buffett has said hiring Combs as a portfolio manager to handle $9 billion of investments at Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway was among his "best moves."
  Combs' appointment was effective from Monday, JPMorgan said.
  He started his career as an analyst for Florida's state financial regulator and did risk analysis for Progressive Corp. He went on to be the found
  
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• 10 things you need to know today (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, CHK, WFC, MON, TWTR)

  20-09-2016 12:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Here is what you need to know.
  The Bank of Japan meets Tuesday evening. There has been growing speculation the central bank will tweak its bond-buying program to include the purchase of more short-term bonds in an effort to steepen the yield curve, The Japan Times reports. The Japanese yen is little changed near 101.90 per dollar.
  Jeff Gundlach doesn't think the Fed will raise rates at Wednesday's meeting. The CEO of DoubleLine Capital believes the US Federal Reserve will use a "hawkish no-hike"
  
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• Tesco posts best sales performance since March 2014

  20-09-2016 11:00
  Tesco recorded its best numbers in almost two-and-a-half years in the 12 weeks ending 11 September, according to Kantar Worldpanel. Although sales have not yet returned to growth, a year-on-year decline of 0.2% is its best since March 2014.
  The supermarket giant, which has itself reported two straight quarters of like-for-like sales growth, now accounts for 28.1% of the UK grocery market, a fall of 0.1 percentage points.
  Perhaps most encouraging is the role Tesco’s larg
  
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• Trust gap hits Chinese infant formula

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  BEIJING: The effects of an eight-year old scandal continue to reverberate as new research shows Chinese consumers still overwhelmingly prefer foreign brands of infant formula to domestic ones.Any hopes that the reputation of local producers had...
  
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• Subtlety can be surprisingly powerful

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  LONDON: The use of neuroscience in advertising is growing to embrace a range of scenarios beyond simple ad testing, with both practitioners and brands seeing useful application in everything from insight to creativity.As Trish Rajo Brea, senior...
  
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• Singles Day could see 30% uplift

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  BEIJING: Singles Day, the annual one-day online sales festival promoted by ecommerce giant Alibaba, is set to break records again this year in terms of both the volume and value of transactions.Last year saw 467m transactions completed on November...
  
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• Incremental innovation pays off

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  BOSTON: Game-changing innovation is rare and most companies are better advised to focus on incremental change that helps drive loyalty and revenue growth, according to a report from Bain & Company.The consultancy's "Elements of Value" study...
  
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• 'Cultural codes' key for luxury brands

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  CHICAGO: Luxury brands should consider factors such as timeliness, self-expression and "cultural codes" as they seek to engage younger consumers, a leading industry executive has argued.Jon Potter – who left Moët & Hennessy USA in August 2016...
  
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• Brazilians open to mobile ads

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil's millennial mobile users spend up to four hours a day on their phones and are increasingly likely to engage with online ads, new research has shown.According to the MMA Mobile Report Brazil 2016, based on a survey by...
  
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• BOGOF bites the dust

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  LONDON: Multibuy promotions have little effect on sales according to a new study which highlights the finding that price cuts are far more likely to deliver benefits to retailers.IRI, a provider of FMCG market intelligence, conducted a study of...
  
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• Blog: The branding of research

  20-09-2016 01:25
  
  Don't believe the people who say focus groups are dead, warns Faris Yakob. Talking to people is a good idea and an affordable way to glean certain kinds of insight. 
  
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• The next big tech IPO of the year is starting to look like a bummer (NTNX)

  20-09-2016 01:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Nutanix's long-awaited IPO may be nearing — but at a lower price than anticipated.
  According to an updated regulatory filing disclosed Monday, Nutanix is pricing its shares in the range of $11 to $13.
  At the high-end of the range, that would give the infrastructure company a market cap of $1.8 billion — slightly lower than the $2 billion-plus reported valuation it fetched two years ago in its Series E funding.
  That's not an encouraging sign for a company that initially filed to go pu
  
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