Sales & Marketing news

• Tesla shareholders have approved the SolarCity takeover (TSLA)

  17-11-2016 22:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Tesla shareholders voted in favor of its acquisition of SolarCity on Thursday.
  More than 85% of Tesla shares voted were cast in favor of the acquisition. SolarCity's shareholders also voted in favor.
  The deal is worth about $2 billion.
  The transaction will be completed in the coming days, Tesla wrote in a press release.
  Tesla CEO Elon Musk owns about 20% of both companies and is chairman of SolarCity. Musk is also the cousin of SolarCity's CEO Lyndon Rive.
  Musk recused himself from the vot
  
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• Salesforce soars on big earnings beat (CRM)

  17-11-2016 22:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Salesforce reported its third quarter earnings on Thursday after the bell.
  It's a classic beat-and-raise quarter and Salesforce's stock jumped by as much as 6% in after hours trading.
  Here are the most important numbers:
  EPS (non-GAAP): $0.24 per share vs. $0.21 per share expected by analysts
  Revenue: $2.14 billion vs. $2.12 billion expected by analysts (up by 25% year-over-year)
  The results should be viewed as a big positive as there were some concerns around
  
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• STOCKS RISE: Here's what you need to know (VRX, WF)

  17-11-2016 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Stocks closed higher but little changed on Thursday. The S&P 500 closed just a hair below its all-time high of 2,190.15.
  But Treasurys continued to sell-off, sending the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to a new 2016 high.
  First, the scoreboard:
  Dow: 18,888.38, +20.24, (0.11%)
  S&P 500: 2,186.08, +9.14, (0.42%)
  Nasdaq: 5,329.00, +34.41, (0.65%)
  US 10-year yield: 2.283%, +0.060
  The CEO of Valeant's secret pharmacy was arrested and charged with "engaging in a multimillion-dolla
  
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• Hedge funds may have missed out on a big opportunity ahead of the election

  17-11-2016 21:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Hedge funds hopped out of healthcare ahead of the US presidential election – and may have missed on a big rebound in that sector in the wake of Donald Trump's win. 
  S&P Global Market Intelligence tracked hedge funds' stock holdings for the third quarter, which ended September 30, more than a week before the November 8 election.
  The takeaway? Hedge funds "may have been just as surprised by the election as pollsters and psephologists," S&P says. The general t
  
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• Here's how money managers at an $813 billion investment giant tweaked their strategy after Trump won (TROW)

  17-11-2016 20:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump's win defied many expectations.
  For some investors, that meant making a few tweaks to their portfolios, since the consensus forecast and polling did not actualize. 
  At a press briefing on Thursday, some portfolio managers at T. Rowe Price, which oversees $813 billion in assets, shared what they changed after Trump's victory.
  Samy Muaddi, a portfolio manager in the fixed income division, said he is gradually reducing his exposure to Mexican assets until
  
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• The Bank of Mexico says the US election has made the global economy 'more complex'

  17-11-2016 20:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Bank of Mexico just hiked interest rates by 50 basis points.
  Banxico, as the central bank is usually called, hiked rates to 5.25%, up from 4.75%, as economists were expecting.
  This is the bank's highest rate since 2009.
  "In the weeks after the last monetary-policy decision, the panorama for the global economy became more complex, among other factors, as a consequence of the electoral process carried out in the United States and its result," Banxico wrote in the accompanying statement.
  "Altho
  
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• The market is ignoring a massive elephant in the room at Valeant (VRX)

  17-11-2016 19:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  Guys, there's something missing here.
  Two former executives — from Valeant Pharmaceuticals and its defunct pharmacy, Philidor — have been arrested and charged with committing fraud to personally enrich themselves.
  We're talking alleged kickbacks, some wire fraud, Travel Act Conspiracy. But what's missing is any mention of anything that the Department of Justice has been investigating Valeant for, for over a year.
  And, more importantly, what's missing from Thursday's complaint tells u
  
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• McDonald’s channels Uber to keep pace with customer expectations

  17-11-2016 18:21
  
  McDonald’s operates in a world of “escalating expectations” according to global chief marketing officer Silvia Lagnado, so it must evolve keep up with brands like Uber, Netflix and Airbnb.
  “Convenience and value are incredibly important to the McDonald’s brand but the benchmark has changed. Disruptors have completely changed the sense of value and convenience you can get,” she told delegates at the Marketing Society’s annual conference today (17 Novembe
  
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• Here's how much the highest-paid stars on TV actually make

  17-11-2016 18:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  How much is Hollywood shelling out to get the biggest stars to move to TV?
  In this age of wall-to-wall programming, marquee names have become essential in bringing sizable audiences to shows.
  And with at least 50 different producers of TV shows, the competition is getting fierce and driving salaries to new highs.
  Star salaries can range from $1.1 million an episode for the main players of HBO's "Game of Thrones" to as small as $20,000 per episode for the actors who play the Lyon k
  
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• What next for Pokémon Go?

  17-11-2016 17:25
  
  Pokémon Go was the surprise hit of the summer. At its peak, thousands of people could be found wandering the streets of London or New York hunting for the elusive characters to add to their army and battle rivals.
  The app acheived 500 milliong downloads globally in the first two months after its launch in July and by August it had generated £200m in revenue. Yet there was concern the game would turn out to be just a fad. Its developer, Niantic, is trying to prove those critics wron
  
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• KRUGMAN: It's looking more and more like the election was swung by the FBI in virtual 'alliance with Putin'

  17-11-2016 17:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Paul Krugman, the Nobel-winning economist and New York Times columnist, suggested Thursday that an "alliance" between a faction of the FBI and Russian President Vladimir Putin swung last week's election in favor of Donald Trump.
  Krugman said that given the small margin in swing states that decided the election, the FBI's reactivation of its investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server was just enough to change the minds of some voters.
  FBI Director James Comey announced the discover
  
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• A definitive breakdown of the gloomy state of Wall Street

  17-11-2016 17:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Don't be fooled by the third-quarter rebound in Wall Street trading revenues. Investment banks are still on course for a lousy year.
  While third-quarter revenues were up 14% from the year-ago period, according to new data from Coalition, year-to-date performance was down 7%, and full year 2016 revenues are expected to decrease for the fourth year in a row.
  One bright spot is fixed income, currencies, and commodities revenues, which were up 36% in the third quarter and 2% year-to-date. They're e
  
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• Tesco will not recruit from within to fill top marketing role

  17-11-2016 17:20
  
  Tesco is “close” to filling the vacant chief customer officer, which oversees all the supermarket brand’s marketing activity, according to CEO Dave Lewis.
  Speaking at a press briefing today (17 November), Lewis, who is currently acting chief customer officer, revealed the supermarket giant is “close to announcing a replacement” for Robin Terrell, who quit in August. Whoever takes on the role will be Tesco’s fourth marketing boss in just as many years.
  However
  
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• DryShips crashes 67% as trading resumes

  17-11-2016 16:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Shares of DryShips, a shipping company that transports raw materials and other commodities, are crashing after resuming trading on Thursday. The stock was halted Wednesday morning after seeing a gain of more than 1000% in the wake of Donald Trump's US election win. Thursday's drop of more than 67% comes after the company announced it was entering a registered direct offering of convertible preferred shares. 
  Join the conversation about this story »NOW WATCH: A hacker re
  
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• YELLEN: I plan to serve out my term

  17-11-2016 16:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen isn't leaving her job before her term is up in 2018.
  After the election of Donald Trump, some analysts had questioned whether the Fed Chair would stay in the role given Trump's sharp criticism of her policies during his presidential campaign.
  When asked if there was any circumstance in which she could imagine not serving out her term, the Chair replied, "No I cannot."
  Yellen's term is scheduled to go until 2018.
  "I plan to serve out that term," s
  
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• Aviva CEO Mark Wilson: ‘There is not a lot of real marketing happening in the UK’

  17-11-2016 16:27
  
  Marketers have become over-complicated in their execution and forgotten the fundamentals of what marketing should be, according to Mark Wilson, CEO of insurance provider Aviva.
  Talking this morning (17 November) at The Marketing Society’s annual conference, he said: “I could stand here today and say the marketing garden is rosy but I don’t think that is the case. The skills that we need in the different stages of global economic development of marketing have changed.&rdqu
  
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• Aviva boss slams lack of ‘real marketing’ in the UK

  17-11-2016 16:27
  
  Aviva CEO Mark Wilson believes marketers are overcomplicating the disciplineMarketers have become over-complicated in their execution and forgotten the fundamentals of what marketing should be, according to Mark Wilson, CEO of insurance provider Aviva.
  Talking this morning (17 November) at The Marketing Society’s annual conference, he said: “I could stand here today and say the marketing garden is rosy but I don’t think that is the case. The skills that we need in the diff
  
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• DHi Group: Global Brand & Product Marketing Director (12 months contract)

  17-11-2016 16:08
  
  Competitive :DHi Group:
  This role requires a strategic thinker with a hands on approach who can work across teams to be deliver results...
  London (Central), London (Greater)
  
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• Valeant tumbles after the CEO of its secret pharmacy was arrested (VRX)

  17-11-2016 15:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Shares of Valeant are under pressure after Business Insider reported Andy Davenport, the CEO of Valeant's secret pharmacy, Philidor, has been arrested. Davenport has been charged with "engaging in a multi-million dollar fraud and kickback scheme.".  
  Early selling has Valeant down nearly 7% at $16.64 per share. The stock has fallen more than 70% over the past the year. 
  SEE ALSO: 
  Join the conversation about this story »NOW WATCH: This hidden iPhone feature will bo
  
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• Wells Fargo is getting walloped by its fraudulent-accounts scandal

  17-11-2016 15:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Wells Fargo has seen a dramatic decrease in the number of new accounts opened at the bank in the aftermath of its fake-accounts scandal.
  In a release Thursday, the bank announced that the number of new accounts opened in October fell by 27% from September and by 44% from October 2015.
  Additionally, Wells said customer-initiated account closings increased by 3% over both the previous month and the same month in 2015.
  October was the first full month after the revelations that the bank had opened
  
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• The CEO of Valeant's secret pharmacy has been charged with 'engaging in a multimillion-dollar fraud and kickback scheme' (VRX)

  17-11-2016 15:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Andy Davenport, the CEO of Philidor, the secret pharmacy whose discovery led to a crisis at Valeant Pharmaceuticals, has been arrested and charged with "engaging in a multimillion-dollar fraud and kickback scheme."
  He was arrested at about 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, people familiar with the matter told Business Insider.
  Gary Tanner, a former Valeant executive who went on to work for Philidor, was also arrested Thursday morning.
  The US attorney for the Southern District of New York said in an email a
  
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• Inflation is almost all about your gas prices going up

  17-11-2016 15:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The latest reading of the consumer price index (CPI) inflation rose slower than economists expected in October.
  Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core CPI rose 0.1% from the month before, less than the 0.2% expected by economists. Including those two categories, consumer good prices rose 0.4% in October, equal to expectations. 
  Once again, gasoline prices led the index higher according to the BLS. Gas accounted for half of the increas
  
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• Philly Fed manufacturing fell more than expected

  17-11-2016 14:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Manufacturing activity in and near Philadelphia fell more than expected in November, according to a survey conducted by the regional Federal Reserve.
  Its monthly index of current activity came in at 7.6, compared to the prior's month's reading of 9.7.
  Economists had forecast that the index dropped to 7.8.
  The Philly Fed noted that the results suggest that manufacturing activity continued to modestly expand, with indexes for general activity, new orders, and shipments staying positive.
  Howev
  
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• Initial jobless claims plunge to their lowest level since 1973

  17-11-2016 14:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Initial jobless claims unexpectedly dropped to their lowest level since 1973.
  Claims, which count people applying for unemployment insurance for the first time, fell to 235,000.
  That is the lowest level for claims since November 24, 1973 when it was 233,000. Plus, claims have been below 300,000 for 89 consecutive weeks.
  Economists had forecast claims ticked up slightly to 257,000 last week, according to the Bloomberg survey.
  "It is impressive that claims have achieved the same level of the
  
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• Can Instagram become a shopping site?

  17-11-2016 12:54
  
  Instagram wants to help you shop, that much is clear from a number of its latest updates.
  Last year, it launched a ‘shop now’ button on the site so retailers could send their followers to a page within the app where they could buy. Then earlier this month, it introduced a feature that lets brands put more product information such as more detailed information and prices in their posts.
  James Quarles, vice-president of monetisation at Instagram, told the Financial Times: “It is
  
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• Facebook admits more measurement errors

  17-11-2016 10:02
  
  Facebook has admitted it has discovered a number of errors in the way it measures audiences across a range of its products and has unveiled a raft of updates aimed at improving how it measures audience as it looks to offer advertisers and their agencies “clarity and confidence”.
  The discovery comes after Facebook said earlier this year it had overstated how long users watch videos for on its site by up to 80%. That prompted a deeper investigation by the social networking site into w
  
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• Nottingham Trent University: Head of Communications

  17-11-2016 06:59
  
  £60,708 - £65,418:Nottingham Trent University:
  We are now recruiting for an experienced Head of Communications...
  Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
  
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• Battery Life Important for MPoS Success at Holiday Time

  17-11-2016 02:00 via retailpro.com
  With the Christmas season just about officially starting, retailers are readying the last few tools needed to make point of sale transactions as efficient as possible. One area in need of improvement is the battery life of mobile POS devices. …
  Continue reading →
  
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• The real ROI of B2B content marketing

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  NEW YORK: The ROI of B2B content marketing is not about return on investment but rather return on interest, according to the chief marketing officer of Xerox.Speaking to Ad Exchanger, John Kennedy outlined his philosophy as he explained how the...
  
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• Social media crucial to crisis response

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  SINGAPORE:A poorly managed crisis response can be more damaging to a brand than the incident itself, a senior airline marketer believes. Dennis Owen, Group Manager/Social Media for Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific, is under no illusion...
  
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• Relevance vital to short-form video ads

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  LONDON: The volume of short-form video being watched in the UK has jumped 50% in the past year, according to research which also reveals the challenges for marketers to deliver new video ad experiences and thoughtful brand integration.AOL...
  
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• REI's plan to reclaim Black Friday

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  LOS ANGELES: REI, the outdoor goods retailer, will close its stores on Black Friday for a second successive year – and has built on last year's program of encouraging people to spend the day outside by building a network of around 300 partners.Ben...
  
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• Mobile wallets take off in India

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  NEW DELHI: Mobile wallet brands, at least, are benefiting from India's "demonetisation" as consumers seek out alternative payment options after the government scrapped large denomination banknotes.A week after the unexpected step – aimed at...
  
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• Insurance brands need TV

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  LONDON/NEW YORK: In the crowded UK and US property and casualty (P&C) insurance markets, TV remains an important channel in which brands can raise awareness and memorability, an industry figure has said.Writing in Admap, Chris Cox, UK TVBE...
  
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• CX is top social objective

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  SAN FRANCISCO: Social business teams are shifting their focus away from brand health and towards customer experience, according to a new study, which also highlights how they are becoming a vital connector between existing centres of excellence in...
  
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• Aussie content marketing needs work

  17-11-2016 01:00
  
  SYDNEY: A majority of Australian businesses are using content marketing but very few would describe their efforts as "sophisticated", with responsibility frequently being delegated to small teams or a single person and only half able to say what...
  
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