Sales & Marketing news

• MealPal takes on Deliveroo and UberEats with subscription lunch service

  17-02-2017 18:24
  
  One day in 2015, Mary Biggins was strolling around Wholefoods and looked at the quantities of food it was serving. She wondered: What if her favourite pie restaurant could do the same, but at scale? And with that, the idea for MealPal was born.
  The startup, which launches in London this week, provides a lunch subscription service. And it has an unusual business model.
  The service costs £4.79 per meal on a 12-meal plan or £4.39 per meal on a 20-meal plan. While Deliveroo and UberEATS
  
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• Kraft Heinz Unilever deal: Good business or bad move?

  17-02-2017 18:20
  
  Kraft Heinz’s attempt to merge with Unilever has sent shockwaves through the FMCG industry.
  Unilever, which is worth more than £124bn, would help create a “leading consumer goods company with a mission of long-term growth and sustainable living” should it greenlight the merger, according to Kraft Heinz. It would also result in one of the biggest M&A deals of all time.
  But despite the news resulting in a record share price for the UK-based FMCG giant, Unilever has so
  
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• 'He's a cheap dealer. He's a peddler' — Mexico's ex-president unloads on Trump

  17-02-2017 16:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  President Donald Trump's brief time in office has been marked by an ample amount of controversy and criticism, much of it carried over from his campaign and post-election period.
  Throughout that time, Vicente Fox, president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, has been stalwart in his excoriations of Trump's stated positions, particularly those regarding US relations with Mexico.
  On Friday morning, Fox joined CNN and inveighed on Trump's handling of the US economy and of the country's international rela
  
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• 'Cameras augment the way that we talk' — here's what Snapchat is telling investors

  17-02-2017 16:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. just released its roadshow materials, including a 35-minute video, providing an important look into how the company sees itself — and how it will pitch itself to investors.
  Snap is planning to go public on March 1 and seeking a valuation of $22 billion. 
  "Snap is a camera company," CEO Evan Spiegel said in the video. 
  Historically, cameras provided a way for people to keep memories, he said. "Now, cameras augment the way that we talk."
  
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• DEUTSCHE BANK: These 2 risks could derail the US economy

  17-02-2017 15:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  With the US economic recovery entering its eighth year, there continue to be questions about how much longer it can go on.
  Torsten Sløk, Deutsche Bank's chief international economist who has been staunchly bullish on the economy for a while, wrote on two things that could derail the expansion in a client note on Friday. 
  They both relate to consumer credit, which happened to be one of the biggest drags on the economy during the last recession.  
  At the moment we worry
  
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• Unilever rejected Kraft's takeover offer and the stock is soaring (KHC, UNILEVER)

  17-02-2017 15:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Shares in Unilever are up 12.26% at $37.51 a share while Kraft Heinz is up 2.49% at $93.37 a share on Friday morning after Unilever rejected Kraft's takeover bid.
  Kraft, the maker of Velveeta, Mac and Cheese, and Heinz Ketchup approached the company behind Ben & Jerry's, Hellman's mayonnaise and Dove with a $143 billion offer. 
  While Kraft said in a statement that they "look forward to working to reach agreement on the terms of a transaction," a Unilever statement says th
  
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• Something funky happened in Unilever trading just before Kraft-Heinz announced it attempted a takeover (UL, KHC)

  17-02-2017 15:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  On Friday, Kraft-Heinz confirmed that it had approached Unilever about a $143 billion merger in what would be one of the largest M&A deals ever.
  This followed a Financial Times post breaking the news early on Friday that Unilever had been approached to create one of the world's largest consumer goods companies. Unilever and Kraft, however, subsequently said the offer had been rejected.
  Recent options trading in Unilever, however, has raised some eyebrows as a spike in upside bets s
  
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• The idea that a unionized Tesla factory will be a great labor win is an overstatement (TSLA)

  17-02-2017 15:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  It's starting to look as if the United Auto Workers is preparing to mount a serious unionization effort at Tesla's factory in Fremont, CA.
  A union at Tesla has been rumored since last year, but the process has intensified in the last week as a Tesla worker alleged that working conditions at the plant are a problem — and CEO Elon Musk pledged to investigate.
  Whether working conditions are Tesla will intensify a union push is somewhat beside the point. We already know that over the past two
  
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• Nestlé focuses on going direct-to-consumers as ecommerce sales hit 5%

  17-02-2017 14:23
  
  Nestlé has credited its focus on innovation and marketing for helping its ecommerce sales almost double in four years.
  The company, which is behind brands including KitKat and Nescafé, says ecommerce now accounts for 5% of total sales, up from 2.9% in 2012. Ecommerce is one of the fastest areas of growth for the company, up by 18% last year – six times faster than its average growth. And if Nestlé takes Nespresso out of the equation – where ecommerce growth
  
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• The Russian ruble is tumbling as inflation picks up

  17-02-2017 14:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Russian ruble is tumbling.
  The petrocurrency is down by 1% at 58.1678 per dollar as of 8:06 a.m. ET.
  Earlier, data showed that Russian PPI rose by 12.7% year-over-year in January, marking the highest inflation since November 2015. It followed the 7.4% increase in December. 
  Moreover, Brent crude oil prices, which are down by 0.5% at $55.38 per barrel.
  Although the ruble is down on Friday, the currency has strengthened in February, which has rattled the Ministry
  
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• Kraft Heinz tries to buy Unilever to create ‘leading consumer goods company’

  17-02-2017 14:18
  
  Kraft Heinz has approached fellow FMCG giant Unilever about combining the two groups to create a “leading consumer goods company with a mission of long-term growth and sustainable living”.
  Although Unilever has rejected the approach, Kraft Heinz says it will persist and “looks forward to working to reach an agreement on the terms of a transaction”.
  The surprise move has been welcomed by Unilever’s shareholders, with its share price rising by more than 15% to record
  
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• Kraft Heinz tries to buy Unilever in bid to create ‘leading consumer goods company’

  17-02-2017 14:18
  
  Kraft Heinz has approached fellow FMCG giant Unilever about combining the two groups to create a “leading consumer goods company with a mission of long-term growth and sustainable living”.
  Although Unilever has rejected the approach, Kraft Heinz says it will persist and “looks forward to working to reach an agreement on the terms of a transaction”.
  The surprise move has been welcomed by Unilever’s shareholders, with its share price rising by more than 15% to record
  
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• A Wall Street psychologist who's consulted on Showtime's 'Billions' outlines 5 truths of human behavior all her clients must face

  17-02-2017 14:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Wall Street is full of investors and traders with big egos, and Denise Shull sees them at their most vulnerable.
  She's the founder of the ReThink Group, a performance coaching group that specializes in clients on Wall Street. She's also one of the inspirations for Maggie Rhoades, the in-house psychiatrist at the fictional hedge fund starring in Showtime's hit show "Billions."
  Shull isn't a psychiatrist, but established her coaching method on the neuropsychology of unconscious thought, tailored
  
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• Deere says the global farming recession may be coming to an end (DE)

  17-02-2017 13:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Deere and Company on Friday reported first-quarter earnings that were higher than expected, and the company offered hope for the future.
  The farming-equipment maker reported quarterly earnings of $0.61 a share versus analysts' expectations $0.55. The company also said sales came in at $4.70 billion for the quarter, above the $4.63 billion projected by analysts.
  In addition to the strong results, Deere CEO Samuel Allen said the farming sector, which had been hurting the company, was finally bounc
  
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• Trump says he's headed to South Carolina to meet with Boeing (BA)

  17-02-2017 13:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  President Donald Trump is going to South Carolina to meet with Boeing about jobs, he announced on Twitter Friday morning.
  Trump tweeted, "Going to Charleston, South Carolina, in order to spend time with Boeing and talk jobs! Look forward to it." 
  The president did not give a time frame for the meeting.
  Boeing Co Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg met with then-President-elect Trump in January about an Air Force One replacement.
  "We discussed Air Force One, we discussed fighter aircraft," Mui
  
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• Comic Relief shifts focus from schools to social media to boost appeal among young people

  17-02-2017 13:00
  
  Comic Relief is rethinking its strategy around engaging younger people in its fundraising campaign, moving away from a focus on schools to instead reach them online and on digital platforms.
  The charity is partnering with online storytelling community Wattpad. It allows users to read and share stories online and has a total monthly audience of more than 45 million people. Three-quarters of Wattpad’s British readers are under 24.
  The Comic Relief campaign, which launches today (17 February
  
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• Comic Relief evolves its marketing strategy to boost appeal among young people

  17-02-2017 13:00
  
  Comic Relief is rethinking its strategy around engaging younger people in its fundraising campaign, moving away from a focus on schools to instead reach them online and on digital platforms.
  The charity is partnering with online storytelling community Wattpad. It allows users to read and share stories online and has a total monthly audience of more than 45 million people. Three-quarters of Wattpad’s British readers are under 24.
  The Comic Relief campaign, which launches today (17 February
  
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• Bank of America summed up the huge change taking places in markets in one simple graphic

  17-02-2017 12:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  For seven years after the financial crisis, it was all about Davos Man. 
  The Davos Man was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the annual global meeting of minds with the mission of improving the state of the world through global partnership. 
  Now, in the wake of the election of Donald Trump and the UK's decision to leave the EU, another type of individual is moving to the forefront: Joe Six-Pack. (We note that both of these individuals are men, but that's a topic for an
  
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• Coca-Cola, HP & Pernod Ricard: 5 things that mattered this week

  17-02-2017 12:33
  
  HP on using Christian Slater for new anti-hacking campaignThis week HP launched a B2B campaign – titled ‘The Wolf’ – featuring Hollywood actor Christian Slater as a hacker who is trying to steal data through a fictional company’s printers.
  The ad, the first of a series focusing on vulnerable forms of technology, aims to show the various ways hackers can steal people’s data. Slater, meanwhile, looks like solid casting having previously starred in Amazon’s
  
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• Here's the most important exported good from every state

  17-02-2017 12:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  International trade is an important part of the US economy, and that is also true for the economies of the 50 states and DC that together make up that national economy.
  The US Census Bureau keeps track of state-by-state international trade statistics. Using their data, we looked at the biggest exported good as measured by 2015 dollar value in each state and DC.
  SEE ALSO: Here are the fastest growing states in the US
  Join the conversation about this story »NOW WATCH: Here's how to use
  
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• Marine Le Pen wants to leave the euro — here's what that might mean for the 'new French franc'

  17-02-2017 10:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is not the biggest fan of the euro.
  "The euro is not a currency," she said earlier this month. "It is a political weapon to force countries to implement the policies decided by the [European Union] and keep them on a leash.
  "Look at what happened to the Greeks when they said no to austerity, as they were right to do: Liquidity for the banks was cut off."
  Le Pen, who leads the far-right National Front party, said if she became president, then she would
  
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• This is the future of financial advice

  17-02-2017 04:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Robo-advice might not revolutionize the financial advice space in the way some originally thought
  The future of the industry is not going to be purely robo, but rather we will see a rise in the hybrid model of financial advice
  Some of the benefits of the hybrid model include lower costs, and the benefits of human interaction
  You might have heard that robots are coming for our jobs. 
  The rise of automation has been a conversation starter on Main Street and Wall Street alike,
  
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• Managers at a $1 trillion asset manager say investors are dangerously underplaying 3 things (PRU)

  17-02-2017 03:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Investors are focusing on upcoming European elections as risks, but the French outcome matters much more than what happens in Germany, the Netherlands, or Italy. 
  Concerns about China's economy and the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decisions were blamed for a stock market sell-off last year
  They could make a comeback as big risks, according to leaders at PGIM
  2016 was not a great year for forecasting. 
  The UK's decision to leave the European Union, and President Donald Trump's
  
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• Universal Pictures taps power of digital

  17-02-2017 01:00
  LAS VEGAS: Universal Pictures is driving progress on digital to generate excitement about its latest movies – and tempt consumers into buying tickets for the vital opening weekend of a film.Josh Goldstine, President/Worldwide Marketing at...
  
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• UK agency employment rises 6.6%

  17-02-2017 01:00
  LONDON: An estimated 25,234 individuals were employed in member agencies of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) in 2016, up 6.6% year-on-year from 23,662 from 2015, the trade body has reported.The
  
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• Third of consumers use social media for news

  17-02-2017 01:00
  DALLAS: Some 29% of US broadband households get most of their news from social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, although a slim majority of consumers feel that TV is more authentic than online video, a new study has found.According...
  
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• Skipping ads is an ingrained habit

  17-02-2017 01:00
  SAN FRANCISCO: Around two-thirds (65%) of consumers skip video ads and they do so as soon as they get the chance, according to new research, which also revealed that three-quarters (76%) say they skip ads because it is ingrained behaviour.That is...
  
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• Poor service costs UK firms £37bn

  17-02-2017 01:00
  LONDON: More than a quarter (28%) of UK consumers chose to spend less with a company or took their business elsewhere last year after they received poor customer service, a new study has revealed.According to Ombudsman Services, an independent...
  
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• India adspend to grow 13.5% in 2017

  17-02-2017 01:00
  MUMBAI: Advertising expenditure in India is expected to grow 13.5% to Rs 56,152 crores in 2017, although growth is not expected to really take off until after April, a new industry report has predicted.According to
  
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• Digital, GST to affect India's marketers

  17-02-2017 01:00
  NEW DELHI: A digital payments drive by the Indian government, a goods and service tax, and growth from rural areas are set to shape the marketing and advertising sector in what could be another year of uncertainty for India's brands.After a year...
  
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• Adspend shifts online in Hong Kong

  17-02-2017 01:00
  HONG KONG: Digital advertising expenditure in Hong Kong is expected to surpass traditional media for the first time in 2017, according to a survey of some of the top advertisers in the territory.The latest
  
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