Sales & Marketing news

• Former Trump trade adviser: Border-adjustment tax could go a long way toward improving NAFTA

  22-02-2017 23:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  President Donald Trump's former senior trade adviser told Business Insider the border-adjustment tax proposal being discussed in Washington could help solve what he believes are major issues with the North American Free Trade Agreement.
  Dan DiMicco, the former Nucor CEO and Coalition for a Prosperous America board member who ran Trump's trade transition team, said a border-adjustment tax plan on imports from Mexico could help balance the Mexican value-added tax on exports into the
  
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• A $3.7 billion hedge fund interviewed dozens of job candidates, and what it discovered was damning

  22-02-2017 23:58 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A $3.7 billion hedge fund firm has some insight on how to hire top talent: Look for malleable people.
  In an investor letter this month, Tourbillon Capital Partners' Jason Karp wrote that his firm had looked at dozens of experienced candidates in recent months. The exercise was not particularly fruitful, however.
  "There are a lot of bad values and habits out there that have been learned from this last regime," Karp wrote in the letter, a copy of which Business Insider saw.
  Instead, the New York
  
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• Treasury secretary says a strong dollar is a 'good thing,' contradicting what Trump has said at times

  22-02-2017 23:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the stronger US dollar is a good thing and signals investors' confidence in America, according to a new interview in the Wall Street Journal.
  Mnuchin, the former Goldman Sachs banker and hedge fund manager, commented on the dollar's strength in the interview with the Journal's Rebecca Ballhaus.
  "I think the strength of the dollar has a lot to do with kind of where our economy is relative to the rest of the world, and that the dollar continues to b
  
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• 'A perfect storm': Trump's plans are causing 'undeniable' worry for businesses depending on the border

  22-02-2017 23:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  President Donald Trump's plans for a tax on goods imported to the US has caused anxiety among small businesses around the country, and his strict stance on immigration and border control has immigrants and industries that rely on them worried as well.
  Across the border, Trump's economic and immigration policies have triggered fear for the future of businesses and the workers they employ — not just about their jobs, but over the stability some of those communities have only recently reatta
  
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• Tesla left out a critical piece of information in its 2017 guidance (TSLA)

  22-02-2017 22:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Tesla reported fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, and after posting a profit for the third quarter, the automaker went back to losing money in Q4 — although it lost less than analysts had expected.
  What was interesting about Tesla's investor letter this time around was the notable departure from providing guidance on vehicle deliveries for the coming year.
  Last year, Tesla guided to 80,000 to 90,000 deliveries and fell short, getting only about 75,000 vehicles to customers.
  For 2017, th
  
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• Stocks just did something they haven't done since 1987

  22-02-2017 22:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Dow just did something it hasn't done since 1987.
  On Wednesday, the Dow closed up by 0.2% at 20,775.60 — marking the ninth consecutive all-time high.
  This is the first time the index has done that since January 1987, according to Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL Financial.
  Stocks have rallied following the November election of President Donald Trump as investors considered the possibility of deregulation, fiscal stimulus, and tax cuts.
  Then, a
  
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• The Fed isn't sure whether Trump will be good or bad for the economy — but it thinks investors are ignoring the risks

  22-02-2017 22:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Federal Reserve still hasn't made its mind up about President Donald Trump's policies.
  Based on the central bank's most recent communication — the Fed minutes for the January/February meeting released on Wednesday — the members of the FOMC are still undecided about the ultimate effect of Trump's economic agenda, particularly fiscal stimulus, or if it will even happen at all.
  "Participants again emphasized their considerable uncertainty about the prospects for changes in fiscal an
  
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• Tesla reports smaller loss than expected, beats on revenues (TSLA)

  22-02-2017 22:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Tesla on Wednesday reported a smaller-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter and topped expectations for revenues. 
  The electric-car maker lost $0.69 per share on an adjusted basis, less than Wall Street's expectation for a loss of $1.04, according to Bloomberg. Its revenues totaled $2.28 billion ($2.13 billion forecast.)
  This was the first earnings release since shareholders approved the electric-car maker's acquisition of SolarCity — a $2.6 billion d
  
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• Paramount Pictures head Brad Grey has resigned after a year of major losses at the studio

  22-02-2017 22:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey announced his resignation on Wednesday in a company-wide memo.
  Grey resigns following one of the worst years in the studio's history, with losses nearing $450 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
  There will likely be other major changes coming to the studio's parent company, Viacom, as Shari Redstone, daughter of titan Sumner Redstone, is now in full control of the conglomerate.
  Grey, who has run Paramount since 2005, wrote in his memo obtained by B
  
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• DOW CLAWS TO NEW ALL-TIME HIGH: Here's what you need to know

  22-02-2017 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  After starting Wednesday on strong footing, stocks dropped following the release of the latest Fed minutes.
  All three major indices finished little changed for the day, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq slightly in the red.
  Still, for the ninth consecutive trading day, the Dow once again managed to claw its way to a fresh all-time high.
  This marks the first time since January 1987 that the Dow made 9 new all-time highs in a row, according to Ryan Detrick, senior market
  
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• A legendary deal-maker was asked about the one mistake he made again and again, and his answer was brutal (KKR)

  22-02-2017 21:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  Henry Kravis is a Wall Street legend.
  The firm he founded with his cousin George Roberts in 1976, KKR, now manages $130 billion. It has just under 1,000 investors, many of which are state and municipal pension funds, and its portfolio of companies stands at more than 100.
  The firm has done several huge deals, including the acquisition of RJR Nabisco in the firm's early years and more recent deals for the likes of Alliance Boots, First Data, and Clear Channel.
  Kravis is estimated to have a person
  
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• The Fed plans to raise rates 'fairly soon' if the economy cooperates

  22-02-2017 20:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Federal Reserve plans to raise interest rates "fairly soon" if the economy remains on track, according to minutes from the January 31/February 1 policy meeting released Wednesday.
  At that meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged, just as markets had expected. 
  The Fed would like to see more progress towards its target of 2% inflation, and even more evidence that the labor market is improving.
  Its staff's assessment of the econo
  
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• Paul Singer is taking the attack on his latest target to the next level

  22-02-2017 19:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Paul Singer's Elliott Management is getting aggressive.
  Earlier this year, the $28 billion activist hedge fund wanted to replace Arconic's chairman, Klaus Kleinfeld, and nominate five board members.
  Arconic was spun out of Alcoa and focuses on manufacturing aerospace components. Elliott is the company's biggest shareholder.
  "As we noted in our letter to Arconic’s Board earlier this week, shareholder support for change at Arconic has been overwhelming," an
  
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• There's one Tesla product that I'll definitely buy as soon as possible — and it's not the Model 3 (TSLA)

  22-02-2017 19:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Tesla makes sexy electric cars that can outrun Ferraris and Lamborghinis. It's a darling of Silicon Valley, and CEO Elon Musk is seemingly on President Donald Trump's good side.
  The company has a new $35,000 car slated to arrive later this year, and it can even sell you a battery to put in your garage to use for backup power.
  All that stuff is great, but in the decade that I've been covering Tesla and driving its cars, there's only one product that I'm 100% certain I'm going to buy as soon as I
  
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• Bitcoin is closing in on its all-time high

  22-02-2017 19:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Buying early on in US trade has run bitcoin up 1.4%, or almost $16, to $1,123 a coin. Wednesday's bid has the cryptocurrency higher for a ninth straight session and threatening its all-time high of about $1,161.88. 
  The recent strength in bitcoin comes amid speculation the Securities and Exchange Commission will approve at least one of the three proposed bitcoin-focused exchange-traded funds despite analyst concerns that none will be approved.
  Bitcoin has soared more than 40% sinc
  
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• First Solar tanks after huge restructuring charge

  22-02-2017 19:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  First Solar shares are down over 7% after the solar equipments supplier reported a substantial 4th quarter loss of ($6.92) per share, against consensus estimate of a $1 profit.
  The sharp slump after the earnings release adds to the share's lackluster performance over the last year, losing almost half its value.
  A huge pre-tax restructuring charge of $729 million in the 4th quarter, compared to just $4 million in the 3rd quarter, was to blame. If restructuring and other charge
  
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• Some of the biggest names in the hedge fund industry are planning to invest in a hot new fund

  22-02-2017 19:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Some of the biggest names in the investing world are backing a hot new hedge fund, according to people familiar with the situation.
  Philippe Laffont, the founder of Coatue Management; Louis Bacon, the founder of Moore Capital; and Dan Loeb, the founder of Third Point, are planning to invest in Ben Melkman's Light Sky Macro, a New York hedge fund that is set to launch March 1.
  Billionaire Steve Cohen, the founder of Point72 Asset Management, is also investing in the fund.
  These are some of the bi
  
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• Papa John's tumbles after same store sales miss big (PZZA)

  22-02-2017 19:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Papa John's Pizza International is tumbling on Wednesday after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday afternoon. 
  The American pizza company announced fourth-quarter earnings that increased from last year and beat analysts expectations, however, same-store sales growth fell short. 
  Here are the numbers: 
  Earnings: $0.88 a share versus $0.66 expected.
  Revenue: $439.62 million versus $447.4 million expected.
  North American same-store sales growth: Up 3.8%
  
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• IBM’s Caroline Taylor: Embrace what makes you different

  22-02-2017 15:57
  
  “I’m keen to lead by example and I’m very much a ‘roll up your sleeves’ marketing leader,” says Caroline Taylor OBE, vice-president of global marketing and communications for IBM sales and distribution.
  “The last thing I ever want to do is sit in an office looking at spreadsheets. It’s very important to be authentic, so I try to make sure I don’t get caught up in the idea of being a role model. It’s all about how you can prevent people
  
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• Keith Weed: We need comparable metrics in a digital world

  22-02-2017 14:47
  
  They say one swallow does not make a summer, but on the topic of viewability and fraud in digital advertising there seems to have been an encouraging flurry of swallows recently, and I hope we are gaining real momentum on this industry-defining issue. I for one am having an increasing volume of engaged discussions with fellow advertisers such as Vodafone, agencies like WPP and Omnicom, media companies like Facebook and Google, and many more.However, recently I also had a rather confused co
  
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• Marketoonist on ‘digital advertising and media transparency’

  22-02-2017 13:16
  
  Tom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne
  See more of the Marketoonist here
  The post Marketoonist on ‘digital advertising and media transparency’ appeared first on Marketing Week.
  
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• The impact of image-based posts on social media insight

  22-02-2017 11:48
  
  Oreo generates buzz on social media through memes and visual communicationMemes and gifs are dominating social feeds, the rise of which could cause problems for those using social media for insight, as words diminish and image-based conversations become the new form of communication.
  More than 80 million photos are uploaded each day to Instagram and users watch six billion videos on Snapchat every day, according to Brandwatch, while Twitter says more than 100 million gifs were sha
  
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• The effect of image-based posts on social media insight

  22-02-2017 11:48
  
  Oreo generates buzz on social media through memes and visual communicationMemes and gifs are dominating social feeds, the rise of which could cause problems for those using social media for insight, as words diminish and image-based conversations become the new form of communication.
  Over 80 million photos are uploaded each day to Instagram and users watch six billion videos on Snapchat every day, according to Brandwatch, while Twitter says more than 100 million gifs were shared o
  
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• Mark Ritson: Unilever resisting takeover is a win for responsible business

  22-02-2017 11:08
  
  This may sound a bit weird but I was genuinely chuffed when Kraft Heinz’s proposed deal to buy Unilever fell through this week. I’ve never worked for Unilever, don’t know anyone who works there and don’t really have much passion for their products.
  But what I do have, in increasing amounts, is an appreciation for the company and the way it does business. Specifically, I like very much how it handles brands and the egalitarian manner in which it manages its tax
  
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• The future of social insight

  22-02-2017 08:00
  
  Latest statistics show that 2.8 billion people were using social media by the end of 2016, up 21% from 2015, while in the UK 77% of people have a social media account.
  Brands are now using sophisticated techniques to exploit the market research potential of social media, whether that be linking people’s interests to purchase behaviour or gaining wider insight from the conversations, posts, complaints and compliments people post.
  Yet there are also challenges. The rise of image-b
  
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• Honda says ‘too many unknowns’ are halting the progress of driverless cars

  22-02-2017 01:01
  
  Honda is hoping a move to replicate the dealership experience through interactive online video ads will resonate with new drivers.
  Its new ‘Real View Test Drive’ content suite allows viewers to watch four separate online ads for Honda’s Jazz, Civic, HR-V and CR-V models, with each having a storyline tailored around the specific model’s primary driver.
  At any point in the interactive videos, which will be hosted on Honda’s website as well as on YouTube, users can pa
  
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• Whirlpool's tips for marketing innovation

  22-02-2017 01:00
  LAS VEGAS: Brand owners seeking to take cutting-edge technologies from the experimental towards the mainstream could benefit from using a model based on "pioneers", "settlers" and "urban planners", an executive from Whirlpool has argued.Niels...
  
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• Warc Awards: Effective Social Strategy judges

  22-02-2017 01:00
  GLOBAL: Top executives from Heineken, Telefónica and Twitter are among the judges Warc is announcing for the Effective Social Strategy category in its Warc Awards scheme, a global search for next-generation marketing effectiveness.The...
  
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• Trinity Mirror tests ad-free site

  22-02-2017 01:00
  LONDON: Newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror is trialling a digital halfway house between erecting a paywall and relying solely on online advertising as it explores different business models.For £2.99 a month, online readers of the Mirror can...
  
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• The post-app era is dawning

  22-02-2017 01:00
  GLOBAL: The world may have passed "peak app", new research suggests, as consumers tire of the multiplicity of options and prefer to use fewer apps while also relying more on voice-activated digital assistants.A survey of more than 3,000 mobile...
  
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• Now YouTube agrees to MRC audit

  22-02-2017 01:00
  NEW YORK: YouTube is to subject its third-party viewability reporting metrics to an independent audit by the Media Ratings Council (MRC), owner Google has announced.Specifically, integrations with Moat, Integral Ad Science and DoubleVerify will be...
  
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• Joox bucks audio trend

  22-02-2017 01:00
  HONG KONG: Surprisingly, for a music-streaming site, Tencent-owned Joox eschews audio advertising, preferring to focus its monetisation efforts on video and interactive advertising formats, at which it claims some success."We don't believe in...
  
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• China's 'new retail' evolves

  22-02-2017 01:00
  BEIJING: A strategic partnership between e-commerce giant Alibaba and the bricks-and-mortar stores of Bailian Group may herald a new era in Chinese retail if the ambitions of both parties are realised.The intention is to leverage the power of big...
  
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