Sales & Marketing news

• Here's what you need to know ahead of the jobs report

  06-04-2017 18:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the March jobs report at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday. 
  The strong private-employment report from staffing giant ADP has jolted confidence that the official jobs report will also show solid hiring. Employers added 263,000 jobs in March, ADP Research Institute said on Wednesday. 
  Here are Wall Street's forecasts for the jobs report, via Bloomberg: 
  Nonfarm payrolls: +180,000
  Unemployment rate: 4.7% 
  Average hourly earnings m
  
  Read more

• ‘Coca-Cola Life’s demise always felt inevitable’

  06-04-2017 18:34
  
  When I started my career at Marketing Week in the summer of 2015, the Coke Life brand had been launched in the UK a year earlier, when sugar was not public enemy number one and the sugar tax had yet to be announced.
  Coca-Cola Life was launched to offer a lower calorie option for more health conscious consumers. It was also the brand’s first cola sweetened from a blend of sugar and stevia plant extract, and contained 45% less sugar and calories than the original Coca-Cola variant.
  That said
  
  Read more

• New drugs could save the US billions of dollars — but there's something holding them back

  06-04-2017 18:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The US pharmaceutical industry is on the brink of a new ecosystem — but it's not taking off as smoothly as expected.
  Up until the past few years, biologic drugs made from living cells didn't face competition once they lost patent protection. That's been changing with the introduction of drugs called biosimilars. But their rollout hasn't exactly been the game-changing experience some had expected.
  "We believe that biosimilars will capture meaningful market share, but the disappoi
  
  Read more

• Twitter cofounder and board member Evan Williams plans to sell up to 30% of his shares (TWTR)

  06-04-2017 18:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Evan Williams, the cofounder and board member of Twitter, plans to sell up to nearly a third of his shares in the company, Business Insider has learned.
  After Business Insider inquired about the shares, Williams posted a blog post explaining why he is selling.
  "After a year and a half of no selling, I have filed a new 10b5–1 plan to liquidate a minority of my TWTR over the next year," Williams wrote. "This plan kicked in on Monday. It actually pains me to be selling at this point, but this
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Here's where to get the cheapest beer in the world

  06-04-2017 17:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Head to Slovakia if you want cheap beer.
  According to the newly released Beer Price Index, which collected prices on beers from supermarkets and bars in 70 cities around the world, Bratislava ranks as the cheapest place to buy a cold one.
  The BPI is the end result of extensive data collection from the travel site GoEuro, which puts together price indexes on common goods tourists like to buy.
  Researchers at the company visited three supermarkets and three hotels in each of the cities they visited
  
  Read more

• LARRY FINK: China is a 'currency manipulator, but the opposite'

  06-04-2017 17:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink weighed in on whether he thinks China is a currency manipulator in an interview with CNBC on Thursday.
  "They are a currency manipulator, but the opposite. They have spent almost $1 trillion keeping the currency where it is," he said.
  "And by all measures, when you look relative to other currencies, China's currency is actually pretty high. And they've been keeping it high," he continued. "If you look at exactly their behaviors, they are listening to Presiden
  
  Read more

• The head of the world's largest investor thinks the stock market is overvalued

  06-04-2017 17:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Larry Fink, the chief executive at BlackRock, which with $5.1 trillion is the world's largest investor, is sounding the alarm over the US stock market.
  Since President Donald Trump's victory in November, US equities have reached new heights thanks in part to the optimism that has swept much of Wall Street.
  The S&P 500 is up 10.9% since November 8, Election Day.
  The S&P 500 financial-sector index has gained 18.9%, buoyed by the president's proposals for tax reform, deregulation, and fisca
  
  Read more

• The top 15 cities in America to buy your first home

  06-04-2017 16:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Buying a home is no easy task. You'll need to save up for a down payment, make sure your credit is in order, meet with mortgage lenders, and spend time shopping around.
  But first, you'll want to consider where you're buying. After all, real estate agents don't harp about "location, location, location" for nothing.
  New data from SmartAsset shows the best cities for first-time homebuyers — that is, where homes are affordable and it's easy to get a mortgage — considering
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Apple's profits would jump by 16% under President Trump's proposed tax reforms, Citi says (AAPL)

  06-04-2017 16:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Apple's profits might be boosted by 16% if President Trump's proposed tax reforms are enacted, according to an analysis by Citi.
  Trump's tax reform plans include reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15% in the US, and applying a tax of only 10% to the profits of US companies that want to repatriate cash being held overseas. Currently, taxes on foreign profits are deferred until the money is moved back to the US.
  Under Trump's proposals, repatriating the cash at a one-time 10% tax rat
  
  Read more

• Coke drops Coca-Cola Life brand as sales tumble

  06-04-2017 16:16
  
  Coca-Cola is to axe its Life brand in the UK from June as sales continue to fall.
  Coca-Cola Life, which accounts for just under 1% of the company’s trademark sales, has been dogged by poor performance since launching in 2014. The product is marketed as a more natural alternative to other Coke variants as it is partially sweetened with stevia extract.
  During the year to 18 March 2017, Coca-Cola Life’s volume sales fell 73.1% and dropped 74.6% in value terms, accord
  
  Read more

• Coke drops Coca-Cola Life brand

  06-04-2017 16:16
  
  Coca-Cola is to axe its Life brand in the UK from June as a result of continued falling sales.
  Coca-Cola Life, which accounts for just under 1% of the company’s trademark sales, has been dogged by poor performance since launching in 2014. The product is promoted as a more natural alternative to other Coke variants as it is partially sweetened with stevia extract.
  During the year to 18 March 2017, Coca-Cola Life’s volume sales fell 73.1% and dropped 74.6% in v
  
  Read more

• Coke axes Coca-Cola Life brand as sales tumble

  06-04-2017 16:16
  
  Coca-Cola is to axe its Life brand in the UK from June as sales continue to fall.
  Coca-Cola Life, which accounts for just under 1% of the company’s trademark sales, has been dogged by poor performance since launching in 2014. The product is marketed as a more natural alternative to other Coke variants as it is partially sweetened with stevia extract.
  During the year to 18 March 2017, Coca-Cola Life’s volume sales fell 73.1% and dropped 74.6% in value terms, accord
  
  Read more

• Comcast just launched a new phone service called Xfinity Mobile (CMCSA)

  06-04-2017 16:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Comcast on Thursday took the wraps off of its new mobile phone service, Xfinity Mobile.
  The company first confirmed it would launch a wireless phone service to compete against the likes of Verizon and AT&T last September.
  Xfinity Mobile won’t be a total rival to those, though: It’s an MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator, that will piggyback off of Verizon’s wireless towers. This is similar to services like Cricket Wireless, which uses AT&T’s network, or Ting,
  
  Read more

• The Target boycott cost more than anyone expected — and the CEO was blindsided (TGT)

  06-04-2017 16:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Target triggered a nationwide boycott last year with a single blog post — and it turns out the message was as big of a shock to the company's CEO as it was to some shoppers.
  The blog post, published in April 2016, publicized a policy that said transgender customers were welcome to use the bathroom or fitting room that matched their gender identity.
  "Everyone deserves to feel like they belong," the post said. "And you'll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target."
  Target CEO Bria
  
  Read more

• Ryanair: We’re nice but only nice enough

  06-04-2017 15:55
  
  Ryanair says it is “nice enough” to customers but that having the lowest prices is still paramount in the air travel market.
  “We’re nice but only nice enough. Having the lowest costs wins. What has benefited us is we are re-adding things rather than taking them away,” says Kenny Jacobs, chief marketing officer at Ryanair, referring to British Airways recently cutting legroom on its flights.
  Jacobs says it is much more difficult to take something good away than it is
  
  Read more

• Republicans are making one last healthcare push as Trump's administration is getting frustrated with the mess

  06-04-2017 15:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Republicans are making one final effort to move forward with their plan to reform the US healthcare system before Congress goes on a two-week break.
  The House Rules Committee will consider an amendment to the American Health Care Act to fund high-risk pools in states in an attempt to show progress on the GOP's plan to repeal and replace Obamacare before the House begins a two-week recess on Friday.
  The full AHCA is not expected to move to the House floor.
  In a press conference announcing the ne
  
  Read more

• JEFFERIES: Wall Street massively underestimated Nintendo's Switch (NTDOY)

  06-04-2017 15:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Shares of Nintendo have been on roller coaster ride with the viral explosion of Pokemon Go, the revamping of Mario, and the release of its new console, the Nintendo Switch.
  Nintendo has rallied 73% over the past year, but has been stuck in a trading range of between $25 and $36 since July. 
  In a note sent out to clients on Wednesday, Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal reiterated his buy rating and $43 a share price target on the Japanese game maker. That represents a pote
  
  Read more

• Yum China soars after topping expectations for earnings and sales (YUMC)

  06-04-2017 15:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Yum China on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings and sales that topped analysts' forecasts, sending the shares up by as much as 10% in extended trading. 
  The China unit that was spun off from KFC-owner Yum Brands reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.44 and revenue of $1.28 billion. Analysts had forecast EPS of $0.38 on revenue of $1.27 billion, according to Bloomberg. 
  Sales at stores open for at least one year — same-store sales — jumped 1%, stronger than
  
  Read more

• Goldman Sachs says companies like Goldman Sachs are the most undervalued in the market

  06-04-2017 15:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Financials appear to be the least-valued sector of the stock market, according to Goldman Sachs equity analysts.
  The S&P 500 sector that includes insurance companies and banks doesn't have the lowest expectations for earnings growth among investors. However, the gap between its current implied five-year earnings growth rate and its average over the past 10 years — an indication of how swiftly expectations have shifted — implies the lowest rate among all sectors. 
  F
  
  Read more

• Initial jobless claims fell by more than expected

  06-04-2017 14:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Initial jobless claims fell by more than expected.
  Claims, which count the number of people who applied for unemployment insurance for the first time in the past week, fell by 25,000 to 234,000.
  Economists had forecast that they would fall to 250,000, after dipping to 258,000 the prior week.
  The four-week moving average was 250,000, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's revised number.
  Initial jobless claims are used as a real-time proxy for the pace of layoffs and the overall
  
  Read more

• Trump's top economic adviser, a former Goldman Sachs executive, told senators he's in favor of a rule that would radically transform Wall Street

  06-04-2017 14:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Gary Cohn, the top economic adviser to President Donald Trump and former Goldman Sachs chief operating officer, told lawmakers that he backed a rule that would separate commercial and investment banks, according to a report from Bloomberg.
  Bloomberg's Elizabeth Dexheimer reported that Cohn told a private meeting of the Senate Banking Committee that he supported separating the riskier investment-banking side of Wall Street from the consumer-facing lending business.
  The answer was prompted by a q
  
  Read more

• The Czech Republic just lifted its koruna cap

  06-04-2017 14:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Czech central bank lifted its koruna cap on Thursday, after which the currency oscillated wildly before gaining ground.
  The Czech koruna is up by 1.3% at 26.6830 per euro as of 7:53 a.m. ET.
  "The Bank has said little so far, other than that interest rates have been left unchanged and that it stands ready to intervene in the FX market if needed to prevent excessive currency moves," William Jackson, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, wrote.
  "The move came ea
  
  Read more

• ‘There’s no place for religion at work, apparently’

  06-04-2017 13:22
  
  A study by consultancy ComRes shows that British employers are struggling to manage expressions of faith in the workplace and suggests up to a million people in Britain may have experienced workplace harassment, discrimination or bullying because of their religion or belief.
  Our feature earlier this week looked at how employers can make space for religion at work and the ways faith can make a workforce more diverse.
  Yet Marketing Week readers seem to have a different opinion. A number of comment
  
  Read more

• There are 3 ways Trump's meeting with China's president could go — boring, bad, and really bad

  06-04-2017 13:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with US President Donald Trump in Florida on Thursday. It is arguably the most highly anticipated meeting in global economics.
  The two men, as leaders of the largest and second-largest economies in the world, have the fate of the entire global economy in their hands.
  And they couldn't be any more different.
  From his first moments on the campaign trail, Trump has bellicosely accused China of being a currency manipulator (not true) and said trade between the
  
  Read more

• Unilever plots big cuts to marketing but says effectiveness is not at risk

  06-04-2017 12:52
  
  Unilever is planning to double efficiency savings from its brand and marketing investment from €1bn by 2019 to €2bn after finding ways to make its marketing more efficient following a move to zero-based budgeting (ZBB).
  Speaking on an investor call this morning, Unilever’s CFO Graeme Pitkethly said ZBB has given Unilever “much greater visibility” on exactly where marketing and brand investment is going.
  “This has been a great process to challenge the status quo,
  
  Read more

• International bulletin: Airbnb calls for marriage equality, Nivea, YouTube

  06-04-2017 12:52
  
  Airbnb calls for marriage equality in new campaignAirbnb has entered the same-sex marriage debate in Australia with a new campaign.
  The video asks people to talk about the meaning of love they usually associate with rings. The ring at the heart of the campaign is broken, to symbolise the missing acceptance of marriage equality.
  The campaign calls on people to wear the “acceptance ring,” which is available for free on the Airbnb website until same-sex marriage is legalised in Austral
  
  Read more

• Sign up to our webinar on changing the world of digital content

  06-04-2017 12:49
  
  In a world of unlimited content, the challenge is to ensure that the digital experiences you and your organisation are creating and delivering, are more relevant, personalised and engaging. Sign up for this webinar to find out how Hubert Burda Media is changing the world of digital content.
  You will learn how the team identified the need to embrace the power of both digital technology and collaboration to meet the challenges of the ever-changing publishing industry. The result was Thunder, a Dr
  
  Read more

• 5 ways marketers can take action to improve diversity

  06-04-2017 11:20
  
  If there is one thing that became clear during the Diversity in Advertising and Marketing Summit this week, it’s that the time to talk about diversity is over. Brands now have to put their money where their mouth is and take action.
  The business case for diversity has already been widely discussed. Mars revealed that it grew its Maltesers brand by 8% after launching three ads focused around disability last year, with the brand claiming it has been the single m
  
  Read more

• WhatsApp eyes digital payments in India

  06-04-2017 02:00
  
  MUMBAI: PayTM, the start-up backed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, currently dominates the digital payments market in India, but it could face a serious challenge from WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging service.Although WhatsApp has not...
  
  Read more

• WARC launches 2017 Prize for Asian Strategy

  06-04-2017 02:00
  
  SINGAPORE: WARC today launches the 2017 WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, which offers a $10,000 Prize fund for the best evidence of strategic marketing thinking in Asia.Now in its seventh year, the Prize is free to enter and is open to brand owners...
  
  Read more

• Spotify lets Universal limit free music

  06-04-2017 02:00
  
  LOS ANGELES/STOCKHOLM: Spotify, the loss-making music streaming service, has signed a long-term licensing deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), which will put some new albums behind a temporary paywall.Under the terms of the agreement, Universal...
  
  Read more

• P&G's Pritchard to 'raise the bar' on creative

  06-04-2017 02:00
  
  GLOBAL: Procter & Gamble's position as the leading advertiser in the WARC 100 is a result of a conscious attempt to improve the quality of its creative output, according to Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard."We believe that advertising is a...
  
  Read more

• IAB welcomes tough action on digital ads

  06-04-2017 02:00
  
  NEW YORK: Marketers will all be aware that several major brands, such as Procter & Gamble and JPMorgan Chase, are no longer tolerating the inadequacies of digital advertising – and this is a development strongly endorsed by the IAB's CEO. ...
  
  Read more

• How Levi's mixes data with stories

  06-04-2017 02:00
  
  NEW YORK: Levi's, the apparel group, is "guided" by data and insights when developing its marketing efforts, but still believes the art of storytelling is the central component to building its brand.Jennifer Sey, Global CMO of the San...
  
  Read more

• Argos launches 'world first' campaign

  06-04-2017 02:00
  
  LONDON: Argos, the UK catalogue retail chain, plans to promote its broad range of products and same-day delivery convenience with a TV campaign, supported by social media, that it claims is a world first.Starting April 7th, Argos – and its...
  
  Read more

Follow @sales_mrktinguk on Twitter!