Sales & Marketing news

• There's a chance the House might have to vote again on the GOP healthcare bill because of a procedural mistake

  18-05-2017 23:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The GOP healthcare bill may not be done in the House of Representatives, after all.
  While the American Health Care Act passed the lower chamber by a razor-thin margin on May 4, a procedural quirk could force another vote on the bill before it is sent to the Senate, according to Bloomberg's Billy House.
  Bloomberg reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan has not yet sent the AHCA to the Senate.
  That is apparently because the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has not
  
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• The world's largest hedge fund told clients that US stocks may drop 11% if Trump is impeached

  18-05-2017 23:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, told clients that US stocks may drop more than 10% if President Trump is impeached.
  In a note sent out May 18, Bridgewater's Greg Jensen and Jason Rotenberg set out their thoughts on "navigating markets during times of extreme political uncertainty." Jensen is co-chief investment officer. 
  A day earlier on May 17,  US stocks fell by the most in eight months after a report that President Donald Trump in February asked Jam
  
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• Hedge fund manager Lee Cooperman has settled with the government

  18-05-2017 22:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Lee Cooperman has settled insider trading charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission for $4.9 million, the Financial Times is reporting.
  Last year, Cooperman, the founder of Omega Advisors, was charged with insider trading. He had said that he intended to fight the charges.
  Under the settlement, Cooperman is neither admitting nor denying wrongdoing, and will not be banned from managing money, the FT reported.
  In an email to Business Insider, Cooperman declined to comment on the set
  
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• Gap fends off retail apocalypse, climbs on earnings beat (GPS)

  18-05-2017 22:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Gap Inc.'s stock climbed 6% to $24.57 a share after the company reported first-quarter profit that beat analyst forecasts.
  The adjusted gain for the period was $0.36 per share, exceeding consensus estimates of $0.29 per share. The clothing retailer also reported quarterly revenue of $3.44 billion, beating an analyst forecast of $3.39 billion. Further, same-store sales climbed 2%, while estimates called for a 0.2% contraction.
  “We are pleased with our positive comp and earnings growth this
  
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• Salesforce tops earnings, raises revenue and profit outlook (CRM)

  18-05-2017 22:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Salesforce on Thursday reported its first quarter FY 2018 results, and it was an all-around beat.
  It reported:
  Revenue of $2.39 billion. Analysts were expecting $2.35 billion.
  Adjusted EPS of $0.28. Analysts were looking for $0.26.
  Salesforce also said its full-year results will be better than previously expected.
  The company now expects to post full-year GAAP EPS to range from $0.06 to $0.08 on sales of between $10.25 billion to $10.3 billion. It expects its full-year non-GAAP EP
  
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• Here’s the latest Trump economic promise his treasury secretary had to walk back

  18-05-2017 21:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Correcting, revising, and reframing Donald Trump’s often contradictory and incendiary statements is a key part of the job for anyone in his administration, including his treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin.
  Testifying before Congress on Thursday, Mnuchin tried to walk back a major promise made by Trump on the fly. It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last.In this instance, the former Goldman Sachs banker argued the administration had never suggested a return to the depression-era a
  
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• Jim Chanos just slammed 2 pharma companies in a presentation about their 'murky alliance'

  18-05-2017 21:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Jim Chanos just presented at the SkyBridge Alternative Conference (SALT), giving his short thesis for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, a company that generates most of its revenue from one drug — Acthar.
  At the same time, he slammed the company that exclusively distributes Acthar for Mallinckrodt, Express Scripts.
  Express Scripts is a pharmacy benefit manager, which means it acts as the gatekeeper between drug companies and payers.
  "This alliance may lead to performance enhancing drug prices,
  
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• Global markets are fighting back against Trump uncertainty

  18-05-2017 20:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  After a brutal beatdown on Wednesday, investors are wasting no time picking themselves up off the mat.
  The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to 2,370.71 at 2:24 p.m. ET, close to its highest level of the day.
  It's been quite the recovery for the benchmark. In premarket trading, the index looked headed for a second straight drop following former FBI Director Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel to investigate Russian efforts to influence the November election.
  All it took was some bet
  
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• Here are the most popular baby names in every US state

  18-05-2017 20:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Last week, the Social Security Administration revealed that Noah and Emma were the most popular names for baby boys and girls respectively in 2016.
  Now, the SSA has released the breakdown of the most popular baby names in each state last year. Check out the maps below to see the most popular name for girls and for boys in your state.
  Here were the most popular names for boys in each state:
  And here were the most popular names for girls in each state:
  SEE ALSO: Here's the most
  
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• Facebook lands deal to stream 20 MLB games live this season — here's what we know (FB)

  18-05-2017 20:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Facebook just announced that it has reached a deal with Major League Baseball to broadcast 20 games live on Facebook this season, part of the tech giant's big push into premium video.
  These games will be streamed weekly in a national telecast on Friday nights, accessible to Facebook users in the US. The first game will air tomorrow — Rockies at Reds, at 7:10 p.m. ET. According to Facebook, this broadcast will be a "feed from a participating team's local broadcast r
  
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• There's one big reason the stock market is becoming Trump-proof

  18-05-2017 19:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Corporate earnings growth has proven itself to be a more-than-capable safety net for US stocks — something that's proven to be a necessity in an era where the latest Donald Trump headline can whipsaw global markets.
  Historically the biggest contributor to share price appreciation — profit expansion — has returned to the S&P 500 with a fury not seen in almost six years.
  Companies in the benchmark are on pace to see 14% earnings growth for the first quarter of 2017, the most
  
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• The opening shots have been fired in a battle between Apple and China's most valuable company (AAPL)

  18-05-2017 19:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A business dispute is brewing between Apple and Tencent, China's most valuable company, and it looks like the Chinese government could get involved, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. 
  Here are the basics: the dominant app in China is Tencent's WeChat, a messaging program that does a lot more. Users can also use it to order food, transfer money, and play games.
  One of WeChat's features is called "tipping." If one user likes another's posts or photos, she can send that p
  
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• Brazilian markets are getting slammed, and Wall Street firms are hurting (EWZ)

  18-05-2017 19:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Brazil's markets are getting slammed as a political scandal unfolds involving alleged bribery and the country's president.
  And some of the biggest firms in finance are potentially getting hurt.
  The biggest exchange-traded fund focused on Brazil is the iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF (EWZ), with more than $5.8 billion in assets.
  As of mid-day Thursday, the ETF has fallen more than 16%, according to Markets Insider data.
  As of March 31, some of that ETF's biggest holders included:
  Bridgew
  
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• Amazon has several hurdles to jump before it could enter pharmaceuticals (AMZN)

  18-05-2017 19:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The pharmaceutical market has the potential to be incredibly lucrative for Amazon, but only if it can get a foot in the door.
  According to a Morgan Stanley note sent out to clients on Thursday, US prescription sales were a $465 billion industry in 2016 with $106 billion coming from mail orders. Finding a way into the market would increase Amazon's potential US revenue by 20%.
  But even if reports are true that Amazon is looking to break into the prescription sales busines
  
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• Lloyd Blankfein was given 2 bits of advice when he became a partner at Goldman Sachs, and they sum up the company culture (GS)

  18-05-2017 18:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Lloyd Blankfein is one of the most powerful men on Wall Street.
  The New York-native, whose net worth tops $1 billion, has been the bank's CEO and chairman since 2006. And he has been with the firm for more than two-decades.
  In a wide-ranging interview with Jeff Cunningham, a professor of global leadership at Thunderbird School of Management at Arizona State University, Blankfein discussed a number of topics including the 2008 financial crisis and the company's image in an anti-business env
  
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• How Adidas, Just Eat and HTC are using chatbots

  18-05-2017 18:32
  
  Adidas: Chatbots are the ‘perfect vehicle’ to communicate with innovation-hungry consumers
  Adidas has ramped up interest in its recently launched female-focused community space Studio LDN, by using a chatbot to create an interactive booking process.
  The studio, which opened earlier this year, offers a series of weekly free-to-attend fitness sessions especially for women, with the ultimate goal of boosting brand engagement.
  The Facebook Messenger chatbot, created by ma
  
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• The Trump administration just handed Wall Street some great news

  18-05-2017 18:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin just said the words that will lead to a sigh of relief on Wall Street.
  During his testimony to the Senate banking committee on Thursday, the Treasury secretary said the Trump administration did not support the separation of investment banks and commercial banks.
  "We think that would have a very significant problem on financial markets, on the economy, on liquidity," he said. "We do think there are potential things we could look at around regulation, but we do no
  
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• The Trump administration formally launched NAFTA renegotiations — here's what you need to know

  18-05-2017 18:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Trump administration on Thursday formally launched efforts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.
  US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said via a letter to US lawmakers that he triggered a 90-day consultation period with Congress and the American public that would allow talks to begin after August 16.
  In the letter, Lighthizer said NAFTA needed modernization for digital trade; intellectual-property rights; labor, environmental, and food-safety sta
  
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• What marketers need to know about the General Election manifestos

  18-05-2017 17:46
  
  Three weeks from today Britain will cast its votes as Labour and the Liberal Democrats aim to upset the polls by preventing the supposed ‘inevitability’ of another Conservative government.
  The three main parties have all now released their General Election 2017 manifestos. Yet their policies are a bit of a mixed bag, according to Advertising Association CEO Stephen Woodford.
  He’s disappointed to see Labour and the Lib Dems once again talk about banning junk food advertising, ca
  
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• Burberry rethinks how it markets product launches

  18-05-2017 15:41
  
  Burberry is planning to put more marketing power behind product launches as it looks to increase investment around specific categories and attract more local customers to the brand.
  Speaking on a call this morning to mark its full-year results, Burberry’s CEO and chief creative officer Christopher Bailey used the example of its signature DK88 bag. Its launch was accompanied by a standalone marketing campaign and dedicated store windows, the first time it has done that for a new bag, and th
  
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• Asda slows the decline as brand perceptions start to turn around

  18-05-2017 14:08
  
  Asda is slowing the decline after a number of quarters of big drops in its sales, but the supermarket still has some way to go to make up market share losses.
  For its first quarter ended 31 March, the UK’s third biggest supermarket saw its sales fall 2.8%, which compares to a decline of 2.9% in the previous quarter. Net sales, meanwhile, edged up by 0.9%.
  In recent years, Asda has suffered as its price-orientated branding was eroded as the discounters Aldi and Lidl moved onto its territory
  
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• International round-up: AB InBev invests $2bn in US business, Facebook fined in France

  18-05-2017 13:07
  
  AB InBev to invest $2bn in US business to fight sales decline
  Anheuser-Busch InBev plans to invest $2bn (£1.53bn) in the US to fight the decline in beer sales due to a growing consumer appetite for craft beer.
  Its flagship Budweiser lager has suffered from declining volumes and a falling market share over the past three years.
  The company, which recently bought rival SABMiller for nearly $100bn (£77bn), says investment in its 21 US breweries will allow it to make different beers, or
  
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• Unilever’s sustainable brands grow 50% faster than the rest of the business

  18-05-2017 13:01
  
  Unilever’s ‘Sustainable Living’ brands are becoming increasingly important to the company’s business, with these brands growing more than 50% faster than the rest of the business and accounting for 60% of growth in 2016.
  Both those figures have accelerated from 2015, when they accounted for 46% of growth and were growing 30% faster. The updated figures are part of a wider report on Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan.
  Unilever wants all its brands to reduce their env
  
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• Third of people want mobility, not auto ownership

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  GLOBAL: As the world's population moves to urban areas, car manufacturers' business models are under threat, as 34% of people see mobility services, including car sharing and on-demand minicabs, as a viable alternative to vehicle ownership.This is...
  
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• Social-norms comms help eradicate polio

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  LONDON/ISLAMABAD: Communications based on the social norms of communities in Afghanistan and Pakistan are helping the global community move closer to finally eradicating polio.Writing in the current issue of Admap, Andrew Schirmer, President,...
  
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• Safety, metrics issues dog internet giants

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  NEW YORK: YouTube and Facebook have faced difficulties recently around brand safety and measurement data, and neither appears to have completely resolved the issues, with some major advertisers yet to return to YouTube, and Facebook admitting to yet...
  
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• Mastercard tackles brand blocking

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  TORONTO: Mastercard, the payments company, believes that providing "uninterrupted" and unique experiences for consumers can help in tackling the growing trend of audiences and platforms blocking out ads.Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing &...
  
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• Internet takes 57% of China adspend

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  BEIJING: Total media advertising expenditure in China is forecast to reach RMB 581bn (US$84.4bn) in 2017 with internet spending accounting for 57.2% of that, according to new figures from GroupM.In its This Year, Next Year: China Media...
  
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• Innovate or die, says struggling media giant

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  SYDNEY: Fairfax Media is in an "innovate or die" situation according to a senior executive, as the company undergoes further restructuring to stay afloat in challenging times for Australian print media."It's a real case of innovate or die," said...
  
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• Build your own bot, small businesses urged

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  NEW YORK: A bot that builds bots for small businesses has been created by R/GA and Reply.ai in an effort to democratize the technology.Despite their growing popularity, only big brands have been able to dedicate the resources and funds required to...
  
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• AI systems learn to tap into emotions

  18-05-2017 02:00
  
  PORTO: While the data processing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) systems have garnered enormous coverage, brands are beginning to deploy AI on human emotion, delivering uplift for sportswear companies, airlines, and banks alike.This...
  
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• Why US brands are crushing the UK on customer experience

  18-05-2017 01:01
  
  Despite the best efforts of UK brands to bolster customer experience, they continue to lag behind their US counterparts. In fact, the margin is getting bigger with US brands now 6% ahead of those in the UK compared to just 2% last year, according to KPMG Nunwood’s latest US Customer Experience Excellence report.
  The top 100 brands in the US study, which was conducted in March, score an average of 7.75 out of 10, while the leading companies in the equivalent UK study fro
  
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