Sales & Marketing news

• 3 Republican governors sign on to letter rejecting 'Trumpcare'

  16-06-2017 23:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Three Republican governors — John Kasich of Ohio, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, and Charlie Baker of Massachusetts — signed onto a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday rejecting the current iteration of the GOP healthcare bill.
  In the letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, three Republican governors and four Democratic governors called for bipartisan efforts to reform the healthcare system.
  "While we certainly agree that ref
  
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• Republicans are doing everything they can to keep their healthcare bill a secret

  16-06-2017 22:09 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Senate Republican leaders are keeping their healthcare bill quiet — very, very quiet.
  Despite reports Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is attempting to bring the bill for a vote before the week-long July 4 recess, there remains no public text of any proposed legislation, and therefore no Congressional Budget Office score. There have also been no public hearings on changes made to the House version of the bill.
  While a core group of GOP senators is working on the bill, it appears that
  
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• AMAZON SCOOPS UP WHOLE FOODS: Here's what you need to know

  16-06-2017 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Stocks were little changed on Friday.
  The Dow and the S&P 500 finished slightly up, while the Nasdaq closed slightly down.
  First up, the scoreboard:
  Dow: 21,384.28, +24.38, (+0.11%)
  S&P 500: 2,433.15, +0.69, (+0.03%)
  Nasdaq: 6,151.76, -13.74, (-0.22%)
  US 10-year yield: 2.153%, -0.009
  WTI crude oil: $44.73, +0.27, +0.61%
  1. Amazon is buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. The online-retail giant said Friday it was buying the high-end grocer for $42 a share in an all-cash dea
  
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• UBS: Here's what Amazon's deal for Whole Food means for Costco, Walmart and Target (AMZN, WFM, COST, DG, DLTR)

  16-06-2017 21:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Amazon just bought Whole Foods and sent shares of its grocery competitors off the cliff. 
  Now that Whole Foods is looking like it will be part of a larger corporation, short term profitability is less of a concern, according to Michael Lasser, an analyst at UBS. This will free the grocer to invest more heavily into increasing same-store sales, a weakness for the company in recent earnings reports. Amazon could help the store cut prices, which is bad news for its competitors.
  What does
  
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• Whole Foods is currently trading above the price Amazon will pay for it (WFM, AMZN)

  16-06-2017 21:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Amazon is buying Whole Foods for $42 a share in cash.
  So why is Whole Foods trading at more than $43 a share?
  After a brief trading halt, shares of Whole Foods jumped about 27.5% to $42 on Friday. This matches the price per share Amazon said it will pay for the company. Theoretically, this means Whole Foods is currently worth $42 a share.
  But once leveling off at $42, shares of Whole Foods began to creep higher, and are currently above $43.
  The move in Whole Foods suggests that some traders are
  
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• These are the watches worn by some of the most powerful tech CEOs

  16-06-2017 20:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Since it was invented over 200 years ago, the wristwatch has been an integral component of fashion.
  In addition to their practical functionality of telling time, a watch serves as a collectible piece of art that communicates the personality and style of its wearer.
  With the help of Crown & Caliber, an Atlanta-based pre-owned luxury-watch marketplace, we've put together a list and commentary about the wristwatches worn by nine of the most powerful CEOs in the tech industry.SEE ALSO: The
  
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• This could be Amazon's next big acquisition (AMZN, DG)

  16-06-2017 20:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Amazon is planning to acquire Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, but if it really wants to shake up the grocery sector, it should consider buying discount stores, according to one analyst.
  "If the goal is to fully compete against Wal-Mart (and the low-end), then could Dollar General be next on Amazon’s buying list to go after an arguably larger part of the U.S. population?" Gordon Haskett retail analyst Chuck Grom wrote in a research note Friday. 
  The Whole Foods acquisition gives Am
  
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• US oil-rig count rises for the 22nd straight week

  16-06-2017 19:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The US oil-rig count rose by six to 747, according to oilfield-services company Baker Hughes.
  The oil-rig count has risen for 22 straight weeks, extending a record-long streak of increases, and the count is at its highest since the week of April 10, 2015.
  The gas-rig count increased by one to 186, and miscellaneous rigs dropped by one to zero, making the total rig count 933.
  Oil prices dropped earlier in the week after the Energy Information Administration announced that US invent
  
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• McDonald's just signaled the end of the Olympics as we know them (MCD)

  16-06-2017 19:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  McDonald's has ended its longtime sponsorship partnership with the Olympics.
  The fast-food chain has been a sponsor for the US Olympic Committee since 1976 and a TOP partner with the International Olympic Commitee since 1996.
  It is the latest big-name sponsor to depart from the Olympics, following Budweiser, Citi, Hilton, TD Ameritrade and AT&T. 
  The move comes as it focuses on its new global growth plan and reviews its marketing spend.
  After a long standing affair with the Olympi
  
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• Trump's rollback of Obama's Cuba policies may harm the Cubans it means to help

  16-06-2017 18:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  President Donald Trump appears set to walk back some aspects of the normalization of US-Cuba relations conducted by President Barack Obama during his final years in office.
  According to a draft of an eight-page directive Trump is expected to sign on Friday during an event at Miami's Manuel Artime Theater — named for a leader of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion — the US government will restrict the number of reasons Americans can travel to the island and prohibit financial dealings wi
  
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• Why Amazon is buying Whole Foods (AMZN, WFM)

  16-06-2017 18:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Amazon swooped in to buy the high-end grocer Whole Foods on Friday, paying $13.7 billion, or $42 a share — a healthy 27% premium on the previous day's closing price.
  So what's in it for Amazon?
  There are a couple of strategic plays at work for the online retail giant.
  For starters, acquiring Whole Foods' 440 US stores — many of them in prime locations — could bolster the network for AmazonFresh, the company's grocery delivery service.
  "To ship efficiently groceries to consumers
  
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• Pharmacies take a $10 billion hit as Amazon lands Whole Foods deal (CVS)

  16-06-2017 18:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Amazon is buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, and pharmacy stocks are feeling the heat. 
  The pharmaceutical supply chain is down by a total market cap of $10 billion, according to UBS.
  In addition to the grocery stores whose stocks have been getting clobbered on the news, here are the drug industry companies that are also taking a hit. 
  CVS, which owns pharmacies as well as operates a pharmacy benefit manager was down roughly 5%.
  Walgreens was also down 5%.
  The news also hit drug&nbs
  
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• KASHKARI: The Fed is repeating its mistakes of the 1970s — but in reverse

  16-06-2017 18:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari justified his second dissent on interest rate policy this year, saying he voted against this week’s increase in borrowing costs because he doesn’t think the economy is strong enough to handle it.
  In particular, Kashkari is concerned about recent slippage in inflation away from the Fed’s elusive 2% target, which it has undershot for most of the economic recovery that began in the summer of 2009.
  "At the same time the unemployment rate was
  
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• Amazon could fix Whole Foods' biggest problem (WFM, AMZN)

  16-06-2017 17:58 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Whole Foods has been trying to shake off its expensive reputation for years. Now it has a real chance to do so.
  On Friday, Amazon announced it will acquire the high-end grocery store chain for $13.7 billion.
  The move could make Whole Foods a lot more competitive when it comes to prices.
  Amazon has the "financial capacity to price aggressively," Moody’s vice president Mickey Chadha wrote in an email. 
  According to a UBS research note, the store will not b
  
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• MARK CUBAN: Here's 'the Amazon question' after the online retail giant spends $13.7 billion on Whole Foods

  16-06-2017 17:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and TV personality, used Twitter on Friday to weigh in on Amazon's announcement that it would acquire Whole Foods.
  Cuban said one question would determine whether the purchase by the online retail giant was a smart one.
  "The Amazon question," Cuban tweeted. "Can they get your groceries to you faster than you can get to the store to shop in an Uber/lyft world? Yes."
  Cuban's argument, though forward-looking, is that it would take less time for Amazon to de
  
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• The Whole Foods CEO joked about Lloyd Blankfein right before Goldman Sachs helped Amazon buy his company (GS, AMZN, WFM)

  16-06-2017 17:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  John Mackey, the CEO and cofounder of Whole Foods, didn't want Goldman Sachs' help selling his company.Goldman helped Amazon buy his company instead.
  In a profile of the Whole Foods CEO in Texas Monthly, Mackey made a sarcastic joke to the magazine's Tom Foster about Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein. Activist investor Jana Partners took a stake in the high-end grocer in April and pushed for a sale, which Mackey was against, and Mackey said Blankfein tried to ingratiate himself during a meet
  
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• Traders betting against Whole Foods dodged a bullet (WFM, AMZN)

  16-06-2017 17:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  It could've been a whole lot worse.
  In the two months leading up to Amazon's $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, traders speculating on share declines in the high-end grocer cut their bets against the stock by more than half, according to data compiled by IHS Markit Ltd.
  So when Whole Foods' surged as much as 28% following the news on Friday, the damage was relatively controlled, at least compared to the catastrophic short squeeze that would've occurred had short positions n
  
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• 'My immediate thought was no way:' Why Bonobos' founder made the 'contrarian' decision to sell his brand to Walmart (WMT)

  16-06-2017 17:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  When news broke on Friday that Walmart was acquiring the menswear startup Bonobos, many customers responded with dismay. 
  "Talk about a hugely shocking disappointment," one person wrote on Bonobos' Facebook page. "I can't believe my favorite clothing brand sold out this hardcore. Don't think I'll be able to continue my support of Bonobos any longer. Sad day."
  However, Andy Dunn, Bonobos' founder and CEO, who is now taking on the role of senior vice president of digital consumer br
  
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• Amazon continues its journey into food with £10.7bn acquisition of Whole Foods

  16-06-2017 16:28
  
  Amazon has made another telling move into the grocery market with the acquisition of Whole Foods in a £10.7bn deal.
  High end UK grocers such as Waitrose and M&S could be concerned, with the deal offering Amazon the chance to sell more premium food and drink ranges through Amazon Fresh. However, it’s fair to say the move won’t have as big of an impact in the UK market – Whole Foods has a much bigger store base across the pond (in the US it has 460 stores, here in the U
  
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• McDonald’s ends 41-year Olympic sponsorship

  16-06-2017 16:24
  
  McDonald’s has ended its 41-year sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) three years early as part of a review of its marketing spend due to its “new global growth plan”.
  McDonald’s and the IOC claim the decision was mutual, but it would seem a shift in priorities at McDonald’s precipitated the change. McDonald’s global chief marketing officer Silvia Lagnado says while the company has been “proud to support the Olympic movement&rd
  
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• Uber, Instagram & Protein World: 5 things that mattered this week and why

  16-06-2017 15:52
  
  Uber tries to rebuild brand perceptions
  Over the past eight years, Uber has disrupted the taxi industry in 76 countries, its app is used by millions and it has grown to be worth nearly $70bn. But it has been plagued by scandal from the outset and things reached a head this week as CEO Travis Kalenick took a leave of absence amid the publication of a damning report on workplace culture, and allegations of harassment and discrimination.
  Against that backdrop, it is no wonder Uber is trying to do s
  
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• AOL’s digital prophet claims the ‘four Ps of marketing’ are ‘absolute rubbish’

  16-06-2017 15:25
  
  Photo by Jarle NaustvikThe ‘four Ps’ are a widely-adopted framework among marketers, with the likes of Tesco CEO Dave Lewis publically supporting their integration within big business.
  And in a February Marketing Week poll, which generated nearly 800 votes, a resounding 77% of marketers answered yes when asked if the 4Ps of marketing were relevant to their job today. However, it’s fair to say AOL’s digital prophet (a self-awarded title) David Shing isn’t much of a
  
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• How media brands are changing tactics to make the most out of audiences

  16-06-2017 14:20
  
  The print industry is under great duress. Print sales are falling, digital giants are swallowing up ad revenue like there’s no tomorrow and the proliferation of channels makes it more difficult to capture people’s attention than ever before.
  The latest ABC figures for May show that all national newspaper titles suffered a sales decline, except The Sunday Times, which was the only paid-for newspaper to record real year-on-year circulation growth.
  Media brands are eager to fight these
  
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• Tesco sales growth hits seven-year high as CEO insists it will try to keep prices low

  16-06-2017 11:40
  
  Tesco reported a 2.3% rise in UK like-for-like sales for the 13 weeks to 27 May – its strongest performance since 2010 and sixth consecutive quarter of growth. It also means it beat analyst forecasts of 1.9% growth.
  The big four supermarket has benefited from convincing shoppers to return from its rivals, with its first-quarter performance boosted by a 2.7% rise in food sales. And these numbers have particularly resonated with shareholders, with Tesco’s shares up 3% this morning &nda
  
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• Get ready for Cannes: Everything you need to know

  16-06-2017 08:30
  
  What you should see…
  Wake up with The Economist
  The Economist is once again hosting a series of events to kickstart your day at Cannes. Each morning throughout the week it will bring together three top global marketers, to discuss key industry topics around brand safety and transparency in the post-truth era, as well as the changing role of the CMO. Speakers include P&G chief brand officer Marc Pritchard, Diageo CMO Syl Saller and Samsung CMO Marc Mathieu.
  Marketer
  
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• Thomas Barta: Customer experience is a marketer’s biggest leadership challenge

  16-06-2017 08:00
  
  Looking for buzzword bingo ideas? Just listen to virtually any CEO speech on customer experience (CEX). Although there has never been more CEX talk, the reality for customers often seems to be the exact opposite of what is said.
  An airline says it flies “the friendly skies” but violently drags a paying passenger off one of its planes. Many hotels claim to put the customer first but happily talk guests into inflated currency conversion charges: “Do you want to pay in y
  
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• 'Viewability bottleneck' irks advertisers

  16-06-2017 02:00
  
  SINGAPORE: A number of factors are to blame for unseen mobile ads, but slow loading times are the biggest problem when it comes to mobile viewability, senior agency executives have said.Most consumers are now mobile first in Asia, while, globally,...
  
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• North American adspend to hit $230bn in 2018

  16-06-2017 02:00
  
  NEW YORK: Advertising spend in North America is forecast to increase by 3.6% in 2017 and 4.0% in 2018 to reach $230bn, according to new figures from DentsuAegis Network.Hard on the heels of revised adspend data from
  
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• Marketers need to build new consumer habits

  16-06-2017 02:00
  
  LONDON: Marketers are generally well versed in such things as media use, audience behaviours and preferences, but they also need to acquire an understanding of consumer habits if they are to achieve lasting success, according to two industry...
  
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• Marketers need to better balance short and long term

  16-06-2017 02:00
  
  LONDON: To exploit the full potential of marketing in the changing media landscape, brand owners must strike a better balance between the long and short term, a new study claims.
  
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• How brands can pursue 'identity-based marketing'

  16-06-2017 02:00
  
  NEW YORK: Brands interested in pursuing "identity-based marketing" should consider emerging best practices in areas like data scrutiny and consumer privacy, a paper in the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR) has argued.
  
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• Customer experience takes centre stage

  16-06-2017 02:00
  
  GLOBAL: Customer experience is now the next battlefield for brands, according to a new study, which highlights how marketer's priorities are shifting with implications for business structures and investment in technology.For its fourth annual
  
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• Ads influence a third of Indian kids

  16-06-2017 02:00
  
  MUMBAI: Around one third of children in India's cities claim to have bought a product because they liked its advertising, a new report suggests.The annual KidScan study from Kantar IMRB, based on a survey of 2,500 5-14 year olds in 14 cities...
  
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• Disney prioritises ‘audience centricity’ in commercial overhaul

  16-06-2017 01:01
  
  Disney is bringing together its ESPN and Disney sales teams so it can “be more relevant” and “better serve” advertisers that are looking to target the same audiences across different platforms.
  Its integrated ad sales, promotions and marketing solutions division Disneymedia+ will now be called Disney Media Sales and Partnerships. It will incorporate Disney, ESPN and digital media brand Maker Studios under one sales and partnerships roof. By working with its entire portfol
  
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