Sales & Marketing news

• P&G: We need to build stronger brand identities online

  27-07-2017 17:45
  Procter and Gamble (P&G) says it will increase investment in its digital capabilities, as it admits it needs to have “stronger” brand positioning online.
  The FMCG company behind brands including Always and Gillette released its full year results today (27 July). Net sales stand at $65.1bn (£49.7bn), which is unchanged from the year before and includes a two percentage point impact from foreign exchange. Organic sales increased 2%.
  Speaking on a results call, the company&rsq
  
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• Vodafone on its journey to place diversity at the heart of the brand

  27-07-2017 16:01
  Vodafone has been on an almost 10-year journey to make the company more inclusive and diverse.
  The telecoms giant began to prioritise diversity in 2008, when Vittorio Colao took the helm as global CEO. He first decided to focus on improving working conditions for female employees, as he wanted to make the company a more attractive place to work for women.
  That work has included rolling out a global maternity policy across all its markets, including a minimum of 16 weeks fully-paid maternity leav
  
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• International round-up: This Girl Can goes global, AB Inbev expands into energy drinks

  27-07-2017 15:15
  This Girl Can moves to Australia
  This Girl Can was a roaring success in the UK, winning numerous awards and inspiring 2.8 million women to get active. And it seems it has caught the eye of the Australian health community, which is taking the campaign down under.
  The partnership between Sport England and Australia’s VicHealth will see the Australian health promotion foundation use the formula behind This Girl Can to create its own localised campaign. Work starts this month, as it looks to s
  
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• 'The best growth story in tech': What Wall Street is saying about Facebook's explosive earnings (FB)

  27-07-2017 14:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Facebook blew past Wall Street's expectations in its second-quarter earnings.
  Wall Street has subsequently heaped commendation on the company. Its stock, one of the hot tech names that have driven the market's gains this year, is set to open at an all-time high on Thursday. 
  In the second quarter, Facebook's user base, the largest in the world, grew by 17% year-over-year, with 66% of its 2.01 billion users visiting the social network every day. Its revenues increased 45%
  
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• The Senate probe into big phama's hand in the opioid crisis just got bigger

  27-07-2017 14:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  A Senate investigation into whether or not big pharmaceutical companies had a hand in starting America's current opioid epidemic just got wide.
  Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) will now add drugmakers Mallinckrodt, Endo, Teva, and Allergan to the probe, as well as distributors AmerisourceBergen Corporation, and Cardinal Health, Inc.
  "We’ve seen numerous reports that potentially hundreds of millions of opioid pills wound up on the black market, fueling a nationwide epidemic—we nee
  
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• Twitter is tumbling after reporting zero user growth (TWTR)

  27-07-2017 14:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  Twitter is tumbling in pre-market trading, trading down 9.73% at $17.71 a share.
  The social media company reported no monthly active user growth in the second quarter, which was one of the main metrics investors were looking for.
  The company missed on user growth, but grew its revenue in the second quarter. Twitter reported revenue of $574 million, which beat Wall Street's estimates of $537 million. Earnings per share also came in higher than expected at $0.12, compared to the $0.05 expect
  
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• Twitter didn't add any new users last quarter, and the stock is diving (TWTR)

  27-07-2017 13:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  Twitter didn't grow its monthly user base at all last quarter, despite beating Wall Street's expectations for revenue.
  The company's completely stalled user growth during its second quarter sent shares diving more than 10% in pre-market trading on Wednesday.
  Investors are looking for signs that Twitter can turn its struggling business around by adding new users and edging towards profitability. Twitter reported its first ever year-over-year decline in revenue for Q1, but still managed
  
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• Lazard is having a record-breaking year amid a 'choppy' environment for M&A

  27-07-2017 13:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  Investment bank Lazard is having a record year, blowing past second-quarter revenue and profit estimates.
  Lazard posted $120 million in profits in the quarter, or $0.91 per share, to go along with a record $720 million in operating revenue. 
  That well exceeded analyst expectations of $0.79 earnings per share and $629 million in revenue. 
  The firm also reported that assets under management rose to a record $226 billion, up $34 billion from a year ago.
  "Lazard's record operating revenue
  
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• 10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, FB)

  27-07-2017 12:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  Here is what you need to know.
  The Fed says the unwinding of its balance sheet will begin "relatively soon." The Federal Reserve's balance sheet swelled to $4.5 trillion as it navigated the financial crisis, and now it's almost time to begin shrinking it.
  The UK is ditching Libor. The London Interbank Offered Rate will be dropped for a more reliable marker by 2021, according to City A.M.
  The dollar hits its lowest level since May 2016. The US dollar index hit a low of 93.15 on Thursday, making f
  
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• The retail apocalypse is causing one company to rethink its entire strategy (HSY)

  27-07-2017 12:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  It didn't take long for The Hershey Company to mention its push into e-commerce on Wednesday's earnings call.
  In prepared remarks at the beginning of the conference call, president and CEO Michele Buck listed online retail as a major focus and potential growth area for the company. She discussed collaboration with brick-and-mortar retailers as well as efforts to better accommodate the needs of online shoppers.
  Her comments did not fall on deaf ears.
  Credit Suisse analyst Robert Moskow
  
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• Marketing suffering from an ‘acute’ succession crisis

  27-07-2017 11:02
  Marketing is suffering from an “acute succession crisis” as the proportion of external hires for the top CMO job soars.
  According to data from executive search firm Russell Reynolds, 72% of appointments to top marketing jobs in the first half of the year were external hires, up from 64% this time last year. Technology and healthcare companies in particular are averse to hiring from within, with 89% and 82% of CMO appointments coming from external hires.
  But professional services, ind
  
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• Brands failing to promote CMOs from within

  27-07-2017 11:02
  Marketing is suffering from an “acute succession crisis” as the proportion of external hires for the top CMO job soars.
  According to data from executive search firm Russell Reynolds, 72% of appointments to top marketing jobs in the first half of the year were external hires, up from 64% this time last year. Technology and healthcare companies in particular are averse to hiring from within, with 89% and 82% of CMO appointments coming from external hires.
  But professional services, ind
  
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• Billionaire investor Howard Marks says cryptocurrencies 'aren't real'

  27-07-2017 04:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  Howard Marks, billionaire investor and founder of Oaktree Capital Management is adamant about his stance on cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, Ether and others: “They’re not real.”
  Marks reiterated this three times to clients Wednesday in his latest Oaktree memo.
  “I’d guess these things have arisen from the intersection of (a) doubts about financial security — including the value of national currencies — that grew out of the financial crisis an (b) the
  
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• One of Warren Buffett's favorite investors listed the ingredients for a bubble — and warned many are present today

  27-07-2017 04:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Billionaire Howard Marks has no problem with being cautious. 
  Marks' investment firm, Oaktree Capital, is considered one of the leading investors in distressed debt, essentially riskier debt.
  He counts Warren Buffett as a friend and a fan. "When I see memos from Howard Marks in my mail, they're the first thing I open and read," Buffett once said.
  In a memo out to clients, Marks outlined his concern that the markets are entering "too bullish territory" and that a bubble could be forming
  
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• The Fed has become the dollar's 'biggest problem'

  27-07-2017 04:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  The US dollar has a problem.
  It's the worst-performing G10 currency of this year, and has fallen about 8% against its major peers. As strategists identify catalysts that could send it higher, the Federal Reserve is unlikely to be on that list.  
  "The USD’s biggest problem, is it can’t expect help from the Fed for a long time, and that won’t change following the July FOMC meeting," said Alan Ruskin, a macro strategist at Deutsche Bank, in a note on Wednesday. 
  
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• The Democrats' new economic plan exposes the party's existential crisis

  27-07-2017 04:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  Democrats released a three-pronged plan on the economy that's uninspired and unoriginal.Its biggest flaw is that it assumes the US economy is doing just fine and that a few tweaks around the edges will sort everything out for workers.
  Ultimately it indicates a rift between centrists and leftists over the party's direction.WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party is facing an existential crisis, and we just got some clues into how bad it is getting.
  It's the kind of thing that usually follows maj
  
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• The Senate's plan to repeal Obamacare without a replacement failed — but the debate carries on

  27-07-2017 04:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Senate Republicans finished up day two of their debate on their efforts to reshape the US health care system on Wednesday night, with an unsuccessful vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
  The debate has started shifting toward a "skinny repeal" bill, which would repeal certain aspects of the ACA. If passed, it could lead to the House and Senate working together to compromise on one final bill. 
  The debate began earlier Tuesday, and the Senate has 20 hours of legislativ
  
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• Congressional Budget Office: 16 million Americans could lose health insurance under Senate Republicans' 'skinny repeal' of Obamacare

  27-07-2017 02:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that 16 million Americans could lose their health insurance under a version of Senate Republicans' health care bill known as the "skinny repeal," a bill that would repeal only some elements of Obamacare.
  The so-called "skinny repeal" is one of several bills being considered in the Senate on Wednesday.
  Here's what 'skinny repeal' could look like:
  The "skinny repeal" bill would repeal both the individual and employer mandates, which requires
  
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• UK advertising spend grows at slowest rate for four years

  27-07-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  LONDON: UK advertising spend grew for its 15th consecutive quarter, with Q1 2017 recording a 1.3% year-on-year increase to reach £5,318m. This was, however, the market's slowest growth rate since Q2 2013, according to new...
  
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• Rethinking retirement with storytelling, CX

  27-07-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  MELBOURNE: Many Australians are struggling to save enough for their retirement, but one superannuation fund is keeping the issue front of mind with a focus on storytelling and customer rewards.The Health Employees Superannuation Trust of Australia...
  
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• Mass market auto brands provide premium appeal

  27-07-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  DETROIT: Car owners’ attraction to new vehicles remains strong, according to the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. APEAL Study, with a 9-point increase in the index from last year, largely thanks to the inclusion of high-end features in mass-market cars. ...
  
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• Japan's luxury brands remain wary of ecommerce

  27-07-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  TOKYO: Despite the luxury sector’s traditional reluctance to embrace direct-to-customer ecommerce solutions for sales, two mature luxury markets have shown a particular divergence as just 73% of brands in Japan have adopted, compared to 90% of...
  
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• How Xerox "sets the page free"

  27-07-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  CHICAGO: Xerox, the business solutions and technology company, is using its marketing efforts to demonstrate how it can "set the page free" by helping enterprises progress across the physical and digital worlds.Toni Clayton-Hine, SVP/CMO at Xerox,...
  
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• China's tech giants take on Amazon in the battle for Indian online groceries

  27-07-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  NEW DELHI: Chinese tech giants are strengthening their hold in India with big investments in diverse sectors, as serious western interest, notably from Amazon, heats up competition in a fast-growing market.The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba...
  
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• AB InBev thinks like a marketer, acts like a producer

  27-07-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  CANNES/NEW YORK: AB InBev, the US beer-brewing conglomerate, is shifting the focus from advertising through interruptions toward creating content that will attract people by pitching series ideas to channels and creating spectacles that people will...
  
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• Ad spend under pressure as big brands pull back on TV

  27-07-2017 01:05
  UK advertising spend grew at its slowest rate for almost four years in the first quarter of 2017, as a notable drop in TV spend hit the market.
  The quarterly survey by the Advertising Association (AA) and Warc found that UK advertising grew just 1.3% year on year in the first quarter of 2017 to reach £5.4bn. TV advertising took a surprising hit, dropping 6.2%, its first fall since 2009.
  “The latest data show that large retailers – particularly supermarkets – and major foo
  
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• Amazon has set its sights on healthcare tech with a stealth lab it calls '1492' (AMZN)

  27-07-2017 00:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  Amazon has been one of the big winners as everything from book selling to software development has moved to the internet.
  Now it seems to be trying to put itself into position for similar success in healthcare as that market goes digital.
  The e-commerce giant has set up a new, stealthy lab called "1492" that's dedicated to healthcare technology, CNBC reported Wednesday.
  According to the report, the lab is exploring ways to tap into medical providers' electronic records to make that data mor
  
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• Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to move faster at making money off Messenger and there's a good reason why (FB)

  27-07-2017 00:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  For a company built on the motto, "Move fast and break things," Facebook isn't moving fast enough on monetizing its messaging apps, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday.
  “I want to see us move a little faster here but I’m confident we’re going to get this right," he said during the company's second quarterly conference call with investors.
  Facebook experimented with monetizing Messenger in new ways two years ago by letting businesses create so-called chat bots for the ap
  
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• Howard Marks used one of the iconic quotes of the financial crisis to highlight what's wrong with markets today

  27-07-2017 00:09 via feedproxy.google.com
  Howard Marks, billionaire investor and founder of Oaktree Capital Management, knows these good times can't last forever. 
  In his latest ‘Oaktree memo’ to clients on Wednesday, Marks recalled an iconic pre-crisis quote from then-Citigroup CEO Chuck Prince.
  “When the music stops, in terms of liquidity, things will be complicated,” Prince said in 2007. “But as long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance. We’re still dancing.&rdquo
  
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