• Why the future of customer experience depends on online data

    Unlocking the power of individual online customer data can help brands to arm themselves with granular insight, to deliver the experience that consumers crave and which has been lost in the 21st century.
    This data enables you to start to connect customer intelligence derived from social media, online media and mobile marketing with your offline CRM and purchasing data to create a comprehensive single customer view. This shift transforms your understanding of each individual customer and prospec
  • International round-up: Domino’s tests self-driving delivery & Ikea’s human catalogue

    Ford and Domino’s to test pizza delivery using self-driving carsDomino’s and Ford are joining forces to research the viability of delivering pizza using self-driving vehicles in the US.
    In what the companies claim is an industry first, the two brands will investigate how receptive customers are when it comes to interacting with a self-driving vehicles as part of their delivery experience.
    Ford plans to begin the production of self-driving vehicles in 2021.
    “As delivery ex
  • Paddy Power could face censure as ASA investigates ‘racist’ Mayweather ad

    We're paying out early on a #Mayweather victory!We always bet on black. pic.twitter.com/CisDRfj9Uy
    — Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 23, 2017Paddy Power risks having one-off ads subject to pre-vetting sanction by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if an investigation into a “racist” press ad it ran last week to promote the Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor fight is found to have caused serious or widespread offence.
    The ad regulator has received nine complaints about
  • How one bar and restaurant chain is measuring the impact of influencers

    Working with micro-influencers has helped restaurant and bar chain All Bar One increase its brunch sales by 28% across its 50 bars nationwide.
    The aim of the three-month ‘Brunching’ campaign was to increase awareness of its food offering among professional women aged 25 to 34, which coincided with the launch of its summer menu in May.
    “We felt that whatever we did needed to drive advocacy, recommendations and user-generated content that’s more believable and trustworthy t
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  • Andrew Willshire: Focus on the short term and the long term will take care of itself

    One of the more regular events in marketing is the high priests descending from their mountain to condemn those humble sinners who have succumbed to the illicit temptations of short-term thinking. Like bible-thumping preachers, they warn of hellfire and damnation if we don’t change our ways. The trouble is that I’m not sure it’s making advertising better.
    And so, like a pound-shop Martin Luther, I step forward and nail to media’s cathedral door, not 95 theses, but just o
  • 10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, BOX, EXPE)

    Here is what you need to know. 
    Goldman Sachs says Hurricane Harvey makes a government shutdown less likely. The odds of a government shutdown have fallen to from 50% to 35% in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, according to Goldman Sachs economist Alec Phillips.
    There was mixed data out of China. China's National Bureau of Statistics said manufacturing PMI climbed to 51.7 in August while non-manufacturing PMI fell 53.4, its lowest since May 2016.  
    Euro area inflation jumps.
  • RBC: Nvidia is set to dominate the next wave of blockchain technology (NVDA)

    The next wave of blockchain applications is here, and it could provide a big boost to Nvidia.
    A blockchain in its most basic form is a decentralized, public ledger. Bitcoin is probably the most widely recognized blockchain technology. It uses blockchain to break away from centralized banks and governments to create a new type of currency.
    As blockchain technology matures, other uses are popping up everywhere. For example, IBM and Samsung are using blockchain to empower a new washing machin
  • NFL ratings are set to make a comeback this season

    The National Football League's TV ratings look to be back on the upswing.
    That's according to UBS, which uses the NFL's preseason viewership as an early indicator for how many eyeballs the league's more coveted regular season broadcasts will attract.
    NFL higher-ups could use some good news after ratings of regular season games in 2016 fell 8% on a year-over-year basis, according to UBS analyst Doug Mitchelson. Luckily, preseason matchups drew 12% more viewers this year, signaling a rebound
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  • We already tried one of Trump's big tax ideas and it fell flat on its face

    In an uncharacteristically short speech, President Trump went over the broadest strokes of the tax plan he and Congressional Republicans plan to unveil.
    The speech covered four main proposals, and the last one — a tax holiday for American multinational corporations that have cash stashed overseas — is a proven, abject failure. We tried it under President George W. Bush in 2004, and subsequent investigations into the policy showed that it didn't help. If anything, it hurt.
    But first,
  • Hurricane Harvey could be the costliest natural disaster in US history — here's how we'll know the true cost (ALL, LEN, KBH, DHI)

    It will take several months to work out the full impact of Hurricane Harvey on the US economy.
    So far, the consensus is that it won't cause that big of a hit to the overall economy's growth, although its personal impact already is and will continue to be far greater.
    "We expect the effects of Harvey to be substantial and lasting," UBS economists said in a note. They added that it's difficult to forecast the full impact, even by comparing this to previous hurricanes, because each one is unique.&n
  • Here are the complete annotations to decode everything in Shervin Pishevar's epic Uber diatribe

    It's not everyday that the clubby world of venture capital engages in open warfare among investors.
    Even less so when the feud involves a 250-word missive laced with fiery language, metaphors and Latin edicts worthy of a Middle-earth battlefield speech, or a roof-shaking sermon ... or maybe just an indie-rock song.
    But that's exactly what happened early Wednesday when Uber investor Shervin Pishevar sent out a remarkable statement blasting a faction of Uber's board o
  • Women snap up luxury cars in China

    SHANGHAI: China’s most affluent young women are snapping up luxury sports cars as a symbol of their newfound wealth and status within Chinese society, according to new data.While automotive marketing has been traditionally male-oriented,...
  • US consumers strike a ‘life-email balance'

    SAN JOSE, CA: Even though the overall number of hours US consumers spend on email each day has decreased 27% from last year, email is by far their preferred channel on which to receive offers from brands, a new survey has revealed.Based on...
  • Modern consumers expect immediate service

    MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA: The extent to which consumers now expect brands to meet their immediate needs has been highlighted in new analysis of search trends on Google.Among the findings, the Google research revealed that mobile searches related to...
  • EU data laws ramp up costs for tech firms

    LONDON: Leading tech companies, including Facebook, are rushing to hire extra staff and spending millions of dollars as they seek to ensure their products comply with tough data protection laws that the European Union will enforce next year.The...
  • Cash remains king in much of Asia

    SINGAPORE: Consumers in Asia-Pacific have a high level of awareness about digital wallets and similar payment methods, but the majority (57%) still prefer to use cash, according to a new survey of seven regional markets.PayPal, the online payments...
  • Brands need to make consumers care about AI

    LONDON: Consumers are becoming increasingly familiar with artificial intelligence (AI), but the challenge for brands is how best to employ the technology to create the shopping experiences of the future.That is according to a new study from OMD...
  • Blogging pays off for Barbie

    CANNES: Giving Barbie a video blog on YouTube has paid major dividends for Mattel, the iconic doll’s parent company, in terms of both consumer connectivity and sales growth.Launched in mid-2015, this “vlog” features a...
  • Consumer confidence edges up but marketers warned ‘not to be fooled’

    Brands were warned last month that there was “unlikely to be any optimism for the foreseeable future” after dire consumer confidence figures last month. However, just a month later and consumer confidence is back on the up. In fact, in August all six of GfK’s main measures experienced a lift following a two-month run of deep declines.
    The headline consumer confidence metric edged up two points to -10 in August. And consumer perceptions around personal finances over the last 12
  • Birds Eye looks to maintain brand relevance as it celebrates Captain’s 50th anniversary

    Birds Eye is on a mission to ensure it maintains relevance with younger audiences, as it celebrates Captain Birds Eye’s 50th anniversary with a promise that the brand ambassador is “here to stay”.
    The frozen food brand is kicking off a month of celebrations for the golden jubilee of its brand icon today (31 August). As part of the activity, it will be unveiling a Golden Captain Birds Eye statue near Greenwich in London.
    It is also offering consumers the chance to win a Captain
  • Oil refineries have released 2 million pounds of chemicals in Harvey's wake, and scientists are worried

    Tropical Storm Harvey may be on the move — but its after-effects are just beginning to be realized.
    In addition to slamming homes and hospitals, the storm struck the heart of Texas' refining industry, where roughly a third of America's oil is processed. In its wake, more than two million pounds of hazardous chemicals have been released into the air, according to filings reported with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and first reported by Politico.
    Those chemicals include cance
  • Amazon and Microsoft want their AI assistants to be friends. Here's what that really means. (MSFT, AMZN, AAPL, GOOG, GOOGL)

    On Wednesday, Microsoft and Amazon made a surprise announcement: Cortana and Alexa, their respective AI-based voice assistants, will work together.  
    Or, as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos succinctly put it in a tweet: "Alexa has made a new friend."
    For anyone following the rise of artificial intelligence and the spread of virtual assistants into our everyday lives, this feels like a big moment. 
    Your home could soon be inhabited by multiple virtual beings — each already capable
  • Harvey is subsiding, but for the tens of thousands driven from their homes the financial toll is just beginning

    Tens of thousands of Texans have been driven from their homes after dangerous flooding from Harvey.Officials estimate up to 40,000 homes in the Houston area could be destroyed.
    Less than 20% have flood insurance, leaving people to rely on FEMA to help replace belongings and rebuild their homes.
    Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas last Friday, dangerous flooding has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes, leaving "unprecedented" rainfall and winds to wreak havoc.
    Officials

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