Sales & Marketing news

• ROUND 2: Senate Republicans will release their own tax bill on Thursday with big changes from the House version

  07-11-2017 23:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Senate Republican tax bill is expected to be released on Thursday.
  The bill will likely have key differences from the House version of the bill.Congressional Republicans are set to release another massive tax bill later this week.
  The Senate Finance Committee is expected to roll out its version of a proposed tax code overhaul on Thursday, according to the chair of the committee, Sen. Orrin Hatch, and other Republican leaders.
  The bill comes as the House debate their own versi
  
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• Mom-and-pop stores could be prime for a renaissance (ING)

  07-11-2017 23:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  Independent retailers have struggled to compete with bigger chains and Amazon in recent years
  Sales have not kept up with rent, leading to "high rent blight."
  Large retailers' avoidance of these areas could lead to an independent retail renaissance. For years, pundits have predicted the continued demise of independent retailers. The arrival of shopping malls and power centers drew foot traffic away from the neighborhood Mom-and-Pop stores. Next came the axe wielded by e-commerce giant
  
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• BILL ACKMAN ON ADP: I lost the vote, but I also won (ADP)

  07-11-2017 23:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Billionaire hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman lost his bid to get three of his own candidates on the board of ADP, the human-resources company.
  The vote came after a three-month testy back-and-forth between the activist investor and ADP.
  Ackman says that despite the loss, he and investors in his fund, Pershing Square, have actually won in the long-term.
  "What our investors want us to do is make them money. We've made them money so far in our investment in ADP," Ackman told Business Insider.
  The st
  
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• Snap wrote down nearly $40 million because Spectacles are a flop (SNAP)

  07-11-2017 22:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  Snapchat spent $39.9 million in the last quarter in charges related to unsold Spectacles and retailer cancellations.
  Spectacles never caught on, with under half of users continuing to use the camera glasses after a month. 
  Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, said on Tuesday that it wrote down $40 million in the last quarter because of unsold Spectacles, its camera glasses.
  "Unfortunately, we misjudged strong early demand for Spectacles and purchased more inventory than we now antici
  
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• Snapchat is redesigning its app after CEO Evan Spiegel admitted it's too difficult to use (SNAP)

  07-11-2017 22:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  Snap announced on Tuesday plans to redesign its core product, Snapchat.
  Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said that users have told him the Snapchat app is "difficult to understand" and "hard to use."
  The app redesign may pose a risk to Snap's business because the company doesn't yet know "how the behavior of our community will change." Snapchat's founder admitted that the company's app is too difficult to use on Tuesday and vowed to redesign it, a startling move to abandon on
  
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• A new government report shows most Americans would get a tax cut under the GOP tax plan — but many would pay more

  07-11-2017 22:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Joint Committee on Taxation released a new report on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
  The analysis found that while the TCJA would lower taxes for most people, nearly 20% of Americans would see a tax increase by 2027.
  The report laid out that the TCJA would create a distinct set of winner and losers.The House GOP tax plan would result in a tax increase for nearly one out of five Americans by 2027, according to a new report from the Joint Committee on Taxation.
  The JC
  
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• One group would greatly benefit from raising the minimum wage — and it shows how America has failed them

  07-11-2017 22:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Approximately 1.8 million veterans in payroll jobs across the US would get a raise if Congress raised the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024, a study by the Economic Policy Institute found.
  Nearly two-thirds of the veterans who would get the raise are age 40 or older, over 60% have some college experience, and nearly 70% work full time.
  The real federal minimum wage peaked back in 1968.
   
  Nearly 2 million US veterans would benefit from raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per
  
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• STOCKS DIP: Here's what you need to know

  07-11-2017 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Nasdaq edged lower on Tuesday, while the Dow and the S&P 500 were little changed.
  Dow: 23,557.23, +8.81, (+0.04%)
  S&P 500: 2,590.64, -0.49, (-0.02%)
  Nasdaq: 6,767.78, -18.65, (-0.27%)
  1. Snap tanked after missing Wall Street's expectations for its third quarter earnings. Shares were down by about 20% in after-hours trading after the firm announced it added only 3 million users in the third quarter. The primary question for investors is whether the young public company can&
  
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• Sears and Kmart will kick off their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving

  07-11-2017 21:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  Sears and Kmart announced their Black Friday hours.Most Sears stores will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and close at midnight, then reopen at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.Most Kmart stores will be open from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. on Thanksgiving, before reopening at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.
  Both stores are offering early access to Black Friday sales to members of their Shop Your Way rewards program.
   
  Sears has been struggling recently, as it continues to lose money and partnerships. In response, Sears
  
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• Shopping center stock GGP is rising on reports that Brookfield is interested in a takeover (GGP)

  07-11-2017 21:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  Brookfield, an asset manager, is in talks to acquire shopping mall investor General Growth Properties, according to Bloomberg News.
  GGP shares are up 17% on the news, adding to its $18.18 billion market cap.
  The talks are in the early stages, Bloomberg reports, and may not lead to a deal.
  Brookfield currently owns 34% of GGP shares, which it purchased for $462 million as part of an agreement to take the company out of bankruptcy.
  The companies discussed a 10-15% premium
  
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• Snap flops with disastrous Q3 earnings that send shares diving (SNAP)

  07-11-2017 21:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  Snap badly missed expectations for its third quarter as a public company. Its stock dove as a result.
  Snapchat added 4.5 million users, up merely 3% from the previous quarter. A complete redesign of the app is planned to address the stagnant growth.
  Snap took a $40 million charge for misjudging the demand for its Spectacles glasses with excess inventory.Snap Inc's stock plunged in after-hours trading on Tuesday after the company reported a disastrous third-quarter repor
  
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• LIVE: Snap flops on Q3 earnings with only 4.5 million new users, stock dives (SNAP)

  07-11-2017 21:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  Snap Inc. missed Wall Street's expectations for its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday with lackluster results that sent shares diving roughly 16% in after-hours trading.
  Snapchat added only 4.5 million new users versus the 8 million expected by analysts for the quarter, a sign that its growth is continuing to slow under mounting pressure from Facebook-owned Instagram. Snap said that its shift to programmatic advertising earlier this year has "made it harder to grow reve
  
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• Oprah Winfrey has now raked in $300 million from her Weight Watchers investment (WTW)

  07-11-2017 21:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  Oprah Winfrey owns 10% of Weight Watchers' stock, with options to grow that position to 15%.
  She's made a net $300 million on the investment since late 2015, as the stock has surged almost 700%.
   
  Weight Watchers shareholders rejoiced on Tuesday as the company's stock surged as much as 22%. But no one had more to celebrate than Oprah Winfrey.
  The TV superstar and media mogul owns roughly 10% of the company's stock after making a huge investment back in late 2015, and it's paid off handsome
  
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• Here's why I like Google's speakers better than the Amazon Echo (AMZN, GOOG)

  07-11-2017 20:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  This holiday season, Google Home and Amazon Echo will be very popular gifts, with both companies releasing new products in the line.
  Amazon Echo is great for Amazon fans, with a wide range of hardware and some nifty software.
  But Google Home is better for most people — Google's AI and ability to answer even weird questions makes all the difference.
  This holiday season, the escalating war between Google and Amazon is coming to a store shelf near you. 
  Amazon will be pushing its revita
  
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• Millennial investors are 'losing confidence' in Snap ahead of earnings (SNAP)

  07-11-2017 20:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  Snap reports third-quarter earnings after the markets close on Tuesday.
  The company is popular among millennials, but many aren't optimistic about the company's earnings, according to Robinhood.
  Watch Snap's stock move in real time here.
  Millennials aren't too bullish ahead of Snap's third-quarter earnings report, due out after the bell on Tuesday.
  Investors on the Robinhood platform, which is popular among millennial investors, are buying shares of Snap 2% more than they are selling
  
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• Top GOP congressman: My donors told me to pass the Republican tax bill or 'don't ever call me again'

  07-11-2017 19:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  Rep. Chris Collins, a New York Republican, said donors have told him to pass the GOP tax bill or "don't ever call" them again.
  The bill is being marked up in the House Ways and Means Committee, and GOP leaders want it passed by Christmas.Rep. Chris Collins, a New York Republican, on Tuesday cited pressure from donors as an imperative for the GOP to pass its tax bill.
  "My donors are basically saying, 'Get it done or don't ever call me again,'" Collins told reporters.
  Republican leaders have port
  
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• We just got a glimpse of how bitcoin futures will work

  07-11-2017 19:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  CME Group will launch bitcoin futures in the fourth quarter.
  Bitcoin will trade in $25 ticks and have a daily range of no more than 20% above or below the prior settlement price.
   
  CME Group, one of the largest exchange groups in the world, announced last week it will roll out a bitcoin futures contract in the fourth quarter.
  The announcement has generated a lot of buzz on Wall Street, and sparked a big rally in the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin climbed from $6,100 on October 30 (the d
  
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• $800 MILLION FEEDING FRENZY: Wall Street banks stand to make a fortune from a tech deal spree (AVGO, QCOM)

  07-11-2017 19:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  Broadcom's record-breaking $130 billion bid for rival chipmaker Qualcomm could earn banks as much as $280 million in advisory fees.
  Qualcomm is set to reject the unsolicited offer, according to several reports. 
  Wall Street bankers have been on a feeding frenzy orchestrating transactions for a handful of tech chipmaking firms. 
  If pending deals gain approval, bankers will have earned a payday of as much as $790 million in advisory and debt financing fees from four takeover transaction
  
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• The Apple supplier that revealed the iPhone 8's glass case says it's working on augmented-reality technology (AAPL)

  07-11-2017 19:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  A company that sells parts to Apple said Tuesday it's starting to manufacture parts for an augmented-reality headset. 
  The company's chairman previously broke the news that this year's iPhones would have glass cases. 
   
  One of Apple's key suppliers is developing parts for augmented-reality devices, its chairman told investors and reporters on Tuesday. 
  Allen Horng, who heads Catcher Technology, which makes and assembles the iPhone 8's metal frame and
  
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• Wall Street's most hated drugmaker is getting annihilated after a bizarre conference call (MNK)

  07-11-2017 19:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals missed its Q3 revenue on lower sales of its controversial blockbuster drug, Acthar.
  Wall Street didn't like the sales miss. It liked even less that the company had little explanation for the miss on its conference call, and blamed lower sales on an unfulfilled prescription problem.
  Hows this for an excuse for a lousy earnings report. Doctors are prescribing our blockbuster drug like crazy, but people just aren't filling prescriptions.The drug in question is cal
  
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• An influential conservative group slammed a key piece of the GOP tax plan as 'class warfare'

  07-11-2017 18:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Club for Growth, an influential conservative group, suggested it would not support the current version of the Republican tax bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.The group said proposed changes to the individual rates amounted to "class warfare."The Club for Growth, an influential conservative group, criticized the massive Republican tax plan on Tuesday, taking issue with key parts of the current version of the legislation.
  David McIntosh, the president of Club for Growth, said in a statement th
  
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• Snap is gaining ahead of earnings (SNAP)

  07-11-2017 18:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  Snap reports third-quarter earnings after Tuesday's closing bell.
  Snap's stock is up 2.16% ahead of the report.
  Watch Snap's stock move in real time.
  Snap is trading up 2.56% at $15.21 a share ahead of the company's third-quarter earnings report, which is scheduled to be released after markets close on Tuesday.
  Wall Street is expecting an adjusted loss of $0.15 per share on revenue of $235.5 million. Nine of the 34 Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg rate the comp
  
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• Facebook says ‘sky is the limit’ for Messenger as it brings customer service tools to brand websites

  07-11-2017 17:33
  Facebook is making a major push on its Messenger service as it looks to provide marketers with a “more efficient” customer service alternative to call centres.
  Facebook is introducing a money transfer tool for the UK market and a new chat plugin, which will allow brands to embed a customer service chatbot directly onto their website. The new services are part of the rollout of Facebook Messenger 2.2 and also include the ability for brands to start sending people sponsored messages.
  T
  
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• Google admits VR is still far too much of an ‘isolating’ experience

  07-11-2017 15:18
  With disappointing sales of much-hyped devices such as Oculus Rift, it’s fair to say virtual reality (VR) hasn’t quite taken off in 2017 like some had predicted. But this hasn’t stopped Google from investing in the technology.
  It recently launched its second DayDream VR headset, which is activated after a user plugs in their Android smartphone. It hopes the device’s lower price (it costs around $99) and use of existing smartphone technology will resonate more with the mas
  
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• Ryanair dismisses talk of cancellation ‘chaos’ and says the brand has ‘already moved on’

  07-11-2017 14:09
  Back in September, Ryanair suffered something of a crisis after it was forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights, affecting some 315,000 passengers, after it admitted it had “messed up” its pilots’ holiday roster. This resulted in reports claiming many of its pilots and staff were overworked and desperate to leave.
  However, speaking at Web Summit in Lisbon today (7 November), Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs claimed the issue was more negatively received by t
  
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• M&S tells the story of how Paddington saved Christmas in ‘feel-good’ festive campaign

  07-11-2017 01:01
  Marks & Spencer has enlisted the help of Paddington bear for a “feel-good” Christmas campaign that it hopes will offer customers a break from reality and prove to be both a creative and commercial success.
  Tying in with the launch of the new Paddington film, the campaign, created by Grey, sees the well-known bear unknowingly save Christmas for friends and neighbours when he mistakes a burglar, who has stolen everyone’s presents, for Santa. He goes about diligently helping h
  
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• Aldi hopes to repeat last year’s Christmas ‘success’ with return of Kevin the Carrot

  07-11-2017 01:01
  Aldi is bringing back Kevin the Carrot after last year’s Christmas campaign led to a 15.1% sales uplift and helped the discounter to attract one million new shoppers.
  This year’s campaign sees Kevin on the hunt for love as he attempts to win the affection of female carrot Katie. The ad takes place on a train and features a murdered ginger bread man – closely linked to the ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ blockbuster film that premiered over the weekend.
  The 60-second
  
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• Aldi brings back Kevin the Carrot as it looks to repeat last year’s Christmas ‘success’

  07-11-2017 01:01
  Aldi is bringing back Kevin the Carrot after last year’s Christmas campaign led to a 15.1% sales uplift and helped the discounter to attract one million new shoppers.
  This year’s campaign sees Kevin on the hunt for love as he attempts to win the affection of female carrot Katie. The ad takes place on a train and features a murdered ginger bread man – closely linked to the ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ blockbuster film that premiered over the weekend.
  The 60-second
  
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• Pritchard's call to arms on racial inequality

  07-11-2017 01:00 via warc.com
  MIAMI BEACH, FL: Marc Pritchard, Procter & Gamble's Chief Brand Officer, believes that fighting racial inequality is an urgent priority for the marketing industry - as well as representing a mission of profound personal significance.Pritchard...
  
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• P&G's marketing manifesto for racial equality

  07-11-2017 01:00 via warc.com
  MIAMI BEACH, FL: Marc Pritchard, Procter & Gamble's Chief Brand Officer, believes that fighting racial inequality is an urgent priority for the marketing industry - as well as representing a mission of profound personal significance.Pritchard...
  
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• Global Ad Trends: the importance of TV

  07-11-2017 01:00 via warc.com
  GLOBAL:TV takes up almost two thirds of media spend in high-budget, successful ad campaigns, according to a new WARC service.The Global...
  
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• Festive season boosts Indian adspend

  07-11-2017 01:00 via warc.com
  MUMBAI: Concerns about the slow recovery of India’s advertising market in 2017 have been allayed to a great extentby reported growth of 15-20% during the recent festive season.Factors such as demonetisation and the introduction of a Goods...
  
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• European advertising confidence steadies

  07-11-2017 01:00 via warc.com
  BRUSSELS: Business confidence in the European advertising and marketing sector grew slightly in the third quarter of the year, following a sharp drop in the first half of the year.According to the latest European Advertising Business Climate...
  
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• Catalogues aren't dead

  07-11-2017 01:00 via warc.com
  SYDNEY: In focusing on the television versus online debate, marketers are in danger of neglecting less glamorous media choices that consumers find genuinely useful in making purchase decisions, new research suggests.The MOP Awareness Survey,...
  
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• 2018: a year of reckoning

  07-11-2017 01:00 via warc.com
  CAMBRIDGE, MASS: Next year will be “a year of reckoning” for many companies, according to a new report which argues that while the overall marketplace may be healthy, the future of individual businesses is as uncertain as it has ever...
  
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