Sales & Marketing news

• There's a dirty secret hidden in your investment portfolio — and it's much worse for the environment than driving

  22-11-2017 21:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  Your investment portfolio contributes far more greenhouse gases than any other lifestyle choice you make.
  An investment of $500,000 split between two common indexes produces 51 tons of carbon dioxide.
  If you want to help the environment, start by looking at your portfolio. 
   
  While environmentalists may rightly point their fingers at carbon-spewing airplanes and SUVs, there's actually a hidden source of greenhouse gas emissions that's much worse than driving— and it's lurking in
  
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• The Fed is having 2nd thoughts about raising interest rates further

  22-11-2017 20:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen raised fresh concerns about low inflation in a speech on Tuesday evening.
  Minutes from the Fed's November 1 meeting show that doubts exist among policymakers about whether low inflation is, in fact, transitory.
  Wall Street is still counting on a December interest-rate hike, but future rate increases may be in doubt unless inflation and wages pick up.Between Janet Yellen's speech on Tuesday night and the minutes of the Federal Reserve's November meeting,
  
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• Obamacare sign ups are crushing their pace from last year — but there's still a huge problem

  22-11-2017 19:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  The number of people enrolling in Obamacare insurance plans through the first three weeks of the sign-up period is higher than the number of people who signed up through four weeks in 2016.
  While the pace if enrollment is higher than last year, the enrollment period is just six weeks instead of 12.
  That means that the total number of sign ups could still be substantially lower than 2016, a worrying sign for the future of the individual insurance market.Enrollment in the
  
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• Billionaire Facebook board member Peter Thiel has sold most of his remaining stake in Facebook (FB)

  22-11-2017 18:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  Peter Thiel has sold most of his Facebook shares.
  The shares were sold as part of a pre-determined trading plan designed to protect company insiders from insider trading accusations.Billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, Facebook's first institutional investor, has sold three-quarters of his remaining stake in the social network, according to a regulatory filing filed on Tuesday.
  The sell was part of a pre-determined trading plan designed to protect company insiders from acc
  
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• Facebook will let some of its users see if they interacted with Russian propaganda (FB)

  22-11-2017 18:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  Some Facebook users will be able to see which Russia-linked pages they interacted with on the social network.
  Facebook still won't tell users whether the propaganda they saw was a paid ad or a post in their News Feed.
  The move follows in the footsteps of Twitter.Facebook said on Wednesday that it would let some of its users see whether they liked or followed pages belonging to Russia-linked operatives that sought to sow political divisiveness around the 2016 US presidential election.
  A new page
  
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• The government proposed new rules that would let internet providers block apps and create fast lanes — read the full plan (VZ, CMCSA)

  22-11-2017 18:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Federal Communications Commission will vote December 14 on a new rule that would roll back net-neutrality regulations adopted in 2015.
  The FCC released the full text of the order on Wednesday.
  It proposes allowing internet service providers to create so-called fast lanes and block apps and services, as well as giving privacy oversight to the Federal Trade Commission.The Federal Communications Commission, led by chairman Ajit Pai, on Wednesday released the final draft of a closely watched pl
  
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• A new analysis shows the Senate GOP tax bill fails a key test that would prevent it from passing

  22-11-2017 17:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  Senate Republicans are attempting to pass their tax bill using budget reconciliation, which allows it to pass with a simple majority vote.
  A bill passed under reconciliation must also abide by the Byrd rule, which says the bill can't add to the debt outside of a 10-year window.
  According the the Penn-Wharton Budget Model, the current Senate GOP tax bill fails that key test.
  The Senate GOP's legislation overhauling the federal tax code would not pass the chamber due to a
  
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• Apple's jaw-dropping 'spaceship' campus is open — take a look from above (AAPL)

  22-11-2017 17:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  It's been a long few years, but Apple's $5 billion campus, with its famous "spaceship" building, is finally finished — mostly.
  Earlier this month, Apple started inviting people to the new visitor center at Apple Park, the building's only space open to the public, which serves coffee and sells exclusive Apple swag. Employees started moving into the new campus earlier this year, and the pace is expected to pick up in the coming months.
  The campus certainly looks finished. Thousands of trees
  
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• One of Wall Street's biggest bears just doubled his bitcoin forecast to $11,500

  22-11-2017 17:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tom Lee of Fundstrat has nearly doubled his forecast for bitcoin, calling for the cryptocurrency to hit $11,500 by mid-2018.
  Lee says that a recent dip in bitcoin's price wiped out weak, low-conviction holdings, clearing the path for further gains.Well that sure escalated quickly.
  Tom Lee, the managing partner and head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, has almost doubled his forecast for bitcoin. He now expects the scorching-hot cryptocurrency to hit $11,500 by mid-2018, up from his pre
  
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• Video marketing: A beginner’s guide

  22-11-2017 16:29
  Here Marketing Week looks at some of the core issues that brands should consider around video marketing.Jump to:
  Creating a video marketing strategy
  Choosing a video format
  Choosing the right screen size
  Autoplay and no sound
  Measuring video
  Video on a budget
  Creating a video marketing strategy
  Devising an effective video strategy is no mean feat. Although the barriers to entry are lower for brands compared to other media channels such as TV or cinema, marketers must think carefully about the ty
  
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• Five key takeaways from the Autumn Budget

  22-11-2017 16:29
  Economic growth continues to stutter
  Despite Hammond (pictured above) opening his statement by claiming the UK economy “continues to confound those who talk it down,” his GDP numbers were not particularly reassuring.
  In March, Hammond backed 2% growth in the British economy for 2017. However, that prediction has now been downgraded to just 1.5%. And he says growth is going to slow steadily over the next three years (2018: 1.4%, 2019: 1.3%, 2020: 1.5%) before rising again slightly to
  
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• The GOP tax plan got a big boost from a key Republican senator

  22-11-2017 16:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said that she supported the repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate as part of the GOP's tax plan.
  This is a positive for the tax bill, as there were concerns over Murkowski's support amid proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act.
  Despite the support, there's no guarantee the mandate repeal ends up in the final bill.Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of the handful of Republican senators who are question marks to support the GOP's massive tax
  
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• Home prices in America are increasing at double the rate of a 'normal' housing market

  22-11-2017 14:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  The rise in US house prices since the recession has created a market favorable for sellers.
  In more than half of the country's largest metros, homes are worth more today than before the recession, according to Zillow's October housing market report.
  Nationally, home values rose 6.5% over the past year to a median of $203,400.
   
  For the 15th consecutive month, US home values have increased by at least 6%, according to Zillow's October housing market report.
  That's double the annual rate of
  
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• Trump's been saying some wild things about the economy - here's what he said to Alabama's right wing radio hosts 'Rick and Bubba'

  22-11-2017 13:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  If the economy comes up at Thanksgiving, it's best to be prepared with a few facts because any Trump supporters in your family are going to have their own alternative set.
  For example, for all the talk of 3% growth in the economy, remind that cousin of yours that when Barack Obama was President, the economy grew faster than 3% in 8 separate quarters. 
  Also, there are no national economies in the world growing as fast as Trump recently claimed.
  Trump's pitch to his base shine
  
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• ‘Authenticity means admitting you want to sell stuff’

  22-11-2017 13:40
  Authenticity is one of the most overused words in marketing. The idea that brands must be authentic has gone from being a vague notion about how brands should behave to something of a dogma that must be upheld.
  And it’s no longer just a harmless word lost in hundreds of pages of PowerPoint strategising. Of late, there has been a proliferation of the word ‘authentic’ being used in copy (because, after all, what’s more authentic than telling people you’re authentic?)
  
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• GOLDMAN SACHS: Here's how to make a killing in the market this Black Friday

  22-11-2017 12:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  Goldman Sachs says this holiday quarter is going to account for a bigger percentage of annual sales for retailers than in years past.
  The firm says options investors aren't adequately pricing in the potential for single-stock volatility, creating opportunities in the market.Everyone knows the holiday season creates loads of good deals for consumers. But stock traders are also presented with money-making opportunities — they just have to know where to look.
  That's where Goldman Sachs comes
  
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• Diageo on craft’s longevity, the rise of non-alcoholic brands and testing out VR

  22-11-2017 08:18
  A tech conference perhaps isn’t the most obvious destination for Diageo’s global head of beer Mark Sandys. However, with the alcohol giant recently appointing its first chief digital officer, Sandys, clearly aching after a day walking through the vast halls of Web Summit in Lisbon, insists Diageo is now very much focused on positioning itself at the “forefront of digital technology”.
  So far, a big part of this journey has been about building the business around data in or
  
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• The most expensive apartments in Asia just sold for $149 million

  22-11-2017 06:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  Two units in a Hong Kong luxury housing development are the most expensive in Asia, selling for a combined $149 million. 
  Rising prices and mega-million dollar apartments mean middle-class families have to compete for subsidized housing in one of the world's most expensive cities.
  Less than a tenth of Hong Kong's land area is zoned for housing.Properties in Hong Kong are among the priciest in the world, and a pair of fancy apartments in the city have now been crowned the mos
  
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• The 3 best ways to trade Amazon's retail dominance (AMZN)

  22-11-2017 04:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  There are three main ways to profit from Amazon's rapid growth and increasing dominance of the retail sector, according to Brian Belski of BMO Capital Markets.
  Many of the best opportunities are in companies and industries peripherally related to Amazon, while others can be found in areas insulated from its influence.What's the best way to trade the rapid ascendance of Amazon into a global juggernaut?
  The answer is not as simple as it may seem. After all, anyone with even a passing interest in
  
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• Tourbillon Capital, a $3.4 billion hedge fund that's been sounding the alarm about 'frothy speculation,' is suffering big losses

  22-11-2017 03:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tourbillon Capital is a $3.4 billion New York hedge fund led by Jason Karp.
  Karp has been warning of "frothy speculation," in the markets and has been preaching patience.
  The firm's flagship fund is down more than 10% for the year to November 17.Tourbillon Capital, a $3.4 billion hedge fund firm led by Jason Karp, is suffering.
  The firm's flagship Global Master fund is down 3.5% for the first 17 days of November, bringing performance for the year to November 17 to a loss of 10.6%
  
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• The 7 types of Christmas ads

  22-11-2017 01:00
  The modern Christmas ad is deeply associated with John Lewis and its mega-successful formula of tear-jerking storytelling and thoughtful gifting. But that’s just one of several strategies retailers and other brands use to win...
  
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• Radio is UK's most trusted medium

  22-11-2017 01:00
  LONDON: 77% of Brits see radio as a trusted source of national news, with additional strengths in local news, at a time of declining trust in news media and diminishing resources for local journalism.This is according to a new study by...
  
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• Parents want content for 'the whole person'

  22-11-2017 01:00
  SYDNEY: Publishers and advertisers wanting to target parents are better off appealing to the “whole person” rather than just their role as parents, according to a Buzzfeed executive.Charleen Ong, Director of Client Services at BuzzFeed...
  
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• Nestlé launches branded speaker

  22-11-2017 01:00
  BEIJING: As voice-activated speakers start to gain traction with consumers, FMCG giant Nestlé has introduced a Nestlé-branded smart speaker in China as a way of providing reliable and credible information to consumers.“There is...
  
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• Global brands gain upper hand

  22-11-2017 01:00
  NEW YORK: The balance between global and local brands is tilting towards the former in many categories, new research from Nielsen indicates.The
  
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• FMCG prices cut in line with GST

  22-11-2017 01:00
  NEW DELHI: Faced with the threat of anti-profiteering action, FMCG companies in India have fallen in line with government insistence that the benefits of GST rate cuts are passed on to consumers.Earlier this month the GST Council cut tax rates on...
  
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• Facial recognition: dystopia or marketing heaven?

  22-11-2017 01:00
  LONDON: The launch of the iPhoneX has brought facial recognition nearer the mainstream, a development which is likely to open up new avenues for advertisers while increasing the concerns of privacy campaigners, according to a new WARC report.The...
  
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• Chinese agencies expand west

  22-11-2017 01:00
  NEW YORK/SHANGHAI: Tencent’s market valuation overtaking that of Facebook lends added weight to a growing trend that has seen Chinese agencies expanding in the US to offer services to brands targeting the world’s second-biggest economy. ...
  
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