Sales & Marketing news

• Trump is moving forward on a trade deal with Mexico, cutting out Canada for now. Here's what happens next.

  31-08-2018 23:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  President Donald Trump notified Congress that the administration plans to enter a new bilateral trade deal with Mexico, starting an official countdown.
  The notification does not include Canada, the other member of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Talks between US and Canadian officials failed to produce an agreement Friday.
  US officials said negotiations with their Canadian counterparts will continue next week, and Canada may join the US-Mexico agreement "if it is willing."
  Here are
  
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• Kylie Jenner saved Ulta Beauty from a brutal earnings report — and catapulted shares to their best level in over a year (ULTA)

  31-08-2018 20:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  Kylie Jenner's cosmetics line will soon be available in Ulta Beauty stores, the 21-year-old said Friday. 
  Shares of Ulta hit their highest level in more than a year following the announcement, which helped the retailer shrug off an otherwise grim quarterly earnings. 
  Follow Ulta Beauty's stock price in real-time here. 
  Shares of Ulta Beauty surged more than 5% — hitting $268.69, their highest price in more than a year — thanks to a partnership with Kylie Jenner, who sa
  
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• Wall Street has helped eliminate one of bitcoin's biggest problems, and it could fulfill 'Satoshi Nakamoto's original vision'

  31-08-2018 20:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  2018 has witnessed a drop-off in price variations on digital asset exchanges.
  That trend is tied to the entrance of large Wall Street firms into the market, which makes it more stable, according to cryptocurrency data provider SFOX. 
  Many crypto enthusiast long for a day when bitcoin will replace the entire financial system. But in the meantime, Wall Street might actually be helping the digital asset's long term adoption, one firm says. 
  New data from SFOX, the cryptocurrency data prov
  
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• Elon Musk says he was thinking like a Vegas casino owner when he tweeted 'funding secured' (TSLA)

  31-08-2018 20:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  Elon Musk was thinking like a casino operator when he infamously tweeted that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private, he told the Wall Street Journal.
  The CEO of the electric-car company, Musk believed the odds were in his favor.
  It's not clear what, specifically, he thought was likely to happen — going private, getting the funding, or the per-share price that would be paid to shareholders.
  Musk's tweet is now the subject of an inquiry by securities regulators.When Elon Musk tweete
  
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• Ford 'must execute significant structural change' (F)

  31-08-2018 19:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Moody's downgraded Ford's bonds to one level above junk status this week — a move that has even the automaker's biggest fans worried.
  Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley writes that there's still room for Ford to execute on it's plan — if only he knew what that plan was.
  Follow Ford's stock price in real-time here. 
  Ford got slapped with a downgrade from the debt-rating agency Moody’s on Wednesday — and its most bullish Wall Street analyst isn’t happy about the implic
  
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• Hedge funds were loving these 25 stocks in the 2nd quarter

  31-08-2018 19:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  WalletHub analyzes financial disclosures for 400 of the largest hedge funds every quarter to help other investors replicate their success. 
  The firm put together a list of the funds' favorite stocks, including which moved up or down from previous quarters.
  Each quarter, hedge funds must disclose their holdings of publicly traded companies.
  WalletHub, a personal finance site, analyzes the filings of top 400 hedge funds each quarter to see what stocks they were buying up and which they were s
  
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• Coca-Cola will operate a ‘connected not integrated’ strategy for Costa

  31-08-2018 18:11
  Coca-Cola plans to operate a “connected but integrated” strategy for Costa coffee following its acquisition of the company that will see it focus away from retail and instead on building the global brand.
  Speaking on an investor call today (31 August), Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said Coke has learned lessons from the past on how best to manage an acquisition. He explained: “At times we have bought things and tried to make them fit and have not done justice to their category.
  
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• If you can solve one of these 6 major math problems, you'll win a $1 million prize

  31-08-2018 18:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  In 2000, the Clay Mathematics Institute announced the Millennium Prize problems. These were a collection of seven of the most important math problems that remain unsolved.
  Reflecting the importance of the problems, the Institute offered a $1 million prize to anyone who could provide a rigorous, peer-reviewed solution to any of the problems.
  While one of the problems, the Poincare Conjecture, was famously solved in 2006 (with the mathematician who solved it, Grigori Perelman, equally famously tu
  
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• A passionate army of shareholders has shouldered MoviePass' massive losses, as its leadership feeds them empty assurances (HMNY)

  31-08-2018 18:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  MoviePass and its parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics, have covered massive losses by selling new shares of stock to a passionate base of retail shareholders.
  While seeking support for measures he needed passed at a special shareholders meeting in July, Helios CEO Ted Farnsworth characterized them as an "army" and stressed that he had their best interests in mind.
  Within days, several assurances Farnsworth made at the meeting started to unwind.
  Many Helios shareholders have seen their
  
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• Lululemon is taking a page out of Sephora's playbook in its quest to take over the world (LULU)

  31-08-2018 17:37 via feedproxy.google.com
  Lululemon Athletica CEO Calvin McDonald emphasized similarities between his previous employer Sephora and his new company on its second-quarter earnings call.
  The company is ready to seize opportunity to expand internationally.
  The retailer delivered strong second-quarter earnings and raised full-year guidance.
  Watch Lululemon Athletica trade in real-time here.
  Lululemon Athletica's new CEO is on his way to generate profits and expand the brand internationally using the experience
  
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• How to use loyalty marketing NOW to boost holiday season profits [Webinar]

  31-08-2018 17:15 via retailpro.com
    3 things are clear to retailers: Most of your sales come from existing customers. The best way to increase repeat sales is to focus on cultivating customer loyalty. Success for your loyalty marketing program depends critically on shopper enrollment. …
  Continue reading →
  
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• Ikea, Pernod, social spend: 5 things that mattered this week and why

  31-08-2018 15:45
  Ikea moves with the times as it shifts marketing strategy
  Ikea is often held up as an example of creative excellence, with its ‘Wonderful Everyday’ campaign helping cement the brand’s positioning and drive sales success. But the market is changing – more people are renting homes rather than buying and living with friends rather than partners. That means changes to how they decorate and buy furniture.
  Ikea’s previous marketing strategy made much of the complete styl
  
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• China is once again staring down the biggest Catch-22 in its economy

  31-08-2018 15:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  China's economy has started to slow dramatically, even before US tariffs have had a chance to make an impact.
  The government is scrambling to boost growth and walking back some of the measures it took to rein in debt and credit creation.
  This means it is once again encouraging infrastructure investment — one of the biggest drivers of China's debt bubble in the first place.
  Beijing knows this is risky, and an analyst at Societe Generale says that by 2019 it could lead to the full return of
  
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• India keeps its crown as the fastest-growing major economy in the world

  31-08-2018 15:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  Economic growth in India was 8.2% in the second quarter.
  That beat expectations for 7.6% growth and surpassed previous quarter GDP of 7.7%.
  A strong manufacturing sector and isolation from ongoing trade tensions helped power growth, analysts say.
  India's economy expanded more than 8% between April and June from a year earlier, as a surge in manufacturing activity and spending powered the world's sixth-largest economy to its fastest growth in more than two years.  
  Gross domestic produc
  
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• Lynx refocuses on ‘humour with heart’ to challenge male stereotypes

  31-08-2018 15:05
  Four years ago, if you asked anyone what Lynx stood for the answers would have ranged from lad culture to sex to misogyny.
  However, in January 2016 this changed when the brand launched it’s ‘Find your magic’ campaign encouraging young men to embrace their differences. Ever since this brand purpose campaign, Lynx has made an effort to tackle toxic ideals of masculinity and highlight issues around male mental health.
  The brand’s purpose wasn’t solely altruistic it wa
  
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• Amazon dethrones Tesla as the stock short sellers hate the most (TSLA, AMZN)

  31-08-2018 14:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Amazon's stock is now more heavily bet against than Tesla's, according to data from S3 Partners. 
  The e-commerce giant dethroned Elon Musk's car company Thursday as the most heavily shorted stock as shares climbed above $2,000 for the first time.
  Follow Amazon's race to be the second $1 trillion company in real-time here. 
  Less than one week after Tesla CEO Elon Musk ended his bid to take the electric-car company private, Amazon has passed it as the most-shorted US stock.
  Short in
  
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• 'A huge premium': Here's how analysts are reacting to Coca-Cola's deal to buy Costa Coffee

  31-08-2018 14:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Coca-Cola on Friday announced a surprise move to buy Costa Coffee, one of Europe's largest café chains, from the British company Whitbread for £3.9 billion, or $5.1 billion.
  Whitbread has been clear for a while that it wanted to off-load Costa, and it initially planned to spin off the company from its main business. It settled on a sale, however, after an approach from Coca-Cola in June.
  On the surface, the move makes sense for both sides of the deal, with Whitbread earning signific
  
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• Lululemon surges after crushing earnings and raising its full-year guidance (LULU)

  31-08-2018 14:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  Lululemon Athletica's earnings beat on both the top and bottom lines.
  The retailer lifted its full-year guidance above Wall Street expectations.
  Shares jumped more than 10%.
  Watch Lululemon Athletica in real time here.
  Lululemon Athletica shares are up more than 10% ahead of Friday's opening bell after the company posted strong second-quarter earnings and lifted full-year guidance.
  The retailer reported adjusted earnings of $0.71 per share, beating the $0.49 that was expected by Wall S
  
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• ‘I don’t care about my brand’s sound – no, really’

  31-08-2018 13:43
  Are you a brand? You probably shouldn’t have a sonic identity.
  You may well have had music companies battering down your doors, briefcases stuffed with shiny promises about what a complete audio branding package could do for you.
  You may already have managed to fend them off. Well done. Pushy blighters.
  That audio branding process takes time, attention, commitment. They tend to be very insistent on, you know, “If this is going to work, we want to involve all the brand stakeholders fr
  
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• Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Rothschild are all getting a slice of Coca-Cola's game-changing $5.1 billion deal for Costa Coffee

  31-08-2018 12:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Coca-Cola is buying UK-based coffee-giant Costa Coffee for $5.1 billion (£3.9 billion).
  British investment bank Rothschild & Co is advising Coca-Cola on the deal.
  Whitbread, the parent of Costa Coffee, has instructed Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank to advise on the transaction.
  Coca-Cola on Friday announced a shock deal to buy the coffee chain Costa Coffee from its parent company Whitbread in a deal valued at just shy of $5.1 billion (£3.9 billion).
  The acqu
  
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• 10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, KO, CRON, AAPL, CBOE)

  31-08-2018 12:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Here is what you need to know.
  Trump reportedly wants a massive escalation in the trade war with China. President Donald Trump wants to move forward with tariffs on another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods —after the public-comment period ends on September 6 — Bloomberg reports.
  2 of the most successful stock pickers of 2018 say a trait shared by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos holds the key to their success. "And the founder/CEOs? We prefer them because they have an appetite to think lo
  
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• Former BA marketer Abi Comber takes new role as CMO at Oyster Yachts

  31-08-2018 12:36
  Former British Airways marketer Abigail Comber is joining Oyster Yachts as its first CMO as the luxury yachts company looks to build its brand.
  In her new role she will oversee Oyster’s brand and marketing strategy, including its participation at the world’s biggest yacht shows and the Oyster World Rally. The appointment aims to strengthen Oyster’s management after it came under new ownership, with British entrepreneur and founder of Evolution Gaming Group Richard Hadida rescu
  
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• GOLDMAN SACHS: Buying these 17 stocks will help you crush the market as Trump's trade war heats up

  31-08-2018 12:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  President Donald Trump has once again upped the stakes of a trade showdown with China, which could put pressure on US equities — particularly stocks with high overseas exposure.
  Goldman Sachs has identified 17 stocks it thinks should outperform the broader market in the event that trade tensions continue to escalate.
  President Donald Trump is back at it again with his tariffs on China. And if recent history is any indication, the stock market is in for a turbulent period.
  But you don't hav
  
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• 2 of the most successful stock pickers of 2018 say a trait shared by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos holds the key to their success

  31-08-2018 12:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tesla CEO Elon Musk is an example of a chief executive who helped build his firm from the ground up and has big ambitions for its growth.
  Such founders are a huge draw for Zevenbergen Capital Investments, a Seattle-based firm that is also run by a founding CEO.
  The Zevenbergen Genea Fund has surged 44% this year, outranked by just one fund in Morningstar's universe of US equity funds.
  Of visionary founder/CEOs, a Zevenbergen portfolio manager said: "They're willing to take risk that a rent-an-MB
  
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• The City of London has gained a powerful ally in the fight to keep a key business in the UK post-Brexit

  31-08-2018 11:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Germany’s financial regulator BaFin has sided with the Bank of England and demanded that Brussels take action to prevent mayhem in the derivatives markets post-Brexit.
  The move shows an alignment with the BoE which has warned that $67 trillion of interest rate swaps and other derivatives could be in trouble if no political support is given to the banks.
  The EU Commission has so far expressed the view that financial regulation post-Brexit is for the banks and other financial companies to so
  
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• Coca-Cola to buy Costa coffee as it looks to diversify beyond sugary drinks

  31-08-2018 09:23
  Coca-Cola is acquiring the Costa coffee chain from owner Whitbread as it looks to move into the coffee market and shore up its business as sales of fizzy drinks high in sugar continue to fall.
  The deal, worth £3.9bn, has been unanimously approved by Whitbread shareholders. Whitbread will now focus on its Premier Inn business, which it operates in the UK and Ireland.
  Whitbread has owned Costa since 1995, when it bought it for just £19m. It has since grown from 39 outlets to more than
  
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• Coca-Cola just became a giant threat to Starbucks after buying one of Europe's biggest coffee chains for $5.1 billion

  31-08-2018 09:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  The US beverage giant Coca-Cola is buying the British coffee-shop chain Costa Coffee in a surprise acquisition.
  The British company Whitbread is selling Costa for £3.9 billion, or $5.1 billion.
  Coca-Cola is using the deal to expand into the coffee market, where it has no presence.
  The move is likely to cause ripples for major coffee chains in the US like Starbucks.
  Shares in Whitbread jumped almost 20% at the open on the news.
  Coca-Cola has announced a surprise move to buy Costa Coffee, on
  
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• The Future Marketing Organisation: Building a customer-centric business model

  31-08-2018 08:00
  Most marketers believe their brands need a customer-centric business model in order to succeed, and that optimising the customer experience is the biggest priority for the profession.
  Yet according to new Marketing Week research, structuring a marketing department around the customer journey is currently the least common model of all, with the majority of departments either being product-centric or structured around marketing disciplines.
  The Future Marketing Organisation study, conducted in pa
  
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• Consumers ignore ‘Brexit babble’ as confidence inches up

  31-08-2018 01:01
  Consumer confidence in the UK inched up in August as the tail end of the heatwave and growing immunity to “Brexit babble” pushed up measures including purchase intent, although not by enough to pull it out of negative territory.
  Consumer confidence was -7 in August, according to GfK, up three points from the previous month and August 2017. However, it remains strongly in negative territory, with August marking the 31st consecutive month it has come in at zero or below.
  Measures incl
  
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