Sales & Marketing news

• JD.com sinks after CEO Liu Qiangdong was absent from a high-profile internet conference in China (JD)

  08-11-2018 22:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  JD.com CEO Liu Qiangdong was briefly detained in Minneapolis, Minnesota, over a rape allegation in August.
  Since then, he has been absent from several high-profile events in China.
  Liu didn't show up to the World Internet Conference on Wednesday.JD.com shares fell almost 7%.
  Watch JD.com trade live.JD.com, the second largest Chinese e-commerce site after Alibaba, fell nearly 7% Thursday after CEO Liu Qiangdong, who is the subject of a rape investigation in the US, didn't
  
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• Stocks fall and oil tumbles into a bear market

  08-11-2018 22:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Stocks closed lower Thursday after the Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged. 
  West Texas Intermediate, the US oil benchmark, tumbled into a bear market.Follow US stocks in real time here.Stocks fell Thursday as disappointing earnings weighed on technology companies and after the Federal Reserve left its key rate unchanged and signaled it was still on track for one more hike this year.
  The Dow Jones Industrial Average was mostly flat, and the S&P 500 was down 0.25%.
  
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• It's been over a week and Wall Street still has some crucial questions about Tesla's earnings blowout (TSLA)

  08-11-2018 22:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tesla smashed expectations with its most recent quarterly earnings report, turning a profit for only the 3rd time in its history.
  Still, Wall Street has noticed that a bunch of the numbers leave more questions about how Tesla got there.
  Plus, Tesla's plans for the future are very ambitious. Even with this influx of cash, investors are wondering how it's going to meet its goals without raising more cash.Earlier this month Tesla blew its third-quarter earnings out of the water.As CEO Elon Musk pro
  
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• Sears is closing another 40 stores — here's the complete list of locations (SHLD)

  08-11-2018 21:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Sears is closing another 40 stores Sears and Kmart stores, in addition to the 142 store closings it had previously announced.
  The new list of closings will bring Sears' store count to around 500.
  Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.
  READ MORE: Inside Sears' death spiral.Sears is planning to close another 40 stores, the company said Thursday.
  The closings, scheduled for February, are in addition to the 142 stores that Sears plans to close before the end of the year. T
  
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• Apple reclaims its crown as the most-popular stock among millennials (AAPL)

  08-11-2018 21:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  Apple this week reclaimed its crown as the most-popular stock among millennial traders on the free-trading app Robinhood.
  Shares fell 10% in the wake of the company's third-quarter results.
  Robinhood investors have been snapping up shares as the stock sits at its lowest level in almost three months.
  Watch Apple trade liveApple regained its position as the favorite stock among millennial traders after its quarterly results triggered a big sell-off.
  The tech giant on November 1 reported
  
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• Google's got a major New York expansion in the works — and it could more than double its workforce there (GOOGL, GOOG)

  08-11-2018 20:58 via feedproxy.google.com
  Google plans to add enough space in New York City to have enough room to more than double its workforce there.
  As part of that expansion effort, its nearing plans to buy or lease a planned 1.3 million square-foot building at St. John's Terminal, which is just south of its current base of operations in the city.
  The company's New York expansion plans follow reports that Amazon is planning to locate one of its two HQ2 sites in Long Island City in Queens.Google is planning a major expansion in New
  
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• The parent company of IHOP and Applebee's wants to buy another chain. Here are 4 things the CEO says he's looking for in an acquisition target. (DIN)

  08-11-2018 20:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  Dine Brands CEO Steve Joyce told Business Insider the company is looking for a new chain to join IHOP and Applebee's as a sister brand.
  Joyce broke down the four filters Dine Brands is using to determine which chains would be a good fit.
  Dine Brands is looking for a chain with mass appeal that the company can expand to 1,000 units and that fits with rising trends across the United States.Applebee's and IHOP are preparing to welcome a new sister brand into the family.
  Dine Brands CEO Steve Joyce
  
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• Sessions is out, marijuana wins in midterms: Cannabis investors react to a head-spinning 24 hours in Washington

  08-11-2018 20:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  It's been a head-spinning 24 hours in the news cycle, particularly for investors in the scorching-hot cannabis sector.
  While cannabis bulls cheered Attorney General Jeff Sessions stepping down Wednesday — and Rep. Pete Sessions' loss — they said the federal government needed to clarify rules around banking in the industry before big institutions would jump in and the market could really open up.
  Still, the past 24 hours "is the first time I see the light at the end of the tunnel," a
  
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• Fed leaves rates unchanged, expects to keep hiking them gradually

  08-11-2018 20:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at its November meeting, as expected. 
  It released a statement acknowledging the robustness of consumer spending and the recent slowdown in business investment. 
  Traders are almost certain the next interest-rate hike is coming in December — a move that would almost immediately lift Americans' borrowing costs for credit cards and other short-term loans. 
  Thursday's statement was the last for the foreseeable future
  
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• Soybean inventories pile up amid US-China trade battle

  08-11-2018 18:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  Soybean shipments to China dropped sharply in mid-October from a year earlier and are expected to continue falling.
  China placed a 25% tariff on US soybeans to retaliate against the Trump administration. 
  Watch soybeans trade live.As trade tensions between Washington and Beijing drag on, American soybean farmers are seeing falling prices and rising inventories as they scramble replace their biggest market. 
  The Agriculture Department lowered its production and export outlook, acco
  
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• Weed stocks are getting slammed as worries surface that the new attorney general could be against legalizing marijuana (CRON, APHA, ACB, TLRY, CGC)

  08-11-2018 18:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a staunch opponent of legal weed, resigned on Wednesday.
  President Donald Trump is reportedly considering other marijuana opponents to fill in the position. 
  Weed stocks rallied on Wednesday after Sessions resignation, but got hit on Thursday as Sessions departure optimism wanes.
  Watch CRON, CGC, TLRY, APHA, ACB trade in real time hereWeed stocks were sliding from their post-election peaks Thursday as worries surfaced that the succe
  
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• Ford is buying scooter startup Spin (F)

  08-11-2018 17:54 via feedproxy.google.com
  Ford is buying Spin, a 24-person scooter startup based in San Francisco. 
  Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Axios reported the price tag was $40 million. 
  Ford sees the agreements Spin makes with cities as a possible precursor to rolling out self-driving vehicles. Ford is buying scooter startup Spin as doubles down on its investments in the future of transportation.
  Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but founder and CEO Euwyn Poon said Ford plans to invest about $200 mil
  
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• Here's the memo Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent to employees on the changes to Google's sexual-harassment policy after the walkout (GOOG, GOOGL)

  08-11-2018 17:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a memo to employees Thursday that the company was getting rid of forced arbitration in cases of sexual misconduct.
  The announcement follows an en-masse employee walkoout earlier this month that saw nearly 20,000 workers protest Google's past handling of sexual assault and harassment.
  You can view the memo in its entirety that Pichai sent to employees below.Google said on Thursday it was ending forced arbitration for employees in cases of sexual assault and haras
  
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• Tesla has named Elon Musk's replacement as chair of its board — here's the full list of the company's directors (TSLA)

  08-11-2018 17:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Robyn Denholm has been appointed chair of Tesla's board, replacing CEO Elon Musk, the company said late Wednesday
  The change was required as part of Tesla's $20 million settlement with the SEC.
  Tesla also has to add two more independent directors to the board by December 28, per the settlement. Robyn Denholm, an Australian telecoms executive, has been appointed chair of Tesla's board of directors following the company's $20 million settlement with the US' top stock market regulator. 
  P
  
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• M&S shifts spotlight to value in biggest festive food campaign to date

  08-11-2018 17:03
  Marks & Spencer’s food business has invested 40% more in media this Christmas compared with last year, marking its biggest festive food campaign to date and a change of tact for the retailer as it puts more of a focus on value and price.
  The series of unscripted ads, which feature people from all over the UK talking about their favourite M&S Christmas products, have been created to showcase both the value and quality of its food in an “authentic” way as food sales cont
  
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• M&S ditches blockbuster ads for Holly Willoughby in digital-first Christmas campaign

  08-11-2018 17:00
  Marks & Spencer has turned its back on its usual blockbuster Christmas ad this year and is instead looking to “win the hearts, minds and wallets of busy families who are on the go” with the help of Holly Willoughby, David Gandy and a lot of M&S products.
  Waving goodbye to the likes of Paddington and Mrs Claus, the retailer’s director of marketing for clothing & home, Nathan Ansell, says it decided to take an “unashamedly commercial approach” this year t
  
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• The planner as architect of growth

  08-11-2018 16:50
  Planners are in danger of being caught up in the minutiae of campaigns when they should be looking at the big picture. And, says Ed Cotton, they need to become mini-MBA students as well.
  
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• The casino giant Wynn Resorts plunges after saying its Macau business is slowing down (WYNN)

  08-11-2018 16:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  Wynn Resorts beat on both the top and bottom lines.
  The casino giant's strength at Wynn Palace in Macau offset its weakness in Las Vegas.
  CEO Matthew Maddox warned that its Macau operations had seen a slowdown recently.
  Watch Wynn Resorts trade live Wynn Resorts plunged as much as 14% Thursday after the company said its Macau business has slowed down in October. 
  The company reported third-quarter results that beat on both the top and bottom lines as strength at Wynn Palace i
  
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• Harry Lang: Anticipation is the way to keep consumers coming back for more

  08-11-2018 16:05
  Dating apps are a lot like champagne. Both categories show how you can build brand value and a compelling user experience by taking advantage of one particular attribute: anticipation.
  A fine bottle of champagne is all about anticipation. It has long been believed by the great champagne houses that more than 50% of their bottle price can be attributed to the value a customer realises before the cork even pops. In the world of champagne, there are good (premium) and great (super-premium) labels.
  
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• Boots celebrates ‘special connections’ in Christmas campaign

  08-11-2018 13:00
  Boots is celebrating “special connections” in its 2018 Christmas ad, which is a nod to last year’s “hugely successful” and emotionally-charged festive campaign, according to the company’s marketing director Helen Normoyle.
  ‘Get them something that says, you get them’ follows the story of a typical teenage girl who at various times can be seen growing frustrated with her mum.
  However, this all changes when she spots her mum singing in a choir at a
  
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• Visa puts focus on the British high street in first major Christmas campaign

  08-11-2018 09:00
  Visa is launching its first major Christmas campaign by focusing on the British high street and the independent retailers and shopkeepers that are key to its survival.
  Launching today (8 November), the campaign will feature British shopkeepers from across the UK singing to the classic Christmas tune ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ by Mariah Carey. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, the TV spot, which first runs tomorrow (9 November) on ITV, will feature nine shopkeepers, while anot
  
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• Kevin the Carrot goes head to head with an evil parsnip in Aldi Christmas ad

  08-11-2018 01:01
  Kevin the Carrot is back for a third year as the star of Aldi’s 2018 Christmas campaign, having miraculously avoided becoming carrot puree after crashing his truck in the snow in a festive teaser last week.
  Kevin now has a new plight to contend with: a wicked parsnip called Pascal who is on a mission to cause misery to the already traumatised root vegetable and his family over a big festive spread.
  Thankfully, the German discounter has decided to go more happily-ever-after than Brothers G
  
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• Video didn't kill the radio star… but electric cars might

  08-11-2018 01:00
  Music cartridges didn’t see it off. Neither did cassettes, nor CDs. But AM radio in cars might just have met its nemesis in the future of road transport.It seems it’s about to be killed off by electric-powered motors, according to the...
  
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• The Beano sheds light on Gen Alpha

  08-11-2018 01:00
  The Beano is continuing to expand from its children’s comic-book roots and has now added a brand consultancy to a portfolio that includes a digital product and studios creating its own shows.Announcing the launch of Beano for Brands, the...
  
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• Online adspend grows, but Brexit looms

  08-11-2018 01:00
  Online ad growth in the UK continues to exceed expectations, helping deliver a 20th consecutive quarter of market growth in the April-to-June period and another upwards revision to the full year forecasts carried in the quarterly Advertising...
  
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• Microsoft tracks 'cross-brand halo' of ads

  08-11-2018 01:00
  Microsoft, the tech giant, has made significant progress in tracking how a campaign for one brand impacts the other products within its portfolio – or what is called the “cross-brand halo” from advertising.Samantha Moore, group...
  
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• Influencers have 'inverted the funnel' in India

  08-11-2018 01:00
  Influencers have inverted the funnel to such an extent that marketers in India are starting to factor them into their annual calendars, according to one brand executive.Eiti Singhal, general manager of the Brand and Marketing team at electronics...
  
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• Health and wellness in Asia spells opportunity for brands

  08-11-2018 01:00
  A combination of ageing societies, more lifestyle diseases and a growing middle class is driving consumer interest in health and wellness in Asia-Pacific – presenting new opportunities for healthcare brands – a new study has revealed. ...
  
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