Sales & Marketing news

• Amazon has finally revealed how many Alexa devices have been sold (AMZN)

  04-01-2019 23:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  Ahead of CES 2019, Amazon revealed how many Alexa devices it's sold. 
  The 100 million figure includes devices that Amazon makes as well as third-party gadgets with Alexa built-in.
  The announcement comes as Amazon and Google are expected to put their AI voice assistants front and center at CES. After years of dodging the question, Amazon has finally said exactly how many devices have been sold that have its voice assistant, Alexa, built in — and it's a lot. 
  In a new intervie
  
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• Goldman Sachs says Netflix is one of the best bets in the Internet space, and that its cash burn is just starting to pay off (NFLX)

  04-01-2019 20:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Netflix shares jumped over 9% Friday after Goldman Sachs added the stock to its Conviction List and called it one of the best bets in the internet sector.
  The stock's 30% plunge since its all-time high last year is creating a buying opportunity, the firm's analysts said.They also expressed confidence in the streaming platform's subscriber growth, and said its cash burn is finally starting to pay off.
  Watch Netflix trade live on Markets Insider.
  Netflix soared 9% Friday after Goldman Sachs analys
  
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• AMD is facing a 'pretty sizable' earnings mess, analyst says (AMD, NVDA, INTL)

  04-01-2019 19:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  AMD will likely have a "pretty sizable mess" when its fourth-quarter earnings come out on January 29, an analyst said.
  The crypto boom in 2017 led chip giants to overproduce graphic processing units for crypto mining, causing an inventory problem when digital currencies crashed in 2018, and AMD has no place to hide, he added.
  The inventory problem is visible in the selling prices of AMD's mid-range chip RX 580 on secondary platforms.
  Meanwhile, the market has a lot of hope around AMD's cent
  
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• Stocks soar after a trifecta of good news about jobs, the Fed, and Trump's trade war

  04-01-2019 19:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  Stocks were soaring Friday after the release of a strong US jobs report.
  US equities extended their gains after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell indicated the central bank would pay attention to the market's concerns.
  Earlier Friday, the US and China announced they would meet Monday in Beijing to work toward a trade deal.
  Apple shares bounced back a bit after Thursday's steep slide.
  Watch stocks trade live.
  Stocks were soaring Friday after a blockbuster jobs report and comments from Federa
  
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• Battered auto stocks look primed for an explosive recovery — here's why Wall Street thinks they'll crush the market in 2019 (GM, F, TSLA)

  04-01-2019 19:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  Auto stocks got clobbered last year amid falling sales and an ongoing trade war with China
  Wall Street analysts predict the sector could come roaring back this year, even possibly beating out market benchmarks
  UBS says in past years when auto stocks have trailed the market, they've come back nearly 30% — much more than strategists say major indices will rise.
  Stock markets around the world have been in turmoil, and automotive equities have been among the worst hit.
  In the past year, the Na
  
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• This map shows every US state where pot is legal

  04-01-2019 18:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  Marijuana legalization initiatives swept the US last year. 
  President Donald Trump signed the Farm Bill into law in December of last year, which legalized hemp. 
  Michigan became the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana during last year's midterm elections. Utah and Missouri both voted to legalize medical marijuana.
  Recreational marijuana is now legal in 10 states; medical marijuana is legal in 33.Marijuana legalization swept the US last year. 
  President Donald Trump signe
  
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• Apple's iPhone issues stretch far beyond China — and its recent sales warning could be the tip of the iceberg

  04-01-2019 18:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  There are two important factors to consider when trying to make sense of Apple's warning that its holiday quarter revenue would fall billions short of expectations.The problems Apple saw in China go far beyond just Apple.But Apple's iPhone problems extend far beyond China, too.
  There was a collective thud Wednesday as Apple warned that its holiday quarter revenue would fall billions short of expectations amid exceptionally weak business in China.
  The backdrop: There are two impor
  
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• It's going to be a 'hangover year' for semiconductors, RBC says (AMD, NVDA, MU, WDC, NXPI, QCOM)

  04-01-2019 17:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  Semiconductors will have a tough going in 2019 due to weaker end-demand trends, inventory adjustments, and China trade issues, RBC said.
  Two chip giants, AMD and Nvidia, have been under pressure amid concerns of excessive processor inventories as the crypto boom turned into a bust.
  Leading memory suppliers such Micron Technology and Western Digital are well below their recent peaks because of fierce competition in the memory industry.
  Meanwhile, regulatory pressures on semiconductors are also he
  
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• Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell just brushed off months of attacks from Trump

  04-01-2019 17:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  Federal Reserve Chairman responded to months of attacks from President Donald Trump on Friday.
  Powell said at a panel with former Fed chairs Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke that no one from the White House has reached out directly to discuss interest rates.
  Powell also had a blunt answer to a question about whether he would step down in Trump requested his resignation: "No."
  Trump is furious with Powell over the Fed's recent interest rate hikes, according to reports, and has considered trying to f
  
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• Apple has way bigger problems than China, analysts say (AAPL)

  04-01-2019 17:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  Apple's revenue warning this week shook investors, sending shares plunging 10% and plaguing the broader market.
  The tech giant pinned most of the blame on a slowdown in iPhone sales, primarily in China.
  But China isn't Apple's biggest issue, according to a new analysis from CLSA, who points to the iPhones' average selling price and rising competition as the "real problems."
  Investors were shaken this week as Apple warned late Wednesday it would miss revenue expectations for its fiscal first
  
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• Critics are once again predicting the US auto industry will tank, but they should be careful of what they wish for (GM, F, FCAU)

  04-01-2019 16:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  For 2018, automakers again posted near-record US sales.
  The 17.3 million total marked the fourth straight year in which the total has come in above 17 million — an unprecedented boom.
  The news was greeted, as it has been for several years, by a round of doomsaying about the future of the market.
  Naysayers have been wrong about a sales downturn for years, but they continue to push a negative outlook.Automakers reported December and full-year auto sales for the US on Thursday, and they were
  
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• Trump attempts to pin blame for the stock market stumbles on House Democrats' threats to impeach him

  04-01-2019 16:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  President Donald Trump blamed a recent stock market selloff on Democrats and calls for impeachment.
  "As I have stated many times, if the Democrats take over the House or Senate, there will be disruption to the Financial Markets," Trump said.
  Trump also tried to dismiss calls for impeachment from a handful of Democrats.
  Most investors and analysts laid a good portion of the blame for December's drop at Trump's feet.President Donald Trump on Friday pinned recent stock market falls on Democrats ret
  
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• Colin Lewis: 5G is about to usher in yet another new marketing era

  04-01-2019 16:00
  When a new technology first appears, we typically don’t have a clue what to do with it or what the possible outcomes could be. When electricity was introduced into factories it had little impact because managers continued to arrange plants around the power source – a steam turbine – even though they were redundant due to electricity. Only when a new generation of management realised that electric power allowed them to design factories around workflow did productivity soared.
  S
  
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• A MoviePass product manager resigned and blasted its leadership in a scathing letter emailed to all staff (HMNY)

  04-01-2019 15:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  On Wednesday, a MoviePass product manager, Eric Jeng, resigned after one year at the company.
  In a 704-word letter sent to the entire company and obtained by Business Insider, Jeng accused MoviePass executives of fostering "such a perilous work environment for their employees."
  He also said he was "disappointed" in the company's response to employee allegations of inappropriate conduct. Jeng did not say whom the allegations were against.
  Jeng closed by saying that team morale at MoviePass "worse
  
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• JOBS REPORT SMASHES EXPECTATIONS: US economy adds 312,000 jobs, wages grow at fastest pace since 2009

  04-01-2019 15:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Labor Department on Friday said the US economy added 312,000 nonfarm jobs in December, topping estimates.
  The unemployment rate jumped to 3.9%, and average hourly earnings increased 3.2% from a year earlier.
  The report caps off a robust year of hiring in the US.
  The economy added significantly more jobs than expected and wage gains accelerated at the end of 2018, capping a year of exceptionally robust hiring in the US.
  The Labor Department on Friday said 312,000 nonfarm jobs were created in
  
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• Channelling your inner Poirot: how to write good case studies

  04-01-2019 13:00 via warc.com
  At the Euro Effies, Matt Gladstone, Strategy Partner at Grey London, advised authors of case studies to act like detectives when writing their paper. WARC’s Managing Editor, Lucy Aitken, explains why.
  
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• Pizza Hut, Saga, HMV: 5 things that mattered this week and why

  04-01-2019 12:32
  HMV’s administration woes (again)
  Poor HMV. It must feel like it’s having a nightmarish case of de ja vu after going into administration for the second time last week, six years since it was last plunged into the depths of financial despair.
  Now, amidst the tsunami of challenges facing a large number of UK retailers, all it can do is wait in hope to see if a buyer throws it another lifeline.
  There will be interest in the almost hundred-year-old music and film retailer, no doubt, but
  
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• Apple's stock just plunged, but Wall Street is telling clients to hold on for dear life (AAPL)

  04-01-2019 12:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  While a swath of analysts slashed their price targets on Apple following the company's revenue warning, the majority are not turning all-out bearish just yet.
  Of the major Wall Street analysts covering Apple, 23 carry a "buy" rating, 23 carry a "hold" rating, and two carry a "sell" rating.
  While nearly 30 analysts lowered their price targets on Wednesday and Thursday, just three lowered their ratings. In other words, the vast majority are advising their clients to keep holding on.
  "Despite slowi
  
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• Trump's trade war is probably hitting the US economy a lot harder than China's, HSBC says

  04-01-2019 12:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  Washington and Beijing have placed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of each other's goods.
  The results have been more negative for the US than for China, according to a recent HSBC research note.
  While China has been benefiting from strong import demand in most of its other trading partners except for the US and Germany, the analysts said, the US has not.
  Americans have felt relatively more pain from President Donald Trump's trade war than Chinese consumers and businesses, accor
  
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• Why Divine Chocolate shifted marketing focus from purpose to product

  04-01-2019 12:00
  When Divine Chocolate launched in the UK 20 years ago it had a clear point of difference: its ownership model. It is 44% owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa farmers’ co-operative in Ghana, making it the only chocolate company to give profits back to the farmers that grow the cocoa beans.
  That ownership structure informed much of the brand’s early positioning and marketing. Its advertising spoke about the fact it was Fairtrade and highlighted the role of the Ghanaian farmers. One particul
  
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• Five trends that will reshape media in 2019

  04-01-2019 08:00
  Ecommerce ads set to take off
  Advertising that sits alongside and within search results and product listings on ecommerce sites is already well-established in China.
  In fact, global ecommerce advertising is currently about as advanced as it was in China over a decade ago: in 2017, Amazon accounted for 0.8% of global advertising, the same proportion as China in 2009.
  But it is starting to gain some global momentum, with Zenith predicting it will add around $100bn of new money into the global adv
  
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• Star ramps up IPL target

  04-01-2019 01:00 via warc.com
  Star India, which owns the broadcasting rights for theIndia Premier League (IPL), is reported to be targeting a 17% increase in ad sales for the 12th season of the tournament, despite the complications surrounding this year’s event. ...
  
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• OOH can 'reconnect' with consumers

  04-01-2019 01:00 via warc.com
  Out of home (OOH) may be the oldest advertising medium but it is one that is ideally placed to bring meaning back to advertising and help brands reconnect with consumers, according to an industry figure.In a WARC Best Practice paper,
  
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• 'Not just advertising': Saga's new campaign

  04-01-2019 01:00 via warc.com
  Saga, the UK travel and insurance business dedicated to consumers over the age of 50, is taking a more brand-led approach with its latest campaign which is focused on the holiday market.This features locals in in Mongolia, Norway and Spain...
  
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• Netflix movie success points to new direction

  04-01-2019 01:00 via warc.com
  With the success of a couple of its original movies over the Christmas period, Netflix is finally staking a claim as a player in this market and, according to one observer, laying the groundwork for a potential new marketing revenue stream.Last...
  
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• How Palau made environmentalism personal

  04-01-2019 01:00 via warc.com
  The 13th smallest country in the world has developed a novel way to address the challenges posed by the mass tourism on which it depends for most of its income.With international tourism a $1 trillion business and more than 1 billion people...
  
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• How 'data dualism' impacts consumers

  04-01-2019 01:00 via warc.com
  Big data, and lots of it, is pushing and pulling consumers in two different directions, according to Natasha Hritzuk, VP of Consumer Insights at Turner, the media company.Writing in the most recent edition of the Journal of Advertising...
  
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