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☆ A top exec at PR giant Edelman lays out its plan to invest in generative AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

To do so, Edelman recently promoted Brian Buchwald to global chair of product and AI to oversee the firm's AI investments. Buchwald joined Edelman in 2023 and was previously the global head of product, trust data, and technology at the firm. Previously, this tool used small language models and now uses generative AI and large language models, Buchwald said. Using generative AI has increased the tool's ability to predict future trustworthiness with 97% accuracy, he said. More broadly, holding companies have made significant investments into generative AI for content creation that compete with Edelman.

Persons: Edelman, Taco Bell, Brian Buchwald, Buchwald, Weber, Interpublic Group's Weber, Jay Pattisall, Forrester Organizations: eBay, Business, New York Times, Google, Adobe, Edelman, WPP Locations: Talkwaker

☆ Ad insiders are buzzing about industry power broker Michael Kassan's messy split with UTA and what it means for the future of MediaLink
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

After falling out with Kassan, UTA may think twice about buying another agency. The media and ad industry will be watching to see what, if any, leadership changes UTA makes at MediaLink. The end of the ad industry schmoozefest? One industry veteran said they saw Kassan's exit as an opportunity to change how ad industry consultants operate and charge for services. At the center of the dispute between UTA and Kassan is the MediaLink founder's $950,000 annual expense account.

Persons: Michael Kassan, MediaLink, Kassan, Jeremy Zimmer, Kassan wasn't, Vianney Tisseau, headhunting, Jon Miller, Sanford Michelman, Michelman, Robinson, Ethan Miller, Julian Jacobs, David Anderson, WME, Kassan's, Wenda Harris Millard, wasn't, what's, There's, Lou Paskalis, Marc Sternberg's, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Tom Brady, Rob Norman, WPP's Organizations: UTA, Cannes Lions, Consumer, Business, Los Angeles Superior Court, Los, Judicial, Mediation Services, Variety Cannes Lions Studio, Integrated Media, Getty, Talent, Accenture, General Motors, Netflix, JUV Consulting, Madison, Endeavor, Writers Guild of America, Zimmer, Western Initiative Media Worldwide, Interpublic Group, Bank of America, AJL, Marc Sternberg's Brand, Kassan, Southwest, NFL Locations: MediaLink, Cannes, France, Madison, Droga5, Hollywood, Kassan, California, South, Austin

☆ How to find a reasonably-priced and resilient stock amid the rush of earnings reports ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Strong Balance Sheet: A strong balance sheet is often a primary indicator of a quality company. Consistent Earnings Growth: Quality companies usually exhibit steady and predictable earnings growth. Typewriter manufacturing wasn't a sustainable growth industry regardless of whether it adhered to ESG factors or not. Bear in mind that finding a quality company cheap isn't likely, but we would prefer to avoid crowded (i.e. Even without delving into the quality of management and other factors it's clear that AT & T is not a "quality" company as I defined it above.

Persons: Martin Luther King, Walt Disney Organizations: JPMorgan, Good, Sustainable, Sector, Charter Communications, Comcast, Electronic Arts, Fox Corp, Interpublic, Match, Meta, Netflix, News Corp, Omnicom, Paramount Global, Interactive, Verizon, Walt, Warner Brothers, Apple Locations: America

☆ ‘Disappointed Again’: Ad Companies Suffer as Tech Firms Clip Spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ad agency holding companies say they are being hurt by more cautious technology advertising. At Meta Platforms, for instance, outlays for marketing and sales decreased 24% in the third quarter. Photo: kena betancur/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesSome of the major advertising holding companies are still feeling the impact of lower spending from technology clients—with some hit harder than others. Recent quarterly results from Interpublic Group , Omnicom Group , WPP and Publicis Groupe showed that many of their units are seeing more caution from some advertisers, slower project work, delayed starts of new business or other signs of a pullback.

Persons: kena Organizations: Agence France, Interpublic, Omnicom, WPP, Publicis Groupe

☆ Regional banks are in focus in the week ahead as third-quarter earnings season ramps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Regional banks will be in focus in the week ahead as traders head into the thick of third-quarter earnings season. Regional bank earnings are also expected to be a weak point this season. But a closer look into the sector's sub-industries showed that regional banks are anticipated to have tumbled by 15% last quarter. Traders parsing through regional bank earnings will pay special attention to signs of narrowing net interest margins (NIM). Earnings season underway Many investors anticipate that the third-quarter earnings season will be alright.

Persons: Wells, Kumar, FactSet's John Butters, NIM, They'll, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, FactSet's Butters, Nancy Tengler, Lauren Goodwin, we'll, Goodwin, Charles Schwab, Lockheed Martin, Goldman, Zions, Kinder Morgan, Lam, McLennan, Philip Morris, Huntington Bancshares, —, Jesse Pound Organizations: Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Sri, Kumar, Silicon Valley Bank, Regional Banking, Dow Jones Industrial, JPMorgan, Hamas, Northern Trust, U.S . Bancorp, T Bank, Citizens Financial, Bank of America, Federal Reserve, Companies, Investments, New York Life Investments, Index, Johnson, Bank of New York Mellon, Goldman Sachs Group, Hunt Transport Services, Omnicom, United Airlines Wednesday, Housing, Elevance, Citizens Financial Group, Procter, Gamble, Abbott Laboratories, Discover Financial Services, Las Vegas Sands, PPG Industries, Steel Dynamics, Tesla, Netflix, Lam Research, Philadelphia Fed, Truist, Alaska Air Group, Fifth Third Bancorp, American Airlines Group, Marsh, Philip Morris International, Union, CSX, Comerica, Regions Financial, American Express, Interpublic, Cos Locations: Wells Fargo, Silicon, Ukraine, Israel, J.B, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Truist Financial, Union Pacific, Freeport, Huntington

☆ US stocks trade mixed as Dow caps off its longest winning streak since 2017
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US stocks traded mixed Friday, with the Dow capping off a 10-day winning streak. It's the longest run of gains for the index since August 2017. Next week investors will be watching big earnings from Microsoft and Meta, as well as a Fed meeting. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. More than 70% of the companies that have reported so far have beat expectations, according to FactSet data.

Persons: Gregory Daco Organizations: Dow, Microsoft, Meta, Service, Dow Jones, American Express, Interpublic, Nasdaq Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Ad giant IPG's data arm Kinesso has gone through an executive exodus, and the unit faces an uncertain future
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ad giant IPG is shaking up its data and tech arm Kinesso, and many of the unit's top execs have left. The move comes as IPG looks to cut costs from specialty services like data, a source said. Several top executives at ad agency holding group Interpublic Group's data and technology arm Kinesso have left, and now the unit faces an uncertain future, Insider has learned. IPG launched Kinesso in 2019 as a big bet on pitching marketers additional services that go beyond making and buying ads. Acxiom will remain a standalone unit that will provide data products and services to all of IPG's agencies, the source added.

Persons: IPG, Kinesso, Acxiom, Arun Kumar, Ian Johnson, Kimber Robbins, Nancy Hall, Hall, Philippe Krakowsky, Krakowsky, IPG's, they've, Dentsu, Merkle Organizations: Global, WPP, Mindshare, Reprise, UM, Agency, Epsilon Locations: Mediabrands

☆ These are the 3 key things that will impact the stock market in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

A lot was riding on these important measures of inflation after the scorching-hot ADP jobs report last week. Here are 3 things you need to know for the week ahead: 1. Industrial production and capacity utilization, also out Tuesday, shines a light on manufacturing, which attributes about 12% to U.S. GDP. Six months is generally considered to represent a balance between supply and demand in the housing market. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Stocks, Morgan Stanley, Johnson, Jeff Miller, Lockheed Martin, Charles Schwab, JB Hunt, Goldman, Baker Hughes, Ally, Kinder Morgan, Zions, Philip Morris, Abbott, ABT, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Scott Olson Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial, Housing, CPI, Halliburton, HAL, Johnson, of America Corp, Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Corp, Novartis International AG, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc, PNC, Charles Schwab Corp, Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, BK, Synchrony, Interactive, Goldman Sachs Group, U.S . Bancorp, ASML, Citizens Financial, T Bank Corp, Northern Trust Corporation, Horizon National Corp, Business Machines Corp, IBM, United Airlines, Netflix, Steel Dynamics, Alcoa, Discover Financial Services, Crown, International Corp, Equifax Inc, Las Vegas Sands Corp, Liberty Energy Inc, Philip Morris International Inc, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, American Airlines Group Inc, Travelers Companies, SAP, Nokia Corp, Truist Financial Corporation, Company, McLennan Companies, Infosys Technologies Ltd, Newmont Mining Corp, Fifth Third Bancorp, Pool Corporation, Alfa Laval, Webster Financial Corp, Blackstone, Financial Corp, PPG Industries, CSX Corp, CSX, Berkley Corp, Swift Transportation Holdings Inc, American Express Co, AutoNation Inc, Interpublic, of Companies, Autoliv Inc, Huntington Bancshares, Financial Corporation, Roper Technologies, Comerica, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Getty Locations: U.S, Las, ZION, Horton, Freeport, Marsh, ALFVY, W.R, Lemont , Illinois

By comparison, less than 5% of companies mentioned AI in analyst calls held during the first quarter of 2016. Big Tech mentions jump AI has been a growing theme in Big Tech as companies try to capitalize on the wave following 2022's selloff. In calls from Big Tech companies alone, AI was mentioned 265 times. Executives at real estate company UDR said its AI chat has a 10% higher closing rate than normal call centers. Interpublic Group of Companies CEO Philippe Krakowsky noted the advertising company brought on a chief AI officer two years ago.

☆ Tech Slump Weighs on IPG Revenues
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

IPG CEO Philippe Krakowsky, seen at an event last summer, said this year’s first-quarter results weren’t in keeping with the advertising company’s track record. Photo: Richard Bord/Getty ImagesInterpublic Group of Cos. said organic net revenue declined 0.2% during the first quarter of 2023 following a pullback on marketing spending in the technology sector. Organic net revenue in the U.S., IPG’s largest market, declined 0.9% in the period. This compares with 12% growth in the first quarter of 2022. Organic net revenue removes the effects of currency fluctuations, acquisitions and disposals.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Bed Bath & Beyond, EVgo, UBS and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A Bed Bath & Beyond store in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. said it would shutter another 87 stores in addition to the 150 closures it announced in August. Juniper Networks — The cloud computing network provider added 1.3% on the back of an upgrade to outperform from in line by Evercore ISI. Crocs — Shares rose 3% after B. Riley initiated coverage of the stock as a buy, saying the shoe company is underappreciated. Interpublic Group of Companies — The advertising agency gained 3% following an upgrade to buy from neutral by Bank of America.

☆ U.S. Ad Spending Still Expected to Grow in 2023 Despite ‘Stressful Economic Signals’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A new report forecasts U.S. out-of-home advertising, which includes placements like billboards, will grow 6%, reaching $9.6 billion this year. A major ad forecaster said advertising is still expected to grow in 2023 despite mixed economic signals, a resiliency that industry pros say would have been unlikely during earlier periods of turbulence. Media owners’ U.S. ad revenues are expected to grow 3.4% to $326 billion this year, according to a quarterly forecast from Magna, a media intelligence and investment firm that is part of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Mediabrands. That is slightly down from its December estimate of 3.7% growth.

☆ Want to invest in companies that empower women? Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Known as gender lens or gender equity investing, the idea is to invest for financial return, while promoting gender diversity. Yet those funds represent less than 0.01% of total equity fund assets in the United States, according to the firm. Her women CEO and CFO clients were getting tremendous results, she said. In January, the asset management firm launched the Hypatia Women CEO exchange-traded fund (WCEO). Women in leadership matters, but we need a more robust scorecard to assess gender equity.

☆ WPP, Like Ad-Company Rivals, Says It Expects 2023 Growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

WPP PLC is the latest major advertising holding company to say it expects continued growth in 2023 as clients keep spending on its services. PREVIEWWPP said like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs increased 6.9% in 2022 and 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Total revenue in 2022 was £14.4 billion, equivalent to about $17.3 billion, while revenue less pass-through costs was £11.8 billion. Chief Executive Mark Read said that consumers have continued to spend, and clients have continued to invest in their brands. Omnicom Group Inc. and Publicis Groupe SA both said they expect organic revenue growth this year of 3% to 5%.

☆ IPG Posts 3.8% Organic-Revenue Growth, Flags Tech-Sector Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Interpublic Group of Cos. reported organic-net-revenue growth of 3.8% for the fourth quarter, saying that growth continued—albeit at a slower pace—despite a more cautious marketing and media environment due to macroeconomic and geopolitical factors worldwide. Net revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022 was $2.55 billion, relatively flat when compared with the fourth quarter of 2021. For all of 2022, IPG reported organic-net-revenue growth of 7%. “As expected, growth slowed in the fourth quarter, consistent with global macroeconomic and geopolitical crosswinds which we are all aware of,” Chief Executive Philippe Krakowsky said on the company’s earnings call Thursday. Earlier this week, IPG competitor Omnicom Group Inc. reported organic-revenue growth of 7.2% for the fourth quarter.

☆ Publicis Reports 9.4% Organic Revenue Growth for Fourth Quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Publicis Groupe SA said Thursday that organic revenue grew 9.4% in the fourth quarter as its data and technology services continued to capture a shift in client spending. The growth in the quarter ending Dec. 31 brought Publicis’s full-year 2022 organic revenue growth to 10.1%. The results beat the average analyst estimate of 5.3% growth for the quarter and 8.8% for the year, according to FactSet. Publicis said it expects organic revenue growth of 3% to 5% in 2023. Organic growth refers to the change in net revenue excluding the impacts of acquisitions, disposals and currency fluctuations.

☆ Why Auto Marketing Looks Poised for Growth in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

A year like that might typically drive auto marketing off a cliff. “We haven’t taken our foot off the accelerator, because we do see the transformation of EVs occurring,” Mr. Wager said. “You don’t put a vehicle in the Super Bowl to sell 20,000 vehicles—that doesn’t make any sense,” Mr. Wager said. “You wouldn’t put it on television normally, unless you’re creating the halo of the electrification of the brand,” Mr. Wager said. Kia will be at the Super Bowl again this year, this time advertising its Telluride SUV.

☆ Twitter executives told advertisers to get used to Elon Musk's unpredictability as the company continues hemorrhaging ad dollars, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter executives have told advertisers they must get comfortable with Elon Musk's unpredictability, according to The Information. Advertising was by far the most significant source of revenue for Twitter before Musk took over. Twitter executives are reportedly becoming increasingly desperate to bring in additional revenue as some prior ad spending dries up. The downturn in spending comes as Twitter executives have told advertisers – who notoriously prefer uncontroversial content surrounding their ad campaigns – that they need to start getting comfortable with CEO Elon Musk's unpredictability, The Information reports. Advertising was by far the most significant source of revenue for Twitter before Elon Musk took over in October of last year.

☆ Top Marketers Are Turning Their Side Projects Into Legitimate Businesses
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Turning side projects into stand-alone businesses or full-time occupations can be difficult or even impossible for chief marketing officers, whose jobs have become increasingly demanding and complex. “I loved the idea of Paris, especially as a place that I might someday pluck up the courage to start the company,” said Ms. Howard. Dashlane was unaware that Ms. Howard was developing a new company until she announced her resignation, she said. Soon after he left the soft-drink giant, Mr. Cottrill received a call from industry veteran Gary Koepke. New ideas, new challengesWorking on side projects has helped marketers develop different skill-sets and, in some cases, explore new careers.

☆ Ad Firms Predict Slower Advertising Growth for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Major advertising forecasting firms say global advertising growth in 2023 will be slower than previously predicted. Automotive advertising could grow again after a period of moderate decline as the industry gradually emerges from the supply-chain crisis, the firm added. A separate forecast from media and data giant GroupM, part of WPP PLC, predicted that global advertising revenue will grow 5.9% next year, a downgrade from its 6.4% estimate in June. GroupM said global advertising revenue this year will grow 6.5%, excluding political advertising, down from its June forecast of 8.4%. Growth in China will be less than expected because of that country’s pandemic-related lockdowns, the firm said.

“There’s no such thing as a set forecast right now,” said Sophie Kelly, senior vice president of whiskies at Diageo North America, speaking at the same event. The firm, a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Mediabrands, cut its growth forecast for next year to 4.8% from an earlier prediction of 5.8% in June. Organic revenue growth is a metric that removes the effects of currency fluctuations, acquisitions and disposals. Airbnb Inc. slashed its advertising spending and invested in brand marketing, lessening its reliance on search-engine marketing. “We knew that people are changing their behavior,” said William White, Walmart’s chief marketing officer.

☆ Complexity for Marketers Has Meant Opportunity for Ad Agencies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Their performance is striking compared with ad agencies’ plight five years ago: Facebook and Google had established direct relationships with marketers and were winning growing portions of their ad budgets before agencies could even offer their services. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. PREVIEWSome major owners of ad agencies watched their growth slow or flatten in 2017 and 2018. Agency companies have responded by building practices to help marketers on platforms like TikTok and Amazon. Marketers navigate outside partnersSome major marketers still want to keep a close handle on some of their data efforts.

☆ SpaceX just bought a big ad campaign on Twitter for Starlink
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

SpaceX founder Elon Musk during a T-Mobile and SpaceX joint event on August 25, 2022 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. The ad campaign SpaceX is buying to promote Starlink is called a Twitter "takeover." Users should see Starlink brand messaging for the first three times that they open the Twitter app on the day or days of the planned takeover campaign in Australia and in Spain. Pressure on Twitter ad salesMusk is also the CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla , in addition to his responsibilities at SpaceX and Twitter. Instead, Tesla garners headlines from fan blogs, news sites, and creates buzz through motor clubs, fan or shareholder events and social media engagement.

☆ Twitter gives big advertisers the excuse they need
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Nov 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk is making it too easy to hit the pause on ad spending. loadingSocial media companies are no stranger to ad boycotts. That’s because Facebook and Instagram rely more on small business advertising, which is a diverse scattered group. Twitter reaps almost all its revenue from big brands, and those big advertisers are already looking for an excuse to put the brakes on spending. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Elon Musk took over a struggling business with Twitter and has quickly made it worse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

In this article TWTR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTThe Twitter profile page belonging to Elon Musk is seen on an Apple iPhone mobile phone. watch nowCompared to larger rivals Facebook and Google , Twitter never managed to develop an online ad business that matched the scale of its influence in popular culture and society at large. Twitter's revenue in the second quarter declined from a year earlier. Other opportunities are emerging, such as connected TVs and streaming services as well as Amazon's growing online ad business for retail-oriented companies, Tipograph said. González said she was willing to give Musk "the benefit of the doubt" when he told the group that Twitter was aligned with them.

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