Posts made in January, 2015

on Jan 30, 2015

By John Glenday Samsung’s smartphone sales have been overtaken by arch rivals Apple for the first time in four years as the South Korean giant finds itself under increasing pressure at the premium end of the industry. Latest figures indicate that combined sales of Galaxy branded smartphones slumped to between 72.2m and 75.1m (down from 86m in the fourth quarter of 2013) – almost certainly below that of the record 74.5m iPhones shipped by Apple over the latest quarter. Samsung has also been feeling the heat from emerging Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, who have been undercutting it with low cost hardware in Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 30, 2015

By John Glenday Shares in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba have slumped just days after regulators slammed it for ‘illegal advertising’ and shoddy quality control after it missed sales targets between September and December. The shopping juggernaut had been expected to rake in $4.4bn over the period but could only manage $4.2bn in the event, disappointing investors sky high hopes for the firm despite still representing a 40 per cent rise in sales. Alibaba’s sales hinge on the so-called Singles’ Day, a Far East counterpart to Black Friday, on 11 November which this year pulled in $9.3bn in sales, 60 per cent up on Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 30, 2015

By Sarah Shearman Tracy de Groose, the chief executive of Dentsu Aegis Network UK, has been promoted to its EMEA executive board, following the appointment of Rob Horler as the network’s first US chief executive. Read full story › Source: Campaign...

on Jan 30, 2015

By John Glenday Dutch police have arrested an armed intruder at a local television station after the man stormed after the man stormed the offices of broadcaster NOS, disrupting Holland’s most watched main evening news bulletin and demanding to be given airtime. The incident saw staff evacuated from the building as the 19 year-old, well dressed and carrying a fake pistol, stormed into an empty studio after being misdirected by a security guard. He quickly dropped the weapon when confronted by police and was duly arrested but the network was forced off air for an hour whilst officers searched the building. Describing the situation police spokeswoman Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 30, 2015

By Jennifer Faull Representatives from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties attending the Advertising Association’s Lead conference yesterday (29 January) were unanimous in support of a ban to branding on cigarette packs. Ahead of the official vote to enforce the ban, scheduled for May 2016, Maria Miller, Conservative MP and former Culture Secretary of State, revealed she was in favour of plain packaging believing it will help change the way people use those products. Similarly, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy Chris Bryant said one of the most important votes he has made in parliament was for the ban Read full story › Source: The Drum...