Posts made in May, 2017

on May 24, 2017

By John Glenday Marks and Spencer is feeling the pinch with a slump in profits after embarking on an ambitious expansion of its grocery arm, opening 68 new food stores in the past year alone, as it seeks to diversify away from its struggling core clothing business. This has led directly to a 60 per cent decline in pre-tax profits in the year to the end of March, with a pre-tax profit coming in at $176.4m with a 4.2% rise in food revenue failing to offset a steeper than expected 5.9% decline at its clothing and homeware division. John Ibbotson, director of the Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on May 24, 2017

By Charlotte McEleny Attracting and retaining talent in an era of exponential change is a global challenge, but in a region as fragmented as Asia Pacific, it becomes even more interesting. The opportunities do outweigh the challenges of course, so how can the industry make sure it’s future-ready from a people point of view? Sojern managing director, Asia Pacific, Russell Young answers The Drum’s regular Q&A, in which industry leaders, new talent and everyone in between, will cast their opinions on whether the marketing industry has, when talent is concerned, got its own marketing problem. Do you think young people want to work in the marketing Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on May 24, 2017

By Charlotte McEleny The Drum Digital Trading Awards APAC has launched, marking the first dedicated awards programme for the ad tech and digital media community in the region. The aim of the awards for 2017 is to encourage discussion around the themes of clarity and transparency, with the final awards night taking place in Singapore on 27 October 2017 benchmarking those leading the charge in the Asia Pacific industry. It is the first awards programme for The Drum in Asia but follows on from four years in Europe and two in the US for the Digital Trading Awards. The Drum Digital Trading Awards APAC is being Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on May 24, 2017

By John Glenday Apple has extended its dominance of Forbes annual list of the world’s most valuable brands after appearing at the top of the tree for the seventh year on the trot with a value of $170bn, a 10% increase on its total for 2016. Firmly ensconced at the top spot Apple easily saw off its nearest challengers in the form of Google which ranked a distant second at $101.8bn, although the gap is closing somewhat with Google improving its position by 23% since the year prior. Forbes senior editor Kurt Badenhausen remarked: “Technology brands continue to rank Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on May 24, 2017

By Benjamin Cher TBWAHakuhodo has taken a 15% stake in TechShop Japan, a makerspace established by Fuijitsu in 2015. It follows TBWA taking a majority stake in Lucky Generals earlier this year. TechShop was first established in California in 2006. The membership-based DIY workshop and fabrication studio, provides access to equipment, tools and software, as well as classes on how to use them. It currently has nine locations in the US, with the only Asian operation in Japan. As part of this investment TBWA introduced a new subsidiary under the name Quantum. The subsidiary will serve as a strategic partner in the venture, Read full story › Source: The Drum...