Goodbye Trans AM

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GM is preparing to ‘kill off’ its Pontiac brand as the carmaker searches for viability. Embedded video from <a href=”http://money.cnn.com/video” mce_href=”http://money.cnn.com/video”>CNNMoney.com Video</a> Source: CNNMoney Reports – video report Date: 4/24/2009 Keys: Marketing, positioning, brands, operations management Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2009/04/24/news-gm-pontiac-042409.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the explanations offered for shutting down the Pontiac brand name?… Read more »

YouTube Video Annotations Gain Momentum with Advertisers

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H&R Block is one of several big brands making use of a video annotations feature released last summer by YouTube. The tax preparation company is running a Razorfish-designed YouTube game that lets users click on “hot spots” in videos that link to other YouTube videos or Web sites. Source: Clickz.com Date: 4/23/2009 Keys: Marketing, advertising,… Read more »

Ford Loss Beats Estimates on 49% Slash in Cash Use

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Source: Bloomberg  News Date: 4/24/2009 Keys: Finance, cash management, investing, government Link: http://www.bloomberg.com Questions for discussion: What is the connection between discounts and incentives offered to customers and the cash requirements of the Ford? Do you think Ford will be able to outperform GM and Chrysler and remain operational without the need government funding? Explain… Read more »

New home sales show signs of revival

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Sales of newly constructed homes are showing indications, ever so slight, that the housing decline may be near an end, a government report showed Friday. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 4/24/2009 Keys: Economics, supply & demand, marketing, pricing Link: http://money.cnn.com Questions for discussion: Housing is a major economic factor that determines employment and production levels in many… Read more »

CBS Sticks to Independent Web Strategy, and Agencies Cheer

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Recent reports suggest premium video portal Hulu is on the verge of selling a stake to Disney-ABC Television Group and hosting Disney/ABC content on the site. If a deal happens, Hulu — already backed by NBCU and News Corp. — will be just one partner short of achieving a monopoly among broadcast giants. And that… Read more »

U.S. Stocks Advance on BB&T Profit, Consumer Confidence Report

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U.S. stocks rose, heading for a sixth week of gains, after BB&T Corp. said housing markets are stabilizing and better-than-expected gauge of confidence drove consumer shares higher. Source: Bloomberg  News Date: 4/17/2009 Keys: Economy, stock market, investing Link: http://www.bloomberg.com Questions for discussion: How does the latest stock market and economic news compare to your sense… Read more »

Fiat could ditch Chrysler

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Italian car maker says it could abandon partnership talks with the ailing Detroit company if labor concessions aren’t made. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 4/15/2009 Keys: International business, marketing, government, bankruptcy Link: http://money.cnn.com Questions for discussion: What would you advise Chrysler to do? Do you think the deal makes sense for Fiat? What would you do if… Read more »

Economic Free-fall coming to an end

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Presidential adviser Larry Summers is optimistic for an economic turnaround. Source: ABCNews – video report Date: 4/10/2009 Keys: Economic indicators, business cycle, forecasting sales Link: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7305232 Questions for discussion: Do you agree with Larry Summers’ forecast? Explain your reasoning. What do you think of the predictors of economic activity mentioned in the article? What other… Read more »

Forget banks, keep an eye on trucks

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Transportation stocks have outperformed the broader market lately. That’s a good sign as long as freight shippers say the economy is stabilizing. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 4/10/2009 Keys: Stock market, forecasting, marketing Link: http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/10/markets/thebuzz/index.htm?postversion=2009041012 Questions for discussion: To investors in the stock market, earnings are the primary indicators of a firm’s financial wellbeing. The focus is… Read more »