How they boost income: 04-August-08
Sourav Mitra -
Monday, August 04, 2008 9:33 PM
Ford Motor, U.S. Carmaker:
1. It has nearly caught up with Toyota Motor in quality.
2. It hired Toyota's marketing head in the U.S.
3. It sought the most forward-thinking and creative talent and put together a team of 20 handpicked copywriters, art directors, and Web-focused creative talent from a cross-section of disciplines and backgrounds; among them are freelancers and staffers from inside and outside WPP.
4. It invited 30 influential dealers to a marketing confab to critique the three new slogans and brand strategies.
5. It will bring six models to the U.S. from Europe
6. It will rollout Flex, a seven-seat car-based SUV to woo disaffected owners of gas-thirsty Ford Explorers and boring minivans, for which it created a brand book - a bible that spells out every attribute of the Flex.
[Click here for full story at Businessweek.com]
Good quality + widely brainstormed marketing + new products without the pinch of the old = more scope for income
* * * * * * * * * *
Hedge Funds and alternative lenders in the U.S.:
1. They are offering asset-based loans to small companies as it is not easy for small companies to get traditional bank loans in the difficult lending climate these days.
[Asset-backed loans are commercial loans backed by company assets - anything from a company's inventories to its accounts receivable. And they cost more, require lenders to scrutinize assets more thoroughly, and sometimes require physical inspections that most banks wouldn't conduct]
2. They sometimes provide finance through convertible debt instruments that carry a chance to obtain future equity, say if the company's share prices rose past a certain amount.
3. They usually lend on the basis of the management team strength, the wealth of background information provided (a thorough business plan, historical financial documents, a listing of all company insurance policies, etc) and networking.
[Click here for full story at Businessweek.com]
Filling a demand supply gap = sure income
* * * * * * * * * *
Reliance Equity Advisors Ltd, private equity fund in India:
1. It seeks investment opportunities in India, where the biggest stock slump on record is making assets cheaper to buy
2. It will invest about $75 million to $100 million in each selected company
3. It will focus on logistics companies, drugmakers, retailers, media firms and Indian companies investing overseas
[Click here for full story at Bloomberg.com]
Participating growth stories = wide scope for income
* * * * * * * * * *
888 Holdings Plc, the second-largest U.K. online gaming company:
1. It is aiming for more business-to-business agreements in coming years as traditional gaming groups take advantage of the Internet.
2. It is moving into the supply of poker technology to fuel growth. It entered a partnership to provide Sportech Plc with software, customer support and payment processing in June.
3. It introduced the 888ladies online bingo site and backgammon
4. It added sports betting to keep customers during events such as June's Euro 2008 soccer tournament.
[Click here for full story at Bloomberg.com]
Seeking out new business fields + adding new products to old fields = more income