Is the future of the Big Six advertising agencies under threat? March 2, 2020 Navel-gazing about the future is becoming increasingly fashionable in adland. The last few years have been tricky for the industry, as profits have faltered and clients have demanded more and more of the major players. It has led to concerns that the Big Six, the marketing giants which have dominated the sector for the last [...]
EIS investing: A leap into the unknown February 26, 2020 For the uninitiated, investing can often feel like an alphabet soup of different acronyms. But knowing what they all mean can open up a whole new world of options for how to put your money to work. As investors prepare for a number of government changes to how they can invest in startups, City A.M. [...]
The Press Business: Meet the ad men trying to breath new life into print February 24, 2020 The last decade has been a slow motion car crash for print media. Sales have suffered a precipitous fall, trusted newspapers and magazines have retreated onto the internet, and scores of cherished outlets have shut up shop entirely. In 2018, the chief executive of the New York Times, Mark Thompson, estimated that the newspaper’s print [...]
Why the housing minister merry-go-round is hurting the industry February 18, 2020 When Boris Johnson sacked housing minister Esther McVey last week, people working in the sector could have been forgiven for reacting somewhat wearily. Her replacement, Christopher Pincher, is the tenth person to hold the job in the last decade, and the nineteenth since 2000. It is, by some distance, the worst churn experienced by any [...]
Fighting dirty: The most outrageous US election advertising hit jobs February 17, 2020 Earlier this month, millions of Americans were treated to six identical seconds of election advertising from two opposing political parties. “America demanded change,” booms a Don LaFontaine-esque Hollywood trailer-style voice over. “And change is what we got.” The clip featured first in Donald Trump’s Super Bowl re-election TV ad on 2 February, which touted the President’s [...]
ESG investing: The only way is ethics February 12, 2020 “Climate change has become a defining factor in companies’ long-term prospects,” wrote Larry Fink, chief executive of Blackrock, in his annual letter to global company bosses last month. “I believe we are on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance.” It was a big moment. Sustainability has been a growing economic issue for more [...]
How e-scooters, self-driving cars, and flying taxis will shape the future of your commute February 10, 2020 An air of tranquility hangs about Stratford’s electric scooter riders. Their bodies are still, poised, as they glide by on this crisp February morning. I try to copy them and end up skidding along, struggling to figure out how to position my feet — but after a couple of wobbles I’m gliding too. As I [...]
Most Brits intend to turn to electric or hybrid cars with next purchase January 31, 2020 The majority of British drivers do not intend to buy a conventional petrol or diesel car for their next purchase, amid growing interest in hybrid and electric cars. Only 48 per cent of consumers in a major poll said they plan to buy a traditional internal combustion engine-powered car next, City A.M. can reveal. That [...]
Boeing suffers annual loss of nearly $2bn as 737 Max crisis drags on January 29, 2020 Boeing made a monumental $1.98bn (£1.52bn) loss last year, after the grounding of the 737 Max plane marked the most calamitous period in its 103-year history. Sales also sank 37 per cent year on year to $17.9bn, Boeing’s first annual results since the worldwide grounding of its best-selling jet showed today. Boeing warned the crisis [...]
Struggling Northern Rail franchise nationalised and renamed Northern Trains January 29, 2020 Northern Rail is to be nationalised, five years before the franchise was set to end, after months of delays, cancellations and poor financial performance. Transport secretary Grant Shapps will terminate the existing franchise for Northern and install the state’s Operator of Last Resort on 1 March as filings for a new state-run replacement – Northern [...]
