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Tue. Jul. 03, 2012 Digitas boot camp schools kids in digital marketing skills The Boston office of Digitas just wrapped up a one-week boot camp on digital marketing that had local high school students immersed in consumer analytics, smartphone marketing apps, and banner ads tailored to social media sites. Now a unit of the French advertising giant Publicis Groupe, Digitas has been running the “Eternship” boot camp every year since 2000. This year’s crop of students was issued the following assignment: Devise a marketing campaign with the potential to boost a quick-service restaurant’s afternoon traffic by 10 percent.	Advertisement
Medical devices to get unique identification numbers in FDA plan Medical devices including catheters, defibrillators, heart stents, and artificial joints will carry unique identification numbers under a plan proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration to improve patient safety.
Providence area has highest Hispanic jobless rate A new report says the Hispanic unemployment rate in the metropolitan area that includes Providence as well as New Bedford and Fall River in Massachusetts is the country’s highest. The Washington-based nonprofit Economic Policy Institute says the rate in the area was 23.3 percent in 2011. That was double the national Hispanic unemployment rate of 11.5 percent in 2011. The policy group says Orlando, Fla., had the next highest rate of 16.6 percent, followed by the Riverside, Calif., metropolitan area.
The New England Warrior Benefit is set for Tuesday evening The charitable foundation of Boston developer Joe Fallon has organized a fund-raiser for Tuesday evening that is designed to honor US Special Operations Forces and their families. The New England Warrior Benefit will take place at the Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston. Proceeds from the event will go to nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing financial assistance and services to Special Forces families.
Kronos CEO Aron Ain wins an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in tech category Chelmsford-based Kronos Inc., which develops software that helps companies manage their work forces, said that chief executive Aron Ain is the recipient of an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New England. Ain won in the technology category. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and success in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their business and community.
Fiksu secures $10m in Series B financing Fiksu Inc., a firm that helps advertisers market their products to consumers on their smartphones and tablet computers, said Tuesday that it has secured $10 million in Series B financing, bringing the total amount of funding it has raised to date to $17.8 million. The Series B round was led by investor Qualcomm Inc., acting through its venture investment arm Qualcomm Ventures, and existing investor Charles River Ventures.
Supporters submit enough signatures to place ‘Right to Repair’ on November ballot Voters may have the chance to approve legislation that would require auto manufacturers to give independent auto mechanics access to repair data and diagnostic codes currently available only to dealerships. Supporters of the legislation, known as “Right to Repair,” said Monday that they submitted 16,000 signatures -- about 5,000 more than required to place the issue on the November ballot. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers says the bill threatens intellectual property rights, and could put customers at risk by compromising the online security of data
Dunkin’: Celebrate the Oreo’s 100th birthday with an Oreo donut In a marriage seemingly made in uber-chef heaven, Dunkin’ Donuts said it is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Oreo cookie by infusing Oreo DNA into some of Dunkin’s cold beverages and baked goods. Not to be outdone, Dunkin’s sister chain, Baskin-Robbins, will also use the Oreo as an inspiration for some seasonal ice cream-and-cake offerings. Oreo is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods, and Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins have a licensing agreement with Kraft for their Oreo promotions.
Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline to pay $35 million to Massachusetts Medicaid program as part of $3 billion national settlement over marketing Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay more than $35 million to the Massachusetts Medicaid program as part of the British drug maker’s $3 billion settlement Monday with federal and state authorities in the largest US health care fraud case ever. The massive case centers around the promotion of prescription drugs for uses not approved by federal regulators, which is illegal. Although doctors may prescribe drugs for off-label treatments, companies can’t must limit their marketing to approved uses.
Avid ‘streamlines operations’ with divestitures, layoffs. Head count to shrink by about 350 jobs Avid Technology Inc., a Burlington company that makes equipment for recording music and video, said Monday that its head count will be reduced by about 20 percent, or about 350 jobs, as a result of selling off some of its product lines as well as from layoffs. The reduction is part of a strategic initiative to improve operating performance, Avid said. As part of the plan, Avid is looking to focus on its professional customers who use Avid tools to edit Hollywood movies.
Apogee Tech shares halted by SEC The US Securities and Exchange Commission has temporarily suspended trading of shares of Apogee Technology Inc., citing the company’s apparent failure to file routine public financial reports. The SEC said the Norwood biotechnology company has not filed quarterly financial reports since June 30, 2011. The commission suspended trading of Apogee shares for two weeks beginning Monday. It will conduct administrative proceedings to investigate the case.
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