Two ad agencies and a brand with local ties were among those honored at this week’s ceremony for the annual Effie Awards, which salute effective marketing campaigns. Gold, silver, and bronze awards are given out in multiple categories. In the good works/nonprofit category, Boston ad agency Arnold Worldwide won a Gold Effie for its “Tips from Former Smokers” campaign on behalf of client US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the travel/tourism/destination category, Boston ad agency Mullen won a Silver Effie for its work for client JetBlue Airways. Gillette, the Boston-based grooming brand that’s now part of Procter & Gamble, won a Bronze Effie for its “How Gillette Embraced Facial Hair to Build its Business” efforts. The lead ad agency on this campaign is BBDO New York. The Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, a hotel with a castle-like silhouette that is located near the Massachusetts Turnpike, is getting an $8 million renovation just in time for its 40th birthday. “A soothing color palate of blue and grey” will grace the new lobby, guest corridors, and general public space, according to Hager and Associates Inc., the interior design firm working on the project. The grand ballroom is receiving updated touches of soft greys and neutrals; with 18-foot-high ceilings, it offers the most expansive dance floor in the region. The renovations should be finished within the next few weeks. “The improved design will embrace the favorite, traditional elements of the castle-inspired hotel while incorporating modern features that create a functional and contemporary environment,” Doris Hager of Hager and Associates said. Destination XL Group Inc.’s fiscal first-quarter net income dropped 57 percent as the men’s clothing and accessories company contended with a chilly spring and higher expenses. President and chief executive David Levin said in a statement on Friday that while sales were weak in February and March, that was somewhat offset by better results in April when the weather started to warm up. The Canton company earned $1 million, or 2 cents per share, for the three months ended May 4. A year earlier it earned $2.3 million, or 5 cents per share. Revenue fell 2 percent to $93.6 million from $95.5 million. Revenue at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, dipped 0.5 percent. AMSC, a Devens technology company in the wind energy and power grid industry, said Friday that China’s Supreme People’s Court has scheduled a hearing for May 29 to review the jurisdiction of AMSC’s software copyright infringement cases against Sinovel Wind Group Co. Ltd. Sinoval, a large Chinese company that makes wind turbines, was once AMSC’s biggest customer. Then Sinoval stopped accepting shipments from AMSC. In 2011, AMSC filed several lawsuits against Sinoval in China, alleging contractual breaches and intellectual property theft and seeking more than $1.2 billion in damages and payments. “President Xi Jinping recently said that China will protect legitimate rights of foreign enterprises,” AMSC general counsel John Powell said. “AMSC’s cases against Sinovel are the perfect litmus test for whether statements like these are rhetoric or reality.” Office Depot Inc. and OfficeMax Inc., two rivals of Framingham-based Staples Inc. in the office supply business, said that the Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, has been selected to provide integration support for the companies’ proposed merger. Earlier this year, Office Depot unveiled a $1.2 billion bid for OfficeMax — in an attempt by the smaller rivals to better compete against Staples, which is the largest office supplies chain with about 2,300 stores worldwide and 39 percent of the US market, according to IBISWorld, a market research firm. In their May 23 press release, Office Depot and OfficeMax said, “The Boston Consulting Group will be responsible for working with the management teams from both companies to help define the priorities, vision, and guiding principles of the integration process.” Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., a company that advises large investors on corporate governance and how to vote their stock proxies, settled charges with federal securities regulators over failing to safeguard its clients confidential stock votes. The US Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered Neil M.M. Morrison, a former investment banker at Goldman, Sachs and ex-top state treasury aide to Timothy P. Cahill, to pay a $100,000 civil penalty, citing what the agency said was his role in a pay-to-play campaign fundraising scheme for Cahill. The agency’s order also bars Morrison from working in the securities industry for five years as part of the negotiated settlement that brings to an end a two-and-a-half year investigation into his activities in raising campaign funds and participating as a chief advisor in Cahill’s campaign for governor in the 2010 election. SEC regulations sharply restrict public-finance bankers from contributing to political figures and elected officials who issue public bonds. |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment