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Victoria's Secret and Spice Girls team up for exclusive release

Richard Driver — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Deals, Products and Services, Marketing and Advertising, CBS Corp 'B' (CBS), Limited Brands (LTD), Media World

Billboard reported last night that the new Spice Girls Greatest Hits album will be sold exclusively at Victoria's Secret stores, a division of Limited Brands, Inc. (NYSE: LTD), starting November 13, until it is released in other retail outlets starting January 15. According to the same report, fans will have a 24-hour period to pre-order the album from the Victoria's Secret website starting tonight at midnight. The album will also be available in digital stores from November 13, while the Spice Girls begin a worldwide tour in early December.

The deal that Capitol Music Group made with Victoria's Secret will also see the quintet performing at the "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show," which will be broadcast by CBS (NYSE: CBS) on December 4. The world tour currently only features 10 dates, but due to popular demand, more dates are being added, according to Reuters.

The move to sell the greatest hits album in a retailer that focuses on women's lingerie is certainly understandable, especially given the marketing possibilities that will undoubtedly be unveiled shortly. At the same time, it is not an altogether bad move for the music industry to market an album like this strictly in a single store initially. Greatest hits collections are often hit and miss in terms of sales, so limiting the output initially may offer a better picture of how the album will sell after it is released to all retailers in January. The problem with a greatest hits album like this is that it is pulling 15 songs from only three albums that fans likely already have.

One idea that is sure to crop up in the marketing ads is that Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham) has the same name as the store... but that may be just too obvious.

Victoria's Secret and Spice Girls team up for exclusive release originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Female directors lead to better performance

Zac Bissonnette — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:20:00 EST

Filed under: Management

Catalyst, a non-profit devoted to issues involving women in the workplace, has released a study whose results are probably no surprise to most people: companies with females on the board of directors perform better than those without.

According to Reuters, "the study looked at three financial measures -- return on equity, return on sales and return on invested capital -- at companies in the Fortune 500 over the 2001-to-2004 period."

Most of the people who have been quoted on the study have said that it reflects the value of "diversity" in the boardroom. While that's certainly true, I would argue, perhaps politically incorrectly, that female directors may be less prone to the ego-driven desire to build empires, often at the expense of profitability, that leads to bad returns at so many companies.

With new funds coming out every day based on some idea that appears to have created alpha in the past, maybe it's time for a "Girl Power!" ETF, complete with television commercials featuring the Spice Girls and Rosie O'Donnell. I'd buy some shares.

Female directors lead to better performance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Money Face-Off: Tiger Woods vs. David Beckham

Tom Barlow — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:10:00 EST

Filed under: General Motors (GM), Motorola (MOT), American Express (AXP), NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Electronic Arts (ERTS)

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out our other Money Face-Off posts.

Celebrities -- they're more than superior human beings, they're money-making machines. If these celebrities were stocks, which would be the shrewd buy?

Tiger Woods, unarguably the world's greatest golfer, or David Beckham, the world's best-know soccer player -- in which would you invest?

The industry that is Tiger has shown consistent growth in earnings, with PGA winnings in his first 13 years as a pro exceeding $70 million. His presence in a golf tournament boosts television ratings by 50% or more. He almost single-handedly established Nike in the golf equipment world. He holds the #5 place in Forbes' Celebrity 100 and was #2 in press clippings in 2005. Nike (NYSE: NKE), Buick (NYSE: GM), American Express (NYSE: AXP), Accenture, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Tag Heuer are among the companies that shovel buckets of cash his way in return for his endorsement.

David Beckham is no slouch in the cash category, either. The Times estimates the soccer star brings in a cool $40+ million for endorsements, including Adidas, ESPN, and Motorola (NYSE: MOT). Even in soccer-lite America, he has 51.9% recognition, more than twice that of NBA MVP Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs.

Continue reading Money Face-Off: Tiger Woods vs. David Beckham

Money Face-Off: Tiger Woods vs. David Beckham originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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