October 7, 2016 nº 1,800 - Vol. 13
"The paradox of reality is that no image is as compelling as the one which exists only in the mind's eye."
Shana Alexander
In today's Law Firm Marketing, Are you creating marketing assets or expenses?
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Brazil changes Petrobras oil law, paving way for investment grade
As expected, Brazil's government made changes to its deepwater oil concessions law late Wednesday. It paves the way for Petrobras to become investment grade again. Under the law, Petrobras is no longer required to participate in offshore auctions, allowing the company to stand-down on investing where it no longer needs to. Petrobras can finally save some money. This not only bodes well for its stock, but is especially good for its debt profile. It is only a matter of time before Petrobras is no longer speculative grade. The law (PL 4567) passed the lower house of congress in a landslide, with 292 in favor and 101 against, all of them from leftist parties and the now deposed Workers' Party. This is not a new law, but rather a change to an existing one. It was first proposed by Senator Jose Serra over a year ago and removes Petrobras from its mandatory 30% participation in production-sharing agreements. The law is unlikely to be revived in any meaningful way by the Senate. This is a done deal.
Stop-loss
In this new article, Gabriel Rios Corrêa, of Lobo & Ibeas Advogados, deals with the mechanisms to minimize the risk of an investor losing all of the investment when there is no liquidity for an IPO or trade sale. (Click here)
1 - Italian judge orders client of child prostitute to buy her 30 books - click here.
2 - Deutsche may not face German penalty over Russian trades - click here.
3 - Uber offers free rides in drive to solve US town's parking crisis - click here.
4 - Proportion of female judges in UK 'among lowest in Europe' - click here.
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The future is bright if you ask China
Chinese think their country's power is rising, that their living standards will keep improving, that corruption is being cleaned up and that air pollution should be fixed even if it means slowing down economic growth. Here optimism trumps all. It's not that people are without concerns: corrupt officials, income inequality, and the safety of food and medicine are "very big" problems.
Are you creating marketing assets or expenses?
By Tom Trush
Last Saturday night, I was on the receiving end of a marketing tactic that I couldn't help but applaud.
My good friend Phil -- who I hadn't seen in several months -- and I decided to catch up while bar hopping around downtown Phoenix. Our final stop was at a restaurant and wine bar called Portland's.
As we sat at the bar, I couldn't help but glance at the menu. I had dinner a couple hours earlier, so I wasn't too hungry.
But the lure of a Sicilian-style sausage and roasted poblano pepper pizza proved too tempting to pass up.
My decision to place an order was rewarded the instant I took the first bite -- the pizza was outstanding. So good, in fact, I'd already started planning my next trip to Portland's.
But the marketing gods beat me to the punch ...
They must have sensed my excitement because, when I received the check, there was a place to include my e-mail address so I could get future discounts and updates.
Whoa ... imagine that!
I'm amazed at how few restaurants (and businesses in general) use this marketing tactic. Now Portland's has an inexpensive way to stay in contact and encourage me to spend money with them.
Think about it ...
Their list is a marketing asset -- the value increases as names get added. Of course, this assumes people on the list receive frequent communication and beneficial information.
You won't find a more valuable marketing asset than your database of contact information for prospects and current/previous clients.
Since these people know you, they're most likely to buy or refer your product/service. So wouldn't you agree growing (and, of course, communicating with) your database should be a priority in your marketing efforts?
This is one reason why I often stress the importance of offering valuable information on your website in exchange for e-mail addresses.
And speaking of marketing assets ...
Every marketing piece you use should generate more in return than what it cost to produce and distribute. So if you have a website ... sales letter .. e-mail campaign ... brochure ... mailer ... whatever ... and it does not bring you prospects and generate sales, then re-examine its use.
Can you improve the marketing message? Are you putting the piece in front of the wrong audience? Could you make a stronger offer?
The bottom line is you should make money with your marketing -- not just spend it.
Tom Trush is available at https://www.writewaysolutions.com.
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© Trey Ryder
FREE LAWYER MARKETING ALERT: If you'd like to receive Trey Ryder's weekly Lawyer Marketing Alert, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Write "Subscribe LMA" in the subject line and write your name and e-mail address in the body of the message.
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PDVSA
Venezuela recientemente ha lanzado la oferta de bonos de su refinería en Estados Unidos. La PDVSA ha estima que el valor de su empresa Citgo, que opera en el país del norte, es de US$ 8,300 mlls., en tanto analistas rechazan la estimación y aseguran que probablemente la cifra puede ser menor. (Presione aquí)
Fondos
Más fondos de retiro canadienses están buscando proyectos en México para invertir directamente o en asociación con sus pares locales como parte de su estrategia en América del Norte. Grandes firmas como la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), Ontario Teachers' y el Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) han elevado desde el año pasado su presencia en México invirtiendo en instrumentos bursátiles o comprando participaciones en proyectos de infraestructura.
Relaciones
La directora de Cooperación para América Latina y Caribe de la Comisión Europea, Jolita Butkeviciene, está de visita en Argentina con una agenda destinada a mejorar las vías de colaboración entre la región y la UE. Butkeviciene y su equipo mantienen encuentros con representantes de los Estados latinoamericanos para poner en común ideas de cooperación y para presentar las herramientas financieras que ofrece el bloque.
Deutsche Bank as next Lehman Brothers: far-fetched but not unthinkable
Global markets have roiled recently over fears that Deutsche Bank will not be able to absorb a $14 billion fine from the Justice Department. As part of an overhaul, the lender announced plans last year to eliminate as many as 35,000 posts through internal cuts and sales of businesses. The German bank followed an outdated, risky business model, an I.M.F. official said, and a drastic overhaul is needed.
Zimbabwe to soften controversial foreign company law
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has announced plans to water down a contentious law obliging foreign companies to hand over most of their shares to black Zimbabweans. The "indigenization law" has been blamed for choking off investment. It has never been fully implemented and Mugabe has previously said many sectors of the economy are exempt. But it has been widely criticized, including by the IMF, for contributing to the collapse of the economy. The government says the aim of the law is to empower the majority black population who were disadvantaged by colonial rule. But critics say it has benefited Mugabe's allies.
Paris Agreement on climate change achieves threshold for entry into force
Threshold for entry into force of the Paris Agreement on combatting climate change was achieved on Wednesday. The threshold of 55 parties making up more than 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions triggered the entry into force of the agreement in 30 days. The signatories to the agreement include both large and small emitters of green house gases at varying levels of development. US President Barack Obama expressed his thanks to nations across the world for their commitment to combat climate change. The parties which have joined or subsequently join the agreement will submit national climate action plans which can be resubmitted as more ambitious plans at any point but cannot be weakened. Conclusion of negotiations to develop the Paris Agreement's implementation rule book are now the main priority of the Paris Agreement governing body.
Trump says 70% of federal regulations could go
Trump has said he could cut as many as 70% of federal US regulations if he is elected. He blames regulations for stifling business but said rules on safety and the environment could stay. "I would say 70% of regulations can go. It's just stopping businesses from growing." Earlier, one of his advisers said 10% of regulations could be eliminated. "We need regulation but immediately every agency will be asked to rate the importance of their regulations and we will push to remove 10% of the least important," Scaramucci said.
Poland's parliament rejects near-total ban
Poland's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to reject a controversial citizens' bill for a near-total ban on abortion. The government said that protests against the bill had given ministers "food for thought". Poland already has among the tightest abortion laws in Europe, and the proposal sought to ban all abortions unless the mother's life was at risk. MPs voted to reject the bill by 352 votes to 58. The bill came from an anti-abortion citizens' initiative that gathered some 450,000 signatures. It was initially backed by the Catholic Church, but bishops then said they could not support one of the proposals, to jail women who had an abortion.
Pakistan closes 'honor killings' loophole allowing killers to go free
Pakistan's government has closed a loophole allowing those behind so-called honor killings to go free. New legislation means killers will get a mandatory life sentence. Previously, killers could be pardoned by a victim's family to avoid a jail term. Now forgiveness will only spare them the death penalty. It is being seen as a step in the right direction in a country where attacks on women who go against conservative rules on love and marriage are common. According to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), nearly 1,100 women were killed by relatives in Pakistan last year in such killings, while many more cases go unreported. The loophole allowed the perpetrators of "honor killings" - often a relative acting on the pretext of defending family "honor" - to avoid punishment because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.
Germany court rules no compensation for Afghanistan families of airstrike victims
Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled Thursday that relatives of the victims of a 2009 airstrike in Afghanistan are not entitled to compensation. The court held that international law does not award damages or compensation for violations of international humanitarian law. Additionally, there is no legal basis for damages under German law because the scope of public liability does not extend to military missions abroad. The lawsuit concerned an airstrike ordered by Brigadier General Georg Klein near Kunduz, Afghanistan, on September 4, 2009. The airstrike killed 91 people, including many civilians. Germany previously paid USD $5,000 to relatives of each civilian that died in the attack, but the victims' relatives were seeking additional compensation.
ICC conducts outreach visit to Palestine and Israel
The International Criminal Court (ICC) sent a delegation to Israel and Palestine Wednesday for a five-day visit aimed at education and outreach in the region. The ICC stated that the trip will not serve to gather evidence or make assessments pertaining to alleged crimes falling under its jurisdiction. A statement by the court distinguished between the outreach trip and the current, preliminary investigations into the situation in Palestine. The ICC stated that maintaining the integrity and independence of each function from the other was salient to preventing "politicization" of the investigation process.
Airbnb sues San Francisco over new law
Airbnb's is suing the city of San Francisco, which tried to ban home-sharing platforms from collecting booking fees from hosts who haven't registered with the city. However, Airbnb, the world's fourth-most valuable startup, is now arguing that because it operates on the Internet, it can't be held responsible for users skirting local laws. (Click here)
Insider trading back in High Court
The first insider trading case since 1997 reaches the Supreme Court. The case involves a Chicago grocery wholesaler, Bassam Yacoub Salman, who was convicted for insider trading after he bought stocks based on information leaked to him by a relative. The case will decide whether someone can be sent to prison for making trades when the insider wasn’t looking to make any money. In oral arguments on Wednesday, the justices appeared to search for a middle ground in deciding what constitutes a benefit to a tipper. The issue turns on whether friendship or family relationship amounts to a benefit comparable to money that would make providing an insider tip illegal.
Yahoo said to have aided US email surveillance by adapting spam filter
A system built to scan emails for spam, child pornography and malware allowed Yahoo to search for a terrorist organization's "signature" to satisfy a secret court order, several sources say.
N.Y. Archdiocese panel to compensate sex-abuse victims
The Archdiocese of New York said that it was setting up a program to compensate survivors of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests and deacons.
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