A CEO can be vague about a lot of things, but there’s one clear sign he is frustrated by a lagging stock price – a big newspaper ad. Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, is the latest to write a check to proclaim the virtues of his company’s shares. Will it work?
A reader of the Financial Times this week might have felt momentarily transported back to the heady days before the financial crisis. For on its pages was a full-page ad in vivid color listing recent transactions completed by the busy bankers at Barclays. Such chest-thumping displays are rare among investment banks these days. Why would […]
The SEC has just opened the door for broad public marketing of investments from start-ups, hedge funds and private equity firms, breaking a taboo that has been in place for 80 years. No, we’re not likely to see Henry Kravis pitch buyout funds on late-night television alongside ads for pizza and discount furniture. But some […]
Poor AIG. It was just starting to get its mojo back, launching a new ad campaign to thank taxpayers for rescuing the firm in the darkest days of the financial crisis. Then came the awkward news that it might sue taxpayers for driving too hard a bargain. Now the ad campaign seems dishonest and AIG […]