Here's a quick round-up of the big industry stories today...



  • Groupon marketing spend leads to Q1 profits
The daily deals company reported an operating profit of $39.6m (£22.9m) in the three months to 31 March, compared to a $117m (£72.7m) loss in the previous year.
Revenue increased 74.6% to $559.3m (£347.4m). Marketing costs decreased 49% year-on-year to $117m (£72.7m) and fell 25% quarter-on-quarter as the company switched its focus from acquisition to retention.
          You can read the full article from Marketing Week here.

  • The Perfume Shop has appointed Tamar to handle a six month SEO campaign

    The cosmetic store has hired Tamar to 'devise and execute the campaign, with the aim of increasing their organic visibility online'

    Natalie Walker, eCommerce manager at The Perfume Shop, said: “We appointed Tamar because of their expertise and experience in the retail sector online. We’re on our digital journey as a brand and the next step for us is SEO.”
Tanya Goodin, CEO of Tamar, added: “We’re delighted to be working with The Perfume Shop.
“The campaign we are planning will deliver them the online visibility they deserve. The earned media focus of our SEO approach emphasises Tamar's belief that capitalising on the consumer shift in trust from bought to earned media will deliver explosive results for brands if executed intelligently.”
This story is available on The Drum website 

  •  The Scottish Government set to spend £1m a year on communications contract over next four years

    Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party is set to spend 'up to £1 million a year of public funds on hiring a firm to promote the policies of the SNP administration and other public bodies in the run-up to the independence referendum. The newly-advertised contract will pay a firm to send out news releases, monitor newspaper reports and broadcasts for government departments, government agencies and public bodies.'
    The Scotsman Newspaper reports: “Nationalist ministers were heavily criticised by opposition parties over the move, which comes after it emerged that taxpayers are paying nearly £12 million a year to cover the cost of the Scottish Government’s communications budget.

    Full story available on The Drum