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Wonders & Blunders: Mastercard Gets a Red Card

06.06.2018
By: Kevin Dinino
Category: Fintech

 
 
OUR CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE WEEK’S NEWS
If you’re worried about government cybersecurity, you’re not alone! A revealing White House report regarding the security of federal agencies has experts concerned.
 
Value investors suffered tough times in the past decade, going through what The Wall Street Journal calls a existential crisis. What does value investing mean in 2018?
 
In an ill-fated preview to the World Cup, Mastercard launched a campaign linking soccer goals to feeding children. The campaign did not score a goal with social media critics, who berated the company for not donating the money to children in the first place.
Government Cybersecurity Concerns
Blunder: The Bleak State of Federal Government Cybersecurity – Lily Hay Newman in Wired.
 
A White House Office of Management and Budget cybersecurity report highlights the government’s blind spots and reveals more concerns. Seventy one of the ninety-six federal agencies assessed in the report qualify as “at risk” or “high risk.” More than half the agencies don’t know what software is on their systems, 75 percent of agencies don’t have the capability to detect or investigate a data breach, and in 38 percent of incidents hacks aren’t fully understood. Security experts say not knowing that an attack happened or how the attack happened is a serious problem, because “if you can’t plug the hole, the attacker is just going to come back in again.”
Is Value Investing Evolving?
Michael Wursthorn in The Wall Street Journal.
 
Value investors traditionally hunt for cheap stocks in consumer staples, materials firms and big manufacturing, the types of stocks stuck in a rut during the U.S. market’s 9-year rally. Financial analysts say value investing’s strategy is “aging poorly” as many investors adopt a broader approach, including buying fast-growing FANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google parent Alphabet), a risky move this late in the economic cycle.
Mastercard World Cup Marketing Misstep
 
 
Mastercard created a World Cup marketing campaign that donated 10,000 meals to a nonprofit for every goal scored by two of the competition’s stars, Lionel Messi and Neymar. While the company probably had good intentions, social media critics wondered why Mastercard didn’t donate the money for meals in the first place. Mastercard has since “adjusted” the campaign, pledging to donate 1 million meals instead of linking meals with Word Cup goals.
 
» IN THE NEWS
Terry Dunne, senior vice president and managing director of Retirement Services at Millennium Trust Company, discusses how to prepare for rising interest rates in 401k Specialist.
 
StarTribune speaks with Tennant about the company’s collaboration withBrain Corp, turning manually-operated machines into autonomous solutions.
» BOTTOM LINE: Digital Money State of Mind
Earlier this month, KCD PR had the opportunity to join the movers and shakers leading the charge in financial innovation at the State of Digital Money Conference in LA. Shortly after the conference, she shared a few highlights and thought provoking insights with The Bottom Line readers.
» FEATURED CASE STUDY: Brain Corp
Brain Corp wanted to be recognized as the company that builds artificial brains for robots and self-driving vehicles, not as a company that builds robots. Brain Corp asked KCD PR to quickly advance that message to key technology and business reporters prior to the company’s announcement of its partnership with a national retailer.
 
 
 

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