Marketing Week
1 January 2009
-
ABTA launches credit crunch campaign
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) is encouraging holidaymakers to book through accredited members for reassurance during the credit crunch. It is launching a new campaign later this month to target consumers during the peak booking period.
-
Aegis reviews business strategy
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Aegis is understood to be considering plans to either spin off Synovate, its market research arm, or forge closer ties with its largest shareholder Vincent Bolloré (pictured).
-
Anomaly launches UK office
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
Anomaly, the New York based independent agency, is setting up a UK office. The agency has poached Paul Graham, managing partner of RKCR/Y&R's digital arm Saint, to set up Anomaly UK.
-
Barclays aims for a credible relaunch
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
High street bank Barclays is planning its fourth brand overhaul in less than a decade with a new UK campaign scheduled for spring. Industry observers are predicting that the marketing drive will fall little short of a brand relaunch for the bank, which has been struggling to maintain momentum in ...
-
Barclays brand repositioning marks return to TV campaigns
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
Barclays is repositioning its brand for the fourth time in eight years, and will return to TV advertising later this year after an absence of 18 months.
-
Barclays launches first contactless debit cards
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
Barclays is launching the UK’s first contactless debit cards. The cards will be issued to customers from March, allowing them to pay for goods of £10 or less at special readers without needing to enter a PIN or use a terminal.
-
Britvic restructures marketing team
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Britvic has restructured its marketing team to create two ...
-
Carter set to ease local ownership rules
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Ownership rules for local media are expected to be relaxed in a move aimed at helping struggling regional newspaper groups. It is thought the Digital Britain report, due later this month, will recommend consolidation in a bid to save jobs.
-
Coke refutes Fanta pesticide claims
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Coca-Cola has moved to quash safety concerns about its Fanta brand after research found that the drink contains high levels of pesticides. Research by the University of Jaen in Spain found the orange and lemon variants sold in the UK contained up to 300 time more pesticides than tap water.
-
Comparethemarket.com launches spoof website campaign
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Comparethemarket.com has created a spoof website Comparethemeerkat.com for a TV-led brand campaign that will launch today (January 5). The BGL-owned comparison site aims to achieve standout in an “increasingly cluttered” sector.
-
Courtney Love album sponsored by tampons and tequila
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
US rock artist Courtney Love's new album is to be sponsored to the tune of 30m by a "prominent tequila brand" and a "feminine menstrual/hygiene" company. The news of the deals with the unnamed sponsors was announced on Love's Myspace page.
-
Direct Line relaunches red phone and mouse icons
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Direct Line is relaunching its classic red phone icon in a new campaign that breaks today (January 5). It will also see the return of the computer mouse on wheels.
-
DWP seeks agency to push pension strategy change
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is seeking an agency for a major campaign highlighting a strategic shift in the pension system.
-
Euro RSCG wins Peugeot dealer account
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Peugeot has moved the advertising for its dealership network into Euro RSCG following a pitch. Incumbent agency McCann Erickson Manchester was involved in the review and will retain the media planning and buying account.
-
Gambling industry to face charity levy
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports minister, is set to unveil plans that will force gambling operators to pay a statutory levy to fund the industry charity. The move follows the failure of many companies to make voluntary contributions to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust.
-
Getting Ahead: Chris Carter
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Being invited to participate in a Clients Board Meetings at 26. But being invited back was the real achievement.
-
Hit40UK shifts to download-only chart
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
Hit40UK, commercial radio chart, is dropping CD sales and shifting its focus to digital download sales. The move will be reflected from next Sunday's chart (11th January).
-
Identity and Passport Service seeks agency for ad brief
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
The Identity and Passport Service is reviewing its advertising arrangements. The service, an executive agency of the Home Office, has approached a number of undisclosed agencies about the account.†
-
John Lewis reports level Christmas sales
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
John Lewis has reported flat sales for the crucial Christmas trading period compared with the same period in 2007. The high street retailer today (January 5) reported an overall 2.4% rise in sales for the five weeks to Jan 3.
-
Ladbrokes slams ASAs ban on humour in gambling ads
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
Ladbrokes has hit out at the Advertising Standards Authority for what it claims is a ban on humour in gambling ads. It comes after the watchdog ruled against a recent ad campaign for ladbrokescasino.com.
-
Liberty plans relaunch brand collaborations
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Liberty, the luxury department store, will unveil new collaborations with Nike, Cacherel and Turner Prize winning artist Grayson Perry as part of a relaunch of the store next month.
-
LRC starts talks with Wheatly over Jazz FM sale
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
The Local Radio Company has put digital-only station Jazz FM up for sale following a strategic review of its business. The company is already in talks with a consortium led by the station’s executive chairman Richard Wheatly.
-
M&S to close stores amid Christmas sales slump
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
Marks & Spencer will shut 27 "underperforming" stores and cut 1,230 jobs in response to "challenging economic conditions". The cost-cutting measures come as M&S, the UK's biggest clothing retail, reports its worst Christmas trading in a decade.
-
Microsoft plans workforce cut
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Microsoft is understood to be considering cutting around 10% of its global workforce in response to profit falls across the business. The move could affect the company's 3,000 employees in the UK.
-
Newspapers are not dead yet
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
Exactly three years ago, I wrote an article for Marketing Week headed The death of newspapers? Yes, the question mark was included. I said that the very word newspaper was a misnomer there were plenty of other places to get the news faster and usually free.
-
P&G plans to reduce its range of laundry products
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
Procter & Gamble is planning a major consolidation of its laundry range, which will see all of its liquid and tablet formats scrapped over the next five years.
-
Reckitt Benckiser launches major carbon initiative
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
Household goods company Reckitt Benckiser is launching a global initiative aimed at helping consumers to cut the carbon footprint of the products they use. The Our Home Our Planet drive will launch in Europe this month.
-
Retailers report Christmas sales gloom
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
The beleaguered retail sector has suffered another blow this morning (January 6) as falling sales over the Christmas period were reported by two major high street chains.
-
Standard Life appoints Esberger
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Standard Life has appointed former npower commercial director Simon Esberger to the new role of marketing operations director. His appointment comes amid a restructure of the asset management company's marketing division.
-
Tenerife promotes its "lesser-known" attractions
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
The Tenerife Tourist Board is launching a campaign to promote the "lesser-known side of the island" in a bid to lure new holidaymakers to the Island. It will include a film highlighting the more luxurious attractions Tenerife has to offer.
-
Tequila tipped to win Domestic & General account
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
Tequila is tipped to win the integrated pan-European advertising account for Domestic & General, the UK's largest provider of warranties for domestic appliances.
-
The economic crisis silver lining
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
With 2008 bowing out on a season of unremitting business gloom, the New Year bringing with it the prospect of a deep recession is a daunting one for some. But not the UK marketing community. When Marketing Week asked industry figures for their thoughts about surviving and thriving through a downturn, the overwhelming message was: Don't panic!
-
T-Mobile to boost UK marketing spend by 15% to over 115m
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
T-Mobile is boosting its marketing spend by 15% this year in a move that will take its UK spend to over £115m.
-
UK sees fastest price drop in two years
Wed, 7 Jan 2009
The British Retail Consortium says huge discounting by the supermarkets coupled with the cut in VAT rates has brought non-food prices down "dramatically". It says such measures have contributed to the fastest fall in non-food prices in two years.
-
VCCP scoops 8m Muller Corner account
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
Mller has appointed Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest to its 8m Mller Corners advertising account following a pitch. The agency went up against incumbent TBWA/London and The Red Brick Road.
-
Whyte & Mackay appoints new marketing director
Tue, 6 Jan 2009
Whyte & Mackay has appointed Beam Global Spirits & Wine marketer Nick Garland to the role of global sales and marketing director. He replaces Alok Gupta, who have moved to a role at parent company United Spirits.
-
William Hill Bingo sponsors ITV's The Real Deal
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
William Hill Bingo is sponsoring ITV1 daytime show The Real Deal. It will launch today (January 5) and run until mid-April.
-
WPP expected to axe "thousands" of jobs
Mon, 5 Jan 2009
WPP Group, the second largest marketing services group, is understood to be preparing to cut several thousand jobs worldwide as the economic downturn hit advertising demands. It is understood that majority of the job losses will come in Western Europe and North America.
