Marketing Week
13 January 2005

A harsh light focuses on media commission

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Media agencies, squeezed by clients and media owners, have to make a profit where they can. But what about commission and discounts?

Advertisers let children slip through Net

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Children are most likely to be receptive to ad campaigns and more of them than ever are going online.

Aegis to appeal judge's ruling

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Aegis has vowed to appeal against a decision by a French judge that media company KR Media, in which WPP has a 20 per cent stake, had not illegally poached clients of Aegis subsidiary Carat (Leader, page 3).

Blair-brown feud puts the business of politics on hold

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

If Blair and Brown were on the board of a publicly listed corporation, one or both of them would be facing the axe.

BSkyB appoints Sky One marketing head

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

BSkyB has appointed Kelsey Offord as head of marketing for Sky One.

Changing workforce is just the job

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

A positive economic outlook combined with increasing numbers of women and older people looking for work will provide a challenging future for recruitment agencies

Christie's appoints international director

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Co-op travel group lays off top marketer

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Co-operative Travel Trading Group (CTTG), which buys and markets holidays on behalf of seven Co-op travel businesses, is axing a dozen jobs including that of chief marketer Jane Carty.

EST launches major utilities ad campaign

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Government-backed Energy Savings Trust (EST) is to run a multi-million pound advertising campaign to promote the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC), under which gas and electricity suppliers have set targets to promote energy efficiency in the home. The television, press and radio campaign will encourage customers to use less energy in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Euro loses £6m Clerical Medical...

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Clerical Medical has parted company with Euro RSCG London after 17 years, as the investment group plans to switch its marketing budget into below-the-line activities. The account is worth is £5.6m

Euro RSCG Life awarded Novartis account

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Euro RSCG Life has been awarded the Elidel and Lamisil prescription drug accounts by Novartis.

Fresh casting for IAB

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The IAB adopted a change of tactics in its search for a new chief executive, eschewing the internet expertise of predecessor Meadows-Klue for a man with advertising know-how. Can Guy Phillipson, a 'charismatic' and 'consummate performer', brin

FT appoints md

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Financial Times has appointed Michael Rzesnitsek (right) as managing director. He is currently managing director of FT Deutschland, a joint venture with Gruner & Jahr.

Gov't acts on threat to pull illegal ads

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Government has pulled down scores of perimeter boards at Premiership football clubs, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, as part of its crackdown on illegal advertising by offshore gambling companies.

Guardian student readership falls

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Student readership of The Guardian has plunged by almost 20 per cent, according to estimates from the latest National Readership Survey (NRS).

Haymarket acquires Eve

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

BBC Worldwide has sold its glossy women's monthly Eve to Haymarket.

Heinz launches Carb check range

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Heinz is launching a lower carbohydrate food range called Heinz Carb Check, providing consumers with an easy-to-use carbohydrate points system.

ICI picks Philips supremo to unite paints divisions

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

ICI Paints, maker of the Dulux paints range, has appointed Philips Electronics director-general Richards Stukes as its first managing director to bring together its professional and consumer marketing divisions.

In the realm of the senses

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

An exhibition stand need no longer be merely a glorified noticeboard with a couple of spotlights. New technology allows designers to create mood-influencing, self-contained worlds using light and sound. By Pete Roythorne

Intercasino to sponsor US TV show

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

InterCasino is to sponsor the next series of US TV programme Las Vegas, which begins on Sky One next week. The deal was brokered by the Casino Agency.

It's all clear through the amber spyglass

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Throw away your copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War and rip up your edition of Kevin Roberts' Lovemarks - there's a new über-text in town for seers, sages and strategists. It's best-selling fantasy author Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. At least, that's the text from which Media Audits global account director Martin Sambrook chose his opening quote for this year's OMD Predicts brainstorming session, hosted by Guardian Newspapers, in which senior media and ...

Loot suffers second blow as chief quits

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Loot marketing director Jo Earle has resigned after less than a year at Associated New Ventures' free classified ads newspaper and website.

McCann Erickson pushes Fitnesse brand

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

McCann Erickson has created a television, press and poster campaign for Cereal Partners' Fitnesse brand, which will run throughout 2005.

McDonald's schools initiative draws to a close

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

McDonald's is to stop providing educational materials and teaching assistance to primary schools focused around numeracy and literacy.

Media no longer a law unto itself

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

It's a measure - though admittedly a perverse one - of how far the once parochial world of five-to-one presentations, long lunches hosted by the legendary Tony Vickers and gorillas with calculators has moved on that it must now concern itself with such exalted matters as Sarbanes-Oxley and the judgments of the French Commercial Court in Nanterre.

MediaCom Scotland picks up £1.5m of business

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

MediaCom Scotland has picked up £1.5m worth of business, including Scottish Natural Heritage.

Milk Development Council ads to target teenage girls

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Milk Development Council (MDC) is to hit back at potentially dangerous dieting fads such as Atkins Diet, which restricts the intake of full-fat milk, with a &£3m advertising campaign targeting teenage girls for the first time and promoting the benefits of milk, cheese and yoghurt.

My other car is a Bristol

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

I see that Toyota’s latest concept car - the i-foot - is controlled by the Toyota Intelligent Transport System. The marketer responsible for that gem should front up…Paul SamwaysSkiptonNorth Yorks

NatMag-Rodale appoints md

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

NatMag-Rodale, the joint venture between the National Magazine Company and Rodale International, has appointed Rita Lewis, publishing director of rival Hachette Filipacchi UK's Red, as managing director.

Newly launched recycling website seeks support from business world

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

A new "green" website is looking for support from businesses eager to reach environmentally minded consumers.

Northern & Shell appoints group marketing director

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Northern & Shell has appointed Carat strategy director Tim Pemberton as group marketing director.

Ofcom forced to the front line as TV fast-forwards

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

After a relatively quiet first year, 2005 will see Ofcom obliged to make some tough decisions as the digital TV revolution gathers pace.

Online personal health and well-being club launches

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Fitbug, an online personal health and well-being club, launches this week with a guerrilla marketing campaign featuring Spandex-clad businessmen encouraging commuters to get fit. Creative work on the campaign is being handled by Naked.

Pepsi denies Beckham film tie-up with Coke is a threat

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Coca-Cola prepares to hijack Pepsi deal by backing multi-million pound Goal! film trilogy

Playtex reviews pan-European account

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Sara Lee-owned Playtex is seeking an advertising agency to handle its multi-million pound underwear account across Europe, as incumbent Euro RSCG has declined to repitch for the business.

Post Office battles with BT

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Post Office this week launched a head-on battle with one-time sister company BT with its £15m introduction of a residential telephone service, called HomePhone. Publicis has created a £5m campaign to support the launch. The Post Office says it wants to take 1 million of BT's customers by 2006. BT issued a statement saying the Post Office should 'stick to stamps'.

Publicis creates Va Va Voom part three

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Publicis has created the third instalment of its Va Va Voom campaign for the Renault Clio, starring Arsenal footballer Thierry Henry. The 40-second TV ad will be supported by e-marketing initiatives and a specially built microsite.

Retailers hit by worst Xmas in ten years

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The British Retail Consortium has revealed that retailers have been hit by the worst Christmas in a decade, with sales for December 2004 down 0.4 per cent on the same period in 2003.

Senior Lowe management faces shake-up

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Snakes lie in wait for Web mistakes

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

I have noticed a heartening trend - new media professionals are at last wising up to the advantages of organic text searching. This is happening because, as consultancies, we are paying more attention to the factors that really affect internet search patterns. This means a focus on good, logically searchable content.

Someone needs to question the wisdom of age

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

I'm sure Dove will achieve fantastic stand-out by using a 96-year-old woman for the latest stage of its "Campaign For Real Beauty". After all, even though using larger, or "average" women failed to work for Marks & Spencer, Dove has increased sales and market share for its firming products hugely, and its Body Image Forum seems to have captured the public imagination, especially in the US.

Sony Centres lines up star for first TV ad

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Specialist electrical retailer Sony Centres is to advertise on television for the first time to promote its January offers.

Survey says internet users want more control over ads

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Marketers who want to build relationships with consumers online need to give those consumers more control over the kind of advertising message they receive, a new study of US Web users warns.

Tabletalkmedia unveils Dove on Coffee Republic table-tops

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Tabletalkmedia has created a campaign to promote Unilever's Dove brand on table-tops in Coffee Republic outlets in the UK. Tabletalk specialises in the new branded table-top advertising medium and is using the strapline 'Campaign for Real Beauty' to promote Dove.

Telegraph Group appoints Zenith chief as ad director

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Telegraph Group has appointed Zenith Optimedia radio and press chief Jim Freeman as its advertising director.

The Hartford seeks agency for UK launch

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Hartford Financial Services Group, one of the largest investment and insurance companies in the US, is searching for an advertising agency to launch its brand in the UK.

The real thing

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

A major cosmetics brand snubs glamorous models in favour of more 'normal' women, and a publisher launches a magazine devoted to 'real' stories. Merely unconnected commercial moves, or are these tactics symptomatic of a wider move towards 'auth

Tullo Marshall Warren and Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel to work on Carte D'or brands

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Unilever Ice Cream & Frozen Food has appointed Tullo Marshall Warren and Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel to handle customer relationship marketing for its Birds Eye and Walls Carte D'Or brands respectively.

Unilever Cosmetics throws central branding into doubt

Wed, 19 Jan 2005

Unilever Cosmetics International (UCI) has created uncertainty over the global roll-out of Unilever central branding after doubts have been raised about its validity on its prestige perfumes, including licensed brands such as CK One.

Union creates 'magic kitchen' drive for Baxter's

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

The Union has created a TV campaign for Baxter's Soup based on the idea of a 'magic kitchen'. The ad features a housewife whose home turns into a delightful country cottage when she opens a tin of the soup.

Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest ponders new Diet Coke strapline

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest has come up with a number of straplines for the launch of Coca-Cola's new Diet Coke with Lime next month, including 'Lime is the new black'. The campaign will use the new brand icon for Diet Coke, an animated tortoise, as first revealed in Marketing Week (December 1, 2004).

VisitBritain reports rise in visitor spending

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

VisitBritain reports that international visitor spending was nine per cent up at &£11.8bn during the period January to November 2004 compared with the same period in 2003, making it almost level with the period for 2000 before the impact of foot and mouth and 9/11.

WH Smith appoints ex Dixons buying director

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

WH Smith has appointed Dixons Group buying director Tim Clifford as commercial director.

Will a scientific study assist the church's resurrection?

Thu, 13 Jan 2005

If marketed properly, a scientific study claiming that churchgoers outlive non-believers could see the pews packed to the rafters