Marketing Week
17 April 2008

  • 50m Digitas alert as Lloyds TSB reviews

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Lloyds TSB is putting its digital account up for pitch as the high street bank readies a £50m overhaul of its online communications.

  • Airfix set to launch Shaun the Sheep model range

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Airfix is to release a series of models featuring animated children's TV character Shaun the Sheep.

  • Andy Pearch leaves Thomson group role

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Andy Pearch, the former chief executive of Billetts, is leaving Thomson Intermedia just months after shifting to the group role of managing partner for content and data integrity. It not thought that he has a role to go to.

  • Are 'grubby' chat channels the real target of phone-in clampdown?

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    New rules tightening the regulation of television and radio programmes that rely heavily on premium-rate telephone services have been proposed by Ofcom as the broadcast industry aims to put a year of embarrassment behind it.

  • Arena BLM wins CWDC communications plan work

    Fri, 18 Apr 2008

    The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has chosen Arena BLM to create a communications plan for its Early Years Professional Status (EYPS). The agency won the project following a three-way pitch against ZenithOptimedia and MediaCom.

  • ASA upholds complaints about misleading easyJet sales ads

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    EasyJet has become the latest budget airline to cross swords with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after it was found to have misled customers over the cost of its flights.

  • Avon calls for new sales staff

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Avon is launching its first television advertising campaign since the Sixties. The push is part of a drive to recruit new staff for its famous door-to-door sales team.

  • Axa scraps 15m advertising review

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Axa has scrapped its 15m UK advertising pitch leaving incumbent WFCA's position in doubt as the French-owned financial services company goes back to the drawing board. The company says none of the agencies matched expectations.

  • BAs flight from reality

    Fri, 18 Apr 2008

    The projected merger of American airlines Delta and Northwest puts BAs Terminal 5 travails in a timely perspective. Though bad enough, they are a storm in a tea-cup compared with those afflicting leading airlines in the US.

  • Beware lure of making green claims: Eurostar boss

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Eurostar marketing director Greg Nugent has hit out at brands that jump on the green bandwagon and warned marketers to steer clear of "greenwash".

  • BMT to produce Primary Care ads

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    VCCP Group's Branded Moments of Truth (BMT) agency has been appointed to develop health awareness campaigns for the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust. The agency's first work is a responsible drinking campaign launching this week. Entitled "Know Wh...

  • Bollore snubs Sir Terence Conran

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Havas chairman Vincent Bollore has given the cold-shoulder to Sir Terence Conran, after the designer suggested the pair meet to resolve the row over the use of the Conran name.

  • Bombardier launches St George Day campaign

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Wells Bombardier is launching a new advertising campaign as part of its St George's Day Celebrations today (April 23). It will be include a major outdoor campaign across London, Birmingham and Liverpool.

  • BT consumer head vows to improve customer service

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    BT’s new consumer chief John Petter has vowed to improve customer service a week after the company was named the worst landline provider in the UK in a customer satisfaction poll.

  • Burberry comms chief takes on marketing responsibility

    Fri, 18 Apr 2008

    Burberry has expanded communications chief Sarah Manley's role to include marketing. Manley will now oversee all aspects of marketing, advertising and communications as senior vice-president of marketing and communications for the fashion house.

  • Butlins signs a deal with the Cartoon Network

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Holiday company Butlins has signed a licensing deal with Cartoon Network Enterprises to run shows featuring popular cartoon characters at the resorts this summer.

  • Cathay Pacific pushes China service

    Fri, 18 Apr 2008

    Cathay Pacific Airways is launching an advertising push to promote the expansion of its service in China. The outdoor and print campaign breaks on April 21 and runs for four weeks.

  • Channel 4 declines as digital show growth

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Channel 4 Group took its highest ever share of the advertising market last year despite a lacklustre performance from the flagship channel. The group took a 24.1% share of the ad market, driven by its digital channels, as Channel 4 grew by just 1.9%, lower than the 3.2% growth of the overall ...

  • Charities launch ads to increase green energy

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Enoughsenough.org have teamed up to launching a campaign attracking the UK’s “feeble” performance in renewable energy. The charities want the Government to amend the Energy Bill to reward consumers for using green energy.

  • Chris Ingram: Adland needs innovation not creativity

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    The agency groups are in a strange position today. They are huge employers for people businesses in the knowledge economy (the big two, Omnicom and WPP employ approaching 100,000 each). Yet, with market capitalisation of less than £10bn, they are not highly valued, bearing in mind the hundreds ...

  • Competition Commission report threatens BAA

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    Airport operator BAA's future as the owner of seven UK airports may be in doubt after a report from the Competition Commission criticised the company saying that it "may not be serving well the interests of either airlines or passengers".

  • Creativity enters the boardroom

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Marketing departments are being taken seriously in the boardroom because the industry is growing as an economic force in its own right, says Amanda Phillips

  • Creston announces 16% revenue rise

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Creston, the owner Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners, has delivered an upbeat trading update today (April 21), despite the economic gloom. The group has reported a 16% increase in annual revenue.

  • Despite missing targets, Blyk remains optimistic

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Blyk, Europe's first advertiser-funded mobile phone network, has parted company with launch marketing director Jon Fisher (MW last week), as part of a management shake-up, and amid suggestions that the service is failing to hit targets.

  • Disney launches nature-inspired division

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    The Walt Disney Company is launching a range of initiatives around the natural world under the Disneynature banner. The entertainment giant says the film label will specialise in big budget natural world programming but will also be integrated across its businesses.

  • Ebay blossoms but chief pledges brand review

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Ebay chief executive John Donahoe has promised to smarten up the online auction site, as it unveils higher than expected results due to higher selling fees and increased revenue from its PayPal payment service. The website's first quarter profits rose 22% to $562m in the first three months of 2008, beating analysts’ ...

  • Ethiopia creates quality coffee brands

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    From Starbucks to Tesco and Nestl?o Kraft, Western multinationals have profited from the enormous mark-ups they make on some of the worlds most prized products such as speciality coffee, tea and chocolate.

  • Fever-Tree

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Product: Fever-Tree

  • Fiat completes management rejig with sales appointment

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Fiat Group Automobiles has appointed Andrew Sproston as sales director to complete its new UK management line-up. Sproston will work closely with marketing director Elena Bernardelli and new managing director Andrew Humberstone, who joined to run the UK business at the end of last year.

  • Fire-Hose, BioSupplies, Babaloo

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Product: BioSupplies, Fire-Hose Babaloo

  • Glossies take a shine to digital

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    The consumer magazine industry has finally reached the digital age, buying up established sites and offering readers and advertisers innovative extensions of its print brands, says Sonoo Singh

  • Good Energy launches renewable energy product website

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    Green utilities supplier Good Energy is launching a website to promote its range of renewable energy products for the home. The Good Energy Shop will launch in May and features microgeneration products along side smaller appliances, such as solar powered phone chargers.

  • Google profits rise 31%

    Fri, 18 Apr 2008

    Search engine giant Google has reported a 31% profit surge for the first quarter of 2008. Its profits for the first three months of the year were up from $1bn (£507m) to $1.31bn (£664m).

  • Google tops most valuable brand ranking

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Google has topped Millward Brown's Most Power Brands ranking for the second year running. The internet giant has a brand value of $86.1bn (£43.2bn), according to the annual BrandZ Top 100 ranking.

  • Greenpeace lays siege to Unilever ad agencies

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Greenpeace is lobbying marketing services agencies for the first time in a shift of its strategy. The environmental groups targeted Unilever agencies Ogilvy Advertising, Jackie Cooper PR and Lexis this week as part of a protest against the company’s use of palm oil.

  • Greenpeace slams Dove in palm oil protest

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Greenpeace has launched a scathing attack on Unilever over its palm oil policies. Protestors dressed as orangutans have chained themselves to supply lines at Unilever's Merseyside HQ and have gathered at its London offices.

  • Halifax calls review of 18m advertising held by DLKW

    Fri, 18 Apr 2008

    Finance giant Halifax has put its 18m retail advertising account up for review. Incumbent Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners will repitch for the business.

  • Halifax to axe Howard ads?

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Halifax, the UKs biggest savings and mortgages provider, is reviewing its 18m advertising account at a time when the bank, under parent company HBOS, is being urged to change its business model to weather the credit crunch crisis.

  • Harvest Entertainment adds Placebo to music-acts roster

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Harvest Entertainment, a start-up company which partners musicians with brands, has signed up Placebo.

  • Havas posts 2.5% revenue increase for Q1

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    Havas, the sixth largest marketing services group, has reported a 2.5% year-on-year increase in first quarter revenues for 2008 to €345m. The news follows the number of acquisitions earlier this year.

  • Ibuyeco appoints ex-Pizza Hut director to lead growth

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Former Pizza Hut marketing director David Lundholm has resurfaced at carbon- neutral car-insurance provider ibuyeco.

  • In search of a perfect partner

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Partnership promotions are certainly an effective marketing strategy, but brands must beware of the complications involved in dovetailing contrasting aims and strategies. By Jo-Anne Flack

  • iPlayer

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Product: iPlayer

  • Jaguar Land Rover boss dies aged 60

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Jaguar Land Rover boss Geoff Polites has died at the age of 60 following a two-year battle against serious illness. The news comes just weeks after Ford announced it was selling the two marques to India’s Tata Motors.

  • JWT London's Bell joins DDB as Lipton creative director

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Former JWT London creative director Nick Bell is joining Omnicom-owned DDB Europe as international creative director on its Unilever-owned Lipton business.

  • Kinetic holds on to BA outdoor poster account

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Outdoor poster buying specialist Kinetic has retained the British Airways business following an audit.

  • Kshocolt

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Product: Kshocolât

  • Leagas Delaney handed Street Child Africa business

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Leagas Delaney has been appointed by Street Child Africa to overhaul its brand identity ahead of the UK charity's tenth anniversary later this year. Street Child Africa, which is the only UK charity devoted to helping street children across Africa, is understood to have appointed the agency without a pitch.

  • Lexus appoints UK marketing director

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Lexus has promoted Belinda Poole to run the marque inthe UK. She joined as director this week.

  • Lloyds promotes finance chief to replace Dial

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Lloyds TSB has promoted chief financial officer Helen Weir to succeed Terri Dial to group executive director of its UK retail banking division. Weir will remain on the bank's executive board.

  • Lowe gains bulk of 100m global Knorr account

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Unilever has awarded Lowe much of its 100m global Knorr business, following a pitch against incumbent JWT and CHI & Partners. Lowe will handle the accounts for Knorr soups, culinary products and stock cubes, as well as its new product development.

  • MediaCom wins 25m TUI Travel

    Fri, 18 Apr 2008

    MediaCom has scooped TUI Travel’s 25m consolidated media planning and buying account after a four-month review. The WPP-owned agency beat Aegis’ Carat in a final round to win the business.

  • Mencap launches Lost Proms concert

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    Mencap, the learning disability charity, is launching a classical music concert this summer under its Mencap Music brand. The Lost Proms will take place on June 3 and 4 at Cadogan Hall in Chelsea

  • MPs blast 2012 budget failure

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    The Government has come under fire from a group of MPs for the escalating costs of the 2012 Olympic Games 2012 and its failure to attract private sector funding. In a report out today (April 22). The MPs also warn that public confidence in the games will be further undermined if financial ...

  • New TV channel to offer "safe place" for kids

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    KidsCo, the international children's TV channel launching the in the UK later this year, will position iself as a "safe place" for kids to watch TV. It will also seek sponsorship deals rather than running traditional spot advertising.

  • Nokia profits rise despite fall in market share

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Mobile giant Nokia has reported "strong" results for the first quarter of this year, despite a fall in its market share. Profits rose 25% to $1.9m (£950,000) during the period ending March 31 2008, in comparison to the same quarter a year ago.

  • Ofcom rejects plan to scrap jazz from Smooth FM

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Ofcom has rejected GMG Radio's proposal to remove its obligation to play 45-hours of jazz music on Smooth Radio each week. The radio group has expressed its "disappointment" at the decision.

  • Ofgem announces fuel poverty action plan

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Energy regulator Ofgem will devise a fuel poverty action plan that will be introduced in May this year. The regulator held a fuel poverty summit to discuss measures to combat the rise in vulnerable customers today (April 23).

  • P&G to reignite battle with Comfort as it revamps Lenor

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Procter & Gamble is reigniting the battle in the laundry market with a major overhaul of its Lenor brand.

  • Peter Jones replaces Ramsay in BT campaign

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    BT is axing Gordon Ramsay from its advertising and replacing him with Dragon's Den star Peter Jones. Entrepreneur Jones will star in a campaign for BT Business that breaks on May 5.

  • RBS moots sale of insurance arm

    Mon, 21 Apr 2008

    Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is understood to be considering selling its insurance business, which includes the Direct Line and Churchill brands, in a bid to raise money. It is expected to outline strategic options for the division tomorrow (April 22) at its annual meeting.

  • Reckitt Benckiser

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Reckitt Benckiser is proud to be partnering with Marketing Week to sponsor the new Brand Innovators Award at the prestigious Marketing Week Effectiveness awards ...

  • Reduce call centre costs by cutting service delivery errors

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    The quest to improve customer service should start by looking at the reasons for contacting a call centre and then eliminating the problem

  • Rockstar raisesUS chief to drive expansion in UK

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Rockstar Inc Energy Drinks has promoted Frank Guernsey to the new role of vice president marketing international, as part of the company's plans to aggressively grow the distribution of its energy drink, Rockstar, across Europe and establish ...

  • Sci-Fi magazine to be beamed into space

    Tue, 22 Apr 2008

    Future Publishing is hoping to expand the readership of its science fiction and fantasy magazine, SFX, by beaming the title into outer space. It will launch with its June issue on May 7.

  • Simple plots 3m TV push for 'goodness' repositioning

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Accantia Health & Beauty is poised to reposition its Simple personal care brand with an extensive marketing campaign, including a 3m TV push, which is intended to shift the brand's strategy towards the central premise of "goodness".

  • Specsavers seals 'product placement' ad deal with Oli

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Fashion e-tailer Oli.co.uk has signed up high street optician Specsavers as its first advertising partner.

  • TBG scoops digital media business for Ladbrokes.com

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    TBG London has won the digital media account for Ladbrokes.com without a pitch. The account was previously handled by Vizeum.

  • Thanks to blogs, the learned craft of journalism is being hacked away

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Amateur blogs are getting established journalists a little hot under the collar, however, professional publications are responding in some very odd ways

  • The Marketing Week/IPA Bellwether Confidence Index

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Credit crunch takes toll on levels of optimism among marketers

  • The OFT apologises to Morrisons for price fixing claims

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has agreed to pay Morrisons 100,000 after admitting it had falsely accused the supermarket chain of price fixing. The settlement was announced today (April 23).

  • Thorny issue of measurability opens door to post-click era

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    The changing landscape of interactive media is having a dramatic impact on the way people think about the importance of the click

  • Turn on, tune in and download

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Watching video clips, TV programmes and films on computers and mobile devices is no longer just for 'techno-geeks', cross-screen content is popular across all generations and sectors of society

  • Twentysix pitch wins Shell business

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Shell has appointed Twenty-six London to its global digital roster following a competitive pitch.

  • USwitch to launch further sites after top-level losses

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Price comparison site uSwitch is expanding its product range, as it rebuilds after the loss of four senior executives in the past few weeks.

  • Visa ends Rugby World Cup sponsorship

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Card giant Visa is axing its multimillion pound global sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup after 12 years. The move follows its wresting of the higher profile FIFA Football World Cup sponsorship from Mastercard last year after a long-running legal battle.

  • Vodafone chief exits in ongoing reshuffle

    Wed, 23 Apr 2008

    Vodafone UK brand chief Matt Coombe is leaving the company as part of the ongoing restructure of the business.

  • WH Smith shrugs off falling high street sales

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    WH Smith, the high street retailer, says it is "confident" of its full-year results, after an 8% rise in its half-year profits. The retailer claims its £64m profits were boosted by stronger trading at its travel locations, offsetting falling sales in its high street stores.

  • Why Spanish is latest language of creativity

    Thu, 17 Apr 2008

    Looking back, it's often difficult to tell at what precise point things change. There can, for example, be no suggestion that Tapsa's triumph over BBH in a contest for a Vodafone global advertising campaign was in any way a Rubicon moment for the Hispanic advertising business.

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