Marketing Week
2 October 2008
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...Icelandic meltdown to hit UK high street
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Icelandic banks have been ordered to start selling foreign-owned assets to help the country avoid bankruptcy. The move may have repercussions for some of the best-known names on the UK high street, including Karen Millen, House of Fraser, Debenhams and Woolworths.
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118 118 appoints VCCP to roster
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
The Number 118 118 has appointed VCCP to its European roster to help support its growth strategy. The agency will oversee new and "additional work" for the directory service.
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A Day in the Life of: Iain Beadle
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
'Work hard and ensure you are in a sector you enjoy. There is nothing worse than working 60 hours a week in a role you are not passionate about.'
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Alcohol industry braced for attack on price promotions
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
The drinks industry is bracing itself for a "damning report" on the way alcohol is promoted on price. The Sheffield University report is expected to present the first evidence linking cheap booze to binge drinking.
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Asda launches non-food challenge to Tesco and Argos
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Grocer Asda is launching is first ever non-food division called Asda Direct, firing another salvo in the aggressive high-street retailer price wars. It will be accompanied by the launch of a 600-page catalogue and website.
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Audi restructures marketing and communications department
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Audi is to restructure its marketing and communications department following the departure of its brand communications manager Chris Hawken. The Volkswagen-owned marque has appointed Rob Brindley, former marketing manager at Alliance Boots, to the newly created role of centre marketing manager.
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B&B launches press ads to reassure customers
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Bradford & Bingley has launched a campaign across the press, as the beleaguered bank looks to assure customers their savings are safe. It follows complaints about an ad campaign promoting its savings products even as the bank was being split up and sold.
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BBC Worldwide creates VP of marketing role
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
BBC Worldwide's sales and distribution arm has appointed former Granada marketing chief Clare Vincent to the new role of vice president of marketing. She will move into the position in November.
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Bhs profits plunge 34%
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Department store group Bhs has suffered a 34% fall in annual profits and a fall of 1.4% in total sales to £860m. The drops will be seen as further evidence of retailers' escalating woes caused by the economic downturn.
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Bounty.com launches internet TV channel
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Bounty.com, the parenting website, is launching an internet TV channel to provide parenting programmes on demand. The new channel will launch today (October 7).
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Bradford & Bingley campaign triggers complaints
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
The Advertising Standards Authority has received a raft of complaints about Bradford & Bingley's ad campaign promoting its savings products. It has come just days after the Government's decision to nationalise the battered mortgage lender.
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Brands must strive for simplicity
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Brand owners need to adopt simplicity as a guiding principle because consumers are turning their backs on retailers and service providers that are perceived to be difficult to do business with
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BT launches TV ads for joint offering
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
BT is launching a new TV advert to promote its joint broadband and Vision television offering, where viewers only pay for what they watch. The advert features “Adam” and a friend arguing over pay-TV.
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Businesses help plug 79m Olympic funding gap
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Culture Minister Andy Burnham may have been handed a lifeline in his battle to plug a 79m gap in private funding for potential Olympic athletes.
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Carter appointed communications minister
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Former Ofcom chief Stephen Carter has been appointed minister for communications, technology and broadcasting in the House of Lords as part of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's cabinet reshuffle (October 3).
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China in your hands
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
The recent Olympics in Beijing focused the world's attention on Chinese culture and also opened the doors for global advertisers. But there are still challenges brands must overcome. By Kate O'Flaherty
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City AM sets timetable for expansion
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
City AM, the business freesheet, has set a timetable for its expansion plans. Currently only available in London, the publisher is planning to launch into Manchester and Edinburgh next spring.
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Cond矎ast lures Pop founder for rival launch
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Cond?ast UK is considering launching a fashion title to rival Pop, after it recently poached the founder and editor of the style magazine, Katie Grand.
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Creston approached by a second US private equity group
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Marketing services group Creston, which owns Delaney Lund Knox Warren, is reported to have received interest from Cartesian Capital Group, a US private equity company, about a possible buyout. Creston is already in talks with another unnamed American private equity group.
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Dairy Crest set to rebrand milk lines as Country Life
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
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Dennis acquires photography magazine
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Dennis Publishing has acquired monthly magazine, Digital SLR Photography. It marks the first time the publisher has brought a photography title into its fold.
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Diabetes campaign highlights disease as a "Silent Assassin"
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Diabetes UK is launching a campaign to highlight the fact that diabetes is a serious condition. The "Silent Assassin" campaign will launch today (October 6).
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Diageo appoints new European marketing chief
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Diageo has drafted in its marketing chief from Africa, Matt Barwell, to become the European marketing and innovation director to succeed Andy Fennell (pictured), who was promoted to chief marketing officer last month (MW.co.uk September 25).
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Digital comes of age
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
In 2004, when the digital sector was finally starting to pick itself up out of the post-crash doldrums, a senior industry figure told me the most important thing that could happen to boost the fortunes of digital marketing would be if big companies disbanded their digital marketing arms. ...
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EBay to axe 10% of global workforce
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
EBay is planning to cut 10% of its global workforce as part of a major cost-cutting measure. The online auction business is looking to save $150m (£85m) a year to combat declining sales.
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Fiat launches eco-friendly programme
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
Fiat is launching a new computer application which will allow owners of selected Fiat models to develop more eco-friendly driving habits. The application called ecoDrive will be available from today (October 8).
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Financial services ad spend slumps as crisis deepens
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
The ad industry is expecting a further dramatic fall in financial services spending, on top of the 13% already seen this year, as the economic crisis deepens.
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Food Commission urges KFC, Pizza Hut to show calorie counts
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
The Food Commission is calling on KFC and Pizza Hut to follow the US lead of providing calorie information on their menu boards. The lobby group says without it consumers are failing to make healthy food choices.
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Fuel-poor customers hit by British Gas price hike
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
British Gas has been slammed for scrapping the UK's cheapest energy tariff. The move will see the utility giant's most fuel-poor customers face a £305 hike on their annual energy bill.
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Getting Ahead: Spencer Wright
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
Let the banks go bust, Ill trade you a website for a year of own label groceries. Anyone!
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Gillespie lands key Standard Life UK marketing position
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
Standard Life has appointed former Barclays marketer Andrew Gillespie to head its restructured UK marketing team.
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Global Radio in talks with ex-News Group media head
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
Global Radio is in advanced talks with former News Group Newspapers media director Mark Chippendale about taking up the new role of group commercial director.
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GM calls on governments to restore consumer confidence
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
General Motors has forecasted a continued weakening of sales in the US and western European markets. The carmaker is calling on European governments to take action to restore consumer confidence during the global financial crisis.
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Google and Yahoo! delay ad deal
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Google has postponed its online ad deal with Yahoo! which was due to commence in the US this month. The search giant says the delay will allow more time for US and European Union anti-trust regulators to consider the ramifications of the tie-up.
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Government unveils rescue plan for banks
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
The Government is planning to inject up to 50bn into the country's leading banks as part of a new package to shore up the financial system. The recapitalisation scheme will aim to protect ordinary savers, depositors, businesses and borrowers.
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Grade calls for a new deal for ITV
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
Michael Grade, executive chairman of ITV, has stressed that the "old regime" for the broadcaster is over and called for the broadcaster to be "left alone". Grade made the comments in response to details surrounding Ofcom's review of Public Service Broadcasting.
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Guinness Red to launch TV campaign
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Diageo is launching a television campaign to promote Guinness Red to drive brand awareness of the newly launched drink, a sweeter tasting Guinness. Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO has created the campaign.
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Half of Government advertising budgets are wasted. The Tories claim to know which half.
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Marketing is fast becoming an election issue. In the next General Election there is likely to be little policy divergence between the two main parties. But the Tories are eager to turn the size of the Labour Governments advertising budget into an electoral battleground.
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Hellomagazine.com launches food channel
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Hellomagazine.com, the online site of the celebrity and gossip magazine, is launching a culinary channel. The daily updated Cuisine section will feature recipes, as well as food-related celebrity news and a blog written by food writer Willian Leigh.
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Heres to 30 years of accomplishment
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
The world has changed immeasurably in the 30 years since Marketing Weeks first edition launched in 1978. Over this period, readers have been able to track the transformation of media, marketing and brands through our pages as we put in context some of the dizzying developments that have reshaped the world.
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Icesave failure leaves UK customers in limbo...
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Icelandic bank Landsbanki has gone into receivership, leaving thousands of UK savers through its direct brand Icesave in limbo to see how much of their money they can retrieve. Icesave has 300,000 UK savers with around £4bn in deposits.
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In need of a fresh twist
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Seven Seas must reinvigorate its lacklustre marketing if the vitamins, mineral and supplements brand is to overcome multiple threats to its position as UK market leader. Joe Fernandez reports
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Influence follows a digital path
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
The humble text message and other advances like Facebook have made word of mouth the gold standard for marketing, says Charles Vallance
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Integrated campaign promotes Guinness World Records book
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Guinness World Records is launching an ad campaign next week ahead of its annual book launch. The ads will focus on the book's new 3D features, which have been incorporated to appeal to younger readers.
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Jaffa gets contemporary new look
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Jaffa is unveiling a new look aimed at giving the citrus brand a more contemporary image. The new branding, which will roll out globally today (October 3), has been designed to appeal to younger consumers.
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Jessops appoints digital agency TradeDoubler
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
Digital agency TradeDoubler has been appointed to handle the affiliate marketing account for Jessops. The agency will be responsible for driving online sales for the photographic retailer's website.
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Kuoni acquires luxury tour operator
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
The Kuoni Group has acquired UK-based luxury tour operator Carrier, including its travel agency unit Carrier International. The move is part of the group's bid to strengthen its luxury offering (MW September 18).
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Learndirect highlights success stories in campaign
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Learndirect, an e-learning specialist, has appointed digital advertising agency Collective to create an ad campaign to highlight career success stories and encourage optimism during the tough economic climate.
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Levi Strauss sees profit growth in third quarter
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Levi Strauss & Co. has reported a solid third-quarter gross profit of $532m (300m) in its global business. In Europe, the clothing company posted a 16% increase in net revenues.
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LG appoints former Vodafone marketing chief
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
LG Electronics has appointed former Vodafone marketing chief Dominic Chambers as European marketing director. Chambers left Vodafone UK in February, as part of a major restructure of the company (MW.co.uk February 25).
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Local Radio Company banks on Jazz FM success
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
The Local Radio Company is expecting the relaunch of its music station Jazz FM to boost its full year results. In a trading update, LRC also says its national radio sales house, First Radio Sales, has contributed to revenue growth of about 2%.
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M&S latest victim of sales slump
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Marks & Spencer has become the latest casualty in the retail sales slump, as it posted a 6.1% fall in second quarter like-for-like sales in the UK. The result was the company's worst quarterly performance since early 2005.
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Marketers face a nervous future
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Brand owners are facing tough times and job cuts are not only likely, it seems they are necessary. While, for many companies, much of 2008 has been about taking a considered, prudent approach, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, followed swiftly by the proposed merger between HBOS and Lloyds TSB, has ...
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Marketing Week Round Table
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Marketing Week Round Table Ecommerce and online security Sponsored by VeriSign Thursday September 25, 2008, Scott’s, London Chair: Stuart Smith, editor of Marketing Week (SS) Participants: Nicholas Pothier, director of ecommerce at ...
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Miss Sixty goes into liquidation
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Trendy fashion label Miss Sixty has gone into administration as the latest victim of the slowdown in spending on the high street. The company that runs the retailer, Sixty UK has been taken into liquidation.
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News Corp bids to flex The Wall Street Journal's global muscle
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
It has been over a year since Rupert Murdoch secured a $5bn (2.4bn) deal to take control of Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, and many have been waiting to see how the media mogul would make his mark on his latest conquest.
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Nintendo takes on Apple with new console
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Nintendo will launch a new version of its DS machine that will allow users to take pictures and play music. The new DSi console will hope to cement Nintendo's lead over Sony's Playstation, and muscle into the territory of the Apple iPod and iTunes.
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Nokia reviews global sponsorship account
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Nokia is reviewing its multi million-pound global sponsorship and trade marketing accounts.
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Nokia to rival iPhone and iTunes
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Nokia will next month launch its first touch-screen phone in a bid to challenge the Apple iPhone. From next year, the new handset will also feature unlimited music downloads that will rival iTunes.
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Northern Foods buoyed by Fox's ad campaign
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Northern Foods says it is on track to deliver full-year pre-tax profit in line with expectations, following a 3.9% rise in first-half underlying sales. The growth has been boosted by a £5m ad campaign for Fox's Biscuits.
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O2 marketing director role split
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Mobile operator O2 will split the role of marketing director between head of consumer marketing Peter Rampling and head of pre-pay marketing Alistair Johnston. The temporary changes will occur while its current marketing director Sally Cowdry goes on maternity leave.
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O800 Reverse calls pitch following glut of ASA rulings
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
0800 Reverse, the telephone call reversal service, has called an advertising pitch to handle its multi-million pound business.
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Ofgem accuses utility operators of unfair pricing
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Ofgem has proposed measures to ban unfair price differences among utility operators following a probe into the sector. It has also concluded however that there is no evidence of a cartel within the industry.
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Online ad expenditure props up market
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Online ad spend in the UK grew by 21% to 1.68bn in the first six months of the year, according to the latest Internet Advertising Bureau report. It reveals that internet advertising propped up the total ad market, which fell as companies cut back on marketing.
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PayPal launches digital campaign
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
PayPal, the online payment system, is launching a digital ad campaign to attract more customers to its person-to-person money transfer service. It will target men's magazine websites such as FHM, Nuts and Zoo.
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Pizza Hut rebrands to Pasta Hut
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Pizza Hut is rebranding its UK business to Pasta Hut as part of a 100m revamp. The restaurant chain is also launching a new, healthier menu from today (October 6).
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Poundland sees profits jump by 122%
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Single-price value retailer Poundland has announced a 122% surge in its operating profit for the financial year ending March 2008, from £3.6m in the previous period to £8m. The results show the rising trend towards value retailers.
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Red Brick Road to win 9m Thomas Cook ad business
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Thomas Cook is expected to appoint Red Brick Road to handle its 9m advertising business, following a competitive pitch against undisclosed agencies.
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RH Advertising wins three-year Traveline South West contract
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Integrated agency RH Advertising has been appointed to handle a three-year project for Traveline South West following a pitch against a number of undisclosed agencies. The company is the largest provider of public transport information in the region.
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RPM3 Beechwood blows away the competition
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Thelondonpaper has given RPM3 Beechwood three free ad pages for work it has created for Babyliss, the haircare brand.
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SABMiller gears up for low-calorie beer launch aimed at female drinkers
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
SABMiller is preparing to launch a low-calorie, apple-flavoured beer aimed at women, called Redd's. The launch will mirror rival brewer Coors UK's plans to launch Blue Moon beer to attract female drinkers (MW.co.uk July 21).
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Science never quite keeps up with people's complex motives
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
While human behaviour is often instinctive, we can override it and resist manipulation, if the marketer's intentions seem suspect
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Some problems down the line for Eurostar
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
He may be one of the industry's most conspicuous self-publicists, but at least Greg Nugent, outgoing marketing director of Eurostar, has got something to boast about.
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Ted Baker cautious despite profit rise
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Ted Baker has reported a 5.4% rise in pre-tax profits to 7.7m for the six months to August 9. However, the fashion retailer has issued a caution on current trading.
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TK Maxx forced to pull jackets sold with knives
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
TK Maxx has been forced to pull a line of jackets that have been sold with knives sewn into their pockets following public outcry over its inappropriate nature. The knives had been included as a promotional gift.
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TK Maxx pulls range of walking sticks with 20-inch blade
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
TK Maxx has for the second time in days been forced to pull another line of products from its stores. It has removed a range of walking sticks which were being sold with a 20-inch blade concealed inside its base.
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TMG profits up by 4.9% in 2007
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Telegraph Media Group has reported a 4.9% increase in operating profit to 34.3m in 2007. Turnover for the publishing group also increased by 4% last year to 354.9m.
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Tories wage war on advertising
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
The Tory party has declared war. Yet, in its bid to win the next General Election, it is not the global financial crisis that the Conservatives are challenging, but advertising.
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Tourism Australia launches 20m campaign
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
Tourism Australia is launching a 20m campaign aimed at making Australia a "must visit" destination for travellers. The TV and cinema ads, directed by Baz Luhrmann, will feature the strapline "Come Walkabout".
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Train campaign not quite the ticket
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
A new age of the train is at hand, but there are doubts over whether the UK's fragmented rail system is up to the task of delivering it.
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VCCP gains Hiscox insurance brief
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Specialist insurer Hiscox has appointed VCCP to handle its advertising business, following a competitive pitch against Lunar BBDO, in partnership with digital agency Weapon 7.
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VCCP tipped to win 7m Standard Life account
Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Standard Life is poised to hand its advertising account to VCCP following a pitch. The review was called after incumbent Saatchi & Saatchi parted company with the Scottish life insurance company.
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Virgin appoints commercial director
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Virgin Media Television has appointed David Cuff as commercial director and promoted Ivan Ali-Khan to the new role of head of digital. The changes come as the TV company increases its focus on digital and new media platforms.
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Virgin Trains appoints MCBD to 6m account
Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Virgin Trains has appointed Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy to its 6m integrated advertising account. The agency won the business following a final shoot-out with Rapier.
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VisitLondon to take on wider role as spin-offs face cull
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
VisitLondon is to be granted a bigger remit to promote the capital, as the Greater London Authority and the London Development Agency set about culling smaller marketing agencies that also help to market the city of London.
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Vodafone reviews global digital ad account
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Vodafone is understood to be reviewing its global digital advertising business. The review could see the mobile operator expand its roster of digital agencies.
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Waitrose launches TV ads to focus on quality
Mon, 6 Oct 2008
Waitrose is launching a new TV ad to reinforce its quality positioning. It has been created to counter price-driven advertising launched by rival supermarket chains.
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WARL adds colour to Jazz FM
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
Jazz FM is launching an advertising campaign this week ahead of its return to the airwaves on October 6.
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Why digital agencies fail to get the Big Idea
Thu, 2 Oct 2008
When digital agencies started to pitch against the big creative and media networks as brands increased spend online, the turf war between specialist and so-called traditional agencies intensified. But far from ripping the heart out of the "big boys", digital specialists appear to have spurred them into reinforcing their full-service credentials. Perhaps that's why last week Orange decided to award MediaEdge/cia its digital brand media business out of i-Level, which, however, managed to ...
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YouTube to trial new ad format
Wed, 8 Oct 2008
YouTube is testing new scrolling ads to run across the bottom of videos as they are viewed. The Google owned video-sharing site will also start to sell music and video games in a bid to increase revenue in the next financial year.
