Marketing Week
23 October 2008
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as shoppers spend more but buy less
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Shoppers will spend more this Christmas, but will do so as a result of rising food costs rather than purchasing more products, according to Verdict Research. It has forecasted that consumers will spend £82.3bn in the final quarter of the year, an increase of 2% from 2007.
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Aardman launches second YouTube channel
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Aardman Animations, the studio behind the Wallace and Gromit series, is launching a branded channel on YouTube called Aardman's Darkside. It will feature the company's more-surreal comedies and shorts.
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Adidas signs 2m a year partner deal with The O2
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Adidas has signed a deal to be a founder partner of AEG-owned entertainment venue The O2. The agreement will extend until at least the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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AdMob gains 9m funding boost to aid expansion
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
AdMob, the mobile advertising company, is set to increase its sales and marketing force in the UK and US, after securing £9m investment from Sequoia Capital's Growth Fund.
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Aegis cautious despite positive growth figures
Tue, 28 Oct 2008
Aegis, the marketing services group, has reported "relatively healthy" results for the first nine months of the year, but it warns it is more cautious about its full year outlook.
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Air France-KLM posts profits warning
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
Air France-KLM, the largest airline operator in Europe, has issued a profit warning and has announced plans to cut its capacity until next summer. It has blamed the tough economic climate for its failure to meet targets.
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Ann Summers appoints MD
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
Ann Summers, the high street sex shop chain, has appointed Paula Minowa as managing director. She will take over the role on January 5.
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Asda launches national skills barter programme
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Asda is rolling out a community barter board scheme across its stores nationally next year in a bid to help customers cut costs during the recession.
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AskMen and Match.com launch dating service
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
AskMen.com, the male lifestyle web portal, has formed an alliance with Match.com to launch a new dating service. It is hoped that AskMen Dating, which launches today (October 27), will appeal to younger men.
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B&Q to sponsor C4 property shows
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
Home improvement retailer B&Q has signed up to be the sponsor of 4homes, Channel 4's property strand, in a deal worth an estimated 5m. The sponsorship begins from January 1 next year.
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BA ads push authentic travel to holidaymakers
Tue, 28 Oct 2008
British Airways is launching a major campaign to target holidaymakers and promote "authentic travel". It follows Mintel research that shows consumers are not sacrificing their holidays despite the credit crunch.
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BBC's Davie takes on DRDB role
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
Tim Davie, the recently promoted director of music and audio at the BBC, has been appointed as vice-chairman of the Digital Radio Development Bureau. It comes as the body reveals plans to boost its marketing.
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Beer sales reflect credit crunch
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Beer sales are falling across pub, clubs and supermarkets as the credit crunch takes its toll on consumer spending. The latest figures from the Beer and Pub Association show that sales declined by 7.2% between July and September compared with last year.
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Bishop to leave COI
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
COI chief executive Alan Bishop is to leave the government body after six years. He will take up the same position at the Southbank Centre early next year.
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BLM Quantum wins 118 118 online account
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
BLM Quantum has won the online planning and buying business for The Number, operator of the 118 118 service. The appointment comes after a pitch against undisclosed agencies.
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Bookmakers object to Gov't charity levy
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Gambling operators have reacted with dismay to Government plans to impose a statutory levy to fund the industry charity Responsibility in Gambling Trust.
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BP announces 1.5bn profit
Tue, 28 Oct 2008
BP has more than doubled its pretax profits to $2.3bn (1.5bn) for the first nine months of the year due to the soaring price of oil, although the company says it should not "obscure" the operational improvements it has made to its business.
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British Airways marketing chief quits
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
British Airways head of marketing communications Katherine Whitton has resigned after 15 months in the role. She will step down in December and it is not known if she has a job to go to.
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British Red Cross goes online to recruit young
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
The British Red Cross is seeking to recruit new volunteers through a new online marketing strategy. It aims to raise awareness and engagement with young people online.
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Camelot highlights "positive" Lotto players
Tue, 28 Oct 2008
Camelot is hoping to encourage more people to play Lotto by highlighting the positive attitude of existing players. A £10m TV campaign breaks this weekend.
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Childrens charity targets affluent baby boomers
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
The Children's Society is launching a campaign targeting wealthy "baby boomers" in a bid to gain donors at a time when consumers are tightening their belts. It breaks next week.
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Click to refresh
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
New media is an effective way for traditional brands to make themselves relevant to new and younger audiences - but only if companies avoid using it in the way they would old media. By Joe Fernandez
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CNN axes Nuts TV Freeview channel
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Nuts TV, the broadcast spin-off of IPCs weekly mens magazine, is being axed from its Freeview slot just over a year after it was launched. The channel will now only be available online.
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Day in the life of: Anna Hollisey
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Do the thing that frightens you. Freelancers are underestimated by both themselves and their clients, I think. I work alongside a number of people who I've picked up along the way and who I think are the best I've met: we're specialising in what we do best, and that's worth a lot. So just do it!
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Del Monte launches 1m campaign to support frozen fruit range
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Del Monte is launching a 1m marketing campaign to support its new frozen fruit range range. Yorkshire branding and design consultants The Spirit has created the campaign, which will air around the launch of the range next spring.
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Digital TV switchover body increases budget to 30m
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Digital UK, the TV switchover body, is boosting its marketing budget by more than 20% to £30m in 2009. It will rise to £35m in 2010.
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DLR's new Woolwich station
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is launching a new ad campaign to raise awareness of the new DLR station at Woolwich.
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DM body to launch 'scam alert' drive for consumers
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
The Direct Marketing Commission is launching a consumer campaign to tackle the glut of direct mail consumers are receiving as financial services companies attempt to capitalise on the economic downturn.
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Don't squeeze out graduate talent
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Agencies must recruit for future prosperity
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Dove ProAge and Women's Own launch awards
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Dove ProAge, the Unilever-owned brand, and Womens Own are launching a national awards that aims to promote and celebrate the achievements of women over 45 year old. The competition launches this week.
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DSG International to cut costs 30m
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
DSG International, the owner of Currys and PC World, is planning to cut capital expenditure across stores by about £30m. The move comes as the group reveals a 7% decline in sales over the first half of its financial year.
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Duncans reputation at stake in C4 crisis
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Successful leaders must be allowed their share of poor judgement calls as well as luck. Most famously Churchill, based on his record during the Thirties, would have been deemed a study in failure were it not for the implacable aggression of Hitler.
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Enough of the pillow talk - we need pillars of society from the WI
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Now the boom has turned to bust, the Women's Institute should put away its toys and turn to teaching our spoilt society the skills of more austere times
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Gallagher calls pitch for experiential and retail activity
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Gallagher, the tobacco company that makes brands including Silk Cut and Benson & Hedges, is looking for an agency to handle its experiential and retail marketing account. Incumbent Ignis is believed to be repitching for the account.
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Games industry readies traffic light ratings system
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
The gaming industry is gearing up to launch a traffic light ratings system for video games similar to labelling schemes in the food and retail sectors. The move comes after Dr Tanya Byron reported lack of awareness among consumers about the Pan European Games Information (PEGI) ...
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George online store to top Asda chains sales
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
George, the Asda-owned clothing brand, expects its online operation to become the supermarket chain's biggest selling store by early next year. It comes after George overtook Primark to become Britain's second biggest clothing retailer by volume earlier this week.
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Getting Ahead: Rob Ellingham
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Get rid of all the fonts except for helvetica
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Global brands let advertising standards slip
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
GlaxoSmithkline (GSK) and Nestl?ere censured last week for making unfounded nutritional claims about their products.
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Global Radio appoints commercial chief
Tue, 28 Oct 2008
Global Radio has appointed Mike Gordon, former News Group Newspapers deputy managing director, as its commercial chief. The role was created as part of the radio operator's £375m merger with GCap Media.
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Government launches 100m "green car" scheme
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
The Government is launching a 100m project to promote the benefits of green motoring. Car companies have been invited to bid for the opportunity to promote their electric and ultra-low carbon vehicles across four major UK cities
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Heat is on celebrity trendsetter
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
As C-list celebrity production lines grind to a halt and economic pressures bite, can Heat reposition itself as a multiplatform celebrity brand that is a cultural reference point?
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HMDG wins Wired UK launch account
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
CondNast has appointed Hurrell Moseley Dawson & Grimmer (HDMG) to handle the UK launch of specialist technology magazine Wired. It pitched against Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, Ogilvy Advertising and DDB London.
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HMV launches new-for-old Re/Play games initiative
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
HMV is launching into the second-hand games market by allowing consumers to trade in old games against other purchases. It is part of an aggressive expansion into the games market by the retailer.
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Innocent seeks investor to boost smoothie sales
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Innocent Drinks is looking for an investor to help counter a downturn in smoothie sales and fund further growth. The company will sell a minority stake for up to £35m.
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Interpublic reports third quarter revenue growth
Tue, 28 Oct 2008
Interpublic, parent of agency networks Draftfcb, McCann Erickson and Lowe Worldwide, has posted third quarter revenue growth of 11.5% to $1.74bn (£1.1bn) but chief executive Michael Roth (pictured) warns of a "volatile business environment".
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ITV to close innovation division
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
ITV is understood be closing innovation division ITV Imagine just two years after it was launched. The move is reported to be part of a cost-cutting exercise aimed at reducing its workforce by 1000 jobs.
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Kingfisher Airline scraps its plans for a top UK marketer
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Kingfisher Airline, the privately-owned Indian airline, is scrapping plans to appoint a senior UK marketer as it is forced to scale back its international expansion plans.
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Lack of quality content puts brakes on digital radio's expansion
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
UK radio operators have lost faith in digital audio broadcasting (DAB). The platform has been hit by a series of blows, from Fru Hazlitt's decision to reduce GCap costs by pulling out of the medium to Channel 4's scrapping its plans to launch any stations.
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Latest 'partner' Adidas shows wisdom of O2 Dome revamp
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
The addition of Adidas to the growing group of "founder partners" of The O2, underlines the revival of the structure once known as London's Millennium Dome - one of the nation's worst public relations disasters.
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London president leaves Draftfcb
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Draftfcb London president Enda McCarthy is the latest senior figure to leave the agency. He is leaving to join Agency.com London as president.
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Lowe on alert over 100m Nokia task
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Beleagured agency Lowe is understood to have been put on alert by Nokia, as the handset manufacturer considers moving the business into Wieden & Kennedy.
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Lufthansa poised to take over UK carrier BMI
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
German airline Lufthansa is poised to take over UK carrier BMI in a deal worth 300. The move has prompted rival Virgin Atlantic to propose combining its operations with Lufthansa to create a European super-carrier.
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M&S fuels hope with energy offering
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
The British appetite for fine foods from Marks & Spencer may be on a serious decline and its crown as the UK's biggest clothing retailer by volume under threat from value fashion giant Primark, but M&S refuses to accept defeat. To lure customers back to its stores, M&S is to start selling gas and electricity with the promise of store vouchers (MW last week).
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Media investment boosts Reckitt Benckiser sales
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Reckitt Benckiser has attributed a strong quarter of growth to new product innovation and a 15% boost in media spend. It comes as the company reports a 12% increase in sales for the third quarter of the year.
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Microsoft cautious over profits forecast
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft has cut profit forecasts for its current financial year despite reporting better than expected quarterly profits. The software company saw a 9% increase in revenue to £9.31bn for the three months to the end of September.
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Mirror Group suffers drop in online users
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Mirror Group Digital was the only publisher to post a fall in unique users during the month of September, according to the latest ABCe figures. In contrast, Guardian.co.uk strengthened its lead with a 4.65% month on month increase.
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Mitsubishi launches game show viral
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Mitsubishi Motors Europe has created two Japanese game shows to promote its Lance Sportback and Colt models. The pan-European viral campaign, On Your Mark, offers users the chance to win the cars.
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Mothercare launches sites in US and India
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
Mothercare is expanding its product range in the US and India through its social networking site, Gurgle. The company has launched dedicated sites in both countries and will add links to the UK ecommerce site over the next few months.
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Mustoes secures Milk Marketing Forum ad work
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Mustoes has won the advertising account for the Milk Marketing Forum following a pitch against M&C Saatchi, Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners and Scottish agency Merle. The account was previously handled by Freud Communications, which did not repitch.
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Myers steps down as GMG Radio head
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
John Myers, chief executive of Guardian Media Group Radio, is stepping down from the role next April. He will be replaced by Stuart Taylor, currently deputy chief executive of the division.
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Nationwide reviews 10m ad account
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Nationwide is reviewing its 10m advertising account after incumbent Leagas Delaney resigned the business. It is understood that the building society has already started contacting agencies.
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OMD Netherlands wins 15m Asics media account
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Asics, the sport, footwear and clothing brand, has appointed OMD Netherlands to handle its £15m pan-European media planning and buying account after a three-way pitch. It is part of a move by the brand to consolidate its pan-European marketing and advertising strategies.
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Online bubble is set to burst
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Its been a turbulent month for traditional media stocks. Even a globally strong, market leader such as WPP has seen shares fall to a ten-year low (on the back of a leaked internal email claiming a hiring freeze), while unfashionable ITV shares are trading at less than 30p. And some of the stronger performing mid-cap groups, such as Future, YouGov and Chime, are being marked down despite strong trading results. Worst of all worlds, for sentiment, seems to be a music business just ask EMI, ...
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Perils of political fundraising
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
As Conservative Party shadow Chancellor George Osborne last week fended off accusations about alleged fundraising tactics with a Russian oligarch, other Tories were putting in place their own, more reliable, strategy to boost the party’s electoral coffers.
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Pet charity PDSA seeks marketing director
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
PDSA, the UK's largest veterinary charity, is looking for a marketing director to raise its brand profile.
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Philadelphia signs chef Aldo Zilli for multi-media push
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Kraft Foods is launching a six-week multi-media campaign for Philadelphia featuring celebrity chef Aldo Zilli. The campaign launches on November 2.
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Porsche increases stake in VW
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Porsche has increased its stake in Volkswagen to over 40%. The company says it hopes to have a majority holding in VW by the end of the year. The sports car manufacturer announced it had increased its stake in VW yesterday (October 26) in an attempt to ease the economic uncertainty in the car market.
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Propaganda triumphs in Boost Drinks pitch
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Boost Drinks, the independent drinks company, has appointed Propaganda to its advertising business, ahead of the injection of an additional 30% to its marketing budget next year.
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Publicis reports 3.9% organic growth in revenue
Tue, 28 Oct 2008
Publicis Groupe has reported a 3.9% organic growth in revenue to 1.1bn (883m) for the three months to September 30. The marketing services group says growth was fuelled by its digital business and emerging markets although the UK is weak.
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Retailers face tough pre-Christmas period...
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Conditions are toughening for customers and retailers as the crucial run-up to Christmas begins, says the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This follows retail figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which reveal that sales growth slowed sharply in September.
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Royal Mail doubles profit
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
The Royal Mail has doubled its operating profits to 177m in the past six months, compared with a year ago. It has attributed the strong performance to cost cuts, the introduction of newer services and improved efficiency measures.
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Senior marketers in Royal Mail reshuffle
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Royal Mail has undertaken a major restructure of its commercial and marketing departments as part of an effort to take a more “customer-led” approach.
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Sharp UK axes marketing director role in Euro business restructure
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Sharp UK has axed the role of marketing director as part of a restructure of its pan-European business.
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Skoda gives Fabia Sporta youthful makeover
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Skoda is repositioning its Fabia Sport model to boost its appeal to the youth market.
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Sony hit by electronics sales fall
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Sony has cut its operating profit forecast by 57% after recording dramatic falls in its electronics division. It says that annual net profit was now expected to be ¥150bn (£947m), down from an earlier estimate of ¥240bn (£1.5bn).
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Strathmore unveils new on-pack look
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
AG Barr is relaunching water brand Spring's packaging to build on its brand strengths of purity, contemporary Scottishness and quality. The new label design will launch this month. The design focuses on a contemporary Scottish look by placing Glami...
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Taking back the power
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
During times of recession, packaged goods companies often prioritise promotional discounts over branding, but the key to long-term survival could be to renegotiate the retailer-supplier relationship
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TBG wins Unicef brief to boost web giving
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Unicef has appointed digital marketing agency TBG London to develop a series of online campaigns that aim to encourage consumers to continue donating during the credit crunch. It is understood the account is worth about £1m.
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Telegraph.co.uk signs up to Google Android
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Telegraph Media Group has signed up as the first UK publisher to launch an application on Google Android, the internet company's new operating system for mobile phones. The TMG application will give consumers access to its website.
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Tesco Christmas campaign reflects economic downturn
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
Retail giant Tesco is understood to be reining in its Christmas advertising campaign this year, to reflect the “mood of the nation”.
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The Bishop checks out
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
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The Sun drops Euro RSCG from 9m advertising pitch
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Euro RSCG has lost The Sun's 9m advertising business, three years after it was appointed. The agency's exit from the first round of pitches, held this week, leaves WCRS, Red Brick Road and Fallon in the running.
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Thelondonpaper provides comic relief
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Thelondonpaper has partnered with the Soho Theatre to launch a new initiative aimed at teaching people how to become stand-up comics. Thelondonlaugh project has been devised to give readers comic respite from the current economic gloom.
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Times Media secures print and online sponsorship
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Accenture, the global consultancy company, has signed a nine-month sponsorship deal across Times Media's print and online properties.
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Topshop to stock Urban Fresh Fruit snacks
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Urban Fresh Fruit will sell its dried fruit products in Topshop stores from today (October 27). The health food company says it is hoping to replace the unhealthy bag of crisps or chocolate bars that people commonly snack on when shopping.
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Tories appoint agency to 4m DM
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
The Conservative Party is tipped to have appointed Partners Andrews Aldridge to its estimated £4.4m direct marketing business.
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TV ads leave packaged goods giants 'red faced'
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Television ads for GlaxoSmithKline-owned Horlicks and Nestl? Maggi noodles claiming that they help children grow taller or stronger have accidentally been broadcast in the UK. The ads were shown on a UK satellite channel, in an embarrassing incident for the two packaged goods giants.
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Westfield Centre marks opening with integrated launch campaign
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
London's Westfield Shopping Centre, the biggest retail outlet in Europe, has put together a multi-million pound, integrated marketing campaign to mark its opening on October 30.
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When it comes to the crunch, internet marketers can thrive
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Marketers remain cautiously optimistic despite stark evidence that a full-blown recession will hit the American economy early next year
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Wilkinson Sword opens salon for competition
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
Wilkinson Sword is launching a mens grooming salon in central London for one month. It is part of the razor brands sponsorship of a charity moustache growing competition.
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Zopa adds humanity to money lending process
Thu, 23 Oct 2008
Zopa is a social lending website where ordinary people with spare money can lend it to those who need to borrow - cutting out the middleman (the big banks). The rates depend on the risk involved and borrowers are credit checked and risk assessed then assigned a banding (A*, A, B, C, or young market).The success of Zopa will depend on the site owners being able ...
