Marketing Week
24 March 2005

A British malady or pure invention?

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

John Philip Holland, born in 1841 a British citizen, was to all intents and purposes the inventor of the submarine. Though much of his development work was conducted with the fledgling US navy, it was to Europe that he was obliged to turn for a real market. At the time Britain, the premier global naval power, was obsessed with a new and supposedly invincible super-weapon, the dreadnought battleship. The naval establishment regarded submarine warfare as 'ungentlemanly' and sought to ...

Alfa Romeo to start recovery plan

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Alfa Romeo is planning to re-establish itself as a premium brand with a three-year recovery plan that includes new launches and an increase in the number of European dealerships.

ASA bans Lemsip 'hostess' ad

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

A Lemsip television advertisement has been banned for showing an airline stewardess taking the product, because it contains a substance that flight cabin crew are banned from consuming under Civil Aviation Authority rules.

Britvic rebrands 7UP Light to allay health concerns

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Can Mercedes' star shine brightly again?

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Mercedes-Benz has suffered a massive drop in profits as ageing models and reliability worries hit sales. New management and a range revamp could be the key to recovery. By Robert Lester

Carat media boss seconded to client Gizmondo Europe

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Cheetham Bell beats three to Casio account

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Claydon Heeley Jones Mason creates Callaway Golf campaign

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Claydon Heeley Jones Mason has created a European promotional campaign for Callaway Golf. Everyone who buys a Big Bertha driver until the end of the month will have the chance to win their money back if Phil Mickelson wins the US Masters.

Defra to favour GDA food labelling

Wed, 30 Mar 2005

The food industry will edge closer to victory on food labelling when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) calls for the use of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) for energy and nutrients and front-of-pack labelling instead

Does this rare...

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

EDF Energy exclusive sponsor of ITV1 Boat Race coverage

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

EDF Energy is to be the exclusive broadcast sponsor of the Boat Race coverage on ITV1. This is the first time the Boat Race has been broadcast on commercial TV.

Eidos receives two takeover bids

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Eidos, the games publisher responsible for the Tomb Raider series, has received two takeover bids for its business, including a £71m offer from investment group Elevation Group and an undisclosed bid from SCI Entertainment.

FCB London creates National Trust campaign

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

FCB London has created a press and poster campaign for the National Trust.

Fifa lauches own shops and clothing ranges

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Fifa, the international football association, is launching its own shops and clothing ranges. Global Brands Group has teamed up with Fifa and has obtained rights to license merchandising for next year's World Cup as part of the deal.

Glue London creates viral Pringles campaign

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Glue London has created a viral campaign for Procter & Gamble snacks brand Pringles.

Grant's drops VCCP from £5m global task

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Spirits company William Grant & Sons has dropped Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest (VCCP) from its estimated £5m global advertising account for Grant's scotch whisky.

Havas tipped for £52m Jaguar win

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Havas-owned Euro RSCG New York is tipped to win Jaguar's $100m (£52m) global advertising account following a six-way pitch.

HHCL/Red Cell faces £10m review of Iceland business

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Iceland is set to review its £10m advertising and media buying account.

High street losing the fight to stay in fashion

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

A sluggish start to 2005, combined with increasing competition from supermarkets and value retailers, is forcing many high street fashion outlets to take drastic action, says Caroline Parry

International chief quits at Burger King

Wed, 30 Mar 2005

Top marketer Brent leaves Burger King International less than a year after joining company

It'll be a game of backsides

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

What will you be doing next Wednesday? Trying to catch up on work after the Easter break, more than likely. Staying late to plough through the pile of paperwork that somehow accumulated on your desk, despite the office being closed over the long weekend.

Just desserts for a society that is celebrity-obsessed

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Organisers of black-tie dos are prepared to serve up 'plastic chicken' so they can dish out £20,000 to have a star talk rhubarb. The tables need turning, says Iain Murray

Linda McCartney brand launches new frozen ready-meals

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Linda McCartney, the vegetarian brand, is launching three frozen ready-meals with chicken-style meat-free pieces. It is a new area for the brand.

Malmaison in Moby competition tie-up

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Boutique hotel chain Malmaison has signed up chill-out musician Moby - whose new album, Hotel, has just been released - for an e-mail and online promotion.

Manchester United launches high speed internet service

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Manchester United has launched a high-speed internet service that will give registered fans a chance to share a Manchester United e-mail address.

Masterfoods gives Pedigree dry pet food £5m relaunch

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Masterfoods is investing £5m in a pan-European relaunch of its Pedigree dry pet food range as part of a wider revamp of the Pedigree brand. It is understood that the relaunch will be supported by a full marketing package, including television

Masters of our destiny?

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

David Benady reports on the prospects for UK innovation and the role marketers have to play in success or failure

McCann Erickson retains BMW account

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

McCann Erickson has retained the advertising account for BMW's motorcycle division, BMW Motorrad, following a three-way pitch.

MG Rover signs Web-tracking deal

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Mixed signals for TV sponsorship

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Sponsorship can be an effective way to reach consumers, particularly as spot ads are losing impact because of growing channel diversity. But brands should treat it with care

Momentum unveils launch campaign for Olympus m:robe 500i

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Momentum, the marketing communications agency, has created a launch campaign for the Olympus m:robe 500i, a device combining a camera and digital music player. Olympus has teamed up with style magazine Blag to launch the product at London restaurant Sketch at the end of the month.

'Naive' OFT seeks more evidence to curb grocers

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

The Office of Fair Trading has called on product manufacturers to "overcome their fear of complaining" and to provide evidence of the role of the large supermarkets when it comes to supplying their grocery products.

Natural Audit Office releases directory enquiries report

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

The National Audit Office has released a report saying that more than half of telephone users cannot remember any of the 118 directory enquiries numbers. The report concluded that the opening up of the market two years ago was poorly handled.

Not one to chukka away an opportunity

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Portsmouth hunts head marketer

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Portsmouth Football Club is looking for a commercial director to lead an expansion of its marketing operations.

Reebok picks head of Euro sports

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

RNIB appoints St Lukes to handle ad business

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

The Royal National Institute of the Blind has appointed St Luke's to handle its &£1m advertising business following a five-way pitch. Incumbent JWT did not repitch.

Scottish Enterprise hands planning and buying account to Feather Brooksbank

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's main economic development agency, has handed its £1.5 media planning and buying account to Feather Brooksbank after a pitch. The incumbent was the Media Shop.

Telegraph Group takes axe to sales operation

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

The supermarket that has the stamp of inequality

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

When most people get mad, they try to get even. But when Tesco staff refused to scan a card for Michael Jerome, he decided it would be much more fun to get e-ven.

TK Maxx to push homeware stores through BBC Show

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Virgin Holidays unveils 'time-stamped' banner ads on Yahoo.co.uk

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Virgin Holidays has signed a deal with Yahoo. co.uk for 'time-stamped' banner ads. The ads will be updated with the latest offers every five minutes. Manning Gottlieb OMD, which brokered the deal, says eventually consumers might be able to check deals and availability and then book, all through a banner ad, rather than having to go to a website.

Virgin Mobile may delay 3G launch

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Virgin Mobile could delay the launch of its third- generation (3G) service because of a lack of consumer interest in 3G phones offered by other networks.

Whose fault is it if the world's turned tabloid?

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Rancour over rowdiness and the merit of the winners threatens to derail the British Press Awards. But who is calling the kettle black?

Why buy time? ITV should tackle the inevitable audience fall

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

ITV's call for longer ad breaks won't solve the issue of migrating viewers

Will a single channel be enough for Five?

Thu, 24 Mar 2005

Five's growth has been rapid - both in terms of audience and the maturity of its programming. But unless it finds a way into the multi-channel environment, it may stall. By Amanda Wilkinson