Marketing Week
25 October 2007

  • A nation of shopaholics

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The growth of online retail opportunities may have altered our shopping habits, but the UK's high streets remain in rude health as not even wet weather or interest rate rises can stop us spending

  • Akzo to review its corporate ID after acquisition of ICI

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    Akzo Nobel, the Dutch chemicals conglomerate, is on the hunt for an advertising agency to handle the multi-million pound global positioning of its corporate brand following its acquisition of ICI, the UK chemicals giant, earlier this year. The brief...

  • ASA probes acts of violence to stave off further ad bans

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is launching a report into the use of violence in advertising in a pre-emptive move aimed at stopping further ad bans or restrictions.

  • BBC and ENO take Carmen into digital age

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    BBC Radio and the English National Opera (ENO) have teamed up to produce the UK's first video-streamed opera performance. BBC Radio 3 and the ENO will stream a performance of Carmen on November 3.

  • Bentley bids to boost appeal with junior clothing range

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Bentley Motors is introducing a children's gift and clothing range to boost the brand's appeal with younger consumers. The luxury marque is also increasing the number of items in the range aimed at women.

  • 'Bigger than the sport' Hamilton could net 100m in sponsorship

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One racing driver, is expected to make more than 100m from sponsorship over the next ten years, despite missing out on the Formula One World Championships at the weekend.

  • British Gas complaints soar

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The number of British Gas customers complaining about its service has quadrupled in the last two years, according to consumer watchdog Energywatch. The gas and electricity consumer body says British Gas customers are also three times more likely to have problems than people with other suppliers.

  • Car industry body appoints new chief executive

    Tue, 30 Oct 2007

    The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has appointed Paul Everitt as its new chief executive. He replaces Christopher Macgowan, who is leaving the body.

  • Car-makers hit back at CO2 congestion charge proposals

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The car industry has hit out at London Mayor Ken Livingstone's plans to base the congestion charge on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, saying the proposal will neither reduce congestion nor significantly benefit the environment.

  • Cate Blanchett joins P&G for international push

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    Cate Blanchett has been signed up by Procter & Gamble to be the global face of its premium skincare brand SK-II. The actress previously fronted the brand in her native Australia.

  • CK One launches radio talent contest to find UK's best DJ

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The Calvin Klein fragrance, CK One, is launching its first national radio promotion in an initiative that will see rival networks Kiss and Galaxy join forces to create the programming for the campaign.

  • Coca-Cola launches Coke Zone reward programme

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Coca-Cola is launching its first reward scheme specifically for the UK, as it looks to build brand loyalty across its portfolio of drinks. It is seeking partners in the music, fashion and entertainment sectors to pilot the programme, called Coke Zone, next month.

  • Competition Commission to impose reforms on supermarkets

    Mon, 29 Oct 2007

    The major retailers are facing a range of reforms to planning laws and to its voluntary code with suppliers following an inquiry by the Competition Commission. The report will be published later this week.

  • Dave beats Virgin 1 for TV viewers in its launch week

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The high-profile launch of digital channel Virgin 1 has been eclipsed by the success of Dave, rebranded from UKTV G2, according to Barb figures.

  • Dettol censured for bacteria claim

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The advertising regulator has censured household goods giant Reckitt Benckiser for making "unsubstantiated" claims about its Dettol Surface Cleanser in a television ad. The commercial claimed that a chopping board harbours 50 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

  • DHC skincare reviews its roster ahead of UK launch

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Japanese skincare brand DHC is reviewing its advertising and media planning and buying agencies ahead of a multimillion pound launch in the UK.

  • Direct route to primary target

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The DM industry has developed a vast array of tools to target consumers, but whick work best? David Reed learns of a way to bridge the gap between individual data sets and geodemographics

  • Disney launches pre-school 'plus' channel

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    Disney Channel is launching a new pre-school channel, Playhouse Disney +, from October 30. The channel will be broadcast to Sky customers and runs alongside sister channel Playhouse Disney as "plus channel" or "a staggercast".

  • Don't shoot the messenger - be watching its every move

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    In this first of a two-parter, Chris Ingram explains why adland has much to learn from the way Google carries on its business

  • Dunaway to take on top US marketing role at Nintendo

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    Nintendo has appointed outgoing Yahoo! chief marketing officer Cammie Dunaway as executive vice-president of sales and marketing for America. She takes up her role on November 5 and fills a post that has been vacant since May last year, when Reggie Fils-Aime was promoted to president and chief operating ...

  • Dyke attacks media over TV's 'grim year'

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Greg Dyke, the former BBC director general and ITV suitor, has criticised the state of the TV industry and says that despite talk of an ITV renaissance, the broadcaster is "still struggling".

  • EasyJet appoints WebTrends to assess online marketing initiatives

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Low-cost airline easyJet has appointed digital agency and services provider WebTrends to oversee strategy for its online Web and marketing initiatives.

  • EasyJet buys GB Airways

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    EasyJet is buying British Airways (BA) franchise partner GB Airways from the Bland Group for £103.5m. The acquisition will include the airline's slots at Gatwick Airport but not Heathrow.

  • EST targets 'influencers' to spread the green word

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The Energy Savings Trust (EST) is gearing up to roll out a new marketing strategy that aims to take its message to the mass market.

  • EU re-investigates health risks of oral tobacco

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    The European Parliament has called for an "urgent investigation" into whether snus - the oral smokeless tobacco product - helps reduce tobacco-related illnesses. Snus has been banned throughout the European Union (EU) - except Sweden - since 1992.

  • Ex-Golden Wonder CEO takes on sports drink

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Former Golden Wonder chief executive Ed Jackson has been appointed managing director of independently-owned sports drink brand Taut.

  • FDF launches environmental action plan

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    Members of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) have launched an action plan designed to have a positive impact on the environment. The plan includes a commitment to send no food packaging waste to landfill sites from 2015.

  • Glue's 'Strength of Mind' Royal Marine ad campaign wins Creative Showcase award

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Glue's "Strength of Mind" campaign for the Royal Marines has won the Interactive Advertising Bureau Creative Showcase Award, in association with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions.

  • Google launches carbon calculator in the UK

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    Google has launched a new green initiative that aims to help people calculate, track and reduce their carbon footprint and compare it to other parts of the country. The Google Carbon Calculator launches today.

  • Grey wins 100m Fortis advertising business

    Tue, 30 Oct 2007

    Grey EMEA has scooped Fortis' 100m global advertising business. It is the first time the European banking giant has consolidated its account into a single global network.

  • Grocery market needs more competition, says report

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    Tesco, the UK's leading supermarket chain, does not stifle its rivals but more competition is needed in some areas, according to a report by the Competition Commission published today (Wednesday). It may force chains to sell off land in a bid to increase competition in local markets.

  • Guardian extends online lead

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The Guardians website network, Guardian Unlimited, has recorded the highest-ever figure for unique users in the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations Electronics figures.

  • Haines in shock Leo Burnett exit

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    Leo Burnett Group's UK chairman and chief executive Bruce Haines has resigned after almost six years following a "disagreement" with worldwide chief Tom Bernardin over the structure of the UK group. Haines will be replaced by Arc's European chief Andrew Edwards.

  • Havas reports strong revenue growth

    Mon, 29 Oct 2007

    Havas has posted third quarter revenue growth of 7.3% year-on-year to 368m (258m), on the back of a strong performance across Europe. The marketing services group says its performance was its strongest quarterly organic figure since 2000.

  • Have you got God in your life?

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Brand sense is something the major religions have got firmly under their belts, but what about the non-religious? Rita Clifton looks at branding the 'godless'

  • Heineken's proposed takeover of Scottish & Newcastle beer brands looks messy

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Heineken's proposed takeover of Scottish & Newcastle's UK brewing interests, announced last week, would create an unwieldy beer giant saddled with conflicting brands, according to some observers.

  • Hitachi hands Swarm 10m Euro ad account

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Japanese consumer electronics brand Hitachi has appointed Swarm, the conflict shop set up by RKCR/ Y&R, to handle its estimated £10m pan-European advertising business.

  • HMV signposting helps to ease online journey

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    HMV is reinventing itself offline, this month opening its first dedicated gaming zone, while an outlet in Dudley sees it trial a range of digital concepts. the music retailer has also recently revamped and extended its online offer and its site shows how e-commerce can be compelling and satisfying to use.

  • ITV forced to rethink Friends Reunited subscription model

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    ITV is to abandon Friends Reuniteds subscription model in the face of increased competition from free-to-use entrants in the social networking arena.

  • Lastminute.com hunts UK marketing director

    Mon, 29 Oct 2007

    Lastminute.com has kicked off the search for a new UK marketing director just weeks after it revealed plans to make redundancies in its marketing team. It is understood that the appointment will replace interim marketing director Alistair Daly, who is leaving the company.

  • Lastminute.com refuses to do business with Ryanair

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Lastminute.com has stopped selling Ryanair flights on its website following an Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) adjudication banning Ryanair from running an advertising campaign claiming the online ticket agent was ripping off its customers.

  • Magic formula eludes Yahoo!

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Unable to emerge from Google's shadow and facing a drop in profits, the Web provider has recruited some experienced hands to try to plot a revival in its fortunes. Nathalie Kilby reports

  • Magic reaches London commercial breakfast show top spot

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Emap radio station Magic has overtaken Capital and Heart to take the number one spot in the commercial breakfast show battle in London. DJ Neil Fox has now increased Magic's breakfast show audience by 50% since he took over the slot two years ago.

  • Marketing Week journalists look good on the (Dirty) dancefloor

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    It goes without saying that the team at Marketing Week are a talented bunch, but that's not just limited to hunting down cutting-edge stories from the world of marketing.

  • MasterCard launches prepaid cards for the corporate and government sector

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    MasterCard Europe is launching three prepaid cards designed for the corporate and government sectors. The cards offer a range of payment options that allow companies to "control and improve" the management of funds.

  • Mattel recalls more toys due to lead risk

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

  • McCain reshuffles commercial team in product expansion move

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    McCain has reshuffled its top commercial team as part of its bid to increase its non-potato portfolio.

  • Mentos accused of 'sneaky' ad tactics

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Lobby groups have hit out at a new ad campaign for mint brand Mentos, which targets schoolchildren, slamming it as a "sneaky way of advertising through the back door".

  • Motorola tests mobile tracking technology

    Mon, 29 Oct 2007

    Motorola has developed a system that will monitor phone calls and text messages and will pass the information to advertisers. The technology would enable brands to target people based on their location and plans for the day.

  • MySpace and HarperCollins to launch environmental awareness book

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    MySpace is teaming up with HarperCollins to publish a book on the environment for teenagers. "MySpace/Our Planet: Change Is Possible" will be the first branded book from the online social network.

  • New campaign: Eon launches Easygreen ahead of ditching Powergen brand

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Eon, the German utility company, which is gearing up to ditch its Powergen brand in December, is rolling out an ad campaign this week to promote its new green energy product for businesses, called EasyGreen.

  • Nintendo concentrates efforts on Brain Training brand

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Japanese video games giant Nintendo is rolling out a new campaign for its Brain Training brand that aims to generate a buzz among consumers and offer families a chance to prove their intelligence.

  • Olympics journey fails to thrill

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    When Lloyds TSB wrote the 80m cheque entitling it to be officially associated with the London 2012 Olympics, it could not have known just how topical its idea of a journey would turn out to be.

  • Phone-in scandal kills participation TV

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    It has been a disastrous year for participation television. Despite rising ad spend (contrary to early predictions), the industry has faced a broadside of criticism for abusing viewer trust in pursuit of revenues from lucrative TV quizzes.

  • RAB restructures to improve customer focus

    Tue, 30 Oct 2007

    The Radio Advertising Bureau, the industry marketing body, is restructuring to improve its customer focus. The changes will see a strategy consultant appointed to handle each of the major agency groups to give them a single point of contact.

  • Racing Ahead Weekend forced to cut ad rates

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Racing Ahead Weekend, the new weekly racing title, has been forced to reduce its rate card for advertising by up to 50% in a bid to lure premium brand advertising. The paper says that its heavily discounted rates are due to a hangover from The Sportsman, the daily betting title which closed ...

  • Raise your glasses, folks, and let's toast the law of diminishing returns

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    They've sold us the mother of all scare stories in 'global warming', so why can't they see we've lost our appetite for buying into more of the same?

  • Research claims supermarket monopolies are virtually impossible

    Tue, 30 Oct 2007

    It is "virtually impossible" for one supermarket chain to form a monopoly, according to new research by Verdict Consulting. It comes the day before the Competition Commission is expected to announce plans that could restrict further expansion of major supermarkets.

  • Ryanair take the Michael out of ASA code

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Budget airline Ryanair faced the wrath of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for the third time in four months last week after the regulator banned a print ad accusing Lastminute.com of swindling customers. But the move has rais-ed questions about ...

  • Selling saving to the people

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    The key to success for the Government's GFA service will be to raise awareness and provide impartial advice without recommending particular products, say Robert Lester and Matthew Gorman. But can advertising really convince UK consumers to be more careful with their cash?

  • Senior Publicis Groupe losses take their toll

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    To lose one group chief executive may be considered a misfortune, but to lose three in one year, as Publicis Groupe has done, looks like a management fiasco.

  • Shock victory for car ad safety warning architect

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    The man behind proposals to introduce tobacco-style safety warnings on car ads has admitted that even he was surprised at the level of support his plans received from the European Parliament (EP) last week.

  • Sock monkeys throw taste and decency to the wind

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Before moving from their office in Putney, staff at Meteorite held a final, low-key social event: a booze-fulled sock monkey competition.

  • Taking the capital's reins

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Liverpool's Capital of Culture status will put it on the marketing map, enabling regional agencies to seduce business away from London, but the key is to sustain that beyond 2008, says Ed Drayton

  • Third quarter revenue rise for Publicis

    Mon, 29 Oct 2007

    Publicis Groupe has reported an increase of 10.8% in revenue for the third quarter to €1.12m compared with €1.01m for the same period in 2006.

  • Tobacco sales law change campaign 'inadequate'

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Retailers have slammed the Government for a "woefully inadequate" publicity campaign to inform people about the change in the legal age limit to buy tobacco products.

  • Tracking tool is an eye-opener

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Eye tracking technology may produce contradictory results to traditional click-map statistics, but by using new an old usability tools together marketers can gain complete understanding of their users

  • Trade body chief alleges tourism funding is wasted

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    The Government has squandered millions of pounds that should have been spent on tourism and promoting the country, according to trade body UKinbound chief executive Stephen Dowd.

  • Trinity Mirror appoints new head of interactive

    Tue, 30 Oct 2007

    Trinity Mirror has appointed Rick Gleave to the new role of group head of interactive. He will be responsible for driving the group's entry into the mobile market.

  • Umbro, you will go to the ball

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    For 285m Nike has in Umbro a direct line to the coveted England team and a wealth of football credentials. For Umbro, this is the leg up to the premier league of sports brands - that is if, once it has given up its booty, it isn't booted out of the limelight by the swoosh. Catherine Turner reports

  • Unified effort on interactive measurements

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe (IAB Europe) is forming a partnership with the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) to establish standard definitions for measuring interactive audiences. The IAB has lobbied for the move for some time.

  • Us's landscape turns luminous as highway billboards go digital

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The advance of digial technologies has handed the US's already booming outdoor advertising sector a kaleidoscope of possibilities

  • Vanneck accused of cronyism

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    Accusations of cronyism and disloyalty are flying after Times Media last week dismissed its long-stand-ing agency RKCR/Y&R and hired CHI&Partners without a pitch.

  • Videogame Spider-Man lends hand to anti-bullying charity

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    The videogames industry is taking another step to shed its violent reputation with a new tie-up that marks a first in the UK. US-based videogames publisher Activision together with Spider-Man Merchandising have teamed up with charity Bullying UK to support next month's Anti Bullying Week.

  • VisitBritain criticises the Government after budget cut

    Thu, 25 Oct 2007

    VisitBritain has slammed the Government after it ignored the national tourism agency's plea for more funds to launch a £20m global TV campaign and instead slashed its budget for the next three years.

  • Vizeum in line to scoop 50m Pernod media

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    Pernod Ricard is tipped to appoint Vizeum to handle the lion's share of its 50m pan-European media planning and buying account following a four-month review. The agency is already the incumbent on the 6m UK account.

  • W&K wins Old Spice global digital task

    Fri, 26 Oct 2007

    Procter & Gamble (P&G) has handed Wieden & Kennedy (W&K) the global interactive account for its Old Spice brand. The agency has also won the global creative brief for the packaged goods giant's Escada fragrance...

  • Woolworths remains bullish despite drop in like-for-like sales

    Wed, 31 Oct 2007

    Woolworths Group has reported a dip in like-for-like sales for the 38 weeks to the end of October but the high street retailer remains confident that it is in a strong position for the critical Christmas period.

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