Marketing Week
28 August 2008
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Aegis wary of future despite revenue growth
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Aegis Group, parent company of Carat and Vizeum, has posted organic revenue growth of 8.2% for the first half of the year but warns of uncertain times ahead.
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Aldi reports 44% sales surge in July
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Aldi, the low-cost supermarket chain, has reported a 25% increase in second quarter sales due to the continued pressure on consumer spending. The German chain saw sales surge by 44% in July compared to the same month last year.
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Analysis
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Who will replace Miron at the Mail on Sunday?
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BA partners Heart 106.2 for radio contest
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Heart 106.2, the Global Radio-owned station, and British Airways are offering listeners the chance to win tickets for gigs abroad. The Love Music Live promotion will run on the Breakfast show with Jamie Theakston and Harriet Scott.
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BBC promotes Mogull to head iPlayer development
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
The BBC has promoted Kerstin Mogull, deputy policy and strategy director, to the new role of chief operating officer for Future Media & Technology, the department responsible for developing the iPlayer.
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Bebo appoints Google marketer as expansion chief
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Bebo has appointed Nicole Vanderbilt, head of industry marketing at Google, as its new head of international expansion. She will take over the role later this week.
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Blossom Hill promotes new range with Heart sponsorship
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Heart, the Global Radio-owned network, has signed wine brand Blossom Hill for a four month promotion, which includes sponsoring the drivetime show. The deal begins today (September 1).
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Burtons launches Jammie Dodger and Maryland bars in single format
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Burton’s Foods is launching its Jammie Dodger Snack Bars and Maryland Munch Bars in single bar format. They will be available in “healthier snacking lines” of supermarkets, convenience stores and newsagents.
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Cadbury celebrates Fruit & Nuts 80th birthday with new flavours
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Cadbury's Dairy Milk is launching two new flavours in its Fruit & Nut range to celebrate the brand's 80th birthday. It is understood that Cadbury also hopes the variants will appeal to female consumers.
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Cadbury reduces support for sharing lines after sales dip
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Cadbury is understood to be reducing support for its range of sharing products, including Snaps and Cadbury Melts, after they failed to make an impact with consumers. It is understood the confectionery manufacturer will now focus its support on Dairy Milk and Trident.
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Commercial radio revenue drops by 10.2 %
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Commercial radio revenue has dropped by 10.2% year-on-year to 134.3m over the second quarter of 2008. The fall is attributed to the tough advertising market caused by the credit crunch.
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Diageo slashes growth targets
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Diageo, the world's biggest alcohol group, has cut its growth targets for the next year despite reporting a 9% rise in operating profits to £2.2bn for the year to June 30.
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DSG reports 7% sales dip
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
DSG International, the owner of Currys and PC World, has seen a 7% decline in sales over the first quarter of its financial year. The retailer says it is planning to revamp stores but is not expecting a recovery before 2010.
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EasyJet brand head Simmons moves on
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Paul Simmons, head of brand marketing at easyJet, is leaving the budget airline. It is understood that Simmons has a new job in Dubai, but it is unclear what it is.
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European watchdog probes BA tie-ups
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
The European Commission has launched an investigation into British Airways' planned alliance with American Airlines and Iberia. The EU's anti-trust authorities will investigate if the proposed collaboration will create an unfair dominance of Heathrow Airport.
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Farm wins 5m Freesat account
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Farm has won the 5m advertising account for Freesat, the free digital satellite service backed by the BBC and ITV. The agency is expected to devise a campaign ahead of a Christmas marketing push
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Former BT chief joins Alcatel-Lucent
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Alcatel-Lucent, the French telecoms company, has appointed former BT chief executive, Ben Verwaayen as its new chief executive. The company hopes Verwaayen's appointment will help to streamline the struggling phone company.
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Former Chrysalis chief returns to radio
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Phil Riley, the former chief executive of Chrysalis Radio, has been appointed chairman of Reciva, the internet radio manufacturer. The appointment comes as it completes a round of fundraising ahead of expansion in the UK and internationally.
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Getting Ahead: Carey Bunks
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
If only there was a way to make typing on a mobile keyboard as easy as on a PC
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Google launches web browser
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Google is launching an open source web browser to compete with Internet Explorer and Firefox. The company is releasing a beta version of Google Chrome for Windows today (2 September).
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Government sets up secret junk food ad investigation
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
The Department of Health (DoH) has ordered a secret investigation of junk food advertising over fears that the restrictions introduced last year are not having a positive effect on childrens health.
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Guinness Time launches with 5m campaign
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Diageo is launching a 5m campaign to introduce the idea of "Guinness Time" at home. It will include TV, print, on-pack promotion and a partnership with LoveFilm.com.
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High Street sales jobs suffer slump
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
The wet summer and the continued pressure on consumer spending has hit sales and jobs on the High Street, according to a report by Confederation of British Industry.
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High-end Air Wick variant gains diffuser
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Reckitt Benckiser has introduced a new "diffuser" air freshener under its Air Wick Aqua Essences brand. The launch is part of the total £25m marketing support programme for Air Wick.
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Jim Beam and Edrington form new sales alliance
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
The Edrington Group, the makers of Famous Grouse, has formed a new sales and distribution alliance with Beam Global, the owner of Jim Bean brand, to help grow their brands in key markets across the world.
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Jonathan Durden: How recessions can be good for you
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Were all aware that a nasty recession is beginning to bite and predictions of doom and gloom are widespread. However, just as war, terrible though it is, can accelerate technology, an economic downturn has its constructive effects on business. Benefits include the culling of weak products through survival of the fittest. In turn, innovation becomes an even more urgent priority to stimulate fresh growth.
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Karmarama wins Nationwide Insurance launch account
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Karmarama has won the launch advertising account for Nationwide Insurance, the Nationwide sub-brand being developed by LV=, the Liverpool Victoria friendly society. LV= called the pitch last month and is also reviewing its media planning and buying (MW August 7).
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Kim Wilde to present Magic 105.4 show
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Magic 105.4 has signed former eighties popstar Kim Wilde, the former Eighties pop star, to present a new weekend show. Magic's Secret Songs will launch on Sunday (September 7).
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Land Rover signs rugby sponsorship deals
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Land Rover has announced a new four-year sponsorship agreement with both Premier Rugby and the Rugby Football Union. The deal includes the launch of a brand new, countrywide grass roots tournament called the Land Rover Premiership Cup.
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L'Or蠬 profits hit by weakening demand and rising costs
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
L'Or?'s first half profit has been hit by rising costs of energy and raw materials. The maker of brands such as Maybelline and Lancome posted a 6.6% net profit in the six months to June 30.
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Manchester Evening News circulation jumps 86%
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Manchester Evening News has seen a 85.8% leap in circulation year on year in an otherwise gloomy regional newspaper market, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations figures for the six months to June. The paper has been buoyed by its hybrid part free, part paid-for model.
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Met Police launches major anti-knife campaign
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
The Metropolitan Police is launching a major new campaign to stop young people from carrying knives. The ad, created by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, breaks today (September 1).
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Microsoft to pay $486m for European shopping site
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Microsoft is acquiring online survey company Greenfield Online for $486m (265.8m). The deal will include its popular European shopping comparison site Ciao.
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Mike Hoban leaves Scottish Widows
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Mike Hoban, Scottish Widows customer and brand marketing director, has left the Lloyds TSB-owned company after three years. He is understood to have wanted to return to London from Scottish Widows head office in Edinburgh.
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Mother wins 35m Diet Coke Euro business
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Coca-Cola has appointed Mother to handle the 35m pan-European brief for Diet Coke. The agency pitched against a number of undisclosed agencies to win the business although it is not clear if UK incumbent Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest was involved.
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Motorola appoints ex-BT Vision man as marketer
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Motorola has appointed former BT Vision sales director Simon Collinson as director of marketing strategy for Europe, Middle East and Africa. The move comes as the company boosts its marketing team with up to 15 new roles.
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Nationwide strength is of mutual benefit
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
The credit crunch has not been bad news for everyone in financial services. Building societies, what's left of them after the demutualisation decimation of the 1990s, are seeing their coffers swell.
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NMA boosts staff numbers following funding increase
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
The Newspaper Marketing Agency has undergone a major restructure following a "significant" increase in funding by members. The move comes as the body plans to boost its lobbying activity for the industry.
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Nokia launches iPhone rival
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Nokia is launching its Comes With Music service in the UK today (September 2) and has announced that Carphone Warehouse will exclusively sell the pre-pay edition. It is thought the new handsets expected to go head-to-head with Apple's iPhone.
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Not over the hill just yet
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
As Madonna will attest, being over 50 does not mean automatic entry to the world of OAPs. But marketers still treat maturer consumers as a homogeneous group, without need for segmentation.
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Npower the latest energy company to hike prices
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Utility giant npower has become the fifth energy supplier to raise its prices in less than two months. As of today (August 29), the company is raising its gas prices by 26% and electricity by 14%.
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Olympic success drives a return to shops
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
UK consumers returned to stores during August, the first increase in store visits for four months, according to new research from Experian. The rise is attributed to falling fuel prices and strong sales of sporting equipment, driven by the country's Olympic success.
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Phones4U marketing director set to leave
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Phones4U marketing director Jim Slater will leave the company at the end of the month after four years in the role. The mobile phone retailer is now looking for a replacement.
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Premier Foods reports small first-half profits
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Premier Foods has reported a small profit rise in the six months to June 28 2008. It claims that it will hit its targets in the second half as it continues to invest in its brands.
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Ralph Lauren to launch 2,000 womens perfume
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Ralph Lauren is launching a super premium perfume that will cost 2,000 a bottle. Love, which will be launched in Harrods in October, comes in a gold-plated bottle.
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Rhodes leaves News International
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
News Magazines chief executive Camilla Rhodes has left News International after 28 years. Her departure follows the closure of News Magazines after just three years.
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Sky1 promotes new look and schedule
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Sky1 has launched a multi-platform campaign to promote its autumn schedule and new "on-air" look. It aims to highlight the channel's positioning of Sky's flagship entertainment channel.
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SMG confident about hitting full year targets
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
SMG, the Scottish TV company, says it will hit its full year targets despite the difficult advertising market. It made the comments as it announced pre-tax profits of £4.2m for the first half of the year.
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Specsavers launches moving poster campaign
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Specsavers is launching a new outdoor campaign across London's underground stations. The ads will launch across five-foot LCD TV moving poster screens from September 7.
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Sugar and spice and all things nice?
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
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Survey accuses supermarkets of pushing fatty foods
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
The National Consumer Council has lambasted UK supermarkets for running too many promotions for fatty or sugary foods. It says an investigation in to the eight major chains shows over half of promotions were for unhealthy foods - double the level seen in 2006.
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The sound of radio silence
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
When Channel 4 won the licence for the second national commercial multiplex in July last year, the excitement across the radio industry was palpable.
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The time must come for the high street's 'national treasures' to die
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Woolworths, Marks & Spencer and WH Smith all inspire a sense of nostalgia in British consumers, but we are really just watching their slow, painful deaths
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The Times adds 10p to cover price
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
News International's The Times will be the latest newspaper to raise its cover price this year. The weekday editions will go up by 10p to 80p from Monday (September 1).
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Tories claim Browns 'spin' spending tops Blairs
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
The era of Labour spin is far from over with Gordon Brown spending more on marketing and advertising than Tony Blair, according to claims by The Conservative Party.
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Twitter launches ad initiative
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Twitter, the micro-blogging site, has launched a new application that will pay users for display ads on their profiles. Users will be paid according to how many hours the ad is kept on their homepage.
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Under constant surveillance
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
The focus on measurement of digital media is switching from 'last click counts' to the 'customer journey', which has led to the development of metrics to track every stage. Martin Croft reports
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Vimto appoints head of marketing
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Vimto Soft Drinks has appointed Neil Gibson as head of marketing. He has joined from Fox's Biscuits where he was marketing manager.
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Virgin Media launches new animated campaign
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Virgin Media is launching a new campaign starring an animated Mel B and Richard Branson. It will support the company's Movies on Demand service and will go on air from September 12.
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Virgin Radio to undergo Absolute rebrand
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Virgin Radio has revealed it will be relaunched as Absolute Radio later this autumn. It follows the station's £53.2 acquisition by TIML Golden Square from SMG.
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Vivid Imaginations to bring Dinosaur King toys to UK
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Vivid Imaginations will launch US toy brand Dinosaur King in the UK next year. The range, aimed at boys aged between four and nine years old, has been developed from an animated TV show.
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Vodafone slams Redings telecoms reform plans
Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Vodafone has hit out at plans for telecoms reform announced by European Commissioner, Viviane Reding. The mobile operator claims that plans to slash mobile termination rates will force 40 million Europeans to stop using their phones.
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Volvo names Ford chief operating officer as president
Tue, 2 Sep 2008
Volvo Car Corporation has appointed Stephen Odell as its president and chief executive officer. He replaces Fredrik Arp, who has decided to leave the company.
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VW and The Times team up to launch Passat CC minisite
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Volkswagen is launching an online campaign with The Times to promote its new Passat CC.
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Whats wrong with Nestlé product development?
Wed, 3 Sep 2008
Nestl? apparent decision to phase out its Boosted Smoothies brand just four months after launch (see box) highlights the difficulties facing multinational food companies in creating exciting and successful innovations.
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Xfm Scotland to relaunch as Galaxy
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Global Radio is relaunching Xfm Scotland as Galaxy. It will be relaunched as part of the dance music network by the end of the year.
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Zoom Airlines files for bankruptcy
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Zoom Airlines has begun bankruptcy proceedings after failing to come to grips with rising aviation fuel prices. The discount carrier, which has UK offices at Gatwick Airport, has cancelled all future flights while leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
