Marketing Week
31 August 2006

  • Alarm Belles ring at Drayton Bird as erotic rabbits overrun website

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    It's not every day that a leading marketer's website releases a statement which announces: "We have nothing to do with this company. We've never sold bondage kits." But Drayton Bird Associates was anxious to let it be known last week that it was not an outlet for nipple chains, erotic rabbits or the ever popular Jumbo Jack Man-o-War Black 8", after its website was hijacked by "purveyors of raunch", BrazenBelles.co.uk. But despite the shock of seeing Drayton Bird's good name and reputation ...

  • Albion gets that sinking feeling as its burghers turn to burgers

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    When obesity finally sinks the nation, future generations will blame the Government, rather than those who gorged themselves on fatty foods

  • AN expects London Lite to be profitable

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Associated Newspapers is "confident" that it will make its free evening London newspaper London Lite profitable within three years. The comments come as the publisher gears up for a head-on battle with News International's rival launch, thelondonpaper.

  • Andy Duncan rules himself out of ITV job

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan has ruled himself out of the race for the same role at ITV following the resignation of Charles Allen.

  • Aquascutum hires Charlotte Thomas

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Aquascutum, the fashion brand, has hired Pringle international head of marketing Charlotte Thomas as global communications director. The move is part of a restructure, driven by new president and chief executive Kim Winser.

  • Asda hires Douglas Gurr

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Asda has hired Douglas Gurr as strategy director, reporting to chief executive Andy Bond. Gurr was previously chief executive of Blueheath, an internet-enabled stockless wholesaler he founded in 2001.

  • Associated Newspapers buys company behind SimplySwitch.com

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Associated Newspapers has bought the company behind the SimplySwitch.

  • AXA UK appoints Olivier Marlée

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    AXA UK has appointed Olivier Marlée to the role of group marketing director, which was created following the departure of head of brand Darrin Nightingale earlier this year. Marlée joins from AXA SA in France.

  • Barclays fund arm to boost spend

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Barclays Global Investors (BGI) is seeking an agency to handle its pan-European advertising business as it ramps up the marketing spend for its flagship iShares product.

  • Bezier buys Poulters

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Bezier, the in-store marketing agency, has bought Leeds-based integrated shop Poulters in a bid to bolster its understanding of consumer behaviour.

  • Bmibaby signs to sponsor UK ice hockey Elite League

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Bmibaby, the British Midland-owned budget airline, has signed up as the head- line sponsor of the UK's Ice Hockey Elite League. The seven-year package is the league's first sponsorship deal.

  • Bookmaker in rugby shirt deal to push Web division

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The online division of bookmakers Coral has signed a two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Premier Rugby ahead of the start of this year's Guinness Premiership season this weekend.

  • Brand champion

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    David Wheldon, Vodafone's global brand chief, has ridden out the storm that engulfed the company's boardroom earlier this year and is now setting out his goals for the job ahead.

  • Branston considers taking Heinz to court

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Branston, the Premier Foods-owned brand, is reported to be considering taking HJ Heinz to court over its use of the Houses of Parliament logo on its HP Sauce. It follows confirmation that Heinz is moving HP production to the Netherlands from Birmingham.

  • Call centre staff need to go with the flow

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Should call centres ditch the script (MW last week)? Certainly not. Should customers have to put up with the drone of robotic repetition? No. So, what's the answer? Customers are bound to be as equally frustrated with uninformed, unstructured conversations as they are with prompted questions, if not more so.

  • Campaign of the month: Prehistoric Park

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The latest winner of the IAB Creative Showcase Awards is the Prehistoric Park campaign, developed for ITV by digital agency Play.

  • Carat set to pick up £25m B&D Euro task

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Power tools manufacturer Black & Decker is poised to hand its £25m pan-European media planning and buying account to Carat.

  • Charity hits out at ASA for 'ageist' Mazda ad decision

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    WRVS, a charity that represents the UK's older population, has hit back at the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for failing to uphold a complaint about a Mazda ad that it claims promoted "ageist stereotypes".

  • Co-operative Group to rebrand more than 3,000 outlets

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The Co-operative Group is rebranding more than 3,000 outlets as The Co-operative. Customers can pay &£1 to become a member and pick up loyalty points for redemption against goods and services.

  • Diageo plans 'vodka water' follow-up to Smirnoff Ice

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Diageo is testing a new Smirnoff-branded alcoholic sparkling water in the US as it steps up the search for a successor to Smirnoff Ice.

  • EA signs up to dynamic advertising

    Mon, 4 Sep 2006

    Electronic Arts (EA), the world's largest independent video games publisher has finally made the leap into dynamic advertising, signing deals with IGA Worldwide and Microsoft-owned Massive...

  • EasyCruise signs deal with Louis

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    EasyCruise has signed a deal with Cyprus-based company Louis, as it relaunches the brand and rolls out a campaign to support its new-look cruise ships. Louis will have exclusive rights to the brand in the eastern Mediterranean.

  • Enterprise IG rebrands Aegon's UK

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Enterprise IG, the WPP Group-owned branding agency, has rebranded global insurance provider Aegon's UK portfolio. The work includes the renaming of Scottish Equitable as Aegon Scottish Equitable.

  • Euro RSCG creates campaign for Love It

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Euro RSCG has created a £2.

  • Ford in talks about selling Jaguar

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Ford is in talks with former chief executive Jacques Nasser about selling Jaguar, Land Rover and possibly Volvo to a private equity arm of JP Morgan, where he now works.

  • Gillette Fusion: the best publicity a brand can get

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    All publicity is good publicity, they say, so Gillette must be delighted with the buzz the launch of its five-bladed razor, Fusion, has created.

  • Godiva reviews its £8m global advertising business

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Godiva, the premium chocolate brand, is reviewing its £8m global advertising business.

  • Google signs multi-year deal with Ebay

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Google has signed a multi-year deal to sell text-based and click-to-call advertising on Ebay websites. The revenue-sharing deal will take effect from early 2007.

  • HoMedics appoints Spirit to handle £1m ad account

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    HoMedics has awarded its creative business to Spirit Advertising as it pushes forward with its plans for a multi-million pound launch in the UK.

  • H-P in product placement move to ditch fusty image

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Hewlett-Packard (H-P) is showcasing its products in Jessica Simpson's latest music video as part of its campaign to shed its conservative image and tap into the youth market.

  • Ignore the grassroots community at your peril

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    We applaud the work the Newspaper Society is doing to up-weight marketers' focus beyond national and London-centric media. Engaging with regional audiences and communicating at grassroots level is an opportunity that has been missed by too man

  • Immedia Broadcasting reports 48.7% increase in total revenue

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Immedia Broadcasting, the in-store radio provider, has reported a 48.

  • Kia's UK chief quits

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Kia UK's managing director Paul Williams is leaving the company following a period of indefinite leave. It is not thought that he has a job to go to.

  • Kiss embraces a future beyond radio

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The Kiss FM network will undergo its biggest rejuvenation to date next week. Its analogue network is being enlarged with the rebranding of Vibe in Bristol and East Anglia. There will also be a new logo and "sonic branding" alongside changes to the schedule, which has already been tweaked following the return of programme ...

  • Kwik-Fit loses chief marketer McKenzie

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Kwik-Fit's marketing director Douglas McKenzie is leaving the company after 12 years. It is not known if he has a job to go to.

  • Leith Agency restructures its management team

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The Leith Agency has restructured its management team, with Ian White becoming partner for direct marketing. Richard Marsham is now managing partner for Leith Edinburgh, while former managing director Phil Adams is responsible for developing crea- tive partnerships with sister agencies within parent group Cello.

  • Lexus picks Ewan Shepherd

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Lexus has picked Ewan Shepherd as general manager of operations to replace Mark Roden, who became general manager of marketing and strategy last month (MW July 6). Shepherd will report to Lexus director Steve Settle.

  • Lidl trumps rivals with low-cost flights offer

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Budget supermarket chain Lidl has stolen a march on its rivals by launching a scheme to sell low-cost airline flights at its checkouts. It is the first supermarket to trial the sale of air travel.

  • Lycos signs major online ad deal with Blinkx engine

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Lycos, the internet portal, has signed a major online advertising deal with video search engine Blinkx.

  • Mangotree wins South African cider business

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Distell, the South African drinks company, has appointed Mangotree Marketing to create the first UK advertising for its Savanna premium cider brand.

  • Marketing Week to launch daily news and jobs website

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Marketing Week is launching a daily news and jobs website, which will go live next week at www.marketingweek.co.uk.

  • Mike Roberts steps down

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    McDonald's president and chief operating officer Mike Roberts has stepped down after 29 years. It is understood that he chose to leave, but the reasons for his departure have not been confirmed. Ralph Alvarez, head of the company's North American business, will replace him.

  • Mobile ads learn from past mistakes

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    This time last year, you probably won't be happy to recall, the Crazy Frog ringtone was still annoying an awful lot of people. While the tune might have been forgotten, it has left a lingering fear among many people about using their mobile ph

  • New Balance 'Heroes' celebrate centenary

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    New Balance, the sports shoe brand, is celebrating its British heritage with the launch of limited-edition trainers featuring images of long-serving employees, as part of a campaign to mark its centenary year.

  • New campaign - Ericsson and Vodafone

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Ericsson and Vodafone have signed up World Footballer of the Year Ronaldinho to promote a range of handsets as part of a joint marketing initiative.

  • New Campaign - Kiss

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Kiss, the Emap-owned dance music station, has revamped its logo ahead of a relaunch of the brand and expansion of the network next week.

  • New campaign - Vodafone

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) has created a TV campaign for Vodafone to mark the launch of the mobile operator's sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League.

  • Norwich Union goes for gold with athletics sponsorship

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Norwich Union (NU) last week extended its long-standing investment in UK Athletics, signing as an official partner of the European Athletics Indoor championships. Taking place in Birmingham next March, it will be the first major international athletics event to be held in the UK since the announcement of London's successful ...

  • Not so golden girls

    Wed, 6 Sep 2006

    Sportswomen have long been the butt of cruel jokes in a male-dominated industry, with a national newspaper once shamelessly suggesting that female footballers were more likely to burst the ball with their long nails and eyelashes than poke it into the back of the net...

  • NU in launch of Web-only cover

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Norwich Union (NU), the UK's largest general insurance company, is launching its first online-only insurance product - Simple Cover - which is aimed at consumers who use the internet to find bargains.

  • Online is not quite king of the ad world

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    If you wander around London at the moment you'll see ads for Yell.com on the sides of buses. For the marketing industry, what is most notable is not the clever use of GPS technology to allow the buses to show the most relevant ad for wherever they are along their route, but the agency behind them. Yell chose AKQA, until now ...

  • Otto looks to boost sales further with 8m media agency search

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Otto, the German mail-order giant, is understood to be in talks with regional media agencies as it considers shaking up its £8m planning and buying arrangements.

  • Permira acquires Birds Eye

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Permira, the private equity firm, has acquired frozen-food brand Birds Eye from Unilever for &£1.1bn. The sale is part of a strategic review of Unilever's portfolio.

  • Pick a perfect PR partner

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Beware of Greeks bearing gifts, warned Virgil in the Aeneid. Equally, beware of public relations agencies that promise the earth. When you buy media space, you know what you are getting, but when you buy PR, with the best will in the world, yo

  • PlayStation SingStar sponsors new MTV user-generated show

    Mon, 4 Sep 2006

    SingStar, the Sony PlaysStation "karaoke" game brand, has signed up to sponsor a new MTV show that features viewers trying to lip-synch to songs...

  • Plotting a French revolution

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) is repositioning its flagship premium lager Kronenbourg 1664 as a drink to "savour" (MW last week) in an advertising campaign breaking this week.

  • Ratner to offer £200m for Signet's UK jewellery business

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Gerald Ratner is set to offer £200m for Signet's UK jewellery business, including the H Samuel and Ernest Jones chains he used to run.

  • Real-time targeting cuts out guesswork

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    In response to your report on direct mail (MW August 17), I'd like to point out that you don't have to target customers online to catch them while they are in the purchasing mood. There is another highly targeted marketing solution, using real-time data technology and based purely on a consumer's purchasing habits, that is available in store.

  • Red Bull calls on Marx for UK red vodka trial

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Richmond Marketing, the company that distributes Red Bull and Tiger Beer in the UK, is gearing up to take on Absolut and Smirnoff with the launch of a red-coloured herbal vodka.

  • Reeling in the digital cinema audience

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Digital technology looks set to revolutionise the UK cinema industry. Good news for audiences and marketers alike, says Dominic Dudley.

  • Respect the users and cash will follow

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Last month eMarketer estimated that ad spending on US online social networks will eclipse $1.8bn (£950m) by 2010, and social media owners are exploring how to commercialise their sites and realise these numbers.

  • Rich Prosecco arrives in UK with Hilton tour

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Paris Hilton, the socialite heir to the Hilton hotel chain, will tour the country next month to promote the UK launch of Rich Prosecco, a sparking Italian wine in a can.

  • Scottish Media Group rejects merger proposals from Ulster TV

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Scottish Media Group, the owner of Virgin Radio, has rejected merger proposals from Ulster TV, which owns TalkSport radio and operates the ITV licence for Northern Ireland.

  • ScreenFX buys POPtv

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    ScreenFX, the digital advertising specialist, has bought POPtv, which provides screen-based advertising in shopping centres, doctors' surgeries and hospitals. All of POPtv's senior management will keep their jobs.

  • Search marketing feels pressure of click fraud

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Search marketing has been the engine of growth for online advertising ever since Google launched its services in the late 1990s. But following scare stories about click fraud and lack of privacy, could it be in danger of going out of fashion?

  • Self-select is not the best model to emulate

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    News that social-networking site Bebo is changing its ad model to let users choose which ads they see inspired me to ask if we have solved Lord Leverhulme's famed dilemma, with marketers finally able to identify which half of their budget is wasted.

  • Sense and sensibilities

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Think of the best seaside holiday that you had as a child. What do you remember: sun on your skin, smells of seaweed and suntan oil, shrieks or maybe the light? Vivid memories are rarely monochrome. The same goes for vivid brands.

  • Social sites and blogs are the talk of the Net

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Social-networking sites and blogs have come from nowhere to being among the most talked about aspects of the internet in just two years.

  • Sony launches movies in Blu-ray

    Fri, 1 Sep 2006

    Sony is to start selling movies on its Blu-ray Disc format in the UK for the first time, from October.The first titles to be made available from the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment division will include new releases and back catalogue titles such as Hitch, The Fifth Element and A Knight's Tale.

  • Sony's woes smoulder on

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Sony is at the heart of an embarrassing product recall on a grand scale, while the PSP, its much-hyped portable multimedia player, was lambasted at a gaming industry convention at Leipzig earlier this month for failing to woo consumers.

  • Space wins new £2.7m South-west tourism push

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The South West of England Regional Development Agency (South West RDA) has appointed Space to handle a new campaign to promote the area as a tourist destination and a business powerhouse.

  • Teachers' channel tests on-demand cable programmes

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Teachers' TV, the Government-funded channel for teachers, is to launch on-demand cable programming. The service has struck a deal with NTL/Telewest to run as an on-demand channel across both the cable networks.

  • Thames Water announces jobs cuts

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Thames Water has announced it is to cut a swathe of jobs over four years.

  • Tories' hiring passes branding torch to a new generation

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The Conservative Party's appointment of 25-year-old advertising executive Anna-Maren Ashford as brand manager (MW last week) is the latest stage in leader David Cameron's rebranding of the party.

  • Tories take up torch of rebranding task

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    It would be simple to believe that policy is all political parties care about in the quest for votes. But ever since John F Kennedy was elected US president in 1960, and Ronald Reagan brought his Hollywood background to the White House 20 years later, leaders have increasingly relied on image to gain or maintain power. Advertising was ...

  • Torin Douglas on the London freesheet battle

    Tue, 5 Sep 2006

    A newspaper battle in an internet age may seem an anomaly at first sight, but there's no dearth of readers if you're giving news away free

  • Touchpoints a sore point for consumers in need of delight

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    But is there any evidence that customers' experience of dealing with companies is actually improving? Hardly. The most comprehensive long-term study of customer satisfaction levels is the American Customer Satisfaction Index: overall customer

  • Tourism Australia hires Tim Jones

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Tourism Australia has hired Tim Jones as marketing manager for the UK, Ireland and Nordic. Jones was previously head of marketing for Thomas Cook, Signature and Latitude.

  • Turner Broadcasting signs deal with France Telecom

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Turner Broadcasting has signed a deal with France Telecom for its Cartoon Network children's strand to launch as a channel on mobile operator Orange across Europe.

  • Under the skin of the undergrad

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The annual rant that A-levels and GCSEs are too easy is once again in full swing. Many critics argue the education system is failing, and CBI director-general Richard Lambert has lambasted the Government over school-leavers' academic abilities

  • Vodafone plots foray into UK broadband market this year

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Vodafone is planning to enter the highly competitive broadband market with the launch of a high-speed internet service in the UK before the end of the year.

  • Warner plans internet-only marketing to lure over-50s

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Hotel and resort company Warner Breaks has abandoned traditional advertising and will channel its £1.5m budget solely into online marketing campaigns.

  • Well-tailored mail suits time-poor lives

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Times are changing, and large-scale mailouts are no longer the most effective means of direct marketing. It is also true that the direct marketing industry is witnessing an increase in internet-based marketing.

  • Welsh Assembly hunts for media planning and buying agency

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    The Welsh Assembly is hunting for a media planning and buying agency as part of a consolidation process. It recently absorbed the Welsh Development Agency and Wales Tourist Board, and has previously used Starcom and Partners Andrews Aldridge for media.

  • What's Guinness good for?

    Wed, 6 Sep 2006

    The pub smoking ban has been blamed for falling Guinness sales in Ireland, prompting some to call on Diageo to off-load the stout, but others think its hsould stick with the brand and develop its long drinsk offer, as cider begins to take off and the RTD market goes flat

  • Who's afraid of the WWW?

    Thu, 31 Aug 2006

    Blinded by technology, marketers have allowed the Web to become a niche area. But it should be a mainstream medium, says Bruce Haines

  • Yeo Valley boosts range with organic partnership

    Mon, 4 Sep 2006

    Yeo Valley has joined forces with the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative (OMSco) in a bid to build the organic dairy brand's milk range...

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