Marketing Week
31 July 2008
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A Day In The Life Of: Colin Lewis
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Im a bit of a car fanatic and racing at Le Mans is right up there on the list of to dos. Id also like to design a house with a garage for my car collection.
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A Day in the Life of: Sue Garrard
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
"I've done bras to booze to drink driving! In my early days in ads, I worked on Heinz beans - still my favourite brand. And the launch of congestion charging, which nearly ended my social life."
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Adidas posts 12% profit before Olympics
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
Apparel company Adidas AG has posted a 12% profit in the second quarter, reporting that its net income has climbed to €116m (£92m) in the second quarter. This month's Olympic Games has spurred sales in emerging markets, while it also benefited from the Euro 2008 Tournament earlier ...
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AG Barr looks to acquire Rubicon
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
AG Barr, the soft drinks company, has entered into a conditional agreement to purchase Groupe Rubicon. It is negotiating an initial cash payment of £59.8m.
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Ambi Pur to sponsor Fifth Gear
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
Sara Lee air freshener brand Ambi Pur Car has signed a deal with Five to sponsor its flagship motoring show, Fifth Gear. The series kicks off next week, marking the start of a £1.4m push for the brand.
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Antigua tourism board in marketing plan crisis talks
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
Antiguas tourism body is holding crisis talks with partners in the travel industry to discuss its marketing plans following the murder of two British honeymooners on the island.
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AOL reveals Platform A management team
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
AOL has appointed the first management team for its ad business Platform A. The six-strong team will report into Platform A UK managing director Michael Steckler.
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BA profits plummet by 88%
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
British Airways has posted an 88% drop in its first quarter profit after being hit by soaring oil prices. It has also attributed the fall to the slowdown in the economy and low consumer confidence.
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BA profits plummet by 88%
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
British Airways has posted an 88% drop in its first quarter profit after being hit by soaring oil prices. It has also attributed the fall to the slowdown in the economy and low consumer confidence.
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BA to launch ads promoting Terminal 5
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
British Airways will launch a "live" ad campaign to promote Terminal 5 tomorrow (August 5) using up to date information on baggage reclaim and check-in times. It will aim to dispel negative perceptions of the £4.3bn terminal.
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Bacardi Global to review 100m advertising roster
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
Bacardi Global Brands is reviewing its entire 100m advertising roster, including the business for flagship brands Bacardi, Martini and premium vodka Grey Goose.
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Bacardi names new chief executive
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Bacardi has appointed Seamus McBride, from Colgate-Palmolive, as its new chief executive. The former Bass brewery marketing director joins the spirits group in September.
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BBC Worldwide appoints Kellie as its first marketing director
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
BBC Worldwide has appointed veteran BBC marketer Helen Kellie (pictured) as its first marketing director. Kellie, director of marketing, communications and audiences at the BBC’s Vision section, will move to the corporation's commercial arm in October.
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Beattie named as Castrol European marketing head
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
Former Birds Eye Iglo marketer Andy Beattie has resurfaced at BP oil brand Castrol as its European marketing director, following his abrupt exit from the frozen foods company in September last year.
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Blinkx launches TV search service
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Blinkx, the video search engine, is launching a service that will allow people to search for full-length TV programmes online. Blinkx Remote goes live today (July 30).
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British Gas owners profits fall to 992m
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
British Gas owner Centrica has reported profits of 992m, a day after hiking its gas prices by 35%. The utility giant reported its results for the half-year to June 30 today (July 31).
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BT to enter social networking space
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
BT is launching a social network site in an attempt to rival services being launched within the burgeoning online directory sector.
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Car industry hit by economic downturn
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
Car manufacturers have been hit by the deteriorating global economy, with BMW and Nissan reporting falls in profit. General Motors also reported a second-quarter net loss.
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Carbonated drinks regain their sparkle
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The carbonated drinks sector is enjoying a strong uplift in sales, with new product launches having almost doubled in the year to May.
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Champagne brand picks Communicator for revamp
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Champagne maker Lanson has appointed integrated agency Communicator to create a campaign to reposition the brand.
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Chick Smith Trott wins 4m Douwe Egberts
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Chick Smith Trott is tipped to win the 4m integrated advertising brief for Sara Lee-owned coffee brand Douwe Egberts.
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Chief marketer Gordon Lee leaves Wonderbra owner
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Gordon Lee, the marketing director at lingerie company DB Apparel, has left the company after less than a year in the job. It is not clear if he has another job to go to.
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Consumer confidence at all-time low
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Consumer confidence in the UK has hit an all-time low, according to a new survey. It is now at its lowest level since 1974.
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Contender Films puts 15m media account up for pitch
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Film distributor Contender Films, the newly expanded theatrical arm of DVD distributor Contender Entertainment Group, has putits £15m media account upfor pitch.
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Costa Coffee aims to capitalise on Olympics
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
Costa Coffee, the Whitbread-owned chain, is opening its first two coffee shops in Beijing the week before the Olympic Games begin. The outlets are the first to be created under a joint venture between Whitbread and the Beijing Hualian Group.
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Cultivating a responsible image
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Outdoor has long known the need for sensitivity when placing ads for such things as alcohol brands, and now technology is helping the industry fine-tune that social responsibility, says Jo-Anne Flack
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Cussons plans new ranges across its brand portfolio
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
PZ Cussons, the personal care company, is poised to launch a raft of new products across its brand portfolio this autumn. One key launch is a range of men's products under its personal wash brand, Original Source.
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Department of Health hits out at AA announcement
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The Department of Health (DoH) has accused the Advertising Association (AA) of jumping the gun by announcing that snack food and confectionery companies have joined forces with the Government to promote the DoHs Change4Life anti-obesity campaign.
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Diageo pushes Smirnoff as a mixer brand
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Diageo is launching a new campaign for Smirnoff, which for the first time will see it being promoted as a mixer brand. The £4m campaign, created by JWT, will include television, print, digital and outdoor advertising plus an in-store programme.
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Disney teams up with Virgin Media for travel on-demand
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
IDS, the advertising sales house for Virgin Media, has partnered with Disney for its first advertising video-on-demand content deal.
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DLKW wins 18m Halifax ad account
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
Halifax has re-appointed incumbent Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners to its 18m retail advertising account. It won the business following a final shootout against DDB.
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DMA board to step down as part of restructure
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
The Direct Marketing Association is undergoing a restructure that will see the current board step down in November. The changes follow a strategic review which began earlier this year.
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ECB slams BBC over broadcast rights
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
The chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has slammed the BBC for failing to bid on the broadcast rights for live cricket coverage. The ECB has called for a wider debate into the future of public sector sports broadcasting.
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ECB to revamp cricket TV broadcasting rights
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is restructuring its broadcast rights to reflect the new segmentation of the sport into different formats. The move may see a return to terrestrial television for some elements of the game.
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Extreme sports publisher launches online TV channel
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Factory Media, the extreme sports publisher, is launching an online sports TV channel in the UK. Mpora.tv will provide content including action documentaries and event highlights.
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FA to launch England-branded laptops
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
The English Football Association has signed a licensing deal with computer manufacturer Hi-Grade to produce a range of England-branded laptops, launching before the end of this year.
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Financial services watchdog hunts agency for consumer role
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The Financial Services Authority is planning to appoint a communications planning agency to be the driving force behind its marketing strategy, as the body seeks to make itself a place consumers can get money-related advice.
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Friends Reunited splits from HMDG
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
ITV-owned Friends Reunited is understood to have parted company with Hurrell, Moseley, Dawson & Grimmer just weeks after the agency's relaunch campaign for the social networking site was aired.
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Getting rid of the generation gap
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
With age-specific job vacancies outlawed and the retirement age failing to match life expectancy, companies should rethink their attitudes to training the older generations, says Sarah Forsey
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GfK seeks to save TNS deal with funding talks
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
GfK, the German research group, has sought the help of private equity company Apax Partners to help its bid for British market research company Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS). GfK is seeking to trump the £1.1bn bid tabled for TNS by WPP Group.
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Good times will return when we wring humour out of adversity
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
We must learn to accentuate positives if the distinct lack of feelgood factor that threatens to cast a black cloud over Britain is not to become terminal
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Grant Duncan joins Spencer Stuart UK
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Former Publicis London chief executive Grant Duncan is joining search consultant Spencer Stuart to lead its UK Media Practice. He most recently worked at Gay Haines' recruitment agency Grace Blue.
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Hornby to focus on Corgi core business
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Hornby is planning to heavily invest in iconic model brand Corgi following its takeover of the company. It will focus on its core business as well as developing new lines, including sports models to attract new collectors.
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Hovis resurrects iconic 'boy on the bicycle' for revamped logo
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Premier Foods is introducing the "boy on the bicycle" from its iconic Seventies ad as a key part of its logo for the first time.
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HSBC posts 28% fall in profits
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
HSBC, the UK's largest bank, has reported a 28% fall in profits and has warned the financial markets are "the most difficult for several decades". The bank reported its results for the first half ended June 30 today (August 4).
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IAB launches video advertising standards
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) is launching the first industry wide standards for online pre-roll and post-roll video ads. It is hoped they will simplify the planning, creative, booking and buying process, as well as improving quality.
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Ikea to launch branded mobile phone service
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Ikea, the retailer, is partnering with network supplier T-Mobile to launch a mobile phone service. Members of the retailer's loyalty programme will be able to sign up to the service from this Friday (August 8).
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Inbev hikes prices by 3.3%
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Inbev UK is increasing prices across its beer brands, including Stella, by an average of 3.3%. The hike will apply to both on- and off-trade prices, effective from September 15, 2008.
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Is this the final countdown?
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
It might have survived the dotcom crash, but cut-price travel and leisure site lastminute.com now faces a threat from the many similar brands that have crowded the market. By Rufus Jay
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ITV adjusts targets as profits plummet by 28%
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
ITV has been forced to "reassess" the targets of its turnaround strategy as it reports a 28% dip in year-on-year pre-tax profit to £91m for the first half of 2008. It comes as the broadcaster predicts that ad revenue for September will plummet by 20%.
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MediaCom wins 30m e.on account
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
E.on, the utility giant, has appointed WPP-owned MediaCom to handle its estimated £30m media planning and buying account. The win follows a pitch which included the incumbent Initiative.
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Metro launches electronic edition
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Associated Newspapers' city freesheet, Metro, is launching an online edition, eMetro. The electronic version of the morning paper will sit within Metro's growing digital portfolio, which includes Metro.co.uk MEview and MEmusic.
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Miss World gets interactive
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Miss World has launched an interactive website and online channel to encourage fans to interact with the brand. The site will offer global advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
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Motor industry doubles spend on green ads
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
The motor industry doubled its spending on advertising its greenest cars in 2007 but overall spend is still biased towards the highest polluting vehicles, a new report says.
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Motorola brings in chief to head mobile division
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
Motorola appointed Sanjay Jha to head up its mobile devices division. Jha was previously chief operating officer at chipset manufacturer Qualcomm.
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MPs support warnings on alcohol ads proposal
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Alcohol advertisers could be forced to include health warnings in all ad campaigns, as the Government steps up its efforts to get tough in binge and underage drinking.
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MTV tackles teen crime with police
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
MTV has partnered with the Metropolitan Police and EMI Music to educate teenagers about youth violence in London. The parties have converted a former police riot van as a roving education centre to tour the capital from autumn this year.
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Murdoch cautious despite 27% Q4 profits rise
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
News Corporation has posted a profit rise of 27% in its fourth quarter results on the back of the strong performance of its film studios and cable TV channels, although chairman Rupert Murdoch has sounded a cautious note for the rest of the year.
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MySpace and Warner launch online comedy channel
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
MySpace has teamed up with Warner Music Entertainment to launch a UK-specific comedy channel. MySpace Comedy UK goes live today.
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Naked secures Lebara Mobile ad strategy task
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Naked Communications has been appointed to handle the advertising and strategy for Lebara Mobile, following a pitch with several undisclosed agencies.
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Netflights.com puts shirts on Leeds United
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Leeds United FC has signed travel operator netflights.com as its new shirt sponsor. The three-year deal comes after contractual difficulties with a proposed rival sponsor scuppered a deal.
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New campaign - 4Music
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
4Music, the Channel 4 and Bauer Media-owned music channel, is launching a 10m campaign ahead of the station's delayed rebrand from what is currently The Hits next month.
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Next to bring fashion brands into stores
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
Next is understood to be planning to introduce other fashion brands into its retail stores. The move comes after a 6% slowdown in sales for the first half of 2008.
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Northern Rock losses reach 585m
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
Northern Rock, the beleaguered bank nationalised in February, has announced bigger-than-expected losses of £585m for the first six months of the year. The scale of the losses has led analyst Ralph Silva of Tower Group to claim that the Northern Rock brand is "not sustainable".
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Ofcom to investigate Government-funded show
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Ofcom is to investigate claims that ITV1's advertiser-funded programme Beat: Life on the Street, commissioned and paid for by the Home Office, breached broadcasting codes. Such ad-funded series are subject to Ofcom's rules on sponsorship.
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Ogilvy shop teams up with Covario to handle 4m Intel
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Neo@Ogilvy and US search company Covario have been jointly appointed to handle the £4m Europe, Middle East and Africa paid-search marketing account for Intel.
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P&O Cruises reviews accounts worth 7m
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
P&O Cruises is reviewing its 7m advertising and media accounts. Incumbents Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy and Starcom are repitching for the business.
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PayPal rolls out pre-pay debit card
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
Ebay-owned online payment provider PayPal is launching a pre-pay debit card with Visa and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The card, which launches today (August 1), can be used on the high street as well as online.
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Public concerns over private interests
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
From being in charge of the Change One Thing initiative to lynchpin of Change4Life, the new 75m government national campaign aimed at combating obesity, is quite a step up for former Boots marketing director Andrew Brent.
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Racing UK appoints new chief
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
Racing UK has appointed former Aston Villa chief Richard FitzGerald as chief executive. FitzGerald takes over from executive chairman Simon Bazalgette.
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Recapturing Tango's zeitgeist is Stewart's first task at Britvic
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
A marketing push to breath new life into the once dominant Tango brand (MW last week) is just one of the challenges facing recently installed Britvic marketing director Simon Stewart.
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Retail Index reveals poor health
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
The health of UK retail has now slipped to its lowest level since early 2006. According to KPMG/SPSL Retail Think Tank (RTT), the overall state of retail health slipped three index points to 95 in the second quarter of this year.
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Salter selects Clinton Partnership to build its UK branding
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The Clinton Partnership marketing services agency has won the advertising account for homewares and scales brand Salter. The win follows a three-way pitch against undisclosed agencies.
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Seaside towns get 10m Government grant
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced details of its Sea Change initiative aimed at promoting Britain's coastal resorts. The first stage of the £45m programme will see £10m invested in Blackpool, Dover and Torbay.
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Shareholder demands recount following Yahoo! AGM
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
One of Yahoo!'s largest shareholders, Capital Research Global, has demanded a recount of the number of votes cast against the re-elected chief executive Jerry Yang. The Yahoo! board and Yang were re-elected at the company's AGM on August 1.
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Shutting the door on doorstep salesmen
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
Doorstep selling is in the spotlight again after a group of MPs last week threatened to ban energy companies from door-to-door sales following repeated allegations of mis-selling (MW last week).
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Sky profit dips as subscriber figures rise
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
BSkyB has added 92,000 subscribers during the quarter to take its total base to 8.98 million viewers, but its operating profit has fallen 11% year-on-year for the 12 months to the end of June. Sky says subscriber growth in the last quarter was its highest for five years.
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Snooker suffers blow as sponsors pull out
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
Snooker has suffered a major a financial blow after high profile sponsors 888.com and Saga Insurance ended their deals early. 888.com has pulled out of its sponsorship of the World Championship just two years into its five year contract.
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Superfruits affect five-a-day consumption
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
Consumers in the UK are eating more fruit and vegetables than six years ago, with manufacturers and retailers helping to boost consumption through their advertising and labeling. However, the Datamonitor report reveals that consumption is being undermined by "superfruits".
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The coming bloodbath for social media
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
It seems that the latest big thing on the web is 4chan. This is an anarchic site which has joined a long line of enterprises that start in a bedroom and, in less time than it takes to grow stubble on a sixteen-year-old’s chin, become global giants.
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The DoH unveils co-ordinated assault on obesity
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The drive to cut the UK's soaring obesity levels swings into full gear this autumn when health secretary Alan Johnson launches the £75m "Change4Life" advertising campaign to encourage the public to eat healthily and take more physical exercise.
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The Olympification of BP
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
This week, billions of sports fans around the world will sit down to watch the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The city itself expects an influx of 1.5 million visitors for the event. One of them will be Luc Bardin, head of sales and marketing for BP Group, tier-one partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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The Sun reviews 9m ad business
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The Sun, the News International-owned newspaper, has called a review of its 9m advertising business, currently handled by Euro RSCG. It is holding credentials meetings over the next week.
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The Sun to slash cover price across UK
Fri, 1 Aug 2008
News Group Newspapers is dropping the cover price of The Sun newspaper across the UK, putting it in line with the cover price in London. The paper will go down from 35p to 30p.
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TIML Radio's 'Spot the Virgin' game plays up new branding
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
TIML Radio, the new owner of Virgin Radio, is launching an online game that aims to begin migrating listeners away from the Virgin brand, ahead of the station's relaunch later this year.
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TMG revamps mobile platform
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Telegraph Media Group has overhauled its mobile platform in a bid to improve usability and attract more users. It comes just two weeks after the publisher announced plans to relaunch its website.
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Tories attack lads' mags
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Shadow education secretary Michael Gove is expected to slam men's magazines, such as Nuts and Zoo, as irresponsible. The Conservative front bencher is due to make the remarks today at a speech organised by think tank IPPR.
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Treasury called to explain green car taxes
Tue, 5 Aug 2008
The Treasury is being criticised for failing to develop a proper communications strategy for its "green car taxes". A failure to advertise details to the public is breeding suspicion about the taxes' objectives, a Government committee says.
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Unilever chief bullish despite profits fall
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Unilever reported a 5% drop in operating profits for the second quarter of the year. The company says that the strong Euro, restructuring costs and rising commodity prices have hit figures.
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Utilities firms face doorstep sales ban
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The utilities industry could face a ban on door-to-door sales, after a Government report told it to "consider itself on notice".
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Video game classification under scrutiny
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The Government has announced a consultation on a legally enforceable classification system for video games. The move follows a report by clinical psychologist Dr Tanya Byron (pictured) into the impact of gaming on children and young people (MW.co.uk, March 25).
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Watchdog and charity attack British Gas
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Consumer watchdog Energywatch and Age Concern have slammed Britsih Gas after it reported profits of nearly £1bn just a day after raising gas prices by 35%. The company revealed the price hikes yesterday (July 30).
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When brandosphere meets blogosphere
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Much of the creative stuff being done in the world of interactive marketing and advertising doesn't exactly make your jaw drop. It may be good, but it's rarely outstanding.
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Whitbread appoints two senior marketers
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
Leisure company Whitbread has appointed two senior marketers as it continues with the roll-out of two new restaurant brands.
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Will ISPs agree to the BPI's calls to police the Net?
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
The music industry has at last recruited internet service providers to help in its battle against illegal downloading, although observers suggest the support of the "big six" brands is merely a way of staving off legislation.
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Yahoo! admits errors in board re-election vote
Wed, 6 Aug 2008
Yahoo! has admitted that errors were made in the voting results that led to the re-election of its board on August 1. The board will remain in place although the number of votes against certain members was greater than first reported.
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Yahoo! board re-elected
Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Yahoo! chief executive Jerry Yang was re-elected at the internet giants annual meeting on Friday (August 1), as investors threw their weight behind him and the rest of the board. Each Yahoo! board nominee has been re-elected.
