Marketing Week
8 November 2007

  • ACP NatMags chief quits for News Group role

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Head of advertising at ACP-NatMags Sian Roberts is quitting the magazine publisher to take up a role working across News Group’s Sunday magazines. Roberts will leave at the end of the year.

  • Anger at Competition Commission's supermarket 'whitewash'

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Brand owners have added to the chorus of outrage and disbelief that greeted last week's Competition Commission report which largely cleared the big four supermarkets of anti-competitive practices.

  • AOL continues acquisition spree

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    AOL is set to acquire Quigo, a US content-targeted advertising company. The deal will allow AOL to offer advertising that matches the content of specific webpages. The financial terms of the agreement have yet to be disclosed.

  • Are reading figures for customer magazines a true reflection of consumer behaviour?

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    In the interactive digital age, the continuing popularity of customer magazines is almost curious. As the internet continues to offer free content and eat into off-line advertising budgets, contract publishing manages to maintain its appeal and value as a marketing tool, while ...

  • Arts Council England starts agency search after 50m funding boost

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    The Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, is planning a strategic overhaul of the organisation following a £50m cash injection, promised recently by Secretary of State for Culture James Purnell.

  • ASA rules TfL and Mayor of London made misleading bus fares claim

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Transport for London (TfL) have been censured by the advertising regulator for making misleading claims about bus fares.

  • Asda launches first savings product

    Mon, 12 Nov 2007

    Asda is launching its first savings account and is claiming it will offer a higher interest rate than rival supermarket chains. The online-only account will launch his week.

  • Asda reveals sales and market growth

    Tue, 13 Nov 2007

    Asda has reported that it has increased its share of the UK retailer market by 0.3% to 11.8% over the third-quarter of the year. It also says it has seen single-digit sales growth.

  • Axa calls £15m ad pitch

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Axa, the French financial services company, is reviewing its UK £15m advertising account. Creative Brief is handling the pitch and it is unknown whether Grey or WFCA, which have handled the bulk of Axa’s UK advertising for the past three years are repitching for the buisness.

  • BBC launches music podcasts

    Mon, 12 Nov 2007

    The BBC is launching its first music podcasts today (November 12). The Radio 1 Chart Show will be the first available followed by specialist music shows, inclluding 1Xtra Dancehall Top 10 and Asian Network Music Chart, later this week.

  • BBC unveils digital roster

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

  • BMB takes £7.5m Walls creative task

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Kerry Foods has handed the £7.5m ad account for its Walls sausages brand to Beattie McGuinness. BMB beat VCCP and Isobel in a pitch handled by the AAR.

  • British Airways increases fuel surcharge

    Mon, 12 Nov 2007

    British Airways is increasing the fuel surchare on all tickets by as much as 15. The airline will bring in the changes on November 15, it annonced today (November 12).

  • BSI teams up with web compliance company for online standards specification

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    BSI British Standards (BSI) has joined forces with Web compliance company Magus to raise online standards. Magus has commissioned BSI to develop what will be known as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS 124) for website standards.

  • Can brands be friends?

    Fri, 9 Nov 2007

    Say what you like about Facebook's youthful founder, theres no denying his sense of destiny. In a week which has seen an avalanche of activity in the Social Graphic, involving virtually every major brand from MySpace to Google, 23 year old Mark Zuckerberg managed to cap the lot with the breathless announcement of his vision...

  • Can you make money out of social networks?

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    The battle between social networks has been bubbling over, and last week the two biggest players, MySpace and Facebook, fired their latest salvos in a bid to woo advertisers and create business models that will generate revenue and prove their market valuations, which have been lambasted ...

  • Carphone Warehouse reaps broadband rewards

    Fri, 9 Nov 2007

    Carphone Warehouse, the mobile phone retailer, attributed its strong results to the success of its broadband business. It reported a £9.6m increase in pre-tax profits for the six month to September 30 compared to a £4.7m loss for the same period last year.

  • Cheggers embraces Web 2.0 for game launch

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    TV star Keith Chegwin is launching his first podcasts to support the roll out of his new videogame, Cheggers Party Quiz. The opening podcast in the series will be released on November 14.

  • Chelsea FC sets up website for US fans

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Chelsea Football Club is hoping to cash in on the "Beckham" factor by launching what it claims is the first European club website aimed at "soccer" fans in the US. The initiative is part of ambitious plans by Chelsea FC to increase its US following ...

  • Children play it safe online

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Young children are spending over 16 hours a week online without any adult supervision. But they are not trawling cyberspace to meet strangers. Instead most play games and communicate with friends

  • Chrysler UK head quits after takeover

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Chrysler’s UK managing director Peter Lambert is stepping down following the marque’s takeover by private equity company Cerberus Capital Management.

  • Co-op Farms extends food range grown on UK land

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    The Co-operative Farms has extended its food range with the launch of a brand called "Grown by us, Britain's largest farmer". It is planning to launch products and move existing items into the range.

  • Counterfeiters flood UK with fake iPhones

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    The UK is being flooded with fake iPhones ahead of Apple’s UK launch of the iPhone tomorrow.

  • Daily Mirror fares worst in tabloid-wide circulation slump

    Fri, 9 Nov 2007

    The Daily Mirror has seen the biggest year-on-year drop in circulation with 3.45% drop in sales, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Ciculations figures. The fall marked a trend in the national tabloid market, which declined by 3.14% since last month.

  • Does News of the Worlds Sunday have a prayer among the glossies?

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    News Group is beefing up its magazine team ahead of launching a News of the World glossy supplement that will take on paid-for titles, appointing ACP-NatMags head of advertising Sian Roberts.

  • Dog charity launches adoption service via mobile

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Dog is rolling out a new mobile push that aims to help boost fundraising and provide a new route for consumers to adopt pets.

  • Domino's to sponsor The Simpsons on Channel 4

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Domino's Pizza is extending its sponsorship of US cartoon The Simpsons to terrestrial TV in a move that will put further strain on its relationship with Sky One.

  • Drugsline appoints agency to promote services

    Mon, 12 Nov 2007

    Drugsline, the national drugs crisis charity, has appointed brand communications agency Hey Moscow to promote its services to young people. The appointment follows a competitive pitch against undisclosed agencies.

  • EMAP seeks buyer for the entire company

    Fri, 9 Nov 2007

    EMAP, the media group, has asked buyers to consider a bid for the whole company as it increases its efforts to sell its assets. The group, which owns Heat magazine and radio station Magic, put itself up for sale earlier this year.

  • Emap sees profits dip

    Tue, 13 Nov 2007

    Emap, the media group that has put itself up for sale, has reported a 16% drop in pre-tax profits to £80m for the half year to September 30. It has attributed the slump to weak advertising sales over the period.

  • EMAP2 to host experiential 3Rooms initiative for Sony

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    EMAP2 has signed a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to host its experiential marketing initiative 3Rooms. It aims to raise awareness of the PlayStation 3's functions and drive sales.

  • Estee Lauder appoints new president

    Mon, 12 Nov 2007

    Estee Lauder has appointed Procter & Gamble food chief Fabrizio Freda as its president. He will replace William P. Lauder when he takes over the role in March next year.

  • Ex-Smirnoff marketer takes reins at Lucozade Energy

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    GlaxoSmithKline has hired former Smirnoff marketer Suzy Smith as the top marketer for Lucozade Energy.

  • FSA retail chief warns financial brands to act over customer trust

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    The financial services sector has been urged to win back consumer trust before their brands are eroded by customers taking action into their own hands.

  • Gambling firms face forced levy after 2m cash shortfall

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    The gambling industry may be forced to pay a statutory levy to fund the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT) after the charity suffered a £2m shortfall in voluntary contributions.

  • Glasgow to host 2014 Commonwealth Games

    Fri, 9 Nov 2007

    Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games after beating Nigerian capital Abuja. The city won the vote of 71 nations by 47 votes to 24 earlier today (Friday).

  • Google helps freesheet to step up online expansion

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Thelondonpaper, the freesheet owned by News International, is teaming up with Google to launch a major extension to its website that aims to build a bridge across the two media platforms.

  • Google in talks with entertainment supremo Fuller

    Mon, 12 Nov 2007

    Google is understood to be in talks with Simon Fuller, the man behind the Spice Girls and TV franchise Pop Idol, about a joint internet TV venture. Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment, is believed to have been in talks with the internet giant for about a year.

  • Government under fire for escort agency ads pressure

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    The Government has been accused of "political point scoring" after putting pressure on the newspaper industry to ban ads for escort agencies in local papers as part of its wider campaign to reduce the number of trafficked women in the sex trade.

  • Halewood launches alcoholic shot range despite tightened ad rules

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Halewood International is launching a pre-packaged shot range called Splitz this month to target the Christmas party season market.

  • HarperCollins book extracts to be available on iPhone

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    HarperCollins UK is offering readers the chance to browse book extracts on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch users. The programme will be available from today (Friday) to coincide with the UK launch of Apple's iPhone.

  • In association with...

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Sponsorship is big business, especially in sports. No longer just a way to get exposure on the front of a footballer's shirt, the multi-million pound industry's benefits spread over all corporate sectors

  • Industry veteran Marsden to rewrite ASA rule book

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    Veteran marketer Andrew Marsden is set to lead a review of the UKs advertising code of practice, the first in almost a decade. The decision comes a year after the Advertising Standards Authority remit was extended to include broadcast advertising.

  • ITV should have chosen its Friends more wisely

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    ITV's decision to pull the plug on the subscription charge for Friends Reunited (MW last week) comes as no surprise to observers, who argue the media owner faced little alternative in the battle with free social networking sites such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace.

  • Jonathan Durden: Apple pulls off a masterstroke

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    I was driving along Londons Regent Street last week when I noticed a line of frozen bodies lying on the pavement. No, it was not a rally of Big Issue sales people, but human ice lollies, patiently waiting for the release of the iPhone at the flagship Apple store.

  • Karmarama secures 5m Coca-Cola Burn business

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Karmarama has won a place on Coca-Cola's advertising roster after scooping the 5m brief to promote energy drink brand Burn across Europe and Russia.

  • Media Square restructures following "dire" performance

    Tue, 13 Nov 2007

    Media Square, the marketing services group, is restructuring after admitting its trading performance has been "dire" and †it has suffered from an "over aggressive acquisition strategy". The group has reported a 14% drop in group sales to £85.3m for the six months to August 31, which is 4% dip on a like-for-like ...

  • Merrill Lynch launches crisis management campaign

    Tue, 13 Nov 2007

    Merrill Lynch has been forced to run a crisis management campaign reassuring customers and investors that the US bank is "still bullish" following a "challenging few months". The campaign follows the departure of chief executive Stan O'Neal last month after the company was forced to admit a $7.9bn (£3.95bn) exposure to ...

  • Microsoft: 3bn wasted on invisible sites

    Mon, 12 Nov 2007

    Microsoft says that 62% of UK small to medium-sized businesses are wasting more than 3bn on websites because potential customers are unaware of them. Research from Microsoft AdCenter shows that because most SMEs are not investing in search marketing they are collectively wasting their investment in websites.

  • Nestlé, Unilever and P&G under attack from Greenpeace

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Greenpeace has slammed major food manufacturers including Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Kraft, calling them "climate vandals" for their part in clearing tropical forests.

  • New campaign: O2 launches 'friends' tariff

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    O2 is launching a 4m advertising campaign to promote its new pay-as-you-go tariff, Your O2 Numbers.

  • Nielsen set to lose 10m TV measurement to TNS

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    TNS is poised to snatch the 10m contract to measure UK TV audiences from incumbent AGB Nielsen Media Research with a system that can also measure all platform and out-of-home viewing.

  • Norwegian water brand uses Shop for 2m launch

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Isklar, the Norwegian water brand, is poised to appoint creative agency Shop to handle the £2m advertising launch of its premium water brand.

  • OMG Network wins RBS affiliate marketing account

    Fri, 9 Nov 2007

    RBS Insurance has appointed OMG Network to handle its affiliate marketing following a three-month pitch against other major networks including TradeDoubler.

  • Over-brash for over here?

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    US brands gearing up for marketing assaults on the UK's fast-growing energy and sports drinks market may find themselves "too American-sounding" and lose their fizz when confronted with established domestic players.

  • Premier Foods adds Miles Calcraft to its 26m roster

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    Premier Foods, the owner of Hovis, Sharwoods and Bisto brands, is understood to have appointed Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy to part of its £26m advertising roster.

  • Pressure mounts for pre-9pm ad ban

    Tue, 13 Nov 2007

    Lobby groups have stepped up calls for a pre-9pm watershed for "junk" food and alcohol advertising. It follows concerns that the Government's failure to mention the issues in the Queen's Speech last week indicated a blanket ban could be introduced by December (MW last week).

  • Quiet Storm to highlight exploitation of trafficked women

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Quiet Storm has won the advertising account for human rights action group The Helen Bamber Foundation without a pitch. The first work will break later this week.

  • Ryanair takes the European Commission to court

    Fri, 9 Nov 2007

    Ryanair, the low cost carrier, is suing the European Commission for not blocking alleged illegal aid worth £696m from the French state to Air France. The budget carrier says it has pushing the Commission to investigate the issue for nearly seven years claiming it is an abuse of competition rules.

  • Saab plots device that detects early stages of tiredness

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Saab is launching an in-car warning system that detects when drivers are tired and which advises them to stop for a rest.

  • Sainsbury's announces "strong" first half results

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    J Sainsbury has announced "strong" first half results and a property deal just a week after a private equity bid for the retailer collapsed. It has reported a 27% increase in underlying pre-tax profits to £240m. 

  • Scalextric cashes in on Hamilton success

    Tue, 13 Nov 2007

    Scalextric, the toy brand, is launching its World Championship edition next week in a bid to benefit from the "Hamilton hike". The new edition will incorporate cars from four teams, including Lewis Hamilton's McLaren team.

  • Schwarzkopf & Henkel appoints head of marketing

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Schwarzkopf & Henkel, the personal care arm of Henkel, has appointed Julie Sainter as head of marketing for the UK and Ireland. She joins from Coca-Cola where she was head of the Schweppes brand.

  • Selfridges to sell exclusive Eat Natural nut snack bar

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Eat Natural, the fruit and nut bar brand, has developed a new variant exclusively for Selfridges Food Halls. Eat Natural Just for You… with blueberries, macadamia nuts and cocoa nibs will launch this week.

  • Sky Bet bulks up marketing team in advance of brand growth plans

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Sky Bet, the BSkyB-owned betting and gaming business, has ramped up its commercial and marketing team ahead of ambitious growth plans for the brand.

  • Starcom scoops £285m Samsung business

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Starcom is understood to have won Samsung's $600m (£285.4m) global media planning and buying business. The Publicis Groupe agency beat incumbent on the account MindShare to win the task.

  • Thompson and Cowie team up for Oystercatchers consultancy launch

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    Suki Thompson, the former managing director of the Haystack Group, has joined forces with former JWT business development director, Peter Cowie to launch a marketing consultancy service called Oystercatchers.

  • THQ games fills two top UK marketing positions

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Videogames publisher THQ has beefed up its marketing department with two appointments as it seeks to intensify its efforts in the battle against rival publishers Activision, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft.

  • Turf TV pulls bookies down at the first fence

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    For want of a nail the kingdom was lost, or more precisely perhaps, the sport of kings.

  • VisitBritain to target Brits with 'culture' push

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    VisitBritain is launching a campaign to encourage Brits to take part in cultural events and activities that will be held to coincide with the Olympics and Liverpool becoming the European Capital of Culture.

  • WeDigTV to launch interactive ad-only online TV channel

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Online television company WeDigTV is launching an online TV channel dedicated to advertising campaigns. It has signed up packaged goods giant Reckitt Benckiser as its first ad partner.

  • WFCA wins 3m Multiyork account

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    WFCA, the Tunbridge Wells-based agency, has won the 3m integrated advertising business for Multiyork without a pitch.

  • Whitbread splits 12m media account

    Wed, 14 Nov 2007

    Whitbread is understood to have split its 12m media planning and buying business between ZenithOptimedia, which will handle the 9m Premier Inn account and PHD, which will handle its pubs and restaurants business.

  • Woolworths to slash Christmas TV spend

    Thu, 8 Nov 2007

    Woolworths is to shift the bulk of its 25m Christmas advertising spend away from television to its catalogue and online business this year.

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