Marketing Week
Ruth Mortimer Editorial
Editor. Read Ruth’s blog on Brand & Business
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Royal Mail to include ‘delivered by..’ mark from June
Wed, 23 May 2012
Controversial mark to be phased in over next six months to increase visibility of Royal Mail brand.
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Q&A: Ben Rhodes, Royal Mail
Wed, 23 May 2012
Ruth Mortimer talks to Royal Mail’s head of marketing and commercial strategy Ben Rhodes about his strategy for the deregulated delivery brand.
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Why the BBC is our brand of the year
24 May 2012
Congratulations to the BBC, which scooped this year’s top prize at the Marketing Week Engage Awards 2012. The corporation won…
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Get involved in the talent conversation
17 May 2012
‘When someone leaves you are not just losing a good person; you are losing a talent conversation - someone who talks to…
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Engage Awards to be blessed by Bishop
Thu, 10 May 2012
Comedian John Bishop promises to keep marketers laughing in his role of host at the Marketing Week Engage Awards 2012.
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Look inside for ways to quell these rebellions
10 May 2012
‘There’s a new set of protesters and this time it isn’t a bunch of guys living in tents… these critics are corporate shareholders’
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Taxi brand's message takes a wrong turn
3 May 2012
‘Addison Lee chairman John Griffin urged his drivers to use bus lanes… then lashed out at cyclists in the company’s magazine’
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Seek innovation - even from Poshest of places
26 April 2012
‘Car specialists say innovations through fashion and design, like Victoria Beckham’s for Range Rover, are the way to go’
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The Games is a time to do as well as talk good
Wed, 18 Apr 2012
‘Locog has had to make some tough decisions. Few brands have the muscle to promote London 2012 like Coke and McDonald’s’
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Fashion gurus have a lot to teach marketers
12 April 2012
‘The artistic director is also a marketer; they are business minds who know how to sell their personal style to the elite’
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Why did Facebook buy Instagram?
Tue, 10 Apr 2012
A cool billion dollars? That’s how much Facebook has just paid to acquire free photo-sharing iPhone and Android app Instagram.
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Celebrating the best that marketing can do
5 April 2012
‘Pret’s way of doing business means that its name is such an asset… it is creating 550 new jobs in the UK’
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Data key to success for charities
Tue, 3 Apr 2012
Imagine you are a charity. You need to set out your donor strategy for the next few years of operations to fund your good works…
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Start realising your career goals right here
29 March 2012
‘Whether it’s to become a future chief executive or prove your brand’s worth, we invest in taking marketing to the top table’
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'No white elephants' for 2012, says Olympic chief
Wed, 21 Mar 2012
Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London 2012 Organising Committee, praises sponsors’ part in trouble-free games organisation.
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Use communications to shape brand strategy
22 March 2012
‘Brands are still not making the most of opportunities to truly integrate communications with their strategies’
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'Alcohol can be a controversial subject and it's not credible to fail to mention that...'
PR Strategy March 2012
Ian Wright, corporate relations director at Diageo, looks after the reputation of its brands. Ruth Mortimer speaks to him about juggling the different parts of his job across the company’s global network.
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Protecting against derailment
PR Strategy March 2012
It is five years since the Virgin Train crash in Cumbria. Ruth Mortimer explores what happened back then and how the crisis would be managed today.
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When the ends justify the controversial means
15 March 2012
‘The problem is not the concept - BBH is trying to equip people with the means to get off the streets - but the marketing of the…
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Don't let outsourcing cost you brand trust
8 March 2012
‘Many people have noted that the police has a large job to do in building trust… can this be achieved by outsourcing?’
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Opportunity knocks in the unlikeliest of places
1 March 2012
‘Marketers are often focused on affluent males, yet single women with less cash place more value on branded goods’
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Use the feelgood factor to make an impact
23 February 2012
Tesco has understood that associating a charity with the Halo brand makes consumers feel like they are doing something good.
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Marketing investment is the trend to follow
16 February 2012
‘The sentiment that marketing is a growth tool - not a cost - is one we echo at Maketing Week’
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Sellers of beauty boxes pass the lipstick test
16 February 2012
Cash-strapped customers of the growing number of subscription retailers hand over £10 a month, and a mine of data, for the…
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Honourable marketing makes business sense
9 February 2012
Marketing needs to be a “noble” profession, claims Marc Mathieu, senior vice-president of marketing at Unilever.
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Why the customer is your key to leadership
2 February 2012
Anyone can be a leader, argues Professor Richard Jolly of London Business School. It doesn’t have to be the chief executive…
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Can the pub be a student hub ever again?
Wed, 25 Jan 2012
A very senior corporate executive once told me that he had achieved a first class degree at university in “girls and beer, but sadly…
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"We apply a policy of ruthless integration"
Digital Strategy January 2012
Lisa Walker is head of digital marketing communications…
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Partnership models are the path to prosperity
19 January 2012
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg believes he has the answer to creating strong growth for the UK. He suggests that the country needs to become “more of a John Lewis economy” with mass employee share ownership.
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A silver lining in the clouds
Data Strategy January 2012
Cloud computing services - remote online data storage, accessible from any terminal - are helping level the playing field for companies, as…
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"Present the right info and you'll get buy-in from the top..."
Data Strategy January 2012
Chris Parker is head of European customer insight at Avis…
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It's time to reverse the executive talent exodus
12 January 2012
Modern-day demands on our top business chiefs are having them head for the door - with disastrous results for marketers.Where has all the talent gone?
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I like the Aldi Christmas adverts
Thu, 15 Dec 2011
Read Ruth’s blog here.
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Hamleys heralds a less sexist era of retailing
Tue, 13 Dec 2011
Read Ruth’s blog here.
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"Why we believe that data is the new oil..."
Data Strategy Online December
David Buckingham is general manager of intelligent shopping solutions at Aimia UK, which runs loyalty schemes such as Nectar. Ruth Mortimer spoke to him about using data to benefit both brands and customers
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With a little extra help from my brands
Wed, 30 Nov 2011
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The six consumer groups marketers need to know
1 December 2011
What is the difference between a social shopper and a dedicated fan? And can you connect with a detached introvert? Ruth Mortimer learns more at a Marketing Week/SAS seminar on a new segmentation model.
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Forget advertising. Marketing is now all about the service
Wed, 16 Nov 2011
Brands from Foster’s to Mini are proving that, whatever your business, marketing is best when it’s service-led.
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"Customers must benefit from their data being used..."
10 November 2011
Marcel Holsheimer is VP, worldwide demand generation, enterprise marketing management, at IBM. Ruth Mortimer spoke to him about the roles data and marketing can play in the customer relationship.
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Celebrate the success of internal marketing
10 November 2011
Keith Moor, director of brand and communications at Santander, spends a whopping 40% of his time on internal marketing. At Marketing ...
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Huggable urns - great product or gross idea?
Tue, 1 Nov 2011
There are few products that surprise the hard hacks on the Marketing Week editorial team. But huggable urns make the whole team feel a little odd.
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Mattel is likely to find a Hit buying Thomas & Friends
Mon, 24 Oct 2011
Read Ruth Mortimer’s latest blog
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Suppliers should question M&S brand strategy before paying up
13 October 2011
How can Marks & Spencer ask its suppliers to help fund its store revamp plans when the retailer has yet to identify its core market?
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Costa's £10m tongue
06 October 2011
… and how it is helping it win the ’coffee wars’
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Costa looks for local touch in stores
Wed, 28 Sep 2011
Costa Coffee trials service enhancement initiatives in bid to maintain rapid growth.
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Forever 21 story could affect almost any brand
29 September 2011
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Marketing whistleblower exposed as double agent
08 September 2011
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Video brings social media closer to the money shot
01 September 2011
Brands such as HSBC, British Gas and BrandAlley had good news for marketers at this year’s Marketing Week 1-2-1 Digital Strategy Summit - evidence that video can help them glean real value from social media.
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Getting the measure of brand valuation
Wed, 24 Aug 2011
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Brands need to get arty with their marketing
Wed, 17 Aug 2011
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Understanding the customer journey is vital
Mon, 8 Aug 2011
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University could be your Facebook friend for life
04 August 2011
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Pink, frilly beer won't tempt female drinkers
04 August 2011
Molson Coors’ bid to woo women with a ’feminine’ beer shows just how misguided and clumsy gender targeting can be.
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Everyone has a role to play in this never ending story
Wed, 29 Jun 2011
Brands from every sector are paying close attention to gamification - the latest way of giving content a life beyond its original form, says Ruth Mortimer.
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The man on a quest to spread Merlin's magic
23 June 2011
Nick Varney reveals how his theme park and leisure group Merlin, which is rivalled only by Disney, is proving doubters wrong by its expansion, and why he thinks marketers make good chief executive material.
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The funniest ads of all time
Tue, 21 Jun 2011
What are the funniest adverts of all time?
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When a brand name travels too far
Tue, 21 Jun 2011
I’m all in favour of corporate responsibility. But sometimes branding can go too far.
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Brand Reversions - Can you get them all?
Wed, 15 Jun 2011
I love this site - Brand Reversions.
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Kids’ marketing is more complex than absolutes
Tue, 14 Jun 2011
I know that as a mother of a young child, I should probably be thrilled at the results the “Letting Children be Children” report into the commercialisation ...
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Corporate responsibility or corporate confusion?
Tue, 14 Jun 2011
So Diageo are spending a lot of cash to train 10,000 midwives to offer pregnant women advice on risks of
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Silliness sells
Tue, 14 Jun 2011
Allegedly sex sells. Except in the Netherlands, where there are presumably so many tall, gorgeous people withgood cheekbones that they have to be more creative. So in order to shift outdoor advertising inventory, Dutchfirm Interbest has been filling empty boards with a less genetically blessed model.
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Tesco buys consumer favour with smartphone app
Tue, 14 Jun 2011
Supermarket Tesco has launched a special app for shoppers with phones using the Android platform. Designedto make shopping at its Tesco Extra stores easier, it helps people locate grocery items and better navigate theshop.
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Eat this, Volkswagen
Tue, 14 Jun 2011
I have sometimes had to eat my words. But Volkswagen wants you to eat its ads. Yup, the South African branch of the car brand has placed edible marketing in Auto Trader.
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John Lewis is anything but beige
Tue, 7 Jun 2011
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The best medicine for a sick baby and child chain is retail therapy
26 May 2011
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Could mydata be the answer to personal information problems?
21 April 2011
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Brands must believe the f-commerce hype
17 March 2011
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Multiple-choice marketing ticks all the right boxes
Wed, 9 Feb 2011
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Groupon, the billionaire baby, learns to get picky
6 January 2011
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WeightWatchers has no plans to slim down
Fri, 19 Nov 2010
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The science bit takes art of rave review to expert level
Fri, 15 Oct 2010
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Apple’s stab at social media is little more than a sales tool
9 September 2010
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Thinking the unthinkable about how to do business
Thu, 5 Aug 2010
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A loss of focus could bite you in the career
22 July 2010
What makes a good leader? By all accounts, that’s the big question at Nokia this week as sources suggest that the firm is conducting cloak-and-dagger interviews to replace incumbent chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo.
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Big food brands must take watchdog's lead
15 July 2010
If your organisation is represented by the letters “FSA”, you may be feeling anxious.
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Brand experience is right retail strategy
8 July 2010
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Brands now provide a higher degree of on-the-job training
1 July 2010
With Harrods now offering a sales qualification, will students base their degree choice on corporate brand rather than university?
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Getting the know-how to take the right risks
1 July 2010
It’s that time of year again. I’m not talking about the World Cup or Wimbledon. No, this particular activity involves a guaranteed win for UK marketers it’s our event Marketing Week Live!
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Design next stop: design for the fuller, greener life
1 July 2010
Eco packaging, innovative applications and making people’s lives more sustainable are long-term goals for Nokia.
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Only trust can overcome data privacy fears
24 June 2010
Consumers are more likely to offer their personal details to a brand that is seen to be transparent, rather than in return for a cash reward, according to fast.MAP/DMA research
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Will luxury brands recapture cachet once more?
Wed, 26 May 2010
Analysis: Ruth Mortimer, Marketing Week’s associate features editor, looks at luxury retailing and its return to glory in 2010.
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Charities must raise their game when it comes to social issues
27 May 2010
Using an iPhone app to raise public awareness of homelessness may be fun, but beware of appearing to just be playing the game.
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On course to develop social media skills
27 May 2010
Marketing Week research reveals both brands and agencies are failing to keep up with marketers’ desire to update their knowledge, especially in the digital sector.
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Brands get to grips with the art of design
20 May 2010
As design makes an ever-greater impact on marketing programmes, six senior marketers share their views on the many ways it can help a build a brand.
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Data drives change in the media landscape
6 May 2010
Leading executives explore five key themes that will shape the development of the marketing and media sectors over the next few years.
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Ruth Mortimer on global vs local
6 May 2010
Two major brands have announced they are no longer relying on local marketing directors in the UK. Coca-Cola has scrapped its GB marketing director position altogether, while Kraft has decided that while the position will exist, marketing will be led centrally from Europe.
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Name of the game remains response rate
22 April 2010
The challenges facing the direct marketing industry range from what to name the sector to the impact of social media. Five specialists discuss the hot issues
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Why recycling isn't the way to clean up
22 April 2010
Look to the future because reusing old catchphrases and music is no longer what consumers want in post-recession Britain.
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Ruth Mortimer on surviving scandal
15 April 2010
There’s a way to come back from a scandal.
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Tasty additions will keep a brand fresh
15 April 2010
If Mark Ritson was standing in the election for sharpest business columnist, he’d probably be celebrating a landslide victory. Since we announced that Ritson was joining us here at Marketing Week, our own campaign to inspire marketers has received a boost. You can read his first column.
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‘Political supermarketing’ sweeps into British aisles
08 April 2010
Want the latest on the election campaign? Then head down to your local supermarket - but should groceries and politics mix?
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The camera never lies
18 March 2010
Brands are starting to catch on to lifelogging - a technique that uses a tiny digital camera to capture every moment of a consumer’s day and take insight gathering to a higher level.
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Drumming up a bigger bang for less buck
11 March 2010
Brands may be spending less on corporate hospitality but the real issue facing suppliers is laying on tailor-made experiences that exceed expectations.
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Ruth Mortimer on going Fairtrade
11 March 2010
Watching TV the other night, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. An ad for Galaxy chocolate proclaimed that people could feel great eating it, not only for the taste but also the fact that it had joined up with the Rainforest Alliance (RA). For those of you unclear on the significance of this, the RA is a scheme that aims to make businesses more sustainable and fair. In other words, it’s a logo that Galaxy can use to show it is trying to act in a sustainable way.
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Take a chance on wheel of online chat fortune
11 March 2010
The random nature of fast-growing online chat site Chatroulette can help marketers understand just what consumers want.
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Fairtrade gives Sainsbury’s “a competitive advantage”
Wed, 17 Feb 2010
Fairtrade gives Sainsbury’s the edge over its competitors, as well as being an ethical way to trade, according to its chief executive Justin King.
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Brand image at forefront of innovation
11 February 2010
Exclusive research by Marketing Week reveals agencies and their clients agree the impact of design on campaigns can only increase.
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This dummy run surely sets a new standard in hoaxing
11 February 2010
What have new freesheet The London Weekly and origami paper got in common? They are both designed to fold quickly
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A-list stars give brand campaigns the x-factor
04 February 2010
A study into the effect of Cheryl Cole’s endorsement of L’Oreal products appears to demonstrate that brands in need of a sales boostmust reach for the stars.
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Sponsors turn blind eye to moral crimes
04 February 2010
It isn’t often marketing lies at the heart of a story about celebrity scandal. But the allegations that England and Chelsea captain John Terry has been having an affair - and failed to keep this out of the press through a super-injunction - may have entered the public arena due to the player’s profile as a sponsorship vehicle, rather than a husband.
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Best of the blogs
28 January 2010
Ruth Mortimer on brands to watch
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Ruth Mortimer: Kraft and Cadbury: the chocolate war begins to melt….
Tue, 19 Jan 2010
So it appears that Kraft Foods has finally achieved its takeover of British confectioner Cadbury. Some say the price - nearly £12bn - is at the low end of what many financial analysts felt the brand was worth.
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Step forward and select the right direction
21 January 2010
As direct mail’s star continues to rise among the public, six DM specialists answer questions posed by Marketing Week about the sector’s burning issues. By Ruth Mortimer
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Ruth Mortimer on opt-in clauses
21 January 2010
Iain Tait from the digital agency Poke raised an interesting point on his blog after discovering Starbucks forces customers using its Wi-Fi facility to “accept the terms and conditions and agree to receive email marketing from BT Group companies”.
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Mind the gap
14 January 2010
Thinking along same lines gets direct responses
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Fair trade wins fans
Wed, 6 Jan 2010
In a recession, you might imagine that everyone would stop buying anything but “value” items. But it appears the economic meltdown of the last two years has had an effect on the ethics of what people buy as well as the price. People want to support causes that do good business.
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Ethical goods extend beyond costly coffee
07 January 2010
The fair trade market may still be growing at a rapid rate, but exclusive research carried out for Marketing Week shows too few consumers are aware of the diversity of products or the range of retailers that stock them.
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From relics to relevance for the Trust
07 January 2010
National Trust has embarked on a redesign that aims to attract more visitors by challenging its formal image and changing people’s perceptions of it as just the keeper of historic homes.
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When will I be famous?
Wed, 16 Dec 2009
It seems that the British public is as in love with celebrity as ever. Last weekend’s TV show The X Factor final - where youngsters compete for musical fame - pulled in nearly 20 million viewers. And a study by MEC Medialab says we are so seduced by the sight of a famous face that one in four of us claim that we will buy a product simply because a celebrity is promoting it. Click here to read ...
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Ruth Mortimer on 2009's top search terms
17 December 2009
Google has produced a report of the most searched-for terms of 2009. It calls these the “fastest rising” tables as it compares these particular terms to how much they were searched for in 2008 - those with the largest boost end up topping the table.
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PR peer panel
03 December 2009
As boundaries between the marketing and public relations sectors blur, five PR specialists answer questions posed by Marketing Week about the sector’s burning issues.
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Misrepresentation of our nation's ethnic diversity drives us all mad
03 December 2009
Get the representation of diversity wrong and even the biggest brands can suffer some seriously negative consequences
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Industry attitudes: Direct Mail
19 November 2009
The direct mail industry is optimistic about the future despite the recession, as Marketing Week research reveals.
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Tailor your approach for bespoke fit
12 November 2009
Worth over £2bn a year in the UK alone, the market research industry is well placed to overcome the challenges it faces, not least the emergence of social media.
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Getting the measure of innovation
05 November 2009
What puts a brand at the cutting edge of innovation? According to the latest research, it must be a trustworthy business that simplifies the lives of consumers.
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How to be a big hitter when using Twitter
05 November 2009
Twitter is a fantastic tool offering companies instant access to consumers, but what is it that sorts the twits from the tweets?
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Ruth Mortimer on free magazines
14 October
I picked up my copy of the first issue of Stylist magazine today on the street in London (it’s also in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and various other UK cities). The freesheet from Shortlist Media has a 56-page first issue with 17 pages of ads, featuring clients including Selfridges, Clinique, L’Oréal, Uniqlo, Burberry Fragrance and Yves St Laurent.
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The new rule of thumb is to rule nothing out
08 October 2009
There seems to be a new world order in the media industry. In the past week, we’ve been told that digital has overtaken TV in ad spend and that the venerable London Evening Standard, with its 181-year traditional publishing history, has gone free under a new business model.
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Churchill dog to tread the boards
Mon, 5 Oct 2009
Has Churchill insurance gone barking mad? The brand has announced that its famous dog mascot is to be extended into pantomimes this Christmas and is estimated to reach as many as 1.5 million Brits. Usually appearing in TV ads, puppets of the pooch will now appear on stage around the UK.
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Churchill dog given panto role
Mon, 5 Oct 2009
Churchill, the insurance brand, has announced that its canine brand character will appear in pantomimes across the UK this winter. The dog mascot, best known for his catchphrase “Oh Yes! Oh No!” will appear at 22 venues as part of a partnership with producer Qdos Entertainment.
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Why brands are staking a claim on Twilight saga
30 September 2009
When reality means frozen pay and job insecurity, brands are cashing in on people’s desire for escapism through the supernatural
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Bridesmaids appeal more than marriage
3 September 2009
Some women complain that they are always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Until now, interim marketers have suffered from the same problem. Seen mainly as stopgaps, filling positions left vacant by promotions, redundancies and budget cuts, they have traditionally been the marketing sector’s bridesmaids.
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When chocolate is an education
3 September 2009
Luxury brand La Maison Du Chocolat believes now is the time to grow its bottom line. It is embarking on an ambitious expansion drive in Asia while aiming to stay true to the standards its reputation is built on.
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Criminal minds join a marketing masterclass
27 August 2009
Using prisoners to develop campaigns for your brand may create some cracking publicity, but can it really work in practice?
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Strong content needs a flexible best friend
27 August 2009
“Why are you so crazy about this Twittering thing? I don’t get it,” claims Simon Clift, global chief marketer for Unilever, in the extended online version of his regular column (page 11) on Marketingweek.co.uk. While I suspect he knows more than he is letting on, he poses this question to set up a debate about the value of the microblogging service to marketers.
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Campaign data reaches an eye level
20 August 2009
With the results of eye tracking studies now available almost immediately, direct marketers now face the challenge of developing a better understanding of the data and making good use of it.
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Top brands justify big budgets
30 July 2009
Research seen exclusively by Marketing Week reveals how brands that dominate in the FMCG sector can cement their leading positions by increasing their advertising presence beyond challenger rivals.
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Book publishers exploit stars
23 July 2009
These may be hard times for publishers, but using a star author to sell another less well-known writer’s book is lazy marketing
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Turn creativity into strategy for success
16 July 2009
One of my favourite pastimes is visiting the “Fail Blog”. This cheeky website started an online phenomenon by cataloguing moments of failure from around the world. The “fails” on the site include people falling over, crashing cars or just getting things wrong in a humorous way.
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A new era of research
Fri, 19 Jun 2009
Research company GfK NOP’s global director for online development, Mike Cooke, explains the four key trends of ‘Research 2.0’.
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Pizza Hut's rebranding is stale
Wed, 17 Jun 2009
It was with a sinking heart that I noticed something odd while flicking through a friend’s holiday snaps online. As part of his road trip around the US, he had stopped outside a restaurant called The Hut. Clutching a pizza in his slightly sunburnt hand, it dawned on me that The Hut was yet another marketing initiative from the folks at Pizza Hut.
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Barcelona triumphs but it is businesses that take the prize
4 June 2009
Sports sponsorships have come in for much criticism since the downturn, but as Ruth Mortimer finds, these multi-million-pound deals can have a trickle-down effect to benefit the wider economy
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Even crown princes are chasing a little bit of google's gold dust
28 May 2009
Google’s annual gathering of brains from every part of society raised many more questions than the search giant would answer
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Create element of excitement
28 May 2009
Despite people saying they are altering their lifestyles to counter the effects of the recession, Ruth Mortimer discovers that while price may have some effect on behaviour it is aspects that arouse consumers’ emotions that marketers must focus on
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Insurer puts premium on marketing culture
Wed, 22 Apr 2009
Seven years ago, Zurich insurance was not a healthy brand. The business had become bloated with expansion and posted first-half losses for 2002 of $2.03bn. The chief executive was axed and in the words of current chief marketing officer Arun Sinha (pictured): “It hit the brakes and was on the edge of a precipice.”
