Marketing Week back issues from December 2008:
C4 forced to widen sponsor net for Celebrity Big Brother.
Dec 04, 2008 ... Broadcaster seeks 'boring' brands in need of reinvigoration after failing to pull in 'edgy' advertisers Channel 4 is understood to be seeking a "boring" brand to sponsor Celebrity Big Brother, which returns early next year, after struggling to ignite interest from more "edgy" ...
Unilever launches powerful anti-perspirant Sure variant.(Unilever Group)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Unilever is launching a high-performance cream deodorant under its Sure brand to target a new segment called "anxious sweaters". It launches in January and will be backed by a major advertising campaign. The two anti-perspirant deodorant products, Sure Woman Maximum ...
PG Tips revives Morcambe and Wise sketch for Christmas ad.(endorsement with Johnny Vegas )(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Johnny Vegas and his woolly sidekick Monkey will appear in a pastiche of the classic Morecambe and Wise Breakfast Sketch in the latest execution of the PG Tips campaign. It will break at 4pm on Christmas Day. It is understood the ad, created by Mother, is part of PG Tips' ...
Toyota and Lexus merger on cards.(Toyota Motor Corp.)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Toyota is mooting a restructure of its marketing division as part of wide-ranging review of it business. The company is understood to have put the review of its direct marketing account for Toyota on hold as a result of the changes. It is understood that the restructure could ...
New campaign: Sample the drink-drive shame.(United Kingdom. Department for Transport)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... The Department for Transport is launching a Christmas burst of its Think! Drink Drive campaign. It highlights that drunk drivers are treated just like any other criminal. The campaign, created by Leo Burnett, aims to dramatise the aftermath of failing a breath test and includes ...
ASA orders church to withdraw anti-gay ad.(Advertising Standards Authority )(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a regional press advert from the Sandown Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast for using strong biblical references to campaign against homosexuality. The ad used biblical references such as "Thou shalt not lie down with mankind, ...
Stuart Smith steps down as Marketing Week editor.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Stuart Smith is stepping down as editor of Marketing Week, after 20 years in the role. He will become a consultant editor to the magazine and will take over his new role in February. He will also have a regular column in Marketing Week, and take on a broader remit across the ...
Ebay's UK marketer to lead its Euro team.(promotion of Torsten Schuppe)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Ebay has promoted UK marketing director Torsten Schuppe to the role of chief European marketer. The move is part of a restructure of its marketing operations that will also see the division moved to Switzerland. The auction site has started a review of the team and is now in ...
Abbey director expands role after B&B and A&L buy-out.(Abbey National PLC's Keith Moor)(Bradford and Bingley PLC)(Alliance and Leicester PLC)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Abbey brand and communications director Keith Moor has taken on a wider UK group remit following its acquisition of struggling rivals Bradford & Bingley and Alliance & Leicester. Moor will handle marketing across all three brands, overseeing the overall group marketing ...
IN BRIEF: HSBC cutting jobs.(HSBC Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... HSBC is cutting 500 jobs across the UK, following a global review of the business. It comes after the banking group ...
IN BRIEF: Tesco results.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Tesco has reported its slowest sales growth in almost 15 years, rising just 2% in the three months to November 22. The supermarket chain ...
IN BRIEF: Zavvi.co.uk forced to suspend sales.(distribution partner Entertainment UK's bankruptcy)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Zavvi.co.uk has been forced to suspend sales after its distribution partner Entertainment UK went into administration last week. The Woolworths-owned ...
IN BRIEF: Ford chief exec vows to take pay cut.(Ford Motor Co's Alan Mulally)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Ford chief executive, Alan Mulally, who earns $2m (#1.34m) a year, has vowed to work for an annual salary of $1 if the struggling car company is ...
IN BRIEF: BA considering merger with Qantas.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... British Airways is considering a merger with Australian airline Qantas. The merger would see the creation of a dual-listed company, so that it would be listed in London and Australia. BA ...
UK Sport cash boost fails to please critics.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... The Government has been accused of failing to keep its promise to British sport, by leaving it #50m short of funding for elite athletes in the build-up to London 2012. On Tuesday (December 2), the Department of Culture, Media and Sport secured an extra #29m from the Treasury, ...
Analysis: GM's troubles signal end of the road for Saab.(General Motors Corp.)(Saab Automobile AB)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Following speculation that troubled US carmaker General Motors is poised to axe its Saab marque in a bid to cut costs, it emerged this week that GM had approached the Swedish government for financial help to prop up the Saab brand. GM is hoping to replicate the success it has ...
Hastings Direct brings in head of marketing.(Mathew Shepherd)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Hastings Direct, the Insurance Australia Group-owned brand, has appointed British Gas marketer Mathew Shepherd as trading director to head the group's sales and marketing function. It comes as Hastings Direct halts a review of its #8m media and direct marketing accounts. ...
Virgin Atlantic set to ramp up anti-BA/AA campaign.(Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.)(Qantas Airways Ltd.)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Virgin Atlantic is planning to ramp up its campaign against British Airways in the wake of reports that it is in talks with Australian rival Qantas Airlines about a potential merger. Virgin accuses BA of trying to create a monster monopoly through its alliances with American ...
Analysis: Will sale of Cobra Beer enable it achieve worldwide growth?
Dec 04, 2008 ... Indian entrepreneur Lord Bilimoria's decision to sell Cobra Beer after 18 years could be viewed as the peer admitting defeat. Despite successfully securing deals with the majority of Indian restaurants in the UK, the company has never recorded an annual profit, and questions ...
US clothing brand Original Penguin seeks a UK marketer.(Perry Ellis International Inc.)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Original Penguin, the US luxury clothing brand, is seeking its first UK marketing director ahead of its plans to expand across Europe. The premium brand is seeking a London-based marketer to oversee its UK and European marketing plans and to develop an advertising strategy for ...
Craik Jones parts company with Unilever after merger.
Dec 04, 2008 ... Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel is parting company with Unilever just months after it was merged into sister Omnicom agency, Proximity. The move has been triggered by a conflict with existing Proximity clients Procter & Gamble and Mars. Craik Jones, which has been ...
Mother wins Schweppes Abbey Well water brand re-launch account.(Coca-Cola Holdings (U.K.) Ltd.)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Coca-Cola has appointed Mother to handle the re-launch of its newly acquired water brand, Abbey Well. The brand will be brought under the Schweppes umbrella. It is unclear if the agency pitched for the business. It already handles the advertising for the whole Schweppes ...
Psychologies hunts agency for revamp.(Hachette Filipacchi U.K. is in search of advertising agency)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Hachette Filipacchi UK, the magazine publisher, is seeking an advertising agency to reposition its women's title Psychologies three years after its launch in the UK. The new agency will be charged with the title's multi million-pound advertising business. The monthly title was ...
TfL seeks agency to create sponsorship opportunities.(Transport for London)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Transport for London (TfL) is seeking an agency to find sponsorship opportunities for the body. It is inviting agencies to pitch through a tender process. TfL is keen to explore "unusual opportunities" for sponsorship in a bid to maximise the use of its marketing spend. The ...
IN BRIEF: Cheil Worldwide plans to buy 49% stake.(Beattie McGuinness Bungay)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Cheil Worldwide has confirmed plans to buy a 49% stake in Beattie McGuinness Bungay. The move will see BMB develop a ...
IN BRIEF: Global Radio ad account.(Beattie McGuinness Bungay )(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Beattie McGuinness Bungay has been appointed by Global Radio to handle the #1m advertising for the national roll-out of its Heart brand. The ...
IN BRIEF: GM ad business out to tender.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... General Motors has put the pan-European advertising business for the launch of its new Astra model out to tender. Its roster agencies have been invited to pitch, ...
IN BRIEF: Energy Savings Trust ad account.(Mother Ltd.)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Mother has been appointed by the Energy Savings Trust to handle its advertising after pitching against DDB and Miles ...
IN BRIEF: Carphone Warehouse DM account.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Lida and Table 19 have been appointed by Carphone Warehouse to handle its DM account. They won the business following a pitch ...
IN BRIEF: John Lewis ad account.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... John Lewis is understood to be talking to Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Adam & Eve, McCann Erickson, Wieden & Kennedy and incumbent Lowe for ...
IN BRIEF: Santander shortlist.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Arena BLM, Universal McCann and Carat, the incumbent, remain on the shortlist for the #32m consolidated Santander media ...
IN BRIEF: Yahoo! signs deal with Virgin Mobile.(Virgin Mobile Telecoms Ltd.)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Yahoo! has signed a deal with Virgin Mobile to become the default search engine for the mobile operator's UK customers. Yahoo! says the deals gives it an 80% ...
IN BRIEF: Associated Newspapers to be restructuring sales division.(Associated Newspapers Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Associated Newspapers is understood to be further restructuring its sales division, to set up a standalone unit for the London ...
IN BRIEF: BSkyB appealing again tribunal ruling.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC's investment in ITV PLC)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... BSkyB is appealing against the Competition Appeal Tribunal's ruling that its stake in ITV must be cut from 17.9% to below 10%. Sky bought ...
IN BRIEF: Absolute Radio to merge digital and on-air sales teams.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Absolute Radio is to merge its digital and on-air sales teams from next Monday (December 8). The merger will create two new group head ...
IN BRIEF: McCormick and Company media account.(contract with Starcom MediaVest Group)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Starcom MediaVest has won the #7.5m media account for McCormick and Company following a pitch against the incumbent Carat. The account covers planning ...
Bowley named as Digital Cinema Media director.(Martin Bowley)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Martin Bowley, the former Carlton Sales chief executive, has been appointed as managing director of sales house Digital Cinema Media. Bowley will take over the newly created role on February 1 and will work alongside acting chief executive Debbie Chalet. She joined after the ...
ITV starts post-CRR TV trading push.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... ITV has launched its most bullish and ambitious round of TV trading since the introduction of the contracts rights renewal, telling agencies it is looking to retain up to 140% of CRR. The CRR mechanism was introduced to allow the merger of Carlton and Granada in 2004, in order ...
Trinity Communications wins LA Fitness planning account.(LA Fitness International)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Trinity Communications has won the media planning account for health club chain, LA Fitness, from Manning Gottlieb OMD. It follows a pitch against a number of undisclosed agencies. Trinity will now lead the buying account but will work with MG OMD, which did not repitch for ...
Swarovski picks ZenithOptimedia for Euro account.(Swarovski Crystal America Ltd.)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Swarovski, the crystal brand, has appointed ZenithOptimedia to handle its pan-European media planning and buying account. The appointment will not include the UK. It is thought to have appointed Team UK Media to handle the #3m UK business, although this is not thought to be a ...
Swansea City FC restructures sponsorship to increase ROI.(Football Club's contract with Getmemedia.com )(return on investment)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Swansea City Football Club has restructured its sponsorship model in a bid to offer brands a better return on investment. It has appointed Getmemedia.com to support the move. The new model includes offering its shirt sponsorship to a brand for a lower fee than usual, but ...
Analysis: Aegis chief's exit leaves questions unanswered.(Aegis Group PLC's Robert Lerwill )
Dec 04, 2008 ... The abrupt departure of Aegis chief executive Robert Lerwill last Thursday has left many lingering and unanswered questions hanging over the marketing services company. Aegis has, so far, made no further statement on the timing of Lerwill's departure or a replacement, ...
Our love affair with the BBC is in danger of turning sour.(British Broadcasting Corp.)
Dec 04, 2008 ... The BBC faces a struggle to justify its value if it uses the public purse to produce content available in the commercial market On the high street, Woolworths collapsed. A retail giant of the old world that struggled to come to terms with the new. In its own way, Woolies' demise ...
Retail marketers have third string.
Dec 04, 2008; ... Know shopper from consumer or customer I remember the first time people around me mentioned "shopper marketing". Twenty years in the industry and suddenly here was this white-hot new discipline that had seemingly passed me by. Now, of course, everyone is talking ...
SPONSORSHIP: Association on trial.
Dec 04, 2008; ... As some of the most recognisable partnerships in the sponsorship market come to an end, the budget constraints brought on by the financial crisis appear to be having an effect on brand endorsement deals. Is it time for sponsorship to face its first true test? By Catherine Turner ...
PROCTER & GAMBLE: Cutting out the middle men.
Dec 04, 2008 ... Is Procter & Gamble's purchase of a 1% stake in Ocado a way for the household goods giant to glean insight into online shopping habits or a first step to launching its own etailing website? Direct selling could be the logical next step, though hard to put into practice, says David ...
ADIDAS: More than a sporting chance.
Dec 04, 2008 ... Adidas is launching its biggest global brand campaign to mark its 60th anniversary. But will the lavish marketing event help it break Nike's dominance in the US? asks Archana Venkatraman At a time when few companies are in the party mood, German sportswear giant Adidas is ...
PREMIUM BRANDS: They're worth it, but are you?
Dec 04, 2008 ... Premium brands are facing an uncertain future. To prove their worth to consumers, they should follow the steps taken by their luxury cousins, says Melanie Skotadis The economic storm battering banks, governments and entire countries appears to be pounding the edifices of ...
MARKETERS' OUTLOOK: Tactical changes for recession.
Dec 04, 2008 ... While most marketers anticipate budget cuts and changes to how spend will be allocated, the majority regard a recession a time for brands to shine, and marketers to prove the worth of their strategies Credit crunch anxiety is making UK marketers feel under increasing strain to ...
LUXURY BRANDS: In the lap of luxury.
Dec 04, 2008 ... The hoops that luxury brands must jump through to coax consumption are rising ever higher. Alicia Clegg discovers how to encourage purchasing without appearing pushy or desperate As an IT worker in London's West End, Sophie Brown has a taste for the good things in life. But ...
LUXURY BRANDS: CASE STUDY: HOTEL CHOCOLAT.(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... As a manufacturer and retailer of luxury chocolate, Hotel Chocolat needs to draw the public to its brand and encourage existing customers to make regular purchases. Ten years ago, it created the Tasting Club, a mail-order club that it promotes through its website, direct mailings and by ...
LUXURY BRANDS: CASE STUDY: GREY GOOSE VODKA.(advertising campaign by 23red)(Brief article)
Dec 04, 2008 ... Putting samples into commuters' hands at a railway terminus is a quick way to expose lots of people to your brand. But presenting a product out of context does nothing to make it more desirable, says Adam Wylie, managing partner at brand communications agency 23red. As an alternative, ...
Let us spray! Heston fills Little Chef with sweet smell of, er, chippy.(Fat Duck's Heston Blumenthal )
Dec 04, 2008 ... Heston Blumenthal of Fat Duck fame is weaving his magic at the motorway restaurant chain more associated with Michelin maps than Michelin stars Every age has its heroes. For the Elizabethans it was the buccaneering seafarers Drake and Raleigh; for the Georgians it was men of ...
Lowe London scoops #100m lifeline from Unilever's Knorr.(Knorr Food Products Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Year ends on a positive note for beleaguered Lowe, which previously lost #4m Innocent and Stella brief Ailing Lowe London has picked up the #100m global advertising business for Unilever-owned Knorr. The move is a lifeline for the struggling agency, which has faced a series of ...
Chrysler to cut #100m from global ad spend.(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... US carmaker Chrysler is planning to slash its global advertising spend next year, even if it receives a bail-out loan from the US government. It is the last of the "Detroit Three" to admit it is reducing spend. Sources at the carmaker, which makes the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep ...
Cadbury restores Caramel bar as a standalone brand.(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Cadbury's Caramel is being relaunched as a standalone brand - a complete U-turn on the company's master branding strategy. It follows the successful relaunch of Wispa. The Caramel bar will be reintroduced early next year and will return to its distinctive yellow packaging. A ...
NatWest retail chief in Tesco bank move.(Tesco Personal Finance Ltd. has appointed Paulette Rowe )(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Tesco Personal Finance, the supermarket's banking arm, has poached Paulette Rowe from beleaguered RBS Group to head its marketing operations. The move comes ahead of an expansion planned for next year. She joins Tesco Personal Finance as commercial and marketing director from ...
New campaign: Macleans focuses on emotions.(Macleans Complete Care's contract with M and C Saatchi London)(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Macleans, the GlaxoSmithKline-owned oral hygiene brand, claims it is challenging the "conventions" of toothpaste advertising with a #5m campaign evoking an emotional, romantic theme rather than a scientific approach. The campaign, created by M&C Saatchi, features the chance ...
Watchdog considers #1m coke campaign.(United Kingdom. Home Office)(Advertising Standards Authority )(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... The Home Office's #1m anti-cocaine ad, which features a coke-smuggling dog with its stomach cut open, has received 23 complaints for being "offensive and disturbing". The Advertising Standards Authority says it is assessing complaints about the ad, created for drugs ...
ASA rejects criticism of Barnardo's child abuse ad.(Advertising Standards Authority)(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Children's charity Barnardo's has escaped censorship from the advertising watchdog over its latest TV ad, which shows the life of an abused young girl. The Advertising Standards Authority has not upheld 477 complaints that the ad, made by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, is distressing ....
Gap marketing chief quits amid job cuts.(Clare Dobbie )(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Gap vice-president of marketing for Europe Clare Dobbie has left the company after three years. It is not known if she has a job to go to. A Gap spokeswoman says Dobbie has left for personal reasons. The spokeswoman would not confirm if it is looking to replace her or if it is ...
HSBC develops a range of first-time-buyer mortgages.(HSBC Bank PLC)(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... HSBC is understood to be developing a range of "innovative", first-time- buyer mortgages that will launch next year. The financial services company aims to cash in on the sector as it seeks to increase its mortgage book. The move appears in contrast to an announcement the bank ...
IN BRIEF: David Ross quits.(Carphone Warehouse Group PLC)(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross has quit as chairman of National Express and as a London 2012 adviser to Mayor of London Boris Johnson, as ...
IN BRIEF: Prospective chief exec of Yahoo!(Arun Sarin)(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Vodafone group former chief executive Arun Sarin has been identified as a prospective chief executive of Yahoo! The internet company has been recruiting since co-founder ...
IN BRIEF: Robertson's to be sidelined.(Premier Foods)(Brief article)
Dec 11, 2008 ... Robertson's, the once iconic conserve brand known for its controversial "Golly" logo, is being sidelined by owner Premier Foods. The food giant is planning to ...