Marketing Week articles from August 2004

Marketing Week archives from August 2004

ABC figures that just don't add up.(Audit Bureau of Circulations)
August 5, 2004... It's hard to imagine such a dry subject as the biannual round of magazine circulation figure announcements causing industry ructions. But such is the case, now that advertiser heavy-weight Bernard Balderston, of Procter & Gamble, has thrown...

FA 'damaged' ahead of sponsor talks ... Insiders admit football body has been damaged, as sponsors close ranks--in public, at least.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... A Football Association official has said the FA brand has been "tarnished" and that the organisation is concerned for its 100m [pounds sterling] sponsorship deals, following the sex scandal that has led to the resignation of its chief...

... As npower lambasts cricket governing body.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has come under pressure alter long-standing sponsor npower expressed concern over the lack of leadership at the top of the organisation. The ECB faces renegotiation talks with major sponsors at a time...

London 2012 signs up Boots and Shell as retail partners.(Olympic bid team)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The London 2012 Olympic bid team is set to sign partnership agreements with Boots and Shell, to distribute its range of branded merchandise. The bid team is also in talks with broadcasters about creating a series of programme sponsorship...

330m [pounds sterling] review of marketing starts at Fiat.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Fiat Auto is conducting a fundamental pan-European review of its marketing and advertising for its Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia marques as part of its strategy to return to profit. It has an estimated pan-European ad budget of 330m [pounds...

RBS looks to Argos once again for NatWest chief.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Royal Bank of Scotland has poached Argos head of brand marketing Helen Page to become brand director for NatWest bank. The appointment sees her reunited with her former boss Paul Geddes, who is retail marketing and strategy managing...

Lastminute.com head quits as duties are cut.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Lastminute.com marketing director Vijay Solanki is leaving the company without a job to go to, after a shake-up of marketing responsibilities. The departure follows the arrival of managing director Richard Bowden Doyle in January ...

Camelot turns to Mattel for latest scratchcard game.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... National Lottery operator Camelot is to break with long-running partner Hasbro to launch a scratchcard lottery game with rival games-maker Mattel. The game, themed around Mattel's boardgame Scrabble, will be launched next week supported by...

Kia ends five-month hunt for marketer.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Korean car marque Kia has appointed Lawrence Hamilton as its general manager, marketing, after a five-month search. Hamilton has been poached from Mitsubishi Motors to join Kia, where he will once again work with managing director Paul...

Air Miles parts company with marketing director.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Air Miles Travel Company marketing director Robert Pepper has left the company and is being replaced by acting marketing director Laura Scarlett. Pepper is not believed to have a job to go to but Air Miles maintains that the parting is by...

Online bookmakers hit back at 'under-age' gambling claims.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Online bookmakers have hit back at allegations of under-age betting on their sites, with an attack on banks for not policing the issue of debit cards to under-18s. An investigation by children's charity NCH found that children as young as...

Sainsbury's Bank increases savings' rate aggressively.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Sainsbury's Bank has positioned itself aggressively in the direct savings account war by increasing its interest rate to five per cent for its Direct Saver account. The new rate will be promoted with press and internet advertising,...

British Gas to offer mobile phone billing.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... British Gas is set to launch a "paper-less bill" initiative next year, which will encourage customers to pay their bills via mobile phones. The launch will be supported by a multi-million pound advertising campaign starring Ricky Tomlinson,...

Somerfield/Kwik Save to revamp own-brand range.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Supermarket chains Somerfield and Kwik Save are to challenge branded competitors such as Procter & Gamble and Lever Faberge with an overhaul of their own brand household goods portfolio. The relaunch will include more than 70 product lines....

Blue Square nabs UK Betting's top marketer.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Rank-owned gambling operator Blue Square has poached rival UK Betting's commercial director, Ben Warn, to head its marketing team. Warn will be commercial director at Blue Square, with the position expanded to include all the duties of a...

Playtex reveals Wonderbra range designed for risque tops.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Sara Lee-owned underwear brand Wonderbra is launching a range called Deep Plunge. The bras will be suitable for "risque" tops and dresses, but will still offer support. The range, to be launched in February, is part of a revamp of...

Etihad airline appoints first UK marketer.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Rapidly growing Middle Eastern airline Etihad Airways has named Savoy Group CRM manager Helen Cahill as its first UK marketer. Cahill has been appointed marketing manager, reporting to UK general manager Peter Duncan and Abu Dhabi-based...

TVR embarks on marketing review.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... TVR, the Lancashire-based sports car manufacturer, is considering recruiting its first full-time marketer and appointing an advertising agency following its purchase the 24-year-old Russian millionaire Nikolai Smolenski last week. TVR...

Kellogg plans autumn launch for hot cereals.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Cereal brand Kellogg is extending into the hot cereals market for the first time with the launch of hot variants of Coco Pops, Fruit 'n' Fibre and Hunny Bs. The products will go on sale this autumn. The cereals, which will be packaged in...

Coors Brewers.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Coors Brewers is investing 14m [pounds sterling] to support the relaunch of Grolsch premium lager. The relaunch will include new packaging, a television, press and outdoor campaign, and also 'Summerset' music events in London and Bristol.

The Advertising Standards Authority.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Advertising Standards Authority is investigating a Web-based ad for pop group McFly, after it triggered a complaint about encouraging children to approach strangers. The ad uses a 'pyramid marketing' technique, urging fans to spread the...

Procter & Gamble.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Procter & Gamble has posted a 44 per cent increase in earnings for the three months ending 30 June, which it says is attributable to its emphasis on health and beauty products as well as a period of restructuring and cost-cutting...

... P&G.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... ... P&G is to launch a new range called Lacoste Touch of Pink later this month. The range includes an eau de toilette, shower gel and roll-on deodorant and will be available in Boots and department stores.

Kinder.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Kinder is launching mini chocolates called Kinder Friends. The boxed-chocolate, which has four variants, including Kinder Bueno, is aimed at the sharing market and will be launched in October.

Diesel.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Diesel has launched a new press and poster campaign based on daydreams. The campaign is supported by a DVD of films made by a variety of artists and the campaign has been created by the Diesel creative team and KesselsKamer Amsterdam.

KMI.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... KMI, which owns the King of Shaves brand, is to launch a range of aftershaves, body washes and deodorants called Second Skin under its Ted Baker licence. The range will be available in Boots and department stores by the end of August.

PepsiCo.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... PepsiCo is to promote the benefits of its healthier food and drinks with a 'Smart choices made easier' green dot on packaging for products such as Diet Pepsi and Tropicana in the US. Pepsi UK says it has no plans to introduce the initiative.

Highgrove Food.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Highgrove Food, the Wiltshire-based dairy company, is launching a range of low-fat dairy products under the Rosemary Conley brand. The range will include skimmed milk, whey-based diet drinks and yoghurt.

Euro Disney.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Euro Disney has issued a severe profits warning and asked its banks for more time for debt restructuring. Chairman and chief executive Andre Lacroix has said that the theme park will suffer a 'significant increase' in net losses for the year to...

Keane quits Publicis for top Weight Watchers job.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Slimming brand Weight Watchers has appointed Publicis managing partner Miriam Jordan Keane to the newly created role of chief brand officer. She will report to chief executive Linda Hewitt. In her new role, based in the US, Keane will be...

Sainsbury's customer director to be chief marketer at Homeserve.(News)(Andrew Ground)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Sainsbury's director of customer marketing Andrew Ground is leaving the supermarket to join house-hold repair services group Homeserve as marketing director. Ground, who has been responsible for overseeing Sainsbury's participation in the...

Team Saatchi wins 2m [pounds sterling] WRAP business.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Government has appointed Team Saatchi to an advertising account estimated to be worth 2m [pounds sterling]. It will promote a new strategy on prevention and recycling of waste, following a competitive pitch. The Government initiative is...

Mitsubishi UK to choose dm agency.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Mitsubishi Motors UK is poised to appoint a direct marketing agency, The company has been without a permanent agency since it split with The Fine Company following the agency's purchase by McCann Erickson. Three undisclosed agencies have...

Green gives Grey Dorothy Perkins.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Grey has picked up the television advertising account for Dorothy Perkins, part of the sizeable retail empire owned by Philip Green. Dorothy Perkins previously used an in-house team to create advertising, but it has turned to a creative...

FCB London wins DVD retailer's ad account.(News)
August 5, 2004... DVD specialist retailer Silver screen has appointed FCB London as its first advertising agency, and the strategic planning agency Monkey in help in its plans for rapid growth. The chain plans to spend 1m [pounds sterling] on marketing this...

Euro RSCG London.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Euro RSCG London is bracing itself for a series of redundancies under new chairman Ben Langdon. As Marketing Week went to press. Langdon was understood already to have announced that the agency's traffic department is to be axed.

Renault.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Renault has withdrawn and apologised for its 'Shake It' advertising, created by Publicis for the Megane brand, after viewers complained that it caused offence to people suffering from Parkinson's disease. Renault had previously been forced to...

Parker Knoll.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Parker Knoll, the furniture manufacturer and upholsterer owned by Silentnight Group, is looking for an advertising agency. Campaigns have previously been created in house.

M&C Saatchi.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... M&C Saatchi's ad for London Underground, urging passengers not to eat smelly food, has been withdrawn following complaints from the Italian embassy to London Mayor Ken Livingstone. The ad featured an Italian dell owner surrounded by food such...

J Walter Thompson.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... J Walter Thompson is to create a television campaign for Nestle Rowntree's Kit Kat, killing off the brand's 47-year-old 'Have a break. have a Kit Kat' slogan. The brand's new strapline, as of next month, will be 'Make the most of your break'.

The Wales Tourist Board.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Wales Tourist Board has confirmed that it has appointed Wieden & Kennedy as the lead agency to handle its 6m [pounds sterling] consumer advertising account, replacing HHCL/Red Cell. Starcom will handle media planning and buying, replacing...

The Advertising Standards Authority.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Advertising Standards Authority has forced Volkswagen Group UK to pull an Audi A3 mailer, which condones excessive speed and encourages irresponsible driving. The ad was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

Leo Burnett.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Leo Burnett is launching a 3m [pounds sterling] advertising campaign for Kellogg's All-Bran, starring former Star Trek actor William Shatner.

Mother.(Digests)(Mother Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Mother's 3.5m [pounds sterling] TV campaign for retailer Boots, starring rugby player Jonny Wilkinson, will hunch on August 8.

Javelin/Young & Rubicam and PMedia.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Javelin/Young & Rubicam and PMedia have created an advertising campaign and branding position for new low-cost airline EUJet.

Sesame.(Digests)(Heresy)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Heresy has been appointed by Sesame, the financial advisory business owned by Misys, to work on the brand's positioning.

Scottish Executive moves 12m [pounds sterling] brief to MediaCom.(Media)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Scottish Executive has moved its 12m [pounds sterling] media planning and buying account out of Feather Brooksbank into MediaCom Scotland. The loss is a huge blow for Feather Brooksbank, which has held the account since the Scottish...

7m [pounds sterling] UK slice of German postal company account up for grabs.(Media)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Deutsche Post World Net, which owns the Deutsche Post and DHL brands, is reviewing its 150m [euro] (99,000 [pounds sterling]) global media buying and planning which is split between Mediaedge:CIA and Carat. In the UK, the business is worth...

BSkyB to overhaul marketing of Sky brand.(Media)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... BSkyB is to unveil a number of marketing initiatives, including a revamp of the Sky brand and the introduction of targeted marketing messages for non-subscribers aimed at overcoming consumer misconceptions about digital pay-TV services. ...

Starbucks to sell own jazz CD in outlets.(Media)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Starbucks, the US coffee shop chain, is to sell an exclusive branded jazz CD to further the retailer's association with music. The CD, called Great Coffee And All That Jazz, has been put together by EMI Business Development and will be...

P&G chief wants monthly ABCs.(Media)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Advertisers are demanding more detailed data on consumer magazines sales. Procter & Gamble (P&G), one of the UK's largest advertisers, and Royal Mail are both calling for monthly circulation figures to help make magazine sales figures more...

Carat to handle media brief for retailer Bhs.(Media)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Philip Green-owned retailer Bhs is expected to appoint Carat to handle its media buying and planning account, thought to be worth 5m [pounds sterling]. Carat is already the incumbent for Dorothy Perkins, part of Arcadia, also owned by...

The Barclay brothers.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Barclay brothers have completed their acquisition of Telegraph Group for 665m [pounds sterling] following a ruling from Delaware judge Leo Strine. The ruling rejected former Hollinger International chairman Lord Black's motion for a delay...

ITV Sales.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... ITV Sales has made two new appointments to its advertiser relationships team: Jane Carroll, a former account director at MediaCom, and Alex Plumb, who joins from McCann Erickson where she was an account director...

... ITV Sales Buena Vista International UK and Carat UK have worked together to create a two-night special.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... ... ITV Sales, Buena Vista International UK and Carat UK have worked together to create a two-night special, featuring film director M Night Shyamalan's films The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, and a sneak preview of his latest movie The Village...

Adshel.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Adshel sales director Adam Butterworth is moving to take up a job with parent company clear Channel in Australia. It is not known who is replacing him.

95.8 Capital FM.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... 95.8 Capital FM reported a loss of 200,000 listeners from its breakfast show during DJ Johnny Vaughan's first quarter. He replaced Chris Tarrant in April (MW March 4). The Rajar figures for the quarter ending June 20 also showed that Heart...

... The GfK Broadcast Survey.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... ... The GfK Broadcast Survey, funded by The Wireless Group, showed that listener figures for Johnny Vaughan's breakfast show remained stable at 2.6 million while Heart's breakfast show with Jono Coleman lost 200,000 listeners.

Formation Group.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Formation Group, the football marketing agency, has appointed Darren Venn, former marketing manager of the Football Association, as director of commercial affairs for its Fox Advertising division.

Elle.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Elle magazine is launching a handbag-sized edition on August 6, which will be available alongside the standard format. Both sizes will have the usual cover price of 3 [pounds sterling].

Time Out.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Time Out is looking for sponsors for the first time in five years to sponsor its Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide and Time Our Eating & Drinking Awards. In the past, Perrier and Michelob have sponsored the guide and the awards.

Dennis Publishing.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Dennis Publishing's new motoring title, codenamed Project Squirrel, is to be called Test Drive Monthly. It will launch in the autumn.

Ink Storm Publishing.(Digests)(Ink Storm Publishing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Ink Storm Publishing is launching Thai Life in November. It is a monthly title focusing on cuisine, culture and travel. The A5-sized publication, with an initial circulation of 20,000, will be distributed at 125 Thai restaurants in London.

Olympic push for 'Bruce Lee' Tiger trainers.(Online)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Asics, the cult Japanese sports shoe company, this week launches a pan-European through-the-line campaign for its heritage sneaker brand, Onitsuka Tiger, in the run-up to the Olympics. Asics Onitsuka Tiger trainers were first made popular...

Friends Reunited set to roll out 'social' service.(Online)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Friends Reunited is preparing to launch a new service--codenamed Friends Reunited Live--which will allow registered users to find new friends online, rather than regain contact with old ones. The news comes as the social networking site...

Nielsen NetRatings in tussle over ad product.(Online)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Nielsen NetRatings' (NNR) launch of its AdIntelligence service, which lets clients easily track the success of their online campaigns, could be derailed by the owners of an existing product with the same name. NNR may face a challenge from...

Daum Communications.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Daum Communications, South Korea's leading internet portal, is buying US portal Terra Lycos, which runs the lycos.com site, for about $100m (55m [pounds sterling]). Terra Lycos' parent, Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, bought Lycos for...

Invox.(Digests)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Invox, the UK telecoms company, is buying internet services provider Brightview for 25m [pounds sterling]. Brightview operates under ten brands including Global Internet, and Madasafish.

Veronis Suhler Stevenson.(Digests)
August 5, 2004... Veronis Suhler Stevenson released figures which show that more than half of all US media revenue in 2003 came from consumer spending rather than advertising, reflecting the popularity of services such as pay-per-view television and the...

Is the circulation data well-rounded enough? The biannual rush is on to put a gloss on magazines' circulations, but some advertisers say that the figures are baffling, patchy and uninformative. Sonoo Singh says they are likely to stay that way.(Media Analysis)
August 5, 2004... Every six months the magazine industry bursts into frantic activity, plotting a spate of culls, closures, relaunches and revamps to counteract any falls in circulation that have yet to officially come to light. With the latest set of figures...

Why the BBC's online reporting is a good thing for commercial radio: the BBC is to reveal its online radio audience figures for the first time. If it does it properly, the whole sector should benefit.(Media Comment)
August 5, 2004... The BBC is to publish its online audience figures, a full three-and-a-half years after Virgin Radio began doing so. I am delighted the corporation has finally made this move. The effect of the BBC on the internet shouldn't be understated....

GfK: a broadcast media survey of Radio & TV audiences.(Illustration)
August 5, 2004... NATIONAL RADIO STATIONS March 22nd-June 20th National Weekly BBC Radio Reach ** Stations in 000s % Change *** BBC Radio 4 16,163 36 ***** BBC Radio 2 14,659 33 **** BBC...

Korean car marques plan new world order: often the subject of derisory comments, Korean marques such as Daewoo, Hyundai and Kia are aggressively shaking off their cheap image to take on the more established names.(News Analysis)
August 5, 2004... Nowhere is brand snobbery as strong as it is within the car industry. Delving into your pocket to pull out a key fob branded with a Korean car brand such as Daewoo, Hyundai or Kia has all too often been an invitation to derision, as the...

Is discounting costing premium lagers dear? Price reductions on premium lagers such as Kronenbourg and Stella are increasing sales, but may be doing irreversible long-term damage to the 'aspirational' status of the brands.(News Analysis)
August 5, 2004... Premium lagers, as the name suggests, have traditionally been able to command a premium price, but it appears they are now becoming victims of their own success. Recent industry sales figures suggest that aggressive price discounting of...

Playing fairer with sex? P&G has taken the apparently radical step of featuring a man in a nappy ad while L'Oreal is to take on Nivea with its men's skincare range. Are advertisers merely responding to changing lifestyles or are there more cynical reasons for these gender-bending tactics?(Procter and Gamble)
August 5, 2004... Marketers used to be criticised for stereotyping women as sex objects, housewives and mothers. These days, men are just as likely to be presented in stereotyped roles. From the irresponsible "ale lout" played by comedian Peter Kay in the John...

The Marks of failure are all too obvious ...(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 5, 2004... I think we are all perhaps missing the real tragedy that is Marks & Spencer. The two great pioneers of M&S--Simon Marks, who became chairman in 1916; and Israel Sieff, who took over in 1964--pioneered a revolution in retail thinking and...

... So to lure back the spenders ...(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 5, 2004... George Pitcher (MW July 22) misses the point. Perhaps it is not quite the same as Middle England, but Middle-aged England certainly does exist. There are 20 million people in the UK aged 50 and over, with plenty of money to spend between them...

... Let them know they're wanted.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 5, 2004... George Pitcher is quite wrong to suggest that Middle England has vanished (MW July 22). If it has, how is it that the Daily Marl, Hello, the Today programme, Volvo et al are all going strong? Total UK household disposable income has risen...

In its sniping over Abbey, the City is looking shabby; Banco Santander Central Hispano has made a very generous offer for Abbey. So why is the City pooh-poohing it at every opportunity?(Business)
August 5, 2004... It may be that the London headquarters of Banco Santander Central Hispano, where constant exposure to the single word Santander in the stonework has made it homely and familiar to me, is opposite my office on Ludgate Hill. Or it may be because...

Why retailers' power has reached the tipping point: the economy is increasingly dominated by large retailers, and they are still growing fast. But Alan Mitchell can see clouds gathering over the checkouts.(Marketing)
August 5, 2004... Tipping-points are notoriously hard to notice when they're actually happening. They're much easier to spot in retrospect. So here's a brave (or fool hardy) assessment: the era of retailer power has reached its zenith. Mega-retail brands are at...

Seeking a global perspective: international media are a proven channel to target affluent consumers who travel frequently as part of their professional lives, but marketers must innovate more.(Factfile)
August 5, 2004... The world of the affluent consumer is a difficult one for many brands to penetrate. However, the most elusive segment of this group is the international business community people who spend much of their time either in different countries or...

Care to try sampling? 'Try before you buy' is an old technique--but how can brands persuade consumers to actually purchase the product after sampling it?(Special report: promotions & incentives)
August 5, 2004... Some years ago, mail-order clothing company Damart wanted to draw attention to the lightness and warmth of its Thermolactyl fabric. It hit on the idea of sending out a sample right-hand Thermolactyl glove, with an invitation to receive the...

Cereal diaries offer verbal constipation for breakfast: reading the diaries printed on Kellogg's Just Right offered Iain Murray a valuable insight into the lives of those weird people who find cereal exciting.
August 5, 2004... What do you do if you are sharing breakfast with your spouse--or, if yours is a modern union, your live-in partner person--and he or she is hogging the morning newspaper? Here's a tip: read the cereal packet. I particularly recommend...

Green TV ads hint at a longer game.(This Week)
August 12, 2004... Retail billionaire Philip Green is a man who has, until now, shown scant regard for the use of television advertising when it comes to marketing his stores. So why has he decided after all these years to give the green light to TV campaigns for...