Marketing Week articles from January 2003

Marketing Week archives from January 2003

Pull yourselves into the future. (This Week).(auto makers' branding strategies)
January 9, 2003... A modest proposal for the new year: shorten your lead time to market, whoever you are, and in whatever sector you work. A shortened lead time not only helps to put one over on the competition, it also works wonders for consumer perception of...

Cancer Research set to endorse Nivea suncare: Top UK cancer charity in tie-up with Nivea, reminiscent of controversial BHF/Tetley deal last year.(UK cancer charity partners with cosmetics manufacturer )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Cancer Research UK has taken the controversial step of linking up with Beiersdorf UK, to endorse its Nivea suncare products. The move is likely to attract criticism from campaigners who warn that sunscreens may actually increase the risk of...

M&S names former Diageo brand director Avis as marketing chief.(Marks & Spencer hires Alice Avis)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Marks & Spencer has appointed its new marketing chief, Alice Avis, who claims to have been responsible for reversing declining sales of Diageo brand Johnnie Walker. As global brand director for the whisky, she appointed Bartle Bogle...

McDonald's organic bid to lure customers.(plans to offer organic products )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Embattled fast-food chain McDonald's is to start selling organic produce in its restaurants from next month in a desperate attempt to curry public favour. The company will replace all cartons of non-organic milk with organic milk, but it will...

Allied Domecq picks Levett as its new md.(Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine UK hires Alison Levett )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine UK has appointed former Campbell Grocery Products chief Alison Levett as its new managing director. Levett, who left her position as managing director at Campbell's in July to "pursue other interests" (MW July...

Burger King appoints new head after Joseph's sudden departure. (News).(Paul Reynish named head of marketing )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Burger King has appointed Paul Reynish as head of marketing for Burger King UK and Ireland, following the abrupt departure of marketing director Anna Joseph after just three months (MW December 19, 2002). He is the third marketing chief at the...

Sugar-Free extension for Red Bull. (News).(Red Bull Sugar Free to debut in the United Kingdom )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Red Bull is to launch Red Bull Sugar Free this month, the energy drink's first variant in the UK. The product will be on shelves in Sainsbury's by the end of next week and key petrol forecourts by the end of January. Other supermarkets and...

Ex-Arcadia marketing man takes on Euro role at shoe brand CAT. (News).(new European marketing director for footwear maker)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Footwear brand CAT has appointed Richard Smith, former marketing controller for clothing retail group Arcadia, as European marketing director. Smith, along with group marketing director Steven Sharp, left Arcadia at the end of last year...

ASA raps Sport for air gun ads.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... The Daily Sport has been dubbed irresponsible by the Advertising Standards Authority for offering its readers air guns in an ad which uses, among others, the tagline: "[pounds sterling]10m worth of fun sporting air pistols for every reader"....

EasyCar appoints head of European marketing.(European marketing strategy chief)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Car hire company easyCar has appointed Jennifer Mowat as its commercial director, a new position which has been created to take on responsibility for the company's European marketing strategy. Mowat was formerly UK country manager for...

Whitbread Hotel Company. (Digests).(TGI Friday's new managing director, Guy Parsons)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Whitbread Hotel Company sales and marketing director Guy Parsons has been appointed managing director of TGI Friday's.

Vauxhall Motors. (Digests).(new communications consultant, Sue Farr)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Vauxhall Motors has appointed Sue Farr, the former BBC Marketing chief, as a communications consultant. Farr has been drafted in to review all aspects of Vauxhall's public relations, including its internal and external communications strategy.

Bulmers group. (Digests).(international director, Tim Furse, quits)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Bulmers group strategy and international director Tim Furse has resigned. His decision will be effective from the end of May. Purse was previously managing director of the troubled Bulmers company. His final task will be to oversee! the winding...

Ford. (Digests).(Ford's 100th birthday ad campaign)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Ford is planning to add a special 'The Road is Ours' logo to all its advertising to mark its centenary year celebrations. The car company is planning a series of marketing initiatives to celebrate its 100th birthday in June.

Holmes Place health club. (Digests).(new marketing director, Jeremy Tester)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Holmes Place health club has appointed Jeremy Tester to the newly created position of marketing director. He joins in February from his position as board director at Manning Gottlieb OMD.

Vivid Imaginations. (Digests).(Phoenix Equity Partners buys toy company)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Vivid Imaginations, the toy company that owns Sindy and Spiderman in the UK, has been bought by its management and venture capital company Phoenix Equity Partners in a [pounds sterling]62m deal.

The Link. (Digests).(Hutchison 3G's mobile telephones, services)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... The Link is the latest retailer to agree to sell Hutchison 3G's mobile phones and services. Hutchison 3G already has partnerships in place with Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U.

J Barbour & Sons. (Digests).(clothing manufacturer hires new commercial manager)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... J Barbour & Sons, the country clothing manufacturer, has appointed international marketing manager Andrew Geere to the new role of UK commercial manager. His replacement will be announced in the next few weeks.

Nissan. (Digests).(David Lynch will direct Nissan TV ad)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Nissan has drafted in film director David Lynch to direct its new TV ad for the Micra. The new campaign will break this month in 30 European countries.

HBOS. (Digests).(George Mitchell gets post as Governor of Bank of Scotland)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... HBOS has appointed George Mitchell as Governor of Bank of Scotland and Sir Ron Garrick as deputy chairman of HBOS.

Unilever's Surf. (Digests).(holiday vouchers offered in soap packets)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Unilever's Surf washing brand is offering [pounds sterling] 50 holiday vouchers in every pack of 24 and 48 tablets, redeemable against a Thomson holiday. The offer will run till mid-February.

Tesco and Asda. (Digests).(UK supermarkets launch price cuts)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Tesco and Asda have embarked on a fresh wave of price cuts that their competitors are unwilling to match. Tesco claims to be offering customers [pounds]80m-worth of price cuts on more then 1,000 items.

Travelcare. (Digests).(new print and poster ad campaign)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Travelcare, part of the Co-operative Group has launched a print and poster campaign with the theme 'We'll show you the holidays other travel agents don't want you to see'.

AMV-BBDO wins [pounds sterling]7.2m Quaker Oats ad business. (Agencies).(Abbott Mead Vickers gets ad account)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Quaker Oats has shifted its [pounds sterling]7.2m UK advertising account out of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R and into Abbott Mead Vickers. BBDO following owner PepsiCo's decision to consolidate its business into Omnicom-owned agencies. ...

BMP DDB scoops [pounds sterling]11m TUI UK brief in European agency shake-up. (Agencies).(TUI UK advertising account)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... BMP DDB has snatched the [pounds sterling]11m advertising account for TUI UK from WCRS after a European agency reshuffle at the German-owned travel company. TUI UK owns the Thomson Holidays tour operator, the Lunn Poly retail brand and...

British Nuclear Fuels drops cdp-travissully pending review. (Agencies).(advertising agency loses account)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... State-owned nuclear company British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) has parted company with its advertising agency, cdp-travissully, following the end of the agency's contract. The company is expected to draw up a list of agencies to pitch for the...

CHI snatches [pounds sterling]2m Expedia ad account. (Agencies).(Clemmow Hornby Inge)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Online travel company Expedia has appointed Clemmow Hornby Inge (CHI) to handle its [pounds sterling]2m advertising account, following a four-way pitch against incumbent Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper, Campbell Doyle Dye and Wieden & Kennedy. The review...

Saatchi set to win [pounds sterling]10m RBS.(Royal Bank of Scotland)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is tipped to appoint Saatchi & Saatchi to handle its [pounds sterling]10m retail and corporate advertising account. The bank began a review of the account, held by Faulds Advertising, in May last year. It...

M&C Saatchi win casts doubt on O&M Lucozade business.(Lucozade Sport)(GlaxoSmithKline)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Ogilvy & Mather's grip on the Lucozade brand advertising has been loosened, following GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) decision to hand the [pounds sterling]4m Lucozade Sport advertising business to M&C Saatchi. M&C Saatchi picked up the UK account...

WPP-owned Red Cell. (Digests).(49 per cent stake in troubled ad agency HHCL & Partners)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... WPP-owned Red Cell will take a 49 per cent stake in troubled ad agency HHCL & Partners. The move will give Red Cell management control of HHCL.

Tequila/London. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Tequila/London has won the [pounds sterling]m direct marketing business account for 02. The mobile phone operator's consumer direct marketing account, held by Finex, Livity and Tullo Marshall Warren, is unaffected.

The South West Regional Development Agency. (Digests).(narrowed its selection down to 4 agencies)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... The South West Regional Development Agency is going back to tender for a [pound sterling]1m advertising contract after deciding not to award the business to one of four shortlisted agencies. The shortlisted agencies were Alphabet, Banks Hoggins...

WCRS. (Digests).(WCRS has been appointed by the Department of Trade and Industry)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... WCRS has been appointed by the Department of Trade and Industry to create a campaign on flexible working hours, in preparation for the new family-friendly employment rights which come into force on April 6.

EHS Brann. (Digests).(Microsoft)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... EHS Brann, the incumbent agency for Microsoft's [pounds sterling]10m direct marketing account, has been knocked off the technology company's shortlist.

Grey Worldwide and Lowe. (Digests).(Visa CEMEA)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Grey Worldwide and Lowe are the final two agencies on the shortlist for Visa CEMEA's multi-million pound advertising account.

Soul. (Digests).(has created its first creative work for holiday company Mark Warner)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Soul has created its first creative work for holiday company Mark Warner. It uses the strapline: 'Be as active as you want to be'. The [pounds sterling]1m campaign runs exclusively on posters and selected Van Wagner super sites.

Ogilvy & Mather. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Ogilvy & Mather has created a [pounds sterling]1m TV and radio campaign to promote child safety on the internet for the Government. The campaign launched this week.

Different. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Different, a Newcastle-based agency, has created a radio and cinema campaign for the Department of Health warning drug users about the dangers of Hepatitis C. The ads will be launched in the North-east.

Chivas Brothers. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Chivas Brothers has appointed Young & Rubicam to handle international advertising for The Glenlivet single malt whisky. It was previously handled by TBWA.

St Luke. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... St Luke's has developed a [pounds sterling]1.5m radio, print and cinema campaign for holiday booking website Travelocity.co.uk. It launches next week.

Wieden & Kennedy. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Wieden & Kennedy has developed a second series of ads for Loot, Associated Newspapers' free ads publication. The London Underground campaign breaks on January 20.

DP&A. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... DP&A has created a [pounds sterling]7m integrated campaign for the Open University that includes an animated TV ad and direct mail activity. Media buying and planning is handled by Zed Media and Response One.

Advertisers lean on media shops over war penalties. (Media).
January 9, 2003... Lunn Poly is one of a number of advertisers that have successfully waived penalty clauses if they are forced to defer advertising campaigns as a result of war with Iraq. Media Planning Group is understood to have made provision for Lunn...

Coke to sponsor Ant & Dec's Take-Away show. (Media).
January 9, 2003... Coca-Cola is to sponsor the second series of ITV1's prime-time entertainment programme, Ant&Dec's Saturday Night Take-Away. The deal is thought to be worth more than [pounds sterling]500,000. The soft drinks giant will sponsor ten episodes...

MediaVest picks up [pounds sterling]5m Admiral business. (Media).
January 9, 2003... Admiral Insurance has appointed MediaVest UK to manage its [pounds sterling]5m media buying account. The incumbent agency is TCS Media, an independent media company whose clients include English National Ballet, Laura Ashley and Swedish...

Maiden signs up BBC 24 for news screens. (Media).
January 9, 2003... The BBC will provide the content for Maiden Outdoors Transvisxon news service sites at London train stations, after ITN decided not to renew its contract. From this week, BBC News 24 will be shown on the giant screen sites at three London...

Starcom takes [pounds sterling]5m HFC brief.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... HFC Bank has consolidated its [pounds sterling]5m media planning and buying business into Starcom Motive, following a three-way pitch overseen by the AAR. The appointment was made by HFC director of direct marketing services Jane Perrins....

Virgin Radio promotes marketers in reshuffle.
January 9, 2003... National commercial station Virgin Radio has appointed commercial development director Lee Roberts as sales director, following the departure of Mark Swift at the end of last year. Swift is understood to have left without a job to go to. ...

ITV. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... ITV's share of national advertising revenue dropped to just below 54 per cent for 2002, and is expected to drop below 52 per cent for 2003, according to estimates from television advertising buyers...

BBC1 and ITV1. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... BBC1 and ITV1's share of viewing for 2002 has declined by 2.57 and 9.76 per cent respectively year on year, while multi-channel's has risen by 9.03 per cent, according to BARB figures.

EMAP Performance. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... EMAP Performance has appointed Brendan Moffet as brand director of the Big City radio network. Moffet, a former brand director for EMAP's Magic Radio Network, joins from interactive entertainment provider Zoo, where he was group marketing...

IPC Media. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... IPC Media has promoted head of marketing for the group's men and music titles Niall McKinney to the board-level position of marketing director of IPC Ignite!

H Bauer. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... H Bauer's new quarterly leisure and lifestyle magazine, codenamed Project Amber, is to be called 360[degrees].

The Daily Telegraph. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... The Daily Telegraph has secured sponsorship for three tabloid-sized travel supplements to be published on three separate Saturdays. Sovereign Holidays will sponsor the first product and Bridge The World the following two.

Glasgow football clubs. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Coors Brewers has signed a three-year [pounds sterling]12m deal with Glasgow football clubs Celtic and Rangers for its Carling brand, as ripped in Marketing Week (November 28, 2002).

The Guardian, The Observer and Guardian Unlimited. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... The Guardian, The Observer and Guardian Unlimited have signed a deal with low-cost airline bmibaby for a voucher promotion offering readers discounted European flights. The promotion will be supported by national television and radio...

Associated Newspapers. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Associated Newspapers' Daily Mail managing director Guy Zitter is to oversee plans for the launch of a glossy celebrity weekly magazine designed to compete with Express Newspapers, OK! magazine.

Sky Media. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Sky Media, the airtime sales division of British Sky Broadcasting, has appointed Zoe Fuller as sponsorship' controller for non-sport. Fuller was previously sales controller at the division.

Granada Enterprises. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Granada Enterprises' Commercial Ventures has signed up learndirect to sponsor Trisha on ITV1 and ITV2 for nine weeks in a [pounds sterling]250,000 deal.

Channel 4. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Channel 4 claims that its 16- to 34-year-old peak-time audience share for 2002 is its highest since it launched in 1982.

Fox Kids Europe. (Digests).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2003... Fox Kids Europe has signed a deal with Infogrames to, sponsor its new live-action sport series, Jam Hot.

Stations vie for pole chart show position: A new battle of the charts has revived the debate over what makes the definitive singles list. But it won't help to promote commercial value.
January 9, 2003... The top 40 singles chart rundown has become as much of a fixture of Sunday afternoons as roast dinners but the days of one chart and one number-one song are long gone. For during the early part of 2003 radio stations will battle to become...

Saturation coverage has become the price of fame: Magazine publishers seem committed to a diet of celebrity gossip. But it's a risky strategy, as competition for advertisers and readers is fierce.
January 9, 2003... With the news at the end of 2002 that Northern & Shell plans to launch another celebrity weekly, called Wow!, this spring, publishers' confidence in the genre shows little sign of diminishing. Certainly, the market has shown incredible growth,...

The ghost of ITV digital may have the last laugh: The [pounds sterling]39.99 ITV Digital subscribers must pay to keep their boxes is a bargain--Sky won't be savaged by a dead Monkey, but Freeview will get a fillip. (Media).
January 9, 2003... I have just sent off a cheque for [pounds sterling]39.99 to ONdigital. (You remember ONdigital. The old name for ITV Digital is now the new name again, presumably so that ITV won't get even more bad publicity when its liquidator asks for the...

The glass is half empty for UK pubs: Recent years have seen a major expansion in the licensed trade, led by chains such as JD Wetherspoon and Slug & Lettuce. As competition hots up and costs rise, has the beer boom begun to sour? (News Analysis).
January 9, 2003... While new year's resolutions to get fir and stay healthy doubtless abound following the season of festive self-indulgence, those involved in running the UK's 70,000 pubs will be hoping the public is not going to abandon its taste for alcohol...

Fast-food giants face an unhealthy future: As consumers turn to healthier alternatives, fast-food giants in the UK are having to radically rethink their brand strategies. (News Analysis).
January 9, 2003... The Golden Arches lost some of their lustre last month when McDonald's revealed it would be posting its first quarterly loss in its 47-year history. The full extent of the fourth-quarter net loss will become clear later this month, and...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
January 9, 2003... Reading the runes is no real strategy It is a constant revelation to me that the dubious nature of brand stretch ("Power brands begin to stretch credibility", MW December 12, 2002) is not challenged in a more rigorous manner. The sources...

Situations wanted. (Cover Story).(Marketing industry recruitment)
January 9, 2003... Last year, some of marketing's most high-profile personalities found themselves without a job--a few of their own accord, many not--and, for the most part, they remain so. Yet a long list of major Companies are struggling to fill their senior...

Gunning for brand tie-up with Santa. (Diary).
January 9, 2003... Well, that's that over with for another year. The Diary trusts that its readers are all well-enough recovered to start kicking up a fuss, dressing up as potato waffles and drinking themselves into embarrassing situations once more. All...

All dressed up and nowhere to go. (Diary).
January 9, 2003... Fed up with looking like Worzel Gummidge at work? Feeling faintly nauseous at the sight of all those old T-shirrs with holey armpits, and fed up with the sound of flip-flops? Well here's an idea that will make you wish you'd never complained......

Alien's assistant in election race. (Diary).
January 9, 2003... Oh dear. The poor old Conservative Party. Led by a coterie of no ones, bedevilled by its aged relatives and in danger of becoming the UK's third party, it's certainly in need of some decent marketing (or policies--take your pick). But help...

A little grooming for that big day. (Diary).
January 9, 2003... Weddings, eh? All the rage, it seems. Second only to divorce on the "to do" list of every fashionable couple from Sheffield to Sheerness. Nary a weekend goes by when the Diary cannot be found, clamp-eyed, waving off some happy couple, safe in...

Hunter's prey is little more than departmental error: Tom Hunter hopes to gain control of Allders and House of Fraser and consolidate them. But can he inject new life into the department store? (Business).
January 9, 2003... It borders on the spurious to suggest that 2003 will be a year of consolidation in retail. In order to consolidate one's prospects for earnings growth, there needs to be something solid with which to "con" in the first place. This week's...

When push comes to shove, it's all about pull: Pull marketing involves giving customers exactly what they want and telling them you're doing just that. It's the way of the future. (Marketing).
January 9, 2003... You've got to find out what your customers want and give it to them. What better way to start a new year than by re-dedicating oneself to such a marketing basic, especially when it is one that is so often ignored? Before we throw ourselves...

Young, hip and upwardly mobile: With market penetration at its peak and 3G phones still a distant promise, it's image-conscious youths who are keeping the mobile phones market buoyant. (FactFile).
January 9, 2003... Eight out of ten people in the UK aged between 12 and 74 now own a mobile phone, which means there are about 40 million active handsets in the UK. Although the figures are levelling off, this still represents spectacular growth, given that five...

Direct competition? (Special Report: Direct Marketing).
January 9, 2003... The debate rages over whether creativity or media planning should come first in any campaign strategy. David Benady gauges how direct marketers perceive the role of creativity within their discipline Whether it is Nike sponsoring sports...

Direct Marketing Buyers Guide.(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
January 9, 2003... DIRECT MARKETING BUYERS GUIDE COMPANY SERVICES PROVIDED FIELD CONSUMER BUSINESS MARKETING LISTS ...

If the pharmacists are to be believed, we're all sick: Is pseudo-science to blame for the discovery of an unending array of diseases labelled as syndromes? Iain Murray believes dysfunction is all in the mind.
January 9, 2003... On this all the textbooks agree: the very antithesis of marketing is to create a product and then persuade people to buy it. It should happen the other way around: first you find out what the customer wants then you set about meeting that...

Knorr soup sparks DoH row over 'health' claim: Knorr Vie launches '3 out of 5' push, flouting spirit of Government's '5 A Day' healthy eating drive.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2003... The Department of Health (DoH) has condemned a national marketing campaign promoting Unilever Bestfoods' Knorr Vie soup range as a healthy eating product. Last week the Government unveiled its criteria fur the use of its "Five A Day' logo....

Britvic forced to pull new brand Freekin' Soda over swearword link.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2003... Britvic Soft Drinks has been forced to rename one of its key launch products for 2003 just weeks before it hits the shelves, after being advised that the original name "Freekin"' would be unsuitable for a children's drink. Insiders say...

Poster firms in legal wrangle with council.(Lambeth council hot over outdoor ads)(Brief Article)
January 16, 2003... Three of the UK's outdoor advertising companies have become embroiled in a bitter dispute with Lambeth council after the London borough deemed 500 of their billboards to be illegal. The row escalated last weekend when Lambeth's executive...

Tamara Ingram quits McCann.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2003... One of the UK's best known advertising figures, Tamara Ingram has left McCann-Erickson UK without a job to go to, after less than a year in the role. Ingram, described as the "ultimate Ab Fab/New Labour" ad executive, left Santchi &...

Npower top marketing role axed in restructure. (News).(Simon Esberger)(Brief Article)
January 16, 2003... Npower has axed Simon Esberger's role following a restructure. A former BT Cellnet marketer, Esberger has been with the utility company for three years, where he started as the commercial director with responsibility for new product...

Woolworths to ditch Kaye ads. (News).(Paul Kaye)(Brief Article)
January 16, 2003... Woolworths is planning to drop Paul Kaye, the comedian who once described himself as a 'cunt' for appearing in the chain's ads. Kaye, who stars in BBC's 2000 Acres of Sky escaped the axe last year after claiming that he had been misquoted...