Marketing Week articles from June 2009

Marketing Week archives from June 2009

LEADER: Thin shafts of light pierce black mood.
June 4, 2009... Our cover image this week might suggest that we at Marketing Week have spotted the green shoots of recovery and are calling the end of the recession. We're not. This particular recession is as deep as it is wide and it's clear to even to the...

Food retailers 'succeeding in the battle against obesity'.
June 4, 2009... British Retail Consortium report shows initiatives such as portion sizes and labelling are working. By Mary-Louise Clews Food retailers from Asda to Burger King are helping win the fight against obesity, according to a new dossier from the...

APPOINTMENT: Royal Mail appoints head of data strategy.(Royal Mail Group PLC has appointed Keith Jones )(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Royal Mail has appointed former Qbase Data Services commercial director Keith Jones as its new head of data strategy. He replaces Colin Bradshaw, who left at the end of last year to take on the position of managing director of data at DM...

Yoplait rejigs marketing as it plots range for adults.(Yoplait Dairy Crest)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Yoplait UK is restructuring its marketing department and is understood to be considering launching products targeting the adult market. In the UK, Yoplait focuses on younger consumers with brands including Yoplait Yoghurt and the Petits...

Holland & Barrett launches Body Shop challenger range.(Holland and Barrett Europe)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Health food retailer unveils its first private label personal care range. By Mary-Louise Clews Holland & Barrett is aiming to take on The Body Shop with the launch of its first private label personal care range, Dr Organic. The...

NEW CAMPAING: King.com to target ads at housewives.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Third in a series of ads for gaming site will push fun aspect of playing during daytime TV ad slots Global online gaming community King.com is launching a television campaign targeting housewives. The ad will run in daytime TV slots...

Campaigners voice anger at Clear Channel over BNP deal.(Clear Channel UK Ltd.)(British National Party)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Anti-racism campaigners are set to target the clients of Clear Channel in a bid to persuade the outdoor media owner to ditch its poster deal with the British National Party. Pressure group Searchlight told Marketing Week it is urging its...

Consumers vote M&S 'most trusted company'.(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Marks & Spencer is the most reputable company among British consumers according to a study of the top 140 listed companies. Despite the high street retailers' announcement last month that annual profits dropped 37.5% in the year to March,...

Hamilton helps Santander to ditch UK finance brands.(Abbey National PLC)(Alliance and Leicester PLC)(Bradford and Bingley PLC)
June 4, 2009... Spanish owner to rebrand Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley. By Russell Parsons Santander's decision to rename all of its UK brands appears well timed as new data reveals that public perception of the brand is currently...

Tetley Green Tea ad made 'misleading' health claims.(Tetley Group Ltd.)(Advertising Standards Authority )(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... A television ad for Tetley Green Tea has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) because it makes unproven health claims. The ad shows a woman about to go on a jog change her mind when she sees rain outside, and opt...

General Mills plans #4m launch into ethnic foods.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Food manufacturer General Mills could launch a wider assault on the "ethnic food" market in the UK if the #4m Wanchai Ferry oriental brand launch is a success. The manufacturer is aiming to achieve sales in excess of #8m within a year of...

Sponsorship manager takes on football role at Castrol.(Castrol International as appointed Simon Meehan )(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Motor oil company Castrol has appointed Simon Meehan as sponsorship manager for Europe and Africa. Meehan will take responsibility for the company's partnership with football's governing body FIFA for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup...

Marketers look towards new media as ad budgets shrink.(Chartered Institute of Marketing)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Chartered Institute of Marketing report points to change in advertising strategies. By Luan Goldie Marketers are cutting back spending on advertising and sponsorship and reassessing strategy in light of tough economic conditions. ...

UK HOLIDAYS: Tide starts to turn towards leisure time on home turf.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... More than half of marketers are planning to spend more of their holiday in the UK this year. The majority (52%) of the marketing professionals who responded to marketing-week.co.uk's online poll say they will spend more holiday time in...

NHS: AMV.BBDO wins pitch for first organ donor activity.(NHS Blood and Transplant agency )(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... The NHS Blood and Transplant agency (NHSBT) has hired Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO to handle its first national organ donation campaign. It has also appointed Manning Gottlieb OMD to handle planning and buying for the activity. The appointments...

ANALYSIS: Barcelona triumphs but it is businesses that take the prize.
June 4, 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 Last week's UEFA Champions League Final...

RADIO: Magic 105.4 brings in global manager for charity launch.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Bailie joins Cash for Kids charity initiative as Bauer Radio bids to raise #7.5m. By Russell Parsons Bauer Radio station Magic 105.4 has appointed The Body Shop's global marketing manager Zoe Bailie to run its new children's charity. ...

PUBLISHING: Future hires advertising director for T3 portfolio.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Future Publishing has announced it has appointed Matt Smith as its new advertising director for gadgets and technology brand T3. Smith joins from Northcliffe Newspapers, where he was senior business development manager, responsible for...

NEWS INTERNATIONAL: Currys signs deal with publisher for summer push.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Currys has signed a three-month cross-platform deal with News International as part of a summer push for its electrical products. The high street retailer will run a campaign based on the idea of the Great British Summer across a number of...

CRICKET: LG sponsors international Twenty20 tournament.
June 4, 2009... LG Electronics is to be title sponsor of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) World Twenty20 cricket tournament. The six-year deal is part of a new global partnership with the sport's governing body and includes the upcoming...

POLITICS OF MARKETING: Chief executives lead climate change in CSR.(Corporate Social Responsibility)
June 4, 2009... Business leaders are at the forefront of an emerging CSR movement that is encouraging society to lead a more sustainable lifestyle It's not only in politics that new undercurrents are eroding old assumptions. A similar, if less explosive,...

MEDIA: Why did the times pass on the mps expenses leak?(Times Newspapers)
June 4, 2009... By refusing the MPs expenses exclusive, The Times handed the story of the century to its main rival. Why is a mystery The Daily Telegraph tour de force goes on and on, and on present form, could continue until the summer recess. But there...

LETTER: Risks in redemptions.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... Reading Money for Nothing (MW 14 May), what the Marks & Spencer sale and, in particular, the over-redemption of the Threshers e-shot highlighted is that brands are not applying sufficient due diligence in putting together their promotions. ...

LETTER: Global clout is not enough for a name change.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... Santander's decision to replace three of the British high street's most recognised banking brands may not be all plain sailing. Change is certainly needed, but while Abbey customers have had some time to get used to the Santander's branding,...

LETTER: Data privacy issues.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... Michael Nutley's article about targeted online marketing practices (MW 21 May) and the public's concerns about privacy is a reminder that although we have access to insight, measurement and tracking techniques, in the wrong hands it can be...

LETTER: Step up the game and we can prevent 'marketing's decline'.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... The Chartered Institute of Marketing's white paper - "Marketing's decline: a wild exaggeration?" (MW 21 May), refers to crucial points where our profession is failing to show its true worth. However, the pressing issue is not to bemoan our...

LETTER: Don't give up on prospective customers.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... Your direct marketing special report (MW 21 May) raised some interesting issues around the changing face of marketing during the recession, but failed to address the issue of exactly who brands should be trying to target. In the current market,...

CIM MARKETING TRENDS: Marketers spot their first (pale) green shoots.
June 4, 2009... The hard times aren't over yet: fears of job insecurity and the economy worsening still abound, but for the first time since the recession hit home, CIM research finds most marketers optimistic about their business' future and their ability...

CIM MARKETING TRENDS: THE SMALL COMPANY VIEWPOINT.(Illumine Training's Richard Evans )
June 4, 2009... Chartered marketer Richard Evans is the only member of the marketing department at UK training organisation Illumine Training, which falls under the CIM's "small company" criteria. The firm is a business-to- business operation which provides...

CIM MARKETING TRENDS: THE LARGE COMPANY VIEWPOINT.(SSL International PLC)
June 4, 2009... SSL International owns international brands Scholl, the footcare specialist, and sexual wellbeing market leader Durex, as well as locally-owned brands such as cough treatment Meltus and pain relief brand Syndol in the UK. While some marketers...

DIGITAL CONSUMERS: Internet turns customers into ambassadors.
June 4, 2009... Brands that embrace the digital space have much stronger relationships with consumers than those that fail to exploit the power of the internet. By Louise Jack As every marketer knows, digital consumers matter. Not just because there are...

DIGITAL CONSUMERS: THE FRONTLINE.
June 4, 2009... We ask marketers on the frontline whether our trends research matches their experience on the ground Frances Dovey Interactive and emerging media manager, Cadbury The conclusion that digital consumers have stronger relationships with...

ONLINE RESEARCH: The real-time thing.
June 4, 2009... As brands take advantage of online tools to carry out quantitative and qualitative research, Joe Fernandez discovers this technology not only provides real-time insights, but costs less than traditional methods The recession is having an...

ONLINE RESEARCH: CASE STUDY - Fashion brands and online research.(Pod1 )
June 4, 2009... Fashion retailers need to understand the differences between their off- and online customers. Do the same people visit a store and then buy online? Or do they research their purchases on the website to decide what to buy and then pop into a...

LAST WORD: The Secret Marketer.(Viewpoint essay)
June 4, 2009... One of my brands is seeking approval from the foodie set. Like many others, this summer, it is embarking on a tour of food and drink festivals. I have an alarmingly big number in my budget for this that I have currently listed under "sampling",...

LEADER: Marketing at heart of all retail success.
June 11, 2009... When Wal-Mart admitted defeat in 2006 after eight years of trying to make Germany one of its key markets, it was clear then that the US giant needed help. Its approach to business, so successful on the other side of the Atlantic, had not...

Aon to line up all marketing with Man United sponsorship.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... US consulting firm plans to exploit #80m sponsorship of Premier League champions to bring brand global clout. By Russell Parsons Aon is to base all marketing activity on its sponsorship of Manchester United as the firm looks to leverage...

FMCG: Radox unveils first branding push under ex-Lynx boss.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Sara Lee is embarking on a major shake-up of its Radox brand, spearheaded by former Lynx marketer Margaret Jobling. Jobling has overseen the creation of the first brand campaign for the 100-year-old washing and bathing product and is...

TRADE BODY: DMA picks chiefs to head revamped industry focus.(Direct Marketing Association )(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has appointed Robert Keitch and Mike Jordan as its two chiefs of staff to lead the overhauled organisation. Keitch takes the title chief of membership and brand, and Jordan will be chief of...

RETAIL: Asda team to run Wal-Mart's global marketing academy.
June 11, 2009... Top marketer at Asda takes international role with Wal-Mart to help run UK-based education courses. By Mark Choueke Asda's marketing team will train retail executives from all of Wal- Mart's non-US brands at a new global retail marketing...

DIRECTORY SERVICES: 118 118 Starts hunt for first UK chief of marketing.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... The Number 118 118 is on the hunt to fill the new role of UK chief marketing officer. The company, which launched in 2003, has never had a chief marketer in a dedicated role. Chief executive and former Superdrug marketer Gerry Murphy has...

TELECOMS: Sony Ericsson to embark on 'biggest ever' campaign.(Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Management Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Sony Ericsson is set to launch what it claims will be its "largest ever marketing campaign to date" as part of its strategy to reposition itself as a "communications entertainment" brand. It plans to invest #7m in marketing three new...

POLITICS: Bradshaw's DCMS move gets backing of lobbyists.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Former BBC journalist takes over from Burnham as secretary of state for culture, media and sport. By Russell Parsons Industry lobby groups have welcomed Ben Bradshaw's appointment as secretary of state for culture, media and sport to...

ADVERTISING: First TV ads mark Suso's bid to engage with parents.(Suso Drinks )(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Suso Drinks will launch its biggest marketing campaign to date for its carbonated drinks brand over the summer, in a bid to widen its market from students to mothers. It is currently testing its first TV ad, created by its in-house team,...

FINANCIAL SERVICES: Aviva gets a positive reaction to rebrand.
June 11, 2009... Marketing Week poll shows rebrand from Norwich Union has been a success. By Russell Parsons More than two-thirds of marketers believe that Aviva's rebrand from Norwich Union has been a success. Sixty-seven per cent of marketing...

FMCG: P&G names global head as part of top tier reshuffle.(Procter and Gamble Co.)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Procter & Gamble has merged its brand development operations and senior marketing team under global brand building officer Marc Pritchard. Pritchard was previously global marketing director and his title has changed to reflect his new...

SALES PROMOTION: Sky under fire for 'unfair' promotion.(Advertising Standards Authority)(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... ASA finds against M&S voucher campaign. By Branwell Johnson The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised BSkyB for failing to carry out an online sales promotion for Sky TV in a fair and efficient manner. The advertising...

Battle plan to change charity telemarketing rules unveiled.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... A campaign to change the regulations that govern cold-calling from charity fundraisers is being launched by a charity telemarketing agency. Currently charities fall under the same cold-calling regulations as commercial businesses, and...

ADVERTISING: Nectar brand campaign bids to increase loyalty card use.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Animated Nectar Purse character will make its debut in TV and press ads. By Mary-Louise Clews Loyalty card Nectar is launching its first television campaign in five years in a bid to raise awareness of the brand and use of the scheme...

FINANCIAL SERVICES: Double hire completes restructure at Aegon UK.(appointment of Gordon Greig and Neil Davies)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Aegon UK has completed the restructure of its marketing department with two senior appointments to head the company's life and pensions and corporate marketing divisions. The life insurance and pensions provider has recruited Gordon...

SALES PROMOTION: IPA warns against rising trend in price promotions.(Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Product marketing chiefs must "stand up" to retailers over price promotions to prevent long-term damage to their brands, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has warned. The IPA has shown for the first time how increased...

AUTOMOTIVES: Hertz opens vehicle rental market to teenagers.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Hertz is to launch a new product targeting students as part of a strategy to drive brand loyalty among young drivers. The Hertz Students offer standardises the current Hertz offer to give students aged 19 and over pan-European vehicle...

PROMOTION: VBS and Home Office launch community-led youth drive.(Viacom Brand Solutions Ltd.)(MTV Networks Europe)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Initiative will use competition on MTV to get young people's community ideas. By Branwell Johnson Viacom Brand Solutions (VBS) is working with the Home Office to launch an initiative promoting positive values in young people under the...

RADIO: Global Radio to lose group marketing director.(Global Radio S.A's Nicola Thomson )(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Global Radio group marketing director Nicola Thomson is leaving her role at the end of the month to move with her family to New York. Thomson's husband Peter Thomson has been appointed by his media agency M2M to spearhead a new division in...

PUBLISHING: UTV Media picks MD for revived Sport magazine.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... UTV Media is relaunching the recently acquired Sport magazine this Friday (June 12) and has promoted its radio sales director Adam Bullock to managing director for the magazine. Bullock takes over from Greg Miall, who had been managing...

TELEVISION: Dave channel plots move into branded products.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... UKTV is considering extending its male-skewed TV channel Dave into branded products such as a deodorant and credit card. Marketing director Tom Lucas says the strategy is to "stretch channel brands into new and relevant categories". ...

MARKETING: Britain's still got some real journalistic talent.
June 11, 2009... New media might extend the reach and speed of traditional media's offer, but there's no substitute for old-style content creation It's been a fortnight of extraordinary success for the most traditional of "old" media. First, The Telegraph...

Trapped in a vicious not virtuous spiral of insight and brand loyalty.(Column)
June 11, 2009... The traditional virtuous spiral that every marketer is brought up on has been rendered a mere narcissistic brand tool by the internet I've been contributing to Marketing Week for about 15 years now. Since this is my last column I thought...

BEST OF THE BLOGS: Stuart Smith on Andy Hornby.
June 11, 2009... So, it's back to the track for one of Leighton's Lads. Step forward Andy Hornby, who is to be the next chief executive of Alliance Boots. Oxford-educated Hornby was one of Harvard Business School's most brilliant alumni and, at 39, became the...

LETTER: Door drop sampling still delivers return.(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... The Secret Marketer's discovery that "for the consumer on the other end, getting a free sample beats paid-for 'experiential marketing' hands down" (MW last week) is an encouraging development. Door drop product sampling has for over 50...

LETTER: Adding value is better than aggressive price reductions.(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... I was intrigued, though not surprised, to read the story about consumers demanding year round discounting (MW 28 May). You only have to visit a town centre high street to see how the world of retail has "embraced" economic uncertainty with...

BEST OF THE BLOGS: Ruth Mortimer on Amazon.
June 11, 2009... Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is the man responsible for taking online retailing from a discounting business model to one focused on using personalisation to tailor products and services to consumer needs. But at his annual shareholders meeting,...

LETTER: Connect with the customer.(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... I agree with your conclusions that in focusing on price we may be missing more fundamental motivations for purchasing (Create element of excitement, MW 28 May). Consumers may be more susceptible to emotional messaging than ever before. So, far...

POLITICS OF MARKETING: It's brand apocalypse now for general motors.
June 11, 2009... GM's decimation, brought about by a cocktail of weak captaincy, dud marketing and a deep recession, won't be the only one we witness Brand owners are not unlike householders in their response to a prolonged recession. We start by making...

PROFILE - RICK BENDEL: Lessons in marketing come from the heart.
June 11, 2009... Wal-Mart's recently appointed international CMO tells Mark Choueke how the biggest company in the world is using Asda's experience to place marketing at the heart of its international empire Rick Bendel loves to talk. Even before we start...

PROFILE - RICK BENDEL: Q&A.
June 11, 2009... What's the crux of your new role? I'm a coach. It's my job to help, educate and get the other [Wal-Mart] brands to a place where marketing plays a much bigger role in each market. Retail marketing in terms of education is about how...

PROFILE - RICK BENDEL: Marketer2marketer.(Viewpoint essay)
June 11, 2009... * Mark Simpson, marketing director, Ford UK: Asda has always been known for its everyday low price positioning and, since being taken over by Wal-Mart, its price rollbacks. But now it competes with Tesco's discount range and Morrisons as...

PROFILE - RICK BENDEL: My last 24 hours.
June 11, 2009... I called an internal meeting of every sector of our business to talk to them about the digital world. As I was talking, a 25-year-old junior buyer said to me: "You know what, Rick, I go to China every January to buy Asda's Christmas presents...

MEDIA MULTITASKERS: Media channel hoppers blur the boundaries.
June 11, 2009... As consumers increasingly watch TV and use the internet simultaneously, marketers must think creatively to get their brand messages across to the surprisingly wide spectrum of media multitaskers. By Jo Roberts Households are no longer...

MEDIA MULTITASKERS: The frontline.
June 11, 2009... We ask the marketers on the ground how they are planning campaigns to reach their target consumer across all platforms Lysa Hardy Head of brand communications at T-Mobile Taking campaigns through the line is absolutely critical for...

GIFT VOUCHERS: Token gesture gets you close to customers.
June 11, 2009... Gift card programmes offer retailers the opportunity to attract new customers and also help reward both staff and business-to-business partners. By Maeve Hosea Gift vouchers were once simply a solution to finding a present for a difficult...

GIFT VOUCHERS: CASE STUDY - B&Q.
June 11, 2009... After developing a consumer gift card in 1997, B&Q recently launched a corporate gift card operation to capitalise on the business-to-business gift card market, which it estimates to be worth #2.2bn a year. The DIY brand was aware that a...

GIFT VOUCHERS: Voucher strategy.(Gift Card Voucher Association)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Andrew Johnson, director-general of the UK Gift Card Voucher Association, advises retailers... * Work with incentive agencies to make use of a business-to-business audience * Have a gift card and voucher offer available * As...

The IDM Business Performance Awards 2009.(Data Quality Management Group Limited)(Institute of Direct Marketing)
June 11, 2009... DQM Group is delighted once again to be the lead sponsor of the IDM Business Performance Awards. At DQM Group we're committed to helping raise standards in data management which we believe is crucial to the future success of the DM...

THE IDM BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2009: Diamond Award.
June 11, 2009... Winner: Waterstone's Waterstone's Loyalty Card EHS Brann Discovery Pressure on all retailers is intense - pressure on book retailers especially so, with so many other stores stocking books. To protect its customer base, Waterstone's...

THE IDM BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2009: Bronze Award.(Swinton Taxi Division)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Winner: Swinton Taxi Division The Swinton Mystery Tipper Red C Swinton Taxi Division is a specialist insurer which has been facing increased competition, lower premiums and a plateau in sales. The company was looking to increase the number...

THE IDM BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2009: Silver Award.(Scottish Viewpoint )(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Winner: VisitScotland Climbing the Ladder Union Direct Inward tourism from the UK is vital to the Scottish economy and VisitScotland is tasked with growing it by 50 per cent over ten years. A change to relationship marketing was made to...

LAST WORD: Secret Marketer.(Editorial)
June 11, 2009... As Gordon Brown reshuffles his cabinet, I am reshuffling my brand team. There are to be changes: some out, some in and a few changes of responsibility between now and the year's end. I'm sure Brown will know exactly what I mean when I say...

LEADER: Broadband for all falls far short on capacity.
June 18, 2009... The next few days will see us pick over every paragraph of Lord Carter's Digital Britain report. After a quick scan of the executive summary, I have to say I have some questions of my own. Before its publication, Gordon Brown wrote on...

ADVERTISING REVIEW: ASA braced for protests by pro-life activists.(Advertising Standards Authority)(Brief article)
June 18, 2009... By Mary-Louise Clews The Advertising Standards Authority is bracing itself for an eight-hour demonstration by anti-abortion campaigners as its consultation on changes to the advertising code of practice draws to a close. The planned...

SALES PROMOTION: Ebay pledges to crack down on fraudulent voucher sales.
June 18, 2009... By Branwell Johnson Ebay has agreed to change its policy regarding the online sale of manufacturers' coupons and vouchers after discussions with coupon services provider Valassis and the Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP). Ebay.co.uk...

ADVERTISING: ASA defends Diet Coke's 'fantasy' take on Duffy ad.
June 18, 2009... Watchdog rejects complaints that ad condones dangerous behaviour. By Branwell Johnson Coca-Cola Great Britain has escaped an advertising ban by the Advertising Standards Authority for its Diet Coke campaign featuring singer Duffy. ...

DIGITAL: 'Recession will boost online ad spend by 5%'.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 18, 2009... The recession will accelerate the migration to digital technology, with online taking an even bigger slice of the UK advertising market, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). According to PwC's latest Entertainment and Media Outlook...

RETAIL: Sainsbury's green store a 'precedent' in convenience.(Brief article)
June 18, 2009... Sainsbury's new "green store" concept will set a precedent as the retailer ramps up its convenience format expansion, the supermarket has revealed. The Gloucester store, opening today, has "kinetic plates" fitted under the car park to...