Marketing Week articles from March 2003

Marketing Week archives from March 2003

Can David turn around Goliath? (This Week).(David Bell, new chairman and CEO at Interpublic Group)
March 6, 2003... David Bell -- new chairman and chief executive of Interpublic Group (IPG) -- did not see his predecessor's fall coming, or so he claims. If that were really so, he must have been leading a peculiarly isolated existence over the past year. John...

Abbey hunts for marketing chief: bank is to appoint a chief marketer as retail marketing director moves to 'Outreach' programme. (News).(Abbey National PLC)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Abbey National's top marketing job has been axed, following an organisational review last week. Janet Connor who was retail marketing director, has been moved sideways to another position at the bank. Abbey National is now looking outside...

Mediaedge:CIA chief executive steps down. (News).(CIA Group PLC's Fiona McAnena leaves to join WPP Group's Kantar)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Mediaedge:CIA chief executive Fiona McAnena is stepping down from her post at the WPP-owned media agency to join WPP Group's information, insight and consultancy division, Kantar. Rob Norman, chief executive of Mediaedge:CIA subsidiary...

Asda set for magazines price assault. (News).(by offering massive discounts )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Retailer Asda is planning an assault on the magazine market, by offering massive discounts on all consumer titles. The move, which will form part of the supermarket giant's everyday-low-pricing (EDLP) strategy, is likely to start a price war....

Diet Coke With Lemon suffers sales slump. (News).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Impulse sales of Diet Coke variant Diet Coke With Lemon have plummeted eight months after its launch. Insiders claims the drop may be because the taste does not appeal to UK consumers. At its peak, last August, Diet Coke With Lemon sold 1.7...

Air Miles picks marketer to tackle Nectar scheme. (News).(AIR MILES Travel Promotions Ltd. hired Richard Pepper)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Air Miles has recruited a marketing director, Richard Pepper, to help it win the battle against rival loyalty scheme Nectar. Pepper brings specialist customer relationship management skills to the company and joins from the position of head...

Centura appoints brand director following management reshuffle. (News).(Centura Foods has promoted Sue Knight )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Centura Foods has promoted Sue Knight to the role of brand director following a reshuffle of its senior management team. Knight has been covering the role for eight months and was previously head of marketing for the company's Sharwood's...

RB prepares to rebrand Finish 3-in-1 Total. (News).(Reckitt Benckiser)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is planning to rebrand its Finish 3-in- Total dishwasher tablets as Finish 3-in-1 Brilliant this year. The move coincides with the current blitz in the dishwasher tablets market. This month RB is adding an orange...

St Ivel Spread chief leaves Dairy Crest. (News).(Ceri Bennett)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Ceri Bennett, previously the marketing director of St Ivel Spreads, is leaving Dairy Crest, due to "family commitments". In November, Uniq sold the St Ivel Spreads business for [pounds sterling]86m to Dairy Crest. Bennett has been working...

Volvo picks global marketing chief. (News).(Gerry Keaney)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Volvo Car has promoted global sales director Gerry Keaney to oversee global marketing, sales and customer services for the Ford-owned car company. Keaney, who was a former sales and marketing director and managing director of Volvo Car UK,...

Slowdown hits growth in marketing spending. (News).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Companies across the UK have cut their planned growth in marketing spending to a record low, fuelled by fears about war with Iraq and a slowdown in consumer spending. Planned growth in marketing spending has fallen to 1.7 per cent from 2.4...

Toymakers agree deal to sell McDonald's McFlurry home ice cream maker in UK. (News).(Vivid Imaginations; Spinmaster)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Vivid Imaginations will launch a McDonald's McFlurry Maker in the summer, after forming a partnership with US toy company Spinmaster, which owns the licensing rights. The McDonald's McFlurry Maker toy comes with McDonald's ingredients to...

Novartis marketer takes up worldwide position. (News).(Novartis Consumer Health marketing director Nick Evans promoted)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Novartis Consumer Health marketing director Nick Evans has been promoted to a global marketing role at the company's headquarters in Switzerland. Evans takes the post of head of global brand for nasal decongestant Otrivin, which is the...

K-C to splash out [pounds sterling]3.5m on Kotex revamp. (News).(Kimberly-Clark)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Kimberly-Clark (K-C) is embarking upon a [pounds sterling]3.5m revamp of its Kotex feminine care brand, in an attempt to break the long-standing taboos surrounding feminine hygiene. The Kotex revamp will include new TV and print...

LE Group moves Seeboard Energy marketing boss to top retail role. (News).(London Electricity; Travers Clarke-Walker)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... London Electricity (LE) Group has promoted Seeboard Energy head of residential markets Travers Clarke-Walker to director of marketing for retail. Clarke-Walker will report to the chief operating officer of the group's retail business,...

Fujitsu appoints marketing chief. (Digests).(Fujitsu Siemens Computers; former Dell UK marketing director Nick Eades )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Fujitsu Siemens Computers has appointed former Dell UK marketing director Nick Eades as its director of marketing for the UK. He replaces Mel Taylor, who left the company a few weeks ago to "pursue other interests". Eades left Dell in...

Breast Cancer Care to review marketing tack. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Breast Cancer Care is to revamp its marketing and communications strategy ahead of a five-year plan to double its annual donations to [pounds sterling]10m. The review will look at the charity's high-profile celebrity programme and the...

The Football Association. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Football Association is reported to be interviewing British Airways director of marketing and commercial development Martin George and Walkers Snacks president and former marketing director Martin Glenn for its vacant chief executive post.

Co-operative Group. (Digests).(combines businesses)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Co-operative Group is combining its banking, Travelcare and Co-operative Insurance Society operations under one roof. The [pounds sterling]1m pilot project is part of an initiative to integrate businesses 'which share the same values'.

Homebase. (Digests).(launches products)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Homebase has launched a range of low-priced products called Essentials. The line will include over 200 DIY products.

The Advertising Standards Authority. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Advertising Standards Authority is to crack down on junk e-mail, as part of new rules announced today aimed at e-marketers.

Procter & Gamble. (Digests).(acquisition rumor)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Procter & Gamble is rumoured to have made a takeover approach to German haircare company, Wella.

Coca-Cola Great Britain. (Digests).(advertising)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Coca-Cola Great Britain is launching an advertising campaign to support its Txt For Music on-pack promotion. The ads feature pop band Mis-Teeq and their new single Scandalous.

HSBC. (Digests).(personnel)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... HSBC has named executive director of investment banking Stephen Green as its new chief executive. He replaces Sir Keith Whitson, who retires in May.

Blockbuster UK. (Digests).(ends dispute with Warner Home Video)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Blockbuster UK has ended its boycott of Warner Home Video DVD and video releases, after negotiating new trading terms. The dispute was over pricing.

E&J Gallo Winery. (Digests).(personnel)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... E&J Gallo Winery has appointed Glenn Caton as marketing director for western Europe. He joins from Procter & Gamble's Swiss European homecare division.

Stolichnaya. (Digests).(in strawberry flavor)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Stolichnaya, distributed by First Drinks, has launched the UK's first strawberry-flavoured vodka, Stolichnaya Strasberi.

Barclays Bank. (Digests).(personnel)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Barclays Bank personal financial services (PFS) chief executive David Roberts has been named chief executive of the Woolwich. He will continue to run the PFS division alongside his new role.

Orange UK. (Digests).(personnel)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Orange UK has appointed David Marshall as head of product management. He will report to Orange Business Solutions marketing director Cynthia Gordon.

Toyota. (Digests).(personnel)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Toyota has appointed Mark Hall as general manager of vehicle marketing. Hall moves from his position of general manager of communications at the car manufacturer.

Royal London. (Digests).(personnel)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Royal London, the UK's second-largest mutual life assurance company, has appointed Simon Barwell as head of marketing of its retail business.

Mother battles with Lowe for [pounds sterling]7m Surf makeover. (Agencies).(one ad agency will work on UK Unilever's detergent)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... UK Unilever subsidiary Lever Falberge is in talks with ad agency Mother over updating Surf's brand image, in a move likely to undermine the company's relationship with incumbent agency Lowe. Mother, which is a Lever Faberge roster agency,...

Interflora reviews [pounds sterling]2m ad brief while on hunt for marketing chief. (Agencies).(flower delivery service by Interflora British Unit Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Interflora, the flower delivery network, is reviewing its [pounds sterling]2m advertising account despite being on the hunt for a marketing director. The business is held by creative agency The Company, which created the controversial...

Eyre to chair IAB as Masius wins ad work. (Agencies).(Richard Eyre; Interactive Advertising Bureau )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Interactive Advertising Bureau (JAB) has appointed Masius to produce its first above-the-line advertising campaign. It has also named former ITV chief executive Richard Eyre as its chairman, Masius won the pitch for the JAB work against...

VCCP to shed Wedgwood's dated image. (Agencies).(Vallance Carrurhers Coleman Priest to work on fine china brand's image)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Fine china brand Wedgwood has appointed Vallance Carrurhers Coleman Priest (VCCP) to handle an advertising campaign. The campaign will form part of an ambitious marketing strategy involving a [pounds sterling]2m total spend. The pitch,...

PWLC snatches Fox's business. (Digests).(ad agency won Fox's Biscuits account)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Fox's Biscuits has appointed PWLC, the agency run by former Smile marketing director Mike Phillipson, to its [pounds sterling]1m advertising account. PWLC won the business after pitching against a number of unnamed agencies. Incumbent St...

Campbell Doyle Dye wins Adnams ad brief. (Digests).(agency won the advertising account for Suffolk brewery Adnams )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Campbell Doyle Dye (CDD) has won the [pounds sterling]1m advertising account for Suffolk brewery Adnams. CDD won the pitch against incumbent Fox Murphy, Partners BDDH and WFCA Integrated. Adnams began talking to London-based agencies in...

Walsh Trott Chick Smith chief executive Amanda Walsh is leaving the agency in April. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Walsh Trott Chick Smith chief executive Amanda Walsh is leaving the agency in April. It is understood that she may act as a consultant to the agency.

M&C Saatchi. (Digests).(might win the British Gas advertising account as well as a few others being considered)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... M&C Saatchi, WCRS, Clemmow Hornby Inge and incumbent BMP DDB have been shortlisted by British Gas for its [pounds sterling]30m advertising account.

Grey Worldwide London. (Digests).(to compete for McCain account)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Grey Worldwide London, Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper, Mustoes and an as-yet unnamed agency have been shorlisted by McCain for its [pounds sterling]15m advertising account.

Partners BDDH has created a TV ad for the Citroen C5. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Partners BDDH has created a TV ad for the Citroen C5, which airs today (Wednesday). Media planning and buying is through OMD UK.

McCann-Erickson. (Digests).(among three firms being considered by Tetra Pak for account)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... McCann-Erickson, DFGW and Mothet are understood to have been shortlisted for the [pounds sterling]8m Tetra Pak advertising account.

The Leith Advertising Agency. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Leith Advertising Agency has been appointed to work on a project for the Knob Creek bourbon brand for Jim Beam Brands Europe. Young & Rubicam is the global creative agency for the drinks company.

Braham has been appointed to handle the advertising for Leaf UK's Chewits brand. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Braham has been appointed to handle the advertising for Leaf UK's Chewits brand. Incumbent Banks Hoggins O'Shea/FCB did not repitch for the business.

Black Cat. (Digests).(wins direct marketing project from BSkyB)
March 6, 2003... Black Cat has been appointed by BSkyB to handle a direct marketing project for second set-top boxes.

Fallon. (Digests).(to handle BBC's first digital radio portfolio campaign)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Fallon is to handle the BBC's first digital radio portfolio campaign, which is expected to break in June.

WWAV Rapp Collins Scotland. (Digests).(creates direct marketing campaign)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... WWAV Rapp Collins Scotland has created a direct marketing campaign for Scottish Friendly Assurance, promoting Scottish Bond, its tax-free savings plan.

Brand Learning. (Digests).(is Barclays Bank's 'Agency Partner of the Year')(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Brand Learning beat off competition from Bartle Bogle Hegarty to be named Barclays Bank's 'Agency Partner of the Year'. It is currently helping Barclays improve its customer insight operations.

Delaney Lund Knox Warren. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Delaney Lund Knox Warren has created radio and national press advertising for Bank of Scotland to promote its deposits and 'smart finance' products.

Golley Slater & Partners. (Digests).(wins contract to relaunch Western Mail)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Golley Slater & Partners has won a 250,000 contract for the campaign to relaunch The Western Mail, with the positioning 'For new Wales read the Western Mail'.

Clear Marketing Communications. (Digests).(seen as winning ad account for Fabric Warehouse)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Clear Marketing Communications is tipped to pick up Fabric Warehouse's [pounds sterling]500,000 advertising account.

1576, Family, Faulds Advertising, and the Leith Advertising Agency. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... 1576, Family, Faulds Advertising, and the Leith Advertising Agency have been shortlisted for Standard Life Bank's [pounds sterling]1.5m advertising account.

MediaCom lands [pounds sterling]3.2m Center Parcs media task. (Media).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... MediaCom has won the [pounds sterling]3.2m media planning and buying business for Center Parcs. The agency picked up the holiday resort's account after a three-way pitch against Carat and Manning Gortlieb OMD. The pitch was overseen by...

Van Wagner picks up Network Rail. (Media).
March 6, 2003... Network Rail, formerly Railtrack, has awarded the contract to manage its bridge-span advertising sites to the large-format outdoor advertising company Van Wagner. The win will bring in millions of pounds in advertising revenue for Van...

Unilever and J&J to boost regional press spend after study. (Media).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Unilever and Johnson & Johnson are planning to significantly increase their spend on regional press advertising following the latest research on campaign effectiveness in local newspapers. It is believed that the companies will increase...

Commercial radio set for licence boost. (Media).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Commercial radio owners could all have the chance to bid for up to 32 new FM radio station licences if a recommendation by the Radio Authority gets the green light. The proposal to release the frequencies is a huge bonus for commercial...

Decaux denies acting illegally. (Digests).(JC Decaux says Belgian subsidiary innocent of wrongdoing)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Outdoor advertising company JC Decaux has been forced to issue a statement categorically denying that its Belgian subsidiary has been involved in any illegal actions. JC Decaux chairman JeanCharles Decaux released a statement claiming that...

DTI makes commercial radio debut with Classic FM show. (Digests).(Department of Trade and Industry initiates advertiser-funded radio program)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Government is launching its first advertiser-funded radio programme, to support an initiative that encourages UK small businesses to use new technology. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-led UK Online for Business initiative...

The Financial Times. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Financial Times is reintroducing a Saturday magazine to its Weekend FT in April.

Carlton Sponsorship. (Digests).(signs Dooley's Vodka Toffee to sponsor new reality show)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Carlton Sponsorship has signed up Dooley's Vodka Toffee to sponsor its new reality show The Club, which is being broadcast on ITV1 and ITV2 from March 6. The deal was negotiated through MediaCom.

BBC director of marketing and communications Andy Duncan claims that 500,000 Freeview adapters have been sold since its launch. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... BBC director of marketing and communications Andy Duncan claims that 500,000 Freeview adapters have been sold since its launch and that, according to BARB, more than 1.4 million homes have Freeview, a figure greater than that obtained by ITV...

ITV1. (Digests).(replaced by BBC1 as most popular channel)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... ... ITV1 has been replaced by BBC1 as the channel most viewers would want if they could have only one channel, according to an annual survey conducted on behalf of the Independent Television Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Commission.

UKTV. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... UKTV has appointed marketing consultant Maya Bhose as head of brand.

Mark Springett, former marketing director for Video Networks. (Digests).(starts consultancy)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Mark Springett, former marketing director for Video Networks, has launched a broadband consultancy called Broadband-partners.

Agency Assessments International. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Agency Assessments International and Billetts have formed an alliance that involves them pooling their resources to help advertisers manage their agency relationships and get the most from their media spending.

Ford. (Digests).(running radio campaign promoting DAB digital radio)
March 6, 2003... Ford is running a radio campaign to promote DAB digital radio, which it is offering as an option in all its UK models. Radioville created the campaign, which breaks on March 6.

Virgin Mobile. (Digests).(sponsoring Pride in the Park gay, lesbian, bisexual festival)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Virgin Mobile is to be one of the headline sponsors of Pride in the Park, the UK's largest gay, lesbian and bisexual festival, for the second year running.

Fox Kids Europe. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Fox Kids Europe has appointed Paul Taylor as group managing director, channels. He joins from BSkyB.

SMG. (Digests).(says Scottish TV saw operating profits fall in 2002)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... SMG reports a fall in operating profits in 2002 for Scottish TV to [pounds sterling]20.8m from [pounds sterling]25.4m the previous year, and a drop for Virgin Radio from [pounds sterling]10.5m to [pounds sterling]10m.

Cartoon Network. (Digests).(inks cross-promotional sponsorship pact with Kraft Foods)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Cartoon Network has signed a cross-promotional sponsorship deal with Kraft Foods involving on-air and on-pack activity.

Cabal Communications'. (Digests).(sees Simon Maxwell leave to join Future Publishing)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Cabal Communications' publisher for Front magazine, Simon Maxwell, has left to join Future Publishing as the publisher of Total Film, T3 and Home Entertainment.

KP Snacks'. (Digests).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... KP Snacks' crisp brand The Real McCoy's is to sponsor FHM's pub pages. There are also plans to develop a jointly branded national pub quiz.

Gloss, dross or a broader appeal? Broadsheets, under pressure from falling circulation and revenues, are turning to editorial makeovers to rejuvenate themselves. (Media Analysis).
March 6, 2003... Plummeting advertising spend and declining circulation figures have put pressure on the broadsheet market, but have nor suppressed the newspapers' spirit: they have come our fighting, with a number of editorial makeovers. The Daily...

But no one seems to be watching who's watching; there is widespread confusion over what BARB measures: is it opportunities to see, or true audiences? (Media Analysis).(Column)
March 6, 2003... Guy Abrahams' critique of our research on commercial breaks (MW February 20) was wonderfully entertaining. Articles that debate ad audience measurement have been thick on the ground lately. This is no bad thing and, in the spirit of debate, I...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
March 6, 2003... 'Likely to see' as valid for TV as outdoor... Guy Abrahams is right in asserting that faith in television advertising is unlikely to be dimmed by a qualitative study of eight households that demonstrates people do not pay 100 per cent...

Clearer vision is needed to prove BARB's worth: the troubles with its panel appear to be at an end, but BARB's newly beefed-up management has far to go in ensuring its systems are effective. (Media).
March 6, 2003... The good news for BARB and its customers is that things are almost back to normal. The bad news is that these days there's no such thing as "normal" in audience research. It's 14 months since BARB, the industry's official ratings provider,...

It really is an urban jungle out there. (Diary).
March 6, 2003... The Diary is seriously considering taking up residence in Regent's Park Zoo, to get away from the animals infesting the test of the capital. Rats, foxes and pigeons it can cope with, but the latest creatures to take to the streets are a...

Feel the rhythm and let the ideas flow. Yes you can-can. (Diary).
March 6, 2003... Picture your boss in a tutu, throwing the IT guy across the office to the sound of massed horns. Doesn't really work, does it? Spare a thought, then, for the poor devils at FutureBrand, which has signed a deal with George Piper Dances, one...

Wanted - your pots and pounds. (Diary).
March 6, 2003... The Diary, renowned far and wide, receives a high volume of mail from all over the world -- and particularly West Africa. Reader, you would be amazed at how many youngest sons and second wives of deposed African leaders are now resident in...

Co-ops make moves towards united front. (New Analysis).
March 6, 2003... The co-op's ethical stance has failed to make it a fit rival to the major retail players. But a modernisation plan and a pooling of resources, like last week's creation of the co-op travel group, could change that. The co-operative...

Can the market for sherry be fortified? Marketers are pushing dry sherry as a trendy drink. But with the market still Christmas-and cream-skewed, their work is cut out. (New Analysis).
March 6, 2003... The humble sherry, more commonly associated with grannies' sideboards than with hip 30-somethings, could be on the verge of a renaissance. The latest figures from AC Nielsen show a three per cent year-on-year growth in the value of the sherry...

For richer or for poorer? (Cover Story).
March 6, 2003... After Rolls Royce sold just one car in January, the signs are that luxury goods brands are feeling the pinch. Many remain upbeat, believing it is a sort-term blip, but with City redundancies chipping away a the high-end retailers' customer...

Invest in football? Only if your goal is a net loss: spring is in the air, the season approaches its dramatic finale - and clubs start to portray themselves as financial players. Don't be sucked in. (Business).
March 6, 2003... It's usually at about this time during the football season, at some stage in March or early April as the first silverware takes its place in trophy cabinets and the end of the season comes into sight, that the business hype surrounding...

Embrace the experience so marketing can benefit: experience influences customers most, yet marketing focuses on product content. It's time marketers redressed the balance. (Marketing).
March 6, 2003... When I buy a can of beer, it's the beer that interests me. When I buy a flight to New York, I'm after the content of the offer: getting to the Big Apple. For the past hundred years, nearly all marketing has been content-obsessed. Market...