Marketing Week articles from March 2004

Marketing Week archives from March 2004

Coke rivals revel in water torture.(This Week)
March 4, 2004... Just as well Coca-Cola has managed to pinch the Football League from under the very nose of Nationwide with an audacious 15m [pounds sterling] sponsorship bid. The spectacular coup will deflect some of the less-than-flattering coverage that has...

Late Coca-Cola strike sees off Nationwide: last-ditch 15m [pounds sterling] Coca-Cola bid for Football League sponsorship rights wrongfoots Nationwide.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Nationwide has been rocked by the loss of the title sponsorship of the Football League following a late 15m [pounds sterling] ambush bid by Coca-Cola. Nationwide was told the sponsorship rights had gene to Coca-Cola just hours before the...

... Thames Water chief defends Dasani source.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Thames Water international marketing chief Mike Moran has defended Coca-Cola's water brand Dasani, which has come under tire after it emerged it is using ordinary tap water from Sidcup--an area supplied by Thames Water. Moran says: "I do...

Marketing Week publisher to float on AIM.(News)(Alternative Investment Market)
March 4, 2004... Centaur Communications, publisher of Marketing Week, is to be floated on AIM, the Alternative Investment Market, next week. The floated company will be worth about 148m [pounds sterling], representing what some in the City consider an...

FA unveils Euro 2004 goodwill push.(News)(The Football Association (United Kingdom))(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Football Association (FA) is to launch a football fan "goodwill" campaign in the run-up to the 2004 European Championships in Portugal. The campaign will be launched under the banner "All Together Now", and will be centred around the...

Morgan Stanley poaches Egg marketing director.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Morgan Stanley has appointed Egg marketing director Patrick Muir to the new role of vice-president and head of marketing for its international consumer banking group. He will join the company on March 15. Muir's departure from Egg comes al...

PZ Cussons and Dyson to use video research.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Imperial Leather manufacturer PZ Cussons and electrical goods company Dyson are setting up video cameras inside consumers' homes to capture their daily washing and cleaning routines in an attempt to research new product development. The...

Orange Glo appoints head of marketing.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Household cleaning company Orange Glo has appointed an ex-bottled water marketing chief to lead its marketing team and oversee an advertising agency search. Kevin Bolt has joined Orange Glo from Well Well Well, where he was commercial...

ASA raps Ryanair over Prince Charles image.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Low-cost airline Ryanair has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using an image of Prince Charles to promote its low fares. The ad, which ran in several newspapers under the headline: "Prince's Secret Revealed."...

Reebok names top EMEA marketer.(News)(Europe, the Middle East and Africa)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Reebok has appointed former Helly Hansen global head of marketing Andy Towne as vice-president for marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He replaces Siddharth Varma, who has moved to the equivalent role in the Asia Pacific...

Unilever set to relaunch Funny Foot.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Unilever Frozen Food & Ice Cream is relaunching Eighties favourite Funny Foot. The foot-shaped lolly will come in strawberry and vanilla flavour, but the relaunched version will have a dipped-chocolate big toe. Unilever hopes Funny Foot...

Gillette faces Wilkinson Sword patent suit.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Schick-Wilkinson Sword has escalated its feud with Gillette by launching a patent lawsuit in the US, aiming to force Gillette's flagship Mach 3, Mach 3 Turbo and Venus razors from the market. The company alleges that Gillette has infringed...

BOA Olympic scratchcard poses 'threat' to Camelot.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The British Olympic Association (BOA) is to launch a "Team GB" lottery game in April, rivalling Camelot's forthcoming Olympic lottery. The BOA, which is launching the game in partnership with Littlewoods Lotteries, has shrugged off reports...

P&G set for multi-million Bold revamp.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Procter & Gamble is to revamp its Bold detergent range with new fragrances and updated packaging in a multi-million pound effort to match Lever Faberge's own attempts to add excitement to the category by relaunching its detergents. P&G...

MyTravelLite poaches marketing chief from rival low-cost carrier.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... MyTravelLite, the low-cost airline owned by tour operator MyTravel, has poached a marketer from a rival carrier to take the newly created position of head of marketing development. Julian Carr, who takes up his position next week, joins...

Hasbro is to launch Action Force, a team of allies for its Action Man toy.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Hasbro is to launch Action Force, a team of allies for its Action Man toy. The toy company has also created a new line of villains. The ranges will be marketed through a year-long television campaign, created by DDB and told in storyline...

Gallaher drops Mayfair brand.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Tobacco company Gallaher has pulled its Mayfair hand-rolling tobacco brand from the market after less than a year. The brand was hailed by the company as a potential market leader when it launched in April last year. It was the first time a...

Corgi marketing boss quits for consultancy.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Toy manufacturer Corgi is searching for a marketing director following the departure of Lisa Thompson. Marketing manager Alex McLeod has stepped into the role temporarily while the company looks for a new marketing chief. Thompson is...

Nestle Rowntree UK.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Nestle Rowntree UK has reported that sales are down two per cent on last year, but denies it is in crisis. Managing director Chris White is restructuring the sales and marketing departments to boost sales (MW February 12).

Weight Watchers UK.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Weight Watchers UN has promoted head of marketing Carol Andrews to head of European licences. Her role will be overseen by vice-president of UK operations Melanie Stubbings.

Ford.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Ford has paid British novelist Carole Matthews to mention its cars prominently in her work. She has been paid to include a Ford in her latest book. The Sweetest Taboo...

... Walkers Snacks.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... ... Walkers Snacks is giving away 150 Ford cars in packets of Walkers Crisps and Walkers Max. The campaign will be supported by a TV ad starring Gary Lineker and former cricket player David Gower.

Coca-Cola.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Coca-Cola has set up an institute to promote nutrition and help develop healthy beverages. The Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness will focus on nutrition research and education.

Parmalat.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Parmalat, the troubled Italian dairy company, has sold its UK dairy business Losely Chilled Products to Northern Ireland-based Dale Farm Dairies.

Heinz.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Heinz has relaunched its BBQ sauce range in the Top Down bottle format. The, labels of Original BBQ Sauce and the Hot 'n' Sizzling Sauce have also been redesigned.

Net-a-Porter.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Net-a-Porter, the upmarket fashion website, has appointed former European direct marketing manager for Boo.com Martin Bartle as its first head of marketing. He joined earlier this month.

McDonald.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... McDonald's has extended its global sponsorship of the Olympics until 2012.

Adidas.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Adidas has promoted UK head of non- athletic promotions Gary Aspden to head of global entertainment promotions.

Tesco.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Tesco is launching an own-label Fairtrade brand that will apply to 60 of its products. The brand has been developed in conjunction with the Fairtrade Foundation. The range includes flowers, orange juice, South African wine, cookies and coffee.

British Gas.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... British Gas is offering a two-year capped electricity tariff to all new and existing customers from March 1 for a limited period.

The Henley Centre.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Henley Centre has warned that gambling addiction could almost double in the UK following gambling industry deregulation.

Highland Spring returns to TV in 10m [pounds sterling] brand relaunch.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Bottled water Highland Spring is to invest 10m [pounds sterling] in marketing and a brand relaunch this year, including a return to television advertising for the first time in a decade. Highland Spring will stress its heritage as a natural...

Kia marketing chief quits.(News)(Kia Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Korean car manufacturer Kia is looking for a marketing director following Guy Jones' decision to leave the company after four years in the role. Jones, who is leaving immediately, is understood to have been unhappy with his long commute to...

ISBA rejects C4/Five 'merger': Channel 4's talks with Five trigger concern by advertising body over integrity of airtime sales market.(Advertising)
March 4, 2004... The Incorporated Society fur British Advertisers (ISBA) is to push for an Investigation by the competition authorities into the airtime sales market if Channel 4 and Five proceed to merge their sales houses. The state-owned broadcaster and...

Emirates reviews 3.3m [pounds sterling] UK brief.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Dubai-based airline Emirates is understood to be reviewing its 3.3m [pounds sterling] UK advertising account as it prepares for its next phase of expansion. The business is currently held by Emirates' long-standing agency HDM Total...

Time Products set to review Sekonda ads.(News)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Time Products UK is talking to agencies about reviewing the advertising for its Sekonda brand. The account is held by Campbell Doyle Dye (CDD). The decision is part of an overall brand assessment by Time Products UK managing director David...

The Australian Tourist Commission.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Australian Tourist Commission has shortlisted Grey London, TBWA/London, McCann-Erickon and Mustoes to pitch for its 3m [pounds sterling] European campaign. Incumbent Delaney Lund Knox Warren has declined to repitch.

Poulter Partners.(Digests)(National Bingo Game Association)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Poulter Partners has been appointed by the National Bingo Game Association to develop a 1.5m [pounds sterling] national sales promotion for the UK's largest bingo prize draw, which will also be supported by a 1.1m [pounds sterling] ad campaign...

BSkyB.(Digests)(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... BSkyB has shortlisted Mother, Farm, HHCL/Red Cell and Phillipson Ward Longworth Camponi, the incumbent, for its 5m [pounds sterling] Sky Bet account. The pitch is being handled by the AAR.

McCann-Erickson.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... McCann-Erickson has created a 2.5m [pounds sterling] radio and outdoor campaign for milk-based drink Nesquik. It positions the brand as an 'ideal' after-school drink and it will target mums with the strapline 'Happiness quick with tasty...

Abbott Mead Vickers. BBDO.(Digests)(Department for Transport)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Abbott Mead Vickers, BBDO has created a cinema campaign for the Department for Transport's Think! road safety campaign, which aims to encourage drivers to get into the habit of switching off their mobiles before driving. The ad breaks on March...

Leo Burnett.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Leo Burnett has created a TV and national press recruitment campaign for the Department of Health.

Agency Republic.(Digests)(Fantasie Lingerie)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Agency Republic has been appointed without a pitch to handle the creative account for Fantasie Lingerie. The agency will create a press and digital campaign that breaks in the spring. Fantasie is owned by Eveden, whose lingerie and swimwear...

The Office of Fair Trading.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Office of Fair Trading has started court proceedings against clothing retail chain The Officers Club, to prevent the publication of what it sees as misleading advertisements.

The Triangle Group.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Triangle Group is consolidating its services into a single below-the-line company under the Triangle brand. This will see Triangle Communications, Storm, Perceptor, and b-live merging. The only exception is brand experience company LIME.

WWAV Rapp Collins.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... WWAV Rapp Collins is carrying out a direct mail campaign for Oxfam, to highlight the work the charity does in combatting emergencies around the world. The pack will be mailed to almost 60,000 of Oxfam's current supporters.

Rapier.(Digests)(AA Motoring Trust)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Rapier has been appointed by independent campaigning charity the AA Motoring Trust. The agency's first work will be a full brand identity programme, including logo design.

Howe and Hill touted as Milligan successor at Five.(Media)(Mark Howe, Jerry Hill, Nick Milligan)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Mark Howe, managing director of television sales house IDS, and Jerry Hill, group chief executive at Initiative UK & Ireland, have been linked to the sales director role at Five. The position is vacant after Nick Milligan left for BSkyB to head...

Capital picks date for first Vaughan slot.(Media)(Capital Radio Group, Johnny Vaughan breakfast show)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Capital Radio Group is launching the Johnny Vaughan breakfast show, on 95.8 Capital FM, on April 19. Veteran DJ Chris Tarrant will end his 17-year reign as the host of London's most popular breakfast show on April 2. It is not clear...

UKTV ploughs 6m [pounds sterling] into radio ads.(Media)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... UKTV is shifting the bulk of its 6m [pounds sterling] advertising spend into radio to help it target multimedia consumers more effectively. The TV broadcaster, whose channels include UKTV Style, UKTV Gold and UKTV Food, will continue to...

Npower hires Vizeum for media business.(Media)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Utility company npower is understood to have appointed Vizeum to its 2m [pounds sterling] media planning and buying business. The agency is thought to have pitched against Walker Media and BLM Media. The review started last year when...

Record 9% share for outdoor medium.(Media)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Outdoor advertising is poised to post a record nine per cent of total advertising revenue for 2003. This figure is the medium's highest recorded share of advertising revenue and will mean the medium has achieved a one per cent growth year on...

Universal Studios names consumer marketing chief.(Media)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG) managing director Steve Manners is leaving to head Universal Studios' consumer products division. Manners takes up the position of vice-president Europe for consumer products at the film studio,...

Northern & Shell.(Digests)(Remnant Media )(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Northern & Shell, the parent company of Richard Desmond's Express Newspapers, has sold its stable of adult magazines, including Readers' Wives, to Remnant Media for an estimated 20m [pounds sterling]. Desmond has ruled out selling his Fantasy...

Starcom Digital.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Starcom Digital has been appointed to the 3m [pounds sterling] Money-net account after a three-way pitch. The agency will be handling all online media for the online financial aggregator.

Pearson.(Digests)(Financial Times Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Pearson, owner of the Financial Times, has reported a slump in advertising revenues of 15 per cent last year and an increase in operating losses from 23m [pounds sterling] to 32m [pounds sterling] at the newspaper. Pearson itself reported...

The International Olympic Committee.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The International Olympic Committee has opened the tendering process for the sale of the Olympic Broadcast Rights in Europe for the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games.

BT.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... BT has launched a basic high-speed broadband package, available for 19.99 [pounds sterling] a month, which is aimed at customers who are dial-up users or who are new to the internet.

The Partners Design Consultants.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Partners Design Consultants has designed the new logo for the Granada production company.

Hachette Filipacchi UK.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Hachette Filipacchi UK has appointed Cath Ware to be the commercial director for central sales, as part of a restructure of its ad team under the recently appointed sales director Tim Kirkman...

... HF-UK's Elle.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... ... HF-UK's Elle magazine has tailored a full-size 84-page special edition for one month, starting March 5 to be made available to Clinique and Warehouse customers.

Sci-Fi Channel.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Sci-Fi Channel has appointed Elizabeth Sheard to run its newly created brand solutions team. The former Virgin Radio Head of sponsorship will report to sales director Martin Heaton Cooper.

EasyGroup.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... EasyGroup is to bid for the Coronet Cinema in Notting Hill, which it aims to add to its easyCinema brand. Cinema exhibitor veteran Charles Wesoky has recently been appointed chief executive for easyCinema.

TalkSport.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... TalkSport, the national commercial station, has signed Seat UK as the sponsor of its Sports Performance of the month award. The sponsorship will also include an hour-long end-of-year show reviewing the year's best sporting performances.

Discovery Kids UK.(Digests)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Discovery Kids UK has launched a free game for interactive TV called Chomp, which allows viewers to continue to watch a programme while playing the game.

Mending the Mirror a tough task for Trinity: after a price-war bloodbath, the battered Daily Mirror is now trying to push through an increase. Is this wise, in the face of its relentlessly falling circulation figures?(Media Analysis)
March 4, 2004... In a bold and self-assured move, Trinity Mirror Group has announced a six per cent hike in the cover price of its flagship newspaper, the Daily Mirror, to 35p. It is a long way from the strategy adopted in 2002, when the tabloid instigated a...

If agencies want businesses' money, they must dance to business's tune: the threat of media commoditisation has been compounded by agencies' one-dimensional tactics. Tim Irwin sets out a manifesto for fighting back.(Media Comment)
March 4, 2004... You would have thought that marketing directors would be jumping over themselves to pay media agencies bigger fees. After all, media buying is a 12bn [pounds sterling], complex business and any wrong move can cost an advertiser dearly. Add to...

Sex, stores and the slow art of sales seduction.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... Enthusiasm for in-store media (MW last week) is fuelled by the view that 75 per cent of buying decisions are made in store. Of course, in-store positioning, presentation and, increasingly, advertising are important elements of sales and...

This relationship just isn't working.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... Sean Brierley's article (MW February 19) raises an interesting dilemma: who is responsible for changing customer behaviour in financial services--the customer of the provider? Perhaps the financial services problem is a little like our...

No need for pills under the pillow.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... It's always nice to see one of our campaigns featured in your magazine, especially when the subject is a heady mix of sex and government (MW February 19). However, as far as I'm aware, the Family Planning Association doesn't contend that "women...

Fisticuffs! How perfectly jolly ...(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... As a dyed-in-the-wool Cardiff City fan, I support Simon Ford's description of the majority of football fans as "modest... lovers of the game, sober... non-foulmouthed supporters" (MW February 5). I never cease to be impressed by the exemplary...

Anger at Consumers' Association demands: the Consumers' Association has issued a list of demands to the food industry and the Government. If they are not acted upon, a naming and shaming campaign will ensue.(News Analysis)
March 4, 2004... Clean up your actor face the consequences that is the ultimatum issued last week by the Consumers' Association (CA) to the Government and the food industry. The consumer watchdog is threatening to name and shame food manufacturers for...

The future's bright, but only if you care: the Brands Summit 2004 was dominated by companies talking of intensifying their emotional relationships with customers, and how marketing can help them to do this.(News Analysis)
March 4, 2004... Marketers at last week's Brands Summit 2004, backed by Marketing Week, revealed that they feel under more pressure than ever. Nervousness stalked the conference hall as the country's top marketing directors and consultants enumerated the list...

Reaching for the water margin: as carbonated drinks lose their fizz with health-conscious consumers, Coca-Cola is hoping an assault on the UK bottled water market will help it to achieve new vitality. But does its strategy hold water?(Cover Story)
March 4, 2004... Coca-Cola hopes to blast its way into the UK bottled water market with its Dasani brand, taking on established titans Danone Waters and Nestle Waters in what promises to be a huge water fight. Water pistols are no doubt at the ready as...

True colours on show at summit.(Diary)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... "Some guys have all the luck," sang Rod Stewart in 1984. And he should know. But he should have changed "guys" to "budget airlines", if the evidence of last week's Travel Summit 2004 is anything to go by. As the second day's session...

From Wombling free to corporate hospitality.(Diary)(services of Cavendish Sporting)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Corporate hospitality is a relentlessly innovative field, and agencies have to be on their toes when introducing new activities. So the Diary takes its hat off to Cavendish Sporting, which has topped the lot. The agency's online photo...

Curry king turns up heat on MW readers.(Diary)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Let no one say the Diary doesn't give its loyal readers anything. In this case, it could well a morning sat on the toilet bitterly regretting the night before, but it's the thought that counts. Actually, the Diary can't take all of the...

Don't spare the rod on a spoilt, childish industry: financial services companies seem to think the world owes them a living, no matter how irresponsibly they behave towards society.(Business)
March 4, 2004... Why is the financial services industry behaving like Harry Enfield's Kevin the Teenager? The Government and the public companies in which Kevin invests are, meanwhile, cast in the role of his luckless and endlessly patient parents. These...

Ignorance is no longer financial services bliss: the obsession in the financial services industry with attracting new business means that customer care and retention is largely ignored.(Marketing)
March 4, 2004... In 2002, the UK life industry spent 12bn [pounds sterling]-570 [pounds sterling] for every household in the country--on administration and new business acquisition. About 7bn [pounds sterling] of it more than 300 [pounds sterling] per household...

Enthusiastic for listless shopping: high disposable income, easy credit and alluring retail environments are allowing and encouraging British consumers to impulse-buy to an unprecedented degree.(Factfile)
March 4, 2004... Consumers are increasingly seeing shopping as a leisure pursuit, and this casual attitude to the high street has led to a significant rise in impulse buying. Planning and saving to make major purchases is becoming a thing of the past as...

Fortune favours the brave: many brand owners are fearful of radical change to their packaging, but often a major overhaul can unlock sales potential no one had realised was there.(Special report: design)
March 4, 2004... TS Eliot wrote: "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." Design is one area of marketing that offers great scope for creative solutions, yet many marketers are prepared to take a risk only if it's so...

Marketing's age concern: marketing is the domain of the young and vibrant, where the over-40s don't fit in. But this must change, and not just because EU law will force the pace.(Special report: training & development)
March 4, 2004... It's the most common form of prejudice, ranking ahead of race, sexual orientation, disability and gender. According to research commissioned by TMP Worldwide and The Guardian, one in seven of us has experienced it. Ageism manifests itself...

Ailing Auntie must decide which public she serves: the BBC should stop targeting its output at the lowest common denominator if it is to offer a genuine public service.(British Broadcasting Corporation )
March 4, 2004... In common with many an ageing auntie, the BBC is beginning to mislay things. First a chairman, then a director-general, then the boat race. Whatever next? Well, if the Conservative Party has its way she may find that her guaranteed income has...

Message from clients is media.(This Week)
March 11, 2004... Euro RSCG may have punched well below its weight in this year's Marketing Week Agency Reputations survey, which polls the biggest-spending clients, but it should take comfort from having acquired a prize pugilist--Ben Langdon--to front its...