Marketing articles from April 2001

Marketing archives from April 2001

Reuters extends brand with trial of internet cafes.(Refresh)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Reuters is to launch an internet cafe brand called Refresh, and is in talks with agencies about a marketing campaign. The global information provider will unveil the first Refresh cafe on Fleet Street, next to the Reuters corporate HQ,...

Bertolli [pound]30m global job goes to BBH.(Unilever Bestfoods appointed Bartle Bogle Hegarty to advertise Bertolli oliv oil)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Unilever Bestfoods has handed the international ad account for Italian olive oil brand Bertolli to Bartle Bogle Hegarty, as it looks to launch the product as a global brand. BBH won the work, which is thought to be worth more than...

BT Cellnet in [pound]4m deal to sponsor new Big Brother.(BT Cellnet signed contract with Channel 4)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 26, 2001... BT Cellnet is poised to sign a [pound]4m deal with Channel 4 to sponsor the second series of Big Brother. The deal is expected to be finalised within the next two weeks, ahead of the new series, which is due to run this summer. The...

G14 football clubs seek united brand.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... G14, the lobby group setup by Europe's top football clubs, is in talks with agencies about a brand identity project that could see the clubs attempt joint commercial opportunities and move them closer to the formation of a European Super...

Blockbuster fills top UK post with Mothercare man.(Stephen Foulser)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Blockbuster has appointed former Mothercare marketing chief Stephen Foulser as its third UK marketing director in less than a year. Foulser joined the home entertainment retailer earlier this month, following a year as marketing director...

ITV mega-brand poses threat to agency roster.(Independent Television marketing restructure)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... ITV could call a full-scale review of its advertising as it puts the finishing touches to its plans to create a mega-brand. Confirmation of ITV's radical restructure was expected as Marketing went to press, with ONdigital chief executive...

Homebase's marketing director Tim James.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Homebase's marketing director Tim James is moving into a new role as trading director. Andrea Preducov, head of brand marketing, will take over as chief marketer at the DIY retailer.

Virgin Mobile is set to sponsor the fictional football team.(Striker cartoon strip)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Virgin Mobile is set to sponsor the fictional football team in Striker, the Sun's football-themed cartoon strip. Manning Gottlieb Media engineered the deal with News International. Striker's storyline will see the team sign a sponsorship deal...

Hyundai Car UK has hired Coca-Cola marketer Paul Sugden.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Hyundai Car UK has hired Coca-Cola marketer Paul Sugden to fill the new position of brand communications manager, reporting to marketing director Jonathan Spence. At Coke, Sugden spent eight years in a variety of marketing roles in Africa,...

The Spanish Embassy's commercial office.(Focus PR to promote Spanish wines)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The Spanish Embassy's commercial office has appointed Focus PR to handle a PR and advertising campaign designed to improve the image of Spanish wines in the UK, following a competitive pitch.

Car hire firm Avis.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Car hire firm Avis is understood to be making more than 80 redundancies, including an unknown number in its marketing department. The company said that most of the cuts were being made through voluntary redundancies and unfilled vacancies.

Ericsson has formed a joint venture with Sony.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Ericsson has formed a joint venture with Sony in a bid to revitalise its loss-making mobile phone operation. The joint venture, called Sony Ericsson, is expected to put Ericsson, which last week laid off 10,000 staff, in a more competitive...

ITV is to invest [pound]750m in its network programmes in 2001.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... ITV is to invest [pound]750m in its network programmes in 2001, according to its Statement of Programme Policy, published yesterday (Tuesday). The channel will show one-and-a-half hours of current affairs programmes including Tonight With...

The Carphone Warehouse has promoted Jonathan Hook.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The Carphone Warehouse has promoted Jonathan Hook, its UK marketing chief, to the new role of sales and marketing director, while head of PR Tristia Clarke takes charge of the brand's above-the-line advertising as head of communications.

Online utility supplier Servista has hired NTL head.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Online utility supplier Servista has hired NTL head of customer communications Robin Melvin to fill the new position of vice-president of marketing. Desiree Maghoo, Servista's marketing manager, becomes vice-president, communication and brand...

Laura Ashley, the British clothing and home furnishings chain.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Laura Ashley, the British clothing and home furnishings chain, has announced annual pre-tax profits of [pound]10.2m, compared with a loss of [pound]4.1m last year. The company is attributing the result to strong home furnishings sales,...

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA).(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has expressed disappointment at Consignia's request to the new postal regulator for permission to increase prices for a range of services. DMA director of development and postal affairs David Robottom...

The Advertising Standards Authority's 2000 Annual Report.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The Advertising Standards Authority's 2000 Annual Report, published today (Wednesday), reveals the watchdog received 12,262 complaints last year. YSL, Gossard, Smirnoff Ice, Virgin Interactive Entertainment and Red Square were all ordered to...

Media evaluation services company Media Audits.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Media evaluation services company Media Audits, TV company Celador and corporate identity consultancy Henrion, Ludlow & Schmidt have each won a Queen's Award for Enterprise.

Ford Motor Company has named Rich Stoddart.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Ford Motor Company has named Rich Stoddart as its global marketing communications manager for its Ford division. Ford poached Stoddart from Fallon Worldwide Advertising in Minneapolis, where he was director of account management.

Bass ale brand Caffrey's has signed a six-figure deal.(British Lions rugby tour sponsorship deal)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Bass ale brand Caffrey's has signed a six-figure deal to become the first beer sponsor of a British Lions rugby union tour. Caffrey's joins NTL, Adidas and Zurich Financial Services as major commercial partners of the team's summer tour.

Mitsubishi finds marketing chief at Ford.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Mitsubishi Motors UK's marketing general manager, Philip Price, has left the car-marker and is to be replaced by Ford marketer Darren Holiness. Mitsubishi refused to say whether Price, who could not be contacted, had another job to go...

Coca-Cola GB in [pound]30m 'local' ads.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Coca-Cola GB has unveiled the first work created under its 'Think local, act local' advertising strategy, with five new UK campaigns adding up to a combined spend of [pound]30m. The new Coca-Cola campaign, which has been created by...

Confetti.co.uk to add financial offering.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Confetti.co.uk, the online wedding and special occasions planner and catalogue retailer, is to expand into the financial services market, offering tailored packages of loans and insurance to newly-weds. Confetti is in talks with a number...

Ben & Jerry's top marketer leaves following buyout.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Ben & Jerry's most senior marketer, Ian Hills, has left the ethical ice-cream business following its full integration into the Unilever empire. Hills, who joined just over two years ago as group brand manager and later became marketing...

Sony PlayStation to back Ascar in one-season deal.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Ascar, the stock car racing series that launches in the UK next month, has signed Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation brand as an event sponsor in a one-season deal. PlayStation will feature on all Ascar cars and drivers in the...

Diageo Signs Partners for SMS Listings Launch
April 26, 2001... Diageo has created a text messaging service called Nightfly, which brands can use to target the youth market. This follows its first move into media ownership last year, when it installed plasma screens in pubs. The drinks giant, which has...

Independent marketing chief exits.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Trish Wadley, marketing director of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, has resigned suddenly after just six months in the job. Wadley is not thought to have a job to go to. Neither she nor Independent commercial director...

Carling doubles TV adspend as footy deal ends.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Bass Brewers is planning to double its TV adspend for best-selling lager Caning this year and to treble it next year as compensation for the end of its Premier League football sponsorship. Bass plans to spend [pound]88.5m marketing its...

Co-op Bank boss resigns to set up software venture.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The Co-operative Bank's marketing chief, David Conway, has left after little more than a year in the job to set up his own company. Conway's role, which he occupied from December 1999, will be split between director of personal business...

Brittany Ferries in rethink of [pound]5m advertising task.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Brittany Ferries is to review its through-the-line advertising brief, estimated to be worth [pound]5m, as the company tries to fend off challenges from P&O and Eurotunnel. Banks Hoggins O'Shea FCB has handled the account since August...

St Luke's founder quits for role with Discovery Europe.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... David Abraham, the joint-owner and joint-founder of maverick ad agency St Luke's, unexpectedly quit last week to join Discovery Networks Europe (DNE) as general manager. Abraham, 38, will be responsible for PR, marketing and programming,...

Pret A Manger to hunt first UK boss amid expansion.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Pret A Manger, the UK sandwich chain that recently sold a 25% stake to US burger giant McDonald's, is seeking to fill the new post of head of UK marketing, as its marketing director focuses on international expansion. Morag McCay, who...

Olympus aims at youth with i-snap.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Olympus, the camera maker, is making its first venture into the youth market with the launch of a colourful kids' camera, the i-snap. The company will also work to build a network of 'brand ambassadors' for its digital range drawn from...

Halfords Hands Key Job to Auto Business Chief
April 26, 2001... Halfords has shifted Carol Harvey, general manager of its auto specialist business division, into the role of head of marketing, prior to the rollout of a new stores format that will target younger, higher-spending customers. Reporting to...

Vivid hires Focus on Kids for [pound]3m toys ad account.(Vivid Imaginations)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 26, 2001... Vivid Imaginations, the UK's third-biggest toy company behind Hasbro and Mattel, has hired specialist toy marketing agency Focus on Kids to handle its creative account and Media Vest Manchester to work on its media business. Vivid, which...

Former BBC Two man takes reins at Music Choice.(Simon Bell )(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Music Choice, the digital audio broadcaster, has hired former BBC Two marketing chief Simon Bell as its marketing director. Bell joins from FT.com, where he has been interim marketing director since December. Prior to FT.com, he spent six...

RSPB marketing director to leave after eight years.(Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Frances Hurst)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 26, 2001... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity, is seeking a marketing director following the resignation of incumbent Frances Hurst. Hurst, 42, is to leave in June to go travelling...

ONdigital Chief Prebble Moves to Top Role at ITV
April 26, 2001... Advertisers have given cautious welcome to the news that ONdigital chief executive Stuart Prebble is to be the new ITV chief executive. An announcement confirming Prebble's appointment to head a newly designed ITV platform comprising...

F1 'would suffer' it tobacco withdraws.(tobacco sponsorhips of Formula One racing)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... A top Formula One executive has warned that if tobacco sponsorship is withdrawn, teams will find it harder than expected to replace the money they will lose. Jaguar Racing chief executive Bobby Rahal, whose team includes HSBC and Beck's...

Foot and mouth fails to dent UK's carnivorous urge.(survey shows that adults in United Kingdom have not been put off buying British meat)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 26, 2001... Most UK adults have not been put off buying British meat by the foot and mouth outbreak, says research by Taylor Nelson Sofres. When asked "Are you less likely to consider buying and eating British meat as a result of the foot and mouth...

The Marketing Society.(appoints Claire Watson director general)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The Marketing Society has appointed Claire Watson as director general on an interim basis when Mike Detsiny leaves for the CIM at the end of this month. Watson has been managing director of the Brand Union for the past three years. Prior to...

BDO Stoy Hayward.(selects RZed and Drama)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 26, 2001... BDO Stoy Hayward, the accountancy firm, has selected RZed and Drama to handle creative and media buying respectively for a [pound]750,000 radio and press campaign. The national campaign features four 40-second radio ads with the voices of TV...

FIFA.(Intertnational Federation of Association Football creates independent marketing company)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... FIFA has created its own independent marketing company following ISL's bankruptcy. The marketing rights to the next World Cup are poised to revert to the firm. Fifa Marketing AG, if ISL cannot fulfil its commitments. ISL is reported to have...

Bluewater.(Kent megamall hires Banks Hoggins O'Shea\FCB for TV ad campaign)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Bluewater, the Kent megamall, has added a new instalment to its TV ad campaign by Banks Hoggins O'Shea\FCB. The ad opens on a red screen set against city sounds. The screen changes to orange, purple, and then to blue as a voiceover asks "What...

Fitch.(Fitch and Company Design Consultants PLC hires Elizabeth Malcolm)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Fitch, the brand and design consultancy, has hired Elizabeth Malcolm, director of marketing services at interactive media firm march First, as client director.

Fuller.(London Pride ale promotion)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Fuller's is offering commuters free samples of its flagship London Pride brand at rail stations for two days in early May as part of the biggest ever marketing drive for the ale. Its 'Whatever You Do, Take Pride' campaign will run for two...

Peter Bonnici.(joins Addison)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Peter Bonnici, founder of independent consultancy Good Company, has joined branding and marketing communications agency Addison, part of the WPP Group, as director of creative strategy.

UEFA.(Union of European Football Associations shakes up Champions' League)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... UEFA, Europe's football governing body, is planning to shake up the format of the Champions' League because of falling viewing figures. The body's director of professional football and marketing, LarsChrister Olsson, said UEFA would also look...

Hewlett-Packard.(television ad axed)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Hewlett-Packard has axed a TV ad that showed Finnish children pelting a tram with snowballs after using their mobile phones to determine when it would be passing their houses. The Publicis-created ad inspired British children to pelt trains...

Marketing Society Fellow Desmond Cracknell.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 26, 2001... Marketing Society Fellow Desmond Cracknell, who introduced food brokerage to the UK, has died aged 75 after a long illness. Cracknell set up Food Brokers, which introduced Pringles, Green Giant, Ferrero Rocher and Dr Pepper to the UK, and...

Charles and Maurice Saatchi, Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Lord Sainsbury.(The Sunday Times Rich List 2001)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Charles and Maurice Saatchi, Stelios Haji-loannou and Lord Sainsbury have seen their fortunes increase over the past year, but Sir Richard Branson, FCUK founder Stephen Marks and Sir Martin Sorrell are getting poorer, according to The Sunday...

S4C International.(adverts to be dubbed into Welsh)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... S4C lnternational, the Welsh television channel, is offering advertisers the chance to have their ads dubbed into Welsh for free. For a limited period the channel is giving the service to companies that sign up for at least 12...

Marketing Spend Grows but Pace Slows
April 26, 2001... Growth in marketing spend belies tears of a recession. Matthew Arnold reports on the IPA's first-quarter Bellwether Report The big 'r' word may be on many marketers' lips but so far, at least, talk of a full-blown recession appears premature,...

TalkSPORT driver set to swap name for sponsor.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... A talkSPORT-sponsored driver in this year's British Touring Car Championship is to change his name by deed poll to Nick Talksport, in the radio station's latest stunt designed to wind up the BBC. All 18 races in the six-month season,...

Capital Radio set to broadcast live from Hoverspeed.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Cross-channel ferry operator Hoverspeed has teamed up with Capital Radio to host two live radio broadcasts from Hoverspeed ferries while crossing the English Channel. The broadcasts are an extension of a nine-month deal that has seen the...

Daily Telegraph shifts to TV advertising.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 26, 2001... The Daily Telegraph is bucking the trend away from TV advertising by moving its marketing spend for 2001 into ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and away from outdoor and print. The Telegraph Group marketing director Mark Dixon has an annual...

ONdigital.(lastminute.com)(promotion of ONdigital)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... ONdigital has signed a deal with online shopping and entertainment web site lastminute.com to promote its internet-on-TV service ONnet as a standalone product for the first time. Until now, ONnet has only been available in conjunction with...

Radio First.(Bamber Forsyth to manage marketing for The Fan Network)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Radio First has appointed brand consultancy Bamber Forsyth to design its corporate brand and handle positioning of The Fan Network, its group of eight regional digital radio stations. Each station is a joint venture company with a leading...

MTV.(launch of new dance channel in U.K.)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... MTV has launched a channel dedicated to dance music and club culture, entitled MTV Dance. The channel is available on Sky Digital to 5.1 million homes from this week. The launch takes the number of channels in the UK to seven and underlines...

Practical Photography.(Market Link Publishing invests in launch of new magazine)(Photography Monthly)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Practical Photography's former staff are reported to be planning to launch a rival title named Photography Monthly. The team from the Emap title, including former editor Dan Lezano, are believed to have secured backing from Market Link...

Fusion Radio Group.(seeks sponsor)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Fusion Radio Group is seeking a sponsor for its new national Sunday chart show billed as a rival to the BBC's Pepsi Chart Show. The new three-hour weekly chart show is being developed to air on over 60 local commercial stations which, due to...

Airport Express.(magazine publishing contract)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Airport Express, the trading marketing alliance for the Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted rail-air links is inviting contract publishers to pitch for its on-train customer magazine. The alliance produces a magazine for all three services, but is...

McVitie.(Cartoon Network)(Mviva)(advertising promotion)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... McVitie's has teamed up with Cartoon Network to promote Flipper Dipper, a new variant of the Penguin biscuit. The deal includes on-air spots, a full-page ad in the May edition of Cartoon Network comic, and a WAP promotion through Mviva.

The National Magazine Company.(launches Cosmo Girl)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The National Magazine Company has ended months of speculation about the future of its Cosmopolitan spin-off Cosmo Girl, by announcing that it will launch on September 20. The magazine, to be edited by Celia Duncan, is being positioned as the...

The Peugeot Dealer.(review of Universal McCann Manchester contract)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... The Peugeot Dealer network is believed to be reviewing its [pound]200,000 media business out of Universal McCann Manchester. The decision follows last year's media review by Peugeot Citroen which saw its [pound]78m media account move from...

MEDIA CHOICE/THE OBSERVER FOOD.(review of Food Monthly newspaper supplement)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Fran Cassidy Director of marketing, Carlton Sales The prospect of Observer's Food Monthly and Nigel Slater's editorship of 60-plus pages of perfectly chopped and diced prose left my salivary glands working overtime in anticipation....

Selfridges.(appoints Good Technology to create a microsite)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Selfridges has appointed Good Technology to create a microsite promoting Tokyo Life, a Japanese culture festival that will run in its London and Manchester stores during May. The brief is to give consumers an initial taste of the promotion,...

Flextech Television.(web site for teens created by Aerodeon)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Flextech Television is launching a competition on its teen Channel, Trouble TV, which viewers can enter via text messaging. Viewers register on the web site at trouble.co.uk, where they receive a code to text in to Trouble whenever a 'Text...

Zinc.(interactive agency appointments)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Zinc, the interactive agency, has appointed Paul Hancock as technical architect and Ian Stephenson as senior developer. Hancock joins from Grey Interactive TV; Stephenson from Grey Interactive UK. Both will report to Ed Freed, Zinc's IT...

Criterion Software.(AsylumNet to develop web site)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Criterion Software, the Canon-owned games software developer, has appointed AsylumNet to develop a new brand identity and web site. The site, at csl.com, will be used to tie-in Criterion's company brand with its games, including Trickstyle...

Tripledash.(appointment, Bridget McNeill)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Tripledash, the broadband content specialist, has appointed Bridget McNeill as a senior project manager, to work on MTV Live's account. She joins from OVEN digital, where she was an interactive TV consultant. The agency has also appointed Guy...

Paul Simon.(former co-founder of Independent Digital launches Isaiah Consulting)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Paul Simon, the former commercial and marketing director at Independent Digital, is launching his own digital asset consultancy, Isaiah Consulting. Simon co-launched Independent Digital in 1999.

Grey Interactive.(digital advertising agency, layoffs)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Grey Interactive, the digital agency owned by Grey Advertising, has laid off 19 staff, bringing its workforce down to just 50. Chief executive officer Brian Lee has also resigned as part of the cuts and will be replaced by president and chief...

IPC Media.(advertising contract with Profero)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... IPC Media has strengthened its relationship with interactive advertising agency Profero by handing it a year-long contract to work on several new projects. Profero has previously worked for IPC on NME.com, unmissabletv.com and BeMe.com.

Ipoints.(internet rewards programme links with Which?Online)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Ipoints, the internet rewards programme, has linked with Which? Online to offer ipoints to 1500 Which? web traders. The web traders, who are merchants that subscribe to Which? Online's good e-commerce practices, will be able to offer their...

J-Phone Group.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... J-Phone Group, the Japanese mobile operator, is launching an independent mobile advertising company, J-Mobile Communications. The company will handle mobile advertising solutions for J-Phone's mobile internet service, J-Sky. It will offer...

Dulux creates web site for 'virtual decorating'.(ICI Paints new web site created by Extraprise)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... ICI Paints has unveiled a new web site for its Dulux brand that allows consumers to experiment with paint colours online, using a 'virtual decorating' tool. The site, dulux.co.uk, was created by e-services consultancy Extraprise, which...

Momentum plans 'text message' buzz.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Momentum Pictures is to launch a major text messaging marketing push this summer to promote teen movie Get Over It, in what is claimed to be the first interactive SMS campaign used to market a film pre-release. The interactive campaign...

NEW MEDIA CHOICE/FULHAM.CO.UK.(British football club web site)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Matthew Kelleher, General manager, Claritas Interactive Site: fulhamfc.co.uk This site is a passion turned into a career. Paul Thorpe, internet manager at FFC, began the web site from home many years ago. The Fulham Independent (TFI)...

Zed unveils two sites to promote text information.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2001... Zed, the mobile phone information service, has launched two microsites to support its 'Can U Say Yes?' promotion, which asks users whether they are impulsive enough to drop everything and go on an adventure break. Zedsocial provides...

Whither the Music Industry Now That We Have the Web?
April 26, 2001... The music gives breaks to anyone except itself I lead a double life. By day, I am interaction director for Leonardo, but by night I strap on a bass guitar, and morph into a musician. When acquaintances discover this, the first question they...

Foot and Mouth Outbreak Drives Interest in Government Web Sites
April 26, 2001... British government sites have experienced a surge in popularity with people accessing the web from home in the past six months. The government category has increased its reach of the UK at home internet population by almost 10% since October,...

WEBWATCH.(UK government web sites usage)(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
April 26, 2001... WEBWATCH The weekly analysis of UK at-home internet usage sponsored by freeserve Top ten UK...