Marketing articles from August 1990

Marketing archives from August 1990

Ford Drives Alone on Price
August 9, 1990... Ford drives alone on price Vauxhall and Rover are holding back on planned UK price rises in a move that leaves their arch-rival Ford isolated in the crucial August sales period. Ford, the established price leader in the UK car industry, has...

Clients stand by Yellowhammer. (advertising agency)
August 9, 1990... Clients stand by Yellowhammer Heavyweight advertisers including Barclays Bank and Fiat are professing faith in floundering ad group Yellowhammer as it called in the receivers this week. They, and fellow major clients Somerfield...

Holsten knocks comedian on head. (replacement sought for ad spokesman Griff Rhys Jones)
August 9, 1990... Holsten knocks comedian on head Holsten has launched a full-scale review of its 5m [pounds] Pils ad account after a year spent struggling with incumbent Gold Greenlees Trott (GGT) to produce a replacement for brand spokesman Griff Rhys...

Exodus hits FKB. (FKB Group loses 4 directors)
August 9, 1990... Exodus hits FKB Troubled marketing services group FKB has lost four directors and ten other staff in a walkout following last week's takeover by US giant Carlson Marketing Group. FKB Group subsidiary FKB London -- the UK's third largest...

Nintendo steps up price war.
August 9, 1990... Nintendo steps up price war A major price war has broken out in the 48m [pounds] video games market, with Nintendo set to slash the retail prices of two of its consoles in September. The move comes just months after rival Virgin...

Gulf Crisis Bites Hard: Fuel and Airline Tickets to Become Dearer in Wake of Kuwait Invasion
August 9, 1990... Fuel and airline tickets set to become dearer in wake of Kuwait invasion Gulf crisis bites hard UK firms looked on in horror this week as the Gulf crisis sent share prices tumbling and oil, petrol and airline prices soaring -- with the...

Lamb's Rum goes for laughs to woo young. (advertising campaign)
August 9, 1990... Lamb's Rum goes for laughs to woo young Alfred Lamb International is to revamp the image of its flagship brand, Lamb's Navy Rum, in a bid to target a younger audience and revive a static UK rum market. UK rum producer Alfred Lamb is to...

Thorn EMI plays safe. (Thorn Home Security marketing)
August 9, 1990... Thorn EMI plays safe Domestic appliance maker and retailer Thorn EMI is launching into the fragmented home security market with a new concept for a national high street and out-of-town chain. A new company, Thorn Home Security, set up...

The Rate at Which Sterling Enters the ERM Is the Best Indicator of the Chances of a Tory Win
August 9, 1990... The rate at which sterling enters the ERM is the best indicator of the chances of a Tory win Squeals from the CBI have filled the newspapers in recent weeks. The pound is too high! Interest rates are too high! Wage increases are too high! Crying...

Viewers are switched off by poor quality. (British television broadcasting)
August 9, 1990... NCC/MORI poll paints a bleak picture for the television industry Viewers are switched off by poor quality Television channels in the UK are not delivering the goods -- that is the bleak message for the TV industry in a new MORI study...

Hooper steps down to go back to basics. (John Hooper resigns as chairman of Clarke Hooper Consulting)
August 9, 1990... Hooper steps down to go back to basics John Hooper has stepped down as chairman of Clarke Hooper Consulting (CHC), the UK's second biggest sales promotion firm, in what he says is a personal attempt to "concentrate on product quality". ...

CDP Wires into Power Privatisation
August 9, 1990... CDP wires into power privatisation The Government has appointed advertising agency Collett Dickenson Pearce (CDP) to publicise the controversial flotation of electricity supply companies PowerGen and National Power. CDP won the account after a...

Reed Snaps Up Profitable Property Title at Bargain Price
August 9, 1990... Reed snaps up profitable property title at bargain price Publishing giant Reed International has bought the UK's biggest-earning business title Estates Gazette for two-thirds the price predicted -- a clear reflection on the sector's troubled ad...

'Ambush' Ads Irk Rivals: Anxious Advertisers Are Seeking Policing for Sponsorship Deals
August 9, 1990... Anxious advertisers are seeking policing for sponsorship deals `Ambush' ads irk rivals Concern among advertisers over the "ambushing" of television sponsorships by rival firms is leading to increased demand for policing of broadcast deals....

People Get Wise to Direct Mail
August 9, 1990... People get wise to direct mail Consumers are becoming more aware of the workings of the direct marketing industry and most people can tell the difference between "junk mail" and well-targeted material, says the Direct Mail Information Service...

DDM chief to launch own venture into quiet market. (David Barnes)
August 9, 1990... DDM chief to launch own venture into quiet market The chief of the UK's eighth biggest direct marketing firm has left to set up his own operation. DDM Advertising executive chairman David Barnes, who is not as yet disclosing the name of...

Pricing
August 9, 1990... MARKETING GUIDE: 18 PRICING Price, product, promotion. The greatest of these is price. It is also the least talked about and perhaps the least understood. Correct pricing decisions can be a matter of commercial life and death. Yet...

Back to the USSR
August 9, 1990... BACK TO THE USSR A populace with huge savings and little access to basic consumer goods--it is a marketing dream come true. But breaking into the Soviet market is proving extremely difficult for Western marketers. Paul Meller investigates The...

Rumbelow's Big Match
August 9, 1990... Rumbelows' big match Manchester United fan and Rumbelows commercial director Bill Cosgrove insists that his firm's move last week to sponsor the League Cup for 5m [pounds] is purely a commercial decision. Since the sponsorship was announced,...

To Compete Is to Co-Operate
August 9, 1990... To compete is to co-operate The prisoner has a dilemma. Squeal on your accomplice, he is told, and you will get off scot-free, while he is imprisoned for five years. Remain silent and you will go down for at least two years. Of course, your...

Performance Art: A Product Launch Can Speak Volumes about a Company and Its Image
August 9, 1990... PERFORMANCE ART A product launch in days of old was just that: the opportunity for a company to show how clever it was in producing a new brand or line extension which would clean up. In the 90s, however, a product launch has to say as much about...

The Age of the Country House Hotel as a Conference Centre Is Fast Approaching
August 9, 1990... COUNTRY PURSUIT The age of the country house hotel as a conference centre is fast approaching. But what actually makes for a successful venue? John Hooker finds out Country house hotels are growing in popularity as venues for conferences and...

Lineker Joins Premier Division
August 2, 1990... Lineker joins Premier division England soccer hero Gary Lineker is to be drafted in to revive instant food drink Cadbury's Chocolate Break in his UK advertising debut this autumn. And Lineker, the clean-cut World Cup and Spurs star popular...

Squabbling Video Firms Put 10m Pounds Sterling Satellite Battle Plans at Risk
August 2, 1990... Squabbling video firms put 10m [pounds] satellite battle plans at risk A plan to unite video retailers and distributors behind a campaign to push video's superiority over satellite TV looks set to collapse amid persistent industry in-fighting. ...

Sales plummet for Smash Hits. (teen music magazine)
August 2, 1990... Sales plummet for Smash Hits Sales for EMAP Metro's fortnightly teen music title Smash Hits have nosedived by almost 30%, according to latest Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) figures. But EMAP strongly denies that the magazine's sales...

Marketers flout calls for unity. (Great Britain)
August 2, 1990... Marketers flout call for unity Some 40% of the UK's top marketers think EC ad restrictions should be harmonised, despite a fierce struggle by bodies such as the Advertising Association (AA) to prevent it. This week's exclusive Marketing...

BACS opts to stay with Colman in direct debit push. (Bankers Automated Clearing Services)
August 2, 1990... BACS opts to stay with Colman in direct debit push Bankers Automated Clearing Services (BACS) has reappointed incumbent ad agency Colman RSCG to handle a multi-million pound campaign to push direct debiting as a banking service. The...

Ferguson Changes Key
August 2, 1990... Ferguson changes key Consumer electronics company Ferguson is to enlist trendy violinist Nigel Kennedy as brand spokesman as it seeks to exploit the growth of the sound-conscious buyer of televisions and video recorders. The move marks a...

Turtles' fast food link. (Burger King Inc. Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles sales promotion)
August 2, 1990... Turtles' fast food link The UK's third biggest fast food chain Burger King will this week launch the first sales promotion between a high street retailer and the best-selling toy and cartoon, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. David Richards,...

Burgers stay cool as pizza sales sizzle. (Great Britain)
August 2, 1990... Burgers stay cool as pizza sales sizzle The UK pizza market is booming and its increased share of fast food sales has forced the burger chains to diversify to remain stable, according to a new Euromonitor report. Pizza outlets now...

Concern over Environmental Issues Won't Stop the UK from Remaining a Wasteful Society
August 2, 1990... Concern over environmental issues won't stop the UK from remaining a wasteful society In the 80s, more than any other decade, UK society was in a "throwaway" mood. Consumer markets proliferated with things disposable, from cameras to watches,...

HEA takes food to heart. (Great Britain Health Education Authority 'Look After Your Heart' campaign)
August 2, 1990... HEA takes food to heart The Health Education Authority (HEA) is to more than triple the advertising budget for its "Look After Your Heart" campaign in an effort to persuade all adults to cut down their fat consumption. The drive to...

Reader's Digest Bids for Magazine Spread; Reader's Digest UK Emulates US Parent with Expansion Plans
August 2, 1990... Reader's Digest bids for magazine spread The UK's largest direct mail company Reader's Digest has signalled its desire to expand into magazine and book publishing. The firm is best known for publishing Reader's Digest, the country's biggest...

Phonepoint boss aims to lift industry's image. (Roger Best )
August 2, 1990... Phonepoint boss aims to lift industry's image The new managing director of telepoint operator Phonepoint has condemned marketing within the embryonic portable phone sector as "muddled" and lacking in focus - just days into his new job. ...

Vax Switches Agency to Clean Up Its Act
August 2, 1990... Vax switches agency to clean up its act Market-leading vacuum cleaner maker Vax Appliances has appointed agency WCRS MM to its [pounds] 4m account as it pulls away from a drive up-market launched just five months ago. The ten-year-old, 100m...

Brands Fail to Shake Ties with Celebrities; Consumers Link Celebrities with Brands for Which They No Longer Star
August 2, 1990... Brands fail to shake ties with celebrities The most powerful links between a brand and a celebrity must demonstrate strong synergy. But it can be an uphill battle when the time comes to shake the partnership from consumers' minds. Two out of...

Gillette's Sharp Deal in Europe
August 2, 1990... Gillette's sharp deal in Europe Italian media magnate Silvio Berlusconi has struck the first "pan-European" discount deal for television airtime with Gillette. The deal, negotiated through Central and Anglia Television's airtime sales house...

Satellite dishes flawed: Sky and BSB hit by hardware problems just before their autumn push. (Sky Television, British Satellite Broadcasting)
August 2, 1990... Satellite dishes flawed Sky Television and BSB have been struck by hardware problems on the eve of the satellite industry's main autumn selling push. Retailers say the high-tech BSB receivers manufactured by Philips, Ferguson, ITT-Nokia...

Top firms lose in mail awards. (direct mail advertising awards run by Royal Mail)
August 2, 1990... Top firms lose in mail awards The UK's top direct marketers are in shock this week after failing to figure in a prestigious new direct mail award run by the Royal Mail. Two of the winning campaigns in the Royal Mail Quality charter...

Clark attacks SPCA over PR question. (Eric Clark, Sales Promotion Consultants' Association)
August 2, 1990... Clark attacks SPCA over PR question The chairman of the Bentley Clark Consultancy has withdrawn from next year's committee of the Sales Promotion Consultants' Association (SPCA), dealing another blow to the fledgling trade group's unity and...

Kicking Up a Stink
August 2, 1990... Kicking up a stink Legacies always have a catch - according to Hollywood convention, and, sometimes, in real life too. Henry Kleiman inherited a family business, and a family curse came with it. "My grandfather was a tanner in Russia. He jumped...

Time to crack code on sponsors. (television sponsorship, Great Britain) (editorial)
August 2, 1990... Time to crack code on sponsors Michael Grade, chief executive of Channel 4, waded into an old debate last week with a strongly worded argument on the dangers of TV sponsorship. The key issue, according to Grade, is ensuring that strict...

Refreshing del Monte: Consumers' Loss of Appetite for Tinned Fruit Has Put a Chill on del Monte's Core Business. but without New Products the Heat Will Be On
August 2, 1990... REFRESHING DEL MONTE Tinned fruit is not frequently regarded as the stuff of romance. But take tropical heat, an elderly gent in a white suit and panama and an unshakable faith in your quality control, and even tinned fruit can assume a brand...

Where There's Smoke
August 2, 1990... WHERE THERE'S SMOKE We are all familiar with the idea of press freedom. Pressure groups have warned us of such dangers as the revamped Official Secrets Act or the Calcutt Report. But freedom of commercial speech is unfamiliar - and unpopular -...

The Big Shoot: Photographer Adam Hinton Goes on Location as Abbey National, a Leading AV Client, Sets out to Make a Mould-Breaking Corporate Video
August 2, 1990... THE BIG SHOOT When the Abbey National financial services group went public last year, it wasn't just the headed notepaper that became out of date overnight. A new corporate video became an urgent priority. "A corporate video is a very hard...

Vision Hire: So Vital Has Audio-Visual Technology Become That a Firm's Approach to Hiring Equipment Can Mean the Success or Failure of a Presentation
August 2, 1990... VISION HIRE Audio visual (AV) equipment is vital to effective presentation although it accounts for only a tiny part of the total expenditure. Hiring equipment straight from suppliers has always been an option, one which gains popularity as...