Marketing articles from December 2004

Marketing archives from December 2004

ITV appoints Salmon to marketing director role.(Clare Salmon)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... ITV has wrapped up its five-month search to replace marketing director Jim Hytner by appointing former AA Financial Services chief Clare Salmon. ITV had expected to name Hytner's successor a month ago from a shortlist of three, which...

Siemens tipped to land Chelsea FC sponsorship.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Siemens Mobile is primed to become the new sponsor of Chelsea Football Club, with a multimillion-pound deal set to be signed in the next few weeks. Marketing has learned that Chelsea business affairs director Paul Smith has held extensive...

Courts collapse ends pounds 20m pitch.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Courts, the furniture retailer, has gone into administration, bringing a dramatic end to the review of its pounds 20m advertising account. M&C Saatchi, HHCL Red Cell and Grey London were expected to pitch for the account in January after...

Honda develops interactive TV link to dealerships.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Honda is seeking to revolutionise customer contact with car showrooms by piloting an interactive ad that enables prospective car buyers to speak directly to dealerships via TV. The Japanese car marque plans to roll out the next-generation...

Sainsbury's to introduce first 'traffic light' labels.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Sainsbury's will be the first of the 'big four' supermarkets to launch 'traffic light' healthy-eating labelling in January, defying the Food Standards Agency's calls for a unified approach by retailers and manufacturers. The FSA unveiled...

CondeNet hands web brief to Zed.(Zed Media)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... CondeNet, the internet arm of magazine publishing house Conde Nast, has appointed Zed Media to build the profile of its Vogue.com, GQ.com. Glamour.com and CNTraveller.com brands. It is the publisher's first appointment of a media agency and...

New campaign: Lucozade Sport.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... England international and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been signed as the new face of Lucozade Sport. The 24-year-old will front an ad campaign breaking early next year, to be created by M&C Saatchi. Gerrard is the latest in a line of...

Nightclub brand hunts partners.(Jonathan Shalit)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Jonathan Shalit, the music promoter who manages Jamelia, is launching a nightclub brand that will give major consumer brands the opportunity to target the teen market. The Club, which is being launched next Easter, will run 18 UK-wide...

Debenhams to integrate work.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Debenhams is to increase its marketing spend by up to 10% next year as it develops a strategy to co-ordinate promotional activity from ads to window displays. Head of marketing Alison Jones told Marketing that in the past the store's brand...

Adidas develops MTV programme.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Adidas is increasing its commitment to advertiser-funded programming (AFP) with a branded series on MTV starring footballers Jermain Defoe, Ashley Cole, Carlton Cole and David Bentley. Created by Stream, the content arm of TBWA\London,...

Farley's creates baby snack line.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Heinz is to extend its Farley's brand beyond rusks into snacks for babies. Products in development include Mini Cheese Biscuits, Mini Fruit Bears and Fruity Cereal Bars, all under the Farley's label. The snacks are aimed at toddlers...

FA forced to delay commercial strategy review.(Football Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Football Association's new chief executive Brian Barwick is not expected to review the organisation's commercial strategy until next summer at the earliest. Barwick, who was appointed last week, will be unable to look at the FA's...

VisitBritain seeks brand partners to aid targeting.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... VisitBritain is creating a series of marketing alliances with major brands to improve the promotion of the nation's tourist attractions to specific audiences. VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright told Marketing that he intends to set up...

LG ploughs pounds 8m into London blitz.(LG Electronics )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... LG Electronics is to use key London landmarks this Christmas in its biggest ever UK brand campaign. The Korean electronics company has allocated more than pounds 8m to the promotional drive, which will include sponsorship of the ice rink at...

AOL to restructure marketing as director departs.(AOL UK)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Sharon Lang, vice-president of marketing at AOL UK, is to quit the company in the new year, sparking a restructure of its marketing department. Lang, who has been in the role since 2001, is to return to consultancy from the end of...

ABTA Convention: Travel agents identify loyal 15%.(Association of British Travel Agents )
December 1, 2004... Daniel Rogers reports from the ABTA convention in Orlando, Florida, on the developments affecting UK travel brands. Fifteen per cent of British holidaymakers have never flown with a no-frills airline, while another 15% claim that they never...

ABTA Convention: Orlando plots UK television debut.(Orlando Tourism Bureau)(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Orlando, host city to this year's ABTA convention, is to run its first UK terrestrial TV ads in 2005 to make it a more 'aspirational' destination. UK tourism to the home of Disney World remains below 2000 levels. But the Orlando Tourism...

ABTA Convention: TUI to make half sales online by 2008.
December 1, 2004... TUI Thomson, the UK's biggest holiday company, claims that more than half its revenue will be generated online by 2008, revolutionising the way it operates. Despite its 600-strong chain of high-street shops, TUI has emerged as the UK's...

ABTA Convention: MyTravel creates cruise business.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... UK holiday firm MyTravel is to set up a retail cruise operation, its first major brand launch in two years. The Cruise Store, which aims to grab 7% of the booming UK cruise market in its first year, will be headed by Gary Wardrope, who has...

PlayStation aims at adults online.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Sony PlayStation is targeting adults with an online TV channel to promote its PS2 console. Fourtwentyfive TV (www. fourtwentyfive.tv), which will be available from 4:25pm for 10 minutes a day during December, will feature PlayStation brand...

Speedo signs as GB Swimming sponsor.(Great Britain)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Speedo will become the official sponsor of British Swimming from January in a four-year deal that will build the brand's associations with grass-roots sport. The swimwear company claims its status as official kit supplier to the sport's...

News brief: BVHE to review trade marketing account.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) is to review its trade marketing account, currently handled by Boymeetsgirl. It covers both above- and below-the-line promotions to retailers. The decision is part of a supplier review across the BVHE...

News brief: Eurostar backs Ski Train with marketing activity.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Eurostar is backing its Ski Train sub-brand with its first marketing activity and a dedicated website promoting its service from Waterloo to the French Alps. Created by TBWA\Upstart and digital agency Holler, the activity will use the line...

News brief: Coca-Cola strikes deal with British Film Institute.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Coca-Cola has struck a deal with the British Film Institute to become the first company to invest in a three-year restoration of the UK's advertising archive. As part of the deal, Coca-Cola will donate its own advertising inventory, which dates...

News brief: BT launches BT Entertainment.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... BT is launching BT Entertainment, a division that will lead its move into broadband entertainment and education. It will be headed by Andrew Burke, currently director of value-added services at BT Retail, and will develop and license gaming,...

News brief: MonsterMob hands account to Love.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... MonsterMob, the mobile content provider, has handed ad agency Love its pounds 2m account, with a brief to promote a subscription service offering unlimited downloads for a fixed monthly fee.

News brief: Easy Drinking Whisky Company uses scratch-and-sniff.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Easy Drinking Whisky Company is using scratch-and-sniff cards to broaden the appeal of the drink. More than 100,000 'Does your nose know?' cards will be placed in Oddbins and other retailers to encourage consumers to sample the different...

News brief: Pepsi signs Thierry Henry.
December 1, 2004... Pepsi has signed Arsenal striker Thierry Henry to join its roster of brand stars, which include David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and Rafael van der Vaart.

News brief: Royal Mail estimates.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Royal Mail estimates businesses will send 223m Christmas cards to customers this year, a 6.5m increase on last year.

People moves: Airtours Holidays.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Owen Whitehead, head of marketing for MyTravel's Panorama and Manos brands, has been promoted to head of marketing for its main operator brand Airtours Holidays, while marketing manager Sarah Bottomley has been promoted to head of Going Places,...

People moves: Loaded.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Niall McKinney, marketing director of IPC Ignite!, has been promoted to take on additional responsibilities as publishing director of lads' mag Loaded. He will take responsibility for all the business functions of the title. His promotion...

People moves: Time Inc.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Pippa Pollard, IPC tx director of brand and business, is to take up a 12-month secondment with IPC Media parent company Time Inc in New York next spring.

People moves: Trinity Mirror.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Matt Harrison is joining Trinity Mirror in the new position of sales director of regional newspapers and will be responsible for all sales and marketing activities. He will join in February from Diageo, where he is market business unit...

People moves: Scottish & Newcastle.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Paul Bartlett has been named UK consumer marketing director at Scottish & Newcastle. He replaces Andy Neal, who has joined Finnish drinks company Hartwall as marketing director.

People moves: PJ Smoothies.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Daniel Thiem has been named customer marketing manager by PJ Smoothies. He was previously category development manager at Premier Foods, dealing with brands including Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate.

People moves: Halo.(appointments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Kate Hardcastle, Silentnight Beds' marketing manager and winner of Marketing's Young Marketer of the Year 2004, has joined furniture and accessories company Halo as head of marketing.

People moves: Republic.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Nick Preston has been poached by fashion retailer Republic from Harvey Nichols for the new role of head of brand management. At Harvey Nichols, he was menswear buying controller.

People moves: Kelly Services UK.(appointments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Steve Girdler has been hired as marketing director by recruitment consultancy Kelly Services UK, with a brief to build the company's brand identity. He joins from KPMG Real Estate Advisers, where he was chief operating officer.

People moves: Oxford University.(appointments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Dr Douglas Holt has joined Oxford University's Said Business School as the L'Oreal Chair of Marketing. He was previously associate professor at the Harvard Business School.

Yates set to offer ad space on in-bar TVs.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Yates Group is to offer third-party advertising opportunities across its TV network in 120 Yates's bars from next year. The project will be overseen by Vinny Smith, development director for the Royal National Institute of the Blind, who is...

Ricoh highlights its green record.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Ricoh, the office photocopier-to-printer manufacturer, is emphasising its commitment to the environment via an integrated initiative. It has teamed up with Future Forests, the climate protection company, to run a national print campaign....

Salomon in Eurosport link to target women.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Salomon, the action sports brand, is in talks with Eurosport about an advertiser-funded show to back the global launch of a campaign targeting women, called 'Women will'. The programme is likely to be based on an existing show, Adrenalin...

New campaign: Waterstone's.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Waterstone's is getting into the festive spirit with a pantomime-themed Christmas TV and press campaign that breaks today (Wednesday). The ads use the strapline 'Make a wish list'. One spot features an Aladdin-esque magic lantern puffing...

This week: Marketing news from the national press.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The BBC will not sell its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, despite strong interest from global media groups. Director-general Mark Thompson will officially announce the decision on 7 December. The Observer Little Chef's holding company,...

Media News: C4 backs schedule with pounds 1m.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Channel 4 is ploughing pounds 1m into a 64-page glossy magazine with 3m distribution to promote the alternative nature of its Christmas schedule, billed as an antidote to the traditional fare on BBC and ITV. The initiative was unveiled in...

Media News: P&G's Aussie in cross-media ties.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Procter & Gamble has struck a pounds 500,000 cross-media deal with Emap and Capital Radio to back its Aussie haircare brand. The cornerstone of the activity will be a sponsored event celebrating Australia Day on 26 January, to be held in...

Media choice: Chanel No 5.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... After reading about Chanel's forthcoming attempt at 'the ultimate media placement' in Marketing (November 17), I made an appointment to view. Not to watch a programme, but to call it an ad doesn't do it justice - it was more like a mini-movie....

Media News brief: Ancho Dairy Cream to sponsor programmes.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Arla Foods' Anchor Real Dairy Cream has signed up to sponsor programmes over Christmas on Sky One, Sky Mix, Sky Movies and the Hallmark Channel. The deal, negotiated by Carat, includes sponsorship of the TV premiere of the movie Love Actually.

Media News brief: Victor Chandler signs six-figure deal.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Victor Chandler has signed a six-figure partnership deal with Dennis Publishing's lads' mag Maxim and gambling title Inside Edge to promote the Maxim King of Poker Tournament in association with VC Poker, which will be held in London next June....

Media News brief: Ofcom recommendation.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Ofcom has recommended that pounds 400m of financial assistance should be provided to people exempt from paying the TV licence fee to pay for equipment required to receive digital broadcasts, in advance of analogue switch-off.

Media News brief: Practical Parenting to relaunch.(IPC magazine)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Practical Parenting, the IPC magazine, is relaunching with an emphasis on pregnancy, birth and care of toddlers. A new design, logo and revamped content will be unveiled in the January issue. It will compete with the NSPCC's Your Family, which...

Media News brief: LBC 97.3FM wins radio rights to boat race.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... LBC 97.3FM has won the radio rights to the University Boat Race for the next five years, ousting the BBC, which has broadcast the race for the past 78 years.

Media News brief: Reveal sales exceed 300,000.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The National Magazine Company is claiming that sales of the first two issues of celebrity women's weekly Reveal exceeded 300,000. The title debuted last month.

Media News brief: ITV commissions second series of X Factor.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... ITV has commissioned a second series of talent show The X Factor, a co-production of Thames Television and Simon Cowell's company, Syco.

Branding News: FrostFrench set to revise identity.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... FrostFrench, the London fashion brand set up by actress Sadie Frost and designer Jemima French, has hired branding agency Williams Murray Hamm to review its packaging and brand identity. The project is understood to focus on the label's...

Branding News: Carhartt repositions as workwear brand.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Urban clothing brand Carhartt is to reposition its label as workwear, bringing its image in Europe in line with the US, where the company was founded. In the US, Carhartt's products are perceived as functional outdoorwear, with a range...

Branding News: Cranks expands sandwich range.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Cranks, the vegetarian brand, is adding to its line of sandwiches and cookery books to extend its appeal to a broader range of consumers. Cranks' owner, The Grocery Company, is readying a raft of products, which will include a Hou'mus Be...

Branding News: Design choice - Philips Sonicare.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Teeth-cleaning has a strong claim on the title of most boring daily chore. Yet paradoxically, the shelves full of toothbrushes in every supermarket show that many still endure elbow-aching manual labour, rather than benefit from the kind of...

Branding News brief: Yoplait Dairy Crest relaunches Thomas & Friends.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Yoplait Dairy Crest is relaunching its Thomas and Friends children's fromage frais. New-look packs will flag up the product's increased calcium content and feature more characters to appeal to children.

Branding News brief: Walkers to introduce Pringles-style snack.(Walkers Crisps Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Walkers is introducing its Pringles-style stacked crisp brand, Snax, to the UK. The crisp, which is already sold in the US, will go on trial in selected Tesco and Blockbuster stores, priced 98p a tube.

Branding News brief: Laurent Perrier overhauls brand imagery.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Laurent Perrier has overhauled its brand imagery to reinforce its associations with nature and its Champagne provenance. An earthy tone will form the central brand colour, with images of flowers, seashells and butterflies to be used on its...

Branding News brief: McDougall Upper Crust gets revamped logo.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... McDougall Upper Crust, the savoury frozen pie range, has been repackaged with a revamped logo. The work, created by brand consultancy Vibrandt, is intended to encourage trial of the products.

Branding News brief: Sikkens overhauls brand identity.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Sikkens, the paint brand, is overhauling its brand identity to ensure a consistent look across its products and markets. The Akzo Nobel-owned brand tasked PI Global with the redesign, which will introduce the strapline 'The right colour'.

Branding News brief: Sweet Cred adds Skateboarders to range.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Sweet Cred, the novelty confectionery brand, is adding Skateboarders sweets to its range. The product incorporates a plastic toy and a tube of jelly beans with four different models to collect. Skateboarders will go on sale in independent...

Branding News brief: O'Neill Europe hires Creneau International.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... O'Neill Europe has hired Belgian branding agency Creneau International to revamp the look of its stores across the Continent. The first of the new-look stores will be unveiled in spring 2005.

Branding News brief: Alessi to launch watch.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Alessi, the Italian design company, is to launch a watch devised by designer Ron Arad, called Look No Hands. The face was inspired by a vinyl record, and features small windows that reveal the hours and minutes.

Retail News: Littlewoods extends over-40s overhaul.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Littlewoods is relaunching its menswear collection as part of a strategy to target over-40s. Men's clothing will be divided into two categories, with a formal range, expected to be called Loxley Menswear, complemented by an updated version...

Retail News: TK Maxx set for Comic Relief tie.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... TK Maxx is to be the exclusive T-shirt retailer of Comic Relief's 2005 Red Nose Day, supported by a host of celebrities. The chain will sell T-shirts for adults and children with tips on how to customise them. Celebrities including Minnie...

Retail News: Music Zone work to focus on kids.
December 1, 2004... Retailer Music Zone is putting children's pester power at the heart of its pounds 1m Christmas promotional activity. The music, film and book chain will introduce 'I want... ' forms in-store to allow children to list items they want as...

Retail choice: Apple store, Regent Street.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Apple doesn't 'think different'; it thinks 'same, but different'. The brand's genius is that it has consistently positioned technology as an extension of what people already do. From the first Macintosh to the now ubiquitous iPod, nobody...

Retail News brief: Somerfield to introduce business delivery service.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Somerfield is to introduce its business delivery service across the country following a trial in 38 Scottish stores. The service, which enables businesses such as B&Bs and schools to register for free daily deliveries, will be rolled out to 300...

Retail News brief: Sainsbury's overhauls fruit and veg packaging.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Sainsbury's is overhauling the packaging of its fresh fruit and vegetables to highlight its strategy of buying from British growers. Labelling will identify the origin of the produce so that shoppers can see whether it is imported.

Retail News brief: Boots to sell own-brand caffeine strips.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Boots is to sell own-brand soluble caffeine strips. The mint-flavoured strips will act as both a breath freshener and stimulant. Like Boots' existing breath strips, they will be sold in packs of 28.

Retail News brief: Conair promotes launch through bds beechwood.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Conair is promoting the launch of its Babyliss and Scherna products in Boots and Argos with a pounds 5m campaign by bds beechwood. Television ads for the Babyliss ThermaGlass Salon Straightener and Scherna Sensitive electric shaver will be...

Retail News brief: Hammonds appoints CheethamBell JWT.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Hammonds, the fitted kitchen and office furniture retailer, has appointed CheethamBell JWT to its pounds 1m advertising business. Advertising breaking in spring 2005 will target women.

Retail News brief: Dixons offers free Napster subscriptions.(Dixons Stores Group)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Dixons Stores Group is offering free Napster subscriptions and downloads with purchases at Dixons, Currys, PC World and The Link. Napster pre-paid cards will be given away with PCs, laptops and MP3 players.

Retail News brief: PriceLess Shoes to double store chain.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... PriceLess Shoes, the footwear retailer, plans to double its 165-store chain in the next two years.

Direct News: Unilever frozen food reviews direct work.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Unilever Ice Cream & Frozen Food (ICF) is reviewing the direct marketing accounts of its Birds Eye and Walls Carte D'Or brands. The decision comes as ICF considers shifting spend from traditional advertising to customer relationship marketing....

Direct News: Crimestoppers in strategy test.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Crimestoppers is to test the effectiveness of its below-the-line strategy with its biggest direct marketing campaign in two years. The charity, which runs a national anonymous crime-report phone line, is sending out 30,000 packs in a drive...

Direct News: Crisis develops DRTV campaign.(Direct Response Television)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Crisis, the homelessness charity, is embarking on its first direct response TV campaign to bolster its fund-raising efforts in the run-up to Christmas. The campaign, to be screened on cable and satellite channels, features stories based on...

Direct choice: Red Letter Days.
December 1, 2004... In spite of my Northern working-class roots and my generally chippy attitude toward those in authority, I can no longer deny it: I am 'a boss'. Admittedly, my role is hardly on the scale of Sir Martin Sorrell, but I'm now definitely 'senior...

Direct News brief: Sony PlayStation sends out mailing.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Sony PlayStation is sending out a mailing to give gamers the chance to win a limited-edition PS2 and free year-long subscription to BT Broadband, to allow for online gaming. The work, by Claydon Heeley Jones Mason, is being sent to 140,000...

Direct News brief: Kingfisher adds Goldfish.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Kingfisher has added Goldfish as a points partner for its gift voucher scheme. Goldfish credit card customers will be able to redeem points built up by spending money on the card for vouchers at B&Q, Comet, MVC and Woolworths.

Direct News brief: WaterAid hires Domain.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... WaterAid has hired integrated agency Domain to create a targeted appeal to raise funds for a water-distribution project in Ethiopia. A letter and brochure will ask donors to give pounds 500 to fund the first year of the three-year project.