Marketing articles from December 2007

Marketing archives from December 2007

Yahoo! hires Publicis Dialog in strategic rethink.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Yahoo! has handed its advertising account to Publicis Dialog as part of a wide-reaching overhaul of its marketing strategy. The internet giant has consolidated its advertising into a single agency and is planning to step up the promotion of...

Financial brands rein in spend over credit fears.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The true impact of the credit squeeze has manifested itself in a dramatic decline in financial marketing spend. Finance firms' spend on traditional marketing relating to lending, across mortgages, credit cards and personal loans, has...

Virgin Money bid hits RKCR/Y&R.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... RKCR/Y&R has resigned the Virgin Money ad account over the conflict with its Lloyds TSB work that would ensue if the former's bid for Northern Rock is accepted. The WPP-owned agency survived a review of the pounds 6m Virgin business in...

Army reveals plan to recruit regional marketers.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The Army is drafting in a tranche of professional marketers to improve the links between its national and local recruitment strategies and develop regionally relevant campaigns. By January it hopes to have 10 marketers in place in its...

Premier Foods hands ad roster place to McCann.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Premier Foods has completed the review of its pounds 26m advertising account with the appointment of McCann Erickson to its slim-line roster ahead of a product development and brand consolidation drive. The agency joins MCBD, which was...

Brands stand by Facebook ads.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Brand owners are undeterred from advertising on Facebook despite more than 50,000 consumer complaints about the social network's latest ad system. Facebook has been forced to alter the way it runs its Beacon advertising system after...

T-Mobile and Iris part company.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... T-Mobile has split with Iris, which has overseen the mobile phone operator's pounds 2m retail marketing business for five years. Iris handled all T-Mobile's in-store activity, including point of sale and store design, across its 255 stores...

Chelsea FC adds fans' video site.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Chelsea Football Club is expanding its digital offering with the launch of Bluetube, an online video service that allows football fans to upload user-generated content. The initiative is intended to provide supporters with a platform for...

New campaign: Stop the Traffik.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Stop The Traffik, a global coalition of organisations working to fight people-trafficking, is launching a Christmas campaign. The work is intended to raise awareness of the potential involvement of trafficked labour in the production of the...

Lastminute aims to widen appeal.(Lastminute.com PLC)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Lastminute.com is planning to shake off its image as a late-booking holiday service as it looks to broaden the brand's appeal. The online travel firm is launching a campaign next month to encourage customers to book their summer holidays...

Unilever suffers Dove backlash.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... A spoof viral ad, which combines ad campaigns for Unilever's Lynx and Dove brands, criticises the FMCG firm for sending out conflicting messages about women. The spoof, created by a consumer known as Rye Clifton, takes footage from...

Blu-ray asserts lead in high-definition market.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Sony Consumer Electronics is winning the high-definition format war against rival Toshiba's HD DVD with its Blu-ray technology. Blu-ray commands 73% of the market, according to the Blu-ray Disk Association, compared with 27% for HD DVD. If...

eBay splits with PHD as it shifts focus to digital.
December 5, 2007... eBay is planning to move its promotional spend into digital and other below-the-line channels from February, prompting the brand to split with its media planning and buying agency PHD. The auction site has been running a TV campaign since...

Dell appoints WPP to pounds 2.2bn global ad business.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Dell has hired WPP to handle its global dollars 4.5bn (pounds 2.2bn) advertising business following a head-to-head against Interpublic Group. The three-year deal includes advertising, digital, direct marketing and media. WPP will create a...

January adspend set for pounds 10m fall.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Media owners are facing up to a bleak January, as brands hold back their new year adspend, creating uncertainty in the market. Media agency estimates suggest the TV ad market is trading 4% down on January 2007, which equates to a pounds 10m...

Travel chiefs back the high street.
December 5, 2007... TUI Travel and Thomas Cook bosses insist that traditional travel agents' role has not been negated by the internet. There will always be a place for high-street travel agents, despite the rapid growth of online bookings, according to the...

Cleaning brands eye luxury market.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Washing-up liquid and kitchen cleaners will be among the next products to target wealthy consumers. According to a report on product trends for 2008, luxury homecare products are set to go mainstream as affluent young adults seek ways to...

20th Century Fox plans 'Alvin' film drive.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... 20th Century Fox is set to launch its biggest marketing campaign of the year, to back its flagship Christmas movie release Alvin and The Chipmunks. As part of the activity, the film distributor is increasing its investment in digital...

M&S tops 'most admired' survey.
December 5, 2007... Marks & Spencer has ranked highest for its marketing in the annual Britain's Most Admired Company survey, published by Marketing's sister Haymarket Business Media title Management Today. M&S, whose ads are created by RKCR/Y&R, scored 9.17...

Grolsch seals pounds 3m C4 comedy sponsorship.(Channel 4 )(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Dutch beer brand Grolsch has signed a pounds 3m deal with Channel 4 to sponsor all its original British comedy programming next year. The 12-month contract, which kicks off on New Year's Day, comprises 17 series on the main channel and 12...

Bentley reviews global strategy.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Bentley is overhauling its global brand strategy in an attempt to strengthen its position in the luxury car market. James Pillar, the British marque's director of marketing communications, said he was looking for a lead and strategic agency...

HMV plots Christmas film and music blitz.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... HMV has launched its first pre-Christmas brand campaign, to support its current price and product promotion activity. The drive, which comprises a 60-second TV ad and press activity, is part of the retailer's 'get closer' positioning. The...

Cadbury ad proves draw via Sky iTV service.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... More than 53,000 households have used the red button on their TV remote control to view a longer version of Cadbury's 'Gorilla' ad. The company is one of the advertisers using Sky's Video Advertiser Location (VAL) service on its expanded...

News brief: GlaxoSmithKline appoints WCRS.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... GlaxoSmithKline has appointed WCRS to handle the pounds 30m pan-European advertising business for the launch of its weight-loss drug, Alli. In February, Alli became the first over-the-counter weight-loss treatment to gain approval in the US....

News brief: Government to publish paper on binge-drinking.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Prime minister Gordon Brown has said the government will be publishing a paper 'in the next few weeks' on changes needed to prevent binge-drinking. It will cover promotions, advertising by supermarkets and responsible-drinking campaigns

News brief: National Savings & Investments shortlists agencies.
December 5, 2007... National Savings & Investments has shortlisted Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, Proximity London and the incumbent EHS Brann to pitch for its direct marketing account

News brief: Youth Music hires Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Youth Music, a charity for the under-18s, has hired Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO to work on a press and radio campaign backing a government-funded pounds 10m National Singing Programme

News brief: Dolcis signs up to Exclusively Yours.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Dolcis, the high-street shoe retailer, has signed up to Exclusively Yours, the reward card operated by Maritz. The scheme also includes brands such as Malmaison and Travel Club

News brief: Topshop makes first foray onto Facebook.
December 5, 2007... Topshop has made its first foray onto Facebook with the launch of Fashion Fix, a branded application allowing consumers to view the retailer's latest collections

News brief: Report says consumers lack confidence over digital switchover.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Consumers lacking in confidence when it comes to technical issues are not being given sufficient support to help them make the switch to digital TV, according to a report from the Ofcom Consumer Panel Research

News brief: Isklar appoints Media Planning Group.
December 5, 2007... Isklar, a premium Norwegian mineral water, has appointed Media Planning Group to handle its pounds 2m media planning and buying account

Media: IPC Ignite! to extend NME brand into radio.(New Musical Express)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Music magazine NME is to launch a radio station in partnership with the founder of Xfm in mid-2008. The station's roll-out, which will be the IPC Ignite! title's biggest brand extension, will involve a partnership with DX Media, whose...

Media: Economist plans CD briefing work.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The Economist has joined the ranks of The Mail on Sunday and The Sun by attempting to boost readership with a free cover-mounted CD. The CD, which will go out with the 8 December issue, will feature recordings of four briefings previously...

Media: IPC fills digital director's post.(appointment of Alicen Stenner at IPC SouthBank Publishing Co.)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... IPC Southbank has poached handbag.com's Alicen Stenner to be its digital director. Stenner has been at Hearst Digital-owned handbag.com for seven years, most recently as group digital marketing director and publisher. Prior to that, she...

Media choice: I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.(Brief article)(Column)
December 5, 2007... Everybody scream! You must all have wanted to, after watching the sponsorship credits alone. Was the creative inspiration possibly 'mini cheesy quiches, ooh yes please'? I'm sure we in marketing must all have all surely agreed to 'get me...

Media brief: Press Complaints Commission receives complaints over sticker in Heat.(Emap's Heat magazine )(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The Press Complaints Commission has received 56 complaints about a sticker in Emap's Heat magazine which mocked model Jordan's disabled son. The sticker featured the caption: 'Harvey wants to eat me.'

Media brief: Company teams up with Durex.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Company, NatMags' monthly women's magazine, has teamed up with Durex to launch a celebrity-backed 'Play safe' campaign to encourage women to carry condoms. The campaign, which is being supported by the Department of Health, includes editorial...

Media brief: Woman's Weekly appoints new editor.
December 5, 2007... Woman's Weekly has appointed Diane Kenwood as editor. She has recently edited several titles for contract publisher Redwood, including Your M&S and Heyday

Media brief: Appointment at John Brown.
December 5, 2007... John Brown has hired Alex Silcox as international development director. He joins after 18 months as client services director at Story Worldwide

Media brief: MTV Networks and Nike form first partnership.
December 5, 2007... MTV Networks International and Nike have formed their first partnership. They will raise money for HIV and AIDS education, as well as prevention work, through a global online celebrity auction

Media brief: BBC seeks market research agencies.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The BBC is seeking market research agencies to join its Qualitative Research Roster. The successful agencies will be given the opportunity to bid for the BBC's qualitative projects across TV, radio and online

Media brief: CBS Outdoor launches competition.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... CBS Outdoor is launching a competition challenging advertising agencies to write a brand story for one of their clients, to run on the Tube. The winner of the 'Underground Writers' competition will receive a free campaign for their client, as...

Media brief: 96.3 Rock Radio promises to be Christmas-free zone.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... 96.3 Rock Radio, the Scottish classic rock station, has promised to be a Christmas-free zone. It will continue its diet of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, without any festive music or mention of yuletide

Branding: Retailers set to unify recycling labelling.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... A group of retailers, including Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Asda, is collaborating on a scheme to develop a standard recycling label for packaging. The introduction of universal labelling has been hampered by councils having different rules...

Branding: Carplus creates car club identity.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Carplus, a charity that campaigns to reduce car use, has appointed ethical communications agency Provokateur to develop a generic brand and marketing campaign to raise awareness of car clubs. The car club concept is based on the idea of...

Branding: Satiety smoothie brand launches.(Naturally Gorgeous a new brand launched)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Naturally Gorgeous, a drinks brand that promises to deliver nutrients while helping consumers feel fuller has launched. Products in the range are made from fruit and calcium-enriched skimmed milk. They also contain an ingredient called...

Branding: Design choice - St Pancras station.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... As the entrance to St Pancras has yet to be finished, I was underwhelmed when I arrived. I just stepped off the escalator from the Tube and there I was. It will be interesting, then, to see how the external entrance is integrated once the...

Branding brief: Pret A Manger unveils new style kiosk.
December 5, 2007... Pret A Manger has unveiled a new style of kiosk at Birmingham New Street station. The Pret Pod was created by CADA Design Group

Branding brief: Frubes to launch limited-edition pack.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Frubes, the fromage frais brand owned by Yoplait, is launching a limited-edition pack to tie in with the release of The Simpsons Movie on DVD. The packs feature cut-outs of Simpsons characters

Branding brief: Peroni Nastro Azzurro launches gift pack.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Peroni Nastro Azzurro, the Italian lager brand, has launched a gift pack featuring two branded glasses. The packs, which are being sold in Sainsbury's stores, were developed by Beams UK in conjunction with Miller Brands

Branding brief: Harrods opens Xin.
December 5, 2007... Harrods has opened Xin, a dim sum restaurant designed by the consultant Susanne Man

Branding brief: Daft Punk appoints Neville Brody's Research Studios.(Research Studios London)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Daft Punk, the electronica music duo, has appointed Neville Brody's Research Studios to create the packaging for the launch of its Electroma film on DVD. A collector's edition will contain the DVD, posters and stickers

Branding brief: Paterson's expands range of shortbread.(Paterson Arran)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Paterson's has expanded its range of shortbread with the addition of Shortbread Fingers. The biscuits, which have less saturated fat than regular shortbread, are available in Tesco stores

Branding brief: Pasta King launches frozen foods range.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Pasta King is launching a range of frozen convenience foods under the Pk2go brand. The variants, which include Butternut Melt and Carbonara, can be microwaved in less than three minutes

Branding brief: DivaLilly appoints Creation.
December 5, 2007... DivaLilly has appointed Creation to help develop its brand. The start-up makes handbags from US car registration plates

Branding brief: East London Business Alliance appoints design agency.(Coley Porter Bell)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The East London Business Alliance has appointed design agency Coley Porter Bell to create the brand identity for its relaunch. The agency is working on a pro bono basis on the account

Branding brief: Amoosi appoints Dogstar to create identity.
December 5, 2007... Amoosi has appointed Dogstar to create its identity. The ethical fashion brand's clothes are made from reclaimed and vintage fabric

Direct: First Choice assigns direct task to WDMP.(First Choice Holidays PLC)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... First Choice Holidays has appointed WDMP to handle its direct marketing. The tour operator has briefed the agency, which won the business following a pitch, to develop a customer relationship marketing strategy for the run-up to Christmas...

Direct: House of Fraser rejigs rewards.(loyalty scheme for branded credit cards)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... House of Fraser is revamping its Recognition Rewards loyalty scheme after the launch of a branded credit card. The programme, which previously incorporated only a House of Fraser store card, now allows customers to collect redeemable points...

Direct: WaterAid set for DRTV campaign.(direct response television)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... WaterAid is launching a DRTV campaign to raise funds to provide water for children in developing countries. The drive, created by Watson Phillips Norman, shows images of children and adults living with poor-quality drinking water and...

Direct choice: HSBC.(Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... HSBC has tied up with The Times to create a futuristic version of the newspaper to promote the bank's financial planning service. Set in 2027, the 12-page replica edition of The Times contains spoof news stories on issues as they may one...

Direct brief: Network Rail encourages commuters to shop at stations.
December 5, 2007... Network Rail is encouraging commuters to shop at stations. The campaign, by Communique 360, will run on posters and train panels and in thelondonpaper

Direct brief: Racing UK promotion aims to increase subscriptions.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Racing UK, the sports channel, is promoting its coverage of the national hunting season in a bid to increase subscriptions. Ads created by 141 Worldwide London will run in the national and racing press, with literature and posters placed at...

Direct brief: Sector Skills Development Agency launches campaign.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The Sector Skills Development Agency is illustrating the benefits to the UK economy of a skilled workforce via a national and business-to-business press campaign created by iris

Direct brief: Peugeot backs promotion through direct mailing.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Peugeot is backing a specification upgrade promotion through a direct mailing devised by Clark McKay & Walpole. The piece, which is being sent to 300,000 cold prospects, offers a free upgrade when customers buy a Peugeot 308 S or Sport in...

Direct brief: Lavazza extends loyalty programme.
December 5, 2007... Lavazza, the coffee brand, is extending its loyalty programme with the introduction of printable coupons, developed by Haystack, to its digital campaigns

Direct brief: School Food Trust links with newspapers for promotion.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The School Food Trust is linking up with the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror to offer children a week's free school dinners. The promotion was developed by Golley Slater Promote

Direct brief: Qantas Holidays names agency.
December 5, 2007... Qantas Holidays has appointed Cocktail Marketing as its partnership marketing agency. It will develop promotional tie-ups to relevant brands

Direct brief: Guide Dogs for the Blind seeks donations.
December 5, 2007... The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is seeking donations over Christmas by thanking supporters via direct mail. The campaign is handled by TDA

Direct brief: CACDP appoints Adessi.
December 5, 2007... CACDP, the British Sign Language course provider, has appointed Adessi to develop a strategy to help the charity improve communication between deaf and hearing people

Digital: Clinton Cards in website revamp.(Clintoncards.co.uk)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Clinton Cards has rejigged its website, increasing the range of products it sells online and adding several personalised services. The site has been designed by Inferno, which picked up the brief at the beginning of the year. The...

Digital: Coke rolls out Sprite avatar on Facebook.
December 5, 2007... Coca-Cola has partnered with Facebook to roll out Sprite Sips, a customisable branded character that consumers can use to interact with their friends online. The FMCG company has launched a sponsored Facebook group to promote the Sprite...

Digital: Financial firms rapped by FSA.(Financial Services Authority)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... A quarter of financial firms' websites do not meet advertising standards, according to a review by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). After making 130 visits to 77 websites, the FSA concluded that although most met financial...

Digital choice: Argos Giant Jar.(Argos Distributors Ltd. campaign)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Retailers such as Argos often have a problem: how to convey the richness of products in their catalogue (18,000 in this case) without using lists, price references and, er, the number of products in their catalogue. In other words, they...

Digital brief: Yahoo! appoints Kristof Fahy.
December 5, 2007... Yahoo! has appointed Kristof Fahy as vice-president of marketing for Europe. Fahy will be responsible for overseeing brand development, customer insight and communications across the region

Digital brief: Sony BMG Music Entertainment signs deal.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Sony BMG Music Entertainment has signed a deal to offer its audio and video content to British Internet Broadcasting Company customers Sony's library will be available on a subscription, download-to-own, download-to-rent or ad-funded basis.

Digital brief: Warner Home Video signs agreement with Microsoft.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Warner Home Video has signed an agreement with Microsoft to promote the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on DVD exclusively on MSN. The tie-up includes a competition offering the chance to win a part in the next Harry Potter...

Digital brief: Catflap to launch website.(Catflapmag.com)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Catflap, the electronic football magazine, is launching a website at Catflapmag.com. The site will carry the ezine's 'On This Day in Football History' column, virals and wallpapers

Digital brief: Babelgum launches Italian Football channel.
December 5, 2007... Babelgum, the internet TV network, is launching a channel dedicated to Serie A Italian Football. The service will provide highlights of matches on demand

Digital brief: Gamestation overhauls website.(Games Station Ltd.)(Website overview)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Gamestation has overhauled its website to increase online sales. It has been redesigned to make it more easily navigable, while a better back-office infrastructure will speed up fulfilment

Digital brief: Kontraband signs up blogs.(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... Kontraband, a viral site, has signed up 50,000 blogs to carry and promote branded content in a deal through its viral seeding agency 7th Chamber. The participating blogs will be paid a fee for each viral they accept

Digital brief: IAB launches mobile council.(Interactive Advertising Bureau UK Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... The Internet Advertising Bureau has launched a mobile council in response to research showing marketers believe the channel is not ready in the UK. The council's first initiative is a report produced with the Mobile Marketing Association called...

Andrew Walmsley on digital: Gradual gains add weight to mobile.
December 5, 2007... Every second of every day, according to the CIA's World Factbook, 2.4 babies are born. It's a busy old world, you might conclude, and you might leave it at that. For numbers like this to mean anything, they have to be given context We need...

News Analysis: Indian brands expand horizons.
December 5, 2007... As the Indian economy flourishes, so its companies are looking to raise their global profile. Jane Simms reports. The recent announcement by Indian IT firm Satyam that it is to become the fourth global sponsor of the 2010 and 2014 FIFA...