Marketing articles from June 1990

Marketing archives from June 1990

Mailshots Face Waste Tax
June 28, 1990... Mailshots face waste tax Environment secretary Chris Patten has delivered a startling government warning of a possible "waste tax" on direct mail. Patten is updating government policies this autumn in a White Paper on Green issues. He has...

Polygram stuns rivals with CD-I Ready disc.
June 28, 1990... Polygram stuns rivals with CD-I Ready disc Philips subsidiary Polygram is planning to shake up the record industry by launching a new kind of compact disc this autumn. The move will pave the way for a revolutionary consumer electronics...

US starts the ball rolling. (Wiel Coerver Coaching Association to open soccer camps in Great Britain)
June 28, 1990... US starts the ball rolling If you think England's performance in the World Cup has been a mixed bag - don't worry, the Americans are coming. The Wiel Coerver Coaching Association, which runs a dozen soccer training camps out of Lake...

Exhibitions site set for Docklands. (London's Docklands may be site for exhibition center)
June 28, 1990... Exhibitions site set for Docklands London's Docklands has emerged as the most likely site for a major, purpose-built exhibition centre, aimed at breaking the "monopoly" held by Earls Court/Olympia. The Association of Exhibition...

IPC tries to keep in tune with launch of music title Max. (IPC Magazines)
June 28, 1990... IPC tries to keep in tune with launch of music title Max IPC Magazines has unveiled its attack on the adult music magazine market after months of speculation that a launch was imminent. A new monthly title, Max, will next September enter...

Barclays Builds Life: Barclays Begins Massive Recruitment Drive to Boost Its Insurance Sector
June 28, 1990... Barclays builds Life Barclays is to take on the supremacy of firms like Prudential in the life insurance market with a massive expansion of its "Life" division. As a first step, Barclays Life has appointed mainstream ad agency Generator to...

Wilkinson sharpens image in branding push. (Wilkinson Sword Group Ltd.)
June 28, 1990... Wilkinson sharpens image in branding push Wilkinson Sword is revamping its branding strategy in a bid to recover ground lost to arch-rival Gillette in the 70 [pounds]m wet shaving market. The company is reverting to the corporate...

Health Move for Pizzas
June 28, 1990... Health move for pizzas US company Au Naturel Gourmet Pizza is looking to establish a chain of 100 sit-down and take-away pizza restaurants in the UK within the next two years. The Miami-based firm claims it will avoid head-on confrontation...

The World Cup Spectacle Reflects Broader Social and Political Concerns Worldwide
June 28, 1990... The World Cup spectacle reflects broader social and political concerns worldwide Sport, like art, can serve as a mirror for broader social and political events. Since 1936 the Olympics has always been as much about politics as about sport....

Suchard spars with Nestle. (Philip Morris purchase of Jacobs Suchard)
June 28, 1990... Suchard spars with Nestle US tobacco-to-foods combine Philip Morris will embark on an aggressive drive to dent rival Nestle's global coffee and chocolate strength with the 2.2 [pounds]bn buy of Swiss confectioner Jacobs Suchard. ...

Sky TV Holds Its Own in Battle for Audiences
June 28, 1990... Sky TV holds its own in battle for audiences Sky Television is beating BBC, and falling just short of ITV and Channel 4 in the battle for audiences in households receiving Astra satellite channels. The first set of weekly audience figures...

Uniglobe travels to UK with ex-Pickfords pair. (Keith Webber, Neil Thompson)
June 28, 1990... Uniglobe travels to UK with ex-Pickfords pair Two ex-directors of Pickfords Travel have launched the first wholly franchised UK travel organisation which, they claim, will target a neglected market sector. Keith Webber, until recently...

Higher rates loom for film videos. (Great Britain)
June 28, 1990... Higher rates loom for film videos The cost of hiring video films is likely to soar in the next few years as the 650m [pounds] software rental market approaches volume saturation, a new report predicts. Research by the Corporate...

Saatchis Clock in with Swatch
June 28, 1990... Saatchis clocks in with Swatch Saatchi and Saatchi looks likely to land Swatch International's first worldwide corporate campaign following its appointment to handle projects for the rest of 1990. The pitch, fought out by Saatchi and BBDO...

Batman does it again. (film ads win top prize in 1989 Adshel Creative Awards)
June 28, 1990... Batman does it again Batman the advertising appears to have won more admirers than Batman the movie - taking the top prize in the 1989 Adshel Creative Awards. Posters promoting the Warner Brothers film by Grey Advertising were judged by...

Cable set to capitalise on appetite for television. (Great Britain cable television industry)
June 28, 1990... Cable set to capitalise on appetite for television The cable industry has huge potential for growth, but suffers from a public lack of awareness of its capabilities, says the first national survey commissioned by the Cable Authority (CA) into...

Times Chases Saturday
June 28, 1990... Times chases Saturday Simon Jenkins, the new editor of the Times, plans to "spend all summer" knocking the Saturday edition into shape. He claims this week's launch of the Saturday Review section is just the first stage of a revitalisation....

Price Hike Stamps on Direct Mail
June 28, 1990... Price hike stamps on direct mail The Royal Mail's plans to increase postage prices, announced last week, could threaten the rapid expansion of direct mail, according to Colin Fricker, the chairman of the British Direct Marketing Association...

Hewlett-Packard banks on customer-based system: computer manufacturer offers bespoke solution to the database needs of financial services.
June 28, 1990... Hewlett-Packard banks on customer-based system Computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard has launched a database marketing system to help banks and insurance firms make better use of direct marketing. Computer systems at high street banks...

Towards McLeaner Wipes
June 28, 1990... Towards McLeaner wipes It must be easy to find a sexier job title than group products manager for liquid toilet cleaners, disinfectants and antiseptics. But this man travelled half the world to clinch that very job. He is Lauchie McLean, a New...

Competition Breeds Monopolies
June 28, 1990... Competition breeds monopolies The decision to refer four high-profile consumer goods industries to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) and the possibility that leading supermarkets could now also be referred (see The Equaliser, page 20)...

The Equaliser
June 28, 1990... THE EQUALISER Suddenly, Sir Gordon Borrie is causing a real stir. He is used to causing a bit of a kerfuffle every now and again, of course: that's his job. But speculation is rife that the sudden spate of referrals to the Monopolies and Mergers...

Desperately Seeking Seville
June 28, 1990... DESPERATELY SEEKING SEVILLE Few world fairs escape birth pangs. For Expo 92, which will open in Seville in two years' time, the process has been more painful than most. For a start, it is a race against time to get all the pavilions built on...

Taking the Stand: Companies Are Reassessing the Role of Exhibitions in Marketing, and Grabbing the Chance to Prove Their Worth in Promoting a Consistent Corporate Image
June 28, 1990... TAKING THE STAND Just where do exhibitions fit into the marketing mix? It is a question occupying many of the major 80s exhibitors. Indeed, in a time of tightened budgets, face-to-face activity (the industry description for direct communication...

Centre of Attraction: Chairman of London's Earls Court/Olympia Exhibition Halls Peter Ford Describes the Many Advantages - and Drawbacks - of Keeping Them in Fine Fettle
June 28, 1990... CENTRE OF ATTRACTION I have worked with P&O for 20 years, and early on was a deputy chairman at Earls Court and Olympia for about three months in 1972. So it is very interesting to come back after all that time and refocus. My job is...

Max Factor Changes Face
June 21, 1990... Max Factor changes face The UK's second biggest make-up company, Max Factor, is embarking on a series of launches and revamps and more than doubling its ad spend to 10m [pounds] this year. The blitz marks the culmination of four years of...

Jeyes aims for US-style throwaway cleaning. (to introduce disposable cleaning cloths in Great Britain)
June 21, 1990... Jeyes aims for US-style throwaway cleaning Household products company Jeyes is planning to create a new sector in the kitchen and bathroom cleaner market by launching disposable cloths impregnated with cleaning agents. The sector is...

Perrier puts Drumey in hot seat. (John Drumey appointed marketing director)
June 21, 1990... Perrier puts Drumey in hot seat Crisis-hit Perrier has filled the hottest seat in marketing by appointing ex-Bassett Foods marketing chief John Drumey as its new UK marketing director. The move ends a thorough four-month search after...

Sugar ad on a sticky wicket. (Action and Information on Sugars seeks injunction against British Sugar's generic advertising campaign)
June 21, 1990... Sugar ad on a sticky wicket Just as it seemed safe to go back into the sugar bowl, the anti-sugar lobby has called for an injunction to ban Tate and Lyle and British Sugar's new 12m [pounds] generic campaign (Marketing, June 14). The...

National Power backs design. (sponsorship deal with Design Council)
June 21, 1990... National Power backs design National Power has struck a sponsorship deal with the Design Council in its latest attempt to brand itself as an environmentally-aware blue chip company. The three-year deal, worth 100,000 [pounds], will link...

Shoppers fret more about food safety than poll tax. (Great Britain)
June 21, 1990... Shoppers fret more about food safety than poll tax Twice as many UK consumers consider food safety to be a major problem than the Poll Tax, according to a new survey this week. Market researcher Network found that 21% of respondents...

Publisher Backs CD-I
June 21, 1990... Philips hooks Bertelsmann to produce revolutionary software Publisher backs CD-I Troubled Dutch electronics firm Philips has secured the backing of publishing giant Bertelsmann for its revolutionary new consumer electronics product,...

Yellow card for Cup ad. (complaints against National Power's advertising campaign)
June 21, 1990... Yellow card for Cup ad The ad campaign in support of National Power's World Cup sponsorship falls foul of IBA advertising regulations, according to a controversial claim by an ad agency. The claim comes from David Shaw, chief executive...

Governments Will Find It Harder to Deliver on Their Promises as the Market and EC Gain Greater Power
June 21, 1990... Governments will find it harder to deliver on their promises as the market and EC gain greater power Consumers and businesses have looked to national governments to set the legislative framework in which they move. The political process consisted...

Mower Shares Battle Rages On
June 21, 1990... Mower shares battle rages on Qualcast is claiming victory in a behind-the-scenes sales battle with arch-rival Flymo after a fresh attempt to clear the hotly-contested issue of market shares. Qualcast says that Flymo's attempt to get the...

McVities Moves in on Mini-Snack Revolution
June 21, 1990... McVities adopts a bite-sized formula to exploit a growing snack drive McVities moves in on mini-snack revolution Biscuit market leader McVitie's is to launch its full range of leading brands in bite-size and minipack format in an attempt to...

Top ten travel firms form breakaway body. (Multiple Travel Agents' Association)
June 21, 1990... Top ten travel firms form breakaway body The UK's ten largest travel operators have joined together to form the Multiple Travel Agents' Association (MTAA), in an apparent challenge to the authority of their established trade body. The...

As IPC Loses Its Monopoly of the Women's Weekly Magazine Market, Competitors Are Faring Well
June 21, 1990... As IPC loses its monopoly of the women's weekly magazine market, competitors are faring well A great deal of nonsense is talked about monopoly, usually bemoaning the way in which the brilliantly ruthless monopolist squeezes his competitors and...

Body & Face Place Aims to Double Up
June 21, 1990... Body & Face Place aims to double up Natural beauty products store The Body and Face Place is launching its first ever ad campaign as it drives to double its number of UK outlets. The full-page press campaign, through Citigate Advertising,...

Correspondent turns to TV for image boost. (Sunday Correspondent)
June 21, 1990... Correspondent turns to TV for image boost The Sunday Correspondent is kicking off its first corporate branding television ad campaign since its launch, with the overt aim to "get under people's skin". The first TV ad in a series from...

TV ads move angers advertisers. (European Commission allows longer commercial breaks)
June 21, 1990... TV ads move angers advertisers Advertisers are reacting angrily to the threat of longer breaks for commercials on television, which are now allowed under a European Commission (EC) directive. The Independent Broadcast Authority (IBA,...

Green rules get cautious response from agencies. (advertising agency response to ITV Association's code on environmental claims )
June 21, 1990... Advertisers ponder implications of the ITVA's environmental guidelines Green rules get cautious response from agencies Advertising agencies are reserving judgement on the ITV Association's (ITVA) new code on environmental claims until...

On-Pack Promotions Row Sparks Split in Label Industry Body
June 21, 1990... On-pack promotions row sparks split in label industry body In-fighting has broken out at the Creative Label Development Federation (CLDF) following its recent condemnation of food retailers who avoid on-pack promotions (Marketing, May 24). ...

Carter scandal rocks VPI. (Don Carter, Valin Pollen International PLC)
June 21, 1990... Top PR firm Valin Pollen is losing out through a US lawsuit facing Don Carter Carter scandal rocks VPI Valin Pollen, the UK's seventh biggest public relations consultancy, is losing out because of the troubles surrounding its US...

The Sweets of Office
June 21, 1990... The sweets of office For most of us, what chocolate bar we eat is of little importance. But put that innocent question to Tate and Lyle marketing director Clive Rutherford, and the shutters come down. "I wouldn't dare answer that," he says. "It...

Time to Kiss and Make Up
June 21, 1990... Time to kiss and make up It appears there has always been a great deal of resentment within cosmetics and toiletries at the success of The Body Shop. Part of that may have been a very natural jealousy at the swiftness with which the empire grew,...

Testing Times for Cosmetics
June 21, 1990... TESTING TIME FOR COSMETICS As recent events involving extremist animal rights groups show, testing of ingredients on live animals is still a hotbed of contention. As the issue comes under further public scrutiny, so does the cosmetics and...

Ads, Cash and Videotape
June 21, 1990... ADS, CASH AND VIDEOTAPE Karl Kuechenmeister stepped off the New York to London shuttle last September with a mission in mind. The silver-haired and softly-spoken New Yorker, whose favourite pastime is curling up with a good book, had travelled...

Give & Take
June 21, 1990... GIVE & TAKE When is a free gift not a free gift? When, as Boots discovered, the VAT man comes knocking on the door. Greg Sinfield takes a look at this legal labyrinth Value Added Tax and Customs and Excise are hardly the sort of thing to send...

Positive Vibes: Presenting a Rosy Image to the World Is an Increasingly Important Priority for Any Firm
June 21, 1990... POSITIVE VIBES Presenting a rosy image to the world is an increasingly important priority for any firm. The secret, as Michael James discovers, is to reflect a corporate culture. And that is a specialist's job The phrase "corporate...

This Year's Top Marques: Executive Cars
June 21, 1990... THIS YEAR'S TOP MARQUES Marketing presents the latest in its annual surveys on company cars. Robin Cobb finds out who drives what among the top marketing personnel There appears to be a shifting pattern in the makes of vehicle most used by...

Tobacco Firms Face Probe
June 14, 1990... Tobacco firms face probe A government-backed tobacco advertising watchdog is to mount an investigation into the use of mailshots by cigarette companies. The move coincides with a Commons protest by MPs against Rothmans, which is accused of...

Trusthouse acts to cut costs. (Trusthouse Forte Hotels Ltd.)
June 14, 1990... Trusthouse acts to cut costs Trusthouse Forte (THF), the UK's biggest hotel chain, is to merge its domestic and international marketing departments in an effort to cut costs. The move comes just months after Alan Hearn took over as...

Sugar Ads Leap Legal Hurdle
June 14, 1990... Sugar ads leap legal hurdle The UK sugar industry has this week launched the first consumer advertising in its [12 pounds] m campaign to bolster sugar's battered image - and appears to have cleared an early hurdle in an inevitable legal battle...

AMV wins Beefeater. (Abbott Mead Vickers wins Beefeater Gin advertising account)
June 14, 1990... AMV wins Beefeater Drinks firm James Burrough has awarded advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers SMS (AMV) its [1.5m pounds] Beefeater Gin account following a three-way pitch. AMV's brief also includes the international gin and Mixed...

Brush up for Aquafresh. (toothpaste to be launched as international brand)
June 14, 1990... Brush up for Aquafresh Health care group SmithKline Beecham is relaunching its biggest international consumer brand Aquafresh, to give it a uniform identity worldwide. The move is part of the company's plan to adopt consistent branding...

Demand for Leisure Choice Has Led to More Entertainment Facilities, but for How Much Longer?
June 14, 1990... Demand for leisure choice has led to more entertainment facilities, but for how much longer? The away-from-home leisure industry has undergone something of a revolution over the past decade. Seemingly insatiable consumer demand for leisure...

Bella Runs Rings Round Rivals in Readership Poll
June 14, 1990... Bella runs rings round rival in readership poll The readership of Bella, the women's weekly title from German publisher Bauer, has outstripped all its major rivals - according to the latest quarterly National Readership Survey (NRS). In the...

Ross Revs Up Relaunch of Frozen Food Range
June 14, 1990... Ross revs up relaunch of frozen food range United Biscuits (UB) subsidiary Ross Young's is to mount the third wave of a total relaunch of its Ross frozen food brand with a corporate redesign across the range. And Ross Young's says a similar...

Slade Takes on Invisible Brands
June 14, 1990... Slade takes on invisible brands The mysterious GB (Breweries) takeover vehicle, which last week bought Higsons Brewery, has appointed advertising agency Slade Hamilton Fenech (SHF) to handle its as yet non-existent brands. Advertising by the...

Advertisers Set Sights on 'No-Man's-Land.' (Report on Men as Consumers)
June 14, 1990... Advertisers set sights on `no-man's land' Many advertisers are mis-targeting almost half the population in their advertisements by appealing either to the traditional male stereotype or the much vaunted "New Man", according to research. A...

Sunday Times Revamp Takes Off
June 14, 1990... Sunday Times revamp takes off The Sunday Times has embarked on a major programme of "facelifts" as one of a series of initiatives in the cut-throat Sunday quality market. The 18-month redesign process developed by the Business Design Group...

Picadilly Radio doubles efforts to grab local ads.
June 14, 1990... Piccadilly Radio doubles efforts to grab local ads Manchester station Piccadilly Radio is more than doubling its local sales team this week. The move is a bid to compensate for national advertisers' stagnant demand for radio airtime. ...

Timeshare Body out to Foil OFT
June 14, 1990... Timeshare body out to foil OFT The Timeshare Developers Association (TDA) has appointed a new head and tightened up its regulations. The move is seen as preempting adverse criticism in a forthcoming report on the timeshare industry by the Office...

Shandwick's Spanish buy puts world at its feet. (purchase of SAE de Relaciones Publicas and Bubbels S.A.)
June 14, 1990... Shandwick's Spanish buy puts world at its feet Shandwick, the world's largest public relations consultancy, last week virtually completed its global PR network with the acquisition of two Spanish PR agencies. In the past five years, the...

Just Lewis's Cup of Tea
June 14, 1990... Just Lewis's cup of tea To say that Illtyd Lewis, executive director of the Tea Council since 1982, likes his work would be a gross understatement. For the man busy plotting the Tea Council's first generic ad campaign is something of a fanatic...

Curbing 'mad car disease.' (discounting by automobile dealers) (editorial)
June 14, 1990... Curbing `mad car disease' With statistics last week revealing new car sales down by 12.7% year on year for the second successive month, the motor industry is already buzzing with talk of "mad car disease" - the mad car being one which has...

Character Licensing
June 14, 1990... CHARACTER LICENSING In character merchandising, the combination of the right product and the right personality - be it anything from a cartoon character to a sports star - can send sales soaring. Get the link wrong and both the character and the...

Turtle Hero Worship
June 14, 1990... TURTLE HERO WORSHIP It's another humid day in Los Angeles, and in deepest Mall-land the hunt is on for that most elusive of prizes, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Only one of these heroes has been sighted, and with credit cards akimbo, we steel...

Plane Speaking
June 14, 1990... PLANE SPEAKING The sparse decoration of a borrowed office, with just a wooden desk and three threadbare chairs, does not add up to the expected picture of British Airways (BA). Indeed, halfway through the interview with direct marketing...

Custom Made for Profit
June 14, 1990... CUSTOM MADE FOR PROFIT The customer is enjoying a rise in popularity. No advertising campaign, it seems, is complete without "caring" or "commitment" or "you" in its strapline. In an increasingly competitive market-place, attention has become...

Gas Warfare: The Heat Is on as Shell Launches a Gas Attack on Calor's Lengthy LPG Market Dominance
June 14, 1990... GAS WARFARE The heat is on as Shell launches a gas attack on Calor's lengthy LPG market dominance. Global warming isn't good news for Calor Gas. Three mild winters in a row may be evidence of the greenhouse effect, or just a blip in the normally...

Go Direct to U.S.: UK Firms with Designs on Selling in the US Would Do Well to Consider Direct Marketing
June 14, 1990... GO DIRECT TO U.S. Getting into the US market via direct marketing may be easier in many ways than UK businessmen think; but the problems that could crop up may be those which are least expected. Marketing spoke to four US marketers working in the...

Pizza Hut to Go Express
June 7, 1990... Pizza Hut to go Express The UK's biggest pizza group Pizza Hut is planning a new chain of outlets designed to promote pizza as a truly "fast food". The new concept, Pizza Hut Express, attacks head on the might of the burger chains by quickly...

Vanity Fair Launches US Edition in the UK
June 7, 1990... Vanity Fair launches US edition in the UK International publishing house Conde Nast is launching US society title Vanity Fair in the UK in an unprecedented venture which will see the up-market monthly carry a single transatlantic editorial. ...

Sky Movies faces pirate raid. (pirate decoders to be produced for Sky Television)
June 7, 1990... Sky Movies faces pirate raid Rupert Murdoch, the "self-appointed iconoclast of UK TV", could soon find himself in the curious position of an establishment figure. Pirate manufacturers of satellite TV decoders have put his Sky Movies...

DIY merger bids to build up sales. (Payless DIY, Do It All merge in Great Britain)
June 7, 1990... DIY merger bids to build up sales The newly-merged Do It All, the result of this week's merger between Boots' Payless DIY and WH Smith's Do It All chains, is aiming to stimulate consumer interest in the sluggish DIY market with "project...

World in action for Panasonic. (NV-V1 VCR is compatible with all the world's major broadcasting systems)
June 7, 1990... World in action for Panasonic Consumer electronics firm Panasonic has unveiled a revolutionary video cassette recorder which is compatible with all the world's major broadcasting systems. Panasonic claims that its offering, the NV-V1...

Flymo Cuts Up Rough
June 7, 1990... Flymo cuts up rough Flymo is to make an unprecedented call for arch rival Qualcast's sales figures to be audited, in the latest round of the "mower wars". The move follows a claim by Qualcast that it now heads the market with a 35% share, in a...

London Transport to Invest in Shops, Not Better Travel. Is This Move Totally Misplaced?
June 7, 1990... London Transport is to invest in shops, not better travel. Is this move totally misplaced? London Transport issued an eight-page press release last week called "Transport for the millions". News of a strategic policy review? Announcement of major...

Niche clothing retailers return after a fashion.
June 7, 1990... Niche clothing retailers return after a fashion Research predicts slow but steady growth in niche retailing in the 90s Niche clothing retailers -- a symbol of the 80s--look set for a resurgence in the 90s, industry experts believe....

Since the Advent of Satellite Television, Cable Is Starting to Look like a Viable Product
June 7, 1990... Since the advent of satellite television, cable is starting to look like a viable product After many years as an economic disaster area, cable in the UK has recently begun to show faint symptoms of potential viability. One reason for this is that...

Levi's changes course for 90s. (Levi Strauss advertising)
June 7, 1990... Levi's changes course for 90s Ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) is aiming to tap the new "youth" attitudes of the 90s with the tenth in its series of Levi Strauss jeans commercials since the company's relaunch in 1986. The new ad,...

Fox's Classic leaves the pack for solo push. (Fox's Biscuits advertising campaign)
June 7, 1990... Fox's Classic leaves the pack for solo push Northern Foods-owned Fox's Biscuits is spinning off its top selling Classic countline as a separately advertised brand for the first time since its launch three years ago. The move is a break...