Marketing articles from June 2005

Marketing archives from June 2005

P&G adds Fallon to roster with male toiletries task.
June 29, 2005... Procter & Gamble is poised to appoint Fallon to its advertising roster. The agency is understood to be in talks with the FMCG giant about handling advertising for a male grooming brand. Insiders are speculating that Fallon may also be...

British Gas restructures to stem customer churn.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... British Gas is restructuring its operation, splitting the company into two separate divisions. The move follows the Centrica-owned company's announcement last week that it has lost nearly 500,000 customers since January and that its...

Disney in Tinker Bell rights deal.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Disney is gearing up for the global launch of Disney Fairies, an entertainment brand based on the Peter Pan character Tinker Bell. Disney is understood to have agreed a near six-figure sum with Great Ormond Street Hospital to use the...

Wimbledon thwarts Palmolive Aloe Vera activity.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The multimillion-pound launch promotion for Colgate-Palmolive's Aloe Vera deodorant range, which is endorsed by tennis star Maria Sharapova, has backfired after the authorities at Wimbledon's All England Club blocked a high-profile field...

Subway centralises pounds 7m account into MediaCom.
June 29, 2005... Subway, the fast-food chain, has appointed MediaCom to its pounds 7m media planning and buying business. The sandwich chain aims to overtake McDonald's by number of UK outlets in the next four years, aided by an increased focus on...

Oral B in electric brush 'value' line.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Oral B is aiming to undercut rivals including Colgate and Procter & Gamble with a value electric rechargeable toothbrush range. The line, badged Vitality, will comprise two products, called Pro-White and DualClean. The toothbrushes cost...

Wine brand adds chill-level labels.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Jacob's Creek has become the first wine brand to introduce temperature-sensitive labels that will indicate when the wine is cool enough to drink. The Pernod Ricard-own-ed brand is introducing the labels on bottles of its spark-ling...

Nissan to fund sports TV shows.(Sports & Entertainment Television)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Nissan is to use advertiser-funded programming in Europe for the first time, after brokering a deal with Sports & Entertainment Television to produce 26 adventure sports shows. The 30-minute shows, called the Nissan Sports Adventure...

New campaign: Sony Ericsson.
June 29, 2005... Sony Ericsson is backing the launch of its K750i camera phone with a global ad campaign that highlights the handset's photographic prowess by suggesting it can 'capture the unbelievable'. The TV ads, which will run throughout July, show a...

Elastoplast adds brand character.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Beiersdorf is planning a pounds 1.1m advertising campaign featuring a cartoon character to promote its Elastoplast Silverhealing high-tech plaster line. In a move away from traditional first-aid advertising, TV, cinema and print ads...

Microsoft backs GCap downloads.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Microsoft has signed a pounds 750,000 deal to sponsor GCap Media's radio music-download service for the next 12 months as it prepares for rapid expansion. The Hear It, Buy It, Burn It service, which originated on GWR before its merger...

Bold develops dissolvable two-in-one capsules.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Bold, the Procter & Gamble-owned combined detergent and conditioner brand, is gearing up for the multimillion-pound launch of its first dissolvable capsule variants this summer. The two-in-one liquid capsule will be the first of its kind...

Umbro unveils 'One Love' pounds 10m World Cup activity.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Umbro has become the first major sports brand to unveil its marketing plans for next summer's football World Cup, pouring more than pounds 10m into an international ad campaign. The sportswear manufacturer will launch the 'One Love'...

Simpay founders as member exits.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Simpay, a joint venture between most of the world's major mobile phone operators intended to enable people to make purchases via their mobiles, has collapsed after the withdrawal of one of the founding members. The initiative was being...

Yakult awards pounds 5m repositioning task to W&K.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Yakult has appointed Wieden & Kennedy to its pounds 5m advertising business as it seeks to change the way it promotes itself in a crowded market. The agency won the business following a pitch against Lowe London, Saatchi & Saatchi,...

Smirnoff backs cocktail recipe.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Diageo is embarking on a drive for its Smirnoff vodka brand by promoting Smirnoff Appleback, a cocktail combining the spirit with ginger ale and apple juice. The brand hopes the cocktail will prove to be a viable 'long drink' alternative...

Live 8 picks One as official water.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... One, the ethical water brand, has been chosen by the organisers of Live 8 and Make Poverty History as the official water for both events. All profits made by the Global Ethics-owned brand at the events will go straight to Roundabout, a...

Handbag.com adds sponsored email newsletters.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Women's portal handbag.com is to send out a raft of email newsletters to bolster its commercial activities following its acquisition by the Barclay brothers in March. Handbag is to publish 16 newsletters before the end of the year in...

The Mall targets 5m via in-store screen network.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The Mall, the UK's second-biggest shopping centre firm, is to overtake Tesco TV as the leading retail screen network in terms of footfall. The Mall, which has 22 shopping centres in the UK, has signed a pounds 3m three-year deal with...

Cancer Research UK to open specialist outlets.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Cancer Research UK is to launch two store formats covering the premium goods and entertainment categories, as it seeks to reaffirm its dominance in the high-street charity sector. The stores will still be badged Cancer Research, but one...

Consumers 'lack ethical options'.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Nearly half of all consumers buy products from companies they view as unethical because they believe there are few alternatives. In an online survey using a selected list of companies, 47% of consumers admitted to buying from the ones...

Wall's Magnum in door-drop drive.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Wall's Ice Cream is backing Magnum 5 Senses, its limited-edition ice-cream range for this summer, with its first money-off coupon, which will be distributed through a door-drop to 1.5m UK homes. The campaign, which uses the line 'Unlock...

MoneyGaming.com aims to lure women.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Online gaming brand MoneyGaming.com launches next month with a pounds 1m campaign targeting women. The site, which is backed by pounds 10m of private and corporate investment, is aimed at the 'soft gaming' sector and offers skill-based...

News brief: BT to launch business and brand.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... BT is to launch a business and brand, provisionally called Access Services Division, to give rivals greater access to its network. Branding and livery are being developed for the arm, which under Ofcom proposals must operate separately from...

News brief: NatWest renews sponsorship.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... NatWest has renewed its title sponsorship of international one-day cricket in England. The deal with the ECB will cover two five-match tournaments against Sri Lanka and Pakistan next summer.

News brief: FlyBe runs cross-media campaign.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... FlyBe, the low-cost airline, is running a pounds 1m cross-media campaign to promote its winter schedule and the roll-out of 18 routes. The activity supports the airline's biggest sales promotion, offering customers the chance to win a Land...

News brief: NHS creates hard-hitting ads.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The NHS has created hard-hitting ads with the message 'Smoking damages your sex life' as part of its 'Don't give up giving up' work. The campaign, which breaks this week on TV, radio and outdoor, was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and...

News brief: British Marine Federation hires Aura Sports.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The British Marine Federation has hired Aura Sports to secure sponsorships for the London and Southampton Boat Shows. The work is the first handled by Aura Sport's strategic department.

News brief: Xtreme Cheddar targets men under 35.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Dairy Gold Foods' Xtreme Cheddar is targeting men under 35 with ads in The Sun, FHM and Kerrang!, as well as on 48-sheet poster sites. The campaign, by Golley Slater, asks consumers if they are tough enough to eat Xtreme.

News brief: FA to capitalise on tournament.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The FA is to capitalise on the recent Women's Euro 2005 football tournament with an ad campaign aimed at getting girls involved in football at grass-roots level. The campaign, by Fanatic, will appear in 900 schools and cinemas.

News brief: Ordnance Survey seeks ad agency.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Ordnance Survey is searching for an ad agency. It has issued a tender and is expected to draw up a shortlist imminently.

People moves: Channel 4.(Appointed Helen Croxson as marketing head)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Helen Croxson has been appointed to the new role of head of marketing and ad sales research at Channel 4. Croxson, a former strategy director of OMD UK, has recently been freelancing for London marketing consultancy Sledge. She will be...

People moves: Bulldog.(Appointed Andrew Morley as chief commercial officer)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Andrew Morley has joined broadband and telecoms firm Bulldog in the new role of chief commercial officer. Morely, who joins from BSkyB, will lead the sales, marketing and customer operations teams.

People moves: Coral Eurobet.(Appointed Martyn Miller as marketing director )(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Martyn Miller has been hired by Coral Eurobet as director of marketing. Miller, who is currently general manager of advertising and promotions at Ladbrokes eGaming, will replace Nick Mills, who quit Coral to join Racing UK earlier this...

People moves: Flight Centre UK.(Appointed Zoe Tring as marketing manager )(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Zoe Tring has been named offline marketing manager at Flight Centre UK. She takes over from Nicole Savage, who has taken on the new role of online marketing manager. Tring joins from First Choice, where she was marketing manager for the Hayes...

People moves: GCap Media.(Appointed Howard Bradley as marketing director)(Appointed Sophie Fenning as marketing director)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Howard Bradley and Sophie Fenning have been promoted to the new roles of regional marketing directors at GCap Media with a brief to help its radio stations implement brand and integrated marketing strategies.

People moves: Interbrew UK.(Appointed Sandra Mitchell as marketing director)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Interbrew UK has promoted Sandra Mitchell to the new position of director of marketing, Scotland & Ireland. Currently head of marketing, core lager, she will oversee marketing activity for all brands in the Interbrew portfolio.

People moves: CARE International UK.(Appointed Carol Monoyios as marketing director )(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Carol Monoyios has replaced Andy Page as marketing director at CARE International UK. She joins from the RNID, where she was director of marketing and membership.

People moves: Coeliac UK.(Appointed Sarah Sleet as chief executive)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Sarah Sleet has taken over from Andrew Ladds as chief executive of Coeliac UK. She joins the charity from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's office. Sleet will work with the government, food service and manufacturing and...

People moves: Hitachi Capital.(Appointed David Swift as Marketing Head)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... David Swift has been appointed to the new role of group head of marketing at Hitachi Capital. He will report to group business director Martin Cutbill and will be responsible for marketing across the firm's key business areas.

People moves: Telewest Broadband.(Appointed Adrian Watkins as partner manager)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Adrian Watkins has joined Telewest Broadband in the new role of e-commerce and partner manager for blueyonder.co.uk. He will work on strategies to strike advertising, e-commerce and sponsorship deals.

People moves: Football Association.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Ben Wright is quitting the Football Association marketing/sponsorship team to join Paul Barber in the Tottenham Hotspur commercial department.

Furniture Village to emphasise quality.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Furniture Village is gearing up to go head to head with market leader DFS as it seeks to increase its share of the troubled furniture sector. A campaign running in July is designed to establish quality, rather than just price, as its...

SodaStream set for UK relaunch.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... SodaStream, the DIY carbonated drinks brand made famous in the 80s by its 'Get busy with the fizzy' ad campaign, is to relaunch in the UK. The brand has hired Baker Boothman and Edy to create print ads to run in celebrity magazines,...

Film Council supports 'alternative' movies.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The UK Film Council is launching a pounds 3m National Lottery-funded initiative to promote specialised and non-commercial movies to a broader cross-section of UK cinema-goers. The scheme will target young adults and mainstream audiences...

New campaign: Onken.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... A fruity love story provides the basis of a TV ad breaking on 4 July for yoghurt brand Onken's Smooch variant. The animated execution, part of a broader pounds 1.3m campaign, shows a frisky strawberry falling in love with another....

This week: Marketing news from the national press.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Dixons Group chief executive John Clare is considering selling the Dixons retail chain. Clare said its future would depend on how well eight new-format stores perform over the Christmas period - Sunday Express Premier Foods is rumoured...

Media News: BT hands digital business to Zed.
June 29, 2005... BT has moved its digital media business out of i-level into Zed and is preparing to nearly double the budget to pounds 15m. Zed, ZenithOptimedia's online arm, was appointed following a final pitch against three agencies, including Starcom...

Media News: Heineken strikes Emap men's deal.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Heineken is to be the first user of Emap's First For Men cross-title advertising package in a pounds 750,000 six-month deal that covers magazine and web brands including FHM and Zoo. Launched earlier this year, First For Men offers...

Media News: She to reposition to take on Easy Living.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The National Magazine Company is relaunching She as a general interest title for 30-something women, pitting it against Conde Nast's Easy Living. The new look will be unveiled with the November issue, on sale from 6 October. It will...

Media choice: Virgin Atlantic Star Wars sick bags.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The Empire Strikes Bag, Barf Vader and Puke Skywalker are among the gags to have been 'thrown up' in response to Virgin Atlantic's introduction of Star Wars-themed air sickness bags to its flights. Virgin has a reputation of never...

Media News brief: Emap Radio axes Smash Hits chart show.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Emap Radio is axing its Smash Hits chart show in the autumn and replacing it with hit40uk, the Woolworths-sponsored show. Hit40uk intends to launch two additional chart shows for adult contemporary and urban music. The latter will compete...

Media News brief: Express to stop including bulk sales in data.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The Daily Express and Sunday Express are to stop including bulk sales - copies distributed free on airlines and in hotels - in their ABC data; the Express says they are of little value to advertisers. In May, 7% of Daily Express and 8% of...

Media News brief: Sara Lee reviews media business.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Sara Lee International is reviewing its pounds 100m pan-European media planning and buying business, with a potential consolidation into two networks. ZenithOptimedia holds the pounds 11m UK account.

Media News brief: Transport for London shortlists agencies.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Transport for London has shortlisted MediaCom, Carat, Starcom, Mediaedge:cia and incumbent PHD for its pounds 10m media planning and buying.

Media News brief: O'Neill renews sponsorship.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... O'Neill, the sports and leisure brand, has renewed its European sponsorship of MTV's Mono extreme sports programming for a fourth season. It will use the deal to promote its H2 series backpack, which uses solar energy to recharge iPods and...

Media News brief: New York Times to be available from 6am.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The New York Times will be available from 6am in London each day, ahead of the on-sale time in New York, through digital printing specialist Oce.

Media News brief: Retail Newsagents call for self-regulation.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The National Federation of Retail Newsagents is calling for self-regulation of magazine and newspaper distribution to retailers through a code of practice, to thwart the Office of Fair Trading's plan to break up the existing method, which...

Media News brief: Five promotes Milkshake.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Five is to promote its children's strand, Milkshake, on Nationwide ATMs located in Asda stores.

Branding News: Bakers expands into dog treats category.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Nestle Purina pet food Bakers is to make its debut in the dog treats market, taking on rival Masterfoods' Pedigree range. Bakers Meaty Treats will sit within the brand's current product portfolio of dry dog food products. Vibrandt...

Branding News: Gale's introduces 'squeezy' ranges.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Gale's, the Premier Foods honey brand, is to expand its product portfolio by adding squeezable packs. The introduction of the bottles coincides with the roll-out of two ranges: Gale's Everyday Better Blended Speciality and Speciality. ...

Branding News: Tennent's gives events new look.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Tennent's, the lager brand, has appointed Design Bridge to develop visual identities for its summer music events, T Break and T on the Fringe. T Break offers young musicians, songwriters and music photographers the opportunity to be seen...

Branding News: Design choice - Roundabout Playpump.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Africa is high on everyone's agenda, especially as we look forward to Live 8 and Make Poverty History. So I wanted to celebrate the kind of inspirational design that is making a real difference to communities in Africa, in the shape of the...

Branding News brief: Holly Hobbie to be relaunched.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products is to relaunch the classic girls' and women's licence, Holly Hobbie. The Holly Hobbie character, a girl in a pinafore and oversized blue sunbonnet, made its debut in 1967, appearing on American Greetings...

Branding News brief: Bisto to introduce variants.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Bisto is to introduce two variants, Sage and Onion and Mint and Rosemary, to its current range of Yorkshire puddings. The products will go on sale in September.

Branding News brief: Organic Spirits Company extends range.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... The Organic Spirits Company is extending its range with a Scotch whisky called Highland Harvest. The organic drink will sit alongside the company's existing portfolio of Juniper Green, a gin, and UK5, a vodka.

Branding News brief: Sheffield FC appoints MK Communications.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Sheffield FC has appointed MK Communications to create and handle a global brand strategy to build on its status as the world's oldest football club.

Branding News brief: Bacardi hires Universal Pixel.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands, which owns Bombay Sapphire, Jack Daniel's and Bacardi, has hired Universal Pixel to provide all branding, messaging, marketing and creative for its off-trade conference.

Branding News brief: e-skills UK launches brand identity.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... e-skills UK, the skills council for IT, telecoms and call centres, has launched a brand identity created by design consultancy Spencer du Bois. The redesign is intended to communicate e-skills UK's role in raising technical abilities in the...

Branding News brief: Holsten Pils hands brief to SiebertHead.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Holsten Pils has briefed SiebertHead, the brand design consultancy, to handle a redesign intended to give the brand a more premium feel (Marketing, 15 June).

Branding News brief: Rathbone hires Sterling London.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Rathbone, a national organisation that provides high-quality learning and training support for disadvantaged people, has appointed Sterling London to devise a corporate identity, including a logo design, signage, merchandise and a website.

Direct News: Npower hands job to Joshua.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Npower is boosting its direct marketing focus with the appointment of Joshua to its marketing services roster. The hiring, which followed a review of Npower's mar-keting suppliers earlier this year, will see the agency work on the...

Direct News: 3 backs TV work with 'sampling'.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Mobile phone network 3 is to embark on a summer-long direct marketing drive to promote its brand strapline, 'We like to play'. The activity has been devised by WCRS and its digital division, Meme, and will include sampling, giving...

Direct choice: Mondrian Hotel.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... A wonderful thing happened to me a few months ago. An invitation to 'hang out' in Los Angeles arrived, along with the means to do it - a coat hanger that sums up perfectly everything that makes the Mondrian Hotel unforgettable. ...

Direct News brief: Ofcom begins investigation.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Ofcom has begun an investigation into seven companies, including Thomson Directories and Toucan Telecom, over the practice of making silent calls.

Direct News brief: Christian Aid mails supporters.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Christian Aid is mailing 100,000 supporters to encourage them to add their names to the 'Votes for Trade Justice' campaign centred around the G8 Summit in Edinburgh next week. Whitewater is running the activity.

Direct News brief: Diageo to run campaign.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Diageo is to run an experiential campaign for its Smirnoff Ice brand this summer, taking a mobile 'snowball fight' scene around cities across the country. The campaign, which will use the Smirnoff Ice fan featured in the TV ads, was created...

Direct News brief: MVC appoints TRG Strata.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... MVC, the entertainment retailer, has appointed TRG Strata, the REaD Group's list and insert management company, to manage its lists.

Direct News brief: Sense launches summer appeal.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Sense, the deafblind charity, is launching a summer appeal to target 36,500 supporters with the aim of raising pounds 75,000. The mailing, by direct agency Cascaid, focuses on sense assessments for children to determine tailored support for...

Direct News brief: Marie Curie hires GB Group.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Marie Curie Cancer Care has hired data specialist GB Group to manage its database with the aim of securing more donations. The appointment is intended to reduce direct mail costs.

Direct News brief: Banks get software to handle campaigns.(Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank)(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank, which are both owned by National Australia Group, are implementing web-based campaign management software from Aprimo to handle an increasing volume of campaigns.

Retail News: Tesco TV in 'zonal ads' shift.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Tesco TV media agent JCDecaux has bowed to advertisers' demands by allowing them to broadcast the same ads throughout a store. When Tesco TV launched last year, the network was divided into different zones in response to research...

Retail choice: The Camper Store, London W1.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... We hear about that 360 degree thing a lot, but a few brands just seem to get it right more effortlessly than others. The Camper Store in Soho highlights one brand that does it right. It is a 'temporary' design, allowing the company to set...

Retail News: Blockbuster ties up with Pringles.(Brief Article)
June 29, 2005... Blockbuster is linking up with Pringles for an on-pack promotion to boost sales during the traditionally quiet summer period. The activity, offering consumers a free Blockbuster rental for every three packs of Pringles purchased, covers...