Marketing articles from March 2005

Marketing archives from March 2005

Coke's youth drinks ditch diet tag for 'Z' branding.
March 2, 2005... Coca-Cola is to ditch the use of the terms 'diet' and 'light' across its product portfolio and introduce an umbrella brand called Z as part of a fundamental rethink of how it promotes the drinks. The branding, which stands for 'zero added...

BBC appoints Pepsi chief Davie to marketing post.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The BBC has ended its nine-month search for a successor to Andy Duncan with the appointment of Pepsi marketer Tim Davie as its director of marketing, communications and audiences. Davie, 37, was offered the ITV marketing director role last...

Herbal Essences to run talking ad.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The readers of women's glossy Marie Claire are likely to receive a surprise when they open the April issue, courtesy of Herbal Essences. The Procter & Gamble haircare brand will be the first in the UK to use sound in a print ad, which will...

Muller doubles adspend to back low-fat Corners.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Muller, the yoghurt and dessert manufacturer, is launching a healthy variant of its best-selling Corners brand, and is doubling its marketing support for the range to pounds 6m this year. The line, which is called Healthy Balance Corners,...

King of Shaves prepares dedicated women's line.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... King of Shaves is to make its debut in the lucrative female beauty market with a dedicated shaving and skincare range for women. King of Shaves Woman has secured distribution in Boots and the main supermarket chains, with the first products...

BMW hands Mini account to Lida.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... BMW has appointed Lida, the direct arm of M&C Saatchi, to handle direct marketing for Mini, following a three-month review. EHS Brann, which worked on Mini's successful relaunch in 2001, withdrew from the pitch in January. A BMW...

Mars chief heads to Allied Domecq.(appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Allied Domecq has hired Peter Littlewood, a senior Mars marketer, as its global marketing chief. He replaces Kim Manley, who resigned as chief marketing officer following a financial probe (Marketing, 22 December). Littlewood, who...

New campaign: UPS.(United Parcel Service )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... UPS has launched its biggest international TV ad campaign to date to promote its global delivery services. The 'Deliver more' ad is fronted by Jean Reno, star of the films Godzilla and Leon, and portrays the firm as integral to everyday life....

Hubert Burda in weekly launch.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Alan Urry, former managing director of H Bauer, has opened a UK division of German publisher Hubert Burda, with its first launch set to be a women's weekly. Full House, a direct rival to Bauer's Take a Break, will be backed by a pounds 9m...

Capital One in ad account change.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Capital One has moved its pounds 19m advertising business from McCann-Erickson into DDB London. The pitch, which also included Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, was sparked by a shift of the US business from McCann to DDB Chicago at the end of...

Sainsbury's pounds 10m direct work joins agency review.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Sainsbury's has begun a review of its pounds 10m direct marketing business, which is currently held by Proximity London. In addition to its creative review, the supermarket is working with intermediary the Haystack Group on a review of its...

Foster's secures deal to become official F1 beer.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Foster's has signed up as the first official beer of Formula One in a multimillion-pound deal that broadens the brand's reach globally and potentially gives it access to additional markets. The Scottish Courage-owned brand has had previous...

Skoda to target younger drivers.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Skoda is to embark on a product-led advertising strategy with an pounds 11m campaign that is intended to appeal to younger drivers. The campaign will replace the five-year brand-focused strategy that aimed to convince consumers to reassess...

Radio Taxis links with 'green' firm.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... London taxi group Radio Taxis is partnering with climate protection company Future Forests to make its 3000 cabs carbon neutral. The branding on all Radio Taxis will change from orange to green and the cars will sport the carbon neutral...

AMT Coffee switches to Fairtrade-only products.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... AMT Coffee, the railway station-based coffee bar company, is to become the first UK coffee shop chain to offer only Fairtrade products. The company, which has 47 outlets, has made the switch to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight, which began...

Fish moves into men's bodycare.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Haircare brand Fish is to make its debut in the bodycare market with a range of deodorants. Fish, originally launched as a Soho men's hair salon, is to introduce the products under the Fresh Fish brand next month. KMI, owners of the...

Wanadoo creates voice and video services brand.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Wanadoo is to unveil an umbrella brand, which it will use as a springboard for its first foray into voice calls and video-on-demand content. Wanadoo Today will make its debut in a TV ad campaign breaking this week, which marks a move away...

Pizza Hut targets family sales with 4ForAll debut.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Pizza Hut is planning to bring one of its most-successful flagship pizza products in the US to UK in an attempt to boost sales and bolster its menu's flexibility. The 4ForAll - four individually-topped, six-inch- square pizzas in one box -...

Top Virgin Drinks marketer in exit.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Virgin Drinks has restructured its marketing function, leading to the departure of top marketer Karen Connell. Franchise director Chris Deathe said the restructure was the result of Virgin Drinks' move away from handling marketing for its...

Air Miles focuses on brand partners in pounds 5.5m ads.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The Air Miles Travel Company is to use its brand partners in its TV advertising for the first time and has lined up Tesco, Shell, NatWest and Southern Electric to appear in the pounds 5.5m campaign. The activity, which breaks on 7 March, is...

McDonald's hits out at label plan.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... McDonald's has become the latest major food company to slam government plans for a traffic-light labelling system, highlighting levels of fat, sugar and salt in products. Speaking at The Marketing Society's debate 'Question time: facing a...

Fred Olsen shifts focus to internet.(Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is putting digital marketing at the heart of its customer acquisition strategy after appointing Cheeze to handle its online media business. The cruise firm is gearing up to launch a web-based booking facility this...

Meat marketers put pounds 4.5m into ad work.(English Beef and Lamb Executive)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) is establishing a quality scheme to reassure consumers of the quality of English meat and is supporting it with its biggest marketing campaign to date. The pounds 4.5m push - the first time EBLEX...

People moves: Lexmark International.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Matthew Yarrow has been appointed director for the UK Consumer Printer Division (CPD) at printer manufacturer Lexmark International. Yarrow will report to Antonello Cardone, vice-president for CPD in Europe and will manage Lexmark's UK consumer...

People moves: Cahoot.(Promotion)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Martin Plant has been promoted to the role of managing director of Abbey's online banking operation Cahoot. He was previously head of operations at the company. In his new role he will take charge of all Cahoot's operations, including...

People moves: Citigroup.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Tim Lewis, the former credit card marketing director of the Royal Bank of Scotland, has re-emerged at Citigroup, where he will spearhead the relaunch of its Diners Club business later this year. Lewis, who was behind the launch of RBS's Mint...

People moves: London Retail Consortium.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Alastair McKay, director of corporate responsibility at John Lewis, is to be the next chairman of the London Retail Consortium. He succeeds Luke Mayhew, who has chaired the consortium since April 2004.

People moves: Harrods.(Resignation)
March 2, 2005... Anne-Marie Verdin has left Harrods, where she was head of marketing and communications. Harrods would not confirm whether the marketer has a job to go or would be replaced.

People moves: Monster.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Rehana Sharma has joined online recruitment service Monster in the new role of customer service director. She was previously at the AA, where she was responsible for the marketing of its travel and financial services.

People moves: Abebooks.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Marcus Polke has been hired as director of marketing and business development for online bookseller Abebooks. He was previously AOL Germany's e-commerce manager. Polke will oversee Abebooks' marketing strategy and expansion in Western Europe.

People moves: Pricerunner.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Gary Goodman has been hired as the first UK marketing director for online price comparison company Pricerunner with a remit to grow the business and develop awareness of the brand. He joins from online gift service Memorise This, which he...

People moves: IPC Connect.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Mary Bird has been hired by IPC Connect as promotions manager of Chat and Pick Me Up. In the new role she will oversee all competitions and value-added promotions in the titles. She previously ran her own PR company.

News brief: T-Mobile partners with Toucan.(ToucanMobile )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... T-Mobile UK has partnered with telecoms firm Toucan enabling it to launch a mobile network in addition to its fixed-line services. ToucanMobile will roll out later this year.

News brief: Sony Ericsson unveils phones.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Sony Ericsson this week unveils its next generation of mobile phones, including one featuring Walkman technology. Sony is hoping that combining the Walkman with Sony Ericsson mobiles will breath new life into the iconic brand.

News brief: Homebase drops Ash and Morrissey.(Leslie Ash)(Neil Morrissey)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Homebase has dropped Leslie Ash and Neil Morrissey and from its advertising after six years, in favour of a clear price, quality and service message. The TV ads, created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and featuring the strapline 'Make a house a...

News brief: Feel Good Drinks relaunch.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Feel Good Drinks, the enterprise set up by former Coca-Cola marketers, is to relaunch its range of still and carbonated drinks with no added sugar.

News brief: Mitsubishi Motors signs deal.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Mitsubishi Motors has signed a six-figure exclusive cross-media deal with Associated New Media (ANM), the digital publishing division of Associated Newspapers, to run a campaign in the Daily Mail and on its website.

News brief: Innocent to make debut.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Innocent is to make its debut in the childrens drinks market with a range of smoothies called Innocent for Kids. The products contain no added sugar.

News brief: Adidas campaign.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Adidas is launching a cross-media campaign on Friday for its new 'intelligent shoe' Adidas 1, which can adjust cushioning to suit the terrain. The launch is being supported by a global campaign including TV work by TBWA\Chiat Day.

News brief: Savers to raise profile.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Savers, the 350-store healthy and beauty discount store, is talking to advertising agencies to raise the profile of the brand. It is the sister company of Hutchison Whampoa-owned Superdrug.

This week: Marketing news from the national press.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Tesco stands accused of misleading customers over the health benefits of several products following a probe by Trading Standards, which found that some items bearing on-pack health claims contained high levels of sugar or salt - The Sunday...

Castleford TV show seeks agency input.
March 2, 2005... The creators of Channel 4's most ambitious makeover show yet, chronicling the regeneration and rebranding of former mining town Castleford in Yorkshire, are looking for marketing agencies to participate. The Castleford Project is being...

Honda dealers to screen F1 races.(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)(Formula One)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Honda is to exploit its Formula One ties by broadcasting live screenings of Grand Prix races in more than 200 UK dealerships. The car company, which has been involved in the sport for more than 20 years and provides the engines for the BAR...

Pernod Ricard backs Wyndham wine line.(Wyndham Wines)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Pernod Ricard is preparing its first UK marketing support for Australian wine brand Wyndham Wines to build its share of the booming new world market. Wyndham, which sits alongside the high-profile Jacob's Creek brand in Pernod Ricard's...

New campaign: Hula Hoops.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Hula Hoops is aiming to broaden its appeal by targeting families with a pounds 4m TV campaign due to break next week. The ads will introduce the strapline 'Hula Hoops. In a hole world of their own' and will show people finding unorthodox uses...

Media news: BBC outdoor budget hit by strategy shift.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The BBC is planning to scrap the bulk of its pounds 10m outdoor advertising budget, including the contract that gives it access to 1,000 poster sites. The broadcaster is one of the UK's most high-profile outdoor advertisers, and the change...

Media news: Dior signs up for Five model show.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Christian Dior is launching its Backstage Collection cosmetics range with a six-figure sponsorship of Five's forthcoming reality TV series Make Me A Supermodel. The series, hosted by Rachel Hunter, puts a group of aspiring models into a...

Media news: Ford links Focus ads to UEFA Cup.(Union of European Football Associations )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Ford is using the final stages of this season's UEFA Champions League to embark on a heavyweight multimedia promotion for the latest Ford Focus model. Using the tagline 'New star signing', the campaign aims to generate awareness of the...

Media choice: The Apprentice - Neil Hurman, Managing partner, Manning Gottlieb OMD.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The Apprentice, the series that tests the mettle of budding entrepreneurs, has been a massive hit for NBC in the US, where it is into a third series. The BBC is hoping Alan Sugar can do a Brit take on Donald Trump, who stars in the US...

Media news: Hallmark Channel redundancies.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The Hallmark Channel has made its advertising sales director Mark Taylor and creative director Adam Woods redundant. Last week the channel was acquired for pounds 127m by a consortium led by David Elstein, resulting in the departure of UK chief...

Media news: Observer adds 'blog'.(observer.co.uk)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The Observer is adding a 'blog' function to its observer.co.uk website, enabling readers to give the paper feedback on news stories. Bloggers will be able to add to stories that have already appeared in the newspaper.

Media news: Chill launched.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... GWR Group is launching Chill, a radio brand dedicated to 'chill-out' music. The digital service is being rolled out to nine regional multiplexes across the UK.

Media news: Gardens Illustrated transferred.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... BBC Magazines is transferring Gardens Illustrated to its Origin division in April. The title joins BBC History, BBC Music and BBC Wildlife, which moved to the Bristol-based publisher last year.

Media news: School Life to launch.(National Schoolwear Centres)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... National Schoolwear Centres, the schoolwear retailer, is launching a customer magazine, School Life, in May. Publishing three times a year, the title will be distributed to its 900,000 customers.

Media news: Radio Times Red Nose covers.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Radio Times is producing four different covers for its March 5-11 issue to celebrate Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. The four cover stars - Jonathan Ross, Chris Evans, Rowan Atkinson and Graham Norton - are depicted cavorting with characters from...

Media news: Maoam links with Smash Hits.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Maoam, the Haribo sweet brand, is linking with teen title Smash Hits to promote Maoam Dance Mayhem, a search to find the UK's best freestyle dancers under the age of 18 at 10 regional events. Maoam will cover-mount four issues of Smash Hits...

Media news: Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 2, 2005... A picture caption in our magazine ABCs coverage (Marketing, 23 February) stated that TV Choice's latest ABC was down 4.1% year-on-year. It was up 8.5%. Rival title What's On TV was down 4.1%.

Branding news: COI strategy unit sets up first agency roster.(Central Office of Information)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... COI Communications has created its first marketing strategy agency roster. It will replace its branding roster and encompass brand strategy, internal communications and consumer insight. The new roster of 84 agencies has been set up by...

Branding news: L'Oreal develops ethnic hair range.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... L'Oreal is launching Mizani, its first range of professional haircare products for the UK ethnic market. The premium range will include relaxers, conditioners and styling lines and will be marketed by L'Oreal on a salon-by-salon basis,...

Branding news: Pearl Drops set to revamp range.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Pearl Drops is to relaunch its tooth-polish portfolio next month with additional products and revamped packaging to build on the growing tooth-whitening market. The Church & Dwight-owned brand's line-up will include Hollywood Smile, a...

Branding news: Design choice - Puma/Starck trainers.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Trainers as fashion statements are old news, but predictions of the sector's impending demise show few signs of coming true. In fact, some brands have grasped the fashion nettle to such an extent that the link between trainers and sporting...

Branding news brief: Coty teams with Beckhams.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Coty has teamed up with David and Victoria Beckham to launch a range of his-and-hers fragrances in a reported pounds 5m deal. Coty, which has also create fragrances for Jennifer Lopez and Vivienne Westwood among others, will back the range with...

Branding news brief: Nair to Easy Wax.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Nair, the beauty brand, is to launch an Easy Wax range, featuring Easy Wax Roll On and Easy Wax Body Strips. Advertising agency Church & Dwight will develop a TV campaign later this year.

Branding news brief: Daniel Thwaites appoints.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Daniel Thwaites, the northern brewery, has appointed Butcher & Gundersen to review and update the branding of its core products.

Branding news brief: dkpm retained.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Servisair/GlobeGround, the aviation service supplier, has retained Sheffield creative agency dkpm as its global brand and marketing supplier. It will provide brand consultancy and develop a global marketing campaign.

Branding news brief: Macdonald Hotels to rebrand.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Macdonald Hotels & Resorts is to rebrand all of its hotels with the Macdonald name to give the group a consistent brand identity. Brochures and online marketing will support the revamp.

Branding news brief: Footie Chick football boot.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Footie Chick, the women's sports clothing brand, is to introduce a football boot designed especially for women. Available from July, it will be available for three levels of expertise; entry level, mid-level and top level, with the top level...

Branding news brief: Loewy awarded brief.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Reed Exhibitions has awarded Loewy, the brand communications agency, the marketing brief for the London Book Fair 2006. The group will design and produce marketing materials including exhibitor packs, posters and a trade press ad campaign.

Branding news brief: Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 2, 2005... Dunning Eley Jones was responsible for developing the channel identity for Teachers TV and not Bruce Dunlop & Associates, as reported in Marketing, 16 February.

Direct news: Credit agencies plan rival UK campaigns.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Rival UK credit reference agencies Experian and Equifax are plotting direct campaigns to promote their online consumer credit checking services. Equifax, which has traditionally run its UK marketing out of its US head office, has appointed...

Direct news: TfL tailors email travel updates.(Transport for London)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Transport for London (TfL) is launching a personalised email service that will warn passengers of disruption on the network. The Travel Updates service will send regular alerts to thousands of customers on TfL's database, informing them of...

Direct news: Customer titles win public vote.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Customer magazines are the most popular form of direct marketing, with 50% of consumers who receive them saying that they like them. Customer titles are also the direct medium that is least likely to be ignored - only one in five recipients...

Direct news: Direct choice - Cancer Research UK.
March 2, 2005... Anyone who has worked on a charity account knows that it is like walking a tightrope. If you emphasise the problem too much, you risk making it seem insurmountable. But if you display too much optimism, you risk losing any poignancy in the...

Direct news brief: Volvo conducts pitch.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Volvo is conducting a customer relationship management pitch to find a CRM agency to build sales at its finance business. The car marque, which wants to build stronger links with its finance customers, is outsourcing the business for the first...

Direct news brief: Cats Protection appeal.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Cats Protection is to run a kitten appeal aimed at reducing the number of unwanted kittens. Direct agency TDA is emailing the charity's members to raise funds for an education and neutering drive.

Direct news brief: Plantronics shortlists.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Plantronics, the mobile phone headset manufacturer, has shortlisted Chemistry, Draft, Gyro, Harrison Troughton Wunderman and Amsterdam's BSUR for its direct duties. The pitch is being handled by Agency Assessments.

Direct news brief: Audi hires 2020.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Audi has hired design agency 2020 to create an online film and other digital marketing to promote the launch of the new A4. The activity will support creative developed by Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

Direct news brief: Communique 360 hired.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... OEone, the train services operator for London and east England, has hired communications agency Communique 360 to promote out-of-London journeys via door-drops, paid-for search listings and in-station activity.

Direct news brief: Elizabeth Arden drive.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Elizabeth Arden is planning a sampling drive to promote the launch of its Britney Spears-branded perfume, Curious Britney Spears. Boomerang Media has devised the campaign, which will run in style bars in 10 UK cities.

Direct news brief: Honda begins campaign.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Honda has begun a direct mail campaign to support the launch of its FR-V model. The activity, created by Hicklin Slade & Partners, has a family-oriented storybook theme, and includes a business-to-business mailing.

Direct news brief: Scottish & Southern Energy activity.(EuroDirect)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Scottish & Southern Energy is to step up its customer acquisition activity with the appointment of EuroDirect, which will identify potential targets by studying data from existing customers.

Retail news: Debenhams airs 'older' ads.
March 2, 2005... Debenhams is to feature older women in its advertising for the first time as it seeks to widen its appeal and emphasise its 'high-fashion' credentials. The TV ads, which break today (Wednesday) as part of its new-look Designers at...

Retail news: Retail choice - Bravissimo website.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Although we live in an era that is supposedly enlightened, women's underwear remains a slightly taboo subject for us guys. There is also a lingering, if somewhat hackneyed, preconception about bras for the fuller woman. The idea of men buying...

Retail news: Ideal Shopping in strategy rethink.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Ideal Shopping Direct, the live TV home-shopping operator, is to overhaul an initiative offering free airtime to brands, after it failed to attract key national players following its launch last year. Chief executive Paul Wright said the...