Marketing articles from September 2004

Marketing archives from September 2004

Orange goes hunting for top football club tie-ups.
September 2, 2004... Orange has assigned several million pounds to a sponsorship budget aimed at realising its ambition of becoming the mobile phone operator for football. The company's bid to establish itself across the sport is the first concerted effort by...

ITV admits to pounds 50m hole in advertising revenues.
September 2, 2004... ITV has admitted it stands to lose pounds 50m in advertising revenue to rival broadcasters next year following a decline in its audience share this year. The loss is a result of the Contract Rights Renewal (CRR) mechanism, which allows...

ITV3 eyes option for pay-TV debut.
September 2, 2004... ITV has revealed that digital channel ITV3 may make its debut on 1 November as a subscription-only channel, marking the broadcaster's first foray into pay-TV since the demise of ITV Digital. The broadcaster had previously said ITV3 would be...

Nescafe unveils new look for luxury coffee lines.
September 2, 2004... Nescafe is embarking on a radical overhaul of its premium coffee range that will include a full relaunch of its second-biggest coffee brand, Gold Blend. Gold Blend will be reformulated for a 'richer aroma' and repackaged in line with...

Abbey pushes customer control in pounds 7m activity.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Abbey is embarking on the next phase of its brand promise to 'turn banking on its head' with a pounds 7m advertising campaign that plays on people's complex relationships with their money. The campaign, created by ad agency TBWA\London,...

iii selects HTW to handle relaunch.(Interactive Investor International)(Harrison Troughton Wunderman)
September 2, 2004... Interactive Investor, the web investment service, is being relaunched by its founder, backed by a major ad blitz. Capital Accumulation acquired the company from Australian financial services company AMP in March and hired its founder, Tomas...

BARB under fire over TV ratings.(Broadcasters' Audience Research Board)
September 2, 2004... The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) has been attacked for failing to upgrade its audience measurement system. Among the complaints at the Edinburgh TV Festival session entitled 'BARB - The Number's Up?' were that the system...

Sony Ericsson to back Anastacia.
September 2, 2004... Sony Ericsson is to sponsor pop star Anastacia's European tour as part of the launch of its F500i entertainment camera phone. The 'Live at Last' tour, which starts in Amsterdam on September 25, will take in 13 countries and provide a...

New campaign: Elizabeth Arden.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Elizabeth Arden is promoting the launch of its Provocative Woman fragrance with a pounds 1m ad campaign starring actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. The TV execution features Zeta-Jones walking through the streets of Rome wearing the perfume. As...

Coors backs Sky Western drama.
September 2, 2004... Coors Fine Light has agreed a six-figure deal to sponsor Sky One's US import Western drama Deadwood. The 12-week series, which begins on 21 September, is the highlight of Sky One's autumn schedule. Deadwood achieved a record audience for a...

TFL tells tourists about C-Charge.
September 2, 2004... Transport for London (TfL) is targeting non-Londoners with information on the Congestion Charge as it seeks to reduce the number of fines it hands out. About 135m UK residents visit the capital by car every year, and TfL wants tourists to...

Gold Council in pounds 10m bid to boost jewellery sales.
September 2, 2004... The World Gold Council, an organisation funded by the world's biggest gold-mining companies, is preparing a pounds 10m global campaign to stimulate demand for jewellery. The 'Speak gold' press and poster activity is an attempt to boost...

Times lines up stars for pounds 4m umbrella activity.
September 2, 2004... The Times is to run a pounds 4m star-studded branding campaign featuring Jonny Wilkinson, Gordon Ramsay, Gabby Logan and Jodie Kidd. The newspaper is ditching its three-year-old strapline 'What's important' in favour of 'Join the debate',...

Yell assigns pounds 5m TV buying to PHD.
September 2, 2004... Yell has moved its pounds 5m TV buying account out of The Allmond Partnership (TAP) into PHD at short notice and without a pitch. Yell denied the move was linked to a conflict of interest caused by BT's launch of a rival directory, Purple...

FA links with Carlsberg in anti-hooliganism drive.(Football Association)
September 2, 2004... The Football Association has teamed up with sponsor Carlsberg for a nationwide effort to combat hooliganism at England away games. The campaign, which will use Carlsberg's Euro 2004 campaign strapline 'Your country needs you', will promote...

DVD rental group in pounds 4m ad drive.(Video Island)(ScreenSelect)
September 2, 2004... Video Island and ScreenSelect, the online DVD rental companies that merged last week, have pledged pounds 4m to advertising over the next six months. The investment marks their first concerted push; each previously carried out ad hoc...

Silver Spoon set for return to TV.(Silver Spoon Light)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Silver Spoon returns to TV this month for the first time in 20 years to promote Silver Spoon Light, a product it is positioning as sugar's equivalent of semi-skimmed milk. It claims that Silver Spoon Light is a breakthrough because it...

Konami poaches Henry from EA for football game.
September 2, 2004... Video games company Konami has signed Arsenal and France football star Thierry Henry as its brand ambassador, poaching the player from Electronic Arts (EA). The striker had been used by EA to front earlier versions of its FIFA video game...

Clinique seals Telegraph sports tie for men's line.(Clinique Laboratories Inc.)(The Daily Telegraph)
September 2, 2004... Clinique is to use the sports pages of The Daily Telegraph to promote its Clinique Skin Supplies for Men range in a six-figure sponsorship deal. The company will put its name to a series of five features covering memorable moments in...

Amstel bolsters football activity.
September 2, 2004... Amstel, headline sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, is to increase its UK marketing activity to capitalise on the high number of British teams in this season's competition. It is only the second time in the 13-year history of the...

Leapfrog backs games console with spend rise.
September 2, 2004... Toy manufacturer Leapfrog is doubling its advertising budget to pounds 3m to support the launch of handheld games console Leapster. The promotional activity will be Leapfrog's biggest since its UK debut in 2000 and marks the first time the...

Haymarket aims title at MP3 fans.(Haymarket Publishing)
September 2, 2004... Haymarket Publishing, the owner of Marketing, is to put pounds 1.5m behind the launch of a monthly magazine that aims to capitalise on the boom in paid-for music downloads. Rip & Burn , to be launched this autumn, is designed to fit...

Sharwood's focuses on 'web community'.
September 2, 2004... Sharwood's is to put the internet at the heart of all its future marketing activity, following its pounds 9m relaunch earlier this summer. The Asian food brand has overhauled its website to position it as an interactive community for...

News brief: Camelot replaces strapline.
September 2, 2004... Camelot is understood to have replaced 'Be lucky', the strapline underpinning its new pounds 12m brand campaign, with 'Think lucky'. It has modified the umbrella line after rival Littlewoods launched a campaign with the same line first.

News brief: Orange targets teens.
September 2, 2004... Orange is targeting teens with a TV ad campaign promoting free weekend text messaging. The ads, which will run until the end of October, will be supported online as well as in Orange stores.

News brief: Vodafone to run outdoor campaign.
September 2, 2004... Vodafone is to run an outdoor and guerrilla campaign on university campuses during September. The ads, created by J Walter Thompson, will explain that students can get 250 free text messages a month on selected tariffs.

News brief: Habitat runs national press and outdoor campaign.
September 2, 2004... Habitat is promoting its Very Important Product line with a national press and outdoor campaign developed by The Oven, with media through Manning Gottlieb OMD. The range features designs by 22 celebrities.

News brief: Fiat backs Multipla model with campaign.
September 2, 2004... Fiat is backing its Multipla model with a poster and press campaign. Created by Leo Burnett, the ads are being supported by direct mail. They focus on the car's three-in-a-row seating configuration.

News brief: Kellogg sets up National Breakfast Week microsite.
September 2, 2004... Kellogg has set up a National Breakfast Week microsite to support the event, which begins on 6 September. The site is aimed at mothers and families.

News brief: Columbia TriStar promotes DVD release.
September 2, 2004... Columbia TriStar Home Enter-tainment is promoting the DVD release of 50 First Dates via a tie-up with dating event organiser Chemistry, which is rebranding its speed-dating nights with the name of the film throughout September.

News brief: Marketing's league table clarification.
September 2, 2004... Marketing's league table of field marketing agencies (Marketing, 11 August) listed CPM as having a turnover of pounds 36,532,216 for 2002, according to Companies House. This figure did not include all CPM's field marketing revenue. The correct...

People moves: The Inland Revenue.
September 2, 2004... Ian Schoolar is leaving his post as marketing and communications director of the Inland Revenue due to a merger of the department with HM Customs & Excise. Schoolar, who joined the Inland Revenue from NatWest in 2001, does not have a job to go...

People moves: BAA.
September 2, 2004... Brian Collie is stepping down as group retail director for airport operator BAA and will leave before the end of the year. His role included board-level responsibility for marketing, with marketing director Barbara Beckett reporting directly to...

People moves: HMV.
September 2, 2004... HMV has promoted Ged Hopkins to head of retail marketing and hired Gideon Lask, former managing director of website Letsbuyit.com, to replace him as head of marketing. Hopkins fills the role vacated by Laurie Webster five months ago. Lask will...

People moves: Eastern Airways.
September 2, 2004... Keith Watson has been appointed to the new role of head of sales and marketing for Eastern Airways. He previously held a senior sales position at British Airways and was head of sales for airline Maersk UK.

People moves: Hi-Tec.
September 2, 2004... David Goulding has been hired by sportswear brand Hi-Tec as managing director. He has been poached from Pentland Group-owned shoe brand Kickers, where he was senior vice-president of international operations. Goulding replaces Brian Chambers,...

People moves: Rare Publishing.
September 2, 2004... Julian Downing has joined customer publishing company Rare Publishing as managing director, where he replaces Craig Waller. Downing, who was previously director of contract publishing at The National Magazine Company, is charged with increasing...

People moves: Etihad Airways.
September 2, 2004... Helen Cahill has been hired by Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates' national carrier, as its first UK marketing manager. She will manage all UK activity for the airline and build awareness of the brand. Cahill was previously CRM...

People moves: Midlands Co-operative Society.
September 2, 2004... Cyrrhian Macrae is joining the Midlands Co-operative Society in the new role of head of community and corporate affairs. She joins from Coventry University, where she was director of corporate affairs.

Samaritans puts emotions to fore.
September 2, 2004... Samaritans is to back a re-focus on 'emotional health' with a direct marketing assault that will aim to drive awareness of the charity and generate funds. Following an internal review that highlighted the need to revitalise its marketing...

Toni & Guy seals Fashion Week tie.
September 2, 2004... Toni & Guy, the upmarket hairdressing chain, is teaming up with London Fashion Week as its official haircare brand partner. The sponsorship deal marks the first time Toni & Guy has aligned itself with an international event and is aimed at...

eBay urges retailers to use website as shopfront.
September 2, 2004... eBay is preparing its first direct mail campaign to encourage retailers and businesses to use its auction service to market and sell their products. The company is keen to promote itself to third parties as an 'online shopfront', enabling...

Levi's goes interactive to promote 501 Anti-fit line.
September 2, 2004... Visitors to Levi's pan-European website will be able to create video messages and compose mobile ringtones as part of a campaign for its 501 Anti-fit range. The activity, launching today (Thursday), aims to generate interest in the...

Unwins in Raisin Sauvage talks.
September 2, 2004... Former Oddbins marketing chief Laurie Webster is in talks with Unwins to sign up the off-licence chain as one of the first clients for his marketing agency, Raisin Sauvage. Webster, who quit as head of marketing at HMV earlier this year...

G.room opens dedicated mens' outlet in London.
September 2, 2004... A retail store dedicated to male grooming and men's fashion is opening in London this week to build on the boom in the sector. The shop will predominantly cater to 20- to 30-year-olds. It will sell a range of own-label fashion, as well as...

UEFA unveils Cup competition logo.
September 2, 2004... UEFA, European football's governing body, is to reveal a fresh brand identity ahead of this year's UEFA Cup competition to raise the profile of the tournament on the global stage. The logo aims to help the UEFA Cup stand out against other...

Green & Black's set for national ad push.
September 2, 2004... Green & Black's is planning its first national advertising campaign in October to build awareness of the chocolate brand beyond the South-East. The brand's previous promotional activity focused on London. The pounds 1.2m press campaign has...

New campaign: Sainsbury's.
September 2, 2004... Jamie Oliver moves on from his investigation into Sainsbury's sausages to enter its bakery in the latest ad in the supermarket's 'Food detective' campaign. Joining a team of bakers working an early shift, he discovers how 330 in-store bakeries...

Royal Marines in bid to drive recruitment.
September 2, 2004... The Royal Marines is using its first direct response recruitment campaign as it seeks to attract a greater quantity and quality of recruits. In the past the elite arm of the Royal Navy has relied on TV advertising, but is hoping that its...

This week: Marketing news from the national press.
September 2, 2004... Wal-Mart is poised to launch a pounds 1bn takeover bid for discount retailer Matalan. Sources close to the US firm and its investment bank, Lazard, said executives were in the UK during August to evaluate a possible approach. - Sunday Express...

Media News: Nissan to tie up with C4 'scrapheap' show.
September 2, 2004... Nissan is repositioning its Navara 4x4 pick-up truck as a sporty leisure vehicle by sponsoring Channel 4 Sunday evening show Scrapheap Challenge. The pounds 850,000 deal is Nissan's biggest TV sponsorship deal to date, and is the first...

Media News: Capital to re-run breakfast work.
September 2, 2004... 95.8 Capital FM is aiming to inject new life into its struggling breakfast show with another burst of its Johnny Vaughan TV and outdoor campaign, and an expletive-filled outtake for the cinema. The activity breaks on 10 September. It uses...

Media News: HomeChoice in pounds 2m campaign.
September 2, 2004... Video Networks is investing pounds 2m in an integrated drive for its HomeChoice broadband and digital TV service in London. Advertising, created by The Grand Union, carries the strapline 'Demand more'. It promotes the range of services in...

Media Choice: Football First.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... As an avid football fan, it was with great anticipation that I tuned in to Football First, a Sky initiative designed to tempt football fans away from BBC One's Match of the Day with a plethora of unprecedented football viewing options. It...

Media News Brief: Ofcom releases results.
September 2, 2004... Ofcom has released the results of the first phase of its review of public-service TV broadcasting. It reveals disagreements between broadcasters and viewer representative bodies as to how public-service commitments should be measured and...

Media News Brief: Regional press ABCs.
September 2, 2004... Regional press ABCs for the six months to June revealed further growth in the paid-for weeklies sector. The Mansfield Chad was up 22.4%, the Monmouth Free Press grew 18% and the Abergavenny Free Press was up 16.1%. The Kent Messenger is the...

Media News Brief: SodaStream to sponsor Inside Soap Awards.
September 2, 2004... SodaStream is sponsoring Hachette Filipacchi's 2004 Inside Soap Awards. It is to be given branding at the awards, retail partner status and sampling opportunities at a post-awards celebrity party.

Media News Brief: ITV creates interactive games service.
September 2, 2004... ITV is creating an interactive games service, branded GTV, on Sky Digital. The service will feature pay-per-play games based on ITV programmes. The service will be managed for ITV by OpenTV's interactive channel, PlayJam.

Media News Brief: Estee Lauder to sponsor Observer supplement.
September 2, 2004... Estee Lauder will sponsor an 'Observer Sport Monthly' supplement devoted to Australian adventure sports. The supplement will feature a reader competition to win a holiday to Australia.

Media News Brief: Sunday Times to mark first anniversary.
September 2, 2004... The Sunday Times is to mark the first anniversary of the launch of 'The Month', its entertainment section, with a CD-Rom featuring footage from Oasis' forthcoming DVD release, Definitely Maybe. The next issue is out on 5 September.

Media News Brief: Cosmopolitan.co.uk ties up with uSwitch.com.
September 2, 2004... Cosmopolitan.co.uk has tied up with uSwitch.com with an online channel, CosmoMoney, to offer women advice on how to get the best deals from utilities providers and personal finance companies.

Media News Brief: Npower to sponsor BBC Good Food Show.
September 2, 2004... Npower is sponsoring the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC Birmingham from 24-28 November. The show is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors.

Branding News: American Golf in upmarket drive.
September 2, 2004... American Golf (AG), the UK's biggest golf course operator, is changing the branding on its 23 venues to establish itself as a more upmarket company. AG currently uses its logo on its public access courses, with member courses identified by...

Branding News: Capricorn goats cheese revamps.
September 2, 2004... Capricorn, the UK's bestselling goats cheese brand, is relaunching to take advantage of increased interest in the sector. Revised packaging for the brand, which has been designed by agency Pearlfisher, will feature images of four goats from...

Branding News: Twinings introduces premium tea range.
September 2, 2004... Twinings has created a premium Reserve range to boost its share of the speciality tea market. Twinings Reserve will appear as four limited-edition varieties of loose-leaf tea, with each blend available at a different time of year. The...

Branding News: Design choice - Sakai projector.(Comfortable Communications)
September 2, 2004... Somebody once said 'small is beautiful'. It wasn't Toshihiko Sakai, but it should have been. He is the designer of, to my knowledge, the world's smallest projector, made for Japanese company Comfortable Communications (ComCom). It's part...

Branding News Brief: Costa to introduce breakfast products.
September 2, 2004... Costa is to introduce a range of breakfast products in its shops, aimed at consumers who would otherwise have skipped the meal. Its offering will include toasted sandwiches and paninis.

Branding News Brief: Chicago Town adds to its pizza portfolio.
September 2, 2004... Chicago Town is adding a sub-brand to its pizza portfolio. Called Loaded, the range claims to be 'the most heavily topped pizza on the market' and is available in Meat Feast, Italian Meatball and Chilli Dog variants.

Branding News Brief: GlaxoSmithKline rebrands Ribena.
September 2, 2004... GlaxoSmithKline is rebranding its ready-to-drink Ribena Original and Ribena Toothkind products as Ribena Bat-currant over the Halloween period. The packs will feature images of bats.

Branding News Brief: So Good launches Soya Breakfast.
September 2, 2004... So Good, the soya milk range, is launching Soya Breakfast, a milk substitute formulated to be consumed with cereals. The long-life product goes on sale in Tesco, Budgens and Nisa this month, priced pounds 1.29 for a one-litre carton.

Branding News Brief: Action for Children in Conflict.
September 2, 2004... Action for Children in Conflict, the international charity, has handed brand-marketing agency Mobious the task of revising its corporate identity. Mobious will also develop an advertising and direct marketing campaign.

Branding News Brief: Spa mineral water introduces three-litre bottle.
September 2, 2004... Spa mineral water is introducing a three-litre bottle for group drinking, called Spa Reine. The bottle has an unusual flat shape designed for easy pouring. It is made of 25% recycled material.

Branding News Brief: Blue Dragon expands its noodle portfolio.
September 2, 2004... Blue Dragon, the Oriental food brand, is expanding its noodle portfolio with Green Tea Noodles and Fine Brown Rice Noodles, each priced 99p for a 250g pack. The latter is designed to appeal to people following the Glycaemic Index diet.

Branding News Brief: Jemma Kidd Make-Up School.
September 2, 2004... The Jemma Kidd Make-Up School has hired The Design Conspiracy to create a brochure encouraging potential students to apply. The 16-page brochure gives details of the six-week course, which is held in the summer.

Direct News: Norwich Union backs HPI used-car service.
September 2, 2004... Norwich Union is drawing up plans to move into the used-car and secured loans market following the acquisition by its parent Aviva of HPI, the UK's biggest second-hand car database. The insurance company plans to use a heavyweight DM...

Direct News: Saab challenges image of diesels.(Draft London)
September 2, 2004... Saab is supporting its launch of two 9-3 diesel models with a direct mail campaign flagging up its high performance and low fuel consumption. The mailing, created by direct marketing agency Draft London, is being sent to 60,000 existing...

Direct News: Asthma UK hires Claydon Heeley.
September 2, 2004... Asthma UK has signed up integrated agency Claydon Heeley Jones Mason to its pounds 2m direct marketing account, with a brief to boost awareness and raise funds following its rebrand from National Asthma Campaign in May. The agency's first...

Direct News: Direct choice - Guinness.(Letter to the Editor)
September 2, 2004... Thank you Guinness for sending me a card and making me smile on my birthday. That's more than my brother or my mum managed. He forgot, while she tried, but the post let her down and her card arrived two days late. But the card from Guinness...

Direct News Brief: Response from DM campaigns.(direct marketing)
September 2, 2004... Tuesday is the day consumers are most receptive to direct mail, according to mail specialist Pitney Bowes. The agency asked more than 1000 companies which days of the week generated the most response from DM campaigns.

Direct News Brief: Samsung briefs Geoff Howe Marketing.
September 2, 2004... Samsung has briefed direct agency Geoff Howe Marketing Communications to create an online campaign for the launch of its E600 handset. The activity offers O2 customers who buy or upgrade to the phone the chance to win prizes including a trip to...

Direct News Brief: KEF hires integrated agency Nexus/H.
September 2, 2004... KEF, the premium loudspeaker manufacturer, has hired integrated agency Nexus/H to manage the pounds 1m consumer launch of its home theatre system. The campaign, which breaks on September 11, will use online and press ads.

Direct News Brief: Green Flag targets motorists.
September 2, 2004... Green Flag Motoring Assistance is targeting motorists with a direct response poster campaign in UK service stations. The ads, which launch this month, use the 'Join the self preservation society' strapline from the insurer's TV campaign.

Direct News Brief: Cosmos brings in TDA to develop its campaign.
September 2, 2004... Cosmos, the UK tour operator, has brought in TDA to develop its first customer relationship management campaign. A pack containing a range of offers will be sent to consumers who have previously booked holidays through Cosmos.

Direct News Brief: The DMA invites telemarketers to comment.
September 2, 2004... The Direct Marketing Association is inviting telemarketers to comment on proposed best-practice guidelines that are being drawn up by The Contact Centres and Telemarketing Council.