Marketing articles from September 2005

Marketing archives from September 2005

Co-op to unite business under umbrella identity.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Co-op is to make sweeping changes to its operations as it seeks to unite its businesses under one high-street identity. The retailer is trialling a new brand, The co-operative, across 40 stores and five regional societies. If...

France Telecom to adopt Orange as global brand.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... France Telecom is to make the Orange brand the corporate and consumer face of the company. Insiders say the move is being discussed at France Telecom's Paris headquarters and will be the last stage of establishing Orange as its global...

Direct Line nabs More Th>n boss.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Mike Tildesley, the architect of More Th>n, has been poached by arch-rival Direct Line to be its marketing chief. He will replace Jim Wallace, who retired earlier this year due to ill health. Churchill marketing director Peter Corfield...

Google hires BBH for first European consumer ads.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The world's biggest internet company, Google, has appointed Bartle Bogle Hegarty to create its first European consumer advertising campaign. The appointment marks a departure for Google, which until now has relied on word of mouth and...

Cahoot hands top job to financial services chief.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cahoot, the Abbey-owned online bank, has named senior financial services marketer John Goddard as its managing director. Goddard, a former marketing director of M&G Group, will assume overall responsibility for marketing, and will be...

Sony seeks PSP media providers.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Sony Computer Entertainment Europe UK has hired TBWA\London's content division, Stream\, to spearhead a major content acquisition drive for its PlayStation Portable console. The gaming device also plays film and music content; Stream\ has...

Unilever cuts UK marketing posts.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Unilever is to make a handful of job cuts at its home and personal care business in Kingston as part of a company-wide restructure. Mid-tier marketing roles are most likely to be hit, although a spokeswoman declined to confirm which...

New campaign: Yakult.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Yakult has ended its three-year ad campaign featuring a geek talking about 'friendly bacteria' in favour of a product-focused strategy. TV, press, radio, direct marketing and point-of-sale activity, created by Wieden & Kennedy, begins next...

Farmers hit out at beef imports.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Scottish farmers have launched a direct-action campaign against three supermarkets, slamming them for promoting lower-quality Brazilian beef under the Aberdeen Angus label. The National Farmers Union Scotland has been protesting outside...

Cravendale adds flavoured range.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cravendale is launching a line of flavoured milk drinks called Hint of... its first product extension since launch seven years ago. Hint of... will be backed by a multimillion-pound campaign including TV ads created by DDB London,...

Game hands job to HHCL/Red Cell.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Video-games retailer Game, which is rebranding and expanding, has appointed HHCL/Red Cell to handle its pounds 1.5m ad account. The retailer's brand campaign, piggy-backing this week's launch of the Sony PSP, is designed to attract...

Closer 'toddler death' ad provokes public outcry.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Advertising Standards Authority has received 24 complaints about a TV ad for Emap's celebrity title Closer. Televised last week, the ad used its article on the accidental death of toddler Abbie Livingstone-Nurse on a Cornish beach last...

Asian telecom firm eyes UK broadband market.
September 1, 2005... Asian telecom giant PCCW aims to shake up the booming UK broadband market with the launch of a wireless service called now. The service is being roll-ed out in London from this week, ahead of phased launches in other UK cities, according to...

Dunlop European task goes to BBH.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Dunlop has handed its multimillion-pound pan-European account to Bartle Bogle Hegarty. BBH scooped the European tyre business after a final pitch against Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R. The hiring, by Dunlop's parent, Goodyear, is part...

Homechoice revamps ahead of national roll-out.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Homechoice, the TV-via-phoneline broadcaster, is planning to relaunch as part of a plan for a nationwide expansion. The Video Networks-owned business, which operates in London, is overhauling its brand, pricing and products to compete with...

HP Sauce in Paul Smith makeover.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... HP Sauce has teamed up with designer Paul Smith to update its brand image. HP is rolling out 1899 limited-edition bottles - one for each year of the sauce's life. The redesigned bottles have Paul Smith-trademark stripes in varying shades...

KLM embarks on first web activity.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is advertising its online service for the first time, backed by its biggest marketing spend for six years. The Netherlands' national carrier is investing pounds 1m in the push, running until March. It...

KFC ties with Captain Scarlet for kids' meal deal.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Fast-food giant KFC is launching a children's meal to coincide with the return of children's TV series Captain Scarlet to ITV. Launching in November in all KFC outlets, the two-month promotion will encourage customers to collect Captain...

Match.com invests pounds 3m in first UK TV campaign.
September 1, 2005... Match.com, the web dating service, is investing about pounds 3m in its first UK TV ad campaign, which also marks the terrestrial TV debut of an internet dating firm. The campaign, which will break next weekend and run intermittently...

Chelsea boosts sponsor roster.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Chelsea Football Club has added to its second-tier sponsorship roster by signing Tourism Malaysia as its official travel destination. The tourist board becomes the fifth 'platinum' partner of the Premiership champions, joining Budweiser,...

Kronenbourg 1664 rolls out TV-backed promotion.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Scottish Courage is embarking on the biggest ever promotion for its premium lager brand, Kronenbourg 1664. The activity will be backed by a heavyweight television ad campaign. The 'Taste to make time for' campaign will highlight the beer's...

Hachette Filipacchi brings lifestyle title to UK.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Hachette Filipacchi is ploughing pounds 3.5m into the UK launch of its bestselling European women's magazine, Psychologies. The mass-market lifestyle monthly is already published in France, Italy and Spain. It hits newsstands in the UK on...

Kent plans to run road safety drive.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Kent County Council is planning a two-year road safety awareness push and has appointed integrated agency Zest to develop a hard-hitting campaign to cut the number of road crashes. Zest, based in Kent, won the business following a six-way...

Coors shuffles team as Carling chief exits.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Coors is shaking up its senior marketing line-up following the departure of Carling brand director Des Johnson, who is joining BP in the new role of head of brand communications. Johnson leaves Coors after eight years, having helped Carling...

Ex-Allders man takes top McArthur Glen job.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Adrian Teague, the former Allders marketing chief, has joined designer clothing group McArthur Glen as its top marketer. Teague, who was made redundant after Allders went into administration earlier this year, has been working on a...

News brief: Post Office revamps offering.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Post Office is revamping its offering in the 540 stores it manages directly. It will include entertainment items such as DVD players, mini hi-fis, books and DVDs. All its 14,600 outlets will have access to the product range by early 2006 as...

News brief: Cadbury and Microsoft sign up as sponsors.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cadbury Schweppes and Microsoft have signed up as sponsors of the Commonwealth Games 2006 in Melbourne. Cadbury is part of the soft drinks and confectionery category, while Microsoft is the Games' official technology partner.

News brief: Key 103 to run poster campaign.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Key 103, the Emap-owned Manchester radio station, is to run a poster campaign on buses and taxis as part of a pounds 2m four-month campaign created by Dinosaur.

News brief: Expedia plans campaign through Lambie-Nairn.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Expedia is planning a multi-million-pound campaign through branding agency Lambie-Nairn. The campaign marks the first work since Clemmow Hornby Inge parted company with Expedia, although it has yet to appoint another agency.

News brief: BT Digital Music Awards to be broadcast on Channel 4.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The BT Digital Music Awards, held at London's Hammersmith Palais on 18 October, will be broadcast on Channel 4 and re-broadcast on E4 for the first time. The awards are supported by iTunes, Intel, Yahoo! Music and Motorola.

News brief: Cheapflights launches price-comparison website.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cheapflights is launching what it claims is the first short-breaks price-comparison website. It will offer more than 13,500 breaks from Thomas Cook, Thomson Cities, Virgin Holidays, OTC, Crystal, Mark Warner, Leisure Direction and Saga.

News brief: 3 UK continues wacky TV ads.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... 3 UK is continuing its wacky TV advertising with an Asian-inspired execution breaking this week. The ad, by WCRS, comes as 3 revealed it has signed up 3.2m customers.

News brief: Irish Lottery operator seeks agencies.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... An Post National Lottery, which operates the Irish lottery, is seeking advertising and media agencies to handle its EUR8m (pounds 5.4m) advertising account.

Andrex signs up for guide dogs initiative.
September 1, 2005... Sales of Andrex toilet roll, made famous by the Andrex Puppy, are to help fund guide dogs' training via a pounds 2.5m tie-up with the Guide Dogs For the Blind Association. The 12-month partnership, which will be backed with a heavyweight...

Blue Square set for online push.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Blue Square, the internet bookmaker, has appointed Wheel as its digital agency as it prepares a major online drive. Wheel, which won the business in a competitive pitch against a number of undisclosed agencies as well as incumbent...

Gillette ranks 16th in Biggest Brands 2005.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Gillette and frozen-foods brand Aunt Bessie's are the UK's 16th and 44th-biggest supermarket brands respectively. The brands were inadvertently omitted from the TNS Superpanel research data that went to make up the Biggest Brands 2005 table,...

New campaign: Asda.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Asda Financial Services is launching a TV campaign in Scotland to boost awareness of its car insurance offering - the first time it has run brand advertising (Marketing, 17 August). The work will be backed by print ads and direct marketing...

This week: Marketing news from the national press.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Tesco is exploring the possibility of stocking large non-food items, such as furniture for the home and garden. The retailer already sells furniture in its overseas stores - Financial Times Wal-Mart chief executive Scott Lee has called on...

Media News: Two charts to bolster radio.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Commercial radio stations are to air two additional chart shows in a bid to stem the rising popularity of BBC stations and boost sponsorship revenue. This autumn, hit40uk, which runs the commercial chart show, is to introduce the AC Chart,...

Media News: Boomerang eyes family audience.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Kids TV channel Boomerang is embarking on its biggest ever campaign, which will target mums and children. Activity will introduce the strapline 'Everyone's Favourite'. It will run in women's and pre-school press, TV and UK play areas. ...

Media choice: Channel 4's cricket coverage.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... On the weekend of the second Ashes at Edgbaston, I did nothing but watch TV. I haven't done that since I was last off sick. However, watching Freddie Flintoff take Australia apart before Shane Warne and Brett Lee's gallant attempt at a...

Media News brief: Magic 105.4 lines up singers.(My Magic Music show debut)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Magic 105.4 has lined up singers including James Blunt and Sheryl Crow to present a two-hour show called My Magic Music. Craig David will host the first edition on Sunday 17 September, featuring his favourite singers and songwriters.

Media News brief: Emap TV promotes head of marketing.(Vikki Timmons)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Emap TV has promoted head of marketing Vikki Timmons to the new role of brand and communications director. As well as overseeing marketing and audience research, she will manage brand propositions and on-air communications.

Media News brief: World Vision agrees deal.(deal with Scotsman Publications)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... World Vision, the charity, has agreed an advertising and editorial deal with Scotsman Publications across its main publications. A campaign in September will aim to raise donations and awareness.

Media News brief: TalkSPORT wins radio commentary rights.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... TalkSPORT has won national radio commentary rights for Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool UEFA Champions League matches. The station has also netted London-only coverage of all Chelsea and Arsenal Premiership home games.

Media News brief: Virgin.net to carry gadget news.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Virgin.net is to carry gadget news and features from magazines T3 and PC Answers on its technology channel. Content will be updated twice a day under the exclusive deal with publisher Future.

Media News brief: NRS initiative will improve access to data.(National Readership Survey)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The National Readership Survey is to send top-line readership estimates for newspapers and magazines to journalists from 19 September. The initiative will improve access to data for media commentators, according to NRS managing director Roger...

Media News brief: Saga 105.2 launches request show.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Saga 105.2 is launching a new three-hour request show called Your Songs on Sundays, hosted by Alistair McDonald.

Branding News: Guinness revamps bar fonts.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Guinness is gearing up for its first branding overhaul since the millennium with a fresh on-trade look. Owner Diageo is introducing a new-look font for Guinness, designed by Jones Knowles Ritchie. The rebrand retains the iconic harp,...

Branding News: Design choice - Fight the ban bracelets.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The latest incarnation of the ubiquitous charity wristband has got toffs in a frenzy and gets my vote. Designed to raise money for the Countryside Alliance, which is fighting to reinstate fox-hunting, the Fight the ban bracelets are made from...

Branding News: McCain's awards work to Elmwood.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... McCain's has named Elmwood as its strategic design agency in a review of its roster. The brand design consultancy has been on McCain's roster for five years, working on packaging projects and new product development. Elmwood, which was...

Branding News brief: Yoplait Dairy Crest to launch probiotic drink.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Yoplait Dairy Crest is launching a probiotic drink next month that is aimed at four- to nine-year-olds. Packaging for the four-packs was designed by Springetts. Yoplait is hoping to attract parents concerned about children's diet.

Branding News brief: Chorion introduces new characters.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Chorion is introducing two individuals to its Mr Men and Little Miss range. Mr Birthday and Little Miss Birthday will join the 79 characters in the portfolio, which include Mr Tickle, Mr Happy and Little Miss Naughty.

Branding News brief: Milli revamps packaging.(Vibrandt contract)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Milli, which manufactures and distributes a range of dairy products and luxury desserts across Europe, has revamped its packaging through design consultancy Vibrandt.

Branding News brief: Ingram Partnership opens first NY office.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Ingram Partnership, the brand strategy agency whose clients include BA, Mercedes-Benz and Diageo, has opened its first New York office by acquiring Consumer Dynamics, which specialises in insight, product innovation and trends.

Branding News brief: Sekonda hires Coutts Arken.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Sekonda has hired Coutts Arken to develop point-of-purchase material for its Sesky range of affordable 'bling' watches for young women.

Branding News brief: Bradford & Bingley appoints agencies for overhaul.(The Partners and Value Engineers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Bradford & Bingley has appointed The Partners and Value Engineers to collaborate on a brand overhaul. Value Engineers will lead on brand development while The Partners will devise creative

Branding News brief: National History Museum unveils design roster.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Natural History Museum has unveiled its first design roster of 18 consultancies, which will be in place for two years. One roster shop, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, has been commissioned to design a forthcoming exhibit on dinosaurs.

Direct News: Orange hires JBCP to create lifestyle mag.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Orange is scrapping the direct marketing material it includes with its customer bills in favour of a consumer lifestyle magazine that will highlight its products and services. The mobile operator has appointed John Brown Citrus Publishing...

Direct News: Mailings boost FMCG sales 20%.(direct mail influence)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Direct mail can increase sales of FMCG products by more than 20%, according to a Royal Mail study. The research, carried out by dunnhumby, analysed 31 mailing campaigns carried out by 25 brands. It found that DM increases brands' influence...

Direct News: COI outsources Donor Week task.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The COI is preparing for an influx of calls to the Organ Donor Line during next week's National Organ Donor Week by outsourcing its telemarketing to CRM specialist Broadsystem. The agency, which won the business following a two-way pitch,...

Direct choice: Virgin Flying Club.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... I dread the drain of regular long-haul flying, evenings away from home and jet-lagged weekends, yet I have a strange feeling of warmth when my Virgin Flying Club Silver Card mail arrives. For me, a key component of a successful loyalty...

Direct News brief: Royal Mail to support Ken Livingstone campaign.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Royal Mail is to support Mayor Ken Livingstone's 'One London' campaign. It highlights how the city has united following the 7 July terror attacks. About 420,000 letters delivered in the capital every day will sport the One London logo.

Direct News brief: Carphone Warehouse runs DRTV campaign.(WDMP contract)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Carphone Warehouse is running a DRTV campaign to launch its Mobile World overseas call service. Integrated agency WDMP created the TV ads. Aimed at ethnic communities, they will show stylised graphics of UK locations morphing into foreign...

Direct News brief: Professional Cookware appoints Ambergreen.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Professional Cookware has appointed search marketing agency Ambergreen to promote its new website. It will create a search engine campaign to help reach its pounds 2m sales target over the next year.

Direct News brief: Future appoints list specialist.(Future Publishing contract with Lloyd James Group and Media Management)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Future Publishing has appointed list specialist Lloyd James and Media Management to handle its growing consumer database. Future's data is held in a master-file spanning five areas of interest.

Direct News brief: O2 extends contract with pd3.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... O2 has extended its contract with brand experience agency pd3 for another year. A campaign produced by the agency includes a field marketing initiative that put teams of 'O2 Angels' on the high street and in retail environments.

Direct News brief: G4S launches direct marketing push.(FCBi London)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... G4S, the international security firm, is launching a direct marketing push targeting contacts at 1000 UK companies. Created by integrated agency FCBi London, the activity highlights potential security risks, directing recipients to a microsite....

Direct News brief: Ipoints signs up brand partners.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Ipoints, the online loyalty scheme, has signed up five brand partners. They are: Prezzybox.com, country bookshop.co.uk, floristsbunches.co.uk, 101cd.com and jewellery.tv.

Direct News brief: Honda extends relationship.(Future Forests)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Honda has extended its relationship with climate-change company Future Forests. A campaign by Intelligent Marketing will see consumers who buy a Honda car from September receive a range of benefits.

Retail News: Music giants in digital fight.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... HMV and Virgin Megastores are gearing up for a battle for online music subscribers, as they roll out their upgraded digital music services over the next week. HMV Digital and Virgin Digital will operate similarly to existing subscription...

Retail choice: Cath Kidston, Covent Garden.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cath Kidston opened her first shop 10 years ago in Notting Hill, selling antique furniture and her own range of wallpaper and fabrics. Six shops later (not to mention stores in New York and LA) and she's fast becoming the queen of British...

Retail News: Hamleys readies Christmas work.(contract with Golley Slater)
September 1, 2005... Hamleys has hired Golley Slater to produce a Christmas campaign to counter consumer fears after the 7 July bombings. The theme, likely to be the 'Finest toys in the world', will be used in press, poster and point-of-sale activity. It...

Retail News brief: Thomas Green launches stores in Costa Blanca.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Thomas Green, the overseas retailer aimed at British expats, is launching three stores in the Costa Blanca. The retailer aims to open 20 stores in Spain over the next three years.

Retail News brief: Sainsbury's Bank launches Visa card.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Sainsbury's Bank has launched a new Visa credit card. The card offers 10 months' 0% APR and has a lifetime interest rate of 5.6% for any balance transferred within the first six months. At the end of the 10-month term, the interest rises to...

Retail News brief: Co-op supports Shelter campaign.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Co-op is supporting homeless charity Shelter's 'Million children' campaign with a range of postcards available in-store. The money from the cards, priced pounds 1 each, will go toward Shelter's work with badly housed families.

Retail News brief: Boots wins screening contract.(chlamydia)
September 1, 2005... Boots has won the Department of Health's contract to offer chlamydia screening to 16- to 24-year-olds. The service will be free in its London pharmacies from November in a two-year trial.

Retail News brief: Brantano hires RPM3.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Brantano, the shoe retailer, has hired agency RPM3 to develop its brand and marketing strategy for the UK. The chain displays shoes in pairs so customers can try them on without the need of a sales assistant.

Retail News brief: Whittard of Chelsea blames bombings for sales falls.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Whittard of Chelsea has blamed July's London bombings for falling sales and frightening off potential buyers of the business.

Retail News brief: Supermarkets continue to increase market shares.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda continued to increase their market shares in the 12 weeks to 14 August, according to TNS Grocery. Tesco bolstered its share of the UK market by 0.1% to 30.5%, while Sainsbury's and Asda are up 0.3% and 0.1%...

Helen Dickinson on retail: Chip and PIN not yet immune to abuse.
September 1, 2005... Introducing chip and PIN into our stores to stop fraudulent payments via credit and debit cards has been a huge and challenging project. Just consider that it has involved upgrading more than 860,000 shop terminals and 40,000 cash machines,...

News Analysis: BT profits from public irritant.
September 1, 2005... BT's anti-telemarketing Privacy service is proving popular. Will it be enough to fend off its rivals, asks Claire Murphy. With its market being gradually eroded by upstart telecom rivals, BT has lost the habit of scoring marketing...

News Analysis: Wine's glass half-full.
September 1, 2005... Wine producers have every reason to be optimistic following a sharp rise in consumption. Samuel Solley reports. Wine is now more popular than beer. A decade ago, such a statement might have seemed ludicrous for a nation known for its...

Raymond Snoddy on media: Sky One is the mother of reinvention.
September 1, 2005... When PHD recently carried out some research on how our main TV channels were perceived by the audience, some results were predictable - others surprising. BBC Two was seen as staid, masculine, old and lacking a sense of fun. Channel 4 was the...