Marketing articles from September 2008

Marketing archives from September 2008

Dairy Milk lags market as Galaxy steals share.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Cadbury's flagship Dairy Milk brand has lost market share to arch-rival Galaxy. According to the annual Biggest Brands survey compiled exclusively for Marketing by TNS, Dairy Milk lost share in the take-home confectionery sector, posting...

Innocent hit by sales slide.(Financial report)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Innocent Drinks has suffered a significant drop in sales as the UK smoothies market enters its first period of decline. The brand, which has a 69% market share, suffered a 21% slump in like-for-like value sales of its smoothies to pounds...

FSA study will decide labelling dispute.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... The Food Standards Agency will drop traffic-light labelling if research shows consumer preference for the GDA (guideline daily amounts) system. Speaking at this week's Labour Party Conference, FSA chairwoman Deidre Hutton said that...

Lloyds/HBOS Merger Forces Rivals to Rethink
September 24, 2008... Last week's pounds 12.2bn merger between financial-services heavyweights Lloyds TSB and HBOS has major implications for rivals' marketing strategies, according to industry experts. Although closures and job losses are expected across the...

Council gyms tap into crunch.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Local-authority gyms are cashing in as consumers look for cost-effective ways to keep fit and cancel more expensive memberships in the current economic slowdown. Leisure Connection, a national operator which manages 70 local-authority...

Sony Ericsson in Bond drive.
September 24, 2008... Sony Ericsson is launching a multimillion-pound global marketing campaign to promote its tie with the upcoming James Bond film Quantum of Solace. The mobile handset brand will use the activity, rolling out in 46 countries, to promote a...

Comparethemarket.com calls ad pitch.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Price-comparison website Comparethemarket.com has called a review of its pounds 25m advertising account as it looks to improve its creative output in a cut-throat market. The brand is inviting the incumbent, VCCP, which it appointed in...

Five overhauls identity and on-screen promos.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Five is refreshing its on-air look for the first time in six years and dramatically changing the way it runs promotions and idents around ad breaks and programmes. The identity, created for the core terrestrial channel by DixonBaxi, will...

Mazda set to push heritage.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Motor manufacturer Mazda is to reposition in the UK to emphasise its Japanese origins. The marque's current pan-European advertising promotes the release of its latest model, but in future it will aim to exploit the failure of its...

CIM hits out at 2012 rules.(Chartered Institute of Marketing)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... UK legislation protecting Olympic sponsors from ambush marketing has been condemned as 'restrictive and unreasonable' by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). It claims businesses will struggle to benefit from London 2012, as...

The Week in Marketing
September 24, 2008... ORANGE CHARITY WORK - Orange has launched a TV ad campaign for its RockCorp programme, which encourages young people to volunteer to work on charity projects. The ad, created by Fallon, features a 'dust ball' intended to illustrate the work of...

Media: Absolute lines up awareness push.(Absolute Radio UK)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Absolute Radio, the brand set to replace Virgin Radio, will launch a multimillion-pound brand awareness campaign in the UK next week. The activity will focus on the station's expanded music content before highlighting various brand...

Media: Discovery in 'tune in' trial.(Discovery Networks UK)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Discovery Networks UK is trialling embedded tune-ins (ETIs) across its portfolio of channels, which will involve advertising for new series appearing within its other programming. Starting next week, the ETIs will be used to inform...

Media Road Test: Facebook.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... - What's new? The new-look Facebook was fully launched last week to mixed reaction from users. - What's in it for users? Mostly, a lot of confusion. The system of tabs and menus is designed to provide simpler navigation, but...

Media: Inter Rhone hires MPG.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... The Inter Rhone group, which markets wines of the French Cotes du Rhone and Rhone Valley, has appointed MPG to its pounds 1.5m pan-European media planning and buying account following a pitch. MPG, which won the business from WPP's...

Media brief: More to relaunch for second time.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... More, the women's weekly title, will relaunch for the second time this year as owner Bauer Media aims to boost its flagging circulation The magazine will target a more sophisticated readership, but continue to focus on 18- to 24-year-olds.

Media brief: Elle teams up with Shopstyle.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Elle magazine has teamed up with Shopstyle for a branded shopping site. The site will enable Elle readers to search for the latest items from retail brands such as Miss Selfridge and French Connection

Media brief: ITV1 buys highlights for remaining World Cup qualifiers.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... ITV1 has bought the TV highlights for all three remaining England World Cup qualifiers from Setanta for an undisclosed sum. It follows disquiet after fans were unable to watch the recent Croatia match, which aired on Setanta

Media brief: Adams chooses WordWide to publish magazine.(Adams Childrenswear)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Adams Childrenswear has selected WordWide to publish a customer magazine. The title will be sent to 80,000 store-card holders and distributed in-store. The first issue will be published next month

Media brief: RAB to spend pounds 3m on ad-funded partnership.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... The Radio Advertising Bureau is to spend pounds 3m on an ad-funded partnership to help brands gain more from the medium. The RAB will provide bespoke research packages to help with ad creativity

Branding: Unilever reduces packaging spend.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Unilever, which owns Pot Noodle, Marmite and Hellmann's, is lowering its expenditure on packaging across its portfolio of food brands as part of a wider cost-cutting drive. The FMCG firm has pared down the colour palette used for printing...

Branding: Cow & Gate to add pasta line.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Cow & Gate, the baby-food brand, is adding pasta and sauce variants to its Baby Balance line, aimed at parents who want to give their children home-cooked-style meals. Three pasta products - My First Spaghetti, My Mini Macaroni and My...

Branding: HomeServe in brand revamp.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Home-emergency insurance company HomeServe is rolling out a fresh visual identity next month as it repositions itself as a consumer brand. The firm has overhauled its vans' livery to display branding and images representing its service,...

Branding: Brand in the news - E.ON.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... E.ON's Mark Owen-Lloyd demonstrated an important point about brand equity last week when he joked that rising energy prices would make more money for the company. Owen-Lloyd's flippant remark backfired, leading to condemnation both from...

Branding brief: Little Dish adds new variants to range.
September 24, 2008... Little Dish, the children's food brand, has added Chicken & Butternut Squash and Pie & Sausage Hotpot variants to its range. Both are made using all-natural ingredients

Branding brief: Good Natured introduces recyclable packaging.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Good Natured, an ethically sourced fruit brand, has introduced recyclable packaging for its strawberries and raspberries. The punnets, developed by Angus Soft Fruits, are made from ethically sourced materials

Branding brief: Centre for Sight gets revamp.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Centre for Sight, a vision-correction service, has revamped ahead of the opening of a treatment centre in Sussex next year. The fresh identity, by Caulder Moore, is intended to have a modern feel

Branding brief: Mrs Crimble's rolls out wheat and gluten-free range.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Mrs Crimble's, the 'free from' baked goods brand, is rolling out a range of wheat and gluten-free baking mixes. The brand, developed by Pi Global, is also extending into the snack category with a Cheese Bites product

Branding brief: Depaul Trust launches range of T-shirts.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Depaul Trust, a homeless youth charity, has launched a range of T-shirts to promote its 'Positive change' message and raise funds. The shirts, created by Fitch, will be sold at London markets and at www.dosome-thingpositive.co.uk

Digital & Direct: Diet Coke to roll out mobile portal.
September 24, 2008... Coca-Cola GB is targeting women with a mobile portal called the 'Diet Coke Silver Room'. Created by mobile agency Marvellous, the portal will have singer Gabriella Cilmi as its brand ambassador. It is divided into four areas....

Digital & Direct: Infiniti unveils CGI film work.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Luxury car brand Infiniti has created a 'Car Visualiser' campaign microsite ahead of its launch next month. The car marque unveiled four models at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. The range comprises its flagship Infiniti FX...

Digital & Direct: AXA kicks off agency hunt.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... AXA Direct, the insurance company, is seeking an agency to handle its direct response marketing. The winner of the pitch, which is being handled by Creative Brief, will initially be briefed to handle direct response TV, direct response...

Digital & Direct: Digital choice - Blip.fm.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Blip.fm is 'Twitter for music': a tool for sharing and discussing songs. Blip grabs songs suggested by your friends from music search engines, and asks 'what are you listening to, right now?'. Each 'blip' links to Amazon's music store....

Digital & Direct brief: Zavvi hires Underwired to manage campaign.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Zavvi has hired Underwired to manage an eCRM campaign in the lead-up to Christmas. The agency has been briefed to resegment Zavvi's database, which comprises more than 2m customer records

Digital & Direct brief: Vimto launches online game to mark centenary.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Vimto has launched an online game to mark its centenary. The game at Vimtojetski.com challenges players to navigate a jet ski through a purple lagoon, and enter a competition to win a year's supply of the soft drink

Digital & Direct brief: Ordnance Survey to sponsor BHF series.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... The British Heart Foundation's walks and hikes series, which began this month and runs until December 2009, will be sponsored by Ordnance Survey. The BHF will use the activity to raise funds and encourage fitness

Digital & Direct brief: E4.com hires Kerb to promote widget.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... E4.com has hired Kerb to develop a branded widget promoting TV show Fonejacker. The widget enables viewers to 'star' in skits from the show by uploading their photos, which are transposed to sketches, and can then be posted on social...

Digital & Direct brief: Speedo hires Avenue A/Razorfish.
September 24, 2008... Speedo has hired Avenue A/Razorfish to handle the media for its pan-European 80th anniversary campaign

Digital & Direct brief: Malibu launches weekly online webshow.(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... Malibu is launching a weekly online webshow, Get Your Island On, on Yahoo! Video. The show will be presented by comedian Tom Price, and will run for six months. The deal was brokered by Vizeum UK

Andrew Walmsley on Digital: The Truth about Integration
September 24, 2008... It takes more than just adding SEO to a traditional agency's offering to give it 'digital expertise'. What does integration mean? It's a word we are hearing a lot, and, as you might expect, there are a lot of agendas in play here. Back in...

Marketing Promotion: The Thinkboxes Winner for August 2008 - Pure TV Brilliance from the British Heart Foundation
September 24, 2008... When the British Heart Foundation (BHF) revealed that it was running a solus ad break to warn viewers about the symptoms of a heart attack, more than a few eyebrows were raised. But the brave strategy paid off; the two-minute 'Watch your own...

News Analysis: Men Take a Back Seat
September 24, 2008... Ford is aiming its Fiesta firmly at women, but will it alienate men in the process, asks Alex Brownsell. Over the past few years, car brands have shifted the focus of their supermini, or 'B segment', models, toward targeting women. Renault...

News Analysis: Spotting an Opening
September 24, 2008... One brand's disaster can be another's opportunity, writes Jemima Bokaie. As the impact of a sliding economy has begun to sort the weak companies from the strong, so the UK's biggest brands have the opportunity to make best use of their...

Conference Preview: Not Wasted on the Young
September 24, 2008... Relevance and social currency are vital to reaching the youth market, writes Miranda Fitzgerald. A decade ago, TV advertising was considered the best way for brands to reach young people, with the after-school and early-evening hours forming...

Raymond Snoddy on Media: Radio Tunes in to Positives
September 24, 2008... Commercial radio chiefs were in bullish mood at a recent summit - perhaps with good reason. Did you hear what 150 major advertisers and agencies were told about radio last week? In a grand summit held on the 26th floor of London's Millbank...

Media Analysis: TV's Double Standards
September 24, 2008... Broadcasters are slashing budgets, but calling on advertisers not to follow suit, writes Jeremy Lee. It would be understandable if Channel 4's decision to cut its marketing spend, while simultaneously advising its advertisers that doing...

Brand Health Check: Time Out
September 24, 2008... After a 12% drop in circulation, is the title right to consider free distribution, asks Alex Brownsell. Londoners are inundated with ways to plan their evenings and weekends Listings abound in freesheets such as Metro, London Lite and...

Mark Ritson on Branding: Calvin Klein's Renaissance
September 24, 2008... A dual change of owner and creative director has ended an era of poor placement and overlicensing. Last week Mark Ritson charted the rise and fall of Calvin Klein. This week he looks at the brand's revival under the ownership of PVH. At...

Recall: Adwatch 24.09.08.(advertisement recall)(Table)
September 24, 2008... Marketing's unique weekly analysis of advertisement recall in association with tns. Q Which of the following TV commercials do you remember seeing recently? 17.09 Brand Agency/TV buyer % ...

Recall: Adwatch 24.09.08 - Marks & Spencer
September 24, 2008... The brand's latest food ads show it has the finesse to balance quality and value. Further back than I care to admit, in my student days, I stacked many a shelf at this fine establishment. Back then, M&S was not known for leading with a...

Profile: For the Love of the Games
September 24, 2008... Barry Hearn chairman, Matchroom Sport, Leyton Orient FC and the Professional Darts Corporation, is branching out. Interview by Ed Kemp. Sports promoter Barry Hearn is nothing if not enthusiastic about his latest venture, the Prizefighter...

Opinion: The Marketing Society Forum - Has the Holiday Industry Lost the Trust of Consumers?
September 24, 2008... The recent collapses of Zoom Airlines and XL Leisure left thousands of customers stranded. Has the industry subsequently been irrevocably discredited in the eyes of would-be holiday-makers? NO - WILL HAMILTON, SENIOR CONSULTANT, AGENCY...

Editor's comment: Hard times benefit big brands.(Editorial)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... One of the most turbulent periods in the history of UK financial markets has been illustrated by images of redundant City workers and stranded holiday-makers. The economic downturn has never been so clearly depicted as over the past few...

Biggest Brands
September 24, 2008... The value of the top grocery brands has withstood the consumer shift toward bargain-hunting amid the gathering economic gloom, writes Jane Simms. While consumers have been counting the cost of the credit crunch, brands have relied on price...

Biggest Brands: Top 20 Brand Categories
September 24, 2008... Health, environmental and budget concerns have all driven shifts in consumer spending patterns. Leaving aside the effect of price inflation, some interesting trends emerge in the performance of different grocery categories. The only sector to...

Biggest Brands: Top 10 by Category
September 24, 2008... The apparently contradictory trends of 'back to basics', healthier eating and indulgence remain key. DAIRY - pounds 8.5bn (+11%)* The strongest growth in the dairy category comes from Cravendale and Cathedral City; sales of both rose 27%,...

Sector Insight: Credit and Debit Cards - Profiting from Prudence
September 24, 2008... The UK's economic woes and attendant drop in consumer spending could be to the benefit of debit-card brands, if not credit cards. These days one rarely reads the word 'credit' without 'crunch' following close behind. While the economic...

Customer Publishing Leagues
September 24, 2008... Customer publishing is one of the few industries finding itself well-placed to negotiate the downturn, writes Nicola Clark. In 2007, marketers spent almost pounds 1bn on customer publishing, according to figures soon to be released by Mintel...

Marketing Digital Report: The Great Search Stand-Off
September 24, 2008... When Google UK announced plans to open bidding on trademarked terms, the stage was set for a brand battle, but all-out war has yet to ensue, writes Adam Woods. What is the collective noun for Mexican stand-offs? A Tarantino? Or, if you listen...

Marketing Digital Report: A Balancing Act
September 24, 2008... Not all businesses have the funds to splash out on lucrative paid search campaigns. Robert Gray finds out how the right mix of paid and organic search work can reap dividends for brands on a budget. For marketers looking to use search to...

Marketing Digital Report: The Rules of the Game
September 24, 2008... One of the biggest challenges for brands and agencies is operating within the rules that govern search engines. Mairi Clark examines how marketers can make the regulations work in their favour. The moment that 'Googling' replaced 'searching'...

Marketing Digital Report: Your Online Small Ads
September 24, 2008... For a small company with even smaller finances, achieving high search rankings can seem beyond the budget. But, as Mairi Clark reveals, the latest mapping technologies have created a virtual directory, accessible to everyone. Search marketing...

Helpline
September 24, 2008... Joe Thomas takes the hassle out of finding the right product or service - you ask the question, he'll provide the answer. SELF-PROMOTION Q: We are launching a product and want to run promotional activity to drive sales. What are our...

Careers: What It's Really like Inside - the BBC
September 24, 2008... - How do you come up with new marketing ideas? We work day to day with programme makers, writers, producers and our creative agencies, so fresh ideas are rarely in short supply. - What is the main marketing challenge you face? Choosing...

Careers: Brand manager of the week - Zoe Hayward, Senior brand manager, innovation, Cobra Beer.
September 24, 2008... - Describe yourself in three words. Loyal, determined and honest. - What would you be if you weren't a brand manager? A psychologist. - What makes a good brand manager? A good communicator, analytical, passionate about the brand,...

Careers: Me & My Mentor - Andrew Cocker, Head of UK marketing, Yahoo!(LeoSports)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... My mentor is Caron Beith, managing director of LeoSports, the sports marketing division at Leo Burnett. She taught me the importance of being passionate about my job and gave me the confidence to be original. Caron has a tireless...

Marketing Mole: Who Does Google Think You Are? - Ian Armstrong, Manager of Customer Communications, Honda
September 24, 2008... - It is unclear whether Ian Armstrong specialises in historic London bus routes, is an ex-Port Vale midfielder, or collects computers. - It is not until the fourth result that a searcher finds the most plausible link to Armstrong. This...

Marketing Mole: Name that brand.
September 24, 2008... This Unilever-owned product claims to lower cholesterol by using a balance of healthy fats. It has been the sponsor of a big UK sporting event since 1996, but the sponsorship will be handed over for the 2010 event. Can you name this...

Marketing Mole: We'll Call You - Cathedral City
September 24, 2008... Could a bout of bad dreams have been brought on by eating cheese in the evening? We rang Cathedral City to find out whether it could put the issue to bed. Cathedral City Good morning, Dairy Crest. Mktg Hi, I'm ringing up about your...

Cadbury sets sights on London Olympics deal.(Cadbury Beverages)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Cadbury is in talks to become the latest brand to sponsor the London 2012 Olympic Games. According to sources close to LOCOG, the London organising committee, negotiations are ongoing. Since last month's handover to London 2012 in...

Reebok adds women's line.(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Reebok is preparing a global campaign to support the launch of a fitness range as it goes head-to-head against Nike in the fight for the women's sports market. The integrated campaign for the range, which is focused on alleviating gym...

C4 braced for cuts to marketing budget.(Channel 4 Television Co.)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Channel 4 is to slash marketing spend across its portfolio of channels as part of a round of budget cuts. A spokesman for Channel 4, which spent pounds 14.9m on advertising in the year to June, according to Nielsen Media Research,...

MTV reviews UK media brief.(AAR Group)(MTV Networks Europe)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... MTV UK is to review its media planning and buying account as it bolsters the marketing activity for its network of 10 TV channels and website. The music and entertainment broadcaster spent more than pounds 1m last year on marketing,...

Taut shifts to natural focus.(AG Barr)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Taut, the energy-drink brand owned by AG Barr, is dropping its positioning as a 'clean' sports drink to stress its natural credentials. The brand has hitherto focused on its freedom from preservatives, artificial sweeteners, flavours,...

Bottled-Water Alliance Unsettles Rival Brands
September 17, 2008... Nestle Waters, Danone Waters and Highland Spring stand accused of breaking ranks with the soft-drinks industry for launching the Natural Hydration Council (NHC). The NHC has been created to research and promote the environmental and health...

Ford puts emphasis on women for Fiesta push.(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Ford is explicitly targeting women with a pan-European integrated campaign for its latest Fiesta model. Ford launched the Fiesta, which it claims is the UK's biggest-selling vehicle, in 1976. It is now concerned that the model does not...

Peroni set for blue ad theme.(advertising)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Peroni is launching a global ad drive focusing on the royal blue colour used in its label design. The campaign, which will be spearheaded by TV ads breaking later this week, shows the blue ribbon featured on Peroni bottles interacting...

Chicago Town in pounds 5m drive.(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Frozen-food firm Schwan's will back the launch of its Chicago Town Edge to Edge pizza with a pounds 5m campaign claiming that the range offers 20% more topping than its rivals. The line will be rolled out at the end of this month. An...

Nokia eyes global sponsorship platform.
September 17, 2008... Nokia, the world's biggest mobile handset manufacturer, is seeking a global sponsorship platform to re-engage with its target 18- to 24-year-old target market. The brand has yet to decide whether it will back an existing global property...

The Week in Marketing
September 17, 2008... THORNTONS' SALES HIKE - Thorntons, the chocolatier, has attributed a profit increase of almost 20% to new products and revamped stores. It reported a 19.6% rise to pounds 8.5m for the year to the end of June Earlier this year, the high-street...

Media: NHS hands task to August Media.(National Health Service)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... The NHS has appointed August Media to publish its Choices magazine for the Department of Health (DoH). The contract publisher, which takes over the account from Dr Foster Intelligence, will produce 1.5m copies of the title every quarter....

Media Road Test: Wall Street Journal.(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... - What's new The Wall Street Journal has launched a glossy lifestyle supplement entitled WSJ. It is published quarterly, with plans to make it monthly from next year. - What's in it for readers The 104-page issue is impressively...

Media: Nestle backs C4 food show.(Channel 4 Television Co.)(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Nestle's coffee machine brand, Dolce Gusto, is to sponsor Channel 4's cooking competition show Come Dine With Me, which returns to TV screens with a celebrity special this autumn. The sponsorship will run across both Channel 4 and More4...

Media: Dior in Marie Claire tie-up.(Diorshow Iconic )(Brief article)
September 17, 2008... Mascara brand Diorshow Iconic is sponsoring Marie Claire's online TV coverage of London Fashion Week, which began this weekend. Iconic will take over the marieclaire.co.uk homepage until 5 October, and has secured the advertising...