Campaign articles from February 1999

Campaign archives from February 1999

Leaked report lambasts True North.
February 26, 1999... Speculation that True North faces eventual break-up or sale is gaining momentum after a brutally frank report from the company hired to find its new chairman. Lack of growth, insufficient operating margins and global reach, culture...

AMV leads Top 300 agency billings for third year running.
February 26, 1999... Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO has retained its position as Britain's biggest advertising agency for the third year running, according to the Campaign Top 300 report published with this issue. AMV recorded billings of 356 million [pounds...

O&M to repitch as Woolwich reviews.
February 26, 1999... One of the oldest relationships in British advertising is under threat as the Woolwich talks to agencies about a major relaunch of its brand. Ogilvy & Mather, the incumbent on the business for 35 years, is believed to have failed to...

Goodyear to review its $15m European task out of McCann.
February 26, 1999... Goodyear, the US tyre-maker, is reviewing its $15 million pan-European advertising account out of McCann-Erickson after more than 40 years with the network. The review covers both creative and media, which is handled by McCann's media...

M&C Saatchi set for Sainsbury's ad assignment.
February 26, 1999... M&C Saatchi is on the verge of reaping the dividends of its patient courtship of Sainsbury's by gaining a slice of the supermarket's business. A source close to the retailer said this week: "The agency will be assigned some work in the...

Woolwich is in need of a fresh identity -- so can O&M deliver?
February 26, 1999... A couple of years ago, Campaign's news editor approached me one Thursday morning with a very long face. "I think we've got a problem with a front-page story in today's issue," he said. "What's the problem?" I asked. "I'm afraid it isn't...

EHS resigns business as L&G calls DM pitch.
February 26, 1999... Evans Hunt Scott ended its three-year relationship with Legal & General this week by refusing to repitch for the financial services provider's multi-million pound direct marketing account. L&G has lined up a number of below-the-line shops...

Merged engineering group talks to shops about rebranding task.
February 26, 1999... Britain's biggest engineering group, is talking to London agencies about a multi-million pound campaign to introduce the newly merged conglomerate -- and a new name -- to opinion formers around the world. BTR Siebe was officially formed...

Publicis seeks new media expertise for interactive offering.
February 26, 1999... Publicis is in talks with at least two new-media agencies in a quest to boost the interactive capability of its UK subsidiary, Publicis Technology. It plans either to recruit a number of senior personnel or buy an existing agency. ...

Conference called on disabled opportunities in adland.
February 26, 1999... The Leonard Cheshire Foundation has called a conference of agencies and clients to discuss how more disabled people can be employed in advertising. The charity is also in talks with two national newspapers about a competition to identify...

German ad giant plans UK agency.
February 26, 1999... Springer & Jacoby, Germany's biggest independent advertising agency, is setting up an international operation in London. The new shop, to be called Springer & Jacoby International, launches on 6 April with a staff of 20. It will create...

BLM wins 5m [pounds sterling] task to relaunch Biro Bic and build UK brand.
February 26, 1999... Booth Lockett Makin has scooped the 5 million [pounds sterling] task to relaunch Biro Bic in the UK as part of a new marketing drive to create a more coherent corporate brand. BLM will now take on all media planning and buying for the...

Mukherjee set for job at Wieden & Kennedy.
February 26, 1999... Paul Mukherjee, the press director of MindShare, is poised to join Wieden & Kennedy in a senior media role, filling the gap left by Ivan Pollard, who moved to Unity in 1997. Mukherjee is understood to have been in talks for some time...

RPM3 lands further Mitsubishi projects despite restructure.
February 26, 1999... RPM3 has extended its relationship with Mitsubishi by landing the car manufacturer's dealership account in the middle of its second major staff restructuring in less than five months. The agency has been asked to create a national press...

HOTLINE.
February 26, 1999... 0181-267-4656 Microsoft has lined up a number of agencies to pitch for a pan-European, Middle Eastern and African campaign, designed to create a more consistent image for the software manufacturer. The UK incumbent, Euro RSCG Wnek...

Nestle refreshes traditional KitKat ad.
February 26, 1999... An eight-month review of strategy on Kit Kat has left its famous "have a break" line unscathed, but persuaded Nestle Rowntree to opt for a different media approach. Instead of traditional 30-second commercials, aired in three distinct...

CDP wins briefs for Stuff relaunch and new Govt IT project.
February 26, 1999... CDP wins briefs for Stuff relaunch and new Govt IT project CDP has won two pieces of business this week, landing the relaunch of Haymarket's Stuff magazine and a Government brief to encourage businesses to make more use of information...

Reid hits out over loss of Andrex task to JWT.
February 26, 1999... Harry Reid, the international president of FCB, has launched an extraordinary attack on Kimberly-Clark's decision this week to appoint J. Walter Thompson to handle its global tissue brands. Reid, who was responsible for putting together...

London Zoo dumps Travis Sully to focus on year 2000 event.
February 26, 1999... London Zoo is splitting with Travis Sully Harari as it puts its entire promotional budget behind its new millennium conservation centre. As a result, the creative assignment on the account--worth up to 500,000 [pounds sterling]--is going...

Triathlon winner fronts WCRS cinema work for Speedo.
February 26, 1999... Speedo is going into cinema for the first time next month, with a 60-second commercial positioning the swimwear brand as an ideal outfit for escape--in or out of the water. The ad, which was created by Speedo International's new agency,...

Motive revamps management to bolster strategic offer.
February 26, 1999... Motive Communications has reshuffled its management line-up in a bid to underline its strategic media credentials and enhance its approach to client servicing. The restructure sees Motive's founding director, Kevin Brown, take on the new...

Postar data is flawed, industry figures say.
February 26, 1999... Postar, the poster industry's flagship audience-research system, has come under fire for being too sophisticated and too honest about the number of people actually seeing poster ads. At a Postar board meeting last week, a number of...

BSkyB ends 13-month relationship with M&C.
February 26, 1999... BSkyB has parted company with M&C Saatchi just 13 months after appointing the agency to its 35 million [pounds sterling] creative account. All creative work will now be handled by an in-house team and the brand consultancy, Wolff Olins,...

Tobacco industry to advertise to obtain support for tax cuts.
February 26, 1999... Britain's tobacco manufacturers are using national advertising to put pressure on the Government to slash taxes on cigarettes. Worried about another big tax hike in next month's Budget, they claim that official attempts to reduce smoking...

Jacob's Cream Crackers to return to TV with Euro RSCG.
February 26, 1999... Jacob's Cream Crackers is to advertise on television after a five-year absence, with a 2.5 million [pounds sterling] campaign through Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper. The campaign, which breaks on 1 March, emphasises the versatility of the...

REVIEW.
February 26, 1999... Marketing and advertising news in the week's press... Levi's has fired a third of its North American workforce and says it will relocate production to cheaper sites abroad. Half of its 22 factories are to be closed, and 5,900 jobs lost...

DMB&B highlights design in Fiat spots.
February 26, 1999... DMB&B London is launching its first work for the Fiat Bravo and Brava at the beginning of next month, with a 3.5 million [pounds sterling] TV campaign focusing on the distinctive styling of the cars. The 60-second ad, which breaks on 1...

Simon Delaney opts to join Cowboy after D-Films' departure.
February 26, 1999... Two months after selling his production company, known as D-Films, the veteran ad director, Simon Delaney, is joining Cowboy Films. Delaney, who quit D-Films to concentrate on his own creative development, said: "For the last few years...

BBH creates branding ads for ScottishPower.
February 26, 1999... A frog and a harassed mother feature in ScottishPower's first major branding campaign, an 8 million [pounds sterling] advertising blitz created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty. The ads are designed to raise the profile of the utility, which is...

CDP appoints Kevin May to build up its management team.
February 26, 1999... CDP has poached Kevin May, a board account director at TBWA GGT Simons Palmer, to strengthen its senior management and work alongside the managing director, Simon Myers. May, 33, will join the agency in March as director-in-charge and...

Roose launches Toffee Crisp Clusters with TV parody.
February 26, 1999... Roose & Partners has parodied the current trend for home improvement shows in its launch commercial for Nestle Rowntree's new Toffee Crisp Clusters. The commercial shows a traditional county family standing outside their 17th-century...

Stuart: why Brown had to quit GQ.
February 26, 1999... Conde Nast is to reposition GQ away from the laddish end of the men's magazine market after the sudden departure last week of its editor, James Brown -- despite his final, controversial issue achieving record sales. Brown's exit, which...

Euro blitz launches Pentium III chip.
February 26, 1999... Intel launches its Pentium III processor this weekend with the central phase of a $300 million global TV, press and internet campaign through Euro RSCG Worldwide. The 30-second launch ad breaks on 28 February and features a group of...

Maher Bird highlights Paramount schedule.
February 26, 1999... The Paramount Comedy Channel launches a programme-led ad campaign next month, the first work for the cable and satellite channel from its new creative partner, Maher Bird Associates. The campaign, planned and bought by Booth Lockett...

Andrews Aldridge's debut work aims to redefine Wesleyan.
February 26, 1999... Partners Andrews Aldridge has unveiled its first major advertising campaign since the agency launched in August last year. It is for the financial services provider, Wesleyan. The task of rebranding Wesleyan was initially awarded to the...

BT appointments signal renewed marketing intent.
February 26, 1999... Coherent branding will be key to BT's new campaign, Francesca Newland says The UK's biggest advertiser, BT, has left the bulk of its advertising account with the UK's biggest advertising agency, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. On the surface...

Authorship counts for little if an old favourite is passed on.
February 26, 1999... Why should a new agency inherit BMP's Martians for Smash? Nothing gets people going like a bout of nostalgia. Last week may have seen a long-awaited decision on the pitch for Britain's largest-spending advertising account, but the calls...

Venerable agency hands key client to big sibling.
February 26, 1999... DMB&B may pick up some bill P&G accounts from NW Ayer. Here's some trivia for your next dull moment. Which agency came up with the "snap, crackle and pop" line for Rice Krispies? Or "diamonds are forever" for De Beers? And, for ten more...

Tait promotes Pentium power.
February 26, 1999... Intel's marketer hopes for a strong uptake of the new PC chip, Jade Garrett says We are about to witness the climax of the most expensive integrated advertising and marketing campaign that Intel, the US silicon chip manufacturer, has...

PICK OF THE WEEK.
February 26, 1999... Anna Griffiths chooses Bartle Bogle Hegarty's TV ads for Levi's Sta-Prest clothing: "I know Levi's has come in for criticism about its recent advertising--and who can ignore the job cuts following its loss of market share--but for my money,...

TURKEY OF THE WEEK.
February 26, 1999... Francesca Newland picks Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper's spot for the Peugeot 206: "The lyrics of Lenny Kravitz's song are translated so literally that it's childish. You have the bored hairdresser wishing she could fly--then it cuts to her flying in...

Top 300: if all you want is clout, look at staff not billings.
February 26, 1999... It's the time of the year we love most at Campaign. By the time you've read this column, we'll have fielded calls from half-a-dozen irate agency executives, demanding to know why we haven't deigned to write a year-end report on their agency....

Is ITV's football deal just delaying the inevitable?
February 26, 1999... A couple of years ago, ITV dropped into the relegation zone where sport was concerned. The network's traditional mainstays, boxing and football, had both decamped to Sky. Now, it's back on the pace, as last week's enhanced Champions League...

MEDIA CHOICE.
February 26, 1999... Eleanor Trickett chooses the bloomers that were doing the rounds in Soho earlier this month: "This could well be the first time that a pair of pants has been named `Media Choice' by Campaign. But how to convey the message that weather...

EXPERT'S VIEW: HOUSE BEAUTIFUL.
February 26, 1999... Ten years after its launch, the home title is still going strong,, Claire Beale writes House Beautiful? Erm, not quite. But I have aspirations, so I thought I'd give this magazine another whirl -- ten years after poring over the launch...

Ideas queen set to send style tremors through Marie Claire.
February 26, 1999... Liz Jones steels herself for the new role of top glossy Since accepting the post of editor of Marie Claire, Liz Jones, deputy editor of The Sunday Times Style magazine, has been feverishly taking the herbal Prozac, St John's Wort, to keep...

A calm before the storm in this year's Top 300 reshuffle.
February 26, 1999... No doubt media agencies will be pouring over this week's Top 300 report like a camera lens over Kelly Brook's talking points. Some will complain that we've been too harsh on them or swallowed their rivals' hype. Few will admit to being...

FOR THE RECORD.
February 26, 1999... Eurosport is launching its dedicated British service, BritishEurosport, on 1 March. The service will sell UK advertising as well as pan-European advertising. It will be broadcast on NTL's cable network and through ONdigital's terrestrial...

Econometricians seek a slice of the media specialists' pie.
February 26, 1999... They talk a good game but does their analysis bring results? If you want to know which half of your advertising is a complete waste of time and money, ask an econometrician. Someone who can help you isolate the effect of advertising from...

TV MONITOR/A WEEKLY LOOK AT WHO'S BUYING WHAT AND WHEN.
February 26, 1999... Programme: Days Like These Station: ITV LWT Date: 19 February, 20.30 Break transmission time: 20.47 BARB: 1016-34 Women TVRs (live) Cashing in on the seemingly inexhaustible wave of nostalgia for the 70s, ITV's new...

LETTERS.
February 26, 1999... ABC FIGURES Coverage of men's sector ignored its rising star: Bizarre It was good to see a full-page of coverage for the men's magazine market in Campaign last week (19 February). But to run both a news story and a full-page analysis...

Expectations exceeded reality for independents.
February 26, 1999... Are there two Bill Thompsons? The veteran art director talking eagerly last week about his imminent arrival at McCann-Erickson doesn't sound much like the onetime passionate champion of creative independents. Contrast the current...

Esso should come clean on plans.
February 26, 1999... What a tease Esso is. Yes, it admits it is talking to European agency networks. No, it doesn't have plans to part company with McCann-Erickson across the Continent. If, as the oil giant claims, this is no more than a data-gathering operation,...

MILLS ON ... THE DECLINE OF ENTREPRENEURS.
February 26, 1999... Quite independently from one another, two senior ad industry figures rang me up recently. They'd read something I'd written, wondered whether there was a gap in the market for a new type of specialist agency and what did I think? (I've put...

ROBERTS ON ... THE RECRUITMENT CLOSED SHOP.
February 26, 1999... I never thought that after 33 years of running a recruitment firm in the industry, I would end up promoting my competitors and providing their details to my candidates! How this has arisen can be explained by turning to the recruitment...

DM agencies tap into demand for planning skills.
February 26, 1999... Strategic expertise is essential if DM agencies are to move beyond the database, Ken Gofton reports Last month's unveiling of the new direct marketing agency, Jones Mason Barton Antenen, is already being hailed by Omnicom as a success,...

Action 2000 website.
February 26, 1999... THE BUYER Jon Ingall, Archibald Ingall Stretton Jon Ingall, managing partner of Archibald Ingall Stretton, succumbs top re-millennial angst and visits the Action 2000 website to see how he can save his business from Y2K before the...

BT's enthusiast breaks down barriers.
February 26, 1999... BT's direct marketing chief stops at nothing to create world-class brands. Nigel Grimes is three months into his newly created job as head of BT's consumer and business direct marketing. The decision to merge what had been separate...

REVIEW IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROYAL MAIL.
February 26, 1999... It's all very exciting. We join Wunderman Cato Johnson and are propelled into a giddy world of new cars, swanky hotels, movie stars and dodgy-looking print quotes. First up is a lavish-looking box with an old press ad for the Vauxhall...

A YOUNG MAN'S GAME.
February 26, 1999... Except, that is, for those industry survivors who have quietly defied the cult of youth by being very good at what they do. With the likes of Peter Souter being made creative director of the country's biggest agency, Abbott Mead Vickers...

PRIVATE VIEW.
February 26, 1999... Glenn Hoddle is no doubt regretting not letting Woody Allen have the last word on reincarnation when he said he'd like to come back as Warren Beatty's fingertips. 6 In the new Walkers commercial, AMV reincarnates Gary Lineker as Vinnie...

CAMPAIGN DIARY.
February 26, 1999... Another attempt to sully the reputation of the ad industry did not escape our notice. We want Tony Stone Images to know what we think of its cheap attempts to win attention, although we congratulate the company on understanding the practical...

BBH's man shows the Italians a thing or two.
February 26, 1999... We may have crashed out of the World Cup, but when it comes to advertising, the UK is still a force to be reckoned with. But as is also true for football, our Italian rivals take the game of advertising much more seriously. The...

It doesn't matter how far you go, Hello! will take your mum along.
February 26, 1999... You may have heard the rumour that CDP is pitching for Hello! magazine. But while Campaign cannot vouch for the truth of any such story, the facts behind the rumours are much more satisfying. Rather than attempting to bring the magazine...

Journalists prove that it's good to talk it up.
February 26, 1999... Oh dear. There seems to be either a lot of arithmetically challenged journalists out there, or M&C Saatchi has a very busy PR department, if the "confusion" over the BT accounts budgets awarded last week (Campaign, 19 February) is anything to...

I'M ONLY A PUNTER BUT...
February 26, 1999... The sickening sycophantic profile of Greg Grimmer in the Headliner feature (Campaign, 5 February) ranks amongst the worst of the plebeian interviews and profiles of industry "superstars" in Campaign during the past couple of years. ...

The year of foreign affairs.
February 26, 1999... Re-alignments, mergers and client conflicts have forced the UK ad industry to acknowledge its lowly rank in the global pecking order, Stefano Hatfield writes Just in case we hadn't got the message, 1998 was the year when we belatedly...

The top 30 agencies.
February 26, 1999... Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO takes the top slot for the third year running, while Saatchi & Saatchi, J. Walter Thompson and Ogilvy & Mather remain its closest competitors. TBWA GGT Simons Palmer is in seventh place CAMPAIGN'S TOP 30...

Campaign's top 300.
February 26, 1999... A A-Z listing of the UK's top 300 agencies shows that Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO again held the number one spot for declared billings with a figure of 403m [pounds sterling] while BMP DDB came in second place Both Grey and Mellors Reay...

Regional agencies.
February 26, 1999... BDH TBWA is at number one and McCann-Erickson (Manchester) and J. Walter Thompson stay in the top three, while the Leith Agency and Cogent (Midlands) gain ground. Based on MMS data, the table ranks the performance of regional agencies in...

Business to business agencies.
February 26, 1999... McCann-Erickson Birmingham kept hold of the top slot that it won in 1997, while Carat Business and Publicis Technology pushed into second and third places. Based on data provided by The Association of Business to Business Agencies, the table...

Top UK agency PROFILES.
February 26, 1999... ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS BBDO 7 Declared billings 1998 403m MMS 356m Declared income 1998 n/s % TV billings 45 Total accounts year...

Top 50 media specialists.
February 26, 1999... Zenith is once again the top-ranked media specialist by billings, while MindShare already holds third place. Carat, MediaVest and CIA Medianetwork remain in the top five TOP 50 MEDIA SPECIALISTS RANKED BY MMS BILLINGS Rank Rank...

The on-off courtships of global media.
February 26, 1999... Feverish talk aside, petty politics dashed several plans for marriage among media giants. Still, Claire Beale says, the industry seems to be growing up fast 1998 should have been the year it all happened, when petty parochial problems...

The top 20 media agencies.
February 26, 1999... In a year of fresh alliances, Diageo settled on Carat, Leo Burnett left Motive then MediaVest at the altar and MediaCom and The Media Business become one JOHN AYLING & ASSOCIATES 3 PRINCIPAL JOHN...

Esso rethink puts McCann on alert.
February 19, 1999... Esso is overhauling all its advertising and marketing activities across Europe, throwing McCann-Erickson's tenure of the business into question. Executives from the oil giant are visiting agency network offices throughout the Continent...

MacManus in talks with Grey over new global media deal.(MacManus Group)
February 19, 1999... Three months after the collapse of talks with Leo Burnett, the MacManus Group has started talks with Grey about a global media alliance. The two companies have held discussions in the past, but are now back round the table to explore a...

AMV keeps 60m [pounds sterling] BT domestic prize.(Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, British Telecom)
February 19, 1999... Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO has defied the odds to retain the lion's share of Britain's largest-spending advertising account, BT. Confounding speculation that AMV would be stripped of a large slice of its business, BT sprung a massive...

Smash Martians to return as HL Foods renews classic ads.
February 19, 1999... The Smash Martians are to make a comeback as part of an extensive relaunch of the instant mashed potato brand by its parent company, HL Foods. It has yet to be decided whether the metallic-voiced Martians, who were introduced to the...

MediaCom TMB and Walker to share IPC spoils.(advertising contract, IPC Magazines)
February 19, 1999... IPC Magazines has split its 10 million [pounds sterling] media planning and buying account between Walker Media and MediaCom TMB, in the process ditching its incumbent agencies, Zenith Media and CIA Medianetwork. Carat, the third incumbent,...

Airtours calls pitch on 10m [pounds sterling] media business.
February 19, 1999... Airtours is again preparing to review its media arrangements, just months after confirming that the business would remain with Media Principles in Leeds. The travel company is now talking to a handful of media shops about its entire 10...

MindShare signs Lloyd-Barnes to beef up TV planning offering.
February 19, 1999... MindShare is to bolster its strategic credentials with the appointment of Edward Lloyd-Barnes as broadcast planning director across all service groups. Lloyd-Barnes, who was appointed by Simon Rees, MindShare's managing director, was a...

Three agencies line up to contest Govt's anti-crime ad drive.(advertising agencies)
February 19, 1999... The Home Office has picked three agencies to contest a 1 million [pounds sterling] pitch for a campaign to involve local people and organisations in the fight against crime. Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper, Grey and Delaney Fletcher Bozell are...

WPP Group's pre-tax profits jump 20 per cent to 213m [pounds sterling].
February 19, 1999... WPP Group delivered a pre-tax profits rise of 20 per cent in 1998, according to the company's preliminary year-end results, which were announced on Wednesday. The company, which owns the Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter Thompson advertising...