Campaign articles from March 2007

Campaign archives from March 2007

Ikea kicks off pounds 4m advertising review.
March 2, 2007... Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant, is hunting for an agency for its above-the-line account. The AAR is drawing up a shortlist of agencies for the retailer, which spent pounds 4 million on advertising in 2006. The contract with the...

Ogilvy moots return to central London.(Ogilvy Group)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... The Ogilvy Group is in negotiations to take three floors in London's County Hall, as part of plans to escape the creative wasteland of Canary Wharf. The move, being pushed through by the chairman Gary Leih, would involve relocating 1,500...

Hurrell and Dawson plans full-service offer.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Hurrell and Dawson, the agency founded last autumn, is positioning itself as a full-service agency and is seeking a heavyweight media figure to support the move. From September this year the business will offer media planning and buying...

Complaints mount against Trident ad.(Cadbury Schweppes PLC chewing gum advertisment controversies)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Advertising watchdogs are to investigate a TV ad for Trident chewing gum after being inundated with complaints that it is racist. The Advertising Standards Authority decided to act after the number of complaints against the ad had reached...

WPP plots Grey/United merger.(United London's Robert Campbell resigning )(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Robert Campbell set to resign as Grey and troubled United put merger discussions on fast track. Robert Campbell is set to resign from his position as the managing partner at United London as WPP plots a merger of its struggling hotshop...

Euro RSCG loses Orange task to Fallon.(Euro RSCG London)(Orange PLC)(Fallon London)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Euro RSCG has lost its Orange UK business-to-business account to Fallon, having won the brief only a year ago. The appointment, which was made without a pitch, means Fallon will create an integrated consumer and commercial campaign for the...

AND in pitch to sell ad space for others.(Associated Northcliffe Digital)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Associated Northcliffe Digital, the online arm of Associated Newspapers, is to pitch for business to sell space on other media owners' websites. Last year, AND created a centralised ad sales unit to sell display advertising across its own...

Telegraph unveils online TV show.(Telegraph Media Group)(The Business Show)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Telegraph Media Group is to launch its first major online TV initiative, following its production deal with ITN. It has created a daily business programme, called The Business Show, which will launch on Monday (5 March). The programme,...

Griffith/Sandoz exit Agency Republic.(Patrick Griffith)(Andy Sandoz )(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Agency Republic is on the hunt for a new planning director following the resignation of Patrick Griffith. He is quitting the agency along with the executive creative director, Andy Sandoz, as revealed by Campaign on Brand Republic last Friday....

Weapon7 appoints new creative boss.(David Howlett appointed)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Weapon7, the interactive TV agency, has appointed OgilvyInteractive's David Howlett as its new creative director. The news follows the departure of the creative partner Simon Smith in October last year, ahead of the agency's acquisition by...

Duncan out after Publicis slump.(Grant Duncan's resignation)
March 2, 2007... Departing Duncan accepts 'some responsibility' for the current problems facing the London agency. Tim Lindsay, the UK group chairman of Publicis, is to take on Grant Duncan's duties at the flagship London agency, following the resignation...

Ad ban supporters target other media.(junk food television ads code of practice revised)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Campaigners for a ban on the advertising of junk food to children are turning their fire on press and posters after securing some curbs on TV commercials. The advertising industry, which is reviewing its code of practice after a request...

MCBD scoops pounds 7m Vision Express and Edge.(Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy has picked up two new accounts, beating Publicis to the pounds 7 million Vision Express brief, as well as landing the pounds 4 million Edge business. MCBD beat Publicis in a final shoot-out for the optical...

Ogilvy in final three for Ulster Bank task.
March 2, 2007... Ulster Bank has shortlisted three agencies to compete for its pounds 5 million above-the-line account. Ogilvy Advertising's Dublin agency has made the cut, as have two independent Irish agencies: AV Browne from Belfast and the incumbent,...

JWT parts company with creative Dunn.(advertising agency releases Steve Dunn)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... JWT has made its head of art and design, Steve Dunn, redundant. His departure follows the loss of the pounds 47 million Vodafone UK account to Bartle Bogle Hegarty in December. Dunn was the lead creative on the account. The JWT chief...

Grade slams Ofcom role.(Michael Grade demands for lighter regulations for television broadcasting industry by Office of Communications)
March 2, 2007... ITV boss urges industry to 'resist the nanny state' imposed by comms regulator. The ITV executive chairman, Michael Grade, is demanding lighter regulation in the TV industry, and challenged the regulator Ofcom to 'either ban TV advertising...

Start-up Amp nets Callaway Golf brief.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Two former board directors of Claydon Heeley Jones Mason have launched a London-based start-up, and won the Callaway Golf pan-European account as their first piece of business from the incumbent, Young & Rubicam. Amp comprises the creative...

Emerging markets boost WPP profits.(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... WPP's investments in the emerging economic superpowers of India and China and in internet-related business were key factors in the group's 14.5 per cent profits rise last year. Sir Martin Sorrell's marketing communications group this week...

DfT adopts user-generated concept for road safety drive.(Department for Transport contracts with Viacom Brand Solutions Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... A group of teenagers will create the next UK ad campaign for the Department for Transport's Think! initiative. Viacom Brand Solutions and Carat, the DfT's media agency, have joined forces to produce a strategy that will see 18 competition...

TBWA\ lands pounds 2.5m Lovefilm business.(TBWA Advertising Inc.)(Lovefilm.com)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Lovefilm.com, the online DVD-rental service, has appointed TBWA\London to its pounds 2.5 million advertising account with a view to launching its first UK brand campaign. The news comes just two months after Lovefilm hired the former...

Mother wins Aerial for anti-drugs spot.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Mother has won the February Aerial Award for the best radio ad for its work on COI's 'Frank' anti-drugs campaign. The agency's 'fast food' spot was judged the best radio ad by Christian Clark, the executive creative director at Joshua. The...

Industry moves to bridge growing consumer gap.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Agencies and clients get guidance on how to boost communication effectiveness. Britain's marketing communications bodies this week launched new guidance to their members to address concerns about engaging with hard-to-reach consumers. ...

The World: San Francisco - Clearwire hires DDB to handle dollars 25m account.(Clearwire Technologies Inc.)(DDB Worldwide)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Clearwire, the wireless broadband internet service provider, has appointed DDB in Los Angeles to handle its creative account, which is expected to bill more than dollars 25 million. DDB takes the business over from the Florida-based agency...

The World: Chicago - CareerBuilder puts dollars 40m brief up for review.(contracts with Cramer-Krasselt Co.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... CareerBuilder, the online jobs site, has put its dollars 40 million account into review after the Super Bowl ads produced by its agency, Cramer-Krasselt, failed to rank in USA Today's viewer poll. The agency said it has resigned the...

The World: New York - XM and Sirius end feud with dollars 13bn merger deal.(Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.)(XM Satellite Radio Inc.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... America's satellite radio services, Sirius and XM, are to merge, which would end their fight for presenters and subscribers. But this could be ruled 'anti-competitive'. The companies want to shake up the US radio industry with niche...

The World: Milan - Italian media agencies announce new senior faces.(appointments)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Italy's media agencies are continuing to experience high turnover at senior level, with new leaders set for MediaCom, Starcom and Universal McCann. Alessandro Cortellazzo has quit as the chief executive of MediaCom Italy. He will be...

The World: Singapore - Burnett Singapore signs Chiu as creative chief.(Leo Burnett Company Inc.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Chris Chiu has returned to his native Singapore after five years to become the executive creative director at Leo Burnett. Chiu, who has helped produce worldwide and regional campaigns for Mercedes-Benz, TNT, Standard Chartered and...

The World: Minneapolis - Hardie takes over as new Fallon planning boss.(Murray Hardie)(Fallon Worldwide)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Fallon has named Murray Hardie as its new planning director, after he spent three years working on some of the agency's biggest clients. Hardie, 43, who will head a 15-strong department, has been working on the agency's Citi financial...

The World: New York - Super Bowl helps CBS to top in viewer listings.(CBS Broadcasting Inc.)(Super Bowl Game (Football))(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... The Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards look to have secured CBS the top spot among US broadcasters in the viewership figures for last month. But experts predict Fox's decision to screen five hours a week of American Idol would make for a...

The World: Madrid - Acquisition reinforces RCS position in Spanish media.(RCS MediaGroup S.p.A.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Italy's RCS MediaGroup is set to become the biggest player in the Spanish daily press sector with the purchase of Recoletos Grupo de Comunicacion. RCS has offered EUR1.1 billion for Recoletos, which has press, radio, TV and online...

The World: Kuala Lumpur - Self-regulatory discussions start in Malaysia.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Malaysia's ad industry has proposed a new system of self-regulation in order to head off a proposed government ban on fast-food ads. Vincent Lee, the president of the Malaysian Association of Advertising Agencies, is to meet Chua Soi Lek,...

The World: Sydney - Clemenger and NetX partner up for digital offering.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Clemenger, Australia's largest marketing communications company, and the digital agency NetX are joining forces to form what is claimed to be the biggest digital offering in the Australia and New Zealand markets. Under the deal, Clemenger...

Between the Lines: Will Grey and United marry?(Grey London)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Ever since Tamara Ingram relinquished her role as the chief executive of Grey London, it's been a matter of frenzied debate about who would take over. News that Grey and its sister WPP agency United are considering a merger seems like an...

Between the Lines: Location, location, location.(Ogilvy Group's Gary Leih advises WPP Group PLC to relocate to WPP Group PLC's location)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... It seems that the Ogilvy Group chairman, Gary Leih, has the necessary drive and determination to force WPP to rethink Ogilvy's current location in Canary Wharf (page 1). His predecessors at the helm of the agency have long complained that...

New-Business Rankings: 2 March 2007.(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
March 2, 2007... Rank Rank Agency/ Total Total Net Wins this last Last three wins billings billings billings week week gained lost gained ...

Hotline: Negotiations between Sky and Virgin Media are deadlocked.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Negotiations between Sky and Virgin Media were deadlocked as Campaign went to press, with both parties convinced a deal would not be struck by the midnight deadline on 28 February. Virgin Media will replace Sky One with its Virgin Central...

Hotline: Omnicom Media chief executive to act as caretaker.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Daryl Simm, the chief executive of Omnicom Media Group, will act in a caretaking capacity as the chief executive of OMD Worldwide until the network can find a successor for Joe Uva, who is leaving to become the chief executive of the US Spanish...

Hotline: Publicis Group reports rise in profits.(financial news)(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Publicis Groupe has reported a 14.8 per cent rise in profits for 2006 to EUR443 million and a record operating margin of 16.3 per cent, beating its own targets

Hotline: Interpublic Group returns to profitability.(financial news)(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Interpublic Group, the owner of McCann Erickson, has returned to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2006, reporting a figure of dollars 69.1 million, compared with a loss of dollars 22.9 million for the same period last year

Hotline: RadioCentre appoints Simon Redican.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... The RadioCentre has appointed Simon Redican as the managing director of the Radio Advertising Bureau. Redican joins from News International, where he was the media account director at The Times

Hotline: Emap to appoint a chief marketing officer.(Emap advertising)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Emap, which is consulting with staff over redundancies, is looking for someone to fill the new role of chief marketing officer. The position includes responsibility for Emap's entire marketing budget and overseeing new product and research...

Hotline: Peter Thompson becomes chief executive for Europe.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Peter Thompson, one of the founders of the Grey-owned agency Joshua, is joining its G2 parent as the chief executive for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Nick Spindler, Joshua's managing director, will take over Thompson's duties in London

Hotline: Mark Holden takes on new international role with PHD Worldwide.(PHD Worldwide)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Mark Holden, the former executive planning director of PHD UK, has been seconded to Australia as part of a new international role with PHD Worldwide. Based in Sydney, Holden will help to launch PHD Australia and work on rolling out PHD across...

Hotline: DLKW & Partners retain Batchelors account.(Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners )(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners has seen off Clemmow Hornby Inge to retain the Batchelors account. The agency has also beaten Lowe London to retain the DVLA business

Hotline: Yahoo! launches competition called Big Shot in Cannes.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Yahoo! is hoping to help creatives understand user-generated content by launching a competition called Big Shot in Cannes. Winners will receive a trip to the French resort. Further details can be found at http://promotions.yahoo.com/bigshot

Hotline: Coty Prestige appoints Lean Mean Fighting Machine.
March 2, 2007... Coty Prestige has appointed Lean Mean Fighting Machine to work on the forthcoming UK launch of Joop! Go, its new fragrance

Hotline: EHS Brann Cirencester wins Imagine Homes business.
March 2, 2007... EHS Brann Cirencester has won the pounds 1.3 million Imagine Homes business. The agency will produce a through-the-line campaign

Hotline: WCRS hires Olivia Bebb as a senior planner.(WCRS Group PLC)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... WCRS has hired Olivia Bebb as a senior planner. She joins from Lowe London, where she was an account planner working on accounts including Stella Artois and Twinings. She was involved in the agency's successful pitch for John Lewis in 2006

Hotline: Philip Circus appointed by the IAB.(Internet Advertising Bureau)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Philip Circus, the IPA's former legal affairs director, has been appointed by the Internet Advertising Bureau as its regulatory affairs consultant. He will represent the IAB on key industry bodies and advise it on legal developments affecting...

Hotline: SmartNewHomes appoints Golley Slater.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... SmartNewHomes, the property website of Trinity Mirror, has appointed Golley Slater as its communications agency. The first campaign will see the agency create TV, press and outdoor elements

Hotline: Premier Travel Inn lines up roster of agencies.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Premier Travel Inn has lined up a roster of agencies for its pounds 5 million advertising account ahead of a strategy review. It has appointed Inferno for offline creative, Dare for its online advertising and Starcom Digital to handle media...

Hotline: CNN signs Lexus Hybrid as first advertiser.
March 2, 2007... CNN has signed Lexus Hybrid as the first advertiser on its new CNN Mobile service, which launches this week. Lexus Hybrid will run banner ads on the mobile site and advertising before and after the World News Now show

Hotline: Founding partner of agency Frame has died.(death of Alan Frame)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Alan Frame, a founding partner of the Glasgow marketing services agency Frame and a well-known figure on the Scottish advertising scene, has died after a heart attack. Richard Sowerby, Frame's chairman, said: 'Alan was a true inspiration to all...

Media: TalkSPORT appoints MindShare.
March 2, 2007... TalkSPORT has appointed MindShare to handle media planning and buying. The account, awarded following a pitch process, was previously handled by Just Media

Media: Unicef appoints WWAV Rapp Collins Media.(United Nations. Children's Fund)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Unicef, the United Nations children's fund, has appointed WWAV Rapp Collins Media to handle its pounds 500,000 media planning and buying account. The business was previously with PHD

Media: Fish4 appoints The-7Stars.
March 2, 2007... Fish4, the classified website, has appointed The-7Stars to handle its media planning and buying. The7Stars will work across sites including fish4cards, fish4homes and fish4jobs

Media: Discovery Networks appoints Gilles Storm.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Discovery Networks has appointed Gilles Storm as its European director of ad sales. Storm, a former head of sales research for BBC World, was previously the head of research for advertising and marketing at National Geographic and Sky News...

Media: Walt Disney appoints Cindy Rose.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Walt Disney has appointed Cindy Rose to head its internet business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Rose, previously the senior vice-president and managing director of Walt Disney International UK, Ireland, the Middle East and Southern...

Media: Chrysalis Radio to cross-promote its LBC 97.3 station.(Chrysalis Radio Group)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Chrysalis Radio is to cross-promote its LBC 97.3 station with ads on its sister station Heart 106.2. Chrysalis has developed a two-week series of ads for LBC featuring the actor Andrew Lincoln. The radio ads with be supported by print and viral...

Media: Tony Mellor has joined First Radio Sales.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Tony Mellor, the former head of sales at Capital Radio, has joined First Radio Sales as its sales director. First Radio handles national sales for more than 130 local UK radio stations

Media: Saga Magazine increases its subscription numbers.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Saga Magazine increased its subscription numbers by 9 per cent to 592,075, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulation figures The rise in subscription numbers followed a decision to stop distributing free copies of magazines to Saga...

Media: Emap Advertising promotes Bruce Daisley.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Emap Advertising has promoted Bruce Daisley to the role of digital sales director. Daisley, who was previously the head of agency sales for radio, will head a 20-strong team

Media: Loaded publishes 3D content in its March issue.(IPC Media Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... The IPC Media title Loaded is publishing 3D content in its March issue. Readers will receive a pair of 3D specs to view several features, including a centrefolds section which shows models in 3D. Another feature shows a pub in 3D

Media: Setanta Sports appoints its first UK sales director.(Mark Taylor appointed)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Setanta Sports has appointed Mark Taylor as its first UK sales director. Taylor is a former head of sales at Hallmark and has worked as a consultant for Viacom Brand Solutions and the BBC

Media: Financial Times appoints editor of its FT Weekend section.(Lucy Tuck)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... The Financial Times has appointed Lucy Tuck as the editor of its FT Weekend section. Tuck was previously the arts editor of The Sunday Telegraph and the editor of The Sunday Telegraph Magazine. She starts her new role on 5 March

Media: Country Life publishes international edition.(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Country Life has published a March edition of Country Life International, a guide to international holiday and property destinations. The magazine is now published three times a year, and the spring edition, free with the 1 March issue of...

Media Forum: Should Emap be broken up?
March 2, 2007... Would Emap be better off splitting up business and consumer, Alasdair Reid asks. Companies that call in the McKinsey management consultancy must resign themselves to a life (over the medium term, as far as visibility allows) punctuated by...

Media: Chatter.
March 2, 2007... 'We've made decisions that led to the watering-down of the Starbucks experience and what some might call the commoditisation of our brand.' - Starbucks' chairman, Howard Schultz, on the perils of world domination. 'If CRR is changed, it...

Media Headliner: Cocky, candid, cool - Associated's digital doyen.(AND Group PLC's Andy Hart management techniques)
March 2, 2007... Ian Darby meets Andy Hart, the managing director at AND, whose swelling revenues and portfolio are outstripping its rivals'. You'd struggle to describe Andy Hart as modest or retiring. On being told that we want to profile him, the excuse...

Media Lifeline: Times Newspapers.(financial statement)(Chronology)(Company overview)
March 2, 2007... As losses continue to escalate, what is the future for Murdoch's titles? 1993: After the union troubles and Wapping move in the 80s, Rupert Murdoch takes his commitment to his flagship quality UK newspapers, The Times and The Sunday Times,...

Media: Perspective - Why Virgin Media versus Sky became a battle for pub talk.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)
March 2, 2007... The rare sight of two girls fighting in the playground used to enliven a boring school day. The boys cheering them on as they played dirty: pulling hair and scratching, while screaming insults. With this in mind, the recent spat between Sky...

Media: All about ... The world's top media owners.
March 2, 2007... Zenith's table gives a snapshot of media owners' control. We all love a league table - so it's odd, really, that no-one's done this one before. ZenithOptimedia's latest report is a ranking of the world's top media owners based on the...

Media: Things we like.(briefs)
March 2, 2007... SAINSBURY'S ITV DRAMA PREMIERES SPONSORSHIP We think Sainsbury's is using this sponsorship, now two years old, very effectively. The idents, rather than the usual irritating tat, are well produced and the short recipe ideas are proving...

Media: Double Standards - 'Our ambition is to be everywhere children are'.(Turner Media Innovations)(dialogue with Bobi Carley and Ian Dowds)(Interview)
March 2, 2007... Two figures in the fiercely fought arena of children's TV talk about threats to ad revenues, content quality and what children actually want from their programmes. BOBI CARLEY - children's director, Viacom Brand Solutions - Who are the...

Media: Strategy Analysis - How Motorola had people seeing Red.(Motorola Inc.)(Red Square)
March 2, 2007... Brand: (Moto) Red Client: Motorola Brief: Raise awareness of the red Motoslvr - the first-ever handset created to raise money to help fight Aids in Africa, through handset sales and subsequent calls, texts and downloads Target: audience...

Media: Russell Davies.(advertising regulations)
March 2, 2007... Like all institutions, the advertising industry is obsessed with self-preservation. Anything that hints at a trammelling of our expansion or reach is decried as unnecessary, anti-competitive and not good for consumers. Our trade bodies...

The World: Why Google is being beaten by the local talent.(Baidu.com Inc.)
March 2, 2007... Overseas brands are finding it very hard to get a foothold in China because they are seen as too 'foreign'. For most of the world, 'Google' has entered the lexicon in place of 'internet search' as a result of its huge popularity. But for...

The World: Insider's View - US.(advertising agencies and consumers)(Column)
March 2, 2007... Consumers feel they are entitled to know what goes on behind the opaque windows of US corporations, which is why they are starting to open up, Andrew Bennett writes. It wasn't so long ago that corporate titans walked the world, amassing...

Close-Up: Newsmaker - How will losing its star player affect Saatchis?(Manchester United appointed Saatchi & Saatchi's Lee Daley)
March 2, 2007... The agency must prepare for another change in management after Manchester United signs Lee Daley. Lee Daley's advice to anyone thinking of starting a business is to look at religion or football because 'you have a customer base who will...

Close-Up: Live Issue - How important is ethical marketing?
March 2, 2007... To what extent should adland accommodate ethical and environmental issues, Danielle Long asks. The hiring of Young & Rubicam as the global agency partner for the Save Our Selves initiative to fight climate change has added weight to the...

Close-Up: 24 hours with ... Flo Heiss, Creative partner, Dare.
March 2, 2007... Name: Flo Heiss Job: Creative partner, Dare Professional mission: Be good Personal mantra: Be nice 7.25am It's raining. I put on my wellies and plastic trousers and jump on my scooter. 7.36am The engine cuts out and I have to...

Editorial: A new reality has swept away the old certainties.(marketing communications)(Editorial)
March 2, 2007... The industry's most recent guide to effective communication, published this week, makes an essential read, but also an uncomfortable one. It shows a business where agencies and clients feel confused about working in a marketing environment...

Editorial: Big ideas are key to Man U glory for Daley.(Lee Daley)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 2, 2007... Lee Daley, whose shock transfer from Saatchi & Saatchi to Manchester United was unveiled last week, is known as a blue-sky thinker, rather than as a details man. But that may not be such a bad thing for a club looking for the big ideas...

Opinion: Perspective - Is Hurrell and Dawson the future of full service?(started by Nick Hurrell and Neil Dawson )(Column)
March 2, 2007... It's no surprise that creative agencies are trying to get some media mojo back. Over the past few years, the decision to bring strategic media thinking back alongside the creative process has gone from being a smart new-business ploy to a real...