Campaign articles from May 2009

Campaign archives from May 2009

TBWA lures Mark Hunter as ECD.(TBWA\London)(executive creative director)(Mark Hunter)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... After a nine-month search, TBWA finally fills vacant ECD post by hiring Euro RSCG's creative chief. TBWA\London has hired Mark Hunter, the executive creative director at Euro RSCG London, as its new executive creative director. Hunter...

MPs in revolt over product placement.(Member of Parliament)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Labour MPs are in revolt over the Government's refusal to allow product placement in British TV programmes. Thirty-nine MPs, including 21 from Labour, have signed a Commons Motion urging the Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, to think again....

DoH ad campaign to combat swine flu crisis.(Department of Health )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Department of Health is launching a public health ad campaign on swine flu today, across TV, print and radio, as the World Health Organisation raises the influenza pandemic alert to stage four. The campaign, created by DDB London and...

EDF calls review of pounds 63m media brief.(EDF Energy)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... EDF Group is reviewing its pounds 63 million media planning and buying arrangements in the UK and France. The energy company, which currently uses MPG for its media activity, spent pounds 9 million on advertising in the UK last year and...

Havas Media unveils green initiative.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Havas Media is launching a global service designed to help clients monitor all of their activities around the issue of sustainability. Its Sustainable Futures 09 venture will offer companies a way of researching and measuring the impact of...

Glue named Green Party's lead agency.(Glue London )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Glue London has been appointed as the lead communications agency for the Green Party without a pitch. The digital ad agency's first project will be to create a party election broadcast for the European Parliament elections, which will be...

Agencies line up for Natural History Museum brief.(British Museum of Natural History)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Natural History Museum is on the hunt for an agency to handle its integrated marketing account. The museum is looking for a creative agency to develop brand campaigns that promote its position as a voice of authority in the natural...

Betfair kicks off review of pounds 7m UK offline media account.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Betfair, the online betting company, has called a review of its estimated pounds 7 million UK offline media planning and buying account, currently held by Maxus. The pitch will be handled by the AAR. Betfair, which is planning a significant...

Samsung Mobile in film label link-up.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Samsung Mobile has joined forces with the global short film label Future Shorts to promote the launch of the Samsung i8910 HD. The partnership, brokered by Starcom MediaVest and the film consultant elevenfiftyfive, will incorporate the...

Signet calls pitch for direct business.(Signet Jewelers)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Signet Jewelers, the speciality jewellery retailer that owns brands including H Samuel and Ernest Jones, is looking for an agency to handle its direct marketing account. The winning agency will provide direct mail and press work for all of...

OFT delays decision on relaxation of CRR.(Office of Fair Trading)(contract rights renewal)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Office of Fair Trading's review of the contract rights renewal mechanism that safeguards advertiser deals with ITV is taking longer than expected as the OFT seeks clarity over ITV's claims. While media industry sources had anticipated...

Barnardo's seeks digital shop for online brief.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Barnardo's is seeking an agency to handle a digital advertising brief. The children's charity, which has previously used its above-the-line agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty to produce its online advertising, has yet to reveal the exact nature...

DDB London leads D&AD nominations.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... DDB London is the most nominated agency at the 2009 D&AD Awards, with ten shortlisted entries, including two for its Harvey Nichols press ad featuring Wallace and Gromit. The agency also secured nominations for its work on the Volkswagen...

McCann Erickson wins 2012 ad task.(London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has appointed McCann Erickson to handle advertising for the London 2012 Olympic Games. McCann won the business following a final shoot-out against WPP Group The pitch was...

MCBD picks up pounds 3m Old Speckled Hen creative account.(Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy has won the pounds 3.5 million creative advertising account for the Greene King-owned ale brand Old Speckled Hen. The former incumbent, Fallon, was involved in early stage conversations, but did not pitch...

Horler to replace Neil Jones at Carat.(Robert Horler)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Aegis Media has appointed Robert Horler, the founder of Diffiniti, as the new managing director of Carat, replacing Neil Jones. Horler takes up his post in the next few weeks and will report to the Aegis chief executive, Nigel Sharrocks....

The Week: Advertising News - Cannes speakers unveiled.
May 1, 2009... Harvey Goldsmith, one of music's top impresarios, and Roger Daltrey, the lead singer of The Who, are to speak at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. As guests of Young & Rubicam, the pair will talk about their careers, how...

The Week: Advertising News - Peta slams Samsung viral.(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Peta, the animal rights organisation, has urged Samsung to withdraw 'the baa-studs' online ad because it claims it features footage of cruelty to animals. The ad, created by The Viral Factory for Samsung's Smart LED technology, shows a...

The Week: Advertising News - Microsoft gives ads credit.
May 1, 2009... Microsoft has credited its ads for a boost in sales of its consumer PCs, the only bright spot in a report in which the company saw its first year-on-year revenue drop in its history. While the company's business PC and server divisions were...

The Week: Advertising News - M&S to focus on penny roots.(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Marks & Spencer will focus on its penny bazaar roots in a new campaign to celebrate its 125th anniversary. The campaign, created by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, launches in May and will be narrated by Twiggy, the star of M&S ads from...

The Week: Advertising News - Apple pulls Baby Shaker app.(iPhone application )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Apple has been forced to withdraw an iPhone application that encourages people to try to quieten a crying baby by shaking it. The game, 'Baby Shaker', showed a black-and-white line drawing of a baby, which continuously cried until the user...

The Week: Media News - Full House! gets relaunch.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The German publisher Burda is relaunching Full House!, its weekly real-life magazine, in an effort to appeal to readers who are struggling in the economic downturn. The coverprice of the magazine has been reduced by 18p to 50p, and it will...

The Week: Media News - Ofcom warns Project Canvas.(Office of Communications )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Ofcom has warned that the proposed Project Canvas video-on-demand venture between the BBC, ITV and BT could face competition issues. In a submission to the BBC Trust, Ofcom warned that the service, which will offer catch-up TV via PCs and...

The Week: Media News - Phorm chief attacks critics.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Phorm, the online advertising company that tracks web surfers' behaviour, has launched an attack on its critics, labelling them 'serial agitators'. Kent Ertugrul, Phorm's chief executive, spearheaded the attack on his blog...

The Week: Media News - Govt plots broadband spend.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Government plans to use pounds 250 million of underspend from the BBC's digital switchover scheme to bring broadband to everyone in Britain. In last week's Budget statement, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, reiterated the aim to...

The Week: Media News - Google Street View reprieve.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Information Commissioner has ruled that Google's Street View, the website with 360-degree views of many British cities, does not breach the Data Protection Act. Complaints were made by people that their privacy was breached by the...

The Week: Media News - Philips signs Factory deal.(Philips Consumer Lifestyle)(The Factory on Eurosport)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Philips Consumer Lifestyle has signed a deal to make a second series of its ad-funded TV programme The Factory on Eurosport. The move is part of Philips' strategy to leverage its sponsorship of the AT&T Williams Formula One team. ...

The Week: Media News - Telegraph leads websites.(Telegraph.co.uk)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
May 1, 2009... Telegraph.co.uk was the UK's most popular newspaper website in March, according to the latest ABCe results. Its unique users climbed by 5.88 per cent month on month to 27.71 million. Thesun.co.uk slipped to fifth place after its unique...

The Week: Innocent revives its pitch for pounds 3m creative ad business.(Innocent Drinks)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Innocent Drinks is looking for a retained advertising agency to handle its pounds 3 million advertising account. The pitch, which is being led by Agency Insight, is due to be completed in July, with the first campaign breaking later in the...

The Week: Best of the blogs - A truth about placements.
May 1, 2009... I've had requests to post on the subject of placements, so here it is. The industry is quite split on the issue. On one hand, there's the opinion that it should be a privilege for these kids to come in for two weeks, write some tactical...

The Week: City News - WPP reveals revenue drop.(WPP Group PLC revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... WPP has reported a 5.8 per cent drop in like-for-like revenue, year on year, for the first three months of 2009. The group, which is headed by Sir Martin Sorrell, said in a trading report that the decline was attributable to a fall in...

The Week: City News - Omnicom sees profits fall.(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Omnicom Group's net income fell by 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, while profit dropped to dollars 164 million, compared with dollars 209 million for the first quarter of 2008. Worldwide revenue was also down, falling 14 per cent...

The Week: City News - IPG posts revenue decrease.(Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Interpublic reported a 5.6 per cent organic revenue decrease for the first quarter of the year, while revenue for the period dropped to dollars 1.33 billion compared with dollars 1.49 billion for the same period a year ago. First-quarter...

The Week: City News - Indy owner seeks buyer.(The Independent)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The owner of The Independent, Sir Anthony O'Reilly, is seeking to sell the title, 11 years after he first acquired the paper. The media company is also considering a merger with another London daily publication, according to a report in The...

The Week: People News - ITV in chief executive hunt.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... ITV has launched a search for a new chief executive following the announcement last week that its executive chairman, Michael Grade, is to stand down. Industry names linked with the role have included the minister of communications, Lord...

The Week: People News - Group M's Pardon departs.(Simon Pardon)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Group M's director of trading for EMEA, Simon Pardon, has left his position without a job to go to. Pardon, the former Granada Enterprises managing director, joined Mindshare in 2004 and led the agency's Unilever account in Europe. ...

The Week: People News - Freeview's Farmer joins ITV.(Rob Farmer)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... ITV is boosting its marketing team with the appointment of Rob Farmer as the director of viewer marketing. Farmer, a former partner at CHI & Partners and director at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, joins ITV from Freeview, where he was the director...

The Week: People News - MySpace unveils new chief.
May 1, 2009... News Corporation has appointed Facebook's former chief revenue officer, Owen Van Natta, as the new chief executive of MySpace. Van Natta replaces Chris de Wolfe, who stepped down last week. Van Natta will be based in Los Angeles and report...

The Week: People News - Vidler quits Bauer for EMI.(Andria Vidler)(Bauer Media)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Andria Vidler, the chief marketing officer at Bauer Media, is leaving the magazine and radio company to join the music company EMI as president of EMI Music UK and Ireland. Vidler will take up the role in the summer and will report to David...

The Week: People News - Williams, Rees promoted.(Alun Williams)(Morgan Rees)(Men's Health)(Natmag-Rodale )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Alun Williams and Morgan Rees, the publisher and editor of Men's Health respectively, have been promoted to new executive roles at Natmag-Rodale as part of the joint venture's restructure. Williams has been appointed to the new role of...

The Week: People News - DLKW hires Simon Morris.(Delaney Lund Knox Warren)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Lowe London's head of art, Simon Morris, has departed the agency to join Delaney Lund Knox Warren in the same role. He joins George Prest, a former creative director at Lowe London, who was appointed as DLKW's executive creative director...

The Week: Advertising Reviews - Glue and Farm net COI task.(Central Office of Information)(Glue Media)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... COI has appointed glue London and Farm to handle the advertising account for the Electoral Commission. Glue will work on digital creative and Farm will oversee traditional advertising. COI has also appointed Experience to work on media planning...

The Week: Digital Reviews - Spike lands Virgin Media.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Virgin Media has appointed Spike as its retained digital agency after a competitive pitch. It will also work with Saint, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R's digital arm, on integrated campaigns, and the in-house design and branding agency...

The Week: Clarification.
May 1, 2009... In last week's Campaign, we attributed the 2008 results of Virgin Media to its subsidiary company, Virgin Media TV. In 2008, Virgin Media TV reported revenues of pounds 121.8 million, up 11 per cent on the 2007 figure of pounds 109.5 million....

The Week: UPS calls global advertising and media review.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... UPS has called a global review of its above-the-line, media buying, relationship marketing and digital advertising accounts. The incumbents on the businesses, McCann Erickson, Universal McCann and MRM, have not been asked to repitch. ...

The Week: The best of campaignlive.co.uk.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... 'The TV category is no way as good as last year. It's a pretty skinny year and I think that will be reflected in the book. Who knows if we'll give out any awards. There's no one stand-out spot.' - Mother's Mark Waites talks to Campaign.tv...

Close-Up: Is research failing to enlighten the ad industry?(Interview)
May 1, 2009... Last week, the new IPA president accused market research of failing to drive real understanding. Chris Forrest disagrees. RORY SUTHERLAND, IPA president; vice-chairman, Ogilvy Group UK - Why do we need broader insights into consumer...

Close-Up: How to make a big-screen blockbuster.
May 1, 2009... Neil Dawson reports from the set of Tribal DDB Amsterdam's digital spot for the new Philips TV. The real challenge for us on the creative brief for 'Cinema 21:9 Carousel' was that a 'real cinema experience' has already been claimed by so...

Close-Up: These are lean times. But not at D&AD, it seems.(Garrick Hamm)
May 1, 2009... Garrick Hamm, the D&AD president, says despite the recession, the quality of this year's award entries still shone through. So, D&AD judging is over. No tears, no toy-throwing and no walkouts. The spirit was uplifting. The awards team is...

Close-Up: How is the London ad scene perceived abroad?
May 1, 2009... A viral that pokes fun at London's ad scene is now doing the rounds. You can watch it at Campaignlive.co.uk. But is it fair? Industry figures from around the world give their views on what was once regarded as the creative hub of global...

Media Perspective: Less talk and more action needed from major radio groups.
May 1, 2009... What with Mexican swine fever set to sweep the world and the climate change-obsessive Prince Charles predicting the dawn of a 'new Dark Age', I tackled the Monday morning Sugar Puffs in a more than usually downbeat mood. Not a state of...

Media Forum: Is SunTalk a serious station?
May 1, 2009... Can the internet brand become commercially viable, Alasdair Reid asks. On launch day, it only took 'top radio star' Jon Gaunt a couple of hours on air to get to the nub of the matter. No - not whether his first guest on his new SunTalk...

Media: Chatter.
May 1, 2009... 'We remain more cautious than most about the state of the economy.' - Chris Liddell, Microsoft's finance chief, is downbeat after the company posted its first-ever revenue decline in its 34-year history 'Managing decline is by no means...

Media Headliner: What next for ITV following Grade's abdication?
May 1, 2009... After stepping down as the broadcaster's executive chairman, what legacy has Michael Grade left behind, Alasdair Reid asks. It was a shame, really, that it had to end on such a sour note. Michael Grade has, for a generation, been one of the...

Media Lifeline: Charles Allen.
May 1, 2009... The media mogul has barely had time to catch his breath since stepping down as ITV's CEO two years ago. June 2007: Charles Allen, who left the position of chief executive of ITV in August 2006, hadn't exactly been twiddling his thumbs - he...

Media Perspective: Blogs can provide a behind-the-scenes look at businesses.(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2009... The thing I loved about my advertising life was the opportunity to see behind the scenes of various different industries and organisations. To see what made them tick, how they thought differently, how they approached different problems. ...

Media: All about ... The BBC's marketing activity.
May 1, 2009... On-air campaigns will be hit as the Beeb makes cutbacks. You know that times are hard when the BBC is making cutbacks. Unlike its commercial rivals, the state-owned broadcaster has some pretty cosy financial insurance in the shape of a...

Media: Things we like.
May 1, 2009... Betting on the ITV job We're already enjoying the circus that surrounds ITV's search for a replacement for Michael Grade, especially Paddy Power's now familiar odds on the runners and riders for the job. While it's hard to make a call on...

Media: Double Standards - 'Brand and Ross acted like dicks and got caught'.(Jonathan Ross)(Russell Brand)(Interview)
May 1, 2009... Neil Fox and Johnny Vaughan, two of commercial radio's biggest names, chat about 'Sachsgate', on-air gaffes and how they manage to get up in time for their breakfast shows. NEIL FOX - PRESENTER, MORE MUSIC BREAKFAST SHOW, MAGIC 105.4 -...

The World: Detroit - General Motors cuts 20 per cent of marketing staff.
May 1, 2009... General Motors is cutting 20 per cent of its marketing and communications staff, as part of a number of lay-offs that will see it trim 1,600 white-collar jobs. The company, which owns brands including Chevrolet, Saab and Vauxhall, has been...

The World: New York - Cliff Freeman chief executive Ruebensaal quits.(Cliff Freeman & Partners)(Clayton Ruebensaal)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Clayton Ruebensaal, the chief executive of Cliff Freeman & Partners, has quit the agency after just five months, citing personal reasons for his departure. Ruebensaal joined Cliff Freeman in November last year from his position as the...

The World: New York - Initiative wins Home Depot following four-way pitch.
May 1, 2009... Initiative has retained the media duties on the Home Depot account following a pitch against Mindshare, Carat and ZenithOptimedia. The agency also added the digital media element of the business, which was previously handled by Digitas. ...

The World: Amsterdam - De Telegraaf in iPhone application launch.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... De Telegraaf, the Dutch daily newspaper, is attempting to make its publication more accessible by launching an iPhone application that allows users to create their own news subscriptions. The application, designed and developed by...

The World: Singapore - Ogilvy & Mather retains Health Promotion task.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Ogilvy & Mather Singapore has retained the creative account for the Health Promotion Board's youth health promotion task. The agency won the account following a six-way pitch, after it was tendered in December last year. Ogilvy &...

The World: Chicago - Coke seeks support for value compensation model.
May 1, 2009... Coca-Cola is looking to instigate an industry movement towards a value-based compensation model, similar to the one that it has already adopted with its own agencies. The model allows clients to pay agencies nothing more than recouped...

The World: New York - Spot Runner faces dollars 13m WPP legal complaint.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... WPP has filed a dollars 13 million legal complaint against Spot Runner, the web-based TV creative ad agency, for alleged securities fraud and breach of contract. WPP is accusing Spot Runner of failing to disclose a stock sale to other...

The World: Paris - French shop OKO joins global network Interpartners.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Interpartners, the global network that owner-manages a number of agencies around the world, has acquired the French agency OKO. The network, which is run by the president and chief executive, Al Moffatt, now manages 23 agencies, including...

The World: Mumbai - MediaVest Worldwide launches three Indian offices.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... MediaVest Worldwide has opened offices in Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai as part of its first foray into the Indian market. The launch of its India operations means that MediaVest now has operations in 29 countries. The network plans to...

The World: Singapore - Agencies line up for Economic Development Board.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Economic Development Board has shortlisted three creative and media agency pairings for its integrated marketing account. The government body has shortlisted JWT and Mindshare, Ogilvy and Mediaedge:cia, and Publicis and Zenith for the...

The World: Has Enfatico got its justifiable comeuppance?
May 1, 2009... As WPP's shop set up to handle Dell is submerged into Y&R Brands, Ann Cooper asks if the model was flawed from the off. Enfatico, WPP's standalone global behemoth initially built to service one single client, Dell, has been silent of late....

The World: Insider's view - US.(Column)
May 1, 2009... It's not time to read the last rites to the media industry. It isn't dying, it just needs to be innovative to find a new direction and ways to make money, Antony Young maintains. If recent reports are anything to go by, it would seem that...

Editorial: Government's peripheral vision for creative Britain.(Editorial)
May 1, 2009... The Tories set up a taskforce to look at how London can be transformed into the creative capital of the world. But no ad industry figure sits on it. Political heavyweights mount the podium at the Digital Britain Summit to laud the country's...

Editorial: More to IPA president than meets the eye.(Editorial)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The IPA presidency? Judging by his inaugural speech last week, Rory Sutherland would be equally at home doing Live At The Apollo. Beneath the gags, however, lie some serious thoughts about the industry putting a stop to damaging turf wars...

Opinion: Perspective - I'd like to complain about the complaints culture.(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2009... All this consumer empowerment, look where it's got us: 26,433 complaints, for goodness sake. About 15,556 ads. That's an average of less than two complaints per ad Haven't these people got anything better to do with their time? In 2008,...

Opinion: On the Campaign Couch ... with JB.
May 1, 2009... Q: Jamie writes: Dear Jeremy, as an ex-graduate trainee at JWT, I frequently heard it said that 40 Berkeley Square was staffed by retired Guardsmen during the 50s and 60s. Is there any truth in this? And if there is, which regiment of the...

Is the account man really King?(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2009... Great advertising is synonymous with great creative and great creatives. But isn't the less-celebrated suit, he or she who brings the idea to life, the key player? Ed Morris and Robert Senior offer their views. ED MORRIS - THE CREATIVE'S...

The Work: New Campaigns - UK.
May 1, 2009... ROBINSONS - BE NATURAL CREDITS Project: Be Natural Clients: Cameron Davidson, brand controller; Geraldine Phillips, senior brand manager, Robinsons Brief: Launch the new Robinsons Be Natural squash, which is made from naturally...

The Work: New Campaigns - The World.
May 1, 2009... HP - POSTER - EUROPE CREDITS Project: Poster Client: Jean-Pierre Le Calvez, marketing and communication director, HP Imaging and Printing Group Brief: n/s Creative agency: CLM BBDO Writer: Vincent Pedrocchi Art director: Cedric...

The Work: Private View.(conventional media)(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2009... CREATIVE - Tim Delaney, chairman, Leagas Delaney One of our clients is the global ad director for one of the world's biggest companies. He is highly knowledgeable about communications, having worked with one of the best agencies around, and...

Diary: On the QT ..
May 1, 2009... While times are hard in the media market,the downturn doesn't seem to have hit Viacom Brand Solutions as hard as its rival TV sales houses. Word has it that the VBS managing director, Nick Bampton, is still planning to host his annual golf...

Diary: Fire your cannon with new Doritos game.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... For its next interactive campaign for Doritos, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO has decided to bring Dodgeball to the UK. Dodgeball is a pretty evil sport played in high schools across the US, where students have to dodge balls that are thrown at...

Diary: Adland's marathon men and women, take a bow.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Either Steve Hobbs is competitiveness personified or he must have stuffed a jet engine down his shorts. How else to explain how Carat's deputy managing director managed to roar around the London Marathon course in a breathtaking two hours,...

Diary: Over-eager bouncers try to put kibosh on Mali gig.
May 1, 2009... OK, so the Stereo MCs probably aren't as recognisable these days, but as they were headlining a Brothers and Sisters fundraiser last week, they might have expected to be able to breeze in with no fuss. Instead, the doormen stopped them and...

Diary: Grey takes blowing own trumpet to new extreme.(Grey London)(Marketing Society Golden Jubilee Awards for Excellence )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Last week saw the announcement of the shortlist for the Marketing Society Golden Jubilee Awards for Excellence 2009. If you were looking closely, you may notice that Grey London is on there - but not for representing one of its clients. ...