The Marketing Week – 15/2/2013
Welcome to The Marketing Week, your guide to the good, the bad and the ugly in the marketing industry over the last seven days.
CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2WDVs-_fBo
Adidas Boost
The sportswear business launched its hi-tech Boost footwear range this week (13 February) as it looks to give bounce to its running sales. The shoes feature a new cushioning midsole it claims will allow people to run for longer and more comfortably. The product was officially unveiled in New York earlier this week at a high profile event attended by stars including actress Rosario Dawson and Olympic medallists Yohan Blake and Haile Gebrselassie (see video above). Adidas is throwing a lot of marketing weight behind the new brand this year and is set to unveil a new TV ad next Wednesday (20 February) during the Brits.
GOOD WEEK FOR
Heinz
Heinz’s house of brands has been sold to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and private equity firm 3G Capital for a whopping $28bn (£18bn). Shares in the iconic ketchup and soup brand jumped 20 per cent on the news of the deal.
BAD WEEK FOR
Nike
Following the news that Olympic and Paralympic Gold medalist Oscar Pistorius has been charged with the murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, an unfortunate choice of words meant an ad from sponsor Nike that read: “I am the bullet in the chamber” has been removed form websites. Pistorius is the latest in a line of disgraced sports stars Nike has sponsored including Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong.
ONE TO WATCH
The Bakery
The Bakery is a new marketing technology incubator set in London’s “Tech City” area. The scheme has been set up by the IPA, Tech City Investment Organisation and UK Trade and Investment. It is supported by brands including Heinz, AB-Inbev, Panasonic, BMW and Ideal Standard and agencies including Vizeum, Havas Worldwide, MBA, Karmarama and KttCattNohr Digitas.
Marketing technology startups have the opportunity to win a contract and mentoring from one of the associated brands to solve their specific business challenges.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
In the US, Coca-Cola is to debut an advert sourced via online film making community MOFILM called “Happiness is in the Air” during an upcoming episode of American Idol.
The campaign was devised by director Hugh Mitton, 23, and producer Lee Kupferman, 26, in response to a brief created by Coca-Cola for MOFILM’s 2012 Cannes video contest asking respondents to use pre-existing amateur video footage capturing moments of happiness.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
- 19 February EE reports its full-year results. The mobile phone operator is expected to divulge the amount of customers it has added to its 4G network and insight into consumer perception of the brand.
- 19 February HTC is holding a press event in which it is likely to be revealing its new flagship “One” handset.
- 20 February Sony is linking up a major announcement, widely understood to be the Playstation 4.
- 21 February Fresh in the wake of the horse meat scandal, Asda’s owner Walmart will report its full-year financial results.
