Month: January 1996

A new hybrid Sky channel is proving the multi-channel format can be a success if the quality is high enough

British Energy has recruited Lowe Howard-Spink to handle the controversial 5m privatisation of the nuclear industry. The sell-off, scheduled for summer, is likely to be one of the most difficult Government priva-tisations to date. The nuclear side of the electricity industry was dropped from the National Power privatisation in 1995 because it was feared it […]

Granada is to replace the Happy Eater and Little Chef brands with Burger King, if it succeeds in its 3.3bn bid to buy the Forte Group. More than 30 Granada motorway service areas already include Burger King outlets, which were first introduced in 1993. The company is now considering extending that relationship. A spokeswoman for […]

Sainsbury’s puts manufacturers’ brands to fore, countering criticism of over emphasis on own-label

The recently launched CMP aims to break new ground in cross-media promotions.

Facia is injecting 5m into relaunching its lingerie chain, Contessa, in a bid to move upmarket. The 130-strong chain was bought by entrepreneur Stephen Hinchliffe’s Facia in April last year. Marketing director Trevor Bell says the new look will be launched through Contessa’s Fleet store in Hampshire this month. The relaunch will be rolled out […]

I read the article on turkey marketing in the December 15 issue and felt compelled to let you know we’re not all turkeys! Sun Valley has been marketing Selected Quality Turkey over the past two years on very similar lines to those suggested in your article. Although we do not market whole birds, we provide […]

Radio audience figures for the fourth quarter of 1995 could be delayed because of measures by Rajar to rectify disparities in listening figures caused by new research methods. Between Christmas and the new year, the Rajar board agreed to commission detailed modelling of all stations’ audience profiles, with the aim of clarifying the effects on […]

LIG is planning to turn Durex into a global brand, standardising packaging across all markets and eventually centralising its worldwide marketing. The company, which distributes in 130 countries, is also believed to be introducing brand extensions in the UK under the Durex brand name to stave off increasing competition in the condom market. Sources suggest […]

The bread industry is about to launch its first generic advertising campaign for 14 years in an attempt to reverse a decline in sales. The Flour Advisory Bureau (FAB), whose members include British Bakeries and Rank Hovis, is believed to have appointed an agency and is discussing a 3m budget. It is understood the appointment […]

Thomas Cook and Thomson Tour Operations have settled their dispute just in time to head-off sales losses in the critical post-Christmas holiday booking period. Thomson withdrew its brochures from Thomas Cook at the beginning of December (MW December 8 1995). The tour operator claimed that Thomas Cook had broken its agreement, after it circulated a […]

GGT has won the account for satellite TV channel UK Gold, which is repositioning to combat a wave of new channels. The agency will create a branding drive, breaking in the spring. The ad push will also promote the channel’s first move into programme production, which will include the launch of a game show later […]

PepsiCo is launching US high-energy soft drink Mountain Dew in the UK this month with a 6m ad campaign through Abbott Mead Vickers. BBDO. As exclusively revealed in Marketing Week (October 27 1995), the soft drinks giant planned the UK launch after testing the brand in Northern Ireland. Mountain Dew is a neon-green coloured canned […]

Staff and freelances of defunct men’s magazine Ikon have threatened legal action against its managing partners if they put the title’s publishing company, European Consumer Publishing, into liquidation. Staff claim they have not been paid for three months even though the majority shareholder Winchester Multimedia Plc is continuing to fund other operations. Other shareholders in […]

Butterfield Day Devito Hockney has scooped the 3.5m Savacentre hypermarket account and is understood to be near to picking up the 1.5m News EyeQ business on-line news service. BDDH is understood to have beaten Mustoe Merriman Herring Levy and Delaney Fletcher Bozell to win the Savacentre account. The Sainsbury-owned retailer began to review its account […]