Month: September 1996

Supermarkets weigh up own-label lottery cards

Marketing Week

Supermarket groups are considering taking on National Lottery operator Camelot by launching own-label charity scratchcards. A number of retailers have had discussions with scratchcard operator UK Charity Lotteries and are considering the possibility of launching their own games. UK Charity Lotteries marketing director Andrew Slammin says: “We have had discussions with two or three retailers […]

Please end the BT ads forever

Marketing Week

Am I alone in wanting Bob Hoskins and his BT commercials banished from my TV screen, never to return? I have reached the point where I dive for the off button each time these infuriating ads appear (which seems to be every commercial break). I cannot understand why BT feels it necessary to advertise at […]

CRASH CRISIS

Marketing Week

Manufacturers of personal computers have failed to achieve the penetration of other consumer goods. Under threat from cheaper network-based computers, they must swiftly solve their notorious unreliability problems and tailor their products mor

Media Business Group sets up venture with ex-CIA trio

Marketing Week

The Media Business Group has launched a joint venture in Manchester with a pitch for the Britannia Building Society’s 4m media buying account. The new operation, The Media Business North, already has the 2.25m media buying for mail order collectables company Hamilton Collections. The agency is a joint venture between The Media Business Group and […]

Cable channels face review cull

Marketing Week

The UK’s two largest cable companies are planning to axe low-performing TV channels over the next two weeks to make room for new channels. TeleWest and Nynex, which account for 500,000 cabled homes in the UK and pass 6 million households, are both holding programming reviews that could lead to up to six channels losing […]

Liberty appoints marketing chief

Marketing Week

Liberty, the troubled London store group, has hired Julia Bowe from Austin Reed as its first marketing director. Bowe, who is marketing manager at Austin Reed, will take charge of co-ordinating the wholesale and retail divisions at Liberty, and will help promote the brand worldwide. Critics of the company say that there has been poor […]

Sainsbury’s axes ‘failed’ Two Dogs

Marketing Week

Two Dogs, the world’s first alcoholic lemonade, is being dubbed a failure in the UK as leading supermarkets ditch the brand in a move which could signal significant changes in the alcopops market. The brand has become the first casualty of the burgeoning alcopops sector, which has sparked great controversy since its launch last summer, […]

Psion counters bad publicity with 4m advertising spend

Marketing Week

The Progress Agency is to see its budget for the Psion account quadrupled to 4m as Psion bids to counter poor publicity following its failed buyout of Amstrad. The campaign is unusual for a company renowned for spending only 1m a year on advertising. This quarter, Psion will spend 2m in the UK on press […]

Bacardi boss steps aside in reshuffle

Marketing Week

Westbay Distributors, the UK marketing arm of Bacardi Martini, has lost marketing director Geoffrey Bichard, who is leaving the post to “pursue other interests”. He is being replaced by marketing controller for spirits Stella David. But Bichard will continue to work at Westbay as a non-executive director, advising on strategy and marketing. The move has […]

CIA launches co-funded TV show division

Marketing Week

CIA Medianetwork has launched a TV co-production house to get its clients into advertiser-supplied programming. CIA Televisual will be run by Keith Owen, former head of Thames TV’s satellite operations and the BBC’s European channels. Owen is negotiating with UK broadcasters on behalf of three CIA clients over programme production. CIA Medianetwork handles the media […]

Gallaher launch scooped by M&C

Marketing Week

M&C Saatchi is understood to have been awarded an additional multi-million pound slice of business to add to its Gallaher tobacco account. The agency is believed to have been appointed to handle the ad campaign for Sovereign Lights, the latest cigarette launch from tobacco giant Gallaher. Sovereign Lights are tipped to be on sale by […]

Just the one GQ spin-off for now

Marketing Week

Having read your Editorial “Magazines read the new lad right” (MW September 20), I am able to answer your question “how many spin-offs can one title have?”. The answer in the case of GQ is “one for now”. We will be launching GQ Active as a monthly in spring 1997. There are no plans for […]

Coupons cut a bigger future

Marketing Week

Suffering a poor image, coupons have a long way to go before they reach the US success rate, but things are changing. Janet Poshtar is client services director at NCH Promotional Services

GROWTH CYCLE

Marketing Week

The motorcycle sector, once symbolised by the greasy, bearded biker, is boosting its flagging fortunes by niche marketing its products as fashion or sports items to nostalgic businessmen, young adults and women. Kay Atwal finds out why its ‘se