Month: March 1997

Below-the-line agency Nexus has found a new line in direct marketing. It could be known as direct arm-twisting, or even direct bribery.

Nigel Backwith, the head of Cable & Wireless’ international services division, has left suddenly after a year in the job.

London Weekend Television is planning a series of stunts to promote the first Formula One Grand Prix on ITV this weekend after a survey revealed public doubts over the quality of the network’s coverage. Just under half of motor racing fans aged between 15 and 34, which is ITV’s target age group, expect the quality […]

Is Scottish TV, purchaser of Caledonian, justified in trusting the benefits of cross-media ownership, and Celtic potential? By Nick Higham. Nick Higham is BBC TV’s media correspondent

The rise of designer jeans is putting the squeeze on Levi-Strauss, as more and more consumers turn to niche labels. Levi’s has cut its staff – will it now be forced to cut prices to protect its 7bn global sales?

Saatchi & Saatchi has stepped into the specialist advertising market by launching a healthcare division, Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Connection.

Littlewoods plans to fight the National Lottery by massively increasing its potential prize money. Littlewoods will roll over its weekly pools jackpots when the top prize is not won, in a direct attack on one of the Lottery’s most popular features. The company is looking at how players would react to the move. Under new […]

Commercial radio revenue has hit 309m, a rise of 126 per cent since 1990 – proof that the medium is winning over ever more advertisers. Rupert Steele is head of media planning services at the Radio Advertising Bureau. Analysis in the article h

Scottish soup supplier Baxters of Speyside is expected to review its 3.5m advertising account. The move is understood to be part of the privately-owned company’s plans to modernise its image. Last year, it introduced 35 new flavours, including modern ingredients usually associated with fresh soups, such as crème frache and lemon grass. The company is […]

Heineken Export launches its new 10m advertising campaign called Out of this World next week. It coincides with the arrival of Hale-Bopp, the ‘comet’ that will be visible from the UK this month. The Lowe Howard-Spink commercial was inspired by the arrival of Halley’s Comet in the US midwest last century and features townspeople awaiting […]

Anheuser-Busch is attacking the UK’s number one premium lager, Stella Artois from Whitbread, with the launch of its premium Budweiser lager brand in 440ml cans which will have the same price as Stella. Since its launch in the UK, Budweiser has been sold in the smaller 330ml cans, and has established its position as the […]

Marketing Week readers may remember the story of brainy physicist Phil Calcott, the Tesco shopper who bought almost half a tonne of bananas at his local supermarket, gave them all away, made a 25 profit and earned thousands of Clubcard points. Phil, who by coincidence is getting married in April to the best friend of […]

Ailing humour magazine Punch has lost its second advertising sales director, only six weeks after he joined. John Trickett, who was previously head of classified advertising at the Evening Standard, left last week by mutual agreement with Punch publisher Liberty. Trickett was employed as a consultant on a 15-week renewable contract when he was hired […]

Beiersdorf, the makers of the Nivea skincare range, is launching a new skincare range in the UK called Eucerin to take on Crookes Healthcare’s E45 range. Eucerin was launched in the US in 1980 and, with 50m sales a year, is the leading dermatology cream. It is also available across Europe. The products include two […]

Speculation is mounting that French media giant Havas is preparing to sell its outdoor advertising divisions, Avenir and Europoster – which include the UK’s Mills & Allen. Sources inside the company believe the recent acquisition by French utilities Compagnie Générale des Eaux of 30 per cent of Havas Media will trigger the sale. The acquisition […]