Publicis has been hired to handle an estimated 20m international campaign for the tobacco company Swedish Match. The account is to launch the company’s Blend brand in Russia and China, while also relaunching it in its home market. Swedish Match is best known in the UK as a manufacturer of smoking-related products such as lighters […]
A new cheese called Maidwell, specifically created for the UK market, is being launched by Baars UK, part of Baars International. Maidwell, which tastes like cheddar, will be available in resealable packaging. “Cheddar is a significant part of the UK cheese market and has experienced growth during the past year,” says Marco Tiggelman, sales and […]
McCann-Erickson has rehired one of its former account executives to take worldwide control of its Coca-Cola account. The appointment of Poran Malani as worldwide account director on Coca-Cola comes days after Coke’s chief marketing officer Sergio Zyman resigned. Zyman, a former McCann-Erickson employee, has dismantled the agency’s grip on Coke’s creative business by employing a […]
Toymaker Hasbro is planning to launch a Diana, Princess of Wales, doll. The doll is part of a series of branded Diana toys and games. The news is sure to fuel controversy unleashed at the weekend by the revelation that the Diana signature will appear on tubs of Flora margarine and that the RAC is […]
Writing a text book on marketing does not sit well with the flamboyant image of Sergio Zyman, who resigned from his position as Coca-Cola’s chief marketing officer last week. Especially when he has previously said that there are no rules in marketing. But according to a Coke spokes-man, that is what Zyman is about to […]
Clients don’t know enough about media. And with media becoming more fragmented, they understand it even less. As a consequence they are relying more heavily on their media advisors. Unfortunately, these same clients are under increasing pressure to find cost efficiencies, which has led to a reduction in agency remuneration. This combination of financial pressure […]
Classic FM says it will appeal against a High Court judgment which ruled the station had infringed the copyright of one of its consultants, the writer and broadcaster Robin Ray. Ray won his battle against his former employer last week and it is believed the decision could leave Classic FM with a bill for legal […]
Austria’s 50 new private radio stations have been given the go-ahead to start broadcasting on April 1, following a decision by the country’s constitutional court to postpone the hearing of protests by unsuccessful bidders. Onlae, Spain’s national lottery authority, will see ten agencies in a first-round pitch for its advertising account. Umbro has cut short […]
Every general election is going to be the dirtiest ever, every advertising campaign the most radical and every car launch is always the biggest and most important. But as the “all-new” Vauxhall Astra goes on sale in the UK this Friday there could be more than hyperbole behind the claim that it is the most […]
When Jack Nicholson brandished the best actor Oscar for his role in As Good As It Gets, the marketing men connected with the film saw a fist full of dollars. In contrast the marketing team behind the small British film Twenty Four Seven, starring Bob Hoskins, will simply be trying to hold their own against […]
United Biscuits has put former St Ivel head of strategic planning Neil Robinson in charge of marketing at its KP Foods crisps division, following the departure of the unit’s director of marketing, Hugh McPherson. Robinson has joined under the title of marketing controller. He will be responsible for a range of snack brands including Hula […]
Lloyds TSB Group, which claims to be Britain’s leading retail banker, is to launch its own Internet banking service for Lloyds Bank customers later this year. Lloyds Bank, in a previously unpublicised move, has begun recruiting online customers to take part in a pilot scheme beginning in May, before a full-scale roll-out of an online […]
More than 18 months after publication of its Green Paper, the European Commission, has taken a significant step towards establishing a framework for cross-border commercial communications in Europe. The guiding principle that emerged from the Green Paper was that a balance should be struck between the importance of the commercial communications sector in driving economic […]
Capital Radio has handed its 2.5m advertising account to Abbott Mead Vickers. BBDO. The account will initially go to the agency on a project-by-project basis for the next six months. Capital’s marketing director Lizzie Palmer is believed to have handed the work to the agency without a pitch. The account decision had been held up […]
In these competitive times, winning new business has never been more difficult. No longer is it simply enough to smile gamely, plug in the carousel, flash through the slides and schmooze the prospect. Today everything counts – the prior research, the creative concepts, what you say, how you say it, and not least whether the […]