The Disney Channel has poached Thom Noble, Diageo’s regional vice-president of Pierre Smirnoff, as its new director of marketing. Noble replaces the family cable channel’s former marketing director Michael Spencer, who is leaving the company to set up his own marketing and advertising consultancy. Noble takes up the post in January. Noble reports to the […]
I’ve always feared that if a reader bothered to examine and collate the views expressed in this column, the exercise would reveal a mass of contradictions and inconsistencies. I have long had a defence ready: commentary is an organic process, with opinions unfolding and adapting to changing circumstances and, in any event, I’m paid for […]
The founders of EMAP Radio’s The Box Music Channel – managing director Vince Monsey and director of programming Liz Laskowski – have both left the cable music channel suddenly. EMAP has appointed Stuart Pinches, a TV consultant, to act as managing director of the channel in the UK. Pinches has a history of launching and […]
TBWA GGT Simons Palmer has won the 3m account for Oasis, just after its owner Cadbury Schweppes has announced plans to sell its soft drinks’ brands to Coca-Cola for 1.6bn except in the US, South Africa and France. The sale immediately puts a question mark over the Cadbury Schweppes UK marketing team, and the long-term […]
My Sky digibox has finally arrived. I say “finally” but in some ways it got here sooner than I’d hoped. Regular readers may recall that in September I was dithering over whether to respond to the shiny silver mailshot from Sky Digital and become an “early adopter”. As a Sky analogue subscriber, should I take […]
MindShare has won a tug of war with Young & Rubicam over the media planning on Ford’s 400m European business.
Mannekin Pis, the Brussels statue of a little boy urinating, stars in the latest advertising campaign for tour operator First Choice. The ads, through Walsh Trott Chick Smith, with media bought and planned by Walker Media, promote First Choice’s villas with the catchline ‘A villa with its own pool, or a shared pool?’, while a […]
Cable & Wireless has launched a Global Calling Card in the UK ahead of a US and European roll-out, in an attempt to homogenise the company’s branding worldwide.
The world’s largest Internet car buying service, Autobytel, is launching in the UK and has appointed Grey Interactive to handle an estimated 4m marketing campaign. Autobytel.com operates like a virtual motor show, and offers customers free access to online information about automotive makes, models, specification, pricing, finance and insurance. Customers can place a purchase request […]
In her article “Future loyalties” (MW December 10), Sophie Maguire asks if the US or the UK is ahead in terms of loyalty. The truth is hinted at later in the article when it looks at where UK loyalty schemes are heading. Several of the developments predicted for the UK already form a major part […]
Pools operator Vernons is reviewing its National Lottery football game Easy Play after seeing sales slump by two-thirds since its August launch. The development comes amid allegations that Camelot representatives have suggested Lottery retailers should not to promote the game, which is played through Lottery terminals as part of a licensing agreement with operator Camelot. […]
Walt Disney Attractions is planning to bring its new interactive theme park, DisneyQuest, to the UK as part of an aggressive international expansion strategy. Tom Allen, vice-president of international marketing and sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa for Walt Disney Attractions, says: “DisneyQuest is something we would like to roll out internationally and obviously […]
A t this time of year, when friends and relations are gathered around and all is bitterness, I urge you to lift your eyes beyond the festive board laden gloriously with comestibles flown in by Sainsbury’s from the far corners of the globe, and ponder the immense chronological landmark that lies barely 12 months ahead. […]
What laudable remarks were made in support of training for call centre operatives (MW December 10). Sadly, they all gloss over the hard reality of the situation. The majority of call centre staff will not move on to centre management roles. For many it is a first job from which they will move on quickly. […]
I would like to correct last week’s report on BBC local radio’s “Local Heroes” campaign (MW December 10). APL is carrying out off-air activity in some regions, the television trails were devised and executed by BBC Creative Services. James Thickett Head of Marketing BBC Regional Broadcasting London W1A