Never ones to miss the opportunity for a free plug, Sega jumped at the chance to plague the Diary with phone calls following last week’s use of a shot of Arsenal players Tony Adams and Ray Parlour to illustrate an article on transfer fees. The picture, dug out from the recesses of the Marketing Week […]
For years, the outdoor industry has been acutely aware of the need to clean up its image. But the Diary has learned that some habits are evidently too hard to break. One irate poster specialist rang the Diary to voice his outrage over a mailing from More Group Ireland. Not only did it come attached […]
Danish bed company Tempur has appointed Prager and Partners to its £3m direct-response account as part of an initiative to reposition the brand. Tempur makes mattresses that adjust to the body weight and temperature of the user. They are made from material originally created for NASA astronauts and are said to give a feeling of […]
Marks & Spencer Financial Services is relaunching its account card with a new design and extra benefits, as part of the retail giant’s rebranding programme.
It will be business not politics that will determine the nature of a federal EU, so how Wal-Mart reacts to its problems in Germany is critical, says George Pitcher
Channel 4 is this week expected to attract its largest audience to date, as viewers tune in to the final episode of cult TV show Big Brother on Friday night. Media agency Optimedia, which predicts the final show will pull in more than 6 million viewers, bought the entire four-minute centre ad break more than […]
Vodafone is seeking a global network agency for a £100m campaign to rebrand its business worldwide. The company has plenty of expansion potential, which makes the account even more desirable.
Ian McCawley’s piece “Are TV ads a waste of dot-com money?” (MW August 31) reminded me of a funny comment made by one of my co-panellists at the Jupiter Communications Online Travel Conference in Miami, the chief executive of a US online travel site (which shall remain unnamed to protect him from a swarm of […]
French car maker Renault has handed its entire £352.5m centralised European media buying business to Carat. The move, which comes into effect from the start of 2001, is a blow to the incumbent Optimedia which handles the business in ten of the 16 markets. The business is worth £84m in the UK alone. Renault’s media […]
In a sweeping statement (MW August 31), WebProbe claims its research shows that TV does not work for dot-coms. But in itself this makes no sense without considering the role of TV within a particular marketing strategy, as with any ad campaign. Any novice direct marketer knows that the louder a particular company’s share of […]
BMW has created a separate division for the Mini brand, headed by former Rover executive Trevor Houghton-Berry. Houghton-Berry joined BMW in June from Rover, where he was corporate sales manager. He has also held similar positions at Citroën and Mazda. He will be general manger for the new division, which will have its own marketing […]
Mobile phone giant Vodafone is conducting a secret review of its European advertising arrangements which could result in an account worth up to £50m being handed to the successful agency network. The company is poised to appoint one network to create a consistent brand message in several key European markets. The new advertising is likely […]
Quorn is building on its UK success with a US launch. But it may need a major partner to win over a less veggie-friendly society
npower has started installing smart meters for its customers, following in the footsteps of rival domestic utility company British Gas. Smart meters are automated electronic units attached to gas or electricity meters which transmit readings to suppliers and allow consumers to monitor the process. A spokesman for npower says: “Smart meters provide remote meter information […]
IPC Media has appointed Procter & Gamble marketer Helen Farquhar as strategic marketing director for IPC Southbank.