Mattel has appointed Eugene Murtha as its managing director following the unexplained departure of Richard Sanderson. Murtha was senior vice-president for marketing Mattel’s MatchBox brand and Tyco toys in the US between 1993 and 1998. He will have overall responsibility for marketing. More recently, he was president of the US subsidiary of the Radica Corporation, […]
Giant pharmaceutical companies are under pressure from all sides to act in seemingly contradictory ways. A compromise can be found.
Bates UK is tipped to have won the lion’s share of BSkyB’s advertising budget, variously estimated at between £40m and £60m. The satellite broadcaster is moving away from using a single agency. St Luke’s has been the creative agency for BSkyB for the past two years and will remain on the roster. BSkyB is thought […]
EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou and the WPP Group have created a joint venture to sell advertising in easyEverything cafés around the globe. EasyEverything Media Sales (ee-ms) will sell online advertising, in-store ambient advertising and ads on posters inside the cafés. The Internet café chain has 21 outlets throughout Europe and in New York which are […]
The issue of data collection and its protection is in the spotlight again following the launch of a software system that allows access to several sources’ databases. Do companies use the information and, if so, how effectively? Is Big Brother
Coca-Cola is relaunching its ‘Coke Auction’ promotion, with two ads breaking on February 24. Consumers can collect tokens from bottles and cans and use them to bid over the Internet for goods and services. The executions, created by Soul with media through BBJ, show teenagers recreating the excitement of whitewater rafting and DJing at a […]
With the consolidation of brands, and increased globalisation of marketing, account conflict is a growing problem in advertising. John Shannon looks at proposals for alleviating the situation
It’s reassuring that the ISBA believes the purpose of alcohol advertising is not to promote alcohol consumption. Does it apply that view to all sectors or is this a manifestation of brewers’ droop? The arguments on this topic have been well rehearsed since the Seventies when the alcohol code was introduced. If we need to […]
I was surprised and disappointed to see the picture painted by the story “New man at S&N” (MW February 8), which reported Foster’s as being “in fourth place behind Stella Artois, Carling and Budweiser; with sales ‘languishing at one-third of those of the market leader Stella”. Unlike most other packaged goods, the true size and […]
If Ian Millner (“Pound of Flesh” MW January 25) does not know the kind of person he wants at his agency, what chance does anyone else have? As a “buyer paying a fantastic amount of money” for people, surely he has a candidate profile and job description to hand, to aid his choice of who […]
Volkswagen is seeking a UK marketing chief following the promotion of Chris Craft to the new role of director of group service. A spokeswoman for VW says the company has not yet found a replacement for him. Insiders have suggested Audi head of marketing Rawden Glover as a possible replacement. Craft has been in charge […]
Cosmetics group Molton Brown is teaming up with British Airways to launch “well-being” centres at Heathrow and JFK airports. Molton Brown Travel Spas will open next month at Heathrow’s Terminal 4, and in June at JFK in the US. The centres, which cover 6,000 sq ft, will offer first-class BA passengers free beauty and health […]
The Diary loved the recent Popstars-themed bash at HHCL’s headquarters, even if it was like being trapped inside a West End musical. Minnie Moll, HHCL’s marketing director, flawlessly compered a riveting pop trivia quiz and then revealed some startling confessions from her staff, including one person who claimed to have appeared in a porn film […]
Without wishing to imply that there’s no such thing as a kind-hearted marketer, the Diary didn’t hold out too much hope when teenager Richard Stewart wrote in asking for help with his lapel badge collection (MW January 25). But lo and behold, the brand-crazy 15-year-old is now fully furnished with merchandise from some of his […]
The impact of premium packaged spirits is obvious in any club or bar, yet the demographics suggest they are not just a trend appealing to the young