Let’s not join the thronging masses who are only too quick to throw cynicism at entrepreneurial success (Is Branson about to burst the Virgin brand bubble? (MW August 2). The Branson empire is a multi-industry, multinational brand – the likes of which has never been seen before. He continually promotes the concept of product and […]
Bulmers, the cider maker, has made its media and sponsorship manager Paul Butler redundant as part of a &£10m cost-cutting exercise. It is understood that four other less senior marketing staff have also lost their jobs. In total 230 jobs are expected to go as the company – which owns Strongbow, Scrumpy Jack and Woodpecker […]
Health club operator Esporta, which plans to double its size over the next three years, is holding informal talks with agencies. It is unclear what size marketing budget the group has, or exactly what the discussions with agencies involve. Esporta, which has 38 clubs across the UK, focuses on the top end of the market […]
This week’s launch of Strongbow Spice is an example of that increasingly uncommon phenomenon -Âa new product in the brewing industry. For half a decade the big breweries have been preoccupied with becoming bigger or getting out of brewing alto
Cussons, the manufacturer of Imperial Leather and Foamburst brands, has promoted its UK marketing director, Dominic Box, to the new position of international marketing director for personal cleansing. Box’s global position will be an extension of his UK role. He will continue to be based in the UK and will retain the role of UK […]
Ethnic groups make up a larger proportion of the population and marketers who ignore them do so at their peril; they are a dominant force in the UK
Retailer Selfridges is teaming up with BBC Worldwide’s children’s magazine Girl Talk, to launch “makeover” events at the London and Manchester stores over the next fortnight. The events will offer young girls the chance to look like their favourite stars and appear in the stores’ window display. The events will take place this weekend and […]
How a company is packaged has a huge impact on whether people will invest in it, so it is essential to market the value of a ‘sharebrand’. Vodafone proved how well this approach works, says John Shannon
Direct marketing agencies and data list companies are up in arms over a campaign by the Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO) warning consumers to be wary of giving out personal information. The campaign, which is appearing on the London Underground, beer mats and taxi receipts, was created by BDH/TBWA. It carried the strapline: “Think before you […]
First Choice is creating its first customer relationship marketing (CRM) department in order to make the tour operator more customer-focused. The move was implemented by First Choice group marketing director Mike Ryan, who joined the company a year ago from Thorn EMI. Glenda Lamont, formerly director of customer services at the group’s airline Air 2000, […]
The rebranding of Charmin (MW August 2) identifies a serious problem faced by many multinationals. Charmin is a brand leader in the US but has no history in the UK. Although it is a Procter & Gamble (P&G) product, the brand could have been launched by anyone as far as the consumer is concerned. Trying […]
AOL Time Warner’s style magazine, Wallpaper, is exploring a retail project in an attempt to extend the “quirky-style” of the magazine brand. According to Wallpaper Group founder and chief executive Tyler Brûlé, the magazine is considering opening a retail outlet in Heathrow Airport. Brûlé says: “Heathrow is the biggest single outlet in the world for […]
It would have been the mother of all advertising KKKock-ups, the Diary hears.
HMV, Oddbins, Superdrug and Lush are all beginning month-long mobile marketing campaigns this week. The retailers are making use of location-based WAP technology offered by wireless marketing specialist Brainstorm. With the exception of Superdrug, which will initially limit the service to its top 150 stores, HMV, Lush and Oddbins are using the service in all […]
I believe Paul Shalet is lying (MW August 2). I think he secretly likes receiving e-mails exhorting him to “get a bigger penis in ten days” and a “free university degree”. Not that I think – or know for that matter – that Paul doesn’t have a big penis or a university degree, but I […]