John Wood is right to point out in his letter (MW May 23) that price is fundamental to the proposition of most supermarket brands. However, he is wrong to suggest that this is all that consumers require from their shopping experience. Leading supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco are not simply about price; they are […]
In your special report on direct marketing (MW May 23), Simon Plent of Reader’s Digest waxed lyrical about how an in-house facility delivers better results than an outside agency. His rationale for this statement was that the in-house agency is closer to the customer. For reasons best known to Reader’s Digest, I am a frequent […]
Aloe vera, the ‘natural’ anti-irritant, is a marketer’s dream, and it is popping up everywhere from detergents to loo rolls. David Benady asks why
The BBC will embark on its biggest marketing campaign to date, if its bid to operate a digital terrestrial licence is accepted by the Independent Television Commission (ITC). It will be the first time that the BBC promotes on-air a portfolio of channels including those of other broadcasters. The corporation has teamed up with BSkyB […]
John Braithwaite hit the nail on the head when he said in the Marketing Week/Oracle customer relationship management (CRM) supplement, that the motivation for CRM has too often been mono-directional, that is talking at the customers and not giving them a chance to be heard. CRM-driven loyalty schemes and top-down, campaign-driven direct marketing campaigns are […]
Computer game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) has come under fire over the television advertising for Medal of Honor: Front Line, its latest title for the PlayStation 2. According to the Independent Television Commission (ITC), a number of viewers have complained that the ads are offensive. The ads, by Odiorne Wilde Narraway & Partners, appear to […]
Last year’s Budd Report paved the way for UK casinos to enter the domestic online gambling market. However, Government procrastination has left the door open to competition from overseas operators.
Petrol retailers are up in arms at Safeway’s latest promotion. Price promotions are a time-honoured method of boosting market share, but they can turn into destructive mutual bloodbaths, from which the initial aggressor is not guaranteed to em
Travelodge, the UK budget hotel chain, has restructured its sales and marketing department in an effort to put more emphasis on its core brand. Sales and marketing director Peter Halsey becomes marketing director, with specific responsibility for building the brand. The sales director role is being taken by Stuart Honey, who joins Travelodge from a […]
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has branded as irresponsible a press ad for the British Heart Foundation showing a woman with a plastic bag over her head, following a barrage of complaints. The advertisement, created by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, in-cludes the tagline “I’ve got heart failure. And this is what it feels like every morning” […]
The betting industry has slammed Camelot for its “hypocrisy” in launching side-bets game Hotpicks. It is illegal for bookmakers to offer side bets on the Lotto draw and the National Lottery operator has firmly resisted attempts to change the law. In a move that will increase the pressure on Camelot, 49’s, which promotes side-bet games […]
Jo Rzymowska, former managing director of Disneyland Resort Paris for UK, Ireland and Nordic, is to head the taskforce overseeing the integration of Disneyland Resorts Paris (DLRP) and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts UK (WDP&R). The two organisations are to merge in July, and will jointly market Disney’s US and French theme parks in the […]
Ever wondered what’s in dog food? Perhaps, like the Diary, you thought it wiser not to ask. If you are curious (perhaps you’re a cat), now’s your chance to find out. Masterfoods, which brought you Snickers, is running “canine cookery” courses to promote its Pal dog food (available in “dry” and “moist” formats, press release […]
Mobile communications giant finally fills top UK marketing post left vacant since September
Centralising the production of ad campaigns for use globally may cut costs but, without careful management of the media mix, a brand’s reputation may be tarnished, and sales could plummet.