Direct mail, ambient media, television, newspapers, posters… you lot will try anything to get people to buy things! Well, the Diary bets you haven’t thought of this little trick – identity marketing. To promote the launch of a computer game, Acclaim Entertainment chose five people, from more than 10,000 entries, and got them to change […]
Niels de Vos, former commercial director of the Manchester Commonwealth Games 2002, has been appointed chief executive of Rugby Union club Sale Sharks. De Vos now plans to turn the North-west rugby team into a world rugby brand offering a host of sponsorship opportunities. His brief is to turn the team “into the Manchester United […]
One or two of you may remember that the Diary launched a competition last month (MW August 16). Readers were invited to send in the best bit of promotional landfiller they had received, in order to win some tat from the Diary’s collection. The response, frankly, was disappointing. The Diary knows times are tough, but […]
Excellent report by Lucy Barrett (Dodge must pick up on European niche, MW August 29). In an era of increasing product “sameness”, where Eighties features such as reliability and safety are now givens, car manufacturers are seeking new ways to differentiate increasingly similar products. Revival/exhumation of old brands is one method (DaimlerChrysler’s Maybach, BMW’s Mini […]
Carling has been forced by the Independent Television Commission to restrict the showing of one of its ads – featuring a woman in her underwear pouring a trail of beer over the floor and herself, as her boyfriend licks it up – until after the 9pm watershed. The ITC received 69 complaints, some saying that […]
Boots’ former marketing chief David Kneale is to take the top operational job at the group in the company’s latest management reshuffle. Kneale, currently director of trading for Boots Retail, will be promoted in January next year to the new role of chief operating officer for Boots Retail, with responsibility for Boots stores, Boots Opticians […]
Gone are the days when IT companies spent huge sums on exhibiting at every show around. Survivors of the dot-com bust now prefer smaller, targeted shows. Organisers, meanwhile, are turning to other sectors for business. By Niall Hunt
McDonald’s has shocked the marketing industry by appointing an outsider, Larry Light, to the newly created post of global chief marketing officer. He will be in charge of advertising, marketing and brand development worldwide. The fast-food giant has a tradition of filling such positions from within its own ranks. Light will take charge of a […]
Since the collapse of ITV Digital, the overall growth of digital TV has slowed, as consumers discover that the technology does have drawbacks
Britannia Music Company is looking for an advertising agency to handle its £12m business relaunch. The Universal Music-owned retailer, which recently appointed Wolff Olins to work on its brand positioning, is seeking a full-service agency to look after advertising, direct marketing and design. The review is being handled by the Haystack Group. The pitch is […]
Direct mail is one of the most effective ways to target potential customers, but it has its problems. Besides the possibility of it simply being binned, it can also lead to consumers switching brands every six months, says Richenda Wilson
The Portman, the UK’s fourth-largest building society, is looking for a marketing director to head a 30-strong team and develop future strategy. The appointment coincides with moves by the mutual to improve its position in the UK mortgages and savings market. The role is a new one, created after a corporate restructure. The marketing director […]
UK cinema audiences keep rising, but as the market matures chains are turning to alternative content and loyalty schemes to drag the public away from their DVD players and widescreen TVs. By Branwell Johnson
Mars group marketer drafted in from Far East to take over top European petcare position
All too often the technological systems in place at call centres are designed by the IT department, without any real input from the very people who are using them. By Jo-Anne Flack