Argos Retail Group is looking at the possibility of consolidating the media accounts for its Argos retail brand and the recently acquired Homebase DIY chain, together worth &£42.4m, into one agency. Both retail chains have called in auditors to assess their media accounts. Homebase uses PHD on its &£21m media buying and planning business and […]
Icircle, Lancôme sampling push Icircle.com, Freeserve’s portal for women, is to run a month-long sampling campaign for L’Oréal-owned Lancôme ‘Resolution’ – an anti-ageing treatment.
Value retailer Matalan, troubled by profit warnings and management in-fighting, is symptomatic of a sector that is being squeezed out. By Amanda Wilkinson Matalan is at a crossroads. Once the darling baby of retail analysts and the City, the value brand has evolved into a troubled teenager, caught up in temper tantrums, and has yet […]
Virgin Radio has signed up Castrol GTX Magnatec as its first radio sponsor. The deal includes traffic and travel updates during breakfast and drivetime.
The Whitbread Hotel Company has appointed Tony Dangerfield to the newly created post of commercial director of Marriott Hotels, in a restructure of the chain’s marketing team. He joins Marriott from his position as managing director of Thistle Hotels’ managed hotels division. Dangerfield effectively replaces sales and marketing director Guy Parsons, who was promoted to […]
Northern & Shell is testing the launch of Hot Stars, the celebrity supplement distributed free with OK! magazine, as a standalone title.
Campbell Grocery Products is shaking up its marketing department, and axing a number of staff to make way for a raft of new arrivals. The exodus began soon after ex-Clairol marketer Tim Perman arrived at the company last year (MW August 22, 2002). Marketers who have left or are leaving include Homepride marketing controller Jon […]
Online ad specialist i-level has been appointed by second generation low-cost airline Now to handle digital marketing. The agency will work closely with Rise, which is handling overall media strategy. The strategy is highly Web-centric, given the operational advantages that Now expects to gain in this area. I-level originally gained experience in this sector through […]
B’lowfish Advertising has been appointed to handle a £3.5m marketing campaign designed to revive the fortunes of Virgin Cola. The appointment was made by Princes Soft Drinks, which now holds the marketing franchises for Virgin Cola. B’lowfish won after a three-way pitch overseen by marketing director David Patmore. The agency already handles online and ambient […]
Flymo, the Electrolux-owned gardening brand, has launched a £2m television campaign to support its new Turbo Compact Vision lawnmower. It breaks on April 9.
Fulfilment and ‘functionality’ advance sales for performance clothing firm
The Notting Hill Carnival Trust (NHCT) is offering a £300,000 headline sponsorship package for this year’s event, a significant drop on last year’s asking price.
EasyJet has promoted sales and marketing chief David Magliano to the new role of director of strategic marketing, with a brief to build the brand in new overseas markets. His current role will be axed, and day-to-day sales and marketing responsibilities will be handled in the short term by former commercial director Mike Cooper. Cooper […]
Fusion Radio Sales will transfer all of its operations to First Radio Sales, formerly Clear Channel Radio Sales, from March 31. The move is likely to be seen as a precursor to the consolidation expected across the industry later this year, when the Communications Act becomes law. Fusion is the sales arm for the six-strong […]
60Watt, an Edinburgh agency, has been appointed by new national political party the People’s Alliance to handle its election campaign for the Scottish Parliament.