Evening Standard axes its head of marketing

The Evening Standard has sacked its brand controller Matt Chambers after less than a year in the job.

Chambers, former head of advertising at Marks & Spencer, joined the Standard last November as part of the team brought in by managing director Mike Anderson. He is not believed to have a job to go to.

Jonathan Stirling, who has been working as a consultant with Anderson on strategy for the Standard, is to take on many of the brand controller responsibilities. He is a former managing partner at Banks Hoggins O’Shea/FCB, which he left in February 2001 (MW January 15, 2001). His title has yet to be decided.

Chambers joined the newspaper from his position as commercial director at Charlton Athletic FC. He spent 15 years at M&S and oversaw the retailer’s controversial “I’m normal” campaign featuring a size-16 model. At the Standard he developed several marketing initiatives, including the title sponsorship of a new London event, The Sport Show (MW June 5).

Anderson took over at the newspaper after serving as managing director at free newspaper Metro last September. The Standard has stabilised its circulation according to ABC figures for July, with the average net circulation rising 1.51 per cent on June’s figure to 401,825. Average net circulation for the six months to July was up 0.01 per cent year on year to 415,499.

However, advertising revenues have suffered, and in the first six months of 2003 advertising volumes dropped 42 per cent over a five-day average according to MMS figures.