Month: September 2004

BSkyB appoints Capgemini chief to front customer drive

Marketing Week

BSkyB has appointed Capgemini vice-president William Mellis to oversee the broadcaster’s direct sales operation as it begins to target consumers with increasingly refined messages designed to overcome barriers to take-up of pay-television. Mellis’ appointment to the new position of direct customer acquisition director coincides with a move by BSkyB to introduce a more segmented marketing […]

Banks will pay the price of lost trust

Marketing Week

The arid calendar of financial reporting occasionally offers some productive insights. Thus, last week, we had abysmal results from Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever juxtaposed with another record-breaking performance by Tesco. It was difficult not to read into these a tale of parabolic significance. Packaged goods companies, for all their five-year plans, their shareholder-pleasing rhetoric and careful […]

Thresher boss defects to B&Q

Marketing Week

Thresher Group sales and marketing director Kevin Styles is leaving to join DIY retailer B&Q as director of format development. He starts at his new company after Christmas and will report to Kingfisher group commercial chief executive and B&Q commercial managing director George Adams. Styles held board-level positions at Thresher and also in his previous […]

Dixons returns to TV with ‘affordable aspirational’ ads

Marketing Week

Electrical retailer Dixons is returning to television advertising for the first time in three years, in an effort to make the brand more aspirational. The TV ad, created by M&C Saatchi, will emphasise the availability of hi-tech products at affordable prices, and will use the line: “The future for less”. Media buying for the campaign, […]

RFU to open high street retail chain

Marketing Week

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is planning to launch a number of retail outlets next year in its first attempt to exploit the popularity of rugby on the high street. The RFU plans to sell a wide range of merchandise through the outlets – to be dubbed the Rugby Store – including RFU-branded clothing, memorabilia […]

Bliss is suffering from ignorance

Marketing Week

It comes as little surprise to hear that Bliss, Scottish Courage’s attempt to market a wine-based premium packaged drink, is struggling (MW September 16). While the company is right to be looking for ways to refresh the ailing ready-to-drink market, this brand hasn’t yet struck a credible note. The Bliss bottle is pretty, swirly, girly […]