Month: October 2005

Don’t be shy, DM’s success is worth a shout

Marketing Week

David Reed’s view of the direct marketing industry is well founded (Pride and prejudice, MW last week), and from first-hand experience I agree with the sentiment that the DM industry at times struggles to communicate its successes. Despite statistics showing that &£107bn worth of sales are generated through direct marketing every year, the industry feels […]

Alcohol policy calls for drink industry partners

Marketing Week

I was disappointed to read the article referring to the Portman Group (MW October 6). There were inaccuracies. Neither I nor any of my colleagues was contacted by Sonoo Singh to establish any facts prior to publication. Please allow me to correct a few of the main inaccuracies here. The Government’s National Alcohol Harm Reduction […]

T-Mobile in need of a personality transplant

Marketing Week

Although there have been hopeful signs, T-Mobile’s brand is still weak and needs a radical overhaul (MW October 13). The T-Mobile identity is visually weak, looked dated when it was launched (it has the appearance of a local German brand), is extremely forgettable and lacks any emotion. The brand name itself is boringly functional and […]

Industry buy-ins mar permission targeting

Marketing Week

Alan Mitchell’s view that DM needs a fundamental rethink in terms of permission and better targeting is spot on (MW October 6). There is one deep-seated problem – industry buy-in. For example, suppression has been cheaply and easily available for the past decade and yet some large volume mailers still don’t refresh and clean their […]

Müller HQ takes control of headless UK division

Marketing Week

Müller Dairy is thought to have scrapped its top management role in the UK, following the departure of chief executive Andrew Harrison (pictured) earlier this summer. The UK’s leading dairy brand is now being controlled from its German head office, with the Müller family having ultimate control over UK operations. It is understood to be […]

Sony lays off top marketer as Stringer cuts swathe

Marketing Week

Sony vice-president for marketing communications Andy Griffiths is understood to have taken voluntary redundancy from the Japanese electronics giant. His departure is thought to be part of the major restructure announced by Sony chief executive Sir Howard Stringer last month. The plans include cutting 10,000 jobs, closing plants and axing unprofitable businesses across the world. […]

Dettol launches range of anti-bacterial handwashes

Marketing Week

Reckitt Benckiser is launching a range of anti-bacterial Dettol handwashes as part of a &£15m investment in the brand. The range, due to hit the shelves in the next few weeks, forms part of a major push for the household goods giant into the &£76m UK liquid soap sector. It comprises three variants: Moisture, containing […]

Weight Watchers enters flavoured water market

Marketing Week

Weight Watchers is to launch a range of flavoured sparkling and still waters in January to cash in on consumers who will be attempting to lose weight at the start of the year. Each 500ml bottle will come with a simple shrink-wrapped sleeve featuring a picture of the fruit its contents are flavoured with. The […]

Harley-Davidson launches toys and clothing ranges

Marketing Week

Harley-Davidson, the iconic motorcycle manufacturer, is to launch a range of toys and a children’s clothing line to boost the brand’s popularity with young consumers. The company, which already sells branded products in the US, has signed a licensing deal with The Beanstalk Group UK to launch a series of children’s products in Europe from […]

Industry rounds on design of Britvic premium water

Marketing Week

Britvic is facing criticism over the packaging of its new premium bottled water Drench, which is aimed at the youth market and launches next year (MW September 29). Industry insiders claim the 500ml bottle shape looks dated and that the word Drench is written so big that when placed on supermarket shelves, consumers would only […]

Walkers unveils Nobby’s launch to rival Peperami

Marketing Week

Walkers Snacks is gearing up for a major assault on Unilever-owned meat snack Peperami with the launch of a beef jerky product under its Nobby’s brand. The beef jerky range is expected to be launched early next year, and will have three variants including hot and spicy. It will be positioned as a “better-for-you snack” […]

Heineken turns away from TV advertising

Marketing Week

Heineken’s decision to axe UK television advertising in favour of press and poster ads and an increased focus on its Champions League sponsorship has raised a few eyebrows in the marketing industry. Since its 2003 UK relaunch as a premium strength lager, under the name Heineken Export, sales in the UK have collapsed, from &£500m […]

Reckitt unveils Finish ‘capsule’

Marketing Week

Reckitt Benckiser is gearing up for the multi-million-pound launch of its latest dishwasher tablet, Finish Quantum. The new resin capsule is expected to be on supermarket shelves within the next few weeks. It comprises three cleaning agents – which the company claims would otherwise be incompatible – housed in separate compartments in a dissolvable resin […]

The sting in the tale of Barclays’ revamp

Marketing Week

Barclays has finally aired its long-awaited ad campaign showcasing a new “inventive spirit” brand positioning. But if accountancy firm Cooper Parry had had its way, the Bartle Bogle Hegarty-created drive would never have seen the light of day. The East Midlands company last week asked the High Court to issue a temporary injunction preventing Barclays […]