Philips is promoting its Philishave Cool Skin gel-lubricated electric shavers with a Gillette-style viral video that pokes fun at rival manufacturers’ obsession with multiple-bladed razors. The video starts by trumpeting the benefits of a revolutionary new razor system, the Quintippio, with 15 extra-large blades – but the male model takes a long look at the […]
Yahoo! in the US is teaming up with media company Clear Channel to supply news, sports, entertainment and financial content to the latter’s network of large screens in shopping malls. A Yahoo! UK spokeswoman says the company will be looking at similar partnerships in the UK.
Napster has launched a viral ad, created by Drugstore, featuring a stripper who gets down to her underwear then stops. Text then appears: “30 second previews leaving you wanting more? At Napster, you get the whole thing.” Apple’s iTunes download service includes a preview where users can hear 30 seconds of a track before deciding […]
ICM research for digital music service Napster suggests that 25 per cent of the UK population would rather listen to music on PCs or MP3 players than on CD, vinyl or cassette. The survey found that 42 per cent of music fans no longer purchase music in high-street record stores, citing difficulty in finding the […]
Themutual.net, which operates UK “rewarded shopping” portals, has bought e-mail marketing specialist Electronic Direct Response (EDR). The merged group claims to own and manage over 6 million high-response e-mail addresses, deliver over 500 million permission-based e-mails and generate 30 million visits to advertisers’ sites every year. Themutual.net’s clients include T-Mobile and Amazon, while EDR’s include […]
Alan Mitchell’s article on Tesco (MW last week) certainly reveals the commercial advantages of an integrated, demand-driven supply chain. But he seems to have overlooked one fundamental trend in food retailing. Consumers are increasingly looking for locally sourced food, with the perceived benefits of freshness, low food miles, reliable provenance, healthy local trade and so […]
With the arrival of ever more sophisticated handsets and viable interactive technology, the mobile phone market is set for a dramatic change as major brand and intellectual property owners look to take existing content mobile. They should not assume, however, that delivering existing content for the mobile is simply a case of manipulating a few […]
It is not the time devoted to any one medium that matters, but the quality of the engagement. And even when the engagement fully engrosses, it does not necessarily follow that any third-party communication will even be noticed, let alone welcomed. Certainly that is true of print, where the advertisement usually has to compete with […]
Parents’ lack of action regarding the Child Trust Fund (CTF) scheme is both complex – as stated in your article (When parents need pushing, MW October 20) – and understandable. It is indicative of the fundamental difference between awareness and action that is involved in dealing with parents with regard to their children. For the […]
Diageo’s strategy of reviewing agencies by performance, best practice and pay (MW last week) comes as no surprise to me. The ability of the field marketing industry to demonstrate return on investment has been a key factor in its widespread acceptance and rapid growth. Indeed, at a very early stage of the pitch we present […]
Recently we’ve become only too familiar with the spectacle of Tony Blair losing control of his backbenchers as he attempts to bulldoze through his “legacy” policies. But is he also losing control at the ministerial level? The question has some pertinence because this week a piece of that landmark legislation passes into the statute books, […]
The Diary can tell that Christmas is nearing. The shops are starting to stock Easter eggs, the characters of the latest Disney/Pixar film illuminate Regent Street, and, of course, every other headline in the tabloids screams at us about the dangers of binge drinking. For some reason, Christmas and excessive drinking go hand in hand […]
Brazil: the land of that big statue of Jesus, transvestites, over-rated footballers, endless Mardi Gras-style processions and a secretive hairstyle that women seem to favour. Oh, and saucy postcards of bronzed beauties relaxing on the beach. However, the Rio State Assembly has recently approved a ban on postcards showing bikini-clad models or hunks wearing spray-on […]
Now is a crucial time for Britvic’s marketing and the force behind it – Andrew Marsden – for the edgy campaigns have built brands that could push up the soft drink company’s flotation value. But, deal done, will Britvic lose its taste for risk just to keep shareholders happy? asks Mark Choueke Britvic’s top marketer […]
Several of the UK’s most prestigious network agencies are currently leaderless, and others have been forced to look outside advertising for senior executives. Is this because the best people are starting their own shops, or is there a genuine dearth of talent? By David Benady Adland is suffering from a dearth of high-quality leaders, leaving […]