Month: December 2005

ASA investigates ‘gay kiss’ TV ad for Dolce & Gabbana

Marketing Week

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating dozens of complaints about a television ad for Dolce & Gabbana watches, which features two men kissing. The ad, created by the fashion label’s Italian advertising agency, has been aired during shows including The X-Factor. It has so far prompted 34 complaints. ⢠In another adjudication this week, […]

Orangina takeover sparks brand rejig

Marketing Week

Orangina’s new owners are planning to reposition the brand as a premium adult soft drink and are understood to be seeking an agency to support the changes. Private equity firms Blackstone and Lion Capital acquired the brand as part of a &£1.3bn acquisition of Cadbury Schweppes’ European drinks business last month. The brand spends about […]

Coke plans coffee drinks in a bid to reach adult sector

Marketing Week

Coca-Cola is planning to launch two separate coffee drinks in a bid to extend its portfolio in areas away from carbonated drinks and increase its appeal to adults. Coca-Cola US is working with chocolate maker Godiva on a ready-to-drink coffee, to be launched in the spring. It is also launching Coca-Cola Blak in France in […]

Silentnight marketing director goes

Marketing Week

Silentnight group marketing director Julie Leivers has left the furniture retailer after her position was scrapped. As first revealed in Marketing Week (MW November 17), Leivers’ role was thrown into doubt following a review of operations by new chief executive Neal Mernock. The company has confirmed that Leivers has been made redundant. Responsibility for her […]

Dousing the pensions fire

Marketing Week

The Government’s announcement that proposed changes to self-invested personal pensions will not be going ahead next year has drawn criticism from the industry, which says it severely hinders the way in which pensions can be marketed. By David Benady and Catherine Turner Just as the normally staid world of pensions was threatening to become exciting, […]

Not all fun and games

Marketing Week

Sir Frank Lowe’s return to the fray has the industry rapt as the year ends, but 2005 has been an unsettled time, as new media continues to shake old certainties, and marketers begin to plan for the 2012 Olympics in a city still recovering from terrorist attacks. By Marketing Week reporters With doom-mongers forecasting an […]

Discs are still money-spinning

Marketing Week

As take-up of MP3 players spreads among every age-group, digital downloading is growing rapidly. But it started from such a small base that CD and DVD sales still dwarf it – and will do for some time EMI Music UK is rolling out broadband-enabled listening posts to independent music retailers (MW December 1) in a […]

Ask Jeeves hands Fallon £15m European ad work

Marketing Week

Internet service provider Ask Jeeves has handed its pan-European advertising business to Fallon following a competitive pitch. It is understood to be worth about &£15m. It is thought that incumbent TBWA/London was invited to pitch. The agency, which was appointed in 2000, will continue work with Ask Jeeves until early next year on a project […]

Ex-GCap director made UK Starcom MediaVest chief

Marketing Week

Starcom MediaVest is poised to appoint former GCap Media commercial director Linda Smith as UK chief executive. It is understood that an announcement is due to be made early next week. Iain Jacob, who was recently promoted from the UK role to chief executive for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has confirmed he is […]

Centaur Holdings acquires Recruiter

Marketing Week

Centaur Holdings has acquired fortnightly magazine Recruiter, its website and its awards scheme, for &£4m from Redactive Media Group. The purchase is Centaur’s first since floating on the Stock Exchange last year.