BP has axed its top global brand marketing role following the departure of Tom Vaughan, and handed responsibility for brand to its communications chief. Vaughan, who was general manager of brand and marketing communications, has left the oil giant after six years to join law firm Burges Salmon as marketing director. He has not been […]
Draft FCB, the agency created by Interpublic Groups merger of its Draft and FCB networks, is launching a second agency to avoid conflicts caused by the union.
German sportswear brand Puma is on the hunt for a new UK and Ireland marketing chief after ousting David Learmonth who had been in the role for almost five years. It is not known whether he has a job to go to, but it is understood that his departure is the result of a management […]
United Biscuits has been forced to scotch mounting speculation that it will conduct a review of its suppliers after the company’s acquisition by private equity firms Blackstone and PAI Partners. Some observers had suggested that a supplier review was being put in place by the procurement department to ensure best value. But a company spokeswoman […]
Mini is launching a Minority Report-style campaign in the US which will have billboards flashing personalised messages to drivers as they pass by in their cars. The boards, which usually carry traditional advertising messages, are programmed to identify approaching Mini drivers through a coded signal from a radio chip embedded in their key fob. The […]
Satellite giant BSkyB has missed analysts’ forecasts for subscribers to its TV package in the three months to December 31, but says profits are ahead of forecasts today. The company says it has added 183,000 TV subscribers in the second-quarter of its financial year, below the average forecast of 190,000, giving it a total of […]
Scottish Widows Bank has appointed former Sainsbury’s Bank marketer Richard Clark to head its marketing. Clark (pictured) joins the Lloyds TSB-owned bank, part of the Scottish Widows brand, as head of product development and marketing. He reports to managing director Graeme Hartop. Clark will be tasked with developing the bank’s marketing strategy and has overall […]
Manchester looks set to win the battle to be the site of the UK’s first “super casino” in a bitter blow to Blackpool and Greenwich…
Microsoft is backing the launch of its new Windows Vista operating system across 70 countries with a massive £250m ad campaign. It marks the company’s biggest launch for over a decade. The push includes television ads in the US starring basketball star Lebron James and ads explaining what Vista is and does. No details of […]
Sunglass Hut has appointed Wolff Olins to create a new corporate identity and design for its 61 stores in the UK and abroad. The retailer will unveil the new look next week and roll it out to all stores during 2007 and 2008. Everything from logo to interiors through packaging to point-of-purchase materials have been […]
WPP Group has taken a stake in US advertising and mobile search company JumpTap, as it looks to bolster its position in digital media. The purchase by WPP Digital, for an undisclosed sum, follows other recent investments in the digital field…
Prudential has stunned the City by selling its Egg direct banking arm to Citigroup for £575m. The move casts doubt on the advertising pitch called by Prudential late last year to consolidate its advertising for the Pru, Egg and its M&G Investments arm. The decision to sell the troubled banking arm is a u-turn by […]
GCap Media has renewed Johnny Vaughan’s Capital Radio breakfast show contract, ending months of speculation about his future. Vaughan, who has signed a new exclusive three-year deal, took over from long-time presenter Chris Tarrant in April 2004. But in October, Jamie Theakston’s morning show for Chrysalis’ rival London station Heart overtook Vaughan to become the […]
Asda has launched an online electrical store in a bid to capture a 5% slice of the UK’s £1.9bn online electrical market, by 2012. The grocer’s Asda Electricals website will sell products ranging from plasma-screen televisions to energy efficient fridge freezers via asda.com. Gordon Hewlett, head of online general merchandise says the online electrical market […]
Despite much agency speculation to the contrary, advertising, for which read the relationship with Bartle Bogle Hegarty, is currently one of British Airways’ few consistent strengths. Almost everywhere you look, this is a brand in trouble. And indeed there is a poignant symbolism in the fact that the imminent cabin crew strike, which threatens to […]