Month: August 2007

Affiliate marketing finally goes mainstream

Marketing Week

Next month sees the hosting of Affiliate Summit London, the UK’s first affiliate marketing conference. In fact, London is showcasing two affiliate marketing events in as many months with the A4U Expo in October. Finally the industry has woken up; cost per acquisition is one of the most compelling and cost-efficient channels for advertisers and […]

Ugc’s untapped potential

Marketing Week

Despite user-generated content’s rapid growth and connection with consumers, few brands use it to reach customers. But marketers need to investigate how to make the most of this new medium

Brands get the shivers as sheen is rubbed off podcasting’s image

Marketing Week

Radio One DJ Chris Moyles is a podcasting evangelist and regularly encourages his audience to get downloading, while Ricky Gervais’s popular podcasts top the daily charts. Yet despite these high profile media names, few believe this is a medium of the future for brand owners. It all sounds simple enough. Buy an iPod or other […]

Big retailers begin to see the power of online marketing

Marketing Week

Some sectors of business have taken to online marketing as if it were built for them. Others have been slower to move online. And then there’s retail. Seeing the figures released by online retail trade body the IMRG every January reporting another bumper Christmas for internet sales, you’d be forgiven for thinking that retail as […]

Campaign of the month: Virgin bets

Marketing Week

Lean Mean Fighting Machine has won July’s IAB Creative Showcase Award, run in association with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, with its work for Virgin Bets, a gambling site for people who get put off by the complexity and seriousness of high street bookies. The campaign was based around the latest series of Big Brother and […]

The loudest voice will win war of emotions

Marketing Week

It’s often said, usually by disgruntled ex-ministers, that the media is the real opposition party of our time. That’s to give journalists too much credit, and to underplay the less examined role of the lobbyist and single issue group. These ginger groups owe allegiance only to their chosen issue and their backers; they are unshackled […]

Radiotimes.com set to adopt user-generated Web content

Marketing Week

Radio Times will embrace user-generated content (UGC) on its website as part of its social networking content. The move is part of BBC Magazines’ heavy investment in online activities. The radiotimes.com site will encourage users to interact to rate TV shows, contribute to blogs and participate in forum debates. The new feature will sit alongside […]

Virgin 1 TV channel aims to brand the colour red

Marketing Week

Virgin Media claims that it will “reclaim the colour red” with the branding for forthcoming entertainment channel Virgin 1. The logo, idents and “look” of the channel all aim to reassert the colour’s association with Virgin. The company will use a large red “1” emblazoned with the Virgin signature icon as its logo. The on-air […]

Media buyers attack Associated’s answer to Shortlist launch

Marketing Week

Associated Newspapers’ decision to boost the distribution of its flagship freesheet, Metro, by more than 20% has been criticised as a reckless move by media buyers. Buyers say Associated has misjudged the market and has not allowed for the impact of rival free weekly magazine, Shortlist, which will be launched in the autumn. One media […]

New campaign: Aspers

Marketing Week

Aspers, the British casino operator, claims it will be the first betting and gaming company to advertise on UK television when its ad is aired during the first ad break after 9pm on September 1. The ad, which has been created by MadFarley, will be shown on ITV Wales and in the Tyne Tees region […]

Vexed to build a community website for cancer centres

Marketing Week

Vexed Digital has been appointed as the lead digital agency for cancer care group Maggie’s Centres. It won the business after a nine-way pitch against undisclosed agencies. Maggie’s Centres, which offers help to people with cancer, wants to create a website that will take on the role of an online centre. Vexed has been briefed […]

Homeserve constructs roster to boost brand

Marketing Week

Homeserve, the emergency policy and repair business headed by former BSkyB marketing director Jon Florsheim, is building its first agency roster ahead of ambitious plans to boost the brand. The roster includes brand consultancy Venture Three, which Florsheim worked with at Sky, Group M for media planning, and Barracuda Digital for search engine optimisation. The […]

WPP and IPG vie for Dell ad brief

Marketing Week

Dell is understood to have parted company with Omicom after shortlisting WPP Group and Interpublic Group to go through to the final round of its $730m (£367m) global advertising pitch. WPP, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis and Havas had put forward agency teams to pitch for the consolidated global business, but sources say only WPP and IPG […]