Habitat, the high street furnishing retailer, is telling the stories behind its products in a series of “vodcasts” to support its autumn/winter collection. The five videos will feature the designers, their inspiration and the process that made the product. The strategy, which has been devised by Manning Gottlieb OMD, will be supported by a press […]
Fashion footwear brand Crocs is launching a line of clothing for men and children in October. The clothes will be made from a form of the resin material used in its brightly coloured clogs. The clothing, which will include shorts and shirts, will be made from Croslite, a lightweight material that is versatile, breathable and […]
Nokia is taking on Apple’s iTunes with the launch of its own online music store. The Finnish handset giant has also unveiled a new handset to rival the forthcoming iPhone. The Nokia Music Store is expected to launch in the UK this autumn as part of the company’s new Ovi internet service. Ovi, which means […]
Virgin Media is continuing its assault against BSkyB by offering its TV customers free access to the Setanta Sports channels over the weekend. The cable company believes the clash between Manchester United and Sunderland will be a draw for customers. The match sees former United player Roy Keane return with Sunderland to face Alex Ferguson […]
Freeview is understood to be in final negotiations with Mediaedge:cia over its media planning and buying account. The agency is believed to have beat Aegis-owned Carat in a final round of pitches. Incumbent M2M and Zenith-Optimedia were also involved in the pitch but are thought to have been knocked out at an earlier stage. The […]
PartyGaming, the online gaming company, has seen a massive drop in half-year profits after being forced to end trading in the US. A change in US law last October effectively made it illegal to operate online gambling. The company, which runs websites such as PartyPoker, reported a pre-tax loss of $47.1m (£23.5m) for the six […]
The Conservative Party has become the latest organisation forced to denounce an online viral campaign put out in its name (MW last week). Controversial agency Asa Bailey has created a viral – voteforchange.com – hosted on a YouTube profile called SexyBritain. Asa Bailey, founder of the eponymous agency, alleges the viral has been commissioned by […]
It is said that four out of five mergers do not work out and that the bigger the deal the more likely it is to fail. But Gillette’s $54bn (£27bn) sale to Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 2005 might just be the deal to disprove that theory. It is the largest consumer products takeover to […]
Independent micro-network Nitro has beaten McCann Erickson to win the pan-European launch business for Unilever’s “healthy” ice cream brand Frusi (MW last week). It is not the first time the London arm of Nitro, owned by “maverick” Australian Chris Clarke, has claimed a prized scalp. The industry was unanimous in its surprise when the agency […]
Tesco and Coca-Cola have signed a promotional deal with Saturday night talent show, The X Factor. A competition will offer Tesco customers the chance to win VIP trips to the live shows and finale and tickets to the live tour in 2008. The on-pack competition will run across Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero sold […]
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has moved to clarify the new Gambling Act 2005 for betting and gaming operators ahead of its introduction on September 1 with the launch of a "fact pack".
GCap Media has signed American Idol presenter Ryan Seacrest to host a new entertainment show that will run across London flagship station Capital 95.8 and its 42 local stations. The group has also signed a deal with E! Entertainment Television, which will produce two entertainment news round-ups for the show.
Living, the Virgin Media Television-owned entertainment channel is launching a month-long marketing campaign for new US import Men in Trees. It will break next month ahead of the show’s launch. A “quirky” moose marketing campaign will run across TV, online, press and branded LOVEfilm envelopes, a first for the online DVD rental company, to target […]
Nokia has signed a deal with games publisher Vivendi Games to make the Crash Bandicoot series available on its revamped N-Gage gaming platform. N-Gage is expected to launch across a range of Nokia phones in the next two months. It emerged earlier this year that Nokia was planning to revive the ill-fated N-Gage brand as […]
Holiday Taxis has appointed Russell Parr as its first sales and marketing director as part of a move to boost its senior team. He will report to chief executive Paul Stanyer and be responsible for promoting the brand in the UK. Parr joins the company from Vertical Group, which supplies technology systems to travel companies, […]