Getting ready for Christmas
Marketing WeekDespite consumers tightening the purse strings, Christmas will carry on as usual, but retailers will have to work harder for their money, says Richard Hyman
Despite consumers tightening the purse strings, Christmas will carry on as usual, but retailers will have to work harder for their money, says Richard Hyman
The new owners of the Racing Post (RP) have a number of tricky hurdles to negotiate after buying the horse-racing title from Trinity Mirror for £170m last week. FL Partners must reverse the RP’s declining circulation, find ways to compete with a burgeoning online gambling sector and see off the threat from a new rival […]
Publisher HarperCollins is launching a community site in an effort to mirror the success the music industry has enjoyed by talent-spotting unsigned acts on sites such as MySpace. Authonomy.com will launch in the UK early next year and the company has plans to expand the web brand globally. It aims to duplicate the music industry’s […]
William Hill has added planning communications agency Edwards Groom Saunders (EGS) to its roster. The agency has a brief to devise a new strategy for 2008. The appointment does not affect Initiative Media, which handles the bookmakers’ media planning and buying account. William Hill is understood to have spent £12m on advertising and marketing this […]
IPC Media’s decision to publish Soaplife magazine two weeks in a row has created confusion over the fortnightly title’s frequency. Soaplife went on sale on October 2 and was followed a week later by a second issue on October 9, but IPC Media denies that it plans to change the frequency of the fortnightly TV […]
The Essentially Group is merging and relaunching its agencies as a new business that claims to be one of the top five sports marketing agencies in the UK. It is merging Accelerate Sport and Music, Global Sports Management, the world’s largest rugby marketing and management business, Accelerate Motorsport, Fontiers Group, a sports marketing and entertainment […]
Posterscope is launching a campaign to promote the benefits of outdoor advertising, following in the footsteps of CBS Outdoor which ran a similar campaign last year. The Posterscope campaign, launched this week, targets media and creative agencies as well as client companies in a bid to emphasise the “rapidly changing out-of-home” medium and the company […]
The wait could finally be over for Sainsbury’s if the supermarket group’s board recommends accepting a £10.6bn takeover offer by Qatari investment group Delta Two. The deal is expected to get the green light this week – if agreement can be reached with the group’s pension fund trustees. But the industry is undecided about the […]
Flybe is launching a credit card in a bid to boost revenues and attract new passengers. The Spend and Fly Mastercard will be launched next January and will offer users a free return flight with their first purchase. The chip and PIN card, which is provided by LaSer UK, will be part of the low-cost […]
Drinks giant Diageo and Tesco are targeting shoppers with a responsible drinking message, in what is understood to be the first such initiative between a supermarket and a drinks producer. The campaign will include “reminders” around Tesco stores on how to consume alcohol responsibly. The messages will include: “Alternate drinks with water to stay refreshed”, […]
Zavvi, the music retailer formed after the sale of Virgin Megastores last month, has unveiled its image and logo. It has been created by consultancy Caulder Moore. It aims to highlight the chain’s “clear and simple” offering, while moving it towards a more independent positioning and away from Virgin’s corporate image. The logo is also […]
Coors Brewers, the UK brewing arm of Molson Coors, has brought back former marketing chief Mark Hunter as its new chief executive. He replaces Peter Swinburn, who has been appointed chief executive of the US business. Hunter, formerly the marketing and international development director, was responsible for launching the Coors brand in the UK in […]
Morrisons is seeking a senior marketer to join the company as head of branding. The new role has been created to ensure the rebrand of the retailer is extended across all areas of its business. The position reports to marketing services director Michael Bates and will sit alongside the head of marketing services, head of […]
Harry Drnec, the former managing director of Red Bull, has been appointed marketing director of a new computer company that claims it will transform how people use their PCs. The Broadband Computer Company, which is based in Newcastle, claims to have developed hardware and software that will make computing as simple as possible. The new […]
Sling Media is launching its biggest UK advertising campaign promoting its digital TV media devices as potential Christmas presents. The campaign has been created by Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw with media planning by Trinity Communications. The consumer electronics company is showcasing its Slingbox Solo and Slingbox Pro products. Slingbox connects to television or set-top boxes […]