I was tempted to write about Heather Mills-McCartney but, like everybody else, I am sick of anything she has to say about anything. Who can believe what she feels or portrays through the media, when her courtroom bid to purloin The Beatles’ treasures is so ruthlessly executed? Then, Daily Mirror editor Richard Wallace told me […]
Barclays has axed the group brand and UK banking marketing director post previously held by Jim Hytner, splitting his responsibilities and £350m budget between two roles. The high street bank has promoted Dave Jeppeson to the new role of UK retail marketing director. He will report to UK banking chief operating officer Deanna Oppenheimer, who […]
Bjarne Thelin, chief executive of the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB), has defended the way it handled moving the £10m TV measurement contract from AGBNielsen to TNS.
Wyeth Consumer Healthcare is reviewing its estimated £8m advertising business for painkilling drug Anadin. Incumbent DDB London, which has held the account for almost three years, has decided not to repitch.
The BBC is launching a star-studded, heavyweight advertising campaign to support the consumer launch of the iPlayer catch-up service. It is thought to be the corporation’s biggest launch activity since it led the launch of Freeview, the digital terrestrial platform, in 2002. The campaign, which will break on Christmas Day evening, will star key BBC […]
Digital UK has appointed former Channel 4 managing director David Scott as chief executive. Scott will replace Ford Ennals, who is leaving in February to join Nike, at the analogue TV switchover body. (pictured) has run the not-for-profit body since it was established in 2005 and tendered his resignation last month, shortly after the first […]
The Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) has confirmed TNS has won the 10m contract to measure UK TV audiences from incumbent AGB Nielsen, as exclusively revealed by Marketing Week (MW November 15).
Neil Campbell, general manager of Walkers UK, has been promoted to president of Tropicana USA. He will be replaced in the UK by Richard Evans, who moves from PepsiCo Middle East and Africa. Campbell, who has been at PepsiCo for more than 12 years, takes up his new role at the end of January. He […]
Renault has promoted senior vice-president of global marketing Stephen Norman to its management committee just three months after he joined the French marque from Fiat. Norman, who reports to executive vice-president of sales and marketing Patrick Blain, joins the management committee on January 2 along with senior vice-presidents Michel Balthazard (pre-engineering, projects and requirements), Christian […]
The European Union has not given protected status to vodka made from potatoes and will no longer force vodka brands made from other raw ingredients to rename their products “white spirits”. The EU has ruled that vodka made from potatoes, and sugarcane and grapes can all be called “true vodka”. The ruling ends a five-year […]
TBWA Worldwide has announced Tom Carroll will succeed Jean-Marie Dru (left) as chief executive of the Omnicom Group-owned network. Carroll also retains the title of president, while Dru becomes chairman. Lee Clow, who had been chairman and chief creative officer, becomes global director of media arts, a new title.
Virgin Radio marketing director David Andrews is leaving the station to join rival GCap Media as audience development director for Capital 95.8. He will start in the New Year.
Norwich Union Life, the Aviva-owned assurance company, has been rapped and fined £1.26m by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for exposing its customers to the risk of fraud. The authority says it “let down its customers” by not having effective systems and controls in place to protect confidential information. The FSA has found that Norwich […]
The Manchester Evening News is axing personal and escort advertising from today. The move follows pressure from the Government to ban such ads in regional papers because of claims they increase demand for trafficked women. MEN Media, the paper’s parent company, will also introduce the same policy for its other regional titles, the Reading Evening […]
Greenpeace has launched a campaign that aims to persuade Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to make their gaming consoles more environmentally friendly. The move comes after manufacturers were slammed in the charity’s Guide to Greener Electronics, published last week. Greenpeace says major console makers lag way behind personal computer and mobile phone makers in “reducing the […]