Month: March 2008

The Together Agency wins below-the-line Artois business

Marketing Week

The Together Agency has been appointed to the below-the-line business of InBev’s Artois range of beers. It won the account after a competitive pitch against undisclosed agencies. It is working on developing an on-trade campaign that will support the full range of Artois beers, Stella Artois, Peeterman Artois and Eiken Artois brands. The campaign, which […]

EU ‘free’ directive definition splits ad bodies

Marketing Week

The Incorporated Society for British Advertisers (ISBA) and the Institute of Sales Promotions (ISP) have clashed over whether a new European Union directive will allow advertisers to use the word “free”. The Directive, which will be introduced in the UK on May 6, lays down rules for determining whether a commercial practice is unfair. Its […]

Anti-binge drinking ads play on teen girls’ vanity

Marketing Week

The Government is planning to tap into female vanity with its latest anti-binge drinking campaign by highlighting that it can ruins looks. The hard-hitting campaign, led by the Department of Health and the Home Office, will specifically target teenage girls. It is the first execution in a £10m anti-binge drinking campaign. The ads will mirror […]

MCCA appoints Gyro chief Gary Brine as chairman

Marketing Week

Gary Brine, chief executive of Gyro International, will be the next chairman of the Marketing Communications Consultants Association (MCCA). He takes over from Graham Kemp, founder of the Marketing Store. The announcement coincides with the annual MCCA Best Awards, sponsored by Marketing Week, which saw a skillfully revitalised Bob Monkhouse come back from the dead […]

Will allowing NHS providers to advertise prove a distraction?

Marketing Week

New rules are being introduced this spring allowing National Health Service providers to advertise their services. From April, hospitals, NHS Trusts and clinics will be permitted to target the public with marketing campaigns as they compete under the Patient Choice agenda. This allows patients to choose where they are treated from a list of four […]

Neal’s Yard seeks marketing director to lead expansion

Marketing Week

Neal’s Yard Remedies, the organic and ethical beauty retailer, is seeking a marketing director to join the company at board level. The company has created the role ahead of plans to expand in the UK and overseas. The successful candidate will be responsible for appointing a new ad agency and a number of marketing services […]

Appletiser woos drinks market with fresh range

Marketing Week

Appletiser, the soft drinks company, is understood to be planning an assault on the mainstream drinks market with the launch of three new flavours next month. It is thought that the new flavours will be a mix of several fruits and are expected to include “super fruit” and tropical variants. It will extend the range […]

Poundland seeks to widen appeal as consumers tighten belts

Marketing Week

Poundland is seeking to capitalise on straitened economic conditions by hiring its first advertising agency (MW last week). But it will be no easy task to differentiate the brand from its countless rivals in the discount retail sector. Poundland, which was founded 17 years ago, announced last year that sales rose to £311m for the […]

ASA turns down requests to investigate Vauxhall ad

Marketing Week

The latest Vauxhall campaign for the Meriva model, starring two “little dads”, has been reported to the advertising regulator for being “irresponsible”. The ad features the two young boys using a jack to lift up the front of the car. The campaign, created by DDB London, shows the boys lifting the car and checking the […]

Boots plots new products for Protect & Perfect line

Marketing Week

Boots is extending its anti-ageing line No7 Protect and Perfect range. The original serum, launched last summer, caused a consumer frenzy after a TV programme claimed it really worked. The product line is to include a day cream, night cream, eye cream and body moisturiser. The new products will be supported by a TV and […]

Mencap hands top marketing role to education director

Marketing Week

Mencap, the learning disability charity, has promoted Alison Sargent to its top marketing role ahead of an overhaul of the brand, which will start next month. Sargent replaces Deborah Hamilton-Lewis, who has left the charity, and will be marketing director, adding marketing duties to her existing responsibilities as director of the education and employment business […]

PepsiCo drafts in Euro boss to lead Tropicana and Quaker

Marketing Week

PepsiCo UK has appointed David Johnston as general manager of its Quaker and Tropicana businesses. He replaces Mary Barnard, who has been promoted to global vice-president of new beverage platforms. Johnston will move from his position as PepsiCo’s vice-president of beverages marketing in Europe, where he is responsible for developing Pepsi’s marketing strategy. He will […]

Bulmers Pear launches first above-the-line UK campaign

Marketing Week

Bulmers Pear, the premium, packaged over-ice cider, is launching its first above-the-line campaign, to start on March 10. Created by Glasgow-based agency Frame, the campaign will include 6,000 six-sheet poster sites across the UK, with 20 Mega-6 sites in London, Birmingham and Manchester, and Glasgow’s giant LED CityScreen. The media planning and buying is through […]

Chevrolet renews Euro sales drive

Marketing Week

Chevrolet is aiming to more than treble its sales in Europe and become as big as Opel/Vauxhall within ten years, according to Jonathan Browning, vice-president of sales and marketing at parent company, General Motors. The marque wants to capitalise on the growth in emerging markets where, as a low-cost brand, it has strong appeal. Browning […]

Energy watchdog lambasts lack of focus on poorer customers

Marketing Week

Consumer watchdog Energywatch has attacked energy companies for their reluctance to market to the fuel poor. The energy body has called on the Government to force energy suppliers to market to lower income consumers in the same way that green tariffs are pushed to richer consumers. The plans are laid out in the Energy Bill. […]