Month: June 2008

Domain name rule change paves way for brand names

Marketing Week

Companies will be able to turn their brands into web addresses after the strict rules on so-called “top-level” domain names, such as .com or .uk were relaxed by the internet regulator. Members of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) yesterday (June 26) voted unanimously for the changes. A second proposal to introduce […]

Beckham stars in first Sharpie Markers UK TV ads

Marketing Week

Sharpie Markers is launching its first UK TV campaign, starring footballer David Beckham. The global campaign is the first since Sharpie signed Beckham as the face of the brand earlier this year. The execution shows Beckham using a Sharpie pen to autograph unusual items for fans. When the time comes to return the Sharpie to […]

Asda ready to unveil new in-store gaming formats

Marketing Week

Asda is ramping up its presence in the gaming sector with a new in-store format it has developed with Nintendo. It will include branded aisles when it is rolled out from next month. The retailer will abandon its usual look and colour scheme in favour of rows given over to different game formats as it […]

JWT’s Philadelphia brief at risk as Kraft reviews roster

Marketing Week

Kraft Foods is understood to be talking to European agencies about a number of briefs, thought to include the Philadelphia cream cheese brand. The bulk of the company’s advertising is currently handled by JWT. The food giant has already started a review of the $50m (£25m) US account for Philadelphia. JWT, which is the global […]

Ofcom fines GCap 1.1m for competition scam

Marketing Week

Capital and Classic FM owner GCap Media has been fined a record 1.1m by media regulator Ofcom for running a listener competition that entrants had no chance of winning. The Secret Sound competition was run on 30 local radio stations in GCap’s One Network.

Murdoch Jrs new vision for News International

Marketing Week

James Murdoch proved he could run a pay TV station during his three successful years in charge of BSkyB. Now, seven months after taking the helm at News Corporation in Europe and Asia, he is aiming to show he is as great a newspaper man as his father Rupert. The radical shake-up unveiled by 35-year-old […]

Ikea rival calls in administrators

Marketing Week

Ilva Furniture has gone into administration after just over two years of trading in the UK. The Danish company, set up to rival Ikea, suffered from a flawed launch and tough market conditions that have hit a number of retailers. It launched in the UK in May 2006, with a store at Lakeside in Thurrock, […]

Yell appoints UK president of new media

Marketing Week

Directories business Yell has appointed former AOL executive Mark Canon to the new role of UK president of new media. He will lead Yell’s new media teams covering strategy, product and service development, and technology across internet, voice and mobile channels.

Virgin Media promotes green credentials

Marketing Week

Virgin Media has launched its first corporate responsibility report, as the cable operator looks to develop its green and ethical credentials to match those of the Virgin Group. The report examines the progress made since Virgin Media launched in February last year. It says it has identified a number of issues around developing a CR […]

Currys owners profits fall 30%

Marketing Week

DSG International, the owner of Currys and PC World, has unveiled a 30% plunge in profits, warning that it remains “very cautious” about consumer confidence. The group posted underlying pre-tax profits of £205.3m for the year to May 3, down from £295.1m for the previous year, although sales rose 8% to £8.5bn. The retailer, which […]

Interactive Six 2008

Marketing Week

The latest Marketing Week Interactive Book is now available to download The fourth of our Interactive guides is packed with advice and opinion from leading industry experts in interactive media on the following topics.. Digital Disciplines: Search marketing, Affiliate marketing, Online advertising, E-mail marketing, Mobile marketing, Interactive TV, Web 2.0, E-commerce Campaign Planning: Creativity online, Online ad networks, Measurement and analytics, Usability, Convergence, Behavioural targeting