Month: August 2008

Head of marketing returns to Motorola

Marketing Week

Motorola has poached marketing chief James King back from Samsung to take on the new role of European marketing director. He is expected to take on the role next Monday (September 1). King’s decision to return to Motorola, where he was most recently marketing manager, comes just a month after he left for Samsung Mobile. […]

Facebook doubles staff to boost engagement ad drive

Marketing Week

Facebook is doubling its UK sales and marketing team as part of a major push behind its new engagement advertising programme. A trial of the scheme is due to launch next month. The social networking site is boosting its team to about 40 staff, which includes a number of senior marketing positions, reporting to Facebook […]

GfK drops bid for rival TNS

Marketing Week

GfK, the German market research company, has today (August 27) dropped its bid for rival Taylor Nelson Sofres after failing to secure funding for the deal. Its decision leaves only a £1.1bn bid from WPP Group on the table although TNS says it will continue to oppose the offer. WPP’s pursuit forced GfK to abandon […]

Carat cuts global ad spend forecasts

Marketing Week

Carat has lowered its forecasts for global advertising expenditure in 2008 and 2009. Its worldwide prediction for 2008 has been reduced by 1.1% to 4.9% growth, fuelled by downward ad spend in the UK, the US, Spain and China. The agency has also reduced its prediction for 2009 from 4.9% growth to 4.8%. It predicts […]

Samsung Mobile marketer leaves after a month

Marketing Week

Samsung Mobile marketing chief James King is leaving the handset manufacturer after just one month in the role. It is understood he is leaving due to personal issues. King, who took up the role of head of Samsung Mobile’s UK marketing division in July, had been working on the launch of the new U800 handset […]

UTV reports 12% rise in profit

Marketing Week

UTV Media, owner of talk radio station TalkSport and the Northern Ireland franchise of ITV, has posted a 12% rise in first-half pre-tax profit. The group attributes the rise to it non-TV businesses. It has also reported that group pre-tax profit for the first half was £10.4m, before one-off costs on sales up 8% to […]

DraftFCB appoints former Wunderman chief to head Europe

Marketing Week

DraftFCB has appointed former Wunderman Worldwide vice chairman Alexei Orlov as president for Europe and the Middle East. Orlov, who will be based in London, replaces David Florence, who is leaving the agency. Orlov, who was also chief executive of global automotive operations at DraftFCB, will take over his new role next week and will […]

RTL predicts difficult second half as profits fall

Marketing Week

RTL Group, the pan-European broadcaster and owner of Five, has reported a 2.5% fall in first half operating profits due to “adverse” currency effects and a slowdown in advertising. The group says that profit before interest, tax and amortisation was €502m (£398m) in the six months to the end of June, down from €515m (£409m) […]

Gamestation restructures marketing team

Marketing Week

Retailer Gamestation has promoted Emma Kitching to head of marketing as part of a restructure. It follows the departure of Jon Brook after five years in the job. Brook will leave the company in September and will be replaced by the senior marketing manager, Kitching, who joined Gamestation three years ago from Northern Foods. Her […]

WPP sells off Mugabe agency

Marketing Week

WPP Group has sold its 25% stake in the Zimbabwean agency involved in president Mugabe’s re-election campaign. The marketing services group offloaded its stake in Imago Young & Rubicam for $1. The stake was sold to the company’s majority shareholder and chief executive, Sharon Mugabe. The group had been assured that she is no relation […]

Olympic sponsors launch countdown to 2012

Marketing Week

The countdown to the London 2012 Olympic games began in earnest this week as sponsors launched a series of ads to celebrate the handover. A number of full page ads from many of the tier one partners appeared in national newspapers across the weekend. Adidas, which sponsored the Beijing Games and is a tier one […]

Wallace and Gromit get a makeover for Harvey Nics

Marketing Week

Wallace and Gromit are the new faces of chain Harvey Nichols following a deal between the upmarket department store chain and Aardman, creators of the animated duo. The first campaign is due to break imminently. Wallace and his canine sidekick Gromit have been given a makeover for the print campaign, which has been created by […]

Virgin wins share from BA amid T5 chaos

Marketing Week

Virgin Atlantic claims it has won share from rival British Airways over the past year as it reveals pre-tax profits of £34.8m for the year to February. The strong results are attributed to growth in the number of business passengers. It has also reported that the number of premium-paying passengers rose by 22%. The airline […]

Feel Good Drinks launches kids range

Marketing Week

The Feel Good Drinks Company is launching a new line of drinks aimed at children. The 100% natural juice drinks will be supported by promotions, sampling and digital marketing activity. Feel Good Kids will be aimed at six to 12 year olds and will be available in grocery, convenience and food service outlets from September. […]

Chelsea FC launches kids magazine

Marketing Week

Chelsea Football Club is launching a children’s magazine for its Junior True Blue members. The quarterly Bridge Kids magazine, which will be delivered free to junior club members, will also be available on the newsstand with its existing monthly title, Chelsea. The Premier League football club has appointed John Brown Kids to produce Bridge Kids […]