Microsoft kills off Hotmail brand
Nick HuberMicrosoft is to drop the Hotmail brand it has used since 1998 and replace it with a new email service called Outlook.com.
Month: August 2012
John Lewis attracts attention and charities get rejection
Mindi ChahalResearch has revealed that brands favoured by marketers are close to those admired by consumers, and charity advertising has a negative effect on engagement.
Olympic brands must look beyond London
Rosie BakerThe 2012 Olympic Games are not even half way through, and while London basks in the success of Danny Boyle’s Opening Ceremony and palpable buzz in the city, brands are already planning for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Holiday Inn owner accused of price fixing
Mary-Louise ClewsOlympic sponsor InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is being forced to defend itself against highly damaging government allegations that it has been involved in price-fixing hotel room prices.
Samaritans to revamp brand
Mary-Louise ClewsThe charity says it discovered it had departed from the initial vision of Samaritans founder Chad Varah as part of a two year review process and wants to widen its appeal and redefine its role for a modern audience.
Post-Olympic TV ad market to fall flat
Lara O'ReillyThe TV advertising market is not due to experience its expected boost after the Olympics in September, suggesting non-sponsors are not planning to immediately return to spending after the closing ceremony, as was previously predicted.
Thinkbox bids to show TV is ‘force for good’
Lara O'ReillyThinkbox is looking to demonstrate how television advertising can be a force for good and help commercial organisations achieve social goals.
Weetabix rapped over health claims
Mary-Louise ClewsA Weetabix campaign claiming the breakfast cereal provides ‘slow-release energy’ has been banned by the advertising watchdog for making misleading claims.
A touch of American magic on Britain’s high streets
Lucy HandleyThe eyes of the world are on the UK during the Olympics and, as the country grapples with a double-dip recession, US brands are trying to inject some confidence and brashness. Lucy Handley reports.
Bankers’ crocodile tears will not wash
Mark RitsonIt was a bright July morning in Beverly Hills. Kristen Stewart rose early and left the three-bedroom house that she shared with her boyfriend and fellow film star Robert Pattinson and headed for the city. At some point that morning, she picked up Rupert Sanders, the man who had recently finished directing her in the […]
Letters: 2 August 2012
Tess WaddingtonTwitter is just too noisy for Olympic brand campaigns Your claim that sponsors are falling short of the gold standard in the first social media Olympics (MWlinks/co.uk/ someolympics) fails to mention that Twitter’s nature of short messaging is not necessarily conducive to bespoke brand campaigns. Much of what happens on Twitter could simply be described […]
IOC’s brand blockade is starting to break
Ruth MortimerThe London 2012 Olympics will go down in history as the first Games where even the ambush marketers got ambushed. Australian insurance firm iSelect is currently running an ad that plays on the notoriety of those brands unofficially cashing in on the Olympics… while conveniently promoting itself. Apart from the iSelect cash-in, ambush marketing at […]
‘Reckless’ Mountain Dew ad banned
Lara O'ReillyAn in-game ad for PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew that featured a man snowboarding down an escalator and on train tracks has been banned because it could have encouraged viewers to copy the “reckless” stunt.
Ikea vies to grow charitable foundation
Rosie BakerIkea is ramping up a digital engagement programme for its charitable foundation in a bid to raise awareness and support from its staff and customers for its work to support children in developing nations.
The case for the DM defence is compelling
Russell ParsonsThe reason marketing is often such an easy target for politicians, pressure groups and pundits looking to score easy popularity points is that criticism is seen as costing nothing.