Coca-Cola, Nokia, P&G: 5 things that mattered this week and why
Catch up on all the big marketing news from this week, including Marc Pritchard’s call to shake up the “archaic” agency model, Diet Coke’s rebrand and Nokia bringing back a retro classic.
Coca-Cola gives Diet Coke a makeover in the UK
Coca-Cola is launching a Diet Coke rebrand in the UK in a push to get consumers to try its healthier options.
Aedamar Howlett, marketing director for Coca-Cola GB and Ireland, told Marketing Week: “One of the key things for us is to invest heavily into driving the growth of all our zero sugar and light drinks across our portfolio.”
The £10m rebrand includes new packaging and an advert designed specifically for the UK. Coke is only launching two of its four new flavours – Exotic Mango and Feisty Cherry – in the UK, but is intending to release others down the line.
The 30-second TV ad will be rolled out this month and is supported by other activity including bus advertising and digital marketing.
READ MORE:Coca-Cola launches Diet Coke rebrand in UK with £10m marketing push
Marc Pritchard calls for end to ‘archaic Mad Men model’
Procter & Gamble’s chief brand officer Marc Pritchard used his speech at this year’s Association of National Advertisers’ conference in Florida, to call for a simplification of the agency model and to remove unnecessary layers of complexity.
He noted marketers have been “steadily outsourcing work to agencies” but that this needs to stop and instead “we need fewer managers and more brand entrepreneurs” while calling for an end to the “archaic Mad Men model.”
P&G’s chief brand officer is also keen to reunite creative and media to drive growth and efficiency. While the two were separated to create “greater scale in TV and print buying”, he believes splitting them out has just led to extra complexity and cost. “Through data and analytics, we can now bring media and creative back together for more growth with greater efficiency,” he said.
Pritchard’s speech comes after P&G revealed plans to slash the number of agencies it works with from 6,000 to 1,250. Although, he said agency relationships are still important and he is eager to work with brilliant creatives while investing in talent.
READ MORE: P&G’s Marc Pritchard calls for an end to the ‘archaic Mad Men model’
Nokia revives ‘banana phone’ in retro reboot
It was a busy week at Mobile World Congress with manufacturers unveiling a flurry of new phones and their ambitions for the connected world.
Mobile phone giant Nokia is looking to revive the popular banana phone, made famous in Keanu Reeves movie The Matrix, and it’s also introducing the new 8 Sirocco, in an attempt to break into new markets and take on global rivals.
Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer at Nokia’s parent company HMD Global, told the MWC crowd that 2017 provided the company with the opportunity to “think differently in the technology race and refocus on what actually matters to consumers”.
“This year we will expand our product portfolio, we will deepen our presence in markets we’ve already entered and we’re going to selectively go into new markets. We will bring innovation where it adds more to your life,” Sarvikas added.
He also declared feature phones to have been a key strength of Nokia’s and that 2018 will be a “critical year” for the brand as it prepares for global expansion.
READ MORE: Nokia lays out smartphone ambitions with new devices and another retro reboot
F1 makes biggest investment in digital to date
Formula One is making its biggest ever investment in its digital transformation, with the launch of a new TV app which it hopes will bring fans closer to the brand.
As part of the investment, F1 will introduce an over-the-top live subscription service to be made available across 40 markets, including Germany, France and the US, ahead of the new race season. The UK, however, will have to wait a little longer.
The company made the announcement at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, suggesting F1 TV will play a vital role in exposing the company to new digital opportunities.
READ MORE: F1 makes biggest ever investment in digital as it looks to serve fans better
A step in the right direction for more collaborative agency contracts
ISBA has updated its Media Services Framework following a number of concerns raised by agencies that the previous version did not reflect today’s rapidly changing media environment.
Based on feedback from the six big agency networks and the IPA – which were left out when the first version launched two years ago – ISBA hopes the updated framework will prompt advertisers to have more transparent conversations with their agencies around issues such as brand safety, viewability and ad fraud.
ISBA’s director of consultancy and best practice Debbie Morrison told Marketing Week: “One of the things we learnt was more detail about their business models and how they are all quite different in how they are structured and that a ‘one size fits all’ contract doesn’t really work.
“We therefore allowed them a voice to feed back into the process and that was really helpful, particularly because some of the concepts we are exploring are quite abstract.”
READ MORE: Big brands take more collaborative approach to agency contracts
