Unilever’s Sara Lee purchase ‘in conflict with global plan’
Stuart Turner£1.16bn ‘local brands’ deal would make no sense for Unilever, says senior analyst.
COI picks DM agency for healthy food voucher push
Stuart TurnerThe Central Office of Information (COI) has appointed agency CMW to handle direct marketing for the Department of Health’s Healthy Start voucher scheme.
Spanish olive growers pick Big to win over UK women
Stuart TurnerInteraceituna, the organisation that represents all Spanish olive producers, has appointed Big Communications to develop an integrated campaign to promote the authenticity and quality of Spanish table olives.
Lukewarm reception for new look Starbucks
Stuart TurnerStarbucks’ plan to revamp its in-store design and move away from a one-size-fits-all format has failed to gain support from those voting in a Marketingweek.co.uk poll.
Ex-Scout head to shape zoo charity’s CRM programme
Stuart TurnerThe Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has appointed James Wren as its first head of CRM and membership.
Multimedia campaign helps promote UKTV Tarrant show
Stuart TurnerTV, radio, outdoor and online activity will give reality show for kids exposure.
Satellite TV channel puts basketball on schedule
Stuart TurnerThe National Basketball Association (NBA) is looking to increase the sport’s popularity in the UK after signing a deal with ESPN to broadcast almost 100 live games on the sports TV channel.
Summit gets measure of returns from sponsorship
Stuart TurnerResearch is becoming an increasingly important tool to prove the value of sponsorship in an economic environment where investment is coming under greater scrutiny, according to sponsorship professionals.
For review, don’t always read ‘pitch’
Stuart TurnerIt was good to read that Julie Constable is intending to champion best practice (“The pitching process can benefit from a little more openness” MW, last week) but may I suggest an important addition to her agenda? This is to avoid, whenever possible, the use of the words “pitch”, or “pitching” when talking about an agency review or selection process.
Compromise is a certainty for postal service
Stuart TurnerIt is time to reconsider what defines the universal postal service (“Economic change has no respect for tradition”, MW last week).
Mums and the word
Stuart TurnerReading the Trends article “Making your messages strike home” (MW 17 September), I was struck by how mums as consumers are really, of course, just women as consumers, amplified.
Adobe’s move on Omniture is all about controlling data
Stuart TurnerAdobe’s move to acquire the web specialist Omniture for $1.8bn highlights the growing value of the online consumer behavioural targeting market (“Adobe to buy Omniture”, Marketingweek.co.uk 16 September).
Make sense of brand promise
Stuart TurnerSo, according to the Promise Index, (MW last week) marketers are starting to realise that big advertising spend, when you haven’t got the basics right, is a waste of money. In fact it’s worse than that. If the consumer experience isn’t consistent with the brand promise, it doesn’t just waste money – it fundamentally damages the brand.
Relevance is the key to CRM
Stuart TurnerJoe Fernandez’ report on CRM (MW 17 September) was eloquently written and covered a lot of ground. But Nik Margolis hit the nail on the head when he said the core concern of a CRM strategy should be relevance to consumers.
Who’s minding your brand?
Stuart TurnerWhether through concerns about cost or ignorance, many marketers are neglecting to guard their brands from copycats and counterfeiters. But you don’t have to take the pricey route to the courts: taking some simple steps is an effective defence.