Tesco, BrewDog, Mars: Everything that matters this morning

Good morning and welcome to Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world today.

TescoTesco praises commitment to ‘reliable value’ as sales grow

Tesco believes its push for “reliable value” is helping drive group sales, which grew by 1% to £13.36bn on a one-year like for like basis during the first quarter of 2021.

This figure represents growth of 8.1% on a two-year like for like basis, which reflects the unprecedented demand generated under lockdown.

Looking solely at the UK and Ireland, Tesco’s sales hit £12.42bn in the 13 weeks to 29 May, up 1.3% on a one-year like for like basis and 8.7% by a two-year comparison.

Online demand is running at 1.3 million orders per week, up 81.6% compared to the same period two years ago and 22.2% on the first quarter of 2020.

General merchandise sales surged 10.3% during the first quarter compared to the same period last year, while clothing sales rose by 52.1%.

The Aldi Price Match promise is now running across more than 500 lines, with Tesco claiming to have a “strengthened price position against all key competitors”. Clubcard Prices rewards for customers have also been extended to all its 1,844 Express stores.

Tesco also claims its customer satisfaction rates are above those of its ‘big four’ competitors Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, with value, brand and quality perceptions all improving.

While the market remains uncertain, chief executive Ken Murphy says he is pleased by the supermarket’s strong start to the year and remains excited about the opportunities to create value over the longer term.

“We delivered a strong performance in the first quarter, even as we lapped the high demand of last year due to the pandemic. We have further strengthened our commitment to delivering consistent, reliable value and to rewarding loyalty, as we extended Clubcard Prices to all Express stores,” he adds.

“Our colleagues continue to do a great job serving our customers and I thank them for everything they’re doing. We remain focused on delivering great value, increasing loyalty and further developing our digital platform so we can serve our customers when, how and where they want.”

BrewDog to launch independent review as co-founder promises to build a ‘better business’

brewdogBrewDog CEO and co-founder James Watt has admitted responsibility for the alleged toxic culture at the Scottish brewer and promised to introduce a suite of measures to help make it a “better business”.

In LinkedIn post, Watt took ultimate responsibility for the company culture and apologised to former employees, calling themselves Punks with Purpose, who last week penned an open letter slamming the “toxic attitude” of the business. The BrewDog CEO also admitted to making decisions that have taken a toll on employees and owned up to “PR mistakes” that have had a “detrimental impact” on the working culture.

“I want to be very candid about some mistakes that I have made that have detrimentally impacted our culture. In the hard and fast environment of high growth, I have all too often neglected many important people elements of our business,” says Watt.

“Furthermore, despite surviving Covid-19 due to a phenomenal effort from our amazing team, I had to make some very hard decisions to ensure our survival and these decisions have taken a considerable human toll on our business and had a negative impact.”

As a result of the allegations, BrewDog will now launch a review to gain a comprehensive picture of workplace culture that will be led by an independent agency. The top-level findings will be shared both internally and externally before the end of the year.

Admitting that some areas of the business have been “too lean”, the brewer is conducting a structural review with each department head to identify the “key pinch points” and put a plan in place to properly resource these areas.

BrewDog also plans to introduce exit interviews and offer interviews to everyone who has departed the business over the past year to understand their rationale for leaving. In addition, a salary review is promised, as well as the creation of an employee representative group and the introduction of a learning and development strategy.

The post ends with Watt promising to share the results of this listening process.

“The correct way to approach this situation is to focus all our energy on how we can use this as a platform to think differently, challenging ourselves to build a team and company that we can all continue to be very proud to be a part of,” he adds. “Although this situation hurts a lot, I am determined to ensure that we use it as a catalyst to become a better business.”

UEFA threatens fines for players who move sponsors’ drinks at press conferences

Euro 2020 organiser UEFA is warning players their national teams could face fines if they continue to move drinks provided by sponsors at press conferences.

On Monday, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo removed two bottles of Coca-Cola and encouraged people to drink water, a move which wiped $4bn off the drinks giant’s share price. The next day French midfielder Paul Pogba moved a bottle of Heineken out of view during his press conference and on Wednesday Italian midfielder Manuel Locatelli also replaced a bottle of Coke with water.

UEFA says it has reminded teams that “partnerships are integral to the delivery of the tournament”, as well ensuring the development of football throughout Europe at a grassroots level and across the women’s game.

Euro 2020 tournament director Martin Kallen says players are contractually obliged to follow the regulations of the competition. While he can understand a player like Pogba, who is a practising Muslim, taking a stand on religious grounds, Kallen says disciplinary action will not be ruled out for others.

“We are never fining players directly from the UEFA side, we will do this always through the participating national association and then they could look if they will go further to the player, but we are not going directly for the moment to the player,” he says. “We have the regulations signed by the participating federations.”

READ MORE: Euro 2020: Uefa warns teams could be fined if they move drinks at news conferences

Mars global president steps down after three decades

MarsMars global president of food, multisales and global customers Fiona Dawson is retiring after 33 years in the business.

Dawson joined Mars in 1988 as a graduate, taking on a merchandiser role developing Mars pet care and food displays in Dublin, before moving to the UK to take up a sales role on the graduate programme. Her first full-time role on Mars Food came in 1990 as an assistant brand manager and she has worked in every segment since then.

Serving in a series of high-profile roles across the business, Dawson moved from UK sales director to European marketing vice-president in 2004, a position she held for more than two years. In 2013 she was appointed president of Mars Chocolate UK and global retail, a role which saw Dawson work on the brand’s “successful cause related marketing”, including the partnership between Maltesers and Comic Relief which generated £2.5m for projects in the UK and Africa.

Dawson was appointed global president of Mars food, drinks and multisales in 2015, before taking on her current role in January 2019.

Reflecting on the way the business has navigated the coronavirus crisis, Dawson says she has been blown away by how the company has risen to the challenge.

“We have kept our associates safe during Covid-19, delivered over 10 million meals to the communities who needed it most and made a purpose-led decision to evolve our biggest brand to Ben’s Original so that we can help to build a more inclusive society tomorrow,” she says. “I will be leaving on a real high with so many amazing memories and fabulous friendships.”

She will be succeeded by Shaid Shah, who has been in his current role as regional president for Europe, CIS and Turkey at Mars Wrigley for the past four years. Prior to that he held general management positions across Mars food and multisales in Ireland and Australia.

Victoria’s Secret recruits World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe in ‘dramatic shift’ for brand

Victoria’s Secret plans to collaborate with a host of influential women, including US World Cup winner and LGBTQIA+ activist Megan Rapinoe, in a bid to bring about a “dramatic shift” for the brand.

Poised to separate from parent company L Brands later this year, Victoria’s Secret has been fighting to rescue its brand after its hyper-sexualised message and lack of diversity cost the business customers globally.

Now the lingerie company is launching The VS Collective, a group of accomplished women who will create “new associate programmes, revolutionary product collections, compelling and inspiring content and rally support for causes vital to women”.

The other founding members of The VS Collective joining Rapinoe are actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, mental wellbeing campaigner and model Adut Akech, photographer Amanda de Cadenet, world champion free skier Eileen Gu, body advocate Paloma Elsesser and LGBTQIA+ activist Valentina Sampaio. Sampaio has worked with the brand before, becoming the first transgender Victoria’s Secret model in 2019.

The VS Collective will share their experiences and outline their partnership with the brand in a podcast series, to be hosted by de Cadenet.

According to CMO Martha Pease, The VS Collective is creating a platform to build “new, deeper relationships with all women” through collaborations, partnerships and cause-related initiatives, with a view to bringing “new dimensions” to the brand experience.

Victoria’s Secret also plans to launch The VS Global Fund for Women’s Cancers, which will see the brand commit $5m (£3.6m) annually to address racial and gender inequities in cancer treatment, as well as to fund innovations to improve cancer outcomes for women. The brand will join forces with designer and cancer campaigner Stella McCartney during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

CEO Martin Waters describes Victoria’s Secret as being on a journey to become “the world’s leading advocate for women”, adding: “This is a dramatic shift for our brand and it’s a shift that we embrace from our core. These new initiatives are just the beginning. We are energised and humbled by the work ahead of us.”

Thursday, 17 June

TfL stands firm against hate

TfL (Transport for London) is seeking to rally public support against hate crimes perpetrated on its public transport network.

Its latest ‘Serious Worrying Incidents’ campaign encourages the public to take an active stance against hate with an evocative approach that seeks to create a change in society. The creative consists of illustrated hands that accompany personal storytelling from a diverse range of voices, shown across multiple channels.

A blog and social films feature the stories of real TfL customers and staff who encourage travellers to stand together against offensive and illegal abuse. Ads will appear in Metro London and Pink News, on Facebook and Instagram Stories, as well as on the TfL network.

The campaign makes clear that ‘TfL stands against Hate’ and asks all Londoners to pledge to end hate crime on its network.

“We’re doing everything we can to stamp out all forms of hate crime to ensure our transport network remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone. Our new campaign sets out our stance and invites fellow Londoners to join the conversation,” says TfL head of customer marketing and behaviour change Miranda Leedham.

Rewilding vision from Stella McCartney

Fashion brand Stella McCartney has projected a fantasy view of animals rewilding London and living freely among humans while wearing luxury fashion ranges, in its autumn 2021 ‘Our time has come’ campaign. The campaign seeks to embody ‘J is for Joy’ in the brand’s A-Z Manifesto, and to raise awareness of efforts to end the fur trade.

Ads communicate a message of animals as equal to people and support Humane Society International’s petitions to end the fur trade in the UK and globally. A film presented as a tongue-in-cheek documentary, with narration by comedian David Walliams, seeks to reflect the signature humour of the Stella McCartney brand.

Our time has come launched exclusively on Vogue Global sites, with clips of the film and campaign messaging shown on London’s Piccadilly Lights displays for a 40-second takeover every hour.

“While this campaign is light hearted, I wanted to address a serious issue: ending the use of fur. Whether it is being sold here in the United Kingdom or farmed globally, barbarism knows no borders and this effort is key to my life’s mission of bringing a conscience to the fashion industry,” says Stella McCartney. She encourages everybody to sign the Humane Society Fur Free Britain petition.

Stella Artois backs ‘virtual experiment’ with horse racing sponsorship

AB InBev-owned lager brand Stella Artois has become the first beer brand to support virtual horse racing, teaming up with digital horse racing platform Zed Run to auction fifty non-fungible token (NFT) racehorses. Five of the horses features limited edition Stella Artois skins.

The auctions will coincide with the busiest part of the UK’s summer racing season this week. Owners acquire total ownership of their virtual horses, which can accrue real earnings through virtual racing, breeding and stud services. Some NFT horses have sold for as much as £100,000.

Stella Artois will also be revealing a branded 3D virtual racetrack as part of the deal.

“With our virtual experiment, ‘Racing in the Life Artois’, we’re bringing the art and elegance of Stella Artois and its ‘The Life Artois’ platform to a new audience, offering players the chance to buy, race and breed their very own NFT thoroughbreds in a metaverse that replicates the read world of championship horse racing,” says AB InBev global head of technology and innovation Lindsey McInerney.

Clear Channel targets startups

Out of home (OOH) media group Clear Channel has launched a new campaign to encourage more startup companies to use its sites, as the UK economy begins to emerge from lockdown.

The Clear Start programme will offer free creative and production services for startups, and match OOH media investment pound-for-pound in the first year.

“Many of the UK’s leading startups, from fintech companies to food brands, have already been leveraging out of home to successfully grow their businesses,” says Clear Channel direct sales director Lee Mead. “Out of home advertising enables startups to rub shoulders with big brands, join consumer conversations, to be seen and remembered by large audiences and, last but not least, to build the ever-important brand trust.”

The first brands to participate in the programme are natural energy drink Tenzing and on-demand grocery delivery service Weezy.

Consumers say only a third of marketing offers are relevant

Irrelevant offers and promotions could be costing brands marketing share and customers, according to new research from machine-learning company Formation. The company worked with research group Forrester Consulting in the report The State of Offer Relevancy 2021: Bridge the Relevancy Gap with Optimisation and Automation.

It finds nearly 70% of consumers do not believe offers are relevant, and may be pushed into finding more suitable brands because of this. The study finds 92% of companies think their offers are relevant, but only 33% of offers are considered relevant by consumers. Just 5% of consumers say email offers are well-timed to suit their needs, but 83% will buy from brands that send relevant offers.

“The world of loyalty is fundamentally changing, and companies that don’t improve how they engage with current customers will lose market share and, ultimately, revenue. This is precisely why it is critical for brands to improve the relevancy of their offers, enabling them to capitalise on the surge of consumer purchasing that is coming as the world re-opens for business,” says Christian Selchau-Hansen, CEO of Formation.

Wednesday, 16 June

Cristiano Ronaldo cuts billions off Coca-Cola’s market value

Cristiano Ronaldo wiped billions off Coca-Cola’s share price after snubbing the brand during a press conference at the Euro 2020 football tournament.

The Portugal captain is a known advocate of health and was videoed moving two bottles of Coca-Cola away from his table. He then held up a bottle of water and said “agua” (water in Portuguese).

Coca-Cola’s share price decreased from $56.10 to $55.22 after Ronaldo’s gesture, shaving $4bn off the beverage giant’s market value which fell to $238bn.

An official Euro 2020 sponsor, Coke responded to Ronaldo’s actions by saying “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences”, with different “tastes and needs”.

A spokesperson from the tournament confirmed that players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at press conferences.

Ronaldo, who has previously starred in an advert for KFC, has more than 300 million followers on Instagram.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo snub wipes billions off Coca-Cola’s market value

Brands pull advertising from GB News

Kopparberg, Grolsch and Nivea have pulled their ads from news broadcast channel GB News.

The Open University has also pulled out, while insurance brand LV is reviewing its advertising.

The boycott was instigated by a social media campaign group Stop Funding Hate, which urged brands to snub news organisations that promote divisive views.

In an attempt to cut GB News’ advertising revenue, Stop Funding Hate posted a list of brands advertising on the channel.

Kopparberg UK says its ads ran without its knowledge and consent, while Grolsch is pledging to not appear on the channel in the future and other platforms that go against “inclusion and openness”.

Skincare brand Nivea pointed the finger at algorithms for placing its adverts on GB News and says it will review its suspension of the ads in three months’ time.

GB News began broadcasting on 13 June, opening to a debut of more than a quarter of a million viewers.

READ MORE: Nivea and Grolsch join Kopparberg boycott of GB News

Unilever ramps up commitments against stereotypes

Unilever has warned the advertising industry could be the next victim of ‘cancel culture’ after research reveals people are increasingly feeling disconnected from advertising.

In a study commissioned through Kantar, Unilever found one in two people from marginalised communities feel they have been stereotyped in some way through advertising.

Almost three-quarters (71%) believe stereotypes in media is currently harming younger generations.

Less than one in five believe that ads are representative of wider society. Those from under-represented communities are impacted the most and are up to 30% more likely to be stereotyped than the general population.

Over half (55%) of Asian women believe stereotypes in advertising don’t represent them, 46% of men with a disability say they often see negative portrayals of people like them in ads and 66% of LGBTQ+ people aged 18-34 believe people from diverse backgrounds feature in ads ‘just to make up the numbers’.

To address this concern Unilever is broadening its 2016 ‘Unstereotype’ messaging and challenging itself to create marketing and advertising that will influence the next generation to be free from prejudice.

According to the company, ‘Act 2 Unstereotype’ goes even deeper by encouraging inclusive thinking across the end-to-end marketing process, ensuring an Unstereotype charter is present for every Unilever brand. Other commitments include to work with more diverse and under-represented groups on screen and behind the camera and eradicate any digital alterations to photography, including a 100% ban on changing models’ body shape, size, proportion or skin colour.

Unilever chief brand, diversity and inclusion officer Aline Santos says: “If we want to see systemic change in society, we need to see systemic change in our industry. Act 2 Unstereotype helps brands create a generation free from prejudice. Inclusive marketing is not a choice anymore; we must act now.”

Mars Pet Nutrition Europe appoints chief growth officer

Mars Pet Nutrition has promoted veteran marketer Helen Warren-Piper to the role of chief growth officer of its Pet Nutrition Europe division effective immediately.

Warren-Piper started her career at P&G, where she spent 15 years in marketing and sales roles across laundry, cleaning and paper brands, diapers and P&G PetCare.

Warren-Piper will continue to sit on the company’s European leadership team and lead demand strategy for the pet nutrition Europe division.

She was previously general manager for Mars Pet Nutrition UK for two years, during which she has driven category growth for customers and consumers while increasing Mars Petcare’s market share. Warren-Piper is credited for introducing equal parental leave in the UK and navigated Mars UK through the challenges of Covid-19.

Mars Pet Nutrition UK sales director Kim Smet will take over Warren-Piper’s previous responsibilities as interim general manager.

Commenting on her new role, Warren-Piper says: “I want to thank our Pet Nutrition UK Associates for their hard work, adaptability and pioneering spirit and our customers for their partnership over such an unusual period in the last year.”

Mars Pet Nutrition Europe regional president Deri Watkins adds: “We are delighted to announce Helen’s appointment to this important new role. I want to thank Helen for her significant contribution in building our UK business and legacy of the inclusive, development-focused culture that she has created.”

Decision-makers hail marketing effectiveness

Business leaders appear to have increased confidence in their marketing teams and marketing’s ability to create value and showcase its effectiveness.

In a survey from the CMO Council of business leaders, 80% say revenue and sales growth is the top deliverable from marketing, with customer acquisition and profitability in second place (71%). Business executives are extremely or moderately confident in marketing’s ability to lead growth recovery in 2021, with 69% stating so.

Interaction with marketing teams is increasing, with 84% saying they are marking more of a regular effort. Under half (46%) say their marketing team’s performance was very good or exceptional in 2020, a further 45% say it was moderate.

Over a quarter of respondents (37%) say collaboration between functional areas of business and marketing is viewed as “close, balanced, effective and well-integrated”, and is constantly improving.

CMO Council executive director Donovan Neale-May says: “Business leaders appear to have more confidence in marketing leadership with 62% of survey respondents considering the essential role of the CMO as ‘customer experience advocate and champion’ in their organisation.

“The fact that the secondary view of CMOs is ‘digital transformation/marketing automation leader’ is also a real plus given the modernisation mandate in a digitally connected world.”

However, according to the research business leaders are looking for marketers to step up in five key areas of performance and value creation: demand generation and sales pipeline development; campaign ideation, execution and impact; customer journey, acquisition and conversion; marketing planning to support digital growth strategies; actioning on customer data insight.

Tuesday, 15 June

unilever

Unilever strengthens premium skincare offer with DTC brand acquisition

Unilever has acquired direct to consumer skincare brand Paula’s Choice, which it describes as a “true pioneer in the digital space” as it looks to expand its premium skincare offer and accelerate ecommerce.

Paula’s Choice, which it is buying from TA Associates, develops products using high performing, cruelty-free ingredients in an open and transparent way.

Through its content and digital tools it looks to demystify the science behind skincare and features an extensive ‘ingredients dictionary’, which breaks down the research behind nearly 4,000 ingredients.

The fact the brand, which was founded by Paula Begoun in 1995, has a strong ecommerce presence and is mission-led, is of particular interest to Unilever.

Vasiliki Petrou, Unilever executive vice-president and CEO Prestige, says: “Paula’s Choice is a true pioneer in the digital space for beauty and has created a mission-based brand rooted in truth and transparency. We can’t wait to introduce the brand and its iconic products to an even bigger audience.”

Sunny Jain, Unilever beauty & personal care president, adds: “Developing Unilever’s portfolio in the high growth premium skin care segment is one of our strategic priorities and I’m excited that Paula’s Choice is joining us on this journey.”

Rolls Royce boss slammed for calling workforce ‘too old’

The chief executive of Rolls Royce has been criticised for saying its workforce is “frankly a bit too old”.

Warren East made the comment at an industry event in London in response to a question about inspiring young engineers and ensuring it created an “exciting” atmosphere for people to work.

He said it is the responsibility of any leader to “get the people on side” and when he took over as CEO in 2015, he said “one of the challenges I saw was our workforce was frankly a bit too old”.

“We’ve done a lot of recruitment and even through Covid we have kept up some, not all, but some of our graduate recruitment. You need to get the younger people engaged,” he added.

His comments have been branded “immoral” and “disgraceful” by Bruce Daisley, Twitter UK’s former CEO and now a consultant on workplace culture.

A Rolls Royce spokesperson has apologised, telling The Telegraph East’s comments have been misinterpreted.

“[He] didn’t mean to suggest that getting older members of the workforce engaged with our increasing focus on net zero solutions has somehow been hard and he’s not blaming them,” the spokesperson said.

“Sorry if that’s how it came across. What he is clear on is that we need to do better at attracting and retaining the next generation of talent.”

READ MORE: Rolls-Royce boss under fire for saying workforce is ‘a bit too old’

YouTube bans gambling and alcohol ads from top of homepage

youtubeYouTube is banning ads for gambling, alcohol and prescription drugs, as well as political and election-focused ads from the top of its homepage.

This includes ads for online and offline gambling as well as social casino games, and those that promote the sale of alcohol as well as brand-focused ads for alcohol. However ads that support a political issue may still be allowed to appear in the slot – these will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

Last year YouTube said it would stop selling full-day reservations for the prominent slot on its homepage, instead offering more targeted ads that are bought on a per-impression basis.

On the latest move to ban ads from certain sectors, a Google spokesperson told Axios: “We believe this update will build on changes we made last year to the masthead reservation process and will lead to a better experience for users.”

READ MORE: YouTube to ban some ad verticals from buying masthead ads

Premier League clubs post biggest collective pre-tax loss

The biggest clubs in English football have collectively recorded a pre-tax loss of just under £1bn for the 2019/2020 season as a result of the pandemic. This is the biggest collective loss in the history of the Premier League and almost five times higher than the previous season, according to Deloitte.

Revenue for the top 20 clubs in English football was also significantly down, dropping 13% to £4.5bn compared to the previous season – the first ever collective fall.

The loss comes from the fact Premier League clubs were forced to defer or return revenue from broadcasters and sponsors when the season was halted for three months at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Clubs in the Premier League have only posted a pre-tax profit four times in the past two decades, all since 2013. Fewer than a quarter of the clubs posted a profit last season.

READ MORE: (£) Top clubs post biggest collective loss in English Premier League history

Google updates Workspace offer as shift to remote working becomes more embedded

Google has introduced a series of updates, offering anyone with a Google account access to the same integrated experience as its education and enterprise customers via Google Workspace. This includes access to products including Gmail, Chat, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet and others.

As part of the move, Google is also replacing Rooms in Chat with Spaces, to encourage better collaboration across teams by offering a “dedicated place for organising people, topics and projects”.

It is also rolling out a subscription offer for individual business owners, enhancing its Meet app to allow for better collaboration and introducing new security and privacy features across the portfolio.

Javier Soltero, vice-president and general manager of Google Workspace, says: “Our focus is on delivering consumers, workers, teachers and students alike an equitable approach to collaboration, while still providing flexibility that allows these different subsets of users to take their own approach to communication and collaboration.”

Monday, 14 June

JDSports

JD Sports under fire for bonus payments

JD Sports has been heavily criticised for paying bonuses to its executive chairman, despite taking hundreds of millions in government support during lockdown.

A report by advisory firm Glass Lewis has recommended investors should vote against the retailer’s current pay policy and oppose the potential re-election of Peter Cowgill, who was awarded £4.3m in bonuses last year.

JD Sports was given £86.1m through the furlough scheme and received a further £38m in business rates relief. It was also granted a £300m loan via the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility Scheme.

Cowgill has run the company for 17 years, though shareholders are said to be unhappy with his joint role as both executive chairman and chief executive ahead of an annual general meeting scheduled to take place on 1 July.

READ MORE: JD Sports faces investor backlash over boss’s bonus

Huawei sales hit hard by 5G ban

Chinese telecoms brand Huawei has revealed the British government’s decision to ban it from the country’s 5G network prompted a 27.5% drop in turnover for the company’s UK subsidiary during the year to the end of December.

The ban was introduced due to national security concerns, following the lead of successive governments in the US.

Huawei plans to cut its UK workforce, amid predictions that the ban would continue to impact its revenue and operations over the coming years.

The company says: “Political decisions have not only had a real impact on our UK business, the people we employ, and our customers, they will delay the 5G rollout and put Britain into the digital slow lane.

“Huawei’s global business has shown resilience and our priority in the UK remains working with our customers and partners to make sure the country’s networks remain reliable.”

READ MORE: Huawei profit slumps as UK ban hammers sales

BT slot promotes Enterprise business halo

BT Enterprise business ad BT is promoting its Enterprise platform with a multichannel campaign, as part of the telecoms brand’s increased focus on its business-minded hero propositions, including improved WiFi and fibre.

Inspired by classic Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin slapstick, ‘All Business. No Drama’, by agency Now, showcases BT’s business offerings, following the misadventures of the owner of a glassblowing studio as he narrowly avoids a series of potential everyday dramas taking place all around him.

A series of print ads accompany the 30-second slot, which will also run across video-on-demand, digital and social channels.

“We know that SMEs are currently living in a world of uncertainty, so this clever campaign aims to show how BT Halo for business offers them reliability, value for money, and expert support when they need it,” says managing director, commercial and marketing for BT’s Enterprise Business, Chris Sims.

City Pantry rebranded as Just Eat for Business

Just Eat has revamped and rebranded its corporate ordering arm City Pantry as Just Eat for Business, aiming to breathe new life into the troubled office catering sector as it looks to emerge from lockdown.

The rebrand is centred around a Just Eat for Business logo and signals further integrations with the main Just Eat platform planned for the coming months, as the online food brand looks to create a more seamless experience, with companies able to access business orders via the Just Eat website and app.

On average, the service handles orders for more than 30,000 people at 600 companies every week.

Matt Ephgrave, managing director of Just Eat for Business says: “City Pantry and Just Eats’ values have always aligned, and this rebrand felt like the natural next step, offering huge opportunities and exposure for our independent vendors,” explains Just Eat for Business MD Matt Ephgrave.

“Our focus will continue to remain the same, delivering the best food to businesses and their teams and even though our name has changed, our ethos has not.”

St John Ambulance’s brand campaign aims to ‘spark conversation’

St John Ambulance’s first campaign for a decade has been devised with the aim of reminding the public of the first aid and health charity’s role in everyday life.

‘Ask Me’ features true stories told by St John Ambulance volunteers and patients and will be released across OOH, radio, digital and social, directing viewers to the charity’s website.

The campaign, starting today, was developed by the Come the Glorious Day agency. Radio ads will appear on and Heart FM, Capital FM, Smooth and Kiss FM, with the digital ads running on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and the out of home seen in most major cities and towns in England.

“We are really excited about how the Ask Me campaign provides a brilliant platform for all of our amazing people to tell their incredible stories,” says St John Ambulance’s director of strategy and communications, James Radford.

“By inviting the public to ask us what we do and why, we will build understanding of our everyday impact and relevance to their lives and their families.

“Sharing those stories, backed up with our biggest single investment in our brand for more than a decade, starts to reframe our relationship with the public in a refreshing and simple new way, to reposition St John in people’s hearts and minds – and this is just the beginning.”

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