Jack Daniel’s, M&S, Wayfair: 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.

M&S and Swizzles reach ‘amicable resolution’ over Percy Pigs copycat

Swizzles has agreed to redesign its Pigs Mugs sweets, which have been on sale since 1996, after M&S argued the sweets were too similar to its own Percy Pigs brand.

M&S’s lawyers said consumers would be confused by the similarities and could buy the wrong item as a result. In paperwork filed last November, M&S said it sells 271 bags of Percy Pigs every minute. The Percy Pigs brand has also been a key part of M&S’s turnaround in recent years.

An M&S spokesperson says: “M&S has a proud history as a leading innovator and for almost 140 years customers have turned to M&S for unique, original, quality products – conceived, created and developed alongside trusted suppliers and produced to the highest standards.

“M&S has made a significant investment in building a strong Percy Pig brand over the past 30 years and believe it is important to protect the registered trademarks relating to Percy Pig’s appearance.”

M&S describes Percy Pig as a “mega brand”. It appointed brand and marketing manager Sophie Jacobs to act as a “custodian” of its brand characters in 2022.

“These character brands play a really important role… [in] driving customer loyalty and brand affinity to M&S. It’s about offering customers these propositions that are really ownable by us as a business,” Jacobs told Marketing Week last year.

M&S took legal action against Aldi over its Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake in 2021, which M&S said was too similar to its bestselling Colin the Caterpillar.

Elsewhere, M&S has launched a recycling scheme for beauty packaging in 40 of its stores. Customers will be able to recycle empty plastic and aluminium containers, with members of its Sparks scheme getting a 10% discount in return.

Wayfair launches ‘Go Your Own Wayfair’ brand platform

Online homeware retailer Wayfair has launched a new brand platform, urging consumers to ditch greige interiors and ‘Go Your Own Wayfair’.

Working with BBH for the first time, this is also the retailer’s first omnichannel campaign in the UK, aiming to put Wayfair at the front of consumers’ minds as a destination for homeware. The clip will first appear on social media before appearing in TV slots, starting in July.

A film called ‘Escape the Catalogue’ is the campaign’s first instalment, starring a young couple trapped in a dystopian world full of bland, minimalist furniture. Once they break free, they join the vibrant world of Wayfair, where they can be more creative in their homes.

“Wayfair has already built strong brand awareness in the UK. With the launch of our new platform, we are taking a leap forward with an ownable positioning, keeping Wayfair relevant and top of mind as consumers think of their homes,” says David Twehues, CMO Europe at Wayfair.

“Together with BBH, we identified humour and authenticity as a way to connect with UK customers. By pairing that with our extensive product selection that is built for home, we arrived in this vibrant creative territory. A lot of exciting work is coming down the line, starting with this film, and we are excited to see this come to life across all marketing channels.”

Pandora names new marketing director for UK & Ireland

Pandora has appointed Sarah Chenery marketing director for UK & Ireland. She joins the jewellery brand after 11 years at Tiffany & Co, where she held several senior roles, most recently as senior director of ecommerce and omnichannel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to this she worked at Diageo.

Chenery has been tasked with leading Pandora’s end-to-end marketing channel mix, including its go-to-market strategy, paid media brand partnerships and PR and influencer initiatives. She takes over from Marco Groebel, who served as acting marketing director.

Chenery says: “I’m delighted to join the business during this exciting phase of its growth journey. Pandora has already made a significant impact in the industry and, as we continue to inject energy and investment in the brand, the opportunities to further strengthen its desirability amongst consumers are endless.”

She adds: “Beyond Pandora being an exceptional brand that’s well-loved worldwide, it’s also an organisation underpinned by a fantastic culture that’s aligned with my own personal values. I’m thrilled to be part of the team.”

Loo roll, butter and ketchup more expensive in the UK than in Europe

Research for the BBC finds some grocery items are more expensive in the UK than other countries in Europe, including loo roll, butter and ketchup. However, items including tinned tuna, bread and eggs are cheaper in the UK than elsewhere.

Working with analysts Circana, the BBC compared the price of 23 common grocery items in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Germany was the cheapest overall and France the most expensive. While UK consumers typically pay £3.80 for loo roll, a comparable pack costs just £2.66 in Italy and £2.87 in Germany.

The research finds the level of competition is important in keeping prices low. In Germany, more than 40% of the grocery market is made up by discount supermarkets with cheaper own-brand products.

The analysis comes as UK consumers continue to see high inflation rates on grocery items, with overall food prices 19% higher than they were last year.

Jack Daniel’s wins lawsuit against dog toy company

American whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s has won a lawsuit against a company selling a lookalike dog toy in the US Supreme Court. Shaped like the famous Jack Daniel’s square bottle, the toy included the text: “Bad Spaniels’ Old No.2 on your Tennessee Carpet”, similar to the whiskey’s “Old No.7 Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey” label.

VIP Products, which created the dog toy, sells similar pet toys based on other drinks brands.

Jack Daniel’s argued that toy manufacturers was profiting from its own “hard-earned goodwill” and confusing customers.

In a statement after the ruling, a spokesman for Jack Daniels said the company was pleased with the outcome. Sven Jansen, global PR director for Jack Daniel’s says: “Jack Daniel’s is a brand recognised for quality and craftsmanship, and when friends around the world see the label, they know it stands for something they can count on. “We will continue to support efforts to protect the goodwill and strength of this iconic trademark.”

Thursday, 8 June

Wizz Air continues to make losses despite rocketing passenger numbers

Wizz Air’s passenger numbers increased by 88.3% year on year, as the aviation industry recovers from the pandemic. The budget airline also saw revenue more than double, increasing to €3.9bn in its financial year, which ended 31 March, versus €1.66bn in the year prior.

Despite revenue and passenger numbers flying high, Wizz Air’s operating losses for the year were roughly level with the year before, at €466.8bn. The airline was weighed down by “fuel price increases and structural capacity issues at airports”, its CEO József Váradi told investors today (8 June).

Looking forward, the company will focus on making a profit in its next financial year. It will double down on its strategy of “low cost” and “productivity improvements” Váradi said.

The Hungarian airline said demand for its service is “very strong”, particularly in its traditional Central and Eastern European markets. The company reported it has made “significant progress” in Western Europe, and will continue to seek to expand in the region. It highlighted its growth in London in particular, where the company says it has expanded its presence in Luton and Gatwick airports.

While Wizz Air is doubling down on its reputation for low-cost in a bid to return to profit, it has been dubbed “the UK’s worst airline” by consumer group Which?. The basis for this was low survey scores on factors like customer service and cabin environment, as well as records showing a lack of punctuality and high cancellation rates from the airline.

Sainsbury’s expands Nectar Prices range

Sainsbury’s has increased the number of products that fall under its Nectar Prices scheme to cover around 900 items.

When the scheme was launched in April it only covered around 300 items. With the new additions, the supermarket has also expanded the product categories the scheme covers. Nectar Card Prices are now dairy and bakery products, as well as alcohol, household goods and confectionery.

The scheme now covers Sainsbury’s private label products as well as branded ones.

The Nectar Prices scheme allows Sainsbury’s loyalty card members to access discounts on particular items in its supermarkets. It functions in a similar way to Tesco’s Clubcard Prices scheme. Fellow supermarkets Co-op and Morrisons have also recently tweaked their loyalty schemes to allow members to access exclusive discounts on specific products.

When Sainsbury’s launched the scheme earlier this year, CEO Simon Roberts said it represented an “exciting way to bring [its consumers] consistently great value all year round”.

The supermarket also offers Nectar card holders personalised prices under its Your Nectar Prices scheme.

Regulator rules Fifa’s green claims on Qatar World Cup misled consumers

A claim made by Fifa that the 2022 Qatar World Cup was the first “fully carbon neutral” tournament was misleading to consumers, an advertising watchdog has ruled.

While complaints about the claim were made in the UK, France, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands, it was the Swiss Fairness Commission which handled the judgement, due to Fifa being headquartered in the country.

Fifa claimed it had fully offset the carbon impact of the tournament, including the pollution associated with ticketholders such as their travel, food and accommodation. It estimated that this accounted for 3.63 million tonnes of carbon, a figure which is extremely difficult to verify.

The Swiss regulator said Fifa had failed to provide “credible evidence of how all CO₂ emissions generated by the tournament could be offset in accordance with Swiss standards”.

It must refrain from making future claims unless it could provide “full proof” of both how it had calculated its carbon emissions and how it had offset them.

Carbon offsetting can be difficult to measure and verify and are a contested way of addressing emissions.

The decision by Fifa to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar remains controversial, with allegations that the Qatari government was using the tournament to “sportswash” its human rights’ record.

The ruling also comes amid a wider crackdown by advertising regulators on “greenwashing” claims made by companies. Yesterday, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned several ads from Shell, which it said misled consumers about the green credentials of the company.

Crypto ads must carry warnings under new rules

Brands advertising cryptocurrencies will be required to carry warnings to consumers that they may lose all their investment, under new rules being introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Ads promoting crypto assets must carry a clear risk warning. The FCA gave examples of the kind of notifications which should be made, including warning customers they are not protected “if something goes wrong” and should be prepared to lose any investment they’ve made”.

The requirement for warnings in ads comes as part of a wider tightening of rules around the marketing of cryptocurrencies by the FCA.

These new rules, which will be implemented on 8 October, also include the introduction of a “cooling off period”, which will require new investors in crypto assets to be offered a 24-hour pause after requesting to invest.

As part of the new regulations, the FCA is also banning bonuses for the referring a friend to cryptocurrency platforms.

The government created legislation to bring cryptocurrencies under the FCA’s remit, in order to increase oversight in the area. However, even with the new rules in place, the financial watchdog has warned that cryptocurrencies remain “largely unregulated and high risk”.

M&S scraps use-by dates on milk

Marks & Spencer has scrapped the use-by dates on its milk, instead urging customers to use ‘their judgement on what’s good to eat’.

The move has been made in a bid to cut waste. Environmental charity Wrap states almost 490 million pints are wasted each year, with the “main reason” being consumers not drinking bottles before the use-by date.

It follows fellow retailer Morrisons which scrapped use-by dates in January, instead urging its customers to “use a sniff test”. Dairy giant Arla made the move in 2019.

It follows the scrapping of use-by dates on some fruit and vegetables by many retailers.

M&S says better shelf-life and improvements in milk quality have enabled it to make the move. Food regulators say whether milk needs a use-by date depends on how much it has been processed.

The Foods Standards Authority says businesses should assess the “microbiological risk” before deciding whether or not to include a use-by date on packaging. It has warned that people can’t always smell the bugs that cause food poisoning.

Wednesday, 7 June

Daily Telegraph could be sold as loan talks stall

Speculation about the future of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph has increased after it was claimed that Lloyds Banking Group wants to recover its debts from the newspaper’s billionaire owners.

It was reported by The Times that talks between the Barclay family, who own the newspapers, and Lloyds have broken down in recent days and that a sale of the titles could be imminent to recover debts believed to amount to hundreds of millions of pounds.

Sky News went on to report that Lloyds is being advised by financial firm Lazard and it planned to appoint another bank to sell the titles, which also includes The Spectator magazine, with £600m being the expected price.

The Daily Telegraph has been owned by the Barclay family for almost two decades and is regarded as one of the UK’s best-known media titles. Unless a deal can be struck with the owner’s imminently, it is expected the bank will undertake its course of action as soon as this week.

The debts do not mean, however, that the Telegraph Media Group or its parent company, Press Acquisitions, will be entered into administration.

A spokesperson for the Barclay family said: “The loans in question are related to the family’s overarching ownership structure of its media assets. They do not, in any way, affect the operations or financial stability of Telegraph Media Group.

“The businesses within our portfolio continue to trade strongly, are run by independent management teams, are well capitalised with minimal debt and strong liquidity.

“They have no liability for any holding company liabilities, continue to operate as normal and are unaffected by issues in the holding company structure above them.”

Shell latest company to be hit by ASA ban for ‘greenwashing’

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned several adverts from energy giant Shell for misleading claims about how clean its energy is.

Three ads were banned in total including a TV ad, a poster displayed in Bristol and a YouTube ad, all of which date back to 2022.

The ASA ruled that each advert left our critical information about Shell’s role in polluting with fossil fuels, while trying to give the impression that low-carbon energy products made up a larger proportion of the company’s products than they currently do.

Each of the ads cannot be displayed again in their current form.

Shell hit back at the findings with a spokesperson telling the BBC that it was a “short-sighted” decision that could “slow the UK’s drive towards renewable energy”.

They continued: “No energy transition can be successful if people are not aware of the alternatives available to them. That is what our adverts set out to show, and that is why we’re concerned by this short-sighted decision.”

The ASA has been firmer on brands overstating their climate credentials in recent years with companies such as Tesco, Persil and HSBC all seeing adverts banned for misleading claims of environmental benefits.

One in five Brits put focus on looks over health, claims Activia

Activia is looking to remind consumers of the importance of their gut as research commissioned from the company found that one in five people prioritise their looks over their health during summer.

The yoghurt brand is launching a new campaign to remind consumers that although getting ‘summer body ready’ may be important to them, it shouldn’t come at the expense of their overall health.

Findings from the company show the drawbacks of this focus on appearance above anything else as 30% of people say they feel fatigued in summer because they aren’t looking after their gut properly.

Other details found in the research showed that 33% struggle to sleep well, 28% become easily irritable and nearly half (47%) say they don’t know where to begin when it comes to gut health.

Activia, then, has enlisted the help of TV’s Dr Zoe Williams to share her top tips when it comes to looking after your gut, including hydration, diet tips and making the most of the summer weather.

Rachel Wright, head of marketing at Activia, says: “At Activia, we’re passionate about happy guts. However, we know from our research that people are choosing to prioritise how they look over how they feel and this summer.

“What many don’t realise is that your gut plays a significant role in the body. A healthy and happy gut makes you feel good from the inside out, so we encourage everyone this summer to keep their gut health in check.”

Breast Cancer Now wants cancer patients to open up

Breast Cancer Now has created a new campaign encouraging people to talk more openly about breast cancer.

The research and support charity has teamed up with creative agency BMB to create the campaign which is set to launch across press, social, radio and digital display later this month.

The ad draws on the real-life experiences of those who have had breast cancer and juxtaposes how the internal concerns of the cancer patient can be very different to the front they present to the outside world. For example, one headline sees a woman appear to tell her children, “Mummy has breast cancer” while another thought appears alongside it worrying, “How do I tell them I might not get better?”

Shot by the award-winning photographer James Day, the campaign is an extension of the charity’s ‘Real Talk’ campaign which ran on television and also prompted sufferers to open up about how the condition is affecting them.

Both the TV campaign and this new creative point the audience to Breast Cancer Now’s support services.

Rachael Franklin, director of fundraising, communications and engagement at Breast Cancer Now say: “We know that having breast cancer can be an isolating experience, and that it can be hard to talk openly and honestly about it with friends and loved ones.

“That’s why we felt it was so important to shine a light on how the inner thoughts and feelings of someone affected by this devastating disease can go unsaid, and to encourage open and honest conversations.”

Reddit announces redundancies as tech sector uncertainty persists

Social media company Reddit is set to lay-off 5% of its workforce as the wave of redundancies hitting the tech sector shows no signs of abating.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday evening that an internal memo from chief executive Steve Huffman said that 90 staff would lose their jobs as well as introducing a plan to reduce hiring for the rest of the year.

The company had initially planned to hire 300 people, but this has since been reduced to 100.

Reddit, which was spun off from the magazine conglomerate Conde Nast in 2011, surged in popularity recently due to the success of Wall Street Bets and other financial-related message boards on the platform.

The news comes amid a rough year for the tech giants with companies such as Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, also cutting jobs across the business as Silicon Valley braces for the effects of the economic downturn.

Meta has so far announced 10,000 jobs have been lost with more still expected.

Tuesday, 6 June

PepsiCo invests £58m in Walkers UK operation

PepsiCo is investing £58m in its Walkers crisp production site in Leicester, making it its largest cash injection in the UK for 25 years.

The new manufacturing line and upgrade of facilities is designed to boost production and “future-proof growth” of the Walkers crisp brand, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

PepsiCo says the new production line will help it meet increased demand for Walkers snacks, notably Wotsits and Monster Munch.

As part of the move, it will be installing compact packaging equipment that will reduce the amount of virgin plastic used in its multipack outer bags by 56 tonnes a year. It will also be switching from gas-fired ovens to electric, powered by 100% renewable energy, helping it cut around 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. This is all part of its ambition to cut emissions by 40% by 2030, reaching net-zero by 2040.

The investment is also going towards helping the business develop more healthier snack options through the installation of new ingredient mixing technology.

Jason Richards, senior vice-president and general manager of PepsiCo UK and Ireland, says: “As we look ahead to the next 75 years and future-proof our UK operations, this £58m investment will transform our manufacturing site and installing state-of-the-art equipment will help us deliver on our ambitions on packaging and health.

“Alongside upgrades to meet increased demand for our snacks, we’re proud to be investing in creating better facilities for our people, who remain at the heart of bringing our most loved snacks to households across the country.”

The US headquartered business has invested more than £120m in its UK operations and supply chain since 2020.

Diageo brings forward appointment of new CEO

Debra Crew, a former marketer, has stepped up as CEO of Diageo a month earlier than planned after the company’s former boss had to undergo emergency surgery.

Ivan Menezes, who has been at the helm of the drinks giant for a decade, is currently in hospital after receiving treatment for conditions including a stomach ulcer. Diageo has said the business leader will step down from his role early as his “recovery suffered a significant setback due to complications”.

Crew, who has worked at Diageo since 2020, most recently as chief operating officer, was due to take over the top job on 1 July, but will now act as interim CEO until that time.

She has worked for a number of global FMCG businesses throughout her career, including PepsiCo, Mars and Nestlé where she held a series of marketing roles before moving into general management.

Of Menezes’s unexpected early departure, Diageo said: “Our thoughts are with our much-loved colleague, Ivan, and his family.”

Commercial broadcasters ‘vehemently opposed’ to Ofcom’s proposed ad changes

Commercial broadcasters have slammed Ofcom’s proposed changes to advertising rules, which they say will result in the loss of around half an hour of news coverage a day and “threaten the viability” of smaller channels.

In April, Ofcom set out its proposal to allow public service broadcasters (PSBs), such as ITV and Channel 4, to increase the amount of ads they can show during news coverage from seven minutes per hour (or eight minutes during 6pm and 11pm) to nine minutes per hour, bringing it in line with non-public service broadcasters.

However, new research from COBA, the association for commercial broadcasters and on-demand services, suggests 27.5 minutes of public service news coverage will be lost each week day as a result. This equates to 115 hours of public service news programming each year.

It suggests the proposed changes would result in the total amount of advertising on PSBs of up to 48 minutes a day on each channel, the equivalent of more than 800 hours a year of adverts. It believes this would have a “significant impact” on commercial revenues across the broadcasting sector, as well as “threaten the viability of smaller commercial channels, potentially undermining media plurality”.

COBA executive director Adam Minns says the organisation is “vehemently opposed” to these proposals.

“The research published today shows that increased advertising would severely impact the levels of news programming available to viewers, as well as place a strain on the smaller channels who are so vital to the plurality and diversity in our sector,” he explains.

“These proposals are ill-thought out and unnecessary, and are not even supported by all public service broadcasters. The result will be to erode the most important aspect of the public service broadcasting system: news. Ofcom should be protecting audiences and news programming, not suggesting changes that puts news at risk or harm the viewing experience.”

In-house agencies lament lack of clarity on briefs

More than half (54%) of in-house agency leaders rate the briefs they receive from marketing teams as four out of 10 or less on quality, according to a report by the In-House Agency Leaders Club in association with WDC.

None of the internal agency leaders surveyed score the quality of briefs a full 10, with just 2% scoring both an eight or a nine.

While communication and collaboration between in-house agencies and marketers is generally good (50% and 54%, respectively, rate it a seven out of 10 or more), leaders working for internal agencies say poor quality feedback and marketers’ lack of understanding of the creative process are causing challenges.

Nearly a third (31%) score the quality of feedback they receive from marketers a four or less. Just 6% score it an eight or above, with zero giving a score of nine or 10. Part of the problem is just 40% of in-house agencies have client services or account management in place, the study finds.

Meanwhile, 40% of in-house agency leaders rate marketers’ understanding of the creative process a four or less. Just 10% rate it an eight or above.

Quality of briefs is the biggest barrier to in-house agencies producing better creative for 16%, while 14% say briefs going to external agencies is a problem.

The biggest barrier for the largest portion of respondents is a lack of time and forward planning (32%), though. Another issue for internal agencies is the fact that in the majority of cases work is not tracked, costed or effectively governed.

Nearly three-quarters (71%) say improving relationships with brief owners and stakeholders is a key priority going forward. This is second only to raising creative standards (73%). Another key priority is improving effectiveness (69%), followed by improving processes (59%) and building reputation (57%).

Insight specialists launch leadership and training consultancy

Marketing Week columnist and former Reach insight lead Andrew Tenzer and research specialist Ian Murray have launched consultancy Burst Your Bubble.

The duo are the authors of industry acclaimed studies The Empathy Delusion and The Aspiration Window.

With their latest venture they are looking to help marketers and businesses approach commercial and social challenges from diverse points of view. Burst Your Bubble offers training in areas such as building skills and capacity for perspective taking, and reframing approaches to research and behavioural science.

Tenzer says: “Burst Your Bubble isn’t about changing your values and beliefs, it’s about helping people to embrace multiple perspectives. We’re excited to work with marketers and businesses who want to do things differently and change marketing for the better”.

Monday, 5 June

Boots launches ‘biggest ever’ summer campaign

Boots has launched what it’s calling its “biggest ever” summer campaign to date, which will run for 10 weeks across all channels.

The film, ‘Perfectly Imperfect’, highlights consumers’ ability to find joy in all British summer scenarios as it aims to highlight the UK’s “resilience”.

It’s from the perspective of a wasp flying across a lido in the summer, spotlighting various characters along the way, from people struggling with first aid kits to hay fever.

“At Boots, we want to celebrate the perfectly imperfect moments and this summer we are encouraging people to embrace the simpler, smaller pleasures and those authentic moments which make British summer,” says Pete Markey, CMO at Boots.

“With our extensive range of summer essentials, healthcare and beauty products, Boots is with you through any situation that this summer might throw at you.”

As part of the campaign, Boots will be working with Sky to incorporate its recent data-led linear TV into an addressable activation, with Boots customers taking part in a viewing panel – as well as smart speaker audio advertising with SayItNow.

The campaign will launch during the first episode of the new series of Love Island tonight.

Cadbury releases next Dairy Milk campaign as part of long-term platform

Cadbury has released its latest story in the ‘There’s a Glass and a Half in Everyone’ series, a spot called ‘Speakerphone’ highlighting a father and son relationship, as the platform enters its fifth year.

In the ad, created with VCCP, the son hides a bar of Dairy Milk in his father’s glove compartment to surprise him after his first day at a new job.

“The Glass and a Half in Everyone campaign is a big brand idea that serves as a platform for powerful stories and Speakerphone is a more than worthy addition to the series, bringing a fresh perspective with different relationship dynamics and narrative structure whilst staying true to the core elements that makes the campaign so successful,” says Jonathan McCarthy, head of global brand, Cadbury and Toblerone.

The campaign hopes to follow the success of last year’s edition, ‘Garage’, which was voted the most effective ad of 2022 by System 1.

Another NBCUniversal exec leaves business to take up role at Twitter

Joe Benarroch, a senior NBCUniversal executive across communications, advertising and partnerships, has departed the business to join Elon Musk’s Twitter as a business operations lead.

The move comes just weeks after the business’s advertising head Linda Yaccarino left to become Twitter’s CEO, a move which signalled a change in approach for Musk and Twitter.

Benarroch says he is “looking forward to bringing my experience to Twitter, and to working with the entire team to build Twitter 2.0 together.”

The news comes as Twitter’s second head of trust and safety during Musk’s ownership of the business resigned. Ella Irwin joined Twitter at the end of last year, and her reason for departure hasn’t been made clear. However, it came shortly after Musk criticised content moderation on the site.

Allinson’s Bread launches first TV campaign in a decade

Allinson’s Bread, the 100+ year-old bread brand, has launched its first TV campaign in more than a decade.

It’s part of an effort from the brand to refresh its image and to resonate with UK audiences as it attempts to reinvigorate its presence.

The campaign, in collaboration with agency Lobster, will run across ITVX and All4. The ad itself emphasises the brand’s history while attempting to highlight the quality of the product through a film showing sandwiches being made, in reverse.

Elva O’Connor, brand manager at Allied Bakeries, the company which owns Allinson’s, alongside Kingsmill and Sunblest, says the campaign “performs so well on metrics”.

Microsoft and Siemens give backing to CBI amid ‘nerve-racking’ period

Microsoft and Siemens are attempting to drive support for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) ahead of a vote of confidence on Tuesday, reports the Financial Times.

The vote comes following serious misconduct allegations against the lobby group. A letter of support organised by Siemens features signatories from Microsoft and Esso Petroleum. The vote will determine whether members want to back the organisation as it changes its leadership and works to improve its culture.

The letter says CBI has “recognised its failings and has a robust action plan in place to be delivered by a new leadership”, adding it was “essential that a refocused, effective CBI re-establishes its ties with government and provides the voice that British business needs”.

In April, the CBI halted activities after leading members quit the group following allegations of sexual assault at the group, reported by the Guardian.

Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI’s newly appointed director-general, said yesterday on the BBC (4 June) “It’s a really nerve-racking time for us as an organisation, and I’m absolutely determined that we lead this programme of change so we can be that collective voice”.