BP Oil is understood to be talking to off-licence chain Thresher about a loyalty scheme in a move which risks the wrath of the anti drink-drive lobby. The petrol giant is understood to be looking at a smart card-based loyalty programme to launch in the latter half of next year along the lines of Shell’s […]

Cordiant has sacked the president of Saatchi & Saatchi France, apparently in an attempt to take full control of the company.

Sections ’95, the title of two rival studies by CIA and Leo Burnett, puts the readership of newspaper sections firmly on the stand. Nick Higham is currently BBC’s media

The rewards are great for inventive companies that are willing to integrate their marketing functions. Sophie McKenzie looks at Trebor, which has invested in adventure-linked campaigns for its confectionery brands

Korean car manufacturer Daewoo launches its secondhand car business, Daewoo Resale, at the end of this month, backed by a television campaign through Duck-worth Finn Grubb Waters. The commercial emphasises that Daewoo puts all its secondhand cars through its own tests, an AA inspection, and carries out two independent history checks before the vehicle goes […]

When are you going to put a stop to your letters page being usurped by salesmen masquerading as marketing directors, claiming to have been misrepresented, simply so they can get a 19p plug for their company, product or service? As a marketing consultant in brand development (I’m in the London phone book), this sort of […]

Bates Worldwide in New York has won the $40m (26m) Electronic Data Systems Corporation account, which will involve producing a global branding campaign. The appointment follows a seven-month review that began when EDS, which is owned by General Motors, decided to find a single agency to handle its advertising worldwide. A small agency, Goldsmith/Jeffrey, has […]

Grand Metropolitan has scrapped its food sector structure and made the food group’s chairman and chief executive David Nash redundant. He will receive more than 900,000 in compensation. The move is part of a wider restructure within Grand Metropolitan which is facing the retirement of group chairman Lord Sheppard next March. George Bull, currently group […]

After 470 days of legal drama, the OJ trial has ended, but what about the board game and the OJ industry?

Is there anybody around who might do enough miles, or live long enough, to earn the required tokens for a Trinitron 28″ TV through BP? The latest That’s Entertainment Collection promotion is rather challenging. The CDs and videos are the same as in previous promotions, but because this is a longer term promotion I am […]

What an excellent thought behind the Leagas Shafron agency house ads you’ve been running recently. “If you’d like to be more famous than your agency, call Ron Leagas” is the message. In fact, I think it is as good a thought as it was back in the Eighties when we used it as the title […]

The English Tourist Board is reviewing its advertising for short breaks brand Great Escapes and has shortlisted agencies in the run up to a pitch in November. The account is currently held by Impact FCA! A 500,000 press campaign launched last month targets career couples, families and elderly couples. It is running alongside a direct […]

As rugby union moves into a new era of professionalism, companies are bidding for a piece of the action. But can it compete with football – steeped in commercialism – to secure long-term financial supporters?

Last month, I wrote that the jury was out on Pearson, the media conglomerate that owns the Financial Times, among much else. City apprehension was largely attached to what life for Pearson was likely to deliver in the wake of the sale of its stake in BSkyB – and the shares hung loose as we […]

ITV is to launch a sponsorship package for the pick of its premium drama output, including shows such as Cracker, Prime Suspect IV and Emma. The sponsorship deal would be the biggest on British TV, eclipsing Diet Coke’s 3m support for movie premieres. The channel’s most popular and upmarket shows are on offer – a […]