The former European planning director of TBWA has launched a strategic consultancy to help companies survive in a hostile business environment. Adam Morgan has set up his Eating The Big Fish consultancy, which is based on a book that he wrote with the same title. Morgan’s clients, which are evenly split between the US and […]
Luxury car marque Porsche has hit a legal stumbling block in its attempt to enforce trademark rights against 138 Internet domain name registrants in the US. A US district court has overruled attempts by the carmaker to force unnamed registrants to give up Porsche-related domain names. The ruling may further complicate attempts by brand owners […]
WCRS’ hold on Debenhams’ £9.5m advertising account is under threat after the retail group began talks with TBWA GGT Simons Palmer about the business. It is thought the department store chain, which demerged from the Burton Group, is talking to TBWA about work on a new project, following the completion of a brand-building campaign by […]
Gillette’s sing-song advertising theme  “The best a man can get”  may rank among the world’s great jingles, but the company’s position as a leading global conglomerate looks increasingly shaky. It has been a grim few months for the shaving products manufacturer, which has axed thousands of jobs, issued a profits warning and lost […]
Wal-Mart Stores, the American retailing colossus, seemed anxious on Monday to impress upon us that we shouldn’t read too much into its recommended £6.7bn takeover bid for Asda which, at a 25 per cent premium to Kingfisher’s bid, effectively kicked the proposed UK tie-up into touch. Don Soderquist, senior vice-chairman at Wal-Mart, acted as spokesman […]
This weekend, members of the world’s advertising and marketing community will be packing their bags for the annual Cannes festival. Looking back a year, you might have doubted that they would return. Many delegates returned home disappointed last year, after campaigns submitted by their respective nations received meagre reward. For some, this state of mind […]
Business magazines are the second fastest growing advertising medium, according to figures published by the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA). Fuelled in the main by a massive increase in titles (44 per cent since 1987), the strength of the sector looks set for a further boost as more launches are forecast. This should be good news […]
Faulds has lured a board director from Edinburgh rival The Leith Agency to head one of its divisions, called Total Faulds. He will also lead one of its biggest accounts, British Midland. John MacDougal, director of account management at The Leith Agency, will replace Paul Yole, the director of the Fauld’s integrated communications division Total […]
There was a time when pop musicians turned up their cocaine-filled noses at the thought of having their tunes used in ads. But with music sales under pressure and pop audiences fragmenting, the artists’ managers are now beating a path to the doors of ad agencies with demos clasped in their sweaty palms. Ogilvy & […]
Scottish Media Group pounced on cinema sales house Pearl & Dean in a £22m deal last week, but the predator may yet end up as prey (MW June 10).
Many companies set up a Website, often at great expense, and just expect people to visit. But with more than 5 million sites available, why should they land on yours? The Website is a great means of communication  once you’ve found it. But don’t expect people just to turn up to your party: you […]
John Raad, deputy director general of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and director of media affairs for the past 22 years, is to retire next year. A headhunter has been appointed to find a replacement for Raad, who is also company secretary of the agencies’ trade body. Raad has played a key role in […]
Fully staffed internal market research departments have been going out of favour. During the recession in the early Nineties their demise was mourned by industry pundits who feared, often rightly, that a lack of internal investment in research know-how would be accompanied by an industry-wide loss of skills and understanding. In the past few years […]
WCRS’ hold on Debenhams’ £9.5m advertising account is under threat after the retail group began talks with TBWA GGT Simons Palmer about the business. It is thought the department store chain, which demerged from the Burton Group, is talking to TBWA about work on a new project, following the completion of a brand-building campaign by […]
Peugeot Motor Company has started reviewing its £7m car dealership advertising account held by McCann- Erickson Manchester.