The Marketing Week – 12/4/2013
Welcome to The Marketing Week, your guide to the good, the bad and the ugly in the marketing industry over the last seven days.
CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
Tesco’s press ad campaign for its new “100% British Beef steak burgers”, shows a refreshing confidence.
Tesco was one of the first to be found selling beef products with traces of horsemeat and as the UK’s biggest supermarket attracted the lion’s share of consumer outrage and attention in the media. It was swift to address the issue and start rebuilding its reputation through long-copy ads which have been praised for their poetry.
That the supermarket feels able to start advertising its beef products again so overtly such a short time after horsegate, shows Tesco’s confidence that it has got its house in order. It has grabbed the bull by the horns – as it were – and isn’t afraid to start talking about beef.
A GOOD WEEK FOR…
McVitie’s and Jacobs owner United Biscuits has just appointed veteran marketer Martin Glenn as its CEO. In his most recent role at Birds Eye owner Iglo Group, Glenn was credited with growing the brand in Europe and changing consumer perceptions of the frozen food category. Glenn has also held marketing roles at PepsiCo, Mars Petcare and Cadbury – an impressive CV.
A BAD WEEK FOR…
Marks & Spencer blamed “intense” promotional activity from rivals for yet another drop in clothing sales in its fourth quarter. Analysts said Marks & Spencer risks becoming a “mid-market monolith” in the face of more targeted propositions from rivals.
INTERNATIONAL
Korean food and restaurant brand Bibigo, is partnering with K-pop star Psy – of Gangnam Style fame and also our cover star this week – to find the pop star a personal chef to accompany him on the first month of his world tour in July. According to AdAge.com, ads for the promotion which are due to go live today, feature a version of Psy’s trademark dance – this time with spoons.
Gillette has partnered with the McLaren F1 team in Asia ahead of this weekend’s racing event in Shanghai, China. The brand will launch a host of marketing initiatives including in-store activation, limited-edition razors and special offers targeting Asian men.
ONE TO WATCH
Apple could be almost ready to launch its long-rumoured radio service following reports it is close to agreeing deals with Universal Music and Warner Bros. It is thought money had been a major sticking point in negotiations up until now with Apple only prepared to pay the labels low royalty rates. The company is reportedly now prepared to offer the major labels the same royalty rate as rival internet radio service Pandora.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
- Thursday 18th April – Adidas and Chelsea’s slow 2013/14 kit reveal comes to head next week with the final phase of their ‘It’s Blue, What Else Matters’ campaign.
- Thursday 18th April – The ECB’s commercial director John Perera will be hosting a Q&A at Lord’s Cricket ground to shed some light on the organisation’s sponsorship plans ahead of this year’s Ashes Test series.
- Thursday 18th April – SAB Miller, the world’s second-largest brewer by sales, will see whether its initial steps to put digital at the heart of its brand activations have helped lift revenues when it publishes its Q4 trading update.
