In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
Online grocery service Ocado has hit back at “aggressive” Tesco in a row over comparative advertising. Tesco had earlier disputed claims in Ocado’s advertising and threatened to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The dispute arose over an Ocado advertisement, which claimed it could match Tesco’s prices on “all household brands”. Tesco rubbished the […]
Stella Artois has ended its 30-year relationship with the Lawn Tennis Association over strategic differences. The 2008 Artois Grass Court Championship will be the last to carry the Artois name. The move is part of the LTA’s new commercial strategy to boost income into British tennis by attracting a sponsor to support a wide range […]
Supermarket giants Tesco and Waitrose are set to clash over comparative advertising, with Tesco rubbishing claims that online grocery service Ocado can match its prices. Tesco is expected to make a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority today (Friday) about claims made by Ocado, Waitrose’s online delivery service, in press advertisements published in national […]
Internet company AOL has announced it is to acquire social networking site Bebo for $850m (£427m). AOL says the deal will give it a “premier position” in social media. Bebo has around 40 million users worldwide and is the third most popular US social media site and the sixth in the UK, according to Nielsen […]
E.on makes energy visible
The Home Office is seeking an agency to create an advertising and marketing campaign to promote its controversial ID cards under its new National Identity scheme. While still in its early stages, the pitch is expected to be for a multi-million pound campaign including press and radio. It will consist of four phases targeting foreign […]
Double Olympic rowing gold medallist James Cracknell is to set up his own sports marketing consultancy and events company. Cracknell is launching Threshold Sports with Julian Mack, former Sony Ericsson head of sponsorship, and Charlie Beauchamp, formerly a director at sports sponsorship agency Fast Track. Mack left his position at Sony Ericsson, where he was […]
News International is looking to drive younger readers onto its mobile internet site, with the company’s mobile strategy chief revealing that its newspapers could be using quick response codes (QR codes) in its news stories within 18 months. QR codes, already widely used by magazines, newspapers and outdoor companies in Japan, where the concept originated, […]
BSkyB is launching a multimillion pound campaign to support its flagship Sky One Easter holiday drama Terry Pratchett’s The Colour of Magic. The campaign, which breaks later this week, includes TV, press, online and outdoor executions as well as the rerelease of Pratchett’s book of the same name, part of the Discworld series. The book […]
JellyBeats dance to Bebo’s tune
Foxy Bingo, the online bingo operator, is launching an e-magazine, as it seeks to strengthen its relationship with its customers. The online magazine is intended to offer consumers greater opportunities to interact with the Cashcade-owned brand. The move has been prompted by the extremely “busy user forum” on the Foxy Bingo website, where players interact […]
Friends of the Earth (FOE) has called on Chancellor Alistair Darling to stick to his pledge to put “sustainability at the heart of the Budget”. The environmental group is urging Darling to stick to his plans to increase fuel duty amid reports that he is to delay the introduction of so-called “green taxes” to reduce […]
Enjoy England is to launch a campaign to promote locations and attractions associated with British comedy this summer. It is the latest in a series of drives raising awareness of destinations with links to different aspects of English culture to a domestic audience. The organisation, part of official tourism body VisitBritain, has appointed Redhouse Lane […]
Internet service provider Easynet has appointed Mark Madden as its first global marketing director. Madden has been tasked with leading the BSkyB-owned company’s global product management and marketing teams. He will also focus on pushing the brand’s global reputation. “Easynet has been associated with small to medium size businesses,” says Madden. “But we have a […]
Ferrero is introducing a white chocolate version of its Kinder Bueno bar in the UK. The launch, aimed at women looking for a light chocolate treat, will be backed with a 1.5m marketing push. It is thought Ferrero is looking to retain market share among women and is launching the bar in the UK following […]