In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
Ministry of Sound (MoS), the club and music brand, is hunting sponsors to back its inaugural dance and music awards event to be held in Ibiza this summer. The news comes as the brand increases the ranges of commercial tie-ups it offers. The company has signed up with online media directory Getmemedia.com to find a […]
Talk to Frank, the Government drugs campaign, is launching a pocket-sized magazine in partnership with 20th Century Fox, MySpace and CD WOW! The fold-out magazine, which will launch on February 29, will be called The Score and will target 11 to 16 y…
Apple’s iTunes store continues to dominate the music download market, despite a steady stream of challengers, but it may find it hard to replicate that winning formula with its TV and film download service. The store already sells a few hit TV shows but is ramping up its UK offering following last week’s tie-up with […]
British Gas is reeling from accusations of profiteering levelled last week when it unveiled a five-fold rise in profits for 2007 shortly after announcing that residential gas prices would soar by 15%. The energy giant needs to counter the impression that it is exploiting rising wholesale gas prices and pushing through domestic price hikes to […]
Olympic sponsors, including Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Samsung and Adidas, are coming under increasing pressure over their involvement with the Beijing 2008 Games, amid criticisms of Chinas human rights and foreign policy record.
Radio ownership rules are creating unnecessary barriers to consolidation, an industry panel told the House of Lords (February 27). The comments were made as to the Lords Select Communities on Communications as part of the ongoing inquiry into Media Ownership and the News. The panel included RadioCentre chief executive Andrew Harrison (pictured), Mark Story, managing […]
The Government is expected to officially announce that it will scrap plans for a super-casino in Manchester but will confirm plans for 16 regional casinos this week. The plans have been under review since Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister last summer. Manchester won the bid to develop a Las Vegas-style resort in January […]
Google has been named as the most powerful business brand in the UK, ahead of Microsoft and BP. Google and fellow internet giant eBay are the only brands in the top 50 Business Superbrands 2008 list to have been launched after 1990. The list ranks the brands that make the most impact and have the […]
Sport Media Group is relaunching the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport next month in a bid to attract more mainstream advertisers. The changes, which will be introduced on March 3, will see adult advertising pushed away from the front of the newspapers. The “structure” of the newspapers will be changed to create four new sections. […]
Ambient Media is bringing the world’s largest Zeppelin to London this summer. The 75m airship will be available for advertisers to use from July 1 for a month. It is the first time a Zeppelin has been in the UK since the Thirties and the agency is seeking a “dominant, confident brand” to take sign […]
The battle between the chilled and frozen food categories has heated up recently as frozen has started to make a comeback. But while consumers may be coming round to the idea that freezing vegetables and fish preserves their natural goodness, they appear to be less convinced about the benefits of frozen ready meals. Birds Eye, […]
Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) has already started rationalising its brand portfolio, as it waits to be carved up between its rivals Carlsberg and Heineken, whose joint takeover offer was accepted by the British brewer last month.
A wave of agency sell-offs is sweeping UK marketing services as advertising bosses race to beat the 80% capital gains tax (CGT) hike which kicks in this April. Last week, Engine Group bought direct marketing agency Partners Andrews Aldridge in a deal rumoured to be worth £18m. Earlier this month, communications planning agency Naked was […]
Mars is taking the groundbreaking step of selling real products on Facebook (MW last week). But, after the recent backlash against the site’s advertising platform Beacon, brands must tread carefully when trying to engage with consumers through social networks, warn industry experts. The Mars Celebrate application allows Facebook users to send actual gifts rather than […]
As the desire for hi-tech gadgets increases, so too does their availability and cost effectiveness as incentives. But companies must keep giveaways consistent with brand values. By Martin Croft