In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
Vexed Digital has been appointed as the lead digital agency for cancer care group Maggie’s Centres. It won the business after a nine-way pitch against undisclosed agencies. Maggie’s Centres, which offers help to people with cancer, wants to create a website that will take on the role of an online centre. Vexed has been briefed […]
The European Commission (EC) is launching an anti-obesity drive targeting football fans ahead of next year’s UEFA European Championship. The EC has been offered 30-second half-time advertising slots during qualifying games and the tournament itself, which takes place in Austria and Switzerland next summer. It has appointed Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO to create the ads after […]
Aspers, the British casino operator, claims it will be the first betting and gaming company to advertise on UK television when its ad is aired during the first ad break after 9pm on September 1. The ad, which has been created by MadFarley, will be shown on ITV Wales and in the Tyne Tees region […]
Smart, the Mercedes Car Group-owned small car brand, is overhauling its marketing strategy with the launch of a digitally-led campaign to support its ForTwo model. The work is the first major marketing activity from Smart this year and the first from newly-appointed agencies Abbott Mead Vickers-.BBDO and the Zulu network. A press, poster, radio and […]
Associated Newspapers’ decision to boost the distribution of its flagship freesheet, Metro, by more than 20% has been criticised as a reckless move by media buyers. Buyers say Associated has misjudged the market and has not allowed for the impact of rival free weekly magazine, Shortlist, which will be launched in the autumn. One media […]
Retailers have hit out at Coca-Cola’s new functional drink Diet Coke Plus, saying it is “too niche” and is unlikely to have an impact on the carbonated drinks market, just weeks before the drink is due to be launched. Diet Coke Plus is expected to be supported by a major campaign, and insiders are concerned […]
Virgin Media claims that it will “reclaim the colour red” with the branding for forthcoming entertainment channel Virgin 1. The logo, idents and “look” of the channel all aim to reassert the colour’s association with Virgin. The company will use a large red “1” emblazoned with the Virgin signature icon as its logo. The on-air […]
Volvo has promoted direct marketing chief Anita Fox to its top UK marketing role. She replaces Paul Walder, who has joined the global marketing team in Sweden. Fox was previously direct marketing manager, and takes on Walder’s former role of head of marketing communications. She reports to UK managing director Stuart Kerr. Walder becomes global […]
The News of the World’s plans to give its Sunday magazine the biggest overhaul since it was founded in the 1980s have caused few surprises in the industry. The Sunday red-top is to scrap its magazine and launch what insiders say will be a more upmarket offering later this year (MW last week). Media buyers, […]
Royal Philips Electronics is planning a major design and fashion-led campaign to support the launch of its new Aurea LCD television. The strategy is part of a move by the company to move away from its traditional stance of focusing on the technical benefits of its products towards a lifestyle positioning. The company plans to […]
Radio Times will embrace user-generated content (UGC) on its website as part of its social networking content. The move is part of BBC Magazines’ heavy investment in online activities. The radiotimes.com site will encourage users to interact to rate TV shows, contribute to blogs and participate in forum debates. The new feature will sit alongside […]
MyTravel group marketing director Tim Marsden is leaving the company without a job to go to just months after its merger with Thomas Cook. It follows a major restructure of the two companies’ marketing teams. Marsden was the last senior MyTravel marketer at the company and his departure sees all of the main roles filled […]
Lean Mean Fighting Machine has won July’s IAB Creative Showcase Award, run in association with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, with its work for Virgin Bets, a gambling site for people who get put off by the complexity and seriousness of high street bookies. The campaign was based around the latest series of Big Brother and […]
Unilever has been undergoing something of a facelift for a number of years, starting with the Path to Growth strategy that was introduced in 2000, which saw it shrink its 1,600 brands down to just 400 and cut thousands of jobs. But when Patrick Cescau took over from Niall FitzGerald as chief executive in 2005 […]
Radio One DJ Chris Moyles is a podcasting evangelist and regularly encourages his audience to get downloading, while Ricky Gervais’s popular podcasts top the daily charts. Yet despite these high profile media names, few believe this is a medium of the future for brand owners. It all sounds simple enough. Buy an iPod or other […]