In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
Budget carrier Bmibaby is running a targeted advertising campaign on ITV1 regions allowing it to tailor ads just before being aired. The airline will run the fast-response ads in the ITV Central, Wales and Granada regions. Technology overlaying existing commercials allows bmibaby to update its flight offers up to 75 minutes before transmission. The concept […]
Dove’s controversial plans to feature recovering eating-disorder sufferers in the next phase of its Campaign for Real Beauty (MW last week) have prompted some to question whether the Unilever-owned brand’s award-winning advertising is running out of st…
Leagas Delaney is boosting its digital credentials by taking a “substantial” stake in digital creative agency Holst Digital. The group says it committed to a joint venture with Holst after it found its clients want more digital expertise. London managing director Elliot Moss says it has been looking at buying or partnering with a digital […]
The future of the ICI brand looks uncertain after its sale to Dutch rival Azko Nobel is finalised. The brand has been synonymous with British industry for eighty years. Akzo says it is “very possible” it will retain its own name after the deal goes through, but that the decision had not yet formally been […]
The men’s magazine sector has been bombarded with a host of relaunches in the past year as publishers attempt to reverse declining circulations and revive interest from advertisers. The latest to try to breathe new life into the market is the National Magazine Company, which last week relaunched Esquire in “manbag size” format. The new […]
The George Foreman brand, famous for its Lean, Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine, is gearing up to break into the food market with a range of meat, fish, poultry and game products. It is understood that Nor-thern Foods Grocery Group has signed a licensing agreement to use the name and is also looking to break […]
Indigo Red, the recruitment consultant, has launched the UK’s first online video recruitment website, VlogYourJob.com, to reach the “newest generation of job hunters”. The site will encourage companies to use social media to post vlogs – online short videos – as job advertisements. It will also allow recruiters to give potential candidates a taste of […]
As the Labour Party fires the opening shots of the General Election campaign, observers are predicting the political marketing battle between the major parties will move to a new level. It will be the first election to use the range of Web 2.0 media, with online community sites and user-generated content expected to play a […]
TV and radio ads for gambling will be allowed for the first time next month after a code of practice was agreed between Government and the industry. Will this open the way for a flood of betting campaigns, or is such a forecast a puritanical over-reaction from opponents? asks Louise Jack
Wieden & Kennedy has created four online films for Honda to support the launch of its hot-hatch model, the Civic Type R. The two-minute films develop the concept of Hondamentalism, which was introduced in an above-the-line campaign in May.
MySpace, the social networking site, is launching its search for the stars of the first user-generated film. A casting bus will tour ten major UK cities over, offering people the chance to audition via video cameras and laptops on the bus. The site announced a tie-up with Vertigo Films and Film4 last month to offer […]
IPC Connect is relaunching its weekly celebrity title Now to give it a boost in the face of tough competition in the women’s weeklies market. The announcement comes just days before the latest Audit Bureau of Circulation figures are unveiled. The relaunched title will introduce more celebrity news and photos and also improved signposting for […]
Engine, the marketing services group that own WCRS, has sold a 15% stake to a pre-IPO investment fund Loudwater Trust, as part of its plans for further acquisitions in the new media and PR sectors.
Virgin Media claims that it is toning down campaigns that pit it against rivals such as BSkyB because consumers are getting confused and being patronised. The u-turn also follows the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) decision to uphold complaints against two Virgin Media “real deal” press ads on grounds of substantiation, truthfulness and comparisons with identified […]
Nissan is launching a campaign to promote its sponsorship of Sky Sports’ flagship football show, Soccer AM. The campaign, created by TBWA/London, will promote Nissan’s Navara pick-up truck and will run across TV as well as mobile and online. The It Gets Respect campaign breaks on August 11 and the idents will use iconic football […]