In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
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 […]
Cagney, the marketing services group that includes ad agency Chick Smith Trott (CST), is expanding into media ownership after signing a long-term alliance with University Choice TV (UCTV). The deal with UCTV, the online social network and information service for students, will give Cagney exclusive rights to manage advertising sales and corporate partnerships. Separately, CST […]
Western companies are “living with a false sense of security” and underestimating the threat from Asian rivals, according to a leading brand consultant. Corporate Edge chairman Chris Wood says the success of companies such as Toyota and Samsung should act as a warning to those who believe that brands from the Far East offer nothing […]
Major manufacturers are gearing up for an onslaught on the environmentally-friendly detergent market, once a niche sector dominated by Ecover. Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is poised to launch an eco-friendly laundry detergent (MW last week), the latest assault on the burgeoning “green” detergent sector. In a U-turn by RB’s chief executive, Bart Becht – who last […]
HSBC has put plans to launch “drive-thru” banks in the UK on hold after failing to find suitable sites. The banking giant mooted launching drive-thru services last year as part of a strategy to modernise its branch network (MW November 30, 2006). The first was expected to launch this year, but traffic flow at an […]
Threshers, the off-license retailer, has called for a review of its 2m advertising business as part of a move to fend off competition from the supermarkets.
Mini is launching a range of branded trainers after signing a deal with Japanese footwear brand Onitsuka Tiger. The limited edition range goes on sale across the UK on December 1. The launch of the shoes has been timed to coincide with the arrival of Mini’s latest model, the Clubman, which will available from November […]
Monster, the online recruitment site, is understood to have halted its 20m pan-European advertising review, in order to expand it into a global pitch.
Betfair has appointed former Virgin Games managing director Oscar Nieboer as brand director on an interim basis. He will advise on brand development in time for the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005 next month.
The thriving trade magazine sector is at the centre of a new round of take-overs and mergers, with private equity group Apax last week reportedly seeking to buy EMAP’s business-to-business division for £1.3bn. EMAP is considering selling or demerging all its assets and analysts say its business publishing division is its strongest offering, with the […]
Fopp, the bankrupt independent music chain, is being resurrected after HMV Group bought the brand, six of its most profitable stores and the website for an undisclosed sum last week. Fopp went into administration in July after its purchase of 67 Music Zone shops stretched the company to breaking point, resulting in the closure of […]