In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
For a player in the twilights of his career, David Beckham’s move from Real Madrid to a small US team might appear a last ditch effort to milk his reputation, were it not for the role played by the man with the Midas touch, Pop Idol and Spice Girl svengali Simon Fuller. By David Benady.
The reputation of sales promotions has suffered recently, but well designed and properly targeted campaigns can have a big impact on brand image and aid other marketing efforts. By Paul Gander.
Far from providing a means to ‘jump ship’, training is a major tool in retaining and recruiting staff – but companies must let employees be the driving force behind their own learning. By Martin Croft.
PepsiCo has signed up defending US Open champion Maria Sharapova to endorse sports drink Gatorade. The deal is understood to be worth several million pounds. The strategy sees Britvic, which makes and distributes PepsiCo’s soft drinks in the UK, further boost its association with tennis. Its Robinson squash brand is already a long-term headline sponsor […]
The timing of Fru Hazlitt’s abrupt resignation from her role as chief executive of Virgin Radio, the Scottish Media Group-owned national commercial station, may have surprised the radio industry but few observers doubt what her reasons may be for leaving after just 18 months. When Hazlitt arrived at Virgin Radio in August 2005, the station […]
ITV’s poaching of Telegraph new media chief Annelies van den Belt (MW last week) is an indication of just how seriously traditional media are taking the online world. Van den Belt joins as managing director of the broadcaster’s broadband division ahead of a relaunch of its website, which will herald the UK’s first free, full […]
Just when consumers thought it was safe to relax in front of the fire and forget about suppliers, npower and British Gas are squabbling over prices again, creating new confusion over tariffs – the the ultimate benefit of the companies, says David Benady.
2006 was an ‘annus horribilis’ for national carrier British Airways, which endured scandal, bad press and rumours about its relationship with BBH, and already this year senior marketer Jayne O’Brien has quit. Yet, the airline aims to market its way out of trouble in 2007.
The more recognisable a brand is in the many varied markets around the world, the more benefits it will reap, but finding a universally appreciated concept is far from simple.
Dolce & Gabbana has been savaged by the Advertising Standards Authority over two press ads that the regulator has ruled glamorise knife crime and are likely to cause widespread offence.
Low-cost airline Flybe is ramping up the pressure on rival easyGroup with the launch of Flybe Cruise before the end of the month. The airline struck a deal with leading cruise broker Voyana to tap into the fastest growing sector in the travel industry. Flybe aims to become one of the largest suppliers of UK-to-UK […]
Nick Button, Capital Radio’s new marketing director, acknowledges that his role comes with a certain amount of pressure but, three-and-a-half weeks into the job, he claims not to be feeling it. Button joins GCap Media’s flagship London station at a crucial time. In the Rajar results for the third quarter of 2006, the station recorded […]
Struggling roadside restaurant chain Little Chef was rescued last week just a day after calling in the administrators, but its latest white knight, turnaround specialist RCapital, will surely be its last. After years of turmoil, this looks like the final throw of the dice for one of Britain’s most iconic brands. RCapital is thought to […]
Esure has moved its 9m direct marketing account in-house following the merger of its retained agency Sharpen Troughton Owens Response into RMG Connect.
Paul Philpott, one of the car industry’s highest-profile marketers, is leaving Toyota GB after more than nine years. Philpott, Toyota’s commercial director, is tipped to join Kia UK as managing director next month. A Toyota spokeswoman confirms Philpott, who joined the company from Ford in September 1997, has resigned but will not comment on his […]