In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
US toy brand Mattel is under fire for its “inconsistent” reaction to its toy recall crisis. The criticism comes as the toy company launches a major PR campaign in the US to reinforce its commitment to child safety, yet the brand has failed to act in the UK. Mattel faces its first lawsuits in the […]
The Geek Squad, the technology troubleshooting service backed by the Carphone Warehouse, has appointed Will Lever as its first UK marketing director. Lever, who was head of marketing and communications for Apple UK and Ireland, will be responsible for brand positioning, strategy development and cross-group marketing across retail, PR and direct channels. Prior to joining […]
Land Rover changes gear for climate challenge
Danone Waters will target white-collar workers with a poster, radio and underground campaign as part of a £1.5m push for Evian. The detox campaign will be focused around the key January 2 date when workers return to work after the New Year. The aim is to target affluent London office workers who over-indulged over Christmas. […]
Asda is gearing up to take on the major brands in laundry with the launch of an eco-friendly concentrated detergent called Tiny But Tough. The range will be introduced in store on August 27. The detergent is being positioned to compete with Persil Small & Mighty, which was launched by Unilever in 2006, and sister […]
£35m gamble pays marketing dividend for Camelot
The Children’s Society is offering gig-goers the chance to meet the “godfather of punk” Iggy Pop as part of a fundraising initiative at Rock the House in Leeds next week. The campaign, created by mobile marketing agency Incentivated, will encourage thousands of music fans to donate to the charity by texting in to win the […]
Saatchi & Saatchi has been appointed to handle the 7m advertising account for Amplifon, one of the world’s largest distributors of hearing aids.
Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury marque, is talking to agencies about its 40m pan-European advertising and media planning, and buying accounts ahead of its launch in Europe next year.
Smart Cells, the stem cell storage company, has app-ointed Open Soho to handle its advertising account. The agency is working on a controversial campaign featuring a baby in its mother’s womb talking to the camera. The TV, poster, press and ambient campaign breaks next month and will aim to convince people about the benefits of […]
1001 employs monkey to promote stain remover
News International is understood to be scrapping the News of the World’s long-standing Sunday magazine in favour of a more upmarket title that will compete with the celebrity weeklies. The relaunched supplement has yet to be named but is expected to be introduced early next year. It is thought that NI is keen to attract […]
Visa Europe is dropping its “Love every day” strapline in a heavyweight outdoor campaign to launch its contactless PayWave card. The credit and debit card provider is thought to be spending more than £1m on a London-centric campaign created by Saatchi & Saatchi. It breaks in late September with an initial sixto eight-week burst of […]
EMAP Radio is planning to update the landmark Ironing Board Study, which looked at radio listening behaviour, with a modern-day version called The Keyboard Study. The group says it is hoped the research will show how radio is being consumed on the internet and how the two interact, as well as how listeners consume radio […]
Blyk, Europe’s first advertiser-funded mobile phone network, is looking for a UK managing director. It is thought the brand has held talks with several senior marketers about the role. Blyk, which is run by former Nokia president Pekka Ala-Pietila, will offer free calls and text messages to users willing to accept ads on their handsets. […]