In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
Lycos.co.uk, the online portal, is launching a website of user-generated content with Freemantle Media and talkbackTHAMES as part of its campaign to support ITV1’s The X-Factor. The campaign, which will launch on the official forum, Fan Central, will encourage fans to upload their own performances and the X-Factor team will choose the ten most entertaining clips, […]
Debenhams, the department store, has revealed plans to ramp up its international expansion as it announced strong annual results. The chain reported pre-tax profits were up 67.9% to £267.4m for the year to September 2 with sales rising by 6.6%. Debenhams chief executive Rob Templeman says that the Designers at Debenhams range, which includes lines […]
Third-generation mobile phone network, 3, has bought 95 stores from O2 to continue its high street expansion. The deal extends the company’s portfolio of stores to 150.
Google is launching a new version of its search engine, called Google Co-op, to encourage more website owners to include its technology on their sites. The company describes the service as a “customised search engine” that will allow users to tailor the search results so customers only receive relevant content. It will allow companies to […]
HSBC chief global marketer Peter Stringham, is leaving the financial services company after six years. It is not clear if he has a job to go to. Stringham consolidated HSBC’s 350m advertising and media into WPP and devised the “world’s local bank” campaign.
Havas, the advertising and media company, is bringing its media services, including the global Media Planning Group network, under the Havas Media umbrella. The move aims to simplify the structure of Havas and its brands, which include Arena, the communications services network; Media Contacts, the online and digital network; sports marketing group Havas Sports; and […]
Supernanny, the Channel 4 parenting show, is relaunching online as it tries to establish itself as a leading global parenting portal. The company will launch its new website in the UK at the end of this month. A rollout across the US will follow in November and in Australia in January. The site will be […]
The two faces of Vincent Bolloré
Once known for being the cheapest way of getting drunk, cider is now cool again. The ‘Magners effect’ and increased marketing investment from established producers have played their part, but it seems the alcopops generation looking for ‘heritage’ is also behind the revival. By Martin Croft
Do retailers know best in the cola wars?
When consumers have preconceived ideas about a brand it is hard to get them to reconsider, but face-to-face contact with the product can help win over hearts and minds. By Steve Hemsley
What brand owners need from market research companies is not just simple mechanical data, but real psychological insight to help them understand consumers as human beings. By Alicia Clegg
Vodafone is understood to be close to pulling out of a three-year deal it signed with Google in February to make the search engine available on its phones. Sources say the mobile giant is looking at ways it can pull out of the agreement, and instead wants to use a white-label platform that it could […]
InBev is restructuring its marketing department for the second time in a year, as part of a global reorganisation of sales and marketing teams in all the brewer’s local operating units. A statement says that the proposed new structure is likely to result in “new job roles and responsibilities being introduced for a large proportion […]
A new service allowing people to send anonymous text messages has been slammed by the country’s leading children’s charity as being open to abuse. The FreakySMS service, launched in the UK this week, allows people to send anonymous messages through their mobile phones. The company claims that it has mechanisms in place to deal with […]