In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
US telecoms giant Alcatel is taking advantage of its ongoing relationship with Havas’ Euro RSCG by asking the agency to handle a global rebrand. The move, confirmed by Euro RSCG UK chairman Kate Robertson, comes as Alcatel’s $13bn (£7bn) purchase of Lucent, which was first announced in April, awaits US government approval. If granted, the […]
Sony has exploded 70,000 litres of paint onto a disused Glasgow tower block for its new Bravia ad, promoting the brand’s range of high-definition LCD televisions. Controlled firework explosions were used to blast the multi-coloured paint into the air, and all over the building, to emphasise the brand’s ethos of achieving “colour like no other”. […]
Blue Inc, the high street menswear fashion retailer, has appointed a roster of agencies to handle its advertising and media business. Head of marketing Tim Lyall has selected Perception Media, Voice Communications, Store PR and specialist photography agency Gianfranco Meza. The team of agencies takes over from previous incumbent Folk, which parted company with the […]
Beverley Churchill, marketing director of embattled department store chain Bhs, has left the company after just a year in the role. It is unclear whether Churchill resigned from the post or if she has a job to go to, but her departure is a further blow to the retail empire of Sir Philip Green. She has not yet been replaced.
Tim Pile, the former chief executive of Sainsbury’s Bank, has been appointed managing partner of full service agency Cogent Elliott. He takes over from the agency’s owner and chairman Bill Husselby, who will remain on the board. Pile will be responsible for overseeing the agency’s operations in London, Oxfordshire and the Midlands. Pile left Sainsbury’s […]
Colgate is launching an alcohol-free mouthwash under its Chlorohex medicated mouthwash brand. It will be sold initially though dentists, but a full consumer launch into grocery channels is planned for January. The launch is a response to growing consumer demand for products without alcohol, according to Trevor Bradford, director of branding and communications agency Creative […]
Chorion, the brand licensing company that owns the rights to Noddy, has strengthened its marketing team ahead of a major push into the US. The company, which also owns the rights to the works of Agatha Christie, has moved Lori Heiss, the head of marketing in the US, to the same role in Europe and […]
Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm of Barclays, is looking for a global advertising agency to handle its 8m account. The group is seeking to consolidate the account, which is currently split across a number of roster agencies worldwide. The group, which is headed by Barclays group president Bob Diamond, is looking for a network […]
The Electoral Commission has appointed Farm, Glue London and Experience to handle a campaign to encourage people to register to vote. It is understood that the account is worth 5.5m over the next three years but could be worth more if a general election is called. The agency team pitched against Harrison Troughton Wunderman, Wheel […]
Ben Langdon, one of the most controversial figures in advertising, is returning to the industry to run a new digital agency 13 months after he was ousted as chairman and chief executive of Euro RSCG. Langdon, who was on a year’s gardening leave, is launching Digital Marketing Group (DMG). It will offer direct as well […]
Ever since the French cosmetics giant L’Or蠬 clinched its $1.2bn (640m) takeover of the London-listed ethical retailer Body Shop International in March, speculation over the execution of its shift into retail has been rife.
With just 60% of the UK population voting in recent general elections and 8% not even registered, the Electoral Commission has turned to advertising to counter voter apathy. The commission, the independent body tasked with getting people to vote, is holding a pitch for a new marketing drive to encourage people to register on the […]
General Motors’ (GM) decision to create a “virtual” band to promote the new Vauxhall Corsa (MW last week) has reopened the debate about the so-called “rules” of car advertising.
Freeview wants every household in the country to own a personal video recorder (PVR) in a recorder market led by pay-TV services such as BSkyB’s Sky Plus. To that end, the marketing arm of DTV Services, made up of a consortium of broadcasters, is readying the launch of a branded PVR, Freeview Playback. The equipment […]
Gyro International has been appointed to the 4m below-the-line account for Virgin Atlantic following a pitch against three undisclosed agencies. The airline did not previously have a retained direct marketing agency.