Advertising news

• Nestlé launches pink KitKat and Lidl slows US plans: International round-up

  18-01-2018 14:32
  Nestlé launches naturally pink KitKat in Japan to appeal to millennials
  Nestlé is launching a pink KitKat variant made from ruby cocoa beans, in a bid to appeal to a younger audience. The new bars will be launched in Japan and South Korea before being rolled out to other countries including the UK.
  The newly developed chocolate is naturally pink in colour and Nestlé claims to be the first company in the world to commercialise it.
  Sandra Martinez, head of confectionery strate
  
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• ‘Go woke, go broke’ not true for brands, says global advertising study

  15-09-2024 09:30
  
  Research shows ad campaigns that are more inclusive have a positive impact on profits, sales and brand worthThe cringe factor can be high when an established brand suddenly aligns itself with up-to-date values. It did not appear to work well for Gillette, which suffered a public backlash five years ago to its “toxic masculinity” advert, or for Marks and Spencer when it brought out an LGBT rainbow- coloured sandwich to mark Pride.But new academic research carried out for the advertisi
  
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• The Hague becomes world’s first city to pass law banning fossil fuel-related ads

  13-09-2024 16:07
  
  Legislation makes it illegal to advertise fossil fuel products and services with a high carbon footprintThe Hague has become the first city in the world to pass a law banning advertisements promoting fossil fuel products and climate-busting services.Legislation passed on Thursday spells the end of publicly and privately funded advertising for petrol and diesel, aviation and cruise ships in the streets of the Dutch city, including on billboards and bus shelters. It takes effect from the start of
  
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• Junk food TV ads to be banned pre-watershed in UK from October 2025

  12-09-2024 17:58
  
  Online adverts for products high in fat, salt and sugar to be banned altogether and TV ads will air only after 9pmJunk food TV advertisements are to be banned from airing before the 9pm watershed as part of the government’s drive to improve public health.In addition, online ads for products that are high in fat, salt and sugar will be banned altogether, Andrew Gwynne, the public health minister, told the Commons on Thursday. Both measures will come into force on 1 October 2025. Continue re
  
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• Key gambling harm advocate ‘saddened’ by Albanese’s statements on betting ads

  12-09-2024 05:54
  
  Tim Costello says the prime minister has ‘mindlessly’ followed gambling industry’s attempts to present him as a prohibitionistFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTim Costello has rejected Anthony Albanese’s suggestion he wants gambling banned and accused the prime minister of “mindlessly” repeating industry attack lines to justify a partial gambling ad ban.On Thursday Costello, the ch
  
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• UK TV production sector income falls by £400m as programming budgets cut

  11-09-2024 06:00
  
  Revenue plunges as cash-strapped broadcasters spend less on commissioning amid ad slump and shift to streamingThe TV production sector in the UK suffered a £400m fall in revenues last year as cash-strapped British broadcasters reduced spending to the lowest level since the height of the pandemic.The latest annual industry survey found that total revenues made by UK production companies fell by £392m to £3.61bn in 2023. However, just as traditional broadcasters struggle, global
  
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• Labour urged to impose stricter controls on gambling ads

  11-09-2024 06:00
  
  Campaigners say MPs should overturn previous government’s decision not to strengthen restrictionsLabour ministers are under pressure to overturn the previous government’s “bizarre” decision not to impose stricter regulation on gambling advertising, particularly around sport, from politicians, campaigners and figures from the world of football.At a summit held close to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, a succession of experts called on the culture secretary, Lisa Na
  
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• Get a VPN and delete your cookies, Australia’s privacy laws are still lagging behind | Paul Karp

  08-09-2024 17:00
  
  A privacy reform bill is being introduced this week but advocates fear industry lobbying has dumped some changes in the too-hard basketFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe internet and social media have been with us for so long, it can be hard to recall the first flush of shock when one became aware they were watching us – not just the other way around. One stray reference in an email to getting o
  
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• Google using anti-competitive tactics in UK ad market, claims watchdog

  06-09-2024 17:07
  
  CMA says tech company has ‘abused its dominant position’ to the detriment of publishers and advertisersBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK competition watchdog has accused Google of anti-competitive behaviour in the market for buying and selling ads on websites, in a move that follows similar investigations in the US and the EU.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had found that Google has “abused its dominant position” in online advertising to the d
  
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• Advertiser exodus from X gathers pace with 26% ‘planning to cut spending’

  05-09-2024 01:01
  
  Annual survey highlights growing concern about platform content and trust in information disseminatedMore than a quarter of advertisers are planning to cut spending on Elon Musk’s X over concerns about the social media platform’s content and trust in the information disseminated, according to new global research.Advertising revenue flowing to X has been in freefall since Musk bought the site, then known as Twitter, for $44bn (£38bn) in October 2022, claiming it had not lived up
  
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• Tony Strong obituary

  04-09-2024 18:40
  My father, Tony Strong, who has died aged 102, was a talented artist working in the theatre, television and film industries.He started his career in Covent Garden, London, working for the Royal Opera House with Oliver Messel, and the Theatre Royal, and remained there until the early 1960s when he took a job as a scenic artist in the brand new TV industry, first with Rediffusion Television.
  In 1972 Tony started his own company, Tony Strong Scenic Art, and enjoyed a long working life creating artw
  
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• US gambling sector’s ‘relentless’ social media posts breached own rules, study claims

  03-09-2024 13:00
  
  Exclusive: University of Bristol academics say gambling industry code ‘not being followed’ after analysis of social media posts by leading firmsAs gambling companies target social media users, the four leading online brands appear to be routinely breaching the industry’s self-imposed marketing regulations, according to a new study.Over one week this summer, academics at the University of Bristol found that BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPN Bet and FanDuel published more than a thousand
  
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• Big polluters targeting esports industry with advertising deals, report reveals

  23-08-2024 01:01
  
  Oil firms, petrostates, airlines and carmakers ‘doubling down’ on sector that is popular with young peopleOil companies, petrostates, airlines and carmakers are among the big polluters bombarding the esports industry with adverts, a study has found.Esports, short for electronic sports, are competitive video games watched by spectators, with multiplayer games such as League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients 2 attracting peak viewer figures in the millions. Continue reading...
  
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• Labor suspends government work being done by firm accused of fabricating Indigenous data

  21-08-2024 17:00
  Finance department suspends McNair yellowSquares from contracts until whistleblower claims are investigatedWhistleblower claims he was told to fabricate data for AEC during Indigenous voice campaignWhistleblower claims false survey data was provided to Australian defence departmentGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government has suspended research consultancy McNair yellowSquares from further advertising-related work until an investigation is co
  
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• Just Eat advert that depicted McDonald’s broke junk food code

  21-08-2024 01:01
  Advertising Standards Authority bans Facebook ad over lack of care to ensure it was not aimed at under-16sAn advert for the takeaway delivery service Just Eat that featured a McDonald’s burger has been banned for not taking sufficient care to ensure that it was not aimed at children under 16.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the paid-for Facebook advert must not appear again in its current form after it upheld a complaint made by Bite Back 2030, a youth activist movement
  
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• Bridget Archer and Fatima Payman sign letter pushing for total ban on gambling ads as independent MPs urge free vote

  20-08-2024 11:38
  More than 20 parliamentarians – including Jacqui Lambie and Lidia Thorpe – sign letter calling for blanket ban Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA total of 21 parliamentarians, including Liberal MP Bridget Archer and former Labor senator Fatima Payman, have joined a push for the government to ban all gambling ads, as independent MPs push for a free vote on a total ban.The first letter is sign
  
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• Britons splash out on get-togethers as events industry toasts summer boom

  16-08-2024 16:00
  
  Venues and companies report rise in bookings, from family bashes and weddings to date nights, book clubs and Dungeons & DragonsBritain is experiencing a summer party bonanza, with bookings for friends and family get-togethers, weddings and company events booming, while lower-key gatherings such as dating, book club and Dungeons & Dragons events enjoy a resurgence.Event organisers first began to see the summer boom during England’s run to the final of Euro 2024, with momentum increa
  
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• Rules on baby formula ads push up costs for parents, UK regulator says

  16-08-2024 13:51
  Investigation shows restrictions on makers from promoting price reductions softens competitionStrict rules on the advertising of baby formula are pushing up costs for parents in the UK, the competition watchdog has found, as it attempts to tackle “historically high” prices for the products.Baby formula makers are restricted from promoting price reductions, which “has the effect of softening competition on price”, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Friday,
  
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• Baby formula ad rules contribute to high costs for parents, UK regulator says

  16-08-2024 13:51
  Investigation shows restrictions on promoting price reductions among several factors softening competitionStrict rules on the advertising of baby formula are contributing to steep costs for parents in the UK, the competition watchdog has found, as it attempts to tackle “historically high” prices for the products.Baby formula makers are restricted from promoting price reductions, which “has the effect of softening competition on price”, the Competition and Markets Authorit
  
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• Advertisers axe corporate responsibility scheme after lawsuit from Musk’s X

  08-08-2024 22:18
  
  Decision from WFA follows X suit accusing advertisers of conspiring to withhold ‘billions of dollars in revenue’A global advertiser alliance has discontinued its corporate responsibility program after a lawsuit from Elon Musk’s X accused the group of orchestrating a “massive advertiser boycott”.The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) told members on Thursday that it would shut down the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (Garm) following legal attacks from X, fo
  
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• Elon Musk is being ridiculous. Companies are free to choose where to advertise

  07-08-2024 19:08
  
  There really isn’t a mystery about why X’s revenues may be fallingIt is less than a year since Elon Musk told advertisers who were shunning his social media site, X, that they could take their business elsewhere permanently. In fact, he encouraged them to do so. “Don’t advertise,” he said, amid a backlash over his endorsement of an antisemitic tweet. “If someone’s going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself.&r
  
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• Watchdog bans Gemma Collins advert promoting headset to treat depression

  07-08-2024 01:01
  ASA says Instagram video featuring TV star wearing device ‘encouraged people to take their treatment into own hands’An Instagram post by Gemma Collins in which she promoted wearing a headset to fight depression instead of seeking professional medical advice and treatment has been banned by the UK advertising watchdog.The TV personality posted a video wearing a Flow Neuroscience AB device, a £400 headset that sends mild electrical impulses to the frontal cortex of the brain resp
  
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• Musk’s X sues Unilever, Mars and CVS over ‘massive advertiser boycott’

  06-08-2024 20:55
  
  X said the companies worked against their economic self-interests in a conspiracy violating US antitrust lawElon Musk’s social media platform, X, on Tuesday sued a global advertising alliance and several major companies, including Unilever, Mars and CVS Health, accusing them of unlawfully conspiring to shun the social network and intentionally causing it to lose revenue. The company formerly known as Twitter accused the defendants of a “massive advertiser boycott”.X filed the l
  
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• Readers reply: Why do Visa and Mastercard advertise to consumers?

  28-07-2024 15:00
  
  The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhy do Visa, Mastercard and so on advertise to consumers? As far as I know, the way in which bank payments are processed is immaterial to the account holder. In any case, you can’t choose – you get whichever one your bank decides.Tom Gretton, ExeterSend new questions to [email protected]. Continue reading...
  
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• ITV’s ad revenue jumps 17% with assistance from the Euros

  25-07-2024 17:28
  Shares dip as broadcaster reveals its majority stake in company behind Sherlock and Douglas Is CancelledITV has reported a 17% surge in advertising revenue fuelled by the Euro 2024 tournament, while announcing that it has taken a majority stake in the production company behind shows including Sherlock, The Devil’s Hour and Douglas Is Cancelled.The broadcaster said on Thursday that total ad revenue – including TV and digital – was up 17% year on year for the three months to the
  
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• Adidas apologises to Bella Hadid after she appeared in campaign criticised by Israel

  24-07-2024 16:38
  Sportswear company issues statement after accusations it was conflating Palestinian identity with terrorismAdidas has apologised to the model Bella Hadid after pulling adverts in which she was promoting a sport shoe first launched to coincide with the 1972 Munich Olympics.Adidas last week said it was “revising” its campaign after criticism from Israel over Hadid’s involvement in the campaign for the retro SL72 trainers. Hadid is an American whose family has roots in Palestine.
  
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• Football fans deserve better than ad industry’s cynical stereotypes | John Brewin

  23-07-2024 09:00
  
  Supporters are tired of being patronised by adverts for companies which often work against their interestsHow was Euro 2024 for you? Exciting, disappointing, fun, all right, intriguing tactically, a waste of environmental resources? There is a whole world of valid responses to that rather banal question. Though for those football fans you see in adverts, for whom the Euros was a busy time, what with ads for TVs, betting, specs, hybrid vehicles, Scottish fizzy drinks, sportswear, holidays, razors
  
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• Vivendi plans to float Canal+ in London in boost to UK markets

  22-07-2024 12:26
  Media group controlled by Vincent Bolloré to break up, with advertising company Havas to list in AmsterdamBusiness live – latest updatesVivendi plans to float its French TV business Canal+ in London, providing a shot in the arm for the capital’s stock exchange which has seen a number of high-profile companies opt for rival international financial centres such as New York.The move is part of a drive to break up the media conglomerate controlled by the billionaire Vincent Bollor
  
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• Australian abortion provider says new Google policy will make it harder to advertise services

  19-07-2024 04:28
  Tech firm will require global telemedicine services to register with Portland, Oregon-based certifications company LegitScriptFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian abortion and contraception provider MSI says Google is forcing the organisation to pay thousands of dollars a year to a third-party US company to keep advertising its telehealth services in Google search.Under a new health and medic
  
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• ‘Advergames’: how games platform Roblox became a corporate marketing playground

  13-07-2024 17:00
  
  Advertising to children is strictly regulated – but household brands are flooding the gaming platform Roblox with interactive marketing. Is this a danger to young users?In the blocky world of Chipotle Burrito Builder, players don the uniform of the Tex-Mex restaurant chain to make burritos for virtual customers. The available toppings are taken from Chipotle’s real-world menu. Your shirt and cap are emblazoned with the Chipotle logo. And when the game launched two years ago, the firs
  
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