Marketing news

• Meet the “World’s Biggest Asshole” in this organ donation PSA

  04-08-2016 23:07
  
  Nonprofit Donate Life has launched an edgy campaign that it hopes will catch the attention of young people and make them realize that if the world’s biggest asshole can donate his organs, then anyone can.
  The video features actor Thomas Jane as the character Coleman F. Sweeney, aka the “World’s Biggest Asshole.” Voiced by actor Will Arnett, the film walks viewers through a day in the life of Sweeney as he does signature “asshole” things, like beep at little ol
  
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• The Sun closes gap between content and commerce with Sun Bets launch

  04-08-2016 20:10
  
  The Sun’s launch of betting site Sun Bets is part of the publisher’s move to open up new revenue streams beyond its flagship newspaper, recognising that in the struggling print market having one offering that attempts to meet all audience needs will not uphold the business.
  To counter this, the publisher is attempting to marry its content and commercial offerings by building out brand extensions for each subset of its audience. Sun Bets taps into the Sun’s sporting audience tha
  
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• Twitter users can now “unlock” exclusive content if they tweet branded hashtags

  04-08-2016 19:50
  
  Twitter has launched a new ad format that it hopes will increase engagement between users and brands on the platform.
  Called ‘Instant Unlock Card,’ the tool lets users access exclusive content, like a film trailer or Q&A, if they respond to a brand’s call-to-action on Twitter. The feature is part of Twitter’s “conversational ads,” which are tweets that include images or video along with a call-to-action button that prompts users to tweet the brand’s
  
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• Random acts of music: Why politics and music rarely connect

  04-08-2016 19:40
  
  In Tena Clark’s pointed opinion, there has never been a good combination of political campaign-meets-music theme. Even when Bill Clinton used Fleetwood Mac’s infectious “Don’t Stop” during his winning campaign, Clark called it “the best of the worst.”
  Clark should know. The founder, CEO and CCO of DMI Music has spent a lifetime in the music world since moving to LA from Mississippi in 1982. While she recently moved to Atlanta to open new DMI offices ther
  
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• DC Thomson on why the time’s right to open its inventory directly to agencies and advertisers

  04-08-2016 19:37
  
  DC Thomson is the latest publisher to offer automated guaranteed inventory to agencies and advertisers, a move it claims takes it closer to a “utopia” of quality and quantity as opposed to relying on high volume, low yield ad inventory.
  The publisher of The Beano has brought on board Ad Eye to facilitate the guarantee that will effectively streamline the RFP method for automated trading.
  Instead of having to manually plan and fulfill a sale via emails, phone calls, etc., the process
  
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• Maya Angelou celebrates the Human Family for Apple Olympic spot

  04-08-2016 18:47 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Poet laureate's reading of "Human Family" underscores theme of global unity
  
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• Apple "Maya Angelou reads Human Family" by TBWA\Media Arts Lab

  04-08-2016 18:47 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Poet laureate's reading of "Human Family" underscores theme of global unity
  
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• Brands can combat a rise in the ‘digital detox’ by investing in messenger apps

  04-08-2016 18:33
  
  Today (4 August), Ofcom released its Communication Markets Report, with it suggesting people are looking to ‘switch off’ through a digital detox. According to the survey, which questioned 2,025 adults and 500 teenagers, 34% of internet users are now taking regular periods away from the web for up to a month.
  Of those surveyed, 59% consider themselves to be “addicted” to their phone, with a third saying they found it difficult to disconnect.
  However, marketers should not d
  
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• ANA invites 4A’s to its Masters of Marketing conference to discuss media transparency disagreements

  04-08-2016 18:08
  
  Following the 4A’s rejection of the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) recently-issued media transparency guidelines, the ANA has invited the 4A’s board of directors to its upcoming Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando to “have an open dialogue” about the matter.
  The invitation comes as the two trade bodies continue to disagree over the best course of action for media transparency issues that have plagued the industry ever since former Mediac
  
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• Marketers must focus on ‘great work that brings business results’ following interest rates cut

  04-08-2016 18:05
  
  The Bank of England is cutting its interest rates for the first time in seven years today (4 August) in a bid to boost the economy and increase market and consumer confidence following the UK vote to leave the EU.
  The benchmark rate has been at 0.5% since early 2009, but was reduced to 0.25%. The bank’s governor Mark Carney said there was scope to cut the interest rate further.
  Besides cutting interest rates, the bank also decided to implement a £100bn scheme to force banks to pass o
  
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• China’s biggest brand on its plans to conquer the West

  04-08-2016 18:02
  
  Tencent is officially China’s biggest brand. It has more than 1 billion monthly users, runs the country’s biggest internet portal and its most popular messaging service, WeChat. Last year, meanwhile, the mass media giant generated revenues of almost £12bn.
  According to Millward Brown’s BrandZ, it is also the most valuable brand in the country, worth £85bn. And it is 11th in the world, ahead of the likes of Coca-Cola, Disney and MasterCard.
  But in the UK, and m
  
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• Apple launches heartfelt 'The Human Family' spot ahead of the Olympics

  04-08-2016 17:31 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Apple has released an emotional spot as part of its long-running Shot on iPhone series, this time narrated to a poem by Maya Angelou.
  
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• Ad of the Day: #TeamRefugees triumph over the odds to compete at Rio 2016

  04-08-2016 17:31
  
  Four months ago, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the formation of a refugee team at Rio 2016, independent film production company Just So sought out refugee athletes from around the world to make a long-form documentary to change perceptions. Now, on the eve of the Games, the trailer for the film has arrived.
  Co-produced by Grey London, the documentary tells the story of 65 million people forced from their homes and offers a human perspective on the biggest crisis of our
  
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• Tesco believes ‘experience, discovery and expertise’ will strengthen its Finest range, as it eschews traditional sampling for a pop-up

  04-08-2016 17:17
  
  Tesco hopes to capture the flag of premium supermarket ranges by adding an element of immersive experience to its Finest brand.
  To realise this tactic, the grocer has opened a pop-up wine bar in London’s Soho. The activation is one that consumers may not necessarily expect from Tesco: it features a minimalist, subtly branded interior, black chalkboards, trendy metal furniture and a bar stocked with 48 Finest wines.
  The pop-up is open until 13 August. It’s the first time Tesco has emb
  
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• How not to get verified on Twitter: Why applying for the blue tick gave me the blues

  04-08-2016 17:00
  
  After Twitter announced last month that anybody could apply to be verified, I was pretty sure this was my chance.
  Had the coveted blue tick been opened up to everyone when I was still a student using Twitter for the odd tweet about running late for lectures or links to my blog, I wouldn't have been interested. 
  Now, however, as a journalist working at The Drum, I was sure it would be a hop, skip and a jump to get that little sought after icon as an "account of public int
  
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• Relaunched Virgin Radio marked as 'serious player' after attracting 400,000 listeners

  04-08-2016 16:48 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Virgin Radio is set to become a "serious player" after helping to deliver impressive listening figures over the past three months for parent company Wireless Group, according to media agencies.
  
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• Adidas claims it has redefined real-time marketing as it posts ‘stellar’ sales

  04-08-2016 16:45
  
  Heavyweight investments to ensure it was the most talked about sports brand this summer have sparked what Adidas’ outgoing chief executive Herbert Hainer called “stellar” sales that will help push past its 2.5bn sales target for 2016.
  The business has went to great lengths to talk up the quality of its social media marketing in recent months and Hainer used its latest analysts' call to spotlight its commercial impact. And while it has been coy about how these interactions
  
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• Digital Gurus: Senior Digital Product Manager

  04-08-2016 16:23
  
  £350 - £400 Per Day:Digital Gurus:
  Senior Digital Product Manager | Government | Cardiff | 6 month contract | £350 - £400 per dayI've got an amazing opportunity for an experienced Senior Digital Product manager to join a major Government service, to focus on continuous improvement of cru
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• Brits warm to Brexit but study reveals chasm in how nation is perceived

  04-08-2016 16:21 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Brits are feeling better about Brexit, according to new research from J Walter Thompson - but a referendum held today would be likely to overturn the result.
  
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• Time Warner becomes equity holder and live streaming partner of Hulu

  04-08-2016 16:07
  
  Time Warner and Hulu have joined forces as Time Warner taken a 10 per cent stake in the premium streaming TV service. Through its investment, Time Warner joins The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, and Comcast as Hulu shareholders.
  “Our investment in Hulu underscores Time Warner’s commitment to supporting and developing new platforms for the delivery of high-quality content and great consumer experiences to audiences around the globe,” Jeff Bewkes, Chairman and CEO of
  
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• Lucozade Sport launches new bottle design and rebrands low calorie variant

  04-08-2016 16:00
  
  Lucozade has introduced a new bottle design for its Sport line of drinks to make the brand stand out on shelf and help consumers to identify the different flavours in the range. 
  The new Lucozade Sport bottles feature a textured grip and 'waist', making it easier to hold when on the move.  The design aims to drive purchase intent through eye-catching colours and textures which the drinks brand says will 'reflect the contemporary world of sport and exercise'. 
  Lucozade has also reb
  
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• If your brand’s content falls flat, take a leap of faith to fix it

  04-08-2016 15:49
  
  The currency of digital marketing today is fast becoming quality content given the amount of time people spend on their phones inside one of a small handful of destinations like Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube or Snapchat. It’s through smart, highly authentic videos, pictures, and words that consumers are discovering and connecting with a brand’s DNA while they tune out more traditional ad mechanisms.
  In some respects, it’s remarkable how fast brands and their content efforts have
  
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• Vox Pop: The gender fall out in today's ad land

  04-08-2016 15:40
  
  After Kevin Robert’s resignation from Saatchi & Saatchi, it is clear that the gender debate within ad land is far from ‘over’. The Drum Network asks its members, how can we make steps to overcome the inequality?
  
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• Google expands its AMP speed boost beyond news pages

  04-08-2016 15:38
  
  Google has opened up its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to websites beyond media and news companies.
  The service, which was made exclusively available to publishers to accelerate load speeds in March in a bid to lessen the burden of its ad network, is inviting the wider web to get on board.
  AMP has previously had difficulty getting publishers up to speed with the changes, so this latest roll out comes as a demo and will remain so for the next few months.
  Google announced that the move will not i
  
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• #MenInHijab campaign sees Iranian men wear headscarves to back women's rights

  04-08-2016 15:26
  
  Swathes of men in Iran are posting pictures of themselves wearing a hijab as part of a campaign protesting against a law that makes it compulsory for women to wear them. 
  The #MenInHijab campaign was created by online social movement My Stealthy Freedom, which was started by Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad in 2014. The campaign aims to show solidarity with women who have been forced to cover their hair in public since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
  
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• BBC testing service to let viewers watch the Rio 2016 Olympics in 360 video

  04-08-2016 15:24
  
  The BBC is launching an experimental service, BBC Sport 360, that will allow viewers to watch the Rio Olympics in 360 degree video this year as part of the organisation’s testing and learning of the VR medium and its value for audiences.
  The service is intended to allow fans to get closer to the Olympics action and enjoy a new perspective on a range of live sports, including the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, and a closer-than-ringside view of the boxing.
  There will be live 360
  
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• Twitter extends conversational ads to all advertisers and launches 'Instant Unlock' option

  04-08-2016 14:41 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Twitter has introduced a new feature, Instant Unlock Card, to its conversational ads, which roll out to all advertisers today after a seven month beta.
  
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• 'Don't try to be something you're not' - Social Buzz Awards judges from Glamour, Sony, O2 and more reveal the dos and don'ts of awards entries

  04-08-2016 14:00
  
  Winning a pitch is one thing, but winning awards is a completely different ball game and winning awards for social media is another thing altogether.
  From new platforms springing up to near-constant changes to success metrics it can be difficult to know what to do and, more importantly, what not to do. 
  So, as the deadline for this year's Social Buzz Awards approaches (Friday 5 August) we've rounded up some of this year's esteemed panel to find out what they're looking for and what entrants
  
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• How Cancer Research UK is using virtual reality to create personalised experiences

  04-08-2016 13:46
  
  Cancer Research UK has combined virtual reality and personalisation to create an immersive experience to recognise the 100,000 people who have left the charity a gift in their will.
  Working with agency Atomic London, Cancer Research UK invited friends and family of the benefactors to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show between 4 and 10 July to experience the Life Garden, a field of 100,000 virtual flowers each bearing the name of a supporter, which came to life when viewed through the
  
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• How Cancer Research UK is using virtual reality create personalised experiences

  04-08-2016 13:46
  
  Cancer Research UK has combined virtual reality and personalisation to create an immersive experience to recognise the 100,000 people who have left the charity a gift in their will.
  Working with agency Atomic London, Cancer Research UK invited friends and family of the benefactors to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show between 4 and 10 July to experience the Life Garden, a field of 100,000 virtual flowers each bearing the name of a supporter, which came to life when viewed through the
  
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• Rajar round-up: BBC Radio 1 audience slides, Radio 4 gets ‘Brexit Boost’ and Virgin notes impressive first figures

  04-08-2016 13:24
  
  The latest quarterly Radio Joint Audience Research (Rajar) figures have been revealed, providing a snapshot of the listening figures for BBC and commercial radio stations across the UK and giving an insight into what shape the industry is in.
  Falling under the spotlight this quarter is the BBC Radio 1’s audience decline, the rise of digital radio and Bauer’s strong performance.
  We’ve rounded up the top takeaways for you below, scroll down to take a look.
  BBC 
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• How to create lasting impact from immersive brand experiences

  04-08-2016 13:12
  
  The value of the experience economy cannot be underestimated. In an age where immersive experiences have become the order of the day, brands are raising the bar and moving beyond gimmicky, one-off events to create campaigns with real impact by engaging people over a longer period of time.
  Launched in June, popcorn company Propercorn’s Institute of Flavour campaign blended experiential marketing with influencer activity, digital and a social media push.
  Hosted in collaboration with fla
  
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• Tennent's renames 'Barcade' campaign as US company threatens legal action

  04-08-2016 12:26
  
  Tennent's Lager has been forced to change the branding on specially-created arcade machines sent out as part of its summer activity following the threat of legal action from a chain of US bars.
  The company, called Barcade pursued Tennent's for its use of the 'Barcade' trademark on arcade cabinets and games it planned to distribute to pubs across the country.
  The campaign rolled out in July as Barcade with the lager brand seeking to entertain pub-goers
  
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• Tennent's forced to rename 'Barcade' campaign as US company threatens legal action

  04-08-2016 12:26
  
  Tennent's Lager has been forced to change the branding on specially-created arcade machines sent out as part of its summer activity following the threat of legal action from a chain of US bars.
  The company, called Barcade pursued Tennent's for its use of the 'Barcade' trademark on arcade cabinets and games it planned to distribute to pubs across the country.
  The campaign rolled out in July as Barcade with the lager brand seeking to entertain pub-goers
  
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• Bullring and Brent Cross retail park owner Hammerson rebrands to 'enter public consciousness'

  04-08-2016 12:24
  
  European retail and shopping centre developer Hammerson has introduced a new identity as it looks to strike a deeper brand association with shoppers. 
  The 70-year old brand owns 59 different retail sites across Europe, including the Bull Ring in Birmingham and Brent Cross Shopping Centre in London, but has remained in the background unlike its competitors. 
  Hammerson worked with Pentagram to create the new brand identity, and tasked the agency with two goals; to make the brand mor
  
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• What is the value of the Olympics brand now that relaxed marketing rules make it easier for non-sponsors?

  04-08-2016 12:15
  
  Olympic bosses have opened the tournament to non-sponsors for the first time in an attempt to swell its reach, all but confirming the rise of the pseudo sponsors and the pivotal but controversial role they have to play.
  Innovative and contrarian aren’t words normally associated with the International Olympic Committee and yet that’s exactly how sponsorship experts describe its shake-up to the business of marketing for the event. Sponsors will have to share the likes of Usain Bolt and
  
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• Creatives hit back at 'bad taste' Sprite ads

  04-08-2016 12:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Two female creatives have responded to Sprite ads accused of sexism with a mock-up of work bringing down the comments.
  
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• Ladbrokes says strong results due to marketing investment and sporting flukes

  04-08-2016 11:54 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Ladbrokes chief executive Jim Mullen thanked the "sporting gods" for conditions that allowed the bookmaker to up its revenues by 13.1% to £661.8m in the first half of 2016 - but also said the company's investment in marketing had paid off.
  
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• Supermarkets fight back over claims they are not doing their part to fight obesity

  04-08-2016 11:53
  
  Supermarkets have come under fire for their role in the obesity crisis after new research found that more than half of promotions are for products such as junk food and fizzy drinks, rather than healthy options.
  Some 53% of the 77,165 promotions on offer at the major supermarkets between April and June were on unhealthy food and drink items – those high in fat, saturates, sugar or salt – according to mySupermarket data analysed by Which?.
  It found the proportion of offers on unhealth
  
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• Supermarkets fight back over claims they are not doing enough to tackle obesity

  04-08-2016 11:53
  
  Supermarkets have come under fire for their role in the obesity crisis after new research found more than half of promotions are for products such as junk food and fizzy drinks, rather than healthy options.
  Some 53% of the 77,165 promotions on offer at the major supermarkets between April and June were on unhealthy food and drink items – those high in fat, saturates, sugar or salt – according to mySupermarket data analysed by Which?.
  It found the proportion of offers on unhealthy foo
  
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• 15m Briton’s embrace a ‘digital detox’ to escape modern life

  04-08-2016 11:47
  
  Britons are increasingly resorting to going cold turkey to spare themselves from a constant barrage of 24/7 news, social media updates and emails.
  The rise of the so called ‘digital detox’ has been charted by an Ofcom report which found that a third of internet users, some 15 million people, have sought to take a conscious breather from all forms of digital communication in an effort to stay sane.
  This sees people voluntarily switch off for as much as a month by stying away
  
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• Twitter’s share price skyrockets on takeover speculation

  04-08-2016 11:22
  
  Twitter’s share price has skyrocketed today on the back of speculation that Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer has partnered with Saudi investor Prince Al-Waleed Bin-Talal to mount a takeover of the micro blogging service.
  News of the possible intervention saw Twitter’s stock soar to $17.72 having hit an all-time low of just $14.01 as recently as May following a stall in member growth over the first quarter.
  Ballmer already owns four per cent of Twitter whilst Bin-Talal controls a five pe
  
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• Kit Harington drops the direwolfs to tame William Blake’s ‘Tyger’ in the Infiniti Q60

  04-08-2016 11:16
  
  Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington has delivered a powerful performance of William Blake’s The Tyger to promote the release of Infiniti’s Q60 sports coupe.
  The one-minute video, named Tyger, sees the Emmy-nominated actor liken the poem to the new car range, during a visually-engaging journey through a series of winding forest roads.
  Harington said: “What inspires me personally in my life, is a beautiful piece of writing. Something which is specific, delicate and beautifu
  
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• Apple makes modest progress in recruiting more women and minorities

  04-08-2016 10:50
  
  Apple’s latest diversity report has shown the tech giant to be making slow but steady progress in recruiting more women and minorities, with 37 per cent of new hires in 2016 being female. 27 per cent came from an ethnic minority background.
  This represents a slight uptick from comparative 2015  figures which stood at 35 and 24 per cent respectively and dovetails with a guarantee that all US employees will receive equal pay for equal work irrespective of gender and race.
  In a statement
  
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• National newspapers bring in Steve Booth for collaboration project

  04-08-2016 10:39 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  The UK national newspaper industry has appointed the Arena Media UK founder Steve Booth to lead an investigation into whether their commercial operations could work more closely together.
  
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• Nike withdraws from golf equipment business amidst falling sales, knocking partnerships with Woods and McIlroy

  04-08-2016 10:28
  
  Sportswear brand Nike is to make a tactical retreat from the golf equipment sector after failing to turn around years of falling sales for clubs, bags and balls.
  Nike won’t be throwing in the towel completely on the sport however and has vowed to redouble its efforts to ‘accelerate innovation’ in golf footwear and clothing.
  In 2015 Nike weathered an 8 per cent decline in sales at its golf unit to $706m, its third year of contraction, despite the high profile sponsorship of Rory
  
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• Morning Bulletin: Tesco goes upmarket, Google takes to the skies & listeners desert Radio 1

  04-08-2016 09:58
  This morning’s news digest includes a mixed bag of corporate and digital stories including a report that Tesco is looking to go upmarket with the launch of its first pop-up wine bar, Google’s drone delivery fleet being cleared for take-off and an exodus of listeners from BBC Radio 1.
  Retail Week enjoys a glass of vino at the launch of Tesco’s first pop-up wine bar as the struggling supermarket chain seeks to go upmarket in an effort to drive awareness of its ‘Finest&rsquo
  
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• Russell Parsons: Why CMOs aren’t always the best brand guardians

  04-08-2016 09:47
  
  Tesco is on the hunt for its fourth marketing boss in three years. Chief customer officer Robin Terrell has resigned from the supermarket to pursue pastures new. Since 2014, the UK’s biggest retailer has undergone a series of departures, rethinks and restructures at the top of its marketing tree.
  Even though the rate of change at Tesco is notable, the pattern reflects reality – CMO tenures are short and getting shorter. The Marketing Society and Spencer Stuart, who put average UK and
  
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• Russell Parsons: Why CMOs aren’t always brand guardians

  04-08-2016 09:47
  
  Tesco is on the hunt for its fourth marketing boss in three years. Chief customer officer Robin Terrell has resigned from the supermarket to pursue pastures new. Since 2014, the UK’s biggest retailer has undergone a series of departures, rethinks and restructures at the top of its marketing tree.
  Even though the rate of change at Tesco is notable, the pattern reflects reality – CMO tenures are short and getting shorter. The Marketing Society and Spencer Stuart, who put average UK and
  
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• Animator accuses McDonald’s of plagiarising his viral (and surreal) dancing cow video

  04-08-2016 09:40
  
  A prominent YouTube animator is accusing a McDonald's agency of copying one of his 2010 videos 'Cows & Cows & Cows’.
  Cyriak Harris' video work, often features the animated distortion and mutation of animals, often backed by a jarring bizarre soundtrack. His video featuring dancing cows snagged more than 37 million views.
  Video of cows &am
  
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