Marketing news

• How USA Today continues to grab a VR slice of America

  19-01-2017 23:48
  
  Tomorrow, the USA Today network will be live streaming the Presidential inauguration in VR and 360-degree formats. With multiple camera angles capturing the historic event at the Capitol, the National Mall and along the parade route, it will be a fully-immersive look at one of America’s most important political days, starting at 9:30amET on USA Today’s YouTube channel.
  This is the first VR livestreaming for USA Today and their VRtually There program, which debuted in Octobe
  
  Read more

• Target promotes Rick Gomez to chief marketing officer

  19-01-2017 23:41
  
  Target has promoted Rick Gomez to the role of chief marketing officer.
  He replaces Jeff Jones, who left Target last August to join Uber as president of ride sharing.
  Gomez joined September in 2013 as SVP-marketing. According to Target, Gomez’s leadership “has been instrumental in driving growth in Target’s signature categories of Baby, Kids, Style and Wellness.”
  In his new role, Gomez will oversee marketing and media strategy, creative, marketing communications, guest res
  
  Read more

• ‘You need to have a sustaining energy that can propel you’: Second Story’s Keri Elmsly on what it takes to be a great creative

  19-01-2017 21:38
  
  The Drum recently caught up with Keri Elmsly, chief creative officer of Portland-based Second Story, to find out what she thinks it takes to be a great creative.
  Elmsly believes that great creatives are able to embrace roadblocks and failures rather than become defeated by them. Instead of pitching an idea once and letting it die if it doesn’t work out the first time, Elmsy said that a great creative will continue to hone and sharpen the idea if it’s something they truly believe in.
  
  Read more

• Bai’s Super Bowl ad will star its “chief flavor officer” Justin Timberlake

  19-01-2017 20:43
  
  Bai, maker of low-calorie, antioxidant-infused drinks, is returning to the Super Bowl this year with a spot starring its chief flavor officer Justin Timberlake and a “surprise special guest.”
  The spot marks Bai’s first national Super Bowl appearance. Last year, the beverage brand aired a regional Super Bowl ad called “Horse Whisperer.” Created by Barton F. Graf, the spot featured a loud-mouthed "horse whisperer" who spends the majority of the ad yelling at the
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• The Movie Marketing Blog: On The Founder, Facebook and Apple

  19-01-2017 19:25
  
  McDonald’s is an American institution for good or for ill. You can make a case for or against the company’s food, its labor practices and other aspects of its operations, but you can’t dispute it being a powerful force in American culture and society.
  Drive along any interstate in this country and you’re likely to see multiple signs informing you of the next - or next three - exit where you’ll be able to enjoy a McDonald’s burger, fries and shake. And the meal
  
  Read more

• Jerry Seinfeld takes “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” to Netflix

  19-01-2017 17:48
  
  Jerry Seinfeld is taking “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” to Netflix and abandoning Sony’s Crackle service after five years. The show will air its tenth season which be 24 episodes by late 2017.
  Netflix will also get the rights to the 59 episodes that aired on Crackle by the end of 2017.
  Throughout the show, Seinfeld drives around in vintage cars that he selects based upon the guest in that episode. Guests have included Chris Rock, David Letterman, Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, Bara
  
  Read more

• YouTube tests Facebook-style messaging feature and tinkers with classic 'loading' spinner

  19-01-2017 17:43
  
  YouTube is looking to take on the likes of Facebook Messenger with a new in-app messaging function which lets users send videos to each other without leaving the platform's walls.
  The service has been in testing since last year, but officially launched in Canada yesterday (18 January) and aims to make sharing videos more social but will also serve as a place for users to send ordinary text messages. 
  Google product manager Ben Yair said the company hopes the the move will kee
  
  Read more

• Bedding company sends Donald Trump personalized sheets to help him get a good night’s sleep

  19-01-2017 17:25
  
  Like it or loathe it, Donald Trump will officially become the 45th president of the United States tomorrow. To wish him good luck (and hopefully garner a bit of buzz), Boulder-based 37.5 Technology has sent Trump a personalized comforter and sheets that it says have been “scientifically proven to keep you in the comfort zone longer than traditional bedding."
  While the bedroom-themed gimmick seems particularly bizarre in light of the “golden showers” debacle, it could give the c
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Three trends that could make marketing better in 2017

  19-01-2017 17:13
  It is most likely that the universe and its trends don’t really care that the calendar digits have flipped over. That being the case, here are some wider trends that I believe we saw starting in 2016 and will go into 2017 and beyond.
  Inter-agency collaboration making for better marketing, and also making marketing better
  With the rising importance of interconnected media on the one hand, and budget pressures on the other, clients are expecting agencies to work together.
  At WPP it’s c
  
  Read more

• Marketing Source sells to tech provider Equiniti

  19-01-2017 17:11
  
  Marketing Source has sold to technology company Equiniti for an undisclosed sum.
  The agency specialises in data and digital communications and lists high street retailer Debenhams, Universal, Stella, Santander and O2 among its clients.
  Equiniti describes itself as “an intelligent provider of sophisticated technology, administration, processing and payments services,” to blue-chip companies, Government and retail investors in the UK.
  The deal was advised by global M&A and consulta
  
  Read more

• Welcome to the internet of superfluous things

  19-01-2017 17:10
  
  Internet connected rubber ducks, anyone? TMW's Marc Curtis looks at the explosion of new internet of things products and asks, when did innovation stop being about solving problems? 
  Last night I attended the MassChallenge fundraiser and awards night, where some of the 100 MassChallenge finalists' achievements were celebrated and rewarded. Yet again I was reminded how amazing some of these young entrepreneurs are, such as startups Entocycle, which is converting food waste into pro
  
  Read more

• IPA criticises 'unreasonable' production companies over rigged pitch concerns

  19-01-2017 16:43
  
  The IPA has said it is "unreasonable" to suggest agencies should not pitch against production companies for the same work.
  
  Read more

• Trinity Mirror slashes 78 editorial jobs at regional titles as it refocuses on digital and video

  19-01-2017 16:35
  
  Trinity Mirror is making 77 redundancies at its regional weekly and daily titles and refocusing its business around digital and video.
  As part of the company restructure, the publisher is creating 44 new roles focused on boosting its digital expertise, including 17 specifically aimed at video journalists and producers.
  The roles that will be made redundant will be spread across the editorial department, including management. To "improve efficiency", the company will introduce regional
  
  Read more

• Helen Tupper: Don’t chase high salaries – a good fit is what creates happiness

  19-01-2017 16:35
  
  In this year’s Marketing Week Career and Salary Survey, we learn that just over 98% of us most value a good working environment, closely followed by fair rewards (97.6%) and challenging work (94.6%). While we are relatively balanced about what will keep us working with an organisation, there is a much more distinctive reason that will make us leave, with the majority of us putting our search to find better financial remuneration first.
  This creates a risky situation for our career happines
  
  Read more

• Alibaba plans dedicated e-commerce site for Olympics sponsors as it inks decade-long deal with IOC

  19-01-2017 16:35
  
  Alibaba is to sponsor the Olympics in a deal that will run until 2028. It will see the Chinese retail giant create a global e-commerce platform specifically for Olympics sponsors to sell their branded wares.
  The company has become the official e-commerce and cloud services partner as well as a founding partner of the Olympic Channel, ahead of Asia hosting three consecutive Games.
  South Korea's Pyeongchang it to host the 2018 winter Games, Tokyo the 2020 summer Olympics and Beijing the 2022
  
  Read more

• Labour hits back at Tories on NHS lines in first party political broadcast of 2017

  19-01-2017 16:15
  
  Last night (18 January) saw the Labour Party release a party political broadcast lambasting the Conservative government for its alleged abandonment of the NHS.
  The three minute, 40-second film is the first produced for the party by Krow since it was appointed to represent the party last November in anticipation of a snap election. The spot follows an actress walking around a deserted hospital as she lists the problems the NHS is currently experiencing.
  At the end of the film, she promises viewer
  
  Read more

• Labour hits back at Tories on NHS lines in first party political broadcast of 2016

  19-01-2017 16:15
  
  Last night (18 January) saw the Labour Party release a party political broadcast lambasting the Conservative government for its alleged abandonment of the NHS.
  The three minute, 40-second film is the first produced for the party by Krow since it was appointed to represent the party last November in anticipation of a snap election. The spot follows an actress walking around a deserted hospital as she lists the problems the NHS is currently experiencing.
  At the end of the film, she promises viewer
  
  Read more

• Dove: Going into schools isn’t about selling products but being authentic

  19-01-2017 16:07
  
  Dove claims it “walks the talk” when it comes to promoting positive self-esteem, as it launches a toolkit into schools to tackle body image anxiety among children.
  The toolkit was launched after research conducted by the Unilever-owned brand in collaboration with the YMCA and EdComs found that almost a third (30%) of UK secondary school pupils isolate themselves to avoid activities because of body image anxiety, with more than half (52%) worrying about how they look.
  The report, whi
  
  Read more

• LinkedIn gets a makeover with redesign that places content front and centre

  19-01-2017 15:56
  
  LinkedIn has been given a desktop redesign to bring its site closer in line with its mobile app and make the platform more "intuitive" for users. 
  The revamp (above) is being rolled out to the professional social network's 467 million members from today (19 January) onwards features streamlined navigation, improved search functions and new messaging features. 
  Announcing the news in a blog, the company's director of engineering Chris Pruett said the makeover was a "complete o
  
  Read more

• The Drum's Agency Acceleration Day returns for fifth year

  19-01-2017 15:28
  
  The UK chief executive of iCrossing, Mark Iremonger, will be among those speaking at the fifth year of The Drum's Agency Acceleration Day. 
  The annual event is an opportunity for agency leaders, directors and senior managers to get together to hear insightful talks from a range of agency experts.
  Also speaking on the preliminary agenda is Judy Goldberg, founder at Wondershift, who has more than two decades of experience in delivering and facilitating leadership development.
  Managing a
  
  Read more

• The Masters of Marketing Awards returns better than ever in 2017

  19-01-2017 15:20
  
  The Masters of Marketing Awards is back and will this year be powered by Marketing Week.
  The Awards celebrate every aspect of a marketer’s job from strategy through to execution, while also rewarding excellence in key vertical sectors and in tackling some of the biggest issues and challenges brands face.
  In addition to those brands recognised for their mastery of these disciplines, the “Special Masters” awards will be handed out by our jury of top marketers for the best market
  
  Read more

• Agency trade body dismisses “unjustified” grumbles from production companies over agency pitch process

  19-01-2017 15:20
  
  The IPA has hit back against complaints from production companies that advertising agencies shouldn’t be allowed to compete against them in the same pitch as this will create a “rigged” system, dismissing such claims as “unreasonable” and “unjust”.
  In an open letter a group of 15 production companies said they "don’t want to be part of" a system in which agencies invite independent production bids for contracts that they are considering pitching fo
  
  Read more

• Transport for London upgrades key digital planning platform with Mando

  19-01-2017 15:06
  
  Transport for London (TfL) has engaged Mando to deliver a range of enhancements to its key digital planning platform, WebCAT (the Web-based Connectivity Assessment Toolkit).
  This tool is used by professional planners in London when considering the impact of new houses or other developments on public transport access levels (PTAL) and travel times. The latest version of WebCAT now includes: heat maps which show users how well-connected an area is, not only by public transport but now also by cycl
  
  Read more

• Cramer-Krasselt Chicago adds Rick Hamman to executive team

  19-01-2017 15:04
  
  Cramer-Krasselt Chicago has brought on Rick Hamman as its new executive creative officer. Hamman will join the C-K team after serving as the chief creative officer at The Onion, a Chicago-based digital media company.
  “[Rick’s] experience includes global branding, the pioneering of media-partnership branded content, and Cramer-Krasselt.  So, for us, those represent an ideal combination,” said Marshall Ross, chief creative officer, Cramer-Krasselt.
  The Onion has announced th
  
  Read more

• John Oliver gatecrashes HBO's Game of Thrones, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Silicon Valley in crossover promo

  19-01-2017 15:03
  
  HBO’s incumbent cynical Englishman John Oliver is promoting the return of his late night show ‘Last Week Tonight’ in a promo crossing over with three of the broadcaster’s most prominent shows.
  To cement Last Week Tonight's return (12 February), Oliver appears on the set of Game of Thrones from behind the coveted Iron Throne, in a self-degrading admittance HBO has much better shows than his.
  During the 90 second slot, Oliver is belittled by the promo’s narrator,
  
  Read more

• AB appoints client services director and commits to new London base

  19-01-2017 15:02
  
  Exeter-based digital agency AB has appointed a new client services director and committed to a new office space in London as it continues its growth into 2017.
  Michelle Fero joins AB from Embrace where she was an account director, prior to which she spent seven years as client director at leading branding agency Landor Associates.
  Fero’s remit will include growing the agency’s London presence, servicing existing clients and will be very much involved in the agency’s drive for m
  
  Read more

• The Drum at CES |Data and Understanding the Customer Journey

  19-01-2017 14:48
  
  More brands than ever before have access to data and technology but they often target the same customers again and again. A survey by Econsultancy last year found that a major problem faced by marketers is the ability to use data to map the customer journey. 
  Another challenge is gaining visibility into the customer journey across multiple digital devices and channels. Marketers now have to use a variety of tools and strategies to get a single customer view. 
  So how can marketers
  
  Read more

• The immature digital ad market has to determine what it values and why

  19-01-2017 14:11
  
  I want to sell you a poster (unusual, for someone who works for a newsbrand).
  Here's one: It's nice. It's part of a bus stop. People will hang around it, may well consume your message. It's quite small though and there are loads of them, all the way down the road.
  Here's another: It's a giant. It's beautifully lit, looks elegant and impactful. It's on the North Circular so there are always queues. It will get noticed so there's a good chance it will be effective. It’s great for brands.
  If
  
  Read more

• £600m wasted on non-viewable online ads

  19-01-2017 14:04
  
  Advertisers lost over £600m to non-viewable online adverts last year, according to ad verification company Meetrics.
  Looking at 2016 as a whole, over half of banner adverts failed to meet the IAB and Media Ratings Council’s recommendation that 50% of an ad was in view for at least 1 second. Despite a promising start in the first quarter (where 54% of ads served met the requirements) the remaining three quarters fell below the mark.
  In total £606m was lost from advertisers&rsquo
  
  Read more

• Facebook accused of 'racially biased censorship' by civil rights coalition

  19-01-2017 13:46
  
  Facebook has once again found itself in the midst of a censorship row with a coalition of over 70 human rights organisations and civil rights activists accusing the company of having a "racially bias" moderation system. 
  An open letter signed by groups including Color of Change, the Center for Media Justice, Black Lives Matter and more was sent to Facebook yesterday (18 January).
  It cited several specific examples outlining concerns around the social network's "consistent and disp
  
  Read more

• Burberry’s forthcoming mobile app designed to ‘build connection’ with consumers over commerce

  19-01-2017 13:17
  
  Burberry is set to roll out a new mobile app by the end of 2017, and it is thought the aim will be to ‘build a good connection with our customers’ over a pure focus on sales.  
  While details of the British clothing brand’s latest mobile application are still under lock and key, Charlotte Cowley, Burberry’s director of Investor Relations told analysts yesterday (18 January) that the brand is currently testing it with a “select” group of people, and fo
  
  Read more

• Labour lays into Tory handling of the NHS in first film by Krow

  19-01-2017 12:46
  
  The Labour party's new political party broadcast features a woman walking around an empty hospital in an effort to draw attention to what critics of the government are calling a crisis in the National Health Service.
  
  Read more

• Industry gender diversity ‘almost perfectly’ split, but creative agencies and C-suite positions still male dominated says IPA

  19-01-2017 12:08
  
  There is an “almost perfect” gender diversity split across the advertising industry, but agencies must take more steps to achieve gender parity within the walls of creative shops and at C-suite level according to the Institute Practitioners in Advertising's (IPA) 2016 Diversity Study.
  This year the IPA and Campaign magazine broadened out the reach of the study and received responses from 131 agencies including 98 creative agencies. This compares to 2015 where responses were only
  
  Read more

• Why re-establishing their clothing brands is next on the list for Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons

  19-01-2017 12:00
  
  A laser focus on food has helped  Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco combat declining sales but looking to 2017 bolstering their general merchandise divisions will return to the fore.
  It’s an unsurprising move given some of the figures that emerged from what the media dubbed ‘Super Thursday’ last week after the spate of sales updates given to the market. First up Sainsbury’s, which noted a 10% growth in Tu clothing sales over the third quarter. Similarly, Tesco&r
  
  Read more

• Report: How advertisers can adopt a mobile mindset

  19-01-2017 12:00
  
  In November last year, The Drum in partnership with Video Intelligence - a predictive mobile marketing platform - gathered high profile advertising experts at a roundtable to discuss why the advertising industry is falling behind in mobile.
  While social platforms such as Snapchat are crafting content perfectly for mobile, advertisers have failed to keep up.
  At the discussion, it was generally agreed that the advertising industry needs to take a “consumer-first approach” and star
  
  Read more

• The Apprentice turns to That Lot agency to harvest a presence on Snapchat

  19-01-2017 11:48
  
  Much loved British television series The Apprentice have made a Snapchat presence with help of content agency That Lot.
  Keen to reach a younger, content-driven audience, Shotglass Media and the BBC sought to make a name for themselves on Snapchat. The brief was to create exciting, exclusively Snapchat content from scratch, including building a completely new account and creating awareness.
  Teaming up with BBC Radio 1, That Lot cross-promoted appearances from Apprentice talent on its shows a
  
  Read more

• Google snaps up Twitter’s Fabric mobile app developer platform

  19-01-2017 11:47
  
  Google has confirmed it is to subsume Twitter’s Fabric mobile app developer platform into its own software empire as part of a swoop for assets, including the Crashlytics crash reporting system, Answers mobile app analytics, Digits SMS login system and FastLane development automation system.
  Fabric was introduced by Twitter in 2014 to offer developers an enhanced suite of app development tools, growing swiftly to serve apps reaching 2.5bn users built by 580,000 developers.
  This reach made
  
  Read more

• Canadian gym group Fit4Less appoints DAC Group to support its 2017 growth through digital marketing

  19-01-2017 11:36
  
  Fit-4-Less, the budget-friendly fitness chain owned by Canada’s leader in fitness, GoodLife Fitness, has appointed digital performance agency DAC Group as its digital agency of record.
  The fitness chain currently has 70 locations across Canada and is continuing to expand its footprint during 2017.
  Toronto-based DAC Group will manage and drive digital strategy including local presence management, SEM, SEO, paid display and social media for Fit4Less across Canada. DAC Group / Montreal will a
  
  Read more

• Tesco enjoys sharp improvement in BrandIndex 'buzz' ranking

  19-01-2017 11:31
  
  Tesco and Morrisons were among the most improved brands in the latest BrandIndex from YouGov, which measures the "buzz" around a brand.
  
  Read more

• Aldi, Lidl and the BBC iPlayer were the UK’s top brands in 2016

  19-01-2017 11:29
  
  Supposed ‘budget’ supermarkets Aldi and Lidl top the YouGov BrandIndex, underlining that in 2016, the UK public was very positive towards the outlets.
  Aldi tops the list for the third year in a row, showing the effectiveness of its marketing and service in the longterm. To calculate the BrandIndex Buzz score, respondents are asked: "If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" Across th
  
  Read more

• The top 10 most complained about ads in 2016 including Moneysupermarket, Paddy Power and Maltesers

  19-01-2017 11:18
  
  Paddy Power, Moneysupermarket and Maltesers are among a list of brands whose ads caused a stir in 2016, as consumers kicked back against twerking businessman in hot pants and a couple getting steamy in the bedroom.
  All three brands feature in a list compiled by the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA), which today (19 January) revealed the top ten most complained about ads of last year.
  All ten ads were complained about on the grounds of offence, which contrasts with the fact that more than 70%
  
  Read more

• Leave campaign’s biggest donor Arron Banks launches anti-establishment news site

  19-01-2017 11:18
  
  Arron Banks, the Brexit campaign’s biggest financial donor and former UKIP backer, is turning to the power of media to peddle his anti-establishment agenda with the launch of news site Westmonster.
  Launched today (19 January), the news site is laden with salacious headlines supporting UKIP leader Nigel Farage and a hard Brexit, while joining Trump in branding Buzzfeed as ‘fake news’, and peddling an anti-Burka agenda. It's tone is reminiscient of the controversial rightwing sit
  
  Read more

• Brands wasted more than £600m on unseen ads last year

  19-01-2017 11:18
  
  Advertisers in the UK spent about £606m to pay for online ads last year that were not in view for the one second recommended by the IAB and Media Ratings Council.
  
  Read more

• Netflix revels in international growth spurt as original content strategy pays off

  19-01-2017 11:11
  
  Netflix has confounded expectations by posting bumper growth in its all-important subscriber base as it added nearly 2 million new users in its home US market and 5 million internationally to reach its largest audience share to date.
  These numbers smashed predictions of a rise of 1.38 and 3.78m respectively and suggest that Netflix’s high-risk strategy of ending rights deals to focus on original programming is now paying dividends.
  This strategy had focused on the English-language markets
  
  Read more

• Tesco hires Mindshare's Nick Ashley as first head of media

  19-01-2017 11:00
  
  Tesco has hired Mindshare's veteran chief client officer Nick Ashley to be the supermarket's first head of media.
  
  Read more

• ‘Fake news’ impact on US election overstated claims survey

  19-01-2017 10:43
  
  A new study conducted into the influence of ‘fake news’ on the US election campaign has concluded that erroneous reports played no significant role in the elevation of Donald Trump as president, as people soon forgot the content of such stories.
  Stanford University professor Matthew Gentzkow and his counterpart at NYU Hunt Allcot reached their conclusion after quizzing 1,208 US adults in the aftermath of the election on whether they had read specific examples of intentionally fabrica
  
  Read more

• What are you worth? Use our salary calculator to find out

  19-01-2017 10:38
  The post What are you worth? Use our salary calculator to find out appeared first on Marketing Week.
  
  Read more

• Publicis CEO 'will not need to' move London jobs to Paris post-Brexit

  19-01-2017 10:21
  
  The chief executive of advertising giant Publicis Groupe has eased concerns that a Brexit would see creative jobs in the company moved from London to the network’s native France.
  Maurice Levy made the statement just as HSBC announced it will be moving 1,000 jobs from Paris to London, just under a third of its UK workforce.
  Levy told Bloomberg: “The Brexit will be a tough one, they have chosen the hardline. This will probably create a lot of issues and problems but at the same time ev
  
  Read more

• Snap names Jennifer Park Stout as head of global policy

  19-01-2017 10:04
  
  Snap Inc has announced the appointment of Jennifer Park Stout as head of global policy at Snapchat ahead of a public offering for the business later in the year which could value it at upwards of $25bn.
  Stout formerly served as deputy chief of staff to the US secretary of state and is already in the post according to reports. 
  The appointment follows on from the arrival of ex Sony Entertainment chief executive Michael Lynton as Snapchat chairman, dovetailing with a wider push into news
  
  Read more

• 13 must-see brand films from 2016 to check out ahead of Brand Film Festival London

  19-01-2017 09:54
  
  Ahead of the inaugural Brand Film Festival London, check out some of the finest cinematic storytelling on behalf of brands released this year.
  
  Read more

Follow @marketing_UKnws on Twitter!