Marketing news

• Hidden Valley pulls out all the stops for National Ranch Dressing Day

  09-03-2017 22:19
  
  Happy National Ranch Dressing Day!
  To celebrate, Hidden Valley Ranch is launching an online store, the Hidden Valley Ranch Outlet, which will include branded swag like tees and totes, as well as a ranch fountain - which the brand says it livestreamed during the Super Bowl – and jewel-encrusted Hidden Valley Ranch bottles.
  “The store will have everything people need to rep their ranch pride and #RanchOut with Hidden Valley,” a rep said.
  But that’s not all. The brand says i
  
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• Carmichael Lynch promotes Marcus Fischer to CEO

  09-03-2017 21:20
  
  Minneapolis agency Carmichael Lynch has promoted Marcus Fischer to chief executive.
  Fischer is the fourth person to serve as the 55-year-old agency’s chief executive. He replaces Mike Lescarbeau, who will now step into the role of executive chairman.
  Previously, Fischer served as president of Carmichael Lynch. He rejoined the agency four years ago after serving as chief executive of fellow Minneapolis agency Space150. According to his LinkedIn, he worked in account planning at Carmichael L
  
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• How the hacking culture is changing the face of healthcare

  09-03-2017 21:16
  
  Hacking groups have been around as long as technology. The word hacking might bring up thoughts of those nefarious characters trying to steal your personal information, but that’s just one slice of the hacking pie.
  Hacking groups are mostly the disruptors of the tech world – figuring out how to make things better through trial, error and collaboration – and it’s not just for the Silicon Valley geeks of the world. Those looking to develop ideas and products are benefiting
  
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• Eastern Banks' social justice campaign is authentic to the brand, bank president says

  09-03-2017 20:53
  
  America's oldest mutual bank, Eastern Bank,  launched its latest ad campaign yesterday (March 8), inspiring customers to celebrate differences and rally others to join together to "create a movement' which, according to Bob Rivers, chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank, is more a story about social justice. 
  Upon its release, the ad created a bit of a stir in the Boston press, with the Boston Globe claiming it had anti-Donald Trump undertones and the news show Greater Boston asking the
  
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• Music tech is the new music industry

  09-03-2017 20:50
  
  Technology has been pushing music forward since the advent of electricity. Records, radio, cassettes, recording technology, CDs, and finally digital and streaming have all disrupted the norm in music. Yet, the industry has always been reticent to adopt new technologies.
  With the rise of music tech, the music industry can no longer stop the march of technology, and businesses and corporations are now working together with musicians and artists to further blend brands and bands. The fact that vent
  
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• Havas Group merges its creative and media divisions as it promotes Dominique Delport to global MD

  09-03-2017 20:45
  
  Havas Creative Group and Havas Media Group are to be merged by their parent company and run as individual business units under one regional P&L.
  The unification is part of the company’s ‘Together’ strategy which seeks to intensify integration for clients.
  As part of the move, the advertising giant has made a string of promotions, revealing that former Havas Media Group global managing director and UK/France chairman Dominique Delport will take on the newly-created role of g
  
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• With voice assistants, it may be all talk, but it ain’t all search

  09-03-2017 20:41
  
  As we move into an era dominated by voice search and digital assistants, consumers are seeking information and performing tasks in profoundly different ways, which will eventually change the game entirely for search marketers and search engines.
  That was according to the closing keynote panel at C3 in New York last week.
  This is a market shaped by Amazon Alexa and Echo, which came out in November 2014, and more recently by Google Home, which debuted in November 2016.
  Reports say 5.1m Echos in pa
  
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• International bulletin: Yves Saint Laurent accused of misogyny, Ford lauds India progress

  09-03-2017 18:30
  
  Yves Saint Laurent ad is branded ‘misogynistic’A new campaign from Yves Saint Laurent has come under fire for promoting what critics have branded “porno chic” models.
  The campaign, which was supposed to build momentum ahead of Paris Fashion Week, featured a thin model in fishnet tights opening her legs for the camera. While another image from the campaign features a model in a leotard and roller skate stilettos bending over a stool.
  French advertising watchdog Autori
  
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• Kong: Skull Island leaves an impression in LA in far-reaching experiential marketing campaign

  09-03-2017 18:00
  
  The footprints of indominatable ape King Kong are showing up across Los Angeles, helping to promote the return of the iconic beast to the American mainland.
  The experiential activity brought to life by Grandesign touched down at five points in LA to generate buzz around the return of the franchise to the silver screen.
  The footprints, first spotted by Adweek, were spotted in Los Angeles’ Dockweiler Beach, near Capitol Records HQ, Microsoft Square, Runyon Canyon and Dolby Theatre.
  Here are
  
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• Life after 50 is sex, adventure and martial arts in debut SunLife TV campaign

  09-03-2017 17:52 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Insurance brand SunLife is taking on ubiquitous stereotypes of older people in its first above-the-line campaign.
  
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• New influencer marketing guidelines encourage brands and talent to be 'upfront and clear'

  09-03-2017 17:51
  
  The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has issued fresh guidelines for brands working with influencers, urging both parties to protect consumers before they engage with content that is sponsored.
  The new guidance is focused around affiliate deals – where bloggers, vloggers and Instagram stars are rewarded financially for clicks placed within or underneath their content.
  CAP has warned that followers should be made aware that what they are about to watch or click on is an ad,
  
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• Creatives tackle tobacco addition with warning personalisation website for No Smoking Day

  09-03-2017 17:43
  
  Whether its Spotify or home assistants, personalisation opens deeper engagement with consumers by increasing the likelihood of a connection. Now a creative duo are applying this logic to health warnings on cigarettes.
  Copywriter Oli Frost and art director Josephine Shedden of London-based creative agency Oli and Josie, creators of the Cannes Grand Prix generator previously featured in The Drum and the Homeless Period drive, are looking reduce the number of smokers out there to mark No Smoki
  
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• Consumers now think ‘less of advertisers than bankers’

  09-03-2017 17:30
  
  The effectiveness of digital advertising is increasingly being called into question as marketers’ concerns over transparency, measurement, ad fraud and viewability compound.
  The debate ramped up when Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at the world’s largest advertiser Procter & Gamble, made a speech earlier this year on the subject, heralding a new era in digital advertising.
  In February, an investigation by The Times resulted in a headline stating “big brands fund t
  
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• BT Sport boosts social footprint by 1730% during Barcelona's historic Champions League comeback

  09-03-2017 17:25
  
  BT Sport successfully capitalised from FC Barcelona’s heroic comeback last night (Wednesday 8 March) with a massive 1730% surge in its average social interactions, according to research from social video intelligence company Burst Insights.
  Since 1955 there has been a total of 213 European first-legs which have ended 4-0 and never has the losing team managed to overcome the deficit to go through to the next round.
  Such was the narrative surrounding last night’s (8 March) last 16
  
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• Silos and bureaucracy are ‘holding back’ customer experience, study finds

  09-03-2017 17:03
  
  M&S has made incremental changes to improve customer experience in its food businessOrganisational structures continue to hinder marketers’ ability to improve the customer experience, according to research unveiled at Marketing Week Live.
  The study by Brand Learning finds most companies still fail to collaborate across business functions when implementing customer-facing strategies. Indeed, less than one in four IT functions are involved in customer experience strategy and pl
  
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• Wins this week: KFC, Guinness, Bank of Scotland

  09-03-2017 16:45 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Campaign's round-up of account moves across advertising and media.
  
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• Sky’s Women in Leadership and Working Parents founder departs to set up own consultancy

  09-03-2017 16:26
  
  Catherine Oliver, who spearheaded Sky’s Women in Leadership and Parents@Sky initiatives, has recently left the broadcaster to launch a consultancy that will guide businesses through the challenges of setting up their own diversity and working parents programmes.
  Oliver spent 6 years at Sky, initially in a marketing role before moving into planning, strategy and implementation where she was charged with developing the operating models for new business areas, including Sky Store and Sky Medi
  
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• Financial Times pledges 'clearly defined' viewability standards in commercial charter

  09-03-2017 16:14
  
  The Financial Times has published a commercial charter vowing to uphold "clearly defined" standards around viewability, brand safety and more. 
  The paper says the pledge is the "first-of-its-kind" promise from a publisher to its advertising clients, with the aim of clearly explaining the level of service brands can expect from its online advertising. 
  The play from the FT comes hot on the heels of intense scrutiny around the transparency afforded to advertisers from digital platforms.
  
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• M&C Saatchi poaches Leo Burnett’s Phillip Meyler and Darren Keff as creative directors

  09-03-2017 15:53
  
  M&C Saatchi has appointed Leo Burnett’s Phillip Meyler and Darren Keff as its new creative directors.
  The pair were hired by M&C Saatchi’s chief creative officer, Justin Tindall, who said: “Phill and Darren are an exceptional creative team, one of the most awarded in the industry. It has been a priority of mine to work with them again, and I am thrilled they have joined us. There is no doubt about the impact they will have.”
  Both Meyler and Keff join M&C Saatc
  
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• Innocent: Brands have to be ruthless when recruiting to retain challenger status

  09-03-2017 15:40
  
  A challenger brand stops being a challenger when it recruits the wrong people, according to Innocent CEO Douglas Lamont, who advises brands to be ruthless about finding people who truly embody the company culture.
  Speaking yesterday at Marketing Week Live (8 March), Lamont said having a challenger mindset helps Innocent recruit the right people and keep that culture alive.
  “Being a challenger is about the type of people you recruit and their hunger to challenge the status quo.
  &ldquo
  
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• Havas Group unites creative and media divisions under one P&L

  09-03-2017 15:34 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Starting today, Havas Creative Group and Havas Media Group, will no longer exist as divisions but will become business units, under one regional P&L.
  
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• L'Oréal, Microsoft and TUI on balancing left-brain, right-brain and agility

  09-03-2017 15:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Brands that are not able to stay on top of changes in society will die, L'Oréal's chief marketing officer, Hugh Pile, has warned.
  
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• Can a baby dragon sum up the sensation of eating Doritos? Watch this spicy space

  09-03-2017 14:44 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Social video experts at Unruly review "#HeatWillCome", the latest viral by Doritos.
  
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• BT’s CMO says marketing is experiencing an ‘existential crisis’

  09-03-2017 14:33
  
  BT’s chief brand marketing officer Zaid Al-Qassab believes marketing is having an “existential crisis” and the industry will end up “poorer” if it does not respond.
  Speaking to Marketing Week at ISBA’s annual conference in London yesterday (8 March), he said the challenge is the “struggle as a profession to move from the traditional world to the digital world”, which is creating a huge gap between the skillsets of marketers that sit in t
  
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• BT’s CMO says brands have ‘forgotten how to connect’ with customers

  09-03-2017 14:33
  
  BT’s chief brand marketing officer Zaid Al-Qassab believes marketing is having an “existential crisis” and the industry will end up “poorer” if it does not respond.
  Speaking to Marketing Week at ISBA’s annual conference in London yesterday (8 March), he said the challenge is the “struggle as a profession to move from the traditional world to the digital world”, which is creating a huge gap between the skillsets of marketers that sit in t
  
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• Premier League given greater powers to curb illegal streams through Kodi following High Court ruling

  09-03-2017 13:45
  
  The Premier League has been given a helping hand in addressing the problem of illegal streams after the High Court approved a court order to block entire computer servers, signalling a step up in the fight against pirate enabling platforms such as Kodi.
  High Court judge Richard Arnold approved an order which allows the UK’s top four broadband providers BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media to block connections to the servers that host pirated streams of matches.
  Previously the league and
  
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• Inside Nokia's plan to bring the brand out of the engineers’ room and into the consumer consciousness again

  09-03-2017 13:23
  
  The Nokia 3310 launch stole the show at Mobile World Congress, no doubt to the displeasure of every PR exec flown into Barcelona last week. While it dominated column inches, in reality the cutesy handset was kept on the periphery of the Finnish company’s stand at the conference in favour of a huge display of its 5G technology.
  It wasn’t the only stand to feature 5G; it seemed that every MWC 2017 stand had decided to feature it, along with some sort of drone, according to bemused dele
  
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• John Lewis says brand won’t suffer ‘malaise’ after bonus pay hits 63-year low

  09-03-2017 13:21
  
  Photo: Yui MokDespite pre-tax profits rising 21.2% to £370.4m in 2016, the John Lewis Partnership has cut bonus pay for its 86,700 staff for the fourth year running.
  Employees will receive a bonus that constitutes to just 6% of its annual profits for 2016. This means staff will share a bonus pot of £89.4 million – down from the 10% (£145m) rate last year.
  The justification for the cut is that the John Lewis board is preparing for a “volatile” 2017, where both
  
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• Cross-industry bodies partner to clean up digital ad supply chain in UK and US

  09-03-2017 13:12
  
  The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), a US-based industry body is to work together with UK assosciation the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) to "clean up the digital advertising supply chain".
  The collaboration will build on existing efforts to promote brand safety and buying transparency. The pair will seek to tackle ad fraud as well as focusing on criminal activity like ad-funded piracy and malware. 
  The move is the latest in an effort by industry bodies to impro
  
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• Cross-industry bodies partner to 'clean up' digital ad supply chain' in UK and US

  09-03-2017 13:12
  
  The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), a US-based industry body is to work together with UK assosciation the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) to "clean up the digital advertising supply chain".
  The collaboration will build on existing efforts to promote brand safety and buying transparency. The pair will seek to tackle ad fraud as well as focusing on criminal activity like ad-funded piracy and malware. 
  The move is the latest in an effort by industry bodies to impro
  
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• Net-A-Porter embarrassed as image calling for slimming alteration gets uploaded and noticed

  09-03-2017 13:00
  
  E-commerce fashion company Net-A-Porter suffered some bad PR on International Women’s Day (Wednesday 8 March) after it accidentally uploaded a product image instructed a graphic designer to ‘slim’ a model.
  The media noticed the gaffe and  underlined an existing debate around the realistic representation of fashion items – and the models wearing them.
  Blue arrows on the image instructed areas where designers were to streamline (or “slim”) the model to make
  
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• John Lewis Partnership claims 'position of strength' despite slashing staff bonuses

  09-03-2017 12:54 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Partners at John Lewis will receive an annual bonus of just 6% this year - but the retailer's leadership said the decision would put it on firmer ground going forward.
  
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• Watch: Barclays and Creative England explain their Eagle Lab Flight initiative

  09-03-2017 12:36 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Barclays has teamed up with Creative England to help connect entrepreneurs with larger brands and businesses.
  
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• Fixing the work/life imbalance: How PR can act on its mental health problems

  09-03-2017 12:17
  
  A new report has found that mental illness in the public relations profession is frequently ignored, or managed as a line management or performance issue. It signposts ways to proactively develop mental resilience.
  I’ve chaired a #FuturePRoof project on behalf of the PRCA for the past 12 months. We investigated mental health after various data spotlighted it as an issue within the public relations profession.
  In fact it’s not hard to quantify the impact of poor mental health on the p
  
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• Creative Works 8 March winners including Cloudfactory, The One Off and VML

  09-03-2017 11:54
  
  The winners of the latest Creative Works have been revealed in the 8 March issue of The Drum.
  Check out the top creative work picked by The Drum UK and US readers, our sponsor, Workfront, and this issue's creative director Iain Hunter, executive creative director, Stack.
  Creative Director and Sponsor's Choice
  The One Off: Primark 'Workout 2017'Agency: The One Off
  Client: Primark
  Date: January 2017The fitness industry has grown impressively within the last year, 1 in 7 people in the UK now h
  
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• Black Cow vodka's remake of the famous Accrington Stanley Milk Board ad banned by ASA

  09-03-2017 11:53
  
  Black Cow vodka has had an ad banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in which Carl Rice reprises his role from the 1989 Milk Board ad Accrington Stanley.
  The drinks brand played homage to the famous Accrington Stanley ad (which actually featured in The Drum’s top ten football ads – watch here), however, the ASA received complaints about the slot which replaced milk with the brand’s vodka, it was drank straight and in excess.
  The original ad toyed with the premise t
  
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• Parliament on broadband advertising: ‘We need new guidelines from the ASA’

  09-03-2017 11:48
  
  The ASA needs to toughen its broadband advertising guidelines according to a Westminster debate chaired by Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness, on Tuesday (8 March).
  Under current laws, the Advertising Standards Authority polices broadband advertising and enforces rules around the speeds that can be advertised. Conversely internet service providers (ISPs) need only provide advertised speeds to 10% of their customers as part of the widely utilised caveat, ‘up to’.
  During the debat
  
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• Conan envisions Apple healthcare in the wake of Trump’s ‘World's Greatest Healthcare Plan of 2017'

  09-03-2017 11:29
  
  Apple is aligning itself as a health and lifestyle brand looking to help its user get – and stay – fit with the likes of Apple Watch, HealthKit and iOS Health.
  The newly proposed healthcare plan from the White House, actually entitled the ‘World's Greatest Healthcare Plan of 2017’, may see such services play a more vital role for consumers, according to a skit in talkshow Conan.
  Following the announcement of President Donald Trump’s Obamacare replacement that t
  
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• Manchester United partner with LGBT charity Stonewall to tackle sexuality and gender identity issues in football

  09-03-2017 11:15
  
  Manchester United has partnered with leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) charity Stonewall to help address a lack of diversity regarding sexuality and gender identity in football.
  The Premier League club are the first UK football team to collaborate with Stonewall and will work with the UK based charity to improve inclusion and equality in the sport.
  As part of the partnership, United will become an official member of Team Pride, Stonewall's sporting initiative that c
  
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• Lord Puttnam warns ad industry: trust is the most urgent task ahead

  09-03-2017 11:14 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Advertising must rebuild trust with consumers, warned Lord Puttnam in a speech to industry leaders last night.
  
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• Morrisons turnaround plan delivers first rise in profits for six years

  09-03-2017 11:05
  
  Morrisons has reported its first rise in profits in six years as its turnaround plan continues to bear fruit. Chief executive David Potts said the positive growth “was powered by listening to customers.”
  The retailer boasted a 49.8% rise in pre-tax profits to £325m for the year to 29 January. Stripping out restructuring costs and other adjustments, Morrisons' pre-tax profits rose by 11.6% to £337m. Meanwhile, like-for-like sales grew 1.7% over the year, buoyed by a 2.5% r
  
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• Jicwebs partners with US-based TAG to tackle fraud and brand safety

  09-03-2017 10:46 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  The US-based Trustworthy Accountability Group is partnering with Jicwebs to to address brand safety, buying transparency, fraud and criminal activity.
  
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• Robinsons Fruit Shoot wants to help children discover their passions with It’s My Thing campaign

  09-03-2017 10:33
  
  Robinsons Fruit Shoot has launched a new campaign championing the importance of freedom of expression and creativity in children after research revealed parents’ concerns that pressures from society were preventing kids from discovering their passions.
  The ‘It’s My Thing’ ad, created by Iris, uses real children over actors to show carefree kids doing what they love, including a train-obsessed 10 year-old Freddie and young Ellie whose ‘thing’ is being an equest
  
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• Robinsons Fruit Shoot wants to help children discover their passions with 'It’s My Thing' campaign

  09-03-2017 10:33
  
  Robinsons Fruit Shoot has launched a new campaign championing the importance of freedom of expression and creativity in children after research revealed parents’ concerns that pressures from society were preventing kids from discovering their passions.
  The ‘It’s My Thing’ ad, created by Iris, uses real children over actors to show carefree kids doing what they love, including a train-obsessed 10 year-old Freddie and young Ellie whose ‘thing’ is being an equest
  
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• Microsoft on playing ‘catch up’ with the consumer and getting ahead of the curve

  09-03-2017 10:14
  
  The constant changes in consumer behaviour is leaving technology giant Microsoft constantly “playing catch up” to remain relevant, but the brand has number of tricks up its sleeve to future proof its marketing department, including better utilising left brain and right brain skills, and taking the millenial approach to workplace agility.
  Despite being a technology brand, Microsoft consumer marketing director Paul Davies said it isn’t immune to the “shapeshifting” wa
  
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• Maxus, MullenLowe and Ascential leaders recognised for fighting gender inequality in the workplace

  09-03-2017 10:11 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Nick Baughan of Maxus, Tom Knox of MullenLowe and Philip Thomas of Ascential were selected byManagement Today and the Women's Business Council as male leaders who are tackling inequality at work.
  
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• Good road scents: Singapore buses infuse diesel fumes with sweet smells

  09-03-2017 09:49
  
  Smelling the diesel fumes on your bus ride might be a thing of the past, as Singapore bus operator Tower Transit rolls out a fragrance for its bus services according to BBC News.
  Commuters quizzed mostly had good reactions, with some being unable to tell the difference.
  The fragrance inspired by gardens and greenery, with a “green note,” with components like peppermint, eucalyptus and damask rose. Tower Transit hopes to keep commuters coming back and even tempt people to ditch their
  
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• 21st Century Fox hits back at culture secretary

  09-03-2017 09:07 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  21st Century Fox has accused culture secretary Karen Bradley of using flawed information to base her decision on being "minded to intervene" in its £11.7bn acquisition of Sky.
  
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• Morrisons underlying profit before tax up 12% in 2016

  09-03-2017 08:52 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Morrisons has reported underlying profit before tax of £337m for the year ended 29 January, an 11.6% increase when excluding restructuring costs in the previous financial year.
  
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• TV accounts for 94% of video advertising, as YouTube vows to ‘evolve’ ad formats

  09-03-2017 08:21
  
  TV accounted for 93.8% of video ads viewed in the UK in 2016, far more than YouTube and online video as a whole. To snatch some of that ad revenue, the Google-owned streaming plans new formats it hopes will exploit the unfettered growth of mobile viewing.
  It points to TV’s surprising staying power at a time when the way people view content and consequently ad budgets slowly move online. Such is TV’s resilience that Lindsey Clay, the chief executive at the medium’s marketing bod
  
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