Marketing news

• US Creative Work of the Week: The Idea Brand has created a heartwarming film for a San Diego nonprofit that fights homelessness

  18-05-2017 22:28
  
  Integrated marketing agency The Idea Brand recently created a moving short film for Father Joe's Villages, a San Diego non-profit that provides housing, rental assistance, healthcare, food and more to the homeless.
  The animated film, which was developed in partnership with Dallas-based animation studio Reel FX, tells the story of a piece of coal named "Nicoal" who is often ignored and scoffed at by passersby on the streets. When Father Joe's Villages takes her in and welcomes her, she transforms
  
  Read more

• Cybersecurity is lacking amongst US healthcare institutions due in part to a false sense of security

  18-05-2017 21:59
  
  The threat of cyberattacks on institutions, including healthcare, is under review after the recent WannaCry ransomware attack that impacted the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) with the US healthcare's own cybersecurity preparedness of particular concern. 
  A recent B2B technology report by ABI research noted a lack of awareness and complacency in the healthcare industry that stems from both inadequate data protection legislation, and a false sense of security and suggests
  
  Read more

• Virgin-backed fitness festival set to hit San Francisco

  18-05-2017 21:30
  
  Returning to the city where he helped start Virgin America, since acquired by Alaska Airlines, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Sport chief executive Mary Wittenberg and Asics Americas president and chief executive Gene McCarthy announced the launch of Virgin Sport San Francisco: Festival of Fitness.
  “The challenge and spirit of sport inspires us, and we’re having a blast building a new movement to combine the sweat of sport with the swagger of Virgin,”
  
  Read more

• Grey and Unicef team up to create a global council for kids

  18-05-2017 21:00
  
  Advertising network Grey is marking its 100th anniversary in part by teaming up with humanitarian organization Unicef to create the Unicef + Grey Global Kids Council for mentorship and marketing initiatives.
  The Global Kids Council will comprise young people from six countries – the Netherlands, Turkey, the US, Brazil, South Africa and India – who are paired with Grey global offices and trained in the fundamentals of marketing, “offering them knowledge and resources to cre
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Alexa will soon be able to alert users about information

  18-05-2017 20:26
  
  In order to make Alexa “more proactive in delivering information”, Amazon said its virtual assistant will soon be able to alert customers about information.
  This means users will be able to add notifications for select skills on most devices with Alexa – and comes just weeks after Amazon announced it is expanding the Alexa family to include Echo Look and Echo Show.
  Initially, AccuWeather will provide weather updates, The Washington Post will provide breaking news alerts an
  
  Read more

• Independent Influence to spotlight indie agency inspiration

  18-05-2017 19:40
  
  According to the US Census Bureau, in 2014, there were over 13,000 advertising agencies in the US. Further, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that there were close to 200,000 people employed in agencies in 2015.
  Throughout the country, and around the world, independent agencies dot the landscape. From one-person shops to large-scale operations, this network of talent continues to make an impact, not just on local or regional clients, but global brands as well. 
  Instrument, an indepen
  
  Read more

• CP+B names Danielle Aldrich president of west offices

  18-05-2017 19:18
  
  CP+B has strengthened its global leadership team, naming Danielle Aldrich president of CP+B West, which includes CP+B Boulder and CP+B LA. Aldrich, who most recently served as co-managing director of CP+B Boulder, will now lead the two CP+B offices to drive connectivity and collaboration, bringing more talent and resources to client partners.
  As president of CP+B West, Danielle joins Vinicius Reis, who oversees CP+B Miami and CP+B Brazil; Richard Pinder, who oversees CP+B Europe; and B
  
  Read more

• How Adidas, Just Eat and HTC are using chatbots

  18-05-2017 18:32
  
  Adidas: Chatbots are the ‘perfect vehicle’ to communicate with innovation-hungry consumers
  Adidas has ramped up interest in its recently launched female-focused community space Studio LDN, by using a chatbot to create an interactive booking process.
  The studio, which opened earlier this year, offers a series of weekly free-to-attend fitness sessions especially for women, with the ultimate goal of boosting brand engagement.
  The Facebook Messenger chatbot, created by ma
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• WWE tags in Rocket League for pay-per-view partnership melding eSports and sports entertainment

  18-05-2017 18:19
  
  Psyonix, the studio behind auto-based soccer game and eSports staple, Rocket League, has partnered with the WWE to give the title's branding pride of place among two pay-per-view events.
  The game will be publicised by WWE’s platforms, including television, digital and social media, and on WWE Network, WWE’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, with its partnership upon the Backlash and Great Balls of Fire events.
  The title will also be a promotional partner of WWE’s
  
  Read more

• What marketers need to know about the General Election manifestos

  18-05-2017 17:46
  
  Three weeks from today Britain will cast its votes as Labour and the Liberal Democrats aim to upset the polls by preventing the supposed ‘inevitability’ of another Conservative government.
  The three main parties have all now released their General Election 2017 manifestos. Yet their policies are a bit of a mixed bag, according to Advertising Association CEO Stephen Woodford.
  He’s disappointed to see Labour and the Lib Dems once again talk about banning junk food advertising, ca
  
  Read more

• Barclays smashes YouTube’s ‘Skip ad’ button with intricate self-skipping machine

  18-05-2017 17:35
  
  Barclays’ latest work has subverted ad skipping on YouTube by compelling viewers to continue watching a physical contraption that paradoxically skips the ad.
  On the right-hand side of the pre-roll video is the ‘Skip Ad’ tab that users may immediately thrust towards, they may realise quite quickly that the sign is part of a complicated, Wallace and Gromit-like, Rube Goldberg contraption that ultimately smashes the sign up the video’s conclusion.
   
   
  The 21 second
  
  Read more

• NFL tasks Wasserman with helping it continue to grow and engage with UK audiences

  18-05-2017 17:31
  
  The NFL UK has chosen Wasserman to help strengthen its year-round fan engagement across the country with a series of events and brand experiences.
  The sports marketing agency’s Experience division will continue its longstanding work with the league after being awarded a three-year contract following a competitive pitch.
  As part of the partnership Wasserman will work the NFL UK to boost fan engagement through brand experiences at NFL fixtures, including those taking places at Wembley and Tw
  
  Read more

• AMV BBDO and 4Creative storm Creative Circle Awards

  18-05-2017 17:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO picked up the Gold of Golds and the Most Creative Agency gong at the Creative Circle Awards last night, while 4Creative claimed the Champions of Creativity title.
  
  Read more

• GroupM names Lindsay Pattison chief transformation officer to lead group-wide change initiative

  18-05-2017 17:00
  
  GroupM has appointed Maxus chief executive officer Lindsay Pattison to the newly created role of chief transformation officer, as the WPP-owned media investment arm attempts to mount a program of change initiatives across its agencies. 
  According to the agency holding group, Pattison will lead a number of change programs across its agency structures, addressing issues of talent-management, its leadership structure, as well as diversity, as part of WPP’s “horizontality strategy.&
  
  Read more

• Tesco, Mars, Team GB, Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 marketers vie for Individual of the Year Award

  18-05-2017 16:42
  
  The UK’s top marketer is set to be decided from brands Cancer Research, Channel 4, Team GB, Mars and Tesco at this year’s The Drum Marketing Awards.
  This year’s nominees for the award to highlight the person that The Drum editorial team believes is worth the title of Individual of the Year at the awards have been announced. Channel 4’s Dan Brooke, Cancer Research UK’s former marketer Anthony Newman, Mars' Michele Oliver, Team GB’s Leah Davis and Tesco’s
  
  Read more

• Canon shifts to become a ‘storytelling’ brand in latest campaign targeting younger audiences

  18-05-2017 16:19
  
  Canon has launched an integrated campaign ‘Live for the story’ which aims to transform the camera company into a 'storytelling' brand that appeals to younger audiences across Europe.
  Described as “an entirely new brand proposition”, ‘Live for the story’ is an integrated campaign that aims to encourage people to cherish life's special moments by tracing the life of one character through snapshots in his memory.
  Led by London-based agencies VCCP and PHD, the cam
  
  Read more

• M&S spot gives the brand a 'youthful, adventurous edge'

  18-05-2017 16:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Social video experts at Unruly review "Spend it well", the latest viral by Marks & Spencer.
  
  Read more

• Burberry rethinks how it markets product launches

  18-05-2017 15:41
  
  Burberry is planning to put more marketing power behind product launches as it looks to increase investment around specific categories and attract more local customers to the brand.
  Speaking on a call this morning to mark its full-year results, Burberry’s CEO and chief creative officer Christopher Bailey used the example of its signature DK88 bag. Its launch was accompanied by a standalone marketing campaign and dedicated store windows, the first time it has done that for a new bag, and th
  
  Read more

• Brands urged to place passion points over data points

  18-05-2017 15:41 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  At a time when consumer trust and engagement are at an all-time low, brands were warned to focus on consumers' passion points over data points in order to connect with consumers.
  
  Read more

• Wins this week: The Glenlivet, Stonewall, Keep Britain Tidy

  18-05-2017 15:12 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Campaign's weekly round-up of account moves across advertising and media.
  
  Read more

• Fox News founder and former chief Roger Ailes reported dead

  18-05-2017 14:59
  
  Founder and former chairman of Fox News Roger Ailes, who resigned the channel last year after becoming embroiled in a sexual harassment lawsuit, has been reported dead by his family.
  A statement from his wife Elizabeth Ailes to US media said she was "profoundly sad and heartbroken" to report his passing this morning, calling him a "loyal friend" and a "patriot".
  Ailes founded Fox News in 1996 and built the channel to become a ratings hit and a hugely influential voice in right-wing US politics.
  
  Read more

• Group M picks Maxus' Pattison for global transformation role

  18-05-2017 14:35 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Lindsay Pattison has been appointed chief transformation officer for Group M and will lead change initiative across the group and its agencies.
  
  Read more

• Asda slows the decline as brand perceptions start to turn around

  18-05-2017 14:08
  
  Asda is slowing the decline after a number of quarters of big drops in its sales, but the supermarket still has some way to go to make up market share losses.
  For its first quarter ended 31 March, the UK’s third biggest supermarket saw its sales fall 2.8%, which compares to a decline of 2.9% in the previous quarter. Net sales, meanwhile, edged up by 0.9%.
  In recent years, Asda has suffered as its price-orientated branding was eroded as the discounters Aldi and Lidl moved onto its territory
  
  Read more

• Australian Jeff Goldblum ads branded 'second-hand' version of Currys PC World campaign

  18-05-2017 14:05 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Ads starring Jeff Goldblum for an Australian food delivery service have attracted scorn from Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO because they "imitate" a recent Currys PC World campaign featuring the same actor.
  
  Read more

• How brands can capitalise on the addressable TV revolution

  18-05-2017 13:51
  
  Change is coming to TV. In the next five years TV advertising will change more than it has in the last 50. This transformation will not be the death of TV, but its rebirth in a range of new and wondrous forms, bringing with it new opportunities for advertisers outside of live TV programming.
  This global change is being driven by trends such as cord-cutting and time-shifted viewing and the UK is leading the transformation.
  The UK is the principal adopter of time-shifted viewing in Europe. Mo
  
  Read more

• Heehaw helps University of Edinburgh Business School promote to a global audience

  18-05-2017 13:44
  
  At the heart of a university with a 400 year heritage that is consistently rated one of the world's best, and centrally located in one of Europe's most stunning business and cultural capitals, University of Edinburgh Business School offers an experience that few can rival.
  When University of Edinburgh Business School approached Edinburgh based production company Heehaw with a brief to promote the organisation to their global audience, it was an opportunity they couldn't pass up.  As part of
  
  Read more

• What it's like to be PornHub's ad agency

  18-05-2017 13:23
  
  Ever wondered who creates the ads for pornographers? The Drum gets up close and personal with the dynamic duo behind PornHub's marketing, finding out how you advertise a brand when you can't show the product.
  Over a shaky Skype connection, two quirky creatives are proudly demonstrating how their parody wearable 'the Wankband' works. Watching these men mimic the hand motions of an intimate act to show how their device measures the kinetic energy expended during a frantic masturbation session make
  
  Read more

• International round-up: AB InBev invests $2bn in US business, Facebook fined in France

  18-05-2017 13:07
  
  AB InBev to invest $2bn in US business to fight sales decline
  Anheuser-Busch InBev plans to invest $2bn (£1.53bn) in the US to fight the decline in beer sales due to a growing consumer appetite for craft beer.
  Its flagship Budweiser lager has suffered from declining volumes and a falling market share over the past three years.
  The company, which recently bought rival SABMiller for nearly $100bn (£77bn), says investment in its 21 US breweries will allow it to make different beers, or
  
  Read more

• Maltesers' disability campaign 'most successful' in decade

  18-05-2017 13:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Maltesers' work featuring disabled cast members was its most successful campaign in a decade, the brand's top UK marketer has revealed.
  
  Read more

• Unilever’s sustainable brands grow 50% faster than the rest of the business

  18-05-2017 13:01
  
  Unilever’s ‘Sustainable Living’ brands are becoming increasingly important to the company’s business, with these brands growing more than 50% faster than the rest of the business and accounting for 60% of growth in 2016.
  Both those figures have accelerated from 2015, when they accounted for 46% of growth and were growing 30% faster. The updated figures are part of a wider report on Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan.
  Unilever wants all its brands to reduce their env
  
  Read more

• Top Obama aide Eric Schultz urges UK parties to stay on message in general election

  18-05-2017 12:17
  
  Top Obama aide Eric Shultz believes UK political parties should take a leaf out of the marketer’s handbook at the upcoming snap general election.
  In an interview at The Drum's Future of Marketing event, the former president's communications adviser expressed the opinion that parties need to stay on message. He said the key pieces of advice that he could give to communications officers for political parties would be simple: “Hone a message, identify your audience and ma
  
  Read more

• Chinese digital agency Hylink launches London office

  18-05-2017 12:10
  
  Hylink, China’s largest independent digital agency, is expanding to Europe with the launch of an office in London.
  The London agency will be led by general manager James Hebbert, who will report to Hylink global headquarters in Beijing.
  Hylink London launches with a foundation client, UK-based tax refund company Global Blue, which was previously managed by Hylink’s Los Angeles office.
  The move is part of global expansion plan by the Chinese agency, which aims to help Western brands m
  
  Read more

• Magners urges Londoners to get their shorts on in ‘Seize the Summer’ stunt

  18-05-2017 12:04
  
  Magners is creating a fuss around the launch of its summer campaign by looking to tempt Londoners into a garish pair of yellow shorts - regardless of the weather.
  Incentivising the unbecoming behaviour on the streets of London is a host of holidays donated by EasyJet, looking to get commuters in the capital into the summer mood.
  The experiential stunt from Wire, marks the unveiling of the four-month ‘Seize the Summer’ campaign will also see packaging integrated with 400 Eas
  
  Read more

• Why the Guardian is now turning its readers into customers

  18-05-2017 11:52 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  If the Guardian is to survive, it has got to stop being complacent about having a large number of readers and start to figure out how to turn them into customers, David Pemsel, chief executive of Guardian Media Group said while speaking at Media360.
  
  Read more

• Facebook to pay €110m for 'misleading' EU over $19bn WhatsApp takeover

  18-05-2017 11:49
  
  Facebook has been fined €110m (£95m) for "misleading" European authorities over its $19bn takeover of the instant messaging service WhatsApp.
  The social network was accused by the commission of falsely claiming that it was impossible to automatically merge user information from WhatsApp and Facebook. This followed a decision taken by WhatsApp last summer to share data with Facebook for advertising purposes, a practice which was halted
  
  Read more

• UK may be leaving Europe, Toronto's DAC Group says their European journey is just beginning

  18-05-2017 11:43
  
  With Article 50 recently triggered and negotiations on how the UK leaves the European Union in the early stages, the answer to the question of how UK business will continue to trade with nations on the continent still seems a way off.
  But one ambitious agency group that shows no sign of slowing its European ambitions is Toronto-based digital marketing agency DAC Group, which entered the European marketplace in 2015 through the acquisition of London agency Make It Rain and Edinburgh-based agency
  
  Read more

• McDonald's Alistair Macrow: pulling bereavement ad was 'the only decision to make'

  18-05-2017 11:20 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  McDonald's had no choice but to withdraw its now infamous "dead dad ad" after it provoked fierce criticism from the public and bereavement charities, the brand's top UK marketer has said.
  
  Read more

• One-third of Britons expect robots to rule the roost by 2030

  18-05-2017 11:12
  
  Robotic servants have been a distant dream for people seeking to avoid house chores for a century and more but with the arrival of a new breed of robot vacuums, mops and even driverless cars people are now more optimistic than ever about our silicon future.
  A new study conducted by Mediavest Spark has shown that fully a third of UK citizens think their households will be managed by machines in as little as 13 years, although these robots are more likely to be wheeled tools than bipedal assi
  
  Read more

• Political parties face ICO investigation over targeting voters on Facebook and Twitter

  18-05-2017 11:09
  
  The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has opened an investigation into how politicians and associated campaigners use data to target voters online across platforms like Facebook and Twitter. 
  UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, who will be leading the review, has noted that while the timing of the announcement coincides with the forthcoming UK General Election the two are not related. 
  The ICO's investigation will assess the data protection risks ari
  
  Read more

• Will the forthcoming general election pylon the pressure for utilities marketers?

  18-05-2017 11:03
  
  Last month I wrote about what’s keeping FMCG marketers awake at night (short answer: quite a few things). But this pales in comparison to what CMOs in the utilities sector have on their plates over the next six months…
  First up, is the inevitability of price caps being imposed by – it appears – whoever is in power come 9th June. Corbyn as you might expect, is no fan of the ‘Big Six’ and yesterday morning confirmed in the Labour Party manifesto that nationalis
  
  Read more

• Jo Hagger fills newly created UK MD role at Possible London

  18-05-2017 10:37
  
  WPP-owned digital agency Possible London is ringing in the changes with the appointment of Jo Hagger, a former Google business leader and founding member of Glue Isobar, as its first ever UK managing director.
  The newly created role has been necessitated by a spate of new business wins calling for a new figurehead to oversee day-to-day running at the agency and people management; freeing up UK CEO Neil Miller to focus his energy on generating new business.
  Jagger will liaise closely with Lizzie
  
  Read more

• Brand Union weaves Ugandan textiles with tech iconography for Kiteka, the Common Ground-supported startup

  18-05-2017 08:00
  
  WPP has delivered on its pledge to the UN Common Ground initiative by supporting mobile social enterprise Kiteka via its agency Brand Union.
  Earlier this week (16 May) the shop unveiled the brand strategy and communications platform for Kiteka, a new initiative that empowers female small business owners in Uganda by providing access to smartphone technology.
  The work was created as part of WPP’s support of the United Nations’ Common Ground scheme, which saw the Big Six networks each
  
  Read more

• Lori Senecal to leave CP&B at the end of 2017

  18-05-2017 07:55 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Crispin Porter & Bogusky's global chief executive Lori Senecal is to leave the MDC Partners agency at the end of the year.
  
  Read more

• Publicis Groupe refutes accounting allegation

  18-05-2017 07:35 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Publicis Groupe has strongly refuted claims made in a French magazine that it has incorrectly accounted for a settlement agreed with one of its software and IT services suppliers.
  
  Read more

• John Lewis, Asos and Arcadia top LinkedIn's list of the most desirable brands to work for in 2017

  18-05-2017 07:30
  
  John Lewis Partnership has been crowned the most desirable company in the UK to work for by LinkedIn for the second year running.
  The company, which is made up of John Lewis and Waitrose, finished ahead of Asos, Arcadia and Harrods in the top employer brands list for 2017.
  Retail companies dominated the top of the list but media and tech firms are also well represented in the top 20, with Google at eight, Facebook at nine and the BBC at 10.
  LinkedIn said it analysed billions of actions by its 23
  
  Read more

• How to be a DIY pop star: lollipops, kung fu and other fail-safe strategies

  18-05-2017 07:00
  
  Personalised notes, sponsored tours and celebrity Twitter endorsements are just some of the tactics put into practice by the likes of Dodie, Tom Rosenthal, Paigey Cakey and more, who refuse to lean on the mainstream industryAfter years of upheaval, the music industry is still pulling itself out of the doldrums. News that music revenues grew 5.9% to £12.2bn in 2016 – largely thanks to the continuing evolution of streaming – was met by a howl of discord in many quarters (not leas
  
  Read more

• How to be a DIY pop star: lollipops, kung-fu and other fail-safe strategies

  18-05-2017 07:00
  
  Personalised notes, sponsored tours and celebrity Twitter endorsements are just some of the tactics put into practice by the likes of Dodie, Tom Rosenthal, Paigey Cakey and more, who refuse to lean on the mainstream industryAfter years of upheaval, the music industry is still pulling itself out of the doldrums. News that music revenues grew 5.9% to £12.2bn in 2016 – largely thanks to the continuing evolution of streaming – was met by a howl of discord in many quarters (not leas
  
  Read more

• Can the UK's local newspapers survive?

  18-05-2017 07:00
  
  The great Sir Harold Evans may have brought lasting kudos to the Sunday Times for its reporting of the Thalidomide scandal but it was as editor of the Darlington-based Northern Echo that he honed his instinct as a campaigning editor.
  In his time on the Echo, Sir Harry campaigned fearlessly against the pollution of the chemical giant ICI, and successfully fought for the pardoning of Timothy Evans, who had been wrongly hanged for the notorious Rillington Place murders in London – a nati
  
  Read more

• Weibo attracts 340m users in Q1, overtakes Twitter

  18-05-2017 06:22
  
  Weibo, China’s micro-blogging platform, has overtaken Twitter for the first time attracting 340 million monthly active users in March.
  Weibo reported a 30% increase in MAU’s year-on-year in its first quarter results. Average daily users were also up 28% to 154 million.
  The platform also revealed that 91% of Weibo users access the site via mobile.  
  The results mark the first time that Weibo, which launched three years after Twitter, has overtaken the site. Twitter, which is bloc
  
  Read more

Follow @marketing_UKnws on Twitter!