Marketing news

• Pittsburgh agency Gatesman expands to Midwest with acquisition of Noble Communications

  07-07-2017 22:39
  
  Pittsburgh agency Gatesman has acquired Noble Communications, a move that expands its employee base to more than 125 and brings it offices in Chicago and Springfield, Missouri. 
  According to Gatesman, the acquisition increases the agency’s depth of expertise in new and existing areas. The management team of Noble Communications will remain the same, while John Gatesman and Shannon Baker will continue in their roles of chief executive and president of Gatesman, respectively. 
  The
  
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• Spotify’s 'I’m with the banned' unites artists in solidarity against the travel ban

  07-07-2017 22:27
  
  Spotify is launching a new original series it calls a “music initiative to empower artists and fans from different cultures to come together and to amplify the voices of people and communities that have been silenced."
  The series, I’m with the banned, focuses on a variety of issues that impact communities today, including immigration and LGBTQ equality, through artist collaborations, performances and original content.
  It debuted July 6 with a series of enhanced playlists that wi
  
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• ‘Ask people what they want’: Exceptional Women of the World featuring Constance DeCherney, TDA Boulder

  07-07-2017 21:52
  
  For Constance DeCherney, where we’re headed is important — whether it’s in work or life.DeCherney, director of strategy at TDA Boulder, grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. After attending the nearby University of Delaware, she found herself at the ACLU, then Planned Parenthood and iCrossing. At every stop along the way, she pushed hard to move everything forward.
  How we evolve as an industry is of particular interest and DeCherney believes that we place too much emphasis on authen
  
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• Amazon Prime is 85m members strong in the US

  07-07-2017 21:36
  
  As Prime Day 2017 nears, Amazon Prime now has 85 million US members who spend an average of about $1300 a year, which is nearly double the $700 a year spent annually by non-members.
  That’s according to equity securities research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), which analyzed Amazon shopping patterns in the second quarter of 2017.
  According to CIRP’s figures, Prime membership is up 35% from the same period last year, when Amazon had 63 million Prime members. The u
  
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• Campaign TV: Inside Three's Bed 'N' Binge retreat

  07-07-2017 18:42 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Three Mobile created a pop-up resort to celebrate the launch of their 'Go Binge' phone tariff, which allows customers to stream with their 4G connection without affecting their monthly data allowance.
  
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• Sempo's chairman sees the industry becoming broader than just 'the pure SEO and paid search channels' of the past

  07-07-2017 18:30
  
  Mike Grehan, chief marketing officer and managing director at Acronym Media, and chairman of Sempo - the global trade association for search marketers - has been on the marketing scene for over three decades.
  Talking to The Drum on what is next for search and his upcoming appointment as a judge for the Search Awards USA, he is certain that the search industry may become broader than just focusing on SEO and the paid search channels that agencies have done in the past.
  The Drum: What in
  
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• Häagen-Dazs on how it’s trying to become an ‘iconic’ brand again

  07-07-2017 18:29
  
  Häagen-Dazs is hoping to return to its disruptive roots as it looks to use a combination of product innovation, marketing and events to rebuild brand relevance and boost sales.
  For the second year in a row, Häagen-Dazs is the official ice cream supplier at Wimbledon and it is looking to build on its ‘Lose Yourself’ positioning from last year with a campaign it thinks shows the brand’s renewed confidence.
  The £2m campaign, ‘Extraordinary Serve’, aims
  
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• Tushy spokes-butt pleads for cleanliness in bidet attachment campaign

  07-07-2017 18:10
  
  Watch - or wash - your backside, because your butt is talking to you in a new video campaign for Tushy, a bidet attachment for your toilet.
  In a three-part video series, a character called Your Butt (actually writer-actor Erica Hernandez doing a sexy French accent) pleads with you to upgrade your ‘uncivilized’ toilet paper cleaning habit with a Tushy bidet attachment, so she can finally be the sexiest butt in the world.
  In the most alluring way possible, she says phrases like “
  
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• Campaign TV: Starbucks goes 'Glam' for Pride

  07-07-2017 18:01 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Starbucks celebrated its sponsorship of the Pride of London parade this weekend by wrapping stores in Pride and serving specially themed Frappucinos.
  
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• Why we lose young female talent before they even start in advertising

  07-07-2017 17:49
  
  Last year, a scholarship fund highlighted a huge elephant in the advertising industry’s room. Creative Equals believes the industry puts up so many barriers to young women’s careers, that nearly two-fifths of female creatives will leave before they land their first job.
  Never mind the glass ceiling. Even the first step is made of glass. Women attend colleges in 50:50 numbers. But statistics from the IPA show that just 29.6% of staff in creative departments are women. And even that&rs
  
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• Shazam hires Alexis Rodriguez as new head of global marketing solutions

  07-07-2017 17:32
  
  Alexis Rodriguez has been hired as the new head of global marketing solutions at digital music discovery company Shazam.
  Rodriguez will be based in Shazam’s New York City office and will report to chief revenue officer Greg Glenday. In her role, Rodriguez will oversee the integrated marketing, partner marketing and creative services teams.
  Rodriguez is an accomplished creative executive with over 20 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to Shazam, she was senio
  
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• Facebook’s Nicola Mendelsohn on guest-editing The Drum

  07-07-2017 17:15
  
  Nicola Mendelsohn, vice-president of EMEA at Facebook, recently shared her thoughts on guest-editing a special issue of The Drum.
  Speaking to The Drum’s magazine editor Katie McQuater at Cannes Lions, Mendelsohn said having the opportunity to edit The Drum's Cannes issue was “fantastic” for herself and colleagues Sheryl Sandberg and Mark D’Arcy, who teamed up to co-edit the publication.
  “To be involved in the features meetings in the weeks that led up to the issue w
  
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• The $2.1bn marriage of America’s home shopping giants is about scale – not Amazon

  07-07-2017 16:49
  
  Digital commerce business – and QVC parent – Liberty Interactive Corporation and HSN, Inc., the $3.5bn interactive multichannel retailer, said they are joining forces in an all-stock deal valued at $2.1bn.
  And while there has been some speculation that the acquisition is intended to make the home shopping brands more competitive against the Goliath that is Amazon, Forrester analyst Brendan Witcher said it is actually an example of consolidation in a dynamic retail market, which needs
  
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• Stihl’s first ever national UK advert is released by BWP Group

  07-07-2017 16:01
  
  Stihl, one of the leading manufacturers of garden power tools and the company responsible for the world’s first petrol chainsaw, has never before released a national television advert in the UK. But a new film directed by BWP Group's Duncan Guymer has changed the game.
  The campaign highlights the breadth and depth of the Stihl tool range, which features everything from hedge trimmers and axes and chainsaws to robotic mowers.
  Inspired by The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the f
  
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• UBS cuts 10% of Vice and Vanity Fair content budget to push into social marketing, admitting it got the mix wrong

  07-07-2017 16:00
  
  UBS may have spent the last two years fine-tuning its content creation arm Unlimited with partners Vice and Vanity Fair, but it has admitted this was at the expense of “good old-fashioned marketing” prompting it to reallocate budgets into more direct channels. 
  The financial services company found itself investing "too much in content creation" and not enough into making sure people saw it, forcing it to slice 10% off the contracts with its editorial partners to pump into a
  
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• Business on the Move: Bentley Motors, Carlsberg, Times of India and more

  07-07-2017 16:00
  
  Account wins
  Bentley Motors has chosen Keko London to handle all brand and product strategy, as well as global campaign creation. Keko won the account following a formal review process involving three other agencies.
  Keko will also look after regional and retail implementation for the UK, Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. The agency also takes over the strategic briefs on Aftersales and Pre-Owned work for global markets.
  The Times of India has appointed J Walter Tho
  
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• Ad of the Day: British Army celebrates Pride with rainbow camo cream

  07-07-2017 14:14
  
  The British Army is standing alongside a number of brands in its support of Pride in London this month by launching special edition camouflage cream in the colours of the rainbow, and highlighting the innovation with a poster campaign.
  The initiative was devised by Karmarama in partnership with the Army Recruiting Group and will go live tomorrow (8 July). Rainbow – rather than khaki – camo cream will be distributed to those attending Pride in London’s parade, while th
  
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• Are the major marketing industry events still good for business?

  07-07-2017 14:02
  
  The Cannes cliche is well-documented. Tens of thousands of advertising, media and technology folk head down to the French Riviera to have their work judged and to meet people from across the industry.
  There’s no doubt that for some, it’s a frenzy of drinking, networking and general merriment, with new business directors hovering around the Gutter Bar, hoping to charm passing prospects and exchange business cards.
  While it’s an appealing scenario, when it comes to doing bus
  
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• CP+B UK chief Richard Pinder to depart in fresh blow to agency

  07-07-2017 14:01
  
  Richard Pinder is to exit Crispin, Porter + Bogusky (CP&B); the latest in a string of high profile departures at the creative agency. 
  Pinder has spent the last thee years at the MDC-owned shop, leading its UK and International division.
  “While I have loved every minute of working with the incredible team at CP+B, the draw of a return to entrepreneurial life is too strong to ignore.  It just feels like the right time," he said. 
  Prior to joining CP+B, Pinder co
  
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• Blockbuster, British Airways, Vevo: 5 things that mattered this week and why

  07-07-2017 13:59
  
  Pizza Express tries to shake off ‘boring’ image with standup comedy nights
  Pizza Express was once one of the darlings of the high street restaurant chain world but suggestions to eat there now are likely to elicit groans and accusations that you aren’t very adventurous. And it is facing renewed competition from some of the newer pizza chains on the high street.
  Pizza Express is well aware it is falling out of favour amid the rise of ‘hipster’ pizza chains such as Fr
  
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• Malibu launches site to toast National Piña Colada Day weekend

  07-07-2017 13:53
  
  Malibu, the rum drink brand owned by Pernod Ricard UK, has launched a website to celebrate and promote the National Piña Colada Day activation taking place this weekend (7-10 July) at more than 600 bars in England and Wales.
  The website, created by Manchester based development agency CTI Digital, has been designed with the mobile user in mind, following the experience of last year when 83% of users were via mobile devices.
  Katie Bryden, assistant brand manager at Malibu, said: &ldquo
  
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• Why the EU fining Google is bad news for customer experience

  07-07-2017 13:26
  
  While last week’s €2.4bn antitrust fine on Google Shopping broke records, it won’t exactly break the bank for Google, whose parent company Alphabet reached $665 billion in market value earlier this year.
  But the EU’s demand that Google stops favouring its own price-comparison shopping service in search results within the next 90 days – or face penalties of up to €10.6m a day – may have far reaching and highly damaging consequences for the internet economy
  
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• SMBs increasingly rely on customer information through websites, but 50% of user information is not secure

  07-07-2017 13:11
  
  Small businesses relying on collecting visitors email addresses may be in breach of privacy regulations due to their own inconsistent security measures.
  A study conducted by B2B professional services company Clutch found that  50% of SMBs are at risk with commonly collected information making businesses vulnerable to privacy violations.
  Currently, email addresses remain the most commonly collected customer information (57%), followed by names (47%), and locations (45%), which
  
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• Rosie Arnold experiences creative differences with Ben Affleck | You Couldn’t Make This Crap Up

  07-07-2017 12:52
  
  The head of art at AMV BBDO, Rosie Arnold, discovered that Hollywood hunks call the shots, even when it comes to creative direction.
  Her team selected Ben Affleck as the star of the latest Lynx ad, where a man clicks every time a woman eyes him up. As a then newly-married man and expectant father, the actor "freaked out" and asked for other men to be in the ad, so he didn’t look like a player.
  The problem is it would ruin the gag, so Arnold was tasked with convincing him this wouldn’
  
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• This freelance creative is trying to shake up the gig economy

  07-07-2017 12:46 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Casey Bird, the president of women's mentorship organisation SheSays, is trying to improve the relationship between agencies and freelancers with a new reviews platform.
  
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• Asos, Boohoo and Zavvi become latest retailers to partner Boom25.com giveaway site

  07-07-2017 12:40
  
  Asos, Boohoo and Zavvi have become the latest retailers to sign-up to recently-launched affiliate marketing site Boom25.com, which offers every 25th customer a full refund on their online shop, no matter the value of their purchase.
  The new retailers will join household names already on the site including Currys PC World, Ticketmaster, Expedia, Superdry, M&S and Forever21. Following a successful first month with over 450 partnered retailers signed up and a record £3,670 given away to a
  
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• Did Pokemon Go really change how marketers view augmented reality?

  07-07-2017 12:28
  
  Pokemon Go, an augmented reality (AR) side project from Nintendo and Niantic, unexpectedly bore fruit to become a mobile craze a year ago. But as it celebrates its first birthday, did it herald the unstoppable rise of AR and mixed reality (MR) or merely see it aggrandised in many a puff piece?
  If you somehow missed it, Pokemon Go is a mobile game that overlays digital monsters onto the player's own real-world neighbourhoods, courtesy of Niantic's clever GPS tech. In shor
  
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• Put the breasts away, Peta. Your cheap stunts do nothing for animal welfare | Phoebe-Jane Boyd

  07-07-2017 12:22
  
  Scantily clad women giving out strawberries and vegan cream at Wimbledon? It’s a grubby and grasping tactic• Phoebe-Jane Boyd is a freelance journalist who writes on politics and pop cultureIt happens differently for everyone, but the moment I knew for sure that I would go meat- and animal product-free was upon seeing a smiling lady in a bikini giving out bowls of strawberries and vegan cream at Wimbledon. She was just so amenable and almost-naked about it, you know? I knew from the m
  
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• Richard Pinder to exit Crispin Porter & Bogusky

  07-07-2017 12:09 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Richard Pinder is stepping down as chief executive of Crispin Porter & Bogusky London as he seeks a "return to entrepreneurial life".
  
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• PayPal says eBay separation has been ‘freeing’ as it talks up contextual commerce

  07-07-2017 12:09
  
  It has now been two years since eBay and PayPal started to trade separately. And all the signs suggest PayPal has benefitted most from the divorce.
  It rose 13 places to 52nd in this year’s Millward Brown Brand Z power rankings; this made it one of the 20 biggest risers and saw its brand valuation rise to $19.15bn.
  It also recently linked up with Channel 4. Over the next six months, the exclusive partnership will see PayPal launch a series of adverts centered around Channel 4 shows such as
  
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• People on the move featuring Diageo, Kerry Foods, Havas, Uber and more

  07-07-2017 11:38
  
  This week has seen another wave of appointments and departures at brands, media owners and agencies. The Drum has rounded up the key moves from the EMEA, APAC and North America regions below.
   
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  Delloitte
  Deloitte has strengthened its Scottish digital offering with the poaching of Royal Bank of Scotland staffers Gareth Edwards and Debbi McLean to join the leadership team at its Edinburgh HQ.
  Edwards, who has more than 16 years’ experience in digital, has
  
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• Unilad forms ‘all in’ content partnership with PokerStars to scale up social media interests

  07-07-2017 11:27
  
  Social video specialist Unilad has gone ‘all in’ on a new global partnership with gambling platform PokerStars as both businesses look to leverage their combined content and social media clout.
  Under the terms of the agreement conceived by creative agency Gravity Road both parties will co-create brand new content while Unilad will also distribute exclusive PokerStars content such as poker championships, how to series, content fronted by global PokerStars ambassadors Usain B
  
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• Canadians seek authenticity in online reviews, seeking truthful product reviews and real people

  07-07-2017 11:27
  
  In keeping with the country’s reputation for making smart choices, Canadians today are not as easily swayed by product reviews that don’t ring true and are very discerning about whether or not they are written by ‘real people.’ 
  A recent survey commissioned by Canadian Tire shows that online ratings and reviews influence 80% of Canadians' purchasing decisions, and 80% are looking for truthful product reviews written by real people and 70% of respondents noting t
  
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• Centaur sells Home Interest division to Future, buys MarketMakers

  07-07-2017 11:23 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Centaur Media has sold its Home Interest portfolio to Future for £32m, and acquired MarketMakers, a telemarketing agency, for £13.4m.
  
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• Channel 4 and ITV ask you to choose between humans or apes

  07-07-2017 11:18 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Channel 4 and ITV will simultaneously advertise the launch of 20th Century Fox's War For The Planet Of The Apes.
  
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• Pride 2017: the best campaigns by brands and agencies

  07-07-2017 11:17 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Our pick of the best marketing activity by brands ahead of tomorrow's Pride in London parade
  
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• RAPP UK creates #Prideforthe72 in show of solidarity with the 72 countries where same sex love is still a crime

  07-07-2017 11:08
  
  As part of Omnicom’s Open Pride initiative and Pride’s theme of ‘Love Happens Here’, RAPP UK has developed the #Prideforthe72 campaign in a show of solidarity with LGBT people in 72 countries where same sex love is still a crime, where people can be persecuted for simply holding hands in public. 
  Pride is a celebration of love and the journey of the LGBT community, but it’s also a time to acknowledge how far society still has to go.
  The campaign invites support
  
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• Future snaps up Centaur Media’s home interest division for £32m

  07-07-2017 10:47
  
  Specialist media purveyor Future Publishing is to add to its roster of titles after acquiring Centaur Media’s home interest division for the sum of £32m - subject to approval from its shareholders.
  Future publishes over 50 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, films, music, photography and knowledge and will add home building brands to this roster should the purchase go through.
  Zillah Byng-Thorne, CEO of Future, commented: "Centaur's Home Interest division will signif
  
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• Twitter to put US government in the dock over surveillance requests

  07-07-2017 10:16
  
  Twitter has won the right to press ahead with a lawsuit demanding that the US government discloses more details about surveillance requests it issues to technology firms after a judge gave his consent for the case to be brought.
  In a written order district Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, asserted that officials had failed to demonstrate ‘clear and present danger’ when gagging Twitter over surveillance requests it made – in breach of the social platforms con
  
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• Wins this week: McDonald's, OnePlus, Papa John's

  07-07-2017 09:23 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Campaign's round-up of account moves across advertising and media
  
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• Google suffers temporary service hiccup, knocking out Calendar & Hangouts

  07-07-2017 09:23
  
  Users of Google services including Calendar, Hangouts and its Admin Console suffered a brief disruption to their services on Thursday after the tech giant suffered a rare malfunction.
  Alphabet assert that they now have the situation under control however after its engineers scrambled to resolve the issue within a matter of hours - doubtless keen to prevent people voting with their feet for other cloud-based services.
  In a statement Google apologized for the inconvenience, saying: “The prob
  
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• Centaur buys B2B marketing support firm, sells Home Interest portfolio

  07-07-2017 08:58
  Marketing Week publisher Centaur Media has acquired B2B marketing support services provider MarketMakers and announced the sale of its Home Interest portfolio to Future PLC as it looks focus its efforts on B2B products and services.
  Centaur, which also owns The Lawyer, Creative Review, Design Week, Money Marketing and Econsultancy brands, will pay the owners of Marketmarkers an initial £13.4m.
  Future is paying £32m for the Home Interest portfolio, which includes Homebuilding and Ren
  
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• Mr Green to clean Malta waters

  07-07-2017 08:33 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Mr Green, the online gambling company, has launched a programme to clean the Maltese coastal waters and spread awareness of creating a healthy sea.
  
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• No room for schadenfreude in Lufthansa's marketing

  07-07-2017 08:32 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  For Lufthansa's top marketer, empathy and observation are keys to better customer experience.
  
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• RB forecasts 2% sales drop after cyber attack

  07-07-2017 08:05 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  RB, the owner of Nurofen and Durex, has warned that last week's cyber attack will lead to a drop in a 2% drop in sales for the second quarter of the year.
  
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• Waitrose sponsors Food on 4 to serve as the perfect accompaniment to Channel 4’s culinary shows

  07-07-2017 08:00
  
  Waitrose has partnered with Channel 4 to sponsor its popular food titles including Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast, Fearless Chefs, and My Kitchen Rules in addition to a presence on UKTV network shows including MasterChef USA, Celebrity MasterChef and The Hairy Bikers.
  With idents created by adam&eveDDB showcasing the high-end supermarket’s premium range, Waitrose hopes to win the hearts and minds of consumers with an interest in cooking.
  Rupert Ellwood, head of marketing, W
  
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• How a startup mentality put Tommy Hilfiger at the centre of a fashion revolution

  07-07-2017 08:00
  
  Model Gigi Hadid has helped Tommy Hilfiger attract a younger audienceThink back to the 1990s and Tommy Hilfiger was one of the most dominant fashion brands on the market. It was the height of cool among young urban consumers, with stars including Kate Moss, Snoop Dogg and the members of Destiny’s Child buying into its preppy style of American sportswear. It tapped into pop culture in a way other brands failed to do, building relationships in a genuine and believable way.
  Yet as
  
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• The New European editor on making it to a year: ‘I wish we’d charged a fiver for it now’

  07-07-2017 07:00
  
  At £2, the New European is already one of the priciest national papers on the UK newsstand. A year on from its launch, its editor says that if he could turn back time and do it all again, he’d charge even more for it.
  Matt Kelly is casting his mind back to the frantic first deadline for the anti-Brexit weekly, which went from conception to launch in just nine days in the wake of Britain voting to leave the European Union, and recounting how “there was a big argum
  
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• Fabulous female f+ckups: leaders and entrepreneurs in Singapore explain why it’s ok to get it wrong

  07-07-2017 06:10
  
  Last month’s SheSays Singapore session was all about the women in Singapore who have f+cked up in some way or other, and bounced back to tell the tale.
  The speakers included; Wendy Hogan, marketing transformation and strategy director at Oracle, and co-founder and APAC curator of Ladybadassery.com, Regan Bailie, managing director at Xaxis Singapore and board member of IAB Singapore and Bea Seilern, managing editor of Giles Publications.
  The event was chaired by Lizi Hamer, regional creativ
  
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• Time Out strengthens APAC foothold with return of Australia and Hong Kong titles

  07-07-2017 04:00
  
  Time Out is looking to strengthen its presence in APAC following the recent acquisition of Time Out Australia and the return of the Hong Kong brand license. 
  The global publishing company recently acquired its Australian licensing partner Print and Digital Publishing, which published in five cities. The deal followed the return of the Hong Kong license in March.  
  Time Out CEO Julio Bruno told The Drum the moves were part of a broader strategy to increase its foothold in Asia, as the b
  
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