Marketing news

• Volvo Trucks achieves the world record for largest object unboxed

  13-07-2017 22:36
  
  Volvo Trucks North America has achieved a Guinness World Record as it unboxed one of the largest objects ever delivered, a Volvo VNL, Volvo Truck. 
  Creating a buzz around breaking a record, for the strategic launch of their new model, Volvo VNL, Volvo Trucks recruited the assistance of three-year old Joel Jovine to assist with the unboxing. Joe  happened to have a passion for Volvo trucks, according to a report in the Guiness World Book of Records.&nb
  
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• US People on the Move: AKQA, Bradley and Montgomery, Media Storm and other new hires

  13-07-2017 20:54
  
  Several US agencies and media houses have made hiring moves in the past few days, including Bradley and Montgomery, GMR, AKQA and Media Storm, among others.
  Bradley and Montgomery
  Independent creative agency Bradley and Montgomery (BaM) announced that Jules Boasberg has joined the company as its new chief marketing and growth officer. In his role, Boasberg will be leading the charge to grow BaM across North America as well as forging relationships with new and prospective clients that strategica
  
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• Jet.com appeals to New Yorkers by installing smart access systems in 1,000 buildings

  13-07-2017 19:49
  
  As Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition leaves it poised to single-handedly shape the future of online grocery buying, Jet.com, the e-commerce site purchased by Walmart in a massive deal last year, reportedly has its own plan in the works to make deliveries faster and easier – at least in New York.
  That’s according to TechCrunch, which reports Jet is teaming up with smart access provider Latch to install the latter’s Latch R access system in 1,000 New York apartment buildings
  
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• Pandora taps Foursquare to show how digital ads impact offline behavior

  13-07-2017 19:03
  
  Personalized radio service Pandora is using Attribution by Foursquare, a tool that provides real-world conversion measurement for cross-channel media, to help its advertisers better understand how their digital ads are driving foot traffic to brick-and-mortar locations.
  Foursquare said Attribution by Foursquare tells advertisers about visits to stores, incremental visits, lift for a campaign, return on ad spend, incremental revenue, impressions and devices reached. It also provides audience insi
  
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• The travel industry must sell dreams through digital to appeal to modern travellers

  13-07-2017 17:58
  
  When was the last time you used a travel agent to book your holiday?
  I honestly can’t remember when I did. In fact, being a millennial, I may never have used one.
  In truth, I’m much more likely to trust Clive from Blackpool and his opinions on the best hotel to stay in Rome. He’s a complete stranger, but I’ll look at his photos of the rooftop bar, his comments on the size of the hotel rooms and how he rated the Aperol Spritz out of 10. But I wouldn’t trust somebody
  
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• KFC hatches plan to ruffle feathers with Huawei smartphone celebrating 30 years in China

  13-07-2017 17:54
  
  KFC appears to be winging it in China these days with the fast food company seemingly ready to release a southern fried chicken themed smartphone in a partnership with Huawei.
  The odd move will help KFC stay abreast of the competitive Chinese market, egged on by Huawei, one of the tech giants that rules the roost in the region.
  The result of the collaboration is a co-branded, and visceral smartphone featuring the treasured brand icon and mascot, Colonel Sanders. It is unlikely to appeal to but t
  
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• VidCon is more important than Cannes : Here’s what you missed

  13-07-2017 17:14
  
  Cannes…the Coachella of the ad industry. But, while you were poppin’ bottles and praising bespectacled creative directors, I was with 60,000 screaming teenagers and the YouTube/ Instagram stars they worship in California at VidCon.
  If your brand or agency wants to be around in 10 years time, you need to stay culturally relevant. Where better to soak up culture than amongst the people who are defining what online video should look like and understanding them better.
  But then Cannes h
  
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• Is the publishing industry suffering from a lack of ambition?

  13-07-2017 17:12
  
  In June, the Guardian Media Group announced a huge shake-up in its print and digital strategy. As well as outsourcing its printing, it is also working towards breaking even at operating level by 2019 by developing and growing its membership offering and restructuring its advertising business.
  More recently, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also announced that it will be stopping its European print edition and scaling back its Asian edition to focus on digital subscriptions. While digital is critica
  
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• Step Into My Office: ODD's Sam Sheterline on breaking corporate boundaries and diversity in the workplace

  13-07-2017 16:46
  
  ‘Step into my Office’ is a series of interviews powered by The Future Factory and The Drum Network, which investigate the details behind the office door. The Future Factory is a lead generation and growth consultancy that spends one day per week working from their clients’ workplaces, getting under the hood of agency life, ambitions and culture among all its idiosyncrasies and charm.
  This month Sam Sheterline, client services director of creative agency
  
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• How many bitcoins for a bath bomb? Lush is now accepting cryptocurrency

  13-07-2017 16:33 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Cosmetics retailer Lush is introducing the ability for online customers to pay using cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
  
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• Thousands agree to clean loos and hug stray cats for free Wi-Fi

  13-07-2017 16:32 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  In an "experiment" Wi-Fi provider Purple added a clause to its terms and conditions that required 1,000 hours of community service from those in pursuit of free Wi-Fi.
  
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• BT Sport, The AA, Heineken: The Top 10 YouTube ads in June

  13-07-2017 16:12
  
  1. YouTube: Spotlight Use your #PowerToDecide
  YouTube has come top of its own list with this ad released around the General Election last month. The video urges young people to use their voice to vote on the 8 June, telling them they have the ‘power to decide’. The ad features a number of YouTube influencers including Adrian Bliss, Humza Productions and Mandeville Sisters to appeal to a younger generation. With ‘Watch what I can do’ by 7kingz playing as its soun
  
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• ‘Know where your limits are’: Exceptional Women of the World featuring Gabriella Schwarz, Flipboard

  13-07-2017 16:11
  
  As the managing editor at Flipboard, Gabriella Schwarz leads a team of news curators to feature the most important stories to the site’s readers — a role that she takes very seriously.She says her inquisitive nature is what led her to become a journalist in the first place — logging in stops at two dissonant, yet important destinations: Fox News, then CNN, where she won an Emmy.
  In our conversation at Cannes Lions, we found that curiosity is a search to find the best of pe
  
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• Gary Oldman as Churchill: first trailer for Darkest Hour released

  13-07-2017 16:01
  
  First footage revealed of Oldman’s much-hyped performance as Britain’s wartime prime minister, set during the early years of his premiershipThe first trailer for the forthcoming Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour has been released onto the internet. Directed by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Hanna), Darkest Hour follows Churchill immediately after his appointment as Prime Minister, as he agonises over whether or not to explore a negotiated peace treaty with the loomin
  
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• Tiger Beer combines AI, art and conservation in WWF selfie drive to save tigers

  13-07-2017 15:55
  
  Tiger Beer has collaborated with WWF on a substantial donation and awareness-raising campaign to help clamp down on the illegal tiger trade.
  The '3890Tigers' initiative has been named so because in the last century the number of tigers estimated to live in the wild has dropped from around 100,00 to around 3,890, a figure the brand is intent on propagating back to a substantial number.
  A digital hub is live at 3890Tigers.com where users can upload a selfie to be reimagined as
  
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• Marketing Society chief Gemma Greaves reveals plan to battle industry stigma around mental health

  13-07-2017 15:05
  
  The Marketing Society's chief executive Gemma Greaves has spoken of the need to tackle the stigma around mental health in the industry and offered her agenda for helping battle it.
  Speaking at the annual summer party which brought together around 400 people from the marketing community in London, Greaves explained the decision taken three years ago by the society to combine to improve the world and utlise its members in an agenda named 'Marketing for Good'.
  She explained that this year’s i
  
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• The kid from Volkswagen’s 'The Force' Super Bowl ad now advocating on child healthcare

  13-07-2017 14:50
  
  Max Page, the child actor who in 2011 starred as Darth Vader in one of the most famous Super Bowl ads of all time – Volkswagen’s ‘The Force’, is now using his ad fame to advocate for better healthcare for children in Washington D.C..
  Twelve-year-old Page, who suffers from a rare congenital heart condition, is serving as a healthcare advocate at Capitol Hill this week, six years after he starred as the Star Wars villain.
  Page is making use of the retention of his role
  
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• Ad of the Day: Lackadaisical ‘Lion Man’ stars in new spot from Ikea

  13-07-2017 14:46
  
  Ikea has unveiled a TVC promoting the relaxing qualities of the living room, appointing the character of ‘Lion Man’ as its star.
  Much like the rest of his species (the advert tells us), Lion Man spends up to 18 hours a day relaxing. In the film, which comes in 60-second and 20-second forms, he’s seen reading, taking a nap, sipping on juice and watching fellow lions on the small screen, all the while recharging his batteries for when he’s needed to strike.
  When the ti
  
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• Gaby Bell quits as M&C Saatchi strategy chief

  13-07-2017 14:31 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Gaby Bell is leaving M&C Saatchi as chief strategy officer to start a new communications venture.
  
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• Kevin Durant’s road to the NBA Finals chronicled in Nike film by director Brandon Loper

  13-07-2017 14:29
  
  Kevin Durant was the best NBA player not to win a championship until this year’s historic title with the Golden State Warriors. Now Nike and director Brandon Loper have encapsulated the storybook run-up to Durant’s victory with the launch of the short film Still KD: Through the Noise.
  Produced by San Francisco-based production company Avocados and Coconuts, the 35:35 film (a nod to Durant’s number) is an inspiring look at one of basketball’s greats.
  Loper and Avocados and
  
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• Boston commuters will get PSAs in gif form

  13-07-2017 14:00
  
  While hardened New Yorkers are left grumbling about the sad state of the Subway this summer and are stuck with “Stand clear of the closing doors, please”, riders of Boston’s commuter rail system are getting public service announcements in gif form, which the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) hopes will better promote its messages about etiquette and safety.
  Outdoor media company Outfront Media is providing the “friendly and easy to understand public s
  
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• Why is Europe so bad at producing ‘Disruptrepreneurs’ such as Uber and Airbnb?

  13-07-2017 13:14
  
  I have just returned from presenting the keynote address with the Prime Minister of Malta on ‘The Future of Europe’ at the Follow the Entrepreneur Summit, which is the largest meeting of entrepreneurs and investors in Europe.
  The Silicon Valley mantra of “fail fast, fail often” is currently a phrase rarely heard in the Rhone or Ruhr valleys. Why? The simple and rather depressing answer is that the approach to entrepreneurship throughout the EU, according to a recent FT Re
  
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• International news: McDonald’s shakes up US agency model, KFC launches a phone

  13-07-2017 13:05
  
  McDonald’s plots shake-up of US marketing model
  McDonald’s is planning a shake-up of its US marketing model as it looks to offer a more consistent marketing message and save on agency costs. According to a report in AdAge, the company wants to cut the number of creative agencies its franchisees work with. Currently, around 60 agencies do local work for its 200 franchise groups across the country, but McDonald’s wants to get that down to 10 or fewer.
  The report also suggests loc
  
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• Google says it wants to fund the news, not fake it

  13-07-2017 13:00
  
  Under fire from several quarters for an array of accusations ranging from monopolistic practices to the dissemination (and even funding) of fake news, plus questionable measurement procedures, Google is hitting back with both defiant words, as well as financial handouts. The Drum sat down with Madhav Chinnappa, Google’s director of strategic relations, news & publishers, to discuss its two year-old Digital News Initiative.
  Arguably the biggest digital media story of 2017 has been the c
  
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• Formula One inks deal with Snapchat as it pushes drive towards digital future

  13-07-2017 13:00
  
  Formula One has inked a global deal with Snapchat to create exclusive content during its forthcoming Grand Prix races. 
  The move comes as F1 prepares to double down on digital, having recently appointed Frank Arthofer as global head of digital. 
  The deal will see footage from the tournament hosted on Snap's editorially-curated Our Stories platform which features compilations of videos and pictures submitted from users at events and locations around the world. These are s
  
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• Relay42 builds upon growth with three new senior leadership appointments

  13-07-2017 12:57
  
  Relay42, data management platform (DMP) company that empowers marketers to orchestrate customer journeys, has built upon its strong business growth with three new senior leadership appointments.
  Mark Van Dijk will join Relay42 as chief operations officer in September 2017. Van Dijk was previously chief executive officer for iProspect Netherlands, which saw him overseeing all company operations for six years. In total, Van Dijk has 15 years’ worth of management experience, including wo
  
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• MullenLowe pinches Salt Communications for ‘intellectual strategic horsepower’

  13-07-2017 12:27
  
  MullenLowe has acquired strategic comms agency Salt Communications in an attempt to strengthen its presence in the sector with a diverse range of staff.
  Based in London and Singapore, Salt will be rebranded MullenLowe Salt and will “add European and Asian strength to the existing MullenLowe Group PR capabilities in the US market,” according to the company.
  The deal, advised by SI Partners, sees Salt’s 45 staff join the wider marcom network, although there will be little disrupt
  
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• Marketing and insight are teaming up to drive better business

  13-07-2017 12:11
  
  Collaboration between marketing and insight is helping both sides of the partnership make better decisions to devise stronger, more consumer focused campaigns that drive businesses forward.
  At online retailer Shop Direct the close relationship between marketing and insight is helping improve the company’s fundamental understanding of customer needs, attitudes and habits, both in and out of the retail environment, according to group marketing director Kenyatte Nelson.
  Over th
  
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• Marketing and insight have united to create a customer-centric culture at Forbes

  13-07-2017 12:08
  
  Marketing and insight are increasingly teaming up to promote a customer-centric culture based on meaningful data in a bid to better understand their customers’ needs.
  This is the experience at US publisher Forbes, which is focusing on rich engagement to drive its transition to a digital-first model.
  In the second instalment of Marketing Week’s ‘A Marketer’s Best Friend’ series, sponsored by Salesforce, Forbes CMO Tom Davis discusses how working with chief insig
  
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• Vauxhall hires UK comedy royalty for 'Mama' sketches on Channel 4

  13-07-2017 12:03 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Jessica Hynes and Sally Phillips are starring in a pair of comic films for Vauxhall, "Mamas Uncut", that debut tonight on Channel 4 during The Crystal Maze.
  
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• Ikea parodies wildlife documentary for 'relax into greatness' launch ad

  13-07-2017 11:59 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Ikea's new integrated campaign urges people to "relax into greatness" and features a lion as the star of the launch ad, which breaks on TV this weekend.
  
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• Snapchat adds Formula One to list of sports partnerships

  13-07-2017 11:22 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Ahead of the British Grand Prix this weekend, Formula One has signed a deal with Snapchat to cover upcoming races through the app's editorial platform Discover.
  
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• WPP agrees terms to buy independent German creative agency Thjnk

  13-07-2017 11:12
  
  Advertising giant WPP has extended its acquisition spree with the purchase of Hamburg-based independent creative agency Thjnk.
  First founded in 2012, the group now extends across Germany, Switzerland and the US with offices in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Munich, Zurich and New York with a combined staff roll of 400.
  Specialists in advertising, design and corporate publishing the business will continue to operate as an independent brand underneath the wider WPP umbrella with founding partners Karen Heuma
  
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• Adwatch: Three's Frankenstein furry offers more than silliness

  13-07-2017 11:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  The Giraffamingo succeeds in delivering memorable relevance for the mobile brand, writes Krow Communications' chief strategy officer and founder.
  
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• Burger King Stacker promo lends a hand to people in need

  13-07-2017 10:47
  
  Burger King is moving away from toys and trinkets to focus on an altogether more productive bundled freebies by handing out 3D printed prosthetic limbs to those in need.
  Brainchild of the creatives at David the All Hands on Flavor campaign slots into a wider bid to champion social issues as a means to elevate the burger brand, which offered its Stacker 'Atomic' five burger combo bun for sale at half price on 5 July – with 50% of sales (up to a maximum value of $200k) donated to prosthetic
  
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• MC&C to launch global network on the back of £6.6m investment

  13-07-2017 10:39 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Independent performance media agency MC&C plans to use capital raised from investment by private equity house Key Capital Partners to go global.
  
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• A year on, City AM stands by decision to let advertisers post content directly on its site

  13-07-2017 10:34
  
  The owners of feisty business paper City AM have insisted that their bold experiment to shake up the business model for the news industry has not failed.
  Lawson Muncaster and Jens Torpe made a daring move in shifting journalism’s historic “church and state” boundaries between the newsroom and the advertising department when they launched their radical City Talk initiative almost a year ago. City Talk allows commercial clients direct access to the paper’s online content ma
  
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• Absolut's neon-lit kisses capture the spirit of Pride

  13-07-2017 10:20 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Social video experts at Unruly review "Equal love", the latest viral by Absolut.
  
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• Subway eyes a slice of NFL action as London Games lead sponsor

  13-07-2017 10:02
  
  Sandwich chain Subway has taken to Twitter to share the news that it has been named as lead sponsor and presenting partner for the NFL London Games in the UK and Ireland for the next three years.
  Some pairings are perfect. Steak & cheese, chicken & teriyaki, Subway® stores & @NFLUK! Proud to be the NFL London Games partner. #SubwayNFL pic.twitter.com/C3hINaxUeu
  — Subway® UK & Ireland (@SUBWAYUKIreland) July 12, 2017The deal will see the popular franchise’s bra
  
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• WPP acquires German agency group to shore up EU resources ahead of Brexit

  13-07-2017 10:01 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  WPP has acquired German independent creative agency group, Thjnk, as part of its strategy to grow its network in Western Europe ahead of Brexit.
  
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• Film4 names Ollie Madden as head of creative

  13-07-2017 09:25
  
  Film4 has hired experienced production executive Ollie Madden, a former executive producer at Kudos, as head of creative in a direct replacement for Rose Garnett – who recently left to head BBC Films.
  Madden won’t be the only fresh face at Film4, with the production firm also taking the opportunity to announce the appointment of Cassandra Carias, formerly of eOne Features, who will replace Harry Dixon as head of finance.
  Director of Film4 Daniel Battsek said: “I have long
  
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• Sorry isn’t enough: why agencies need to work with influencers and not against them

  13-07-2017 08:27
  
  With the latest influencer marketing stats revealing the industry’s impressive growth into a channel that is steamrolling traditional advertising, we are seeing many new agencies cropping up. With more noise in the space, it’s more important than ever that the industry isn’t misrepresented.
  At VAMP we have been working with Influencers since the concept of influencer marketing took off; we have loved seeing our creatives grow and flourish in their business.
  In light of the rece
  
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• TripAdvisor aims to create one-stop shop with Deliveroo deal

  13-07-2017 08:23 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  The collaboration allows Deliveroo's restaurant partners featured under the travel booking site's restaurant listings to take orders directly from site visitors.
  
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• MullenLowe Group buys Salt to 'smash together' PR and advertising

  13-07-2017 08:01 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  MullenLowe Group has acquired PR and strategic comms agency Salt as it adds public relations to its "hyperbundled" offering in the UK and Asia.
  
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• Colle+McVoy’s Laura Fegley: 'Being a great creative is all about endurance'

  13-07-2017 08:01
  
  Laura Fegley, ECD at Colle+McVoy in Minneapolis, treads a path of undeniable success.
  From her time at BBH in New York City in the same role, to various freelance stints with top agencies along the way, she has seen plenty in the industry, has strong opinions on its present and future, especially for women — and continues to build a long and impressive career that has included work on a wide range of global brands.
  In fact, endurance is an important marker for a creative to be successful.
  
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• Air France has launched its own in-flight chewing gum, so The Drum put it to the test

  13-07-2017 08:00
  
  Air France has collaborated with BETC Paris to create its own line of French-tasting chewing gum, designed to aid passengers with ear pain caused by cabin pressure changes. As the gum is currently only available in France and in the air, The Drum took the crème brûlée and pistachio-macaron flavours for a taste test.
  The magazine’s London office had a mixed reaction to the overtly French tastes of the gum, with assistant publisher Sam Scott commenting: “It doe
  
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• Google paying millions to academics for public policy support

  13-07-2017 07:53 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Google has been paying academics millions to produce research to support its public policy.
  
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• Beattie Group forges trans-Atlantic partnership with Tartan Group

  13-07-2017 07:50
  
  UK based creative communications provider Beattie Group is casting its sights across the Atlantic after merging with Canada’s Tartan Group to form a new company.
  Beattie Tartan will straddle Toronto, Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver with a team of 12 PR, digital, social and creative specialists with combined sales of $2.5m, predominantly from tourism focused clients such as Destination Canada, Jordan Tourism Board, Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada and the Adventure Travel Trade Asso
  
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• India's Hotstar agrees content deal with CBS to keep up with rival Amazon

  13-07-2017 07:49
  
  Hotstar, India's homegrown streaming platform, and CBS Corporation have agreed to a content licensing and trademark partnership for Showtime in India where it will stream Emmy and Golden Globe winning programming.
  Hotstar is keeping up with its rival Amazon, which recently signed a new deal with Warner Bros to stream high-quality films and first-rate television series.
  Mary Meeker's 2017 report showcased India as an emerging Internet superpower, even though only 27% of the country&rsqu
  
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• Accenture continues down the acquisition trail with Clearhead purchase

  13-07-2017 07:00
  
  Accenture has underlined its ambitions to further dominate the marketing and advertising sector with this week’s purchase of Clearhead, a digital optimization outfit that specializes in helping brands personalize their interactions with consumers.
  The management consultancy’s Accenture Interactive arm announced the purchase, the fee was not disclosed publicly, with the new outfit boasting a 70-strong headcount, and a client base that includes brands such as Adidas, CVS/pharmacy,
  
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