Marketing news

• Tina Brown, author of The Diana Chronicles, on what makes a great story

  26-07-2017 23:47
  The story of Princess Diana played out daily in front of the world’s eyes. In chapter after chapter, the curiosity and fascination with Diana and The Royal Family was insatiable. Even today, with the recent release of the HBO documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, the world continues to satiate its hunger for The People’s Princess.
  Legendary journalist and editor Tina Brown CBE, very much had a seat in the front row. The Diana Chronicles marked a well-received, indelible
  
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• Facebook posts 45% revenue gain hitting $9.3bn based on continued mobile growth

  26-07-2017 22:47
  Despite earlier warnings of a potential slowdown in ad spend, Facebook’s revenue growth remains robust, with the social network posting revenues of $9.3bn for the three months to June 30.
  This is based on the back of continued strong advertiser demand for reach of users on their mobile phone — and such ad spend now makes up 87% of Facebook's total revenue.
  The numbers were released earlier today (July 26) and represent a 45% year-over-year rise, with the company experiencin
  
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• Coke Zero: A look back at the now-defunct brand's ads

  26-07-2017 21:42
  With the announcement that Coke Zero is being replaced with a new product, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, here’s a look back on how Coke Zero has advertised itself to the public since it debuted in 2005.
  The original branding was in a white can, with the tagline “Everybody Chill,” which was not a hit with consumers. A more masculine rebrand, thanks to Coca-Cola New Zealand, brought the familiar black cans.White Coke Zero cans
   
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  According to the Coca-Cola website, “
  
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• Internet adspend accounts for half of spend for first time

  26-07-2017 21:41 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Internet advertising accounted for half of the UK's adspend for the first time in the first three months of 2017, according to the Advertising Association and Warc's expenditure report.
  
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• Coke Zero is out, Coke Zero Sugar is in

  26-07-2017 21:36
  Coca-Cola is revamping its Coca-Cola Zero beverage with “an even better-tasting recipe” that tastes “a lot like…Coke” and it will henceforth be known as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
  It will also have a new design that “looks more like Coca-Cola,” featuring the red Coca-Cola disc against a black background familiar to Coke Zero fans. Coca-Cola said the design also prominently features “zero sugar” text to “emphasize th
  
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• EBay is adding visual search functionality

  26-07-2017 21:02
  As the visual search space heats up, eBay has thrown its hat into the ring with the launch of two new features, Image Search and Find It On eBay.
  Enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning, the features allow consumers to search with pictures instead of words. Both will be available in the fall.
  In Image Search, developed during eBay Hack Week, consumers enter the photo of an item they want to purchase into the search bar. eBay said it will then surface list
  
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• US Creative Work of the Week: Gyro creates slow concrete sculptures to promote structural panels

  26-07-2017 20:42
  Trying to advertise structural panels to the construction industry might seem pretty dull and straightforward. But agency Gyro managed to find an interesting angle to get builders interested in buying the panels.
  Structure engineers, when constructing a midrise building, often default to poured concrete because it’s what they know. Gyro was able to show that poured concrete is heavy and expensive and can slow down or hold back the building process. They did it by making the poure
  
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• Google is flirting with autoplay videos in search results

  26-07-2017 20:10
  Following the likes of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, Google has added autoplay videos to search results for queries that return videos in the knowledge panel.
  That’s according to the SEM Post.
  Google sent The Drum the following statement: "We are constantly experimenting with ways to improve the search experience for our users, but have no plans to announce at this time."
  SEM Post observed the feature when searching for movies like the Lego Ninjago Movie and the Justice League,
  
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• Google flirts with autoplay movie trailers in search results

  26-07-2017 20:10
  Following the likes of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, Google has added autoplay videos to search results for queries that return videos in the knowledge panel.
  That’s according to the SEM Post.
  Google sent The Drum the following statement: "We are constantly experimenting with ways to improve the search experience for our users, but have no plans to announce at this time."
  Google also confirmed this is a short-term experiment with a small number of trailers - not ads - and it has
  
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• Converse subtly redesigns logo with a nod to its history

  26-07-2017 19:38
  Many people, even the most hardcore sneakerheads, might not have noticed the change in the Converse logo. But Nike, which owns Converse, recently rolled out a new logo for the shoe company that gives a big nod to its heritage.
  The redesigned mark, which is currently on the Converse website and has been in some marketing materials, owes a ton to the brand’s history, using elements of older logos in making a new, yet quite familiar, new mark.
  The company used to use a wordmark, with the
  
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• WPP invests in LA-based virtual reality firm Within

  26-07-2017 19:11
  WPP has announced that the holding company has invested in Within, a virtual and augmented reality company with offices in LA and San Francisco.
  According to WPP, the investment is part of its “strategy of focusing on three key areas that differentiate the Group’s offerings to clients: technology, data and content.”  
  The investment comes on the heels of others made by WPP. Earlier this year, it invested in New York-based 88rising, a digital media company that creates cont
  
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• Growth lessons from agency mergers and acquisitions

  26-07-2017 18:37
  Given that agency mergers and acquisitions (M&As) often fail to deliver, would remembering some basic principles make success more likely? 
  Disciplines are certainly blurring, most obviously in the bunfight-cum-love-in between consultants, service designers and ad agencies. So it’s hardly surprising mergers and acquisitions are all the rage. 
  Most of it pivots on Accenture’s hoovering spree - from their most recent purchase, Aussie hotshop The Monkeys, to spec
  
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• KFC’s ‘The Whole Chicken’ ad could face investigation as complaints top 250

  26-07-2017 18:04
  KFC’s ‘The Whole Chicken’ ad featuring a confident chicken strutting her stuff to ‘X Gon’ Give It To Ya’ by DMX is facing the possibility of an investigation by the ad regulator after it received more than 250 complaints about the TV and poster campaign.
  The Advertising Standards Authority says the complaints have focused on a number of aspects of the campaign. These include that the depiction of chickens is “offensive and distressing” for vegetari
  
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• Ad of the Day: P&G unveils poignant video about racial bias

  26-07-2017 17:10
  P&G has rolled out a moving video that centers around “the talk,” the discussion that black parents often have to have with their children to warn them about the prejudice and bias they may face because of the color of their skin.
  The two-minute video, titled ‘The Talk,’ features different scenarios where parents have these conversations with their kids. The film purposely spans generations to illustrate the point that this is something that black families have had to
  
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• Coca-Cola: We need more courage to become a growth-orientated business

  26-07-2017 16:36
  Coca-Cola is looking to prioritise its Coca-Cola Zero Sugar variant more heavily, as it reveals plans to roll out the product in the US and “keep people within the brand”.
  The drinks giant revealed its second quarter results today (26 July), which showed that organic revenues grew by 3%. Its net revenues declined 16%, which the company attributed to its ongoing refranchising programme in the US.
  Speaking on the call, the company’s new CEO James Quincey claimed to be happy with
  
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• London 2012: six of the best campaigns five years on

  26-07-2017 16:35 via campaignlive.co.uk
  With London preparing to host the World Athletics Championships from next week, Campaign revisits a very different, pre-Brexit Britain. Five years ago today, the UK capital played host to the so-called "greatest show on Earth", the London 2012 opening ceremony.
  
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• Campaign TV: five years on from London's Olympic marketing rush

  26-07-2017 16:28 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Five years on from London 2012, we take a look back at the brands that were involved in the biggest sporting event the capital has ever seen.
  
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• ASDA and Virgin Media receive most nominations for Marketing New Thinking Awards as 2017 shortlist revealed

  26-07-2017 16:02 via campaignlive.co.uk
  ASDA and Virgin Media lead the brands shortlisted for this year's Marketing New Thinking Awards, held in partnership with Sky Media, with four nominations each. Battle Bogle Hegarty London, Lucky Generals and PHD also perform strongly.
  
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• Vodafone UK launches microsite to showcase latest tech innovations

  26-07-2017 16:01
  Vodafone UK has launched a microsite, Vodafone Labs, to showcase the company's latest technological innovations and act as a platform for attracting new talent to the telecom company’s digital team.
  Visitors to the Vodafone Labs site can explore cutting-edge Vodafone initiatives including TOBi, the first live chatbot in UK telecoms, and new voice authentication services which are being tested using Amazon’s Alexa. For prospective candidates, the site offers an introduction to the dig
  
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• Tackling market research with confidence

  26-07-2017 16:00
  Marketers often cite time as an obstacle to carrying out market research. The other challenge is uncertainty about how to go about it, coupled with an element of complacency that marketers already know exactly what the consumer wants and needs.
  “I used to feel that I just didn’t have time. Now we’ve been challenged to slow down a bit and make sure we include research in our process,” says Sue Johnson, head of retail marketing at Flight Centre UK, and one a grad
  
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• Amazon finally enters Asia-Pacific via Singapore

  26-07-2017 15:40 via campaignlive.com
  Industry insiders weigh in on the coming ecommerce "bloodbath" and how brands will have to step up their game.
  
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• Campaign TV: San Miguel gathers 'life rich' individuals to inspire guests

  26-07-2017 15:21 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The San Miguel Experience saw the beer brand using "life rich" individuals and experiences to entertain and inspire guests.
  
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• US Creative Works featuring Ogilvy, TBWA, Fallon NY and more

  26-07-2017 14:50
  Welcome to The Drum's US Creative Works in partnership with Workfront.
  This section is dedicated to showing the best creative work in North and South America and gives you, the reader, the chance to decide which work we feature as our US 'Creative Work of the Week.’
  For project information, credits, and more, click on the project to expand to full screen. To submit work for our US Creative Works section, fill out this online form.
  To vote for your favorite, make sure you cli
  
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• Coke eyes American launch for Zero Sugar as calorie-free drink boosts sales in Europe

  26-07-2017 14:41 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Coca-Cola will launch its reformulated sugar-free version Zero Sugar in the US in August, after the drink recorded double-digit growth in other regions.
  
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• Should advertisers ever bring dead celebrities back to life?

  26-07-2017 13:00
  The Drum speaks to the creatives behind the digital resurrections of Audrey Hepburn and Bruce Lee to learn whether dead icons can serve as a feasible replacement for wayward influencers and dull brand ambassadors.
  Can our very essence be bottled and reproduced by a visual effects lab after we die? It is a notion entertainment houses and agencies are rallying behind in the hope the deceased personalities that helped form our cultural heritage will bring to the bank brand recognitio
  
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• People on the move featuring Vogue, TBWA, Rainbow, NewCo, Dark Horses and more

  26-07-2017 12:56
  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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  Vogue
  British Vogue has been enlisting fashion industry members as contributors in the run up to new editor Edward Enninful officially joining the publisher on 1 August.
  At the beginning of July the fashion magazine named supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, and fi
  
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• People on the move featuring Vogue, Rainbow, NewCo, Dark Horses and more

  26-07-2017 12:56
  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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  Vogue
  British Vogue has been enlisting fashion industry members as contributors in the run up to new editor Edward Enninful officially joining the publisher on 1 August.
  At the beginning of July the fashion magazine named supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, and fi
  
  Read more

• How to be more creative: advice on audience building, content marketing and localised video

  26-07-2017 12:35
  WPP’s boss Sir Martin Sorrell once said, “the definition of creativity needs to change” but how? At YouTube’s Space in London, video content producer WatchMojo, in association with The Drum, gathered inspirational speakers from various companies to talk about how marketers can learn from their experiences and unique approaches to content.
  With data on the rise and marketers experimenting with new ways of reaching consumers, where does creativity fit in and what does being
  
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• Wieden and Kennedy Delhi bags AB InBev creative work for Budweiser & Haywards 5000

  26-07-2017 12:22
  Wieden and Kennedy Delhi, fresh from a Cannes success in which they won a Bronze for Nike's Da Da Ding campaign, will now be managing  Budweiser and Haywards 5000.
  As part of the partnership, Wieden and Kennedy Delhi will be responsible for the marketing strategy and creative for both the brands.
  Kartikeya Sharma, marketing director, AB InBev said, “The Indian market is growing rapidly amongst other Budweiser global markets, and Wieden's drive, energy and expertise comp
  
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• The Guardian embraces Rupert Murdoch in pursuit of elusive ad revenues

  26-07-2017 12:16
  The Guardian and News Corp may be unlikely suitors, but all is fair in love and war as it seems as both parties embrace in a new alliance, despite routinely hacking lumps out of each other in their respective editorials.
  Sensing a ‘big opportunity’ both newspaper groups are to set aside their differences to create a joint commercial sales operation, despite the withdrawal of Telegraph Media Group which has followed the Daily Mail and Trinity Mirror out the exit door.
  Their departure
  
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• Turkey of the Week: Harry's "Meet shaving's other guys" by Brothers and Sisters

  26-07-2017 12:13 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Jeremy Lee is baffled by Harry's poster ads.
  
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• Marketing the ‘billion dollar fight’

  26-07-2017 12:09
  It appears that a team of marketing geniuses have just cooked up the most hyperbolic fight in the history of combat sports. A man who has never fought a professional boxing match in his life has managed to goad Floyd Mayweather, one of the greatest boxers of all time, out of retirement.
  In one month from now, Mayweather, whose unbeaten record stands at 49-0, is stepping back into the ring to fight mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Conor McGregor in Las Vegas. A few year
  
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• Let's get personal: make your consumer feel famous

  26-07-2017 12:06
  This month, Spotify.Me grabbed me by the narcissism. A microsite that analyses user information to assert insights and trends. A bit of clever algorithm development, some basic but effective data visualisation and there you have it – sharable, personalised content.
  Me? I am what I stream, according to Spotify.
  Listen most around 10:00am? Sounds about right, don’t tell the MD. Primarily six genres but nothing chilled? Life on the edge, baby. Top artists: The Smiths and Kendrick Lamar?
  
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• New LinkedIn tool gives marketers professional data about their audiences

  26-07-2017 12:00
  Professional network LinkedIn is launching LinkedIn Website Demographics, a reporting tool that pulls professional data from LinkedIn’s 500 million members so marketers can see what types of professionals are coming to their websites.
  This, in turn, lets brands develop better targeting and content for [their] campaigns, according to LinkedIn. Featuring an 'easy-to-read interface' under a new tab at the top of LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager tool, Website Demographics lets users filt
  
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• Creatives pay tribute to MS Paint, the death of which was greatly exaggerated

  26-07-2017 11:43 via campaignlive.co.uk
  After reports suggested that Microsoft was preparing to kill of its beloved low-tech art application Paint, Campaign asked advertising creatives to pay tribute to the program using nothing but the tools it contained.
  
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• IAB waives event fees for agency members

  26-07-2017 11:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Internet Advertising Bureau UK is making its events free to attend for all agency members, a change designed to forge closer relationships with agencies and attract more members.
  
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• Mark Ritson: Only crap marketers mistake stereotypes for segments

  26-07-2017 11:36
  There has always been a very uncomfortable proximity between segments and stereotypes. The only difference is data. If I say that women like pink and men like blue I am a sexist moron. But if I have a survey of a representative sample of the British public that shows a statistically significant skew of female consumers preferring the pink version of my product and a male preference for the blue alternative, I am a marketer armed with insight.
  Tricky stuff, eh?
  That difference was very much top
  
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• McDonald's CEO: 'We're behaving like a leadership brand'

  26-07-2017 11:19 via campaignlive.co.uk
  McDonald's has only "scratched the surface" of the potential for delivery, chief executive Steve Easterbrook has said, following the fast-food chain's strong financial results.
  
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• The Guardian readies paywall back-up plan should subscriber and donations strategy fail

  26-07-2017 11:09
  The Guardian is prepared to introduce a paywall around its website and apps as a last resort should an ongoing subscriber and donations push fail to reach its financial targets, according to reports in The Telegraph.
  A shift toward a paywall, would mark a significant change in strategy for the publisher which has hitherto striven to keep its journalism as open as possible – although behind the scenes efforts are already afoot for such an outcome.
  The paper has reportedly brought in ou
  
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• ITV saw no commercial impact from Google brand safety issues as it reveals gender makeup of leadership team

  26-07-2017 11:04
  ITV has said that it didn’t see a significant shift in advertising due to the Google brand safety issues just weeks after Channel 4 claims to have recorded an uptick in ad revenue, as it also disclosed the gender balance of its company in response to the BBC’s salary revelations.
  In the six months to 30 June 2017, total external revenue at the broadcaster was down by 3%, pulled down by an 8% decline in net advertising revenue (NAR). The broadcaster blamed the slide in ad revenue as a
  
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• On board Bombay Sapphire's multi-sensory virtual train journey

  26-07-2017 10:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  'The Grand Journey' guided customers through a 60-minute live experience that fully immersed them into the drinks' brand story.
  
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• CAMPAIGN TV: On board Bombay Sapphire's multi-sensory virtual train journey

  26-07-2017 10:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  'The Grand Journey' guided customers through a 60-minute live experience that fully immersed them into the drinks' brand story.
  
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• Amazon to double London research and development as it unveils flagship office

  26-07-2017 10:35
  Amazon is planting its flag firmly in London soil with the decision to double its  recruitment for research and development roles within the capital as it renews its focus on video and streaming.
  The move is expected to provide a further fillip to the city’s booming tech sector with a doubling in capacity of its Shoreditch R&D base from 450 to 900 employees, spanning 15 floors of a gleaming new 600.000sq.ft base.
  If the recruitment surge goes to plan Amazon will have 5,000 highly
  
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• 'This girl can' goes international with campaign for Australian women

  26-07-2017 10:31 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Australia is adopting Sport England's "This girl can" campaign to inspire more women down under to get active.
  
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• Movers and shakers: Argos, Vodafone, TBWA\London

  26-07-2017 10:14 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Argos and Vodafone lost marketers this week, TBWA\London hired a new top team and Hearst Magazines' James Wildman made his most significant hire, while advertising agencies made creative hires galore.
  
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• How AI could save the CMO's role, plus more learnings for brands

  26-07-2017 09:33 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The chief marketing officer role is too big, too undefined and too wide-ranging, brands were warned by IBM's tech evangelist.
  
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• Marketo CEO blames domain renewal blunder on ‘human and process error’

  26-07-2017 09:26
  Marketo, specialists in marketing automation software, has apologized to its customers after an embarrassing failure to automatically renew its primary Marketo.com domain, taking it offline and making it inaccessible for clients seeking to log-in to its services for a number of hours.
  The oversight affected not only the main domain but also a number of associated Marketo properties, all of which were rendered inaccessible until the issue could be rectified, something Marketo now says is ‘l
  
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• MullenLowe Group Japan launches Tokyo 20XX to help brands develop culture in Toyko

  26-07-2017 09:20
  MullenLowe Group Japan has today launched Tokyo 20XX, a cultural insights specialism that is aimed at working with brands to positively impact the city’s creative communities.  
  The project was created from MullenLowe Group Japan’s commitment to cultural scenes and communities, and one that aims to collaborate with existing and potential brands that are keen develop culture in the city of Tokyo. 
  It builds upon the agency’s existing insight-driven approach, but goes b
  
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• MullenLowe Group Japan launches Tokyo 20XX to help brands develop culture in Tokyo

  26-07-2017 09:20
  MullenLowe Group Japan has today launched Tokyo 20XX, a cultural insights specialism that is aimed at working with brands to positively impact the city’s creative communities.  
  The project was created from MullenLowe Group Japan’s commitment to cultural scenes and communities, and one that aims to collaborate with existing and potential brands that are keen develop culture in the city of Tokyo. 
  It builds upon the agency’s existing insight-driven approach, but goes b
  
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• Google, YouTube and Facebook top YouGov's global brand health ranking

  26-07-2017 09:10 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Google is the world's healthiest brand, according to YouGov's inaugural Global Brand Health Rankings, a top 10 list dominated by technology companies.
  
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