Marketing news

• Working remotely for an agency while living the life of a digital nomad

  05-09-2017 23:24
  In a world with constant connected technology where work can be done from virtually anywhere, why not take advantage of it?
  It’s been six months since I packed my bags and decided to live a life of wanderlust. I’ve traveled from Fort Worth, Texas to Croatia -- over to Spain and across to Argentina, making stops in the many other cities I’ve called home each month -- all while working remotely for digital marketing agency PMG. In February, I joined Remote Year -- a program bring
  
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• Help-to-buy scheme aids some buyers, but boosts builders even more

  05-09-2017 23:18
  The government has spent £4.6bn already – why should it continue with the subsidy in such a generous form? Housebuilder Redrow says it’s looking forward to working with government to consider the future of the help-to-buy subsidy scheme beyond 2021. You bet it is. Since former chancellor George Osborne in 2013 committed to helping homebuyers purchase new properties with a deposit of only 5%, Redrow has reported record profits every year.The latest annual numbers – and a s
  
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• DigitasLBi North America CEO Tony Weisman leaves to head up marketing at Dunkin’ Donuts

  05-09-2017 22:23
  Tony Weisman, North American chief executive of DigitasLBi, is leaving the Publicis-owned agency to join Dunkin’ Donuts as US chief marketing officer.
  He will begin his new role in late September and will report to Dunkin’ Donuts US president David Hoffmann. Weisman will take over responsibilities previously held by Dunkin’ Donuts president of global marketing and innovation John Costello, who retired last year. 
  Alan Wexler, co-CEO of Publicis.Sapient, will lead DigitasLB
  
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• Bell Pottinger investor walks away as South Africa row deepens

  05-09-2017 21:28
  Chime gives up trying to sell its 27% stake as PR firm is expelled from trade body over secret campaign to stir up racial tensionsBell Pottinger’s second-largest shareholder has walked away from the business by writing off its investment and handing back the stake to the struggling PR firm.
  Chime, co-owned by US investment firm Providence Equity Partners and Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP group, has given up trying to sell its 27% holding after a scandal over a Bell Pottinger campaign in S
  
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• 'Reputation laundering' is lucrative business for London PR firms

  05-09-2017 21:14
  Oppressive foreign regimes are often such valuable accounts that they are considered worth the risk of a backlashFrom foreign governments of dubious repute and dictators looking for an image overhaul to propaganda videos and fake Wikipedia entries – if there is a PR brief of dubious ethical nature that needs a fix then more often than not it is one of London’s big-name agencies that gets the call.Bell Pottinger’s public vilification and expulsion from its own trade body for run
  
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• Deal that undid Bell Pottinger: inside story of the South Africa scandal

  05-09-2017 20:59
  Lured by fees of £100,000 a month, the PR firm ran a secret campaign to stir up racial tension on behalf of its billionaire clientsMuch seemed at stake in January 2016 when a delegation headed by the veteran PR supremo Lord Bell jetted to South Africa to pitch for business from the Guptas, the Indian-born family at the centre of the nation’s biggest political scandal since the end of apartheid.Bell Pottinger, the public relations agency that Margaret Thatcher’s favourite PR adv
  
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• The Guardian view on Bell Pottinger: bang to rights | Editorial

  05-09-2017 20:35
  Finding ethical arguments for bad causes made them rich. Then they got caught using unethical tacticsIf you have tears to shed, prepare yourself; if not, get out an onion now. The PR firm Bell Pottinger has been suspended from its trade association and will probably collapse as a result. Bell Pottinger has previously represented despots all around the world, from Chile’s Pinochet to Belarus’s Lukaschenko; it has burnished the image of Asma Assad, the wife of the Syrian dictator, and
  
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• Yum China launches new restaurant concept, including pay-by-smile option

  05-09-2017 20:19
  Yum China Holdings, the licensee of KFC parent Yum! Brands in mainland China, has launched a new restaurant concept, KPro by KFC, in Hangzhou, which is intended to appeal to urban professionals with a seasonal menu, ordering kiosks and a pay-by-smile option.
  According to a press release, the menu includes seasonal produce and made-to-order salads, paninis and roasted chicken, as well as freshly squeezed juice, gourmet coffee, craft beer and premium ice cre
  
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• Amazon debuts the first Alexa skills for kids

  05-09-2017 19:16
  Amazon is rolling out Alexa skills for kids in the US, opening itself up to an entirely new audience of tech-savvy customers who were likely using voice skills in some capacity anyway.
  In a blog post, Amazon said available skills for kids include Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Challenge, Sesame Workshop’s Sesame Street and its own Storytime skill. And, naturally, Amazon is inviting additional developers to publish “fun and educational” skills for kids under the age of
  
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• Bell Pottinger loses clients and staff in wake of South Africa scandal

  05-09-2017 19:13
  HSBC, TalkTalk and others say they have stopped working with PR firm after secret campaign to stir up racial tensionsBell Pottinger is facing a fight for survival as a string of clients and senior staff quit in the wake of the scandal over its secret campaign to stir up racial tensions in South Africa.Clydesdale Bank, the construction company Carillion, HSBC and TalkTalk revealed on Tuesday that they had stopped working with Bell Pottinger. Their departure brings the number of clients to have le
  
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• Bell Pottinger: South African opposition calls for harsher punishment

  05-09-2017 19:00
  Greater sanctions urged against British PR agency for running campaign to deliberately stir up racial tensionsOpposition politicians and campaigners in South Africa are pushing for harsher punishment of the British public relations agency Bell Pottinger for running a campaign to deliberately stoke racial tensions in the country.Bell Pottinger was expelled on Monday from the UK’s Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), which decided the campaign it ran for the Guptas –
  
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• Independent Influence: Mistress co-founders on why after living in three continents they ended up in LA

  05-09-2017 18:39
  Welcome to Independent Influence, a weekly series that spotlights the work, perspectives and inspirations behind independent agencies across the country. This week we're featuring an interview with Damien Eley and Scott Harris, co-founders of LA shop Mistress and longtime creative partners.
  For Damien Eley and Scott Harris, the phrase "change is the only constant" aptly describes their career arcs: after cutting their teeth at Australia’s AWARD School 20 years ago, the two went on to hold
  
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• Thorpe Park unleashes undead billboard horde to promote The Walking Dead attractions

  05-09-2017 17:55
  Comms agency Taylor Herring has subverted out of home advertisers by making commuters wish they were tucked up safely at home, by anchoring the living dead to an ad installation in East London.
  A bizarre bit of experiential marketing for Thorpe Park is helping to promote two Walking Dead mazes based on the long-running AMC show. The attractions will be unveiled as the show hits its 100th episode In October, tying in with the Fright Nights season.
  The billboard was reportedly soaked in over
  
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• Ad of the Day: Heinz Beanz tugs on heartstrings with animation reminiscent of Pixar’s Up

  05-09-2017 16:40
  What were the chances that an advert shifting beans could ever get viewers to well up in tears? This latest effort from Y&R New Zealand arguably achieves that for Kraft Heinz Australia.
  The animation tells the story of bean-loving Geoff who works his way up to innovation officer in the company where he finds new ways for families to enjoy its products, along the way he stumbles across a wife and a duo of kids.
  The four minute ad has been cut into multiple slots each promoting a differen
  
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• The Failure Awards for defunct branding | #3 Juicero

  05-09-2017 16:36
  In this weekly series, Andrew Eborn shines a light on the products and services, brand extensions and campaigns that – for one reason or another – failed to take off and have as a result earned entry into the Octopus TV Failure Awards and a place in The Museum of Failure. Last time we looked at Twitter Peek. Today, it's the turn of Juicero.
  Juicero was set up in 2013 by Doug Evans, the raw food evangelist who had previously helped Denise Mari establish Organic Ave
  
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• Sainsbury's Tu launches new brand position 'Be you' in first campaign by Portas

  05-09-2017 16:30 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Sainsbury's is aiming to establish Tu as a "credible British fashion brand" with a new TV campaign featuring a diverse array of street-cast people.
  
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• Sainsbury's Tu launches first campaign by Portas

  05-09-2017 16:30 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Sainsbury's is aiming to establish Tu as a "credible British fashion brand" with a new TV campaign featuring a diverse array of street-cast people.
  
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• MNI Targeted Media reinvigorates brand with ‘mean tweets’-inspired print and digital campaign to appeal to millennials

  05-09-2017 16:00
  Targeted media is highly necessary in the digital marketing age, but often when these companies talk about what they do and how they do it, it comes out fairly cut and dry.
  With its new brand campaign, MNI Targeted Media is trying to change that perception with a creative campaign to reinvigorate its brand that utilizes the ‘mean tweets’ method used by late night host Jimmy Kimmel, along with a multi-media output that uses both digital and traditional media.
  MNI Targeted Media is a T
  
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• 'More money is spent on TV ads than any other medium': TV Data Deep Dive live event to reveal all

  05-09-2017 15:30
  Real-time TV data company Alphonso has joined forces with The Drum to host a live event in New York later this month aimed at demystifying real-time TV viewership data and throwing the spotlight on what a deeper understanding of that data can mean for brands.
  The TV Date Deep Dive live event will demonstrate the enormous power of real-time TV viewership data and audience insights. Industry thought leaders will join experts from Alphonso to highlight what this data actually means for advertisers
  
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• Barclays poised to move £60m media account to Omnicom from WPP's Maxus

  05-09-2017 15:27 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Barclays is poised to move its estimated £60m global media account to Omnicom Media Group after six years with WPP's Maxus.
  
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• The trouble with car brands: rediscovering the mojo

  05-09-2017 14:42
  Where did it all go wrong for car brands and can they ever rediscover their mojos?
  Within 12 months of Karl Benz inventing the car, the rich and famous began to race them. Like the product itself, the automotive industry moved pretty quickly back then in 1886. Fast-forward 130 years and you’d expect the speed of change to have accelerated, but this isn’t the case. While the market continues to grow, technology and innovation appear to have plateaued some time ago.
  There are currently
  
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• Subaru Crosstrek finds touching commonality in SUV owners in new campaign

  05-09-2017 14:40
  Subaru is known for its loyal owners – those who drive the cars to the limit for their outdoor lifestyle and consider them extensions of themselves. In its latest campaign for the 2018 Crosstrek, the auto maker is again going for an emotional connection.    
  The new spots by Carmichael Lynch showcase the automaker's latest SUV crossover and give viewers an intimate look into the different lives of two Crosstrek owners, while featuring the similarities that unifies them all &
  
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• Pernod Ricard puts faith in programmatic despite brand safety concerns

  05-09-2017 14:32
  Absolut Vodka is one of the brands owned by Pernod Ricard.Pernod Ricard is increasing its focus on programmatic ad buying, as it looks to deliver savings and target consumers “in the way they want to engage”.
  Speaking at a breakfast roundtable today (5 September) to discuss the company’s full-year results, the business admitted it is currently looking to make €200m (£184m) worth of savings by 2020.
  In 2017 alone it managed to save €60m (£55
  
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• Ovo Energy's CMO on why cycling fans are natural territory for the brand

  05-09-2017 14:29 via campaignlive.co.uk
  As Ovo sponsors the UK's top men's cycling event, the Tour of Britain, the challenger brand's marketer explains why it is striving to become more than just an energy provider.
  
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• Walt Dynasty: Why Disney's long-term focus is on China

  05-09-2017 14:28
  In the latest issue of The Drum magazine, we explore The Walt Disney Company's long-term focus on capturing the hearts and minds of Chinese audiences. Will China be all ears as the House of Mouse comes calling?
  While Disney’s history is rooted in American culture, its focus for future growth lies outside of the United States. The company makes more TV shows outside the US than in it, operating 110 Disney channels around the world. Most of all, it thinks it can win in China.
  Disney&rsq
  
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• Mark Ritson: TV is dead, long live Facebook TV

  05-09-2017 14:24
  I know I keep going on about it, but the most important moment in marketing communications history probably took place on 6 November 2007. Ten years ago Facebook was a force to be reckoned with in popular culture terms but the big question, to use the recurrent phrase from that era, was whether this could be ‘monetised’?
  Back then Facebook generated a paltry $153m in annual revenues – a figure it now makes every 48 hours. In 2007 many analysts were impressed with Facebook&rsqu
  
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• Amazon makes major move into fashion with first ad campaign for Find brand

  05-09-2017 13:34
  Amazon is launching its first ad campaign for its clothing brand Find as it looks to boost its fashion credentials and prove it can take on high street stalwarts such as John Lewis and Next.
  The campaign will run in the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain across outdoor, digital and on Amazon’s own site. It aims to show the ecommerce giant has a “unique take” on current fashion trends and a “close eye on street styling”. The collection includes hero pieces such as
  
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• Wayne Rooney kicks off again – but why isn’t he being heard?

  05-09-2017 13:33
  Wayne Rooney is throwing his toys out of the pram like North Korea's Kim Jong-Un.
  But instead of appearing to sulk for England and giving us the silent treatment, he should be making an immediate statement about his latest embarrassing escapade – and more. 
  Rooney has form when it comes to extra-marital sex, so a simple statement alone is not going to cut it. 
  He needs to do something that underlines how much his family means to him. Give Coleen a £12,500 Cartier love ring
  
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• Shreddies replaces nana mascots with ‘Shreddie or Not’ strapline

  05-09-2017 13:20
  McCann London is taking a new direction with cereal brand Shreddies, moving away from knitting nanas after seven years to embrace a new 'Shreddie or Not' mentality.
  The ad, directed by Owen Trevor at Stink, shows a dad's two different days, one started with a bowl of Shreddies and the other, without. Naturally, one goes swimmingly and the other not so much.
  Laurence Thomson, co-president and chief creative officer at McCann London, said: “We’ve all had them… the
  
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• Spotify to host largest ever music quiz as marketers urged to back Grenfell fundraiser

  05-09-2017 13:11
  The UK marketing community has been urged to help raise funds for the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire through what hopes to be the largest ever music marketing quiz, organised with the aim of raising £50,000.
  Following the disaster in June, which took lives of at least 80 people and displaced hundreds of others, mSix and Spotify have united to host a quiz for advertising services businesses. Marketers will compete to generate funds for the Evening Standard's Dispossessed Fund.
  Th
  
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• Fast car: a ticket to anywhere?

  05-09-2017 13:10
  Driving along the highway with the wind in your hair and the radio blasting, you gain a sense of freedom that only comes with not really knowing where you are going. The stark reality is I’m faced with someone’s armpit on the Victoria line on my way into the centre of London.
  My destination today is a roundtable discussion with automotive experts who are going to shed some light on the disruptions taking place within the automotive industry as we know it: autonomous driving, brand re
  
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• ‘Laughter keeps me sane in this industry’: Beyond the Brief with Myra Williams, Davis Elen Advertising

  05-09-2017 13:08
  To celebrate its 100th Anniversary, the 4A’s has partnered with us at The Drum to pull back the curtain and look at an industry full of problem solvers, creative types and analytical minds. But what keeps them going once the briefs are written, the campaigns executed, and the pitches won (or lost)? The Drum is now interviewing 100 people at 4A’s member agencies — across all disciplines, levels, regions, and agency types — to get a glimpse into what drives t
  
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• Pick of the week: FCA pulls it out of the bag with bizarre Schwarzenegger ad

  05-09-2017 13:01 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Jeremy Lee is delighted to see that at least M&C Saatchi is doing something different.
  
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• My Media Week: Phil Moore, Deezer

  05-09-2017 12:49 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Phil Moore, vice-president, Northern & Southern EMEA at Deezer, tests the limits of a new HiFi proposition and feeds his unshakable vinyl addiction.
  
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• Apple pulls plug on UK music festival

  05-09-2017 12:17 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Apple Music Festival is coming to an end after ten years.
  
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• Lord Bell’s Newsnight interview: the most excruciating moments - video

  05-09-2017 12:12
  Bell Pottinger’s co-founder Tim Bell tells BBC’s Newsnight the racism row in South Africa ‘almost certainly’ means the end for the firm, but declines to take any responsibility for it. The agency has been expelled from the UK public relations trade body after an investigation found its work on a secret campaign to stir up racial tensions in South Africa to be the worst breach of ethics in its history Bell Pottinger expelled from PR trade body after South Africa racism row
  
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• Clarks, John Lewis and the problem of gender stereotyping in advertising

  05-09-2017 12:06
  In July, the ASA published the Depictions, Perceptions and Harm report, which contained evidence that harmful stereotypes can restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults. Then this week, John Lewis announced that it had removed gender specific labels from its children’s clothing in a bid to eradicate gender stereotypes. But the brave move has received mixed reviews, including some very substantial criticism.
  It seems no ne ca
  
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• Guerrilla clown marketing casts a shadow over Australian cities as IT comes closer

  05-09-2017 11:57
  Innocent Australians are being unsettled on the streets by a devious marketing stunt for Stephen King horror movie adaptation IT.
  Pennywise the Clown has been plastered across the likes of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne with street art, all promoting the movie launch 7 September.
  In addition to this activity, red balloons have been anchored into drains reminiscent of those balloons Pennywise uses to lure kids into his subterranean lair. The text, ‘It is closer than you think. #ITMOVIE in c
  
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• TalkTalk clams up as it seeks telecoms exit

  05-09-2017 11:56
  TalkTalk has voiced its intent to exit its mobile business as part of a strategy to fall back on its core interest as a low-cost internet provider.
  The telecommunications provider has grown to offer pay TV and mobile services in addition to internet access but has opened discussions with rivals such as Vodafone, O2 and Virgin Media with a view to offloading its mobile operations.
  Such a move would allow TalkTalk to refocus its energy on fixed line broadband, reversing a course first charted in 2
  
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• Marketoonist on the seven deadly sins of innovation

  05-09-2017 11:48
  Tom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne
  See more of the Marketoonist here
  The post Marketoonist on the seven deadly sins of innovation appeared first on Marketing Week.
  
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• The storytelling behind automotive brand partnerships

  05-09-2017 11:35
  There are few industries facing as much disruption as the auto industry. With the rise of connected cars, a shift towards shared mobility and advancements in autonomous and electrified vehicles, most car industry leaders believe the sector is poised for more change in the next few years than it has seen in the last 50.
  One constant among the flux though is auto brands continuing to invest in brand partnerships to turbo charge their marketing, explore new territories and draw in a different audie
  
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• Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times owner Tronc absorbs New York Daily News

  05-09-2017 11:19
  US publisher Tronc, owner of the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, has expanded its footprint to the east coast with acquisition of the New York Daily News for an undisclosed sum.
  The deal sees Tronc, formerly known as Tribune Publishing Company, wrest control from former proprietor Mort Zuckerman, with whom Tronc will partner by purchasing a 49.9% stake in a joint venture property firm which owns a 25-acre plot in New Jersey from which the Daily News is printed.
  Under the terms of the deal
  
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• Thorpe Park reveals The Walking Dead zombie billboard

  05-09-2017 11:17 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Thorpe Park Resort created a gory billboard with zombies feasting on blood and entrails to market its two new The Walking Dead mazes ahead of the theme park's "annual fright nights".
  
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• The rise and rise of AI: where does it leave humans?

  05-09-2017 11:00
  The boundaries between humans and machines are increasingly becoming blurry. Marketers are already contemplating how artificially intelligence (AI) machines will help them create smarter campaigns and personalise marketing messages in real-time. Companies are even debating the creation of a chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO) to take ownership of delivering intelligent customer experiences.
  At the Cannes Lions Festival this year, Publicis Groupe chief executive Arthur Sadoun admitted to
  
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• Microsoft Office marketing director of search and social shares how not to hit the social ceiling

  05-09-2017 11:00
  Social as a standalone discipline is not going to have a meaningful future, says Microsoft Office’s marketing director of search and social, Paul Fabretti.
  In the run-up to his judging of The Drum Social Buzz Awards, Fabretti spoke openly about his position on paid for influencers, how more human-centric stories will boost social media outcomes and how the key to real-time interactions and story-telling is thinking outside the box. 
  “As big as our social presences
  
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• Tonic, Chatter Communications, Charlton Morris and Finegreen take home top accolades at 2017 Recruitment Business Awards

  05-09-2017 10:29
  On Wednesday, (7 September), The Drum held its annual Recruitment Business Awards, celebrating the incredible talent, innovation and success within the UK recruitment industry. 
  Now in its fifteenth year, last night recognised and awarded individuals and companies like Charlton Morris, Finegreen, Chatter Communications and Tonic, for their outstanding contribution to the industry.
  Chairman of the creative judging panel, Steve White, Calgary Communications said: “The shortlist and the
  
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