Marketing news

• Wendy’s Twitter team hosts Reddit AMA to discuss chain’s sassy social strategy

  14-12-2017 22:39
  Wendy’s is one of few brands whose Twitter account is one that people actually want to follow and engage with, mostly because its tweets are typically made up of snarky and quippy remarks that are often made at the expense of rival McDonald’s.
  On Thursday, the social media team behind these tweets hosted an AMA on Reddit to answer questions and shed some light on how they’ve managed to create a brand Twitter account that isn't totally cringeworthy.
  Considering many of the fast
  
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• FCC votes to repeal net neutrality rules, Netflix & Sheryl Sandburg react

  14-12-2017 21:43
  The Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal Obama-era net neutrality laws, enabling internet service providers to freely charge consumers for their online experiences.
  FCC chairman Ajit Pai, and commissioners Michael Reilly and Brendan Carr voted to repeal the provisions that allowed for an internet free of interference from providers. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn voted against, with Rosenworcel citing the 24m comments cited before the proceedings including
  
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• The free ride is over: Net neutrality repeal looks set to empty advertiser’s pocket books

  14-12-2017 19:23
  If you listen to the lyrics of REM’s 'It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine!)' it feels more like a prediction as we live through 2017. US net neutrality is for the chop, after today’s vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) undoing 2015’s rules that stopped internet providers from blocking or slowing particular websites based on a tiered/paid system.
  This is a highly contentious topic but despite being treated as a partisan o
  
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• New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. hands reins to son

  14-12-2017 19:03
  Longtime New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. has announced that he’ll be retiring from the role at the end of the year. He will continue to serve as chairman of the company’s board of directors.
  Stepping into the role will be his son A.G. Sulzberger, who currently serves as deputy publisher.
  Arthur Sulzberger Jr. has served as the New York Time’s publisher since 1992. He joined the company in 1978 as a correspondent in its Washington bureau. During his tenure as publ
  
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• Snapchat opens up AR development to all creators with Lens Studio launch

  14-12-2017 18:53
  Snapchat is opening up new revenue streams with the launch of desktop app for Mac and Windows which will let all creators make their own Lenses, and make it easier for marketers to do so in the process. 
  Dubbed Lens Studio, the self-serve platform will see one of Snapchat's most popular features become more democratised.
  Members of the public as well as companies can download it,  but crucially for marketers Snap has introduced a roster of new partners that will be able to make Le
  
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• JCDecaux hopes to set an example for the industry with PwC audit

  14-12-2017 18:43 via campaignlive.co.uk
  JCDecaux has had its digital out-of-home process independently audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
  
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• Jägermeister partners age verification app Yoti to take a shot at antiquated alcohol sales

  14-12-2017 18:32
  Age verification app Yoti is working with Jägermeister to encourage more strident ID checks and responsible alcohol sales.
  Yoti looks to become a valid part of the consumer journey, via an app that is available on iOS and Android, used to verify the age of young people buying alcohol.
  It allows users to take a selfie and scan in passports and driving licenses for verification at the till, aiding young people who are routinely IDed for restricted items like alcohol and cigarettes.
  
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• Burger King lights up the BBQ in McDonald’s Christmas ambush

  14-12-2017 17:51
  Burger King often makes great efforts to throw shade at rival McDonald’s but things have escalated with the King leading a pyro showdown outside Ronald McDonald’s premises.
  The brand offered ‘the gift of fire’ to its rival in a roaring Christmas stunt that looked to draw attention to the fact BK flame grills its burgers. Naturally this flaming flatbed truck was filmed in action. 
  Grabarz & Partner Werbeagentur GmbH orchestrated the stunt to draw up a point of dif
  
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• How Cadbury, Robinsons and Taylor's of Harrogate turned heritage into success

  14-12-2017 17:46 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Some of our best-loved brands have been favourites since as long ago as the 19th century. In this Campaign documentary, we aim to find out the secrets behind their endurance.
  
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• Uncarrier TV? Wireless carrier T-Mobile to launch streaming television service in 2018

  14-12-2017 17:41
  After purchasing streaming startup Layer3, T-Mobile announced that it will be launching a new streaming television service in 2018.
  With this move, T-Mobile looks to compete with its wireless carrier rivals in distributing content. AT&T has DirecTV Now and Verizon has its Go90 service.
  In a tweet to its users, T-Mobile announced its master plan to go after other carriers, as well as cable providers Charter and Comcast. “We are going to redefine a stupid, broken, arrogant industry," sai
  
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• New York's window displays reviewed by Deutsch head of design Roger Bova

  14-12-2017 17:36
  Holiday window displays by big retailers make the season sparkle, with shoppers mesmerized by the shiny details that go into each exhibit.
  The Drum’s Kyle O’Brien and Roger Bova, head of design for Deutsch NY, take a look at this year’s big retail holiday window displays in NYC, concentrating on two big New York retailers – Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's, with some input by passersby. Neither store is traditional in its visual approach to the holidays, but both g
  
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• Groupon tackles last-minute holiday shopping for forgetful folks

  14-12-2017 17:24
  It’s difficult to remember gifts for everyone, especially if you don’t keep a tidy list. Groupon’s latest campaign offers plenty of gifts to get anyone through those ‘oh shit’ moments.
  The heroine of the spot wakes up in a panic, realizing she hasn’t bought gifts for everyone, but her Groupon app gets her everything she needs for those she almost forgot.
  The ads, created with O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul, appeal to forgetful shoppers and remind them that
  
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• Disney creates lightsaber duel to promote Star Wars: The Last Jedi

  14-12-2017 17:18 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Disney has created a lightsaber duel to mark the release of the latest Star Wars film.
  
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• Pampers pays tribute to midwives in Christmas spot

  14-12-2017 17:10 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Procter & Gamble's Pampers is celebrating the role played by midwives in a new ad from Saatchi & Saatchi that uses a childbirth-themed version of The 12 Days of Christmas.
  
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• How the Disney empire rallied brands for yet another Star Wars with The Last Jedi

  14-12-2017 17:08
  Disney has once again attracted top commercial partners to create content and experiences around the Star Wars franchise, which is now three years into its reawakening following its $4.05bn acqusition of Lucasfilm in 2012.
  To offset the high costs of production and to recoup the initial investment. For The Last Jedi, Disney has embraced five major commercial partners, a recurring pattern that was also in place for the Force Awakens and Rogue One. 
  The multimedia giant has jus
  
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• HBO turns Belfast International Airport into Westeros Airport

  14-12-2017 17:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Belfast International Airport has been transformed into Westeros Airport to promote the launch of the seventh season boxset of HBO's hit TV show Game of Thrones.
  
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• How football startup Dugout plans to become the sport’s first social network

  14-12-2017 16:46
  When it launched last November, Dugout turned heads, with high-profile clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool, Paris Saint-German, Barcelona and AC Milan among its initial investors.
  The idea behind Dugout is to bring fans access to the world of football beyond the matches. There are 74 clubs, one football federation, two leagues, 107 players and multiple influencers signed up, with each having their own page that is regularly updated with behind-the-scenes content showing players at the train
  
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• Crossmedia bets on transparent approach to take on UK media agency networks

  14-12-2017 16:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Crossmedia is pinning its hopes on its "transparent" and "analytical" approach to media as it seeks to crack the UK market.
  
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• Airbnb hosts China event as it eyes market for growth

  14-12-2017 16:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Airbnb has created a festival for its hosts in China with crafts and live music, with the country set to become its largest global market by 2020.
  
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• TV Ad Spend Weekly: Retailers battle it out as holidays near

  14-12-2017 16:10
  Brands continue to invest heavily in above-the-line content, and television is still seen as the place brands want to be. Each week, in partnership with Kantar Media, The Drum looks at which brands have been investing the most on newly-launched creative on US national broadcast and cable TV.
  As the end of holiday season begins to draw near, the frenzy of new advertising is beginning to wind down. Indeed, spend for new national TV ads dropped 31% during the week of December 4 as compared to the p
  
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• 2018 should be the year for trading on viewability – here’s how to get started

  14-12-2017 15:50
  The actions the industry and brands are taking around 'cleaning up the digital supply chain' don’t need to be repeated here as they’ve had significant coverage in the trade press. 
  However, although talked about in industry forums and by advertisers, in my view one of the key enablers for the industry to drive positive change has been conspicuous by its absence in such plans and predictions I’ve read so far for 2018. Brands moving to a model that trades on viewability.&nbs
  
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• International round-up: Unilever launches ‘natural’ beauty brand, Kellogg’s doubles down on cereal cafes

  14-12-2017 15:49
  Unilever goes after niche audiences with ‘natural’ beauty line
  Unilever says it is no longer going after broad swathes of consumers, instead using big data to determine increasingly narrow groups to develop new products for.
  For example, it launched a new personal care brand ‘Love Beauty and Planet’ in the US this week, featuring “natural” products including shampoos, conditioners, and body washes.
  The bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic and are 100% r
  
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• Mickey Moolah: Disney rakes in 21st Century Fox properties to tune of $58.7bn

  14-12-2017 15:10
  Disney has completed is transaction with 21st Century Fox, spending $58.7bn in stock to acquire select assets including Fox’s studios and international and cable TV studios.
  Disney and Comcast were both in the running to make this acquisition. Comcast stopped talks with Fox earlier this week, leaving Disney as the sole suitor for Fox’s properties. This deal included adding the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises to their Marvel Cinematic universe, in addition to acquiring The Si
  
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• The top 10 Christmas YouTube ads in 2017

  14-12-2017 15:04
  We are edging ever closer to the festive period, which means that most Christmas campaigns have been gracing our screens for yonks.
  So how have they been performing? YouTube has released its top 10 Christmas ads in the UK to shed a light on the issue. The list is determined by an algorithm that factors in organic and paid views, watch time and audience retention.
  And the most popular Christmas ads are as follows…
  1. John Lewis Christmas Ad 2017 – #MozTheMonsterJohn Lewis’s Ch
  
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• How will today’s net neutrality vote affect brands, consumers and agencies?

  14-12-2017 14:37
  Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is scheduled to vote on rolling back Obama-era net neutrality rules. Expected to pass, along party lines (the FCC has a Republican majority), the current rules prevent internet service providers from blocking or slowing down websites or apps. Additionally, the likely soon-to-be-repealed rules prohibit providers to give websites or apps a level of priority over others.
  Even if the repeal passes today, despite millions of public comments imploring
  
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• Hike's chief technology officer: 'We're catering to the demands of young India'

  14-12-2017 14:21
  India's homegrown messaging platform Hike has introduced five new social features for its Group chat to appeal to youngsters.
  The new features built inside the chat include Vote, Bill Split, Checklist, Events and card game, Teen Patti. Users can create a poll under the vote option and can divide the bill with the Bill Split feature. They can create a checklist and reminders about the event with checklist and event features respectively. 
  Hike's chief technology officer, Vishwanath Rama
  
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• Creative Director's Choice: BigEyedWish's Ian Wishingrad talks up Ikea's Allen key film

  14-12-2017 13:50
  Creative Director’s Choice gives creative directors a chance to highlight the current work they think is the best out in the ad world – the ads and campaigns they believe are making a difference.
  This week, Ian Wishingrad, founder and creative director of BigEyedWish, talks about Ikea's spot that highlights a rich woman dealing with a spare Allen wrench left over from furniture building.
  All too often, commercials feel like commercials in the first couple seconds, givi
  
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• Disney buys Fox's entertainment assets to create $210bn media giant

  14-12-2017 13:44 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Walt Disney Company is to buy 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets, including its stake in Sky, from Rupert Murdoch.
  
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• A year on from Karmarama buyout, Accenture Interactive explains why it still covets talent after Rothco acquisition

  14-12-2017 13:34
  At the end of 2017, Accenture Interactive kicked off a year of frenetic acquisition activity when it bought out the indie creative agency Karmarama. A year on, the now embedded Karmarama has played what Accenture calls an "integral" role in its latest deal – the acquisition of Irish agency Rothco.
  Joy Bhattacharya, managing director at Accenture Interactive, told The Drum that Karmarama played a significant role during the acquisition process - Accenture's 18th in the last three years
  
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• Channel 4 licenses theme tunes to The Snowman, Gogglebox & The Crystal Maze to the Co-op

  14-12-2017 13:30
  Channel 4 is marking a sonic first this Christmas after the broadcaster agreed to license the theme tunes to some of its biggest properties to the Co-op, enabling the retailers Christmas carol singers to belt out their own renditions of The Snowman, Gogglebox, The Crystal Maze and Countdown.
  The festive choir will star in a series of 20 second ads to be broadcast from this evening with their musical interludes sprouting during the ad breaks immediately preceding their respective shows.
  In each p
  
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• Lida chief creative officer Trefor Thomas exits agency

  14-12-2017 13:13 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Trefor Thomas, chief creative officer at Lida, is leaving after just 18 months at the agency.
  
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• Amplify on its Event Awards win, Spotify and PlayStation

  14-12-2017 13:07 via campaignlive.co.uk
  After being named Brand Experience Agency of the Year by Campaign and at the Event Awards, Amplify reflects on its year, including work for PlayStation and Spotify.
  
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• Co-op community choir delivers angelic renditions of Channel 4 theme tunes in pioneering partnership

  14-12-2017 13:01 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Co-op and Channel 4 are launching a series of TV spots in which singers from the retailer's Christmas campaign perform vocal versions of four hit TV show theme tunes - marking the first time the broadcaster has licensed its music in this way.
  
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• The Open ID adtech consortium has announced a host of new members

  14-12-2017 13:00
  The pursuit of a standardized user ID that can be made widely available to independent adtech companies is gathering pace, with the founding member of the Advertising ID Consortium announcing that 15 new companies, including The Trade Desk, have joined the initiative.
  Initially unveiled in May 2017, the consortium was established to construct an open identity solution that will be made available to participating members – initially AppNexus, Index Exchange, and LiveRamp – f
  
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• Impero takes tackling climate change into its owns hands with a Christmas campaign to help save the polar bears

  14-12-2017 12:52
  With a reality TV character leading the world’s most powerful country and climate change documentaries taking hold of our screens, there is no doubt that 2017 has been a difficult year for the planet.
  While Trump raves about climate change being ‘fake news’, statistics for the near future look bleak as scientists predict that without greatly reducing CO2 emissions, two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could disappear within the next ten years.
  In a daring move to take ta
  
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• Lord Burns named incoming Ofcom chairman

  14-12-2017 12:40
  Karen Bradley, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, has appointmented former Channel 4 chairman Lord Burns as the next chairman of Ofcom , effective 1 January.
  Burns brings a wealth of experience from his six year tenure at the helm of the public broadcaster, as well as time spent as chairman of Marks & Spencer, Santander, Welsh Water, the National Lottery Commission and The Royal Academy of Music.
  He replaces dame Patricia Hodge, who will stand down as chairman at
  
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• Nearly half of both buyers and sellers struggle to understand auction dynamics, according to new research

  14-12-2017 12:15
  Despite huge calls in the industry to make every aspect of the digital supply chain transparent, a great deal of discrepancy remains, according to a new report titled, Transparency Unmasked: Market Insight Report, by The Drum, in association with Rubicon Project, the global exchange for advertising.
  The report highlights the enigma that is the auction system – as nearly 50% of buyers and sellers don’t understand the differences between first and second price auctions.
  Additionally, m
  
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• WPP whistleblowing hotline triggered Duan Evans exit from AKQA

  14-12-2017 12:02 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Duan Evans, international creative director for AKQA, resigned from the agency following an internal investigation triggered by parent company WPP's independent whistleblower hotline.
  
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• Why Net Neutrality matters (in 5 declarations and a plea)

  14-12-2017 12:00
  Let me start with this: 23 million citizens expressed their opinions on Net Neutrality through the FCC’s open commenting system and the pioneering geniuses who invented the internet published a vigorous defense of the existing rules while also schooling Chairman Pai and his supporters on how the technology actually works. Needless to say, the debate around Net Neutrality is brimming with smart, informed, sensible and passionate pleas in defense of keeping the internet open, fair and free f
  
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• Ross Neil quits ECD role at WCRS

  14-12-2017 11:43 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Ross Neil, the joint executive creative director at WCRS, is leaving the agency after 11 years.
  
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• Advertisers will be able to build their own AR lenses with Snapchat's Lens Studio

  14-12-2017 11:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Snapchat has made it easier for advertisers to build their own augmented reality (AR) lenses with a Windows and Mac desktop app.
  
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• ASA confirms new rule on gender stereotyping is coming in 2018

  14-12-2017 11:21 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) has announced it will consult early next year on a new rule to ban harmful gender stereotyping in ads.
  
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• Microsoft seeks to prove AI chops in search, healthcare and sight

  14-12-2017 10:59 via campaignlive.co.uk
  At an event in San Francisco, Microsoft announced a series of AI initiatives that provide a picture of its future strategy in the space.
  
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• Mic claims head start in multi-billion dollar market to serve millennials with news

  14-12-2017 10:38
  When Kim Kardashian last month engaged her legion of followers in the case of Alice Johnson, a grandmother who faces life in jail without parole for a non-violent offence, the reality TV star was responding to a video posted by Mic, the millennial-focused publisher.
  For Mic, Kardashian’s instruction of her legal team to fight on behalf of a prisoner who has served 21 years behind bars in Alabama was a triumph for its new content strategy of serving young audiences with meaningful video jou
  
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• MullenLowe Profero founding partner Wayne Arnold to depart

  14-12-2017 10:22
  Wayne Arnold, global CEO of MullenLowe Profero, has announced his decision to stand down from the agency he helped to found two decades ago, ahead of a significant restructure of management.
  A top-level shake up is taking place with immediate effect which will see America’s CEO and NY president Aaron Reitkopf handed the additional responsibility of global chairman while Ben Mooney has been appointed as global head of business transformation.
  This newly created role will see Mooney take res
  
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• Aldi beats John Lewis and Marks & Spencer on Christmas ad social media engagement

  14-12-2017 09:42
  Kevin the Carrot has beaten Mozzy the Monster and Paddington Bear seen in the annual race to create the best Christmas ad, with Aldi’s bargain bin vegetable dethroning meatier seasonal competitors.
  Data firm 4C calculated that most social media users were rooting for Kevin,  who generated greater engagement within five minutes of being aired than other campaign, becoming the single most discussed ad overall by totting up mentions made in advance of its release.
  On this measure the Ald
  
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• Accenture makes tenth agency acquisition of year by buying Rothco in Ireland

  14-12-2017 09:21 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Accenture has bought Irish creative agency Rothco - the tenth acquisition in marketing services that the consulting giant has made this year.
  
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• How one startup is trying to make loyalty ‘smarter’

  14-12-2017 08:40
  Shake out your wallet and you’ll most likely find a number of loyalty cards gathering dust. Or perhaps you recognise the feeling of frustration when paying for your morning coffee, only to realise you’ve lost your paper stamp card. These are problems Yoyo Wallet is looking to solve.
  Talks for the company started around 2012, when mobile payment was becoming an increasingly hot topic of discussion. Apple was in the process of setting up its mobile payment system, while Starbucks overh
  
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• Cannes Lion of St. Mark award winner Piyush Pandey: 'India has enough richness and energy to make an impact around the world'

  14-12-2017 04:18
  The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will honor brothers Piyush Pandey (executive chairman and creative director Ogilvy South Asia) and Prasoon Pandey (film director) with the Lion of St. Mark award at the 2018 festival.
  The Lion of St. Mark award is given for the outstanding contribution to the creative industry award. This is the first time when the award will be conferred on two Indians. The Drum spoke with Piyush Pandey, who earlier won his first Cannes Lions awards wit
  
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• Diageo’s success with smaller batch ideas and e-commerce keeps Johnnie Walker relevant to craft-loving millennials

  14-12-2017 04:11
  Johnnie Walker, as it’s long standing brand platform ‘Keep Walking’ suggests, is maintaining its sales figures (it is the number one scotch whisky in the world), despite people having greater choice and access to a wider variety of scotch brands.
  In 2016 Diageo sold over 200 million bottles of Johnnie Walker. That is nearly 25,000 bottles every hour of every day, hardly a craft position when you look at the numbers. But with a portfolio that ranges from $20 to $3000 (or more fo
  
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