Marketing news

• Rob Lowe is the new face of the Atkins diet

  03-01-2018 22:06
  Healthy eating and diet plans are top of mind for many people in the new year, which explains why Atkins - the low-carb diet program that took the world by storm in the early 2000s - has released a campaign starring Rob Lowe in hopes of modernizing the brand.
  In a series of ads, Lowe is seen talking to the camera about his penchant for Atkins. In one ad, he claims he’s been “living Atkins for years” before stating that the program “isn’t just a diet, it’s
  
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• Essence magazine breaks away from Time, Inc, becoming 100% black-owned venture

  03-01-2018 21:50
  Essence Ventures, LLC acquired the long-running African-American content platform and eponymous magazine, Essence, from Time, Inc – and its new parent company Meredith Corp.
  Essence Ventures, the independent African-American-owned company focused on merging content, community and commerce, acquired the multimedia platform from Time, which was recently purchased by Meredith Corp, with assistance from Koch Equity Development for $1.85bn in cash. President of Essence Communications, Mich
  
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• Karl Marx was a schmuck (and how brands can make money and do good)

  03-01-2018 21:32
  When President Trump announced that his administration would reduce the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments a few weeks ago, brands took action. Patagonia filed suit against the action and ran a message on its website, saying “The President Stole Your Land,” accompanied by a button from which concerned customers could tweet their opposition to these moves.
  Other outdoor retailers, including REI and North Face, have also publicly objected to the mov
  
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• Five headlines about advertising you won’t read in 2018 (but probably should)

  03-01-2018 20:30
  As we have wrapped up 2017 and are looking toward 2018, everyone is rushing to write what the year will hold in store.
  Prognosticators are typing away, writing the things they’re sure you’ll hear about in the upcoming year. So I’ve decided not to do that. Instead, I’ve decided to write about five things you most definitely won’t hear about this year (but you probably should).
  These are the things that will be felt but unspoken in 2018, for a variety of different rea
  
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• US Creative Work of the Week: Los York's locally produced apparel line impresses readers

  03-01-2018 18:55
  While many enjoyed a holiday break at the end of the year, it gave people time to catch up on more of our Creative Works, including ones released around the holidays. This week found a clothing label put out by a bi-coastal content agency take the most votes by our readers for the US Creative Work of the Week.
  Los York Label is a new apparel line for the modern creative nomad, according to the agency, and the latest expression of the company's vision as it ventures into new industries. Inspired
  
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• Spotify, nearing reported IPO filing, sued for $1.6bn by Tom Petty’s publisher for using songs without proper license

  03-01-2018 18:53
  Wixen Media Publishing, which represents Petty, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young and others, filed a lawsuit against Spotify, the music streaming platform, seeking damages for $1.6bn and injunctive relief.
  Spotify had not been a stranger to lawsuits from the music industry. According to Variety, Spotify tried to settle a class-action suit by a group of music publishers in May to the tune of $43m, but was slammed by multiple artists. This has led to more legal roadblocks against the platform, which had b
  
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• Ad of the Day: Richard Ayoade reveals Britain’s hidden internationalism as HSBC’s Global Citizen

  03-01-2018 18:38
  HSBC has launched the strapline ‘Together We Thrive’ with an ad starring The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade, who – ahead of Britain’s departure from the European Union – revels in the influence that countries such as India, Colombia, Denmark, Germany and Taiwan have had on life in Blighty.
  Devised by J. Walter Thompson London, the 60-second spot positions the affable Ayoade as its Global Citizen, reeling off Britain’s love of Costa Rican coffee, Swe
  
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• Engagement is more important than viewability for effective ads

  03-01-2018 18:10
  Measurement in digital advertising is getting savvier as Jon Mew, chief executive of IAB UK, recently explained: “Marketers are moving away from generic KPIs into what really matters – effectiveness, or the impact the ad had on the consumer in driving business results.”
  While I support this view, and measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of ad campaigns is something the industry should aspire to, there is a long way to go to achieve this goal outside of direct respons
  
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• Weight Watchers’ DJ Khaled deal proves the bubble of celeb endorsement definitely hasn’t burst

  03-01-2018 17:55
  Weight Watchers, the points based food control system synonymous with the likes of Jennifer Hudson and Oprah Winfrey, has turned it up a notch in 2018 by appointing what might seem like a totally random brand ambassador choice in hip-hop megastar DJ Khaled. 
  As part of this deal, Khaled – who has openly struggled with his weight in the past – will broadcast his quest to slim down across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat in a bid to attract more men to sign
  
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• Shortlist Media claims revenue bounceback following £4.7m loss

  03-01-2018 17:42 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The publisher of Shortlist and Stylist magazines is set for an improved performance this year, following a drop in revenues and profits in the previous 12 months.
  
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• Equinox promotes commitment with one-of-a-kind products inspired by passion and persistence

  03-01-2018 17:41
  Fitness and lifestyle brand Equinox is again going beyond the usual ‘new year, new you’ resolution push with a new take on its ‘Commit to Something’ campaign, featuring one-of-a-kind luxury products inspired by the passion and persistence of some of the most committed people and organizations.
  ‘Commitment, A Collection’ by Equinox was conceived to subvert typical perceptions of luxury. From items like ‘The Truth Lipstick” to ‘Eau de Blood, Sw
  
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• Five trends that will dominate digital in 2018

  03-01-2018 17:39
  It’s that time again when industry experts, including the team here at Code Computerlove, predict what will be the key trends in the year ahead.
  Trend #1 – The year of the MVP
  The MVP (minimal viable product) approach has been around for a while now but we’re expecting to see its adoption accelerate in 2018, becoming ‘the accepted way digital is done’. So why will this year be the tipping point?
  The concept behind an MVP has always been the right approach for digita
  
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• Experimental marketing is probably cheaper than failing

  03-01-2018 17:26
  Experimentation in marketing is almost a century old, and there have been some world changing examples along the way. Pepsodent toothpaste got the ball rolling by testing the effectiveness of magazine and newspaper ads in the 1920s using nothing more than coupon copy.
  Predictably, it took a science-based company to pioneer these first A/B split tests and Google use exactly the same principles today to optimise AdWords. And how can anyone overlook the impact that the first Pepsi Challenge taste t
  
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• Channel 4 to now offer ad sales service to digital content platforms to increase revenue

  03-01-2018 16:23
  Channel 4 became the first UK broadcaster to introduce its digital ad sales house to strengthen its own digital revenue growth and to combat Facebook and Google. 
  The new sales house will offer ad sales service to third party digital content platforms. Channel 4 has already signed BT Sport as its first digital ad sales partner. 
  Channel 4 will further leverage its ad technology from Freewheel including Dynamic Ad Insertion of live events, and its data strategy including data match
  
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• Cadbury launches hidden white chocolate Creme Eggs with cash prizes

  03-01-2018 15:56 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Cadbury is releasing a limited number of Creme Eggs made with white chocolate and offering cash prizes to those that find them in a Willy Wonka-esque competition.
  
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• Six week countdown begins for agencies to get client ratings in for RAR Awards 2018

  03-01-2018 15:24
  There are now just six weeks remaining for agencies to get their client ratings in to qualify for inclusion in this year's RAR Awards.
  Now in their eighth year, the RAR Awards recognise and reward marketing services agencies with all the results based purely on the scores, ratings and testimonials that agencies receive from their clients for the work they produce during the course of the year.
  Each year the RAR downloads the ratings from its online database to identify which agencies are th
  
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• Royal Mail’s design head on distilling the Game of Thrones universe to the size of a stamp

  03-01-2018 15:20
  Royal Mail’s latest special stamp series – 15 depictions of HBO’s Game of Thrones – saw the mail service challenge its creative prowess to the max, forgoing fan art to encapsulate the high production values of the show with intricate, composite photorealism.
  When Royal Mail commissions a limited edition set of stamps, it’s not a quick process. Its head of design and editorial, Marcus James, began work on the new year’s release – 15 first c
  
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• MediaCom narrowly tops Campaign's 2017 media business rankings

  03-01-2018 15:11 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Despite winning well over £100m in UK media accounts, MediaCom ended 2017 by only just topping Campaign's new-business rankings for the year.
  
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• Martin Green among Hull UK City of Culture team to receive honour

  03-01-2018 15:08 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Martin Green, chief executive and director of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, has received a CBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours list.
  
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• US Creative Works: Featuring Leo Burnett Chicago, Droga5, R/GA LA and more

  03-01-2018 15:00
  Welcome to The Drum's US Creative Works, in partnership with Workfront, and Happy New Year to all of our readers.
  This section is dedicated to showing the best creative work in North and South America and gives our readers the chance to decide which work we feature as our 'Creative Work of the Week.’
  For project information, creative credits and more, click on the project to expand to full screen and click on the stars to vote. To submit work for our US Creative Works section,&nb
  
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• Ogilvy dominates Campaign's 2017 creative business rankings

  03-01-2018 14:51 via campaignlive.co.uk
  UK ad agencies were unable to catch Ogilvy, which had led Campaign's new-business table for 2017 for almost the entire year.
  
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• Giffgaff replaces Domino's as sponsor of The Voice

  03-01-2018 14:44 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Voice will have a new sponsor in the form of mobile network Giffgaff when it returns for a second series on ITV on Saturday night.
  
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• Next results prompt cautious optimism for consumer Christmas spending

  03-01-2018 14:26
  Next’s sales over the festive period were stronger than anticipated, but experts warn they set the tone “for a tough Christmas”.
  The British retailer revealed this morning (3 December) that full price sales from Wednesday 1 November to Sunday 24 December were up 1.5% on last year. In comparison, last year’s sales only increased by 0.2% for the same period.
  The jump in sales might have come as a surprise to the company, as Next initially predicted in November that sales wo
  
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• Tanya Joseph: Men hold disproportionate power in marketing – that must change

  03-01-2018 13:39
  The other day I watched Confirmation, a 2016 TV movie based on the confirmation of Clarence Thomas as a US supreme court judge and the allegations of sexual harassment levied against him by a former employee, Anita Hill, in the early 1990s.
  More than anything else, it confirmed my view that sexual harassment is about power. I was watching it just a few weeks after the Harvey Weinstein scandal and as stories broke about young women being sexually harassed and assaulted in parliament. #MeToo is ev
  
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• Dating site eHarmony’s ‘scientifically proven’ system deemed not so scientific in ASA takedown

  03-01-2018 13:01
  An eHarmony ad that claimed the brand’s ‘scientifically proven matching system decodes the mystery of compatibility and chemistry’ has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), following a complaint that the terminology of ‘science’ was misleading in the context of a dating system.
  The single complainant, who the BBC reports to be the joint chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Statistics, Lord Lipsey, said he believed ‘it was n
  
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• How Seattle became a magnet for creative minds

  03-01-2018 13:00
  Tucked away in the upper left corner of the United States sits a region that, to this day, still retains a level of mystique. The Pacific Northwest (or Cascadia as the locals are prone to calling it from time to time), with its verdant, mossy forests and independent state of mind, evokes a sense of adventure and mystery. Through the lens of the corporate world, however, it is, in many ways, an epicenter of global recognition. 
  Starbucks. Microsoft. Amazon. Nordstrom. REI. Boeing. All names
  
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• ANA acquires Word of Mouth Marketing Association

  03-01-2018 13:00
  The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) is acquiring the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), a 13-year-old trade body that specializes in word of mouth and social media marketing.
  Terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to ANA chief executive Bob Liodice, the acquisition will enhance the organization’s “already robust benefits portfolio” via additional professional development opportunities, webinars, conferences, local events and an awards program dedica
  
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• Gala Bingo owner appoints Isobel to drive brand relaunch

  03-01-2018 12:53 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Gala Leisure, the Gala Bingo owner, has appointed Isobel to its £5m advertising account ahead of a relaunch of the brand.
  
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• Gala Bingo club owner appoints Isobel to drive new brand launch

  03-01-2018 12:53 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Gala Leisure has appointed Isobel to its £5m advertising account.
  
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• Kensington Roof Gardens closes citing profit challenges

  03-01-2018 12:25 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Kensington Roof Gardens has closed after 37 years as its owner Virgin Group cited it a "challenge" to turn a profit.
  
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• How one tobacco firm is using advertising to stop people buying its cigarettes

  03-01-2018 12:23
  Philip Morris has spoken out about its commitment to move away from selling cigarettes in the UK for the first time, by launching a campaign urging consumers to give up smoking.
  The tobacco company, which sells brands such as Marlboro, ran an ad in several national newspapers yesterday (2 January), declaring its New Year’s resolution to “give up cigarettes”, alongside various commitments for 2018.
  Speaking to Marketing Week, Mark MacGregor, UK head of corporate affairs, admits
  
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• Everton FC signs up Tom Rowell as new marketing head

  03-01-2018 12:07
  Everton football club has recruited Tom Rowell from Hull City as head of marketing.
  Rowell will oversee marketing insight and design and will work to enhance the Premier League side's membership scheme. He will report to Richard Kenyon, director of marketing and communications.
  He will work closely with Everton's partnership team on activation for club's main partners SportPesa and Angry Birds. He will also work with kit provider Umbro, in addition to supporting Everton in the com
  
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• Subaru to pop up at US ski resorts once again

  03-01-2018 11:36 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Subaru of Americal, the car marque's US division, will be touring the country's winter mountain resorts to offer live music performances, and food and drinks.
  
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• Barclaycard rolls out '31 day challenge' campaign

  03-01-2018 11:35 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Barclaycard is launching the "Barclaycard 31 day challenge" to encourage consumers to try something new every day for the month of January.
  
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• Channel 4 launches digital ad sales house with BT win

  03-01-2018 11:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  BT Sport has awarded Channel 4 an exclusive contract to sell its online ad inventory from this month.
  
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• Digital magazine platform Readly adds 19 titles from Dennis

  03-01-2018 11:13 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Dennis, which publishes titles including Men's Fitness, PC Pro and Viz, has launched 19 of its magazine brands on digital magazine newsstand platform Readly.
  
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• London New Year's Eve fireworks celebrated women's suffrage centenary

  03-01-2018 11:03 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The London New Year's Eve fireworks marked 100 years since women first won the right to vote.
  
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• Roll of Honour: Grand Prix winners at The Drum Awards

  03-01-2018 10:30
  Strategy and creativity are celebrated in equal measures at The Drum Awards. Across the board, there are plenty of examples of fantastic and innovative work produced by agencies, brands and individuals each year. But what makes a winner? How do you shout from the rooftops that your campaigns are brilliant?
  At The Drum, there are 25 awards that celebrate the finest work produced globally. Heading into 2018, following are eight examples of the best of the best of The Drum Awards 2017 winners.
  IRN-
  
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• The World's Most Creative Women: Vicki Maguire, Grey

  03-01-2018 09:00
  In a continuing drive for greater diversity and inclusion in marketing and advertising, a new feature by The Drum highlights conversations with top creative women in the industry. 
  All were nominated for The Drum’s global Woman of the Year award at The Drum Creative Awards, sponsored by Facebook, One Minute Briefs and in partnership with Creative Equals. The award is designed to push equality boundaries within the creative industry to spark discussion and action.
  From icons and p
  
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• HP’s CMO: Brands and agencies must publish their ‘scorecards’ to move diversity forwards

  03-01-2018 08:10
  Of all of those that called out the organisers of the Consumer Electronics Show last month for picking an all-white, all male keynote speaker line-up, Antonio Lucio’s was arguably the most forthright intervention. HP’s chief marketing and communications officer said on Twitter: “All men should boycott @CES if women are not invited to speak! Insulting in this day and age. We must do better!!”
  It was Lucio’s commitment to diversity and the desire to see measurable and
  
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• Marc Pritchard, Patagonia, BBDO, Channel 4... who else has been named in The Drum’s 2017 New Year's Honours?

  03-01-2018 05:58
  The Drum has revealed the winners of its New Year’s Honours – recognizing the companies, the work and the people who proved that marketing can change the world in 2017 – in the latest edition of its monthly publication.
  This year's New Year's Honours are split into seven categories: People, Agency, Brand, Organisation (trade body or other), Media Company, Campaign, and Dishonourable Mentions.
  Following nominations gathered from it's readership, thi
  
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• Diageo pulls ads from Snapchat over audience safety concerns

  03-01-2018 01:01
  Diageo has pulled its advertising from Snapchat after an ad for its Captain Morgan brand was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
  The campaign, which ran in June last year, included a Snapchat lens for Captain Morgan. The lens made the user’s face look like Captain Morgan and featured two glasses of a mixed alcoholic drink clinking together on screen.
  The ad was investigated by the ASA after it questioned whether the lens could appeal to people under 18, and was directed at peopl
  
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• Diageo pulls ads from Snapchat over age verification concerns

  03-01-2018 01:01
  Diageo has pulled its advertising from Snapchat after an ad for its Captain Morgan brand was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
  The campaign, which ran in June last year, included a Snapchat lens for Captain Morgan. The lens made the user’s face look like Captain Morgan and featured two glasses of a mixed alcoholic drink clinking together on screen.
  The ad was investigated by the ASA after it questioned whether the lens could appeal to people under 18, and was directed at peopl
  
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• Diageo pauses Snapchat spend after ASA questions efficacy of app's age verification policy

  03-01-2018 01:00
  Diageo has paused advertising spend with Snapchat after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned a promotional lens from the alcohol giant for being likely to appeal to consumers under the legal UK drinking age. 
  According to the watchdog, Diageo-owned Captain Morgan flouted the guidelines around "inappropriate" targeting and appealing to under-18s via an interactive augmented reality overlay which let users transform themselves into its famous mas
  
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• ASA bans Captain Morgan Snapchat lens as it questions efficacy of app's age verification policy

  03-01-2018 01:00
  A Snapchat lens promoting spiced rum brand Captain Morgan has been hit with a ban from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for being likely to appeal to consumers under the legal UK drinking age. 
  According to the watchdog, the Diageo-owned spirit flouted the guidelines around "inappropriate" targeting and appealing to under-18s via an interactive augmented reality overlay which let users transform themselves into its famous mascot. 
  As part of the j
  
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• Forget display: 3 ways AI can make search smarter

  03-01-2018 00:33
  More than half of all marketers plan to adopt AI over the new two-year period. As they begin to experiment with ways to put AI to use, the top applications, per eMarketer, are largely display advertising-oriented. Programmatic is probably the best example. But what about search, one of the largest investment areas in digital marketing today? How might AI be incorporated there?
  Search is one of the largest investments in digital advertising, with roughly $30 billion spent annually. And, globally,
  
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