Marketing news

• ‘Strong evidence’ junk food TV ads make children eat more, charity claims

  15-01-2018 23:30
  Cancer Research UK has called for Ofcom to ban junk food adverts being shown during programmes that are popular with teenagers, after research by the charity claimed to show a direct link between TV advertising and obesity.
  The charity commissioned YouGov to survey 3,348 teenagers aged between 11 and 19 on their viewing habits and diet. It found that those who watched three hours of commercial TV a day or streamed content with ads were more than twice (139%) as likely to drink fizzy drinks
  
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• Cancer Research urges Ofcom to tighten junk food ad rules to halt obesity crisis

  15-01-2018 23:30
  Cancer Research has tightened the screw on Ofcom, imploring the TV regulator to harden “out of date” regulations around when ads promoting junk food can be broadcast.
  The charity is putting pressure on Ofcom following research which showed that teenagers who watch more than three hours of commercial TV per-week were likely to consume as many as 500 extra snacks - like crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks - over the course of a year, than those who didn't.
  The report, s
  
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• Place your bets: 2018 will be the year of hard choices

  15-01-2018 19:54
  2018 will be the year in which advertising agencies make some of the hard choices that they’ve been putting off for a decade.
  I say a decade because the industry’s need for reformation can be traced back to some key events in the mid-to-late Noughties.
  For example, the banking crisis of 2008, which rebased the marketing-driven economy forever. The rise of social media advertising platforms, which rewrote the mass marketing playbook forever. The launch of the iPhone and iPad, which be
  
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• Girls Trip star Tiffany Haddish will star in Groupon’s Super Bowl spot

  15-01-2018 19:53
  Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish will star in Groupon’s Super Bowl commercial this year.
  The Girls Trip star has been named Groupon’s latest spokesperson, and unlike most celebrity endorsers, she actually has an authentic connection to the brand: last year, she took Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith on a Cajun swamp tour she found on Groupon, an experience she recently regaled to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. According to Groupon, Haddish "ranks in the top one percent of most fre
  
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• Beeswax snaps up RTBKit assets

  15-01-2018 19:47
  Adtech outfit Beeswax has announced the purchase of the assets of the RTBkit open source bidder, with the acquirer maintaining that its new asset will continue to be supported by the open source community.
  The transaction was made for an undisclosed sum, with the newly acquired assets not expected to be integrated into the Beeswax offering, rather it will be maintained by the community and is still available under the Apache license on Github, according to the company.
  Beeswax key offering to th
  
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• Tanya Joseph: Seven ways to make 2018 a successful year

  15-01-2018 18:30
  I once did ‘dry January’. I discovered that January is a very long month and that I didn’t feel any better having been on the wagon for its entirety. I shan’t be doing it again. But this is the time of year when one can take stock, reflect on behaviours (professional and personal) and decide to change things.
  I don’t mean deciding that you have to lose 15kg by Easter, do an Iron Man, climb K2 or walk the Inca Trail in bare feet. I am talking about achievable t
  
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• The agency model that can prevail in 2018

  15-01-2018 18:00
  2017 was an annus horribilis for the holding companies. WPP has seen its largest share price fall in decades and revenues at the big six fell on average 0.3% during the second and third quarter of 2017.
  This is not a short-term blip, but rather a manifestation of structural trends which, in my opinion, will only accelerate in the years ahead. In part, these challenges are linked to brands belatedly taking the ‘media transparency agenda’ seriously. This has eroded the significant inco
  
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• Goodbye Facebook: how publishers can survive and thrive in 2018

  15-01-2018 17:41
  Last week, Mark Zuckerberg outlined upcoming algorithmic changes to what Facebook shows you on your Newsfeed.
  For the average Facebook user, this change should be positive, resulting in more ‘meaningful interactions’, with an increased focus on friends and connections over published media. For the average publisher, however, this news might come as concerning.
  As print publishing continues its decline, publishers need to be more creative and diverse about how they drive revenues. It&
  
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• Airbnb is spending $100,000 to promote listings in Trump’s “shithole” countries

  15-01-2018 17:29
  Airbnb plans to spend at least $100,000 on digital ads to promote listings in African nations, Haiti and El Salvador after President Trump referred to them as “shithole countries” during an immigration meeting last week.
  According to Airbnb, the "six-figure digital ad buy" will run on news sites like the Washington Post and CNN. The ad will read: "We heard there's been some expletive-filled interest in these beautiful destinations." 
  The banner ad will also include the
  
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• Unilever picks AnalogFolk as digital agency of record for its food brands

  15-01-2018 17:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Unilever has appointed AnalogFolk as digital agency of record for its food brand portfolio in the UK which includes Marmite, Knorr, Pot Noodle, Hellmann's, Colman's and Bovril.
  
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• Hyundai takes on Blue Monday with psychology experiment and video campaign to find the ‘most positive’ colour

  15-01-2018 16:10
  To help combat the effects of today’s ‘Blue Monday’, reputed by academics to be the most depressing day of the year, Hyundai Motor UK has launched a series of videos examining the potential of colour to boost positivity and aiming to identify the most positive colour of all.
  The interactive campaign, Engineered for Positivity, was created by Hyundai in collaboration with Gravity Thinking and colour psychologist Angela Wright.
  Having launched teaser videos on social channels las
  
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• Burger King grills irrefutably awful things like crocs and clown masks

  15-01-2018 16:10
  Burger King has again flouted its unique selling point, its flame-grilled burgers, in a Dutch ad campaign where it burns awful objects.
  The #GrillTheWorst campaign comes from Amsterdam creative agency Etcetera and with it the firm looks to publicise its Grilled Dogs product.
  The campaign strapline itself plays out as a cringe-inducing pun, 'worst' of course being a nod to a wurst which is a hot dog.
  Tying into the psychology behind the new year clear out, where consumers in some markets ado
  
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• Kantar and Second City Works form joint venture, Brandstage

  15-01-2018 16:00
  Kantar, the data investment management division of WPP, has formed a joint venture with Second City Works, the corporate services division of the Second City, the world’s largest school of improvisation and foremost comedy theater company, which gave us performers like Tina Fey, Dan Aykroyd, Jordan Peele and Mike Meyers.
  The collaboration, marketed as Brandstage, will work with marketing organizations to drive new product innovation, originate captivating marketing and communications ideas
  
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• CES 2018: Never work with children, animals or...robots

  15-01-2018 15:53
  This year’s CES has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. First there was CLOi - LG’s AI powered bot which developed an unfortunate case of stage fright during a demo event. Then heavy Vegas rain led to flooding in the Google booth; fortunately the internet giant had impressed crowds in previous days, saving it from snarky sinking ship analogies. But CES hasn’t been a complete damp squib. Voice integration was everywhere, VR became a little more accessible and o
  
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• Buyers save Label PR after liquidation of owner Attercopia Group

  15-01-2018 15:38
  Label PR has been saved from the liquidation of its owner Attercopia Group by longtime members of staff.
  Formerly owned by Yorkshire-based marketing company Attercopia – which still owes substantial money to creditors, Label PR returns with founder Lee Bloor at the helm alongside Jessica Thornton and Almina Wilson who served as PR account director and PR and creative director respectively. The duo will now serve as company directors.
  Label PR agency will operate from Manchester and Lo
  
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• Omnicom to merge Rocket with Hearts & Science in UK

  15-01-2018 15:20 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Omnicom is dropping Rocket as a standalone media agency in the UK and merging it with Hearts & Science in the latest consolidation in the agency sector.
  
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• The Guardian rebrand: will the tabloid relaunch revitalise the newspaper's dwindling fortunes?

  15-01-2018 15:10
  The Guardian today landed on newsstands in its new-look tabloid format, a size reduction that comes dressed in a brand-wide redesign that has shaken up both its print and online offerings.
  This is not the first time the Guardian has made a size shift in print. In 2005, it changed from broadsheet to the slimmer and full-colour Berliner format that was popular in Europe. After 13 years, it has now downsized to the tabloid dimensions popularised by the likes of the Sun and the Mirror that
  
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• McCann Health promotes Marcus Sigurdsson to new chief digital officer role

  15-01-2018 15:05
  McCann Health has appointed Marcus Sigurdsson as chief digital officer – a new role that will see him tasked with delivering on digital and data projects.
  The McCann Worldgroup company has promoted Sigurdsson, who most recently served as regional chief digital officer for McCann Health in the Asia Pacific region.
  Having held this role since 2016, he worked with clients across telecoms, tech and pharma, including: Pfizer, Novartis, Nestlé, Cathay Pacific, Cirque Du Soleil, Reebo
  
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• Roll of Honour: what makes for a winning entry at The Drum Online Media Awards

  15-01-2018 14:40
  Across the board, there are plenty of examples of fantastic and innovative work produced by the online media industry each year. But what makes a winner? How do you shout from the rooftops that your work and campaigns are brilliant?
  The Drum Online Media Awards identifies the cleverest, boldest and most original purveyors of news and views from around the world.  From politics to sport, finance to film, the aim is to find the best application of talent and technology onl
  
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• ABB on why its title sponsorship of Formula E is as much about brand reputation as awareness

  15-01-2018 14:31
  Tech company ABB hopes its title sponsorship of Formula E will finally make it a global name. But the deal is also fuelled by an authentic support of the race’s underlying philosophy – in spite of its political and sporting controversies.
  ABB’s team are the first to admit that when Formula E announced the Swiss engineering brand as its title sponsor, the prevailing global reaction was: ‘Who?’
  “In the past, I think we were too humble as an engineering company t
  
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• Ad of the Day: Colonel Sanders speaks French on introduction to the country

  15-01-2018 14:30
  Colonel Sanders has landed in France with a new campaign for KFC. Truly, the Colonel was already in the country, with the chicken chain having opened its first restaurant there back in 1991, but 26 years later, only 3% of French people know who he is.
  For over a quarter of a century his trademark face has appeared on buckets but has never been a part of the brand’s communication in France. Until now.
  KFC, along with agency Sid Lee Paris, are building his story, launching a new communicatio
  
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• How those drool-inducing viral Facebook food videos get made

  15-01-2018 14:25
  With 8.4 million followers and counting on Facebook, The Drum paid a visit to Twisted’s headquarters to uncover the secret sauce behind the viral video phenomenon, which is now attracting global brands to the fold. 
  Having started as a conversation between friends, video recipe page Twisted began life in a house-share kitchen, filmed on a GoPro. The shoots have changed a bit since then, with its growing team now working atop four busy stations in a studio flooded with bright ligh
  
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• 'Don’t look at purpose as a sales opportunity' Independent Insights featuring Oliver Russell’s Russ Stoddard

  15-01-2018 14:00
  Welcome to Independent Insights, a regular series that features interviews with independent agency leaders across the country. This week we’re featuring a Q&A with Russ Stoddard, president and founder of Idaho-based Oliver Russell.
  Oliver Russell was launched in 1991 by Russ Stoddard, a social entrepreneur who started four companies and launched five non-profit companies. The Idaho agency is a Certified B Corporation and Public Benefit Corporation, meaning it has a legal right and resp
  
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• Football network launches campaign to tackle young male suicide

  15-01-2018 13:34 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Maytree, a charity which provides support for suicide, has teamed with youth football network Copa90 to create an awareness campaign designed to help tackle suicide among young men.
  
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• How brands' use of online celebrity influencers is maturing

  15-01-2018 13:31
  The search by brand marketers for consumer engagement has led to the continued growth and funding of the social media influencer that has made millionaires of some vloggers and online celebrities the world over. 
  However, as these seemingly normal people have grown their fame, demand by brands for their audiences has similarly grown and the rules and regulations around their ability to promote products became a problem for marketing regulators. And in that time some have developed that
  
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• Seattle’s entrepreneurial DNA: how the city has forged a unique identity for itself

  15-01-2018 13:00
  The words ‘tech startup’ are most commonly associated with Silicon Valley, but hyper-competitiveness and spiraling costs have led some prospective leaders in the digital marketing space to look farther afield. 
  In the US, a number of geographies have proven attractive to entrepreneurs eager to etch their names in the annals of tech disruption, and those keen to deviate from the path to success established by California-based behemoths such as Apple, Facebook and Google. &nb
  
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• Celebrating what makes an inclusive crew so special

  15-01-2018 13:00
  As one gets to a certain, er, age and experience, there is the inevitable reflection. It’s not so much about being sentimental about the past (something that older people in the industry tend to do a bit too much at times) but rather thinking about where one is, how they got there and who to credit (or blame) for their success.
  Not to overly-simplify, but I’ve always thought that life and, by extension, careers are made up of individual moments that stitch together. Recognizing those
  
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• Virgin Trains reinstates Daily Mail - but who really made the decision?

  15-01-2018 12:53 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Sir Richard Branson has reversed Virgin Trains' decision to stop stocking the Daily Mail on its services - a decision he said that he was not involved with or aware of until last week's media reports.
  
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• DAC Group appoints Koen Smeets as strategy director for Europe

  15-01-2018 12:49
  Digital agency DAC Group has appointed Barcelona-based Koen Smeets to the position of strategy director for Europe.
  Smeets will work with senior management under DAC Group Europe president David Jowett to develop strategic solutions across the European network, which leverage DAC's proprietary technology to deliver personalised and localised digital experiences that deliver growth for brands.
  Smeets has held senior positions at Starcom and Carat, shaping global marketing strategies for
  
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• Ogilvy recruits former Elle editor Jeffs to creative department

  15-01-2018 12:13 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Ogilvy & Mather London has hired former Elle editor Lotte Jeffs as creative director to bring editorial experience to the agency's campaigns.
  
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• Sir Richard Branson tells Virgin Trains to re-stock Daily Mail following 'censorship' row

  15-01-2018 11:54
  Sir Richard Branson has told Virgin Trains to re-stock the Daily Mail on its services, saying he was unaware of the firm's decision to remove the paper from on-board shops until he read about it in the press. 
  Writing in a blog post on Monday morning (15 January), Branson said the ban wasn't part of "some grand campaign" at his behest. He added that alongside his business partner, Brian Souter, he had asked Virgin Trains to reconsider its position. 
  "Freedom of speech, freedom of
  
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• Army unveils 'inclusive' recruitment campaign

  15-01-2018 11:40 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The British Army has introduced a subtle evolution of its positioning in its latest recruitment campaign, which launched at the weekend.
  
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• Interior design site Houzz takes over Soho townhouse

  15-01-2018 11:39 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Houzz, the home interiors site, is taking over a five-storey townhouse to showcase the latest design trends.
  
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• North Korea threatens Winter Olympics withdrawal in Trump spat

  15-01-2018 11:18
  North Korea has warned it is willing to walk away from participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics after taking umbrage at recent fulsome praise made by its southerly neighbor in relation to president Trump.
  Pyongyang’s threatened snub could derail the hermit state’s tentative steps into the outside world by allowing its athletes to compete but politics, as ever, threatens to interfere.
  At issue are remarks made by South Korean president Moon Jae-in who went out of his way
  
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• The future of location data: how will brands adapt to consumer expectations?

  15-01-2018 11:00
  If location data lies at the heart of personalised experiences, how can brands use data to join the dots around the consumer? In the final installment of a five-part series from The Drum and Verve on Everything You Need to Know (EYNTK) About Location-Based Advertising, we explore the future of mobile location data intelligence.
  Brands need to stay tuned to the changing mindsets of their customers. According to a study by Goldsmiths University and Adobe, 75% of marketing leaders admit to not unde
  
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• Creative Works EMEA featuring 72andSunny, Buzzman, The & Partnership and more

  15-01-2018 10:45
  Welcome to The Drum Creative Works.
  As always, this section is dedicated to showing the best creative work and gives you, the reader, the chance to decide which work we feature as our 'Creative Work of the Week'.
  We're using our five-star voting system, so to vote for your favourite, make sure you click on the stars. The winner will be chosen based on the average rating and the number of votes cast.
  Voting closes for this week on Monday 22 January.
  For project information, credits
  
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• Creative Work of the Week: Maynards Bassetts' redesigns for the selfie generation

  15-01-2018 10:44
  Another week of Creative Works voting has produced another Creative Work of the Week – Marks’ redesign of Maynards Bassetts’ sweet packets.
  The agency has reimagined the heritage brand’s Jelly Chew pack designs as Jolly Mouth, a bag designed to jump off the shelf into the digital space.
  Commissioned to capitalise on the growth space among teenage consumers, the agency sought to combat boredom by providing a pick-me-up and a moment of hap
  
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• Formula One in head on collision 3M over logo similarities

  15-01-2018 10:20
  Formula One has bucklied up as it braces for a legal clash with Post-It Note manufacturer 3M over striking similarities between the motorsport’s new logo.
  Crafted by Wieden+Kennedy London the restyled logo made its trackside debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, announcing a $5.8bn takeover of the sport by Liberty Media.
  Forming the letter ‘F’ with two curving lines followed by a single dash to denote the number one the minimalist new look has upset more tradition
  
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• Guardian unveils new tabloid format

  15-01-2018 10:00 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Guardian has unveiled its first tabloid newspaper today with a new masthead and website redesign.
  
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• Rappler has its license revoked as its fight with the Philippines government deepens

  15-01-2018 09:58
  The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revoked the registration of news organisation Rappler for allegedly violating the Constitution and the Anti-Dummy Law, a move the online site is decrying as a blow to press freedom.
  The SEC claimed that Rappler violated constitutional restrictions on ownership and control of mass media entities because of funds coming from Omidyar Network, a fund created by eBay founder and entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar.
  "The En Banc finds Ra
  
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• Over a third of marketing professionals driven to depression & anxiety through work

  15-01-2018 09:55
  A new survey has highlighted the full extent of a mental health crisis in the marketing industry with the finding that more than a third (38.9%) of marketers are suffering from symptoms of depression and anxiety with work being the single greatest contributor and 61.1% attributing their fragile state of mind to the office.
  Compiled by online jobs board CV Library, the findings paint a grim picture of life in the sector. It found that 94% of marketing professionals with depression or anxiety
  
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• Slimline Guardian hits news stands with reconfigured masthead

  15-01-2018 09:26
  The Guardian has unveiled its long-awaited tabloid transformation this morning with the launch of its first edition in compact form, complete with a new masthead and accompanying overhaul for its digital editions.
  More than just an aesthetic refresh the changes have been spurred by Guardian Media Group’s overriding need to eke out substantial savings from its operational costs as part of efforts to stem further losses by April 2019.
  It is hoped that the shrunken paper will save the busines
  
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• First slimline issue of The Guardian hits news stands with reconfigured masthead

  15-01-2018 09:26
  The Guardian has unveiled its long-awaited tabloid transformation this morning with the launch of its first edition in compact form, complete with a new masthead and accompanying overhaul for its digital editions.
  More than just an aesthetic refresh, the changes have been spurred by Guardian Media Group’s overriding need to eke out substantial savings from its operational costs as part of efforts to stem further losses by April 2019.
  It is hoped that the shrunken paper will save the busine
  
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• YouTube Re:View: Oprah for President?

  15-01-2018 08:30
  Welcome to YouTube Re:View, in association with The Drum. A weekly listing of the most loved videos in the UK on YouTube.
  Happy New Year. It’s 2018. The start of a new year and with that comes the inevitable flood of new year resolutions for that fresh start and a retrospective contemplation. The first in our series of our weekly listings — YouTube Re:View — reflects just that. A desire for change, a celebration of storytelling, and also our constant need for humour a
  
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• Tesco Clubcard, Pret, Volkswagen: Everything that matters this morning

  15-01-2018 08:25
  Tesco backtracks on changes to Clubcard loyalty scheme
  Tesco has backtracked on planned changes to its Clubcard loyalty scheme after facing a backlash from customers. The supermarket was set to change the value of some of its rewards; currently points collected can be turned into vouchers that can be redeemed for between two and four times their value. Tesco wanted to change this to mean vouchers would always be three times their face value.
  The supermarket argued this would make the system easi
  
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• OnePlus, the Guardian, Formula One: Everything that matters this morning

  15-01-2018 08:25
  OnePlus breaks billion-dollar sales barrier
  Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has broken the billion-dollar sales barrier for the first time, doubling its revenues last year to more than $1.4bn (£1bn).
  Speaking to The Telegraph, OnePlus chief executive Pete Lau confirmed the company had made “healthy profits” during the period and now plans to challenge bigger players by collaborating with mobile networks in the US and Europe. While the company started out selling to fans d
  
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• Iceland, Airbnb, Disney: Everything that matters this morning

  15-01-2018 08:25
  Iceland becomes first grocer to go ‘plastic free’ by 2023
  Supermarket chain Iceland has said it will eliminate or drastically reduce plastic packaging of all its own label products by the end of 2023.
  Prime Minister Theresa May has called plastic waste “one of the great environmental scourges of our time”, and vowed to ban all avoidable plastic waste in the UK by 2042.
  As a first measure, the grocer says new food ranges being launched in February will be packaged using a
  
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• Greggs, KitKat, YouTube: Everything that matters this morning

  15-01-2018 08:25
  Greggs unveils hot food menu with evening appeal
  High street baker Greggs is continuing to expand its offer to customers, following the introduction of home delivery and the increased focus on breakfast and healthy options, by testing a menu designed to appeal to evening eaters. Evening is currently the “the part of the day when Greggs doesn’t trade”, CEO Roger Whiteside is quoted saying in The Guardian. “Hot food is the last of the big food trends we have chosen to purs
  
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• Budweiser, Nike, Asda: Everything that matters this morning

  15-01-2018 08:25
  Bud takes advantage of dry January with Prohibition push
  Budweiser has kicked off a marketing push for its alcohol-free Prohibition Brew beer to make the most of consumers doing dry January.
  As part of the drive, Love Island’s Gabby Allen, will unveil a fleet of beer floats that will travel around the country giving away free samples of Prohibition Brew, as part of the brand’s UK launch.
  Budweiser is also partnering with Time Out to raise awareness of the alcohol-free variant, includ
  
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• Five trends that will change the media landscape in 2018

  15-01-2018 08:15
  Streaming services will take more cues from traditional media
  Streaming services are working hard to steal eyeballs from traditional broadcasters – and they seem to be succeeding. Netflix beat analysts’ expectations by adding 5.3 million new subscribers during the third quarter of 2017.
  And it is planning on spending some serious money to continue that trajectory, with a content budget of roughly $8bn (£5.9bn) for 2018 – a major leap from the $2bn (£1.5bn) it spent
  
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