Marketing news

• Gyfcat acquires film marketing platform MovieLala

  26-01-2018 22:59
  User-generated gif-creation platform Gfycat has acquired MovieLala, a social platform for moviegoers.
  With the acquisition, Gfycat strengthened its movie marketing capabilities by building on MovieLala’s partnerships with major film studios such as Lionsgate, Universal, Skydance and Paramount. Financial terms were not disclosed.
  The acquisition enabled MovieLala's network of studio marketers to connect with millions of  young moviegoers by promoting gif content across t
  
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• The Recording Academy 'plays' New York City through AR leading up to Grammys

  26-01-2018 22:38
  The Grammys are returning to New York City for the awards' 60th anniversary. In an industry first, the Recording Academy has debuted a short film that documents how the city transformed into an augmented reality musical instrument.
  The Grammys, along with long-time creative partner TBWA\Chiat\Day, installed sophisticated software, multiple cameras and an augmented reality screen into a specially outfitted Uber to play New York City like an instrument. Trig
  
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• With System 1 thinking, marketing to millennial moms is surprisingly simple

  26-01-2018 18:07
  If there’s one consumer segment brands go wild for, it’s parents – specifically, mothers. As traditional guardians of household spending, moms are prized for their purchase power, their capacity for amplifying positive word-of-mouth, and inculcating brand preferences in their offspring.
  What’s not traditional? Contemporary mothers.
  These aren’t the maternal influences we grew up with. Baby boomers, gen Xers and older millennials were raised by women who lived &ndash
  
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• Just one week left to enter the Campaign Tech Awards

  26-01-2018 17:50 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The deadline of 5 February is drawing near and there's just seven days left to enter the Campaign Tech Awards.
  
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• Saatchi & Saatchi chairman hounded on social media over GoFundMe surgery plea for his Instagram celebrity dog

  26-01-2018 17:40
  Saatchi & Saatchi chairman Richard Huntington was the subject of ridicule on social media and the press after he crowdfund surgery for his dog, Edward Lear.
  Huntington and his fashion designer wife, Annabel Bird, regularly contribute images of Lear to Instagram, building a following of 10,000. Lear is also a dog model, posing many canine attire on the website Bleak House.
  The pair were criticised for resorting to an online fundraiser on GoFundMe for the high rolling pooch who&rsquo
  
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• Mercedes brings new twist to 'last person standing' stunt in Super Bowl competition

  26-01-2018 17:23
  Mercedes-Benz is returning to the Super Bowl this year, but instead of a flashy ad, they're bringing a twist to the decades-old last person standing promo stunt. The Mercedes-Benz USA ‘Last Fan Standing’ competition gives fans a chance to win a Mercedes-AMG high-performance sports car.
  While New England and Philadelphia battle on the field, thousands of dedicated Mercedes-Benz fans across the US will have to keep their eyes, and fingers, on the prize if they want to win.
  ‘Last
  
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• Call for entries for British Media Awards 2018

  26-01-2018 17:00 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Entries are open for the British Media Awards which celebrate the best work by media owners and publishers around the UK and beyond.
  
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• British Media Awards 2018: last call for entries

  26-01-2018 17:00 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Today is the deadline to enter the British Media Awards which celebrate the best work by media owners and publishers around the UK and beyond.
  
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• Thomas Byrne to lead Merkle's EMEA agency ops

  26-01-2018 16:50
  Tech and data performance marketing agency, Merkle, has promoted Thomas Byrne to senior vice-president agency services EMEA.
  Byrne will be responsible for leading Merkle’s growth plans for its agency offering in the region, including developing its strategic direction, market proposition, and key partnerships such as Google.
  Byrne will also be responsible for building strong organic growth and expanding Merkle’s agency business across Spain, the Netherlands, Dubai, Germany and the UK
  
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• Lévy proclaims ad industry optimism and hails 'showman' Trump at Davos

  26-01-2018 16:37 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Publicis Groupe chairman Maurice Lévy thinks "2018 will be a great year" for the ad industry amid a growing sense of optimism from business leaders at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos.
  
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• P&G, Lush, Diageo: Five things that mattered this week and why

  26-01-2018 16:28
  Lush introduces roaming tablets
  With its bubbles, smells and quirky shop assistants Lush wins multiple awards for its customer experience and now the major retailer is adding its own tablet till system to the mix.
  Similar to the Apple store, assistants will roam shops with Google Android tablets providing quicker and easier customer service. Plus, the new system allows Lush to free up space for more stock.
  Lush is keen to ensure that this new digital technology aligns with the brand’s ethi
  
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• Martin Agency elevates Karen Costello to chief creative officer, replacing Joe Alexander

  26-01-2018 16:04
  The Martin Agency has elevated Karen Costello from executive creative director to chief creative officer, filling a hole left by the controversial departure of Joe Alexander. 
  Costello is the first female chief creative officer in the company’s 53-year history. She came to the Martin Agency as executive creative director in September 2017 from Deutsch LA to help lead the Mondelez account, both globally and domestically.
  The chief creative officer will remain o
  
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• Immediate Future on being 'serious about social' and why hiring on values has been the key to its success

  26-01-2018 16:00
  Immediate Future chief executive Katy Howell explains why employing experts in social media as opposed to “ninjas, rock stars or gurus” allows her agency to keep pace with the fast-evolving world of social.
  Back in 2004, Immediate Future (IF) set out to become an agency that focused solely on social at a time when “it was all about blogs and MySpace and Twitter was just a little twinkle in everyone’s eye", according to chief executive Katy Howell.
  “Even today, the i
  
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• Unilever's Dollar Shave Club uses British sense of humour to target UK audience

  26-01-2018 15:21 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Dollar Shave Club, the Unilever-owned men's grooming subscription service, is using British humour to target men in the UK.
  
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• Budweiser switches to water to help out those in need for its Super Bowl ad

  26-01-2018 15:01
  Budweiser has been more known for its Clydesdales, puppies and frogs for its Super Bowl ads, but its new focus for this year's big game features the brewer helping out storm victims with water.
  Since 1988, Bud's Cartersville, Georgia brewery team has helped provide more than 79 million cans of water to cities across the US that were impacted by natural disasters. In the new spot, we see a worker being woken up, leaving his home early and heading to the brewery. The man is Kevin Fa
  
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• Airbnb's global marketing director Alexandra Dimiziani to depart

  26-01-2018 13:30
  Airbnb's global marketing director, Alexandra Dimiziani, is to depart the business, marking the latest internal change for the brand following the exit of chief marketing officer Jonathan Mildenhall. 
  Dimiziani joined the business in 2014 from Coca-Cola, initially leading EMEA marketing for Airbnb. She confirmed the news on her personal Facebook page but did not say where her next move would be. The Drum understands she will continue in her role for three months before stepping down.&n
  
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• eCars247 launches the UK’s first online showroom for second-hand car buying

  26-01-2018 13:13
  eCars247 has launched a "game-changing” e-commerce website in an attempt to digitally disrupt the UK automobile market.
  MMT Digital, part of The Be Heard Group, built the state-of-the-art platform to help eCars247 become the first online-only second-hand car dealer in the UK and the first in the world to offer e-signature functionality.
  Adopting the approach of successful US disruptor, Carvana, eCars247 offers customers the opportunity to buy second hand cars as well as take part exchange,
  
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• Voice ads: opportunities for brands and agencies

  26-01-2018 13:00
  Amazon has ventured in industries unimaginable from automated stores to underwater warehouses and drones that charge cars. So it’s no surprise it is in talks with various consumer companies to promote products on Alexa, according to a CNBC report. This will bring about the end of the retail giant’s ad-free reign.
  The Drum spoke to industry experts from Jellyfish, LEGO Group and Zoopla to learn how they see this affecting the search trade.
  How might an agency/brand approach a move to&
  
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• Women Vs Machines: why I won’t invite Alexa into my home

  26-01-2018 12:59
  I won’t have ‘Alexa’ in my home.
  Apart from the fact that I can turn on my lights all by myself, remind myself of what I need from the shops, and can even manage to look out of the window to work out whether I need to take an umbrella, I really can’t stand the idea that this technological monkey that we ask to perform such tricks, has to be a ‘she’.  “She’ll tell you anything you want to know” we are constantly assured, as if she is just
  
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• Happy birthday Mother: 10 of the agency's most creative personal projects

  26-01-2018 12:59 via campaignlive.co.uk
  To mark its 21st anniversary Mother is hosting a public exhibition today of some of its most controversial personal projects.
  
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• Jurassic World live tour to feature 40-feet long dinosaurs

  26-01-2018 12:37 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Jurassic World is being turned into a live-touring show that features dinosaurs measuring up to 40-feet long.
  
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• YouTube Re:View: Oscars, Ed Sheeran’s engagement and Hamilton

  26-01-2018 12:33
  Welcome to YouTube’s Re:View, in association with The Drum. This week we gush over singer Ed Sheeran’s engagement to his childhood friend, witness the angry reaction of a YouTube commentator to the 2018 Oscar nominations and celebrate French skier’s Candide Thovex adventures around the world.
  Oscar nominations – oh no they didn’t
  In its 90th year, it’s time for the Oscars again as preparations begin for the ceremony to be held on 4 March 2018. Film fans eagerl
  
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• Businesses must work harder to reach gender diversity goals on Singapore’s boards

  26-01-2018 12:30
  Singapore businesses are being urged to take a more proactive outlook on increasing the gender balance in board rooms, with many businesses becoming slow to react.
  The report, by Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI and BoardAgender), used qualitative interviews with 41 Singapore-based businesses and ranked the firms according to how they sit within four philosophical approaches to the issue. The aim was to see if it can push better behaviours within businesses that would help Singapore reac
  
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• Amazon’s first Echo Spot ad connects a lonely grandma with her family

  26-01-2018 12:29
  Amazon is tugging the heart strings in its first ever TVC for the Echo Spot device, showing how its technology can connect families.
  Featured is a lonely grandma whose life is changed by the inclusion of the smart device into her home.
  Her gift is packed with the instructions “Just ask: ‘Alexa, Call Home.’" The home assistant does just that and the old woman is greeted by her full family on the screen.
  Amazon will be keen to shift more Echo devices, and targeting the older demo
  
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• Ad of the Day: Reba McEntire bolsters Colonel Sanders singing credentials as first women to play KFC mascot

  26-01-2018 12:03
  Country music star Reba McEntire is the first women to ever play KFC founder and mascot, Colonel Sanders.
  McEntire follows a venerable cast of talent in portraying the colonel including Darrell Hammond, Ray Liotta, George Hamilton, Rob Riggle, Rob Lowe, Norm Macdonald and Billy Zane. On par with their efforts, she is fully garbed in the memorable wispy white hair and spectacles of the mascot.
  The musician uses her vocal abilities to tout new product the Smoky Mountain BBQ chicken in a rowdy honk
  
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• Marvel’s Black Panther hitches a ride on a Lexus in Super Bowl slot

  26-01-2018 11:36
  Marvel’s first African superhero is set to come to the big screen and Lexus, which has placements within the film, is using the tie-up to generate some buzz around the Super Bowl.
  The slot, Long Live the King, shows off the 2018 Lexus LS 500 F Sport in all its glory with the enigmatic hero dangling from the roof for much of the action.
  Lexus marketing vice president Cooper Ericksen told Ad Age that the ad from Walton Isaacson is looking to open up the brand to a wider audience than it has
  
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• Center Parcs revamps online booking with Code Computerlove

  26-01-2018 11:32
  UK short break specialist Center Parcs has introduced a new online booking system, designed by digital agency Code Computerlove. The new accommodation booking experience follows the launch of a new site design, which was implemented by Adobe.   
  Richard Murdoch at Code Computerlove, said: “We’ve been working closely with the Center Parcs team, carrying out extensive research to understand the unique needs of Center Parcs customers. We created a booking experience that not o
  
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• Video: Campaign Tech Awards judge Fern Miller offers her advice on winning award entries

  26-01-2018 11:28 via campaignlive.co.uk
  With the deadline for entering the Campaign Tech Awards a little over a week away, here's some advice from awards judge and DigitasLBi chief strategist, Fern Miller.
  
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• How Cadbury is using a pop-up shop to show kindness to Brits

  26-01-2018 11:22 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Cadbury is using its purple newsagent to "give generosity back to the real people of Britain".
  
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• Tiffany & Co sets up large gift box in LA

  26-01-2018 11:09 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Tiffany & Co, the luxury jewellery brand, has created a large version of its gift box in the US.
  
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• UK ad viewability reaches highest level since 2014

  26-01-2018 10:39
  A recent upward trend in ad viewability has continued with the ley metric now at its highest level since the second quarter of 2014, according to the latest report from ad verification platform Meetrics.
  This comes in the wake of strong growth through the fourth quarter of 2017 in which the proportion of banner ads which met minimum viewability guidelines jumped from 52 to 56% in the UK - capping three quarters of successive rises.
  Meetrics chief executive Philipp von Hilgers commented: "De
  
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• Google now lets you mute ads that are 'following' you and trials ad blocker on Chrome for Android

  26-01-2018 10:22 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Google has rolled out an update that will let users mute "reminder" ads in apps and websites that partner with them.
  
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• Agencies begin to feel the pinch as advertisers review accounts in droves

  26-01-2018 10:10
  We’re not yet out of January and already $10bn worth of media business is under review, according to the estimates of marketing consultants ID Comms.
  This week alone The Drum has reported that major spenders Shell, Asda, HSBC and Procter & Gamble have begun re-evaluating their agency arrangements. They follow the likes of Mars, Coca-Cola and Sky who already have tenders worth hundreds of millions in play.
  Such moves have put agencies the world over on alert and appear to be taking thei
  
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• BBC News quartet agree salary reduction to defuse gender pay row

  26-01-2018 09:37
  Four of the BBC’s highest profile male journalists have agreed to accept a salary reduction in an effort to defuse a damaging gender pay row at the broadcaster.
  Jeremy Vine, John Humphrys, Jon Sopel and Huw Edwards all agreed to the coordinated pay cut in a show of solidarity with their less well remunerated female colleagues, not least the former China editor Carrie Gracie who quit in disgust upon learning of disparities in pay between editors of different genders.
  The can of worms was op
  
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• IBM-Salesforce partnership combines Watson and Einstein for customer service

  26-01-2018 09:33 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The latest cross-channel collaboration exposes the industry leaders in enterprise software to their respective audiences.
  
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• Why did we put up with it? Aviva’s Jan Gooding on her early days in advertising

  26-01-2018 08:30
  Jan Gooding has long been a champion for gender equality in business and a supporter of more inclusive working environments. Throughout her career she has fought to change out-of-date strategies and empower those who feel oppressed, whether it’s by writing one agency’s first maternity leave policy, through her role as chair of LGBT charity Stonewall, or through her most recent appointment as Aviva’s global inclusion director.
  Despite becoming the first woman to get to board lev
  
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• Heist tights: The startup trying to disrupt the underwear industry

  26-01-2018 08:00
  You may not have heard of Heist but if you travel around London you will almost certainly have seen the underwear brands’ adverts. Either featuring women mid-leap or using fruit to highlight diversity these adverts are certainly not like normal underwear ads and that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
  When TfL banned Heist’s advert for being “overtly sexual” it caused a media storm. The image was of a woman, naked back to the camera with a pair of black tights covering her legs
  
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• Heist tights: The premium brand trying to disrupt the underwear industry

  26-01-2018 08:00
  You may not have heard of Heist but if you travel around London you will almost certainly have seen the underwear brands’ adverts. Either featuring women mid-leap or using fruit to highlight diversity these adverts are certainly not like normal underwear ads and that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
  When TfL banned Heist’s advert for being “overtly sexual” it caused a media storm. The image was of a woman, naked back to the camera with a pair of black tights covering her legs
  
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• Google’s new updates give consumers more control over 'reminder ads'

  26-01-2018 05:07
  Today, Google announced new tools designed to give consumers more control over the ads that follow them around the web.
  In a blog post, the company said that their Ad Settings and Mute This Ad features are being updated to give users the ability to mute ads they see on Google, websites and in apps.
  The so-called “reminder ads” are a result of users searching online and then being followed or ‘reminded’ of their search to encourage further action. The new update allows use
  
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• BuzzFeed finally plants its flag in China through licensing deal with Bytedance

  26-01-2018 04:33
  BuzzFeed has signed a licensing deal with China’s Bytedance Technology Co, which will help the American publisher circumvent the country’s firewall and enter the Chinese market.
  The Chinese publisher owns Toutiao, a news and videos aggregator platform, and Xigua, which focuses on short video clips. It currently has about 200 million daily active users around the world, including in China.
  The deal will see the Beijing-based Bytedance distribute BuzzFeed’s content, such as
  
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• TV commercials led advertising revenue in India in 2017, says report

  26-01-2018 01:00
  Bolstered by digitisation in India, TV commercials led the advertising revenue with a 44.2 % share in 2017 according to IHS Markit.
  The report further predicts TV commercials to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.9 % between 2018 and 2021 as demand for TV content increases. 
  Meanwhile, an increase in smartphone distribution and internet penetration has bolstered the growth of subscription-based online video market in India.
  According to IHS Markit, the number of subscribe
  
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• MediaMonks en la Ciudad: creative production house opens its 11th office in Mexico City

  26-01-2018 00:00
  Creative production company MediaMonks announced its opening of its 11th office in Mexico City to cater to the growing demand for high-end integrated work in the region.
  The office will be run by LATAM head of expansion Marchelo Planchart and head of partnerships Alexander van Rijn. This announcement came after establishing successful working relationships with leading Mexican agencies and brands, including Leo Burnett, Publicis, Ogilvy, Aeromexico, Corona and the Mexican Tourism
  
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