Marketing news

• Toyota releases two ads that will air on Super Bowl Sunday

  02-02-2018 22:02
  Toyota is using 90 seconds of airtime during the Super Bowl to promote its global partnerships with the Olympics and Paralympics.
  The two spots are part of Toyota’s global ‘Start Your Impossible’ campaign, which launched late last year. The first spot, which is 60 seconds long, tells the story of how alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft beat the odds to become a Paralympic gold medalist.
  The second shows people old and young being active and participating in sport; for instance, o
  
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• Intuit goes giant with animated short in its first corporate brand campaign

  02-02-2018 21:44
  Intuit, the maker of financial products TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint, and Turbo, has debuted its first-ever corporate brand campaign in the company’s 35-year history.
  At the center of the campaign is a four-minute animated short film that features a mechanized giant helping bring two people together.
  The film is meant to showcase how Intuit, with its ecosystem of products, helps power prosperity for consumers and those who work for themselves, according to the c
  
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• More Super Bowl ads: a roundup of the latest entrants

  02-02-2018 20:30
  Viewers of the Super Bowl used to have to wait until game time to watch the collection of highly anticipated ads, and brands used to guard their creative like a front line does a star quarterback. But times have changed and now brands will happily put their $5m-plus ads out for maximum viewing exposure.
  Below are some of the latest ads that are set to air during the Super Bowl. They range from the biggest brands to smaller regional and local businesses. While some brands will no doubt
  
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• Ad of the Day: A trio of 100-year-old women rock the continuity mic for Channel 4

  02-02-2018 19:06
  Channel 4 has enlisted three matriarchs born in 1918 to take up the role of continuity announcer, in celebration of 100 years since (some) British women were granted the vote.
  In a set of films created by the broadcaster’s in-house agency 4Creative, Millie, Beattie and Margaret recall their memories from the early 20th century from a comfy armchair, before introducing their assigned TV show.
  Extended versions of their interviews will go out across Channel 4’s social media platforms a
  
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• Search marketing agency Click Consult launches Go Viral quarterly magazine

  02-02-2018 17:37
  Search marketing agency Click Consult is entering the magazine market with the launch of its own title Go Viral.
  The magazine will focus on organic (SEO) and paid search (PPC) and include news, interviews, vlogs, blogs and podcasts, as well as four features by members of Click’s team of experts from across the globe.
  Published quarterly, Go Viral can be read online the Click Consult website or through Issuu.com. The agency will also be distributing printed issues at its dedicated search ma
  
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• In the shadow of the Super Bowl, my commitment to send our heroes to the big game

  02-02-2018 17:03
  Each year the Super Bowl has grown in spectacle. It’s now an all-consuming American tradition that worships the likes of Tom Brady, Justin Timberlake, and the Budweiser Clydesdales. But its bright lights don’t quite make room for everyone. In fact, attending the game itself is often reserved for masters-of-the-universe (or well-placed ad execs). The needy and the marginalized need not apply.
  That’s why we’re proud to go against the grain. For the fourth year in a row, I&r
  
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• ‘The role of the marketer has changed, shouldn’t the marketing model?’

  02-02-2018 16:35
  ‘Change is a constant’, a mantra that is constantly bandied around the marketing industry.
  When marketing leaders discuss organisational change they offer exciting and insightful suggestions to shake up inertia and unlock potential within businesses. However, while the descriptors “agile”, “nimble”, “people-centric” and “dynamic” are often discussed in terms of cultural change and structure, the evolving nature of the marketing discipli
  
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• The role of the marketer has changed, shouldn’t the marketing model?

  02-02-2018 16:35
  ‘Change is a constant’, a mantra that is constantly bandied around the marketing industry.
  When marketing leaders discuss organisational change they offer exciting and insightful suggestions to shake up inertia and unlock potential within businesses. However, while the descriptors “agile”, “nimble”, “people-centric” and “dynamic” are often discussed in terms of cultural change and structure, the evolving nature of the marketing discipli
  
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• Kia, Coke, Amazon: The Super Bowl 2018 ads to look out for

  02-02-2018 16:29
  The Super Bowl is arguably the most coveted ad slot in the world. As many as 189 million people will watch the NFL’s championship game on Sunday (4 February) between New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles and according to Forbes the average cost of a 30-second commercial during the game in 2015 was $5m (£3.5).
  Last year the Superbowl halftime adverts were dominated by political messages after Trump’s inauguration, however, this year brands have gone back to celebrity
  
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• Real people denied water at restaurants and hotels in thought-provoking PSA

  02-02-2018 16:26
  For many of us, not having access to clean water for hours on end sounds like a nightmarish if not unfathomable scenario. But in the developing world, it’s a reality that millions of people face every day, and one that disproportionately affects women and children.
  That’s why Stella Artois has been partnering with nonprofit Water.org for the past four years to help raise money for and spread awareness of the organization, whose mission is to bring safe water and sanitation to the wor
  
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• Real people are denied water at restaurants and hotels in thought-provoking PSA

  02-02-2018 16:26
  For many of us, not having access to clean water for hours on end sounds like a nightmarish if not unfathomable scenario. But in the developing world, it’s a reality that millions of people face every day, and one that disproportionately affects women and children.
  That’s why Stella Artois has been partnering with nonprofit Water.org for the past four years to help raise money for and spread awareness of the organization, whose mission is to bring safe water and sanitation to the wor
  
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• Sainsbury’s, Alibaba, Unilever: 5 things that mattered this week and why

  02-02-2018 15:40
  Sainsbury’s takes Nectar to the check-out
  Sainsbury’s says it wants to know its customers “better than anyone else”, and this week the supermarket giant made a move to do just that with its £60m takeover of the UK Nectar loyalty scheme from parent company Aimia.
  Customers have been told to continue using the programme as they have been, and there are no immediate plans to alter the organisational structure of the business.
  But it will be interesting to find out whet
  
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• Law firm becomes first brand to sponsor video referee replays in sport

  02-02-2018 15:33 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Legal brand Patient Claim Line has signed a pioneering two-year deal to sponsor video referee replays in rugby league's Super League.
  
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• Tribal Worldwide London restructures to challenge the consultancies

  02-02-2018 15:12 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Tribal Worldwide London has restructured its agency around six core practices with the aim of better-serving brands in the experience economy.
  
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• The Social Chain Group acquires The Football Republic from FremantleMedia

  02-02-2018 14:41 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Social media marketing agency and media publishing house, The Social Chain Group has acquired a network of sport social media channels, The Football Republic from FremantleMedia.
  
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• Poster Girls: the hidden story of Transport for London's radical support of female creatives

  02-02-2018 14:39
  Transport for London’s high levels of 20th century innovation are renowned across the globe. But less well known is its progressive attitude towards female creatives – the ‘poster girls’ commissioned to design its now-iconic advertising.
  In the film above, curator David Bownes explains how one man – Frank Pick – brought his forward-thinking spirit to London Transport’s design, branding, architecture and roster of freelance artists.
  “
  
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• Poster Girls: the hidden story behind London Transport's radical support of female creatives

  02-02-2018 14:39
  Transport for London’s high levels of 20th century innovation are renowned across the globe. But less well known is its progressive attitude towards female creatives – the ‘poster girls’ commissioned to design its now-iconic advertising.
  In the film above, curator David Bownes explains how one man – Frank Pick – brought his forward-thinking spirit to London Transport’s design, branding, architecture and roster of freelance artists.
  “
  
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• A guide to hiring 2D animators: what to look for and why

  02-02-2018 14:25
  At Movidiam, we see briefs coming in for animators more and more, whether it’s in-house at agencies, inside brand studios, or to handle individual projects from beginning to completion.
  If you’ve not worked in creating animation, it can be tough to know what to look for in commissioning animated content, but as demand for content increases, it’s likely that marketers will find they’ve got no choice but to explore adding animation to their content armoury.
  Both two-dimensi
  
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• ‘Transparency will be driven by clients’ and contextual marketing will resurge: takeaways from The Drum’s predictions event

  02-02-2018 14:20
  Following last year’s many controversies from YouTube’s brand safety crisis to Pepsi’s ad debacle, 2018 presents an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start anew. At The Drum’s Predictions event, panelists were asked how they see the issue of transparency unfolding this year as well as what the future holds for customer experiences and data.
  See the main highlights of the day below.
  Transparency will be driven by client expectations 
  As major brands have begun e
  
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• Bumble's hive pop-up moves to LA

  02-02-2018 14:08 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Bumble, the dating app, has launched its professional networking pop-up in Los Angeles.
  
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• YouTube Re:View: A virtual Elton, Blue Ivy at the Grammy Awards, and diet coke for millennials

  02-02-2018 14:00
  Welcome to YouTube’s Re:View, in association with The Drum. This week this is what we have been consuming: Blue Ivy’s diva-like antics, farewell to Elton John in Virtual Reality and we feast our eyes on the scrumptious Henry Cavill, aka Superman. 
  Like a candle in the wind, farewell Elton John
  It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside… especially the feeling you get when you find out that Elton John is performing his last ever world tour from September. While&nbs
  
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• How War Child is competing against big brands with a character-based ad

  02-02-2018 13:08 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Campaign talked to War Child and Raw London about creating the charity's "Escape robot" film.
  
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• Royal Caribbean's theatrical experience showcases Symphony of the Seas cruise ship

  02-02-2018 13:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Royal Caribbean International, the cruise line brand, is giving people a chance to experience its largest cruise ship.
  
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• Lessons on preventing ad fraud and how to seal the cracks

  02-02-2018 13:00
  There is no magic fix to ad fraud, however the industry is playing its part in sealing the cracks that the swindlers like to slip through.
  Until there is fiscal consequence, there will be no real impact to the fraudster even when detected, believes Method Media Intelligence founder and director of research , Shailin Dhar
  Ahead of a panel on ad-fraud at Programmatic Punch NY, at which Dhar is a speaker, he talks to The Drum about the fraudsters and what can be done to seal the cracks.
  What are th
  
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• How Sailor Jerry is targeting creatives and students

  02-02-2018 12:05 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Sailor Jerry, the spiced rum brand owned by William Grant & Sons, is taking over an old warehouse to target creatives and students in Glasgow.
  
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• Birds Eye fish finger ad pulled over drowning fears

  02-02-2018 11:47
  Birds Eye has withdrawn its latest fish fingers promotion amidst concern that the depiction of people jumping into the sea incorrectly implied that jumping into cold water on a hot day was safe.
  The TV commercial depicted a man and boy jumping off a boat into a sun-lashed sea while a narrator intoned: “Captain Birds Eye loves the simple things, like jumping into cold water on a hot day with his grandson.”
  That sparked complaints from the Dying to be Cool campaign, established to impr
  
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• What does the NFL need to do to crack Europe?

  02-02-2018 11:44 via campaignlive.co.uk
  As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, Campaign asked four industry figures for their take on how the most American of sports can grow its popularity in a part of the world obsessed with a different kind of football.
  
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• Gordon's to offer free drinks for commuters hit by train delays

  02-02-2018 11:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Gordon's, the Diageo-owned gin brand, is giving out half-price or free gin and tonics to commuters hit with rail delays.
  
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• Times have changed - isn't it time the agency model did too?

  02-02-2018 11:32
  A week or so ago, Peter Reid wrote an article in The Drum, where he discusses how he has spotted a slight reduction in the share prices of some of the most established agencies. Reid believes this is in response to the world’s biggest brands taking the 'media transparency' agenda much more seriously than before: 
  "They are recognising that in a digitally-led, tech-enabled world, there is no longer a need for complex rigid agency structures with teams in every operating market. In
  
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• News UK brings in Norm Johnston from Mindshare to lead Unruly

  02-02-2018 11:26
  News UK has tapped Norm Johnston, global chief executive of Mindshare FAST and group global chief digital officer, as chief executive of Unruly.
  Johnston replaces Sarah Wood who is now the non-executive chair of Unruly’s board. He will work under News UK chief executive Rebekah Brooks.
  The news organisation bought Unruly in 2015 to boost its ad offering with access to the agency’s video marketplace.
  On the hire, Brooks said: “Norm's data-driven approach and deep understand
  
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• BuzzFeed News seeks philanthropic support from the Emmerson Collective

  02-02-2018 11:25
  BuzzFeed News editor Ben Smith has reportedly held discussions with philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, founder of the Emerson Collective, about a potential investment in the digital media platform.
  According to the Financial Times these overtures are at an early stage and come amidst a period of retrenchment at BuzzFeed which has been forced to let a third of its UK staff go as part of a global round of redundancies.
  The internet media site has been forced to seek out alternative funding stream
  
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• The Drum Search Awards: final call for entries

  02-02-2018 11:17
  Industry stalwarts from the Lego Group, Facebook Atlas, Merkle and Zoopla have been confirmed as the judges for the Awards. We are extending the deadline for The Drum Search Awards to put your outstanding work in front of a panel of industry experts.
  This year’s panel will see the likes of: Edward Ball, managing director, Jellyfish; Andy Mihalop, head of Northern Europe, Facebook Atlas; Vincent Coyle, head of digital marketing, Zoopla; Luis Navarrete Gómez, head of global search mar
  
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• Amazon reels in nearly $2bn in profit as sales surge and ad services grow

  02-02-2018 11:13 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Amazon's net sales leapt 38% to $60.5bn (£42.5bn) in the last three months of 2017 alone as product and service sales surged.
  
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• Unruly picks Mindshare digital boss Johnston as chief executive

  02-02-2018 10:47 via campaignlive.co.uk
  News Corporation has recruited Norm Johnston, the chief digital officer of Mindshare, to be chief executive of its ad tech business Unruly.
  
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• Google ad revenue up 21% but increased spending impacts bottom line

  02-02-2018 10:28 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Google's advertising revenues were up 21% in the final quarter of 2017 to $27.2bn (£19.1bn), on track with its estimated annual performance in a year plagued with brand safety issues and a $2.7bn anti-trust fine.
  
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• Ice cool Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to Channel 4 in Coors sponsorship deal

  02-02-2018 10:02
  Muscles from Brussels Jean-Claude Van Damme is set for a return to the small screen as brand ambassador for Coors Light, part of a sponsorship package agreed with Channel 4.
  The deal sees the drink named as the official sponsor of Comedy on Channel 4 from today, with VCCP-designed idents springing up around 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Last Leg.
  This marks the first broadcast sponsorship to be signed by brewer Molson Coors and heralds the beginning of a year-long partnership betw
  
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• Mozoo UK confirms liquidation proceedings amid the widely anticipated 'adtech contraction'

  02-02-2018 10:00
  Mobile adtech company Mozoo has confirmed to The Drum that it has started voluntary liquidation proceedings – a sign that despite the continued growth in the digital advertising sector, competition remains intense.
  France-based Mozoo also has offices in the US, and China with the current proceedings restricted to the UK, where it operates two brands Numbate and Surikate. A statement sent to The Drum by a company spokesman confirms that it had ceased trading as of January 19 and that s
  
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• Birds Eye pulls TV ad showing Captain jumping into water over safety fears

  02-02-2018 09:55 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Frozen food brand Birds Eye has pulled its new ad campaign following safety fears because it depicts its eponymous Captain jumping into the sea from a boat.
  
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• The Observatory’s Richard Bleasdale on what it takes to be a marketing leader in 2018

  02-02-2018 09:33
  The marketing industry is an exciting and challenging place to be at the moment. Disruption faces all industries as a faster rate and the marketer is at the pointy end, right in the fray with the customers driving the change and mounting higher expectations day after day.
  To lead in this environment requires specific skills and, as The Marketing Society launches its Marketing Leaders Programme Asia 2018, The Drum asks some of the most prominent marketing leaders… what does it take to be a
  
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• Former Havas Media chief Frampton backs Millennial marketplace to match young talent with business

  02-02-2018 09:24
  Jack Parsons, founder of social recruitment network YourFeed, has bounced back with a second bite at the cherry after resuming his partnership with former Havas UK CEO Paul Frampton to launch a recruitments and upskilling network that aims to bridge LinkedIn’s ‘Millennial gap’ by giving young people a head start in business.
  Launching this week, Big Youth Group aims to establish itself as a go-to network for 2m 18-30 year olds by handing out virtual currency in return for their
  
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• Amazon: ‘We want to make the customer experience better through advertising’

  02-02-2018 09:10
  Amazon says advertising is becoming a “key contributor” to its business as the offer becomes “more valuable” to both customers and brands.
  In its fourth quarter results, Amazon’s ‘other revenue’, which is mostly its ad business but also includes co-branded credit card agreements, was up 60% year on year to $1.7bn. That is a slight acceleration in growth compared to the previous quarter, when ‘other’ revenue was up 58%.
  Speaking on a call with
  
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• If you love words, you shouldn’t hate a word count

  02-02-2018 09:00
  Even the most exciting job has boring bits. Spies have to top-up the screen wash on their underwater cars. Professional wrestlers are locked in an endless search for the optimal grease-shimmer. Film stars, from time to time, may find themselves sharing a murky jacuzzi with Tom Cruise.
  Copywriters are no exception. Yes, a good portion of the day may be spent tossing out award-bait headlines from the languid sway of our office hammock. But the job isn’t all inspiration naps and indoor smokin
  
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• Thomas Barta: Leading your boss and colleagues matters more than leading your team

  02-02-2018 08:00
  Leadership. If there were a prize for the world’s most overused word, I’d give it to leadership. Yet much of today’s leadership buzz still points in one direction: downwards – leading your team. The perplexing truth is that leading your bosses and colleagues may be more important.
  Let’s step back in time. In the early 1900s, top-down leadership and the theories of Max Weber et al were in fashion. Firms were pretty hierarchical then. The boss called the shots. Succe
  
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• Alibaba’s global ‘new retail’ proposition helps revenues rise 56% as it makes investment into Ant Financial

  02-02-2018 04:38
  Alibaba has announced its revenues rose 65% year-on-year, to US$12.8 billion, during the December quarter of 2017, urging the company to increase its estimates for 2018 performance.
  Alibaba says the strong results are due to the increasing popularity of its 11.11 festival, as well as its global focus on ‘new retail.’
  Daniel Zhang, chief executive officer of Alibaba Group, said: “Alibaba had another great quarter driven by the continued strength of the Chinese consumer and the w
  
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• Alphabet Q4 revenues hit $32bn, while Amazon’s ad business unit grows 60%

  02-02-2018 01:40
  Share prices in Google-parent Alphabet dropped by as much as 4% in the immediate aftermath of the company making its latest earnings disclosure, as Wall Street analysts had expected a more impressive performance for the quarter.
  Meanwhile, Amazon also posted its latest quarterly results, with net sales of $60.5bn for the quarter, up 38% year-on-year, with the company reporting that its voice assistant service Alexa exceeded expectations, while the unit that houses its emerging advertising o
  
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• Seattle’s Wexley School For Girls set to close in spring

  02-02-2018 01:00
  Wexley School For Girls, a 15-year Seattle independent agency, is closing sometime in the spring. Speaking exclusively to The Drum, agency owners Cal McAllister and Ian Cohen confirmed that Wexley, one of the city’s creative mainstays, will cease operations after completing its current client assignments. Wexley’s staff of 38 was informed of the move yesterday.
  According to McAllister, the decision to close was not taken lightly, nor was it as a result of any internal or financial is
  
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