Marketing news

• San Francisco branding shop Character gets acquired by Dentsu Aegis, adds Portland office

  14-02-2018 23:38
  Dentsu Aegis has announced the acquisition of San Francisco-based branding and design firm Character, which also recently opened its second office in Portland. The acquisition, Dentsu said, will form the cornerstone of the agency network's branding and design practices.
  Character, which was founded in 1999, used their presence in the Bay Area in an opportune time, working with both established tech megaliths Google, Facebook, and Amazon, and now smaller brands like Fitbit and Essential.
  Ear
  
  Read more

• Rauxa adds Autumn Berrang in SVP role to oversee new global clients Bahlsen and Lansinoh Labs

  14-02-2018 21:55
  Full-service agency Rauxa announced today that it has appointed Autumn Berrang as its new senior vice president, account services.
  Berrang, who is based in Rauxa’s New York office, has responsibility over several client teams including Frontpoint Home Security and new clients Bahlsen and Lansinoh Laboratories. Rauxa serves as social media agency of record for new client, Bahlsen a global food company, where it will be focused on driving brand awareness and social engagement while supportin
  
  Read more

• YouTube TV adds channels and raises prices

  14-02-2018 19:56
  YouTube TV, the platform’s live television subscription service, has added channels including TNT, Adult Swim, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, truTV, and Turner Classic Movies to its lineup. Subscribers will also soon have access to NBA TV and MLB Network.
  However, the channel additions come with a price bump: YouTube TV will cost $40 per month for those who sign up after March 13. Currently, subscribers pay $35 each month.
  The service now offers more than 50 channels, including NBC, ABC, ESPN,
  
  Read more

• US Creative Work of the Week: Possible counters hate speech with donations campaign

  14-02-2018 17:46
  A campaign by agency Possible is trying to reduce hate speech on Twitter by turning retweets of hateful messages into donations for a good cause.
  The agency noted that hateful speech is rampant on social media, especially Twitter, and they decided to do something about it with WeCounterHate, a technology-based solution to counteract hateful language.
  Using machine learning, it first identifies hateful speech on the platform. A human moderator then selects the most offensive and most dangerous tw
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Key trends in 2018: cryptocurrency, AR and personalised product pages

  14-02-2018 17:32
  To say that the retail industry underwent a turbulent 2017 is an understatement. Many of the trends we saw  last year have set the tone for developments in 2018, with a change in direction required from all retailers to ensure they keep pace with the competition. Below are three predictions for the retail industry.
  Cryptocurrency will emerge as a mainstream method of purchase
  Cryptocurrency’s role in the retail industryis already more mainstream than you may realise with hundreds of r
  
  Read more

• Pepsico will redirect ad spend back to flagship brands

  14-02-2018 17:26
  PepsiCo will “double down” on marketing fizzy drink brands like Pepsi and Gatorade this year after much of 2017 was focused on pushing its new range of healthier products.
  The snacks company reported flat revenues for the fourth quarter yesterday (13 February) but its drinks division in the US – which accounts for a third of its business – performed the worst, falling 3%.
  Its Lifewtr bottled water brand, which launched in 2016, was the focus of its advertising efforts las
  
  Read more

• Anya Hindmarch covers London with giant red balloons

  14-02-2018 17:22 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Anya Hindmarch, the luxury fashion label, has suspended giant red heart-shaped balloons over London landmarks.
  
  Read more

• Mini Electric appoints Droga5 London for global ad launch

  14-02-2018 17:11 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Droga5 London has been appointed to handle the global launch advertising for Mini Electric, following a competitive pitch.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Female leadership and BAME staff numbers show small increase in IPA census

  14-02-2018 17:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The number of women in leadership positions in IPA member agencies has increased, as has the the proportion of BAME staff, according to the latest IPA census - after both measures slid backwards in last year's survey.
  
  Read more

• Turkey of the week: Paddy Power ad fails to get a laugh

  14-02-2018 16:45 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Given Paddy Power's idiosyncratic approach to marketing "lolz", its advertising often fails to impress those who are easily offended. However, the brand has rarely been less than delightfully entertaining.
  
  Read more

• Pick of the week: Nike's joyful ad is a true portrait of London pride

  14-02-2018 16:37 via campaignlive.co.uk
  It's easy to see why Nike's ad about competitive young Londoners went viral.
  
  Read more

• DFS signs up for Team GB sponsorship for 2018 and 2020 Games

  14-02-2018 16:06
  Sofa manufacturer DFS has been revealed as the Official Team GB Homeware Partner for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
  The unique quirk of the sponsorship is that the company will ensure the Team GB village is kitted out with its finest sofas to aid their downtime and recovery, doing its part as homeware partner. The brand first supported Team GB in 2014 through Rio 2016, and has now ensured more faith in the partnership with a
  
  Read more

• Marketing’s Changemakers: why Lay’s is on a mission to make more people smile

  14-02-2018 15:00
  Welcome to Marketing’s Changemakers, a new series from The Drum that tells the stories of brands trying to change the world in ways both big and small. Here, Lay’s vice president of marketing Tina Mahal discusses the brand's partnership with Operation Smile. 
  Lay’s is perhaps best known for its crowdsourced ‘Do Us a Flavor’ campaign, which has brought Americans bizarre flavors like Wasabi Ginger and Southern Biscuits & Gravy since it kicked off in 2012
  
  Read more

• Despite concerns over Apple's ITP and GDPR, Criteo posts record growth for 2017

  14-02-2018 15:00
  French adtech firm Criteo has posted bumper results for the 2017, reporting a year-on-year revenue increase of 28% to reach $2.2bn – showing growth amid concerns from analysts that its success would be dented by Apple's roll out of privacy features in its web browser, plus the impending General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
  Total global revenue for the final quarter of 2017 sat at a record $674m, a 19% increase on the $567m the firm clocked up in the same period last y
  
  Read more

• US Creative Works: featuring BSSP, Droga5, FCB Canada and more

  14-02-2018 14:30
  Welcome to The Drum's US Creative Works. Dedicated to showing the best creative work in North and South America, we give our readers the chance to decide which work features as our 'Creative Work of the Week.’
  The Olympics still have a presence this week, but as it's Valentine's Day, we decided to do a separate global roundup of all things 'love' in our Valentine's Day Creative Works. For the rest, scroll through and see what stands out. For project information, creative credits
  
  Read more

• IPG growth up as CEO welcomes 'more positive' 2018 for client spend

  14-02-2018 14:19
  Advertising network Interpublic delivered better than projected growth in the final quarter of 2017, with chairman and chief executive Michael Roth offering a cautiously optimistic outlook for 2018.
  The Interpublic Group, which owns FCB, Frukt, Golin, McCann, MullenLoew, R/GA, Weber Shandwick and more, reported that profits were up 2.2% for the final quarter of 2017 to $1.29bn in the US. Overseas revenue was up 4.9% to $1.06bn.
  Across all regions, it took in $7.88bn for the year, posting 1.
  
  Read more

• MediaCom's CFO Simon Tray defects to Media iQ

  14-02-2018 14:00
  Media iQ has announced that Simon Tray, former chief financial officer of MediaCom, has joined the programmatic outfit, bringing to an end his 19-year term at the WPP outfit.
  Tray had served at MediaCom since 1999 and has now taken up the reins as finance chief at Media iQ where he will be responsible for the company’s financial performance and reporting of business, as well as taking responsibility for future operational business planning plus commercial risk management.
  He
  
  Read more

• BBC hunts media agencies for global brief

  14-02-2018 14:00
  BBC World Service has issued a tender for media planning and buying agencies to join its roster as it looks to raise awareness of its new languages service.
  “The biggest expansion of the World Service in a generation is creating new BBC Services across the globe – meaning World Service marketing needs to reach new audiences, with new media requirements,” said Philip Almond, BBC director of marketing and audiences.
  “We are looking forward to speaking with potential partner
  
  Read more

• Why your brand should share its strategy with its agency

  14-02-2018 13:40
  When a brand doesn’t have a strategy, or they don’t share it with their agency, both parties effectively work in the dark. It’s impossible to achieve success consistently over time if there is no roadmap, direction or benchmarks to measure yourself against.
  When long-standing, established businesses like Toys R Us and Carillion are failing because of a lack of planning, it not only highlights the importance of strategy, but also the difficulty of the task. 
  Historically, s
  
  Read more

• ‘Exploitative’ gambling ads face tougher regulation

  14-02-2018 13:33
  The UK’s ad regulator is cracking down on gambling ads that exploit vulnerable people and “play fast and loose” with eye-catching free bet and bonus offers.
  From 2 April 2018, the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) will enforce much stricter regulation on advertising that creates an “inappropriate sense of urgency”, such as ‘Bet Now!’ ads, and those that encourage repetitive play – alongside ads that place “undue emphasis” on mone
  
  Read more

• Ad of the Day: teens are warned not to confuse love and abuse in powerful animation

  14-02-2018 13:29
  It’s Valentine’s Day, the official day of love, but the month of February is also Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. To call attention, Day One and BBDO New York have released an animated film that warns teens of dating abuse.
  The short film called Sunshine taps into a disturbing teen relationship that seems innocent at first glance, but abusive when examined more closely.
  The film, directed by Guilherme Marcondes, opens with an intentionally clichéd love at first sight rom
  
  Read more

• People on the move featuring M&C Saatchi PR, Dentsu Aegis Network, Publicis One Malaysia, and more

  14-02-2018 13:20
  This week has seen another wave of appointments and departures at brands, media owners and agencies. The Drum has rounded up the key moves from the EMEA, APAC and North America regions below.
   
  Loading...
  Clear Channel UK
  Clear Channel UK has promoted Chris Pelekanou and Richard Bon in a bid to grow the brands out of home delivery.  
  Pelakanou is taking on the role as chief customer officer to ensure the brand engages with both old and new customers, while also working with Clear
  
  Read more

• IPG's net income drops 4.8% but shares surge

  14-02-2018 13:07 via campaignlive.co.uk
  In 2017, IPG reported a net income of $579m (£417.95m), down 4.8% from the previous year's net income of $608.5 million.
  
  Read more

• IPG's net income drops 4.8%

  14-02-2018 13:07 via campaignlive.co.uk
  In 2017, IPG reported a net income of $579m (£417.95m), down 4.8% from the previous year's net income of $608.5 million.
  
  Read more

• How Google’s Chrome Filtering will operate and how publishers can avoid its adblocking hatchet

  14-02-2018 13:00
  Google’s Chrome filter is set to be introduced tomorrow February 15 with many claiming the development will only tighten the online giant’s vice-like grip on the ad-supported internet. However, Google claims this is a misnomer, The Drum listens to its case.
  According to W3Counter, Google’s web browser Chrome commands a 58.4% market share as of January 2018, a statistic underlining just how impactful the upcoming filter can actually be.
  And with the impending February introducti
  
  Read more

• Avantgarde poaches Imagination's Daniels to boost digital offering

  14-02-2018 12:40 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Avantgarde, the independent global brand experience agency, is strengthening its digital offering with the appointment of Aaron Daniels, a senior creative at Imagination.
  
  Read more

• Avantgarde nabs Imagination's Daniels to boost digital offering

  14-02-2018 12:40 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Avantgarde, the independent global brand experience agency, is strengthening its digital offering with the appointment of Aaron Daniels, a senior creative at Imagination.
  
  Read more

• Why Sainsbury’s Sarah Ellis made the rare move from brand to agency

  14-02-2018 12:12
  The path from agency to brand owner is well worn but it is still a rarity to see senior marketers moving into leadership positions in agencies.
  Sarah Ellis, however, is doing exactly that, switching from a career in marketing at Boots, Barclays and most recently as head of marketing strategy at Sainsbury’s, to join creative agency Gravity Road as managing director.
  Ellis will join the agency’s leadership team, working across key clients including Sainsbury’s, B&Q and Mondel
  
  Read more

• Gambling brands face restrictions on 'urgency' in advertising

  14-02-2018 11:41 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Gambling brands will face a raft of new restriction on how they can advertise under new tougher standards unveiled today by the Committees of Advertising Practice.
  
  Read more

• Campaign Diary: Jon Peppiatt steals the show at A List party; MAA goes on tour of duty

  14-02-2018 11:32 via campaignlive.co.uk
  It was great to see so many people dress in their best jocks and socks at last week's A List party - some made more of an impression that others.
  
  Read more

• Snapchat to share insight data with its influencers and creators

  14-02-2018 11:29 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Snap will begin sharing new analytics with creators around the world, including Snapchatters with Official Stories and additional creators who have cultivated a large audience on Snapchat.
  
  Read more

• Washington Post adtech lead Jarrod Dicker departs to head up blockchain firm

  14-02-2018 11:18
  The Washington Post's vice-president of innovation and commercial strategy, Jarrod Dicker, has departed to take on the role of chief executive at Blockchain firm Po.et. 
  Dicker is credited with establishing The Post's native ad offering and founding its research, experimentation and development team (RED). In his new role, he will oversee a blockchain startup that lets content creators produce time-stamped titles for written, visual and audio projects.
  Po.et has described itself the fi
  
  Read more

• TV and radio gambling ads that 'exploit people’s vulnerabilities' banned by watchdog

  14-02-2018 11:18
  The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has published updated guidelines to clamp down on bad gambling ad practices that target vulnerable bettors with urgent calls to action, bonuses and promotions. 
  The CAP, sister group to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), has laid down fresh standards following a series of recommendations from the UK government.
  As such, UK gambling brands will need to meet these tenets when producing ads for TV or radio, or face the prospect of a ban fro
  
  Read more

• Dentsu expects that improving working conditions will eat into 2018 profits

  14-02-2018 11:12 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Japanese advertising giant has forecast a decline in profit in 2018 due to continuing investment in its working environment reform program, which it intends to complete by the end of the year.
  
  Read more

• Startup agency Truth joins ad giants in race for govt's £140m media account

  14-02-2018 11:11 via campaignlive.co.uk
  New start-up Truth is one of five media agencies that are set to pitch for the UK government's £140m ad-buying account.
  
  Read more

• Start-up agency Truth joins ad giants in race for govt's £140m media account

  14-02-2018 11:11 via campaignlive.co.uk
  New start-up Truth is one of five media agencies that are set to pitch for the UK government's £140m ad-buying account.
  
  Read more

• How agencies can achieve sustainable growth

  14-02-2018 10:40
  With a period of slow economic growth forecast, and small businesses being crucial to the UK economy, business resilience has never been more important. While many agencies see increasing sales as their main priority, doing this without building resilience won’t achieve sustainable growth. In the 2007-08 recession, the agencies that fared the best were those that were scalable, not the ones that were the fastest growing.
  The Wow Company recently stress-tested the resilience of UK agencies
  
  Read more

• Cre-bae-tive Works featuring Adam&Eve, Mullenlowe, VCCP, Gravity Road and more

  14-02-2018 10:30
  As Albert Einstein once said: "You can't blame gravity for falling in love," but you can blame advertising, and brands around the world have saved up their love for Valentine's Day ads and promotions. 
  At The Drum's Creative Works, we've compiled a few of our favorites in the category. These aren't the usual schmaltzy jewelry ads or campaigns designed to get you to buy an overpriced bouquet of flowers. These are genuinely different. Some are funny, some sexy, and some are just downrigh
  
  Read more

• Of love and money: the business of Valentine’s day

  14-02-2018 10:17
  Like many holidays and celebrations, Saint Valentine’s day owes its origins to our pagan ancestors. Though the ‘Valentine's feast day’ is another example of the church hijacking an ancient Roman pagan festival (in this case, Lupercalia - which took place in February and was all about fertility rituals and purity) it may have been the poet Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages who first linked St Valentine with romantic love.
  Since then, countless couples (and probably an even gre
  
  Read more

• ASA clears Vodafone's Martin Freeman robbery ad following complaint from EE

  14-02-2018 10:16
  The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has given the all clear to a Vodafone ad which featured actor Martin Freeman in a robbery scenario following complaints from members of the public and rival EE. 
  The complaints were centered around claims the ad "misleadingly" implied that only Vodafone customers could make calls to the emergency services in areas where there was no mobile network signal, and that this was like to cause "fear and distress" to the public. 
  It's not known if
  
  Read more

• Ogilvy Group UK's new CEO: 'I want to make the impossible possible'

  14-02-2018 09:56
  The newly installed UK Group chief executive admits it’s “corny” but he really does want to “deliver the impossible.” Michael Frohlich is probably allowed more than most to be slightly sentimental about his life-long ambition to be at helm of Ogilvy UK. After all it was his first choice, when he stepped out of university. “I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do when I got out of uni, so decided to apply for a graduate trainee scheme in advertising.
  
  Read more

• Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey downplays acquisition rumours

  14-02-2018 09:51
  Twitter's chief executive has dismissed rumours that the social network is a prime acquisition target, after talk of a sale bubbled to the surface once more following the most successful quarterly revenue boost in the business's history. 
  Speaking in response to a question at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference on Tuesday (13 February), Jack Dorsey said: "I’ve always thought that there’s a lot of strength to our independence."
  When quizzed on whether he saw
  
  Read more

• Full programmatic in-housing is the wrong answer to the right questions

  14-02-2018 08:15
  Brands might be keen to bring programmatic buying in-house but the best solution lies in a hybrid approach. 
  A recent survey by the ANA found 35% of brands have expanded their in-house programmatic media-buying capabilities and limited the role of outside agencies, up from 14% in 2016. This drive for clients to take charge of programmatic is now becoming well-documented – a study by Adobe released in December predicted that 62% of brands would bring programmatic in-house by
  
  Read more

• GDPR: Five questions marketers must answer before May

  14-02-2018 08:00
  As every marketer should be well aware, the new EU General Data Protection Regulation will be in force from 25 May – just over three months from now.
  Marketers have had plenty of warnings about the penalties for breaching GDPR, and plenty of optimistic reassurances about the opportunity for improving customer relationships. But what are the most important things they actually have to do to ensure their use of personally identifiable information is within the law?
  Marketing Week asked two e
  
  Read more

• Sydney Dogs and Cats Home creates dating app to encourage women to swipe right on furry puppies

  14-02-2018 07:32
  Sydney Dogs and Cats Home has launched a campaign on female-first dating app named Bumble, to bring a warm and furry activation to Sydney on Valentine’s Day.
  The campaign, which was created by J. Walter Thompson Sydney, was launched after research conducted by Bumble in 2017 found that 46% of Aussie women were more likely to ‘swipe right’ on a love interest’s profile, if their pictures included puppies.
  So, to raise funds for Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, Sydney’s only
  
  Read more

• KFC uses TV sync to launch Golden Egg Crunch in Malaysia

  14-02-2018 07:07
  KFC has created a TV sync campaign in Malaysia for the launch of the Golden Egg Crunch, which will work across a TV monitoring network, combining data from social media, TV viewership, and TV ad/program occurrence at scale.
  The campaign, created by Universal McCann and Ensemble Worldwide, delivers over 20 videos on mobile, each pegged to the most popular ads during the campaign period, to air across the social media network within seconds of the live TV commercial trigger.
  “Media is incred
  
  Read more

• CNN restructures digital operations and cuts 50 jobs, but Asia bureau unaffected

  14-02-2018 06:31
  CNN has announced it will be restructuring its digital news operation in the United States, which will result in the American media giant laying off around 50 of its staff.
  The company’s retrenchment and restructuring plans were shared with staff during its town hall on Tuesday. Among those being retrenched are staff who work in video production, programming and product development.
  CNN Digital general manager Andrew Morse attributed the restructure and retrenchment exercise to fallin
  
  Read more

• The Washington Post becomes the latest media company to set up its Asia Pacific base in Hong Kong

  14-02-2018 04:46
  The Washington Post has announced it will be opening its first bureau in Asia Pacific, which will be in Hong Kong, as it seeks to strengthen its international coverage.
  The Jeff Bezos-owned Post will be joining the likes of The New York Times, CNN and Bloomberg to have their APAC base in Hong Kong.
  According to the Post’s foreign editor Douglas Jehl, the Hong Kong-based correspondents in its bureau will allow the company to keep closer eye on Southeast Asia.
  “As a growing number of o
  
  Read more

• How Colenso BBDO transformed the Auckland Harbour Bridge to promote sustainability

  14-02-2018 01:30
  The Auckland Harbour Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand was transformed into a gigantic billboard to remind people of the power of the sun and the potential of renewable energy on 27 January.
  The launch of the installation, named Vector Lights, was commissioned by Vector and Auckland Council, and signals the City of Sails’ long-term movement towards a sustainable future and some world-first tech. It was also an ongoing reminder of the power of sustainable energy, showing how one small, cultur
  
  Read more

• Amazon TV ad escapes ban despite causing customer device to place an order

  14-02-2018 01:01
  A TV ad for Amazon Echo Dot, which “woke up” a consumer’s own Amazon device and ordered some cat food, has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority.
  Raising questions about whether voice assistants are listening in on conversations, the complainant argued an ad featuring people using the Echo device in different situations – including a man asking Alexa to “re-order Purina cat food” – was “socially irresponsible” because it tr
  
  Read more

Follow @marketing_UKnws on Twitter!