Marketing news

• Amazon in talks with banks to create checking account product

  05-03-2018 22:19
  Amazon is reportedly in talks with banks including JPMorgan Chase and Capital One about creating a product similar to a checking account that its millions of customers could use.
  People familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that Amazon's talks with financial firms “are focused on creating a product that would appeal to younger customers and those without bank accounts.”
  The Wall Street Journal said it is too early to tell what exactly the product will look like,
  
  Read more

• Snickers rolls out new almond and peanut butter-based creative, extends partnership with WWE

  05-03-2018 19:57
  Snickers advertising is usually good for a laugh, and its new creative spots for Snickers Almond and Snickers Real Peanut Butter has plenty of giggles. BBDO New York have put together two spots that extend the concept that you’re not at your best when you’re hungry.
  In ‘Confession,’ a man is seen in a darkened room which looks like a church confessional. He proceeds to unload his moral and legal issues, confessing to spending time on the dark web, shoplifting, having
  
  Read more

• Helzberg Diamonds adds Ellen Junger as CMO, puts a ring on Carmichael Lynch as AOR

  05-03-2018 19:08
  Helzberg Diamonds has announced a "focused effort on innovating its marketing strategies," adding Ellen Junger as its new chief marketer and naming Carmichael Lynch as agency of record.
  Helzberg, a 100 year-old company, said in a statement that while love isn’t going out of style anytime soon, “the way that people are shopping for jewelry to show their love is continuing to change rapidly.”
  As a result, the company has planned to “help people feel loved in new ways&r
  
  Read more

• TV hit by first ad revenue drop for seven years

  05-03-2018 18:05 via campaignlive.co.uk
  TV advertising revenue in 2017 fell 3.2% from the record £5.3bn haul enjoyed by the UK's commercial TV broadcasters in 2016.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Trinity Mirror reveals 15% gender pay gap

  05-03-2018 18:04
  Trinity Mirror’s median gender pay gap stands at 15% in favour of men, the company reported today.
  The publisher, which employed 2,804 men and 1,971 women in 2017, released two sets of figures for its group as a whole and its sub-divisions Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), Local World and Media Scotland: the median gap, which is the difference between the middle male and female wages, and the mean figure giving an average from all employees.
  The mean for the group was a gap of 18%.
  The median
  
  Read more

• Stodge Podge 2018 in pictures: are you featured in our gallery?

  05-03-2018 17:54
  The annual Stodge Podge lunch took place in Manchester on Friday, bringing together the creative industry's great and good for one afternoon only to wine, dine and chat.
  In keeping with tradition, the event was themed, with this year's Stodge Podge honouring the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi magnum opus 2001: A Space Odyssey by marking the history of technological development, from prehistory to 2001.
  Although the eternal question – whether Kubrick would have tucked in
  
  Read more

• ISBA calls for publishers to provide 100% viewable ad buys

  05-03-2018 17:41 via campaignlive.co.uk
  ISBA is pushing for digital media owners to offer advertisers the ability to buy display ads at 100% in view.
  
  Read more

• How to tell when someone is talking BS about blockchain

  05-03-2018 17:30
  Just three months into 2018 blockchain has emerged as one of the most over-used buzzwords in the digital industry and beyond. Terminology around the tech has reached saturation point and with SXSW, Advertising Week Europe and Cannes Lions on the horizon the hype isn’t going anywhere – here The Drum finds out how to separate the buzz from the BS.
  As the open-source ledger driving bitcoin, blockchain started life in the financial industry and general recognition and understanding of th
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 'A whore, a phoney, a little bitch': women recall insults of female friends for 'It Won't Stick'

  05-03-2018 17:30
  FCB Amsterdam and Wefilm have joined forces to launch ‘It Won’t Stick’, a campaign that encourages women to support – not shame – each other by commiting real-life hurtful comments to film.
  The hero spot features 24 Dutch women who vocalise names they’ve been called and things they’ve been sneered at for, including their stretchmarks and choosing to kiss their children on the lips.
  Read as a poem, the girl-on-girl hate is accompanied by empower
  
  Read more

• Group Nine Media hires Buzzfeed, Huffpost sales exec Terry City to lead west coast sales

  05-03-2018 17:20
  Group Nine Media, a digital-first media company, announced the hiring of Terry City as vice president of sales for the west coast.
  City has over 20 years of experience under his belt in media, entertainment, and advertising, most recently serving as senior vice president for digital media company Dose. He also served as vice president for west coast sales at Buzzfeed, managing the outlet’s sales and strategy for teams in Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco. City has also held leade
  
  Read more

• How to embed gender equality in the marketing industry

  05-03-2018 17:11
  At the moment, women are poorly represented on corporate boards; hold less than a fifth of senior roles at UK companies and experience an average gender pay gap of 14%. Marketing Week’s Career and Salary Survey 2018 reveals that women in the marketing industry earn less than male marketers in every sector and in every role, except that of marketing assistant. It is clear that companies have work to do to embed diversity and inclusion into the heart of their businesses.
  In the run up to In
  
  Read more

• Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority appoints Rooster PR to promote ‘hidden gem’ Emirate

  05-03-2018 17:05
  The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has appointed Rooster PR as its retained UK PR agency. The Rooster team will promote the Emirate through creative campaigns, activations and a combination of media and influencer relations.
  Home to the highest mountain in the UAE including the newly launched Jebel Jais Flight – the longest zipline in the world, Rooster’s campaigns will target those seeking adventure, relaxation and escapism. Rooster will promote Ras
  
  Read more

• Ecommerce agency predicts "automated and service-driven" future

  05-03-2018 16:48 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Marketers need to be prepared for the rise of "screenless" e-commerce where purchase decisions will increasingly made by machines, according to a trend report by WPP's ecommerce specialist agency Salmon.
  
  Read more

• GDPR: Consent, legitimate interest and customer communication – sign up for our latest webinar

  05-03-2018 16:40
  There are just over two months before companies are required to comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and there are still plenty of questions about what brands need to avoid suffering the consequences of non-compliance.
  Following our first webinar last month when we tackled the opportunity and challenge of GDPR we will dive deeper into questions around consent and how to get it as well as the challenge of meeting ‘legitimate interest’ requirements.
  Join Marketing Wee
  
  Read more

• The secrets of the PC systems and components sector's success

  05-03-2018 16:38
  The PC systems and components market has seen substantial growth over recent years. There are so many players, from informational sites which house reviews and forums and commercial websites who sell the desired items. Regardless of service, each provider should have a detailed content strategy.
  Retailers and informational sites need to be aware of the organic market share of their sector, who their biggest competitors are and what techniques will provide them with the most worth. These intricac
  
  Read more

• Gravity Road sells controlling stake to You & Mr Jones

  05-03-2018 16:37 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Gravity Road has sold a 51% stake to You & Mr. Jones, the group founded by the former Havas Worldwide chief executive David Jones, for an undisclosed sum.
  
  Read more

• Diet Madison Avenue's Instagram account shut down

  05-03-2018 16:33
  Today (March 5), the Instagram whistleblower account Diet Madison Avenue (DMA) was shut down.
  A tweet from the group, which had been curating the ad industry's conversations around sexual misconduct since November 2017, sent this message to its followers.
  pic.twitter.com/pCaZsJlmKU
  — Dietmadisonave (@dietmadisonave) March 5, 2018For the past few months, DMA has reportedly been linked to the exits of multiple ad industry executives, starting with The Martin Agency’s Joe Alexander, as
  
  Read more

• Industry broadly backs Unilever chief on 'trust warning' to digital platforms

  05-03-2018 16:10 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Keith Weed's speech at the US IAB Annual Leadership Meeting in California last month has been given enthusiastic support by some marketers - but the impact it will have on the industry has been called into question.
  
  Read more

• McCann Manchester toys with animal slapstick in Co-op Funeralcare ad

  05-03-2018 16:05 via campaignlive.co.uk
  McCann Manchester's first campaign for Co-op Funeralcare spans the emotional spectrum from laughter to tears.
  
  Read more

• Jameson tours UK with 'passport offices'

  05-03-2018 15:47 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Jameson, the whiskey brand owned by Pernod Ricard, is touring the UK with "passport offices" ahead of St Patrick's Day.
  
  Read more

• Penguin seeks place as "megaphone" for marginalised groups

  05-03-2018 15:01 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Penguin is using a pop-up bookshop, featuring only titles written by female authors, as a "megaphone" for voices from marginalised groups.
  
  Read more

• McDonald’s most senior UK marketer takes on global role

  05-03-2018 14:37
  McDonald’s UK CMO Alistair Macrow has been promoted to CMO of high-growth markets, where he will be responsible for the marketing strategy in nine countries including China, Hong Kong, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
  Macrow joined McDonalds as UK marketing director from video store Blockbuster in 2007 and climbed the ladder to become senior vice-president of marketing in January 2014.
  Having been with the company for the last 11 years, he ha
  
  Read more

• Sim card swapping & radio phone-ins: how Girl Effect navigates Ethiopia's unique media scene

  05-03-2018 14:00
  The not-for-profit Girl Effect has plans to expand its Ethiopian girl band Yegna into a truly national multi-product youth brand. But while a TV show is on the cards, its success will continue to lie in a strategy that understands the capabilities and pitfalls of Ethiopia’s curious, developing media landscape.
  Yegna is an anomaly in that it inhabits both the worlds of branded entertainment and development. Founded in 2013, the all-female Ethiopian group performs music and acts in radio sho
  
  Read more

• Serena Williams empowers all women through her own hard work and success in Nike spot

  05-03-2018 13:51
  On an Oscars night that was powered by women, a new Nike ad that debuted during the broadcast featured tennis superstar Serena Williams telling how she overcame the cries of her detractors to find success.
  With International Women’s Day coming up on March 8, Nike wanted to recognize and celebrate the contributions and achievements of women everywhere in a push for gender equality that was, in this case, delivered by Williams.
  In the spot by Wieden+Kennedy Portland, we see quick shots of Wi
  
  Read more

• Nokia gives nostalgic nod to 3310 in 'reliable' friendship film

  05-03-2018 13:32
  Nokia snakes back into the smartphone world with the launch of it’s new ‘reliable’ phone. The campaign illustrates the launch with a story of two friends who have always depended on one another, and their phones.
  The campaign opens to one of the duo playing the cult-classic game Snake before calling his friend on his Nokia 3310 to save him from the school bullies. It then continues with the same note as the same character later gets stranded in the middle of nowhere when his ca
  
  Read more

• AI and 5G open up mobile ad opportunities

  05-03-2018 12:28 via campaignlive.co.uk
  AI-powered phones and 5G connectivity threw open the doors to new ways of advertising for brands at Mobile World Congress this year.
  
  Read more

• VCCP chooses homegrown talent for leadership shake-up

  05-03-2018 12:11
  VCCP has looked within its own ranks to restructure its leadership team with the announcement of a new management line-up.
  Michael Sugden has been promoted from chief executive of the VCCP agency to the wider group role of chief executive of VCCP Partnership. VCCP managing director Andrew Peake will step up to take his role as agency chief.
  They will be joined by Julian Douglas, vice chairman of VCCP Partnership, who takes on additional responsibility for "identifying an
  
  Read more

• Ad of the Day: Uncommon's debut blends climate change denial with Slayer for Ovo

  05-03-2018 11:52
  Uncommon – the creative studio founded by ‘Grexiteers’  Lucy Jameson, Natalie Graeme and Nils Leonard – has released its first work for energy supplier Ovo featuring the voices of climate change deniers alongside the music of thrash metal band Slayer.
  ‘Power Your Life Differently’ will comprise print ads, out of home, digital, social, below the line and PR, as well a cinematic TV spot which aims to educate consumers on the impact
  
  Read more

• Twitter champions female empowerment in first Oscars TV ad

  05-03-2018 11:51
  Twitter has cemented its association with the Academy Awards after running a television ad championing female empowerment during Sunday’s (4 March) live broadcast by ABC.
  A clear response to the wave of sexual harassment and assault claims sweeping Hollywood, the #HereWeAre spot gives voice to a range of women looking to have their voices heard.
  Opening with the social site's blue bird motif the ad launches into poetry written and recited by Denice Frohman, during which stylized black
  
  Read more

• Jen Smith leaves WPP to join comms strategy agency Craft

  05-03-2018 11:34 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Jen Smith, the former global creative director of Maxus, has left WPP to join Sally Weavers' communications strategy agency Craft.
  
  Read more

• BBC’s Tony Hall urges break with US tech giant hegemony

  05-03-2018 11:24
  BBC director general Tony Hall will issue a clarion call to action against the hegemony of US technology giants as part of a rearguard action to protect British values.
  Pitching the public broadcaster as David in a fight against the Silicon Valley Goliaths, Hall will warn that social unease and division risked spreading unchecked if the dominance of ‘west coast giants’ went unchecked, according to the Guardian.
  Reserving the bulk of his ire for Amazon, Facebook, Google and
  
  Read more

• YouTube awarded brand safety certificate by ad industry

  05-03-2018 11:06 via campaignlive.co.uk
  YouTube has been awarded a Jicwebs brand safety certificate after an independent audit by BPA Worldwide.
  
  Read more

• O2 entrance comes to life for "#Followtherabbit" campaign

  05-03-2018 11:01 via campaignlive.co.uk
  O2 has turned the entrance to its flagship venue into a neon blue light installation where customers are being encouraged to "follow the rabbit".
  
  Read more

• L'Oréal appoints Event Concept for annual live hairdressing competition

  05-03-2018 10:47 via campaignlive.co.uk
  L'Oréal has picked Event Concept to deliver the UK final of its long-running live hairdressing competition.
  
  Read more

• Domino's to sponsor ITV's video on demand offering

  05-03-2018 10:43 via campaignlive.co.uk
  ITV has unveiled Domino's as the first sponsor of video on demand platform ITV Hub.
  
  Read more

• Pharrell Williams celebrates Holi festival with Ranveer Singh for Adidas Originals

  05-03-2018 10:42
  Adidas Originals has joined forces once more with Pharrell Williams, promoting the musician's latest collection for the brand with an ad inspired by Holi, India's festival of colour. 
  Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh features in the spot, which showcases in full 360-degree technicolor glory a Holi party organised with the help of fellow celebrity VJ Anusha Dandekar.
  Williams' 'Powder Dye' capsule collection for Adidas Originals follows on from his 'Hu Holi&nb
  
  Read more

• LSU and e3 merge to form Great State

  05-03-2018 10:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Digital agency e3 and strategy consultancy London Strategy Unit (LSU) have merged and adopted a new brand, Great State.
  
  Read more

• Commercial radio sector claims record ad revenue

  05-03-2018 10:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Advertisers spent £679.2m on commercial radio in 2017, representing 5.2% growth on 2016, according to industry body Radiocentre.
  
  Read more

• Trinity Mirror to rebrand as Reach after Express acquisition

  05-03-2018 10:37 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Trinity Mirror is to rebrand as Reach to reflect how the publisher now owns more than 100 titles.
  
  Read more

• Unilever's Aline Santos named chair of relaunched Marketing New Thinking Awards 2018

  05-03-2018 10:29 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Campaign has relaunched its Marketing New Thinking Awards for 2018, appointing Unilever's Aline Santos as its chair and unveiling an expanded categories list that will cover the inspirational stories driving the industry's agenda.
  
  Read more

• St Ives sells £6m marketing activation division

  05-03-2018 10:29
  Marketing services group St Ives is curtailing its marketing activation division with the £6m sale of numerous assets to SelmerBridge.
  Amongst the divisions being sold are SP Group Limited, Service Graphics Limited, Tactical Solutions UK Limited and Flare Limited, leaving St Ives with a rump operation consisting solely of its print management division, St Ives Management Services.
  St Ives chief executive Matt Armitage commented: "Having taken considerable action over the past year to stabi
  
  Read more

• Drum Studios to test new marketing technology with Drum Labs

  05-03-2018 10:27
  Drum Studios has launched Drum Labs, a new product offering which will test the latest marketing technologies in the market.   
  An independent panel of 10 experts, drawn from agencies, publishers and brands will be conducting the tests on the products.
  Each product will be tested in a workshop-style format. A two-hour session will see the five most relevant experts from our panel be given access to the product following an introduction from the relevant company’s repres
  
  Read more

• 8 Outdoor wins £11m funding to drive digital expansion

  05-03-2018 10:26 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The owner of 8 Outdoor has won the backing of a Hong Kong-based investor to fund expansion in the UK digital out-of-home sector.
  
  Read more

• Dear NRA: if your PR plan is to attack traumatized children, you've already lost

  05-03-2018 10:14
  If your public relations campaign involves going after children who have survived a mass shooting at their school that killed 17 of their classmates and teachers and injured many more, then you have already sold your soul for political gain. Go home.
  Two weeks ago, I wrote that the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election through social media would be taught in the future as the biggest PR debacle in history. But then the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the US r
  
  Read more

• Creative Works EMEA featuring M&C Saatchi, Folk Finland, Isobel, TBWA Dublin and more

  05-03-2018 10:00
  Welcome to The Drum Creative Works.
  As always, this section is dedicated to showing the best creative work of the past week. We're using our five-star voting system, so to vote for your favourite, make sure you click on the stars.
  For project information, credits and more click on the project to expand to full screen. You can submit your own work via our online form.
  For voting updates and more follow The Drum Creative Works on Twitter @TheDrumCreative.
  Show me entity :: 18462Jaso
  
  Read more

• Virgin Media take gold with British Paralympic Association sponsorship

  05-03-2018 09:52
  Communications and TV provider Virgin Media has been named as a partner of the British Paralympic Association (BPA), just in time to sponsor the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang held between 9 and 18 March.
  The tie-up will see the brand associated with British sportsmen and women through to Tokyo 2020 Olympics as Virgin Media joins the likes of Adidas, Sainsburys and Toyota as gold-tier partners.
  In just four days’ time Britain’s team of 17 Paralympians will proudly take their
  
  Read more

• Trinity Mirror to rebrand as Reach to reflect new found scale

  05-03-2018 09:20
  Trinity Mirror is changing its name to reflect its newly enlarged operations, which now benefit from the publishing assets of both Northern and Shell and Local World, by rebranding as Reach.
  Trinity Mirror first emerged from a merger of Trinity and Mirror Group back in September 1999 but the business has now grown significantly beyond the sum of these parts, prompting a refresh.
  Chief executive officer Simon Fox, said: “Through our content we reach millions of people every day.  Our r
  
  Read more

• 10 questions with... Dave Buonaguidi, cofounder of Unltd

  05-03-2018 07:48
  The Drum speaks to people across the global media and marketing sector who are bringing something a little different to the industry and talks to them about what little insights they can offer the rest of us. This week's 10 Questions With... features Dave Buonaguidi, cofounder of Unltd.
  What was your first ever job?
  My first ever job in advertising was working at TBWA back in 1984. I am the spawn of immigrants, so my first actual job as was working behind the bar in my d
  
  Read more

• Cochlear wants to raise awareness of hearing issues with software that personalises content to ability

  05-03-2018 07:33
  Cochlear has created a piece of software called Hearprint that can adapt a range of audio levels on content to the viewers hearing ability.
  The idea behind the campaign is to promote Cochlear’s technology, which adapts to a user’s needs, rather than just turning everything up.
  Janet Menzies, general manager of Cochlear Australia and New Zealand, said: “No two people hear the world the same. The new Hearprint tool helps Australians to visualise their unique sound calibration.&rd
  
  Read more

• Wagamama, John Lewis, Toyota: Everything that matters this morning

  05-03-2018 07:30
  John Lewis cuts staff bonus as profits fall
  Bonuses for 84,000 staff at John Lewis and Waitrose have been cut for the fifth year in a row.
  The company said employees would share a £74m bonus, equivalent to 5% of annual pay—the lowest level in 64 years.
  All partners, from leading executives to shop floor assistants, receive the same percentage bonus.
  John Lewis Partnership chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield said 2017 had been a “challenging year for the company.
  READ MORE: John Lewis
  
  Read more

Follow @marketing_UKnws on Twitter!