Marketing news

• Wickes brand chief on life with Christian O'Connell

  15-03-2018 22:22 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The DIY brand reflects on its six-year partnership with Absolute Radio.
  
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• Changing the narrative about food at SXSW

  15-03-2018 22:10
  One might not necessarily connect agriculture and technology, but at SXSW, dairy brand Land O'Lakes created The Food Effect, an installation designed to spark conversation and dialogue about the way food is grown. The exhibit was meant to enlighten those who may not see the connection between our farms and tables, and erase misconceptions about modern farming practices, including GMOs.
  “SXSW is, in my mind, the foremost place for thought leadership in the world, “ said Tim Scott, chi
  
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• Wikimedia blindsided by YouTube's SXSW 'information cues' announcement

  15-03-2018 22:06
  Wikimedia responded that it was not made aware of yesterday's SXSW announcement from YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki to add Wikipedia content to help curb the spread of conspiracy theory videos.
  In a tweet to its followers, the company said, "We are happy to see people, companies, and organizations recognize Wikimedia's value as a repository of free knowledge. In this case, neither Wikipedia nor the Wikimedia Foundation are part of a formal partnership with YouTube. We
  
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• T-Mobile sets two bizarre Guinness World Records promoting Samsung Galaxy S9

  15-03-2018 21:09
  In promoting the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and the company’s own network speed, the mobile carrier recently set two impressively pointless Guinness World Records.
  In a very public stunt on Lake Elsinore, in Southern California, T-Mobile launched a bright magenta blimp and then towed water skiers and boarders around the lake through blimp power. In one effort, the skier being blimp-towed texted on the Galaxy S9, setting the record for the “fastest text on a touch screen mobile phone while
  
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• Lewis Hamilton is the new face of Tommy Hilfiger

  15-03-2018 19:36
  Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has been named global brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger.
  According to the fashion brand, Lewis will help Tommy Hilfiger build on its “strong menswear heritage” and further drive the global growth of its men’s business.
  “I have always admired Lewis’ incredible endurance during the race, as well as his unique style off the track, which speak to the new generation of Tommy Guys,” said Tommy Hilfiger in a statement. “He
  
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• JetBlue asks travelers to ‘Flip the Forecast’ in new travel promo

  15-03-2018 19:32
  The east coast doesn’t seem to be able to dig out of the snow this winter, but that forecast might suit people in places where the snow never falls. That’s the concept JetBlue is promoting with its ‘Flip the Forecast’ challenge.
  The airline wants people to tell them, through an Instagram video, why they need to get to a place where the forecast is different from their current one. Using the hashtag #FlipTheForecast, potential travelers are tasked to create a video telling
  
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• Snapchat admonished by Rihanna, public over ad promoting domestic violence

  15-03-2018 19:26
  Snapchat has been publicly condemned by singer Rihanna after an offensive ad from in-app game Would You Rather was viewed by users.
  The app in question asked users “Would you rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown?” in reference to the 2009 incident where the pop artist was physically assaulted by her then-boyfriend. Reaction on social media had been swift.
  Is it just me, or is this ad that popped up on my Snapchat extremely tone deaf? Like what were they thinking with this? p
  
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• How to grow your marketing business – candid advice from agencies old and new

  15-03-2018 18:37
  The stories of Iris and Blue Glass may have begun 13 years apart, yet their experiences and mistakes in growth – welcome and painful in equal measure – highlight key lessons all ambitious marketing businesses need to learn.
  Iris began life when six ad execs, all under the age of 30, broke away from Publicis Groupe in 1999. Not one of them had experience in running an agency, but they did have a big, glossy founding client in Sony Ericsson and a strong belief that culture should
  
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• Ad of the Day: Asylum Aid releases harrowing film about the refugee experience

  15-03-2018 18:19
  Asylum Aid, a charity that represents and provides free legal advice to people seeking refuge in the UK, has released a distressing short film that shows just how difficult the refugee experience can be.
  Created by Red Brick Road, the video gives viewers a glimpse of what some refugees face when they go through the application process. This film in particular focuses on a woman named Nina who finds herself struggling to answer the incredibly intrusive questions she’s being asked during the
  
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• Social dopamine is the opium of today – do we all need a detox?

  15-03-2018 18:00
  Like. Retweet. Repeat.
  Social media has conditioned us to accept these rituals. We’re addicted to our phones, craving that next little hit of dopamine. The people who created these methods,  the names behind the algorithms, have all slowly but surely started to retract their support. Twitter. Google. Facebook. All guilty.
  “Whoops,” they coyly say, from their beds made entirely of money. “My bad.”
  And amidst the lunacy of SXSW – I got to visit the Wes
  
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• Have consumers fallen out of love with chocolates and flowers?

  15-03-2018 18:00
  As Valentine’s and Mother’s Day have passed so we were faced with an increasingly bewildering array of gifts and gestures that those who celebrate the days can bestow on their loved ones.
  So, what’s happened to the staples of the sweetheart of yesteryear? Are we still buying chocolates and flowers and are there obvious winners and losers in the battle for the traditional gesture of affection?
  The Drum’s Mystery Shopper compares the online performance of the three leading
  
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• Duracell's CMO on leaving P&G and partnering with Disney

  15-03-2018 17:53 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Tatiana Jouanneau remained at the marketing helm of Duracell either side of the brand's exit from Procter & Gamble in 2016. She told Campaign why going through an ownership change was like moving home.
  
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• Lucozade Sport calls on brands to be more assertive with sports rights holders

  15-03-2018 16:53 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Brands need to be more assertive when they strike deals with sports rights holders if they are to make sports marketing more effective, Lucozade Sport's head of partnerships James Young has warned.
  
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• Posterscope UK CEO Stephen Whyte steps into global role as founder Annie Rickard announces retirement

  15-03-2018 16:47
  Out-of-home agency Posterscope has announced that its founder Annie Rickard has stepped down from her global roles as global president and MKTG global chairman. 
  Stephen Whyte, chief executive of Posterscope UK, has been asked to assume additional responsibility for Posterscope Worldwide as its next global president.
  Rickard founded Posterscope in 1982, and has grown it into a global network of over 1,000 people in 57 offices around the world, includi
  
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• Heads remain high but Brand UK 'has felt the impact of Brexit' finds WPP report

  15-03-2018 16:06
  The UK remains a top location to do business despite repercussions of implementing a departure from the European Union threatening to harm business. However, the UK's brand has taken a knock from the uncertainty.
  WPP’s first ever Brand UK surveyed 21,000 global business leaders and citizens to gauge attitudes towards the UK in light of a majority of voters choosing to leave the European Union in 2016.
  Global business leaders ranked the UK as the second best country in the world for second
  
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• Morrisons sees cost saving opportunity in marketing as it looks to ‘simplify and speed up’

  15-03-2018 15:36
  Morrisons is looking to areas such as marketing, logistics and head office for cost savings across the business as it looks to “simplify and speed up” and build closer relationships with its customers.
  Like-for-like sales were up 2.8% and profit up 11% to £374m in 2017, marking the supermarket’s third consecutive year of growth. And at an event to discuss its preliminary results, CEO David Potts said the marketing cost savings are part of “careful programmes”
  
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• Morrisons cuts back on marketing spend as it looks to become ‘truly local’

  15-03-2018 15:36
  Morrisons is cutting its marketing spend as it looks to make cost savings across the business and build closer relationships with its customers.
  Like-for-like sales were up 2.8% and profit up 11% to £374m in 2017, marking the supermarket’s third consecutive year of growth. And at an event to discuss its preliminary results, CEO David Potts said the marketing cuts are part of “careful programmes” that will continue into 2018/19 in an effort to “simplify” the re
  
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• Tostitos warns people to get together over chips or get ‘Van Dammed’ in latest campaign

  15-03-2018 15:30
  Chip brand Tostitos has enlisted leather-jacketed action star Jean-Claude Van Damme to help bring friends together, so he doesn’t have to replace your friends at gatherings.
  The campaign encourages people to get together throughout the year and Van Damme is the catalyst for the new tagline for the brand, “Get Together Already.”  
  In a series of spots by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Van Damme humorously offers advice on the importance of getting together with you
  
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• Marketers: you are clueless about media effectiveness, apparently

  15-03-2018 14:29
  ‘There is a clear disconnect between the scale of investment in online media and the value it delivers’. This is one of the key findings from a recent report commissioned by Radiocentre.
  The report is basically saying this: marketers are clueless about media effectiveness. They think digital is much better than it is, and traditional media is much worse than it is.
  I have a different opinion.
  In my version, marketers are not clueless, hapless or stupid non-academics - maybe they are
  
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• Female execs join forces for Time’s Up, Crocs loses IP battle: International round-up

  15-03-2018 14:17
  Female ad execs launch Time’s Up advertising
  Almost 200 female executives in the US have joined forces to launch ‘Time’s Up advertising’, designed to help tackle discrimination and sexual harassment.
  The group of women have signed a petition to launch the movement before a letter was posted to the Time’s Up Advertising website Monday, claiming they will aim “to drive new policies, practices, decisions, and tangible actions that result in more balanced, diverse
  
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• Newspaper ABCs: Guardian rebrand fails to boost print sales

  15-03-2018 13:51
  The Guardian’s circulation continues to decline despite its high-profile January rebrand, which replaced the Berliner format with tabloid dimensions in addition to a new look and feel.
  Figures from ABC for February (the first complete month since its relaunch) found that The Guardian's year-on-year circulation was down 3.25% to an average of 149.5k a day. A third of these were from paid subscriptions, the rest from single copy sales at £2 an issue.
  The move away from Berlin
  
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• The Influencer Content Barometer: Mr Ben Brown, Desi Perkins and Matt Stonie video campaigns reviewed

  15-03-2018 13:45
  As influencer content grows in stature within the marketing mix of the biggest brands in the world, in this special feature, Redpill, using its ratings system for such content, reviews three influencer videos and assesses the reasons behind their social performance.
  Creative – Scores videos across five sub-categories: originality, on brand, creativity, craft and shareability (awarding a maximum of 20% for each, with the sum producing a rating out of 100%).
  Exposure - RED_TEC
  
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• Unilever hands responsibility for marketing to new product divisions in corporate shake-up

  15-03-2018 13:42
  Unilever is giving responsibility for its marketing and advertising activity and budget to three new divisions, set up as part of a wider shake-up of the firm’s structure that will see it shift from its dual-governance structure to a single legal entity.
  The more “streamlined” structure will see the company split into three divisions: beauty and personal care, home care, and foods and refreshment. The first two will be based in London, while the latter will continue to be headq
  
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• Unilever hands responsibility for marketing to new category divisions in shake-up

  15-03-2018 13:42
  Unilever is giving responsibility for its marketing and advertising activity and budgets to three new divisions, set up as part of a wider shake-up of the firm’s structure that will see it shift from its dual-governance structure to a single legal entity.
  The more “streamlined” structure will see the company split into three divisions: beauty and personal care, home care, and foods and refreshment. The first two will be based in London, while the latter will continue to be head
  
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• Unilever hands responsibility for marketing to new category divisions in corporate shake-up

  15-03-2018 13:42
  Unilever is giving responsibility for its marketing and advertising activity and budget to three new divisions, set up as part of a wider shake-up of the firm’s structure that will see it shift from its dual-governance structure to a single legal entity.
  The more “streamlined” structure will see the company split into three divisions: beauty and personal care, home care, and foods and refreshment. The first two will be based in London, while the latter will continue to be headq
  
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• Nike, Alibaba, Manchester United: The top 10 YouTube ads in February

  15-03-2018 13:38
  1. Nike: Nothing beats a Londoner
  Nike’s ‘Nothing beats a Londoner’ unsurprisingly topped the list of most viewed ads on YouTube last month. The ad aims to celebrate the diversity of the UK’s capital city, and features a host of music and sports starts as well as more than 200 young Londoners and the hurdles they have to beat to play the sport they love.
  The campaign fits into Nike’s city-focused strategy as it looks to target consumers in some of the world’s
  
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• iHeartMedia files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with debts in excess of $20bn

  15-03-2018 13:33
  On Wednesday (14 March 14), iHeartMedia voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as it looked to “definitively” restructure a debt of over $20bn.
  In a statement from the company, which owns over 850 radio stations and the iHeartRadio streaming service, iHeartMedia said, “The agreement reflects widespread support across the capital structure for a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring that will reduce iHeartMedia’s debt by more than $10bn. iHeartMed
  
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• A shambolic Q&A with Perfume Ads for Sale, the Twitter page spoofing ridiculous fragrance creative

  15-03-2018 13:16
  To the public – and the creatives who choose not to make them – pretentious perfume advertising represents all that is shallow and baffling about the industry. The storylines are non-linear at best and nonsensical at worst, while the aesthetic is invariably frantic and too glossy to connect on any real emotional level.
  If a product shows up at all it’s an anomaly. The brand name is often only whispered once – always alluringly – to camera.
  The ridiculousness of
  
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• Campaign launches new Intelligence Report series

  15-03-2018 13:15 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Campaign is launching a series of Intelligence Reports which will provide in-depth guides to industry trends and business sectors.
  
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• Harvey Nichols swiftly picks TBWA to take over from Adam & Eve/DDB

  15-03-2018 12:40 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Harvey Nichols is looking for an "alternative to brand campaigns" after appointing TBWA\London as its creative agency without a pitch, the brand's new top marketer told Campaign.
  
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• Kraft Heinz adds Havas London to UK and Europe creative roster

  15-03-2018 12:19
  Kraft Heinz has added Havas London to its UK and Europe creative roster, with the agency joining incumbent shops BBH and The & Partnership. 
  The food giant's decision to expand its roster from two agencies to three follows on from a renewed focus on long-term brand building, and the appointment of Victoria Sjardin – who joined the brand as vice-president of marketing for Europe last September. 
  Sjardin arrived from Unilever-owned Dove, which also
  
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• The launch lowdown: from interstellar cars to political activism

  15-03-2018 12:15
  Saint Valentine has left the building. Relax. Breathe. Singletons can stop pretending to hate him, and couples can stop pretending his commercially twisted legacy matters. What does matter, though, is that there’s been a slew of launches across the board in the past month proving that, despite the constant influx of nostalgic relaunches we’re subjected to on a daily basis, new is indeed the new new… in most instances.
  Shot through the heart and you’re to blame, Elon Musk
  
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• Karmarama absorbs Kaper brand: ‘a natural next step’ says founder McCafferty

  15-03-2018 12:08
  Karmarama has simplified its agency structure by having its PR wing Kaper drop its name and operate under Karmarama in a bid to simplify the offering for clients.
  Leading Karmarama’s PR unit will be newly appointed Rosie Holden. The former John Doe managing director is tasked with delivering “culturally relevant” work. The Accenture-owned marcomms group will have Holden on board from 3 April.
  Chris McCafferty, founder of Kaper, is stepping up as managing director in Accenture I
  
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• Business on the move: Campbell's, Kraft Heinz, WWF, and more

  15-03-2018 12:00
  Welcome to The Drum's Business on the Move section, where we collate agency account wins, reviews, agency launches, rebrands and acquisitions.
  Agency wins
  Campbell's Soup Company has awarded its global creative and media account to Publicis Groupe.
  The agency, which won the account from BBDO and Wavemaker, will now handle Campbell's retail strategy in the US and creative direction in Canada.
  Kraft Heinz has appointed Havas London to is UK and European creative agency roster. The agency, which ha
  
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• Advertising Week Europe banishes single-use plastic in support of Trash Isles campaign

  15-03-2018 11:10
  Advertising Week Europe is throwing its weight behind an environmental campaign by LADbible group by banning single-use plastics from its event next week.
  Instead of drinking water from plastic bottles delegates at the London gathering will be invited to use complimentary Trash Isles resealable cans. Produced by CanO Water, the simple tins are being positioned as a sustainable alternative to plastic and can be topped up at refill stations positioned around the venue.
  Growing awareness of th
  
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• Safety first: Why brand safety is front and centre in 2018

  15-03-2018 11:00
  “Safety first” is a cautionary maxim you might hear on the tube, while installing a child car-seat, or learning how to drive. Recently, it’s been a phrase used to forewarn those buying digital ads online. Marketers have been cautioned to mind the gap between expectations and delivered results.
  It’s widely recognized that the seismic growth of the digital ecosystem has brought with it the need for better control and improved safety measures. Fraudulent activity and poor in
  
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• Clear Channel set to end limbo after parent iHeartMedia files for Chapter 11

  15-03-2018 10:50 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Clear Channel faces a "liberating" future after US parent company iHeartMedia filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to wipe out $10bn (£7.2bn) of debt.
  
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• Unilever favours Rotterdam with London exit

  15-03-2018 10:32
  Consumer goods giant Unilever is to turn away from London as it embraces Rotterdam as its sole corporate headquarters, ending an 88-year history of dual governance where it straddled both.
  The administrative migration is being interpreted as a blow to the capital with the loss of the third largest firm on the FTSE100 and is thought to have been spurred by a failed £115bn takeover approach by Kraft.
  That close shave is believed to have convinced the boards in Britain and Holland that t
  
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• ASA probes whether consumers can recognise online ads as ads

  15-03-2018 10:24 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Advertising Standards Authority has started a project that examines if online browsers are able to recognise online ads as ads, including by how they are labelled.
  
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• 5 cool things from SXSW: cowboys, connectivity and peak nerd

  15-03-2018 10:21
  SXSW has been a blast. All the superlatives you can throw at it - that’s exactly what it was. There were fascinating sessions on the evolution of customer loyalty, cashless payments, advertising ethics and more. But, as always with SXSW, there was also a lot of impressive stuff on display. Not ‘impressive’ in a way solely applicable to our industry, but genuinely cool sh*t. Something worthy to tell your mates about, over an overpriced tea (sorry, I don’t drink c
  
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• BBC eyes new opportunities with Facebook where it has become the world’s biggest news outlet

  15-03-2018 10:00
  The BBC’s social media chief says Facebook’s highly-controversial recent changes to its algorithm could potentially benefit the BBC with “strategic opportunities” to increase its profile worldwide.
  The algorithm change has downgraded news in Facebook user feeds, in favour of content from friends and family, and has been widely condemned by publishers. But Mark Frankel, the BBC’s social media editor, says the development is “not necessarily a bad news story&rdq
  
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• Dementia UK lauds frontline nurses with emotional animation

  15-03-2018 09:54
  Dementia UK has expressed its thanks to nurses tending to people with dementia by creating a three-minute animation to draw attention to the specialist care provided.
  Together Again, conceived by Arthur London, puts the spotlight on the profession by depicting a husband and wife wrenched apart by an ocean – a metaphor for the widening gulf that can be opened up through loss of memory – before being slowly brought back together via memory triggers and sensory recall.
  Sarah Marcon
  
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• Slow-footed Crocs loses European design protection

  15-03-2018 09:29
  Footwear brand Crocs has been dealt a blow by the General Court of the EU after the body served notice that its popular plastic clogs design would no longer be protected across the continent.
  The decree reinforces an earlier decision by the EU Intellectual Property Office to revoke the registered design, first granted protection in 2005, upon appeal by French retailer Gifi.
  Crocs came unstuck after the court found that the footwear firm had dallied too long in filing for protection with its obse
  
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• Cello Pens educate Indian parents on how encouragement works better than pressure

  15-03-2018 07:28
  BIC Cello's latest ad in India ‘Surprise Test' highlights how parents putting pressure on their children during exam time leads to the child being stressed.
  Tanveer Khan, director of marketing, BIC Cello India said: "Cello Pens has come up with the ‘surprise test’ campaign to highlight the crucial role that parents play during exam time.  Their encouraging words make a lot of difference and have a great impact on children’s minds and hearts. Encouragem
  
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• Pierce Brosnan claims that he was 'cheated' by Pan Bahar

  15-03-2018 06:36
  Actor Pierce Brosnan has claimed that he was cheated by the the Indian Pan Masala (tobacco) brand because Pan Bahar didn't reveal to him the hazardous nature of the product.
  The former James Bond star came under fire earlier for appearing in an Indian advertisement in which he promotes a product commonly associated with a highly addictive form of chewing tobacco, known for its addictive psychotropic effects. 
  He was also given a show cause notice
  
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• Vans India head vows to engage and enable creative communities in India

  15-03-2018 05:30
  India's growing economy is paving way for more foreign brands to expand in India and street wear brand Vans has already stepped firmly onto the Indian soil.
  Boosted by the Indian government's push towards a cashless economy and Digital India initiative, India's retailing sector has already surpassed China with an expected growth of $1.3tn by 2020, according to a report by Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF).
  The Drum spoke with Rahul Ashok, Vans India business head about  theVans mar
  
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• Influential APAC digital marketers revealed for the first time in The Drum Digerati Asia Pacific

  15-03-2018 01:30
  Who are the most influential people working in the Asia Pacific digital media and marketing industries today? The Drum reveals The Digerati Asia Pacific, the annual celebration of the most impressive individuals, helping to grow digital within businesses.
  Established in 2013 in the UK, The Drum is launching the list into Asia Pacific for the first time.
  Back in January, The Drum asked the industry to nominate exceptional individuals, within the four spaces of agency, adtech and martech, brand an
  
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• ASA probes influencer marketing rules so consumers don’t have to ‘play detective’ to spot ads

  15-03-2018 01:00
  The UK’s advertising watchdog is to launch a review into how paid-for influencer and native advertising is signposted online, saying that misleading posts damage consumer trust in advertising.
  The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has just announced the first stage of the project, which will examine people’s ability to identify when the content they are seeing or hearing is advertising.
  The review will investigate whether current guidelines around both influencer deals and sponso
  
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• Rubicon Projects axes 100 staff as it counts the cost of killing its buy-side fees as quarterly revenue drops 57%

  15-03-2018 00:07
  Rubicon Project has confirmed it has made 100 staff redundant amid “significant cost reduction efforts” as it reported a 57% annual drop in revenue for the December quarter, following the decision to drop its buy-side fees in late 2017.
  The company confirmed the cuts were made in January this year, with the decision taken to reduce "general and administrative" costs in line with its current operations, with a company spokesperson confirming that it would have a balance sheet of more
  
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• Rubicon Project axes 100 staff as it counts the cost of killing its buy-side fees as quarterly revenue drops 57%

  15-03-2018 00:07
  Rubicon Project has confirmed it has made 100 staff redundant amid “significant cost reduction efforts” as it reported a 57% annual drop in revenue for the December quarter, following the decision to drop its buy-side fees in late 2017.
  The company confirmed the cuts were made in January this year, with the decision taken to reduce "general and administrative" costs in line with its current operations, with a company spokesperson confirming that it would have a balance sheet of more
  
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