Marketing news

• California points out flavor deception for kids in the tobacco industry’s new products

  30-04-2018 22:47
  The California Department of Public Health’s CA Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) is aiming to expose the tobacco industry’s latest deception of using flavors and e-cigarette products that masquerade as snacks and flash drives to hook kids when their brains are most susceptible to addiction.
  ‘Flavors Hook Kids’ by Duncan Channon helps inform parents that four out of five kids who’ve used tobacco started with a flavored product – with 15,000-plus flavors (and coun
  
  Read more

• Marketo acquires B2B marketing performance management software firm Bizible

  30-04-2018 22:37
  Marketo has acquired Bizible, a provider of B2B marketing performance management software. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
  According to Marketo, this marks the 12-year-old company's largest acquisition to date.
  “Together, our solutions create an industry-first platform for marketers to plan, engage, and measure by understanding what directly fuels ROI," said Steve Lucas, chief executive of Marketo, in a statement. "The combined product strength of Marketo and Bizible provides all mar
  
  Read more

• IAB says majority of marketers are dedicating digital ad budgets to video

  30-04-2018 20:02
  The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is kicking off its annual NewFronts event by reminding advertisers that digital video spend is on the rise.
  According to a study released by the trade body today (April 30), 59% of marketers currently dedicate their digital advertising budgets to video. The study included responses from 353 marketer and agency executives who are “involved in digital video advertising decision-making.”
  The study also found that more than half of buyers plan to
  
  Read more

• NBCUniversal and Google search for VR opportunities in original content partnership

  30-04-2018 19:31
  NBCUniversal today (April 30) announced a partnership with Google to produce a slate of original VR content from NBC, Bravo, Syfy, and other channels in its roster.
  Announced as the first pieces of VR content were: originals from NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Bravo’s reality show Vanderpump Rules, and Syfy’s digital offering Syfy Wire. More shows from NBC channels, including Telemundo, USA Network, NBC Sports, NBC News, and E! were also announced to launch in the coming
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• NBCUniversal and Google search for VR opportunities in new original content partnership

  30-04-2018 19:31
  NBCUniversal today (April 30) announced a partnership with Google to produce a slate of original VR content from NBC, Bravo, Syfy, and other channels in its roster.
  Announced as the first pieces of VR content were: originals from NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Bravo’s reality show Vanderpump Rules, and Syfy’s digital offering Syfy Wire. More shows from NBC channels, including Telemundo, USA Network, NBC Sports, NBC News, and E! were also announced to launch in the coming
  
  Read more

• McDonald’s admits app adoption rates are ‘pretty low’ but it will keep investing in mobile

  30-04-2018 19:00
  McDonald’s is two years into journey to connect the dots between how consumers behave offline and online via its mobile app. The US is its testbed, but chief executive Steve Easterbrook has conceded that adoption is still “pretty low”.
  When the fast-food chain first unveiled the platform in 2016, Easterbrook was confident that the tool – which affords diners the ability to click-and-collect food and sends them personalized offers – would become an “increasingl
  
  Read more

• The branding conundrum: Balancing Sainsbury’s quality messaging with Asda’s focus on value

  30-04-2018 18:55
  The Sainsbury’s and Asda merger might have sent shockwaves through the industry, but given the current retail environment it is not entirely surprising.
  Against a backdrop of increased competition in the grocery sector, the rapid growth and popularity of the discounters, disruptive technology and changing consumer habits, supermarket margins have been under pressure for some time.
  And with the UK’s four main players – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrison’s –
  
  Read more

• Time to ditch Black Friday? Lessons from Chinese internet giant Alibaba

  30-04-2018 18:20
  According to founder Jack Ma, China’s internet behemoth Alibaba is set to become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2036. In fact a large proportion of China’s retail shopping is driven by mobile and is said to be “racing ahead” of US and other markets in merging the online and offline worlds.
  With such grand ambitions and scope, what can the West learn from Alibaba? The Drum hosted a coffee morning with speakers from Oban International, Future Thinking, Portas ag
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Twitter bolsters video with 30 new media partnerships, renewals

  30-04-2018 17:57 via campaignlive.com
  NBC, Vice News and Hearst Magazines Digital Media are producing original and live shows for the social media platform.
  
  Read more

• Senior living print ads tell the humorous truths to seniors and caregivers

  30-04-2018 17:54
  The headlines featured in two new campaigns for Thrive Senior Living use biting humor to encapsulate what it means for seniors and caregivers to address new living conditions.
  ‘You Can Do Better’ speaks directly to older adults looking to move into an independent living home with lines like “You are his third wife. Tip the inheritance in your favor”; and “They built you a mother-in-law suite. Too bad it comes with a son-in-law.”
  ‘Playing Favorites’
  
  Read more

• Weight Watchers set to name Anomaly lead global agency

  30-04-2018 17:13 via campaignlive.com
  Appointment comes shortly after Gail Tifford joined Weight Watchers as chief brand officer.
  
  Read more

• FT Weekend stands apart from FT with thought-provoking creative campaign

  30-04-2018 16:50
  The FT Weekend has enrolled artists to draw attention to its arts, culture and lifestyle coverage with its vivid Open Minds campaign. Marcy Richardson, global brand director of Financial Times believes such initiatives can help to reach young readers.
  Following on from the publication’s 2017 rebrand, FT Weekend worked with creative agency The Brooklyn Brothers and independent artists to develop work causing a stir around FT Weekend features. In short, FT Weekend is promoting both its
  
  Read more

• Sainsbury’s CEO: The merger with Asda won’t cause brand confusion

  30-04-2018 16:26
  Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe does not believe bringing the two businesses together will undermine either of the brands’ propositions and says they can “co-exist” as separate brands without confusion.
  Following the news that Sainsbury’s and Asda have agreed a merger, Sainsbury’s, which wants to be known for ‘quality’, and Asda, which is better known for being good value, will operate under a dual brand strategy that Sainsbury’s says will al
  
  Read more

• 'We need to break the geek stereotypes in the tech industry' says Auto Trader’s Lara Izlan

  30-04-2018 16:20
  The tech industry needs to break away from the 'tech geek’ stereotypes and show how it needs people with a wide variety of skill sets, says director of advertising platforms and data solutions for Auto Trader UK, Lara Izlan.
  Following her recent role as head judge of The Drum Digital Trading Awards 2018 and moderating the annual breakfast panel, Izlan speaks to The Drum on how to address diversity and equality within a male-dominated industry and whether the industry has moved on sinc
  
  Read more

• Sainsbury’s hunts £500m in efficiencies with Asda merger and the impact on the ad industry could be huge

  30-04-2018 16:05
  Sainsbury's and Asda have agreed to merge to create a grocery powerhouse that will rival Tesco’s dominance of the market. Plans to retain both brands are firm, though it will in time look to reduce ad spend as part of a £500m efficiencies drive that could have a wide-reaching impact on the ad industry.
  The merger is pending regulatory approval from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). On a press call to outline the early details of how the combined entity will opera
  
  Read more

• Mark Read interview: WPP must focus more on clients and less on how we organise ourselves

  30-04-2018 15:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Mark Read has said WPP needs to focus more on clients and less on how it organises itself.
  
  Read more

• Does the Asda/Saatchi split offer lessons about bringing media and creative together?

  30-04-2018 15:38 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Asda's decision to switch its ad account out of Saatchi & Saatchi London into Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO raised industry eyebrows last week.
  
  Read more

• M&C Saatchi strategy chief Chicourel pledges to make Golden Square 'great' again

  30-04-2018 15:37 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Meet M&C Saatchi's new chief strategy officer, the self-confessed sci-fi "nerd" determined to shake adland from its cosy acceptance of "good" work.
  
  Read more

• Ad of the Day: Oscar Mayer unveils Bacoin – the world's first bacon cryptocurrency

  30-04-2018 15:32
  For Oscar Mayer, bacon is as good as money. Well, that's according to the brand's latest campaign which introducers diners to a new, porky cryptocurrency: Bacoin.
  After 100 years of making bacon, Oscar Mayer is paving the way in the burgeoning fintech landscape by introducing Bacoin, the first-ever cryptocurrency backed by the gold standard of Oscar Mayer Bacon, a campaign done with Mcgarrybowen.
  Starting today, Oscar Mayer is giving away a limited amount of Bacoin that fans can mine, track
  
  Read more

• How to build an effective tradeshow marketing strategy

  30-04-2018 15:23
  With online marketing taking the world by storm, you might forget about the power still held in its offline alternative.
  One of those is tradeshow marketing: presenting your company, product or service at industry events. But if you think tradeshows only deliver great returns for specific types of business, you might be wrong.
  Tradeshows are a fantastic marketing tactic for any business to improve sales and build relationships. From engineering events to tradeshows for wedding companies, it&rsq
  
  Read more

• Sainsbury's boss: '20 or 30' ways we could integrate brand with Asda

  30-04-2018 15:05 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe was coy about plans for the mega-merger with Asda, but hinted that the two brands could cross into each other's space in a number of ways.
  
  Read more

• Häagen-Dazs creates VR experience and gives out free scoops to support honey bees

  30-04-2018 15:02 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Häagen-Dazs, the ice-cream brand, is marking 10 years of its support of honey bees with a free scoop and a VR experience in the US.
  
  Read more

• Peperami 'animal' reboot sees character visit Thorpe Park and Alton Towers

  30-04-2018 14:44 via campaignlive.co.uk
  The Peperami "animal" mascot is back in a new series of ads promoting the brand's partnership with Merlin's Thorpe Park and Alton Towers theme parks.
  
  Read more

• YouTube can now deliver ads specifically to its TV viewers

  30-04-2018 14:37
  YouTube is broadening its ad products to account for the vast number of users accessing the app through their TVs.
  CNBC quotes Debbie Weinstein, managing director for YouTube video global solutions as saying that TV is the fastest growing area for YouTube, despite 60% of its audience visiting through mobile.
  The rise of smart TVs and games consoles hosting the app, in addition to the ability to cast the app from mobile onto the big screen, helped create this environment.
  With the announcement, Y
  
  Read more

• The Sun, Budweiser, Snapchat: even more World Cup brand action

  30-04-2018 14:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  With the planet's biggest sporting competition well under way, Campaign looks into what brands are doing to align themselves with the Fifa World Cup. We'll add new work to this article as we get it.
  
  Read more

• McDelivery from Uber Eats, Coca-Cola, Lidl: all the latest World Cup brand activity

  30-04-2018 14:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  With just two days to go until the planet's biggest sporting competition begins, Campaign looks into what brands are doing to align themselves with the Fifa World Cup football extravaganza in Russia. We'll add new work to this article as we get it.
  
  Read more

• Ikea, Adidas, Three, Budweiser: even more World Cup brand action

  30-04-2018 14:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  There's just one week of the World Cup left, and football is well and truly coming home (with apologies to readers outside England). We've rounded up what brands are doing to align themselves with the sporting fiesta.
  
  Read more

• How brands are hoping to score for this year's World Cup

  30-04-2018 14:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  With just a few weeks to go until the planet's biggest sporting competition begins, Campaign looks into what brands are doing to align themselves with the Fifa World Cup football extravaganza in Russia. We'll add new work to this article as we get it in the run-up to the big kick-off on 14 June.
  
  Read more

• Coca-Cola, Qatar Airways, Lidl: all the latest World Cup brand activity

  30-04-2018 14:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  With just a week to go until the planet's biggest sporting competition begins, Campaign looks into what brands are doing to align themselves with the Fifa World Cup football extravaganza in Russia. We'll add new work to this article as we get it in the run-up to the big kick-off on 14 June.
  
  Read more

• Budweiser, Snapchat, McDelivery from Uber Eats: even more World Cup brand action

  30-04-2018 14:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  With the planet's biggest sporting competition well under way, Campaign looks into what brands are doing to align themselves with the Fifa World Cup. We'll add new work to this article as we get it.
  
  Read more

• Adidas, Three, Budweiser, Snapchat: even more World Cup brand action

  30-04-2018 14:16 via campaignlive.co.uk
  There's just one week of the World Cup left, and football is well and truly coming home (with apologies to readers outside England). We've rounded up what brands are doing to align themselves with the sporting fiesta.
  
  Read more

• Why focusing on audiences - not keyword volumes - is the future of search marketing

  30-04-2018 14:10
  Anyone who works in search will be able to tell you about the often-laborious task that is keyword research; building out a long list of all the ways that people search around your business (or your client’s business) and then using another tool (more often than not Google’s own Keyword Planner) to attach numbers to those keywords so that you can prioritise them by volume. The problem with this is that everyone ends up competing around a small set of ultra-competitive keywords.
  In th
  
  Read more

• How to level up your agency and make room for growth: Oracle NetSuite

  30-04-2018 13:50
  Amid rising economic, social and political uncertainty if there is one thing that remains constant is that businesses and agencies still need to grow.
  Following his appearance at Agency Acceleration Day 2018, Oracle NetSuite director of strategic initiatives for advertising, media and publishing, Chris Hering discusses the key capabilities every agency needs to develop and how agencies are holding onto the best talent in their organisations.
  Hering has been a part of Netsuite since the company w
  
  Read more

• The agency/client turnover: how agencies can fix the broken creative process

  30-04-2018 13:46
  The agency world has faced a bit of a tumultuous year. Brands that traditionally outsourced creative are starting to bring it in-house to be more efficient. Meanwhile agencies are still working with outdated principles, processes and technologies. In this competitive pitch market, with timing of the essence, how can agencies improve their engine that runs their business? What capabilities do creatives need to not only be more efficient – but facilitate and nourish client relationships?
  The
  
  Read more

• Spotify, Diageo and Wavemaker talk audio in an industry obsessed with visual experiences

  30-04-2018 13:26
  The potential of using audio to reach consumers in new ways is yet to be recognised by brands. Is the lack of standardised measurement and complex ecosystem holding the industry back from fulfilling its ambitions? Speakers from Spotify, Diageo and Wavemaker at the ‘Age of voice’ Spotify and The Drum event in London gathered to discuss.  
  Audio can be a powerful tool that can trigger specific emotions, said Spotify’s global head of Ad Product & Partner Sales at Spotify,
  
  Read more

• Five things we learned about WPP’s future from its first investor call without Sorrell

  30-04-2018 13:24
  WPP’s new-look leadership team today (30 April) addressed investors for the first time since Sir Martin Sorrell’s departure as chief executive. What they said at the first quarter results presentation (as well as what they didn’t) offered a glimpse into what the future will hold for the company without its long-standing chief executive.
  From the runners and riders to succeed Sorrell to whether the business will continue with its erstwhile boss’s aggressive consolidation s
  
  Read more

• Marketing Week’s Masters Awards entry deadline extended

  30-04-2018 13:02
  The deadline for Marketing Week’s Masters of Marketing Awards has been extended to Friday, 18 May.
  The Masters are unique among marketing awards in their scope with more than 30 categories covering every aspect of a marketer’s job and all major industry sectors.
  And it is all powered and amplified by the most trusted and respected marketing title in the UK – Marketing Week.
  The UK’s biggest celebration of marketing excellence
  Marketing Week is the only UK title
  
  Read more

• 'You Asda being kidding' - reaction to the proposed merger with Sainsbury's

  30-04-2018 12:16
  Weighing in  on the mooted supermarket merger that broke this weekend between Asda and Sainsbury's is Dom Burch, Asda's former senior director of marketing innovation and new revenue and the founder and managing director of Why Social.
  When the news broke on Saturday afternoon I'm sure I wasn't alone in expressing my initial surprise.
  My first thought. You Asda be kidding?
  Memories of my early days in the Asda press office sprung to mind when in 2004 Safeway was up for grabs and t
  
  Read more

• 'You Asda be kidding' - reaction to the proposed merger with Sainsbury's

  30-04-2018 12:16
  Weighing in  on the mooted supermarket merger that broke this weekend between Asda and Sainsbury's is Dom Burch, Asda's former senior director of marketing innovation and new revenue and the founder and managing director of Why Social.
  When the news broke on Saturday afternoon I'm sure I wasn't alone in expressing my initial surprise.
  My first thought. You Asda be kidding?
  Memories of my early days in the Asda press office sprung to mind when in 2004 Safeway was up for grabs and t
  
  Read more

• Three UK brand chief on why Snapchat was vital to its bizarre Puggerfly campaign

  30-04-2018 12:00
  Three UK last week unveiled its new ad campaign underlining its data binges on Snapchat by uncaging a new mascot, the pug-butterfly mascot called the Puggerfly on the app. This was part of a “true partnership” with Snapchat said Katrina Ward-Smith, director of brand and communications at Three UK.
  Web users were driven to the augmented reality pet from the campaign’s work across all platforms, with Snapchat sitting at the epicentre of the creative. The mobil
  
  Read more

• Porsche24: it’s about the road, not the destination

  30-04-2018 11:56
  Porsche Netherlands created a loyalty programme that allows you to earn rewards and privileges by driving rather than spending money. From special routes and tickets for exclusive events to driver training programmes: the Porsche24 app.
  Background
  Porsche Netherlands asked the Dutch agencies Kraftwerk (linked by Isobar) and Newcraft to develop a loyalty programme for all Porsche drivers in the Netherlands, not just those registered at an official Porsche dealer. But how do you create a loya
  
  Read more

• What a seven-year-old can teach you about segmentation

  30-04-2018 11:41
  My seven-year-old consciously adapts his voice, words, and communication style to suit who he talks to. Marketers today (especially those with digital in their title) focus so much on tactics that they’ve forgotten about strategy. Segmentation is at the heart of marketing. Who are your customers? What are their needs? How do we communicate with them in a way that resonates and incites action?
  By concentrating all your efforts and energy on a market segment you can create competitive advant
  
  Read more

• Why Standard Chartered is refreshing its global brand identity after eight years

  30-04-2018 11:33
  Banking giant Standard Chartered is refreshing its branding identity globally after eight years to tackle the problems that stand in the way of global prosperity and commerce.
  Originally called ‘Here for good’ when it was launched in 2010, the bank wanted to show how it could be a force for good by promoting economic activity that has a positive social impact. Its new brand campaign, titled ‘Good enough will never change the world’, aims to build on the progress that &lsq
  
  Read more

• Mother made a spoof song for Woman's Hour that fights back against online trolls

  30-04-2018 11:28 via campaignlive.co.uk
  Four women who were victims of trolling are reclaiming their online identities through a campaign by Mother airing on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour.
  
  Read more

• ‘Growth hacking’ is a long con that will only lose you millions

  30-04-2018 11:01
  If you have to ask the bank for a loan every year to stay in business, you are not running a successful company. The same is true if the bank is a VC investor.
  In recent years, the term ‘growth hacking’ has become popular in the high-tech world. But is it the best approach? Let’s compare growth hacking to what I will call ‘marketing’ in terms of what builds the most profitable companies over time.
  What is growth hacking?
  “Growth” can refer to an increase
  
  Read more

• Creative Works EMEA featuring 18 Feet & Rising, JWT London, Nord DDB and more

  30-04-2018 11:01
  Welcome to The Drum Creative Works, supported by Workfront.
  As always, this section is dedicated to showing the best creative work of the past week from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 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 Creativ
  
  Read more

• Michael Richards takes up position as Unlimited Group MD

  30-04-2018 10:56
  Independent agency Unlimited Group has confirmed its appointment of Michael Richards as group managing director with immediate effect, cementing a recent wave of change which has already seen it complete a restructure and rebrand around seven core disciplines.
  Richards has been tasked with capitalizing on the opportunities presented by this shift, applying his expertise as an entrepreneur responsible for launching his own water brand as well as a successful career at VCCP where he served as inte
  
  Read more

• Copa90 nets £70m valuation following investment by Dalian Wanda’s Infront Sports

  30-04-2018 10:34
  Digital football platform Copa90 has netted a 10% cash investment from Infront Sports, the Dalian Wanda owned marketing group, to finance international growth ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
  The deal values Copa90 at £70m following a succession of investments from the likes of Turner, Liberty Global and Major League Soccer, all of which are now major shareholders.
  Bolstered by these resources Copa90 will field no less than 300 correspondents to the sporting extravaganza, w
  
  Read more

• China smartphone market hit by declines in shipments

  30-04-2018 10:23
  Smartphone shipments in China have dropped more than 21% to 91 million units, marking the biggest ever decline.
  Eight of the top 10 smartphone brands were hit by the declines with Oppo and Vivo bearing the brunt of the hits with shipments falling 10% to 18 million and 15 million respectively. Samsung, Gionee and Meizu all recorded drops in shipments, which shrunk to less than half of their respective Q1 2017 numbers.
  Xiaomi was the only company to experience growth, with shipments up 37% to 12 m
  
  Read more

• Vice to collaborate with Go-Jek for a series of feature films in Indonesia

  30-04-2018 10:16
  Vice Media is releasing its first feature film in Indonesia through a partnership with ride-sharing company Go-Jek.
  The film, titled ‘When we dance’, is directed by Joko Anwar and is scheduled to be released at the end of 2019.
  The partnership will also see both companies collaborate on original content including ‘Underdogs’, a sports documentary series that focuses on athletes rising above challenges to achieve greatness. Another series, which will be called ‘Upsta
  
  Read more

Follow @marketing_UKnws on Twitter!