Jewellery group Signet, formerly Ratners, is reviewing its advertising in the wake of lacklustre Christmas sales. Marketing director Dianne Thompson, who joined the company last year from Woolworths, has spoken to a number of agencies and is drawing up a shortlist. However, the company would not indicate which agencies are on the list or the […]
The former marketing director of Dillons, Julian Rivers, has resigned from parent company Pentos, where he was due to take up the position of commercial development director. Rivers was replaced as Dillons’ marketing director last year by Stephen Dunn, poached from Thornton’s, the chocolate manufacturer and retailer. Rivers was offered the development role at the […]
Retailers issued a stream of upbeat Christmas trading statements this week. Storehouse, The Body Shop and Argos – which reported a 17 per cent improvement on sales compared with the same period last year – all did better than expected.
In the lean Nineties, the emphasis of corporate entertainment is shifting. The traditional boundaries between corporate hospitality and sales incentives are coming down, to form hybrid entertainment packages. These changes could spell lots mor
Now that Lever is to launch a “competitor” to Persil Power, in New Generation Persil, it will be a matter of time before the brand is killed off altogether. The decision to announce the launch of New Generation Persil last week was made to coincide with the launch of rival Ariel Future, Procter & Gamble’s […]
The Observer looks set for yet another relaunch when a new editor replaces Jonathan Fenby, who resigned last week. The Sunday paper is looking to reverse its news-based strategy by raising the profile of its features, interviews and themed sections, which have failed to convince enough readers to buy the newspaper, say sources at the […]
Last week we asked, is Saatchi & Saatchi cracking up? In this week’s switchback instalment of the fairground saga, we might just as well ask the question of Saatchi the brothers as Saatchi plc.
Only weeks after the launch of Mastercard’s TV branding campaign, rival Visa has begun a four-week burst pushing its own debit card. The TV ads, which have been created by Saatchi & Saatchi, use word games to illustrate the voice-over. The picture, above, illustrates `a count’. The ads are the first since last year’s Denis […]
Slimmers can buy the first guilt-free, low-calorie indulgence chocolate bar, Lo Gold, this week, according to manufacturers Leaf UK. Leaf says it is the first confectionery of its type to be aimed at the mainstream chocolate countline market. The caramel and chocolate flavour truffle sweet has only 129 calories in each 35g bar. Leaf says […]
Simon Mallalieu, the former sales and marketing director of Lyons Cakes who left to become managing director of holiday firm Wallace Arnold, has left the post after three months. Mallalieu, who also headed sales and marketing for Wallace Arnold, was appointed following a major restructure last summer after the company’s first half losses increased to […]
Gone are the days when your pet would have to make do with a plate of leftovers and a night in the shed. Now, cats and dogs rule the roost.
The Advertising Standards Authority says that the new combined advertising and sales promotion code is an attempt to head off restrictive legislation from Brussels and Whitehall. John Hooper, chairman of the CAP, says: “We know that there are those in Brussels and Strasbourg who would rather legislate than self-regulate, we in Britain must demonstrate that […]
Having lost the opening rounds in the Saatchi versus Saatchi battle there is reason to believe that Saatchi & Saatchi plc is recovering its position. It could be argued that after losing a dozen staff, clients worth about ú85m announcing reviews and experiencing a share price collapse, the situation could only get better for Charles […]
Two Way TV has appointed promotions specialist Curtis Hoy to work on the consumer launch of the interactive TV system now scheduled for June. “Curtis Hoy’s brief is to devise activities including a roadshow and joint promotions with Radio Rentals and Granada to boost sales,” Two Way TV sales and marketing head Peter Cowie says. […]
The article about Penguin’s 60th anniversary (MW January 6) reported accurately on many of the promotion and publicity activities we will be undertaking to celebrate this year, but fared less well in its reporting of Penguin’s financial situation. The implication of the quoted figures is that, to use your reporter’s phrase, “investment in Penguin is […]