United News & Media, owner of Express Newspapers, is to make 220 staff redundant by the end of the year. City analysts are speculating the redundancies are in longer term preparation for a sale of the ailing national newspaper group.
The Diary can’t help feeling a touch sorry for Matthew Foster, senior account manager at JWT Manchester. He turned up at a model casting session for the latest executions for The Manchester Evening News and was probably more than a little chuffed when the photographer rejected all the models and opted to use Foster instead. […]
Procter & Gamble is relaunching its Insignia range with an estimated 3m campaign, through EURO RSCG. The ten-year-old brand has lain dormant for almost three years, without any marketing support, while P&G concentrated most of its attention on
Nick Birt recently beat more than 3,600 colleagues to land the Automobile Association’s (AA) prestigious title Patrol of the Year. To achieve this, he had to prove his skills in customer care, technical know-how, first aid, driving techniques and media relations. Birt won himself and his family a holiday in Malaysia and Singapore, with 1,000 […]
US estimates suggest Warner Brothers will have used almost $60m of media exposure from Warner and its promotional partners to support the release of Batman Forever. The company has used the movie’s release to relaunch – in effect – the Batman brand. The second movie, Batman Returns directed by Tim Burton, was deemed too dark […]
Power is shifting from seller to buyer as markets become saturated and the public tires of advertisers’ wiles. How will marketers cope when they find themselves subject to the ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ of a new ruling class – the consumers?
A wave of high expectation in the City has boosted the share price of a number of media companies such as Reuters, BSkyB and Mirror Group
French ferry company SNAT’s rebirth as SeaFrance will be the catalyst for the biggest structural change in the cross-channel market since Eurotunnel ran its first passenger train. SNAT is the cross-channel arm of French state railway SNCF. Its decision to go it alone marks the end of a 26-year Dover-Calais pooling arrangement or “marriage of […]
Ronald McDonald is more famous than Jesus, if the latest research is to be believed. The trademark symbols for Shell and McDonald’s are more globally recognisable than the Christian cross, according to research conducted for the International Olympic Committee. In a survey of 7,000 people in six countries, 88 per cent identified the two commercial […]
NHS Loto, the lottery organisation which relaunched in June (MW May 12), plans to add retail sales to its direct distribution. It will begin testing on-line terminals in the London area from October in 1,000 independent and small multiple retailers. It aims to roll out the terminals to 5,000 stores by the end of the […]
Cardiff-based brewer SA Brain has appointed MBA to help with its national roll-out of premium cask-conditioned ale, Brain’s SA. The account is claimed to be worth up to 2m, although details of the budget and strategy have yet to be finalised. The initial spend is likely to be considerably less. MBA saw off competition from […]
US estimates suggest Warner Brothers will have used almost $60m of media exposure from Warner and its promotional partners to support the release of Batman Forever. The company has used the movie’s release to relaunch – in effect – the Batman brand. The second movie, Batman Returns directed by Tim Burton, was deemed too dark […]
Stena Sealink is considering adding a fifth high-speed ferry to its key Dover-Calais route after its French pooling part ner, SNAT, pulled two ferries to form SeaFrance P&O, which runs five passenger ferries between Dover and Calais, has rejected fast ferries as not viable. Stena Sealink also says it will add an extra superferry to […]
Guinness Brewing Worldwide is understood to be seeking a new product development (npd) chief. According to sources, the brewing company has hired a headhunting firm to help it fill the 70,000 post. The job, as worldwide director of npd, is expected to be based at the Guinness Ireland operation which houses the Guin ness Brewing […]
Opel, General Motors’ European subsidary, has struck a deal with MTV Europe which will result in the production of 2,000 limited edition MTV Summertime Tigra cars. The licensing arrangement is part of an integrated package to support Opel’s sponsorship of MTV’s summer programming. It is the first time this type of deal has been secured […]