Sega, the computer games giant, has appointed McCann-Erickson to handle its pan-European advertising account previously held by WCRS. Sega claims that it will spend up to £30m behind the brand across Europe. The account historically has been worth £25m including sales promotion and direct marketing although sources suggest that £25m was an inflated figure. McCann-Erickson’s […]
DIY firm Wickes’ agency, Lowe Howard-Spink, placed a TV commercial on Monday night after Brookside. The advertisement parodied the trailers for the Channel 4 soap, which promised the revelation of a dead body under the Jordaches’ patio. The agency began producing the ad last Wednesday. It featured a Harry Enfield voice-over with the `Scousers’ character […]
ITV’s refusal to advertise the Mirror Group’s Big Break game-card promotion has caused a storm of controversy, especially in the light of its decision to run ads for a similar initiative for The Sunday Times. But is ITV churlishly exercising p
Bates Communications has won the 500,000 advertising acc-ount for factory outlet developer BAA McArthur/Glen UK after pitching against Grey London, BMP4 and GD&O.
One of the reasons why direct marketing agencies and clients avoid conventional market research techniques for pre-testing and evaluation is that they are often misleading. The advertising creatives who are “notoriously wary of the use of research to pre-test their ideas” are behaving rationally and sensibly when they resist it. If the decision-makers involved had […]
Alitalia has awarded its $30m (ú20m) worldwide advertising account to Ogilvy & Mather, after a competitive pitch in Rome involving seven agencies.
Car rental company Hertz UK is to back its new “Hertz Price Promise” with a ú1m marketing budget, as the price war in the package holiday sector spills over into related leisure markets.
Lee Jeans will unveil a new cinema and TV campaign in March, which builds on the heritage of its jeanswear. The campaign, designed by Grey London, is set in New York City and is based around the construction of the Empire State Building in the Thirties. Featuring a handsome construction worker dressed in white T-shirt […]
UK newspaper stocks were firmer in an otherwise weak market after Rupert Murdoch said yesterday (Tuesday) that the cost of newsprint could begin to force up cover prices – signalling a possible end to the newspaper price war. The Scott Trust selection committee has shortlisted 11 journalists for the position of editor of The Observer. […]
Benetton’s latest legal wrangle with its German retailers was adjourned yesterday (Tuesday) until next month as new players emerged in the escalating franchise fracas. Benetton is suing German retailer Almondi to recover unpaid bills, but the eight-store franchise is making a counter submission that its business has been damaged by the Italian manufacturer’s controversial ad […]
In 1989, Benetton embarked on an advertising strategy to sell jumpers on the back of conscience-provoking images. Now it is in internicine warfare with its own retailers who claim the campaigns have damaged product sales and brand image.
Unilever is believed to be briefing retailers that the manganese technology used in its Persil Power brand will be revived once the furore over the product fades. The suggestion that Lever Brothers will return to the discredited technology will amaze those who have campaigned against it. But the indication is that having invested an estimated […]
First City.BBDO has hung on to its ú3.5m World of Leather advertising account, after pitching against Ogilvy & Mather.
The National Magazine Company and Cond Nast have reported strong ABCs – led by their men’s style magazines – following a period of aggressive marketing and promotional activity. Cond Nast’s GQ recorded a 25.7 per cent increase year-on-year to 126,227 in the July to December ABCs. It was followed by NatMags’ Esquire, which increased sales […]
WH Smith is to launch a new format in its high-street stores using a “project-based” approach which, it believes, has bolstered its ailing subsidiary, Do It All. In a new move under the “Project Enliven” review, WH Smith will group products under themed headings such as “Education” and “Home Office.” These could replace traditional sections […]