Metrobus in row with BTA over share

Marketing Week

Metrobus, the bus contractor which evolved from Primesight two years ago, has thrown the already turbulent bus advertising market into further turmoil by capturing a large slice of British Transport Advertising’s portfolio. Metrobus has won the 4,000 strong Badgerline Group contract, which accounts for about 25 per cent of BTA’s business. However, industry observers have […]

Telegraph gets its wires crossed

Marketing Week

The Telegraph has been making claims about The Times which might be expected from a rattled competitor but which are at best selective (MW December 1) The Telegraph has been the leader in the daily broadsheet market for many decades since it cut its cover price to below The Times, in fact. But brand leadership […]

VYING FOR PROMOTION

Marketing Week

In the premier league of consumer goods, a promotion battle is fought out every day as special offers flood the shelves. And the results are good: this summer, items under promotion accounted for 20 per cent of the value of the average British

Saatchi: When the magic ended

Marketing Week

The Saatchi brothers are, or were, the nearest thing advertising had to a royal family. Their indisputable achievements were surrounded by an aura of mystique and prestige, knowingly and assiduously cultivated by themselves. Like Bagehot’s celebrated dictum on royalty, they determined never to let daylight in on the magic for fear of dissolving it. And […]

Zenith regains 5m from Mars

Marketing Week

Zenith Media has clawed back 5m of Mars brands from rival media buyers days after Maurice Saatchi was ousted from Zenith parent Saatchi & Saatchi plc. The realignment is a signal that Mars’s year-long disagreement with Zenith over its winning of the 5m Terry’s Suchard business is now over. However, the decision appears to have […]

Shopping statistics underline lack of loyalty

Marketing Week

More than half of shoppers are addicted to bargain hunting in sales, according to a new report entitled “The Promiscuous Shopper”, commissioned by loyalty specialist Air Miles. Northerners are generally more enthusiastic about shopping than their southern counterparts: for example, 51 per cent of the former agree with the statement “Shopping is fun”, compared with […]

Intel press apology over Pentium chip draws huge user response

Marketing Week

Intel, the computer chip maker, took out a series of full-page advertisements over Christmas which apologised for a marketing blunder. The worldwide press ads, issued on December 22, said it wanted to “sincerely apologise for our handling of the recently publicised Pentium processor flaw.” It answered criticism from users, PC makers and the press after […]

Shopping statistics underline lack of loyalty

Marketing Week

More than half of shoppers are addicted to bargain hunting in sales, according to a new report entitled “The Promiscuous Shopper”, commissioned by loyalty specialist Air Miles. Northerners are generally more enthusiastic about shopping than their southern counterparts: for example, 51 per cent of the former agree with the statement “Shopping is fun”, compared with […]

C4 set to tackle women’s mags

Marketing Week

Channel 4 is to tackle the women’s magazine market head-on with a determined initiative to win revenue from advertisers targeting women. It aims to become an authority on women’s media consumption. The broadcaster has commissioned qualitative research, which will be presented at a seminar, Talking To Women, in London on February 3. Speakers will include […]

Option One about to appoint new md

Marketing Week

Sales promotion agency Option One is understood to be on the verge of appointing a managing director, a role currently held by the agency’s chairman Bob Bayley. Sources close to the board of Option One owner Gold Greenlees Trott claim the new md would be virtually imposed on the agency after concern over its performance […]

Saatchi in Mars crisis talks

Marketing Week

Saatchi & Saatchi is having crisis talks with the Mars management this week in a desperate attempt to hold on to its business following the spectacular departure of Maurice Saatchi.

Who is doing the exploitation?

Marketing Week

The copyright article by John Shannon of Grey International (MW December 9) raised a number of serious questions which deserve a serious response. His article appeared to be all about agencies needing to “combat exploitation” by clients. He talks about agencies being “vulnerable” and “not paid appropriately” and the “need for early action to protect […]