As culture secretary John Whittingdale enters the ad blocking debate, will regulation help? March 7, 2016 Last week, culture secretary John Whittingdale branded ad blocking companies as a “modern day protection racket”, recognising the existential threat which the tech poses to the music and publishing industries. Whitelisting, which sees ad blocking firms approve the advertising of those willing to pay them for the privilege, came in for particular criticism. “My natural political [...]
Facing the muzak: Imagesound’s Derek Mapp talks jazz, Aim and Black Sabbath March 7, 2016 Lift music, or muzak, has got a bad name. But since the 60s, studies have found that in-store background music directly affects customer shopping behaviour and the amount they spend. With the high street relying more and more on a better shopping experience, ambience is everything. In 1998, angel investor Derek Mapp helped to found Muzak [...]
In pictures: Rupert Murdoch marries Jerry Hall with Fleet Street wedding ceremony attended by Bob Geldof, Michael Caine, Andrew Lloyd Webber and other friends March 5, 2016 Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and actress Jerry Hall have held a ceremony to celebrate their marriage at a church near Fleet Street. Friends and family of the couple, including actor Michael Caine, musician Bob Geldof and artist Tracey Emin gathered at St Bride's Church – known as the "journalist's church" – in London. Read more: Can [...]
As Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch walk down the aisle, we sum up weddings in numbers: from venue costs and gift lists to tax tips for married couples and engagement ring costs March 4, 2016 Love is in the air, especially if you're in London. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and supermodel Jerry Hall have, according to various reports, tied the knot today at Spencer House. The two seem like a financially-savvy pair so we're sure they'd appreciate knowing these numbers behind weddings: 1. Friends and family thinking about their budget for [...]
ITV shares dip despite broadcaster reporting rising revenue, profit growth, special dividend ahead of expected Euro football ad boost March 2, 2016 ITV’s shares dipped this morning after reporting a worse-than-expected outlook for the first quarter of 2016, despite a strong set of full year results. Total revenue across the company was £2.97bn, up from £2.59bn in 2014. The company reported a six per cent growth in net advertising revenue to £1.72bn. Online, pay and interactive revenue, meanwhile, was up [...]
BBC’s self-regulating trust should be scrapped, independent report by former Bank of England deputy governor finds March 1, 2016 The BBC’s self-regulating body, the BBC Trust, should be scrapped, a new independent report has suggested. Sir David Clementi, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, was tasked with conducting the review into how the BBC is regulated and governed as part of the Government's review of the corporation’s Royal Charter. He has recommended today that the BBC Trust [...]
Trinity Mirror chief executive Simon Fox: If New Day is not profitable by 2017 “we’d have to consider its future very carefully” February 29, 2016 The future of the New Day newspaper will be considered “very carefully” if it's not profitable by 2017, Trinity Mirror's chief executive has said. Speaking to City A.M., Simon Fox also suggested there will be further consolidation in the newspaper industry in the coming years. Fox said New Day, launched today by the company, is [...]
As New Day dawns, Trinity Mirror reports statutory fall in revenue and operating profit February 29, 2016 Publisher Trinity Mirror announced falls in revenue and operating profit as it launched its New Day newspaper today. The company’s pre-tax profits dropped from £81.6m to £67.2m in the year to 27 December 2015. And its revenue was down seven per cent to £592.7m. Trinity Mirror said that on an adjusted basis its operating profit was [...]
The rate of change: Oliver’s Simon Martin on speed, Starbucks and the in-house model February 29, 2016 Whether it’s time to market or a reactive social campaign, speed is of the essence in business today. But while a catalyst remains unchanged after accelerating a chemical reaction, marketing agencies must transform to meet the evolving needs of their clients. “We created all the content around educating Starbucks customers about pre-ordering their drinks,” says Simon [...]
Being seen: Reducing the risks around viewability February 29, 2016 Last month, it was announced that online ad fraud is expected to cost brands $7.2bn globally in 2016, because of an infiltration of botnets, networks of computers infected with malicious software. There is a very real risk that ads are not being seen and media spend is being wasted. What differentiates smart marketers from the rest [...]