Sir Martin Sorrell defends £63m pay package amid fears of 2016 shareholder spring: “If WPP does well, I do well” April 18, 2016 Sir Martin Sorrell, the founder and chief executive of WPP, has defended his £63m pay package. Sorrell was a victim of the so-called shareholder spring in 2012, with 60 per cent of WPP shareholders rejecting his £6.8m pay that year. There was also a repeat in 2014 when 28 per cent voted against his remuneration [...]
Mobile is a hot topic (again) as Advertising Week Europe comes to town April 18, 2016 "This will be the year of mobile” has been a multi-year meme in the ad industry, but there’s some logic to it. Since the first iPhone captured consumers’ imaginations in 2007, each subsequent year has truly been the year of mobile, with app developers inventing new uses for these palm-sized computers, marketers observing how these devices [...]
Making global local: Maxus’s Lindsay Pattison talks India, inequality and the long term April 18, 2016 "Media is the fastest growing area of marketing. We are the link now between advertising and sale, and everyone wants a piece of the action,” says Lindsay Pattison, global chief executive of Maxus. The fourth arm of WPP’s Group M – the world’s largest advertising media company, which buys one in every three adverts sold – [...]
CNBC International targets business thirst for news from China as bullish boss backs network to succeed in multiplatform media world April 14, 2016 China's economy may have been an area of concern for many in the business world so far this year. But for CNBC, the US-founded international business news broadcaster, it represents an opportunity. The international business community's "thirst" for news from China is growing. And CNBC wants to be there to provide it – despite the political challenges of working in the country. [...]
Peppa Pig maker Entertainment One denies ITV takeover approach, but sees share price jump April 14, 2016 Shares in Entertainment One leapt this morning following claims ITV is considering a takeover bid for the Peppa Pig owner. But the Canadian film distributor, which has a market valuation of $964m (£683m), denied reports of the approach. It told shareholders this morning: "Entertainment One notes the press speculation regarding a potential offer. No approach has been received by [...]
What’s in a name? isobel’s Paul Houlding talks independence, supercharging and bacon April 11, 2016 Sometimes in advertising, you need to be wrong to be right – to produce a tension,” says Paul Houlding, managing partner and co-founder of independent creative shop isobel. It’s that kind of thinking which led him and his three partners to christen their agency with the middle name shared by their daughters when they started [...]
Neuroscience is great, but advertising needs more rule-breakers April 11, 2016 As a species, humans hate uncertainty and love rules. When it comes to the big questions in life, such as “why are we here?”, history shows that we’d far rather make something up, or at the very least develop a theory, than simply admit to ignorance. Uncertainty is a disquieting feeling. However much we might [...]
O consumer, where art thou? Near founder Anil Mathews on location intelligence and Facebook’s Free Basics April 4, 2016 It was once said that you can tell a lot about a man by his shoes. With today’s levels of smartphone penetration, you can probably tell more by his location data. By tracking the consumer’s journey both online and in the real world, location intelligence platforms are able to identify travellers, shoppers, students and other segmented [...]
Porn-no more for Richard Desmond as he sells adult entertainment network Portland TV for less than £1m April 1, 2016 Richard Desmond, the owner of the Daily Express and Daily Star newspapers, has sold his adult entertainment network. Northern and Shell has announced the sale of Portland TV, the company behind Television X and Red Hot, for less than £1m as part of a management buy-out deal. Read more: Desmond hopes Mirror boss "Fox off" [...]
Former New York Times editor Jill Abramson to join Guardian as political columnist March 28, 2016 The former executive editor of the New York Times, Jill Abramson, will formally join the Guardian's US arm as a political columnist, the newspaper announced today. "For over 40 years, Jill has been a trailblazer for women in journalism, and brings an unparalleled knowledge of the relationship between politics and the media in the US," Lee [...]