An advert for what can go wrong in ad-land December 11, 2019 One of the grandest advertising agencies has lost some of its grandest names. Co-founder (and until last night, executive director) Maurice Saatchi joins Lord Michael Dobbs, Sir Michael Peat and Lorna Tilbian in a boardroom exodus. M&C Saatchi chairman Jeremy Sinclair said “we have accepted the decision of these directors to resign.” No thanks for the [...]
Are the televised election debates a waste of time in their current format? December 11, 2019 Are the televised election debates a waste of time in their current format? Stuart Thomson, head of public affairs at BDB Pitmans, says YES. Despite everyone’s hopes, the televised leadership debates have been a complete damp squib. They have been a waste of everyone’s time, revealing little that we didn’t already know and failing to [...]
How Iceland found the perfect Christmas campaign formula December 11, 2019 Twas the month before Christmas (in 2018), and the festive cheer was seemingly “cancelled” for British frozen food giant Iceland. “We’re absolutely gutted,” a defeated Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, told the BBC. “We wanted to share this message far and wide.” Well, for Richard, Christmas miracles are very much real. This particular miracle began when [...]
BBC wins battle for social media buzz as streaming giants lag behind December 11, 2019 Traditional broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV are winning the battle to create a buzz around new shows, as they generate more social media chatter than their streaming rivals. Figures published today by market research firm Kantar revealed that the BBC generated more tweets than any other broadcaster in the year to the end [...]
Pub chain censured after ads implied booze could boost confidence December 11, 2019 The advertising watchdog has taken aim at a UK pub chain over adverts deemed to encourage excessive drinking and imply alcohol could cure shyness. Read more: Peloton’s ‘sexist’ advert was so bad it sent shares crashing Blackrose, which operates roughly 40 boozers across the country, posted adverts on Facebook about three of its pubs. In [...]
SailGP is aiming to make a splash in its second year after the arrival of Sir Ben Ainslie December 10, 2019 If the first season of SailGP was about making a splash and proving that there is an audience for the sport, then the second is about expansion. The worldwide sailing series, the brainchild of American software billionaire Larry Ellison and former world champion yachtsman Sir Russell Coutts, enjoyed a successful first season this year. Teams [...]
The best and worst political adverts of the General Election 2019 campaign December 9, 2019 It is the holiday season, and every day another Christmas advertising campaign drops. But this year, a festive election is happening for the first time in 96 years — and whether we like it or not, it’s hanging over everything. In no particular order, and with a pinch of non-partisan cynicism, here are some honest [...]
Competition watchdog intervenes in Daily Mail’s takeover of i newspaper December 6, 2019 The competition watchdog today said it has served an initial enforcement order as it reviews the Daily Mail’s £50m takeover of the i newspaper. Read more: Daily Mail owner buys i newspaper for £50m The order, also known as a hold separate arrangement, means parent company Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) will be forced [...]
Daily Mail owner takes profit hit as it revamps portfolio in digital shift December 5, 2019 The Daily Mail’s parent company has reported a sharp fall in pre-tax profit for the full year, days after it snapped up the i newspaper for £50m. Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) posted a 21 per cent drop in pre-tax profit to £145m in the year to the end of September, while revenue slipped [...]
Iain Duncan Smith: ‘We don’t have champagne socialists here’ December 4, 2019 On the campaign with… Iain Duncan Smith Labour has made no secret of its plan to unseat former Conservative leader and minister Iain Duncan Smith in favour of Corbynite candidate Faiza Shaheen. Hundreds of the hard-left Momentum group’s activists have been diverted into Chingford and Wood Green in the past few weeks in the hope [...]