The Drum
Lingerie firm Ann Summers has retained brand consultancy Propaganda -- a partnership which has helped the retailer arrest a decline in footfall over the last 18 months. The extended relationship, first established in Autumn 2013, will see Propaganda continue to shape the brand's positioning as the "go-to pleasure retailer," while widening its target customers.
Media Week
EE has launched an ad featuring Kevin Bacon and two Gogglebox stars to promote its new TV service. The ad, by Saatchi & Saatchi London, shows Bacon arriving by helicopter "with a big package" to Christopher Steed and Stephen Webb's house in Brighton. He tells them about the new EE TV box over a cup of tea. At the end, Bacon requests Steed's pink shorts as a thank-you for his visit, and he leaves via the helicopter.
Campaign
Ciaran Quilty, the small to medium-sized business regional director for EMEA at Facebook, told Campaign that the launch of the Ads Manager app is a response to customer feedback asking for more mobile tools. The app, which is available from today for iOS, will allow businesses to create ads, track ads, manage ad budgets, look at the performance of their ads, and receive push notifications. Quilty said that an increasing number of businesses had been asking Facebook to create a "simple, easy and effective" way to use the site for ads.
The Drum
Companies engaged in cold calling potential customers could be in line for hefty fines of as much as GBP500k in future as part of a fresh regulatory clampdown on the nuisance practice. Taking effect from 6 April, the toughened rules will lower the requirement on the Information Commissioner's Office to prove that unsolicited communications by phone or text cause "substantial" damage or distress to the recipient before they can act. Instead they will be able to respond immediately and target board-level executives behind the firms responsible.
The Drum
Royal Mail has purchased StoreFeeder, the firm which built its consumer and small business shipping tool Click and Drop, for an undisclosed fee. The StoreFeeder acquisition will see the firm working on improving the Click and Drop tools which enable eBay sellers to print Royal Mail postage labels without manually inputting the address of each buyer. StoreFeeder will continue to serve its existing clients.
The Drum
The Football League is giving football fans on Twitter the chance to decide the colour of the famous Wembley arch as part of a unique first in the build up to Sunday's Capital One Cup Final between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The League is tracking the use of two designated hashtags on Twitter throughout this week -- #ChelseaAtWembley and #SpursAtWembley. The hashtag that receives most use will be declared the winner and the arch will be lit up in that club's colours the night before the Capital One Cup Final.
Campaign
The charity, which works to help more men survive prostate cancer and enjoy a better quality of life, wants to engage men through its multi-dimensional campaigns. After the appointment of the digital creative agency Zone last year, the organisation's Men United campaign engaged more than 200,000 people. The concept hinges on the proposition of "keeping friendships alive." It is now seeking an agency with experience across a range of direct marketing and, in particular, direct-response TV, direct mail and online.
Marketing
Central Saint Martins has launched the "London is Changing" campaign, using digital billboards to highlight personal stories about the city's housing crisis. The project aims to convey London's sense of flux as residents struggle to pay rent, get a foot on the housing market or chase a better quality of life. As part of the campaign, two digital billboards in Holborn and the City are displaying quotes from current or former Londoners who have had to move out of the city for financial reasons, or into the city to chase work.
The Drum
Pepsi is looking to drive sales at the newest addition to its soft drinks stable with the introduction of marketing campaign to push Pepsi Max Cherry, a fruity twist on its popular cola drink. The drink is being pushed via a through the line marketing campaign including 6-sheets and bus wraps promoting the fizzy drinks "Maximum Cherry, No Sugar" pitch. The new thirst quenching option will also be communicated to consumers via in-store activation and activity on the brand's social media channels.
Media Week
Total Media has been tasked with growing Wiggle's brand awareness among new and existing cyclists. The incumbent was Shift Active. The agency will manage an integrated range of offline and online media planning and buying, including TV, national press, OOH and digital display. Total will work alongside BBD Perfect Storm, Wiggle's creative agency, for campaigns in the UK and Australia.