Campaign
Refinery29, the WPP-backed digital media company for Millennial women, has struck its first video-on-demand deal after agreeing to show its content on Sky. The agency will deliver short-form content to Sky Q's online video section, which is grouped by theme for users to find entertainment from around the Internet.
Marketing Week
A new report by WPP marketing agency The Partners, seen exclusively by "Marketing Week," claims that "British brands are experiencing an identity crisis" in the wake of Brexit. It argues that the referendum result is a "compounding factor" within a longer-term trend that has led many brands to underplay their Britishness.
Telegraph
Twitter trolls who have been suspended from the social network will be blocked from creating new accounts in a crackdown on cyberbullying. The company will screen users when they sign up to the service for signs that they might be a repeat offender, in an attempt to curb abuse with a more effective ban for life.
Campaign
Omnicom's capture of Procter & Gamble and Volkswagen media accounts last year has helped the US advertising giant secure a return to growth, while UK revenue was up 4.9%.
Campaign
O2's Chief Marketing Officer Nina Bibby has joined calls for third-party oversight of digital ad-viewing metrics as she prepares to chair the jury for this year's UK Effie awards. Asked about P&G CMO Marc Pritchard's speech last week on media transparency, Bibby agreed that media agencies had a vital role to play in ensuring that brands could have confidence in their digital advertising.
Sky News
Aldi has overtaken the Co-op to become Britain's fifth-largest supermarket -- underscoring the rapid growth of discount grocery stores. Industry data from Kantar Worldpanel showed sales at the German-owned retailer rose 12.4% to GBP1.72bn in the 12 weeks up to 29 January. That took its share of the UK grocery market to 6.2% -- above the Co-op's 6%.
Campaign
WPP has grouped all its health-oriented specialist agencies under a new umbrella: WPP Health & Wellness. The sub-holding company will be led by global chief executive Mike Hudnall, formerly global client leader for WPP and chief executive of Team Pfizer.
The Telegraph
Social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter could face fines of up to GBP2 million for failing to stem harassment on their platforms if a new bill introduced to parliament becomes law. A Private Members Bill introduced by Labour MP Anna Turley suggests social media companies should have to police abuse on their platforms.
The Telegraph
BT has backed Google in its competition battle with Brussels over the tech giant's smartphone operating system, Android, in an intervention that signals the nervousness of mobile operators over the power of Apple. Britain's biggest mobile operator has written to the European Commission, rejecting antitrust charges it has levied against Google.
Marketing Week
Snap Inc has admitted that it faces a challenge in convincing advertisers of the veracity of its ad business as it files for a $3bn (GBP2.4bn) IPO that could be one of the largest by a tech firm in years. In its filing, Snapchat's owner says advertising accounted for 98% and 96% of its total revenue in 2015 and 2016, respectively.