Never a brand to miss out on a PR stunt, Paddy Power is celebrating the pope's forthcoming visit to Ireland with a drive-through confession box, "Campaign" writes.

"Marketing Week" has an interesting read on how the uneasy partnership between brands and retailers is causing an increasing number of businesses to go direct to consumers in a bid to own the relationship with the end user. It means foregoing retailer revenue but, the article suggests, allows brands to pitch new products at more affordable price points.

Women's magazines were particularly hard hit in July's ABC figures, "Press Gazette" reports. "Cosmopolitan" was down 25% year-on-year, while "Marie Claire" saw a 21% decline.

James Cordon is famous both sides of the Atlantic, but the new marketing head at Confused.com felt his charisma was "distracting" from its brand message. Hence, the insurance comparison site has dropped the chat show host and tv actor in its latest campaign, "The Drum" reveals.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into suspicions that some social media influencers are not declaring posts have been paid for, "The Mirror" reveals. It is not known yet which influencers and celebrities have been contacted to disclose details about their posting.

Having stood by American news media outlets that yesterday co-ordinated editorials to oppose Trump labelling them as "the enemy of the people," "The Guardian" today reports on the President's furious backlash. It also reveals that the Senate passed a motion to declare "the press is not the enemy of the people".

The company behind AdBlock Plus has released a list of mobile ad formats it will allow its users to see, "Campaign" reports. No ad must fill more than 50% of the screen. Sticky ads are allowed at the bottom of the page and they are also allowed to feature animations.

Saatchi & Saatchi has won Betway's advertising account in a competitive pitch that followed the bookmaker parting companies with Above and Beyond in March, Campaign reports.

The latest round of ABC figures show that Metro, the free newspaper, was the only paper to see a growth in year-on-year distribution this July, "Press Gazette" reports.

The latest circulation figures from ABC are bad news for magazines, "Campaign" reports. TI Media, formerly Time Inc, saw a combined circulation drop of 11% across its portfolio, year-on-year, while Hearst magazines dropped 8%. Bauer saw a 3% decline.