AdExchanger | Volkswagen wanted to be a more efficient and data-driven advertiser, but felt it lacked an objective partner to help it optimize media investments. “Our management was a little bit uncomfortable with our media agency managing metrics that would tell them we needed more TV, radio or whatever,” said David Galbraith, GM of brand management and... Continue reading » The post How MXM Brings Objectivity To Volkswagen’s Analytics appeared first on AdExchanger. ... read more

Stephen Quinn, the publishing director of British Vogue, is retiring from the fashion publisher after more than 26 years. He will continue in his role until the 22 December. News regarding his successor will be announced shortly. Quinn, who is now in his seventies, joined Condé Nast in 1988 from Hearst (Nat Mags in those days) to launch British GQ. Four years later, in 1992, he oversaw his first issue of Vogue as publishing director, with then editor Liz Tilberis. That same year Alexandra Shulman left her role as editor of GQ to join Vogue as editor. Quinn's and Shulman's working ... read more

In-house agency specialist Oliver has introduced a specialist healthcare arm through which it will offer strategic medical marketing services to healthcare brands. Oliver Healthcare will be led by managing director David Sawyer alongside customer experience director Andy Horrigan with offices in both Manchester and London. From there the team will offer a range of disease protection, awareness and product education solutions for the public and private sectors. Sayer and Horrigan will both report directly to Oliver group chief executive Sharon Whale. Oliver Group founder Simon Martin said: “There’s a clear need in the pharmaceutical sector for an approach that helps ... read more

Insurance firm Aviva has been hit with a ban from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over a campaign starring Formula One driver David Coulthard which the regulator said "encouraged dangerous driving".  Almost 60 members of the public complained about a TV ad which ran earlier this year, and showed the F1 star disguised as a taxi driver with passengers in the backseats. In the hero spot, and two shortened versions of it, the racer was shown driving at excessive speeds while performing stunts on public roads, with a voiceover stating at the end: "Paying for other peoples’ bad driving. There’s ... read more

This week has seen another wave of appointments and departures at brands, media owners and agencies. The Drum has rounded up the key moves from the EMEA, APAC and North America regions below.   Loading... Twitter Carl Anka has been appointed as associate partnerships manager at Twitter UK. He joins from working as a journalist for various outlets including Shortlist, BuzzFeed, Fact Mag and Joe. In his new role, Carl will be leading strategic partnerships with Twitter and UK broadcasters and news organisations. The Community London Ryan Lietaer has been appointed as managing director at The Community London. Lietaer joins the agency following ... read more

Paddy Power has come been condemned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after it was censured for its use of a ‘racist’ ad featuring boxer Floyd Mayweather, who it was also sponsoring in the run up to his prize fight against UFC alumni Connor McGregor. The controversial promotion saw the Irish betting firm use an image of the boxing champ alongside the caption ‘always bet on black’, running the campaign in London Evening Standard and Metro newspapers during the build-up to the boxers clash with UFC fighter Conor McGregor. This produced nine complaints from the general public, prompting the ASA to ... read more

Two thirds of the year have vanished at a faster rate than ever before. 2017 is coming to an end, and everyone in the media and advertising industry are enjoying the remainder of their summer nights, taking the last couple of breaths and sips of their tropical drinks before facing a daunting Q4 with soaring budgets, optimistic revenue targets and immense pressure from clients to make this their best year in the history of mankind. Before everyone (myself included) start stressing out, it makes sense to stop and take a quick into the crystal ball of 2018, and see what ... read more

The golden days of summer are over and as we find ourselves in a new season there’s an opportunity for some reflection before we hurtle towards the Christmas break at the speed of light. Today, the advertising business is evolving faster than seasons can change. And, while some changes are cyclical, in tune with the economic climate, others are structural, demanding fundamental shifts in the way the industry does business and putting increased pressure on existing models. Holding companies in particular are feeling that pressure in the wake of a disappointing first half of the year. They’ve felt the pinch ... read more

London-based businesses are gravitating toward the tech and creative sectors as the best places to secure growth over the next five years as firms adjust to a post-Brexit landscape. The CBI/CBRE London Business Survey found that 65% of business leaders supported technology and the arts, versus just 49% willing to put their money into financial services – the highest value category in the capital. In third spot Fintech received the backing of 47% of surveyed businesses. Overshadowing everything are negotiations for Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, of particular interest to a city where 88% of firms employ European workers, although ... read more

strong>Everyone is talking about ‘blockchain’ – but why? In this Q&A with ExchangeWire, Zheng Zhan, CEO and co-founder of EnvisionX, anticipates that the industry will very quickly move into blockchain technology to, ultimately, address the transparency and fraud issues – and why they’ve been a ‘headache’ for a long time now. ExchangeWire: You co-founded EnvisionX in 2014, what was your reason for starting the business? Zheng Zhan: The idea for EnvisionX was born when my co-founder Vlad Kushka and I felt that [...] The post Bringing Blockchain to Programmatic – Q&A with Zheng Zhang, CEO & Co-Founder, EnvisionX appeared first ... read more

Thomson has alerted holidaymakers to a major rebrand of the travel company in the coming weeks by way of a new television ad depicting a man diving into clear blue waters, alongside the message ‘Thomson is changing to TUI’. Broadcast during Saturday’s edition of the X-Factor the 20-second ad has been devised by Y&R as part of extensive efforts to minimise confusion amongst the UK public during Thomson’s transition to the TUI moniker. Jeremy Ellis, marketing director at TUI UK and Ireland commented: “The foundations for our re-brand are firmly in place and we are primed ready to become TUI.  We ... read more

Do you believe a child is a threat? A burden? Should never see their family again? These are the questions Unicef is asking in today's Ad of the Day.  Children, some who are refugees of war themselves, are asking viewers thought provoking questions in the latest film from Unicef, directed by Rankin. The spot sees children watching and wearing projections of the war and the upheavel is has caushed on families and the country.  In a bid to challenge the prejudice refugee children are facing each day, the viewer is asked if they believe "a child is a child no matter ... read more

Tata Group is all set to compete with Amazon and Alibaba in the online grocery sector as it plans to roll out pilot venture Starquik, as an online channel for Trent Hypermarket, an equal joint venture between Tata and British retailer Tesco, according to Economic Times. Amazon, which recently snapped up Whole Foods in fresh deal estimated at $13.7bn, is too eyeing online grocery store Grofers which is backed by Japan's SoftBank group. Meanwhile,  Alibaba and Paytm Mall are set to venture into online grocery by investing an estimated $200m in online grocery store, Big Basket. According to Forrester, online spending ... read more

In the latest issue of The Drum, we interview Mattel's chief content officer Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, to find out how the toymaker is evolving its approach to storytelling. Balsam-Schwaber leads Mattel’s outreach to consumers through storytelling, with franchises that extend beyond Barbie. These include other family mainstays Thomas the Tank Engine and Hot Wheels, along with new concepts such as Dreamtopia and Monster High. The methods of promoting content have come a long way, with even direct-to-DVD stories consigned to history as TV and digital streaming have come to the fore over the past five years. And while it may seem, ... read more

Sainsbury's has ad shot its latest ad through the lens of Snapchat Spectacles as it looks to "lead the charge" in experimenting with new and creative ways of filming.  The grocer is the first UK brand to use the glasses to film an ad which will appear in Snapchat's walls. The spot was shot in a 115-degree circular format to give a first person viewpoint, and was designed to capture the comforting feeling of huddling road a hot pot of food and diving straight into the saucepan for a taste.  The push is part of the brand's wider 'Live Well' strategy, which was devised ... read more