Marketing

Nearly 40pc of the UK’s top 100 brands – including Tesco, B&Q; and Boots – now have a mobile optimised website, according to new research from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). The study, which used data from GSMA Mobile Media Metrics (MMM), a partnership between comScore, the GSMA and the UK mobile operators, and Google’s GetMoMeter tool to manually check the top 100 UK advertiser websites across a range of sectors, reveals that those brands with a mobile-optimised website enjoyed increased engagement with consumers. Among the advertisers with a mobile-specific site, average dwell time was five minutes, some two minutes longer than the average for advertisers without a mobile web…

Maeve Binchy’s last novel, A Week in Winter, will be published this November by Orion, it has been announced. The book, which was originally scheduled to be released in October, is set in the fictional village of Stoneybridge, on the west coast of Ireland, and centres on guests attempting to enjoy their winter break. Speaking in the Telegraph, Binchy’s long-term agent Christine Green said: “Although Maeve’s health had been giving her problems for some time, her writing was completely unaffected and A Week in Winter is Maeve writing at the top of her game. We have lost a wonderful story-teller.” The writer sold more than 40 million copies of her books and was translated…

Coca-Cola Zero to team up with James Bond againImage courtesy of Skyfall Facebook page The Coca-Cola Company has announced its Coca-Cola Zero brand is to join forces with the new James Bond movie as part of promotions for the film’s worldwide release this autumn. Continuing a Successful Partnership Skyfall is the 23rd installment in the James Bond series and continues Coca-Cola’s partnership with the franchise, which began in 2008. The new campaign will see fans being asked to ‘Unlock the 007 In You’ and all Coke Zero products will undergo a Bond-themed makeover. Bond-Themed Packaging in Various Formats The limited edition designs will feature across multiple-pack formats, including cans, PET…

Nivea parent company Beiersdorf has reportedly had to deny firing brand ambassador Rihanna, who joined forces with the brand last year. The move comes after the new Beiersdorf chief executive Stefan Heidenreich told a German newspaper that “Rihanna is a no go”. “I do not understand how to bring the core brand of Nivea in conjunction with Rihanna. Nivea is a company which stands for trust, family and reliability,” he was quoted as saying. Nivea’s corporate and brands communications vice-president Thomas Schönen left Beiersdorf shortly after the arrival of Heidenreich a few months ago, and the job is currently being an interim corporate communications person. Now the brand is saying…

Ryanair has announced that passengers who experience Ryanair flight delays of over 90 minutes will now receive free text message updates to advise them of the likely duration of the delay and their new departure time. The service, developed in partnership with Sentient , is a new addition to Ryanair’s existing email/text and website passenger communications. The company says it will be particularly useful during periods of severe disruption such as bad weather, strikes or widespread airspace closures (eg volcanic ash). Commenting on the new development, Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: “ Ryanair delivers Europe’s No 1 customer service and our new text alerts system will ensure we stay No 1. Now passengers…

River Island is collaborating with pop singer Rihanna who is designing her first clothing collection for the store, due to be launched next Spring. The artist said she’d wanted to design her own collection for some time and the fact that River Island is a British, family-run business appealed to her. “I find London really inspiring, and River Island loves to have fun with clothes. I’m looking forward to working with them and creating something really special.” Ben Lewis River Island chief executive said: “Rihanna is a style icon, from street to chic she enjoys her fashion. As soon as we started to work together, we knew this was a…

Irish grocery retail group ADM Londis plc has today announced the launch of its centralised chilled distribution facility and the completion of a €20m partnership agreement with warehousing and logistic experts Norbert Dentressangle. The new facility will also result in the creation of 20 new jobs. As a result of the new facility, the group’s network of 250 retailers across Ireland are, for the first time, placing their chilled orders directly with ADM Londis through the Group’s ISIS web platform and receiving these products in a single delivery, marking a major strategic shift for the group and its retailers. Explaining the programme, Claude Tonna Barthet, group operations director, ADM Londis plc, said:…

Rap artist 50 Cent is visiting Ireland on 11 July to launch his new range of SMS audio headsets that will be sold exclusively in Carphone Warehouse. The multi-platinum selling artist will be at Carphone Warehouse, Dundrum Town Centre to meet fans and sign his range of headphones. “Carphone Warehouse customers will get the opportunity to demonstrate the new SMS audio headphones before meeting 50 Cent in person and our ‘Geek Squad’ and sales advisors in Dundrum will receive training from 50 Cent on his full SMS range,” said Peter Scott of Carphone Warehouse. There will be 500 wristbands available with priority going to those that purchase the headphones between…

Reputation is one of a series of intangible assets that are becoming the new drivers of future value, writes John Keilthy, managing partner at Reputation Inc. Intangible assets account for a significant percentage of the market value of listed companies. Independent studies have suggested that in the case of the US market, for example, intangibles account for nearly 60pc of stock market valuations. Most business people are very familiar with what constitutes tangible assets, like property, plant, equipment, cash and investments, but are less aware of the growing suite of intangible assets that are becoming the new drivers of future value. Included in intangibles are some traditional accounting assets such…

Marking its eighth year in business, Dublin-based marketing and PR consultancy Corporate Reputations has announced a series of account wins and retentions, including ‘The Irish Times’. Corporate Reputations recently won a public tender for the provision of PR services to UCD School of Business, having represented the school since 2004. It has been retained by The Irish Times to develop a national PR campaign to support the growth of the newspaper’s circulation by highlighting key initiatives and partnerships, special supplements, magazines and awards. This is in addition to developing and managing the PR and media campaign for The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman Awards for the past three years. It has been…