The week in brief
UK E&M market to be worth £64bn by 2018
According to PwC’s latest Global entertainment & media (E&M) outlook report, the UK E&M market is expected to grow by 3.1 per cent from 2013 to 2018 – to a value of £64bn in 2018. In 2013, Britain had the second largest E&M market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at £58.6bn – behind only Germany. The fastest growing areas will be internet advertising, internet access, out of home advertising, video games and TV advertising. In addition, the UK is one of the most receptive markets for e-books. In 2013, they accounted for 18 per cent of all book revenue, the research found.
Ex-DDB team launch new agency
Richard Morris, the former European regional director at DDB, and Matty Tong, a planning partner at Devilfish, launched Whistlejacket last week. According to Brand Republic, the pair have funded the agency themselves, and have three launch clients – which cannot yet be announced. Morris was previously chief executive of branding agency Identica; Tong has worked at VCCP, Saatchi & Saatchi and Lowe.
Rihanna perfume ad banned from certain areas
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has banned Rihanna’s “sexualised” poster – for her new perfume Rogue – from areas where children are likely to see it. A single complaint prompted the regulatory body to investigate the poster’s suitability, and it was ruled “sexually suggestive”. However, the ASA did conclude that the ad – in which the pop star wears nothing but high heels – was unlikely to be demeaning to women, and did not breach its guidelines on harm and offence. The poster was created by branding and marketing company Gravite Creative.
Brands install iBeacons to boost sales
Companies including Hamleys, Armani and Longchamp will use iBeacons in their Regent Street stores to push exclusive and personalised marketing messages to shoppers. The Crown Estate, which owns Regent Street, will introduce the iPhone app at the end of the month. According to Marketing Week, other brands – among them Waitrose, Eat and Tesco – are actively testing Beacons, but many retailers have resisted a full launch due to concerns over data privacy.
Channel 4 in ad break takeover
For the fifth year running, Channel 4 has broadcast its ad break takeover – which was aired last week and saw comedian Alan Carr perform sketches based on ads from Evian, Marmite, BT and Snickers. The takeover was produced by Open Mike and managed by Channel 4’s Alexandra Bird – working with agency partners Manning Gottlieb OMD, MEC, Mindshare and ZenithOptimedia.
Ebay study warns search ads have no “measurable benefit”
Following a new study published in conjunction with Berkeley and Chicago universities, the auction site has claimed that adverts in search engines have “no measurable benefits” to the advertiser. Ebay’s report warned that most search adverts on most search terms have little effect on sales, concluding that the medium may be “beyond the peak of its efficacy”.
Ads of the week
McDonald’s has become the latest in a string of brands to release a pre-World Cup ad. But unusually, the chain’s campaign – created by DDB Chicago – doesn’t show any football stars at all. Instead, viewers see a series of trick shots and old freestyle acts from countries across the globe.
Father’s Day has come around once again (15 June), and brands are helping consumers find the “perfect gift”. Among them is Not on the High Street’s “Less Ordinary Dads” ad. The spot was created by WCRS, working with media agency M2M.