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VW trades in ‘surprisingly ordinary’ campaign for better value strategy

Marketing Week

Volkswagen has decided to ignore public pressure to cut prices, and is scrapping its “Surprisingly ordinary prices” campaign in favour of a new strategy promising customers they will get more for their money. “More Volkswagen for your money”, replaces “Surprisingly ordinary prices,” as a retaliation to the recent public outcry over UK car pricing. Created […]

VW UK boss promoted to oversee group brands

Marketing Week

Robin Woolcock, head of Volkswagen UK, is taking on overall responsibility for VW Group’s brands, including Seat, Skoda and Audi. He replaces UK managing director Richard Ide, who is to retire. Woolcock joined the group in January 1989 as head of the commercial vehicle business, which included MAN trucks. In 1991, he set up Skoda […]

VW UK boss promoted to oversee group brands

Marketing Week

Robin Woolcock, head of Volkswagen UK, is taking on overall responsibility for VW Group’s brands, including Seat, Skoda and Audi. He replaces UK managing director Richard Ide, who is to retire. Woolcock joined the group in January 1989 as head of the commercial vehicle business, which included MAN trucks. In 1991, he set up Skoda […]

Grey nets £20m Novartis’ Aviva

Marketing Week

Novartis Consumer Health has appointed Grey Advertising to launch a new functional foods brand across Europe with a &£20m campaign. Grey pitched against TBWA Worldwide for the creative account, although it is unclear if other agencies were involved. The consumer brand division of the Swiss pharmaceutical giant has also appointed CIA Medianetwork and Grey-owned Joshua […]

Mediacom £60m VW win puts BBJ future in doubt

Marketing Week

The Volkswagen Group (VW) has moved its £60m UK media buying and planning account out of BBJ Media Services and into Mediacom TMB, wiping out nearly a third of BBJ’s billings. Mediacom’s victory, predicted in Marketing Week (MW June 3), puts into doubt the future of BBJ’s TV buying operation, which some observers believe may […]

Mediacom £60m VW win puts BBJ future in doubt

Marketing Week

The Volkswagen Group (VW) has moved its £60m UK media buying and planning account out of BBJ Media Services and into Mediacom TMB, wiping out nearly a third of BBJ’s billings. Mediacom’s victory, predicted in Marketing Week (MW June 3), puts into doubt the future of BBJ’s TV buying operation, which some observers believe may […]

Nationwide chief’s lucky number

Marketing Week

When Nationwide Building Society marketing director Mike Lazenby talks about running a campaign, you would do well to check whether he is wearing trainers. Lazenby, a keen long-distance runner, has combined his hobby with his company’s sponsorship of England’s 2006 World Cup bid. Whenever he races, he makes sure the organisers allocate him the running […]

Volvo chief defects to VW

Marketing Week

Volvo, the Ford-owned car manufacturer, has parted company with Malcolm Wade, its sales and marketing director in the UK. Wade has this week joined the Volkswagen-owned manufacturer Rolls-Royce as managing director of UK operations. Industry observers believe Wade may have left Volvo following the appointment of Dieter Laxy as the company’s head of global marketing […]

VW Group drafts in new Audi chief

Marketing Week

The Volkswagen Group has undergone a senior management shake-up, which has resulted in the appointment of two new UK chiefs for the VW-owned car companies Audi and Seat. Kevin Rose, the director of Seat UK, moves across to become Audi’s UK chief. He replaces Dermot Kelly, who was poached by rival Mercedes-Benz after less than […]

BBH wins £12m Nationwide brief

Marketing Week

Nationwide Building Society has appointed Bartle Bogle Hegarty to its creative account, worth up to &£12m, after four years without an incumbent agency. The UK’s second largest building society is also seriously considering moving its media and direct marketing accounts to the BBH group through its Motive Communications media arm – which also handles the […]

MasterCard puts Utton in top role

Marketing Week

MasterCard International has promoted Nick Utton to its top international marketing position. Utton takes up the post of executive vice-president of global marketing following the departure of Joseph Tripodi to Seagram in March (MW March 11). He has been promoted from his position as senior vice-president of marketing at MasterCard International’s US division. The credit […]

Nationwide appoints football chief

Marketing Week

Nationwide Building Society has promoted Peter Gandolfi to the new role of head of football. The role has been created to oversee the 25m worth of investment the financial services company will sink into UK football over the next four years. A spokesman for the company says: “Peter’s job will be to maximise the public’s […]

BT Retail chief quits to take up top Argos role

Marketing Week

BT Retail general manager Peter Jones has resigned to join catalogue retailer Argos as operations director. Jones joined BT in 1997 and was instrumental in revamping the company’s shops as high street competition in the telecoms sector intensified. The first BT Shop formats appeared in May last year, created by design and strategy agency 20/20. […]