Watchdog to probe mobile phone promotions

A premium rate phone services regulator will investigate the promotion of paid for mobile phone services such as ringtones, games and other downloads, after a 40 per cent rise in complaints from consumers.

Dutch Road Safety Council: Wheelchair

Dutch Road Safety Council: Wheelchair

The faster you go, the longer it takes.

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Creative Director: Magnus Olsson
Art Directors / Copywriters: Tim Bishop, Avinash Sampath
Retoucher: Jeroen Wartenbergh
Other Additional Credits: Marieke de Groot

Dutch Road Safety Council: Walking bars

Dutch Road Safety Council: Walking bars

The faster you go, the longer it takes.

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Creative Director: Magnus Olsson
Art Directors / Copywriters: Tim Bishop, Avinash Sampath
Retoucher: Jeroen Wartenbergh
Other Additional Credits: Marieke de Groot

Dutch Road Safety Council: Bed

Dutch Road Safety Council: Bed

The faster you go, the longer it takes.

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Creative Director: Magnus Olsson
Art Directors / Copywriters: Tim Bishop, Avinash Sampath
Retoucher: Jeroen Wartenbergh
Other Additional Credits: Marieke de Groot

Unilever to buy sustainable palm oil after ape protest

LONDON – Unilever has bowed to pressure from Greenpeace, which recently staged a protest outside the consumer giant’s UK sites and the offices of its marketing services agencies, and agreed to start buying palm oil from certified sustainable sources.

McCann Erickson agrees to pay $12m following SEC probe

LONDON – McCann Erickson Worldwide, the advertising network owned by Interpublic Group, has agreed to pay a $12m (£6m) fine in the US to resolve the long-running investigation by the SEC into the fraudulent misreporting of its accounts.

Apple inks landmark deal to sell movies on iTunes

NEW YORK – Apple has reached a deal with the majority of the major Hollywood film studios to sell movie downloads through its iTunes store on the same day that the titles are released on DVD.

ITV plots online extension for musical drama

LONDON – ITV Productions is working on a ‘Kate Modern’-style social networking element for its forthcoming musical drama ‘Britannia High’, a British version of the Disney hit ‘High School Musical’.

Hornby buys model car maker Corgi for £7.5m

LONDON – Hornby, the model train and Scalextric maker, has agreed to buy toy model firm Corgi, famous for its James Bond DB5 cars, for £7.5m.

Smirnoff debuts web-based competition

AUSTRALIA – Smirnoff has launched an online scavenger hunt targeting young consumers.

AOL Advertising Gets Failing Mark from Time Warner CEO

Time Warner

As far as achieving your goal in advertising is concerned, expect it to be a rough one. Not all people who turn to advertising will immediately be satisfied for the reason that they need to impress people on the feasibility of such an added expense and investment.

Normally, the goal is for proper exposure. But once that is satisfied you have to hit your target market and make sure that you are getting what you want from it. One thing about corporate management leaders is that they want results. Advertising is not spared from it and if such a campaign proves to be futile expect some heads to roll or people placed in the hot seat to explain why goals are not delivering according to expectations.

First-quarter advertising revenue at AOL grew a scant 1%, after several quarters of sliding growth rates. A particular weak spot was display advertising on AOL’s Web pages, where sales eased 18% from a year earlier.

“We were not satisfied with the performance of display advertising,” Bewkes told investors on a conference call. Bewkes said other advertising, including sales on non-AOL sites, was a strong point in the first quarter.

(Source) CNN Money

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Sweden’s Great Works to launch Japanese outpost

TOKYO – Award-winning Swedish digital agency Great Works is entering Asia via an office in Tokyo.

Chinese digital sector booms as foreign investors pile in

CHINA – China’s digital industry has pulled in nearly half a billion dollars in a week after two of the country’s leading online players received substantial overseas investment.

Louis Vuitton sues designer over Darfur T-shirt

Designer/Artist Nadia Plesner is being sued by Louis Vuitton for trademark infringement on her Simple Living T-shirt, where 100% of the profits from sales are donated to Divest for Darfur.
Nadia explains her motif:

My illustration Simple Living is an idea inspired by the medias constant cover of completely meaningless things.
My thought was: Since doing nothing but wearing designerbags and small ugly dogs appearantly is enough to get you on a magasine cover, maybe it is worth a try for people who actually deserves and needs attention.

Louis Vuitton’s letter to Nadia reads in part:

Although we applaud your efforts to raise awareness and funds to help Darfur, a most worthy cause, we cannot help noticing that the design of the Simple Living Products includes the reproduction of a bag infringing on Louis Vuitton’s Intellectual Property Rights, in particular the Louis Vuitton Monogram Multicolore Trademark to which it is confusingly similar. We are surprised of such a promotion of a counterfeit bag.

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4As Singapore firms leadership line-up

SINGAPORE – The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore (4As) has re-elected Anthony Kang (pictured), president of Dentsu Singapore, as its president for the third-year running.

Tesco Lotus under investigation in Thailand

BANGKOK – The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) has launched an investigation into hypermarket chain Tesco Lotus and its holding company, Ek-Chai Distribution Systems’ libel suit and business operations, to determine their compliance with the country’s Foreign Business Act (FBA).

TVB.com launches new Olympics website

HONG KONG – TVB.com is live-streaming the Olympic Torch Relay’s progress through Hong Kong today via a new website, sponsored by Coca-Cola, the Hong Kong Government, Blue Girl beer and Oriental Watch.

Ping departs TBWA for Ogilvy HK role

KUALA LUMPUR – Ong Shi Ping (pictured), deputy ECD at TBWA Malaysia has left to join Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong, as creative director.

Nike China launches Kobe Bryant reality show

SHANGHAI – Nike China has launched a major new marketing initiative, dubbed ‘Kobe Mentu’ or ‘Kobe’s Disciples’, centred on a unique reality TV show bringing 24 Chinese youngsters together with NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

Carrefour hit by fresh protests in China

BEIJING – French supermarket chain Carrefour has been buffeted with a new wave of protests in China, with demonstrators gathering outside its stores in Beijing, Hunan and Shenyang.