Posts made in January, 2015

on Jan 29, 2015

By John Glenday Ikea’s profits have been held as flat as its furniture, despite rising sales, as increased competition forced the retailer to slash prices and invest in staff. Net profit held steady at €3.3bn for the 12 months to August 2014 even as sales rose 5.9 per cent to hit €28.7bn, driven by growth in China, Russia and Hungary. Online growth also continued apace with Ikea.com recording 1.5bn visits. The Swedish chain’s largest markets were Germany, France, US, Russia and the UK. Ikea chief executive Peter Agnefjall said: “A key factor to our strong performance is that we have a long-term view and we don’t Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 29, 2015

By John Glenday Sony is to pull the plug on its Music Unlimited streaming service after deciding its resources would be better spent in other areas, effectively ceding a battle for the ears of consumers to Spotify with whom it will now partner exclusively. The new PlayStation Music tie-up will kick off in March, integrating fully with PlayStation 4 to allow users access to Spotify tracks and playlists as a soundtrack for videogames – with both free and premium versions available. Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House described the tactical retreat as ‘a very sensible decision to concentrate our resources into what we believe are Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 29, 2015

By John Glenday The National Football League (NFL) is to run a domestic abuse advert during this year’s Super Bowl as it seeks to put a year to forget behind it following a depressing spell in the limelight for all the wrong reasons; in which two of its star players, Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, were suspended for domestic violence. The sport’s governing body is so concerned by the negative press such cases are generating, not to mention its own initial response, that it is to air the video on Sunday, a time when violence in the home traditionally peaks. This advert depicts a home Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 29, 2015

Haig Club ad escapes censure Adam Eve/DDB s Haig Club spot featuring David Beckham has escaped censure from the Advertising Standards Authority, despite claims that it was irresponsible. Time Inc UK in ad restructure Time Inc UK, the publisher that owns InStyle, Country Life, Wallpaper* and Marie Claire , has restructured its advertising team to focus more on the customer. The changes resulted in two departures. Microsoft posts Q4 profit fall Microsoft has reported a 10.6per cent year-on-year decline in profits for the last three months of 2014, with net income down to $5.86 billion ( 3.88 billion). Sales were up 8 per cent. Twitter rolls Read full story › Source: Campaign...

on Jan 29, 2015

By Gurjit Degun HomeAway, the holiday home rental site, has appointed Saatchi & Saatchi London to handle its $40 million (£26.4 million) advertising account. Read full story › Source: Campaign...