mad.co.uk : Power Brands

Personal touch sends out the right message

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Brands that use email to engage with consumers who have given your marketing team permission to communicate with them will gain more than companies that send out unsolicited spam. By Joe Fernandez

Britain's line-up of flagship brands

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A new list of the most valued British brands is a showcase of the best home-grown talent - and a beacon of hope for marketers. For despite the financial crisis that sparked this recession, a bank is top of the league. By Louise Jack

Vodafone partners with MySpace to boost music credentials

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:15:00 GMT

Vodafone has partnered with MySpace to launch an online music studio in a bid to strengthen the mobile operator’s association with the music industry.

Balance of power favours ISPs more than record labels

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The most striking point about this week's announcement from Virgin Media and Universal Music about the launch of a subscription service is that it has taken so long. Virgin Media says it'll offer unlimited downloads for around the cost of two CDs a month. This is all well and good but comes almost a year after a virtually identical deal between Universal Music and Sky which has yet to result in a live service. So why haven't more labels signed up, especially with findings such as Music Ally's that 46% of people would prefer to get music from their ISP?

Virgin set for banking push

Mon, 18 May 2009 09:30:00 GMT

Virgin is set for a further push into financial services in a move designed to take advantage of the public’s mistrust in the UK’s biggest banks.

Sony expands search budget for an 'always on' strategy

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sony is to significantly increase its million-pound search budget as it looks to adopt an 'always on' strategy.

Wal-Mart takes crown from Coke in Top 500 global brands

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:00:00 GMT

US Asda parent Wal-Mart has knocked Coca-Cola from the top spot in the global brand league table compiled by Brand Finance.

Sky appoints Bigmouthmedia

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Sky has appointed Bigmouthmedia to the natural search account for its Online Sales and Marketing (OSM) division, ending its 18-month search relationship with Diffiniti.

Microsoft picks marketing boss for new consumer unit

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has appointed Mike Fischer as chief marketing officer for the company’s new Consumer and Online UK division.

Britain's most trusted brands

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The winner of every sector in the annual Reader's Digest survey has been consistent to its brand values, at the heart of which is a desire to build trust. Louise Jack reports

Virgin Media content CEO Malcolm Wall steps down

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:30:00 GMT

Malcolm Wall, CEO of content for Virgin Media, is to leave the company in April to pursue other interests.

Virgin Atlantic launches Flying Club promotion

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Virgin Atlantic has launched “Red Hot Bonus Miles” promotion for members of its frequent flyer programme, Flying Club.

Virgin in Honda F1 bid

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Virgin Group has made a bid to purchase the Honda Formula One team.

Sky launches desktop RSS news ticker

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sky has launched a downloadable ticker service that allows users to subscribe to RSS feeds from around 60 Sky and third-party sites, including Sky Sports and Facebook.

Virgin Atlantic loses seat design court case

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:15:00 GMT

Virgin Atlantic has lost its High Court battle against seat manufacturer Contour to prevent the firm from selling Upper Class seats to rival airlines.

Yahoo launches pitch to beef up mobile services

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:15:00 GMT

Yahoo has launched a pitch for a roster of mobile agencies to help beef up its services as it looks to drive ad sales across Europe.

Coca-Cola's Neville Isdell to step down

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:15:00 GMT

Neville Isdell, the chairman of The Coca-Cola Company board, is stepping down from his role in April. The global drinks company's president and chief executive Muhtar Kent is expected to succeed him.

Talking your language

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

British consumers may care little about where in the world their preferred brands originate from, but it remains crucial that all marketing communications adapt to local conditions and cultures

Sony to axe 8000 jobs

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Sony, the Japanese consumer electronics company, is planning to cut 8,000 jobs across its global workforce and close down 10% of its manufacturing sites. It is aiming to make cost savings of about •100bn (£730m) by the end of the next financial year.

Association on trial

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As some of the most recognisable partnerships in the sponsorship market come to an end, the budget constraints brought on by the financial crisis appear to be having an effect on brand endorsement deals. Is it time for sponsorship to face its first true test? By Catherine Turner

Microsoft denies it wants to buy Yahoo!

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has stressed that it is not looking to buy Yahoo! but is keen on collaborating on internet search. Its chief executive Steve Ballmer said "we are done with all acquisition discussions with Yahoo! at the firm's annual general meeting.

Virgin Media adds 8k customers

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Cable operator Virgin Media says it has added 8,300 net customers in the third quarter and is showing "resilience" during the economic slowdown.

Start Creative refreshes Virgin Money

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Start Creative has refreshed Virgin Money's visual communications, aiming to reposition the company as a bank-led brand.

Google and Yahoo! put brakes on partnership

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:50:00 GMT

Google and Yahoo! are planning to scale back their proposed advertising partnership in an effort to appears the US regulators.

Sky Creative cuts design jobs

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:15:00 GMT

BSkyB has axed a design director, a creative director and five designers from its in-house team Sky Creative, with further redundancies rumoured to be in the pipeline.