Quotes of the Week
Former NWDA board member of the north west digital scene, The Union's reaction to Newhaven picking up a long standing Scottish Government account and why the cider industry will suffer following the 10p price rise being introduced from tonight.
"We lost it fair and square and I know the guys at Newhaven will do a great job - and I genuinely say hats off to them."
The Union's Ian McAteer, posting in The Drum's comment section, is refreshingly magnanimous in defeat after his agency lost the Historic Scotland business after eight years.
“The digital sector in the north west is certainly not crap, but it faces exactly the same issues as we do in Scotland. And it varies across different sectors of digital media. They are better than us in some sectors and worse in others."
Danny Meaney, previously a member of the NWDA's digital board, backtracks after describing the digital industry in the North West as 'pretty crap', in a speech in Scotland.
"After five-and-a-half years and having been acting then 'full' MD for 16 months there wasn't anywhere else to go there. Nina Webb is 100% shareholder so the only possible stake in the business was B shares."
Former Brazen man Rick Guttridge explains his decision to leave a secure role at the Manchester agency to go it alone and open Smoking Gun PR.
"We will give Scotland the service it deserves.”
Mark Wood, chairman of the Scottish News Consortium, pledges to improve the quality of regional news in Scotland after taking over the Channel 3 news licence from STV as part of a pilot news scheme. But...
"We asked bidders also to think about longer term sustainability without public funds."
...As the chair of the independent selection panel that picked the winning consortia hints, the news pilot, which requires £47m of government funding, might never happen if the Conservatives are voted in at the election.
"The extra increase in tax levied on cider over and above other categories will make it less competitive and I am sure the big brewers (almost all from overseas) will be glad of that.”
Matthew Showering, managing director of independent cider brand Brothers, takes a dim view of the 10% duty increase applied to cider announced in the Budget.
"We have to simply get on with it. If we worry about legislation we’d spend too much time looking inwardly... We have to keep investing in our brand."
Heineken's head of communications Nigel Pollard tells The Drum the brewer will keep investing in its Strongbow brand to beat the duty increases.
"Our guiding vision was positioning Sorrymate as the Sheila’s Wheels of the biking world.”
Pixel8's Jamie Watson has only the loftiest ambitions for Sorrymate after rebranding the accident claim firm.
"Everything about Hughie was brilliantly unorthodox, I remember when he rang me to offer me a job of designer at TCW. 'He said, 'Palmer, you've got the job, but if you're sh*t, you'll be out' - I'd never heard anything like it."
Dave Palmer, now of Love, is among friends and colleagues paying fond tribute to Hughie Clarke-Williams, who died last weekend.
“Laid back unless you cross me, in which case you’d be better off dead.”
Media House's Jack Irvine, describing his management style in The Drum's Power 100 profiles, makes it clear he isn't a man to cross. Last week, we crossed him.