Morning Bulletin: Snapchat sales, Olympics ambush marketing & Saatchi sexism fallout
This morning we dust off the bulletin following the weekend break with a fresh batch of advertising and marketing related news, including a reminder of the power of Snapchat in the retail sphere, some ambush Olympics marketing by Beats and fallout from the ongoing sexism row engulfing Saatchi & Saatchi.
Retail Week kicks things off with reports of an expansion drive at Debenhams which is brushing aside uncertainty to pull the trigger on a new outlet on the outskirts of Leicester, although planning concerns relating to the potential negative impact on the city centre may yet see it stumble.
Debenhams' move may have been sparked in part by a rebound in consumer spending in July following the Brexit vote, with Reuters picking up on data from Visa which showed spending increased by 1.6 per cent versus a year ago – the largest uptick in three months.
Positive news also comes courtesy of Campaign which observes that the UK has now officially overtaken Japan to become the world’s second largest market in the licensed product sector, falling behind only the US in what has become a quarter trillion pound industry.
AdExchanger meanwhile reports on a Google clampdown on so-called ad injections, citing some 3bn instances of malicious software downloads with four pay-per-install networks drawing particular scorn – Amonetize, OpenCandy, Outbrowse and InstallMonetizer.
Ad Week focuses on the rise of Snapchat specifically the growing disparities between those retailers who have ignored the medium and those coining it with increased sales through Lens and geofilter ads. Snapchat reckons that some 47 per cent of its users have sent a ‘snap’ in store generating all-important word of mouth traffic.
Business Insider reports from the Olympics, noting that US swimming star Michael Phelps is likely to have been given an earful, after being forced to cover up his Beats branded headphones with tape in an ambush marketing crackdown - only to leave one of the logos clearly visible for the watching cameras.
The Guardian dips its toes into social media with an in-depth interview with YouTube heroine Zoella’s manager Dom Smales, shining a light on a host of bedroom-based videographers which can seem alien to anyone over 30.
The Times notes that WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell remains the best-paid chief executive in the FTSE100 after seeing his remuneration jump from £43m in 2014 to £70.4m now – putting him in an awkward spot as the government seeks to clampdown on 'unhealthy’ pay disparities between employers and employees.
In the wake of Kevin Roberts’ resignation from Saatchi & Saatchi over some ill-advised comments regarding the status of women in the industry, the Guardian speaks to Jane Maas, author of a new book on women in the ad industry who says that women today fare little better than their counterparts in the 60’s.
Returning to Ad Week there can be found a compilation of unlikely products from big name brands including a Porcsche office chair, Tesla golf ball and Starbucks branded cooking utensils.