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After much debate, France's National Assembly has finally adopted what is known as article 57 of the law on public health, says the newspaper Le Figaro. The article in question relates specifically to the advertising of food products but, as the heads of the French advertising agency association AACC tell the paper, rather than a step forward in protecting the public's health the law as approved is strongly disappointing. AACC president Hervé Brossard tells Le Figaro that his association has been working in close collaboration with the food industry, nutritionists and legal experts for over a year, as well as maintaining contact with politicians with a view to making the law as applicable and effective as possible. The decrees now published, however, will make the 'healthy' messages that accompany advertising for certain food and drinks products ineffective and unlikely to alter the eating habits of the French. Vice-president Christophe Lambert agrees that the law will prove counter-productive. "It's bad news for everyone", he says. "The information strips that go with the advertising campaigns will pollute the brands' messages without allowing the ads to communicate a clear and effective message in respect of health." "We are aware of the seriousness of the problem", he continues. "Childhood obesity and the concerns about other areas of the public's health mean action has to be taken. Advertising can play an active role in combatting this scourge by dealing directly with people's eating habits. But you have to respect the fundamental rules of communications. That will not be possible with these decrees when they are published next February or March. To read a longer version of this story for yourself, in French, click on the link below (left) to be taken to the Le Figaro website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the site maintained by the AACC or click here to see the full article translated into English by From Europe With Love.
05.12.05
Germany is looking to capitalise on the fact that it is hosting next year's soccer World Cup to promote itself to foreign visitors, as well as boosting self esteem among its own citizens. Earlier this year, ad agency Scholz & Friends was appointed to head up the promotional effort and agency creative head has been outlining to the Swiss advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich just what this involves and some of the creative ways his firm is going about presenting the comcept of Germany as Land der Ideen' (or 'the country of ideas'). Turner stresses that, in describing itself thus, Germany isn't suggesting that other countries don't have ideas but that the idea is to bring to the forefront what he believes the country is known for worldwide. One feature of the campaign, Persoenlich notes, involves the placing of an enormous pile of books on the Bebelplatz in Berlin, once the scene of a historic book-burning incident during Nazi times. That, says Turner, is just one of a range of initiatives, all taking the form of large sculptures. While they may have little to do with football, Turner points out that once 2006 has passed, Germany will still be there and the intention is to form a lasting image of the country's creative strengths in the minds of visitors. Official partners of the campaign include major companies such as e-On, BASF and Deutsche Telekom. To read a longer version of this story for yourself, in German, click on the link below (left) to be taken to the Persoenlich website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the official 'Land der Ideen' website or here to read a longer version of the interview, translated into English by From Europe With Love.
05.12.05
Italians are thirsty for more and more information and are acecssing it through a growing range of sources. At least that's the result of the 39th report produced by Censis, a researvch foundation set up to explore themes of socio- economic importance. Reported on the online business journal Affari Italiani, the survey classifies the population by their uptake of new and existing media services. Thus 'marginals' (using television only) and 'the poor' (who use no more than two media types) are identified, although in each case the number of people falling into these classifications is falling. The number of consumers who can be classified as 'average' (defined as making good use of media, without including the internet) is also falling, Censis says. The number of 'omnivores', on the other hand (and who use as many as seven types of media) and 'pioneers' (eight types and over) is growing. "Around 20% of the Italian population is truly taking advantage of the digital age", Censis says. This is proved by penetration figures for communications and entertainment devices: 90% of citizens have a mobile phone, 85% a video recorder and, in just one year, the percentage of the population owning a DVD player has risen from 21% to 60%. According to Censis, around 20 million Italians could be considered as internet users during 2005, equivalent to just over 40% of the population. To see what else the foundation discovered, either click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this article, in Italian, on the Affari Italiani website, or click on the link below (right) to see the full text of the press release on the Censis website.
05.12.05
Albert Heijn, the Netherlands' leading supermarket retailer, has unveiled the first of what it is calling a 'new generation' of stores, with a format designed to appeal both to those looking for standard presentation of top brands and to other (or the same) shoppers looking for goods at low prices with minimal presentational frills. These, in the style of 'hard' discounters such as Aldi and Lidl, will be sold from boxes, as delivered from the factory, while recognised brands - or 'A-Marken', as they are known in Holland - will be allowed a place on the shelves. Four openings are expected to follow in 2006, says the news site AgriHolland Nieuws. The motive behind the new format, according to Albert Heijn, is the changing expectations of consumers who now demand a combination of convenience and inspiration, helpful staff and attractive prices. Around 35% of stock in traditional Albert Heijn outlets bears the company's own brand, AgriHolland Nieuws says, but this percentage is much higher in the new-format stores. One feature of the new range is a selection of 60 products - sold under the 'Kies & Kook' ('Choose and cook') brand, which promises shoppers that, by buying for of them, they can put together a meal in 15 minutes for just 8 euros. To read a longer version of this story for yourself, in Dutch, click on the link below (left) to see it as published on AgriHolland Nieuws. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to open up a photo in your browser which gives you an idea of what these new stores look like (to see four other photos, click here to go to the press release and look for the links which say 'Download hier die hoge resolutie foto X').
05.12.05
Aldi, the discount grocery chain, is to launch its own mobile phone service this week, claims the German newspaper Bild. The service will be made available throughout the company's 4,000-plus strong network, Bild says, with experts predicting that, where the market leader goes, others will soon follow. The four leading network operators - T-Mobile, Vodafone, E-Plus and O2 - have long feared competition from mass market retailers. Vodafone has resisted the urge to cooperate with them, Bild says, although O2, which has a smaller market presence, has struck a deal with the coffee chain Tchibo. Aldi's service is launching with E-Plus as a partner and offers a 10 euro call voucher as an introductory gift. Once that has been used up, calls will cost 15 cents per minute for calls to German landline phones and other national mobile networks. Aldi customers calling each other will pay just 5 cents per minute. To read this story for yourself, in German, click on the link below (left). Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Aldi's German website and check out the new service for yourself.
30.11.05
French insurance firm Maaf Assurances is offering holders of its complementary health policy a discount of up to 40 euros per year if they consume products with anti-cholesterol properties sold under Unilever's Proactiv brand, writes the newspaper Le Figaro. According to the two companies, who released a joint statement on Tuesday, the deal is destined to be a 'precursor' to other, similar initiatives and forms part of a drive to lower cholesterol levels and therefore lessen the risk of heart disease. Under the terms of the promotion, which will run under the name 'Pur bonus santé', policy holders will need to send their sales receipts to Maaf by 31st December 2006. For the first seven Proactiv products bought, they will receive a discount of 10 euros on the annual cost of their policy, rising to 22 euros per 14 products and 40 euros for 21 products, Le Figaro says. Products sold under the Proactiv brand include margarines, dairy drinks and yogurts. According to Maaf and Unilever, around 3 million Frenchmen currently purchase Proactiv goods. Announcement of the deal follows closely on a similar arrangement announced by Unilever rival Danone, which will link with another insurance company - AGF - from the beginning of 2006, offering advantages to buyers of its Danacol cholesterol-lowering products. To read a longer version of this story, in French, click on the link below (left) to be taken to the Le Figaro website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Unilever's French website.
01.12.05
Austrian company Almdudler, maker of the herb-based lemonade drink of the same name, has been told by a Luxembourg court that its bottle design is not unique enough to benefit from EU trademark protection, says the newspaper Die Presse. Almdudler first applied for a '3-dimensional trademark' in 2001, claiming that its brand consisted of the particular shape of the bottle, plus its composition, which varies from clear in the middle to grained in the lower and upper parts. That request was turned down, a decision which the company decided to appeal to before the European Court of Justice. The Court, however, has confirmed the earlier decision, saying that the bottle was of a clear type generally used by bottlers of lemonade and therefore did not constitute a strong enough signal which might cause consumers to attribute its form to one manufacturer or another. Almdudler has thus failed to replicate Coca Cola, which has secured widespread trademark protection for its characteristic shaped bottle, including in the EU. To read a longer version of this story, in German, click on the link below (left) to go to the Die Presse website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Almdudler.
30.11.05
Got a friend that can't stop telling you all about this or that new product with great enthusiasm? Well, if so, it could be that he or she is a 'buzzer', at least in the Netherlands. The latest films, CDs, games, cosmetics... buzzers get them all for free, as long as they promise to go around telling the world about their plus points, says the magazine Trouw. 'Buzzing' is the idea of the Amsterdam-based firm Buzzer, founded by Willem Sodderland, and capitalises on the fact that the most effective form of promotion is often word of mouth. "People are tired of all the commercials", he tells Trouw, "you have to reach them in another way. We let consumers speak for themselves, effectively making them marketers". Three main reasons lie behind buzzers' motivation, according to Sodderland. Firstly, status (they get products before other people hear about them), influence (both on people and on manufacturers) and having a story to tell. "We offer manufacturers a group of discriminating consumers who are please to tell people how satisfied they are with their product", says Sodderland. "The manufacturer gets free advertising and both sides profit from the deal". The idea for Buzzer, Trouw says, stems back to 1998 when Sodderland was involved in an 'incubator' group helping small companies to get their ideas off the ground. He soon realised how important the first group of consumers were to the potential success of new brands which often did not have the funds to advertise. The idea gradually developed into a company set up by Willem Sodderland with Robert Cornelissen, one they claim is unique in Europe. To read more about 'buzzing', in Dutch, on the website of Trouw, click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to check out Buzzer for yourself, in Dutch, and even to register yourself with the firm click on the link below (right). Can't face it in Dutch? Click here to be taken to the English-language section of Buzzer's website
30.11.05
Italy's film industry has been hit over the past year or so, writes the online newspaper Affari Italiani, by a decision taken by the country's finance authorities to cut state funding. As they search for other sources of revenue, Affari Italiani says, they are increasingly turning to product placement. Camelot, an agency that specialises in such deals, says that once changes in local laws made the practice possible, it immediately set to work to make sure that the Tim mobile phone brand would be present in the film 'Qua Vadis baby'. Five further titles due to appear in 2006 will include product placements negotiated by Camelot, agency head Paola Mazzaglia tells Affari Italiani. The first will feature the lead character in 'Eccezionale Veramente 2' using the 892 892 phone number enquiry service to locate his daughter. Subsequent releases will benefit the pasta brand Pasta Garofalo, among others. Through such deals, Mazzaglia says, Camelot has brought over a million euros into the Italian fim industry in just one year. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in Italian, on the Affari Italiani website. Alternatively, to visit the daily news site of the leading Italian film company, Cinecittā, click on the link below (right).
30.11.05
On the one hand, Swiss shoppers want cheap, discount products, on the other sales of luxury goods continue to rise. This phenomenon has caused one academic to claim that, increasingly, Switzerland is a nation of 'smart' consumers. Torsten Tomczak, professor of marketing at the University of St. Gallen, says that, while buying their wine at low prices from the supermarket chain Denner, well-off people are not willing to give up their high-priced watches. For David Bosshart, director at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, which monitors consumer trends, this presents retailers with a new kind of challenge. Migros and Coop, Switzerland's two largest retailers, have reacted by introducing low-priced 'value' lines and upscale premium own brands ('Premium Labels Selection' in the instance of Migros and 'Fine Food' at rival Coop). Bosshart points to Tesco in the UK as a key reference and stresses the importance of its 'positively classless' approach in bringing about the supermarket chain's success. Ad agency Advico Young & Rubicam agrees, says the advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich, that cheap on its own is not enough. Among brands growing in sales are Migros' reasonably-priced 'M-Label' brand, but more expensive 'fair trade' goods sold by Max Havelaar are also seeing increasing sales. In sectors other than grocery, Persoenlich says, one of the most high-profile adjustments to the trend is that undertaken by H&M, which has signed a series of top-of-the-range designers to produce limited runs of mid-priced fashion, with tremendous success. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, on the Persoenlich website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute.
30.11.05
With the number of corner grocery shops - affectionately known in Germany as 'Tante Emma Laden' (or 'Aunt Emma shops') - continuing to fall, their owners are being called on to develop their offer if they are to be able to compete with more modern and larger retail forms such as super- and hypermarkets, writes the newspaper Kölner Stadt Anzeiger. "The number has fallen by fully half in the past ten years", says Michael Gerling of the city's Eurohandelsinstitut (EHI) business college. The EHI forecasts that 2,000 corner shops will have closed in just one year by the end of 2005, leaving the number of such outlets at 33,000. In 1993, the figure was 56,000. "That's dramatic", says Gerling. But while many German shoppers would rate their local store as 'essential', this is not reflected in their shopping behaviour. Since 1993, average shop turnover has fallen by almost 30%, he calculates, with customer numbers falling by 13%. "Either the 'Tante Emma' shops change or they are going to die out", Gerling continues. As for how they might change, he suggests that they could offer home-made soups or lunches. "The market is about nutrition", he tells the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger. "That doesn't just mean ingredients for meals, but meals themselves". Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, on the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to see a selection of photos of a typical 'Tante Emma' shop.
29.11.05
Santa Clara church in central Stockholm is currently undergoing renovation, which has involved putting up scaffolding around the building, including its spire. What better opportunity, thought the fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), to put up a giant poster advertising jewellery. Having reached agreement with the company undertaking the renovation work, Libergs, H&M duly went ahead, little understanding how controversial the move was to prove. Now, says Sweden's leading advertising magazine Resumé, and following adverse reactions from both Stockholmers and the church's Dean, Hakon Långström, the company has agreed to take it down. The church originally voted not to authorise placing of the poster on November 7th, says the Swedish religious newspaper Kyrkans Tidning, meaning that H&M has already had what could be considered to be a full campaign at the site. Now, as company spokeswoman Anna Bergare tells the paper, "H&M has respected the church's wishes and taken down the poster. If the church doesn't want it then it's not in our interests either". According to Libergs, the church had been sent an e-mail proposal back in September, outlining the kind of images that might be used by the advertising agency involved, but not the final version of the poster. "The church said that it was OK", its head Kenneth Liberg tells Kyrkans Tidning. To see what else he tells them and if you've never visited a Swedish religious newspaper before, click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story on the Kyrkans Tidning website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to read the story in Resumé or here to visit H&M's Swedish website.
24.11.05
Christmas is traditionally high season for advertisers of food products, particularly those aimed at children, says the Spanish trade magazine Marketing Directo. This year, however, they will not be able to use celebrities such as Rafael Nadal or Ronaldinho, due to regulations recently agreed by government authorities with leading manufacturers. According to article 13.2 of the PAOS code, as the regulations are known and which was introduced in September, advertisers are prohibited from using well-known people in their campaigns or otherwise suggest that products can produce unreal effects (such as allowing children to fly). Over 80% of companies have already signed up voluntarily to the code, Marketing Directo says. But while celebrities are ruled out, their relatives are not and one company has already taken advantage of this to use the mother of motorcyclist Dani Pedrosa in its advertising. It remains to be seen whether the ban on celebrity spokespeople also applies to famous fictional figures such as Father Christmas or traditional elements of Christmas such as the 3 Kings, whose arrival is celebrated each year in most Spanish cities with a procession. Decisions on each case will be made by Autocontrol, the advertising industry's self-regulatory authority. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in Spanish, on the Marketing Directo website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Autocontrol and explore what they do, in Spanish or English.
24.11.05
Dutch children's protection foundation Stichting De Kinderconsument has sent an open letter to the internet and mobile phone company Scarlet asking it to alter its current promotion, which offers a free child's mobile phone for every adult subscription taken out, writes the advertising magazine Adformatie. Displayed on posters across the nation, advertising for the promotion shows a woman and a young girl dressed in what the foundation describes as 'miniscule lingerie'. Despite its potential to offend and the number of complaints which it has prompted, Holland's self-regulatory vetting authority, Reclame Code Commissie, gave the campaign the green light, Adformatie says. Now Stichting de Kinderconsument has taken up those complaints and new ones it has received asking for the billboard and the website to be taken down. Basis for the complaint is that the young girl is shown as an exact copy (including lingerie and make-up) of an attractive young woman who is 'clearly sexually attractive and displayed in a seducive pose in lingerie that leaves nothing to the imagination'. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Adformatie website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Scarlet's website and make your own judgement on the promotional approach it is taking.
24.11.05
Almost one in every four products bought in European supermarkets carries the brand of the outlet in which it is sold, according to figures released by the retail audit company AC Nielsen and reported by the Spanish advertising and marketing magazine Ipmark. Although slow to pick up on the concept initially, Spain is now one of the countries with the highest penetration of 'own label', Ipmark says, with 26% of mass market grocery goods now carrying the supermarket's own brand and with sales having grown over the past year at a pace equivalent to three times that of branded goods. Worldwide, 17% of FMCG products are sold as own label goods, Nielsen says, a figure which rises to 23% in Europe. In all regions surveyed, growth in private label is greater than that observed in manufacturer-branded products. The highest level of own label penetration in Europe is in Switzerland, where 45% of goods sell under the names of leading supermarket chains such as Migros and Coop. Other countries where penetration is high include Germany, at 30%, the UK (28%), Belgium (25%), France (24%) and Holland (22%). Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in Spanish, on the Ipmark website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit AC Nielsen's English-language global website.
22.11.05
Over the past year or so, Dutch supermarkets have been engaged in a fierce price war, which has hurt manufacturers of branded goods. Now, says the trade journal Marketing Online, some of them are fighting back with a jointly-produced magazine. On Friday 18th November, around 750,000 households will have woken up to find a copy of 'Lekker in het Leven' ('Life tastes good') in their letter box, Marketing Online says. Running to 34 pages and accompanied by a set of discount coupons, the magazine counts among its backers Procter & Gamble (P&G), Douwe Egberts and HJ Heinz. Aimed at families with children, its features show how innovations made by such companies are contributing to improving family life. According to Ronald van de Straat of P&G, around 60% of Dutch retailers will accept the coupons, although Albert Heijn, the country's leading supermarket chain, is one notable exception. The promotion is a first in the Netherlands, he adds, and one in which P&G took the initiative. In neighbouring Belgium it had conducted a similar exercise on its own, although other manufacturers joined in later. Total value of the coupons is € 25.50. The publication of this first issue of the magazine constitutes a large-scale test, although experience in both Belgium and Germany shows that similar promotions are capable of stimulating shopping visits and sales. Should it prove successful in the Netherlands, publication two or three times a year is envisaged. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Marketing Online website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the website of Procter and Gamble in the Netherlands.
22.11.05
Belgium's postal service, La Poste, is conducting a large scale survey to see what kinds of advertising citizens want to receive, according to the national newspaper Le Soir. The company has already distributed around 1 million forms through letter boxes, Le Soir says, with more to follow as La Pste seeks to reach all families. Called 'Select Post', the initiative will allow families to specify which product categories they would be happy to receive advertising for, thus enabling advertisers to better target their mailshots. "While the volume of traditional mail is tending to stagnate, addressed promotional mailshots still have room to grow", a spokesman for La Poste tells th enewspaper. A first test wave of surveys sent out at the beginning of the year to 25,000 households produced response rates above 30%, the spokesman continues. What is perhaps more surprising, he says, is that consumers requested direct mail in an average of 52 categories. Around 80% of advertisers spoken to by La Poste approve of the initiative, with 42 already having agreed to take part. Click on the link below (left) to read a slightly longer version of this story for yourself, in French, on the Le Soir website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to read the longer press release sent out (by post?) by La Poste.
21.11.05
A wine maker in southern France is this week celebrating victory, having won his battle against a drinks multinational to call his produce what he wants to, writes the news agency AFP. Based in Cabestany, close to Perpignan, Jean-Philippe Beille thought nothing of naming his best wine 'Tinto absoluto' (which translates as something like 'absolutely very red wine'), AFP says. Little did he imagine, however, that the Swedish makers of the vodka brand Absolut would consider this an attempt to trade on the brand values that they have so cleverly built up over the years. Absolut's reaction was to object to Jean-Philippe registering the wine's name with France's trademark authority, the INPI, despite the fact that its maker was able to point to clear differences between a deep red wine and a clear vodka that hardly anybody drinks in the region in which he produces. 5,000 bottles were produced and everything seemed to be running well until one of the vineyard's Swedish clients requested that the packaging be changed, AFP says. Struggling to get the business back on its feet after the death of his father, Beille was keen to maintain his stance and unable to either accommodate the request or employ a lawyer to fight his corner in the French courts. "I defended myself with good sense", he tells the agency. "Firstly, the products have different colours. Then there is the fact that they are consumed differently". The dispute quickly caught the attention of the local and then the national press in France, fuelling a spirited movement of defence in favour of Beille. "Without really wanting to", Beille continues, "we became a symbol of Catalan culture". And a defiant one, at that, with slogans appearing such as 'Vodka no pasarā' ('No vodka here'). Now the vineyard is free to continue marketing its wine under the name it originally chose, "some buyers are suddenly deciding it's very good", says its maker. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in French, on the website of Voila, which publishes news stories from AFP. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the website set up especially to support Jean-Pierre Beille's defence of his 'tinto absoluto'.
Netherlands: Pepsi or 'Ipsei'? Soft drinks giants to face off in the European trademark court
Soon to be launched in the UK but available now for over a year in Germany and the Netherlands, one of Coca Cola's latest new product introductions has caused severe discomfort at its major rival, Pepsico. The reason? Well, says the Dutch business news website Zibb, the fact that the product is called 'Ipsei' might have something to do with it. Pepsico, it says - and perhaps with some reason - feels that this is uncomfortably close to the name of its star soft drink, Pepsi. For its part, Coca Cola counters with the claim that the name is in fact derived from 'ipse', which is Latin for 'self', and continues to promote the product as having a surprising taste, unique design and being good for the body, given that it contains natural anti-oxidants which help to strengthen the body's defences. Bottled in the Netherlands by Vrumona, a subsidiary of Heineken, Ipsei will now be the subject of a judgement by the European Patent Office in the Dutch town of The Hague, says Zibb. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Zibb.nl website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the website set up for Ipsei in neighbouring Germany or here to see the product presented to the Dutch public.
21.11.05
Austrian newspaper Der Standard took advantage of a recent visit to the country by Tony Wright, CEO of Lowe & Partners Worldwide, to question him on a range of topics. In his post for around one year, the newspaper asked him if it was fair to say that his network was still 'work in progress'. Wright denies this, saying that much has changed in that time, although quality issues still need to be resolved. Bringing together the very creative staff of the London-based Lowe network with those of US-based Lintas, five years ago, he admits, however, did not work. Asked about the continuing speculation that its troubled parent, IPG, might be looking to sell off Lowe, Wright says that there are currently no such plans and points out that the agency is strongly positioned in growing markets, such as Russia, India, China and Brazil. Within the network, emphasis over the coming year will be placed on achieving healthy profitability. One trade magazine, Der Standard points out, recently said that Lowe continued to be having trouble in Europe. "Everybody agency network is currently unhappy with continental Europe", Wright responds, "there's hardly any growth. I am particularly unhappy. Lowe is just not strong enough in these countries. The culture shock after the Lowe/Lintas merger was felt at its strongest here. For example, Lintas used to be a really strong agenc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
