Industry News - May, 2007

Sponsorship of the World Cup may change hands following a court ruling over a deal with Fifa.

Last week, the US appeals court judged that an earlier court ruling granting MasterCard an eight-year sponsorship deal, should be revisited.

This follows rulings in December deciding that MasterCard should be awarded the contract.

Brand Republic reports that a 2006 agreement between MasterCard and Fifa is at issue and specifically, whether this superseded an earlier contract i... more...

Revenue spent on internet advertising grew by about 35 per cent last year, according to research.

Figures from the Interactive Advertising Bureau's (IAB's) quarterly Internet Advertising Revenue Report, suggest that search, display and lead generation categories continued to rise.

The research also found that the top 50 publishers made up 93 per cent of the online advertising market.

Randall Rothenberg, president and chief executive officer of the IAB, commented: "... more...

Firms should treat rebranding with caution, reports suggest.

While a careful rebranding strategy works in most cases, it can also prove to be costly in the opinion of Tom Blackett from Interbrand Group.

He cites the example of Marathon's rebranding to Snickers in the 90s, which meant that "many people stopped buying" the snack.

However, this compares with HSBC's rebranding from Midland Bank, which showed an increase in favourability.

Independent mar... more...

British brands with financial services arms have been rated highly on their eco-friendliness in a new survey.

Tesco, The Co-op, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer all figured in the top ten green brands in a recent YouGov poll.

Consumers were asked which brands they thought to be the most environmentally friendly and unfriendly, with only "deep green brands" such as Ecover and The Body Shop ranking higher.

Stephen Shakespeare, chief innovations officer at Yo... more...

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has reacted to yesterday's announcement that advertising has improved in the insurance industry.

It was recently announced that the majority of adverts from the insurance industry surveyed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in a ten-day period were fair and accurate in the way the depicted potential product savings.

Today, Nick Starling, director of general insurance and health, commented on the FSA's findings.

He said: ... more...

High street banks have been engaging with religious scholars to boost their brands and underline the merits of their Islamic products, according to one expert.

The Financial Times states that the religious brand of a financial product does not necessarily rest on the reputation of the institution that provides it, "but with the scholars who have approved it".

As a consequence, banks such as HSBC, have set up dedicated Sharia boards attached to specific Islamic bank un... more...

Mobile advertising is to be given a push by marketers thanks to a new campaign by an industry body.

The GSM Association (GSMA) has set up the new scheme in order to promote the use of mobile phone connections as a medium for advertising.

Bill Gajda, spokesperson for the group, said that devices such as mobile phones are able to provide an "intimacy" that cannot be otherwise achieved.

He said: "To realise this potential, the mobile industry, the advertisi... more...

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has praised efforts to improve advertising in the insurance industry.

A review of all home motor and insurance advertising in the national press over a ten-day period in April found that 94 per cent of ads fairly and accurately depicted savings made on their products.

This compares with figures for last year, which found that only 55 per cent of adverts were honest in terms of their claims.

Vernon Everitt, director of retail theme... more...