The week in marketing

Nike has launched a viral campaign featuring the Pink Panther and French football star Franck Ribery. Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam created the activity for the Pink Mercurial Vapor IV football boot, in which players who seem to be strolling effortlessly outstrip opponents running flat out.

To watch the ad visit www.marketingmagazine.co.uk

- Philips begins review

Electricals brand Philips is reviewing its UK agency roster after merging its Domestic Appliances & Personal Care and Consumer Electronics businesses. The review will not affect its global agencies, DDB and Carat.

- Visit London push

Visit London kicked off a £3m tourism drive with a one-day audiovisual display in Trafalgar Square last Friday. The event centred on making one of the square's famous lion statues look as if it were talking. Follow-up press, outdoor, radio and online activity will use the strapline '2008 reasons to visit London'.

- Drug task assigned

Pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has handed the launch account for Flibanserin, a treatment for decreased libido in pre-menopausal women, to PAN Advertising and DLKW.

- Yell backs Stevenson

Yell has insisted chief marketer Helen Stevenson is to remain in her role, despite announcing a round of 300 job cuts, which will result in the departure of colleagues including head of marketing John Hayward.

- AXA appoints agency

AXA Direct has appointed McCann Erickson Bristol to handle its direct marketing following a four-way pitch managed by Creative Brief. The agency will join the roster for the financial-services company, which also owns the Sun Life and PPP Healthcare brands. It is understood AXA plans to increase its marketing spend in 2009.

- Met in licensing debut

New Scotland Yard is to offer its brand identity to licensing partners for the first time. Anna Gardiner, head of licensing for the Metropolitan Police, said the organisation had agreed to license a children's forensic science set, adding that she hoped the 'rich heritage and sophistication' of the service would appeal to manufacturers.

Lenovo McLaren deal

Lenovo has switched its Formula One sponsorship from the AT&T Williams team to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. The is a timely boost for the team following McLaren chief executive Ron Dennis' announcement this week that he expects the team's revenues to drop by £100m during the economic downturn.

Ed Kemp on sports marketing at www.marketingmagazine.co.uk

- ITV FA Cup drive

ITV is celebrating the victory of part-time football team Histon FC over Coca-Cola League One club Leeds United in the FA Cup with an 'All men are equal' drive for the tournament. Poster and press ads created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, which break this week, show a milkman, a fireman and a welder taking on a professional player.

- John Frieda adds lines

John Frieda is extending its bestselling Frizz Ease range with three products that will launch early next year. Their roll-out will be supported by a multimillion-pound campaign spanning TV, in-store and below-the-line activity.

- DoH stroke task

The Department of Health has appointed DLKW to create a £12m three-year stroke awareness drive across TV, outdoor, press and direct. The work will use the acronym FAST, which stands for 'Face Arm Speech Time to call 999', and breaks in January. DLKW pitched against MCBD and Bartle Bogle Hegarty for the task.

- Matalan picks chief

Matalan has promoted Lee Pinnington to the role of marketing controller following the departure of Rachel Scott. He is driving an online sales trial for the brand's Rogers & Rogers, Soon and Et Vous clothing ranges, and has tasked digital agency Code Computerlove with creating the ecommerce site and activity to support its launch next year.

- Avon signs Cox

Avon has signed actress Courtney Cox as the ambassador for its perfume brand, Spotlight, which will launch globally next summer.

- TheLadders TV drive

Careers site TheLadders.co.uk is to run a TV campaign targeting executives earning more than £50,000. Ads by Fallon will communicate how job-seekers can find the best opportunities through the site's careers service. The 30-second spots will run across terrestrial and digital TV channels around cricket and Premier League football coverage from January.

BRATZ LOSES OUT TO BARBIE

A US federal judge has ordered the withdrawal of the Bratz dolls range following a four-year legal dispute in which their creator, Carter Bryant, was accused of copyright infringement and breach of contract by rival manufacturer Mattel.

Mattel, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Barbie dolls this year, was awarded $190m after a jury ruled that Bryant had developed the idea for the dolls while working for the company, thereby making the concept its legal property.

MOST READ

Marketingmagazine.co.uk's most clicked-on stories for the week ending 3 December 2008

1. LG agrees global deal with F1
2. Andrew Crawley tipped for top British Airways marketing role
3. 02 launches image recognition campaign
4. Apple jumps on flash sale bandwagon
5. George takes BUPA job as BA court case nears
6. Banking buddies? The limits of how far brands can tap into social
networking
7. InBev hands £20m Stella Artois account to Mother
8. Dead dog stars in FRANK anti-cocaine TV ad

DIGITAL DIGEST

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This article was first published on Marketing