NEWS

Shell: Seeking £62,000 cost security to guard against Don losing

Pepsi forced tochange TV ads

Ind Coope Retail has appointed John Cahill asmarketing and services director. He was previouslyretail trade director.

AXA Equity Be Law has extended its cricket leaguesponsorship for a further three years in a £3.5m deal.

Marketing Information Consultancy has launcheda profiling system called FIND Profiler, which can beused to calculate the total take-home pay of peopleliving around any retail outlet or bank branch.

Peter Davies will take over as Prudential groupchief executive on May 1. Davies left his post aschairman of Reed Elsevier last year, with £2m inseverance pay.

Sanderson Electronics has signed a four-yeardeal to sponsor Southampton Football Club.

Scottish Widows is understood to be planning aretail banking service. The Prudential and EquitableLife are also believed to be mooting plans to launchdeposit accounts.

A Labour government would ban the promotion ofbaby milk in publications distributed in hospitalsand through the National Health Service - reversinga Government decision taken earlier this month.Although last year Ministers signalled they wouldfollow World Health Organisation advice andintroduce a ban, regulations that came into forceon March 1 have allowed the practice to continue.

Benetton's legal action with one of its Germanretailers over losses caused by its controversiala9vertising has been delayed until May 2.

Pepsi: TV ads fall foul of BACC

The ads, which are fronted byCindy Crawford, were unveiledin January by PepsiCo Interna-tional vice president of market-ing and sales John Swanhaus.He promised Pepsi's toughestever attack on Coca-Cola (MWJanuary 20).

Pepsi brand manager TimDavie says the ads, designed byAbbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, arestill hard-hitting. Although theCoke brand name is obscured,the red and white colours will bediscernible. "Weare still pushingthe boundaries of competitiveadvertising. We are going furtherthan before."

By Sharon MarshallPepsiCo has been forced to alterone of its ads to comply with TVwatchdogs but is still fighting toair ads that ridicule rival Coke.

The soft drinks maker hashad to bow to the BroadcastAdvertising Clearance Centreand change the Pepsi ads whichstart in the UK this week. Thecompany had planned to showand name a Coca-Cola can and tomake fun of its rival. However,after weeks of negotiation Pepsihas now had to scramble theimage ofthe Coca-Cola can so thebrand name is unrecognisable.

Pepsi is still in negotiationwith the BACC over further exe-cutions of the ads, due to runlater this year. A decision overwhether it will be able to show anunedited version of the rival softdrink in the later ads will bemade this week.If neither ad is cleared by the

BACC, it will be a blow to Pepsi'sUK marketing plans. The com-pany had hoped to test outchanges in UK trademark legis-lation allowing wider use of com-parative advertising.

Shell seeks guaranteeover costs in Don caseIn the latest chapter in the long-running legal dispute betweenDon Marketing and Shell UK(MW February 24), the oil gianthas broken its silence by publiclycasting doubt on the sales promo-tion agency's financial position.

In a statement Shell said it isapplying to the court for securityfor costs in the event of Don los-ing the case. Shell is asking for£62,000 costs security. Don saysit will fight the claim. The appli-cation will be heard on April 13and Don says it will go to theappeal court ifit is asked to pay.

"Shell is doing all it can to stopthese cases coming to court andusing its financial weight againsta small firm," says Don manag-

ing director John Donovan.In a similar vein, Shell says it

will not be responding to Don'sinvitation to instigate a libelaction because it believes theagency would not have the fundsto pay costs and compensation.

But Donovan, who readilyadmits to conducting a publicitycampaign against Shell, says theclaim is a smokescreen. "The realreason Shell won't instigate alibel action is that it knows wehave evidence to back up every-thing we have said," he claims.

The dispute, running sincelast year, revolves around Don'saccusation that Shell used itsideas in a series of promotions,without permission or payment.

Unlaced, a Dr Martens indie compilation albumfrom EMI Records, is the latest spin-off from thefootwear brand, following its clothing range andretail concept.

Mars is reviving the Spangles brand this year withthe launch of Spangles Fruit Ice lollies. last year,Spangles sugar confectionery had a special editionlaunch. Mars is launching the pick 'n' mix conceptinto its ice cream range, and has developed thermalbags to hold its mini ice-cream brands.

Queens Moat Houses, the UK's third largest hotelgroup, has signed Daley Thompson to promote twonew branded products for its Moat House andCounty hotels - Club Moativation and Bodyclub.Thompson will star in promotional videos andtactical work at club level.

MARKETING WEEK MARCH 24 1995 11