Author's Profile

Experian kicks off £6m media review

- Experian, the online credit-checking service that owns the CreditExpert brand, is reviewing its £6 million media planning and buying account.

Katherine Levy: Data magic is what will bind a client to its media agency

- "The media agency is the USB stick of an advertiser's business"; media agencies "help share the pain" for clients; media agency people "really get under the skin of your business".

Katherine Levy: We should be wary that consumers are still wary of cookies

- The contentious European Union cookie law comes into full effect in nine days' time.

Katherine Levy: While shareholders rise up, remember those who deliver

- The City is predicting that WPP shareholders will voice discontent with Sir Martin Sorrell's 2011 pay bump to £12.9 million at the group's AGM next month, as the "shareholder spring" takes the FTSE 100 companies by storm.

Katherine Levy: In procurement era, agencies must offer more than top work

- No sooner had the industry heard the news that MEC had lost its long-standing Specsavers account to Manning Gottlieb OMD, than there were proclamations that MEC was on a downward spiral. Having lost other chunky clients in Gocompare.com and Wickes at the turn of the year, this, some observers said, surely serves as confirmation that MEC is losing its grip.

News groups unite to drive up revenue

- The regional news groups Northcliffe Media and Trinity Mirror Regionals are to offer advertisers a new national sales package of titles in a bid to drive up ad revenues in a difficult market.

Katherine Levy: Nice to see a client urge collaboration over competition

- There have been some interesting rumours doing the rounds recently about Procter & Gamble and Unilever.

Bellwether reveals ad budgets rise for third quarter in a row

- Annual marketing spend for the financial year has risen for the first time since 2008/09 and marketing budgets have been revised up for a third-successive quarter, according to the latest IPA Bellwether Report.

Katherine Levy: Broadcasters take note - great TV needs to be sold as such

- So Channel 4 has received flak for its marketing of its new series The Undateables. If you haven't seen it, the programme charts the obstacles that disabled people have in forming romantic relationships.

PHD hires Devoy for global strategy

- PHD Worldwide has appointed Malcolm Devoy to the newly created role of international strategy director.

Agencies line up for £5 million Claims Direct

- Claims Direct, the personal injury compensation business, is reviewing its £5 million advertising account.

SABMiller kicks off media review in Europe

- SABMiller, the global brewer, is reviewing its estimated £50 million media planning and buying account across Europe.

RBS Group reviews digital agency roster

- The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is holding a review of its digital creative agency roster for its main consumer banking brands.

Sony Music launches £10m media review

- Sony Music Entertainment is reviewing its £10 million media planning and buying account, currently held by Manning Gottlieb OMD.

Katherine Levy: Social media giants will sink or swim in mobile ad waters

- Last week, I attended an event at which Dominic Allon, Google UK's director of agency sales, was speaking.

Punter Appeal - WCRS

- A Christmas Sky ad scored high, but it still couldn't surpass the Churchill campaign. Katherine Levy writes.

Jim Hytner takes global helm at Initiative

- Initiative, the Interpublic media network, has appointed Jim Hytner as its worldwide chief executive.

Katherine Levy: It's time to clear up this Xaxis data conspiracy theory

- It is understandable that some observers in the advertising industry choose to celebrate when a media independent claims a chunk of business against the marketing behemoth WPP.

NI invests £7m to back Sunday Sun

- News International is understood to be spending £7 million on marketing activity over the coming weeks to support the launch of The Sun's Sunday edition.

Carat lands £9m iSmart media task

- ISmart Consumer Solutions, the company that helps consumers claim compensation from mis-sold financial products, has appointed Carat to its £9 million media account.