Martin Galvin has been appointed UK trading director at MediaCom in a newly-created position and will work alongside managing partner Phil Hall.

Galvin joins the agency from Specific Media, where he was director of trading and platforms. A statement from MediaCom said his role had been created to bring together the agency’s existing trading agreements across all media platforms and ensure best practice is followed.

Phil Hall, managing partner at MediaCom, said: “Martin brings with him over 14 years of top class experience working across multimedia platforms, which is vital to the success of this role.

“He has been tasked with ensuring that all of our clients are guaranteed not only the best trading agreements in the market but also the most future-facing deals that media owners have to offer.”

Galvin’s media career began at MediaVest before he joined IDS and 2007, later joining Specific Media in 2010.

Media 10 Limited has appointed Publicasity to handle the PR for its forthcoming Grand Designs Live Show.

Publicasity has been tasked to create a campaign designed to drive visitors and consumer awareness for the show, which is taking place between 4 and 6 October at the NEC in Birmingham.

Rob Nathan, group marketing director at Media 10, said: “We are delighted to be working with Publicasity. Their extensive knowledge of home & interiors and experience of running high profile exhibitions really came through in their approach to the campaign. We look forward to working with them to ensure that Grand Designs Live is a huge success.”

The Grand Designs exhibition will consist of six shows: Grand Build, Grand Interiors, Grand Kitchens, Grand Bathrooms, Grand Gardens and the Grand Technology.

Zoe Ward-Waring, UK managing director at Publicasity, said: “We have a wealth of experience in the home interest sector as well as consumer shows. We were delighted to win the Grand Designs Live brief, which is the UK's number one consumer show for design and innovation. With over 50,000 visitors over the three day event, the team is tasked with driving awareness pre-show as well as managing a host of celebrity contributors, including Kevin McCloud. From sponsor liaison to strategic partnerships and on-the-ground support, the Publicasity Grand Designs Live team certainly have a busy few months and weeks ahead!”

Blanx White Shock has released its first TV campaign dramatising the products unique selling point, ‘the more you smile, the whiter your teeth get’.

Created by Driven, creative director Kyna Griffiths explained: “What makes Blanx White Shock so unique and effective is its patented ingredient, Actilux, which reacts to light to whiten the teeth. The creative tension and humour in the ad comes from people smiling in situations that would usually illicit a negative response. The viewer knows that the smile actually serves to whiten their teeth.”

Manufactured in Italy, the use of an Italian voiceover aims to create a sense of the brands Italian style and flair, helping to position the brand in such a way to appeal to the young, fashion conscious market.

Driven senior account manager, Martin Preston, added: “The rational product benefit is brought to life in an interesting way that will resonate with a young and fashion conscious audience who want results. We were able to give a sense of the integrity and efficacy of the product without dwelling too much on ‘the science bit’ which often prevails in the oral care category.”

Following the 278 complaints that have been made to the ASA about Marmite’s latest TV ad, which shows tubs of Marmite being taken out of homes of people who have ‘neglected’ it, the company is set to make a donation to the RSPCA.

Matt Cull, RSPCA fundraising manager, said: "Love the advert or hate it - we are thrilled to announce that Marmite have put their money where their mouth is and are spreading the love for animal welfare by making a donation to the RSPCA.

"Marmite have offered us £18,000 - which is how much it costs to run our inspectorate service for one day. This will make a massive difference to the animals and we are very grateful for their generosity."

Speaking to The Drum earlier, a spokesperson for Marmite said: “It is never our intention to cause offence. This is the first time Marmite has been on television for two years and we have made every effort to ensure that this commercial entertains anyone who watches it. It ranked highly throughout our rigorous testing process and with clear branding from the outset, as well as the comedic tone, we believe we have created an unmistakably Marmite ad – people will either love it or hate it and they certainly won’t forget it. We hope that everyone will watch and enjoy this commercial in the light-hearted way it was intended.”

The ad could still be banned by the ASA; if the authority deems that the ad has caused offence.

Social media analytics firm Starcount has acquiried H&D Ventures, the business owned by Tesco Clubcard creators Edwina Dunn and Clive Humby, making moves to bring the pair’s customer loyalty expertise into the digital sphere.

Dunn and Humby will be joined on the Starcount board by senior advisor at Morgan Stanley and investor Christopher Carter, who becomes chairman. The Clubcard creators will both take a minority equity stake in the business and sit on the board as executive directors. Both will focus on developing analytics and audience engagement.

Dunn said: “The key to an effective loyalty scheme such as Clubcard is getting people’s agreement to be part of something that allows them to obtain worthwhile benefits. We strongly believe that social media offers the base to create more targeted and user-friendly loyalty relationships, and look forward to exploring this hypothesis with Starcount.”

Carter added: “Starcount has already established itself as the market leader in understanding social media’s 1.7bn users, and how they as fans influence each other and their social media stars.

“I am delighted to be joining a business with the potential to make sense of the social media revolution, and realise significant benefits for brands and their fans.”

Starcount was founded in 2011 and publishes daily charts of popular global names and brands, and their biggest fans.

Other investors in the project include Artemis and Praetura Capital, who are finalising a third equity fundraising of $5m for Starcount.

A high flying Lacoste salesman has been fired after posting a snapshot of his paycheck on Instagram.

Wade Groom had been employed by the brand to flog its wares in Manhattan, a task he’d become rather good at by rising to become the clothing firms top US salesperson.

Fed up with the high cost of New York living however Groom decided to whip out his smartphone and capture his paycheck for the world to see alongside the comment: ‘Paycheck. Still silly to me. Ever since I was a kid I've thought it was completely insane that we have to work all our lives. I still feel that way. Especially when it's only enough to live in a third world apartment with s****y everything. Which for some reason in NYC is ok. Anywhere else only trailer trash live this way. I'm done with it.’

Sadly for Groom he was less well versed in La Coste’s social media policy, as he conceded to AOL Jobs: “"I guess I signed a confidentiality agreement with something about social media, but who reads those? I had to sign to get the job."

Asked why he posted the image Groom said he was happy with his $2,448.41 a month pay, noting: “It was sort of an impulsive thing that was spawned out of the frustration of being a single dad and all the stress that comes out of that."

According to documents provided by Groom he flogged $39,315 worth of merchandise one week, $12,000 more than his nearest competitor but this counted for nought in Lacoste’s Paris head office.

Google has moved to erase footage of kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro’s house of horror from its Street View service after the local authorities moved to demolish the premises.

From the outside 2207 Seymour Avenue, Ohio, looks an unremarkable structure on the quiet suburban street but the façade masked a decade long crime taking place in the basement within where Castro had held three women.

This follows the sentencing of Castro last week to life in jail after he admitted guilt to 937 counts levelled against him; including aggravated murder, rape and assault.

One of his victims, Michelle Knight, personally observed the demolition of her former prison.

This month's winners of the IAB Creative Showcase have been announced with entries from agencies such as VCCP, Wieden & Kennedy and Andrews Aldridge winning for work with clients Coors Light, Stride Gum and The Glenlivet, respectively.

Entries are accepted for the showcase each month from agencies across the UK, with further information available to view on the IAB website.

A new study of mobile habits has found that Britain now plays host to an army of mobile gamers, with their number nearly doubling to hit 20m since the start of 2011.

According to research specialists comScore there are also now some 6.2m avid mobile gamers who indulge their habit each and every day courtesy of their smartphone or tablet.

Busting stereotypes the composition of these players is evenly split between the sexes with women accounting for 48 per cent of the total.

Few are actually mobile when playing though with most, 64 per cent, playing in their living rooms or bedrooms.

The gains in popularity mean that the pastime is now as popular as photo messaging and only slightly less common that mobile weather checks and internet searches – both of which are employed by 21m people.
Social networking remains the most popular activity however, with 22m maintaining their profiles via their mobile.

Driving this explosion, according to the researchers, is the emergence of so-called freemium titles such as ‘The Simpsons: Tapped Out’, which can be picked up for nothing but apply charges for optional extras.

Adverts for Converse in Shoreditch have been ‘punked’ as part of an out of home campaign delivered by blowUP Media.

The campaign saw four giant posters being unveiled on Old Street, Brick Lane and Great Eastern Street as part of Converse’s Shoes Are Boring Wear Sneakers campaign, before being ‘punked’.

Aimee Mckay, sales director of blowUP Media UK explained: “Converse wanted to create a major buzz so needed giant posters as size was vital. We provided a platform that allowed artists to create a traffic-stopping work of art in the trendiest of urban areas – and the locals seem to love it. This is a campaign that has become a talking point in its own right.”

The campaign took place over three days.

As part of a series looking at trends in paper and print and what the medium offers marketers, including a look at the role of print in a digital world, The Drum caught up with a cross-section of those operating across the paper and print industries to get their views on how digital and print can be integrated as part of the marketing mix.

Jonathan Mitchell, managing director, Arjowiggins Creative Papers
Research has shown that cross media campaigns deliver the highest response rates. Powerfully designed, high-quality print firmly establishes a brand’s positioning and the value it places on its customers and can create an emotional bond and brand loyalty. Digital is best used in combination for follow-up and immediate contact for news and brief information. It is at its most powerful when generating buzz through online and social media but nowadays probably seen as weak as a cold call email tool as click through rates tend to be declining as the digital space is getting very crowded.

Danny McNeil, associate director, SEA Design
We are really interested in where the two overlap. Digital technology has been quietly revolutionising the print industry for years. Recent advances have seen new digital presses handle a huge variety of textures, colours, recycled papers and non-paper-based substrates.

Our piece for GF Smith showcased its portfolio of digital papers as well as the technological potential of the latest digital presses. Without the restrictions posed by plates on lithographic machines, one of the most exciting possibilities offered by digital print technology is ‘personalisation’ or ‘variable imaging’ – allowing for unique prints to be produced from an established document framework. Conventionally this technology allows for personalised text – name and address information for example. We extended its use to printing a series of 10,000 unique abstract digital illustrations, drawing inspiration from the micro details of paper fibres.

Marian Thomasson, marketing manager, Antalis UK
Both printed and digital communications have many benefits and brand owners should look to identify how they can take the strengths of both mediums to maximise the impact of their marketing campaigns.

The integration of print and digital has been proven to increase response rates and an integrated campaign can help ensure that messages are received across multiple channels. The paper element can be used in many different ways. For example, it can push people online, via bridging technologies such as QR codes and augmented reality applications, or it can be used to reinforce messages from digital media. Introducing direct mail to an integrated campaign can raise the campaigns effectiveness by up to 62 per cent.

Tom Priestley, head of print, Liaison Print Management
Consumers have an array of connection points with a brand, company, service or product and they don’t all live in a virtual space. Print and digital content should rarely be exactly the same. They shouldn’t be performing to the same goals but there should be cohesion between the two.
The most important question is, how is this piece of communication going to make the consumer change their behaviour and where will they go from here. Does that message start in print and lead to a digital format or the other way around? When that is understood it’s clearer to see the paths to forming an integrated solution.

Andrew Harris, European & UK graphic arts customer marketing, Professional Print Solutions, Canon Europe
Print is versatile and multichannel campaigns are most effective when supported by print. Made interactive via cross media, print offers marketers exciting opportunities through innovations such as QR codes, linking an offline channel to online and making it possible to track the recipient’s experience of the customer journey, increasing print’s ‘measurability’.

Duncan MacOwan, head of new media and events, FESPA
Nowadays, traditional printed material such as books, brochures and magazines frequently direct readers to other digital media to supplement their experience with sound or moving image or to take them to an internet retail platform. For instance last year The CW introduced the first ever live Twitter feed as a paper thin video screen in a magazine. This connected a traditional print magazine wirelessly to the internet, pulling Twitter into the physical pages of the magazine.

It’s innovative ideas like this that enhance the traditional print experience and combine both communication channels. There is ample evidence that marketing campaigns which integrate print and digital are more effective in driving response than digital only campaigns, even with ‘digital natives’.

This article is published as part of The Drum's Paper and Print supplement.

BT Sport has announced that it has recruited media service agency Red Bee Media to provide a range of additional broadcast services; including subtitling, audio description services, rich metadata and its 3D sports analysis software, Piero.

This follows Red Bee’s involvement in the design of the BR Sport logo, which was unveiled in February.

Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer of BT Sport said: “We're delighted to extend our relationship with Red Bee Media having already chosen them to deliver vitally important playout services and having helped us design the BT Sport on-air identity.”

Patrick Tillieux, chief executive officer, Red Bee Media, added: “We’re very proud to be working with BT on its new sports channels and we look forward to continuing this great partnership further still over the months and years to come.”

Honda's domination of the Brand Chart continues with its recreation of Ayrton Senna's brilliance using speakers and lights around a deserted F1 Race track, while the UGC chart is lead by one of the video featuring in YouTube's Geek Week series.

This is the third week in the last month that the Honda ad has featured as the top brand video in the Chart, and looks like it has no intention of slowing down.

Meanwhile, the Geek Week video, entitled Nigahiga, claims to be 'an official fake trailer' for Manga cartoon, Naruto The Movie, and is actually pretty impressive stuff, featuring some excellent costumes and decent home-made CGI special effects.

Social networking leviathan Facebook has revealed its latest feature update, introduction of its Graph Search functionality to US users.

The new tool will make its presence felt by way of a larger search bar at the top of the page, from which people can search for friends and Pages by name, or for specific people, photos, places and interests.

Search terminology can take the form of simple phrases such as ‘People from my hometown’. ‘Photos of my family’ and ‘Hotels in Seattle visited by my friends’.

The conversational level tool also allows people to search for more esoteric activities such as ‘Movies my friends like,’ ‘Books my friends of friends have read,’ and ‘Music liked by people who like the music that I like’.
In a blog post Facebook said: “As a reminder, we introduced new privacy controls back in December and announced that we would be retiring the old ‘who can look up my timeline by name?’ setting in the coming months. Now that people have had an opportunity to explore those tools, we are starting to retire this setting for the small percentage of people that use it.

“As we continue to work on other improvements to Graph Search, such as searching for posts, comments and mobile, we encourage everyone to use your privacy shortcuts and Activity Log to review and adjust whom you have shared with, including status updates.”

Bespoke furniture company Neville Johnson has engaged driven to create a 30” TV commercial highlighting the longevity of its furniture.

Using the line, ‘bespoke furniture, handcrafted for life’ the ad focusses on a bespoke Neville Johnson loving room in order to inspire viewers about how they could use the furniture for years to come.

Of the ad, Nigel Pailing, CEO at Neville Johnson, said: “This is a first for us and we are delighted with the results.”

Driven partner Neil Griffiths, commented: “We worked closely with the team at Neville Johnson to arrive at a concept that would recruit new customers and build their brand.”

Creative director, Chris Lear, added: “We’re delighted with the final ad and it’s already delivering great results for the Neville Johnson business. Most of the time on set was spent coaxing Polly, our featured cat artist into falling asleep at just the right moment.”

A baronet who posed with an antique rifle outside his country home as part of a PR stunt designed to attract more visitors has received a visit of an unwelcome kind, an armed response unit.

Sir Benjamin dipped into his armoury of 150 firearms ostensibly as a precaution after purported sightings of a ‘Big Cat’ in his grounds, gambling that the move would draw Big Game hunters to his estate.

Posing for a candid snap with the weapon the Baronet thought nothing more of it, until a wedding in his grounds was later disrupted by armed officers demanding to see his weapons stash; which includes muskets, a tommy gun, blunderbusses, a 12 bore shotgun and an AK47 assault rifle.

The raid was initiated after the media got wind of the stunt, reproducing the photograph and prompting a member of the public to complain of feeling threatened. This saw officers arrange

It was the fourth time his property had been raided by Avon & Somerset Police over concerns surrounding his horde, despite previously proving that they were all deactivated.

Commenting on the episode Sir Benjamin said: “The guests had been warned before. I said, 'I’m warning you, they may come in helicopters, there may be roadblocks, they may be fully armed, they may start shooting so keep your head down.’  We tried to keep the police out the way. You’ve got to really, it makes people nervous, they might stop drinking.

“They [the police] wanted to check every gun in the bar and the house … there are guns on the wall everywhere. They would have been all crawling around the bar and the house, pulling things off the wall, which is not very helpful.”

The Drum’s annual 30 Under 30 Women in Digital is now open for entries, and we are calling on the digital industries to put forward the trailblazers helping to drive growth in the sector.

Last year Kate Day, The Telegraph's social media and engagement editor, topped the list, and we are looking to find which women in creative, strategic, marketing, development and technical roles will make this year’s list.

Our regular Women in Digital series focuses on successful, influential women who have acted as digital role models, inspiring others and paving the way for a generation of new talent. The 30 Under 30 list looks to celebrate this arena of talent.

As usual, those who made last year’s list are not eligible for entry this year, as we look to promote as many women in the digital industry as possible, but all are being contacted to participate and help The Drum establish the 2013 list.

If you feel you know a woman aged under 30 who is a future role model, make sure to nominate them in the survey below.

Nominations will be open until Thursday 22 August.

Yahoo! has teamed up with accounting software firm Sage to launch a new Small Business Hub hosted by Yahoo! Finance.

The platform is intended to provide a vehicle for the dissemination of news, advice and practical tips for business owners wherever you may be.

This includes everything from advice on paying VAT to working with mentors.

Paul Cairney, head of brand marketing at Sage UK & Ireland said: “It’s a very exciting opportunity to work with a partner like Yahoo! to create a business advice hub for small businesses. Sage has a strong tradition of taking new approaches to raise the visibility of its brand from bringing back the Krypton Factor to being an early B2B adopter of Aurasma.

“This partnership, which is a first for both brands in the UK, continues to demonstrate that tradition and underlines our commitment to providing start-ups and small businesses with the guidance, tools and confidence they need to succeed.”

Krane Jeffery, Head of Yahoo! Studio said: “We are delighted to bring Sage to Yahoo! as our partner for this area of content. Our audiences across our wide editorial network have told us there’s a need to offer small businesses advice, and this campaign utilising a combination of our Finance editorial team and Sage's expertise enables us to deliver insights and understanding to meet this demand.”

Nuts magazine has refused the Co-op’s ultimatum of introducing modesty bags, risking being delisted from Co-op’s stores in September.

The lads mag confirmed it would not be modesty bagging the magazine brandishing Co-op’s ultimatum as ‘unreasonable’ considering that the magazine is legal and is already displayed according to Home Office guidelines.

Nuts magazine publisher IPC Inspire’s managing director Paul Williams commented: “Co-op’s knee-jerk attempt to restrict access to a product that consumers have enjoyed for nearly a decade is wrong. Nuts takes its obligation to craft products that are right for consumers and retailers alike very seriously and for a number of weeks now we have had new covers in place, which have a more conservative tone.

“The objection that niche lobby groups have against certain sectors of the media should not mean that the right to purchase a perfectly legal product is restricted for the over half a million Nuts readers. As has been widely reported in the media in recent weeks, this is no longer a question of whether or not you like men’s magazines; it is a question of how far you can restrict the public’s ability to consume free and legal media before it becomes censorship.”

Since the Co-op issued the ultimatum Nuts has started a social media campaign #keeptheladsmags which has been backed by its readers and cover star glamour models. Loaded magazine editor Jamie Wallis has also expressed his concerns over the Co-op’s decision claiming that it is “caving into bulling from pressure groups” and by doing so is “allowing censorship which is a very real threat to the free press and freedom of speech in the UK.”

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Assocation (BVRLA) has relaunched its website to create a more interactive and responsive facility for members.

The site was developed by channel retail and shopper specialist Howell Penny and offers a more news-led design.

Marc Rigby, client director at Howell Penny, said the site would generate more revenue for the trade body: “The new site has been created with several key aims in mind.

“As well as being much more interactive for members, it will generate more advertising revenue while raising the profile of the vehicle rental and leasing industry, and providing advice and information to consumers and businesses.”

The BVRLA represents 500 member companies providing vehicle rental to corporate users and consumers.