Carlsberg has launched an interactive website to accompany its official beer of the Barclays Premier League status, offering fans a live real-time data feed monitoring performances.

The website and ‘Time To Take Your Seats’ campaign was created by The Marketing Store and also invites fans to try and win tickets to games of their choice over the next 10 weeks.

The campaign will be supported by LED perimeter advertising at selected matches and fans will be encouraged to share links on social media in exchange for additional prize draw entries.

Dharmesh Rana, senior brand manager at Carlsberg UK, said: “We are excited to be launching our first activity to celebrate the beginning of the new Barclays Premier League season and giving true football fans more opportunity to see the game they love live in an interactive way.”

Carlsberg signed a three-year deal in January to become the league's official beer partner.

It’s the country’s fastest growing industry and the government is pinning economic hopes on it; it’s diverse and stretches across sectors, from private to public and from old to new – so why is recruitment struggling to keep up with the digital revolution?

Figures released last month by The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) showed permanent work placements in marketing have dropped by 21 per cent year-on-year despite an increase in job openings of two per cent. Businesses said they were forced to turn to temporary workers to fill the gap and described a “mismanagement of expectations” within companies developing digital marketing skills.

The data was one of a number of studies pointing towards the same problem and the UK’s workers are as aware of the widening skills gap as their employers. According to research carried out by OnePoll in June, almost half of the people surveyed said they wanted to add new digital skills and knowledge to their CVs. Cost and uncertainty over how to learn were given as obstacles to development.

Meanwhile, blame has been heaped on government by some, with a recent report from GfK, commissioned by TechCityInsider in partnership with Grant Thornton, City University of London, Digital Shoreditch and Vitamin T, accusing the government of failing to adequately support the industry and risking stunted growth in the rapidly growing sector.

Digital technology has enabled the marketing industries to branch out of their traditional disciplines and expand the range of services they can provide, but with that capability comes a need for multi-skilled tech-savvy staff. As the fabric of industry changes with moving technologies, jobseekers are increasingly unsure of the skills required to keep up.

“In a recent survey that we carried out to our community we asked what skills graduates were expected to have when they enter their first marketing role,” says Sheree Hellier, head of insight and programme development at the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM). “We discovered that overall, graduates are expected to have a range of skills even though they may not be hugely experienced. Numeracy and awareness of the wider marketing landscape were identified as the most important skills newly qualified graduates should have.

“A current highly sought-after skill is coding, which is in particular demand within innovative start-ups in Silicon Roundabout,” she continues.

“There also appears to be importance for newly qualified graduates seeking employment in the marketing industry to have knowledge of a range of tools, most notable SEO, Google Adwords and PPC, according to our recent survey.

“Graduate roles do not appear to be clearly defined – they are expected to have a range of skills and be a ‘jack of all trades’ early on in their careers. Often there is a skills expectations versus an experience disconnect.”

Director of Manchester-based recruitment agency Instinct, Mike Ward, echoes Hellier’s view, saying employers’ approaches to the job market have evolved in recent years.

“Despite the encouraging signs, business are watching their spend as closely as ever, specifically their recruitment budgets”, he explains. “Tighter budgets equal tighter process, so as ironic as this may sound it’s had a really positive effect on the way employers are engaging with the jobseeker market, turning to experienced, specialist and trustworthy recruiters. It’s also had a significant impact on applicants. With businesses taking fewer risks, candidates have really had to up their game to stand out from the crowd and secure themselves the position.”

For the UK to keep up in the tech race and stimulate further growth, the industry is calling for a fundamental change in the approach to recruitment. It’s not just about picking up a few skills on top of an established discipline – tech skills such as coding should become a basic skill taught in schools, according to many. Tech giant Google was one of the first to back a recent ‘Code Club’ initiative in the UK to teach youngsters the relevant skills.

However, co-founder of Digital Gurus, Farooq Mohammed, says the next generation of digital natives will acquire those skills more naturally; it’s developing the current workforce – and quickly – that is pertinent.

“We are at the beginning of a technical revolution – knowing what HTML/CSS/Javascript are and how they function will become fundamental,” he explains. “It’s a global language and these tools are the alphabet – people working in the marketing industries will increasingly need to know how this language that will run through all their online marketing functions and works.

“If I was going into the job market today, I would make sure I understood code; it is the only universal human language and one that will mark you out as different in the current jobs market. The last two or three years have seen a big shift towards technology as mobile and tablets have taken off,” he adds.

The creative industry currently provides around 1.5 million jobs and employment in the sector has grown at double the rate of the economy as a whole. Digital convergence across the creative marketing disciplines has put tech skills in demand and while creatives and marketers may not traditionally have associated their roles with tech, a change of mindset is required to succeed in the industry today. UK internet traffic is predicted to rise by an average of 37 per cent every year between 2010 and 2015 (according to a 2012 report by A.T. Kearney).

Digital is key. So how can professionals – young and old – develop the relevant skills? According to Justin Moore of London-based recruitment agency Become, there are plenty of resources out there, including training companies, online tutorials and courses.

“I would recommend going online and investigating which courses have the best feedback and success rates,” says Moore. “See which courses are being talked about and ask questions to people online who have experience in the areas you’re passionate about.

“Always choose a course that’s specifically appropriate to what it is you’re looking to get into. Make it relevant to your desired skills set and also the level you need. Make sure the qualifications you achieve after these courses are recognised and respected by the organisations and industries you’re looking to join.

“Another avenue for research is to join digital networking events and mingle with digital experts and ask their advice – they will be able to guide you in the right direction,” adds Moore.

The marketing industry is in broad agreement on the central role technology now plays in every aspect of the job and the uncertainty that it inevitably creates. Workers in the industry can’t afford to become complacent or settled within their skillsets. To stay relevant, thorough awareness of digital developments and fresh approaches to utilising them are the qualities setting candidates apart during a refreshing period for recruitment

To view the latest jobs in advertising, design, digital media and marketing, visit The Drum's jobs section

To buy the latest issue of The Drum, complete with the full recruitment feature, visit The Drum store

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The Carphone Warehouse celebrated Manchester United’s first game without long-standing manager Sir Alex Ferguson as part of its new ‘Smart Bites’ initiative.

Strategically and creatively lead by digital partners Steak and 360i, in collaboration with social agency Cake, Smart Bites sees the high street retailer insert itself into conversations about culturally relevant events.

During the match Carphone Warehouse posted tweets and Facebook comments – with a smartphone twist – about new manager David Moyes’ first game in charge. During the course of the game the creative reached over 500,000 impressions on Twitter and Facebook.

Looks like Moyes can manage... #MUFC pic.twitter.com/n9jEaSLFGU

— Carphone Warehouse (@CPWTweets) August 17, 2013

Gareth Jones, head of online marketing at Carphone Warehouse, said: “With social playing an important role in the future of SEO, it’s important for Carphone Warehouse that our digital strategy encompasses this ideology moving forward. Steak and 360i were able to produce great content that put our brand in front of a wider audience which amplified engagement whilst driving SEO value.”

Group account director for Steak, Daniel McIntosh, added: “Although a different route for the brand, we felt that we needed to maximise the social opportunity presented by the game and it fell perfectly with the target audience. Reacting in real-time during such events not only increases reach, but instils faith and relevance amongst the audience.”

Smart Bites will now continue with a new post every day over the next five weeks.

Peer-to-peer currency exchange service WeSwap has appointed Threepipe to assist with its launch.

The agency has now been tasked with handling onsite and offsite SEO support, social media, online PR and PPC testing across different international markets.

The account is the on the first campaigns to be won by Threepipe since merging with Blowfish Digital and will be headed up by Jim Hawker.

Of the appointment, Hawker said: “WeSwap is a perfect example of a client that needs our integrated approach across earned, owned and paid for digital channels. We are able to create the perfect blend of technical and creative skills that online businesses need such as WeSwap need.”

Around 80 per cent of consumers who have contacted a brand through social media platforms heard back from the company within 12 hours; compared with 37 per cent who contacted a company through email, eDigitalResearch has found.

The survey of 2,000 consumers found that how a customer contacts a brand is likely to have a large effect on their overall customer experience, with seven per cent of consumers who have used live online chat facilities in the past claimed that they did not hear back from the company.

Derek Eccleston, Commercial Director at eDigitalResearch, comments, “Whilst there are still a limited number of consumers using social media channels to contact brands (our survey showed that just two per cent have recently used their Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts to get in touch with a brand), it is currently the only channel that ensures that all consumers receive a response following their contact.

“If a customer decides that they need to contact a company, their experiences should be the same no matter what channel they use. Obviously there are obstacles (such as the time delay with post) that some channels need to overcome or find a work around for. These results show that there are currently major disparities across customer touch points - measures should be taken to ensure that departments and teams work together to provide the best contact experience possible. Improving the customer experience should be a business wide operation.”

Recently, research from Ambassador found that 70 per cent of consumers helped via social customer service return as a customer in the future.

John Lewis Insurance has engaged Steak and 360i London to launch a microsite showcasing its new TV ad alongside a ‘making of’ story and a user-generated content competition using Vine.

As part of a drive by John Lewis to highlight its insurance offering visitors to the dedicated microsite are challenge to submit their own Vine videos accompanied by the hashtag #WhatMattersMost. Adam&eveddb lead creatives Simon Lloyd and Mark Waring and John Lewisill then pick the best entries with a first prize of £1000 worth of gift vouchers on offer, as well as three Cannon EOS 700D Digital SLR cameras for weekly winners.

“This online content is a great tool to expand the TV concept. It maintains momentum online and ultimately drives levels of engagement which you would not typically experience as a mainstream financial service brand,” remarked Keith Bibby, head of marketing at John Lewis Insurance.

Steak client services director Phil Burgess added: “John Lewis TV adverts have become much loved campaigns and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to extend the impact of the new ad into the digital space. The stop motion technique lends itself perfectly to the use of an innovative platform such as Vine, which will help to drive further engagement with the campaign and deepen understanding of the ad’s message.”

John Lewis Insurance’s new ad is currently The Drum’s Ad of the Day pick.

Kellogg’s has launched a campaign to promote its latest Crunchy Nut cereal variety, Crunchy Nut Chocolate.

The campaign is part of the brand’s ‘The trouble is they taste too good’ strapline and was created by Leo Burnett.

The 30-second ad launched today, August 10, and will be supported by an interactive game hosted on the brand’s YouTube channel.

Today’s jobs round-up brings roles for content and publishing managers, magazine designers, account managers, customer acquisition specialists and multimedia managers.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is looking for a content and publishing manager based in Yorkshire and The Humber with excellent production and editing skills. The successful candidate will work with a team of content, publishing and digital experts and should have experience of working in a busy communications environment. Responsibilities will include ensuring content is clear, concise and appropriate. Salary for this position is £24,684-£31,572 and the closing date for applications is 30 August.

Connect Communications is looking for a magazine designer in west-central Scotland to help deliver innovative publications for a wide range of national and international clients. Offering a salary of £22,000-£28,000, the company is seeking an individual with great Creative Suite knowledge and a hunger to learn new digital design skills. The closing date for applications is 2 September.

Two account managers are required at Vivid Ceative in Sheffield to work with existing clients and help develop new opportunities. Candidates should be dynamic, confident and proactive, enjoy building relationships and looking for an opportunity to develop and grow. The role will involve contributing to and interpreting marketing strategies and seeing briefs through to delivery. Applications should be submitted by 23 August.

Linn is seeking an individual to work on new customer acquisition in central Scotland. The music systems-designer is looking for an energetic, creative thinker with excellent verbal and written communication skills alongside a proven track record in marketing and promoting products and ideas. Candidates should be educated to degree level or equivalent and display a strong working knowledge of current marketing methods and business development. The closing date for applications is 31 August.

Pitch is looking for a multimedia manager for a PR agency in the north-west of England. Offering a salary of £22,000-£27,000, the agency is looking for an individual to support them in the sourcing, design and manipulation of their online content. Applicants should have design and video editing skills and be fluent in Adobe After Effects. The closing date for applications is 12 September.

To view the latest jobs in advertising, design, digital media and marketing in your area, visit The Drum’s jobs section

The Guardian, one of the primary sources of leaked material from US whistle blower Edward Snowden, has said that the British government ordered it to either destroy classified documents in its possession or hand them over to the authorities.

Editor Alan Rusbridger made the claim in his leader piece for the newspaper yesterday, in which he espoused the dangers all journalists face as a result of Schedule 7 in wake of David Miranda’s detention, the partner of guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald.

In it Rusbridger recalled the words of one unnamed intelligence official who informed him bluntly ‘You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back.’

There followed a visit by two security officials from Government Communication Headquarters who visited the guardian’s headquarters to oversee the physical destruction of computer equipment containing material provided by Snowden by the papers own staff.

Undaunted however Rusbridger implied that the paper would continue to make further Snowden disclosures in future, observing in his piece that it remained possible for media organisations to ‘take advantage of the most permissive legal environments’, adding that henceforth the guardian ‘did not have to do our reporting from London.’

Palmer’s has launched a campaign with Mumsnet and Netmums to help promote its Palmer’s Skin Therapy Oil products and create feedback.

Navigate Digital was appointed to help Palmer’s with the campaign, which will use the forums on the parenting sites to help create feedback on its original Cocoa Butter and Rosehip variants.
Sharan Cheema, account director at Navigate Digital, said: “Mums are a core demographic for Palmer’s, and reaching out to a core user base in this way gives it a great chance to understand how users will really respond to the new product in their own homes. Palmer’s can then use that knowledge in its future marketing and development.”

Zahira Beddou, brand manager at E.T. Browne, Palmer’s brand owners, added: “The chat rooms are the key areas for both sites so it’s important to have a presence there and for us to generate real reviews and feedback on this product.

“Other advertisers have done this before but it’s a first for Palmer’s. We know that this audience loves other products in our range, so it was important for us to understand how this section of our customer base feels about this product in our line-up.”

The campaign will roll out at the end of the month.

‘Explosive’ growth in online banking apps is contributing to a surge in popularity for debit card payments, which could overtake that of credit cards within the next decade according to the Payments Council.

These changes are set to see people increasingly forego cash transactions in favour of their smartphones or tablet devices, with the number of purchases dropping by 34 per cent from 20.8bn a year now to just 13.7bn by 2022.

Over the same time period the use of debit cards is set to grow from 7.6bn transactions to 13.8bn, driven largely by the younger generations.

Debit cards overtook cash in terms of total spend as far back as 2009 when the figures were £264bn and £262bn respectively with non-cash methods set to account for over half of all transactions by 2015.
Mobile payments meanwhile are expected to quadruple in volume from 356m a year to 1.5bn whilst cheque book usage halves from 823m payments to just 334m.

In a statement the Payments Council said: “The digital economy will continue to grow rapidly, driving change in the way payments are made and received. Much recent innovation has been around mobile payments, and mobile has the potential to make a significant impact on the payments landscape.”

Asda, which started an advertising review in June, is understood to have narrowed its pitch down to JWT London and VCCP: meaning that incumbent Saatchi & Saatchi will not win the £100m account.

Saatchi & Saatchi has held the account for over a decade, and created last year’s Christmas advert, which led to over 600 complaints to the ASA.

The pitch began following the appointment of Chris McDonough as marketing director.

The Drum is awaiting a comment from Asda.

Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova is to take the unusual step of changing her surname during the US Open, after striking a marketing deal with a confectionary producer.

This will see the star change her surname, temporarily, to ‘Sugarpova’ by asking the Supreme Court of Florida for a ‘quickie’ name change during the two week tournament.

On addition to her new moniker Sharapova will also sport a pair of bright red lips, the logo of the sweets brand, on her kit during matches.

Should her application be successful Sharapova will be referred to as Sugarpova during introductions, addresses and score read outs during the tournament.

It isn’t the first time that a sports star has changed their name to promote a product. Snooker ace Jimmy White once changed his name to James Brown in order to promote HP Sauce.

Dog Digital has announced the opening of a London office with Nathalie Sadler joining the agency to head up business development in financial services.

Sadler joins Dog from the Financial Times where she served as a financial agency account manager before being promoted to the role of client services manager. At Dog she has been tasked with advising new and prospective clients on their creative strategies as well as bringing her experience in financial publishing to help accelerate growth of the agency’s brand and reputation.

“This is an exciting time to take our experience in financial services marketing to London and to welcome Nathalie to the team,” commented David Hamilton, business development director at Dog Digital. “[With] Nathalie’s impressive knowledge of the financial services industry and her marketing and publishing intuition, we look forward to proving to new finance clients in London and across the UK, that Dog Digital is an ideal creative partner.”

Of the appointment Sadler said: “Dog Digital is an exciting and innovative company with a strong heritage in Financial Services. I believe that London can truly benefit from the experience and knowledge Dog has as a creative partner. I am looking forward to being part of the agency’s journey in London.”

Simon Ross has joined Threepipe as digital account director from Ladbrokes where he held the role of display manager.

During his time with Ladbrokes Ross headed up the day-to-day management and strategy across all products, prior to Ladbrokes he held role with both Goggle and iCrossing. At Threepipe Ross has been tasked with handling media planning and buying for the agency’s clients.

Of the appointment Farhad Koodoruth, co-founder of Threepipe, said: “Simon shares our belief in using data to drive insight and results and brings a wealth of experience to the team.”

Ross added: “I am really excited to have joined Threepipe. The team have made me feel really welcome here, and this is a reflection of the great people that are working within the business. It is a great time to be here, the merger is only seven months old and the potential to build something truly unique in the marketplace is what makes being part of the Threepipe team really exciting.”

Aunt Bessie’s has unveiled a refreshed brand look created by Springetts Brand Design Consultants, launching at the end of August.

Tasked with revitalising the expanded Aunt Bessie’s product portfolio, the new look aims to create more of an emotional connection with consumer.

Design and photography have been used to communicate the brand essence of ‘roastiness’, with the introduction of a new ‘roastie’ background. Products have also been photographed close up with accompaniments to help tell the Aunt Bessie’s story.

A new ribbon design has been included for the brand logo putting Aunt Bessie back at the heart of the pack.

VisitBritain and Barclays Premier League have extended their five-year partnership to 2016, aiming to increase the 900,000 football fans who visit each year spending £700m across Britain.

With pre-season tours by Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City generating buzz for the season ahead VisitBritain has cranked up investment launching the biggest football campaign in the tourist board’s history, featuring England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

The deal sees potential visitors invited to partake in a season-long digital game, housed on VisitBritain’s new LoveWall site, in order to win a trip to Britain.

The fully integrated ‘Take Me There’ campaign also includes new player interviews, options to book match breaks through Thomas Cook Sport, club information, tourist attractions close to stadiums as well as the latest fixtures and results.

‘Take Me There’ will also be supported by targeted media buy across China, UAE, Norway, Sweden and Hong Kong.

“The Barclays Premier League plays an important role in promoting Britain around the world. The competition is broadcast in 212 territories and into 804 million homes around the globe, making it the most watched football league in the world. This season sees clubs from across England and Wales competing, so we’ve put everything behind it to make it the biggest campaign we’ve run,” commented Joss Croft, marketing director at VisitBritain.

As well as attracting more football fans to the UK, the partnership allows VisitBritain to explore existing relationships with key Premier League stakeholders such as Opta, EA Sports, Topps and US broadcaster NBC.

Richard Scudamore, chief executive at the Barclays Premier League, added: “What supporters around the world see when they watch the Barclays Premier League on TV are some of the world’s best footballers playing exciting football in packed stadiums where there is a fantastic atmosphere. Extending our ties with VisitBritain means it will not only be easier for our fans across the globe to come here and be part of the action, but they will also be able to immerse themselves in the history of our clubs and cities.”

The deadline for the Social Buzz Awards, in association with iomart Group and sponsored by Meltwater, is open for extension until 30 August, so we catch up Paul Armstrong, owner of Digital Orange Consulting, to discuss brand loyalty and what he will be looking for from entrants.

How can brands build loyalty via social communities?
Brand can help build loyalty by really understanding who they are and what they are to others. Don't try and be everything for everyone. Instead, really understand what motivates and inspires your followers - then help them achieve greatness in whatever way they can. Remembering that you cannot please everyone is key to remaining success in social.

How can brands use social engagement to create the same level of impact or brand awareness as traditional advertising?
Setting realistic expectations from the outset is imperative to any project but more so when it comes to digital as there are so many factors that can alter that will cause a different outcome. A clear understanding of Paid, Owned and Earned media is one thing but a better way to achieve the level of impact is through constant behaviours with spike activity that cause groundswells to become larger movements.

What will you be looking for during Social Buzz judging?
I'm looking for work that makes smart use of technology and budgets and that has a clear focus on objectives, measurement and tangibility from the outset.

What has been the biggest change in social media so far this year?
Smartphone adoption mixed with visual layout trend - big ramifications for multiple industries, although if Facebook have their way it'll be Graph Search by the end of the year (or perhaps quarter).

Find out more about the Social Buzz Awards, which celebrates effective social media campaigns and strategies.

Philips has signed a six-week partnership with Asos, to promote the launch of the brand’s Philips CitiScape Headphones and its listing on Asos.

Conceived and planned by Carat, the partnership is designed to align Philips Headphones with fashion and promote the brand’s sound and style credentials; and will include a full integrated campaign.

Josh Jalloul, sponsorship executive at Carat, said: “I’m very excited to have helped develop a unique strategy around fashion and style that aims to challenge perceptions of the Philips brand by collaborating with Asos in such an intricate way that pushes the boundaries of digital partnerships. The extension of branded content offline and into the experiential space will allow us to deepen our connection with the audience.”

A product-led initiative will invite users to submit a headshot with an image of their favourite fashion items and preferred headphones; from which Asos will create an animated GIF with suited DJ soundtrack, which users will be able to share among their peers through social media.

As well as this, three upcoming DJs will be profiled through short films, interviews, fashion edits and finally live acts, extending the partnership from online to offline.

Umar Farooq, marketing manager at Philips, said: “The partnership with Asos represents an exciting opportunity to bring our new CitiScape Headphones collection, which strikes the perfect balance between headphone style, design and sound profile, to a audience who is particularly responsive to creativity and innovation.”

Evelyn Ojo, brand partnerships manager at Asos, said: "What really gets the Asos customer going is newness - we see that in their product choices, how they shop and their interests around fashion, which of course include music, so it's great to be able to partner with Philips on the launch of their newest line in a product category that has, over recent years, become a lifestyle accessory. By utilising the Asos digital, social and print platforms to bring the partnership to life, our audience is given the opportunity to experience the CitiScape Headphones through the eyes - or rather ears - of credible DJ talent in a way that is interactive, engaging and links back to fashion."

A Philips branded pop-up shop in London, led by Carat Live and Ogilvy, will take place in the fourth week of the campaign, supported by Asos digital media and magazine.

Bauer Media UK’s Yours magazine has signed a sponsorship deal with Julipa, the ladieswear brand, for the magazine’s 2013 ‘Grandparent of the Year’ awards.

Julipa joins four other brands sponsoring the awards: The Brilliant Gift Shop, sponsoring the ‘Best entry from a child’ award; Fifty Plus, sponsoring the ‘Glam Gran’ category; Premier Man, sponsors of the ‘Granddad of the Year’ award; and House of Bath, sponsoring the ‘Active Gran of the Year’.

A series of double page spread advertorials featuring Julipa, Premier Man and House of Bath will feature in Yours magazine leading up to the announcement of the award winners in mid-November.

Additionally, a lock-up logo has also been created incorporating both brands which will be used in print and digital advertorials and marketing communications, as well as at the event itself.

Liz Martin, publisher of Yours magazine, said: “Julipa is the perfect partner for the ‘Grandparent of the Year’ awards as we share many of the same brand values. This brand synergy allows us to engage our target audiences to find the ultimate ‘Grandparent of the Year’ – an event we are proud to be hosting for the third consecutive year.”