The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and affiliate members have met with Ofgem to appeal for a revision of its Retail Market Review, in which the regulator calls for a ban on cashback models in the energy market.

The report, published in June, has been devised to help create a “simpler, clearer and fairer” energy market, tackling issues such as the widespread confusion among consumers over energy tariffs, poor supplier behaviour and a lack of transparency which is “stifling competition”, according to Ofgem.

The report aims to crack down on complex and confusing multi-tier tariffs while ensuring all tariffs have a standard basic charge, among other reforms.

However, sections of the report relate specifically to the banning of ‘cashback’ models, which has caused some concern in the online performance market and prompted the IAB to appeal to Ofgem for clarification.

The body has been lobbying on behalf of its cashback affiliate members and The Drum understands a decision from the energy body over whether it will revise its report is imminent.

In its initial written appeal to Ofgem, the IAB stated there would be an “adverse” effect to both consumers and to competition in the market if the restrictions to cashback models go ahead.

Since then companies including Affiliate Window, Online Media Group (OMG), Affilinet, TopCashBack and Quidco, have requested a revision, which has been backed by the IAB.

In its written appeal the IAB stated: “We support the collective submission by Affiliate Window, Online Media Group (OMG), Affilinet, Top CashBack and Quidco. It is our belief that cashback can continue to offer a simple and effective incentive to the consumer within the boundaries of the Retail Market Review. Further the IAB is concerned by the restrictions that Ofgem seek to place upon cash back incentives,- when it clearly recognises the value and role of other incentives.

"We have seen that cashback is an established, important part of the incentive mix and its popularity should be properly considered. The IAB believes there is a fundamental misunderstanding of the role that cashback plays in the context of affiliate marketing, and indeed with whom the relationship lies. It is not the energy company incentivising customers.”

Nathan Salter, chief operating officer, OMG, and chair of the legislations and standards committee on the IAB affiliate marketing council, said they support Ofgem’s overall objective of simplifying the process for consumers to switch or shop around for accounts, but that affiliates have been “caught in the crossfire” of the changes.

He told The Drum: “Cashback is a very popular channel for consumers and millions of people use it frequently. Ofgem is aiming to create a better environment for consumers through greater transparency and we fully support that. But there is concern that some of the innovative and current means of facilitating and tapping into consumer engagement with energy products and services will be damaged and consumers will miss out.

“It is the cashback publisher that passes on the commission to the consumer, not the energy supplier. We don’t understand if the intention is for our model to be affected and that is what we are seeking clarification on. But we also want to put forward the case that it is a mainstream way of consumers engaging with products and brands, and it doesn’t lead to a cluttered or confusing market,” he said.

Ofgem is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.

Baylis & Harding has been announced as the sponsor of ITV’s new prime time celebrity entertainment series, Stepping Out.

ITV Commercial made the announcement today, ahead of the show’s launch next week on Saturday 31 August.

The show will see six celebrities and their real life partners master a dance each week, with names such as Brian McFadden, Denise Welch, Ortise Williams and Laurence Llewelyn Bowen involved.

The broadcast sponsorship package was negotiated by ITV Commercial and John Ayling & Associates on behalf of Baylis & Harding; while Cinema Campesinos produced the sponsorship idents.

Tania Fossey, creative director and co-owner of Baylis and Harding, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be involved in another exciting new ITV prime time family show. Baylis & Harding is seen in all the best places so Stepping Out really appeals to us. We simply love the idea of glancing into the lives and homes of the celebrity couples...but most importantly the show makes us all smile. Who doesn’t love dancing? The show is great family entertainment, slap bang in the middle of Saturday night peak time, so we are confident that it will be great success.”

Daryl Leigh, key account manager at ITV, added: “Following Baylis & Harding’s successful sponsorship of Surprise Surprise, we are delighted to welcome back the brand to sponsor our exciting new entertainment series Stepping Out.”

On 27 August the UK Government is to open a new inquiry into online safety.

The initiative was announced by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

“Despite technological innovation and an increase in public understanding of dangers, the online world continues to pose hazards — from images of child abuse to trolling,“ the Committee said, announcing the inquiry.

“These dangers are the correlation of the immense benefits provided by unimpeded communication and free speech, so any attempts to mitigate harms have to be proportionate and, where possible, avoid disadvantageous consequences.

“The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has decided to investigate a number of aspects of online safety that are currently raising concerns.”

These areas include protecting children from accessing adult content, filtering “extremist material“ and preventing abusive or threatening comments on social media.

The Committee is inviting written evidence from those who wish to contribute to the inquiry. The portal opens on 27 August and closes on 30 September.

The problem of handling a personal and a work account on the same management system is that sometimes there can be a slip-up, and a message gets sent from your work account: something which the social media manager for the Ministry of Defence has discovered.

Now deleted, a tweet was sent suggesting that ‘whoever allowed these glass monstrosities to be built should be hung for treason by the City of London’.

The MoD has insisted that this is not the view of the ministry.

@ben_hart Yes. Thanks Ben. In that time honoured phrase: "Lessons have been learnt"!

— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) August 23, 2013

Last year, a council press officer quit his job after tweeting that the town centre could be improved if it was napalmed.

Kevin Spacey used this morning's post-MacTaggart Q&A session to renew his attack on broadcast executives who fail to give the creative community the freedom they need to produce great television.

In a lively hour, Spacey urged executives to be "as brave as those at Netflix and HBO" who are responsible for backing the programming that has taken television "into a new golden era".

He spoke of the common experience among fellow actors of agreeing to participate in a project because of an "incredible script" only to discover that it has been mauled by interfering executives making changes "at every level" before filming begins.

Reflecting on his own film-making experiences, he revealed that the "thousand different choices" available to a director when filming is completed can lead to unexpected outcomes. Sometimes it's "exactly what you thought it would be but sometimes you're thinking: 'what the fuck did they do with it?'".

He also accused executives of being lazy when it comes to seeking new talent: "There might be an incredible show being put on in some basement theatre and they can't get anyone to see it."

Spacey had blunt advice for executives seeking talent: "Get off your arses and go and find it," adding that the preponderance of emerging talent was one of the reasons he so admires the Edinburgh Festival: "The networks are going to miss out...[the talent] is out there."

Asked about the future of television, he said that it doesn't matter what size screen people use to watch programming and even if we're eventually conjuring content via implants in our heads "two things will never change - people will want to tell stories and people will want to watch them."

Trinity Mirror, the newspaper and magazine publisher, is readying a multi-platform campaign comprising TV, outdoor, online, social and print for its Mirror brand.

For the activity, which will launch later this year in an initial six week push, Trinity Mirror hired Quiet Storm, a London-based creative agency specialising in film production.

The agency is working exclusively on the seven-figure campaign which aims to reposition the paper as the “intelligent tabloid.”

Zoe Harris, Trinity Mirror’s marketing director, explained: “Quiet Storm have devised a campaign that works harmoniously yet powerfully across all platforms. It is thought-provoking and will force people to stop and think about what the Mirror is saying. Never before has the unique positioning of the Mirror resonated more with consumers."

Trevor Robinson OBE from Quiet Storm, added: "On a personal level the Mirror is a brand I love and this is a fantastic opportunity for Quiet Storm to play an integral part in putting it back in the hearts and minds of the British public, where it belongs. It's always exciting to have courageous clients who are open to truly brave ideas of the kind we believe will help make this happen."

DLKW remains the lead creative agency at Trinity Mirror.

Holly Branson, the former doctor and daughter of Virgin mogul Sir Richard Branson, has spoken out about the future of Virgin, saying she has accepted that she is fast becoming the new face of the global brand.

"I realise I'm a new face of the brand, and it's a role I accept now," she told the Wall Street Journal from the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in Johannesburg, where she is working with kids to develop their start-up ideas

"Yes, it's logical for me to think of running the company one day. But not for many years. My dad isn't slowing down. If anything, he's speeding up."

However Sir Richard said that his daughter, currently listed as the special projects manager at Virgin Management Limited, will not follow in every one of his footsteps if and when she eventually takes the reins at Virgin.

“She won't dress up in funny clothes or do any wing-walking like I did. She'll do it her own way," he said.

But he did add: "When Steve Jobs died, Apple lacked a great deal not having a personality to keep that brand going. Virgin is the number-two or number-three most respected brand in the world, and it helps to have a powerful personality to get that brand out there. If I get run over by a truck tomorrow, Holly will be in a position to do that."

Foot Locker Europe and Adidas Originals has launched a new campaign with AMV BBDO to promote the new Hard Court Defender mid cut sneakers.

The first work for Foot Locker Europe and Adidas Originals by AMV BBDO, the ad shows ‘King Snoop’ having a Cinderella moment as a pair of the shoes arrive in a crystal box.

The campaign, consisting of the TV ad, online video, branded content, cinema, website and point of sale will run from 23 August for four weeks in the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, France, Canada and Australia.

"I've always disagreed with the 'control' aspect of controller, I prefer to be thought of as more of an enabler of content," explained ITV director of television Peter Fincham in one of the first 'Meet the Controller' sessions at the Edinburgh International TV Festival, following Kevin Spacey's MacTaggart Lecture which called for control to be handed back to the creatives.

Fincham described Spacey's speech as an "optimistic MacTaggart" that was "fundamentally positive" and despite the changing nature of the space was "pro-television".

Over the last year Fincham oversaw a major rebrand of the ITV product, launched in January Fincham said the decision to roll out the new branding over the course of a day was "ambitious".

Speaking of the new look Fincham said: "[The new look] is part and parcel of defining what's on screen at the moment. We wanted the look to represent us moving forward and being more than just a commercial business, in my opinion there is lots of progress to be made. For me it's part of a creative renewal."

One such element of that creative renewal is what Spacey called "the third golden age of television" last night in his MacTaggart address.

Speaking of ratings and defining success Fincham said: “Even though the digital switchover has occurred there is still a difference between the mainstream, those that used to be terrestrial, and digital and catch up TV and VOD as well.

"I would rather not define it in terms of ratings alone. What Spacey was observing was that innovative drama in the US is on cable and there is a pressure on us - the mainstream broadcasters in the UK - to innovate the way cable does in America.

"It would be counter-productive to be slavish to ratings, creating a Cold War atmosphere where you'll go all out just to beat the competition, you have to be careful with that as it might create an environment where you can't be creative and innovative."

Speaking of creativity and innovation Fincham moved onto address Broadchurch. Widely lauded as one of ITVs biggest successes in recent years the eight-part crime drama was "one of the best examples of trust the talent," according to Fincham.

"We didn't know that it would grip the nation. What was unusual with Broadchurch is we decided to run no 'next time' trail at the end and that in itself was a bold decision, it's there to tempt and tease an audience to come back. Broadchruch was very against modern trends, and it reminded us of the deferred pleasure television can have.

"Instead of the Spacey model of binge viewing, Broadchurch was enhanced by the linear schedule and became a real social experience."

As well as drama the jewel in ITV’s crown is big budget entertainment, The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent being the two most obvious examples.

"One of ITV’s jobs is to come up with Saturday night TV and it might not have critics salivating...it's hard to find new entertainment that will work in the mainstream space. But I do think we are in a real golden age for entertainment."

Looking to the year ahead Fincham again discussed ratings. "Numbers are just one gauge. We have a habit of being ratings junkies and ultimately ratings don't matter to viewers. For them it's about quality of programmes. Creativity and commitment to brilliant television is what we want to be about. Simple as that," he added.

There was a surprise during a panel discussion at the TV festival called 'Tony Hall's Decisions' when the man under discussion turned up halfway through proceedings and offered his own analysis of the decisions he faces.

The slightly startled looking panellists barely added a further word as the new director general of the BBC charismatically held court before answering questions from the floor directed to him by the session's chair, John Sergeant.

Hall mounted a defence of executive pay at the BBC while conceding that he could understand staff anger at the six-figure payoffs given to those identified by former Newsnight journalist Liz MacKean as being part of the corporation's "officer class" who have treated severance payments as a "get rich quick scheme".

MacKean - whose spiked story on Jimmy Savile precipitated the crisis that eventually accounted for Hall's predecessor George Entwistle - also said she was still waiting for the apology she feels she's owed because of the way the BBC handled her story.

Earlier Alan Yentob mounted a defence of the BBC's light entertainment output and described the recommissioning of The Voice as vital because of the importance of ensuring the corporation retains the market share required to justify the licence fee. MacKean - freed from the obligation to toe the party line by voluntary redundancy in April - witheringly disagreed.

Tony Hall robustly defended the decision to broadcast an edition of Panorama that became mired in controversy when it emerged that six students from the London School of Economics had unwittingly provided a cover story for three of the programme's journalists on a trip to North Korea.

While Hall acknowledged that mistakes had been made, he said it was absolutely right to air the programme. This followed criticism from panellist Conor Burns MP who said he had been shocked that the corporation's news department could make such a glaring error so soon after the Newsnight debacle.

Hall took the opportunity to express his delight with the BBC's presence at the Edinburgh Festival and spoke enthusiastically about his ongoing effort to visit BBC departments across the UK.

The director general also acknowledged the importance of the BBC maintaining balanced coverage of next year's Independence Referendum in Scotland and identified the prominent role given to the Today programme's James Naughtie as evidence of a determination to ensure the debate receives the required attention.

A typical UK TV viewer will watch three 30 minute shows a month on devices such as their smartphone, tablet or laptop, research from Thinkbox has found.

The research found that established services such as ITV Player, Sky Go, 4OD and BBC iPlayer, and new services like Dave On-demand, accounted for 1.5 per cent of overall TV viewing during the first half of 2013.

Lindsey Clay, Thinkbox’s managing director, said: “We know that people watch live TV and on-demand TV for different reasons. They co-exist and together are helping TV to grow as a medium. People’s ongoing enthusiasm for TV, and their growing enthusiasm for embracing new ways to watch it, is great news for advertisers, who don’t always get the recognition they deserve for contributing to TV’s health and expansion.”

It was found that, in total, viewers watch three hours and 58 minutes a day of linear TV on a TV set; and three minutes and 30 seconds on other devices.

Thinkbox found that commercial TV accounted for 68 per cent of linear viewing, up from 66 per cent in 2012.

Figures from BARB found that in the estimated half (58 per cent) of households that own DTRs, 83.8 per cent of linear TV was watched live compared to 84.4 per cent in the same H1 of 2012, with 81 per cent of all timeshifted viewing watched within two days of recording.

Transform Cosmetic Surgery has appointed Jampr as it looks to drive awareness of its new brand positioning and deliver a broader, nationwide PR campaign.

The agency won the account from the incumbent of six years, Brazen, following a six-month project to elevate Transform’s new brand positioning and real-life stories campaign.

Jam will continue to build on this through a targeted and focused PR strategy, which will include engagement with key influential health, beauty and lifestyle media.

It has also been tasked with implementing and engaging social media strategy, along with delivering on-going consumer press office tactics, including case study placement and clinical commentary on surgical and non-surgical procedures.

“We approached Jampr at the end of 2012 to pitch for a short-term project to elevate our new brand positioning. The team stood out in the pitch roster after presenting a highly creative and engaging solution to the brief, and they have continued to impress us ever since,” said Shami Thomas, PR manager, Transform Cosmetic Surgery.

Thomas added: “We are confident that Jam will drive our PR activity forward with genuine enthusiasm and energy and look forward to working with the team through the remainder of 2013 and beyond.”

"I wasn't prepared for the criticism doing the Portas Review brought," admitted Mary Portas, delivering the alternative MacTaggart address at the Edinburgh International TV Festival.

"All I did was a review that I believed was right and just wanted to put communities back into our high streets. In my mind I gave good recommendations and gave my time for free but people made it political," she added.

In conversation with Richard Bacon Portas discussed her early career from head of display at Topshop to creative director of Harvey Nichols to prime time TV star.

Of the Portas Review she admits she wasn't prepared for the attention the report garnered, commenting: "I'm a bit like tigger, I just think 'Oh, yes' and go for things."

When Bacon suggested the review gained a higher profile because her name was attached Portas argued that other 'celebrities' had been appointed to handle reviews as well and name checked fellow Channel 4 alumni Kirstie Allsopp who was appointed in 2007 to head a review of home buying.

According to Portas her review struck a nerve "because it is a massive issue".

She explained: "The dying high street is affecting communities and infrastructures. In doing my television shows I travelled the country and on most high streets the only shops are a Basement Booze and a chicken shop and it's just tragic.

"For me it wasn't about being a star, I believe in making change happen and I genuinely think we can make change happen."

Portas believes the role of the high street has been changed by the advent of digital but that its role is about “so much more than shops".

"Every 50 years how we buy, how we live and how we consume changes.

“What we need to do now is look at the role of the high street and take into consideration its role in the rest of our lives. For shopping we have the internet but what it cannot take away from the high street is the element of community and interaction.

"The infrastructure that the high street gives is not just about shops. If a town has a big youth population there should be a youth centre. I worked in one town where a woman opened a crèche on her high street because the people couldn't afford nannies. There was a little shop at the back, where you could buy and swap kids clothes and you could buy a coffee for a couple of quid. People would drop their kids and shop and socialise."

Apparent in Portas' interview is a sense of disappointment that her review was politicised which in her eyes were just "good recommendations for addressing a massive issue".

She furthered: "I hate that it's become political and it's silly, but it's like TV reviews in a way, the good ones go to your head, the bad ones go to your heart," and even admits crying down the phone to Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger over the criticism she faced.

In how to move the high street forward Portas said she was there purely "to highlight" what was going on adding that reviving the high street will take "massive structures" which are outlined in the review.

Positively though, she said: "Change on the high street will happen. If someone had said 20 years ago that coffee shops would be everywhere and you'd be spending £3 to £4 a day on coffee, £20 a week, you'd have said that was ridiculous. When it comes to the high street I believe it [change] will begin happen at an organic level."

Plans by various councils to ban payday loan ads would set a ‘dangerous precedent’, the Advertising Association has today warned.

The warning comes after a report in the Financial Times found that Cheshire East and Medway councils, along with others, are looking to follow the lead of Plymouth council by banning ads from companies such as Wonga in its city centre hourdings.

The councils say they want to make the move because of the ‘immoral’ high APR, which can reach over 5,000 per cent.

However, Advertising Association chief executive Tim Lefroy spoke out against the plan, saying: “Payday loans have no shortage of critics, but their advertising is covered by two highly competent, well-respected national regulators. It is the ASA and OFT which are best placed to determine whether further attention is required.

“These moves would set a dangerous precedent. Outdoor advertising contracts represent millions of pounds invested in councils – keeping local taxes down, bus services cheap and street furniture in good condition. Limiting the potential return on that investment because a sector has become politically unpopular would undermine those arrangements, to the detriment of local communities.”

A Whitehall summit involving the Financial Conduct Authority suggested that payday loan advertising could be banned altogether.

Nissan Europe has launched a campaign for the Nissan Micra, following on from its #MicraAttitude Pinterest competition launched earlier this year.

Devised by creative partner TBWA\G1, the ‘Go Get It’ campaign comprises three content videos. All three feature a ‘Micra woman’ showing attitude to wriggle out of sticky situations and end on the line “Oh Yes She Did”.

They will air throughout September to coincide with the car’s European roll out.

The campaign has also been supported through local sponsorship programs, print, outdoor and retail.

Gareth Dunsmore, general manager marketing communications, Nissan Europe, said: “With this new campaign we remain focused on the feminine targeting and positioning, which has been the long-term focus of this car since it was launched 30 years ago.

“The new campaign – ‘Go Get It’ - aims to continue appealing to confident women who will find, in the new Nissan Micra, their perfect ally to attack their active day.“

ITV has been named Channel of the Year at this year's Edinburgh International TV Festival, reclaiming the accolade from last year's winner BBC Two.

Announced this evening by host Dara O Briain at the 12th annual conference awards, which is now in its 38th year, other big winners included Channel 4, taking home Channel Breakthrough of the Year for its disability awareness following last summer's Paralympics, and Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror which was voted The Network and Ones to Watch programme choice.

The Shed-owned Wall to Wall was awarded Production Company of the Year based on its work on The Voice and Who Do You Think You Are? among others.

Programme Innovation Award went to The Undateables and Broadchurch cinched the New Programme Award. Broadchurch's Chris Chibnall also took home the Industry Standout Talent of the Year Award.

Let There Be Beer, a movement which aims to reignite the public's interest in beer, has appointed whynot! to activate the campaign messages, support the initiative and increase awareness.

The Let There Be Beer initiative, which launched in June, includes some of the world's biggest brewing companies, national brewers, publicans, retailers, organisations such as the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and support from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).

Nick Whitehurst, chief executive at whynot!, said: “Let There Be Beer is the sort of campaign we love to get our teeth into. The whynot! team have vast knowledge and experience of marketing in the on-trade, so we’re confident that we will achieve great results.

"Getting the beer category back into growth is vital for the industry, and the Let There Be Beer campaign can be interpreted and executed in so many different ways, it lets us find creative solutions bespoke to the individual business, which is where we excel. ”

Whynot! will be an integral part of the campaign creating bespoke promotions and tailored POS as well as working with PR and social media channels to help the UK’s breweries, pubs and off-trade support the campaign in a way that works for their business.

Red Bull Media House has announced that its video content will be made available through Viewster, the ad-supported video-on-demand service.

The programming will include Red Bull tops series one and two, along with free running competition Red Bull Art of Motion and others.

Alexander Koppel, chief commercial officer of Red Bull Media House, said: “As the models for providing content continue to evolve, Red Bull Media House is committed to engaging audiences with high-quality programming on the platforms that are relevant to them. Digital options are an integrated part of our delivery system, and we look forward to sharing compelling content with Viewster’s expansive audience.”

Research from Thinkbox found that the UK public watches 90 minutes of TV content on smartphones and tablets a month.

Kai Henniges, CEO of Viewster, said: “Five years ago, when consumers wanted to be entertained, they switched on the TV. Today, they are turning to the web and on-demand video services.
“Smart brands like Red Bull have recognised this and are now looking at new distribution channels that will introduce their content to new audiences. By making content available on-demand, sports and music fans worldwide can watch this unique content whenever and however they choose. And with our ever-increasing library of film and TV content also available, it’s not surprising that we’re continuing to see month-on-month growth worldwide, as audiences discover new and interesting content.”

BT will close down dial-up internet services on 1 September, despite the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) suggesting that up to a fifth of those living in rural areas do not have access to broadband.

BT has said that only a few thousand will be affected by the move, and that its narrowband (dial-up) service is currently £17.25 per month, and its cheapest broadband package costs £10 per month.

Those who are not able to change to broadband will be able to move to the Plusnet narrowband service.

A spokesperson for the CLA told The Telegraph: "We are concerned about the decision by BT to cut off the narrowband service and we are seeking to clarify the situation on behalf of our members."

At the moment, BT is looking to increase access to broadband in rural areas, as part of the government's £530m Broadband Delivery UK initiative

Starcom Mediavest Group has announced the appointment of Isabelle Baas, previously director of operations at iProspect, as its new digital director.

Baas will be charges with driving strategy, integration and activation across digital, as well as looking to strengthen the content capabilities of Starcom.

She will report directly to Starcom’s managing director, Pippa Glucklich, and chief digital officer Ian James.

Glucklich said: “Isabelle is a highly experienced digital marketer with over ten years’ experience across digital performance media. She is also a strategist and highly commercial team leader. We are delighted to have her on board at this time as we look to take our digital expertise and insight for clients on to the next level.”

Previously, Bass has worked client side with brand such as T-Mobile and Tesco.com.