Vodafone has unveiled a new visual brand identity, Power of Red, which is set to be introduced across Vodafone’s markets over the next few months.

The Brand Union’s teams in Singapore, Stockholm, London and New York, alongside digital brand consultancy partner Digit, were tasked with developing a new visual identity that was unique, adaptable across Vodafone’s markets, future-proof and modern.

Wally Krantz, worldwide executive creative director, The Brand Union, said: “This has been by far one of the most exciting visual identity projects that we've worked on, engaging the full breadth and capability of The Brand Union's global network. Considering the sheer size and scale of Vodafone's operations and its wide reaching, international consumer base, we believe this new visual identity talks to each and every individual connected to Vodafone in a more compelling, human and motivating way.”

The identity focuses on a flexible rhombus shape that anchors to the Vodafone roundel.

Vodafone group brand director Barbara Haase, said: “Our new visual brand identity is a true representation of Vodafone: never static - always moving - and ensuring that our technology empowers everyone who uses it.”

Police in England have confirmed that they have made an arrest after the victim in a high profile rape case was named via Twitter.

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell is being tried on rape charges in a case that is drawing national media attention.

Greater Manchester Police said it had made an arrest, and a 43-year-old man from the Gloucester area is in custody on suspicion of breaching S(1) Sexual Offences Act 1992.

The act provides anonymity for victims of sex abuse.

“Public identification of victims of sex abuse, in particular child victims engaged in court proceedings, can cause both immediate and long term distress and harm, especially in cases as serious as this,” a police spokesman said.

“The same principles apply to social media as they do to the mainstream media, and we are investigating this matter robustly.

"Social media is a fantastic tool for self-expression and part of modern life, but users should ask themselves whether they would want their own child subject to a Twitter feed.

"People may not understand that when they use social media they are required by the law to keep victims anonymous in exactly the same way as people who work in mainstream media.

"The rule of law and consciousness of a sex abuse victim's anonymity should be considered by all who follow these types of cases."

"It's night time. It's dark. And I dragged Jon outside for a chinwag to see what he was planning to talk about. And other stuff. Then we headed back inside to find that the restaurant staff had taken my dessert away because I wasn't there. Bah!"

Dave Birss with the latest from Silicon Beach 2013

Capital FM owner Global Radio has appointed Seven Dials to handle PR relations.

The agency will be responsible for corporate and consumer relations alongside Global’s in-house team for stations including Captial FM, Heart, Classic FM, LBC, Xfm, Choice FM and Gold.

Stephen Miron, group CEO of Global, said: “As a business that is growing and developing every year, we are keen to tell the Global story to a bigger audience.

“We were looking for an agency partner that speaks the same language as us and we found that in Seven Dials.”

Seven Dials boss Simon Kelner added: “Every day, Global’s stations produce high-quality content and our job is to maximise the impact and reach of this content, further cementing the bond between listener and station.”

Global pulls in around 20 million listeners a week, according to Rajar figures.

Schillings has unveiled a new brand identity with the aim of supporting its move from a law firm to a multidisciplinary business dealing with all aspects of reputation defence.

Under the line ‘Law at the speed of reputation’, the new brand, created by Goosebumps, shifts the focus away from ‘service lines’, ‘sector verticals’ and the other standard pillars of professional services brands.

Christopher Mills, chief operating officer, Schillings said: “There was a time when defending reputations meant dealing with a handful of media owners. Over the last few years, with the advent of social media in particular, we’ve seen the rules of the game change completely. For a company like ours that means both applying the law differently and introducing other skills to the table. The rebrand was about capturing the diversity of our new offer in a clear and single minded way.”

The new identity uses a pair of square brackets for ‘containment of the threat’, while headlines such as ‘The Anti-Social Network’ and ‘The Friends in the Wrong Places’ look to promote issues such as internet trolls to supply chain risk.

Simon Cotterrell, strategic partner at Goosebumps, said: “When we looked at the other businesses operating in the reputation space two things jumped out. Firstly, there is a real lack of clarity about what all of these firms actually do and where they overlap. Secondly, they tend to focus on the multitude of services they offer, rather than the end result; out of context it’s all a little abstract.

“Our aim was to introduce a bit of clarity with a brand that switched the perspective around to look at things from the client’s point of view. We believe it’s a rare example of a successful introduction of consumer brand logic into the world of professional services.”

The new identity looks to personify the multitude of different issues that threaten the reputations of successful businesses and individuals.

Very.co.uk, the digital department store, has unveiled a £2m above the line campaign to promote the launch of its new womenswear brand, Definitions.

Very.co.uk worked with its retained creative agency, St Luke’s, to create the campaign, with a TV ad set to launch tonight during Emmerdale, as well as an extended 40 second edit appearing during X Factor on Saturday, 7 September.

The ads start on a still, before zooming out and moving round, with the aim of looking like a fashion shoot, before changing to a woman going about her daily business.

Al Young, executive creative director at St Luke’s, said: “Definitions is a cutting edge fashion brand and needed a cutting edge ad campaign to match. The directors, Canada, have given us the look and feel we were aiming for – edgy and cool yet still playful and accessible.”

The campaign for the label is based around the idea of ‘everyday stylish’ – that no matter how mundane or banal the situation, the right outfit can make you feel fabulous.

Jon Owen, retail director at Very.co.uk, part of Shop Direct, said: “At Very.co.uk, our aim is to make great style accessible to everyone through a combination of big name brands and exclusive own labels. For some time now, our customers have been crying out for a trend-led yet affordable collection of chic, well-cut pieces that can be worn to the office and then styled up for the evening.

“With Definitions, we think we’ve struck the perfect balance of design, quality and price and this campaign really delivers that message. We’re looking forward to seeing how both the collection and advertising campaign resonate with women across the UK.”

As well as TV, the campaign will cover TV, print, outdoor and digital for five weeks.

The media and digital tactical campaigns were planned and booked by Carat and myThings respectively, with OMD UK planning and booking social and biddable VOD activity, including Very.co.uk’s first YouTube homepage takeover.

MORE TH>N, the consumer insurance brand of RSA, has begun a review of its media buying agency partnership.

Its current media agency, SMV, will be involved in the pitch process.

“The launch of our new brand strategy earlier this year means that it’s an exciting time for us as a company,” said Hannah House, head of marketing communications. “Over the next few years, we’re looking to significantly grow our brand in the UK and we’re looking for a media partner with a strong understanding of the market and good financial services knowledge to help us achieve this.”

The successful agency will be responsible for developing a strong media strategy to help MORE TH>N continue to grow in the UK and keep on top of changing consumer behaviours and media consumption.

The company is aiming to reach a decision by the end of the year and has appointed Oystercatchers to manage the pitch process.

Fugitive US whistlebower Edward Snowden has made a fresh round of disclosures following his temporary asylum in Russia, alleging that both the US and UK governments have cracked internet encryption technology used to protect banking, medical and email records.

Snowden stated that both the US National Security Agency and the UK’s GCHQ used these techniques to routinely access data; circumventing the encryption techniques of the likes of Google, Facebook and Yahoo.

Documents published by the Guardian contended that the top secret program has been code named Bullrun in America and Edgehill in Britain; in reference to key battles from both countries civil wars.

The technique is said to be focussed on the use of giant supercomputers to target the type of encryption employed by 4G smartphones to protect email, online shopping transactions and remote business communication networks.

Other means of gaining access to such data include ‘technical trickery, court orders and behind-the-scenes persuasion.’

Mark Thompson, the former director general of the BBC, has accused Lord Patten, chair of the BBC Trust, of ‘fundamentally misleading’ MP's over severance deals for top executives.

At a Commons select committee hearing earlier in the year Patten said he was ‘shocked’ at the number of large payoffs doled out to departing managers which were in excess of that stipulated by their contracts.

Hitting back Thompson, now chief executive of the New York Times, said that the evidence presented to MP's was ‘false’ and that Patten had been ‘fully briefed’ about such payments.

His comments came in a 25 page written response as Thompson prepares for his own grilling from MP's on the Public Accounts Committee over the affair.

Thompson’s evidence states: “The picture painted for the PAC by the BBC Trust witnesses on July 10 2013 was – in addition to specific untruths and inaccuracies – fundamentally misleading about the extent of Trust knowledge and involvement.

“The insinuation that they were kept in the dark by me or anyone else is false.”

US singer, actress and comedien Queen Latifah has been named by Procter & Gamble as its latest brand ambassador for its Pantene range of cosmetics products.

Supporting Pantene’s Truly Relaxed and Truly Natural Collections the singer will appear in the brands holistic marketing campaigns; including TV, print, in-store, digital, social media and PR with immediate effect.

Commenting on her appointment Latifah said: “Over the years I’ve learned to be versatile when it comes to beauty and hair. Hair is an extension of who you are. As black women, we express ourselves through our hair so we should have fun with it. But all women worry about keeping their hair healthy so they can enjoy it. I love that Pantene stands for health and that their products deliver on what they promise.”

Kevin Crociata, marketing director of North American hair care at Procter & Gamble, said: “Queen Latifah not only exudes inner and outer beauty, but she is a brilliant business woman who shines in every aspect of her work. We believe her strong, playful personality and passion for life resonates with women. Her honest and approachable attitude makes her a perfect addition to the Pantene family. Women really listen to her, her opinion matters.”

Latifah also fronts her own COVERGIRL cosmetics line and debuts in her own talk show, The Queen Latifah Show, this month.

VisitBritain has announced the appointment of RKCR/Y&R to create a new film campaign to promote Britain across the world.

The appointment comes following a competitive pitch through the government procurement service, with RKCR/Y&R being one of 10 agencies on the official government roster, and will look to extend the GREAT campaign.

Ben Kay, CEO RKCR/Y&R, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be working on a campaign that has already had such a significant impact on the reputation of Great Britain both at home and abroad. The next phase promises to push the idea further than ever before and we’re proud to be playing our part in it.”

The agency has been tasked to create a film campaign to attract overseas tourists, with the digital and TV campaign to run in France, Germany, the US, China, Brazil, India and Gulf States, supported by a dedicated public relations campaign.

Joss Croft, marketing director of VisitBritain, said: “After a competitive pitch with plenty of strong ideas we agreed that RKCR/Y&R were the agency to take us to the next stage of our award winning GREAT campaign. They came to us with new and innovative ideas that we believe will work to inspire more international travel to Britain and sustain the positive profile we’ve recently received.

“The Olympics captured the imagination of the public across the world, but now we need to win their hearts and convert the interest into bookings for Britain.”

The GREAT campaign unites Britain’s marketing activity overseas, with a recently launched print campaign looking to promote the film industry in the UK.

What happens when a compiler of well-known dance songs sues the most popular alternative to music piracy for copyright infringement? The High Court will ultimately decide the outcome, but there appears to be a growing sense of ill will towards the Ministry of Sound (MoS) which raised an action against Spotify for copyright infringement this week. Although MoS has granted Spotify a license to use the songs, MoS has launched a compliant that Spotify has refused to take down user’s playlists and remove users that mimic MoS’s compilations.

In order to prove that there is a right in IP over the playlists, MoS will have to prove that there was an “intellectual creation” in the way it compiled its songs as defined by section 3A of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, namely:

“[A] ‘database’ means a collection of independent works, data or other materials which –

(a) are arranged in a systematic or methodical way; and
(b) are individually accessible by electronic or other means”.

It is important to note that Ministry of Sound does not offer its compilation albums on Spotify. It claims that users are compiling the songs from other sources and then naming the playlist as “Ministry of Sound”. This is because MoS chief executive Lohan Presencer believes that Spotify has a “business model does not recognise that our products have any material value. It doesn't consider them worth licensing. Which would be entirely its prerogative had our paths not crossed”.

Because MoS only compiles the songs that other artists have agreed to license to Spotify, it feels the value is in the way that it compiles the songs, rather than the song itself. Prima facie, this is going to be an interesting dispute for IP commentators to watch. The law regulating the use of databases ( a compilation is a form of database) is a confusing and difficult area of copyright law.

Take for example Recital 19 of the EU Directive on Databases. It states:

"Whereas, as a rule, the compilation of several recordings of musical performances on a CD does not come within the scope of this Directive, both because, as a compilation, it does not meet the conditions for copyright protection and because it does not represent a substantial enough investment to be eligible under the sui generis right."

Learncliki.com has announced the appointment of Manchester-based Brazen to handle its national PR account.

Brazen has been tasked to create a creative campaign to introduce the online learning website, and will handle both traditional and digital media.

LearnCliki.com allows students to rate their lessons, which grow tutors' reputations on the site, so future learners can check them out before booking a lesson.

LearnCliki.com managing director Patricia Koch said: “We were attracted by Brazen’s award-winning creative credentials and the fact that their campaigns are clearly designed to work in tandem across both traditional and digital media.

“We wanted a PR partner who displayed a real grasp of creativity in new business launches and how to express this best across both traditional and digital channels in a way that will best reach and engage our target audience.”

Brazen’s LearnCliki team will be headed by associate director Louise Jacobson, senior account manager Natalie Cox and account executives Charlotte Chapman and Sophie Smith.

Brazen founder Nina Webb said: “LearnCliki is a very exciting development in the online learning sector. Its unique approach to learning and teaching – carried out via live video from the comfort of your own home and with an in-built rating system – really sets it apart from the competition.

“We are delighted they have trusted Brazen to bring this exciting new concept to life.”

Domino’s Pizza has created a new campaign with iris worldwide, which looks to promote the nationwide rollout of the new branding across multiple channels including the franchise retail outlets and packaging.

Using the line ‘Greatness from Domino’s’, the 30 ad focuses on a Domino’s delivery driver and his mission to bring quality pizza to the people of UK and Republic of Ireland no matter what.

Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director at Domino’s Pizza, said: “I am delighted with this campaign execution. You are left in no doubt at all that Domino’s delivers Greatness. Our bold tone of voice is back. We know our customers won’t settle for ordinary and demand great so that is what we do.”

Featuring the theme tune of children’s classic ‘Champion The Wonder Horse’, the campaign is also set to run in cinemas.

Shaun McIlrath, executive creative director of iris said: “Domino’s is the UK’s best loved pizza. 'Greatness' is a reflection of the fact that it is number one because of its quality offering. Great ingredients, great choice, great value and great service, nationally – only Domino’s Pizza can deliver that.”

Media for the campaign was bought and planned by Domino’s Pizza longstanding media agency Arena.

Vodafone Ireland has unveiled its latest campaign, created by Grey London, which looks to highlight the value for money and assorted perks of the network’s pay-as-you-go service.

Continuing on the theme’s from April’s The Wait ad, the ads look to show teenage situations, such as desperately calling on your friends to help you out of a sticky situation.

It is based around the theme of ‘Real value to help friends be friends’.

The campaign’s Shazam-enabled soundtrack comes from hotly-tipped Irish newcomers The Strypes and is the first release from their debut album.

EE was the most commented brand across Twitter, online forums and other social media platforms, according to new research.

The telecommunications brand prompted the highest negative response of a mobile provider at 14 per cent, research by social media monitoring and analysis company Synthesio has found.

The research, conducted over a three-month-period, found that less than a fifth of social media users had something positive to say about the EE network; although the figure was higher for EE than for rivals, Virgin and Tesco Mobile, which both found only five per cent of comments to be negative.

Meanwhile, Giffgaff, which was launched in 2009 and is owned by Telefónica, was rated higher than more established networks – with positive comments outweighing the negative by a ratio of four to one. Users cited the network’s flexibility, value for money and responsive customer service as reasons for liking Giffgaff.

Catriona Oldershaw, UK managing director of Synthesio, said: “Mobile phones are such a key part of people’s lives that they inspire strong feelings among consumers when they don’t work as expected. However, our research shows that people not only complain through social channels, they also give out praise.

“Giffgaff’s flexibility, value for money and responsive customer service have all been cited by users as the main reasons for liking the provider which is why is has come out on top as the nation’s favourite. EE, on the other hand, has a long way to go to improve its online reputation with consumers," she added.

The research also discovered that dissatisfaction with basic network coverage was the main reason for complaints about EE.

Sky has reported record numbers of sports fans engaged with Sky Sports’ streaming and web services using phones, tablets and PCs this summer.

The Sky Sports News app clocked over 3 million unique users on Android and iOS, while the Sky Sports Football Score Centre saw four million unique users across Blackberry and Android.

Additionally, the hashtag ‘#SkyDeadlineDay’, was used on Twitter 146,000 times while ‘@SkySportsNews’ had 194,000 mentions, with England’s reclamation of the Ashes and the football transfer deadline excitement mainly responsible for the spike in app use.

There were over 16 million Sky Go views for the Ashes channel whereas transfer deadline day recorded over 3.2 million unique user visits to skysports.com. Daily unique users for Sky Sports Mobile services reached 3.7 million with an additional half a million iPad users.

David Gibbs, director of Sky Sports Digital, said: “2013 sees Sky Sports’ best year of sport yet, with a greater breadth and depth of sport than ever before. We see a huge appetite from our customers to watch and get closer to the biggest sporting events via their digital devices - whether that’s their iPad at home, or desktop PC at work.

“As a result, we continue to develop our award-winning range of mobile TV services and apps to deliver our customers the Sky Sports experience - wherever they happen to be.”

More than 30 million people view Sky content each week and around 40 per cent of all homes receive services from the broadcaster.

Sky Sports is currently battling the newly-launched BT Sport for viewers and recently released a David Beckham ad promoting cross-platform viewing.

Twenty20 Media Vision and WFCA have rebranded as TTMV, following their merger last year.

Marketing group Porta Communications revealed it was to buy former independent agency WFCA for £1.49m last summer, with the view to merging it with another of its agencies Twenty20 Media Vision.

The two agencies have now merged under the same branding and moved into the same offices, creating a one-stop shop for commercially focused creative services, spanning media planning and buying, creative, digital, planning and strategy, production, direct response and brand development.

TTMV will be led by CEO Bill Jones, the co-founder of MediaCom and former managing director of Twenty20.

Other senior management roles will be Andy Abbot as creative director, Simon Gardener as head of digital, Steve Sworder as head of media and Kate Robertson as head of new business.

TTMV has also bought design shop Summit Marketing and is in ongoing talks with other specialist marketing agencies regarding potential acquisitions.

Jones said: “Making clients’ budgets work harder is more important than ever before in this economic climate. So we’ve created a new agency for new times.

"We’re a team of media, creative and mar comms experts, all under one roof, who can draw on our collective knowledge and experience to create quality, ROI-focused work that works more efficiently and cost-effectively for clients.”

TTMV clients include retailers Wren Kitchens, Fat Face, and Budgens owner Londis, along with Musgrave, and money transfer company Western Union.
The combined billings of the new agency will are forecast to total £13m for 2013.

Rakuten LinkShare has announced that it has won ten new clients from the retail sector, including Hobbs, Barretts, The Diamond Store and Thierry Mugler.

The affiliate marketing agency will handle CPA programmes for these clients, working to grow their online presence.

Mark Haviland, MD at Rakuten LinkShare, commented: “Our expertise in the fashion, luxury and lifestyle sectors means that we have the perfect experience to create and maintain valuable partnerships for these brands. We are very proud to be working with such a great portfolio of clients, all of whom possess the ambition and progressive culture required to get the best out of this very valuable performance channel.”

Other new clients are: Cook, Rakuten’s Play.com, GiftVault, Cocosa, Pull&Bear, and Country Attire.

Debenhams up the ante with this polished number, giving M&S a run for their money. Using an evocative track by Foxes (who is featured singing), it has a decidedly upmarket feel - set in grand surroundings and filled with beautiful people, it flits between sketches of fashions by various big name labels, which are impossible not to notice while not being overly intrusive.

Agency: JWT London
Creative Director(s): Russell Ramsay
Creative Team: Ronnie Vleck / Hannah Ford TV Producer: Doug Wade Film Prod Co: Nice Shirt Films
Director: Stuart Douglas
Producer: Richard Martin
Dir of Photography: Stuart Douglas / Alex Reid Post-Prod House: GPS Editing House: The Quarry
Editor: Jonnie Scarlett