Wesfarmers/Bunnings makes bid for UK DIY store chain
Wesfarmers has bid $700m for the UK's home improvement chain Homebase which will see it take its Bunnings brand overseas for the first time.
Wesfarmers' bid is subject to shareholder approval. The company operates the Bunnings DIY chain in Australia along with Coles supermarkets and other retail outlets.
More to follow.
Priceline appoints Ogilvy Melbourne to creative account
Priceline Pharmacy has appointed Ogivly Melbourne as its creative agency partner following a competitive pitch.
It means it is ending its relationship with current agency Girl after nearly ten years.
Ogilvy Melbourne Group Managing Director Jo Rozario said: “Priceline Pharmacy is a business that has a genuine knowledge of its customer and clear sense of purpose.
:We were excited from the outset at the prospect of working with them and expanding on their incredibly strong base. We are very much looking forward to getting started in the coming weeks.”
Lynx speaks to older men with global ad
Lynx has made a major rebrand as it aims to find a way to speak to men slightly older than its teen audience. The ad for Axe - which Lynx is known as outside of the UK, Ireland and Australia - is from 72andSunny Amsterdam and shows off a group of men flaunting what makes them different. Rik Strubel, the global vice president of the Lynx and Axe brands, told Campaign it was the biggest repositioning of the Unilever brand in the last 20 years.
Amazon tops 'best brand' list
Video has made waves over the last year with Amazon, Netflix and YouTube topping a US list for “best perceived brand”.
In the YouGov BrandIndex study, Amazon topped the list despite a number of controversies including wrapping a New York City subway station in Nazi insignia.
BrandIndex is a daily measure of brand perception among the public, tracking many brands across multiple sectors simultaneously.
Apple to exit ad sales
Apple is planning to exit the advertising sales business in favour of a more automated platform, Buzzfeed reports.
Six years after Steve Jobs launched iAd, the tech firm will phase out Apple's involvement in selling and creating iAd units, leaving it to publishers, who will also keep all of the revenue generated.
The reason for the change of tack is that Apple realises it is "not something we’re good at".
Apple will update its iAds platform so publishers can sell through it directly, casting a shadow over the roles of Rubicon Project, MediaMath and other ad tech companies that provide programmatic buying on the platform.
'Reforms needed to curb Netflix threat' - Nine CEO
Netflix will threaten local programming and jobs if the government doesn't push ahead with reforms to media ownership rules, Nine Network CEO Hugh Marks warns.
Speaking to The Australian, Hugh says there isn't a level playing field between Netflix and Australian media companies.
He explains Netflix has just one employee in Australia, is taxed differently and doesn't pay a licence fee for using the terrestrial spectrum.
Media ownership laws prevent media companies from owning more than two mediums (print, radio or TV) in one market. There are also regulations preventing metropolitan broadcasters from reaching more than 75% of the population.
Media companies that broadcast content online do not have the same regulatory burden or cost to operate. The government has promised to relax the reach rule and ownership laws this year.
Pokémon celebrates 20th anniversary at Super Bowl
The animated cartoon Pokémon has announced it will air a commercial at the Super Bowl in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
Full details of the ad are yet to be released, but the Pokémon Company says the spot will encourage fans to “train on.”
Pokémon plans to target social with the new campaign, encouraging fans to share their favourite memories from the TV show on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube using the hashtag #Pokemon20.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.