Cablelink challenged on Internet claims

While consumers in Ireland are being blasted from all angles by the £6 million (€7.6 million) campaign announcing Cablelink's name change to ntl:, the company is in trouble with the UK's Advertising Standard Authority. Recent ntl: advertising there included the promise of free unlimited Internet access but the ASA has received more than 100 complaints from consumers who were waiting up to 6 months for connection. The ads have been withdrawn but the ASA has asked ntl: to show proof that it was able to supply the service as promised.

According to a spokesman for the ASA, the level of complaints is the highest for any factual advertisement in the history of the complaints board.

Ntl: declined to comment yesterday.

Guinness is calling it "an exciting opportunity for the brand" but the company's launch of Breoin a bottle does look like a final attempt to lift the flagging product. The company is set to spend £500,000 (€634,870) on advertising and below the line promotion of the newly bottled drink in a campaign devised by McConnells and mostly using footage from the original Breo advertising. According to Ms Siobhan Saunders, Breo's brand manager "The launch of Breo in a bottle is in direct response to consumer demand" but whether the demand is for Breo or just for bottled beers in general has yet to be seen. The tv campaign will begin on July 31st and will be on RTE signalling a further thaw in the relationship between Diageo and the national broadcaster.

Carlsberg sales in the UK increased by 307 per cent during the Euro 2000 soccer championships, a sign that the brand's £10 million sponsorship of the games has paid off. The company paid £5 million to secure sponsorship of ITV's coverage and the same ads appeared on RTE during its coverage. According to Guinness Ireland, sales here increased during the tournament but the company is not sure as yet to what extent. However, it does know that the biggest increase was for cans sold through off licences and supermarkets.