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Fast growing social media site Pinterest will be revamping what they offer brands for ecommerce after recent investment in them by one of the world’s largest online marketplaces Rakuten. After their initial uptake by many people and business, Pinterest are now looking to identify new revenue streams in what is considered by some a fickle market.

Both Rakuten and Pinterest aim, with this new partnership to expand its commercial offering to brands, Japan-based Rakuten, which owns Buy.com and Play.com is looking to expand the social start-up into the far east as well as 17 other global markets to help both companies great interest outside of the US.

Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten, says the business stated that he saw “tremendous synergies” between Pinterest’s model for ecommerce and its own. He stated: “While some may see ecommerce as a straightforward vending machine-like experience, we believe it is a living process where both retailers and consumers can communicate, discover and curate to make the experience more entertaining.”

Pinterest, has seen huge growth in the last few months, they have seen the number of visitors doubling to 4 million since January this year, which is probably why many investors have their eye on this social media company. Rakuten in vested £100million into Pinterest plus others have also followed suit.

Joining a long line of celebrities is Vinnie Jones for the Make Mine Milk campaign, which encourages people to drink low fat milk, like the famous American Got Milk campaign. Other celebs include Gordon Ramsay, Pixie Lott and the Wanted as well as Olympic stars.

The campaign is backed by the Milk Marketing Forum of trade body Dairy UK, who put forward £7.5m marketing spend, a third of this amount was also financed by the European Commission. Unfortunately though the funding from the Commission ends in October, which is why a big push is needed this summer.

Vinnie Jones will be seen on an outdoor campaign showing off his milk moustache on UK buses as well as digital and press campaigns which will feature the strapline: “You know what’s good for you.” You can also see more of Vinnie on the Make Mine Milk Facebook page where he stars in a series of online videos called “Vinnie’s Advice Corner”. Here the football and movie star will cover a range of topics, from relationship break ups to healthy eating.

Sandie Wilkie, chairman of the Milk Marketing Forum, said: “As the campaign funding looks set to come to an end in a few months’ time, we are looking to have as big an impact as possible with our last two planned bursts of activity. Vinnie has been a great sport and has given us lots of fantastic social media content that will really get people talking.”

Summer is nearly upon us so now is the time to start looking at your family summer holiday. Affordability, location and activities; these are really important considerations when booking a family holiday and what most families look at before they start any planning.

Affordability 

Holidays are considered a luxury for many so getting the best price is imperative especially when money is tight. Currently the Pound Sterling is at a three year high against the Euro which is good news for holiday makers; it means that traveling in countries which have the Euro is much better value for money. Also because many of the popular destinations for holiday makers from the UK are in economic meltdown there are plenty of deals available to attract tourists to their countries to spend money. Greece and Spain both enjoy a booming tourist trade and will be unwilling to lose that so check out deals to resorts in these countries.

Location

You need to make sure that the resort you choose for your family holiday has plenty for your family to enjoy, such as kids clubs, outdoor activities, places of interest and plenty of family friendly restaurants. All-inclusive resorts are popular with families because they cater for the aforementioned points plus they can be more affordable for larger families when meals and drinks are taken into consideration. Although most family resorts are all inclusive you will still find bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation for families which give you more flexibility if you don’t wish to be just stuck in your hotel or resort.

Activities

All parents know that keeping your children entertained is hard work no matter whether they are young inquisitive toddlers or sullen teenagers. So when looking for somewhere to stay also means making sure your children are catered for as well. A lot of family hotels offer kids clubs which give many parents a much needed break from your children. You will also find other activities such as waterparks and theme parks tend to be located close to family friendly resorts. Many tour companies also offer a wide range or excursions aimed for families which mean you can easily get out and explore the local area.

Finally the main thing to remember when you’re on your much needed holiday, which you have worked hard for is to enjoy it!

With the end of Desperate Housewives now insight for many views, some can take relief in the fact that one of the stars of the hit US show won’t be off our screens for long. Eva Longoria who played Gabrielle Solis will be starring in new adverts for Sheba cat food alongside a furry grey friend.

This new advert is part of a push by Sheba’s owners Mars for their global campaign ‘Follow Your Passion’. The new advert will so Eva encouraging other cat owners to live out their desires aiming mainly at a female audience. This new advert is a different strategy from what the company have used in the past for their pet food and different to many of their rivals.

Longoria is known to be a cat lover which is why mars chose to work with the actress plus her globally known name will also help in attracting new pet owners to buy Sheba for their moggies.

Other pet food brands under Mars include KitKat, Cesar, and Chappie in the UK all of which will see new marketing strategies in the near future.

Bathroom furniture and cabinets can be used cleverly in your remodelled bathroom to free up space and also create new storage solutions.

UK bathrooms are going through a period of change. Homeowners are choosing to say farewell to clutter and chaos in the bathroom and opting for well-designed, integrated cabinets and furniture to store toiletries and other items.

Today, purpose-built bathroom furniture is available that links a toilet and sink in one convenient unit, neatly concealing pipework in addition to providing discreet storage. The clean lines of these furniture designs give bathrooms a stylish, contemporary look that is uncluttered and calm.

Bathrooms can be fitted these days with cupboards, cabinets and shelving units, cleverly designed to make the space function efficiently. Washstands, vanity units, floor-to-ceiling cupboards, medicine cabinets and all kinds of bathroom furniture can be sourced today. Do you want your furniture wall-hung to give the illusion of extra space, or fixed to the floor?

When remodelling your bathroom, remember to consider using specially-designed furniture to help make your project a success, both from an aesthetic and practical point of view.

Roberto Cavalli has chosen, Elisa Sednaoui , an Italian model and actress, to be the face of the new fragrance that they are set to release. Sednaoui already has quite a lot of brackground history when it comes to being the ‘face’ of a product. She starred in the Giorgio Armani summer advertising campaign as well as to front Chanel’s Plein Soleil eyewear collection this spring produced by the very famous, Karl Lagerfeld.

Roberto exclaimed: “Elisa has an amazing personality. She has got this animal side to her,” the designer said. “She is enthusiastic and really sexy with a stunning body and hypnotic eyes. She is the woman every woman would like to be, so she is the real Cavalli woman”.

Elisa is almost extremely pleased that she is working with the new fragrance and also quoted: “Like the Cavalli house, I feel I have a tiger inside”, said Sednaoui, whose godfather is shoe designer Christian Louboutin. “I’m blessed and very grateful to have the opportunity to be the face of the Roberto Cavalli fragrance, it’s a real honour”.

The new fragrance is out now with both printed and televised advertisements shot by Steven Klein and Johan Renck.

Holiday firm, Thomson, owned by TUI launched a new campaign this week for their latest aircraft, the highly anticipated Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Many of the nation’s newspapers will run their avert which reads: “Be the first to fly on the plane everyone’s talking about – only with Thomson”.

Both Thomson and First Choice which run Thomson Airways will be the first company to use the new aircraft, which has been hampered by delays. The livery of its entire aircraft has been overhauled by Thomson as part of the introduction of the Dreamliner’s.

Thomson Airways’ managing director Chris Brown said this new aircraft is leading the way in cutting edge design, it has a 291 passenger capacity, state of the art in-flight entertainment system and it also uses 20% less fuel than current carriers and will reduce noise by up to 60%.

Although this week saw the debut of the Dreamliner for Thomson Airways, the company won’t take delivery of the some thirteen they have on order until next year, the first plane will become operational on 1 May 2013 and more following over the next three years.

Jeremy Ellis, director of marketing, TUI UK & Ireland, said: “Flying the Thomson Dreamliner is just one of the ways we are modernising the holiday experience here at Thomson and First Choice. The Dreamliner is a critical part of our differentiation strategy and another example of how our holidays are expertly designed to suit each customer.”

Thomson Airways will be operating their new aircraft from four regional airports; Manchester, London Gatwick, Glasgow and East Midlands which means holiday makers have the opportunity to travel on the Dreamliner all across the UK. It will start with long haul routes to Mexico and Florida, so you can travel in comfort. You will be able to enjoy the benefits such as reduction in the effects of jet-lag, a quieter and smoother flight and more on-board comfort.

Both drinks company Coca-Cola and music site Spotify are looking improve worldwide expansion which is why they have teamed up to produce a Coke app which will be based on the music service ready for the Olympic Games in London. This partnership will mean that Spotify will be part Coca-Cola’s music-themed global marketing campaign next year.

As part of this partnership Spotify’s technology will be used for Coca-Cola Music’s global activity and in return of this Coca-Cola music will integrate Spotify into their online and social media presence. Coca-Cola will also be joining Spotify as the company launches its music service in new markets around the world this year and next.

Joe Belliotti, director of global entertainment marketing at Coca-Cola, said: “We have long recognised the power of music to connect people around the world. As we step up our activation through Coca-Cola Music, we are excited by the innovative music technology platform created by Spotify and the opportunity to create a truly global music network. The potential for this partnership is limitless.”

Online gambling is a huge industry, with online casinos offering you a wide range of instant win games. Its big business with online gambling estimated in the UK to be worth around £2 billion with a large number of people partaking in it in the UK. Online gambling takes many forms, from the National Lottery and sports betting to online casinos with popular games such as traditional casino table & card games, good old fashioned multi-Line & multi-Spin slots, as well as progressive bonus jackpot games. Online bingo has recently hit the UK by storm once reserved to the old bingo clubs, many people have taken up a passion for playing it online as it’s easy and quick to enjoy a game.

A lot of players enjoy the full casino experience from home which is what you can get when you gamble online. One multi game site which offers you the casino experience is Mansion Casino, they aim to a wide range of online players, whether you’re pro or just beginner. The innovative gaming site is number one choice for many players, they offer a wide range of casino games as well as many new game release and some free games as well. Their software and design put them at the top of the pack when it comes to online gambling. Getting started is easy as is depositing money and collection you’re winnings, they also offer a wide range of promotions with extra game bonuses and cash back offers. Plus they also offer you the opportunity to collect loyalty points on some of your bets.

Online gambling also opens you up to a whole world of players, you can join communities and get to know other players, and some may even be at the other side of the world! Plus if you’re new to online gambling then you will probably find the communities a useful source of information.

Soft drink brand Schweppes has launched a summer campaign to celebrate British heritage. The Coca-Cola owned company will be using their partnership with Diageo, now in its third year for the outdoor and on-pack promotion for the campaign which will utilise radio and digital activity.

Schweppes aren’t the only brand to make the most of this year’s celebrations, Tesco, Virgin Media and Marks & Spencer have also promoted Britishness, in conjunction with the Olympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Although they may now be American owned, the company are still proud of where they came from, with their roots in the UK dating back to the 18th Century.

The campaign called ‘Start Of Summer’ will showcase quintessential British drinks, such as Schweppes Original Lemonade alongside Diageo brands Pimm’s and Indian Tonic Water, alongside Gordon’s gin. There will also be references in the adverts to Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Wimbledon tennis tournament as well as the strapline: “A spectacular summer without Pimm’s, Gordon’s and Schweppes there? It’s just not British”.

There is also a digital tie-up with the Daily Telegraph where you will find a dedicated site, www.schweppesjubilee.com. On there you can enter a completion to become a UK “social monarch”. The Schweppes products will also feature new limited edition packaging which features images of the Union Jack flag and diamonds.

Zoe Howorth, market activation director, Coca-Cola GB, said: “As a distinctly British brand, we’re thrilled to be gearing up for a summer of national celebrations, positioning Schweppes as the drink of choice for all summer social occasions. We know our consumers love to entertain and enjoy premium mixer drinks, so we’re pleased to be continuing our partnership with Diageo, whilst offering consumers engaging content on our new Social Monarchs hub.”