Business Diary: Willis tries hard to outshine cabbage

Friday 26 November 2010 01:00 GMT
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Who would you rather use as the face of your advertising campaign: Bruce Willis or a cabbage? Well, Russia's National Bank Trust initially wanted the cabbage (which is Russian slang for money), the Moscow Times reports, only for a rival to claim that it has already registered the vegetable as a trademark. At that stage, National Bank Trust opted for a change of direction, hiring Willis instead, who began appearing on billboards around the country on Monday. "Bruce Willis is power," Dmitry Chukseyev, the bank's communications vice president, told the Russian newspaper. "He works much better than cabbage."

Kate makes it April in Travelodge

So much for the negative impact on the economy of next year's Royal Wedding. Travelodge, the budget hotel group that is ever sensitive to a public relations opportunity, claims it has already seen a double digit increase in room bookings in the capital around the big day, with visitors flocking to it from around the country and overseas too. We trust that it is offering William and Kate one of its honeymoon suites (or even just a standard double) as a thank you.

Card carrying staff want casino deal

The question for management is are they bluffing? Staff at Crockfords and The Colony Club, two of London's best-known casinos, are set to vote on whether to take strike action over changes in working practices their union claims have been thrust upon it. The changes primarily affect door staff and car parking attendants rather than the croupiers, but it will be fascinating to see which side folds first.

Reilly back in the driving seat

What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago, Nick Reilly, the chief executive of GM Europe, was part of the team battling to save the American auto giant from total collapsed and spending much of his time fielding calls from Europe's leading politicians, all of whom were absolutely desperate to avoid plant closures in their country. Now GM is back on the US stock market and rationalisations in Europe have been kept to a minimum – and Reilly has just been voted Executive of the Year in a Spanish poll.

businessdiary@independent.co.uk

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