New Media Age articles from December 2006

New Media Age archives from December 2006

Kids embrace mobile web but are unwilling to pay for content.
December 7, 2006... A generation of young consumers is growing up believing that mobile content should be free, according to exclusive research into the mobile content habits of 6-13-year-olds that was released today by NMA. The study of 1,500 children found...

Clothes etailers fail on accessibility.(Internet Measurement Research Group accessibility standards throughout the industry)
December 7, 2006... Clothes retailers have come under fire from accessibility experts for leaving disabled and visually impaired people unable to buy online this Christmas. Following this criticism, trade body the IMRG has promised to tackle the problem...

DMA to produce search code of conduct.(Direct Marketing Association)
December 7, 2006... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is to create a search marketing code of conduct in the New Year, a week after calls from leading sector names, including MSN, for one to be implemented (NMA 30.11.06). The DMA said it will initially...

PM publishes third podcast.(prime minister, Tony Blair)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Tony Blair has launched his third podcast, featuring a conversation with bestselling author Bill Bryson. The podcast, recorded at Number 10 Downing Street, forms part of a wider initiative of opening the house up to a digital audience. ...

Anorak Digital wins rich-media work for EMI's roster of artists.(EMI Records Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Glue London's sister digital design and production agency Anorak Digital has scooped record giant EMI as its first major client. The agency will be working across a range of rich-media online album and DVD campaign launches for EMI's...

Marketing Services Guide call for entries.
December 7, 2006... NMA is inviting entries for the second edition of its Marketing Services Guide, set for publication in April 2007. The guide features suppliers and agencies that have a specialist focus not already covered by the NMA Top 100 Interactive...

Morrisons expected to begin selling online early next year.(Morrison Supermarkets)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Supermarket Morrisons will become the last major supermarket to move into ecommerce when it relaunches its website at the start of next year. The company plans to start selling limited products online. The booming online grocery market...

Pepsi Max extends online campaign in deal with MSN.(Pepsi-Cola UK contracts with MSN UK)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Pepsi Max has extended its user-generated 'Max your life' online campaign through a deal with MSN Messenger. A competition for over-16-year-olds to win webcams is central to the campaign, which targets young people who are likely to...

HSBC seeks worldwide views in first global online campaign.(HSBC Bank PLC contracts with BURST! Media L.L.C.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... HSBC is launching its first global online ad campaign, to promote its Your Point of View initiative. The banking giant has appointed online ad network Burst Media to run the global campaign in territories including the US, Middle East,...

Sainsbury's runs viral and SMS promotion.(J Sainsbury PLC contracts with Activephone.com)(short messaging service)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Sainsbury's Wine has teamed up with wine blogging site Secret Sommelier and the Bordeaux Wine Bureau to launch its first email and viral marketing campaign to promote the supermarket's wine offering. Sainsbury's Wine intends to roll out...

BREAKING: O2 gives customers VIP access to rugby matches.(O2 Ltd. partnership with Mobile Interactive Group)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... O2 is to offer customers exclusive access to a VIP blueroom close to Twickenham stadium throughout the Investec Challenge and Six Nations Rugby internationals. To gain access to the VIP area, O2 customers can text 'blueroom' to a shortcode to...

BREAKING: Alliance & Leicester to enable mobile access.(contracts with Monilink)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Alliance & Leicester customers will be able to access their accounts via mobile next year after the bank signed a deal with mobile banking provider Monilink. Customers registering for the service will be able to access mini-statements, make...

BREAKING: ASA rules on fake-blog ad.(Advertising Standards Authority has ruled on TalkSport for misleading blog readers)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled on a blog ad for the first time, finding radio station TalkSport guilty of misleading blog readers. The ruling, under sections 7.1 and 22.1 of the CAP Code covering misleading ads and recognisable...

BREAKING: Nielsen boosts panel.(Nielsen NetRatings, internet audience measurement panel )(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Nielsen//NetRatings is expanding its internet audience measurement panel to 50,000 UK users and tripling the number of sites it reports on. The expanded NetView panel will now report on 8,300 UK domains with a five-fold increase in audience...

IN BRIEF: Modem Media's creative director to join Full Six.(Full Six Group, Becky Power )(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Modem Media creative director Becky Power has joined Full Six Group as its first group creative director. Power will report to CEO Paul Kingsley and will handle creative work for all the group's accounts, which include Hertz, Reckitt...

IN BRIEF: Propel London donates to charity via every click.(Make-A-Wish Foundation )(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Online recruitment company Propel London has launched a banner campaign that donates money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation every time someone clicks on it. make-a-wish.org.uk Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Tamba Internet to staff up after client wins.(Bentley Jennison, Adviser Assist)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Interactive agency Tamba Internet is staffing up after winning three new clients. The agency has won contracts for awarding body OCR, accountancy firm Bentley Jennison and financial professional advisors Adviser Assist. tamba.co.uk ...

IN BRIEF: P&G rolls out Flash site for Anna Sui fragrance.(Procter & Gamble Ltd. contracts with Clark McKay and Walpole)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Procter & Gamble Prestige Products has rolled out a Flash site for the new fragrance from fashion designer Anna Sui. The Secret Wish Magic Romance was designed by Leeds-based agency Clark McKay & Walpole and offers users the chance to watch...

Record labels use web video to build interest in album releases.
December 7, 2006... Record labels Universal and Warner Music are using video webisodes for Gwen Stefani and Hard-Fi to gauge interest in their albums months before they're released. The first label to use webisodes is Universal's Polydor. It created a Gwen...

Trade bodies question Icstis's call for 8.5% budget increase.(UK Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... The proposal by premium rate services regulator Icstis for an increased budget for 2007/08 has been questioned by trade bodies. Icstis is seeking an 8.5% budget increase, levied from the industry, to tackle high-profile concerns such as...

Greenpeace uses viral video ecard spoof.(Greenpeace Foundation Inc. contracts with E3 London)(greener Christmas)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Environmental group Greenpeace is using a viral video ecard campaign featuring a spoof version of the Queen's speech to spread the message of having a greener Christmas. The campaign, devised by interactive agency E3 London, emulates the...

Crimestoppers backs 'Manhunt' TV show with new site.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Crimestoppers has launched a website to support its new crime-fighting ITV show Manhunt, launched this week. The site gives details of the top ten appeals on the show. The site includes images of the scenes of the crimes and a short...

Xbox looks into third-party ads to monetise online mix in UK.
December 7, 2006... Xbox is set to spark a scramble for online ads as it revealed plans to test third-party advertising for Xbox.com in the UK. Dom McBrien, Xbox head of online marketing for Europe, said that the games console giant is looking at ways to...

Unique users to become standard industry metric.(ABC Electronic)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Unique users will replace page impressions as the industry standard metric to be certified by ABC Electronic from January next year. Unique users represents the technical reach of a website over a set period of time, as opposed to its...

Lads' mags boost use of video in battle for online audience.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Men's magazine rivals Nuts and Zoo have turned to video in the battle for online readers. Nuts has partnered with internet video technology provider Roo to launch Nuts TV, a dedicated service offering users streamed video content. ...

Digital agencies expand search offerings.(Equi Media Ltd. appointed Matt Mills)(MEC Interaction appointed Rian Carstens )(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Equi-Media and MEC Interaction are the latest digital agencies to make strategic hires in the field of search to build their profile in the sector. Equi-Media has created specialist search agency Unite Search Marketing and appointed...

IN BRIEF: Kontraband seeds Red charity viral for free.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Online viral company Kontraband is seeding Motorola's new Red phone ad (NMA 30.11.06) for free using its Seventh Chamber global network. The agency has waived the fee for the charity as a goodwill gesture. kontraband.com Copyright:...

IN BRIEF: Trinity Street sees sold-out tour for G4.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Male harmony group G4 have sold all the tickets for their Cathedral Live Concerts online after appointing music technology company Trinity Street to handle sales and marketing for the event. Under the deal, Trinity Street designed and built the...

IN BRIEF: Endemol signs reality TV deal with Movistar.(Endemol International)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Endemol International has signed a deal with Spanish mobile phone operator Movistar to develop a Spanish version of its interactive made- for-mobile reality TV format 'Get Close To...'. The deal follows the success of the UK version, 'Get...

IN BRIEF: Record giant pilots viral email music service.(EMI Group PLC)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Record giant EMI is piloting a viral email service that offers free and advertiser-funded plays of digital music. Elistening Post will provide the label with a secure version of its artists' tracks or videos that can be emailed to fans and...

Virgin Radio streams its first live gig with viewer interaction.(contracts with Orson band)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Virgin Radio streamed its first live gig this week, featuring Californian pop/rock outfit Orson. The radio station is using the event to test the market for streamed live gigs following the success of its Christian O'Connell Breakfast...

Moblog and Sony Ericsson link to get music artists blogging.(Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Management Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Artists including Girls Aloud, Ronan Keating and Wolfmother are using mobile blogging company Moblog UK to generate interaction with fans. Moblog has struck a deal with Sony Ericsson to provide phones for the artists to use to create...

Webjam puts user content aggregation service out to beta.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Webjam, a social networking service that aggregates web content, allows users to create websites and blogs and encourages them to share content, has launched in public beta. The UK-based service allows users to create an unlimited number...

Look4AProperty sets aside #45m for ads.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Property portal Look4AProperty has budgeted #45m over the next five years to take on market leader Right Move. Look4Aproperty revealed that its first ever marketing budget will be set at just over #8m a year for the next five years, solely...

Blacks switches ecommerce partners to rework brand sites.(Blacks Leisure Group contracts with Spannerworks)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Blacks Leisure Group has dumped ecommerce partner Conchango in favour of full-service ecommerce specialist e-Business, and has appointed Spannerworks as its SEO partner for its Blacks and Millets brands. The move comes just eight...

Analyst Speak: Digital industry needs to think like consumers.
December 7, 2006... Who built your home? Did you do it yourself? Know many people who did? Probably not. Most of us live happily in our homes without ever knowing one end of a base cruck from the other (don't ask). The digital consumer is the same. They want to...

IN BRIEF: Tocmag builds mobile platform for gamers.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Mobile magazine publisher Tocmag is developing mobile marketing platforms for the games, film and music industries. The dedicated GameZone is the first component of a new strategy for the company. It's free for games publishers to access and...

IN BRIEF: Coull.tv links video to ecommerce sites.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... UK technology agency Coull is launching a video search site that lets brands advertise on objects clicked within videos. Coull.tv will primarily be a community-based site, but there will be a version for brands that allows them to buy objects...

IN BRIEF: SDC upgrades digital rights technology.(Secure Digital Container)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Secure Digital Container (SDC) has launched its next-generation digital rights management technology, including a mobile media application that brings together a music and video player, web browser, download manager, search technology, radio...

Delicious plans localisation of tagging service to ease search.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Delicious, the web tagging service bought by Yahoo! a year ago, is launching localised features as part of a strategy to boost the service's functionality. Delicious lets users share their browser bookmarks. Yahoo! bought it in December...

Nokia creates personal fitness applications for smartphones.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Mobile handset manufacturer Nokia has developed Personal Best, a GPS and sensor-based sports monitoring application to run on its S60 smartphones. It allows running enthusiasts to enter speed, distance, heart rate and time, which are...

Jobsite.co.uk ranks agencies in results.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Jobsite.co.uk has developed search technology that places recruitment agencies in search results depending on consumer feedback scores. Jobsite uses information on RecruitRank, its agency feedback service, to place consultancies further...

Mobile broadband next major step for internet development.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Sales of WiMax equipment - the infrastructure capable of providing entire cities with wireless broadband connections - are set to boom in the next three years, according to Infonetics. The research company found sales of WiMax-enabled...

Lending sites less obscure than banks.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Web 2.0 is helping the development of borrowing and lending through online communities, found a study by Social Futures Observatory. The independent thinktank surveyed 500 people who use mainstream banking and 500 members of online...

Social networkers use SMS to stay in touch with online friends.(short messaging service)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... More than 1.5m people across the UK use text messaging to keep in contact with friends made through MySpace, according to research from SMS service provider Hotxt. Over 1,000 16-24-year-olds took part in the survey, which found a total of...

IN BRIEF: Skype reaching just 4% of all UK internet users.(Skype Technologies S.A.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Just 4% of all web users use Skype regularly, according to research on VoIP services from JupiterResearch. 12% of the UK's internet population were found to regularly make calls through their PCs. Jupiter warned that the UK market is a tough...

IN BRIEF: Boom in online video and music expected.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... The retail online video and music market is expected by retail analyst Verdict Research to boom over the next two years. The predicted market increase follows two years of decline as digital-driven piracy eroded the industry, causing a 5%...

IN BRIEF: Women shop online more than men this Christmas.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Women are 38% more likely than men to buy gifts online this Christmas, found the annual Nielsen// NetRatings Christmas Shopping Online survey. Women are expected to spend an average of #440 this year compared to men's #424, a reverse of last...

ANALYSIS: Property market faces web 2.0 shake-up.
December 7, 2006... Several new property sites are looking to stake a claim on the market through the use of Web 2.0 technologies. But can they even hope to shift the heavyweight incumbents? Nestoria last week became the latest property portal to look to Web...

ANALYSIS: Private viewing.(online property sector)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Last week BBC Two's The Money Programme highlighted a growing problem in the online property sector, involving an estate agent copying property details from private sales websites and placing them on portal Right Move without permission from...

COMMENT: Mobile music loses its premium placing.
December 7, 2006... We know that 72% of children between the ages of 6 and 13 own a mobile phone. But what are they using them for? NMA commissioned specialist social networking company Intuitive Media to find out, and the results will make alarming reading for...

Internet Governance Forum will hopefully be followed by action.(Discussion)
December 7, 2006... Last month saw the inaugural meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Athens, Greece. The IGF is an outcome of the 2005 World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), where United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan tasked Nitin...

LETTER: Is there any hope of getting paid on time?(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2006... From Ashley Bolser, director, Ashley Bolser Agency Late payment of invoices is a problem for around one in three businesses and around half of marketing agencies. The Government's Late Payment legislation was introduced in 1998, but almost...

LETTER: Engage users with good online descriptions.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2006... From Matthew Tod, CEO, Logan Tod Luan Goldie's article 'High street retailers should not dismiss value of web research' (Trends, NMA 23.11.06) struck a chord just days after one of my colleagues showed me the results of an internal...

OPINION: Web designers have it easy compared to other professions.
December 7, 2006... Some years ago, having recently changed to a career in new media, I was sent a humorous email with the title 'If architects had to work like web designers'. This parodied the hard life that web designers have by way of a letter sent to an...

AD WATCH: MSN and Clean & Clear find success with brand subtlety.
December 7, 2006... Now we're in trouble. Those blasted consumers have learned how to tamper with our internet. As we speak, they're customising, tweaking and fettling it, creating their own content and uploading it alongside ours. We've told them this will void...

PROFILE - TONY PEARCE: Things start rolling.(Player X)
December 7, 2006... As co-founder of Player X, Tony Pearce recognised early on the potential of mobile content and now he's seeing his vision come to fruition. Sean Hargrave reports Tony Pearce is pleased with himself. Just two years after setting up Player...

LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Public service.(county councils struggling to meet usability guidelines for e-services)
December 7, 2006... Local authorities rushed online in a bid to meet their 2005 deadline for e-services. The result was poor services and low usability. Clare Goff sees if their sites are improving The Government's #5m 'Connect to your council' campaign...

MOBILE: Mobile world turns flat.
December 7, 2006... How has the mobile content sector developed over the last 12 months and what are the important trends for the coming year? Stuart Dredge asks leading industry players In several senses, 2006 saw the mobile industry get its act together....

MOBILE: 3'S X-Series shows the way forward for mobile services.
December 7, 2006... Conventional wisdom on the future of mobile operators has two important axioms. The first is that mobile voice-over-IP (VoIP) is a massive threat to the approximate 75% of revenue they earn from voice services. The second is that mobile...

MOBILE: BBC News takes a fresh approach to mobile content.(contracts with Refresh Mobile )
December 7, 2006... BBC News mobizine Text 'mobi bbcopen' to 63333 Agency: Refresh Mobile Mobizines are a perfect example of how to deliver premium content over mobile, allowing mobile phone users to enjoy mini versions of content from magazines,...

MOBILE: Generation X.(X-Series service is a revolution for the mobile industry )
December 7, 2006... 3 says its X-Series service is a revolution for the mobile industry that will redefine how users access online content via their phones. Stuart Dredge investigates Mobile operator 3 is proud of getting some of the internet's biggest...

MOBILE: X-Series: The specifics.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... With X-Series, 3 subscribers pay a monthly fee of #5 on top of their existing contract for unlimited internet access and unlimited use (within fair usage limits) of the bulk of X-Series services, such as Skype calling, MSN Messenger and...

Moves: Incentivated.(Zoe Hamson and Simon Boylan appointed )(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Mobile marketing agency Incentivated has added two new account executives: Zoe Hamson from Macmillan Cancer Support and Simon Boylan from Zamono. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: Media Run.(appointed Joni Mallet, Vaughan Forbes, Cassi Mays and Alex Schlagman)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Media Run has announced four appointments. Joni Mallet of Lemon Traffic and Vaughan Forbes of The Guardian both join the trafficking team. Cassi Mays joins from Weapon 7 as MR2 account manager, while graduate Alex Schlagman joins the search...

Moves: The Next Generation Mobile Network.(appointed Dr. Peter Meissner)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... The Next Generation Mobile Network has appointed Dr Peter Meissner as its operating officer. He was previously corporate VP for quality and performance at the Orange Group. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: World Archipelago.(appointed Peter Meadows)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Digital agency World Archipelago has announced the appointment of Peter Meadows as commercial director. He joins from Flare, of which he was a founding member. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: Mixipix.(appointed Beverly Morrison)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Mobile media company Mixipix has hired former Scottish Media Group series producer Beverly Morrison. She will oversee Mixipix's expansion into mobile video. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: Celltick Technologies.(appointed Golan Shaked)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Mobile interactive broadcast company Celltick Technologies has expanded its management with the appointment of Golan Shaked as VP for media services. He joins from the Israeli Television Network. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Moves: Touchdown.(appointed Ed Gray)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Brand affinity marketing firm Touchdown has announced the appointment of Ed Gray as client services director. He joins from Billington Cartmell, where he headed a number of accounts including Heinz, Tesco and Weetabix. Copyright: Centaur...

Moves: Emailvision.(appointed Paul Bates)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Email marketing company Emailvision has appointed former independent sales consultant Paul Bates as UK country manager. Hans-Jurgen Gerhardt has also been announced as a group board member. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Moves: Halpern Cowan.(appointed Jon Gordon and Charlotte Childs)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Digital agency Halpern Cowan has strengthened its account management department with the appointment of two new account directors. Jon Gordon joins from Fox Kalomaski, where he directed the TUI account, and Charlotte Childs joins from WPP's...

Moves: Worth.(appointed Eloise Stockham)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Brighton-based digital communications agency Worth has added Eloise Stockham as client services manager. She previously held account manager roles at Pharmacy Channel and Titan. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Site inspection: Jessops.(Website overview)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Owner: Jessops jessops.com Agency: JPI Content 24/25 Usability 21/25 Branding 17/25 Monetisation 25/25 Total 87/100 It's difficult to fault the basic design of Jessops...

Site inspection: Tyre Shopper.(Website overview)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Owner: Tyre Shopper tyre-shopper.co.uk Agency: Silkmoth Content 15/25 Usability 15/25 Branding 14/25 Monetisation 20/25 Total 64/100 Buying tyres is one of...

Site inspection: Mirage.(Website overview)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Owner: Mirage miragelondon.co.uk Agency: Screen Pages Content 14/25 Usability 18/25 Branding 14/25 Monetisation 18/25 Total 64/100 Upmarket London and France-based...

Fulfilment: ernestjones.co.uk.(Ernest Jones)(Website overview)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Founded: Relaunched in 2006. Selection Being one of the UK's leading diamond and watch specialists, it's no surprise that Ernest Jones has a wide range of quality rings, jewellery, watches and gifts, from diamond-studded Rolexes to...

Bacardi-Martini calls review of global roster of digital agencies.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Drinks giant Bacardi-Martini has called a review of its global roster of creative digital agencies as it looks to ramp up its interactive marketing. The spirits company will next week meet agencies not currently on its roster to discuss...

Endemol UK demonstrates reality TV format based around Yahoo! Answers.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Big Brother creator Endemol UK has had talks with Yahoo! over the development of a reality TV show called iland that would see contestants relying entirely on the portal's social search product Yahoo! Answers for survival. Yahoo! last week...

Behavioural targeting still not appreciated.
December 14, 2006... A year after behavioural targeting networks first started appearing in the UK, the market believes that advertisers have yet to fully understand its benefits. Richard Foster, MD of behavioural targeting technology company Revenue...

Online media agencies face rise in unsold ad inventory.
December 14, 2006... Online media agencies are witnessing a higher than usual volume of unsold ad inventory this Christmas. According to digital media planning agency Agenda 21, traditional website publishers are offering half price discounts or other...

Bebo offers users the chance to choose which ads they see.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Social networking site Bebo has rolled out an ad model allowing users to choose the types of ads they see. The tailored service allows the site's 30m users to choose from 15 categories of ads, including automotive, music and travel. They...

Eyeblaster commits to Eyenet venture.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Digital marketing company Eyeblaster has confirmed its commitment to its Eyenet online ad network following the departure of Eyenet sales director David Buckle. Buckle was brought in from 24/7 Real Media in March to launch Eyenet (NMA...

Aegis on verge of making first acquisition of a mobile agency.
December 14, 2006... Global ad network Aegis is understood to be on the verge of acquiring its first mobile agency, Marvellous Mobile. Award-winning Marvellous has run mobile campaigns for brands including the BBC, Carling, Peugeot, Rolls-Royce, Reebok, O2...