New Media Age articles from February 2007

New Media Age archives from February 2007

WPP creates centralised arm to exploit digital opportunities.(WPP Group PLC, WPP Digital)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... WPP, the world's second largest advertising group, has created WPP Digital, a strategic initiative to identify and invest in key digital opportunities, such as mobile search and video. The initiative, headed by WPP director Mark Read,...

Coke mobile campaign huge success.
February 1, 2007... Coca-Cola has revealed record results for its first mobile branding campaign, news that will help to accelerate the adoption of mobile advertising by major brands. The Christmas campaign, run in association with 3G operator 3, encouraged...

MSN hits back at poor ad creativity claims.(Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions's Chris Ward speaks about internet advertising)
February 1, 2007... Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions has hit back at those who have criticised portals for failing to offer ad inventory that meets the needs of their clients (NMA 25.01.07). Chris Ward, commercial director at Microsoft Digital...

Comic Relief uses online communities to drive donors.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Comic Relief has launched the initial stage of its interactive campaign for this year's Spread the Red event, and is working with major web platforms like Ebay and MySpace. The charity's driving ambition for this year's event is to bring...

Kia uses online to shift focus from price to product strengths.(Kia Motors UK contracts with E3 Consulting Services)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Kia Motors (UK) has launched on online campaign to redefine its offering in the UK market and bring it into line with its Korean parent company. The brand has been known in the UK for its value-for-money proposition, but it's aiming to...

Canon splits up with Good Technology.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Electronics company Canon has split from digital creative agency Goodtechnology after five years. Canon has been in discussion with Goodtechnology for some time over the company's plans to centralise its marketing out of Amsterdam, where...

Trinity Mirror places video at centre of major site overhauls.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... MGN Digital, the digital division of Trinity Mirror, is overhauling the online presence of the Mirror and Sunday Mirror, placing video at its core. The relaunched sites will feature embedded video players featuring news, sport and...

HMV bids for top in entertainment etail.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... HMV has committed a seven-figure digital marketing spend to its aim to become the leading entertainment etailer by the end of the year. The company has sector leaders Play.com and Amazon firmly in its sights, said ecommerce director Gideon...

Sky expands Gamestar brand to cover internet and mobile.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Sky is expanding its interactive TV games brand Gamestar onto internet and mobile. It's rolling out Gamestar - the world's biggest iTV portal, with 2m monthly users - across new platforms as part of its three-screen strategy that aims to...

Bombay Sapphire puts digital out to pitch.(Bacardi-Martini Ltd. contracts with Agency.com and Meme)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Bombay Sapphire is the first major Bacardi-Martini brand to put its digital agency account out to pitch, in an attempt to boost the gin brand's profile across the web. While exact details have yet to be released, NMA understands that UK...

BREAKING: All Response Media drops head of search role.(departure of Josiah Amartey)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Digital agency All Response Media has abolished its head of search role, following the departure of Josiah Amartey to Unique Digital. It's now outsourcing all its search work to Indian firm Search Marketing Agency. Amartey has joined Unique...

BREAKING: Nickelodeon launches daily cookery show.(Bubble and Squeak)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Nickelodeon has created a host of interactive content around the launch of Bubble and Squeak, a daily cookery show for kids to be broadcast on Nick Jr. The site is aimed at pre-school children and their parents, and includes recipes featured...

BREAKING: VCCP Digital MD leaves.(Tom Hopkins to join Conchango)(managing director)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... VCCP Digital MD Tom Hopkins is to leave the agency to join digital agency Conchango as its head of business development for interactive. A decision on the future of the MD role within VCCP Digital is due within the next month. ...

BREAKING: Buongiorno buys Inventa.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Inventa, the mobile production arm of Profero, has been sold to mobile services firm Buongiorno for #1m. inventa.comNMA will publish its second guide to interactive marketing services this spring, covering ad and affiliate networks,...

IN BRIEF: Tiffinbites awards #2m account to Hicklin Slade.(Hicklin Slade and Partners)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Tiffinbites, the Indian restaurant brand, has awarded its #2m branding and marketing account to direct and digital agency Hicklin Slade & Partners. A viral campaign will be used to spearhead the relaunch of the brand in March, focusing on...

IN BRIEF: AdMob network serves its one-billionth ad.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Mobile advertising network AdMob announced it has served its onebillionth ad. The network lets advertisers, which have included Adidas and Eurostar, run ads across content channels including news, entertainment, mobile communities and mobile...

IN BRIEF: Meet England appoints Seriously to revamp site.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Meet England, the business arm of VisitBritain, has appointed digital marketing agency Seriously to redesign and build a site for business travellers. Last year Seriously completed brand positioning and a full redesign of the Visit Britain...

IN BRIEF: 'Arthur and the Invisibles' game to run on Miniclip.(Momentum Pictures and Grapevine Systems Inc. have developed online games)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Momentum Pictures and digital agency Grapevine have developed Loot Shoot, an online game for forthcoming Luc Besson children's animated film Arthurand the Invisibles. The game, which sees players having to collect treasure to save Arthur's...

IN BRIEF: Graphico secures #1m worth of new work.(appointed Adrian Cross and Kuljit Grewal)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Full service creative digital agency Graphico has announced technology company D-Link as one of a range of new account wins. The agency announced a series of wins worth in excess of #1m across the broadcast media, alcoholic beverage, sport...

Windows Vista holds potential to change how brands use web.
February 1, 2007... The interactive ad industry heralded this week's launch of Microsoft Windows Vista as holding the potential to fundamentally change how brands use online marketing services. The long-awaited operating system's new features include a...

UEFA Europe sponsor Castrol picks OgilvyOne to build site.(OgilvyOne Worldwide)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Castrol, the official global sponsor of the UEFA Europe 2008, is believed to have appointed OgilvyOne to launch a major interactive campaign for the football tournament. OgilvyOne won the work following a pitch last week. Castrol's...

FT.com's Wilkinson to take Times mobile.(Times Online appointed Lee Wilkinson)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... News International has recruited Lee Wilkinson from FT.com to head and develop the mobile strategy for The Times. As commercial manager for Times Online Mobile, Wilkinson will be responsible for identifying opportunities for the group in...

ITV appoints Play to push WAGs reality TV programme.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... ITV has appointed digital agency Play to promote its new reality TV series WAG's Boutique. Play will roll out a series of rich-media ads in support of the ITV2 programme, which follows a group of footballers' wives and girlfriends as...

GCap Media offers personalised listening across entire portfolio.
February 1, 2007... GCap Media, the UK's biggest commercial radio broadcaster, is upping its defence against popular digital services like Last.fm and Pandora by offering users personalised listening on its entire portfolio, from Classic FM to Capital FM. ...

Brylcreem uses interactive desktop cheerleaders.(Sara Lee Household and Bodycare UK)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Hair styling brand Brylcreem has launched a digital campaign using interactive desktop cheerleaders and MSN Messenger Theme Packs. The brand is using interactive media to reach out to young people and engage them in a deeper brand...

Dennis Publishing to launch mobizine for 'Men's Fitness'.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Dennis Publishing is accelerating its direct-to-consumer mobile strategy with the launch of Men's Fitness as a mobizine, with a host of other top Dennis titles to follow. Mobizines for leading car brands Auto Express and Evo will also be...

Avenue A/Razorfish plans European push.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Avenue A/Razorfish (AARF), which operates in the UK through digital agency DNA, is planning to acquire agencies throughout Europe as part of a global plan to expand its network. Clark Kokich, president of AARF, which is owned by US...

IN BRIEF: Affiliate Window to launch comparison site.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Affiliate Window, the affiliate marketing division of Digital Window, has launched Shop Window, an application enabling shopping comparison engines to search any affiliate site. Shop Window can draw results about approximately 3m products...

IN BRIEF: Doctors.net tests new Flickr-style image library.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Medical site Doctors.net has begun testing a Flickr-style image library, where doctors can tag and upload images to share as a teaching or reference resource. Set to launch in April, it will be compatible with iPods so that doctors can have...

IN BRIEF: Celador retains MIG for mobile Millionaire game.(Mobile Interactive Group)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Who Wants to be a Millionaire?- creator Celador has retained mobile services provider Mobile Interactive Group (MIG) to deliver the game on mobile. The deal has been extended to run concurrently with the TV series for the third time. ...

IN BRIEF: Miva launches vertical PPC network.(Miva Media, Precision Network)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Miva Media has launched the Precision Network, a vertical PPC network designed to offer narrower distribution and leads across specific verticals. In the UK these are automotive, finance, gambling, health and beauty, and recruitment. ...

IN BRIEF: Sony pushes Blu-ray with online campaign.(Sony Europe GmbH contracts with Ryan Morrison & MacMillan)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Sony is launching an online campaign to promote its new Blu-ray disc format content. The website, which launches in March and which will be accompanied by a blog and search campaign, is being created by interactive agency Hi-Res, with a media...

Global MMA restructures to get brands involved at a local level.
February 1, 2007... The global Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is restructuring in an effort to get US brand members like Coca-Cola, Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Disney involved at local market level. The association revealed its plans following last...

Bandwagon uses widgets in #1m online music competition.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Music-based social networking site Bandwagon is launching a #1m online music competition in one of the biggest campaigns to use widgets as the primary marketing tool. Bandwagon has launched a campaign site, called...

C4 and BoreMe announce Germ Awards.(Channel Four Television Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Channel 4 and viral site BoreMe.com have announced the launch of the second Germ Awards, an international search for the best commercially produced viral. The awards include categories for best international creative agency, best video...

Factory Media to relaunch extreme sports websites.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Factory Media, the media company headed by Dennis Publishing's departing new product development director James Carter, is due to relaunch eight of its 12 extreme sports websites as part of an overhaul of its entire online presence. The...

Teletext plans major web gambling push.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Teletext has launched a major push into the gambling sector with an online gambling portal ahead of a complete brand overhaul set for March. Gambling provider St Minver has won the contract to create casino, bingo and poker games for the...

P&O makes online virtual tour central to marketing strategy.(P&O Cruises)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... P&O Cruises has launched an online virtual tour of its cruise liner Ventura ahead of its April 2008 launch. The company intends to offer footage of the tour in a 1m DVD giveaway. P&O has launched the virtual tour 16 months ahead of the...

Analyst Speak: Big changes are afoot for broadband video.
February 1, 2007... This year is a watershed for the development of broadband video. We've already seen a number of significant announcements, not least more detail on the long-awaited internet TV project Joost. Its founders - also the founders of VoIP service...

IN BRIEF: News Corporation buys stake in Roo for #6m.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has bought a stake in online video firm Roo Group for around $12m (#6.13m). Roo currently provides video technology for FoxNews.com and many News Corp newspaper websites in the UK, including The Times and...

IN BRIEF: WIN to roll out more interactive services.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... WIN, the mobile technology company, has witnessed an increased appetite for its interactive mobile services in the last year and plans to roll out more products in this area later in 2007. In a trading statement, the company also said it had...

IN BRIEF: UCAS installs new in-house ad server.(Universities and Colleges Admissions Services)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... UCAS has installed a new in-house ad server system to better manage the ad campaigns it runs across its websites. The system has been developed by web analytics company eVisit Analyst and will enable UCAS to publish ads directly onto its...

IN BRIEF: Nedstat launches direct tool for website pages.(Direct View, web site management software)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Web analytics company Nedstat has launched Direct View, a tool that can provide instant, actionable reports on the performance of a website's pages. As well as up-to-the-minute reports, comparison data can be viewed for the preceding 28...

Opera Telecom and T2eUK link for IPTV technical consultancy.(Med1a)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Opera Telecom chairman Gary Corbett has formed a joint venture with Jamie Branson, CEO of internet consultancy T2eUK, to create an IPTV technical consultancy called Med1a. Med1a will tap into both Opera Telecom's and T2eUK's client lists -...

Vexed Digital focuses on social networking with corporate site.(Community X)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Vexed Digital, the interactive agency founded by former Goodtechnology MD Richard Davies, is hoping to capitalise on the burgeoning social networking trend with the creation of corporate product, Community X. The product has been...

Elertz alerts toolbar set for March start.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Elertz, an ad-supported browser toolbar that alerts web users when updates have been made to sites they have signed up to, has announced it will launch in March. It's pitching itself as a more direct and less intrusive method of...

Marketing heads think digital is beyond traditional agencies.
February 1, 2007... Over half of chief marketing officers (CMOs) believe that traditional ad agencies struggle to think outside of traditional TV and print media models, found a survey commissioned by e-services consultancy Sapient. The survey by research...

Britons ready to turn their backs on technology.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Britons are in danger of becoming the most technology illiterate people in the world, concluded a report from online payments provider PayPal. Over half of the 1,010 Britons surveyed said they felt technology, including mobiles and...

89% Of all UK web users shop online.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... UK internet users are the biggest online shoppers in Europe, found research by the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA). It reported that 89% of all UK internet users shop online. UK shoppers were also found to be the...

Digital music to be worth #900m by 2011.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The European digital music market will continue to grow over the next five years to reach E1.4bn (#924.4m) by 2011, according to the latest internet music forecast by Jupiter Research. During 2006 the market generated E305.6m (#201.8m),...

IN BRIEF: Loan providers fail to offer customer service.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Loan providers are neglecting to cater to their online customers, according to user experience consultancy Foolproof. The report found that three-quarters of online loan shoppers were yet to make an application three months after beginning...

IN BRIEF: Mobile users to spend #16bn on music by 2010.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Worldwide mobile users will spend $32.2bn (#16.5bn) on receiving music via their phones by 2010, according to research firm Gartner. Mobile music, including ringtones, realtones, full-track downloads and streaming, is now the second most...

IN BRIEF: Global Wi-Fi sales grew 327% throughout 2006.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Global sales of Wi-Fi equipment soared throughout 2006, to generate a market worth $535m (#273.4m), according to Infonetics Research. The entire Wi-Fi market grew 327% throughout the year, with the sale of Wi- Fi-enabled handsets alone jumping...

IN BRIEF: Europeans use mobiles to search for jobs.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Europeans are beginning to use their mobile phones as a tool to search for career information, according to mobile search firm MobilePeople. A report into mobile trends found that 6% of all mobile searches taking place over the Christmas...

ANALYSIS: Ad-funded music services hit by delays.
February 1, 2007... The great and the good of the music industry came together at last week's Midemnet in Cannes, where the hot topic was the future of ad- funded online music services When Robin Kent, CEO of ad-funded music download site Spiralfrog, failed...

COMMENT: Any room for ads in personal content?(Column)
February 1, 2007... Talk to an old-school ad man and he'll tell you that people love advertising; they look forward to it and talk about it with their friends. Talk to a new media evangelist and he'll tell you people hate advertising; given the tools, they'll...

Want to know about new media? Ask your plumber.
February 1, 2007... I have just had a new oak floor laid in my house. As I stood there watching, the man laying it asked me what I did. I described it in sufficiently simple terms that a man of toil could understand. Clearly unimpressed, he carried on laying my...

LETTER: Format less important than getting an ad right.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... From Paul Hood, head of online, Emap Automotive Who's to blame for the lack of technical innovation and creativity in online advertising (NMA 25.01.07)? Before wading into the debate, I thought it prudent to find out what the end customer...

LETTER: Mobile is just first step in reaching digital youth.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... From Frisco Chau, head of sales and marketing, MassMedia Studios UK I read your article about the need to embrace different survey methodologies to improve response rates among the 16-24-year-old age group, and how the use of SMS combined...

OPINION: Mobile shortcodes offer more engagement on display ads.(Column)
February 1, 2007... Does anyone really know why advertisers continue to use up prime real estate on display advertising with a brand URL in these days of powerful search? Including a URL in display advertising is a legacy of the early 1990s, when the...

AD WATCH: HP's production values are let down by a lack of viral oomph.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)
February 1, 2007... If this month's Ad Watch isn't a sign of the times, I don't know what is. We have a 'traditional' agency knocking out banners and a 'digital' agency throwing down 60-second spots. Has the world gone barking mad or are walls about to come...

PROFILE - DR NEIL BACON: Healthy business.(Doctors.net.uk )
February 1, 2007... Doctors.net.uk is home to a large community of UK doctors sharing their knowledge, which founder Dr Neil Bacon has built into a #6m business. Nic Howell finds out how Amid all the excitement about social networks, it's often still...

PROCUREMENT: Selection criteria.(procurement departments to buy agency services)
February 1, 2007... As online budgets continue to increase, using procurement departments to buy agency services is becoming standard practice. Michael Nutley examines what this means Procurement used to be a four-letter word. When digital agencies first...

PROCUREMENT: Establishing procurement best practice.(Magic and Logic)(Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, Incorporated Society of British Advertisers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Magic and Logic is the first result of a co-operation between the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), ISBA and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. The booklet, published last June, sets out best practice in...

ICSTIS CODE OF PRACTICE: Rewriting the rules.(UK Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services)
February 1, 2007... Mobile operators and aggregators have given their responses to the latest iteration of Icstis's Code of Practice and are asking if it goes far enough. Stuart Dredge reports Pity premium services regulator Icstis. While the 11th edition of...

Moves: Paddy Power.(appointed Tim Woolias)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Online betting company Paddy Power has appointed Tim Woolias to the role of non-retail marketing manager. He joins from Comet Group, where he was ecommerce general manager. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: Advertising.com.
February 1, 2007... Advertising.com has announced that UK MD Mike Peralta will take on the additional responsibility for Western Europe. He will now look after profit and loss and promotion of new products and services in the region. Copyright: Centaur...

Moves: Mobile Streams Europe.(appointed Martyn McGoun)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Mobile production service provider Mobile Streams announced Martyn McGoun as its new executive VP for Europe. The appointment follows the merging of two of its business regions. McGoun was previously executive VP for the UK & Ireland. ...

Moves: Code.(appointed Joe Saunders, Deborah Clark, Claire Hill and Louise Watt)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Manchester-based agency Code has taken on four new staff. Joe Saunders joins as account manager from Lightmaker, Deborah Clark joins as project manager from Moonfish, and Claire Hill joins as production manager from The First Resort. Finally,...

Moves: Analysys Masons Group.(appointed Tony Lavender and Jason Kowal)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Analysys Masons Group, the global advisor on telecoms, IT and media, has announced two senior appointments. Tony Lavender joins as MD of Analysys Research, moving from Ovum, while Jason Kowal from within the group becomes US head of Analysys...

Moves: Infoserve.(Infoserve International appointed David Balbi)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Online business search company Infoserve has announced the appointment of David Balbi as financial director. He joins from Kingston Communications, where he held a range of board-level roles. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Moves: Thomas Eggar.(appointed Richard Hastings)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Law firm Thomas Eggar has announced the appointment of Richard Hastings as commercial technology partner. He joins from Yahoo! and has previously held roles at O2 UK and Amstrad. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: mBlox.(appointed Steve Livingston)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Mobile transaction network mBlox has announced that Steve Livingston has joined the company as chief marketing officer. His past experience includes time at IBM, AT&T Wireless and Bytemobile. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Moves: FreemantleMedia.(appointed Sarah Marti)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... FremantleMedia's licensing division had appointed Sarah Marti to the newly created role of creative services executive. She joins from Disney Consumer Products. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: Adestra.(appointed Hollie Williams)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Email service provider Adestra has hired Hollie Williams to fill the newly created role of client strategy executive. She has five years' digital marketing experience. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: Nesta.(National Endowment for Science, Technology and Arts appointed Patrick McKenna)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Patrick McKenna, founder and chairman of Ingenious Media, is to join the board of trustees of Nesta, the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

SITE INSPECTION: Centre for Creative Business.(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... centreforcreativebusiness.org Owner: Centre for Creative Business Agency: Westgate Design Content 23/25 Usability 10/25 Branding 20/25 Monetisation n/a Total 53/75 The Centre for...

SITE INSPECTION: Pokerzone.(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... pokerzone.tv Owner: Game In TV Agency: in-house Content 18/25 Usability 14/25 Branding 17/25 Monetisation 16/25 Total 65/100 For a site that specialises in gambling, Pokerzone...

SITE INSPECTION: Brit Awards 2007.(British Phonographic Industry)(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... brits.co.uk Owner: BPI Agency: JM Enternational Content 14/25 Usability 16/25 Branding 20/25 Monetisation 12/25 Total 62/100 On first impressions I found myself asking whether,...

FULFILMENT: hmv.co.uk.(HMV Ltd.)(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Founded 1998 (relaunched September 2005) Selection Thousands of CDs, DVDs, video games, not to mention gadgets, accessories and books. There's also information about in-store events. Technical problems A bit slow...

Virgin Media takes on MSN and Yahoo! for top portal spot.(Virgin Media Group Ltd.)
February 8, 2007... Richard Branson's Virgin Media, formed by the merger of Virgin Mobile and NTL:Telewest, launches this week with a #1m online ad campaign as it goes head-to-head with MSN and Yahoo! to become the UK's top entertainment portal. ...

Sony and Sky in content talks for PSP.(Sony Computer Entertainment Europe joint venture with British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(public service publisher)(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) is in talks with Sky to allow PSP owners to download Sky content such as Lost and 24 onto their handheld devices. An agency pitch has been launched for the creation of the service, understood to...

Brands pull back from targeting kids online.
February 8, 2007... The anticipated cash bonanza for the online advertising industry following a future ban on TV ads peddling foods high in fat, salt and sugar to children is under threat after major brands announced that they would not advertise to children...

Panama delay fuels industry fears over Yahoo! search.(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... The UK search community this week welcomed the full US launch of Panama, Yahoo!'s new search marketing platform, but has warned that the company may have left it too late to seriously challenge Google. Panama is not expected to hit the UK...