New Media Age articles from July 2003

New Media Age archives from July 2003

Freeserve casts doubt on plans for bigger ads.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The IAB's hopes for forging an industry-wide consensus to make standard online ads bigger, heavier and fewer in number were shattered by portal Freeserve this week. It has produced research which it believes undermines the case for cutting...

RNIB brings UK's first action over site accessibility.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The Royal National Institute for the Blind is bringing the UK's first case against companies under the Disability Discrimination Act for failing to make their Web sites accessible to people with visual impairments. The move, which comes...

Major broadcasters lead way for iTV and standards.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Broadcasters, advertising agencies and their clients will see the emergence of a level playing field for iTV commercials over the next few weeks, with Sky, IDS and ITV all taking steps in this direction. Sky has released its new WML ad...

SMS spam foiled by marketing firm.(BeepMarketing)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... An SMS anti-spam initiative has been launched by mobile marketing firm BeepMarketing and software company LiveWebs, to persuade the mobile sector and its regulators to take tough action against text spam. SOS SMS will run on a section of...

iTV sector supports Sky dropping casino games.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The iTV gaming and betting sector has come out in favour of Sky's move to kick casino games off its platform. Companies including TotoPools, Rank and Gala have welcomed the step, which they say helps clarify the murky legality of iTV...

BT Broadband targets niche groups.(partnership with Deepsync)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... BT Broadband has made a deal with content distribution firm Deepsync to boost high-speed Internet takeup from special-interest groups. The partnership will launch with an exclusive content offering for golf tuition site Golfspan. For...

Republic creates online campaign for 02 Active. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Mobile network 02 is running an online campaign, which goes live this week, to support its current offline push for its 02 Active services. Agency Republic has developed the online campaign, based on the TV ads. It has also created an...

BBC misses DCMS deadline for online review-just. (Breaking).(Department of Culture, Media and Sport )(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The BBC this week missed the deadline for handing the Department of Culture, Media and Sport an assessment of how its online services have fared against their original remit, although only by hours. In April, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell gave...

Public to get email access to Prime Minister from August. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The public will finally be able to directly email the prime minister from August, according to Tony Blair. He revealed the news on Monday in a written response to a question from Tim Yeo, Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. "It...

UEFA plans new media blitz around Champions League.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... European football body UEFA is set to put new media at the heart of its money-spinning Champions League tournament this autumn, with the launch of its first paid-for services and other cross-platform initiatives. NMA has learned that UEFA...

Online agencies blamed for poor creativity in ads.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Online creative agencies are failing to produce good work because of internal disagreements about what online advertising should achieve, and because they still prioritise technology and design over the communication of ideas. That's the...

IAB assures SMEs in face of search engine lobby.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The IAB has urged SME companies worried about how they're being treated by search engines to find a voice through it, rather than the Search Engine Lobby Group. Founded by Top-pile CEO Paddy Bolger (pictured), the group aims to put...

Take-up of photo messaging slow but on the rise.(Mediaedge:cia's survey )(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Research from media agency Mediaedge:cia has revealed that demand for photo and video messaging services is sluggish, but will grow quickly over the next six months. Mediaedge:cia's survey of 500 UK adults found 7% own phones with picture...

Hilton looks to boost online bookings with [pounds sterling]8m spend. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Hilton International is investing [pounds sterling]8m in its e-commerce strategy to increase the number of online bookings. The 400-strong hotel group is using Sapient to help it design a new online service for the UK, Germany, Japan and the...

Ex-Virgin Money director launches Foolproof venture. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... A former marketing director of Virgin Money has launched a new Web usability consultancy aimed at complex online transactions. Peter Ballard, who left Virgin about 18 months ago, has been developing the business for the past year with a former...

FSA helps pensioners get the most from their annuity. (In Brief).(Financial Services Authority )(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The Financial Services Authority has launched an online service aimed at those close to retirement. Its independent annuities tables are designed to help consumers compare the rates available. Users need to enter the size of their pension pot,...

Golnteract TV adds interactivity to UKTV home shows. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... UKTV's UK Style channel has taken on GolnteractTV to provide it with interactivity for two of its home make-over shows, allowing viewers to purchase items featured in programmes and vote on scheduling. UKTV's Dream Cottage series, screening...

Jigsaw unveils integrated off and online brand Kew.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Clothing label Jigsaw is preparing an e-commerce experiment for the autumn, with the launch of an integrated Web and high street brand. The Kew brand will be handled separately to the Jigsaw label, to test the benefits of driving offline...

Bodas updates lingerie site for uniformity with stores.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Women's lingerie store Bodas has overhauled its Web site in order to achieve greater consistency across its multi-channel brands. The catalogue, Web and high street retailer took on the Javelin Group to redesign its site in the style of its...

Warwick transfers TV model to Web.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Entertainment content specialist Warwick Worldwide has launched its first standalone product. Me-me-me.net is a tongue-in-cheek version of the talent hunt voting model made popular on TV by the likes of Pop Idol and Popstars. Warwick...

RealNetworks partners with Vodafone.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... RealNetworks has taken its first bite of the mobile content market after announcing a partnership with Vodafone. RealNetworks will license its media streaming software to Vodafone, to power audio and video services for Vodafone Live!. Its...

Network operators agree to share mobile gaming data.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Mobile gaming is to get a significant boost from an agreement by operators to share information on use of games over their networks. All five mobile operators have been in discussions with industry body the Entertainment and Leisure...

Stationary Office and YooMedia lose bid for NHS Direct TV work.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The Stationary Office (TSO) and YooMedia have both failed in their bids to be involved in the Department of Health's nationwide roll-out of NHS Direct Digital TV. The two organisations headed up consortia that hoped to be on the receiving...

Comet to close store in favour of online auctions.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Electrical goods retailer Comet is considering reducing the number of clearance stores it uses to sell distressed and returned stock, after the success of its online auctions. Since it opened clearance-comet .co.uk two years ago, it has...

Aura Sports to sell ads for Liverpool FC.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Digital sports agency Aura Sports has scooped one of its biggest client wins so far. It has been appointed by Liverpool Football Club to take over some of its third-party ad sales. Aura which already works for a number of Premiership clubs...

Redbus signs up Avis and Commerzbank as clients. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Hosting company Redbus Interhouse has signed up car rental company Avis and Commerzbank as new customers. Avis will use Redbus to host its international Web sites and online booking system, as well as for its disaster recovery and managed...

mmO2 promises wireless LAN launch before end of year. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... mmO2 is planning to launch a wireless LAN service in the UK, as part of a network of 1,000 sites across Europe, by the end of 2003. It has also signed an agreement to add AOL instant messaging to its services in the UK, Ireland and Germany. The...

Virgin.net cuts broadband price. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... UK ISP Virgin.net has reduced the cost of its broadband starter kit from [pounds sterling]59.99 to [pounds sterling]49.99. The price of the package, which includes a DSL modem and two micro-filters, has fallen by a total of [pounds sterling]30...

Diary.(Calendar)
July 3, 2003... 3 July 2003 Net Media 2003 Conference Barcelona 020 7636 4777 info@net-media.co.uk 9 July 2003 GbiTVO3 London 020 8357 7349 nmk.co.uk/events Creating an Effective Web Site Milton Keynes ...

Isle of Man govt switches online gambling strategy.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The Isle of Man government is shifting its online gambling strategy, actively promoting it for the first time and considering the possibility of allowing P2P casino gaming. Littlewoods Gaming is the only remaining Web casino operator on the...

Spam summit reveals new weapons to beat junk email.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... A new generation of anti-spam technology was unveiled at the UK's first ever spam summit this week, focusing on identifying patterns rather than keywords in junk email. The Know Spain technology was developed by Aungate, a division of...

BT Click&buy may work with bookies.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... BT Click&buy, the online micro-payment specialist, is considering a U-turn on its position on gambling. CEO Ian Price (pictured) confirmed that it was looking closely at ditching its ban on working with online gambling companies. ...

IT loses Cambridge lead to biotech.(Library House survey)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The information technology industry has lost its pre-eminence in Cambridge to the biotech sector, according to new research. Library House, a Cambridge based research house for technology investors, has surveyed 898 innovation firms in the...

A missed opportunity. (A Focus on Customer Service Technology: In Association with Microsoft).(Column)
July 3, 2003... Are UK companies investing in black holes? A wave of major web, email, call centre and CRM investments have created an unprecedented number of ways to connect with new and existing customers, but despite this they are still being ignored. ...

Roo Media stock market plans face setback. (Finance).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... A deal to bring video-over-the-Web firm Roo Media onto the stock market is in danger of collapsing. The firm was to be bought by LSE-listed A Cohen & Co as part of a [pounds]3m funding package (NMA 12 June). However, one of Cohen's shareholders...

QXL Ricardo may sell assets to bolster business. (Finance).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Online auction firm QXL Ricardo is looking at selling assets to raise money to support the business. The company says it's dependent on tax-related cash receipts that are outside its control, but is look-big at alternative financing and the...

Tao Group raises [pounds sterling]54m. (Finance).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Software firm Tao Group has raised an investment round of $9m ([pounds sterling]5.4m). Investors included Motorola, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners and Tao's CEO Francis Charig. Other shareholders include Sony, NEC, Kyocera, Mitsubishi and...

Travel site helps Totally cuts back on losses. (Finance).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Totally, the media firm targeting the Jewish community, cut its Josses last year, despite continued online difficulties. Turnover was up 16% in 2002 to [pounds sterling]1.7m and pre-tax losses fell from [pounds sterling]3.1m in 2001 to [pounds...

Virtue Broadcasting sells off streaming media arm. (Finance).(Virtue Media to Interoute Communications)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Virtue Broadcasting has sold its streaming media arm, Virtue Media Services, which provides streaming services to the music industry. It was sold to Interoute Communications for [pounds sterling]800,000, with [pounds sterling]600,000 paid...

Axiomlab to delist from stock market. (Finance).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Internet investor Axiomlab has confirmed its plans to take the firm off the stock market and return cash to shareholders. On 14 May it said it was considering a proposal to return capital to shareholders because of the poor share...

Digital Animations & SurfControl cut share premiums. (Finance).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... SurfControl and Digital Animations have moved closer to giving some of their spare cash to shareholders. Both companies have gained court approval for the reduction or cancellation of their share premium accounts. This accounting change...

3i calls on investors to make longer-term commitments. (Finance).(commissions report from Economist Intelligence Unit)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
July 3, 2003... One of Europe's largest venture capital firms, 3i, has called on the investment industry to return to the pre-boom ways of doing business. The company says VCs should take a longer-term view and build up global networks if they are to...

Agencies downplay effect of stop on IE development. (Technology).
July 3, 2003... Microsoft's decision to halt development of Internet Explorer as a standalone product will have little impact on the future of Web design, according to technical agencies. The giant also announced that it won't release future Mac versions...

Blunkett attacks low-tech police. (Technology).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Home Secretary David Blunkett has criticised law enforcement agencies for their lack of technical knowledge, and is challenging them to get up to speed with hi-tech crime. Speaking to the Police Foundation, Blunkett stressed the importance...

O2 to let customers create community SMS services. (Technology).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... O2 has teamed up with software firm Pure Matrix to launch a short code SMS service that lets mobile users build their own SMS applications. The Escape service is available to any customer registered on the 02 site and is targeted at young...

MI to launch mobile locator service. (Technology).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Software firm MI International is launching a mobile phone location service in connection with The Carphone Warehouse, as a more affordable option to GPS-based services. The MapAMobile service is able to pinpoint the location of a SIM card...

Google launches beta version of toolbar 2.0. (Technology).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Google has released a beta version of its Toolbar 2.0, which enables Internet users to conduct a keyword search away from the Google site. The Toolbar is free to download and sits above the Internet Explorer toolbar. The latest version includes...

Sun Microsystems to buy Pixo to boost mobile distribution. (Technology).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Sun Microsystems is set to acquire software company Pixo, to help with its distribution of mobile data services. Pixo server software lets network operators manage content centrally and allows for rapid downloads of digital content including...

National Gallery offers MMS picture download service. (Technology).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The National Gallery has integrated the new MMS-based iSend service onto its Web site, so that mobile users can download art images onto their phone. The MMS software has been developed by PocketThis, and allows users to send information from...

Victoria Real to expand on back of Endemol takeover. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Web and iTV agency Victoria Real has won its first major client work since being fully taken over by the TV production giant Endemol last month, and is now in the throes of expansion. Children's digital TV broadcaster Nickelodeon has...

Alcone. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Alcone has won the UK account for payroll services company ADP. The agency, which is part of the Omnicom network, will handle all ADP's off and online communications, including the relaunch of its corporate brand in the UK. ...

Ethical Media. (Agency Wins).(to design web site for Green Alliance)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Communications agency Ethical Media has been taken on by Green Alliance to redesign its Web site. The agency is known for combining design and business practice with social and environmental values, It works with a number of organisations in...

Tibus. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Co. Down-based full service agency Tibus has been awarded the online design contract for Invest NI, Northern Ireland's economic development agency. First work will be to redesign the Invest NI site and then associated microsites and a suite of...

Unit9. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Unit9 has won the account to create PlayStation 2's intro for Namco's Football Kingdom. The work will mix Flash graphics with live-action footage, acting both as a title sequence for the game and a viral promotion. The agency has also started...

Bostock & Pollitt launches BT broadband campaign site. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... New media design agency Bostock & Pollitt has launched a new extranet system for BT, intended to help broadband campaigners bring broadband to their area. The extranet is targeted at registered broadband campaigners across the UK and will let...

Grand Union takes on creative directors to prepare for 12-month expansion drive. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Digital agency Grand Union has appointed its first two creative directors as it kick-starts a year Long period of growth. The agency, which numbers NTL, Nestle and Britvic among its clients, has taken on former Razorfish design director...

Skive creates viral for Sony Ericsson skateboard game. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Digital agency Skive Creative has produced a viral game to support the launch of a new skateboard game for Sony Ericsson. The Park Life game has been designed to drive customers to a skateboard-themed microsite for the company's T310 phone....

Vauxhall streams TV ad in online push for new model. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Vauxhall has become the latest car manufacturer to expand its use of video in its online advertising. It's running a streaming video version of its TV ad for the new Meriva model on sites including MSN, Yahoo! and Femail.co.uk. The ads...

Eidos email campaign calls on bosses to let staff play new Lara game at work. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Games giant Eidos is planning to use the Web to spearhead its marketing activity for the long-anticipated launch this week of the latest Lara Croft adventure, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. Eidos's Take Lara To Work Day campaign is...

Thames Water encourages water efficiency with e-survey. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Thames Water has launched an online campaign to promote water efficiency around the home. The company is targeting young people in businesses and education with the 'Water Wise' marketing drive. It includes promotion via Overture,...

Loot.com adds search result links from Overture. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Classified ad listings site Loot.com has agreed to take paid-for links from search marketing network Overture. Overture will serve five results, related to queries input by users, under the heading Web Links, alongside results drawn from Loot's...

Daily Telegraph begins poster campaign for Web site. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... The Daily Telegraph is kicking off a poster campaign in London and the South East this week, promoting its online presence telegraph.co.uk. The marketing drive will run until the start of next month as part of a wider branding exercise for the...

Advertisers get access to Divorce Online database. (Marketing).
July 3, 2003... Divorce-online.co.uk is opening its database of registered users to advertisers, targeting finance, retail, leisure and travel companies. The site said it had set itself a target of 20,000 users before it would allow third-parties to deliver...

Refugee Council viral shows benefits to UK of immigrants. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Asylum seekers and refugees support organisation The Refugee Council is running an online campaign to demonstrate the valuable contribution refugees make to UK society. Communications consultancy Fishburn Hedges developed the campaign,...

British IT workers lose out to cheaper foreign labour. (Trends).(according to Professiona Contractors Group)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Cheap overseas labour is creating a huge shortfall in demand for British IT workers, according to the Professional Contractors Group (PCG). The Government's policy of importing cheap labour, often when ads for jobs with salaries well below the...

Rowling interview whizzes MSN up Hitwise rankings. (Trends).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... MSN leapt up the Hitwise rankings at the end of last week following its Webcast interview with Harry Potter author JK Rowling. Hitwise said MSN increased its ranking by 1,200 places on the back of the Webcast, with 44% of traffic logging on...

Three-quarters of UK firms plan to up Web investment. (Trends).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Nearly three-quarters of UK businesses are planning to increase their investment in Internet-based technology and services, according to a survey of over 9,000 visitors to Internet World. 70% of respondents said their organisations were...

One in four companies has sacked staff for Web abuse. (Trends).
July 3, 2003... Misuse of email and the Internet is on the increase. The latest research claims that over a quarter of UK businesses have dismissed staff for inappropriate or excessive use of the Web or email. Human resources organisation the Chartered...

Spam and terrorism boost market for email security.(Forrester research)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
July 3, 2003... The growth of the European managed IT security market is set to rocket as concerns increase about email spam and cyberterrorism, and companies look for new ways to counter the ongoing threat. According to the latest research from Forrester,...

Even public sector workers reluctant for e-government.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Despite ongoing efforts by the Government to convince the public to start using its services online, the majority of public sector employees are reticent to make Web-based government transactions. A survey carried out by IT giant LogicaCMG...

MMS to revive mobile customisation market. (Analyst Speak).(Jupiter research )(Industry Overview)
July 3, 2003... As of end of 2002, Jupiter estimated 12% of mobile phone users had downloaded a ringtone, an icon or a logo at least once during that year, spending on average [euro]12 ([pounds sterling]8) for such mobile customisation services. The UK...

Who are the crooks in the fight over online music? The RIAA is shifting targets in its attempts to prevent people sharing music online. But is legal action the way to go?. (Analysis).(Column)
July 3, 2003... The news that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has trained its guns on the general public for the first time in its latest bid to combat copyright piracy has been received with mixed reactions from all sides of the industry....

Awards winner shows now is the time for new ideas. (Leader).(Editorial)
July 3, 2003... Last week were the NMA Effectiveness Awards 2003, full details of which can be found in the Book of the Night that accompanies this issue. In the introduction, I mention the fact that a large proportion of this year's record 660 entries were...

Stick with what you're best at. (Letters to the Editor).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
July 3, 2003... Bhaskar Majumdar, CEO and founder, Recreate Solutions In the last few issues of the NMA there have been numerous articles on the growing maturity of the iTV market and how market consolidation and symbiotic relationships are rejuvenating the...

SMEs have their place in online advertising. (Letters to the Editor).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
July 3, 2003... Danny Meadows Klue, chief executive, IAB UK The Internet has been liberating for small and medium-sized firms wanting to extend their markets, and has improved the cost effectiveness of their marketing. That's why I was concerned about the...

Talk to us. (Letters to the Editor).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
July 3, 2003... Lopa Patel, editor, Redhotcurry.com Just in the last week I've had six major list brokers wanting to capitalise on the estimated [pounds sterling]14bn 'Brown Pound' (that is, the disposable income of South Asians in the UK) to sell everything...

We need an international approach to beating spam. (On Government).(Column)
July 3, 2003... Over the last few years the level of spam has become such a drain on email users' time, money and bandwidth that the issue is now of paramount importance to governments, mainstream media and the public at large. In May 2003, figures from email...

Taking arms against in absentia card abuse. (Opinion).
July 3, 2003... The recent high profile introduction of Chip and PIN technology to enhance security for credit and debit cards has focused attention on credit card fraud. Although Chip and PIN may mean a new dawn for customer-present transactions, the latest...

A fusion of talent: having led agencies through two mergers, Phil Jones sees himself as a team-builder, success at which has helped put EHS Brann among the top rank of agencies.
July 3, 2003... Every morning at 9am, Phil Jones, vice chairman and operations director at full service agency EHS Brann, holds a one-hour surgery, during which any of his 300plus staff with an issue that affects delivery to a client can see him without an...

ITraffic. (Moves).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... ITraffic, the interactive marketing and advertising subsidiary of Agency.com, has taken on Tom Gregory as a designer. He joins from WCRS, and will work on the British Airways, Freeserve and Heineken accounts.

Recreate Solutions. (Moves).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Recreate Solutions, the iTV services company, has appointed Dr Santosh Pillai as VP of commercial development. He was formerly business development director for content at iTV company VideoNetworks.

Rivals Digital Media (RDM). (Moves).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Digital publisher Rivals Digital Media (RDM) has appointed Faye Harrison as agency sales executive. She previously worked under the same title at Lycos, and joins RDM after travelling for the past year.

Virgin.net. (Moves).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Virgin.net has taken on Jonathan Watson as marketing communications manager, responsible for customer acquisition. Prior to joining Virgin, he was UK marketing manager at international phone group Swiftcall.

Euro RSCG Circle. (Moves).(Brief Article)
July 3, 2003... Interactive ad agency Euro RSCG Circle has recruited Mary Bowden as customer experience architect. She joins from Oyster Partners where she was responsible for accounts including Orange and BT. Bowden will work on the company's Peugeot and...