New Media Age articles from July 2009

New Media Age archives from July 2009

YouTube hands over ad sales to publishers.
July 2, 2009... IPC Media and Bauer first to take control of monetising their content on Google- owned video site YouTube has struck its first deals allowing publishers to sell advertising around their own content on the video-sharing site. Bauer and...

Google needs media industries as much as they need it.
July 2, 2009... Is Google a vampire or a benefactor helping an industry struggling to reinvent itself for the digital age? The media industry has a fractious and often contrary relationship with the company. On one hand, it drives huge amounts of traffic to...

BREAKING NEWS: Tango uses Facebook app in latest campaign.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Tango has created a Facebook application as part of its summer marketing campaign. The Head Masher 3000 app, developed by creative agency BBH, allows members of the social network to upload images which demonstrate the potentially funny...

BREAKING NEWS: Manchester City FC launches ad-free site.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Manchester City FC has launched a website to engage with its fans globally as it looks to extend its international appeal. The ad-free site, designed by digital creative agency Poke with production company Endemol Sport, features live match day...

Volkswagen seeks 'people's reviewer' via social media.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Car company launches competition to find the successor to Jeremy Clarkson based on the growth of peer-to-peer reviews Volkswagen has kicked of a hunt to find 'the next Jeremy Clarkson' with a social media campaign for its Tiguan compact...

Penguin launches first standalone premium site for Puffin imprint.(Penguin Books Ltd.)
July 2, 2009... We Make Stories is aimed at increasing levels of creativity and literacy among young children rather than driving book sales Penguin Books has launched the first standalone premium site for its Puffin children's imprint. We Make Stories is...

Blyk in talks with Orange over first partnership deal.
July 2, 2009... Virtual mobile operator looks likely to sign its first deal since announcing it was abandoning its direct-to-consumer model Ad-funded virtual mobile operator Blyk is on the verge of agreeing its first partnership deal. The deal is...

Google sets up accreditation programme to safeguard site conversion.
July 2, 2009... Google has launched a UK accreditation programme for website conversion specialists after a research project with brands such as Debenhams showed "billions" of pounds of revenues were being lost by retailers online. Google has worked...

IAB mobile ad study reveals five steps to better results.(Internet Advertising Bureau)
July 2, 2009... The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released five recommendations for brands rolling out mobile ad campaigns, following a test campaign run with Nestle. The first major study by the IAB of mobile advertising assessed the responses...

Measuring effectiveness remains the hot topic.
July 2, 2009... When I was a kid back in the 1970s, my dad took me to visit my uncle who worked in the data processing department of a large FMCG company. My dad also worked in marketing and asked him, "When you have a number of different campaigns running,...

Mercedes-Benz UK starts community for Smart car fans.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Car brand launches Destination Smart to tap into passionate internet fan base and attract new customers for the city car Mercedes-Benz UK has launched a community site for its Smart car brand in an attempt to tap into its passionate...

Virgin works with Vexed to take Vtravelled site onto mobile.(Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Virgin Atlantic plans to extend its Vtravelled global travel community site onto mobile as it looks to capitalise on travellers seeking information while abroad. In August the airline will hold talks with digital agency Vexed, which...

Spotify offers free stream of Random House audiobook.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... On-demand music service Spotify is to allow visitors to stream a free audiobook for the first time following a deal with publisher Random House. Free - the follow-up to The Long Tail by Wired editor Chris Anderson - will be available to...

Cancer Research uses social media to warn against skin cancer.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Cancer Research has rolled out a social media campaign to highlight the dangers of skin cancer to young adults during the summer. The charity has launched a campaign site, iPledge, which encourages people to promise to avoid getting...

O2 signs deal with Pearl and Dean for interactive cinema game.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... O2 is to launch an interactive, audience-participation game in 20 Vue cinemas following a deal with ad business Pearl and Dean. From tomorrow, cinemagoers at the nationwide chain will be able to play Asteroid Storm, which involves...

WWF uses social media and online game as G8 protest tools.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Environmental charity WWF has launched a social media campaign encouraging people to put pressure on world leaders in the run-up to the G8 meeting in Italy next month. The activity centres on an online game to show that environmental...

Social network contacts take on new role as recommenders.
July 2, 2009... Initial data from the Global Web Index, a survey examining the role of social media in consumers' lives, shows how UK users are influenced by opinions from others on their network and how they think brands should interact with them. The...

Microsoft says MSN brand needs work before Bing launch.
July 2, 2009... Microsoft is committed to ensuring Bing is the best search experience online ahead of launching any major UK marketing activity, according to Ashley Highfield, MD and VP of consumer and online at Microsoft UK. It's expected to launch the...

Rubicon Project begins staffing up in UK.(appointment of Justin Thomas joins as director )(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Online ad targeting specialist Rubicon Project has made its first UK hire as it launches a recruitment drive. Justin Thomas joins as director of UK publisher development, following the appointment of former MySpace UK head Jay Stevens as...

LETTER: TV advertising is part of the digital media age.(Letter to the editor)
July 2, 2009... Tess Alps, CEO, Thinkbox Justin Pearse's Leader in which he talked about TV advertising as if it weren't part of new media age's gang and championed the effectiveness of internet advertising over TV (nma 11 June) raised my eyebrows...

LETTER: Selling paid search is easier in the recession.(Letter to the editor)
July 2, 2009... Rob Pierre, MD, Jellyfish Further to your Search Special (nma 28 May), the recession is actually making selling paid search easier. If marketers are going to spend any money, then it will be through a channel that offers instant results,...

Comment from nma.co.uk.(Website overview)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Re: Bearne on Media 2 June - IASH takes step backwards with proposed member chair We are an IASH network and very much proud of it, mainly for the reason that it shows we're trying to make things better. It costs a lot of time and money...

Digital agencies will still fare well in the days after huge multiples.
July 2, 2009... Kate Twyning Partner Green Square Prior to the economic downturn, if you were to ask the founder of an independent digital agency about their valuation expectations for their business, they'd get a slightly dreamy expression on their...

AD WATCH: Nostalgia and fun are a hit for Golf GTI Project.
July 2, 2009... Off I leap into another online adventure game with the Twisted campaign from Cadbury. Although I have to give what feels like an endless list of personal details before getting to the fun part. Didn't I already give all this at Glass and a...

PROFILE PAUL BROWN: Hitting the spot.
July 2, 2009... Having taken up the reins of Spotify in the UK, Paul Brown is determined the service will succeed where many have failed, as an ad- funded digital music hub Spotify may only officially be four months old but it has already captured the...

E-ZINES: Turning the page.
July 2, 2009... Does the success of Dennis's digital magazines show the way forward for advertisers and publishers facing a drop in print sales? When struggling lads' magazine Maxim stopped printing in April to become an online-only title, it was seen as...

E-ZINES: CASE STUDY - Thomas Cook's Holiday Hotspots.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Bulky travel magazines have been lining the shelves of travel agents for decades, providing customers with reams of information about flights and holidays. Thomas Cook, one of the UK's best-known travel agents, developed a digital travel...

NMATV: What's in the box?
July 2, 2009... Games console manufacturers are striking deals with media partners to deliver online video content. But how much does the public want this, and what does it mean for the evolution of TV? When Microsoft launched the Xbox in 2001 it was...

NMATV: Video on demand via games consoles.(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Coda Research Consultancy contends that video on demand via consoles is limited, especially in family households where games devices tend to move around the home with their owners (a third of fixed games devices are kept in the bedroom). ...

NMATV PRODUCTION FILES: Twofour Digital.(dialogue with Paul Tarplee )(Interview)
July 2, 2009... Twofour Digital is part of the Twofour Group, which creates and delivers content across broadcast TV, corporate communications and digital media markets. MD Paul Tarplee, a former CTO at Twofour and Multimedia Television, heads a team of more...

NMATV PRODUCTION FILES: Off The Fence.(dialogue with Ellen Windemuth)(Interview)
July 2, 2009... Set up in 1994, Off The Fence specializes in non-fiction programming for the international marketplace and has offices in Amsterdam, Bristol, Cape Town and Singapore. CEO Ellen Windemuth is the founder and has developed and...

TV DATA: BT Vision needs more of a USP to draw viewers away from rivals.
July 2, 2009... The recent departure of Dan Marks, CEO of BT Vision, and his parting shots at Sky warrant closer analysis. "Setanta is a pretty good example of the challenges faced by everyone in this marketplace, which is so profoundly dominated by Sky,"...

MOVES: Best Buy.(appointment of Richard Clark as head of online marketing)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Multinational technology retailer Best Buy has hired Richard Clark as head of online marketing. He will be responsible for setting the online marketing strategy for Best Buy in the UK ahead of its launch in spring 2010. His strategic remit...

MOVES: Couponstar.(appointment of Jo Malvern as product and marketing director and Stuart Sankey as sales and relationship manager)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Online voucher specialist Couponstar has appointed Jo Malvern as product and marketing director for its CouponNet publisher network and Stuart Sankey as sales and relationship manager. Malvern was group brand and marketing director of...

MOVES: Ruby.(appointment of Dominic Moira as art director and Kieron Roe as copywriter)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Digital and direct marketing agency Ruby has appointed Dominic Moira as art director and Kieron Roe as copywriter. Both previously worked at Grand Digital where they held the same positions respectively. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

MOVES: Adtech.(appointment of Kenneth Parnham as country manager)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Adtech has recruited Kenneth Parnham as country manager for the UK and Ireland. He leaves his position as director of European ad operations at Adlink. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Lemon Digital.(appointment of Chiara Consiglio as producer)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Lemon Digital, the digital production house, has recruited Chiara Consiglio as producer. She leaves her position as technical production manager at Logan Tod. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Public.(appointment of Laure Couret as account manager and Ursula Fuchs as production manger)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Digital creative agency Public has hired Laure Couret as account manager and Ursula Fuchs as production manger. Couret joins from GT where she was senior account executive, while Fuchs moves from GeekIT in Australia where she was account...

MOVES: CMW.(appointment of Erminia Blackden as senior account planner)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Communications agency CMW has hired Erminia Blackden as senior account planner. She was previously strategic experience director at research agency Mesh Planning. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

SITE INSPECTION: Kidstart.(Website overview)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Kidstart kidstart.co.uk Owner KidStart Agency Igentics Content 20/25 Usability 22/25 Branding 16/25 Monetisation 23/25 Total 81/100 Everyone loves an online bargain, hence the...

SITE INSPECTION: HHIC.(Website overview)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... HHIC centralheating.co.uk Owner HHIC Agency Rawnet Content 21/25 Usability 17/25 Branding 20/25 Monetisation 22/25 Total 80/100 Energy waste is a major concern...

SITE INSPECTION: Sense Hub.(Website overview)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Sense Hub sensehub.org.uk Owner Sense Agency RMG Connect Content 17/25 Usability 14/25 Branding 15/25 Monetisation 10/25 Total 56/100 Sense, the deafblind charity, has launched...

FULFILMENT: wizzair.com.(Website overview)(Brief article)
July 2, 2009... Selection Wizz Air flies to and from Central and Eastern Europe. Destinations include Budapest, Sofia and Madrid. Navigation The home page shows rotating offers from different airports, a map highlighting all the cities it flies...