New Media Age articles from May 2009

New Media Age archives from May 2009

Burberry joins push online by luxury brands.
May 7, 2009... Clothing brand appoints first head of digital and plans to boost online spend to reach shoppers British clothing brand Burberry is to boost its digital spend to 20% of its total marketing budget as it attempts to build its brand online....

Measuring online video is a step in the right direction.
May 7, 2009... One in every 35 website visits was to a specialist video site in February, with 71% of all users watching online video. Consumers may be tuning into online video in droves but convincing advertisers to follow remains a challenge, especially as...

BREAKING NEWS: Future Shorts launches social media campaign.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Future Shorts, the short-film festival, and its sponsor Samsung Mobile have launched a social media campaign following up-and-coming directors through the film-making process. A YouTube channel, Twitter feed and Facebook MySpace and pages...

BREAKING NEWS: Seat appoints Analog Folk to digital account.(appointment of Analog Folk as its digital marketing agency)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Seat, the Spanish car manufacturer, has appointed Analog Folk as its digital marketing agency. The appointment follows a pitch against Soup, AKQA and Code ComputerLove. Seat aims to increase digital's share of its marketing spend, expanding...

T-Mobile strikes film streaming deal with Paramount.(contract)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Movie deal between T-Mobile and Paramount hopes to take advantage of consumer interest in long-form video content Blockbusters such as Transformers and X-Men Origins: Wolverine will shortly be available to stream on mobile following a...

Behavioural targeting taskforce to become permanent IAB council.(Internet Advertising Bureau)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Industry body hopes to restore confidence in the developing sector by making its taskforce a permanent feature of the IAB The Internet Advertising Bureau plans to develop its behavioural targeting taskforce into a permanent council within...

Measurement of online video views only months away.
May 7, 2009... Broadband Measurement Working Group is to begin testing its metric to develop a standard measure of online video viewing The Broadband Measurement Working Group (BMWG), which is developing a standard methodology for measuring viewing of...

UK retention rates for Twitter increase.
May 7, 2009... Twitter retention rates in the UK are increasing as users become more familiar with the microblogging site. Figures from Nielsen Online revealed 42% of the site's users in February returned in March 2009, increasing from 40% retention in...

Research finds more than half of gamers pay attention to in-game ads.
May 7, 2009... The effectiveness of in-game advertising is driving more brands to adopt them as the format becomes a part of its marketing mix. Research found more than half of gamers pay attention to the advertising within games, while 65% said in-game...

We need to foster talent now more than ever.(Column)
May 7, 2009... Sitting in on the Digital Britain Summit a few weeks ago, my mind flashed back to networking events of the dotcom boom. As three government ministers, the PM and a succession of suits took the stage, talking in ever more abstract terms ("Is...

Perform signs international rights deal with Priscacom.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Perform, the digital sport and entertainment specialist, has signed a deal with El Pais owner Priscacom to show Premier League and Serie A highlights online using its e-Player. The partnership with the Spanish media owner is the first...

Avenue A/Razorfish rebrands as Razorfish UK.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... London-based digital agency Avenue A/Razorfish has rebranded as Razorfish UK to bring it in line with the Microsoft-owned global network. The move will enable the UK agency to trade solely off the Razorfish name, which has strong brand...

Sony Computer Entertainment takes PlayStation campaign into virtual world.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) is to extend its PlayStation Freestylers campaign onto 3D virtual world Home. SCEE is in talks to create a virtual community on Home where gamers can discuss and share official and user-generated...

easyCar starts up mobile site to reach car hirers while on holiday.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... easyCar has launched its first mobile site as it looks to capitalise on holidaymakers renting cars overseas. Simon O'Flynn, a freelance consultant for easyCar, said, "Some of our customers don't have access to a PC while they're on...

Mobile operators must make their sites appeal to all customers.
May 7, 2009... Bertie Stevenson Director, Global Reviews At a time when mobile companies are looking to cut costs by encouraging customers to go online instead of picking up the phone, it's important that the service customers find when they do go...

Auto Trader rolls out car insurance comparison service.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Auto Trader has joined the crowded price-comparison market with the launch of a motor insurance service. Auto Trader Compare, run by insurance provider Junction, allows visitors to compare more than 300 offers from suppliers such as...

Spanish mobile giant Zed buys UK's Player X.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Mobile content publisher and distributor Player X has been bought by European mobile content giant Zed. The Spanish company has wholly bought the UK firm for an undisclosed sum. Player X will retain its name and its staff of 71...

Holiday Autos adds advice on city driving.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Lastminute.com-owned car hire broker Holiday Autos has launched digital destination guides. Created by content, technology and design agency Zone, they follow on from the success of similar multilingual destination guides the agency...

LETTER: Behavioural targeting needn't invade privacy.(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2009... Pontus Kristiansson, co-founder and CEO, Avail Intelligence This month has seen behavioural targeting hitting the headlines for all the right reasons, most notably the Internet Advertising Bureau's good- practice framework. Despite this,...

LETTER: Online's advantages head for the high street.(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2009... Steve Richards, MD, Yomego With pockets squeezed by the recession, today's shoppers are keener than ever to get the best deal. This helps explain why internet shopping continues to rise in popularity, with online spending in January...

LETTER: Search shifting away from keywords.(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2009... Alex Bowden, writer, Just Search Google's experimental products Similar Images and Timeline highlight that search is moving away from a keyword approach. Similar Images is a relatively minor enhancement of Google's image search, but...

COMMENT FROM NMA.CO.UK: Sky to launch green-button TV advertising.(Brief article)(Column)
May 7, 2009... Maybe I'm missing something but surely this isn't really any different from the red-button services attached to advertising previously? While I understand the extra benefit of saving content for later, the same old problems arise. Any brand...

There's serious money in mobile, you just need to take a closer look.
May 7, 2009... Barry Houlihan CEO MIG new media age recently asked whether anyone is making any money from mobile (nma mobile 9 April). It's an obvious question, but the answer is perhaps a little less obvious if you don't fully understand the value...

AD WATCH: Samsung shows off TV technology in a fun and fluffy way.
May 7, 2009... At last, someone has taken One Man and His Dog to the extreme. I loved that programme. It should have won the Turner Prize or something. The 7m people who watched Samsung's Extreme Sheep LED Art clip on YouTube will agree with me making this...

PROFILE JONNY FREEMAN: Digital dealer.
May 7, 2009... Honda's head of digital marketing discusses the car manufacturer's growing interest, and spend, in digital and social media This year digital marketing at Honda will have its highest ever share of budget. With more money at stake, the...

FOOD SITES: Recipe for success.
May 7, 2009... The food revolution has made cooking a multi-million-pound business. Brands from broadcasters to publishers are tasting the online potential From baking blogs to photo albums directly from Jamie Oliver's mobile phone, cooking is a...

FOOD SITES: The great bake-off: the rise of baking blogs.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... One area of the online food sector that's booming is blogs about cakes, cookies and baking. Bloggers such as Bakerella, Ben Bakes a Cake and Cake Journal run tutorials on baking and decorating, often challenging readers to make their own...

FACEBOOK VS RECORD LABELS: Hit music.
May 7, 2009... Is the sharing of music on social networks like Facebook killing the music industry? Earlier this year Swedish file-sharing site The Pirate Bay unveiled a feature to enable Facebook users to link to torrents on their profiles. Facebook...

MOVES: Carat UK.(appointment of Rob Horler)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Aegis-owned media agency Carat UK has appointed a new MD: Diffiniti founder Rob Horler. He'll work with Carat's management team and deputy MD Steve Hobbs to develop the agency with a particular focus on digital, data and media accountability....

MOVES: Specialmoves.(appointment of Greg Orme as non-executive director)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Interactive production company Specialmoves has appointed Greg Orme as non-executive director. He was previously CEO of the Centre for Creative Business. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Rockabox Media.(appointment of Moe Miah as a producer/editor and John Feltham as Flash developer)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Cross-media entertainment and content creation company Rockabox Media has appointed Moe Miah as a producer/editor and John Feltham as Flash developer. Miah joins from Onsight while Feltham was a freelance Flash developer. Copyright:...

MOVES: etv Media Group.(appointment of Ben Freeman as executive producer)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Digital media company etv Media Group has appointed Ben Freeman to the newly created role of executive producer of digital. He joins from Endemol UK where he was senior development producer. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

MOVES: Attinger Jack.(appointment of Andy Turner as business development director)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Customer generation specialist Attinger Jack has hired Andy Turner as business development director. He joins from digital marketing services company eCircle where he was account manager for lead generation. Copyright: Centaur...

MOVES: Profero Performance.(appointment of Dan Kalinsky as head of search)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Profero Performance, the direct response part of communications agency Profero, has hired Dan Kalinsky as head of search. He joins from RBS where he oversaw the search strategy for NatWest. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

MOVES: Tradewind.(appointment of Nick Supple as managing partner)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Independent digital consultancy Tradewind has hired Nick Supple as managing partner. He was previously founder and managing partner at Amplifier. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

SITE INSPECTION: Kiss.(Website overview)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... totalkiss.com Owner Bauer Media Agency Clicked Creative Content 22/25 Usability 22/25 Branding 20/25 Monetisation 10/25 Total 74/100 The new site for Kiss, the urban music...

SITE INSPECTION: Wired UK.(Website overview)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... wired.co.uk Owner Conde Nast Agency CondeNet Content 17/25 Usability 18/25 Branding 14/25 Monetisation 12/25 Total 61/100 With magazines under pressure to follow the...

SITE INSPECTION: Autism Education Trust.(Website overview)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... autismeducationtrust.org.uk Owner The Autism Education Trust Agency Mystic Monkey Content 20/25 Usability 20/25 Branding 10/25 Monetisation 8/25 Total 58/100 An estimated...

SITE INSPECTION: bikesyoulike.co.uk.(Website overview)(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Selection Mountain, BMX and road bikes, plus cycle accessories such as clothing, helmets, bags and bike spares. Navigation Most bike sites carry a lot of information and this is no exception, but it's been thoughtfully organised...

Marketing Society invites digital to the top table.
May 14, 2009... Senior marketers' association launches initiative to help blue-chip companies develop digital plans The Marketing Society, the 50-year-old institution of senior and board- level marketers, has launched a Digital Network in an attempt to...

Marketing Society overtures are digital's chance to shine.
May 14, 2009... Aviva, Centrica, Diageo and Shell are just some of the blue-chip brands eager to find out more about how digital can fit into their marketing strategy. All were among the attendees at last week's inaugural Marketing Society Digital Network...

BREAKING NEWS: Orange mobile portal attracts 3.25m visitors.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Orange has attracted 3.25m visitors to its mobile portal in the three months between December and February, according to its latest Orange Digital Media Index. The report found that almost 950,000 people access social networks via their...

BREAKING NEWS: AOL UK updates home page with social tools.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... AOL UK has launched a new home page featuring third-party email and social networking aggregation in a bid to increase user engagement. The home page, which launched in beta this week, enables consumers to access multiple email accounts,...

Blyk scraps consumer offer to concentrate on operator partnerships.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Blyk's innovative free calls and texts in return for receiving ad messages failed to reach critical mass among its target audience Ad-funded MVNO Blyk plans to axe its consumer offering, which launched amid a flurry of publicity in...

Further publishers investigate moving to paid-for content.
May 14, 2009... Publishers follow Rupert Murdoch's lead by looking into charging for online content to combat plummeting ad revenues Thomson Reuters, owner of global news agency Reuters, is investigating a paid-for model for its consumer site - the...

Asbof in talks with search industry in bid to extend CAP code remit.(Advertising Standards Board of Finance)
May 14, 2009... The Advertising Standards Board of Finance (Asbof) has embarked on a fact-finding mission to define the size of the search market to help finance the extension of the Advertising Standards Authority CAP code. Asbof administers the...

It's the little things that could save digital media.
May 14, 2009... Most businesses are focusing on their core activity to make their way through the recession. Some are discovering they don't have a core business, or at least not a business model that can sustain current market pressures. For...

BBC Blast drives teen creativity through remote art installation.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... The BBC has launched an interactive art installation on London's South Bank controlled by users online, part of its teenage learning scheme Blast. The Blast Studio site features several webcams and allows visitors to control four...

Fitness First signs as initial client for O2 media division.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Health club to run SMS campaign targeting O2 subscribers close to venues in attempt to reach those most interested in fitness O2 Media, the mobile operator's global media sales division, has landed Fitness First as its first client. ...

BBC Worldwide permits UKTV to adopt Good Food branding.(UKTV Interactive Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... UKTV has signed a licence with BBC Worldwide, owner of Good Food Magazine, to rebrand its UKTV Food channel and website as Good Food. The name change, which takes effect from 22 June, will complete the digital broadcaster's rebranding of...

Revlon turns to social media for fragrance launch.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Revlon has kicked off a major digital push to promote the launch of two new fragrances within its Charlie range, Chic and Spirit. The four-month campaign aims to create and maintain communities across social network MySpace and virtual...

Firminger joins Amazon to head UK display ad opportunities.(appointment of Richard Firminger as head its UK display ad team)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Amazon has appointed Richard Firminger, former regional sales director for Yahoo Northern Europe, to head its UK display ad team, eight months after it brought the estimated #4m account in-house. Firminger becomes director of Amazon's UK...

BT brings back third-party ads after selecting Etype for sales.(British Telecommunications PLC)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... BT is set to resume third-party advertising across its sites after the appointment of ad sales house Etype. It replaced its third-party advertising with house ads three months ago following the closure of its ad sales house 4DS in...

Finding the best length for online video ads needs further research.
May 14, 2009... Christina Goodman Head of global marketing and business development, Dynamic Logic The catch-all term 'online video' embraces TV programmes and content, user-generated videos, viral ads and the TV-like ads that appear before content in...

Unanimis engaged to sell ads for Sony PS3 music service.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Unanimis has been appointed to sell around Sony's new ad-funded music service for the PlayStation3 and PSP. The ad sales house will recruit advertising partners for the service, which is scheduled to launch in June. It will offer...

Gaydar positions as home of gay online dating.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Gaydar has launched a year-long campaign as part of a bid to position the site as the home of gay dating and communities. The campaign - which features ads across selected blogs and social networks including Facebook, as well as search...

Habbo hosts Museum room for new movie.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... 20th Century Fox has launched a digital version of the Smithsonian Museum in teen virtual world Habbo to promote the cinema release of Night at the Museum 2 on 20 May. The film company has partnered with Habbo to create a branded room...

LETTER: Search marketing has had its day.(Letter to the editor)
May 14, 2009... Mark Simpson, MD, Maxymiser The internet now accounts for 10% of overall ad spend, according to the latest IPA Bellwether report (nma 9 April), yet brands need to realise that return on investment from search marketing is diminishing. ...

LETTER: Customer publishers aren't just a print option.(Letter to the editor)
May 14, 2009... Amanda Davie, head of digital, Association of Publishing Agencies It's no surprise that charities are now looking to innovate to attract donors (nma 30 April). In the current climate, the last thing cash- strapped consumers are likely to...

LETTER: Getting personal with most valuable customers.(Letter to the editor)
May 14, 2009... Nick Evans, consultant, JaywingDMG It's encouraging to read that financial service providers are applying an understanding of their customers to create more relevant and personal engagement online (Vertical Focus, nma 30 April). But...

Whole industry must work to stop duplicate online commissions.
May 14, 2009... Paul Cook Founder and MD TagMan New research shows just how serious the issue of duplication - where online advertisers pay more than once for the same sale - has become. In TagMan's industry-wide investigation of duplication in January,...

PROFILE JANE MOTE: Channel hopping.
May 14, 2009... With a multi-platform background from her time at the BBC, Jane Mote has made online a key focus for the new branding strategy across UKTV's channels Born into the digital age in 1997, UKTV is a relative youngster in the broadcast...

THE NMA INTERVIEW: If I ruled the world.(dialogue with Matt Brittin )(Interview)
May 14, 2009... As the recently appointed head of Google UK, Matt Brittin is faced with deciding the search giant's role and responsibilities in recession Matt Brittin became Google's director of UK operations in March, following the promotion of Dennis...

NMA MOBILE: Coming soon.
May 14, 2009... It's not clear if consumers are willing to watch long video content on their mobiles, but providers are pushing ahead regardless by Adrian Pennington It's early days in the mobile video market, but the next stage in its evolution is...

NMA MOBILE: Smartphones need smart strategy.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... According to TNS Technology, 8% of UK consumers own a new-generation touchscreen smartphone, with 16% intending to buy one. The trend towards integrated app stores is also significant. Screen Digest estimates 150m smartphones were sold...

NMA MOBILE: Keeping true to consumer needs takes clear vision.
May 14, 2009... In an ideal world mobile products and services would be designed to serve the needs of the consumers they target, both in design, execution and price. They would then be marketed in a way that pushed target users' buttons. Mobile services...

NMA MOBILE: Yahoo home page focuses on search and personalising results.
May 14, 2009... Yahoo has rolled out a new version of its mobile home page which brings together its previous services as it bids to become the default starting point for mobile internet users. Access I got straight into the site on my Nokia E71 and...

NMA MOBILE: App watch - ING Wegwijzer.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Developer Mobilizy Availability http://wegwijzer.ing.nl ING's ATM locator is one of the best early uses of augmented reality I've seen. Although only available in the Netherlands, it holds valuable lessons which apply globally. ...

NMA MOBILE: Personal taste.
May 14, 2009... Allowing users to decide what they see on your home page has advantages for both audience retention and ad targeting Personalisation on mobile is being seen as an increasingly vital function for publishers eager to make the experience...

MOVES: All3Media International.(appointment of Selma Turajlic as head of interactive media and licensing)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Independent TV programming distributor All3Media International has appointed Selma Turajlic as head of interactive media and licensing. She will be briefed to further develop the interactive elements within formats and programmes, and exploit...

MOVES: YOC Group.(appointment of Melina Gisler as account director and Grant Sidwell as business development manager)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Full service mobile marketing agency the YOC Group has appointed Melina Gisler as account director and Grant Sidwell as business development manager. Gisler joins from Kinetic Mobile (now Joule), while Sidwell joins from Glam Media where he...

MOVES: Coolpink.(appointment of Andrew Ashley as account director and Claire Robinson as marketing manager)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Digital agency Coolpink has hired Andrew Ashley as account director to head its business development team in Leeds and Claire Robinson as marketing manager. Ashley joins from Flame Digital where he was group account director, while Robinson...

MOVES: TBWA\Manchester.(appointment of Pete Lewtas as executive creative director)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... TBWA\Manchester has hired Pete Lewtas as executive creative director. He joins from IPG Team Nokia New York, where he was executive creative director. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Azam Marketing.(appointment of Yagmur Guven as strategic partnerships manager)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Digital marketing and design agency Azam Marketing has appointed Yagmur Guven as strategic partnerships manager. She was previously publisher account director at Commission Junction. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Inghams.(appointment of Vicky Smith as online marketing manager)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Travel company Inghams has appointed Vicky Smith to the position of online marketing manager. She previously worked as marketing manager at holiday comparison site Travel.co.uk. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Kayak.(appointment of Robert Birge as chief marketing officer)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Travel search site Kayak has hired Robert Birge as chief marketing officer. He was previously in the same role at sports, entertainment and media company IMG Worldwide. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Meteorite.(appointment of Rebecca Brennan as client services director)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Integrated marketing agency Meteorite has appointed Rebecca Brennan as client services director. She was previously board director at Iris Nation. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: eDigitalResearch.(appointment of Ben Benson as senior web application developer)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... eDigitalResearch has appointed Ben Benson as senior web application developer. He joins from mobile company Kondor where he was senior developer. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

SITE INSPECTION: Mills & Boon.(Website overview)(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... millsandboon.co.uk Owner Harlequin Mills & Boon Agency Mustard New Media Content 22/25 Usability 22/25 Branding 20/25 Monetisation 20/25 Total 84/100 I have a friend who...