New Media Age articles from November 2003

New Media Age archives from November 2003

BBC comes under fire as online review begins.
November 6, 2003... The BBC has reacted angrily to criticism made as Philip Graf began public consultation for his review of the Corporation's online activities. Chris Goodall, principal at Enders Analysis and a member of the Competition Commission, said that...

Government plan may keep online casinos offshore.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Gambling firms have warned that the Government is in danger of killing off any chance of the UK becoming an international centre for online casinos. NMA has learned that civil servants are considering forcing UK-licensed casinos to send a...

IAB backs campaign to get marketers using Web.
November 6, 2003... The new media industry is running it first collective ad push to drive the use of online by traditional marketers, hot on the heels of individual efforts by the portals. Funded to the tune of 325,000 [pounds sterling] by trade body the...

Support for third player as Yahoo! drops Espotting.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The paid-for search sector needs a strong third player in order to prevent giants Google and Overture from ramping up prices. So say media buyers in response to news that Espotting has been dropped by its highest-profile distribution...

Police say banks can do no more against e-scams.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The police and security experts say there's little more that banks can do to prevent fraudulent email scares, but warn that further attacks are almost inevitable. The National Hi-Tech Crimes Unit is investigating the most recent spate of...

Agency.com launches research tool.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Design agency Agency.com has formalised its commitment to understanding its clients with the launch of a new research methodology tool. Reflection is the culmination of Agency.com's drive towards better understanding of its clients. ...

BT says flexible bandwidth calls for network overhaul.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... BT is investigating ways to offer flexible bandwidth to broadband customers, but claims that a complete overhaul of the UK network is necessary before such wholesale products can be offered. The telco has confirmed that 'agile' bandwidth...

Honda joins Zip TV interactive ad consortium.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Honda has been revealed as the latest big brand to join a consortium of advertisers keen to push the potential of iTV beyond the bounds of a pure direct-response medium. The company lines up alongside Procter & Gamble, Unilever, BT,...

Time Out expands online guides to cover all of UK.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Time Out is upping the scope of its online activities, selling its guidebooks on its site for the first time and expanding the content of its paid-for online London eating and drinking guide to make it national. The firm has started...

Rivals attack DoubleClick Motif launch.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Competitors are playing down the impact of ad-serving firm DoubleClick's entry into the UK rich-media technology market this week. Rich-media specialists Tangozebra and CheckM8 claim that DoubleClick's Motif product, which it created in...

Lufthansa launches five week online ad campaign.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Airline Lufthansa is launching a five-week online ad campaign this week aimed at communicating the idea that it has "lowered its prices and not its standards". Agency Profero produced the creative and bought the media, which includes The...

Yahoo! UK in deal to Webcast behind the scenes at Pop Idol.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Portal Yahoo! UK & Ireland has struck a deal with the makers of hit reality TV talent show Pop Idol to develop and Webcast behind-the-scenes content. Yahoo! claims that its Yahoo! Pop Idol Diaries will show users what it's like to take part in...

Sky Movies to run interactive staggered movie screening.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Sky Movies will run its first ever staggered film showing to be accessible via the red button when it screens Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones on 15 November. While a regular screening will be shown on Sky Movies 1, on Sky Movies 3...

Reading Room to pull the plug on PeopleNews.com.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Full service agency Reading Room is pulling the plug on celebrity gossip site PeopleNews.com. The agency saved PeopleNews.com from liquidation in August 2001, but it's now decided to focus on its core business of digital communications. ...

Ifyouski.com offers off-piste and short breaks service.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Ifyouski.com has launched a range of new sections on its site, including an area for off-site ski-ing holidays. The site, part of Online Travel Corporation's network of sites, has also launched a short breaks service, focusing on four-day...

Seven charities sign up to The Job Channel.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Seven charities including Mencap, Barnado's and Leonard Cheshire are running recruitment campaigns on MultiMedia Television's The Job Channel. The Job Channel, available on the Web at Jobchannel.tv, has created a charities area on its...

More magazine launches viral to download desktop boyfriend.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Emap Consumer Media's More magazine is launching a viral email campaign offering readers the chance to download a desktop boyfriend. The campaign, developed by creative agency Quiet Storm, will encourage a targeted audience download their...

Brylcreem promotes new site via rich media ads.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Hair care brand Brylcreem has launched a new site, Brylcreem.co.uk, which it's promoting with rich media ads, including a full-page take-over on FHM.com. Wheel Group's Abel & Baker were appointed to build the site by brand owner Sara Lee...

Trade bodies say old ads will take time to replace.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The two new media trade bodies which this week launched a smaller package of standard online ad shapes and sizes have admitted it could be a long time before the standard 468x60 banner becomes obsolete. After consultation, the European...

UK retailers warned over copyright infringements.(European Union Copyright Directive )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... UK high street retailers are already being warned about legal action under legislation brought in last week to tackle copyright infringement and illegal file sharing of music and movie content. The European Union Copyright Directive came...

Sporting Life and Orange in rugby deal.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Sporting Life has struck a deal with Orange to provide subscribers with a downloadable mobile Java application for the Rugby World Cup. The application will provide Orange customers with automatic updates once it's downloaded. UK...

Five and Endemol to launch pay-to-play Brainteaser.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Five is working with Endemol on the launch of an online pay-to-play version of its daytime TV quiz show Brainteaser, offering users the chance to win up to 1,000 [pounds sterling] at a time. A new Web site is under development and will go...

Chatroom providers could face tougher court action.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Chatroom providers can expect tougher courtroom questioning in paedophile disputes, following the furore over MSN's closure of its UK chatrooms, industry experts have warned. ISPs and portals will have a more difficult job of justifying...

Postal strike affects e-tailers.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Internet retailers are footing the cost of the UK postal strike, with many shifting their delivery work to courier firms rather than waiting for Royal Mail to resume service. E-commerce firms such as Laura Ashley and Firebox rely on Royal...

Ministry of Sound to offer real online music channel.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... London club and global dance music brand Ministry of Sound is to launch an online broadcast music channel. Due to launch before Christmas, the channel is a step forward from the site's current four 'channels' of on-demand streams of music...

Royal British Legion overhauls sites.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The Royal British Legion is overhauling its family of Web sites, and has launched two new sites in time for Remembrance Sunday. Technical agency JKD was responsible for the design and build of the Royal British Legion site and campaign site...

Bristol & West closes online facility following poor take-up.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Bristol & West, the building society, is shutting down its online account service from the end of the month after what it described as a "disappointing take-up". New customers have already been barred from applying for an online account and the...

Warranty EX launches to undercut shop offers.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... A new site has launched aimed at undercutting the amount shops charge for extended warranty schemes on electrical goods. The Office of Fair Trading has in the past criticised the high cost of extended warranties and the way shops sell them....

First Direct targets broadband customers.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... First Direct, the online and phone bank owned by HSBC, has launched a range of content aimed at customers with a broadband connection. The bank has added a range of material to its site to take advantage of the faster Internet connections,...

Babel Media extends relationship with Nintendo.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Games services firm Babel Media has expanded its relationship with Nintendo by producing a number of Flash games for the Japanese firm's loyalty scheme. There will be two sets of localised game Web sites in five European languages. The games...

Here to Help charity donations.(Correction Notice)
November 6, 2003... The amount donated to charity for each 1.50 [pounds sterling] SMS sent to donate money to the Daily Mirror's Here to Help campaign (NMA 23 October) is 87p not 67p as was stated. heretohelpday.com

Vodafone to hold off adult content opt-in till end 2004.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Vodafone has announced it will give the mobile content industry 15 months' grace before introducing opt-in for adult content. Content providers will have until the end of 2004 to build a verified opt-in list of subscribers before Vodafone...

Freeserve loses tax claim on AOL.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Freeserve has failed in its bid to force AOL to pay back VAT which it has avoided paying for two years, and has been left with legal fees totalling as much as 500,000 [pounds sterling]. The High Court rejected Freeserve's complaint against...

iModel Music to sign up UK bands in mobile deals.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... iModel Music, the wireless music rights firm, is looking to sign up a raft of local British bands in its latest bid for growth. The company already owns the exclusive rights to sell mobile content for acts including Britney Spears, Macy...

Diary.(Calendar)
November 6, 2003... 10-11 November 2003 Search Engine Strategies & Expo Munich +203 662 2870 jupiterevents.com 11 November 2003 Emergency Briefings on New Marketing Regulations London 020 8374 5243 e-comlaw.com/events/events...

Lycos Europe predicts losses for final quarter of the year.(Finance)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Pan-European portal Lycos Europe says it will continue to make losses in the final quarter of this year. The company says that ad income, which makes up half of its total revenues, is failing to show signs of improvement. In the first nine...

New Media Spark cuts stake in finance portal ADVFN.(Finance)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... NewMedia Spark, the listed technology investor, has cut its stake in personal finance portal ADVFN. The VC sold 4m shares last week, leaving it with 40.5m shares or 9% of the company. Spark has been very active with its shareholding in ADVFN in...

Mobile firms benefit from interest in wireless deals.(Finance)
November 6, 2003... Mobile companies are starting to take advantage of the appetite among investors for wireless opportunities, with several deals being lined up around Europe. In the past week Superscape has announced plans to raise 10m [pounds sterling]...

Research suggests private equity investments to rise.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Investments by private equity and venture capital groups could increase this year for the first time in two years, according to new research. However, preliminary figures on global private equity research from professional services firm...

Upaid signs deal with IBM for m-payment services.(Technology)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Mobile payment firm Upaid has signed an agreement with IBM to offer m-payment services to banks, mobile operators and credit card companies. The service will be available to consumers in their own region, with the initial application being...

WES launches first real-music ringtones in Nokia partnership.(Technology)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Mobile entertainment firm WES (Wireless Entertainment Services) has launched its first real-music ringtones service in partnership with Nokia. The offering will allow audio files of original music recordings to be downloaded onto mobile...

Music industry cautious of Kazaa despite upgrade.(Technology)
November 6, 2003... The music industry gave a very cautious welcome to the latest version of Kazaa's peer-to-peer file-sharing application at its unveiling in the UK this week. Kazaa launched the beta run of its version 2.6 P2P application with the promise...

Informavores trials Firefly decision-making software.(Technology)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Software firm Informavores is piloting an intelligent decision-making tool which will be available as a hosted install-on-demand service. The product, called Firefly, allows users to build a decision-driven system which can then be...

Cobweb launches Exchange portal.(Technology)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Web hosting firm Cobweb Solutions is launching a Microsoft Exchange 2003 portal that will allow small businesses to test the communication and collaboration elements of Microsoft Office 2003. The myOfficeSystem.co.uk service will offer...

M-Corp wins RNLI contract.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Full-service agency M-Corp has won the contract to deliver a Web content management system for lifeboat charity RNLI. The first part of a multi-phase project, it'll let RNLI manage its Web infrastructure internally, while offering online...

Technophobia launches new Welcome Break site.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... New media agency Technophobia has revamped the site for motorway services firm Welcome Break. It offers online bookings for Days Inn and Welcome Lodge hotels. The firm also built banner management software for the site, with printable offer...

Wickedweb builds RD site.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Wickedweb has created a site for Responsive Design, an importer of floor coverings and furniture for UK retailers. It's the second site it created for the retailer this year. The first was for Contract Flooring arm. wickedweb.co.uk

Board promotions boost digital focus at EHS Brann.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... A recent round of promotions at direct and digital agency at EHS Brann has swung the balance of power on its creative board in favour of digital, with former Realtime stalwarts taking the helm. Patrick Baglee is now board creative director...

MediaCom North in mobile marketing link with Textus.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Manchester-based media agency MediaCom North is partnering with mobile marketing agency Textus in a deal that will bring mobile more into the media mix for its clients. The firms have undergone a trial period in which two campaigns were...

Glue staffs up to handle new wins.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Independent marketing agency Glue London has expanded its team after winning new business this summer. Eight staff have joined across the agency's departments following business wins from Tetley GB, BAA, Nokia, Mattel and Viacom. It brings...

P&G adds 'Finding Nemo' tie-in to interactive TV roster.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Procter & Gamble is continuing to push ahead with branding-based interactive TV advertising after launching the latest in a series of Disney tie-ups, a campaign to promote two brands alongside the new animated feature Finding Nemo. The ad...

iVillage promotes Fox movie release.(Marketing)(with Empire Digital)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Film marketing agency Empire Digital has teamed up with iVillage.co.uk to promote the release of In America. The women's site will co-host the film's site with Fox.co.uk, and offer its 1.6m users editorial tie-ins including interviews and...

Orange begins global TV and print push in the UK.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Orange will launch its first global broadcast and print ad campaign across the UK this week, introducing the next phase of its Orange Experience strategy. Developing the theme of focusing on individual customers, it introduces new...

Mitsubishi takes on TBG to run test-drive campaign.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Car maker Mitsubishi has been running a test-drive sign-up campaign with digital marketing agency TBG. It's placing ads with a range of media partners to encourage users to email in requests for test drives of the Carisma and Space Star models....

Famous Grouse signs up for Wishvalue coupon campaign.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Scottish whisky brand The Famous Grouse is running an online coupon promotion through NHS Marketing's Wishvalue site. The offer will enable 1,250 of Wishvalue.co.uk's 54,000 user base to claim 1m [pounds sterling] off a bottle of The Famous...

C0I runs ads to drive young men to NHS Direct Online.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... COI Communications is launching an online campaign that aims to make young men aware of the NHS Direct Online service, found at nhsdirect.nhs.uk. The campaign, with creative from Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper Partners, runs for four weeks on sites...

Workers call for more control.(Trends)(work week)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Half of all workers believe that technology will allow them a more flexible work life in the future, finds new research by MORI and Microsoft. 52% want more control over their working hours, with 75% calling for a four-day working week. The...

IP voicemail set to grow.(Trends)(according to Frost & Sullivan)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... IP-based voicemail will see major growth over the next few years, predicts Frost & Sullivan. It says approximately 34m IP voicemail boxes will be shipped this year, accounting for 37% of all voicemail shipments. By 2007, IP voicemail is likely...

File sharing will hurt film industry less than music.(Trends)(according to Informa Media Group)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
November 6, 2003... The devastation of the legitimate music industry by online piracy won't be repeated in the film industry, according to a new report from Informa Media Group. The number of peer-to-peer users downloading movies at any one time reached 11m...

Operators seek high street outlets for mobile services.(Trends)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Mobile services will be packaged and sold in supermarkets across Europe in the next few years, as mobile distribution expands into the mass market. Ringtones and football alerts will soon be available, with games to follow, as operators...

Overture takes top spot as preferred paid-search site.(Trends)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Overture has overtaken Google as the best solution for paid-for search listings, says Jupiter Research. It narrowly beat Google in a survey the first of its kind--that asked business executives to rank companies specialising in commercial...

Faster is better for online insurance.(Trends)(according to eBenchmarkers report )(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
November 6, 2003... Online insurers with the shortest processes convert almost a third more customers than those with the longest processes, according to a new report for eBenchmarkers. The findings prove that ease and speed of transaction are vital to the...

Need to accept new ways of buying music.(Analyst Speak)(Napster brand online paid-for-music service)
November 6, 2003... The widespread hype and press coverage surrounding Napster's 'relaunch' as a legitimate paid-for music service vindicates Roxio's investment in the brand. In spite of the popularity of Kazaa et al, Napster still retains a certain mystique that...

Online ad industry divided over supply and demand: some media agencies report buying campaign space is threatened by high demand, but others blame poor planning.(Analysis)(Industry Overview)
November 6, 2003... Demand for certain categories of online ad space has been steadily rising for some months, and prices are reported to be creeping up. In October last year media owners said that cost-per-thousand (CPM) rates for their most targeted ad...

Growing demand for targeted ad space.(Analysis)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
November 6, 2003... 2001 Cost per thousand (CPM) rates plummet in the wake of the unsustainable dotcom bubble, with start-ups spending huge amounts of money advertising with each other. October 2002 CPM rates charged by media owners for their best advertising...

Tailor your targeting to the moment.(Leader)
November 6, 2003... In the 1990s the UK leisure industry was facing a serious problem. Increasing numbers of people were holidaying in the US and experiencing a standard of customer service that was far higher than they were used to when they went out in the UK....

Good Web design isn't just about visuals.(Letter to the Editor)
November 6, 2003... Tobias Misera, head of information architecture, The Usability Company I enjoyed Nic Howell's Insight into Steve Krug's unorthodox approach to usability practice (NMA 9 October). Although I agree that not enough usability research gets...

Working towards the same goal.(Letters To The Editor)
November 6, 2003... Bjorn Wigforss, manager of industry relations, Nokia Mobile Software, and spokesman for Liberty Alliance Europe The coverage of the partnership between Microsoft and Vodafone announced at ITU in Geneva (NMA October 16) has no doubt been...

Are agency bosses earning their keep?(Hayward on advertising)(Industry Overview)
November 6, 2003... Time is running out for the advertising business. Oh Christ, you're thinking, here he goes again: another jeremiad on the collapse of the entire unholy mess. But I'm dead serious. The biggest problem facing ad agencies as they skitter around...

ISPs must be vigilant to avoid libel action.(Opinion)(Editorial)
November 6, 2003... In a well-publicised move, lawyers representing various Premiership football clubs and players made clear that they would be scrutinising the media publicity surrounding the rape allegations of a 17-year-old girl. Players under...

The future is here: having once led Orange's attempts to predict what the future holds for mobile, Lance Stevens, now CEO of Mobix, believes the next big thing is mobile video: Lance Stevens.
November 6, 2003... What on earth is a 'head of imagineering'? The new media industry is full of some pretentious job titles. But in the mobile world, where technological advances open up new possibilities almost daily, being in charge of imagining the future does...

SmartTrust.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Rohit Bhatia has joined SmartTrust, the mobile technology provider, as director of business development. He was previously head of business line for value-added services and product development at Bharti Airtel, India's largest mobile network...

Reading Room.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Digital agency Reading Room has recruited Kris Croucher as group commercial manager. He was formerly commercial manager at Automomy, an infrastructure software developer, and will be responsible for developing relationships with new and...

Microsoft.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Microsoft has appointed Simon Brown as general manager of the developer and platform evangelism division for EMEA. His remit includes expanding Microsoft's presence in the EMEA developer community and aiding developers in becoming fluent in the...

Twofourtv.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Twofourtv, the B2B Web broadcasting company, has appointed a new business development team to launch its Webcasting and Webconference service. Gerry Smyth takes the post of business development manager and Glyn Smith joins as technical...

Shazam.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Mobile music recognition company Shazam has appointed Chee Wong as COO. The new post will see him grow the company across EMEA and the Americas. Wong moves to Shazam after a period of trading on the Dow Jones, prior to which he was director of...

Broadsystem.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Broadsystem, the marketing communications specialist, has promoted Anthony Reed to head of client services. He will head delivery to clients including Five, BSkyB and Capital Radio Group, while also being responsible for IVR and SMS delivery to...

Credica.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Software company Credica has taken on Ginette Gower as marketing manager. She previously worked as marketing manager for Original Software Group, a Web testing solutions provider and software developer.

Friends Reunited.(Moves)
November 6, 2003... Friends Reunited has appointed Rhoda Moore as general manager of its sister site friendsreuniteddating .co.uk. She previously held the post of online lifestyle marketing manager at Emap Consumer Media, working on Web sites including fhm.com and...

Alto-Hiway.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Chris Wood has joined ISP Alto-Hiway as director of sales and marketing. He will be responsible for building the company's profile and identifying new areas of growth. He formerly worked as UK and Ireland channel manager at server appliance...

HSM.(Moves)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... E-marketing company HSM has recruited Carys Billingsby as head of operations. She joins from Broadsystem where she was head of contact centres.

Open house: the Internet allows people to connect in new ways, but does it really have the power to change the relationship between government and the governed?(Insight)
November 6, 2003... The Internet is so powerful a communications medium that the military, government and big business have been unable to tame it. And its ability to connect people with one another could herald a new era of open source democracy. This is the...

Improving with age: after a shaky start online, Oddbins is redeveloping its Web site to include some of the knowledge and quirkiness its high street off-licences are known for.(Oddbins)
November 6, 2003... By its own confession, Oddbins' early foray into the online world wasn't much short of a disaster. The interface was "not customer-friendly", the wine on offer was "restricted" and the back office system was "inflexible". Hence the turn of...

Search parties: can Microsoft hope to gain market share from search giants Google and Yahoo! by developing its own search technology?(NMA Advertising)
November 6, 2003... Speculation has been mounting in recent weeks that Google, the world's most-used search engine, will float on the stock exchange, raising new resources to develop its products. Portal Yahoo! is the only challenger on a global scale. In recent...