New Media Age articles from October 2006

New Media Age archives from October 2006

Intel signs global advertisers for Viiv digital home platform.(partnership with Ogilvy Group UK and Ether Digital )
October 5, 2006... IBM, Unilever and SAB Miller are set to be among the first global advertisers to launch on Intel's Viiv platform, the company's multi- million pound vision for the digital home. The brands are set to become the first to fully embrace IPTV...

Virgin brands unite to take on iTunes.(Virgin Retail Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Virgin is taking on music giant iTunes by integrating digital music across at least 20 of its leading brands in a bid to sell music to customers on flights, trains and at the gym. Virgin Retail, which looks after the group's 120 UK and...

Google fills in best practice funding blanks.(Damian Burns plans to brand advertising and emerging technologies )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Google has outlined plans for its highly-debated best practice funding scheme, which next year will focus on brand advertising and emerging technologies such as mobile. Damian Burns, Google's head of agency relations in Europe, said it...

Trouble TV site to feature homemade music videos.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Trouble TV's Homegrown user-generated content network is partnering with major UK record labels to allow consumers to create their own music videos for existing tracks. The Flextech-owned youth entertainment channel has secured its first...

Online advertising bucks trend and stands on #1bn threshold.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Online advertising is on the verge of becoming a #1bn industry, according to the latest figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau and accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers. In the six months to June 2006, it grew 40.3% year-on-year to...

IPA's multi-media planning tool launches.(Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising has unveiled its long- awaited TouchPoints Integrated Planning System, establishing the advertising industry's first multi-media planning tool. The IPA has combined audience measurement systems...

Lego in digital deal with Turner as it pushes new Batman range.(Turner Broadcasting System Inc.)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Iconic toy brand Lego is embarking on a strategy that will see it experiment with new digital marketing forms to target children more effectively. The Danish company plans to up its investment in the web, mobile and interactive TV over...

Clinique uses AOL to target male grooming market.(Clinique Laboratories Inc)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... AOL UK has announced a deal with beauty products giant Clinique to launch the ISP's first channel of bespoke editorial content in support of an advertising campaign. The new channel, to promote Clinique's Skin Supplies For Men range, is...

BP's Wild Bean Cafe ups brand loyalty with mobile marketing.(British Petroleum)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... BP's coffee chain Wild Bean Cafe is aiming to build brand loyalty via mobile in its first foray into digital marketing. The brand, which has 172 UK branches, is launching a reward scheme that entitles customers to free goods when they...

EType picks up YouTube UK ad-sales role.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Video-sharing website YouTube is to start selling ad space to UK and Irish advertisers for the first time, following a #3m deal with online advertising network eType. Previously, US ads were served to the UK site from YouTube's US in-...

BREAKING: TBG London announces student competition.(teamed up with the University of Arts London)(TBG London contracts with Virgin Holidays)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Marketing agency TBG London has teamed up with the University of Arts London for a competition offering a three-month paid placement at the agency. #1,000 is available for students at the university's six colleges who come up with a creative...

BREAKING: City AM launches mobile magazine.(with Refresh Mobile)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Free newspaper City AM has launched a mobile magazine, or mobizine, with Refresh Mobile. City M is updated every day at 6pm with four sections: breaking news, sport, lifestyle and The Capitalist, each with five stories. To download City M to...

BREAKING: Cheeze co-founder blog aims to demystify 2.0.(Jamie Riddell)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Jamie Riddell, co-founder of direct response agency Cheeze, is launching a blog that aims to demystify web 2.0. Riddell's Chat with Cheeze will discuss everything a marketer needs to know about web 2.0, from online phenomena such as social...

BREAKING: Opodo brings the world closer through new site.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Online travel company Opodo has launched a campaign site featuring ten different sounds designed to conjure up world city destinations. Created in-house, users roll their mouse over each page to hear the blaring of New York cabs or the...

IN BRIEF: IPTV revenues to hit $12bn by 2011.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Internet Protocol television revenues will reach over $12bn (#6.4bn) by 2011, according to research company Informa. While it predicts there will be 36m IPTV homes by that date, this will only account for 3.4% of the world's TV households....

IN BRIEF: Tacoda signs Vodafone as first UK client.(Tacoda Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... US behavioural targeting network Tacoda, which opened a UK office last month, has signed Vodafone as its first UK client. Using Tacoda's targeting and optimisation tools, Vodafone's ads will run across its network of 4,000 sites throughout...

IN BRIEF: Artists line up for Tate Tracks music project.(Tate Modern contracts with Chemical Brothers and Graham Coxon )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... The Chemical Brothers and Graham Coxon are among the first artists to sign up to create content for the Tate Modern's music project, Tate Tracks. The project involves artists creating music based on a work of art, which is then uploaded to...

IN BRIEF: Wippit adds 2.4m songs to digital music service.(signed a deal with five digital music distributors )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Digital download service Wippit has signed a deal with five digital music distributors to add an extra 2.4m songs to its music service. Under the deal, The Orchard, IODA, VUT, Digital Rights Agency and CD Baby's entire back catalogues will be...

Wheel stops turning as LBi UK discards agency brand name.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... One of the most established names among interactive agencies is no more, as the Wheel brand has been discarded by parent LBi UK. The Framfab brand name has also been dropped as LBi UK seeks to establish its own strong, single identity. ...

Channel 4 claims 12.5m unique users for upgraded web content.(Channel Four Television Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Channel 4 has revealed that a record 12.5m unique users visited its website last month following an increase in the amount of video content available. The broadcaster claims that a total of 6.9m video clips were viewed during the month as...

Golley Slater staffs up with digital specialists.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Advertising agency Golley Slater is boosting its interactive investment with the appointment of specialised digital staff to work in its 11 offices nationwide. The agency employs 300 staff and is looking to offer a national integrated...

DaimlerChrysler turns to the web to stream banned TV ads.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... DaimlerChrysler is using the web to broadcast banned TV commercials as part of a campaign to launch its Dodge automobile brand in the UK. The car manufacturer is exploiting the lack of internet regulation after the Broadcast Advertising...

Center Parcs ramps up online strategy to boost web sales.(contracts with holiday village and McCann Erickson- London)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Center Parcs is ramping up its online marketing strategy to increase web sales and boost brand identity across the internet. The holiday village specialist has launched an email marketing strategy to offer promotions, and will embark on a...

ITV interactive sales boss Peter Birch joins red button exodus.(Robert Leach resigned from Sky Media)(Mark Connolly resigned from Interactive Digital Sales )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... ITV's head of interactive sales Peter Birch has become the third senior interactive TV executive to leave the red button sector in the past few months. NMA can reveal that Birch will step down at the end of this year to join Australia's...

MSN and Parlophone launch Lily Allen IM.
October 5, 2006... EMI Music label Parlophone has teamed up with MSN to create the first branded instant messaging Theme Pack for a UK music act, to promote pop star Lily Allen. The campaign, created and negotiated by Carat Digital, offers creative taken...

IN BRIEF: Ferguson leaves Vodafone.(Graeme Ferguson)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Vodafone director of global content development Graeme Ferguson is leaving the mobile phone operator following the recent reorganisation of the group's marketing. Ferguson will now work on new mobile content projects. vodafone.com ...

IN BRIEF: Broadband growth leads to boom in MPU ads.(messaging plus units)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Broadband take-up is causing a boom in rich media advertising across Europe with Messaging Plus Units seeing 143% growth rate in the past two years, according to the European Interactive Advertising Association. The 2006 report, released this...

IN BRIEF: Shake-up at search specialists Quartz.(Quartz Interactive has restructured its management team, appointed James Taylor, Nick Tsimbidaros and Alan Perkins)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Search specialist Quartz Interactive has restructured its management team following the departures of MD Paul Mead, CTO David Midgely and client director Sarah Lindsay-Bush to newly-formed VCCPsearch. James Taylor, previously uSwitch and...

IN BRIEF: ProHelp London wants agencies to care.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... ProHelp London, an initiative of Business in the Community, is holding an event on 18 October to encourage marketing, digital and design agencies to get involved in providing free professional advice to community and voluntary groups....

Faceparty signs The Rapture to launch Session Project series.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Social networking site Faceparty is ramping up its music offering by signing New York indie band The Rapture to star in its Session Project, the first in a planned series. The Rapture's exclusive five-track session, launching on 20...

Lastminute rolls out interactive viral ads to engage consumers.(contracts with Steel)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Online travel company Lastminute is rolling out a series of interactive viral campaigns as part of a wider marketing strategy to create more engaging consumer campaigns. The first viral, by digital creative agency Steel, invites users to...

Littlewoods turns to social networks to boost brand identity.(Littlewoods Organisation PLC)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Littlewoods has become the latest brand to tap into social networking as part of the catalogue retailer's increased online focus. It has uploaded a minute-long clip of a catwalk show onto leading video- sharing site YouTube to see if it...

Vodafone pushes Big Idea for small firms.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Vodafone has launched a dedicated interactive strategy to target small business customers, to accompany its ad-funded TV show The Big Idea. The operator has developed an integrated online and mobile strategy that will act as its main...

Analyst Speak: Understanding new the connected consumer.
October 5, 2006... With broadband internet and networked devices already reaching millions of connected digital consumers, opportunities for content owners, service providers and hardware vendors are immense. But as the market expands, the ability to target...

IN BRIEF: Data capture platform to quiz end users.(ProspectUniq and EHS Brann Discovery released data capture software )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Technology company ProspectUniq and EHS Brann Discovery, the data arm of Euro RSCG, have created ProspectUniq Hub, a data capture software platform to connect websites to an end-user questionnaire. Only data that consumers have given their...

IN BRIEF: IPod rival Zune hits US shelves next month.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Microsoft's iPod rival, Zune, will retail for $249.99 (#134) when it goes on sale in the US on 14 November. Tracks will cost 99 cents, plus a monthly subscription of $14.99. The Zune player will let users share music three times over three...

IN BRIEF: Yahoo! code giveaway encourages developers.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Yahoo! has announced that it will give away browser-based authentications for its email service, Yahoo! Mail, in a bid to encourage software developers to build new applications based on the service. The move is the clearest sign yet that the...

Yomego and Two Way avatars to boost television interactivity.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Interactive entertainment technology company Yomego has announced a deal with Two Way TV that will allow television viewers to create personalised animated avatars to play games and chat with each other. The platform is targeted at...

MapSurface package to track content popularity in real time.(Madgex developed an analytics application 'MapSurface')(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Technology firm Madgex has developed an analytics application that enables online publishers to track the popularity of content in real time. The MapSurface application lets webmasters and editors see page-level snapshots of essential...

Digital Galleries offers DIY web tool.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Web design company Digital Galleries has launched an online tool enabling inexperienced online designers to create a website from scratch in 24 hours. The service costs #99 a year and is intended for anyone wishing to visually illustrate...

DMA finds advertisers will pay for guaranteed email delivery.(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Over 65% of email service providers surveyed by the Direct Marketing Association said advertisers would pay a premium to guarantee delivery in email marketing campaigns. Respondents to the DMA's National Email Benchmarking report...

Social networking users more likely to download videos.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... People who visit social networking sites at least once a week are six times more likely to download full-length videos than non-users, new research from Parks Associates has found. The firm said that frequent users of sites such as...

Free content key to consumer acceptance of mobile adverts.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Consumers are willing to accept mobile ads in exchange for free content, Enpocket's latest global research has discovered. The mobile marketing research company, in conjunction with Harris Interactive, polled over 1,200 mobile internet...

IN BRIEF: VoIP threat to traditional service providers.(voice-over-IP )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Web-based voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications will pose a great threat to traditional service providers, according to a Yankee Group report. The US-based research firm pointed to contextual applications - such as those enabling users to game,...

IN BRIEF: Classical music fans in tune with digital format.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... 57% of classical music fans have converted music to a digital format, according to research from Gramophone magazine. 350 of the publication's readers were polled to build a profile of the 21st Century classical music fan. While CDs were found...

IN BRIEF: Local government sites fail to meet standard.(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... A study from Broadband Testing and MyWebAlert has discovered that 72% of local government websites fail to meet the industry-standard service level agreement (SLA). The SLA is currently set at 99.99% uptime, a figure met by only a minority...

ANALYSIS: Catalogue of success for Littlewoods online.(Littlewoods Organisation PLC)
October 5, 2006... Littlewoods has joined the mass of retailers boosting their web offerings. With a history of home shopping and 30% of turnover already online, it's poised to take advantage Last week, catalogue giant Littlewoods became the latest retailer...

COMMENT: Still waiting to see if size is everything.(social networking sector's future)(Editorial)
October 5, 2006... Last week in NMA, new media investment guru and former Dragons' Den star Doug Richard questioned the social networking sector's future. He believes such sites are overvalued and that a reality check is on the way. On page 18 of this...

The music industry must tread carefully with advertisers.
October 5, 2006... What a busy time for the music industry! In the past three weeks we've met Spiral Frog from the biggest of the majors, Universal; the same company has announced a venture of some sort with WPP. And Warners has agreed a deal with YouTube to...

LETTER: Bloggers will see the value of advertising.(Letter to the editor)
October 5, 2006... I read with interest the Editor's View piece about branded blogs, and Ben Hammersley's reaction that bloggers would run in the other direction (nma.co.uk 08.08.06). My own view is that this only happens due to the relative lack of...

LETTER: Recognising the value of music in brand marketing.(Letter to the editor)
October 5, 2006... The recent announcement of the new BrandAmp joint venture between the WPP group and Universal Music is a huge step in the recognition process of the value of music in brand marketing (nma.co.uk 26.09.06). As a company that's acted as a...

LETTER: Digital agencies go online to attract staff.(Letter to the editor)
October 5, 2006... The news that a creative agency has established a presence in the virtual world Second Life highlights the increasingly inventive methods agencies are employing to promote themselves. We all know the competition for jobs in the digital...

OPINION: Mobile ad industry must take care not to scare off users.(Column)
October 5, 2006... The use of mobile in the marketing mix has become an established practice, with nearly every youth campaign featuring some sort of text- based activity. The rules of these campaigns are all but set in stone - text as a marketing medium has...

AD WATCH: What makes a campaign a success: charm or ambition?
October 5, 2006... Jonny: The range of online media up for review this month is a good reflection of the growing number of options available for reaching people online. I'll always have a fondness for the challenge a 468x60 banner represents. But mercy me, we've...

ONLINE PUBLISHING - INTERVIEW: Taking the helm.(Guardian Media Group's Simon Waldman)(Interview)
October 5, 2006... As group director of digital strategy at the Guardian Media Group and chair of the AOP Simon Waldman is steering the industry to maturity. He talked to Michael Nutley Simon Waldman was recently appointed group director of digital...

ONLINE PUBLISHING - BEHAVIOURAL TARGETING: Widening the net.
October 5, 2006... Behavioural targeting has proved a success, but now with the recent deal between Revenue Science and Advertising.com its reach is extending. Clare Goff reports Behavioural targeting is evolving. Initially it gave online publishers a means...

ONLINE PUBLISHING - BLOGGING: Two-way conversation.
October 5, 2006... As blogging has risen in popularity traditional publishers have realised that in order to engage with audiences they too must evolve their business models. The rise in popularity of blogging among traditional media organisations over the...

ONLINE PUBLISHING - CROSS-PLATFORM: The daily download.(Newspaper publishing is undergoing a radical transformation by using multimedia technology)
October 5, 2006... Newspaper publishing giants are waking up to multimedia's potential. Content anytime, anyplace, anywhere is the name of the game, as Gareth Jones discovers The newspaper industry is undergoing a radical transformation. Readers are...

ONLINE PUBLISHING - CITIZEN JOURNALISM: Global report.(citizen journalism received its biggest endorsement)
October 5, 2006... Having secured financial backing and a tie-in with the International Herald Tribune, citizen journalism site Ohmynews is spreading the word. Michael Fitzpatrick reports Ohmynews' founder and CEO Oh Yeon-ho's slogan is 'Everyone can be a...

Moves: buy.at.(appointed Tyson Pearcey)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Affiliate network buy.at has announced the appointment of Tyson Pearcey as business development director. Pearcey has previously held roles at OMG and Affiliate Marketing. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Moves: LogicaCMG.(appointed Jayne Chace )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... LogicaCMG has appointed Jayne Chace as CMO for telecoms. Formerly SVP, the new role will see Chace lead the development of division's global communications, alliances and marketing strategies. Prior to joining LogicaCMG, Chace held executive...

Moves: Mobile Entertainment Forum.(appointed Suhail Bhat)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... The Mobile Entertainment Forum announced that former Icstis (regulator of premium rate services) policy advisor Suhail Bhat will take up the newly created role of policy and initiatives director. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Moves: mFormation.(appointed Mark Denham and Matthew Bancroft)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Mobile device software company mFormation has recruited Mark Denham as VP of professional services. Denham has previously worked with O2 and CRT Multimedia as well as founding NeuVoice. Former Flarion Technologies employee Matthew Bancroft...

Moves: CMW.(Clark McKay and Walpole appointed Paul Vallois, David Smith, Hamish Grant and Francis Smith )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Direct marketing agency CMW has taken on several new recruits. Paul Vallois joins as business development director from Maher Bird Associates where he worked under the same title. David Smith joins as head of CMW Interactive; his past...

Moves: Blue Lithium.(appoints Gareth Holmes, Nick Raper and Liza Vasilieva)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Online ad network Blue Lithium has announced a series of appointments. Gareth Holmes joins as business development manager. He previously worked with the International Institute of Research advising on online ROI. Nick Raper of AdPepper and...

Moves: Haymarket Magazines.(appointed Jim Murray-Jones)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Haymarket Magazines has added a recruit to its new digital leadership team. Joining from Auto Trader Digital where he was previously publishing director, Jim Murray-Jones will become digital publishing director. Copyright: Centaur...

Moves: ValueClick Europe.(promoted Peter Carlsson )(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Internet advertising group ValueClick Europe has promoted Peter Carlsson to the position of general manager of ValueClick Nordic. He joins from PriceRunner where he was country manager Sweden. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Moves: Global Media.(appointed Alex Schomau)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Global Media has appointed Alex Schomau to the newly-created position of chief business development officer. He joins from Loyalty Partner, where he was head of online management. He was also the former MD of Shopping 24. Copyright:...

Site inspection: Times Online Travel.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... travel.timesonline.co.uk Owner: News International Agency: in-house Content 23/25 Usability 18/25 Branding 20/25 Monetisation 22/25 Total 83/100 Times Online is attempting to do something...

Site inspection: The Train Blog.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... trainblog.co.uk Owner: Soup Agency: Soup Content 16/25 Usability 20/25 Branding 18/25 Monetisation n/a Total 54/75 Britain is reputedly a nation of complainers, and little is more likely to...

Site inspection: Islandoo.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... islandoo.com Owner: RDF Media and Mint Digital Agency: Mint Digital Content 20/25 Usability 22/25 Branding 9/25 Monetisation 20/25 Total 71/100 Islandoo is what happens when you combine two...

Fulfilment: lomography.com.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 5, 2006... Founded: 1992 Selection Worldwide shop for lomography, or spontaneous 'shoot from the hip' photography. The only site stocking the entire range of 'lomo' cameras, including Colour Splash, Fisheye lens and Holga cameras, as well as...

ITV to offset flagging audiences with suite of digital services.
October 12, 2006... ITV is gearing up to launch a suite of standalone broadband and mobile TV services, in an attempt to offset falling audiences for its flagship ITV1 channel brand. The UK's largest commercial broadcaster will begin trialing a number of...

Pernod Ricard backs web ads over TV.(contracts with Glass and Attention)(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... Pernod Ricard, the world's second-biggest wine and spirits company, has said it believes online advertising is a more effective means of communicating with 18-24-year-olds than TV. The company, which has an annual marketing budget of...

Google gobbles YouTube in #886m buyout.
October 12, 2006... Google has become the dominant force in the UK video-sharing market, following its $1.65bn (#886m) acquisition of market leader YouTube earlier this week. The move means Google now controls over 80% of the UK market, with YouTube...

Nokia and O2 in album partnership with SonyBMG.(Jamiroquai's album)(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... Nokia and O2 have partnered with SonyBMG to offer new customers exclusive access to Jamiroquai's album three weeks ahead of its official release. Any customer buying the Nokia N Series multimedia device on O2 from 20 October until the end...

IAB ramps up affiliate council after sector's own moves stall.(Internet Advertising Bureau set up trade association 'Affiliate Network Council')(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... The Internet Advertising Bureau plans to muscle past the embryonic Affiliate Association to set itself up as the affiliate industry's trade body. The IAB's Affiliate Network Council (ANC) was launched in March to represent the interests...

Flytxt puts its agency business up for sale.(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... Flytxt, one of the first and best known mobile marketing agencies, has put its agency business up for sale. The company has appointed Agnitio Capital to manage the sale, which will include its Flytxt Direct campaign management platform,...

Ribena Really Light goes digital as part of marketing makeover.(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... Ribena is putting digital at the centre of an overhaul of the Ribena Really Light brand's marketing strategy, as the company prepares for it to overtake the main Ribena brand as its biggest seller. Ribena Really Light is to benefit from...

Glue London unveils online campaign for Virgin Trains.(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... Creative agency Glue London is rolling-out an online brand campaign for Virgin Trains, based on the proposition 'Valuable Thinking Time'. Glue has created an integrated campaign including standard and rich media online ads, customer...

3 Breaks ranks to stream R-18 hardcore content on its portal.(Hutchison 3G UK)(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... 3G mobile operator 3 has become the first UK operator to launch hardcore R18 adult content on its portal. The operator has launched six streaming channels of R18 content, from brands including Hustler and Playboy, available for #7.50 a...

Debenhams and De-Construct in site deal.(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... Debenhams has appointed Aegis digital creative agency De-Construct to create its first ever standalone campaign site. Previously the store had carried out all digital creative work in-house and run all activity from its main site. ...

BREAKING: Filter music system for iTunes launches.(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... A free downloadable software system, which can generate iTunes playlists that suit your mood, is launching in the UK this week, backed by musician and OD2 founder Peter Gabriel. The Filter works when a user picks one or two songs from their...

BREAKING: Telegraph Online launches music store.(teamed with TuneTribe)(Brief article)
October 12, 2006... The Telegraph Online is launching a digital music store to cash in on the success of soaring download sales. The service is being set up through digital music company TuneTribe, owned by Groove Armada's Tom Finlay. The site will feature music...