New Media Age articles from October 2007

New Media Age archives from October 2007

Virgin Media powers up portal with TV and music.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Virgin Media is going on the offensive in a bid to position itself as a major online content portal boasting Virgin 1 TV, games and music content. The company has revealed a three-pronged attack to offer Virgin 1 shows on catch-up, along...

Hellmann's shakes up web content.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Hellmann's, the Unilever owned mayonnaise brand, has launched an interactive online campaign aimed at young men as it looks to tap into the "blokey sandwich" market. The mayo brand is promoting its squeezy bottle and revamped image with...

Brands defend low take up for social networks.
October 4, 2007... Brands are being warned not to jump at building social networks as low take-up numbers have come to light. Coca-Cola, Dr Martens and Pedigree were among the first to unveil branded social networks, Waitrose also went live with a socially-...

Paramount plans major mobile push for new films.(Paramount Pictures Corp.)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Paramount Pictures is preparing for a major mobile push over the forthcoming months with a series of mobile initiatives. The international film studio is determined to use the mobile space to push a host of forthcoming releases. These will...

Cartoon Network plans wider strategy with Tooncast launch.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Cartoon Network has launched the first series of Tooncasts - cartoon podcasts - as part of a strategy to push the brand beyond TV and attract a wider online audience. The children's TV network has launched a dedicated campaign site where...

Bebo opens auditions for Sofia's Diary.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Bebo is in the process of casting for the forthcoming interactive drama Sofia's Diary through its own pages. Members signing into the Bebo home page will be met with an ad for open auditions to star in the show. Users will be...

New owner gives Racing Post #10m free rein to develop online services.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Racing Post is to invest up to #10m of its new owner's money in order to position its online services as market-leading. The newspaper, which was bought this week from parent Trinity Mirror by private equity investment firm FL Partners...

Black Magic targets younger audience with online tie-ups.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Nestle is to revamp its Black Magic range of chocolates with a three- week online promotion that involves Sainsbury's and LoveFilm. Nestle is also unveiling a new website, Discover Black Magic, to support the promotion and act as an...

Discovery to adopt pay-as-you-go model.(Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Networks International)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Discovery Networks International is dropping the subscription-based model for its Discovery on Demand portal in favour of pay-as-you-go. The subscription model is being dropped as the company believes that the UK market is more comfortable...

Ft.com increases video content to attract budget from TV advertisers.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The Ft.com is preparing to significantly ramp up its provision of video content as part of a bid to draw in cash from the TV ad market. The company is putting together a strategy for how pre-roll advertising can be used to attract budget...

Trident targets perpetrators of gun crime in campaign by Elvis.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Trident, the Metropolitan police unit focusing on gun crime within London's black communities, is using an online campaign to dissuade youngsters from turning to gun crime. The 'Don't Blow Your Life Away' campaign, created by digital...

RFU drives online visits with game zone.(Rugby Football Union)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The Rugby Football Union has launched two new games developed by Grasshopper for its England Rugby Junior Supporters Club (JSC). The move comes at an essential time for RFU marketing, as interest in the four-yearly Rugby World Cup comes to...

Microsoft to bring 'wealth index' ad targeting to the UK.(advertising)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Microsoft is poised to allow UK advertisers to target consumers using a 'wealth index' through AdCenter for the first time. The search marketing platform currently allows for targeting by age, gender, location, time of day or day of the...

Trinity Mirror plans nationwide roll out of ultra-local news service.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Trinity Mirror is set for a nationwide roll out the ultra-local news service that it's been trialling in Teesside. The service uses a network of citizen journalists and existing Trinity Mirror regional newspaper journalists to create...

Hasgrove acquires Pavilion for #9.9m.(Pavilion Communication Services)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Manchester-based digital agency Pavilion Communication Services has been acquired by European communications and marketing group Hasgrove for #9.9m. The deal, which includes a number of earn outs, sees Pavilion join as the group's first...

Maxim Mobile to make all premium content free to users.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Maxim Mobile has made its entire catalogue of premium content available free to consumers as it bids to grow traffic and grab ad revenues. Over the past two weeks the Dennis-owned site has begun rolling back its paid-for content and...

BBC to relaunch Jools Holland site with user-generated content focus.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The BBC is to relaunch the website for its flagship TV music brand Later...with Jools Holland in a push to engage music fans. The site, which is due to go live in mid-October, will give users access to exclusive content from the weekly...

HarperCollins uses mobile to push Nigel Slater's new book.(HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... HarperCollins has allocated 10% of the marketing budget of Nigel Slater's forthcoming book Eating For England to a mobile promotion. The publisher has built a WAP site around the content from the book and agreed an advertising deal with...

RAF uses real time online video ads for 22-week recruitment drive.(advertisements)(Royal Air Force)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is to roll out a 22-week online video campaign in support of its recruitment drive. The Civilian to Soldier campaign will offer fly on the wall footage of trainees following the RAF Regiment's rigorous training...

Visit Wales uses online ads to attract visitors during autumn.(advertisements)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Visit Wales has rolled out an online ad campaign in a bid to drive tourists to the region during autumn. The campaign, which uses the theme 'Autumn is our peak season', aims to attract visitors to Wales in the traditionally quiet tourism...

Utarget in desktop deal with Zebtab.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Ad network Utarget has partnered with desktop content channel Zebtab to push its online video ad offer. Utarget clients will now be able to stream short pre-roll ads before online video content delivered by Zebtab alerts, from brands...

HSBC uses Bluetooth to drive golf website.(HSBC Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... HSBC is to use Bluetooth mobile technology and a widget to drive traffic to its golfing website. The three week campaign, which went live on Monday to promote the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, ties in with the bank's ongoing...

Unanimis to handle online ad sales for Everyclick charity.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Charity search engine Everyclick has appointed Unanimis to handle its online ad sales. Unanimis will now handle all online ads for the search engine, including display, integrated campaigns and sponsorships. Since going live in 2005, the...

Digital advertising is ready to be counted.
October 4, 2007... According to some observers, the digital revolution throws into doubt the future of the ad agency. The idea is that the interactive, mass- personalised digital media environment will undermine demand for what ad agencies do best - connecting...

Consumers display greater trust in online ads from local newspapers.(advertisements)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Adverts on local websites are nearly 20% more likely to be trusted and relied upon than those in national newspapers, according to research from TNS Media. The study, commissioned by The Newspaper Society, an organisation that provides...

Mobiles are most searched-for gadget online.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Mobile phones are the most searched-for gadget on the web, capturing 46% of all gadget search terms, according to research house Hitwise. Computers were the next most popular gadget for UK internet users, accounting for 34% of searches,...

ANALYSIS: Online hits set agenda for Sky TV programme.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC. Sky News)
October 4, 2007... Sky News may be launching a TV programme dedicated to the most popular stories on its website, but is this User-Generated Agenda the future for television news? Last week Sky News made what appeared to be a significant commitment to its...

COMMENT: Publishing prospers from digital threat.(Column)
October 4, 2007... Nowhere is the transformative power of digital more obvious than in publishing. For years, a newspaper was something you read and TV something you watched. In the last couple of years this distinction has started to become so blurred that...

Ads are regulated well enough without the State nannying us.(advertisements)(Column)
October 4, 2007... Nigel Walley is MD of the Decipher Group; nigel.walley@ decipher.co.uk Recently I've been worried about the kind of world my kids are growing up in. Not gun crime/street violence/drugs, more about the Government using my kids as an...

LETTER: Social networks need the personal touch.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... From Andrew Mitchell, head of sales, Arvato Loyalty Services Luan Goldie is right to stress that social networks need to develop their own brand status, particularly if they are to appeal to their customers on an emotional level. Social...

LETTER: Digital exodus to the seaside gathers pace.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... From Dan Vivian, MD, Bright Blue Day It was encouraging to read your seafront attraction feature recognising Brighton as a hotbed for digital businesses (NMA 13.09.07). However, the truth of the matter is that Brighton and neighbouring...

LETTER: Function before fashion for Tesco web strategy.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... From Lawrence Ladomery, internet advisor, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development So Tesco is putting social media at the heart of its web strategy. I hope the online shopping experience will not be too focused on social...

LETTER: There's more to mobiles than banner advertising.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... From Ben Scott-Robinson, creative director, We Love Mobile In response to last week's cover story 'Lack of mobile inventory leaves advertisers hungry' (NMA 27.09.07), while most people would agree that there is a lack of ad space on...

OPINION: Consolidation in the market is crucial for all players.(Column)
October 4, 2007... Carl White is CEO of integrated online marketing company ValueClick Europe With the recent major industry consolidation announcements there has been plenty of speculation about the impact on the online advertising landscape. The flurry...

AD WATCH: RAC used-car check campaign has big prize but small scope.(Rapid App Code)(Column)
October 4, 2007... Sav Evangelou is creative director of digital at Wunderman In a bar a bearded intellectual asks another bloke, "Do you believe in coincidence?" then taps his phone. Given that I've entered my number in order to watch this Grolsch video...

ONLINE PUBLISHING: News in focus.
October 4, 2007... Regional publishers are looking to use online to make local news even more targeted. Greg Brooks reports on the insatiable appetite for community knowledge Judging from evidence given by the Newspaper Society to a parliamentary committee...

ONLINE PUBLISHING: Measuring media at a local level.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... In August last year The Newspaper Society ditched its league tables of regional newspaper circulation, saying they no longer painted an accurate picture of the market because falling circulations had been offset by increased distribution of...

ONLINE PUBLISHING: Off the bandwagon.(National Magazine Company Ltd. moves into digital publishing)
October 4, 2007... Duncan Edwards of NatMags, one of the later publishing houses to move into digital, talks to Ed Dorrell about testing new products while remembering your roots Duncan Edwards makes no secret of the fact that he's sceptical about the web....

ONLINE PUBLISHING: Teenage angst.
October 4, 2007... With teenagers using online social media as their source of peer contact, magazine sites can struggle to find an audience. But it's not impossible, finds Matthew Wall Last week Hachette Filipacchi, the publisher of leading print teen-girl...

ONLINE PUBLISHING: News hound.
October 4, 2007... Google's gradual change from technology company to content provider could leave the online publishing world facing a bleak future, finds Matthew Wall Last month Google struck a deal with the major news agencies to publish their stories...

MOVES: Modial UK.(appointment of Kate Sharman)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Modial UK, provider of customer services support to blue chip organisations, has strengthened its corporate and travel division with the appointment of Kate Sharman as account manager. Prior to joining she was account manager at BHRC Online....

MOVES: Digital Stores.(appointment of Gavi Douglas)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Online retailer Digital Stores has retained the services of Gavi Douglas as an independent advisor to work with them on a part-time basis. He has worked in retail for the past 23 years. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Marketing Innovation Group.(appointment of John Abbott)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Digital direct marketing organisation the Marketing Innovation Group (MIG) has hired former CFO of McCann-Erickson UK John Abbott as financial director. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Picsel Technologies.(appointment of Michael Matthews)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Mobile platform provider Picsel Technologies has announced the appointment of Michael Matthews as president and COO. For the past five years he has served as chief marketing officer for Amdocs. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

MOVES: Utarget.(appointment of Tim Williams, Suzannah Andrews, Laurence Ransley and Steve Grinstead)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Ad network Utarget has boosted its team with a string of appointments. Tim Williams starts as TV sales manager moving from Digital Media Sales; media buyer Suzannah Andrews joins from McCann-Erickson; Laurence Ransley has joined as sales...

MOVES: Smartfusion.(appointment of Richard Vincent)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Richard Vincent, co-founder of experiential agency Smartfusion, is moving to New York to become MD of its US operations. He will head up recently-won accounts such as Nokia Multimedia and oversee business development across North America. ...

MOVES: World Archipelago.(appointment of Rebecca Merrill)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Rebecca Merrill has joined full service digital agency World Archipelago as account director. She previously worked as account director at Fallon. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Robin Houghton Communications.(appointment of Lara Behrens)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Email marketing specialists Robin Houghton Communications has hired Lara Behrens as account manager. She was previously client manager at Sales Republic. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

MOVES: Codegent.(appoinment of Matt Jukes)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Digital agency Codegent has recruited Matt Jukes as creative director. He was previously at Digital Outlook where he worked with their largest client, Walt Disney. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

SITE INSPECTION: BBC Motion Gallery.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Bbcmotiongallery.com Owner: BBC Worldwide Agency: In-house Content 22/25 Usability 21/25 Branding 19/25 Monetisation 21/25 Total 83/100 The BBC Motion Gallery, rather like YouTube, can become...

SITE INSPECTION: Foxy Bingo.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Foxybingo.com Owner: Cashcade Agency: in-house Content 18/25 Usability 15/25 Branding 22/25 Monetisation 20/25 Total 75/100 Over 50% of bingo players smoke - twice the national average - so...

SITE INSPECTION: Exclusive London.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Exclusivelondon.co.uk Owner: Exclusive London Agency: Softweb Content 20/25 Usability 14/25 Branding 16/25 Monetisation 19/25 Total 69/100 Exclusive London offers a guide to all the things you...

FULFILMENT: nandos.co.uk.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Selection All the sauces Nando's produces are available to buy along with some related merchandise and a recipe book. The site doesn't include the ability to order from the menu for delivery of collection from the restaurant. ...

The Sun to push etail with shopping comparison site.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... The Sun is making its biggest foray into ecommerce to date, launching a major shopping portal for its 11m users this week. The move comes as News International indicated its commitment to the newspaper's site with an overhaul of its...

Malkovich fronts Sony Vaio push.(vaio-john.com)(John Malkovich)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Film star John Malkovich will front an online campaign for the Sony Vaio as the laptop brand's first 'like no other' personality. A series of 27 unscripted films shot in Paris with the actor and available only on a new website will form...

Online planning currency on horizon - finally.
October 11, 2007... A single planning currency for online could at last be ready by the middle of next year, it has emerged as the online industry faces increasingly urgent calls to push forward the initiative. The general manager of Jicims, the joint industry...

Lexus pushes symphony concerts via dedicated site.(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Lexus Div.)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Lexus is to use digital to promote the expansion of its Lexus Symphony Orchestra concerts. The concerts this summer saw a group of Lexus cars play separate audio tracks as an orchestral ensemble. They are now going to become an annual...

Blinkx offers new service for bloggers to profit from videos.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Video search service Blinkx is to roll out an ad service to let bloggers and owners of social network profiles make money from video posts. Heavy users of embedded videos, such as professional bloggers, will now potentially be able to...

Five appoints start-up agency for next phase of digital strategy push.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Broadcaster Five has appointed new digital agency Made By Many to develop a digital strategy as it looks to catch up with rivals. Five has tasked the agency with establishing a digital content strategy for five.tv and redeveloping its...

Ford and Dennis join forces to push S-Max model via e-mags.(Dennis Publishing)(Ford Motor Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Ford and Dennis Publishing have joined forces to publish the car manufacturer's first e-mags, designed to promote its S-Max MPV in the car's 'S-Max your life' campaign. Three e-mags will focus on extreme sports, central to the campaign,...

BT rolls out online ads targeting SMEs.(British Telecommunications PLC. BT Business Information Systems)(Small and medium sized companies)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... BT Business has rolled out a major online ad campaign as part of its push to position the brand as the leading managed IT services company. The online activity, which promotes BT's Business IT Manager system, is part of a larger...

City AM publisher plans new portal targeting the business community.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... The owner of City AM, the free newspaper aimed at workers in London's Square Mile, are about to launch a new website for the paper that aims to become a portal for the commercial area. NMA understands that the independent publisher is...

Kellogg's launches on-pack SMS promotion across range.(Kellogg Company of Great Britain Ltd.)(Short messaging service)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Cereal manufacturer Kellogg's is set to run an on-pack SMS competition across tens of millions of its cereal boxes. Cornflakes, Coco Pops and Crunchy Nut Cornflakes are among the brands that will be splashed with a free shortcode...

Samsonite unveils global etail platform.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Samsonite is launching its first multi-million-pound global ecommerce platform and online campaign for its Black Label range. The project has been developed by Avenue A/Razorfish UK, Samsonite's digital agency of record. A US launch this...

Pricerunner drops Search Works to run search itself.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Shopping comparison site Pricerunner has brought its search account in- house as the ValueClick-owned company looks to increase ROI from the channel. It had previously been working with The Search Works. However, UK country manager Mattias...

Habitat overhauls online presence as it prepares for etail offering.(Habitat International Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Habitat has overhauled its online presence as it paves the way to make its site transactional. The high street home interiors retailer, which owns 72 stores around Europe, selected Lightmaker to build its new site as it looked to bring...

VBMA reorganises its structure along social media lines.(Viral + Buzz Marketing Association )(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... The Viral + Buzz Marketing Association (VBMA) has relaunched, embracing social media at its core and changing its structure. Under the new name vbmaNetwork, the organisation has opted to change its traditional hierarchy and adopt a social...

Oddschecker appoints TBG to develop online ad strategy.(online advertising)(TBG London)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Oddschecker, the sporting odds-comparison site, has appointed TBG London to develop its online ad strategy as it looks to make the most of a burgeoning online gambling market. The company, part of Sky's 365 Media Group, is to launch a...

RHS launches school gardening website.(Royal Horticultural Society)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... The Royal Horticultural Society has launched a 'Campaign for school gardening' website. The site, designed by Atticmedia, is aimed at 7-11-year-olds to promote horticulture and gardening activity in UK primary schools. Atticmedia...

Guardian Unlimited plans rollout of major interactive film database.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Guardian Unlimited is to roll out a major interactive film database as part of plans to ramp up its See Film Differently site. The database - which will include user-generated reviews - aims to expose users to different kinds of film and...

Morphy Richards to reposition as high-end brand via new site.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Morphy Richards is looking to reposition itself as a high-end brand using its new transactional website. The homeware manufacturer is bidding to highlight what it believes is the high quality of its product range with a site to match. ...

Ad2One to handle ad sales for UCAS.(Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... University application organisation UCAS has appointed an online ad sales house to handle its social network Yougofurther. Ad2One will now handle all display ads for the site. It will also work with UCAS on integrated solutions including...

CondeNet plans overhaul of online strategy after rethink of Tatler site.(Conde Nast Publications Inc)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... CondeNet, the interactive arm of Conde Nast, is set to overhaul the online presence of Tatler and the wider CondeNet strategy. The plans will start with a new digital presence for the Tatler Restaurant Guide, followed by changes to the rest...

Graphico creates site for Historical Royal Palaces.(Graphico New Media Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Historical Royal Palaces has unveiled a new website to promote the histories behind the royal estates it manages, including the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. The site was developed by digital agency Graphico and is weighted...

Refresh Mobile becomes WAP portal after mobizine failure.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Mobile applications provider Refresh Mobile has reinvented itself as a WAP portal. GQ, Evo, Maxim, OK! and BBC News are among the content providers that use the service. The move follows a lack of adoption by consumers of Refresh...

ABN Amro promotes emerging markets.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... ABN Amro, the financial services company, has launched an online experience to promote its emerging markets investment products. The activity is part of a strategic push by ABN Amro Markets, which is looking to leverage its products...

Conchango signs strategic partnership with Writers Inc.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Conchango has signed a strategic partnership with journalists' collective Writers Inc. The agency will use the collective - which is modelled on the famous Magnum photographic agency - as a potential source of high-profile journalists...

ANALYST SPEAK: Users keep up with diversifying media.(Survey)
October 11, 2007... Lightspeed Research recently surveyed 2,000 UK panellists to understand how their media consumption patterns are changing. The results show which types of content are consumed on different media platforms: print, radio, TV (including...

Advertising of food and drink on internet still tiny proportion of TV.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Online ad spend on food and soft drink products, such as McDonald's and Cadbury, accounted for just 0.53% of all media advertising expenditure for that category during 2006. A report by the Advertising Association's Food Advertising Unit...

SMEs fail to embrace potential of the internet.(small and medium-sized business)(Survey)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are failing to embrace the internet to reach their full potential as only three-quarters have a website, according to research. The study, commissioned by Thebestof, a network of local...

ANALYSIS: Boom in online ads keeps UK spend on the up.(advertisements)
October 11, 2007... Latest IAB figures for UK online ad spend show an industry very much on the up, and set to grow even further once new areas like social networking are factored in Last week the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) released its biannual...

COMMENT: Ad spend boom isn't hitting full potential.(Column)
October 11, 2007... Watching Control, Anton Corbijn's beautifully shot story of the band Joy Division and its troubled singer Ian Curtis, I was struck by how difficult communication was in the 1970s. The most instant way to reach someone was with a phone call...

Forces gather against offshore retailers using tax loophole.
October 11, 2007... Jonathan Williams is senior account manager with Political Intelligence, the UK's leading new media public affairs consultancy; jonathan@political-intelligence.com The recent news that HMV's ecommerce operation is under threat of losing...

LETTER: UK mobile industry endorses ad guidelines.(Letter to the editor)
October 11, 2007... From Neil Andrews, head of mobile advertising, 3; Simon Dean, content and development, O2; Steve Ricketts, head of third-party services, Orange; James Rowe, head of content, T-Mobile; Shan Henderson, head of mobile advertising and industry...