Revolution articles from April 2008

Revolution archives from April 2008

Letter from Revolution.
April 1, 2008... Implementing a new digital strategy can be a frustrating process for both the client and the agency. Managing to convince the stakeholders in your company that they need to embrace social media or even just invest in a new site can prove a...

Nike unveils rich-media site for 23rd Air Jordan XX3 trainer.
April 1, 2008... Nike Air Jordan has looked to the web to create a brand experience to showcase its latest Air Jordan XX3 trainer. Blast Radius has created a rich-media site, Suite 23, to present the brand assets, namely the Team Jordan athletes, in a more...

Miracle-Gro targets garden lovers online.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, maker of Miracle-Gro, is advertising online for the first time, and is trialling video advertising. Scotts has tasked BLM Quantum with creating a digital campaign to support the launch of its new website...

Lists start up aims to challenge Google.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Alex Moore, the former head of business development at digital tmw, is working on a start up that he claims will beat Google on individually tailored search results. Snagsta is a website where users can store lists of their favourite...

Deals: Google completes takeover of DoubleClick.
April 1, 2008... Google has completed its dollars 3.1 billion (pounds 1.5 billion) takeover of online advertising company DoubleClick, following approval from the European Commission. American regulators had already given approval in December, despite...

Deals: AOL to acquire networking site Bebo.
April 1, 2008... AOL is to acquire social networking site Bebo for dollars 850 million (pounds 417 million), netting a valuable social media property and creating a network of more than 80 million global users. Bebo and AOL struck a deal last October to...

Deals: Advertising network Specific Media acquires Adviva.
April 1, 2008... US-based advertising network Specific Media has acquired Adviva for an undisclosed sum, marking its entry into the European market. Specific Media's services include demographic, behavioural and demographic targeting. Combined, the networks...

Deals: ITV.com joins Bebo's Open Media platform.
April 1, 2008... ITV.com has joined Bebo's Open Media platform, giving Bebo's 40 million global users access to premium ITV content. The broadcaster will have a member profile on Bebo, which will host numerous media channels

Deals: CondeNet UK partners with Wapfly.
April 1, 2008... CondeNet UK has partnered with Wapfly to deliver some of its key magazine titles as off-portal mobile sites. GQ Mobile, Glamour Mobile and later this year, Vogue Mobile, will run on a CMS designed to improve user experience, irrespective of...

Deals: BBC Motion Gallery signs deal with Mochila.
April 1, 2008... BBC Motion Gallery, the BBC's footage licensing division, has signed a deal with Mochila, a global online marketplace for text, video and photo content, to distribute its content to Mochila's 3,500 global members. The deal allows for...

Deals: Blinkx and BBC forms partnership.
April 1, 2008... Blinkx and the BBC have formed a partnership to make iPlayer footage available through blinkx's video search engine. Users will be able to view previews on blinkx before clicking through to the iPlayer to view full programmes. Content will come...

Deals: Ambergreen acquires digital shop Lightershade.
April 1, 2008... Search-marketing agency Ambergreen has acquired digital shop Lightershade in a bid to provide more solid strategic search marketing Lightershade will develop content and architecture solutions for rich-media applications in particular,...

Army marketing chief scoops top award.
April 1, 2008... Mark Bainbridge, the man tasked with marketing the Army to the British public, was named Digital Marketer of the Year at the Revolution Awards 2008, in association with Eyeconomy. The big agency winner on the night was CHI & Partners, which...

Curry's targets women online in Easter electricals campaign.
April 1, 2008... Curry's is tackling the misconception that women don't buy electrical goods, with an Easter tie-up with Handbag.com. The electricals retailer's 'Easter offers' push on Handbag is part of a larger month-long campaign, which includes a...

STA's Hepburn moves to RedDot.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Craig Hepburn has left his position as global webmaster at STA Travel to join RedDot, a content management system (CMS) specialist. His primary task as senior marketing manager, digital marketing strategy, at RedDot will be to assist with...

Good month/bad month.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... HIV awareness got a boost as Unicef unveiled a digital campaign based on The Gift, a film drawing attention to the problem of mothers passing the disease to their children. Profero created interactive video banners featuring names including...

Digital direct: Integrated agencies will prove a serious threat to specialists.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... It's understandable that digital specialists are going to fight tooth and nail to try to use PR opportunities to argue the relevancy of their offering in an increasingly integrated media background. Such action is probably a necessary survival...

Ecover viral responds to green messages.
April 1, 2008... Ecover, the environmentally sound cleaning products company, has created a viral to respond to the number of brands now making environmental claims such as 'turn to 30 degrees', or that they use less packaging and transportation. As well...

Direct Stats.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Almost half (46 per cent) of retailers are failing to comply with basic legal requirements for email marketing, according to dotMailer's new retail benchmark study, Hitting the Mark. Retailers email campaigns were evaluated against 20...

New chief executive as uSwitch targets wider customer base.
April 1, 2008... USwitch has appointed Alan Tattersall as its new chief executive officer, as it strives to differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded market. Tattersall told Revolution that his main challenges for 2008 are to diversify uSwitch's...

Mobile travel from Dorling Kindersley.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Dorling Kindersley has teamed up with Mobile Systems to launch a series of mobile travel guides, reproducing its most popular titles for both mobile phones and handheld devices. The initial ten titles will include favourite destinations...

Maverick TV turns to web PR in VOD push.
April 1, 2008... Maverick TV, the independent TV and media production company behind How to Look Good Naked, Embarrassing Illnesses, 4Homes and Ten Years Younger, has used online PR to promote its new video-on-demand online channel - www.ideasforlife.tv. ...

Just breaking: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions - (1-31 March 2008).(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... 1 O2: 4,443,739 clicks Introducing the Sony Ericsson W890i free on O2 2 Halifax: 4,307,929 clicks Always giving you extra; Fixed rate Halifax Web Saver 3 William Hill: 4,120,059 clicks pounds...

Morris turns to web for brand building.
April 1, 2008... Morris, the housebuilder, is using digital to build its brand with a major new campaign. CodeComputerlove has launched a website for Morris, which is being supported with a digital marketing campaign and SEO. The site has three core...

Flora pro.activ aims for over-50 women.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Flora pro.activ has partnered with an over-45's lifestyle portal to promote a healthy living campaign for menopausal women. 50connect.co.uk will run an in-depth feature on the fact that as hormone levels drop during menopause, cholesterol...

Joseph Turner targets key global markets.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Joseph Turner, the maker and retailer of men's luxury shirts and accessories, has announced that it is to target core global markets via a strategic online marketing campaign. The company is targeting the US and European markets with a...

The Feel Good Drinks Company launches 'Super Duper Mosaic Maker' application.
April 1, 2008... The Feel Good Drinks Company has launched a new website and Facebook application as it extends its digital strategy. The new web 2.0 site aims to engage users with rich video and photo content, news blogs and an area where consumers can...

HSA unveils health widget on Facebook.
April 1, 2008... Healthplan provider HSA has unveiled a Facebook application that it claims is the first reminder service for the site's users. The application extends its TV advertising campaign, taking the 'Sleeve' character online through the social...

Owen on digital media: McCartneys offer a marital parable for the digital industry.
April 1, 2008... You have to feel sorry for Heather Mills. She almost won a great victory but then her extraordinary gloat/rant lost her the judge's sympathy and ensured that, while being millions better off, she would be forever vilified by the British public....

Account wins.
April 1, 2008... Greenpeace has chosen digital-engagement agency Kerb to create digital assets for its online Save the Whales campaign. Kerb will create viral and other content around Mr Splashy Pants - a tagged whale that has been named by the charity's online...

Mintz on China: Bloggers have the ears of the Chinese internet audience.
April 1, 2008... Nearly one in four Chinese internet users blog - 47 million at the end of 2007. Chinese will soon be the number one language in the blogosphere. The appeal - particularly to women, who create the majority of content - is that it offers a...

Esure hires RedEye for strategy rethink.
April 1, 2008... Esure, the online insurance specialist, is shifting its online marketing strategy to look beyond 'last click wins'. Using a reporting system from RedEye, esure will have clear visibility of the effectiveness of each media channel. The...

Performance index.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Revolution Keynote Performance Index measures the performance of 20 representative sites from across the digital economy in terms of speed of loading and availability. The top ten sites are featured each month and the worst performer...

Fitness workout site for Lucozade Sport.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... GlaxoSmithKline is using the web to promote its Lucozade brand as the energy drink of choice, with a series of sites set to launch in the coming months. The first, for Lucozade Sport Hydro Active, was created by Fuse Digital and allows...

Cool Hunter launches local language sites.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Style and culture blog The Cool Hunter has launched local language versions, with further international sites rolling out by the end of this year. The site, which recently won 'Best Culture Blog' at the Web-log Awards, has local versions...

Vital statistics.
April 1, 2008... Nearly half of UK ad impressions are generated through Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) 7 browser, finds Hayley Pinkerfield. Adtech, the global provider of ad server technology, has revealed findings from its latest research into...

Time thief.
April 1, 2008... Phil Cooper, chief executive, Utarget, takes us through his day. 4% - School run through Windsor Great Park. 0.1% - Remembering the benefits of moving out to Windsor from the smog. 5% - Harassing the crew and fining anyone pounds...

Moving on up: Appointment at Yahoo!
April 1, 2008... Yahoo! Europe has named Ebbe Altberg as head of audience group, its consumer-facing business with a focus on delivering user experience Altberg will be responsible for European consumer products

Moving on up: Appointment at Commission Junction.
April 1, 2008... Cheryl Ingram has left Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, where she was head of UK agency sales, to be UK client development director at Commission Junction. In her new position she will be responsible for all new business and existing...

Moving on up: Appointment at DLC.(Michael Murphy,Appointment at DLC.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Michael Murphy, chief executive of Friends Reunited and former chief operating officer at the Financial Times, has joined marketing data provider DLG as a non-executive chairman, following its recent refinancing through Kaupthing Capital...

Moving on up: Appointment at Gorilla Nation.
April 1, 2008... Gorilla Nation, the online ad rep business, has named Alex Godelman vice-president, technology. He brings with him 20 years of senior management experience in ecommerce, commercial software, online media and information technologies, most...

Moving on up: Appointment at Which.co.uk.
April 1, 2008... Jess Ross is the new editor of consumer site Which.co.uk. Ross joined Which? in 2003 and has held various roles within the company, including editor of Computing Which?, head of lifestyle magazines and managing editor of which.co.uk

Moving on up: Appointment at USwitch.
April 1, 2008... USwitch has appointed Alan Tattersall, its former chief marketing officer, as chief executive, replacing Andrew Salmon who is stepping down from the role. Since joining the company four years ago, Tattersall has been responsible for the...

Moving on up: Appointment at handbag.com and allaboutyou.com.
April 1, 2008... Sara Stephenson has been hired as publisher of handbag.com and allaboutyou.com. She brings 14 years experience in a variety of publishing, advertising and sales roles at the National Magazine Company

Moving on up: Appointment at Shazam.
April 1, 2008... Shazam, the service which links music from mobile to web, has hired Dominic Pride as director of product marketing from Orange, where he was head of music market development for its content division

Moving on up: Appointment at LBi Netrank.
April 1, 2008... LBi Netrank, the SEO and online brand specialist, has made Carolyn Watts its client services director. Her appointment follows LBi International's acquisition of Netrank. She will be responsible for the development and implementation of client...

Moving on up: Appointment at OMD International.
April 1, 2008... Matt James has taken up the position of managing director of OMD International. He succeeds Peter Magnani, who has recently been made director of international clients across the EMEA region

Moving on up: Appointment at Adconian Media Group.
April 1, 2008... Adconion Media Group, the online advertising network, has brought in MSN's global sales expert Nick Higgins to establish and head its new global sales division

Moving on up: Appointment at John Lewis Direct.
April 1, 2008... John Lewis has named Fig-leaves' Robin Terrell as managing director of John Lewis Direct. Terrell has been chief operations officer at lingerie retailer Figleaves for the past three years, and was previously managing director of Amazon.co.uk

Moving on up: Appointment at Dailymotion.
April 1, 2008... Former Google director Kate Burns has been appointed as the first UK managing director at Dailymotion, the video-sharing site rivalling YouTube. Having already launched Google, DoubleClick and AltaVista/Yahoo! into the UK, Burns is now tasked...

Analysis: How can brands exploit widgets?(Website overview)
April 1, 2008... Slide, the leading application provider on Facebook, has just announced that it has appointed UK digital media property developer, Monetise, to help it link up with potential advertisers and sponsors This throws up some interesting...

Analysis: Why brand engagement matters.
April 1, 2008... Despite their huge potential for driving brand engagement, online channels continue to suffer from underinvestment, according to a recent Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) report. The cross-media brand-engagement study focused on the soft...

Vox pop: What do you think of the new bbc.co.uk homepage?
April 1, 2008... Does the redesigned BBC website live up to its potential, asks Hayley Pinkerfield. The BBC has revamped its homepage to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the official launch of BBC Online. The redesign is part of a broader roll-out of...

Analysis: YouTube considers live channels.
April 1, 2008... It was a textbook example of how web 2.0's growing army of content creators is increasingly making news in the mainstream media. Back in February, US video blogger and self-styled chronicler of online celebrity Sarah Meyers sidled up to the...

Quotes of the month.
April 1, 2008... 'The potential is enormous. Success will depend on integration, implementation, addressing privacy concerns and the looming competition between Microsoft and Yahoo!' Oliver Bishop, chief executive of Steak Media, on the closure of Google's...

Sector checker: No bicycle required: these job sites do all the hard work.
April 1, 2008... Sarah Ronald from Bunnyfoot reviews recruitment sites, although she won't be handing in her notice any time soon. - Site www.bemyinterviewer.co.uk Developers Jobsite and Brando Right off the bat, www.bemyinterviewer.co.uk, created...

Shopping: Review - Happy Mother's Day with the web.
April 1, 2008... I'm in the doghouse. We have a new addition to the family - our baby son is just seven weeks old and he is not sleeping through the night yet. And seeing as I have just come back from a week-long work trip from sunny California, looking all...

Shopping stats: Golden few dominate e-commerce activity.
April 1, 2008... Online shopping activity is largely limited to a few well-known retailers, suggesting that other players need to work on building consumer trust, finds. The majority (84 per cent) of online shoppers trust only a handful of e-commerce...

Procter & Gamble: Tried and true.
April 1, 2008... The famous FMCG giant is willing to innovate but within carefully controlled parameters. Adam Woods meets the woman in charge of making sure new ideas are the right ones. Procter & Gamble has a particular fondness for mission statements....

Internet World.
April 1, 2008... The 15th Internet World show takes place at London's Earls Court at the end of this month and will feature speakers and exhibitors from all ends of the industry, from MySpace and the BBC through to Microsoft. Now in its 15th year, Internet...

Usability: Helping buyers round the maze.
April 1, 2008... Constructing a great site is pointless if users can't find their way around it. Studies show regular analysis is key to repeat and extended visits. Mike Fletcher investigates. Following the Government's decision to nationalise Northern...

The Revolution Masterclass on email marketing.
April 1, 2008... Despite the popularity of email and mobile phones, marketers have by and large failed to target consumers effectively via either channel While mobile advertising has been plagued by technical, legal and political wranglings, email marketing has...

Too many brands fail to take full advantage of email marketing.
April 1, 2008... Victoria Furness finds out how to avoid missed opportunities. MASTERCLASS PANEL Nick Christie is UK country manager for Epsilon International and responsible for managing Epsilon's UK email marketing customer base Christie worked at...

Project watch: From pitch to page.
April 1, 2008... Breast Cancer Care and digital agency Enable Interactive plan to transform the charity's web strategy to become totally user-centric. In the first of a series, Hayley Pinkerfield tracks the project from pitch to launch. Breast Cancer Care,...

The Revolution Online Advertising Report: Predict a click.
April 1, 2008... A way to get one step ahead of the consumer - to know what he's going to do before he does? Sounds too good to be true? Read on... Alex Blythe looks into behavioural targeting. Online behavioural targeting offers - in theory at least - a...

The Revolution Online Advertising Report: Vertical search - Welcome to the next generation of search.
April 1, 2008... Search is evolving. It's no longer enough to help people find your website. They want blogs, videos, images and maps, writes Kim Benjamin. If you typed the words 'dove natural beauty' into Google at the end of February, you might have got...

The Revolution Online Advertising Report: Beyond pre-roll.
April 1, 2008... As web users flock to video content, how can brands tackle the problem of pre-roll blindness? Alex Blythe investigates. Pre-roll has taken the online advertising world by storm. This time last year, it was clear consumers were taking less...

Creative review: Giles Montgomery, Grand Union.
April 1, 2008... Giles Montgomery is the creative director of Grand Union Montgomery's client list at Grand Union includes Coca-Cola, Sky, Boots, npower, Ask.com and the Energy Saving Trust. Previously, he held senior creative positions at Wieden & Kennedy,...

Campaign study.
April 1, 2008... Campaign O2 - Cocoon blogger outreach Client: O2 Agency: VCCP The launch campaign for O2's innovative Cocoon mobile handset aimed to create a buzz among influential UK bloggers in order to drive online advocacy and word of mouth ...

Trailblazer: Ponti's pronto.
April 1, 2008... Stefano Ispani and Ron Korszak from Italian food chain Ponti's want to use the net to serve customers in the most efficient way. London-based readers will probably know Ponti's as somewhere to grab a proper, Italian Lavazza coffee and...

Terminator 1: The Revolution Awards Hall of Shame.
April 1, 2008... If you weren't at the awards, here's a taste of what you missed. The 11th Revolution Awards, held on 7 March 2008 at London's Grosvenor Hotel, turned into one hell of a party. More than a 1,000 of you turned out. And, by the look of the...