Revolution articles from December 2005

Revolution archives from December 2005

Letter from the editor.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 6, 2005... Helping traditional marketers get to grips with digital is one of our core missions and in this month's issue, we've taken it to heart. Last month's star-studded IAB conference saw Bill Gates, Sir Martin Sorrell, Lord Puttnam and Aegis CEO...

RAC hires AKQA for first stage of awareness-raising campaign.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... The RAC plans to completely overhaul its online presence in the second quarter of 2006. It has appointed AKQA to lead its digital work after a pitch. The agency will develop the online infrastructure to support a new brand positioning,...

Gillian Kent to lead judges of 2006 Awards.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Gillian Kent, head of MSN UK, is to chair this year's judging panel for the Revolution Awards. Kent will lead a panel of marketing luminaries, who include Simon Thompson of Honda UK, Pippa Dunn of Orange, and Guy Phillipson of the IAB. ...

Christian Aid to pick agency for redesign.
December 6, 2005... Charity Christian Aid is finalising a pitch shortlist of agencies to redevelop its corporate web site (www.christianaid.org.uk). The revamped site will focus on engaging specific target audiences to raise funds and boost campaigns, and...

Deals: Universal Music Group signs deal with Vodafone.
December 6, 2005... Universal Music Group has signed a deal giving Vodafone live! customers access to a range of products and services featuring stars like Eminem, U2, 50 Cent and Scissor Sisters. Included are full-track audio and video downloads, and ringtones.

Deals: MSN UK signs deal with Times Online.
December 6, 2005... MSN UK has signed an exclusive, six-figure deal with Times Online to power the site's queries through MSN Search. Under the contract, which runs until June 2006, the site's 'Search the Web' toolbar will be MSN-branded and drive users to the MSN...

Deals: Themutual.net buys Electronic Direct Response.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Themutual.net, which operates a reward-based shopping portal, has bought email-marketing specialist Electronic Direct Response (EDR) in a deal worth pounds 4 million to pounds 6m. The group claims to own more than six million email addresses,...

Deals: Blinkx.tv announces partnership with Eurosport.
December 6, 2005... Online video search service Blinkx.tv has announced a partnership with sports TV channel Eurosport, which will enable users to search hundreds of sports video clips to watch online.

Deals: DatingDirect.com signs exclusive deal.
December 6, 2005... DatingDirect.com has signed an exclusive deal to provide dating services to Northern & Shell Group's online magazine titles, including OK!. DatingDirect has also partnered Heart FM to provide the radio station with its own dating site.

Deals: The Guardian extends link with SimplySwitch.
December 6, 2005... The Guardian has extended its link with price-comparison and switching service SimplySwitch to include a joint-branded microsite, where readers will be able to check prices and switch broadband provider.

Deals: Connectpoint Group acquires OnlineDM.
December 6, 2005... Manchester-based media firm Connectpoint Group has acquired e-marketing specialist OnlineDM for an undisclosed sum. OnlineDM, whose clients include Moneysupermarket.com, Hyatt Hotels and Trailfinders, will rebrand as Connectpoint Direct and...

Deals: Microsoft teams with Associated Press.
December 6, 2005... Microsoft has teamed with Associated Press (AP) to offer an ad-supported online video-news network, set to launch in early 2006. Microsoft will supply the technology, video player and ad support, while AP's broadcast division will provide...

Deals: Channel 4 partners ValueClock.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Channel 4 has partnered ValueClick Europe's online network vcmedia to boost ad revenues from the Celebrity Big Brother site. It marks the first time Channel 4 has used an external sales house for the site, which will be created within...

Deals: Abovethesky.com teams with Pigsback.com.
December 6, 2005... Independent music site Abovethesky.com has teamed with reward-based consumer site Pigsback.com for a music download loyalty scheme. Abovethesky will be integrated into Pigsback.com, enabling members to download music using their PiggyPoints and...

TfL reviews supplier roster for web effort.(Transport for London)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Transport for London (TfL) is reviewing its agency roster as it extends its digital services. The body expects to switch more of its pounds 12m annual marketing spend online over the next few years. TfL said the review would create a new...

Coors names new agencies for 2006 work.
December 6, 2005... Coors has dropped web design agency DC Interact, replacing it with current suppliers Fast Web Media and creative agency Mobious, as it plans its digital and direct marketing for next year. The brewer, which owns beer brands Carling and...

Mazda puts digital at centre of 'Zoom-Zoom experiences'.
December 6, 2005... Mazda is to place online at the heart of a new European ad strategy next year. The car maker is to launch a 'Zoom Zoom experiences' project, which will integrate all marketing activity with a new site that will become a branded broadcast...

Good month/bad month.(Lycos Europe revenues)(Ask Jeeves UK faces redundancy)(Peter Francis-Macrae sentenced to jail)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Great news for Lycos Europe in announcing that it is on course to break even in 2006 after a turnaround in its ad business. Overall revenues leapt 39 per cent year-on-year to 31.7 million euros for the third quarter, while ad sales increased by...

Just breaking: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions (1-31 October 2005).
December 6, 2005... 1 Arsenal Get exclusive Arsenal wallpapers and more 2 MBNA Europe Bank All our cards offer: 0% pa 3 Dunlop Win MPH 05 tickets with Dunlop 4 Searchanything.co.uk Search for the best...

Scandinavian Airlines rolls out ticket offer with Times Online.
December 6, 2005... Scandinavian Airlines has linked with Times Online for an exclusive offer in an effort to drive ticket sales and raise awareness of Scandinavian cities as short-break destinations. During December, the airline will offer Times Online...

Falling open rates prompt email concern.
December 6, 2005... Email's value as a customer-acquisition tool is in doubt following a report showing open rates continue to fall. DoubleClick's Email Trend Report for EMEA found open rates fell eight per cent in the Q2 2005 to 32 per cent; a fifth...

NABS brings charity art show to the web.
December 6, 2005... NABS, the charity for the advertising and marketing industry, is running its first online push, for its annual Art Show, which opens on 1 December with a private viewing, party and auction. Digital agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine has...

Miller rejigs global brand positioning.
December 6, 2005... SABMiller is to overhaul the web strategy for its flagship beer, Miller Genuine Draft, in line with a new brand positioning set for next year. It wants to target the brand at trendsetters and 'a more urban audience' in a break away from...

Owen on digital media: Marketers know the answer is online, but not how to handle it.
December 6, 2005... Last month, the IAB announced a 60 per cent year-on-year rise in online ad spend in the UK. This month, the European Interactive Advertisers Association has published a report that appears to prove that Europe's marketers have embraced the...

Account wins.(TUI UK signs a email marketing agreement with CreatorMail)(Kitbag.com appoints Logan Tod )
December 6, 2005... TUI UK has hired CreatorMail to provide email marketing services, following a pitch against six service providers. CreatorMail will develop response-driven campaigns across TUI brands such as Thomson Holidays. 20th Century Fox used...

Npower boosts web after media rethink.
December 6, 2005... Npower is overhauling its web marketing strategy with the aim of doubling its annual spend to more than pounds 800,000 as it hunts for its first dedicated online marketing manager. The energy supplier has hired digital agency Diffiniti to...

Zopa aims to attract more moneylenders.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Online loan exchange Zopa is set to launch its first campaign targeting potential lenders. The company wants to inform lenders they can earn 7.8 per cent gross interest on money they invest in the loan scheme, which it also says is secure....

ITV seeks partners for mobile initiative.
December 6, 2005... ITV is on the hunt for advertising partners to participate in its mobile voucher scheme, which it is trialling in Sainsbury's and Jacksons stores. Viewers in Yorkshire can text the ITV shortcode 6330 to receive information on the offers on...

Tracker: Definitions.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Unique visitors: The number of unique people who have gone to the site at least once in the defined time period Reach % (active): The number of unique web users seeing a web site one or more times, expressed as a percentage of the total...

Tesco backs clothes range with gift finder.
December 6, 2005... Tesco has launched an online gift-finder facility for its clothing range in time for Christmas. The finder, on Tesco's clothes site (www.tesco.com/clothing), which launched in April, allows shoppers to select items from the Cherokee,...

Woolworths unveils Christmas microsite.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Woolworths is targeting Christmas customers with extensive online marketing as part of a pounds 20 million push to raise sales. The retailer has launched a Christmas microsite (www.woolworths.co.uk/xmas) with about 250,000 items available...

Scherna puts focus on web for razor push.
December 6, 2005... Electrical beauty products maker Scherna has put digital at the heart of an integrated deal to push its new his 'n' hers electric shaver. The AquaShave, in pink for girls and black for men, was promoted through a web film developed by...

Griffiths on mobile: Brits can show the way forward in the evolution of mobile.
December 6, 2005... The majority of the 63 million mobiles in use in the UK are obvious targets for advertisers to bombard users with streams of promotions. Many campaigns involving text input from users have been conducted, sometimes with great results, such...

Moving On Up: Appointment at ITV.
December 6, 2005... ITV has hired Ann Cook as controller of ITV interactive and ITV.com, where her remit will be to boost revenue through interactive channels and develop commercial content. Previously, she was director of international client relations at...

Moving On Up: Appointment at Proximity London.
December 6, 2005... Proximity London has hired Mark Iremonger, managing director of unit9, as head of digital. Stewart Atkins, who has headed Proximity's digital arm for the past year, moves to the new role of director of digital innovation and technology, and...

Moving On Up: Appointment at AOL UK.
December 6, 2005... Tobin Ireland has been appointed to the new position of senior VP and chief marketing officer at AOL UK. He will oversee marketing, consumer insight, communication and product marketing. Ireland has been acting VP of strategy at AOL since...

Moving On Up: Appointment at i-level - Generator Consulting.
December 6, 2005... Adam Freeman, deputy ad director at Guardian Newspapers, is leaving to join i-level as managing director of its spin-off digital consultancy and research division, Generator Consulting. Freeman will join in January, working alongside managing...

Moving On Up: Appointment at E-consultancy.
December 6, 2005... E-consultancy has recruited Linus Gregoriadis as an analyst. Formerly a journalist, he has written for The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Independent. Earlier, he was a senior research consultant at Intrepid Consultants, where he worked...

Moving On Up: Appointment at Pavilion.
December 6, 2005... North West-based independent integrated agency Pavilion has appointed Paul Carysforth, ex-head of media at Moonfish, as head of digital media. He brings more than seven years' experience in media planning and buying, digital marketing and web...

Moving On Up: Appointment at Vcmedia.
December 6, 2005... Vcmedia, ValueClick Europe's online ad sales firm, has hired Carole Jordorson to lead its sales team. She has over 13 years' experience in sales management, seven in the online consumer portal market. For the past four years, she has worked at...

Moving On Up: Appointment at Goodtechnology.(Brian Kealy is appointed in goodtechnology as group account director)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Disney marketer Brian Kealy has joined Goodtechnology as group account director to head up the BA, Whitbread and Premier Travel Inn accounts. Kealy spent six years creating off- and online promotions for Disney resorts and parks in the US...

Moving On Up: Appointment at Hotel group Hand Picked.
December 6, 2005... Hotel group Hand Picked Hotels has hired Nicola Holland as e-commerce marketing manager. Most recently, Holland was interactive marketing manager at Travelodge where she managed the launch of its site and a hotel rooms search tool.

Moving On Up: Appointment at Syzygy.
December 6, 2005... Scott Bedford is the new creative director at Syzygy, having moved from agency.com. He replaces Matthew Bagwell, who has become pan-European executive creative director. Allison Wieser has also joined as senior planner. She was previously...

Moving On Up: Appointment at WebWorks.
December 6, 2005... Stuart Rowe has been named UK managing director at WebWorks, which powers Play.com. He was e-commerce director and board member at HMV.

Moving On Up: Appointment at Wheel.
December 6, 2005... Wheel has appointed Stefanie Wulfestieg as new business development director. She has 10 years' experience of account management and business development in both traditional and new media.

Moving On Up: Appointment at MIVA.(Adam Poulter is appointed in miva as managing director)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Adam Poulter has been appointed managing director, Europe, at MIVA. Based at the London office, he will report to COO Peter Corrao. Poulter brings more than 20 years' experience in sales, business development and management, including nine...

Marvel unveils first UK e-shopping site.
December 6, 2005... Marvel has launched its first shopping site for its range of licensed brands. The comics giant hopes to use Marvel.co.uk as a launchpad to expand into Europe and other territories. The site will sell merchandise and offer information...

Gaffney on America: The turning point for news to migrate online has arrived.
December 6, 2005... 'Newspapers are dead, long live newspapers' - that's the big story on this side of the pond as the Year of the Great Internet Comeback comes to an end. In my opinion, it's the story of the year. In short, printed newspapers are tanking....

Performance index.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... The Revolution Keynote Performance Index measures the performance of 20 representative sites from across the digital economy in terms of speed of loading and site availability. The top 10 are featured each week, and the worst performing web...

Digital Direct: Email marketers need to act to stall slide of open rates.
December 6, 2005... There is a wealth of great information in the email-marketing marketplace for marketers to draw on and make tactical and strategic decisions. As a community, I believe we are well served by information, readily available to track changes...

P&O drives day trips to France via digital.(P and O Ferries )(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... P&O Ferries is launching a web push to encourage users to take day-trips to France to stock up for Christmas and drive early bookings for summer 2006. The ferry operator has teamed with Tiscali for a deal that will see it run ads across...

Direct Stats.
December 6, 2005... This month A third of email service providers said that their clients still do not track email conversion rates. Emma Rigby reports. This is despite the fact that the Direct Marketing Association's National Email Marketing Report showed...

Polydor rolls out fan site for Girls Aloud.
December 6, 2005... Universal Records' Polydor label has launched a fan site and online shop for band Girls Aloud. Visitors to Girlsaloud.co.uk can stream and download the video for the band's latest single, Biology, as well as download and pre-order tracks....

Nickelodeon unveils web game for show.
December 6, 2005... Children's channel Nickelodeon has launched a web promotion for new animated show Avatar, The Legend of Aang. The push involves an online media campaign, incorporating ads, partnership content and an online game. Rich-media ads include...

Vital statistics: Shop round-the-clock.
December 6, 2005... This month Consumers expect the personal touch as well as the ability to bank and shop round-the-clock. Research by the Henley Centre for BT highlighted a growing demand for 24/7 services. Nearly one-sixth of all shopping now takes place...

Analysis: Email open rates continue to slide.
December 6, 2005... DoubleClick's latest report on email marketing showed open rates fell for the fifth consecutive quarter. It's a worrying trend for brands that invest heavily in email and raises questions over the channel, particularly as a customer acquisition...

Analysis: ITV eyes fit with Friends Reunited.
December 6, 2005... ITV is close to snapping up Friends Reunited after reportedly bidding up to pounds 170 million, in a move that would represent the broadcaster's first major online acquisition since it was created by the merger of Carlton and Granada last year....

Vox pop: What were the momentous acquisitions of 2005?
December 6, 2005... This year saw a raft of deals and takeovers, but which stand out? 2005 has been a ripe year for acquisitions as traditional and digital firms have sought to position themselves for a new phase of growth in the interactive sector. Ebay...

Editorial: New boom needs new approach.(Editorial)
December 6, 2005... Worrying isn't it? The rest of media land appears to have decided that the web is once again worth investing in. Thus, all over the City and in media boardrooms everywhere, executives are dusting off those files labelled 'internet' and shoving...

Comment - Consumers have grabbed their chance for power.
December 6, 2005... 'Individualisation' is no longer a luxury for advertisers; it's a base-line requirement for the simple reason that consumers expect it as the advertiser's price of entry to even start a conversation. Any advertiser who doesn't believe that is...

Sector checker: TK Maxx fails to transfer high street success to the web.
December 6, 2005... ValueClick's Carl White checks out TK Maxx's site, but finds it lacks meaningful content and fails to offer a compelling reason to sign up. Web: www.tkmaxx.co.uk Developer: Design UK The concept of offering designer brands at...

Npower: Npower turns on to digital.(Company Profile)
December 6, 2005... Customer marketing head Kevin Peake tells Susie Harwood why npower has decided to integrate its on- and offline media strategy for the first time. It's no coincidence that npower's decision to switch media agency and double online...

The BIMA Judges.
December 6, 2005... 1. Patrick Baglee - Creative director, EHS Brann As a copywriter, Baglee has written many of the sites that EHS Brann has produced for clients including Diesel. He believes interactive deserves the highest standards. 2. Damian Ferrar -...

BIMAS 2005: In association with Revolution.
December 6, 2005... What a way to celebrate the 21st BIMA Awards. We had more entries this year than any other and work was of an incredibly high standard. Perhaps most significant is how far the interactive world has come since BIMA launched its awards, back...

BIMAS 2005: Grand prix - Winner - Samsung.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Project: Samsung Welcome Experience Client: Samsung Agency: The Imagination Group The transportable project, the Samsung Welcome Experience, was a show that could be shown at events where its mix of interactivity and a virtual journey...

BIMAS 2005: Innovation award - Winner - Samsung.
December 6, 2005... Project: Samsung Welcome Experience Client: Samsung Agency: The Imagination Group Samsung's Welcome Experience is a prime example of this. Using interactive screens to promote Samsung's products, The Imagination Group developed a 3D...

BIMAS 2005: Best integrated campaign - Winner - Orange.
December 6, 2005... Project: Orange Paper Film Festival Client: Orange Agency: Poke Users could shoot videos and save clips on their handsets, and send them via MMS to 078 140 PAPER. They were then sent a unique ID reference that allowed them to access...

BIMAS 2005: Best interactive advertising - Winner - Yell.com.
December 6, 2005... Project: Yell.com's Great British Summer Client: Yell.com Agency: AKQA The objectives for the campaign were to: differentiate Yell.com from the other search engines; communicate Yell.com's 'local expertise', for example enable...

BIMAS 2005: Best CRM/email - Winner - Virgin Holidays.
December 6, 2005... Project: Virgin Holidays eCRM programme Client: Virgin Holidays Agency: Underwired Underwired defined customer segments based on previous purchase behaviour and their place in the purchasing cycle. It then assembled a comprehensive...

BIMAS 2005: Best microsite - Winner - EMI Records.
December 6, 2005... Project: Magic Numbers Poster Maker Client: EMI Records Agency: Bloc Media The microsite's Magic Numbers poster maker enables fans to create their own 'posters' of the band by dragging and dropping various images, colours, text and...

BIMAS 2005: Best mobile/handset - Winner - iCoach.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Project: iCoach Client: Bournemouth University Creator: Andrew Devlin While the system is hosted on the internet, its key advantage is that it can be used on the move, away from the office, via handheld devices. Using the online...

BIMAS 2005: Best online game - Winner - BBC Drama.
December 6, 2005... Project: Spooks 3 Games 'The Grid' Client: BBC Drama Agency Preloaded The aim was to help viewers feel part of the programme by developing themes around the covert nature of MI5's activities. Also key was the generation of traffic...

BIMAS 2005: Best consumer - Winner - Premier Travel Inn.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Project: Premier Travel Inn web site Client: Premier Travel Inn Agency: Goodtechnology These needs were defined as: find a hotel, check availability and book a room. The agency wanted to build 'a solid e-commerce site with character',...

BIMAS 2005: Best business to business - Winner - Kendall Tarrant.
December 6, 2005... Project: Interviews from Hell Client: Kendall Tarrant Agency: Modem Media with Pistol Marketing A project to promote the firm aimed to bring this idea to life with a concept the audience could relate to and showed that Kendall Tarrant...

BIMAS 2005: Best entertainment - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Getaway: Black Monday Client: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Agency: randommedia Thus, randommedia created an interactive movie through which users could explore elements of the game. The objective was to immerse the user in a...

BIMAS 2005: Best art & culture - Made in MTL.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Made in MTL Client: Made in MTL Agency: BlueSponge/Locomotion The city was presented on a screen generated by artificial intelligence technology that links places, phrases, keywords, video, sounds and images. Both a space and a...

BIMAS 2005: Best information - BBC (Radio 1).
December 6, 2005... Excess All Areas Client: BBC (Radio 1) Agency: Randommedia It allowed users to 'feed' a virtual clubber with narcotics in various doses to learn about their effect on various parts of the body, as well as offering safety advice. ...

BIMAS 2005: Best education & training - London Underground Training DVD.
December 6, 2005... London Underground Training DVD Client London Underground Agency: The Imagination Group The Imagination Group used animation, real CCTV video and static images of Tube workers to explain how problems can arise and be dealt with. ...

BIMAS 2005: Best interactive TV - Sky Gamestar.
December 6, 2005... Sky Gamestar Client: Sky Gamestar Agency: Sky Interactive Offering a selection of up to 30 titles, which are constantly updated, the service combines free and paid-for games based on brands such as Monopoly and Who Wants to be a...

BIMAS 2005: Best charity/not-for-profit - Christian Aid.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... Christian Aid Week Appeal Client: Christian Aid Agency: Poke This, the winning entry, earned this award in a hard-fought category for Christian Aid's 2005 campaign. This year, the charity's message focused on sustainable...

BIMAS 2005: Best installation or kiosk - O2.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... 02 Retail Development Client: O2 Agency: The Imagination Group Key to the initiative was the desire to 'push the boundaries' of a retail experience and make it as immersive as possible. Thus, two different interactive experiences...

BIMAS 2005: Best student - The Virtual Garden.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2005... The Virtual Garden Students: Nick Goward, Linze Holt, Lisa Gray & Graham Musk Institution: New Media Hull, Hull School of Art and Design, University of Lincoln At a time when interactive talent is in such high demand, the entries in...

The Revolution Mobile Marketing Report: Let the customer dictate strategy.
December 6, 2005... Mobile marketing remains on the cusp. Now that the UK's operators have finally launched 3G, advertisers can look forward to fully exploiting the mobile internet and help to support its growth... but not quite yet. At the moment, mobile...

The Revolution Mobile Marketing Report: Mobile internet - Mobile's new opportunity.
December 6, 2005... Will i-mode have the same effect in the West as it has had in Japan? Adam Woods looks at the chance of it taking over from WAP. Since it took off in Japan six years ago, NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service has been the mobile internet phenomenon...