Revolution articles from February 2006

Revolution archives from February 2006

Letter from the editor.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
February 28, 2006... It's Oscar time next month. For Revolution, that usually means little, unless someone blubs uncontrollably during their speech, in which case we'll file it as more proof that actors should be looked upon as anything but role models. ...

Boots recruits external delivery firm to cope with web growth.
February 28, 2006... Boots has struck a deal to have its online retail-delivery service fulfilled by an external company for the first time. Fuelled by major growth in its online store, Boots has hired fulfilment house i-Force, after a pitch, to handle...

Army work tops nominees for digital awards.
February 28, 2006... Publicis Dialog's 'Army Officer' campaign for the COI has received the most nominations for the 2006 Revolution Awards. It made the shortlist for four awards: Best Online Advertising, Best Integrated Marketing Campaign, Best Public Sector...

C4 adds Mook to its digital agency roster.
February 28, 2006... Channel 4 has added Mook to its roster of digital agencies and handed it the online campaign for new drama series Invasion. The agency has developed a rich-media campaign and micro-site for the series, which forms a key part of the...

Deals: BT and Tate Online join forces.
February 28, 2006... BT has joined forces with Tate Online to promote its broadband service. Under the agreement, BT will donate pounds 30 to Tate for each purchase of BT Broadband made on Tate.org.uk/btbroadband. BT has been the sole sponsor of Tate Online since...

Deals: dgm sign partnership with Allapprovedcars.com.
February 28, 2006... Web marketing group dgm has signed an exclusive partnership with Allapprovedcars.com. The automotive site will offer banners, Skyscrapers and MPUs on every page through dgmAdNetwork.

Deals: ITN will partner Google.
February 28, 2006... ITN will partner Google in the planned launch of the search engine's Video Store. It is a video marketplace where users will be able to buy and rent a range of video content from ITN, plus other networks and independents.

Deals: MSN signs a deal with Thomson Directories.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... MSN has signed an exclusive deal with Thomson Directories to provide the local directories listings for the beta of MSN Local search. The service will enable quick searches for local services and businesses by town or postcode. Thomson's...

Deals: OpenBC teams u with Skype.
February 28, 2006... Business networking platform OpenBC has teamed up with Skype to enable members to use it to make internet calls, chat, and send files to one another direct from their contacts' profile pages within the OpenBCplatform.

Deals: Themutual.net plc acquires iD Factor Limited.
February 28, 2006... Direct email marketing firm Themutual.net plc has acquired iD Factor Limited (IDF) to add online market research to its services portfolio in a deal worth up to pounds 2.9 million. iD Factor offers online survey management and fieldwork...

Deals: 02 announces it will sponsore the Brit Awards.
February 28, 2006... Mobile operator O2 has announced it will sponsor the Brit Awards for the third year running, in association with Motorola. As part of the deal, the operator will provide the SMS-voting mechanism for the awards and make exclusive video content...

Deals: Blinkx seals partnerships.
February 28, 2006... Search engine Blinkx has sealed partnerships with a range of leading short film providers, including BBC Film Network, Tiscali, LOVEFiLM and World Cinema Online. The agreements will make emerging and leading independent short films available...

Deals: Aura Play signs up by Xfire.
February 28, 2006... Digital entertainment agency Aura Play has been signed up by gaming platform Xfire to act as sales house and sponsorship agent for Xfire in the UK and Europe.

Deals: The Sunday Club announces it will use Interoute's Share.
February 28, 2006... Dance act Underworld's management team, The Sunday Club, has announced that it will use Interoute's Share, an online music platform for secure pre-release distribution. Share is used by media firms such as EMI, Warner, and Saatchi & Saatchi to...

Vodafone moves to sponsor live music.
February 28, 2006... Vodafone is to commit to a new live-music sponsorship strategy with online at its heart after appointing dare as its first retained digital creative agency last month. The mobile network, which admits falling behind in its use of digital,...

Scot Widows invests in web brand push.
February 28, 2006... Scottish Widows is embarking on its first major online brand campaign with the launch of a marketing push that includes a web spend of more than pounds 1m. The financial services firm said online activity accounted for more than a third of...

Land Rover supports G4 global challenge with digital activities.
February 28, 2006... Land Rover is developing a mobile site, Bluetooth advertising and online games to back its global adventure challenge. The car manufacturer has also launched a new web site (www.landroverg4challenge.com) for the event, which will see...

Good month/bad month.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... Good news for thrifty people. Tesco has launched a free web phone service to encourage customers to switch from using traditional phone services. Benefits include no line rental, installation or contract costs. It's a great time for...

Just breaking: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions (1-31 December 2005).
February 28, 2006... 1 MetrixLab 2005 web site of the year 2 BSkyB Sky TV half-price for the first three months 3 British Telecommunications Go wireless with BT broadband 4 Eurotunnel pounds 49 single to France by...

The AA redesigns web identity to focus on the staff behind it.
February 28, 2006... The AA has overhauled its web site to reposition the brand online by focusing more on the team behind the service. The site, developed by digital creative agency dare and scheduled to go live in mid-February, features photography of AA...

CA uses net for consumer product suite.(Computer Associates)(Brief article)
February 28, 2006... Computer Associates (CA) is planning a web push for its consumer security products following its appointment of digital agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine in December. The campaign forms part of a wider strategy to build awareness of CA as...

Nestle adds brands to KitKash promo II.
February 28, 2006... Nestle Rowntree is adding more brands to the second phase of its web promotion, KitKash. Running for the next nine months, the promotion will be backed by a pounds 2 million media campaign, including TV. The FMCG group is running the...

Western Union hires Profero in Euro drive.
February 28, 2006... Western Union has appointed Profero as its first digital creative agency in Europe as part of a drive to sign up more customers to its online money-transfer service. The financial services firm plans to take a more European approach to...

Account wins.
February 28, 2006... Soft-drinks company Britvic has chosen Enpocket as its exclusive mobile marketing provider. It will deliver mobile-related campaigns across 15 brands, including Pepsi and Tango, and act as the central partner for its roster of retained...

Owen on digital media: Let's get the digital marketing creative show on the road.
February 28, 2006... We're barely into 2006 and already the digital marketing industry has been celebrating its achievements. The IAB held its inaugural UK Online Creative Week late last month, the centrepiece of which was a showcase of the industry's best...

Anti-drug driving site targets teenagers.
February 28, 2006... The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has launched an anti-drug-driving push using the web and podcasting. The department partnered with Ministry of Sound to target a young audience on the dangers of driving after taking drugs. ...

April deadline set for late copy decisions.(Association of Online Publishers)(Brief article)
February 28, 2006... UK online media owners have until April to decide how they charge advertisers and agencies for supplying late copy, in accordance with new guidelines from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). ...

Tracker: Ticketing web sites, January 2006.
February 28, 2006... Traffic to UK sites 0.20% Average session duration 5 mins 49 secs Methodology Data produced by Hitwise, which claims to monitor more than 40 per cent of all UK internet traffic through its ISP partnerships...

Miller launches viral in new ad strategy.
February 28, 2006... SABMiller, brewer of Miller beer, has launched its new ad strategy in the form of an online viral in 25 territories to support an above-the-line push. The campaign replaces 'Miller Time' with a new message, 'The Miller Way'. It aims...

Virgin links with AOL for live radio stream.
February 28, 2006... Virgin Radio has partnered with AOL to promote the new Christian O'Connell Breakfast show, using a brand new audio-visual ad format. For a limited period, AOL users will be able to access live video footage of the DJ on air. AOL will...

BMRB reports surge in web use in 2005.(British Market Research Bureau, online usage doubles in 2005)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... The British Market Research Bureau's (BMRB) reported that growth in online usage doubled in 2005, compared with previous years. The number of users grew by 13 per cent last year - twice the seven per cent growth recorded for both 2003 and...

Griffiths on mobile: Relevant, location-based search is key for growth of WAP.
February 28, 2006... With 2005 firmly behind us, the volume of UK WAP traffic has broken the 30 billion page barrier - up from 24bn in 2004 - with an estimated five million users a month. Last year saw some pretty big launches, such as i-mode, mobile TV and...

Time thief: Jude Brooks, interactive and CRM manager at Capital Radio, tells us her day.
February 28, 2006... 14% Commuting: Early mornings are hard work. I wake, dress and feed my three-year-old daughter, drop her off at nursery and then stuff myself on to the Central line. I commute with two other nursery mums who are loyal Capital listeners and...

Buena Vista seeks to drive bookings via web partners.
February 28, 2006... Buena Vista International (BVI) aims to forge closer partnerships with cinema sites and media partners, such as ISPs, to drive pre-bookings online. Digital agency Digital Outlook will create an online strategy for BVI's animated films and...

Kuoni refits web site to enable users to personalise holidays.
February 28, 2006... Long-haul tour operator Kuoni is overhauling its core web site, Kuoni.co.uk, to enable holidaymakers to book more dynamic packages that can be tailored to their personal preferences. Customers will be able to choose the various elements of...

Sutherland to open our first 2006 Forum.(Rory Sutherland)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman and executive creative director of OgilvyOne, will give the key-note speech at the first Revolution Forum of 2006. Sutherland, one of the industry's most renowned speakers, will kick of the three-day event...

Honda scores first with Civic 'vodcast'.
February 28, 2006... Honda is the first major brand to launch a video-podcast, or 'vodcast', this year as part of a new ad campaign for the Civic. The car manufacturer's two-minute TV ad for the Honda Civic, created by agency Wieden & Kennedy London, has been...

Gaffney on America: The only thing that really matters in 2006 is next year.
February 28, 2006... I'm relieved to report that I believe I've read every wrap-up of 2005 and 'Things to watch out for in 2006' for the insular world of US internet marketing. For the most part, it's a shame they had to kill trees or clutter cyberspace with...

Performance index.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... 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...

Moving on up: Appointment at unit9.creative.production.
February 28, 2006... Takayoshi Kishimoto, former creative director of Tokyo-based TYO Interactive Design, has joined digital agency unit9.creative.production in London as creative director. The move is part of a collaboration between the two firms. In Japan,...

Moving on up: Appointment at Google.
February 28, 2006... Google UK has hired Mark Howe as managing director. He has worked in the British TV industry for more than 20 years, including 12 years in multi-channel TV. His last position was managing director of Flextech's media sales house, ids.

Moving on up: Appointment at i-level.
February 28, 2006... Mark Creighton has been promoted from senior group account director to managing director of digital agency i-level. He will report to group managing director Faith Carthy and starts with immediate effect.

Moving on up: Appointment at Sky Interactive.
February 28, 2006... James Baker is the new managing director of Sky Interactive, reporting to Jon Florsheim, Sky's chief marketing officer. Baker will lead the development of the Sky Interactive business, which operates interactive portals and the Sky Active and...

Moving on up: Appointment at Walker-i.
February 28, 2006... Mark Syal has been appointed as head of Walker-i, the digital specialist arm of Walker Media. He leaves Aegis-owned Diffiniti.

Moving on up: Appointment at Carlson Marketing EMEA.(Valerie Popeck)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... Valerie Popeck is to head up the marketing department of Carlson Marketing EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). She moves from her position as consultant at Peppers & Rogers Group, which joined Carlson Marketing in 2003. As marketing...

Moving on up: Appointment at Revenue Science.
February 28, 2006... Richard Foster has joined US behavioural targeting firm Revenue Science as UK MD to open up their UK office. The company has signed launch deals with ANM and FT. Foster moves from 24/7 Real Media, where he had been UK commercial director for...

Moving on up: Appointment at Eyeblaster.
February 28, 2006... Joel Crawford joins Eyeblaster as business development director of the firm's new advertising campaign manager platform.

Moving on up: Appointment at uSwitch.com.
February 28, 2006... Michael Longden has been hired as brand development manager at utilities comparison and switching service uSwitch.com. He will report to marketing director Barry Holloway and work with Nicola Vidal, customer development manager.

Moving on up: Appointments at Carat Digital.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... Carat Digital has made several appointments after a management restructure. Dina Gowar and Julie Jeancolas have been promoted to group account directors, overseeing two divisions. Sarah Gautrey and Cindy Lee have been recruited as account...

Moving on up: Appointment at Yahoo! Shopping in Europe.
February 28, 2006... Bill Rowley has been appointed general manager at Yahoo! Shopping in Europe. He has responsibility for product development across European markets and was previously senior director of business development for Yahoo! Shopping in the US.

Moving on up: Appointment at Mizu.
February 28, 2006... Clare Wells has joined Bath-based new media agency Mizu as business development and account manager, reporting to creative director Emma Smith.

Moving on up: Appointments at Holler.
February 28, 2006... Holler has hired three new developers - Gautama Payment, Roberto Cascavilla and Mischa Williamson - to the agency as junior, middle-weight and senior developers respectively.

Moving on up: Appointment at TBG London.
February 28, 2006... Digital marketing agency TBG London has hired Rick Sareen as its first non-executive director. He joins Simon Mansell, TBG's founder and managing director, on the board.

Moving on up: Appointment at Touch.
February 28, 2006... Online search directories operator Touch has hired Karl Gregory as marketing director. The former head of marketing at Yahoo! Search UK & Ireland will be responsible for driving acquisitions and helping businesses connect with customers.

Moving on up: Appointment at etv.
February 28, 2006... Damon Letzer has left his job as interactive business controller at Five to become sales director at etv (formerly enteraction TV), reporting to business development director James Penfold. At Five for six years, Letzer held several roles, and...

BBC pilots video on demand TV content.
February 28, 2006... The BBC has launched a range of parenting TV programmes on the web in a major pilot to test plans to make its factual broadcast content available online. The BBC Parenting Video On Demand player (www.bbc.co.uk/parenting) will allow users...

BAE starts web plan with new ship site.
February 28, 2006... BAE Systems has created a web site dedicated to the launch of its new advanced warship, HMS Waring. It represents the first step in a wider strategy by the international aerospace and defence company to revamp its online presence. The site...

Data insight event offers strategy aids.
February 28, 2006... Speakers from firms including American Express, Nectar, AOL and O2 will lead a new conference called Actionable Customer Insights, run by Revolution's sister title Marketing Direct. The one-day event, which will be staged at The Dorchester...

Murphy on dotcom life: Friends Reunited to keep its core values under new owner.(Friends Reunited)
February 28, 2006... When I set out in search of a management buy-in towards the end of 2002, I was looking for what must be on the top of all venture capitalists' wish-lists: a small company with huge potential for rapid growth, happy to embrace change, and where...

Digital direct: Mobile bridges gap between passive viewer and buyer.
February 28, 2006... Interactive advertising is growing. You could even say that interactive TV has now moved from niche to mainstream. So, step forward the new young pretender: mobile. Like iTV a few years ago, mobile interactivity seems to be the phrase on...

Alliance & Leicester plans eCRM rollout.(Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank PLC)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2006... Alliance & Leicester is planning to implement a new eCRM communications strategy across all its retail financial products, following the appointment of digital agency Inbox Digital. The move is part of a wider plan to develop closer...

Direct Stats.
February 28, 2006... This month Advertisers are expected to spend more than dollars 14 billion (pounds 8bn) globally on paid search this year, as Susie Harwood reports. According to a new report from US analyst firm Piper Jaffray, the figure represents growth...

Dating Direct seals pounds 1.6m GCap deal.
February 28, 2006... DatingDirect.com has signed a web, airtime and sponsorship deal with radio network GCap Media worth pounds 1.6 million. The agreement will provide each station site in the GCap group with a premium dating service, giving access to more than...

PepsiCo in 'healthy breakfast' promo.
February 28, 2006... PepsiCo brands Tropicana and Quaker Oats have teamed for an online breakfast promotion. It aims to push the idea that, together, the brands can offer honest, valuable advice on eating a healthy breakfast. Visitors to a microsite...

Vital statistics: This month Online continued to see growth, despite a cut in overall marketing budgets.
February 28, 2006... The Q4 2005 Bellwether Report showed strong growth in online spend, despite evidence of the weakest rise in marketing budgets since 2001. Overall, budgets were revised upwards by 15.7 per cent in Q4 2005, compared with an upward revision of 22...

Analysis: Web TV brings new ad openings.
February 28, 2006... The rise of online TV is bringing new opportunities for content owners and advertisers. The launches of Sky by broadband, allowing viewers to watch Sky Movies and Sports highlights on their PC, and Google's TV video-search service, where...

Analysis: HMV blames web for sales slump.
February 28, 2006... HMV announced last month that its profits had been hit by competition from web sites and supermarkets over Christmas, but little sympathy can be found among retail experts, particularly for the brand's failure to compete with the rise of the...

Analysis: Late copy penalties gain support.
February 28, 2006... The new late copy guidelines, announced by the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), aim to bring internet advertising in line with traditional media. A taskforce set up by the trade bodies has agreed...

Vox pop: How can FMCG brands make retail work on the web?
February 28, 2006... Can FMCG firms find success by selling products online? Heinz sells its products to expat communities through a bespoke web site, but, until recently, accepted wisdom was that there is no place for FMCG sales online. Still, this year...

Editorial: Google Earth is a temporary state.(Editorial)
February 28, 2006... Barely a week goes by without a national broadcaster calling Revolution about the latest announcement from Google. The question is always the same - although the topic varies - and this week's was prompted by Google's launch of a paid-for...

Comment: Break the myths that stifle creativity on the web.
February 28, 2006... I'm growing increasingly troubled by the way people classify online advertising. It is now so widespread that it has assumed an authority I'm not sure it deserves: I'm referring to the way people talk of 'creative advertising' versus...

Shopping: Review - Three clicks to chocolate heaven.(Prezzybox)
February 28, 2006... After working 24/7 on the launch of a new business, organising celebrations for my team hadn't even appeared on my 'To Do' list. We might have been up to our necks in beta testing, client charming and press briefings, but I knew the pressure...

Shopping stats: Christmas bonanza online for retailers.
February 28, 2006... Ticketing sites led the growth in sales over the festive season. The traffic figures for 2005's online Christmas-shopping period are in and they make a stirring read for retailers. Even more encouraging is the retail boost achieved by...

Sector checker: Girls Aloud fans should jump at the chance to click here.
February 28, 2006... Amanda Anthony of MSN finds that Girls Aloud has squeezed everything a teenage girl could possibly want into their site with great results. Web: www.girlsaloud.co.uk Developer: Holler I'm pretending I'm a teenager again and asking...

Buena Vista: The view from Hollywood.
February 28, 2006... Lee Jury, Buena Vista's UK marketing director, tells Susie Harwood how digital channels are helping him to get 'more bums on seats' in cinemas. As the film industry obsesses over who will win the Oscars this month, Lee Jury, marketing...

Revolution Awards 2006: Is your work in the running?
February 28, 2006... This year's Revolution Awards, in association with CheetahMail, will take place on 17 March at the Grosvenor House hotel, London. Are you on the shortlist? The shortlists have been announced for this year's Revolution Awards for digital...

Outdoor media: Digital moves outdoors.
February 28, 2006... Bluetooth and touch-screen technology are creating novel opportunities for outdoor advertisers to really immerse users in their brand. Revolutions don't usually start on an escalator in a London Tube station, but if digital infiltrates the...

Search marketing: Search wars get serious.
February 28, 2006... As the internet giants square up for a fight over search, Susie Harwood finds out what it all means for advertisers in the UK. It's not often that Microsoft's entrance into a new sector is greeted with enthusiasm, but advertisers and...

Conference preview: Lucrative Search Marketing.
February 28, 2006... Revolution's first conference dedicated to search marketing will take place at The Dorchester, London, on 14 March. Brands such as Hilton, Interflora, Lastminute.com, More Than and Shopping.com will share their search marketing expertise,...

Marketing vs IT: Same goal, worlds apart.
February 28, 2006... Despite their differences, marketers and IT staff need to bridge the cultural chasm and communicate better so that digital projects meet their aims, as Ben Bold discovers. You would be hard-pushed to find two more culturally different sets...

The Revolution Usability Report sponsored by Foviance: Usability takes in whole experience.
February 28, 2006... No-one who really understands what usability is would dispute its value as an essential part of designing and optimising web sites and digital applications, with a direct impact on the bottom line. It has matured from something that is...

The Revolution Usability Report sponsored by Foviance: Persuasion is the new focus.
February 28, 2006... Usability has moved on, and is now more about helping brands to meet commercial objectives, discovers Stuart Derrick. In the early days, usability was considered a way of helping web designers introduce a human element to their creations to...

The Revolution Usability Report sponsored by Foviance: Focus groups - How to ask the audience.
February 28, 2006... When a company sets out to create a web site, it pays to get users together in a group to find out what they want from it, finds Emma Rigby. When you're close to something, it's easy to miss the obvious. Take, for example, content on a...

Masterclass: The Revolution Masterclass on podcasting.
February 28, 2006... Podcasting offers as yet untapped opportunities to reach a wider, global audience and some firms are taking the plunge, says Suzy Bashford. The New Oxford American Dictionary hailed 'podcast' as the word of 2005. Rather unexpectedly, one...