Revolution articles from February 2007

Revolution archives from February 2007

Letter from the editor.(Editorial)
February 1, 2007... Christmas 2006 already seems a long time ago, but, for our cover star, it is likely to live long in the memory. Tesco Direct CEO Steve Robinson expects the period to have been a defining one in its mission to rule the world. The service was a...

V&A backs new Kylie exhibition with site showcasing her style.(www.getcloser tokylie.net)(Victoria and Albert Museum)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The Victoria & Albert Museum has created a new microsite to promote 'Kylie - The Exhibition', which opens on 8 February. The 'tiny' site (www.getcloser tokylie.net) focuses on the pop star's fashion and figure. Digital agency Poke...

ING Direct site becomes more 'like-minded'.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... ING Direct has refreshed its site to include its new 'like-minded' branding. The revamp is part of an integrated campaign, embracing TV ads and idents, print and digital activity, which aims to simplify the bank's range of savings,...

Finalists are up for Revolution Awards.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... AKQA and Dare have made the most shortlists for the 2007 Revolution Awards, to be handed out at a ceremony on 16 March. AKQA, which won Agency of the Year in 2006, has been shortlisted 15 times, including three entries in the shortlist for...

Deals: MEETIC acquires DatingDirect.com.
February 1, 2007... DatingDirect.com has reached agreement to be acquired by European market leader MEETIC in a pounds 27.3 million deal. Since its foundation in 1999, the site has grown to 4.5 million members.

Deals: Channel 4 Radio on your PSP.
February 1, 2007... Channel 4 Radio is to offer radio programming over The Cloud's Public WiFi network, designed specifically for the PSP and other mobile devices. Available free of charge for a two-month trial, users will be able to download 4Radio podcasts,...

Deals: Audible.co.uk distributes Pan Macmillan audio books.
February 1, 2007... Audible.co.uk is to distribute Pan Macmillan's audio books via its digital download service. Following the deal, Audible claims to offer digital downloads from all major UK audio book publishers.

Deals: Cheapflights invest in Dohop.
February 1, 2007... Cheapflights has made an investment of an undisclosed sum in Icelandic global flights planner Dohop. The dohop.com free site lets travellers research available flight routes and scheduled departures and arrivals worldwide. Cheapflights will be...

Deals: Lycos Inc chooses World digital Media Group for music content.
February 1, 2007... Lycos Inc has chosen World Digital Media Group (WDMG) as the first music content provider for its newly launched proprietary entertainment platform, Lycos Cinema. WDMG subsidiary 'Your Music Channel' will provide Lycos with 30-minute episodes...

Deals: Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward signs contract with Rightmove.co.uk.
February 1, 2007... Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward has signed contracts with Rightmove.co.uk and Primelocation.com. All of the firm's sales and lettings properties, from 50 London branches, will appear on the two portals, giving it access to almost five million...

Deals: Foresoght Venture Partners invests in Utarget.
February 1, 2007... Foresight Venture Partners has invested pounds 2.5 million in Utarget. The web advertising services firm, which was advised by Ardent Advisors, provides an online TV and video ad network, serving full-page TV-style ads on sites for major brand...

Deals: Ornage signs up ITN to deliver news bulletins.
February 1, 2007... Orange has signed up ITN to deliver a new video news bulletin service for home broadband and Orange World mobile customers. The services provided by ITN's multimedia division, ITN On, will deliver the latest news in the form of text, stills and...

Deals: Adestra and Wyvern DM interface products.
February 1, 2007... Adestra and Wyvern DM are interfacing their products to deliver a new multi-channel email-marketing and CRM system. Adestra's Message Focus provides email marketing and tracking, while Wyvern's Magic offers a marketing database.

Deals: Five signs Siren as mobile partner.
February 1, 2007... Five has signed digital engagement agency Siren as its mobile partner for sponsorship activation. Siren will develop branded mobile content to be included in Five's major sponsorship proposals, alongside its red-button and online services.

Deals: Fuel signs deal with Gizoo.
February 1, 2007... DGM Affiliates, the specialist affiliate marketing division of independent online marketing group Fuel, has signed an exclusive affiliate deal with online gift provider Gizoo.

London 2012 hands LBI official site work.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... London 2012 is understood to have recruited pan-European agency LBI and another, smaller agency to develop its web site services up to and including the 2012 Olympic games. The appointment was due to be confirmed as Revolution went to...

ITV hands Play and Poke new digital activity.
February 1, 2007... ITV has hired digital agencies Play and Poke to create online campaigns for new shows airing on its channels in early 2007. The broadcaster selected Play to promote its new adventure series, Primeval, which starts on ITV1 on 5 February. ...

K-Swiss centres new campaign around online Street Kiter game.
February 1, 2007... K-Swiss has launched an integrated digital push to support its new 'Nautical' range of trainers. Created by Inbox Digital, the campaign is based around a microsite featuring an online viral game, Street Kiter. In the game, players...

Good month/bad month.(Industry overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Good news for social networking site Bebo. It has hired Google's Joanna Shields, MD of strategic partnerships for EMEA, as president of international. Shields, who was a key player in last year's deal between Google and Bebo rival MySpace,...

Just breaking: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions (1-31 December 2006).(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... 1 BT BT Business One Plan for landline, broadband and mobile 2 CISNet Someone's got the hots for you! 3 Mastercard Knowing no-one else is using your ...

USwitch extends services with car insurance comparison tool.
February 1, 2007... USwitch, the online switching site, is to launch a car insurance comparison service in March, backed by a major ad campaign and new senior appointments. The site will take on rivals in this competitive market with a consumer launch, which...

Penguin backs 'Malice Box' with web hunt.(Penguin Books Ltd.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Penguin has kicked off an online scavenger hunt to support the launch of its new book The Malice Box, released on 1 February. The Quest draws on themes from the book and sets players the mission of saving the world from eternal damnation by...

Unilever unveils viral film to push Vaseline.
February 1, 2007... Unilever has launched a viral film as part of its 'Keep Skin Amazing' campaign for skincare brand Vaseline. The film, created by ad agency BBH, focuses on the amazing qualities and functions of the skin, and presents Vaseline as the brand...

Picture hires Pod1 to handle web creative.
February 1, 2007... Picture Financial has appointed Pod1 as its sole creative digital agency and plans to boost its online presence over the next two years. Pod1 will handle the financial service provider's digital creative business, including the design of...

Account wins.
February 1, 2007... Unilever has appointed Bartle Bogle Hegarty to handle the European digital creative account for its men's deodorant brand Axe. The win was BBH's first solo digital pitch. Lingerie brand Playtex has selected Together to redesign its site,...

Owen on digital media: McDonald's pays store customers to post 'I'm lovin' it'.
February 1, 2007... I wrote last month that brands deploying user-generated content need to learn to let go. McDonald's would probably claim to have done so with its 'mclovers' fan site in the US. This initiative involves asking you to visit McDonald's, take some...

Dental Association overhauls web site.
February 1, 2007... The British Dental Association (BDA) has appointed Amaze to overhaul its web site after a six-way pitch. This forms part of a new strategy to position the UK's professional association for dentists as the leading online source of knowledge...

Feel Good Drinks in 'Dirty Dancing' push.
February 1, 2007... Feel Good Drinks has launched online activity to back its promotional partnership with hit London stage show Dirty Dancing. The central web activity, which includes a dedicated microsite, online game and viral, is being managed by...

Tracker: Top 10 search engines by UK audience.
February 1, 2007... ANALYSIS Despite the best efforts of the other search engines, Google's dominance has continued to increase over the last year. Google Search is now visited by four times as many people as its nearest 'external' rival, Yahoo Search....

Monster lures users to upload their CVs.(curriculum vitae)(Monster.co.uk)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Monster has launched a major global push, featuring localised digital activity, as part of its strategy to become a consumer-orientated company. 'Monster Works for Me' aims to show users how the online recruitment firm can help them. ...

VCCP unveils digital media department.
February 1, 2007... VCCP has launched a digital media department, which will be headed by ex-Diffiniti director Wayne Bickerton. He will spearhead the division, which adds to VCCP's digital services in creative, site build, planning, design and search. ...

Nescafe hires Joshua G2 to redesign site.
February 1, 2007... Nescafe has appointed digital and direct marketing agency Joshua G2 to redesign and redevelop its core UK brand site. The agency will create a digital platform that integrates all of the brand's activities. Joshua G2, which won the...

Griffiths on mobile: Intuitive report shows the kids are ahead of us in this mobile life.
February 1, 2007... In December, children's channel Jetix Europe announced plans to understand their users' habits via online research into TV and digital (including mobile) usage. The 'Kidometer', investigating 500 children in 10 European markets, will be...

Time thief: Paul Kingsley CEO of Fullsix Group tells us about his day.
February 1, 2007... 5% Getting to work - Commuting from Hertfordshire is a new and unpredictable experience. Occasionally, I get a seat and I've even managed to bribe my wife to drive me. 5% Getting coffee - Having exhausted all the variations at Cafe Nero,...

Travellers trust user reviews over travel agents' content.
February 1, 2007... Consumers trust online user reviews over travel agents' web sites when booking holidays, according to new research from Nielsen//NetRatings. In the survey, commissioned by ad sales network Adviva and agency Harvest Digital, user-generated...

Sharp Electronics boosts online offer with e-commerce function.
February 1, 2007... Sharp Electronics has launched an interactive e-commerce site showcasing its latest products. The site, created by Graphico, is part of Sharp's recognition that online can be a valuable sales tool as well as a crucial marketing channel....

Beechwood opens sister agency, Flux.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Beechwood has launched a new sister agency, which will focus on helping clients to monitor their brand on the internet. The subsidiary, Flux, will offer clients detailed understanding of their online profile through analysis of their...

Save the Children to boost digital spend.
February 1, 2007... Save the Children is planning to increase its investment in digital media as part of a renewed focus on campaigning in 2007. The charity said it is making a 'significant investment' in communications in order to acquire new supporters and...

Performance index.(top 1o websites)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... 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 month, and the worst performing...

Gaffney on America: In the ad business of today, nothing is as it ought to be.
February 1, 2007... Is anybody in the ad business any more? That's what I'm wondering over here in the freakishly warm Northeast US. Everything is wrong. It's 65 degrees when it should be 25. It's raining when it should be snowing. Amateur singers from American...

Moving on up: Appointment at Conde Nast Interactive.
February 1, 2007... Suzy Cashman has been appointed by Conde Nast Interactive as senior account manager in the client sales team, ahead of the launch of Stylefinder.com. Cashman will sell across the company's portfolio of sites, including Vogue.com. She has...

Moving on up: Appointment at WWAV Rapp Collins London.
February 1, 2007... WWAV Rapp Collins London is boosting its digital staff with a new communications director, Alex Stoneham. Separately, Joe Woollen joins WWAV Rapp Collins Media in the new role of head of digital media. Stoneham was previously head of client...

Moving on up: Appointment at Lateral.
February 1, 2007... Simon Parker has joined digital communications agency Lateral as its first COO. Parker leaves Enterprise Visit Britain where he was MD, prior to which he was marketing director at Monster. In his new role, he'll be tasked with driving a new...

Moving on up: Appointment at The Technology Works.(Ben Gibson)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The Technology Works search agency, the spin-off of The Search Works, has promoted Ben Gibson to client services director, following his successful launch and running of the French office. Gibson will oversee the client services team and lead a...

Moving on up: Appointment at Accelerator-Media.
February 1, 2007... Online ad network Accelerator-Media has hired Kiran Mann as publisher relations manager. Joining from Adpepper, Mann's primary role will be to liaise with web publishers to maximise their revenue potential and troubleshoot on day-to-day issues....

Moving on up: Appointment at GCap Media.(Myles Anderson )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Myles Anderson has joined GCap Media as head of marketing and partnerships, new media. He joins from Orange UK where he was business development manager for portal channels. In his new role, he will build new revenue streams and raise the...

Moving on up: Appointment at Precedent Communications.
February 1, 2007... Leading communications agency Precedent Communications has appointed Neil Davis to the newly created role of director of strategy and opened a Cardiff office as part of a programme of service and office expansion. Davis joins from Reading Room....

Moving on up: Appointment at e-Dialog.
February 1, 2007... Simon Green has joined email marketing service provider e-Dialog in the newly-created role of director of database, strategy and data services. Before joining e-Dialog, he ran 3RM Strategic Marketing, working with direct marketing agencies.

Moving on up: Appointment at USwitch.com.
February 1, 2007... USwitch.com has hired Aron Thompson from Insurance wide.com to be a product manager in its personal finance team. He will develop new and existing commercial relationships with suppliers, and work closely with uSwitch.com's sales and marketing...

Moving on up: Appointment at British Internet Broadcasting Association.
February 1, 2007... Miles Holden, former EMEA director at Computer Associates, has joined the British Internet Broadcasting Association (BiBC) as sales and marketing director. He held senior positions at Capgemini and Energis, specialising in new technology sales....

Moving on up: Appointment at Baigent.
February 1, 2007... Charity web site development agency Baigent is staffing up to meet demand from several new client wins. Andy Voyce joins from the Christian charity BMS World Mission as account director, while June Dobbs (above) and Kate Barrow have joined as...

Moving on up: Appointment at CMW Interactive.
February 1, 2007... CMW Interactive, Clark McKay and Walpole's digital arm, has hired Robin Grant as an account director. He joins a 30-strong team headed by David Smith, working for clients including Porsche, Cadbury Schweppes and Flybe. Grant leaves Proximity...

Moving on up: Appointment at Bennetts.
February 1, 2007... Mark Attwell has been appointed to head up the e-commerce division of motorcycle insurance company Bennetts. He takes responsibility for driving its e-commerce channel forward and strengthening the position of Bennetts.co.uk in the market....

Rugby League seeks global digital agency.
February 1, 2007... Rugby League's governing body, the RFL, is hunting a media agency as it prepares to explore digital broadcast opportunities. It is looking for a single agency to handle its broadcasting services and incorporate new media opportunities,...

Carte D'Or site adds three new desserts.
February 1, 2007... Carte D'Or has launched the latest phase of its site as part of an integrated campaign to push its Ice Cream Desserts range. The campaign, which features direct and online marketing, advertises the launch of three new products: Panna Cotta...

Cheapflights employs first brand agency.
February 1, 2007... Cheapflights has hired its first branding agency, Boston and Pollitt, in a bid to improve the brand's personality and design. The agency will help the online travel firm, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, to differentiate its...

Murphy on dotcom life: TV will always have a place in the brave new internet world.(television)(Michael Murphy )
February 1, 2007... What's your favourite ad? Mine is the Pearl and Dean cinema ad that proceeded every film in the 70s and 80s. Who could forget those tiny seats that felt like you were trying to sit in a bowler hat and speakers that sounded like they were...

Analysis: ITV gets serious about broadband.(appointment of Annalies van den Belt)
February 1, 2007... ITV has upped its commitment to broadband with the appointment of media industry heavy-weight Annalies van den Belt as managing director of its growing broadband team. The broadcaster, which plans to launch its new broadband service by...

Analysis: Advertisers find publishers wanting.
February 1, 2007... More than half of all UK online advertisers and ad agencies do not believe digital publishers have the right business processes and infrastructure to deliver on contracts effectively. The findings, released last month, come from an...

Vox Pop: What will be the big issues for the search sector in 2007?(Market overview)
February 1, 2007... Search is still top, but what do advertisers predict for the year? Search marketing continues to be the star performer in digital media The industry attracts the lion's share of online ad spend and is thus one of the key drivers behind the...

Quotes of the month.
February 1, 2007... 'A couple of years ago we might have been at a disadvantage in a pitch like this, simply for lack of digital craft skills in-house. We now have that capability: whereupon this comes down to the question: who has the best idea?' - John O'Keeffe,...

Editorial: How to make life sweeter for us all.(Editorial)
February 1, 2007... A new survey revealing how online media owners are struggling to meet the demands of their advertising clients really only highlights one thing: the growing pains being suffered by the digital sector are approaching critical. Clients,...

Comment: Is your web 2.0 investment helping your business?(Industry overview)
February 1, 2007... After a bumper Christmas, online marketing spend is surpassing that at the height of the dotcom boom. Traditional big marketing spenders are investing heavily online: BA is using Google Earth technology to let customers view destinations...

Review: Knickers to the high street.
February 1, 2007... As Valentine's Day nears, it's time for us men to kiss goodbye to the age-old embarrassment of lingering too long in the lingerie department and being branded a pervert by every woman. Thank goodness for online shopping - the perfect...

Shopping stats: E-tailers say online fraud is static or falling.
February 1, 2007... More consumers are visiting online stores, but their owners are not seeing a rise in losses through fraud. As online retail continues to experience strong growth, fraud losses remain static and have fallen in some cases, reports...

Sector checker: Excite reinvents but its content offer fails to reflect its name.(Website overview)
February 1, 2007... Giles Colbourne of Cxpartners takes a look at Excite's newly revamped offer, but finds its content and presentation a bit on the bland side. Web www.excite.co.uk Developer Excite Europe The heyday of portals was 1999. The term was on...

Tesco: Tesco plans on going direct.
February 1, 2007... Steve Robinson, CEO of Tesco Direct, tells Philip Buxton about Tesco's plans to make a success of the non-food retail business. If you're Argos or Amazon, this Christmas would have had an extra 'edge'. For, while being chiefly obsessed with...

Online advertising: Digital projects arrive on set.
February 1, 2007... As the creative standard of online advertising improves and more campaigns include video footage, production is becoming a key focus for digital agencies, reports Victoria Furness. The statistics alone speak volumes about the growth of...

Digital outdoor: Long road for the great outdoors.(Industry overview)
February 1, 2007... Digital outdoor has been heralded as the next big thing, but how far has it been taken up by brands? Adam Woods takes a look at winning and losing initiatives. A year ago, the general consensus was that 2006 would be the year in which...

Revolution Awards 2007: Is your company in the running?
February 1, 2007... The runners and riders for the 2007 Revolution Awards As the Revolution Awards celebrate their 10th anniversary, we reveal the campaigns and projects in with a shout of picking up one of the prestigious gongs at the ceremony on 16 March at...

Cutting-edge search marketing: The Selfridge, London, 27 March 2007.
February 1, 2007... Revolution's second conference dedicated to search marketing is to be staged at The Selfridge on 27 March. The one-day event will feature expert speakers from brands such as Tesco, COI, Barclays, BP and Mercedes-Benz. This year's...

Affiliates: Affiliates in the spotlight.(Industry overview)(Report)
February 1, 2007... The Revolution Affiliate Marketing Report sponsored by TradeDoubler. Suzy Bashford seeks to demystify things by asking affiliates what they think of the sector, clients and networks, and what they want. Affiliate marketing has, to an...

Affiliates: Case Study - Debenhams finds that less is more.
February 1, 2007... The Revolution Affiliate Marketing Report sponsored by TradeDoubler. When Debenhams decided to improve its affiliate marketing programme, it took an axe to its publishers, slashing them from 6,500 to 10. Andrew Brady finds out if the...

Masterclass: The Revolution Masterclass on behavioural targeting.(Report)
February 1, 2007... Behavioural targeting was one of last year's hot topics. But, how can advertisers use it to their advantage? Danielle Long reports. It's every marketer's dream: the ability to send relevant ads to consumers based on what they actually do,...

Campaign study: Clean & Clear.(Clean and Clear PLC.)
February 1, 2007... Campaign: Get Your Face Out There Client: Clean & Clear Agency: Tribal DDB Background: Clean & Clear is the UK's number one medicated skincare brand. However, it was facing a tough challenge in the market as its core audience of 13 to...

Trailblazer: Club social.
February 1, 2007... Chris Ward and David Maher-Roberts tell Danielle Long how their new project, iSporty.com, offers users a 'MySpace with shorts on'. In another year set to be dominated by user-generated content, the latest entry, iSporty.com, is one to watch....

Creative review: Jon Sharpe, Play BIMA.
February 1, 2007... Jon Sharpe creative director & chief executive, Play BIMA member since August 2006. Sharpe overseas all creative output for clients like ITV, RBS and Thames Water, and assumes ultimate responsibility for Play's performance and strategy....

Terminator 1: Luddite hippy seeks non-interruption for calm online relations.
February 1, 2007... Do surprise and visual interruption trigger something in our brains that makes us feel things are worth paying attention to? Makes sense, doesn't it? Normally, interruptions are important... Sunday morning double-glazing phone dudes... Yes, I...

Terminator 2: Time invites you to put yourself in the picture.(Event overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... It was a controversial move, but Terminator would like to thank everyone who helped it to be crowned Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year'. To say this was totally unexpected is quite an understatement. I'm sure you can imagine Terminator's...

Terminator 2: Lean Mean's clay play pays tribute to Richie. Hello?(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Christmas may have come and gone in a blur of parties, email Christmas cards and themed viral games, but the silly season did offer a stand-out piece of viral that Terminator could not allow to go unrecognised. Those creative blighters...

Terminator 2: Look out for the first squeaks of 'Mouse Rage'.(Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Readers beware, shopping on badly designed sites 'could have a negative effect on the immune system, cardio functioning and nervous system', according to a report by the Social Issues Research Centre. If that wasn't bad enough, the study,...