Revolution articles from February 2009

Revolution archives from February 2009

Leader: iPhone apps are a goldmine if brands can crack the creative challenge.
February 1, 2009... I was in the pub the other day with a friend who has just had his first child. 'How does it feel to be a dad?' I asked. 'Amazing,' he replied, producing his iPhone from his jacket pocket. 'Check out this little fella,' he said after a pause....

The Download: Advertising - KitKat kicks off digital drive.
February 1, 2009... KitKat is embarking on its biggest digital marketing drive to date with the launch of its 'Perfect break' campaign. Online activity comprises a campaign site allowing consumers to enter on-pack promotional codes to win prizes. They can also...

The Download: Advertising - Volvo creates video push.
February 1, 2009... Volvo has launched a video campaign prompting consumers to visit local dealerships. The initiative encourages users to click through to a branded site, featuring a broadcast-quality video of the Volvo V70 estate. -------------------- ...

The Download: Advertising - Center Parcs goes digital.
February 1, 2009... Center Parcs has made a six-figure investment in online advertising, launching a PPC (pay-per-click) and display campaign through Golley Slater Digital. The ad drive focuses on activities offered by the holiday company and supports TV ads. ...

The Download: Search - Comparison site gets furry.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Comparethemarket.com has launched a spoof of its price-comparison site. Visitors to Comparethemeerkat.com are introduced to Russian meerkat Aleksandr and invited to compare meerkats dressed as scuba divers, yoga gurus or Frisbee players. The...

The Download: Search - Bartz takes Yahoo! chief job.
February 1, 2009... Yahoo! has appointed Carol Bartz, former executive chairman of Autodesk, as its chief executive, replacing Jerry Yang, who stepped down last November. The beleaguered search giant is thought to have received a number of knockbacks as candidates...

The Download: Viral - Durex gets down and dirty.
February 1, 2009... Durex is using condoms more creatively with the making of a NSFW (not safe for work) viral featuring balloon animals having an orgy. The squeaky beasts were created by Fitzgerald+CO, and produced by Superfad New York. --------------------...

The Download: Social Media - PDSA launches pet widget.
February 1, 2009... Veterinary charity PDSA has launched a widget to help people choose the right pet. 'Your right pet' is part of its 'Long live pets' campaign, which encourages responsible ownership. -------------------- Did you find this article...

The Download: Social Media - Fresh & Easy joins Twitter.
February 1, 2009... Tesco-owned US retail chain Fresh & Easy has signed up to social-networking site Twitter to improve communication with its customers. Its Twitter Profile already has more than 1,000 customers signed up. -------------------- Did you...

The Download: Social Media - MySpace unveils TV app.
February 1, 2009... MySpace claims to have become the first social network to launch a TV-based branded widget that allows viewers to interact with MySpace via their TV sets. -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the...

The Download: Media - ITV and Virgin Media in tie.
February 1, 2009... ITV has signed a deal with Virgin Media to make a selection of its highest-rating programmes available on-demand to Virgin Media customers. -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the magazine?...

The Download: Media - COI launches mobile series.
February 1, 2009... The COI has launched an interactive drama series promoting safe sex among teenagers. Created by 20:20 London, Thmbnls focuses on the lives of six teenagers and challenges the audience to watch, interact and share their opinions. ...

The Download: Onitsuka Tiger explores zodiac.
February 1, 2009... Sports brand Onitsuka Tiger has launched an integrated ad campaign based on the Japanese legend of the birth of the zodiac to celebrate its 60th birthday. A three-minute online film, created by Amsterdam Worldwide and PandaPanther, shows...

The Download: Killer Quote.
February 1, 2009... 'Give me your shopping list you senile old cow, and I'll do it for you.' - A Tesco employee vents spleen on a Facebook group that has now been banned. -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the...

The Download: Smart Stat.
February 1, 2009... 974% - The growth in users experienced by Twitter, the micro-blogging service, over the past year, according to Hitwise. -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the magazine? Please call 08451 55 73...

The Download: Hot or Not.
February 1, 2009... HOT A Berlin university is helping IT geeks learn more about real life, teaching them how to write flirtatious texts, impress people and cope with rejection as part of their master's degree. Ever get Facebook envy? Now you can sort it...

The Download: Hotlinks - Stuff we found we think you might like ..
February 1, 2009... Pimp yourself Puma is celebrating its 60th birthday with this simple video app that allows you to pimp yourself with styles from the last six decades http://iam60.puma.com Next gen banking tips Brazilian Banco Itau has created a...

The Download: In-depth Search - Big brands rethink search strategies.
February 1, 2009... The demise of Google's BPF scheme has spurred brand owners to review their search marketing arrangements. Brands are putting an estimated pounds 60 million worth of search business out to pitch following the end of Google's BPF (Best...

The Download: Viral effect - This month's hottest virals.
February 1, 2009... Heineken: Walk-In Fridge It's no wonder this TV ad has attracted a significant following online 946,312 views Mountain Dew: Train The Bandito Brothers are not kidding when they advise 'Do not dew this at home'. 2,336 views ...

The Download: Start-up - Be At TV.(www.be-at.tv)(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Be At TV (www.be-at.tv) is a website for clubbers and fans of dance music. It features video clips filmed in clubs around the world, as well as recorded sets from acts including Groove Armada and Radio One regulars Annie Mac, Pete Tong and...

The Download: World-wide web.(Fox Interactive Media Inc. to close down its unit)(Spanair Airlines to introduce mobile check-in service)(China's e-commerce industry to increase by 20 %)
February 1, 2009... How is digital marketing performing around the globe? This month, in Chicago, Leo Burnett has agreed to pay pounds 10 million to the US government after being accused of overbilling the US Army, while the Vatican is making prayers available via...

The Download: Smart guide to ... Warner Music's digital plans.
February 1, 2009... Warner Music and other major record labels including EMI, Universal and Sony are planning their own video-sharing site in direct competition with YouTube. It is believed that the site, which is in the early stages of development, will be...

The Download: Stats - Downloads.
February 1, 2009... pounds 78m - the amount spent on digital music in the UK in the first half of 2008, an increase of 45 per cent year-on-year, says the IFPI. 96% of all music purchases in the UK are now downloads, claims Hit40UK, which compiles its weekly...

The Download: App:Test - AOL - Shoutcast Radio.
February 1, 2009... AOL's Shoutcast gives users access to free internet radio stations via their iPhone - just the thing for getting that fix of Romanian electro. - How does it work? It's classic iPhone. It downloads quickly and works straight away...

The Download: Inside track - British Red Cross.
February 1, 2009... The British Red Cross has integrated digital into the core of its marketing strategy, using the web to boost awareness of its cause and recruit volunteers. It is investing an increasing amount of its pounds 4.5 million media budget in...

The Download: Google watch - Google cuts jobs, but not private jet.
February 1, 2009... While Google is watching you, every month we're watching Google. Google has been taking a battering in the press of late for its impact on the environment. Meanwhile, Yahoo! is shrinking back its European operations like a salted snail,...

The Download: Moves - People - Nickie Smith, Microsoft.
February 1, 2009... Nickie Smith is Microsoft's UK business to business marketing director, replacing Alex Marks, who stepped down last year. Smith was previously head of marketing for the multinational sales team at Microsoft. She has 21 years of experience,...

The Download: Moves - Accounts.(Britvic to partner with Tradewind )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Britvic has selected Tradewind as its digital consultancy partner, working across the whole of its soft drinks portfolio, including Tango, Pepsi and Robinsons. BlackBerry UK has appointed Bluhalo to its agency roster to focus on UK and...

The Download: Status update - Jim McNiven ... managing director, Kerb, is ..
February 1, 2009... - getting out of bed to Skype the missus who is over in China 7.30am - whispering random, barely audible insults at traffic wardens, leaving them to ponder 'did he actually just say that or was it my conscience?' 9.00am - going...

The Download: Briefing - Social networks must prove their worth.
February 1, 2009... Social networks have long been the darlings of digital media, but they will be hard hit this year unless they focus on generating revenue from their users. A report from Deloitte claims that sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo have...

The Download: Briefing - Ad spend - Budget cuts won't stifle innovation.
February 1, 2009... The UK's biggest advertisers are vowing not to let widespread budget cuts compromise the quality of their digital marketing strategies. The latest Bellwether Report from the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) shows that brands...

The Download: Briefing - Augmented reality - Ford Ka's augmented reality check.
February 1, 2009... Ford has become one of the first UK brands to launch an ad campaign centring on AR (augmented reality), a new form of marketing that merges the physical and virtual worlds via a mobile application. AR allows consumers using their mobile...

Blogs: I can't live without - Ross Taylor, managing director, digitaltmw.
February 1, 2009... Wordlab What's in a name? Well, quite a lot, actually. Wordlab.com offers great insights into naming and branding. www.wordlab.com 2011: Trendspotting Trainspotting and trend spotting. Sound similar, but aren't. One involves...

Opinion: User-generated comment.
February 1, 2009... Will consumers continue to shun the high street in favour of online shops? Bargain-hungry shoppers flocked online towards the end of last year, helping retailers including House of Fraser, Next and Marks & Spencer record a rise in...

Opinion: Social media might be the answer, and yet it throws up so many questions ..
February 1, 2009... Anyone seen a recession-busting, marketing panacea around here? Ah yes, there it is: social media. It's not hard to see its appeal. It can blow traditional ROIs out of the water - if it is done well. Trouble is, it's not that easy to do...

Opinion: Apps Galore.
February 1, 2009... With 15 apps now available for the iPhone, Kunal Dutta explores how brands can stand out in this new but increasingly crowded space. Thanks to Apple's iPhone, brands are getting creative. So much so that, if you can imagine it, there's...

Opinion: Digital work, rest and play can help green consumers save the planet.
February 1, 2009... The new year is well under way and I'm thinking hard about my 'green' resolutions and how best to keep them. The more research I do (all online, of course) leads me to consider the massive potential that digital has to save the world by making...

Opinion: Stop trying to shoehorn TV ads onto the internet. Be innovative instead.
February 1, 2009... Sandwich boards promoting products to the town's people weren't meant to be used as billboards, but that worked. Billboards weren't supposed to be squeezed into magazines, but that seemed to work as well (sort of). Print ads weren't made to...

Innovator: Lockton's life post Deepend.(Last Exit director Gary Lockton )(Occupation overview)
February 1, 2009... Last Exit director Gary Lockton has learned from the demise of dotcom pioneer Deepend to form a more grounded understanding of digital, says Kunal Dutta. Portrait by Elsa Quarsell. Gary Lockton still remembers grabbing the Tannoy to welcome...

Ad measurement ... for new ad metrics.
February 1, 2009... It is widely argued that click-throughs are dead as a measure of campaign success, but what will replace them? Adam Woods examines performance and engagement-based metrics. Digital marketing's USP has always been its measurability, but the...

Smart Media Buys: Sites that'll make your ads stand.
February 1, 2009... As consumers grow increasingly intolerant of interruptive digital campaigns, Adam Woods hand-picks websites offering more than standard ad placements. It was only a year or two ago that marketers were bemoaning a lack of quality inventory....

Strategic Thinking: Digital's biggest business brains.
February 1, 2009... Six of the industry's most practical thinkers explain how brands should adapt their marketing strategies for tougher times and changing consumer behaviour. Kim Benjamin reports. Despite its relative immaturity, the digital sector's creative...

Masterclass: Accessibility.
February 1, 2009... It's not only a legal requirement for brands to make their websites accessible to disabled consumers, it also makes sound business sense Mike Fletcher reports. There are almost 10 million disabled people in the UK, with a combined annual...

Converging Media: Special Report - Battle of the brands.
February 1, 2009... Despite its critics, iTV (interactive TV) has become a key platform for FMCG brands. Kim Benjamin assesses how recent red-button campaigns from Cadbury and Ribena match up. Red-button TV advertising has long been viewed as less effective...

Converging Media: Special Report - TV 3.0.
February 1, 2009... Broadband-enabled set-top boxes are transforming TV and creating new opportunities for advertisers. This could be Holy Grail territory, writes Trevor Clawson. 'The way that people consume TV is changing,' says Antony Carbonari 'Viewers now...

Converging Media: Special Report - Cashing in on convergence.
February 1, 2009... For the majority of brands, multi-platform campaigns are now commonplace. So why, asks Victoria Furness, do some soar and others fall flat? Convergence is one of those industry buzzwords that cynics love to deride, much like media...

The Work: From brief to browser - Emirates.(Emirates Airline)
February 1, 2009... Agency: Lean Mean Fighting Machine Brief Emirates approached roster agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine in mid-2008 with details of new summer routes from Dubai to cities on the west coast of America, including Los Angeles. The brief was...

The Work: Case studies - FMCG - Trident chewing gum.
February 1, 2009... Campaign: Mess with your head Agency: CMW Background: Parent company Cadbury wanted to extend Trident's 'mess with your head' campaign online following the success of the TV ads created by JWT. It briefed CMW to develop a digital...

The Work: Case studies - Entertainment - Transporter 3.
February 1, 2009... Campaign: Transporter 3 Agency: eType Video Background: Transporter 3 is the latest film in the action series starring Jason Statham. By the time of the film's release last December, the box office had already seen a number of...

The Work: Case studies - Finance - Axa.(Report)
February 1, 2009... Campaign: My Budget Day Agency: E3 Background: A study carried out by Axa revealed that the average UK adult spends just 22 minutes a month planning their finances. However, if consumers spent one hour a month managing their cash, they...

The Work: Creative review - Ford Fiesta.
February 1, 2009... Campaign: This is Now Brand: Ford Fiesta Agencies: Ogilvy/Wunderman/We Are Social I applaud the bravery of Ford in this pan-European campaign to promote the new Fiesta. All brands should be looking to participate in the social...

Diary: Web crawler.
February 1, 2009... Web Crawler was put out this month after its IT boffins banned Facebook at work, due to threats from menacing viruses, they say. Crawler was left with no choice but to log on to Dogbook, the social networking site for man's best friend....

Diary: Questionnaire - Jude Brooks.(Interview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Jude Brooks is digital marketing manager for Bauer Media's FHM and Zoo websites. She has worked in digital marketing for 12 years, having previously held positions at Capital Radio, Xfm, Carlton and Emap. - If you were a biscuit, what kind...

Diary: JPEGs.
February 1, 2009... Nixon McInnes's belated Christmas party repeated last year's fancy-dress theme of 'speccie gooners'. The night took a turn for the worse when Boy George turned up and chained Tom Nixon and Matt Matheson to the office radiator. Craaazy...