Revolution articles from January 2002

Revolution archives from January 2002

IVillage UK backs overhaul with [pounds sterling]1m marketing push. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Women's portal iVillage UK is to overhaul its site and launch a dieting programme, with [pounds sterling]1 million worth of marketing activity, in association with major backer Tesco. The [pounds sterling]50 million portal which was...

WRC site revamped by ISC. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... The World Rally Championship (WRC) web site has been overhauled as part of an ongoing new-media development worth in excess of [pounds sterling]2 million, Mark Sweney reports. Commercial rights holders and promoters International Sports...

ValueClick hires Excite sales head. (News).(Sarah Escott)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Online ad sales house ValueClick has hired defunct portal Excite UK's head of client sales to drive its move into third-party ad sales, writes Amanda Nottage. Previously head of sales at 24/7 Media before her move to Excite UK, Sarah...

Vizzavi drops 100 staff and loses chief executive. (Bullets).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 9, 2002... Multi-access portal Vizzavi is shedding around 100 jobs across Europe and losing its chief executive as it revises its business model. The company has 800 staff, about 200 of which are based in the UK. It is entering a period of consultation...

Co-founder of 365 Corporation resigns. (Bullets).(Danny Kelly)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Danny Kelly, the co-founder of web company 365 Corporation, has resigned. He leaves his position as publishing director as 365 refocuses on its eckohtec voice recognition mobile business, following the hiving off of its internet operations in...

Asda to meet online orders through its stores. (Bullets).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 9, 2002... Supermarket Asda is to follow in rival Tesco's footsteps with plans to meet online orders through its network of stores. It has decided to transfer the Asda @t Home service in the Southeast from its two depots in Watford and Croydon to a...

Ready Brek offers kids online ID card ordering service. (Bullets).(Weetabix's cereal brand)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Weetabix's cereal brand Ready Brek is launching a microsite that allows children to design and order personalised ID cards. Users can order their Ready Brek ldeez cards through the microsite (www.weetabix.co.uk/readybrekideez) using a...

The Deal Group buys Cheeky Monkey. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Performance-based online advertising company The Deal Group has acquired permission marketing outfit Cheeky Monkey for an undisclosed cash amount. Cheeky Monkey organises online competitions for consumers who register their details in exchange...

Betfair merges with Flutter.com. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Online betting exchanges Betfair (www.betfair.com) and Flutter.com (www.flutter.com) have merged. The new company will operate under the Betfair brand, with Edward Wray remaining chief executive. Josh Hannah, chief executive and co-founder of...

GNER reports [pounds sterling]500k in online sales. (Bullets).(Great North Eastern Railway)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 9, 2002... Rail company GNER's online ticketing service (www.gner.com) has taken more than [pounds sterling]500,000 in bookings since its launch at the end of October. Around 3,000 tickets have been sold online in GNERs New Year promotion, which offers...

MSN to stream automotive show coverage on car sites. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... MSN is to stream coverage from four US automotive shows to its international car-buying Carview sites. Visitors will have access to up to 90 minutes of streamed footage, which is being provided by Cable & Wireless subsidiary Digital Island's...

Omne Communications links with infospace. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Digital broadband telecoms company Omne Communications has partnered with internet and wireless platform infrastructure provider Infospace. Infospace will provide a platform of internet services across Omne's digital TV and high-speed web...

Unilever spends [pounds sterling]100k on corporate web site revamp. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Consumer goods giant Unilever is spending around [pounds sterling]100,000 on a revamp of its global corporate web site (www.unilever. com). The new site is due to go live at the end of January and is designed to improve on Unilever's...

Expedia to push cheap deals online. (News).(Expedia.co.uk)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Expedia.co.uk is to launch a one-week online promotion on 14 January as part of a six-figure marketing campaign, featuring its special offers character Deal Hunter. The promotion will run along-side the firm's main brand advertising...

Entranet to reveal buyer of its assets. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Troubled web agency Entranet is expected to announce a buyer for its assets in the next week. All goodwill and intellectual property is expected to be sold to one of three interested parties following Entranet's decision to go into...

CNN offers breaking news on SMS service. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Global news provider CNN has launched a subscription-based SMS breaking news service that will be backed by a seven-figure advertising campaign. The English language service (www.europe.cnn.com/mobile) is being offered directly to...

Littlewoods Leisure. (Accounts).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... * Littlewoods Leisure has selected e2 Communications to provide a permission-based marketing service to generate traffic and sales after a 12-way pitch. The agency will help create targeted email marketing campaigns to promote sports betting on...

The UK Passport Agency. (Accounts).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... * The UK Passport Agency has appointed web-based address management company Postcode Anywhere for its online form completion service. Postcode Anywhere's software will let users complete the form using their postcode, which then chooses the...

ClearCommerce. (Accounts).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... * Online payment processing company ClearCommerce has been selected by Securitor e-Solutions to enhance its e-business initiative SafeDoor, which allows customers to shop online without providing credit card details. ClearCommerce will let...

JJ Interactive. (Accounts).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... * JJ Interactive, the new-media arm of marketing agency The JJ Group, is to manage Memec Europe's European sites. JJ Interactive will develop a proposal for the semi-conductor material distributing company to streamline its website management.

Toyota plans online ads for Corolla. (News).(Toyota Motor Corp., Corolla automobile)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Toyota is to launch a major online ad campaign in May to promote its new Corolla range, following an initial one-day ad push last Friday. The 24-hour blitz, which was designed to complement the start of the estimated [pounds sterling]9...

Wall's revamps site in brand overhaul. (News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 9, 2002... British sausage brand Wall's has updated its site as part of a [pounds sterling]4 million revamp of its overall food brand. Wall's decision to revamp its web site (www.bangers.co.uk) is partofa bid to increase brand loyalty and drive...

Yahoo! and Espotting team up for pay-per-click deal. (News).(Yahoo! UK and Ireland)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Yahoo! UK and Ireland has signed a pan-European deal with Espotting Media to offer a paid-for-placementservice on the portal. The service, called Sponsored Matches, will feature Espotting's top five pay-per-click search listings on Yahoo!'s...

Toni and Guy trials SMS promotion. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Hairdressing salon chain Toni and Guy (www.toniandguy.co.uk) is launching an email marketing and mobile campaign to drive customers to its salons. When presented at a Toni and Guysalon, the voucher will give the user 50 percent off the...

SE water adds online bill payment. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Utility company South East Water is launching a web site that will enable customers to pay their bills online. Due to launch on 1 February, the site is being built and designed by media agency Fire brand. The water company will add a...

Nestle set to sponsor Emap music channel. (News).(www.thebox.co.uk)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Confectionery giant Nestle's chocolate bar brand Drifter is to sponsor the web site of Emap's music video channel The Box. Drifter becomes the first sponsor to sign up to The Box's newlook web site (www.thebox.co.uk), which went live on...

GSK site to encourage HIV testing. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has launched a web site to encourage HIV testing in the gay community. The web site, called www.youchoose.org.uk, which has been designed by web agency Bluewave, is a joint project between GSK and...

Handbag signs deal with online casino. (News).(SunOnline)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Women's portal Handbag.com has made its first foray into gambling by striking a deal with online casino SunOnline. Under the exclusive one-year deal, SunOnline, the internet arm of gaming and hotel giant Sun International will sit within...

Early reports show some e-tailers had a Merry Christmas. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... According to the initial burst of smoke signals, one group of digital businesses has already had some good news this year. Judging by early reports--and mirroring events on the high street- a whole host of online retailers, from Tesco.com...

Telegraph.co.uk signs high-street travel deal. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... The Telegraph has struck a 12-month online deal with tour operator and travel agency Page & Moy. The deal, which will see Page & Moy supplying holidays and charter flights to The Telegraph's travel site (www.travel.telegraph.co.uk),...

Graduate site offers free reunion service. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... A new web site plans to reunite former university graduates with their friends for free. Gradumates.co.uk is to waive the subscription fees found on other reunion sites and will offer free access to users. The popular Friends Reunited...

Performance index.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... The Revolution Keynote Performance Index measures the performance of a basket of 20 representative sites from across the digital economy in terms of speed of loading and site availability. The top 10 will be featured each week, as will the...

Friends Reunited to launch on TV. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Reunion site Friends Reunited (www.friendsreunited.co.uk) is working with TV production company Substance to launch a TV programme based on the Friends Reunited website. Substance owns all TV rights to official Friends Reunited TV...

Music web site to launch reverse-billed SMS features. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Music web site Drum & Bass Arena is to launch reverse billed SMS services in March 2002 as part of a major marketing push for the site. Called Drum & Bass Mobile, a new service on the Drum & Bass Arena site(www.breakbeat.co.uk) is to allow...

ADVFN.com. (The New Deals).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Financial site ADVFN.com is partnering with wireless internet group MobileFuture to offer share information using WAP. In a call revenue share deal, ADVFN.com's customers will get access to real-time trading information from their WAP phones....

Shell International. (The New Deals).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Shell International has partnered with Charity Technology Trust to launch an online community raffle. The deal will see money raised for children's charity Barnardo's. The oil company's community raffles will work within the firm via email or...

Nomura International. (The New Deals).
January 9, 2002... Gaming Insight, the parent company of greyhound racing venture gobarkingmad and online gaming site Zap Casino, has struck deals with Nomura International and Barclaycard. Nomura International will provide Gaming Insight with financial advice...

The Ag Dealer. (The New Deals).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... UK-based farm machinery trader Farmec has signed a deal that will give its UK customers access to US and Canadian machinery. More than 800 North American dealers registered with publishing and web firm The Ag Dealer (www.agdealer.com) will also...

Newsplayer Group. (The new deals).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Online video-on-demand business Newsplayer Group has acquired the distribution rights to digital archives of TV channels including CNN, ABC News and National Geographic through a twinpurchase deal with US-based digital media company eMotion....

This week Mobile operators and networks are looking into what consumers want and expect from 3G.SMS services still come out top. (Vital Statistics).
January 9, 2002... When you hear about the 'next generation' of mobile phones, it often sounds like the details of the latest instalment of Star Trek. As the hype surrounding WAP disappeared to reveal a slow, clunky service that infuriated more consumers than it...

Mersey TV launches Hollyoaks microsite. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Mersey TV is launching a 'double date' microsite on Hollyoaks.com, the web site for the popular Channel 4 soap. Designed to mirror a romantic story line that will run on the show through out January, it offers users the opportunity to win a...

Bakery site set to target slimmers. (News).(www.nimblebread.co.uk)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... British Bakeries is adding a sandwich calorie counter to its Nimble bread web site (www.nimblebread.co.uk). Designed by Billco, BMP DDB's digital design agency, the Sandwich Maker will target New Year slimmers by allowing them to drag...

Tracker.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 9, 2002... Tracker Online shopping summary Number of Internet users (used in 18.2m last month) Internet users purchasing online in 5.lm the past month Average per head spend for last [pounds...

Analysis.
January 9, 2002... The total four-weekly online spend among online shoppers fell over the two months to November 2001 from [pounds sterling]1.6 billion to [pounds sterling]1.5 billion, according to the claimed spend by online shoppers. The period saw a...

People.
January 9, 2002... Heather Rabbatts has been hired as managing director of Channel 4's education division 4Learning. She will have overall responsibility for the division, which includes online educational services such as Homework High and The Hoobs as well as...

HMV joins Universal to push yoga video. (News).
January 9, 2002... Universal Pictures Video has teamed up with HMV(www.hmv.co.uk) in an online viral campaign for a new range of Yoga videos. The campaign, to promote the release of yoga guru Rodney Yee's Galam Yoga video and DVD range, will run for three...

World Travel Holdings reports sales boost. (News).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... World Travel Holdings has reported sales of [pound sterling]8.7 million and an operating loss of [pound sterling]868,000 for the three months to 30 September 2001. The majority of online sales, which were up from seven to 11 percent...

Christmas sales boom online. (Analysis).
January 9, 2002... As the cold turkey sandwiches were being served on Boxing Day, e-tailers were already beginning to count the true value of Christmas. Supermarket giant Tesco.com was first off the mark, with news that it made 100,000 deliveries in the...

Corporate sites address usability. (Analysis).
January 9, 2002... Corporate web sites might not be at the top of the list of projects a cutting edge web designer wants to work on, but they represent an essential part of business communication, shaping external views of companies and saving money on...

Corporates must catch up.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 9, 2002... The recent survey of FTSE 100 companies' corporate home pages examined in this week's news analysis (p15) makes fascinating reading. A staggering25 per cent of the companies give no indication of what they do on their home pages, half of...

It's time for a new-media makeover. (Comment).(Column)
January 9, 2002... So, how are we going to get the show back on the road? It seems to me there are two relevant facts. First: the things we talk about, such as the internet and interactive marketing, are not only as important as ever, but their potential is only...

How will the single currency affect e-business in Britain? How will the single currency affect online businesses and should the UK welcome the euro? (Vox Pop).
January 9, 2002... While much of the world was waking upon 1 January with a thumping headache caused by New Year celebrations, there will still be many across Europe for whom the pain is going to continue for a while yet. Not only did the festivities bring in a...

Just for the record...Shopping with revolution. (Review).
January 9, 2002... It is a condition that followers of Nick Hornby, champion of the anal-retentive record collector, will recognise. And it is against all the principles of my recovery program. But yes, my name is Philip, and in 2002, I am still an avid collector...

PetSmiles. (Now Showing).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Warning! Chocolate can seriously harm your pets. This and other informative gems are listed on this site as it attempts to make a community out of the nation's pet owners. The strapline at the top of the site claims that it is the Largest...

Chelsea football club. (Now Showing).
January 9, 2002... Straightforward, consistent, predictable, it communicates in English-the new version of Cheisea's web site is every-thing that the Premiership football club's first team is not on the pitch. The no-frills approach is sensible and welcome....

RSPCA. (Now Showing).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... It's timely that the RSPCA has revamped its web site as its Christmas TV ads work on reminding the nation that some of our furry friends often have a hard time. Cute pictures of kittens and puppies aside, it's a practical site with information...

Yo! Sushi. (Now Showing).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... I have always loved Yol Sushi and still feel quite cool when I eat there, even though my genuinely sophisticated friends tell me it's so last year. You can order sushi to your door, and make your choice from a lovely sliding takeaway menu...

Soccertutor. (Now Showing).
January 9, 2002... My biggest, and in fact only, temptation to play football occurred when watching the 1980's film Gregory's Girl. But I was always more Clare Grogan's Susan than Dee Hepburn's Dorothy in that I prefer lying on the ground drunk than dribbling a...

User retention is the new sign of success. (Opinion).
January 9, 2002... The needs of online companies are changing, says Netusability's Peter Chaplin. Sites that have already spent time and money on attracting customers now need to find successful ways of retaining them Last year was tough for most online...

In the net: Football coaching no longer means getting up early on Saturday morning, thanks to Soccertutor.com. Founders George Pallecaros and Jack Panayi tell Annie Kelly why. (Trailblazer).
January 9, 2002... George Pallecaros has spen this life playing football. As a youngster he would record every big match and spend hours in his backyard trying to recreate the moves of Lineker and Gascoigne and later got to show off his fancy footwork during a...

Ange [pounds sterling]s to the rescue. (Start-Ups).(Beyond Bricks and other venture capital companies investing in online services)
January 9, 2002... Venture capitalists aren't as eager to fundstart-upsnow as they were two years ago, but fledgling internet companies are proving resourceful in their quest for backing-Angel investors and self-funded projects are now much more common. It's...

Campaign of the week: Mobile portal Genie invited users to attend its Txt Clinic, a spoof microsite set up to help text addicts deal with the financial implications of their addiction. (Online promotions).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Name of campaign Txt Clinic Cllent Genie UK Agency Agency Republic and its sister company i-traffic Background With more than one billion texts sent every month, text messaging has become a major UK habit. Due to this phenomenon,...

Mail box.(separating spam from advertising; and the use of cyberpets)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Online ads must offer users value I read with interest the news that BMG is to distribute a desktop pet tarantula as part of an online campaign for Faithless(Revolution, 12 December 2001, p10). I hope that BMG has as much success with...

Guerilla marketers try a new tactic. (Terminator).(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Wandering along London's South Bank early in the New Year, a Revolution hackette trying to keep all thoughts of going back to work out of her mind was interested to see that some sites are taking the idea of guerrilla marketing quite literally....

For the online shopper who prefers comprehensive search results. (Terminator).(Debenhams)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Debenhams spent a large part of 200l tweaking and refining its online store into the fine web site that it now is. Thanks to a major relaunch in October 2001, the department store's e-commerce site has done well in achieving its aim to...

Granada broadband to push sport in restructure. (News).(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
January 16, 2002... Media giant Granada's interactive arm Granada Broadband is to be merged with the company's sports operation to put sport at the focus of its new media plans. Max Graesser, who is currently chief operating officer of Granada Broadband, will...

Incepta group boosts its online arm with [pounds sterling]1.5 million investment. (News).(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
January 16, 2002... Marketing and communications giant Incepta Group is to boost the role of its online division backed by investment in the region of [pounds sterling]1.5 million, writes Mark Sweney. Its approximately 155-strong new-media division, called...

Chanel promotes beauty products on Vogue.com. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... Chanel has launched an online promotion with Conde Nast Online for its skin-care range Precision. Appearing on Vogue.com, the promotion includes an online invitation which users can print to get a free consultation with a Chanel skin-care...

Centrum launches online campaign and viral quiz. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... Vitamins and minerals specialist Centrum has launched an online campaign, including a viral email quiz, as part of its Feelgood Factor ad campaign (www.feelgoodfactor.info). The viral email encourages users to visit the site to find out who...

Nurselink.co.uk offers resources for NHS hospitals. (Bullets).(National Health Service)(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... A new online marketplace called Nurselink.co.uk will allow NHS hospitals to search for skilled nurses for free. Developed by web agency IS Solutions, the system will provide a list of nurses matched against hospital requirements with rates and...

Forrester Research confirms UK and global job cuts. (Bullets).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 16, 2002... Forrester Research has confirmed that four employees are to be cut from its London office as part of job losses announced in the US. Around 22 per cent of the online research firm's workforce - about 126 jobs overall - will be lost.

Airtours to promote portal on travel sites. (Bullets).(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
January 16, 2002... Travel firm Airtours' is to launch an online campaign for its MyTravel.com portal, which offers users a choice of five million holidays as well as personalised content and video clips. Banner ads for the site will appear on travel portals such...

E-tailer SoftwareFirst to open retail showroom. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... Computer games and DVD e-tailer SoftwareFirst is to open a high-street store in Essex in a bid to target offline consumers who have yet to go online. The opening of the retail premises follows the firm's relocation of its online business...

Freeserve to host online ad campaign for Which? Online. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... ISP Freeserve is to host an online ad campaign for Which? Online, the Consumer Association's internet service. The ads will drive traffic to the Which? Online site (www.which.net/free.html), where users can download a consumer report on mobile...

Teleconomy acquires publishing company net profit. (Bullets).(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... Research firm teleconomy has bought publishing company Net Profit. The deal will see teleconomy restructured into a strategic research consultancy and publishing group specialising in consumer and corporate web issues. Online publications and...

Butlins trials iTV ads on Sky Digital in [pounds sterling]100k campaign. (News).(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... Holiday firm Butlins is trialling its first interactive TV ads on Sky digital. It is running TV ads, featuring a family transported to the world of Butlins and the strapline 'come to life, come to Butlins', as part of a national campaign,...

Zed backs teen site's mobile area. (News).
January 16, 2002... Mobile phone services group zed is to sponsorteen portal mykindaplace.com's mobile area as part of an exclusive three-month deal. The five-figure deal will make zed the exclusive provider of mobile services on the site, and will see the...

Virgin.net set to roll out broadband. (News).(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... Virgin.net is to roll out a plug-in-and-play DSL-based broadband service in September. Following a trial period, which is scheduled for June, Virgin plans to start offering its users a self-install broadband box that will do away with the...

VW promotes new golf on sports.com. (News).
January 16, 2002... Volkswagen has signed a six-figure sponsorship deal with Sports.com to promote its new Golf GTI. The car company is sponsoring Sports.com's community section The Team. The section claims to have over 250,000 users and features prominently...

Sportal sells rugby site to private buyer. (News).
January 16, 2002... Sportal has sold its last UK-based online property Scrum.com for less than [pounds sterling]100,000. The rugby information web site has been purchased by a group of private investors led by Paul McFarland, who was managing director of...

Lastminute.com. (Accounts).
January 16, 2002... Lastminute.com has appointed marketing services company dunhumby to help develop a new customer relationship management strategy for its subscribers. The project will involve the development of a tailored communications programme that will...

Virgin Atlantic Airways. (Accounts).
January 16, 2002... Digital marketing firm e-relationship marketing has signed up both Cahoot, Abbey National's online bank, and Virgin Atlantic Airways to its Digital Marketeer direct marketing service. The service will enable both Cahoot and Virgin Atlantic...

Diggit.co.uk. (Accounts).
January 16, 2002... Disney web site Diggit.co.uk has appointed GMTV's online team to sell its online advertising. The sales team will use promotional opportunities such as microsites, advertorials and character placement to produce marketing packages for potential...

Virgin holidays. (Accounts).
January 16, 2002... Virgin Holidays has handed the hosting, maintenance and management of its holiday information and booking web site to Ebone, the broadband IP and optical network provider. The holiday firm previously handled its site in-house.