Revolution articles from January 2005

Revolution archives from January 2005

Letter from the editor.(automobile marketing)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 31, 2005... Everyone says there's no need to re-invent the wheel online, but that's just what the major motoring brands are doing. From the AA, which has been keen to exploit the power of the web to get the most for, and out of, its members since the...

BT pushes online accounts with new web advertising.(British Telecommunications PLC)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... BT is rolling out an online push to persuade its telephone customers to manage their accounts on the web. The campaign, which launches in January, aims to highlight the convenience of paying and managing phone bills online. The firm wanted...

IAB's Eyre to chair event for Revolution.(Richard Eyre)
January 31, 2005... Richard Eyre, IAB chairman and former chief executive of ITV, is to chair a conference on integrated brand-building, Revolution's first major event of 2005. The one-day event will be held at The Dorchester Hotel, London, on 18 March, the...

Bacardi-Martini in ad deal with MyVillage.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Bacardi-Martini has signed an advertising deal worth up to pounds 100,000 to sponsor domains owned by regional community site network MyVillage. Bacardi Rum is sponsoring MyVillage in a partnership that will see prominent Bacardi branding...

Deals: Shazam Entertainment launches subscription-based product.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Shazam Entertainment, which allows music fans to use their mobiles to identify, or 'tag', tracks by pointing their handset at a music source, has launched its first subscription-based product in partnership with The Link, the Dixons-owned...

Deals: Handbag.com announces deal with Tesco eDiets.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Women's lifestyle site handbag.com has announced a 12-month deal with health site Tesco eDiets. The five-figure deal offers eDietsUK.com a long-term presence on handbag.com's health and fitness channels. The campaign mixes editorial content...

Deals: T-Mobile and TDC launch easyMobile in the UK.(TeleDanmark Communications A.S.)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... T-Mobile and communications services provider TeleDanmark Communications (TDC) has launched a 'no frills', SIM card-only service, easyMobile, in the UK. The telecoms service agreement provides TDC with wholesale access to the T-Mobile network...

Deals: Vodafone live! partners Filmnight.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Vodafone UK's mobile portal, Vodafone live!, has partnered online film retailer Filmnight. The retailer will provide exclusive film-related content, including news, gossip, and trailers, as well as exclusive customer offers and competitions.

Deals: Overture Services signs ad agreement.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Overture Services has signed a contextual ad agreement with independent online financial provider, Interactive Investor on iii.co.uk. Overture will provide results from Content Match, its contextual advertising product across the markets, news...

Deals: Wippit announces deal.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Wippit, the digital music service, has announced a deal to distribute record label Universal's repertoire, which includes the Scissor Sisters and U2, through the Wippit site. The Universal catalogue of more than one million recordings will be...

Deals: Orange runs biggest one-day ad deal.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Orange ran its biggest one-day advertising take-over deal on MSN UK services to push sales. Orange owned all ad space across MSN UK communication services, MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger. Advertising focused on the pay-as-you-go service.

Deals: The Usability Company buys stake.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Usability consultancy, The Usability Company has bought the 30 per cent stake held in the company by business incubator Brainspark. The deal comes as the firm reported a 40 per cent increase in turnover in 2004, with clients including 35 FTSE...

Deals: Walt Disney Television signs multi-deal agreement.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Walt Disney Television International has signed a multi-deal agreement with Telewest Broadband, which launches abc1, its UK entertainment channel in just over one million digital homes. It marks the first stage of expansion of abc1, which was...

Deals: Correction.
January 31, 2005... In our report on the winners of the BIMAs 2004 in the last issue of Revolution, we omitted to mention that Celador International's Who Wants to Be A Millionaire on AOL Broadband game was highly commended in the Best Online Game category. The...

Channel 4 revamps interactive strategy.(Channel Four Television Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Channel 4 has unveiled plans to shake up its online strategy for 2005 with a new ad format and online marketing strategy. C4's web site has launched a widescreen interactive ad format to offer advertisers similar opportunities to a TV...

Mercedes-Benz invests pounds 1.5m online.(Daimler-Benz AG)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Mercedes-Benz is committing an estimated pounds 1.5 million online in 2005 to back the launch of four new cars in the UK. The cash will go on microsites and eCRM programmes to back the launch of its new A-Class, CLS-Class executive saloon,...

Cadbury Dairy Milk turns 100 with pounds 5m integrated push.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Cadbury Trebor Bassett is to launch a bespoke site as part of a multi-million-pound integrated push to celebrate the centenary of Cadbury Dairy Milk. The theme is 'celebrating 100 years of happiness' and activity will centre on Cadbury...

Good month/bad month.(Channel 4 Television Co. and Yahoo! Inc. launched different services)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... A good month for those who like a flutter on the gee-gees; Channel 4 launched a live online betting service to back its horseracing coverage. It is available to registered users on channel4.com/racing. It was developed by 4interactive, the...

Just breaking: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions (1-30 November 2004).(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... 1 CNN Your opinion counts 2 Argos.co.uk Free delivery 3 Ask.co.uk New and improved Ask Jeeves 4 Sky.com It's showtime 5 O2 Free Nokia...

Honda builds microsite as part of pounds 4m ad campaign for FR-V.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Honda is launching a microsite promoting its new FR-V model as part of a pounds 4 million advertising campaign. The microsite, created by agency Midas Collective, is accessible through the homepage of honda.co.uk. It builds on the TV...

Agency Oyster expands with usability arm.(appoimtments)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Interactive agency Oyster Partners is launching a usability arm, Oyster Lab, after appointing Orange's head of product research last summer. The agency has hired three staff dedicated to Oyster Lab, and is developing a user research...

GSK in second push for NiQuitin CQ.(GlaxoSmithKline)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... GlaxoSmithKline is launching its second integrated iTV, SMS and internet campaign for 'stop smoking' brand NiQuitin CQ. This follows the success of its initial pounds 1m September push (Revolution, October, p5). NiQuitin CQ found that...

Piaggio in integrated push for NRG Power.(Piaggio e Compagnia S.p.A.)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Italian motorbike manufacturer Piaggio is running an integrated campaign to push the launch of its new scooter, the NRG Power. The push aims to drive traffic to a web site dedicated to the model (www.nrg.piaggio.com) as well as Piaggio...

Account wins.(marketing contracts between Sony Europe GmbH and LUON)(Shell Group and Foolproof)(Orange Group and Enpocket)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Sony Europe has chosen marketing agency LUON to lead its Christmas e-campaign in Europe, targeting Sony's email database of some one million contacts over seven weeks in 26 regional markets. BP has hired business consulting and technology...

Owen on digital media: Make something compelling and watch it go viral.
January 31, 2005... As we continue to debate the role of digital within the marketing mix, it is instructive to ask yourself this question: what do you trust the most? Is it (a) things you experience yourself, (b) things your friends tell you, (c) things you learn...

Nissan unveils a virtual showroom.(Nissan Motor Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Motor manufacturer Nissan has launched an online advertising push to a new web site as part of an integrated push promoting its commercial vehicles. The web site (www.nissan-lcv.co.uk), developed by digital agency Tullo Marshall Warren,...

Starbucks launches 20th birthday site.(Starbucks Coffee Company)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Starbucks Coffee Company has launched a new, special web site to celebrate the retailer's 20th anniversary. The site aims to educate visitors about the heritage of Starbucks coffee and position the brand as a coffee specialist. ...

Tracker: Top six sectors for open rates of marketing emails.(IPT digital direct marketing firm)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... FAST MOVER: ONLINE MARKETERS As spammers continue to blight our industry, it is great to see that marketers who have built a relationship with their data are still getting results worthy of the effort. It is key to remember that email...

Time thief: Elliot Grace, marketing communications manager, Saab GB, on his day.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... 25% Campaign strategy Most of my day involves ensuring that our campaigns are going smoothly. I'm responsible for internet, online, DM, CRM and dealer marketing - there are always four or five projects running at once. 18%...

Microsoft puts Xbox Live promo film on the web.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Microsoft, owner of the Xbox console, has hired interactive agency AKQA to create an exclusive film to push its Xbox Live web-enabled gaming service. The two-minute film features a sofa with revolving seats, representing how gamers can...

SonyBMG directs fans of new signing El Presidente online.
January 31, 2005... SonyBMG is using digital to launch El Presidente, the first artist it is promoting in a joint-venture deal with Scottish label One Records. The band is being promoted via email marketing and mobile messaging, which will direct fans to its...

Ford revamps sites with dealer finder.(Ford Europe)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... General Motors-owned Ford has struck a deal with online mapping provider Multimap to promote its dealerships in 19 countries across Europe. The service is part of Ford's revamped sites, called Firefly #3, which aim to boost user experience...

YouthNet UK adds to its online offer.
January 31, 2005... Virtual charity YouthNet UK is overhauling its online strategy to boost its service to 16 to 24-year-olds for the next decade. YouthNet UK is revamping its consumer-facing site at (www.thesite.org) on 27 January to provide support and...

Performance index.(Illustration)
January 31, 2005... The Revolution Keynote Performance Index measures the performance of 20 representative sites from across the digital economy in terms of speed of loading and site availability. The top 10 are featured each week, and the worst performing web...

Gaffney on America: Customer data is the Holy Grail for online newspapers.
January 31, 2005... Read a story in a.n.other publication recently (sorry), addressing the possibility of UK newspapers charging for their online content. I have one question for you all: are you crazy? In my opinion, the establishment of the online newspaper...

Moving on up: Appointment at BT Entertainment.(Andrew Burke apointed)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Andrew Burke has been appointed chief executive officer of BT's new retail consumer business, BT Entertainment. His brief will be to enable content providers to reach broadband customers through BT's services. It will develop, license and...

Moving on up: Appointment at Zed.(Greg Grimmer appointed)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Greg Grimmer has been appointed as managing director at direct and digital media agency Zed. Starting at the end of the month, he leaves sister company ZenithOptimedia, where he was executive director. Grimmer replaces Jeff Hyams, who will take...

Moving on up: Appointment at AKQA.(Michael de Kare-Silver appointed)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Michael de Kare-Silver, the former boss of Modem Media who left the agency after its merger with US-based Digitas, is now the managing director for Europe of rival firm AKQA.

Moving on up: Appointment at MSN.co.uk.(appointments)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... MSN.co.uk has boosted its sales teams with seven new members. Kathryn Shannon joins as agency sales manager from AOL and Jane McFazdean has been appointed offline strategist. The MSN UK client sales and development team has hired Malcolm...

Moving on up: Appointment at T-Mobile International.(Ulli Gritzuhn appointed)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Ulli Gritzuhn is the new chief marketing officer of T-Mobile International. He joins with immediate effect and replaces Nikesh Arora who left T-Mobile in September to become VP, Europe, at Google. Gritzuhn will be responsible for marketing of...

Moving on up: Appointment at twofourtv.(Mike Alderton appointed)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Mike Alderton has joined online business communications firm twofourtv as sales director. He is also taking on the role of country manager for GoodMood, the webcast service provider, which partners with twofourtv. He moves from US Market...

Moving on up: Appointment at RedEye.(Mark Patron)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Mark Patron, the founder of marketing service provider Claritas has joined the board of eCRM specialist RedEye as a non-executive director and will play a key role in strategic direction.

Moving on up: Appointment at Flytxt.(Nick Fuller, David Payne and Craig Patton)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Flytxt has appointed Nick Fuller, David Payne and Craig Patton to its senior management team. Chief executive Carsten Boers has made Payne executive chairman, who will combine the Flytxt executive chair with his direct marketing position as...

Moving on up: Appointment at Proximity.(Killingley, Mark)(Rachel Robson )(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Agency Proximity has added two digital account directors. Rachel Robson moves from Amaze where she headed digital marketing and Mark Killingley was communications director at agency Reading Room.

Moving on up: Appointment at Pod1.(Mark Allardice)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Digital agency Pod1 has hired two new staff. Mark Allardice has joined as senior creative from new media and design agency Guava. He will work with brands such as Coca-Cola and Hertz. Rebeka Fiona Lucas joins from training organisation IT...

Moving on up: Sharon Lang to leave AOL UK.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Sharon Lang is to leave her position as vice-president of marketing at AOL UK in February. Lang, who joined the firm at the beginning of 2001 as director of marketing, will continue to work with AOL in her new capacity as consultant.

Moving on up: Appointment at Raisingkids.co.uk.(Catherine Hanly)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Catherine Hanly moves from her role as online managing editor at Emap Elan to head up the editorial team at its UK parenting site, Raisingkids.co.uk.

Moving on up: Appointment at Wheel.(Laurent Ezekiel and Chris Clarke )(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Wheel has appointed Laurent Ezekiel and Chris Clarke to the board of directors. Ezekiel, who becomes client services director, joined Wheel 18 months ago and has worked with clients such as Marks & Spencer, Allied Domecq and Opodo. Clarke...

THQ rolls out game clips within banners.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Games publisher THQ is using a tool that plays video content within ad banners to promote two new games releases, and is considering using the technology for another game next year. The firm is pushing its World Wrestling Entertainment...

Clearasil targets the older teen market.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Clearasil is targeting the tween-to-teen market with a lifestyle site aiming to provide a 'bonding experience' with the brand. The idea behind the Blue Flag Beach site is inspired by the flag system used to denote clean beaches, connecting...

Time Warner pays pounds 260m over AOL case.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Time Warner is to pay dollars 510m (pounds 260.9m) to US authorities following two federal investigations into its internet unit, AOL. Investigations were made into AOL, which has been charged with criminal securities fraud in connection...

Pankhurst on dotcom life: When it comes to introducing new things, just do it.
January 31, 2005... For a business that uses the internet to bring users together, we don't often talk about technology at Friends Reunited. Of course, we think about it internally and, as someone who made his living as a programmer, I'm perhaps a little too...

Digital direct: False clicks can make or break your online campaign.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... There has been a lot of speculation recently about fraudulent activity in the PPC market. This can be one of three things: competitors clicking on ads repeatedly with no intention to buy; publishers creating click activity artificially to boost...

Joseph Turner looks to improve targeting.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Menswear mail-order company Joseph Turner has appointed distance-shopping expert Zendor to analyse its database to boost its marketing. Zendor will analyse Joseph Turner's customer data to propose ways of targeting offers more effectively...

Direct Stats.(online advertisment)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... This month Consumers are responding to online ads and Q3 2004 saw click rates up 11 per cent, reports Philip Smith. Clickthrough for web ads was stable in the first three-quarters of 2004, DoubleClick reports in its latest Ad Serving Trend...

Tesco rolls out 'get in shape' campaign.(Tesco Personal Finance Ltd.; Harvest Digital)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Tesco Personal Finance has launched a 'get in shape' campaign for the period between Christmas and New Year, pushing six of its financial products. The company worked with interactive agency Harvest Digital to create the promo, which...

The Others targets viral game at teens.(target marketing to promote their band to teens)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Punk rock band The Others has launched a viral game to promote their 'rough, edgy' feel to its core teen audience. The concept behind the game is 'guerrilla gigging': the band's trademark tactic of throwing surprise events at Underground...

Vital statistics.
January 31, 2005... This month: More home users are switching to broadband in the UK, particularly in large households. There has been a 117 per cent rise in the number people using the web at home. In the year to October 2004, the number of UK households...

News Analysis: Digital works well outdoors.
January 31, 2005... Digital has gone outside for its latest interactive advertising partner. And it is a good match. Whether it's through mobile-enabled billboard posters, plasma screens in clubs, broadband games machines in pubs, ATMs or kiosks, advertisers...

News Analysis: How blogs help brands build up trust online?
January 31, 2005... MSN is the latest brand to give users publishing power through its new blogging service, MSN Spaces. It aims to make it easier for users to host a site, with an online scrapbook that enables them to share photos and music lists. Blogging...

Vox pop: What are key digital players expecting from a new year?
January 31, 2005... Why does new media anticipate another year of growth? Last year saw successes in digital marketing, most notably the ongoing rise of internet ad spend, which the IAB estimated to have reached 3.4 per cent of the total spent on advertising....

Editorial: Change should not cost the user.(Editorial)
January 31, 2005... It has been fashionable and somewhat sensible, for the most part, to deride future dreaming or blue-sky thinking in the last few years. Clearly, this has partly been a reaction to the exuberance surrounding the internet at the early part of...

Comment: Rich opportunities for WAP and mobile internet.(Wireless application protocol)
January 31, 2005... Those of us who work in interactive marketing are sometimes our own worst enemies. Enthused by new technologies, and dreams of huge new revenue streams, we talk up the latest developments to the point where we lose our grip on commercial...

Shopping: Review - 3G inspires shopping success.
January 31, 2005... One of the perks of running a mobile agency is that you have the perfect excuse to splash out on the latest handset. All of them, in fact. To mark the launch of Vodafone's 3G service, I eschewed the usual trip to The Carphone Warehouse to...

Shopping stats: Christmas comes early for online stores.
January 31, 2005... High street retailers experienced record online traffic in the run-up to Christmas. The online retail sector in the UK achieved its highest ever share of internet traffic thanks to the Christmas shopping frenzy. With 24 shopping days...

Sector checker: Mobile sales made easy but can O2 win our confidence?(www.02.co.uk)
January 31, 2005... Giles Colborne from Cxpartners says an understanding of how consumers shop is vital if the mobile networks want to maximise web sales. Web: www.02.co.uk Developer: in-house In all likelihood, the number of people who will have...

Mercedes-Benz: Motor giant chases new online crowd.
January 31, 2005... Mercedes-Benz's communications manager, Richard Payne, tells Philip Buxton how digital is key to the car giant's marketing. Richard Payne gets a new Merc 'every few months'. Well, he should, since he runs the marketing and communications...

Quiz of the year: How well do you remember 2004?
January 31, 2005... Test your knowledge of the year and you could win yourself a Sony Ericsson P910 mobile phone. Throughout 2004, Revolution covered another exciting and diverse year in the world of digital marketing. Now you can find out if you were paying...

Diary of a campaign: Meeting the creative challenge.
January 31, 2005... How do you convince marketers to spend more money on internet advertising? Emma Rigby follows the progress of the IAB's first online campaign. This was a challenge like no other. In April 2004, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB),...

The big budgets are now in reach.
January 31, 2005... The Revolution Affiliate Marketing Report sponsored by TradeDoubler. Throughout 2004, we have been inundated with encouraging growth figures. One statistic from the EIAA in October stands out. It claims online makes up 20 per cent of...

Market snapshot: Brands reap network rewards.
January 31, 2005... The Revolution Affiliate Marketing Report sponsored by TradeDoubler. Affiliate marketing has built up a loyal following, but says Suzy Bashford, agencies have a role to play in bringing it into the mainstream. Some digital marketers...

Network building: Partners seek stronger relationships.
January 31, 2005... The Revolution Affiliate Marketing Report sponsored by TradeDoubler. How can clients ensure affiliates give their best performance? It could be by meeting them face to face, reports Philip Smith. Lonely, depressed, single? Well, it is...

Affiliates boost the beds business.
January 31, 2005... The Revolution Affiliate Marketing Report sponsored by TradeDoubler. With Hilton on board, the hotel sector looks set to follow the flight sector into affiliate marketing. When Mr and Mrs Smith hunt for the perfect location for a...

Online recruitment: Job sites build on boom years experience.
January 31, 2005... With digital rapidly becoming the media of choice for job hunters in the UK, Robert Gray finds out what's next for the big recruitment brands. According to World Advertising Research Council figures, the UK online recruitment market is...

The Revolution Masterclass on integrated marketing.
January 31, 2005... A marketing campaign that combines a mixture of on and offline media can be more than the sum of its parts, if it's done right, says Emma Rigby. There's a good reason to look at how digital sits in an integrated marketing campaign, as...

Trailblazer: Language exchange.
January 31, 2005... The founder of Amazon in the UK, Simon Murdoch tells Emma Rigby how users can make friends abroad on his new community site. Amazon.co.uk founder Simon Murdoch has a new project. His new web site helps users make friends around the world....

Creative review: Gary Sharpen executive creative director, Red Cell Response.
January 31, 2005... Sharpen spent nine years at Saatchi & Saatchi as integrated creative director, followed by three years as creative partner of Leonardo, which he also founded. 'Much current creative doesn't have an idea and fails to engage,' says Sharpen. 'The...

Campaign of the month.
January 31, 2005... Campaign: More Th>n Client: Royal & SunAlliance Agency: glue London Background: Insurer More Th>n, owned by Royal & SunAlliance, has advertised online since its launch in June 2001. At the end of 2004, it decided to run its first...

Terminator 1: There's no method in blaming the web for our madness.
January 31, 2005... So, it turns out that you can buy almost anything on eBay. This breaking news comes from the London Evening Standard, which plastered a full-colour version of the online auction company's logo all over its front page. The splash said that...

Terminator 2: Viral games get into the spirit of Christmas.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Bless him. Once, all St Nick had to do was squeeze his well-built bod down a chimney pot, without dirtying his nice suit, and steer a bunch of insomniac reindeer with no headlights. Now the poor old mucker has to navigate a slalom course....

Terminator 2: New Romantics dress snappy at the BIMAs.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... For those who like to end the year with a bang, BIMAs 2004 was a good place to be. Hosted with Revolution for the second year running, the BIMAs are traditionally a place where the creative - often, sartorially excessive - stars of the...

Terminator 2: Church of Fools gets cross with blasphemers.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... It was bad news for believers when the UK's online house of worship, churchoffools.com, was forced to tighten security after a visitor logged in as Satan, entered the pulpit and blasphemed. The prayer destination withdrew the 'shout'...