Revolution articles from January 2007

Revolution archives from January 2007

Letter from the editor.(Editorial)
January 25, 2007... So, what will 2007 hold for the digital sector? The entire industry expects more, more, more, but the shape of this growth is perhaps more tricky to guess. Channels such as mobile and IPTV are sure to gain more attention - and budget - and we...

Unilever chooses OgilvyOne for Vaseline global digital account.(Unilever Group)(OgilvyOne Worldwide)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Unilever brand Vaseline has handed its global digital account to OgilvyOne after a two-way pitch against Tribal DDB. OgilvyOne will work alongside Vaseline's global strategic agency, BBH, on the brand, which is the second-ranking hand and...

COI wins most awards in our league table.
January 25, 2007... The COI was the most awarded client at local and international digital awards in 2006, according to our inaugural awards league table. The table, complied by Revolution, included Cannes Cyber Lions and D&AD awards, as well as local prizes...

Blogging craze soars for 80 million writers.
January 25, 2007... Blogs are set to become mainstream media with more than 80 million people aged 16 to 44 writing one. The finding comes from Web 2.0: The Global Impact, a study by Universal McCann into the consumer adoption of web 2.0 and associated...

Deals: Sky and Google.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC.)(Google UK Ltd.)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Sky has become Google's first partner to deploy the search engine's suite of search, ad, communications and video services, which will be tailored and branded for its broadband platform. Sky will also launch a multi-platform user-generated...

Deals: Glu Mobile extends partnership.
January 25, 2007... Mobile games publisher Glu Mobile has extended its partnership with Celador International. Glu will continue to develop and publish mobile games based on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The deal originated in November 2004, and Glu has since...

Deals: Piczo announces partnerships.
January 25, 2007... Teen online social network Piczo has announced partnerships with web multimedia firms Flock, Photobucket and VideoEgg. The deals give Piczo users more online creativity via video and photo sharing, and more ways of communicating with their...

Deals: PayPal signs partnership with Loot.
January 25, 2007... PayPal has signed a partnership with classified ad service Loot to provide secure online payment. Users of Loot's site will be able to make purchases via PayPal, which claims enhanced security for online payments.

Deals: Auto Trader signs up Accipiter Solutions.
January 25, 2007... Auto Trader has signed up online ad-serving firm Accipiter Solutions to serve more than 500 million ads per month on its site. The deal gives Auto Trader advanced ad management.

Deals: Yomego working with GMTV.
January 25, 2007... Yomego, the entertainment division of DA Group, is providing GMTV with an infrastructure linking mobile, web and TV, which will support viewer-generated content. Yomego will create WAP and web sites with functionality that allows viewers to...

Deals: NeoMedia Technologies announcement.
January 25, 2007... NeoMedia Technologies announced that agency Euro RSCG London has purchased a licence to use and co-market its direct-to-mobile-web qode technology.

Deals: FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide inks deals.(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide has inked deals with new licensees, including, Headline Publishing, Eclipse Games, Mookie Toys, Acoustic Solutions and Magix AG for The X Factor. Eclipse has been licensed rights to develop The X Factor...

Deals: WebTrends acquires ClickShift.
January 25, 2007... Web analytics provider WebTrends has acquired online ad-optimisation provider ClickShift for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition will give WebTrends marketing optimisation tools, primarily for testing paid-search campaigns.

Deals: PA Group agrees deal with ScreenFX.
January 25, 2007... PA Group has agreed a deal to provide entertainment, news and sports content to the ScreenFX network. From mid-November the content, including news, sports and regional weather, will air in 20 shopping centres nationwide. Brands are being given...

Man United tops the web site premiership table.
January 25, 2007... Manchester United's official site has been rated the best of the Premiership clubs in an exclusive survey by Revolution. Manutd.com fought off arch rivals Arsenal (www.arsenal.com) to top the table, leaving Aston Villa (www.avfc.co.uk)...

Viacom unveils ads for digital media unit.
January 25, 2007... Viacom Outdoor has appointed Anorak Digital, Glue London's sister digital design and production agency, to promote its new, dedicated digital media unit, Alive, to advertisers. Anorak Digital has created a series of ads to show how...

Qantas to offer a raft of online content after Play appointment.
January 25, 2007... Qantas, the Australian airline, has launched a raft of online activity following the appointment of Play as its digital agency. Play has created a brand ad campaign and microsite, and plans to launch more projects in the next few months....

Good month/bad month.(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... A good one for online creative with the launch of an IPA Digital initiative to double the size of online advertising files to 30k. The initiative aims to pave the way for greater creative flexibility. More good news with ABC Electronic...

Just breaking: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions - (1-30 November 2006).(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... 1. Sky Sky TV half-price for the first three months 2. CISNet Someone's got the hots for you 3. ebay Let sellers answer your questions straight away 4....

Save the Children seeks donors via a Yak Shack on Second Life.(Save the Children Federation)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Save the Children has launched a Yak Shack to help raise money in virtual world Second Life. Second Life members can visit the shack to buy a Yak for 1,000 Linden dollars (USdollars 3.5). They can then milk or ride the animal or knit a...

D2See debuts with portal of boxing clips.(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... D2See, the new mobile video supplier co-founded by ex-Vodafone head of commercial partnerships Jeremy Flynn, has gone live with a portal of boxing clips. Seconds Out TV offers clips of the greatest boxing moments of the last 20 years on 3G...

BTVision offers sport following Setanta link.(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... BT Vision is gearing up for phase two of its expansion with a focus on sports content, after being unveiled in December. The web-based TV service will offer a range of live sport after BT struck a deal with Setanta Sports and secured rights...

Adnams gives digital account to Profero.
January 25, 2007... Adnams, the brewer, has hired digital agency Profero to handle its long-term digital strategy. The account incorporates a strategic development plan for Adnams' web communications, as well as site design, online ads, and online media...

Account wins.
January 25, 2007... Peugeot has shaken up its UK multi-million-pound digital account by appointing a roster of four agencies: E3, Euro RSCG 4D Digital, CMW Interactive and Underwired. The brief covers web design and build, online ads and mobile marketing across...

Owen on digital media: Catch the chain reaction of a great, user-generated idea.
January 25, 2007... Most people who have seen Nike's latest online marketing adventure, 'The Chain' will, I'm sure, have felt warmer to the brand as a result. It's a fascinating piece of video, which splices together more than 900 (at the last count) videos of...

Bebo revamps as it takes on new rivals.(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Bebo, the social networking site, has been revamped as it fights an increasingly competitive battle with rivals such as MySpace, Piczo and Facebook. The updated site has several new features, including a personalised home page and a...

Visit London artwork opens up city online.
January 25, 2007... Visit London, the official body for promoting the capital to UK and overseas tourists, has introduced a new tool for five of its foreign web sites, based on an outdoor campaign by renowned artist David March. The tool is based on a collage...

Tracker: Fast mover - Nintendo wii.
January 25, 2007... In the week ending December 9, the nintendo wii overtook all other game consoles, even the iPod, to become the most searched-for gadget in the lead-up to Christmas. The wii, released in the UK in early December, sold out rapidly: 50,000...

Subaru pushes new Impreza with digital.
January 25, 2007... Subaru has created an online campaign to promote the launch of the new Impreza RB320. It aims to raise awareness of the car, which has been dedicated to the memory of Richard Burns, who was the first and only Englishman to win the World...

MSN bids to become the travel destination.
January 25, 2007... MSN.co.uk has relaunched its travel channel with new content and a booking service in a bid to be a major holiday destination. The portal has partnered with major travel brands, including Expedia and Conde Nast Traveller, to provide content...

Nielsen panel expands for better reports.(Nielsen NetRatings)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Nielsen//NetRatings is set to expand its web audience measurement panel to 50,000 UK individuals in a series of changes aimed at improving the accuracy and scope of its services. The firm plans to triple the number of domains it reports on...

Griffiths on mobile: Let's look forward to another busy year for the mobile sector.
January 25, 2007... The past 12 months have, once again, seen significant change and it has been a year of consolidation in the mobile sector. Telefonica completed its takeover of O2, Fox landed Jamba and Glu acquired ifone, among others. We also saw significant...

Powergen places usability at heart of its internet strategy.
January 25, 2007... Powergen has put usability and accessibility at the heart of its web strategy in a bid to differentiate the brand in the competitive energy market. The strategy is part of the energy supplier's goal to ensure its site (www.powergen.co.uk)...

ValueClick boosts its collection of web sites with Shopping.net.
January 25, 2007... ValueClick has enhanced its European online marketing services by acquiring shopping-comparison site Shopping.net. ValueClick paid dollars 13.3 million (pounds 6.7m) cash for Shopping.net and plans to integrate its comparison-shopping,...

Yahoo shapes up following a profit slump.(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Yahoo has been overhauled to make it more competitive following a recent profit slump. The business has now been streamlined into three divisions: advertiser and publishing; consumer; and technology. The advertiser and publishing...

Time thief: Anne Davis, MD, Euro RSCG 4D Digital, tells us about her day.(Interview)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... 1% - Blackberry wake-up greeting It's a mad dash to the greasy spoon for a coffee before going to work. I'd like to say I check my email the minute I wake up, but that would be a big fib. 1% - The gym I pass it on my way to work....

Match.com supports dating through digital.
January 25, 2007... Match.com is set to launch an integrated ad campaign in a bid to promote the service and grow the online dating sector. The promotion, which rolls out on January 1, will include online, TV, outdoor, ambient and radio advertising. The...

Performance index.(website rankings)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
January 25, 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 web site availability. The top 10 are featured each month, and the worst...

Gaffney on America: Are our newspapers soon to be the vinyl records of media?
January 25, 2007... When you get down to it, only one story really made a difference in US media in 2006, and there will be only one that makes a long-term difference in 2007. That story is the sad state of the newspaper business. Surprisingly, no media...

Moving on up: Appointment at ITV.
January 25, 2007... ITV has employed a new MD for its local broadband TV service. Mohammed Raja will oversee the national rollout of ITV Local. He brings 14 years' experience in online search and directory listings, having worked for Ask Jeeves, Thomson...

Moving on up: Appointment at Red Eye International.(Matthew Kelleher)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Matthew Kelleher has been hired by digital marketing and web analytics specialist Red Eye International as commercial director, with responsibility for the new business, email and data divisions. Kelleher, who joins from Acxiom UK, has worked...

Moving on up: Appointment at LoveFilm.com.
January 25, 2007... Andrew Ground has been appointed as UK MD of online DVD rental service LoveFilm.com. He was formerly marketing director and then MD of fast-growing subscription business Homeserve. Ground will be responsible for continuing the growth of...

Moving on up: Appointment at Holler.(Holler Digital)(Ben Gallagher)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Digital agency Holler has taken on four new staff as part of an expansion drive. Ben Gallagher has joined as planner, primarily working on the 3 account, Ez Blaine has been appointed as special effects designer, while Denis Nemytov and Lorenzo...

Moving on up: Appointment at Netrank.
January 25, 2007... Netrank, the online brand positioning company, has appointed Lucy Allen as its new MD. She joins from Future Publishing, where she headed new media sales. Allen also worked at Conde Nast, Amazon and Lycos.

Moving on up: Appointment at ValueClick Europe's vcmedia.(Richard Sharp)(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... ValueClick Europe's online ad sales network vcmedia has announced the appointment of Richard Sharp as UK country manager. Sharp will join in early 2007 from Hemscott where he was head of retail, responsible for all activity on premium...

Moving on up: Appointment at Fool.co.uk.
January 25, 2007... Saul Devine has been promoted to MD at personal finance comparison site Fool.co.uk. He succeeds Bruce Jackson, who is returning to Australia after nine years at The Motley Fool. Devine joined Motley Fool in January 2000 and progressed to...

Moving on up: Appointment at OgilvyOne.
January 25, 2007... OgilvyOne has poached the online creative team of Paul Campbell and Steve Bartlett from Agency.com. Art director Campbell and copywriter Bartlett have been working together since 2000 on major brands such as BA, John Lewis and BT. The pair also...

Moving on up: Appointment at Hachette Filipacchi UK.
January 25, 2007... Hachette Filipacchi UK has hired Nick Bradley as digital sales director of its newly created digital publishing division. Bradley will have responsibility for ad sales across the company's entire magazine portfolio, including Elle and Sugar. He...

Moving on up: Appointment at CMW North.
January 25, 2007... CMW North, part of Media Square group, has poached David Crawford, former head of McCann Erickson Manchester's interactive division, to join its Leeds-based team. He will be tasked with further developing the agency's growing portfolio of...

Moving on up: Appointment at Associated Northcliffe Digital.
January 25, 2007... Associated Northcliffe Digital has hired Sean Mahon as marketing services director at AN Digital integrated media. He will work across the newspaper companion sites, including the Mail Online and ThisisLondon, as well as the network of 30...

Moving on up: Chris Dobson at Microsoft promoted.
January 25, 2007... Microsoft's Chris Dobson, who was previously general manager, digital marketing sales and trade marketing at MSN international, has been promoted to a global role. Dobson will be responsible for global ad sales across the Microsoft Digital...

Moving on up: Appointment at Fox Interactive Media (FIM).
January 25, 2007... Jean-Paul Sanchez has taken up the new post of VP, mobile at Fox Interactive Media (FIM). He will be responsible for deploying social networking site MySpace, video games network IGN and other FIM properties over mobile. Previously, Sanchez was...

Yell.com repositions as information hub.(Brief article)
January 25, 2007... Yell.com has been revamped with new maps, search and site content as part of an ongoing strategy to reposition the site as a hub of information. The brand aims to expand the site from an online directory into a 'highly compelling...

GfK finds more users tuning into mobile TV.
January 25, 2007... GfK Technology has found that 70 per cent of active subscribers are tuning in to mobile TV at least once a week. According to the study, most of these subscribers watch mobile TV for less than half an hour at any one time, with 38 per cent...

Ex-Times man, Bale, heads to Microsoft.
January 25, 2007... Peter Bale, former Times Online editorial director, is joining Microsoft to take responsibility for content on MSN and Windows Live. He will be executive producer of the UK's online services group, reporting to new general manager Sharon...

Murphy on dotcom life: Google pays kings' ransom, but will it need to pay more?(Google -Youtube merger)
January 25, 2007... Two kings have got together, they said, and a right royal publicity storm the now famous 'message from Chad and Steve' caused too. It's nice to know the spectacle of two loveable geeks driving their neat little invention at full throttle down...

Digital direct: It pays to invest in deliverability if you want to hit inboxes.
January 25, 2007... More than 34 billion emails are produced daily, of which 58.5 per cent are spam (Messagelabs, April 2006). Microsoft is reported to block 2.4 billion junk messages to MSN and Hotmail subscribers every day. With the tide increasing, 20-30 per...

Norwich Union uses email in DM promo.
January 25, 2007... Norwich Union has launched its first email marketing activity for its equity release product. The integrated campaign, including direct mail, inserts and press ads, aims to cement the insurer's position as the market leader in equity...

Direct Stats.
January 25, 2007... This month Email marketing is primarily used by clients to drive traffic, says a new survey. Susie Harwood reports. The Client Email Marketing Survey, published by the DMA Email Marketing Council, questioned 110 clients, of which 78 per...

Scandinavian Airlines rolls out web game.
January 25, 2007... Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is set to launch an integrated ad campaign pushing Scandinavia as a winter travel destination. The six-week promotion features an online snowball-fight game and ticket giveaway, which aim to drive bookings for...

Brahm buys Swamp on acquisition trail.
January 25, 2007... Brahm, the independent marketing communications agency, has acquired digital marketing outfit Swamp, its second agency acquisition in four months. The purchase of Swamp enhances Brahm's digital offer by merging Swamp's 12 employees with...

Vital statistics: This month.(Survey)
January 25, 2007... According to a new report, many firms are using user-generated content on their sites. Many organisations use or plan to adopt user-generated content (UGC), corporate blogs, podcasting or video-casting in the next 12 months, according to a...

News Analysis: Industry to rethink food advertising.
January 25, 2007... The recent Ofcom ruling to crack down on junk-food advertising to children will see food and drink advertisers shift budgets away from TV, with the web a likely benefactor. However, while the online market might experience a short-term...

News Analysis: Mergers and buyouts set to stay.
January 25, 2007... Last year's rash of mergers and acquisitions has lead to speculation that 2007 will be the year of buyouts as the burgeoning digital market consolidates and traditional agencies try to get a piece of the action. The deals in November and...

Analysis: Forum sparks debate on Google.
January 25, 2007... Paul Hayes, managing director of Times Media, sparked further debate around the issue of whether Google is a threat to online publishers. Speaking at Revolution's ninth forum at the Forest of Arden hotel in November, Hayes said that, while...

Vox pop: What's in store for digital marketers in 2007?
January 25, 2007... We asked the industry their predictions for the coming year. All the signs are pointing to 2007 being another cracking year for the digital marketing sector. A recent report from WPP's media buying arm, Group M, predicted that this...

Quotes of the month.(Quotation)
January 25, 2007... 'In digital we have dog years, so one year is seven normal years and every year there's a massive shift' - Poke's Simon Waterfall likens life in the digital market to the animal kingdom 'This is not public service, it's megalomania' -...

Editorial: Ofcom rules offer new opportunity.(viral marketing)(Editorial)
January 25, 2007... To view online as a shortcut is never a good idea. Agencies are still replete with stories of how they are given little or no time to produce campaigns for negligible budgets, and all based on the ideas of their above-the-line peers. ...

Comment: Web 2.0 and the death of the page impression.
January 25, 2007... I find BBC2's Dragon's Den entertaining and a good reminder that businesses need to be built on sound principles. So, I was shocked when the panel got excited about a poker affiliate attracting 50,000 hits. No-one asked over what period this...

Shopping Review: Web sparkles with hoard of rings.
January 25, 2007... Platinum and white gold might look similar, but, as any celebrity worth their weight in bling will tell you, the difference is huge. It's like comparing Gucci and TopShop. Not that there's anything wrong with TopShop - I've whiled away many...

Shopping Stats: Amazon tops poll for shopping experience.
January 25, 2007... Consumers vote Amazon, Dell and Apple above other online retailers. Amazon offers the best all-round online-shopping experience in the UK, according to a new research report from Blast Radius. The e-tailer scored 68 points out 84 in the...

Sector Checker: Absolut site quenches users' thirst for compelling content.
January 25, 2007... ValueClick's Carl White comes across some attractive and interactive elements that ensure this site lives up to Absolut's innovative reputation. Web www.absolut.co.uk Developer Great Works Innovative advertising has been...

Nokia: Nseries leads Nokia brand revival.
January 25, 2007... Tapio Hedman, VP, multimedia marketing, tells Susie Harwood how he wants Nokia's Nseries to define the brand in 2007. Not content with being number one in the highly competitive and cluttered mobile market, Nokia is gearing up for a new...

Digital suppliers: The Americans are coming.(American digital companies regaining foothold in the global digital community )(Industry overview)
January 25, 2007... The past 18 months have seen a wave of US brands, from Skype to YouTube, opening their doors in the UK. Caitlin Fitzsimmons finds out the attraction. In the heady days of the late 90s when dotcom mania was at its peak, the UK web...

Football clubs: Clubs battle for online honours.
January 25, 2007... Philip Buxton finds competition between football clubs off the pitch is increasingly being fought online. That the web has become vital for football clubs in an age of ever-increasing wages and heightened competition for fans' spend is...

Awards league table: Who won the most gongs in 2006?
January 25, 2007... Danielle Long finds out which clients and agencies picked up the most awards last year. They may not do it for the medals, but the COI, Glue London and Teenage Road Safety were the big winners in the inaugural Revolution awards' league...

The Revolution Online Research Report: Online research comes of age.
January 25, 2007... It seems there's been some sneering in the research industry. As in many other disciplines, online has been seen as something of an upstart, not worthy of its long-established offline forefathers. At first, there might have been some...

The Revolution Online Research Report: Research comes of age.
January 25, 2007... Online research has finally earned the begrudging respect of many traditionalists, finds Victoria Furness. The online market research industry has developed in leaps and bounds since 1997 when Pete Comley, now chairman of Virtual Surveys,...

The Revolution Online Research Report: Case Study.
January 25, 2007... PC World gets the customer viewpoint. Online surveys offer brands the chance to improve the services they offer customers. Suzy bashford finds out how PC World is benefiting. Astoundingly for a computer literate brand that operates on the...

Masterclass: The Revolution Masterclass on social networking sites.(the tremendous advertising potential of social networking sites)
January 25, 2007... Brands can benefit from following users to community sites and joining in conversations rather than trying a sales pitch, finds Susie Harwood. Social networking on the internet is not a new phenomenon, but its sudden and rapid growth over...

Trailblazer: Screen four.
January 25, 2007... Ex-Vodafone man Jeremy Flynn tells Philip Buxton all about new project D2See, which sees advertisers deliver mobile video to consumers. If mobile is, finally, the next big thing in marketing, then Jeremy Flynn, ex-head of commercial...

Creative Review: Ben Clapp, Creative Director, TribalDDB London.
January 25, 2007... BIMA member since 1996 Clapp joined TribalDDB in 2001 and was promoted to creative director in spring 2004, overseeing work for clients like Unilever and Volkswagen. He believes there has been a strange shift in attitude and a certain...

Campaign Study: Ouch.(Ymogen/M2M/Monkey )
January 25, 2007... Campaign: Ouch Client: Save the Children Agency: Ymogen/M2M/Monkey BACKGROUND: About 285,000 children die each year in Sub-Saharan Africa because they cannot afford healthcare. World leaders have committed themselves to helping to...

Terminator 1: Go chase some old-timers for a photo if you've read this far.
January 25, 2007... Who actually reads the back pages of trade mags? Maybe that's your ad opposite this, in which case, howdy Troy, your tech solution sounds like an ROI no-brainer. Or perhaps you've let yourself down at a media do and are checking you've escaped...