Revolution articles from January 2008

Revolution archives from January 2008

Letter from Revolution: Welcome to the first Revolution of 2008.
January 22, 2008... Perhaps you were given an iPhone over Christmas or decided to treat yourself to the new Nokia, either way, you won't regret it if you did. The over-riding trend in this issue when we asked industry experts what they thought would be the...

Drambuie invests in digital in bid to reach younger ABC1 males.(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Drambuie, the alcoholic drink brand, has invested significantly in a digital strategy for the first time, boosting online adspend from zero to 25 per cent of its overall marketing budget. Creative digital consultancy Mook has been tasked...

Net add-on for Virgin Radio's Pay Your Bills.
January 22, 2008... Virgin Radio is using an online driver for the first time to boost its Pay Your Bills promotion. The now infamous competition offers Virgin Radio listeners the chance to have any one of their personal monthly bills paid, if they call the...

Sony turns to online to promote magazine.
January 22, 2008... Sony is pushing its new customer magazine online, as it looks to build deeper relationships with consumers. Haymarket Network has built a dedicated site, www.sonymagazine.co.uk, allowing readers to immerse themselves in Sony magazine...

Deals: Microsoft and CNBC join forces.
January 22, 2008... Microsoft and CNBC have joined forces to begin advertising to more than 2.6 million monthly unique users of CNBC.com. Microsoft will be the exclusive third-party provider of display and contextual advertising for CNBC.com. Contextual...

Deals: Cordovan Group acquires Vision 360.
January 22, 2008... Management and consultancy company the Cordovan Group has acquired London-based digital media agency Vision 360. The agency will merge with Cordovan Group's existing UK company, and will operate as Cordovan Ltd Vision 360's client list includes...

Deals: VideoEgg partners with meebo.(advertising agencies partners with a website for instant messaging)(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... VideoEgg, the video ad network for online communities, has partnered with meebo, a website for instant messaging. The deal will enable VideoEgg's 300-plus application developers to make money from their applications. Meebo's platform...

Deals: BiBC signs deal with EMI Music.
January 22, 2008... BiBC has signed an audio and content deal with EMI Music, adding thousands of hours of music video content to its audio and video digital store. Content will include Coldplay, The Spice Girls, Queen, Kylie, Pink Floyd and KT Tunstall. The deal...

Deals: Adtech signs deal with Media Corporation.
January 22, 2008... Adtech, the global ad-serving technology provider, has signed a deal with Media Corporation to consolidate ad serving across its 20 websites. The move sees Media Corporation unify five fragmented ad-serving technologies into a single platform

Deals: Facebook sells stake in business.
January 22, 2008... Facebook has sold a dollars 60m (pounds 29m) stake in the business to Li Ka-shing, the Hong Kong billionaire backer of mobile network 3, as the social networking business looks to enter the Chinese online advertising market. The deal marks the...

Deals: Loyalty Management Group sells Nectar.
January 22, 2008... Loyalty Management Group has sold the loyalty card programme Nectar to Canadian rival Aeroplan for a reported pounds 368m, with founder Sir Keith Mills receiving pounds 160m. Aeroplan also gains access to some ten million members of the loyalty...

Deals: Piczo agrees deal with Intercasting Corp.
January 22, 2008... Teen social networking site Piczo has agreed a deal with mobile media company Intercasting Corp to allow users to produce and share personal content by mobile. Piczo, which has around 28 million registered users worldwide, will use Intercasting...

Match.com creates comedy love game.
January 22, 2008... Match.com is leading the internet dating sector towards its first foray into online gaming. The dating site has so far had a more traditional approach to online media, but is now looking to move into new, more compelling and engaging,...

Fiat launches driving game to push Panda.
January 22, 2008... Fiat has chosen viral marketing to support its new Panda 100 HP launch and reposition the brand as 'a bit of a bad boy'. The viral game has been created by Inbox Digital, a member of Digital Marketing Group. 'For 'Panda Racer', we've...

Nielsen Online unveils blog monitoring service for brands.
January 22, 2008... Buzz Metrics, a section of Nielsen Online, has developed a method for advertisers and agencies to monitor online conversations about their brands. Brand Association Maps (BAMs) are created by software that crawls the three billion consumer...

Good month/bad month.
January 22, 2008... Happy days for Microsoft. Its acquisition of Multimap gives it a solid mapping technology to bolster its existing services, such as Live Search and Virtual Earth. Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but the potential for future...

Adobe creates push for software revamp.
January 22, 2008... Adobe has unveiled a promotional site to reach the photography enthusiast market. Dog Digital was commissioned to create the site, to launch the latest Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 software - a major upgrade to the existing photo-editing...

Animated films back youth charity drive.
January 22, 2008... Young people's charity St Christopher's Fellowship is releasing a series of exclusive animations online, as part of a fundraising campaign. The 180 Degree campaign sees young people relate their real-life experiences - the animated format...

Tracker: Analysis.
January 22, 2008... ITunes remains the most popular music-related website in the UK, being visited by a little more than five million people a month. It's one of only three music sites to attract more than a million monthly visitors, the other two being the music...

Griffiths on mobile life: The signs are good that 2008 will be the year of mobile.
January 22, 2008... As another exciting year in mobile draws to a close, we have seen some new highlights. Text messaging volumes have now risen to more than one billion a week, and the UK now has 16.3 million monthly users of mobile internet. And, of course,...

Online-only launch for personal injury firm.
January 22, 2008... Lupton Fawcett, a law partnership, has unveiled an online-only launch campaign for its new personal injury business, Sunshine Legal. Propaganda has developed a range of interactive video ads and a large display and search campaign to support...

Performance index.(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... The Revolution Keynote Performance Index measures the performance of 20 representative sites from across the digital economy in terms of speed of loading and availability. The top 10 sites are featured each month and the worst performer is...

Qype boosts senior team with new staff.(Stephanie Delestre )(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Qype, the European local reviews site, has poached Eurosport's head of internet and new media, as it launches a growth mission for 2008. Stephanie Delestre will become chief operating officer at Qype, which currently employs 20 people. The...

Account wins.(Dailymotion contracts with Real Media UK)(Figleaves.com has signed up Maxymiser on a retained two-year deal)(BLM Quantum has landed the digital media brief for Dollond & Aitchison)(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... - Dailymotion, the video sharing site, has hired 24/7 Real Media to exclusively sell and place advertising across its UK website. The deal will help advertisers target Dailymotion's 1.6 million monthly UK users. - Lambeth Council has...

Owen on digital media: 2008 looks like an interesting year for mobile in particular.
January 22, 2008... What does 2008 hold? More - and better - mobile marketing, for a start. With more than one in five mobile phone owners now using data services (other than SMS), there is critical mass to justify the investment. Many mistakes will be made in...

Moving on up: Appointment at Yahoo!
January 22, 2008... Yahoo! has appointed Kristof Fahy as vice-president of marketing, Europe. Fahy will oversee brand development, customer insights and communications across Europe. Fahy, who joined Yahoo! this November, has specialist skills in creating and...

Moving on up: Appointment at Omnicom Media Group.
January 22, 2008... Omnicom Media Group has poached Universal McCann's Damian Blackden to the newly created role of president, digital for Omnicom Media Group EMEA. He will report directly to Colin Gottlieb, OMG's chief executive for the region

Moving on up: Appointment at Avaya.
January 22, 2008... Avaya, the business communications supplier, has appointed Martyn Lambert vice-president, marketing, EMEA. Lambert is tasked with raising Avaya's profile across the entire region. He joined the company in 2004, and played a key role in its...

Moving on up: Appointment at Huge Entertainment.(Charles Burdick )(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Charles Burdick has been appointed non-executive director to the board of Huge Entertainment, a digital entertainment company that specialises in building digital entertainment services and businesses around brands. He has been brought in to...

Moving on up: Appointment at MSN Entertainment.(Steven Wilson-Beales)(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... MSN Entertainment has lured Ministry of Sound head of internet, Steven Wilson-Beales, to join its entertainment team. He will create content to build on the success of Live Earth, a newly launched video service and a new music-streaming...

Moving on up: Appointment at Miva Media.(Simon Goddard)(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Miva Media has appointed its first UK managing director, Simon Goddard, as it looks to grow its pay per click business. Goddard has been brought in to lead all of Miva Media's revenue operations functions, including sales, business development,...

Moving on up: Appointment at Qype.
January 22, 2008... Qype, the online reviewing community site, has brought in Eurosport's head of internet and new media, Stephanie Delestre, as chief operating officer. She will oversee the site's growth as it looks to increase traffic and revenue

Moving on up: Appointment at Underwired.
January 22, 2008... Digital and eCRM specialist Underwired has brought in Peter Anderson as planning director, replacing Lazar Dzamic who became planning director at Kitcatt Nohr. The appointment comes as Underwired focuses on and expands its eCRM service....

Moving on up: Appointment at IPC Southbank.
January 22, 2008... IPC Southbank has appointed Alicen Stenner of handbag.com to the role of digital director. Stenner was group digital marketing director at Hearst Digital's handbag.com, brand director for seven years before that, and marketing manager at BBC...

Moving on up: Rene Berende, Canon Europe.(appointment of Rene Berende )(Interview)
January 22, 2008... Rene Berende has been appointed chief of web projects at Canon Europe, where he will lead a dedicated team to spearhead a three-year programme transforming the company's entire web presence. He will report directly to Hajime Tsuruoka, president...

Woolworths looks for sales boost with UGC feedback.(Woolworths Group PLC uses technology to boost its sales)(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Woolworths is embracing user-generated content to encourage online customers to buy more. The high-street giant is to start using technology on its website highlighting the top searches made by previous customers, to provide real-time...

Crimestoppers relaunches web offering and seeks title sponsor.(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Crimestoppers, the independent UK charity, is relaunching its website and monetising it with online advertising for the first time. The move comes as Crimestoppers seeks to open up a second revenue stream from online sponsorship, while at...

FlyMonarch.com adopts Google search.(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Low-fares airline flyMonarch.com has implemented Google search, in line with a new customer-interaction strategy. The Google customer search function replaces an in-house developed system, meaning improvements to speed, accuracy and context...

Time thief: Duncan Swain - creative director, Digital Media BBC Worldwide, tells us about his day.
January 22, 2008... 5% Doing breakfast for my children - two minutes to make it, 22 minutes cleaning it off the floor. 5% On the train, watching last night's TV on my media player, while answering yesterday's emails on my BlackBerry. 5% On the Tube to...

MySpace launches music TV channel.
January 22, 2008... MySpace is moving into online video with a new music showcase channel, Earwig TV. The site, at http://uk.myspace.com/earwigtv, will show music videos from selected MySpace new bands and artists. MySpace claims the channel will act as a...

Vital Statistics.(companies paying more attention to online customer engagement)(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Online customer engagement is now a top priority, as companies shift their marketing focus and embrace widgets, social networks and video-sharing sites, says Hayley Pinkerfield. Companies are paying more attention to online customer...

Gaffney on America: Advertisers will have to pay attention to attention in 2008.
January 22, 2008... Beware the easy trends. Never say it's a no-brainer. I've learned those two lessons the hard way in ten years of watching the internet bend, break, and bounce along as a medium. So, in taking the measure of 2008, I'm going to stay away from...

Analysis: True video-on-demand moves closer as Kangaroo project finds its feet.
January 22, 2008... BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 have announced a commercial joint venture to house their on-demand TV content. So does this mean the market for video on-demand services is about to take off? Rumours had been flying around the industry for...

Vox pop: What will be your greatest challenge during 2008?
January 22, 2008... The New Year always brings a fresh outlook - in digital as anywhere. Marketers in the digital space have plenty to grapple with at the moment. Cracking social media, preparing for mobile marketing as it finally readies for take-off, and...

Editorial: Monetising Facebook may not work.(Editorial)
January 22, 2008... Facebook's humiliating apology to its users over Beacon was a fascinating example of how to do PR badly. It ignored complaints from users and even the press, the press reports had no comments from Zuckerberg until 5 December, some months after...

Comment: Useful content will be key to a browser-free future.
January 22, 2008... The idea of The Semantic Web, a major part of web 3.0, has lumbered itself with a term too woolly and undefined to use effectively. It's still more of a philosophy. However, there will soon be new internet technologies with far-reaching...

Sector checker: The old-fashioned mothers' meeting finds a new home.
January 22, 2008... Cxpartners' Giles Colborne reviews parenting sites, but doesn't see the point of a mum's site that avoids talking about children. Web: www.askamum.co.uk Developer: Emap If you're going to launch a community, the first rule is:...

Predictions: 2008: what's next?
January 22, 2008... Where will the white waters of the digital world flow in the coming year? Alicia Buller asks industry figures to give their views. In light of last year's developments in new media, it's hard to resist a snigger when looking at faded...

STA Travel: STA's brave new world.
January 22, 2008... Student travel brand STA Travel has made it its business to embrace all that web 2.0 has to offer. Mairi Clark reports. As one of the world's largest travel companies, STA Travel has traditionally hidden its light under a bushel....

The Revolution Internet TV Report: CNET returns to web TV roots.
January 22, 2008... CNET TV has just launched. What exactly is involved in creating an online TV channel? Victoria Furness goes behind the scenes to find out. Strictly speaking, CNET TV isn't CNET Network's first venture into broadcasting. Back in 1992, when...

Web Analytics: New demand for analytics in a post-web 2.0 world.
January 22, 2008... With the growing plethora of online touch points, customers have unprecedented access to brands and propositions. We can access site content using a multitude of devices, from PCs, PDAs, mobile phones or BlackBerries to digital set-top boxes...

Talent: Ones to watch.
January 22, 2008... Compiling such a list is never easy, particularly in the digital industry, which is home to a wealth of rising talent. Revolution was looking for industry players displaying innovation, dedication and, most importantly, the potential to make a...

Roundtable: Travel brands seek new online models.(Discussion)
January 22, 2008... Revolution, in association with Fortune Cookie, invited a group of industry figures to a roundtable discussion on the online travel business. User experience, multi-channel booking and the impact of social media were all up for debate. Hayley...

Masterclass: The Revolution Masterclass on integrating email.
January 22, 2008... Despite being highly cost-effective, email marketing tends to be treated more as an add-on than a strategic marketing tool, finds Trevor Clawson. It's tempting to think of email as the Cinderella of digital marketing It's not that it isn't...

Case study: Brands track the clicks.(Case study)
January 22, 2008... How are brands using deduplication technology in their online marketing strategies? Melanie May investigates. CASE STUDY: PLAY.COM Imagine a world in which every company that played a part in driving a customer to your site had to be...

Trailblazer: The fine art of skinning.
January 22, 2008... Patrick Knight of InSkin Media tells Hayley Pinkerfield how he hopes to revolutionise online advertising. If confidence really is the key to success, Patrick Knight is set for a glittering career. 'In five years time, I will have built...

Creative review: David Brown, creative director, Euro RSCG 4D Digital - BIMA member for two years.
January 22, 2008... David Brown is responsible for the creative output at Euro RSCG 4D Digital. He and his team are working on projects for such clients as COI, Peugeot, Diageo, Reckitt Benckiser and News International. He has worked in the new media industry for...

Client survey proves digital is staying.(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... Compiling this year's agency survey was a daunting task. Asking clients what they think about their agencies can provide varying results. Some clients will use small suppliers to provide specific specialist help, while others - often with a...

Agencies: Specialist or full service?
January 22, 2008... Full-service agencies may offer a complete solution, but a specialist will have the expertise. So who do you hire, asks Trevor Clawson. 'If the only tool that you have is a hammer, the solution to every problem is banging on a nail.'...

Agencies and Suppliers Survey 2007: Clients have their say.
January 22, 2008... Revolution editor Mairi Clark introduces the third survey of the top ranking agencies and suppliers - from the clients' point of view. Now in its third year, the Revolution Agency survey this year differentiated between digital suppliers...

Agencies and Suppliers Survey 2007: Specialisms can often be the right course.
January 22, 2008... Clients taking part in our survey also rated their experience of working with suppliers. Here we break down the results into seven specialist fields and three criteria of service: return on investment, working with other agencies and data...

The Revolution Recruitment Special: New year, new job.
January 22, 2008... Recruiting the right staff has to be the biggest challenge in the digital marketing industry. As more and more clients demand sophisticated and effective digital campaigns, there is a dearth of experience out there to both drive them...

Terminator: The radio and the web are a match made in heaven.
January 22, 2008... 'Gobble, gobble gobble,' goes digital, as it eats another chunk of almost every marketing director's budgetary pie. Good news for pie-scoffing digital agencies, but bad news for more traditional media, who stand forlorn like Baldrick outside...

Terminator: These Facebook spin-offs are now getting old.(Brief article)
January 22, 2008... It's rare that a viral manages to tickle everyone in the vicinity, and God only knows there have been a few Facebook spinoffs doing the rounds. But a pat on the back is due to whoever created 'Pensionbook' (if you're out there, please do...

Terminator: AOL provides a perfect treat.
January 22, 2008... Oh, the sheer unadulterated pop pleasure that is a Take That concert. The boys are back, and better than ever. After a shaky start from support act Sophie Ellis-Bexter, whose talent, let's face it, ends at being ridiculously beautiful, the...

Terminator: Line up to join our league of love.
January 22, 2008... In addition to the usual Valentine's Day anxieties - ringing up weighty Hallmark bills or the onset of 'I'm going to die alone with my face in a packet of crisps' mini-crises - Terminator has also witnessed this year's day of romance shaking up...