Revolution articles from March 2004

Revolution archives from March 2004

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... There was a time when it was relatively easy to get an FMCG brand up to date in the digital world. You decided that you wanted a web site, threw a lot of money at the web agency du jour, and sat back satisfied while consumers spent some time...

Lever Faberge takes Lynx Touch brand to Maxim Online users.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Lever Faberge is using bespoke content on Maxim Online (www. maximonline.com) to promote the launch of its new fragrance, Lynx Touch. The promotion is part of an integrated online ad campaign for Lynx. Digital agency dare developed the...

Alitalia offers users online flight promo.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Alitalia, the Italian airline, is using a range of web-only return-fare promotions to push the relaunch of its UK web site. The site (www.alitalia.co.uk) is offering return flights from London Heathrow to Milan, and Heathrow to Rome, for...

Honda plugs new Diesel Accord online.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Honda is using the internet to promote its new car, the Diesel Accord. Activity is focusing on leading car sites such as topgear.co.uk and autotrader.co.uk, together with the business, motoring and sport sections of national press sites...

DEALS: AOL kicks off its partnership with Dixons.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... AOL has kicked off its partnership with Dixons by offering two months' free subscription to its Anytime service. The ISP has taken over from Freeserve in a deal that will see its software installed on PCs sold in PC World, Currys and Dixons....

DEALS: Thomson Directories joins up with Yahoo! UK & Ireland.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Thomson Directories has joined up with Yahoo! UK & Ireland to integrate its database of some 30,000 internet advertisers with Yahoo! Web Search (www.yahoo.co.uk/search). Yahoo! search results will return the details of up to four businesses...

DEALS: Mortgage Marketplace and Divorce-Online became web-marketing partners.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Mortgage Marketplace and Divorce-Online are to become web-marketing partners to push its mortgage services to users going through separation and divorce. The deal includes banners and buttons, a microsite, and telephone and email marketing to...

DEALS: Autotrader.co.uk has launch an insurance-comparison service.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Autotrader.co.uk is to launch an insurance-comparison service powered by Moneysupermarket.com. The 'Car Insurance Finder' will provide consumers with quotes from more than 50 motor insurers simultaneously in real time. The Moneysupermarket...

DEALS: FlyBE. has linked with Hostelworld.com.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... FlyBE., the low-cost carrier, has linked with Hostelworld.com to provide accommodation options for various budgets through its web site (www.flybe.com). Users can choose from apartments, campsites, B&Bs, and guesthouses around the world. The...

DEALS: The Luxury Travel Show signs an exclusive 12-month broadband-content deal.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Luxury Travel Show has signed an exclusive 12-month broadband-content deal with AOL UK to become the first TV travel series to air on an ISP in the UK. AOL broadband members will be able to experience 27 destinations, including Malaysia,...

DEALS: Best Western has adopted the WorldRes net rate programme.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Best Western has adopted the WorldRes net rate programme. The deal adds more than 4,100 hotels in 80 countries to the WorldRes online hotel-reservations network, which distributes net rates to more than 5,000 web sites around the world. The...

DEALS: SEGA Europe links with Sports Interactive.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... SEGA Europe has linked with Sports Interactive, developer of sports-management computer games, to publish all output from Sports Interactive over the next five years. SEGA has the right to distribute all Sport Interactive's games through its...

DEALS: BT Wholesale launches its new Mobile Directory back-up service.(Phonesync)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... BT Wholesale has launched its new Mobile Directory back-up service with software supplier Phonesync. The service allows users to back up the content of their mobile phone directory to a service provider's secure, branded web portal using...

Levi's updates pan-European web site.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Levi's Europe is preparing to embark on a new phase of online marketing by updating its pan-European site (www.eu. levi.com) for the spring season. A new section dedicated to its 501 Jeans range with Anti-Fit 'integrates on- and offline...

Empireonline relaunches with Vue link.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Empireonline.co.uk has been relaunched with a new look, revamped content and navigation. It has also teamed up with Vue Cinemas to offer ticket-buying links to myvue.com alongside every new film review. One of the site's new features...

Good month/bad month.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... A good result for pay-per-click search network Espotting as it agreed the terms of its merger with US group FindWhat.com after a year of negotiating. The deal values Espotting, which launched in February 2000, at approximately dollars 170m...

T-Mobile to push The Mobile Lottery to customers via SMS.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Mobile Lottery, run by former Beenz founder Charles Cohen, is to be promoted by partner T-Mobile to its customers. The mobile phone network will use an SMS campaign to advertise the Mobile Lottery Pick 3 for 50p game. Consumers can...

JUST BREAKING: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions (1-31 January 2004).
March 4, 2004... 1 Capital One One minute response online 2 Dell Essential PCs & PC Essentials 3 EasyCar Stelios says... 4 Freeserve Broadband So what are you waiting for? 5 ...

Tiscali UK extends insurance offering with Lloyds TSB deal.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Tiscali UK has signed a two-year six-figure deal with Lloyds TSB Insurance, which broadens its range of online products. Under the deal, Lloyds TSB Insurance's car, home, travel and pet products will be integrated into the Tiscali web site...

Murphy's in SMS limerick competition.(Short Messaging Services)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Murphy's, the Irish stout brand, is asking drinkers to show off their limerick-writing skills by SMS for St Patrick's Day. 'Take The Murphy's Challenge' will ask drinkers in the US to finish the unfinished limerick and text their entry....

I-level offers text alerts for Awards.(Revolution Awards 2004)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Revolution Awards 2004, in association with Yahoo! UK & Ireland, is offering a free SMS service to those who sign up, which reveals the winners as they're announced on 19 March at Grosvenor House Hotel. The service is being provided by...

Kiss 100 trials SMS service to database.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Kiss 100, the radio station for young London, is to trial a new premium-content SMS service. 'Kiss Mobile Entertainment - Kiss ME', has been developed by below-the-line marketing agency Angel. It aims to give listeners the chance to...

ACCOUNT WINS.
March 4, 2004... Tesco has chosen interactive agency nowwashyourhands to redesign its 'Computers for Schools' web site (www.tesco.com/schools). It aims to inform teachers and parents, as well as entertaining pupils with a game. The new design aims to improve...

OWEN ON DIGITAL MEDIA: Web users react to ads in a different way to TV viewers.
March 4, 2004... What factors will enable online advertising to continue growing? And is video-streaming technology, which allows TV ads to be used on the web instead of banners, one of them? Twice in the past month, I've been asked these questions by...

BA unveils its first interactive TV ad.(British Airways)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... British Airways is launching its first interactive TV campaign to support its Club World brand. Created by itraffic, the interactive ad will run across the Sky network until the end of March. Digital viewers of the Times Square Club...

Video Island pushes service via Comet.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... DVD rental web site Video Island has teamed up with Comet, the electrical retailer, to promote its service to shoppers. The start-up, which offers film fans unlimited DVD rentals for a subscription fee, will get a presence in Comet's 250...

TRACKER.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... ABOUT IPT IPT is a supplier of email marketing data and services, with brands such as MyOffers and OK-mail providing permission-based data to advertisers every quarter. IPT's low-cost managed email-delivery service, EmailBureau, sent...

Espotting secures FindWhat.com deal.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Espotting Media, the European search network, has signed an amended agreement to merge with FindWhat.com. The merger aims to create a performance-based online marketing company with combined operations and partnerships worldwide. Under the...

Lastminute.com and Iberia in hotel deal.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Lastminute.com, the online travel and leisure company, has teamed up with Spain's airline Iberia to provide hotel bookings for customers through the airline's web site, iberia.com. The partnership, which is now live (www.hotelesib.com) will...

DigitalTMW rolls out site management.(Guinness.com )(nissan.co.uk)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Guinness.com and nissan.co.uk are using digitalTMW's new web site management service. The online services division of direct-marketing agency Tullo Marshall Warren has extended its offering to provide web site administration and support....

GRIFFITHS ON MOBILE: Music to the ears of mobile operators and their users.
March 4, 2004... Mass-market adoption of SMS, colour mobile screens and photo-messaging have made the mobile the fourth screen in our lives. First was the movie screen, followed by TV and the PC. Perhaps then, it is no surprise that, following the bids for 3G...

TIME THIEF.(Brief Article)(Column)
March 4, 2004... Ian McCaig COO, lastminute.com tells us about his day. 40% SALES & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND MEETINGS: I spend a lot of time keeping on top of our pan-European performance. We are in a very immediate business. In some ways it's like...

British Red Cross profiles new donors using eCRM.(Customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The British Red Cross is using eCRM technology to profile the 3,500 new donors it gained from the Iran Earthquake Appeal, launched on Boxing Day. The charity is using RedEye's visitor-identification and customer-profiling tools to better...

Virgin Atlantic aims to increase sales with site enhancements.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Virgin Atlantic has appointed Conchango to revamp its web site and enhance its customer service in response to increased online sales. The aim of the revamp is to make the web site more efficient and effective, and to encourage customer...

Camelot puts instant-win game online.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The National Lottery is offering users the chance to win up to pounds 4,000 with the launch of Cash Couples, an instant-win online game with a romantic theme. Cash Couples (www.national-lottery.co.uk) costs pounds 1 a game. Players must...

North West group campaigns on web.(Necessary Group)
March 4, 2004... A star-studded campaign for the regional assembly in the North West will launch a new web site that puts interactivity at the heart of its marketing plans. The Necessary Group, which is backed by local luminaries such as Tony Wilson, Steve...

PERFORMANCE INDEX.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... 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: Email 'postage rate' could be the death knell for marketers.
March 4, 2004... The land of the free is buzzing with the possible effects of a potentially monstrous hit on one of the lynchpins of internet marketing: email. It's not too far fetched to believe that ISPs will be implementing some kind of postage rate for...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Euro RSCG Interaction.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Euro RSCG Interaction has made Alistair Daly deputy managing director and Giles Colborne director of customer experience. They were formerly business group director and director of customer experience at Euro RSCG Circle, respectively. Euro...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Ebookers.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Ebookers has chosen Colin Whaley as its first UK marketing director, responsible for the ebookers, Travelbag and Bridge The World brands. Whaley, marketing director of Travelbag since 2002, takes on the firm's top marketing post, reporting to...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at i-level Mobile.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Nick Wiggin joins i-level Mobile, the new mobile focused division of the digital media specialist. He was formerly planning director at Aerodeon and Nightfly mobile marketing agencies. Also at i-level, Martin Shaw joins as buying director and...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at DoubleClick.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... DoubleClick has made Ben Regensburger vice-president, sales and account management, EMEA. He brings over 15 years' experience in European sales and marketing management to the newly created position. He was MD of Lycos Germany.

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Bango.net.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Martin Harris becomes director of sales at mobile internet firm Bango.net. He will lead the team that lets brands and publishers, such as News International and EMI, roll out services on mobile internet. His previous roles include sales...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at John Lewis Direct.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... John Lewis Direct, direct shopping arm of John Lewis, has made Phil Hullah managing director. He joined the firm after the acquisition of buy.com, and has been head of operations and business development for three years. He succeeds Simon...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Fullsix.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Fullsix, the integrated digital-marketing agency, has appointed Nupur Manchanda as a senior consultant specialising in CRM. Formerly Heresy's digital business director, she launched a community web site for Speedo International. She will...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Community Channel.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Sinead Hughes has joined the Community Channel as interactive TV editor to spearhead the development of the dedicated interactive platform for charities. She was previously editor of interactive programming at Flextech Television, where she...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Yahoo! UK & Ireland.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Yahoo! UK & Ireland has hired Stephen Haines, who joins from Viacom Outdoor, to head up its new strategic agency team. His new role will involve communicating the benefits of using online in mixed-media branding campaigns to agency planners and...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at holiday autos UK & Ireland.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Duncan Horton has been named new head of e-business development at car-rental firm holiday autos UK & Ireland. In his newly-created role, he will develop e-commerce initiatives to boost its market share online and grow online business...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Buongiorno Vitaminic.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Buongiorno Vitaminic, European provider of interactive mobile, has appointed Lindsey Pickles to the newly-developed role of marketing services manager. She has extensive experience, having worked at agencies such as 12snap, Greenland...

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at Profero.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Profero, the digital communications agency, has made two senior appointments to its UK creative team. Matt Powell (above left) becomes UK creative director while Chris Baylis moves to the newly-created role of creative communications director....

MOVING ON UP: Appointment at lastminute.com.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Richard Bowden-Doyle has been appointed by lastminute.com as managing director for its UK business, a role that was expanded following the firm's extensive acquisition activity in 2003. Bowden-Doyle joins from Thomas Cook (UK) where he was...

RBS 6 Nations site gains a global feel.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The official RBS 6 Nations web site has been revamped to offer a host of new features. The site (www.rbs6nations.com) aims to be a comprehensive source of information. It includes the latest headlines and statistics from the Championship,...

AOL UK in access drive with Mencap.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... AOL UK is sponsoring Mencap's web site (www.mencap.org.uk) as part of a strategic partnership. It will also run an online campaign to raise awareness of learning disabilities and of the charity's work. From early February, AOL users in the...

Ambergreen to push traffic to PokerRoom.(PokerRoom.com)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... PokerRoom.com, the games site, has appointed search marketing firm Ambergreen to design and deliver its UK and US search-marketing push. Ambergreen will target online players with a pay-per-click campaign, which aims to drive high volumes...

PANKHURST ON DOTCOM LIFE: Who needs the High Street when I can live my life online?(Column)
March 4, 2004... Forgive me if this month's missive sounds a little breathless, but I'm in training for the London marathon. Taking more of a hands-off role at Friends Reunited has given me time to achieve some personal goals and this is one of them, and it...

DIGITAL DIRECT: A simple, relevant message beats a superficial solution.(Column)
March 4, 2004... Design and technology often define the solution rather than the communications proposition. Much interactive work is conceived to show off the slick pixel-perfect creations of teams who see themselves as modern-day Michelangelos. Think about...

Lastminute joins up with Ann Summers.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Lastminute.com has linked up with retailer Ann Summers to offer the lingerie chain's customers the opportunity to win a luxury holiday. The promotion is designed to push the lastminute.com brand offline and launch Ann Summers' swimwear...

DIRECT STATS.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... This month Portals and ISPs are concerned and legislators acting, but how much email is spam? Philip Smith reports. In January, US-based filtering software specialist Brightmail, whose clients include MSN, filtered some 80 billion emails...

Bank giant drives mortgages online.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Standard Life Bank (SLB) will continue to push personal finance planning with a new online campaign and microsite. The bank, which says it wants to change the way customers feel about planning their personal finance, is promoting its...

VITAL STATISTICS.(internet usage)
March 4, 2004... This month: With more users coming online every day, Philip Smith finds out how they spend their time. Nearly one in three adults in the UK are web-savvy and carry out a variety of transactions from buying tickets to downloading music...

Vodafone in photo contest on Yahoo!(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Vodafone is pushing its 'cheaper picture-messaging' campaign with phone users' photographs on Yahoo!'s home page. The mobile network selected pictures for ads on the front page of Yahoo! UK & Ireland from messages sent in via its '15...

ANALYSIS: Digital agencies widen offering.(Thomsonfly.com)
March 4, 2004... The creative approach of digital agencies often breaks boundaries. They know ideas have to straddle the line between a welcome offer and a tiresome interruption. They're used to working for audiences with different bandwidth across myriad...

ANALYSIS: Yahoo! ups the financial stakes.(Yahoo! View My Accounts)
March 4, 2004... Popular web services save time, as well as offering something that can't be found easily elsewhere. Financial account aggregation seems to be in its infancy in the UK, but a successful service should appeal as it presents a one-stop snapshot of...

ANALYSIS: SMEs wake up to potential online.(small-to-medium firms)
March 4, 2004... Royal Mail's new online direct-mail web site (www.dm-online.co.uk) has been specially developed for small-to-medium firms (SMEs). This can only be good news for small businesses - often faced with the challenge of promoting themselves...

VOX POP: As MSN decides to ban them, is this the end for pop-ups?
March 4, 2004... The ad format may annoy users, but is it curtains for pop-ups? MSN is no longer selling pop-ups in the UK and the rest of its European network will follow suit. Meanwhile, digital agency Tribal DDB has rejected pop-ups for the extensive...

EDITORIAL: Better the second time around.(Editorial)
March 4, 2004... Celebrities investing in technology start-ups. Technology IPOs being mentioned as a real possibility as the financial sector looks fondly on Google's rumoured flotation. Research briefings pointing to the potential of a technology bubble. And...

COMMENT: Brands deserve a better than average life online.
March 4, 2004... How does a brand benefit from its web site? This may be a question that's often asked, but it can be difficult to pin down the answer. It is clear, even for so-called traditional brands, that a site plays an important part in a brand's life. It...

SHOPPING: Review - Planning ahead makes sense.(Initial Ideas)(www.initialideas.co.uk)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 4, 2004... Online shopping is a great boon to the busy. I might not be the newest of new men, but when it comes to Christmas I try to do my bit. But, fighting through the crowds, getting my feet trodden on and being elbowed in the stomach by determined...

SHOPPING: Shopping stats - E-tailers are failing to convert browsers.
March 4, 2004... There is nothing more frustrating for retailers than seeing shoppers leave their sites empty-handed. Philip Smith asks why. It might not be as frustrating as an abandoned, and full, shopping trolley blocking a supermarket aisle, but, to...

SECTOR CHECKER: Is Coke really it for digital music or will it fall flat?(www.mycokemusic.com)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 4, 2004... The OTHER media's Jonathan Briggs looks at mycokemusic.com, where Coca-Cola offers downloadable music, but discovers some unfinished business Web: www.mycokemusic.com Developer: bd-network/OD2 But, is Coke really interested in...

CADBURY TREBOR BASSETT: Streamlined for success.
March 4, 2004... New media manager Frances Dovey tells Emily Booth Cadbury aims to be a sweet sensation online. Entering the head offices of Cadbury Schweppes isn't exactly the Willy Wonka experience a chocolate lover might dream about but it's pretty...

FORUM PREVIEW: Revolution forum.
March 4, 2004... The fourth Revolution Forum, taking place at the Cheltenham Park Hotel, Cheltenham, on 19-21 May 2004, promises to deliver another impressive line-up of speakers, workshops and exhibitors. We are delighted to invite digital marketers to apply...

PROPERTY: Property hunters find homes online.
March 4, 2004... With more people looking online for a new home, Philip Smith finds out what sites can offer them. In direct contrast to the dotcom sector, the boom in residential property prices is still with us, and there are plenty of experts to suggest...

ONLINE PR: Your reputation is online.
March 4, 2004... What are the rules of engagement for online PR and what can companies do if things go horribly wrong? Caspar van Vark takes a look. PR has always been a vital part of brand management and, as businesses have moved on to the web, PR has...

WEB HOSTING REPORT: Scrimping on web hosting can cost.
March 4, 2004... Good web design, strong content, a focused business approach - all these are imperative in putting together a company's presence online. When it all comes together - you've got admirable traffic figures and great conversion rates, your site is...

WEB HOSTING REPORT: Sector Snapshot - Web hosting grows up.
March 4, 2004... The UK web-hosting market is seeing consolidation and growth. Robert Gray looks at the trends. The web hosting market bears all the hallmarks of maturing. Consolidation is taking place as some of the dilettantes head off to pastures new,...

WEB HOSTING REPORT: Customer Service - You get what you pay for.
March 4, 2004... Cutting down on cost can bring down your web site when you need it most, Colin Grimshaw discovers. So, your designers have built a swish site to your specifications with all the bells and whistles - offering interactivity, e-commerce,...

SHOW PREVIEW: IDMF Show preview.(International Direct Marketing Fair)
March 4, 2004... Stuart Derrick finds out what exhibitors at the International Direct Marketing Fair in March will offer digital marketers. Why should digital marketers trudge round an exhibition hall full of envelope suppliers and printers? The 26-year-old...

LISTS MASTERCLASS: The Revolution Masterclass on List management.
March 4, 2004... The greatest creative in the world will not save a badly targeted campaign. Holly Acland finds out how marketers can best manage their data lists. Any online brand worth its salt should be awash with data. The processes of registering on a...

TRAILBLAZER: Mobile DJ.(Pete Tong)(Interview)
March 4, 2004... Pete Tong tells Philip Smith how he's aiming to take the digital world by storm with his latest music show, FastTrax, on 3's network. Pete Tong may be famous for his lifestyle as a Radio 1 presenter and celebrity DJ, but his latest venture...

CREATIVE REVIEW.
March 4, 2004... Sainsbury ensures the seamless integration of digital into Liquid Communication's proposition, driving its use across the client base. 'Longer term, we expect to be actively developing relationships with purely digital clients,' she says. 'As...

CAMPAIGN OF THE MONTH.
March 4, 2004... Campaign: Contextual marketing campaign Client: Littlewoods Casino Agency: TBG Background: Littlewoods Casino has seen success in the online gambling market over the past 18 months, aided by its parent brand. This was the first...

TERMINATOR 1 - Dean finds himself brunt of the joke as the web gets sticky.
March 4, 2004... Poor ol' Howard Dean. If JFK was the first TV president when he got the better of Nixon in a televised debate in 1960, then his fellow Democrat may have hoped to be the first political chief to truly marshal the power of the internet for...

TERMINATOR 2: Firebox finds itself outfoxed by actor's stunt.
March 4, 2004... In dotcom land there's clearly no such thing as bad publicity. Well, not if you happen to work at Firebox.com apparently. Alert readers will have spied some stories on BBC2's The Sack Race, though you'd have to be very alert to have seen it as...