Revolution articles from March 2005

Revolution archives from March 2005

Letter from the Editor.
March 10, 2005... We will probably never get sick of pointing out the irony that, while the internet is the most measurable medium invented, the multitude of different ways of measuring it leave plenty of room for confusion. Certainly, that confusion can...

Audi rejects A4 TV launch in favour of digital and press.
March 10, 2005... Audi is pouring the marketing budget for the launch of its new model, the A4, into digital and press advertising, rather than TV. The firm, which said it was seeking new ways to target consumers as TV audiences become more fragmented...

Swatch first net push for Fashion Week.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Swiss watch maker Swatch has embarked on its first web push by sponsoring activity around Fashion Week until 14 March. This will include a partnership with fashion site Fuk.co.uk, which will host and promote Alternative Fashion Week on a...

Cancer charity aims to raise pounds 16m online.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Cancer Research has launched the online arm of its biggest integrated fundraising push ever, which aims to pull in donations of more than pounds 16 million. The campaign, which has the strapline 'I shouldn't be here', includes digital work...

Deals: Orange and Wanadoo team up.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Orange and Wanadoo have teamed up for the launch of a joint data card that gives customers access to 3G on the move and Wi-Fi in the home. The new offering, which will only be available in the UK, is an extension of the Business Everywhere...

Deals: Hellomagazine.com join forces with Ask Jeeves.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Hellomagazine.com has joined forces with Ask Jeeves to provide celebrity content for its 'famous people' Smart Search tool. The two brands will work together to provide users with up-to-date profiles for celebrities they search for on Ask...

Deals: Microsoft and Nokia collaborate to provide digital music services.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Microsoft and Nokia have collaborated to provide digital music services in a long-term strategic agreement. Consumers will be able to listen to music from the newly launched Nokia and Loudeye mobile music service platform and on Windows...

Deals: Vodafone UK announces a deal with UK-based company Fast Web Media.(marketing agreements)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Vodafone UK has announced a deal with UK-based company Fast Web Media (owned by Total Sports Online ASA) to sponsor its soccer-specific search site (www.megasoccer.com). The deal will see the Vodafone live! brand incorporated into a new-look...

Deals: PR specialist Hill & Knowlton signs a global partnership.(Factiva)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... PR specialist Hill & Knowlton has signed a global partnership with technology company Factiva, which is co-owned by Dow Jones and Reuters. Together, they will offer an online service that tracks media trends and brand reputations. Hill &...

Deals: The University of Leeds runs a Multimap's Travel Direction's service.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... The University of Leeds is running Multimap's Travel Direction's service on its web site. The map company is offering visitors directions and a journey planner on the accommodation pages (www.leeds.ac.uk/accommodation).

Deals: 24/7 Search integrates with Google AdWords.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... 24/7 Search, a division of interactive marketing company 24/7 Real Media, is integrating Google AdWords into its search-engine marketing tool, which automates a process that was previously done manually.

Deals: Skype announces two agreements.(marketing agreements with Xandros Corp. and BenQ America Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Skype has announced two agreements to co-market and bundle its internet telephony software with Xandros' Linux operating system, desktops and laptops, as well as BenQ's P50 Pocket PC phone.

Deals: MSN signs an exclusive content deal with STA Travel.(Microsoft Network L.L.C. to do partnership with STA Travel)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... MSN has signed an exclusive content deal with STA Travel, the student and youth travel firm. Visitors to the STA Travel web site (www.statravel.co.uk) will be able to use MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger and MSN Spaces' blogging tools. The...

Adidas runs digital push for new shoe.(adidas-Salomon AG)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Adidas is running an extensive web promotion for its new 'intelligent' trainer, the adidas_1. The shoe contains a sensor, which the manufacturer claims can analyse the pressure transmitted to the wearer every four steps. A motor then...

Channel 4 to add music in new strategy.(Channel 4 Television Co.)(new website launch)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Channel 4 is planning a music site as part of its overhaul of digital services. The site, expected to launch in late spring, will be part of a new online music channel. It aims to highlight C4's music coverage, mainly broadcast under the...

Conde Nast backs launch of new glossy with lifestyle site.(Conde Nast Publications Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Conde Nast is to support the multi-million-pound launch of its new glossy women's lifestyle monthly, Easy Living, with a web site that will address 'real issues' for women. The site will target the magazine's core audience of 30 to...

Good month - Bad month.(evaluation of websites)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Good month for sports sites after a survey by Aura Sports found. 79 per cent of fans pick their official team site as their favourite destination. The sports pages of the national newspapers came second, with 61 per cent. BT...

Skysports.com plans weekly e-zine to boost relationships.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Skysports.com is to launch a new weekly 'e-zine' in an effort to increase the popularity of its emails and boost ad revenue. The firm has commissioned an overhaul of its weekly newsletter. The plan is to produce an email featuring editorial...

Revolution gears up for brand event.
March 10, 2005... The speakers at Revolution's Integrated Brand Building event on 18 March at the Dorchester Hotel have been confirmed. Conference chair Richard Eyre, chairman of the IAB, will be joined by: Jamie Galloway, digital media director at COI;...

United Airlines in bonus miles push.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... United Airlines is launching a major online campaign in March to support a new offer for its bonus miles reward scheme. The company has responded to an Air Miles offer by British Airways by launching its own: 50,000 bonus miles for every...

Just Breaking: Top 10 breaking banners by impressions (1-31 January 2005).
March 10, 2005... 1. Expedia.co.uk - Find the right bargain for you 2. Homechoice - Movies & TV On-Demand 3. easyJet.com - Book early save big 4. Bidz - Bid Now 5. Microsoft - The smallest Smartphone with Windows Mobile 6. William Hill - Champions League...

Gossard uses web in pounds 1m ad campaign.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Underwear brand Gossard is to launch a web site to coincide with a pounds 1 million ad campaign to promote its new range. The new site will carry product information on the new Gossard SuperSmooth range, which hit the shelves in January. It...

Account wins.(Lloyds TSB adopted VeriSIM's simulation tool )(Solstice appointed agency Interstate to build a web site)(Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) chose Bubble Media to design a site)
March 10, 2005... Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has chosen Bubble Media to design and produce a site to promote its WipEout Pure game. The site will offer new, downloadable content and music. Food company Solstice has appointed agency Interstate...

Owen on digital media: A contender that's media neutral and actually makes stuff.(Column)
March 10, 2005... Just when you thought you'd never hear the words 'media neutral' again, I'm writing about them. Like most buzz phrases, this one has fast become meaningless as pretty much everyone adopted it and applied it loosely to the same old working...

Eyeblaster rethinks after ad rejected.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Eyeblaster, provider of rich media technology to advertisers, has pulled its own web campaign after media owners rejected an ad featuring a 3D, colour, rotating image of human waste. The ad campaign, created by Lean Mean Fighting Machine,...

Huggies brand gets new web presence.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Kimberly Clark's disposable swim-pants brand, Huggies Little Swimmers, has launched a site that encourages parents to take their children swimming. The site (www.littleswimmers.com/uk), which goes live in March, will promote the Baby...

The Barbican refits site to attract users.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... London leisure complex The Barbican has appointed an interactive agency to build a new site to promote its services. Expected to launch in July, the site will replace Barbican.org.uk and feature a more user-friendly service. It will enable...

Vogue signs video deal with Motorola.(Vogue.com )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Vogue.com has signed an exclusive deal with Motorola for its coverage of Fashion Week. The online fashion brand will stream exclusive video content from the catwalks to showcase the work of international designers. It expects to generate...

Barclays invests in viral football game.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Barclays is supporting its pounds 57 million sponsorship of the Barclays Premiership with a football microsite and viral game. The bank, which is investing pounds 87m in football over the next three years, is using online to raise awareness...

Durex targets women with WAP service.(Wireless Application Protocol )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Durex has unveiled a mobile WAP site to back its 'Brownie Points' above-the-line push for its Pleasuremax condom range. The new service is aimed at women, who can reward their partners for 'good behaviour' by sending them a virtual brownie...

Griffiths on mobile - User experience is more crucial than ever with 3G.
March 10, 2005... The season of the 3GSM Conference Cannes is upon us again. This year, most of the network operators in Europe will have launched 3G propositions for both business and consumer markets. However, services have been presented to the customer in...

More Than signs six-figure sponsorship with MSN.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... More Than has signed a six-figure advertising and content-sponsorship deal with MSN, having embarked on its first online branding campaign with the portal late last year. The deal, priced at pounds 220,000, includes channel sponsorships,...

Waitrose offers healthy eating online service with nutritionist.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Waitrose has launched a food advice service online, whereby visitors can email their queries and receive answers from a qualified nutritionist. The supermarket chain created the service in-house to push wellbeing and its stores as a good...

Yamaha bike backed with new microsite.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Yamaha has launched a micro-site to back the UK release of its MT-01 motorbike. The web site (www.yamaha-mt-world.com) offers information on the bike, which started life as a concept model in 1999. It contains full specs, a picture gallery...

Time thief: P&G head of interactive marketing, tells us her day.(Procter & Gamble Co.)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... 30% - New marketing opportunities: Looking forward and thinking about what we will do next. Talking to people internally at P&G and externally to find out the best practice in the digital marketplace. And then testing all those ideas and...

Auto Trader mounts web search initiative.
March 10, 2005... Auto Trader is launching a major search marketing initiative for the first time as it plans a new online strategy for 2005. The car classifieds brand is working with search companies Google, Overture and Espotting to build on the success of...

Performance Index.(rankings of websites)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 10, 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: Focus your efforts where the money is - customer data.
March 10, 2005... It is an argument as old (or young) as the internet itself. Are you advertising online to sell a product, brand or capture data on your customers? Here, in the States, the new year has brought a decided emphasis on data. Here's why. I've...

Moving on up: Appointment at AOL UK.(Karen Thomson appointed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Karen Thomson has been promoted to the newly created role of chairman of AOL UK, in addition to her role of chief executive, in recognition of her increasing responsibility at AOL Europe. She will work closely with Philip Rowley, president of...

Moving on up: Appointment at Overture Europe.(Ruud Smeets appointed )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... At Overture Europe, Ruud Smeets has been appointed as general manager local. Previously, he was general manager of Overture, Netherlands. He replaces Rob Jonas, who recently moved to head business development for Yahoo! UK and Ireland. Smeets...

Moving on up: Appointment at Flextech.(Flextech Television)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Jason George, former CEO of Endemol-owned digital production company Victoria Real, has been appointed controller of interactive programming at Flextech television. He will work across all channels and report to Jonathan Webb, director of...

Moving on up: Appointment at Agency Republic.(Gavin Gordon-Rogers and Gemma Butler appointed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Two of glue London's deputy creative directors, Gavin Gordon-Rogers and Gemma Butler, are joining Agency Republic's creative department on 21 March as a senior creative team working across the agency's key clients. At glue London, they worked...

Moving on up: Appointment at 888.com.(Rob Mitchell appointed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Online poker room and casino 888.com has hired Rob Mitchell as UK sports marketing manager, reporting to Matt Robinson, UK marketing manager. Mitchell leaves Interbrew UK, where he was head of sponsorship, responsible for sponsorship activity...

Moving on up: Appointment at Thompson Directories.(Brian Harrison appointed )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Thompson Directories has appointed Brian Harrison as general manager of its internet development group. He will be responsible for all web activity, including products such as Thompson local.com and WebFinder.com. He moves from the Institute of...

Moving on up: Appointment at AOL Europe.(Cem Miralay appointed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... AOL Europe has appointed Cem Miralay to the newly created position of vice-president of customer experience. His role will involve developing the long-term strategy for the member services business in Europe. He joins from Microsoft where he...

Moving on up: Appointment at Findwhat.com.(Seb Bishop appointed as Seb Bishop )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Findwhat.com has made Seb Bishop chief marketing officer. He has been a member of Find What.com's board of directors since September 2004 and served as senior vice-president from July 2004 to February 2005. In his new role, Bishop will be...

Moving on up: Appointment at Ciao!(Ciao AG)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Media and research service provider Ciao! has expanded its team. Rob Staunton becomes UK head of e-commerce, moving from head of sales at shopping comparison service DealTime. And Nicola Robertson joins Ciao Online Surveys as strategic account...

Moving on up: Appointment at Pushbutton.(PushButton Software Inc. appoints Lewis Hunt )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Pushbutton, an iTV developer for The X Factor and other programmes, has hired Lewis Hunt as senior iTV developer, reporting to James Cumberbatch, director of interactive development.

Moving on up: Appointment at Mobile Marketing Association.(Nick Wiggin, Anders Hakfelt and Nick Fuller appointed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Industry trade association the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has appointed Nick Wiggin as UK chairman. He moves from being executive director. Re-elected is Anders Hakfelt, MD of Mindmatics, as deputy chairman. The MMA has also appointed...

Littlewoods backs 'unlucky' team site.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Littlewoods Pools has backed its sponsorship of the UK's 'unluckiest professional football team', East Stirlingshire FC, with a new web site. Eaststirlingshire.com forms part of a six-figure investment by the brand to revive the club's...

Mitsubishi pushes new rally car online.(Mitsubishi Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Mitsubishi is targeting young male car enthusiasts with an online brand-building push for its Lancer Evolution VIII 260. The competition-standard rally car is popular with a young male audience and Mitsubishi has partnered with MaxPower,...

Online spend soars, reports media agency.(Internet advertising)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Online ad spend is up 52 per cent year-on-year to pounds 507m. Paid-for search has become the fastest-growing media channel, according to a new report. Agency Starcom UK said, having eclipsed cinema ad revenue in 2003, online was fast...

Pankhurst on dotcom life: Social networking will work if you can find new friends.
March 10, 2005... Social networking was once all the rage online, and not so long ago at that. The rise of social networks, particularly with US web sites like Orkut to Friendstr, was quite fast but the excitement about bringing people together seems to have...

Digital direct: 'Holy Grail' of web advertising fails to meet its promise.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... True contextual advertising has been described as the Holy Grail of online advertising and is seen as an evolution of the search engine. There's little doubt that relating advertising to the context of web content is an extremely attractive...

IPT jobs site aims to collect user data.(Interactive Prospect Targeting)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Marketing services firm Interactive Prospect Targeting (IPT) has launched a new jobs service to collate user data. The new UK site aggregates recruitment services and joins a range of consumer sites run by IPT to build up its data list. ...

Direct stats.(Spam (Junk email)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... This month: The amount of spam being distributed rose about 40 per cent over the last three months, while virus activity has steadily declined. Philip Buxton reports. According to specialist Email Systems, spam makes up just under 90 per...

Vauxhall uses web for Astra launch.
March 10, 2005... Vauxhall has unveiled a major online campaign in its build-up to the April launch of its new model, the Astra Sport Hatch. Two digital executions herald the arrival of the car to raise awareness and develop a database of potential...

Barclays first with new ANM verticals.(Associated New Media)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Associated New Media has introduced half-page vertical ads on personal finance web site This is Money, with Barclays the first advertiser to take advantage of the opportunity. The new format, measuring 330x850 pixels, was introduced in...

Vital statistics.(mobile services)
March 10, 2005... This month Consumers want clarification over 3G phones and what they can do. Emma Rigby has the figures. According to a survey, the UK public believes mobile services are becoming more confusing and difficult to use. Asked if they planned...

Analysis: Brands face online taste test.
March 10, 2005... The unofficial viral ad showing a suicide bomber blowing himself up while the VW Polo he is in remains intact prompts the question: how far is too far? Thousands watched this clip, created by the creative duo Lee Ford and Dan Brooks, they...

Analysis: Report reveals revival of agencies.(revenues of advertising agencies)
March 10, 2005... The new media agency sector is recovering from its dotcom concussion with a steady climb back to profitability, according to the annual performance survey of digital agencies from Financial Intelligence, which Revolution is publishing...

Vox pop: Will consumers switch on to MSN's new search offering?(opinion of users)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... MSN has launched a new search facility, but does it appeal? MSN's new search service, msn.co.uk/search, has been around for a month Built from scratch by Microsoft, it's available worldwide in 24 markets, translated into 10 languages. ...

Editorial: Taste debate proves web matters.(Editorial)
March 10, 2005... All advertising is a matter of taste. It often forces you to make a choice. Say, whether you appreciate the sight of William Shatner donning a dressing gown to promote a breakfast cereal. Or not. Maybe Peter Kay makes you laugh and,...

Comment: Rich media formats give content that extra push.
March 10, 2005... Someone asked me the other day if online rich media advertising can really make a difference to every brand. Of course, I said, but those brands that have discovered rich media's ability to push content into ads are the ones enjoying the...

Shopping: Review - Theatre site that's just the ticket.
March 10, 2005... There's a theory that once you've spent some months online, you'll only visit a small range of sites - your favourites - regularly and the remainder of those billions of pages will go unnoticed. Well, when I posed my mother the question,...

Shopping Stats: Users are not entirely satisfied online.
March 10, 2005... What are the factors that make the online experience a happy one for users? Most e-tailers provided a below-average customer experience over Christmas despite more people going online for their shopping. Online sales for November and...

Sector checker: Butlins succeeds by putting booking in its proper place.(comparative analysis of various resorts)
March 10, 2005... Amanda Anthony from MSN UK takes time out to discover a holiday booking system from Butlins that looks good and is painless to use. Web www.butlinsonline.co.uk Developer Design UK As soon as you see the Butlins web site, pictures...

More Than acts on online promise.
March 10, 2005... Marketing director Mike Tildesley tells Philip Buxton how More Than plans to pour half of 2005's pounds 30m marketing budget online. Mike Tildesley, marketing director at Royal & SunAlliance-owned direct sales insurer More Than, is backed...

Media owners' guide: Making online brands count.
March 10, 2005... With the publication of the ABCe figures for 2004, Philip Smith looks at how brands, media owners and agencies can measure success and find their audience online. Almost since the first banner ads appeared on the web more than 10 years ago...

Forum preview.
March 10, 2005... The first Revolution Forum of 2005 will take place on 18-20 May at the Regency Park Hotel in Thatcham, Berkshire. As the success of its predecessors has shown, the event can be relied upon to deliver an impressive line-up of speakers, workshops...

Staff secondments: Behind friendly lines.
March 10, 2005... Clients and agencies are finding there are benefits in seconding staff to work 'on the other side' of digital projects, as Philip Buxton discovers. The story of Ed and Eleanor, in which Agency.com staffer Ed works in-house with British...

The essentials: More than a luxury item - Usability is not an optional bolt-on, it needs to be a priority.
March 10, 2005... In the early days of the internet, 'first-mover advantage' was a popular phrase. Firms were encouraged to get their sites up and running quickly to grab their share of users and improve them later. However, it became apparent that users were as...

Foreign markets: How to travel well.
March 10, 2005... For those that want to take their brand into international markets, it's not just a case of dealing with language barriers, as Deborah Bonello finds out. There are few things more annoying on television than an advert that has obviously...

Online promotions: Click and win.
March 10, 2005... Sales promotion is finding a new lease of life online, as Adam Woods discovers. One of the notable effects of the rise of the internet in terms of marketing has been its ability to give new relevance to below-the-line disciplines - and...

Accessibility: The Revolution Masterclass on web site accessibility.
March 10, 2005... With the buying power of UK users with disabilities reckoned to total pounds 45bn a year, it's worth making your site accessible to all. A brand that doesn't make its web site accessible is building roadblocks preventing users from getting...

Trailblazer: Artistic control.(TuneTribe.com )
March 10, 2005... TuneTribe.com aims to level the digital playing field for indie labels and artists, as John Strickland and Tom Findlay tell Emma Rigby. When iTunes launched in the UK last year, you couldn't find the likes of Travis or The White Stripes, or...

Creative review.(evaluation of advertising of companies)
March 10, 2005... Trevor has been creative director at EHS Brann since 2000, when it merged with interactive agency Real Time Studio. He did his first interactive project in 1993 and has worked with Diesel online since 1997. His view on creativity is that...

Campaign of the month.
March 10, 2005... Campaign: X-range Client: 02 Agency Agency: Republic Background: Agency Republic has been O2's digital creative and media agency since launch. It has been involved in the transformation of BT Cellnet into the O2 brand over the last...

Terminator 1: Broadband's not plain sailing unless you're all at sea.(Column)
March 10, 2005... Good old (Dame) Ellen MacArthur. She's gone and done it. After 70-odd days of sailing single-handed, she's managed to get around the globe quicker than anyone else in a boat - although, judging by some of the descriptions I've read, it's some...

Terminator 2: Studs, spuds and a match made in digital.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Spare a thought for whoever got a gift-boxed heart-shaped love spud on Valentine's Day. Well, someone got it - it sold on eBay as a 'unique Valentine's gift' for pounds 3.09 to a sailorjohn69. A surprising romantic gesture - let's hope his...

Terminator 2: 2005: a space odyssey for Earth music.
March 10, 2005... Now, digital brings the sounds of Saturn to your PC. Mick Jagger backed a space project in which music on Earth has now landed four billion kilometres away on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Two French musicians were asked to write four tracks...

Terminator 2: Killer viral's a cut above but gets backlash.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2005... Even the most jaded aficionado of viral emails would raise an eyebrow or two if they received one telling them that a serial killer was after people who shared their name. Clearly, that was the thinking behind the latest digital and direct...

The Revolution Usability Report: Change remains the only constant.
March 10, 2005... These are thrilling times in the world of user experience. There is increasing recognition of usability and accessibility as viable, integral contributions to digital design and development. User-centred, intuitive interfaces are recognised...