New Media Age back issues from June 2004:
Mobile industry must unite to beat WAP scam.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Mobile network operators are warning the content market could be irreparably damaged unless the industry co-operates in cracking down on a new seam where consumers' WAP settings are hijacked. Detected for the first time two weeks ago, the situation involves new WAP settings ...
Location-based services held up by kids' charities.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... The development of mobile location-based services (LBS) is being stalled by concerns from children's charities worried 'inappropriate contact' may be made with children. The concerns raised have caused mobile operators to place a ban on the launch of any new LBS services ...
Media owners critical of online creative standards.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Online media owners are once more calling for better creative work to attract advertisers to the Internet. The issue was brought to the fore at the Digital Artworks creative seminar and awards at D&AD Congress last week. Fru Hazlitt, MD at Yahoo! UK & Ireland, said that the ...
DoubleClick restructures in effort to fight off rivals.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... DoubleClick is overhauling its European operations to focus on its core target markets as competitors believe they can assail its number one spot for the first time. The ad serving technology firm is in the process of employing new European sales managers to focus on marketing, ...
Ofcom plans classification system across all content.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Media regulator Ofcom has outlined plans for a common content labelling system to be used across all interactive platforms and broadcast channels, which could help raise public awareness about electronic content. In coming weeks, the regulator will be speaking to leading ISPs, ...
ITV Online to be absorbed into ITV Sales section.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... ITV's online production operations have been absorbed within the ITV Sales business in the aftermath of the Carlton and Granada merger, a move triggering the departure of Mark Peatey, head of ITV Online. Responsibility for the creation of new ITV Web sites has now been handed ...
Boots Web pharmacy clears way for UK e-prescriptions.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Pharmacy drugs went on sale online this week on Boots.com, along with a prescription ordering service, in preparation for the Government's plans to make electronic prescriptions available by 2005. Customers will be able to add over-the-counter medicines and stronger and larger ...
Tesco set to offer online law service.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Online supermarkets could revolutionise legal services this year, as Tesco.com becomes the first to launch a self-help law channel. The online grocer has teamed up with legal publisher Law Pack, and will offer legal books, kits and software under the Tesco.com brand. The service ...
Internet firms targeted by data protection scam.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Internet and IT companies are the target of a new data protection scare, with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) warning businesses to be vigilant of bogus agencies which are requesting more than 100 [pounds sterling] to register them under the Data Protection Act (DPA). ...
IPT creates charity recruitment portal.(IPT teams with Pell & Bales)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Email marketer IPT has teamed up with telemarketing agency Pell & Bales to create a recruitment portal for charities, capturing email addresses of potential donors. The E-recruit scheme will appear on IPT's customer acquisition site MyOffers.co.uk, and link to relevant ...
Sky Bet taken on to run Big Brother iTV betting.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Channel 4 has picked Sky Bet to provide interactive TV betting for this year's Big Brother show, which began at the weekend. The deal means that digital satellite viewers will be ...
Inspired Broadcast to run pub networked game tournament.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Inspired Broadcast networks, the digital arm of gaming machine giant Leisure Link, has launched what it claims is the UK's first networked games tournament to run in pubs. The service uses Inspired's broadband ...
BHF offers interactive CD-ROM.(Breaking)(British Heart Foundation)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... The British Heart Foundation has developed an interactive CD Rom for participants in its current 'The Big Red Fightback' campaign. The disc was developed by interactive agency DNA and contains dietary and exercise tools and ...
ITV first to integrate MMS into terrestrial programme.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... ITV1 show Speed Sunday will this week become the first UK terrestrial TV show to integrate MMS into broadcast. The presenters will ask viewers to send in photos to be ...
Company Barclaycard reaps reward of Web site overhaul.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... The corporate credit card firm Company Barclaycard says online applications have increased fourfold in the past year after it completed an overhaul of its Web operations. Company Barclaycard has brought in online ...
Hutchison Whampoa denies it is to pull out of UK operator 3.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Hutchison Whampoa has issued a statement denying market speculation that it's considering exiting from its UK 3G operator 3. It categorically denied the rumours and stated that it's confident of EBITDA break-even ...
Kellogg's signs deal with MTV to promote Pop-Tarts.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Kellogg's has signed a deal with MTV to promote its Pop-Tarts brand on-air and online. MTV's specially created 'Dumb Ass' strand, a collection of shows including Jackass and Viva La Barn, will run ...
Totesport offers viral game to push Euro 2004 betting.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Totesport is launching a viral game next week to promote betting around the Euro 2004 Championships. The new 'Beat the Wall' game is based around the user taking free-kicks for England. Skive Creative has designed the Shockwave game, following on from its work for Totesport ...
Channelbay closes down while Mindhouse expands.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... The mixed fortunes of the interactive TV industry have been highlighted this week with Channelbay going out of business and Mindhouse securing first round funding to finance its expansion. The two companies joined forces last year as part of a consortium that was in the running ...
Speculation continues over future of betting exchanges.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Betting exchanges could have to face up to tougher regulations when Tessa Jowell gives her response to the recent parliamentary report on gambling, according to a government insider. There has been some press speculation that the exchanges would avoid the new regulations ...
Agencies form international body.(Viral and Buzz Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... New media agencies from six countries, including the UK, have joined together to form the Viral and Buzz Marketing Association. The new grouping is hoping to encourage international collaboration and allow members to take advantage of others' experiences. Founding ...
Timms supports self-regulation.(Stephen Timms)
Jun 03, 2004 ... DTI minister Stephen Timms has called for continued self-regulation of the online identity authentication market, and has said he has no plans to invoke direct regulation during the final 'test' year of the Electronic Communications Act. The minister for e-commerce and ...
Government reveals Web site costs after Tory probe.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... The Foreign Office and the Department for Education and Skills have emerged as two of the highest spending government departments on the Internet. Both say they will spend 10m [pounds sterling] this year on their online efforts, compared to figures around the low millions for ...
Cornwall aims to attract new media.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Cornwall has embarked on a fresh drive to attract new media companies to the south west corner of the UK, with a promise to make broadband available to all businesses. The county has launched a new campaign, Cornwall Pure Business, in a bid to market Cornwall as a business ...
New e-gov head faces civil service scepticism.(Ian Watmore)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... The new head of e-Government, Ian Watmore, has a serious task on his hands to persuade public sector workers of the value of Whitehall's online efforts. Watmore (pictured), who's currently the UK MD of consultancy firm Accenture, was appointed last week to replace the e-Envoy ...
Nissan moves extreme ads onto Web.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Nissan has moved its latest ad campaign onto the Web after it was deemed unsuitable for TV. Created by TBWA, the ads feature people going to extremes in everyday activities with the strap line, Leave the Extremes to Nissan X-TRAIL. The first in the series of three ads shows a ...
Lastminute.com launches area-specific deals on O2.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Lastminute.com has launched a new service on O2 Active to allow users to locate deals in specific areas through their phone. The DealFinder service gives real-time access to the Lastminute database of deals on ...
Lufthansa starts campaign to push online booking.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Lufthansa has launched a new digital media campaign aimed at raising further awareness about the benefits of booking online. The campaign, which runs for the next five weeks, will include banner and skyscraper placements across sites such as those ...
Redbus Interhouse to appeal against court ruling.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Redbus Interhouse, the hosting company, has suffered a set-back in a legal battle over its former Luxembourg site. Last week a local court ordered Redbus to pay an advance of 600,000 [euro] (400,000 [pounds sterling]) to cover outstanding rents, pending further information from its former ...
Foreign Office offers online travel tips for Euro 2004 fans.(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... The Foreign Office has developed an online animation to give travel tips to English football fans heading to Portugal this summer. It was created by digital media ...
Synthetix toolkit fits site functionality into banner.(Technology)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Software developer Synthetix has designed an interactive ad toolkit that integrates microsite functionality into a banner ad format. The technology, called SmartAgent iA (interactive Ad), is an extension of Synthetix's existing virtual agent software and allows natural language ...
Metronomy trials free PC for viewing ads.(Technology)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Metronomy, a company providing free PCs to home users in return for them promising to watch ads on the computers, is to start a live test of its service. The company says it had over 150,000 applications from people interested in the offer since unveiling the concept in January ....
Pocket Group offers cult TV and film clips for mobiles.(Technology)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... A retro TV and film clip service for mobiles has been developed by the Pocket Group, allowing users to download movie content and images through a WAP browser. The service will feature clips from Thunderbirds, Joe 90 and Stingray as well as related ringtones and wallpaper ...
BT launches new wholesale services for ISPs.(Technology)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... BT has launched a new wholesale service for ISPs, allowing end users to set up fixed line telephone calls through an online Web directory. The product, called Wholesale Web Call Connect (WWCC), carries voice calls over the standard telephone network (PSTN), but allows users to ...
Mint to roll out mobile ticketless car parking scheme.(Technology)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Swedish mobile transaction firm Mint is planning to roll out a ticketless mobile parking payment service in the UK this autumn. The technology will operate on all mobile networks, and will target non-barrier pay-and-display zones. Users will need to preregister with the service, ...
Macromedia launches Linux version of Flash Player 7.(Technology)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... A Linux version of Macromedia Flash Player 7 has launched, to create a consistent cross-platform experience for developers. The new Internet client is bundled with Linux operating systems distributed by Novell, Red ...
Oakley joins Zed Media as business director.(Agencies)(Charmaine Oakley)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Media agency Zed Media has strengthened its digital team with the appointment of a business director. Charmaine Oakley will head an account group that works with clients including ...
Arnold Interactive takes on Capon as account director.(Agencies)(Roy Capon)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Arnold Interactive has appointed Roy Capon as account director to oversee the Expedia, Thistle and Avis account teams. Capon was previously group account ...
Celtel.(Agency Wins)(Zentropy Partners)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Celtel, an international mobile telecoms company focusing on Africa, has appointed Zentropy Partners to roll out Web sites across 11 African nations as part of its expansion. Zentropy had originally won the ...
Dare has been taken on by Cafeslim, the personalised online slimming programme, to redesign its portal and attract traffic to the site through online advertising.(Agency Wins)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Dare has been taken on by Cafeslim, the personalised online slimming programme, to redesign its portal and attract traffic to the site through online advertising ....
Panlogic makes first move into Web design and build.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Panlogic has opened a Web design and build arm for the first time. as part of a restructuring that sees the digital marketing consultancy focus on four key offerings. CEO William Makower said the restructure will see its consulting function run across the top of the business, ...
DNA and Leith join forces for integrated ad approach.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Interactive agency DNA has teamed up with advertising agency Leith to launch a new joint venture that aims to give clients an integrated marketing approach. Chris Perry, joint MD at DNA, said that the new venture, DNA at Leith, would enable interactive advertising to be ...
Quantum Media sets up Qi division.(Agencies)(Quantum Intelligence)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Digital agency Quantum Media has set up a new arm, called Quantum Intelligence (Qi), focusing on offering analysis and research services. These include trend analysis, market forecasting, site auditing and bespoke research. Quantum MD Dan Clays said the move was in ...
Peugeot launches virtual showroom for 407 model.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Peugeot has launched its biggest interactive TV push to date, with a virtual showroom as part of its campaign for the new Peugeot 407. It's the third iTV campaign from the French car company and, as with its previous efforts, is being run by iTV ad company OMDtvi. The ...
Toyota in deal with Sky to place i-ads on Biography and History Channels.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Toyota has become the first advertiser to launch an interactive TV ad campaign on The History Channel and The Biography Channel. after the two broadcasters struck a deal with Sky. The car manufacturer is using its latest i-ad to promote the Avensis and Verson models to History ...
European brands support use of mobile campaigns.(Marketing)(Yves Rocher, Club Nokia)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Cosmetic brand Yves Rocher and Club Nokia have thrown their weight behind mobile marketing with new campaigns in France and Turkey. Mobile marketing company Aerodeon has revealed the significant client wins from its French and Turkish operations. In France this month, ...
Warner Bros launches second interactive ad for Harry Potter.(Marketing)(Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Warner Bros has launched its second interactive TV ad campaign in as many months, following its red button trailer for Troy with the same proposition around the new Harry Potter film released this week. The Harry ...
Hallmark Channel launches 'pass the parcel' viral game.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... The Hallmark Channel has launched a 'pass the parcel' viral email game this week, developed by Skive Creative. The campaign relies on a virtual gift-wrapped present emailed to Hallmark's consumer and business databases offering them ...
Hamleys signs Ambergreen for search marketing push.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Hamleys has signed up Ambergreen to increase its Web site traffic levels and sales through a search engine push. The toy retailer is running a pay-per-click campaign on Goggle, Overture, ...
Digital Media Communications launches viral for IFAW charity.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Digital Media Communications has launched a second online viral marketing campaign for the International Fund for Animal Welfare charity. It uses a video clip called 'For fox sake' which was created ...
Number of UK users banking online approaches 10m.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Almost 10m Britons bank online, shows data from Internet research company Nielsen//NetRatings. It claims that during March, 9.6m people visited a retail bank or credit union Web site, making the finance sector the sixth most ...
Mobile operators' spending on technology down in past year.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Mobile operators' spending on network technology decreased by 12% last year, according to analyst Gartner. It showed that operators worldwide spent $40bn (21.7bn [pounds sterling]) on radio access, switching, applications and infrastructure in 2003, compared ...
Media buyers seek ABC proof.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Half of media buyers look for ABCE's certification mark when planning an online spend. Independent research conducted on behalf of the digital auditer found that those wanting third-party verification of a site's claims by using ABCE had risen from 38% in ...
Agencies slow to accept viability of SMS marketing.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Advertising agencies are missing an opportunity to capitalise on SMS marketing, mistakenly believing that consumer acceptance of the medium is much lower that it is. A recent survey by mobile technology provider Empower Interactive reveals that 8 out of 10 European mobile users ...
Visa reports online sales doubled in Q1.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Online shopping is booming, according to Visa, whose figures show that UK e-commerce sales are doubling year on year. In Q1 of 2004, sales from Internet transactions made with Visa cards increased by 123% compared with the same period in 2003. During Q1 of this year, cardholders ...
TV loses out as broadband takes people online for fun.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Entertainment has become the main reason for people going online in the evening, with broadband starting to erode TV consumption in the home, according to new research by Wanadoo. Its Fishbowl 2 study found that UK broadband users are cutting their TV viewing by 2.1 hours a ...
FTSE 100 sites fail on accessibility.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... Over two-thirds of FTSE100 company Web sites are failing to meet industry accessibility standards, says independent research from digital design agency Nomensa. Two out of three companies, including Tesco, Allied Domecq and Safeway, are accused of not reaching shareholders with ...
TV companies must embrace broadband.(Analyst Speak)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Rapid growth in broadband usage is leading to a significant decline in TV viewing, according to recent Strategy Analytics research. Broadcasters are beginning to recognise the threat, but few currently have any idea how to respond. In our recent survey of 800 broadband users ...
Search statistics in the Broadband sector.(Trends)(Brief Article)
Jun 03, 2004 ... The information below represents searches carried out through April on Overture's search network, which reaches 88% of the UK online population *. Overture provides advertising-based search results to sites such as MSN, Yahoo!, Freeserve, AltaVista, Tiscali, AOL and Ask Jeeves. ...
Ad tool firms seek to make search more manageable: adding keyword bidding into their management platforms puts search on a par with other forms of marketing, say ad servers.(News Analysis)
Jun 03, 2004; ... The decision by Atlas DMT and DoubleClick to integrate bid management tools for search campaigns into their ad management platforms (NMA 27 May) reflects the growing importance of bid management, and could significantly change the dynamics of the emerging sector. Search ...
One voice is better in the fight against scams.(Leader)(Editorial)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Eleven years into the life of the commercial Internet and it's now commonplace for people to talk about a maturing industry. In some ways they're right, with recent figures for take-up and usage showing that interactive media have become mass media. But a couple of recent stories show that ...
Content will succeed because of delivery.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Gary Corbett, MD, Opera Telecom Half of the planet's population will be using a mobile phone by the end of the next decade, according to figures from Nokia. More than 1.3bn people have mobile phones today, and that figure will balloon to 4bn by 2015. But the ...
William Hill is good news for TV gambling.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Daniel Winner, director, Digital Television Solutions The announcement that William Hill is to launch a digital TV channel is a welcome development. On the surface it's a vote of confidence in the potential of TV gambling. However, it masks some structural issues that are ...
New media must learn from past mistakes.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 03, 2004; ... Julian Wakeley, Healthworks Europe I was struck by your leader article in this week's issue (NMA 27 May). I agree with most of your comments, as someone who has been doing, designing and managing this stuff called new media since 1982 for Abbey National, Unilever, ...
Too many budgets can spoil a sensible solution.(Walley on media)(Column)
Jun 03, 2004; ... After spending my last two columns examining the nitty-gritty of technology regulation. I stood back for a moment before writing this and reflected on the nature of the editorial that surrounded it. I couldn't help noticing that, in one respect, nothing has changed in the last ...