New Media Age back issues from October 2007:
Virgin Media powers up portal with TV and music.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Virgin Media is going on the offensive in a bid to position itself as a major online content portal boasting Virgin 1 TV, games and music content. The company has revealed a three-pronged attack to offer Virgin 1 shows on catch-up, along with free downloads to its broadband ...
Hellmann's shakes up web content.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Hellmann's, the Unilever owned mayonnaise brand, has launched an interactive online campaign aimed at young men as it looks to tap into the "blokey sandwich" market. The mayo brand is promoting its squeezy bottle and revamped image with the launch of a website and campaign, ...
Brands defend low take up for social networks.
Oct 04, 2007 ... Brands are being warned not to jump at building social networks as low take-up numbers have come to light. Coca-Cola, Dr Martens and Pedigree were among the first to unveil branded social networks, Waitrose also went live with a socially- focused site in July. NMA ...
Paramount plans major mobile push for new films.(Paramount Pictures Corp.)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Paramount Pictures is preparing for a major mobile push over the forthcoming months with a series of mobile initiatives. The international film studio is determined to use the mobile space to push a host of forthcoming releases. These will include a bid to use mobile to ...
Cartoon Network plans wider strategy with Tooncast launch.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Cartoon Network has launched the first series of Tooncasts - cartoon podcasts - as part of a strategy to push the brand beyond TV and attract a wider online audience. The children's TV network has launched a dedicated campaign site where users can download the Tooncasts, which ...
Bebo opens auditions for Sofia's Diary.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Bebo is in the process of casting for the forthcoming interactive drama Sofia's Diary through its own pages. Members signing into the Bebo home page will be met with an ad for open auditions to star in the show. Users will be encouraged to join the Sofia's Diary ...
New owner gives Racing Post #10m free rein to develop online services.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Racing Post is to invest up to #10m of its new owner's money in order to position its online services as market-leading. The newspaper, which was bought this week from parent Trinity Mirror by private equity investment firm FL Partners for #170m, will invest the money in the ...
Honda to test drive custom banners for latest car range.
Oct 04, 2007 ... Honda is to trial customisable banner ads as part of an online campaign for its latest range of cars. Honda will use technology developed by Genie Group to run one piece of creative for 12 different models. Honda's media agency Starcom developed the campaign, which ...
Black Magic targets younger audience with online tie-ups.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Nestle is to revamp its Black Magic range of chocolates with a three- week online promotion that involves Sainsbury's and LoveFilm. Nestle is also unveiling a new website, Discover Black Magic, to support the promotion and act as an ongoing resource for the product. ...
Discovery to adopt pay-as-you-go model.(Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Networks International)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Discovery Networks International is dropping the subscription-based model for its Discovery on Demand portal in favour of pay-as-you-go. The subscription model is being dropped as the company believes that the UK market is more comfortable with the pay-as-you-go model used by ...
Ft.com increases video content to attract budget from TV advertisers.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... The Ft.com is preparing to significantly ramp up its provision of video content as part of a bid to draw in cash from the TV ad market. The company is putting together a strategy for how pre-roll advertising can be used to attract budget from TV buyers. John ...
Trident targets perpetrators of gun crime in campaign by Elvis.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Trident, the Metropolitan police unit focusing on gun crime within London's black communities, is using an online campaign to dissuade youngsters from turning to gun crime. The 'Don't Blow Your Life Away' campaign, created by digital agency Elvis, focuses on the outcome for ...
RFU drives online visits with game zone.(Rugby Football Union)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... The Rugby Football Union has launched two new games developed by Grasshopper for its England Rugby Junior Supporters Club (JSC). The move comes at an essential time for RFU marketing, as interest in the four-yearly Rugby World Cup comes to a peak. The games, ...
Microsoft to bring 'wealth index' ad targeting to the UK.(advertising)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Microsoft is poised to allow UK advertisers to target consumers using a 'wealth index' through AdCenter for the first time. The search marketing platform currently allows for targeting by age, gender, location, time of day or day of the week in the UK market, but in the US ...
Trinity Mirror plans nationwide roll out of ultra-local news service.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Trinity Mirror is set for a nationwide roll out the ultra-local news service that it's been trialling in Teesside. The service uses a network of citizen journalists and existing Trinity Mirror regional newspaper journalists to create digital newspapers based on specific ...
Hasgrove acquires Pavilion for #9.9m.(Pavilion Communication Services)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Manchester-based digital agency Pavilion Communication Services has been acquired by European communications and marketing group Hasgrove for #9.9m. The deal, which includes a number of earn outs, sees Pavilion join as the group's first digital agency and is the start of a ...
Maxim Mobile to make all premium content free to users.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Maxim Mobile has made its entire catalogue of premium content available free to consumers as it bids to grow traffic and grab ad revenues. Over the past two weeks the Dennis-owned site has begun rolling back its paid-for content and introduced new opportunities aimed at ...
Sony rolls out widget to push HD products.
Oct 04, 2007 ... Sony has launched a widget campaign as part of a global push of its HD range of products. The Sony HDNA Molecules widget aims to engage users on a personal level, allowing them to customise the widget to spell out words. The widget has been built in association with ...
BBC to relaunch Jools Holland site with user-generated content focus.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... The BBC is to relaunch the website for its flagship TV music brand Later ...with Jools Holland in a push to engage music fans. The site, which is due to go live in mid-October, will give users access to exclusive content from the weekly programme. The content will include ...
HarperCollins uses mobile to push Nigel Slater's new book.(HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... HarperCollins has allocated 10% of the marketing budget of Nigel Slater's forthcoming book Eating For England to a mobile promotion. The publisher has built a WAP site around the content from the book and agreed an advertising deal with Orange, via Screentonic, to advertise ...
Akamai boosts ad tracking for publishers.
Oct 04, 2007 ... Content delivery specialist Akamai is readying a system that allows advertisers to track user behaviour in one place, no matter which ad server they use. The company, which delivers content for Apple iTunes as well as MySpace and Facebook, also delivers the ads served using ...
RAF uses real time online video ads for 22-week recruitment drive.(advertisements)(Royal Air Force)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is to roll out a 22-week online video campaign in support of its recruitment drive. The Civilian to Soldier campaign will offer fly on the wall footage of trainees following the RAF Regiment's rigorous training course. The videos will unfold ...
Visit Wales uses online ads to attract visitors during autumn.(advertisements)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Visit Wales has rolled out an online ad campaign in a bid to drive tourists to the region during autumn. The campaign, which uses the theme 'Autumn is our peak season', aims to attract visitors to Wales in the traditionally quiet tourism season by highlighting the seasonal ...
Utarget in desktop deal with Zebtab.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Ad network Utarget has partnered with desktop content channel Zebtab to push its online video ad offer. Utarget clients will now be able to stream short pre-roll ads before online video content delivered by Zebtab alerts, from brands including At The Races and Maxim. ...
HSBC uses Bluetooth to drive golf website.(HSBC Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... HSBC is to use Bluetooth mobile technology and a widget to drive traffic to its golfing website. The three week campaign, which went live on Monday to promote the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, ties in with the bank's ongoing sponsorship of golf tournaments ...
Unanimis to handle online ad sales for Everyclick charity.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Charity search engine Everyclick has appointed Unanimis to handle its online ad sales. Unanimis will now handle all online ads for the search engine, including display, integrated campaigns and sponsorships. Since going live in 2005, the ...
Digital advertising is ready to be counted.
Oct 04, 2007 ... According to some observers, the digital revolution throws into doubt the future of the ad agency. The idea is that the interactive, mass- personalised digital media environment will undermine demand for what ad agencies do best - connecting consumers and brands in creative ways. ...
Consumers display greater trust in online ads from local newspapers.(advertisements)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Adverts on local websites are nearly 20% more likely to be trusted and relied upon than those in national newspapers, according to research from TNS Media. The study, commissioned by The Newspaper Society, an organisation that provides national and local newspaper ...
Mobiles are most searched-for gadget online.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Mobile phones are the most searched-for gadget on the web, capturing 46% of all gadget search terms, according to research house Hitwise. Computers were the next most popular gadget for UK internet users, accounting for 34% of searches, followed by iPods (6%), SatNav systems ...
ANALYSIS: Online hits set agenda for Sky TV programme.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC. Sky News)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Sky News may be launching a TV programme dedicated to the most popular stories on its website, but is this User-Generated Agenda the future for television news? Last week Sky News made what appeared to be a significant commitment to its digital arm by announcing a new ...
COMMENT: Publishing prospers from digital threat.(Column)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Nowhere is the transformative power of digital more obvious than in publishing. For years, a newspaper was something you read and TV something you watched. In the last couple of years this distinction has started to become so blurred that future generations could fail to make it at all ....
Ads are regulated well enough without the State nannying us.(advertisements)(Column)
Oct 04, 2007; ... Nigel Walley is MD of the Decipher Group; nigel.walley@ decipher.co.uk Recently I've been worried about the kind of world my kids are growing up in. Not gun crime/street violence/drugs, more about the Government using my kids as an excuse for intrusive legislation. ...
LETTER: Social networks need the personal touch.(Letter to the editor)
Oct 04, 2007 ... From Andrew Mitchell, head of sales, Arvato Loyalty Services Luan Goldie is right to stress that social networks need to develop their own brand status, particularly if they are to appeal to their customers on an emotional level. Social communities are a unique opportunity for ...
LETTER: Digital exodus to the seaside gathers pace.(Letter to the editor)
Oct 04, 2007 ... From Dan Vivian, MD, Bright Blue Day It was encouraging to read your seafront attraction feature recognising Brighton as a hotbed for digital businesses (NMA 13.09.07). However, the truth of the matter is that Brighton and neighbouring regions have witnessed great ...
LETTER: Function before fashion for Tesco web strategy.(Letter to the editor)
Oct 04, 2007 ... From Lawrence Ladomery, internet advisor, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development So Tesco is putting social media at the heart of its web strategy. I hope the online shopping experience will not be too focused on social networking as opposed to core functionality. I ...
LETTER: There's more to mobiles than banner advertising.(Letter to the editor)
Oct 04, 2007 ... From Ben Scott-Robinson, creative director, We Love Mobile In response to last week's cover story 'Lack of mobile inventory leaves advertisers hungry' (NMA 27.09.07), while most people would agree that there is a lack of ad space on mobile for 'traditional' banner-style ...
OPINION: Consolidation in the market is crucial for all players.(Column)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Carl White is CEO of integrated online marketing company ValueClick Europe With the recent major industry consolidation announcements there has been plenty of speculation about the impact on the online advertising landscape. The flurry of interest, implications and issues has ...
AD WATCH: RAC used-car check campaign has big prize but small scope.(Rapid App Code)(Column)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Sav Evangelou is creative director of digital at Wunderman In a bar a bearded intellectual asks another bloke, "Do you believe in coincidence?" then taps his phone. Given that I've entered my number in order to watch this Grolsch video campaign and our bar scholar had mused ...
ONLINE PUBLISHING: News in focus.
Oct 04, 2007; ... Regional publishers are looking to use online to make local news even more targeted. Greg Brooks reports on the insatiable appetite for community knowledge Judging from evidence given by the Newspaper Society to a parliamentary committee last month, the regional press is ...
ONLINE PUBLISHING: Measuring media at a local level.(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... In August last year The Newspaper Society ditched its league tables of regional newspaper circulation, saying they no longer painted an accurate picture of the market because falling circulations had been offset by increased distribution of free editions and websites. Last month it ...
ONLINE PUBLISHING: Off the bandwagon.(National Magazine Company Ltd. moves into digital publishing)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Duncan Edwards of NatMags, one of the later publishing houses to move into digital, talks to Ed Dorrell about testing new products while remembering your roots Duncan Edwards makes no secret of the fact that he's sceptical about the web. In fact, the chief executive of The ...
ONLINE PUBLISHING: Teenage angst.
Oct 04, 2007 ... With teenagers using online social media as their source of peer contact, magazine sites can struggle to find an audience. But it's not impossible, finds Matthew Wall Last week Hachette Filipacchi, the publisher of leading print teen-girl magazine Sugar, launched Sugarscape, a ...
ONLINE PUBLISHING: News hound.
Oct 04, 2007 ... Google's gradual change from technology company to content provider could leave the online publishing world facing a bleak future, finds Matthew Wall Last month Google struck a deal with the major news agencies to publish their stories and pictures on its Google News pages ....
MOVES: Modial UK.(appointment of Kate Sharman)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Modial UK, provider of customer services support to blue chip organisations, has strengthened its corporate and travel division with the appointment of ...
MOVES: Digital Stores.(appointment of Gavi Douglas)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Online retailer Digital Stores has retained the services of Gavi Douglas as an independent advisor to work with them on a ...
MOVES: Marketing Innovation Group.(appointment of John Abbott)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Digital direct marketing organisation the Marketing Innovation Group (MIG) has hired former CFO of ...
MOVES: Picsel Technologies.(appointment of Michael Matthews)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Mobile platform provider Picsel Technologies has announced the appointment of Michael Matthews as president and COO. For the ...
MOVES: Utarget.(appointment of Tim Williams, Suzannah Andrews, Laurence Ransley and Steve Grinstead)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Ad network Utarget has boosted its team with a string of appointments. Tim Williams starts as TV sales manager moving from Digital Media Sales; media buyer Suzannah Andrews joins from McCann-Erickson; Laurence Ransley has ...
MOVES: Smartfusion.(appointment of Richard Vincent)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Richard Vincent, co-founder of experiential agency Smartfusion, is moving to New York to become MD of its US operations. He will head up recently-won ...
MOVES: World Archipelago.(appointment of Rebecca Merrill)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Rebecca Merrill has joined full service digital agency World Archipelago as account director. She ...
MOVES: Robin Houghton Communications.(appointment of Lara Behrens)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Email marketing specialists Robin Houghton Communications has hired Lara Behrens as account manager. She was ...
MOVES: Codegent.(appoinment of Matt Jukes)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Digital agency Codegent has recruited Matt Jukes as creative director. He was previously at Digital Outlook where ...
SITE INSPECTION: BBC Motion Gallery.(Website overview)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... <Pre> Bbcmotiongallery.com Owner: BBC Worldwide Agency: In-house Content 22/25 Usability 21/25 Branding19/25 Monetisation21/25 Total 83/100 </Pre> The BBC Motion Gallery, rather like YouTube, can become surprisingly addictive. It bears a ...
SITE INSPECTION: Foxy Bingo.(Website overview)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... <Pre> Foxybingo.com Owner: Cashcade Agency: in-house Content 18/25 Usability 15/25 Branding22/25 Monetisation20/25 Total 75/100 </Pre> Over 50% of bingo players smoke - twice the national average - so this industry was predicted to take a ...
SITE INSPECTION: Exclusive London.(Website overview)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... <Pre> Exclusivelondon.co.uk Owner: Exclusive London Agency: Softweb Content 20/25 Usability 14/25 Branding16/25 Monetisation19/25 Total 69/100 </Pre> Exclusive London offers a guide to all the things you could possibly do within the city, ...
FULFILMENT: nandos.co.uk.(Website overview)(Brief article)
Oct 04, 2007 ... Selection All the sauces Nando's produces are available to buy along with some related merchandise and a recipe book. The site doesn't include the ability to order from the menu for delivery of collection from the restaurant. Navigation A basic 'window ...
The Sun to push etail with shopping comparison site.(Brief article)
Oct 11, 2007 ... The Sun is making its biggest foray into ecommerce to date, launching a major shopping portal for its 11m users this week. The move comes as News International indicated its commitment to the newspaper's site with an overhaul of its content management system and design on ...
Malkovich fronts Sony Vaio push.(vaio-john.com)(John Malkovich)(Brief article)
Oct 11, 2007 ... Film star John Malkovich will front an online campaign for the Sony Vaio as the laptop brand's first 'like no other' personality. A series of 27 unscripted films shot in Paris with the actor and available only on a new website will form the core of the campaign. The ...
Online planning currency on horizon - finally.
Oct 11, 2007 ... A single planning currency for online could at last be ready by the middle of next year, it has emerged as the online industry faces increasingly urgent calls to push forward the initiative. The general manager of Jicims, the joint industry committee set up to deal with the ...
Lexus pushes symphony concerts via dedicated site.(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Lexus Div.)(Brief article)
Oct 11, 2007 ... Lexus is to use digital to promote the expansion of its Lexus Symphony Orchestra concerts. The concerts this summer saw a group of Lexus cars play separate audio tracks as an orchestral ensemble. They are now going to become an annual event. The luxury car giant, ...
Blinkx offers new service for bloggers to profit from videos.(Brief article)
Oct 11, 2007 ... Video search service Blinkx is to roll out an ad service to let bloggers and owners of social network profiles make money from video posts. Heavy users of embedded videos, such as professional bloggers, will now potentially be able to profit from this kind of content. ...
Five appoints start-up agency for next phase of digital strategy push.(Brief article)
Oct 11, 2007 ... Broadcaster Five has appointed new digital agency Made By Many to develop a digital strategy as it looks to catch up with rivals. Five has tasked the agency with establishing a digital content strategy for five.tv and redeveloping its website, which will include social media ...
Slingbox targets male audience via pure-play campaign.
Oct 11, 2007 ... Slingbox, the place-shifting TV company, is launching a significant pure-play UK campaign to drive awareness of its products among the general population. Sling Media, parent company of Slingbox, is using video ads, pre-roll ads and leaderboards across AOL, MSN, Virgin Media ...
Ford and Dennis join forces to push S-Max model via e-mags.(Dennis Publishing)(Ford Motor Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
Oct 11, 2007 ... Ford and Dennis Publishing have joined forces to publish the car manufacturer's first e-mags, designed to promote its S-Max MPV in the car's 'S-Max your life' campaign. Three e-mags will focus on extreme sports, central to the campaign, with the first dedicated to water sports, ...
BT rolls out online ads targeting SMEs.(British Telecommunications PLC. BT Business Information Systems)(Small and medium sized companies)(Brief article)
Oct 11, 2007 ... BT Business has rolled out a major online ad campaign as part of its push to position the brand as the leading managed IT services company. The online activity, which promotes BT's Business IT Manager system, is part of a larger integrated marketing campaign that includes TV ...