News round-up: 11th June 2010
- Added:
- Jun 11, 2010
This week's movers and shakers in the digital industry: Christies goes mobile | Equals3 | GetJar | Huddle | Enable Interactive | Avis | GoodBrand & Company | Crayon | Star | Gurgle.com | Collective | BSM | Future Workshops | New Italian business portal | Locomotion | ATG | Fredhopper | Mousebreaker | Mencap | Mind Candy | Netrada
Auction house Christie’s goes mobile
As the next step in the continuing expansion of its online and mobile access strategy, Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, has launched Christie’s Mobile Web, an optimized mobile experience that is free to all users of web-enabled cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), regardless of the device’s operating platform. The move builds on the July 2009 launch of Christie’s free app for the iPhone and iTouch to now include the full universe of mobile devices and operating platforms, including the best-selling Android, Blackberry, Palm, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, and other popular models.
Columbus Travel picks Equals3 for search drive
Columbus Travel Media, the publisher of leading online travel content portal, the World Travel Guide, has appointed search specialist, Equals3, as its retained search agency. This permanent appointment follows initial SEO review work completed on a project basis by Equals3 over the past year, and now cements an ongoing relationship. Equals3 is the third agency Columbus Travel Media has brought on board on retainer in recent weeks, after appointing leading media PR specialists, Braben, and design agency, Start Creative.
Equals3 is a specialist in the Travel, Global Healthcare, and Automotive markets, providing 'full service' online marketing. Equals3 joint-CEO, Shahin Fard, was the Head of Online Marketing & Global SEO for Cheapflights, so knows the travel market intimately. Columbus Travel Media provides comprehensive and up-to-date global travel content in various formats, including the World Travel Guide for consumers, Columbus Travel Professional for travel industry professionals and extensive licensed and bespoke travel content for commercial partners.
www.worldtravelguide.net
GetJar only non-iPhone app store to hit 1 billion downloads
GetJar (www.getjar.com), the world’s second largest app store, announced today that it has smashed through the 1 billion app download barrier. GetJar’s announcement comes as a landmark moment for the mobile industry as this is the first and only time that a cross-platform apps store has clocked over 1 billion downloads and second time ever for any app store to reach such a milestone. The record-breaking, billionth download moment happened on June 7th at 11:02 AM -- Geodelic, an app that discovers restaurants, retailers and attractions nearby, was downloaded on an Android handset.
Ilja Laurs, CEO and founder, GetJar comments: “We’re delighted to have reached this milestone in mobile app history. As a team, we’re dedicated to driving the app market forward through an open approach. We’ve supported over 60,000 apps from developers across all major platforms, including Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Symbian and our open philosophy has been integral to our continued growth and the development within the industry. We’re looking forward to the next billion downloads.”
Huddle debuts BlackBerry application
Huddle, a provider of intercompany collaboration in the cloud, has launched its BlackBerry application. The app gives people full access to document sharing, project tasks, discussions and whiteboards, as well as a complete view of the user’s personalized dashboard.
Huddle’s BlackBerry app, designed and built with the help of Rapid Mobile Media Ltd, is the latest addition to the company’s mobile offering, which includes Huddle for iPhone and Huddle for iPad. The read-only version of the BlackBerry app is free to all users. Upgrading to the fully-featured version costs £2.99 / $4.99 and enables users to upload files, reply to discussions, and edit and manage data. http://www.huddle.net/apps-and-extras/
Drinkaware runs World Cup “Hoof It” campaign
Enable Interactive has developed the digital strategy for “Hoof It!” including, The ‘Hoof It!’ website that will include a football game, tips and features on how to stay healthy plus news and video content from a number of Hoof It! football freestyle events. Fans who receive one of 10,000 free footballs being given away by Drinkaware as part of the campaign can also enter a unique code to see if it wins them further prizes.
http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/hoofit
Avis launches interactive World Cup quiz
As football fever sweeps the globe, leading car hire company Avis is inviting sports and quiz fans alike to get involved online, with the launch of a new interactive game. ‘Road to Glory’ offers Brits the chance to take part in an ‘online tournament’ to win a week’s car hire in Europe. Players will be asked to pick the national team they want to play for and an opponent will be selected at random. Their knowledge of the opposing team will then be tested in a series of short quiz rounds covering a range of topics from football to culture, with winning players progressing to the next stage of the tournament, until they reach the final.
Players will only be given a limited amount of time to answer each question and those that answer correctly in the shortest time will make it to the ’Road to Glory’ leader board. The overall winner in each country will win a week’s car hire for a family of four in Europe. For details on how to play ‘Road to Glory’ visit: www.avis2010.com/en/
Good Energy gets social energy from GoodBrand & Company
100 per cent renewable electricity company Good Energy has turned to creative and social insight agency, GoodBrand & Company to help bring its vision - of changing the way energy is produced and used in the UK - to life. Good Energy tasked the agency to bring on board new customers and encourage a growing demand for renewable energy in the UK. The acquisition campaign, which encourages people to ‘join the homegrown energy movement’, will launch on 21st June , with direct mail and emails to current customers, as well as direct response advertising across digital media. Good Energy will highlight the customer role in helping it to achieve its vision via the new strapline ‘Together we do this’.
GoodBrand & Company’s approach was move the brand on from focusing on the functional aspects of 100 per cent renewable energy to a single-minded brand idea around ‘homegrown energy’. ‘Homegrown energy’ is green energy produced by British energy generators, and used locally. The creative strategy was developed to avoid the clichés of both the old and new energy sectors, and uses simple imagery featuring indigenous British animals embracing a move to ‘homegrown energy’ by pimping their pads with renewable energy paraphernalia. The agency’s campaign is targeted at the early adopter - highly motivated customers who appreciate being part of Good Energy’s vision and want an energy supplier with similar values to their own.
Crayon set to launch new DM campaign promoting the Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupé
Data driven digital agency Crayon is set to launch a direct marketing campaign to support Honda’s highly anticipated hybrid sports coupé, the CR-Z. The DM campaign will target 20,000 relevant database prospects and early hand raisers generated via the CR-Z Affiliate Marketing campaign in March, in addition to sign-ups on www.honda.co.uk.
A stylish and innovative DM pack has been designed to promote the CR-Z as a first of its kind and exemplify the car’s three driving modes via bubble wrap buttons that pop to reveal contents. The campaign consists of integrated direct mail, with pre and post launch emails tailored to a younger, urban audience. The CR-Z is a sporty coupé with a difference – with hybrid technology and a three mode driving system, it’s a world first.
Star debuts ‘business strength’ Instant Messaging
Star, a provider of on-demand computing and communication services to UK businesses, has announced the addition of ‘business strength’ Instant Messaging (IM) with “Presence” information to the Star Business Email service by optimising Microsoft Office Communications Server and Communicator 2007 technology. The Star Business Email service, which now includes IM and “Presence” at no additional charge, is available to buy online today for a fixed monthly fee of £8.99. Existing Star customers will also receive the new features without any additional charge. Star Business Email with instant messaging and “Presence” is now available to buy online at www.star.co.uk/email.
Vauxhall team up with Gurgle.com to target UK ‘Mummy Market’
UK baby and parenting website Gurgle.com has today announced the launch of a new online hub in partnership with Vauxhall to promote the launch of the New Vauxhall Meriva. The hub, launched to coincide with Gurgle’s presence at The Baby Show at the Birmingham NEC between 21-23 May will run for three months. Over the course of the campaign the campaign hub will host a range of exclusive content including video test drives of the new family friendly car as well as an exclusive blog written by recent celebrity mum Myleene Klass.
Vauxhall is also offering families on Gurgle.com the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a New Meriva for themselves and is offering selected Gurgle.com members the exclusive opportunity to a two week test drive of the new Meriva ahead of its UK launch. These mums will then be able share their experiences on the hub via written and video content they upload to their personal Gurgle.com blog. Vauxhall will also be promoting the New Meriva through Gurgle.com’s relationship with its parent company Mothercare. Five display days are scheduled at flagship Mothercare stores from May to July where parents will be able to try out the new model first hand.
http://www.gurgle.com/Vauxhall_New_Meriva.aspx
Collective unveils Facebook-led campaign to support launch of Honda CR-Z hybrid
Digital creative agency Collective today unveils an engaging Facebook-led campaign to support the launch of the world’s first sporty hybrid coupe, the Honda CR-Z. Reflecting the choice and fun-to-drive qualities of the CR-Z and its innovative three driving modes, Collective’s ‘Mode Art’ campaign uses a Facebook app and Connect site to allow users to turn their ‘life’ into a unique, personalised piece of art. The campaign – which keys into the pan-European ‘RGB’ campaign developed by Wieden + Kennedy – is based on a media strategy provided by Starcom.
Three prominent illustrators have been commissioned to create a ‘bank’ of design assets reflecting one of the CR-Z driving modes – Sport, Normal and Econ. Users choose a mode and these assets are combined with their data to generate a beautiful and random piece of artwork. Just like the journeys offered by the 3-mode CR-Z, each will be different, every time, and users can change the inputs as many times as they like to influence the artwork generated.
Once created, the image can be downloaded, used as a mobile wallpaper – which is accessed from a mobile-optimised CR-Z site – or added to Honda’s exclusive Facebook fan page gallery. Users can even personalise the Honda.co.uk site with their artwork.
BSM realigns digital offering in a bid to increase sales conversions
BSM, the largest and most established driving school in the UK, has launched a new website as part of a wider realignment of its digital offering, following extensive usability testing. Designed and built by integrated advertising agency, TheAgency, the website will provide BSM with a platform to continue recruiting learners nationally, as well as independent instructors, who make up more than 80 per cent of the national market. With additional focus on retail products, such as training aids and the newly launched iPhone app, BSM believes its new website strategy will also lead to an increase in sales conversions for driving lessons.
The new website aims to integrate BSM’s on and offline media channels in terms of advertising creative as well as products and promotions. It will continue to be a central hub for the large scale social media activity that BSM runs for learners as well as an information source for learners and instructors. The new campaign is part of an ongoing relationship with TheAgency, which has been working with BSM since June 2009.
Future Workshops Create iPhone app for bestselling UK crime author Martina Cole
Future Workshops is pleased to announce Headline Publishing’s launch of a dedicated iPhone application for its bestselling author, Martina Cole, to support the paperback release of Cole’s hugely popular crime novel, HARD GIRLS. Martina Cole is the bestselling author of sixteen hugely successful novels set in London’s gangland. The hardback edition of HARD GIRLS went straight to No 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller list and the release of the paperback has been much anticipated.
Headline Publishing has a strong track record in publishing both quality fiction and non-fiction. Founded in 1986 as a small independent publishing company, Headline won the prestigious publisher of the Year Award in 1992 and is now a thriving division of the Hachette UK. The Martina Cole iPhone app, will be available from the iTunes UK store within a week and will enable fans to preview books, access bonus content, interact with other fans, read about the author, find where she will be appearing, listen to audio-book clips and more.
www.futureworkshops.com
New Online Business Opens Doors to Italy
Today, sees the launch of a brand new online business, Business e via Italy (BEV). The company's bilingual website www.businesseviaitaly.com has two aims: to help Italian companies reach out to foreign investors and to give advice and information to businesses and private individuals wanting to do business with Italian companies or set up in Italy. The man behind BEV is Swedish businessman Ben Radomski. BEV has already attracted the attention of a number of key organisations who are supporting the site, including the British Chamber of Commerce in Italy and The Italian Chamber of Commerce for the UK. The site is also working with Invest in Milan (part of Promos/Milan Chamber of Commerce).
Frustrated by the time it took to find the information he was looking for to help him move to Milan from the UK and set up business there, Radomski felt he had to do something about it. He decided to create an online service that would help people like him, who were hoping to start businesses in Italy, perhaps even move there, and needed information, advice and services and a way of getting in touch with Italian companies who were looking for foreign investment. But it is not a one way street. BEV also aims to promote Italy by helping Italian SMEs reach international customers.
www.businesseviaitaly.com
Mama Mio launches viral campaign to raise money for ‘Look Good…Feel Better’
Mama Mio, one of the most recommended skincare brands, has launched a quirky new social media and viral campaign featuring a video of an animated navel singing to music from the fictitious band ‘Belle and The Buttons’. Created by integrated marketing communications agency Baber Smith, it’s the latest part of the beauty brand’s campaign to raise money for the charity Look Good…Feel Better.
Complete with compelling back-story, ‘Belle and The Buttons’ was launched by Baber Smith via MySpace, YouTube and Facebook and seeded virally on musical blogs. The band’s debut single ‘Check Me Out’ and accompanying video of the singing belly button has since become a YouTube smash, clocking up over 37,000 hits within the first week of its release. The Belle and The Buttons piece was created by Locomotion with Lee Bamsey directing, editing and compositing, Alex Hare creating 2D design and animation, and Carlos Correia building the 3D animation. Nick Sutherland-Dodd at ASD Lionheart produced the live action shoot. The music video was seeded by Diffusion Media.
http://www.youtube.com/BelleandTheButtons
ATG enhances automated Recommendations engine
ATG has introduced the Spring 2010 release of ATG Recommendations and ATG Email Recommendations, the company’s automated merchandising solutions, at the 2010 Internet Retailer Conference. The new releases, available today, satisfy growing demand among ATG customers for more direct, live control over recommendations and deeper integration with existing e-commerce assets like the catalogue, customer profiles, search, and inventory management.
ATG Recommendations is seeing rapid growth and increased traction as evidenced by a 400 percent yearly growth of Recommendations served across leading retail websites, mobile sites and email marketing campaigns. Recent ATG Recommendations customer wins and expansions include Autozone, J.Jill, Kalahari, LeapFrog, Sur La Table, Talbots, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Jessops revamps website with Fredhopper
Jessops is planning a number of new online initiatives following the appointment of e-commerce technology company Fredhopper to upgrade its website. Fredhopper has implemented sophisticated on-site search and navigation functionality onto Jessops.com, allowing consumers to find products faster. The camera retailer has plans for an instant chat facility, Paypal integration and development of its delivery offering. These follow significant online growth after the implementation of numerous user-focused 'customer journey' initiatives, plus an online consumer finance proposition.
Atari parners Mousebreaker to promote Backyard Sports
Videogame publisher Atari has partnered with leading flash-based free casual games portal Mousebreaker to create a branded online mini-game in support of the launch of Atari’s new action-packed arcade style baseball themed videogame – Backyard Sports(TM): Sandlot Sluggers.
The game, which launches this week in North America for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and Windows PC Download, offers hours of entertainment with laugh-out-loud comedic commentary and exaggerated animations for a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. The game is packed with loads of surprises and stars a neighbourhood full of fun and diverse kids.
To support the game release, Mousebreaker has created an original promotional online mini-game incorporating all the key attributes of the popular Backyard Sports franchise, which Atari will use as part of its integrated marketing campaign to support the launch.
http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/backyardsports/playgame
Mencap appoints Enable Interactive for digital marketing refresh
Learning disability charity, Mencap, has signed up Enable Interactive, the UK’s number one digital agency for the not-for-profit sector, for a website design refresh and to develop a wider social media and digital marketing strategy for the charity.
Mencap’s website design refresh with Enable Interactive will include the charity’s main website and partner site easyhealth.org.uk. Enable Interactive is also developing a digital marketing strategy for Mencap following a detailed social media audit researching how learning disability is discussed online. The results of Enable Interactive’s social media audit and research for Mencap will inform a broader social media strategy that goes beyond the charity’s existing channels.
Mind Candy Partners With Penguin Group To Publish Range Of Moshi Monsters Books
Mind Candy, developer of the popular children’s online game, Moshi Monsters, today announced its first major licensing deal with Penguin Group to publish a series of books based on the Moshi Monsters property. The online game allows children around the world to adopt their own free pet monster, play games, customize their homes, explore the virtual world and solve educational puzzles. More than 20 million players have registered to-date at http://www.moshimonsters.com, making it one of the world fastest growing children’s games.
The first book to be published during the deal will explore one of the most popular elements of the game - Moshlings. These cute, colourful and collectible little creatures are pets of the Moshi Monsters and the book will delve into their back-story, habitats, quirks and provide other valuable information for dedicated Moshling hunters. The book will also contain a unique code to unlock a secret Moshling at the Moshi Monsters website. Two books are planned for release in 2010 globally and a further five to follow in 2011.
Netrada launches Online Shops for Lacoste
Lacoste’s first European online shop has opened for French customers at http://shop-fr.lacoste.com. Germany and UK will follow in the second half of 2010. The launch of the first European online store constitutes a major milestone for Lacoste. Other than the already existing US Shop, the European online shop focuses on brand and shopping experience in one site. Devanlay (Apparel) and Pentland Brands plc (Footwear) - both being responsible for the European roll-out of Lacoste’s e-commerce strategy - are convinced that this is an important step for the further path of brand recognition and growth. “We will of course take the chance to increase our sales volume,” says Andy Simister, Global President at Pentland, “but are in addition thrilled about the opportunity to gain valuable consumer insights through a direct relationship with the end user.”
Customers can find a wide range of exciting features which make online shopping even more comfortable: A subtle search engine allows the customers to find exactly the Polo that he is looking for, a one-click application allows the customers to share their favorite products with friends on social networking sites (such as Facebook or Twitter) and very soon, the customers will have the possibility to create their own and personalized Polo shirt.
