News Round-up: 21st May 2010
- Added:
- May 21, 2010
This week’s movers and shakers in the digital industry: Google Chrome app store | Marie Curie iPhone app | MSc in digital marketing | Sainsburys | 24/7 Real Media | OOSOCIAL | IAB goes mobile | Journalism.co.uk | yoomoot | Web TV Enterprise | Steak | Fredhopper | UK Fast | HomesGoFast | Nuts | Shazam | Tug | ADTECH | Columbus Travel Media | Crafted Media | LBI | dgm | Code Computerlove | Locker Room Media | EmailVision | DBD Media | eKomi | Hotels.com | LoveFilm | Clash-Media | nugg.ad | Arena Media | Brilliant | Sapient Nitro | Improve Digital | Visit England | Webcredible
Google debuts Chrome app store
Google has detailed its new online app store, which is named the Chrome Web Store. Introducing the new rival to Apple's App Store at the company's San Francisco I/O developer conference yesterday, Google's vice president of product management Sundar Pichai demonstrated how flash versions of the likes of Plants vs. Zombies will be available through the service.
Like many of its contemporaries, Google's new web store offers a gallery of apps, which will be available through a new tab in the search engine giant's proprietary web browser Chrome. The app store will also be available through the forthcoming Chrome OS netbook operating system, which is itself based on Google's browser.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore
Marie Curie iPhone app supports Tea Party campaign
Leading UK charity, Marie Curie Cancer Care, is launching a new iPhone application to support their Blooming Great Tea Party campaign. The charity has teamed up with digital design agency Redweb, to design and build the application. The Blooming Great Tea Party application, which is free to download from iTunes, decides who is making the next round of teas. It allows the user to enter names, photographs and drink choices of their friends, including milk and sugar options. By spinning the wheel, the application nominates the next person to make the teas – with everyone’s drink details in their hand.
Marie Curie Cancer Care is asking people to hold Blooming Great Tea Parties from 12 June to 12 July 2010 to help raise funds for the charity. The money raised from every tea party will allow more Marie Curie Nurses to provide free care to people with terminal cancer and other illnesses in the comfort of their own homes.
www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty
IDM and LSBU launch MSc in Digital Marketing
The Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) and London South Bank University (LSBU) have today announced the launch of a new Masters of Science degree (MSc) in Digital Marketing. With this programme, graduates of the IDM’s Certificate and Diploma in Digital Marketing will be able to take their study to a higher level by completing a Masters top-up qualification.
To gain the MSc, IDM graduates need to complete just two additional university modules at LSBU: Digital Marketing and Research Methods, along with a digital marketing dissertation. Recent demand for the IDM’s Digital qualifications has soared, indicating the level of importance now placed on digital by the marketing profession. LSBU will begin running the new MSc in Digital Marketing in January 2011 at their campus near London’s Waterloo.
Sainsbury’s launches first TV ad for shopping site
Sainsbury’s is set to launch its first advertising campaign for its non-food website and free delivery offer. It is the first time Sainsbury’s has focused solely on its online non-food offer in its advertising. The ad features animated computer cursors pushing trolleys and buying a range of non-food products.Banner Ad. It also highlights the introduction of free delivery on orders over £50.
Sainsbury’s launched the non-food site in July last year in a bid to expand its general merchandise offer and now stocks more than 8,000 products. The 30-second advert was created by AMV. BBDO. Last week, Sainsbury’s revealed a 17% increase in profit to £610m and says its non-food offer is growing at three times the rate of its food business.
Last Word Media selects Open AdStream to provide ad targeting on flagship financial titles
Last Word Media has chosen 24/7 Real Media’s Open AdStream in order to effectively manage and deliver targeted advertisements on its websites, including the newest versions of the respected financial titles International Adviser and Portfolio Adviser.
Open AdStream, 24/7 Real Media’s award-winning ad management platform, will enable Last Word Media to deliver highly focused advertising to financial advisers and wealth managers through advanced online targeting capabilities. Last Word Media will also use Open AdStream’s detailed, real-time analytics to ensure they are providing complete fulfilment of their advertiser’s campaigns from every page across their network.
Mark Jennings, Head of Online at Last Word Media said: “We have just launched brand new websites for International Adviser and Portfolio Adviser, and part of their success depends on being able to give advertisers the best methods of reaching our audiences – Open AdStream provides us with the capability of doing precisely this.”
Sid Khemka, Director, Publisher Solutions, 24/7 Real Media UK said: “We are delighted that Last Word Media chose Open AdStream, and are confident that its cutting-edge capabilities will provide them with the most effective and market leading ad serving capabilities across all their online publications.”
Chelsea FC develops Facebook app with OOSOCIAL
OOSOCIAL ave been appointed by Chelsea Football Club to develop a Facebook application for Chelsea Football Club to allow their fans to enter a competition to win a selection of prizes. The application includes a simple pre-populating data-capture form which also recognises the entrants Facebook ID to serve them different creative once they have already entered the competition. The competition has been entered by over 8,500 people in 3 weeks. There are a variety of superb prizes to be won, from flights courtesy of Etihad Airways (Chelsea Sponsors), to signed Chelsea Shirts.
OOSOCIAL worked with BLM Quantum to create a widget for Domino’s that anyone could place on their social networking profile, blog or start page and earn revenues when other users clicked on the widget and completed a purchase. The widget integrates with the Domino’s and Affiliate Window networks to allow the commission earned by users to automatically update.
IAB appoints first mobile manager
The Internet Advertising Bureau – the trade body for online and mobile advertising – has appointed Alex Kozloff, former media research manager at Unanimis, to expand its mobile research and education programme in the UK. Working alongside head of mobile Jon Mew, she has been enlisted to drive the critical expansion of the IAB Mobile offering to meet the growing training needs of advertisers and agencies in the UK.
Now in its 2nd of year as the official trade body for mobile advertising, the IAB has doubled the amount of educational initiatives, events and research projects since 2009. The trade body aims to boost the profile of the mobile industry further with a dedicated IAB Engage for Mobile in June 2010, designed to enlighten the marketing community to the opportunities within the space.
Over the coming months, Alex will be working on projects including a groundbreaking study to understand the place of mobile commerce amongst businesses today, and a look into the effectiveness of marketing to consumers via SMS/MMS. She will also be launching a book for brands on mobile advertising and creativity, and delivering bespoke presentations to UK marketers on how successfully integrate the medium with their current communications plans.
Video platform Kyte sponsors Journalism.co.uk's news:rewired
Onine and mobile video technology provider Kyte as the latest sponsor of Journalism.co.uk’s June event news:rewired - the nouveau niche. Hosted by media partner MSN UK at Microsoft's London headquarters on 25 June, news:rewired - the nouveau niche has been specially designed for journalists and publishers working within a specialism and is focused on practical advice and examples of working in digital media.
Kyte's director of strategy Sam Jones will join our morning panel discussion on mobile for niche publishers and will discuss how Kyte is working with publishers on mobile video for newsgathering and distribution.
Kyte's technology is used by a range of brands and news organisations, including the Huffington Post and Axel Springer, to build video platforms on websites and mobile. With Fox News, Kyte's mobile video applications allow reporters to livestream and upload video from the field, including from the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake.
yoomoot launches to make online discussions ‘more useful’
yoomoot has launched this month, offering a new way of having an online discussion. Participants can edit each other's posts, encouraging the improvement of existing posts over the unnecessary creation of new posts. In addition every post has a summarized version, so that you can quickly scan over the summarized version of a whole conversation. Every reply has to be worded as a question and answer.
At first, yoomoot will be a standalone site supported by advertising and paid-for premium accounts, with plans to release a subscription service which provides organizations with their own private version of yoomoot to use for more effective knowledge-sharing. In the future, the site will feature a plugin which allows blogs and other websites to use yoomoot to handle their comments. Very high-traffic sites will be charged for this service.
New sales manager at Web TV Enterprise
Premium video advertising specialist Web TV Enterprise has appointed Amman Kainth as its new Sales Manager. She will be responsible for developing and growing the use of video advertising campaigns across the media agencies Web TV Enterprise works alongside. Kainth joins Web TV Enterprise from Virgin Media-owned advertising sales house ids, where she worked as Senior Sales Executive. ids provides advertising sales for Virgin Media Television, UKTV, Virginmedia.com and Virgin Mobile. Prior to this role, she held the same title at ITV.com.
Steak appointed as official Start supporter
Steak has been appointed to provide digital marketing services to support Start, a new initiative by The Prince’s Charities, a group of not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales is President. The aim of Start is to promote and celebrate sustainable living and help people across the UK take positive and practical steps towards a more energy efficient, cleaner and healthier future.
Steak will provide paid search management and online media planning services to promote the Start website, on a pro bono basis from the beginning of May. The website, www.startuk.org, which will re-launch later this year, will highlight the best examples of sustainable practice, explain the issues around sustainability simply and without jargon, and provide a platform for like-minded individuals and communicates to share their experience, goals and idea. The site will form part of a vibrant and diverse programme of activities planned for 2010 to engage people across the UK.
Fredhopper launches in the US
Fredhopper, the e-commerce technology division of SDL, is launching in the US. The company is opening offices in New York and San Jose. Fredhopper is expanding to the US following its success in Europe – it’s currently the market leader in e-commerce marketing software, and counts brands such as B&Q, Debenhams, Philips, Thomas Cook and Toys R Us among a stable of international clients.
US technology analyst Patricia Seybold Group rated Fredhopper’s products as world class in its 2008 and 2009 ‘E-commerce Search, Merchandising and Marketing’ reports, stating “Fredhopper’s strengths put it at the top of just about any ecommerce short list.” The US move follows Fredhopper’s sale at the beginning of the year to global information management firm SDL.
Football stars help UKFast support the Right To Play
UKFast gets premiership stars onside to support football development in Africa. In the run up to this year's World Cup in South Africa, UKFast is teaming up with footballers in the North West to increase awareness of Right To Play. The international organisation offers hundreds of thousands of children and youths in disadvantaged communities the opportunity to build life skills and leadership through sport and play.
Earl Barrett, former England star, impressed Lawrence Jones, MD of UKFast with his passion for the sport's ability to improve young lives. Knowing that Jones has funded grass roots rugby for over a decade, Barrett feels that Right To Play is a project UKFast is uniquely placed to support.
"Right To Play is using football and other activities to enhance child development in disadvantaged areas," says Barrett. "And because UKFast is a technology company it can get involved simply by doing what it does best - hosting. It's a win-win situation, because the level at which UKFast contributes is directly linked to the company's own success."
iPhone app launched of overseas property
A new iPhone app has just been launched by overseas property website HomesGoFast.com. The free app allows iPhone users to find properties for sale in more than 70 countries and presents numerous opportunities for both buyers and sellers of international real estate.
The app is compatible for users of Apple's latest product, the iPad, and can also be accessed by iPod Touch users, giving instant access to more than 300,000 worldwide properties. As part of the launch, Twitter users have an opportunity to be entered into a prize draw for IPod Touch and one year's free advertising on HomesGofast.com
The app is believed to be the first overseas property application that gives access to a property database, which includes listings from international real estate agents, property developers and private individuals selling overseas property
Nuts magazine goes 3D
This week’s cover of Nuts is rendered in 3D, with a pair of 3D glasses covermounted for every reader. Inside the special issue, readers will find an additional 20 pages of original 3D content, including: The event is backed by significant marketing investment, including a digital campaign running on MTV, Sportpost.com, www.NME.com and www.Mousebreaker.com. The issue is also being promoted with an innovative home page takeover on www.Nuts.co.uk. The campaign will reach an estimated audience of one million young men.
Shazam Passes 75 Million Users and Identifies over One Billion Songs
Mobile music discovery provider Shazam has grown from 50 million to 75 million users in the last six months and has identified more than one billion songs. This notable milestone demonstrates Shazam’s continued development as one of the world’s leading mobile consumer services and brands. Shazam’s one billionth track was Gettin’ Over by David Guetta featuring Chris Willis.
Edinburgh Dungeon Launches Online Campaign Burke and Hare Attraction
The Edinburgh Dungeon, the world famous visitor attraction from Merlin Entertainments Group, is launching an online marketing campaign promoting its latest gruesome attraction - Burke and Hare. Search marketing specialist Tug has been appointed to deliver the campaign which will include a combination of SEO, link building, online PR and PPC.
Tug will develop a pay per click campaign while concentrating on link building around the increased public interest in the subject. The online PR campaign will be mainly factually based, targeting schools and study projects searching for historical information on Burke and Hare.
http://www.the-dungeons.co.uk/edinburgh/en/attractions/burkehare.htm
ADTECH Makes Sweet Music with we7
ADTECH, a leading provider of ad serving technology and part of AOL Advertising, has today announced that we7, the UK-based ad-funded free music streaming service and integrated download store, has selected its ad server solution to deliver targeted ads to music listeners. ADTECH will replace we7’s existing solution from Atlas.
Co-founded by ex-Genesis front man and digital pioneer Peter Gabriel in 2007, we7 has pioneered new techniques and ideas in technology and business models and has grown its user base by 400% year on year since inception. The service has over four million licensed tracks to stream and download from all four major labels and hundreds of independents. It attracts 3 million unique users per month – 1.5 million to the main site and the rest through a widget network. *
Former Bauer head to drive new business development for Columbus Travel Media
Global travel content provider, Columbus Travel Media (CTM), has appointed former head of Bauer's cross media division, Rob Tomalin, as New Business Development Director. Starting today, Tomalin will focus primarily on development of new revenue streams for flagship CTM brand, the World Travel Guide, by building on its success in endemic markets and by taking it into new vertical sectors. Since leaving Bauer Consumer media in 2008, Tomalin has consulted to various digital businesses. He joins Columbus Travel Media full-time, fresh from his position as COO of digital entertainment start-up, All Dig Down. Tomalin starts his role on 17 May 2010 and will report directly to CTM CEO, Jason Trout.
<http://www.worldtravelguide.net>
Crafted Media to turn up the volume for Audio-T
Crafted Media have been appointed by Audio-T to redesign & develop the nationwide retailer’s online store. Audio-T has been one of the premier retailers of hi-fi equipment since 1966, dedicated to offering the best hi-fi equipment on the market, backed up by impeccable service. With a nationwide chain of stores, Audio-T started discussions with Crafted Media regarding the strategic benefits of taking their online presence to the next level. Crafted Media have now been appointed as digital agency partner, and are ready to meet the needs of this exciting project, from initial designs through to elements of bespoke integration with Audio-T’s back end systems.
The redesigned site will be a fully fledged e-commerce property, building on the initial success of their current online sales. However, Crafted Media plan to take the site to the next level with some innovative features for the sector, to help reach new customers with the impressive Audio-T brand. There will also be a focus on helping customers to make the right purchase by providing them with the quality and depth information that they need.
Ex Anorak founder joins LBI
LBi UK has hired Glenn Jones as Client Partner overseeing Barratt Homes, Invesco Perpetual, Food Standards Agency, Waterstones and Tourism Ireland. Glenn will also take on the role of UK Client Services Director. Glenn Jones joins LBi from Isobar where he was founder and MD of the network's merged Anorak and de-construct entity. Glenn also sat on the Isobar UK exec committee helping to identify new integrated business opportunities for the group. As Client Partner Glenn will be responsible for ensuring valuable and strategic client relationships are in place across all accounts. Glenn will also be taking on the responsibility for leading the development of the Client Services department as Client Service Director in the coming months.
Glenn founded Anorak digital out of glue London in late 2006 to provide a high-end digital design and production agency for the Aegis-owned Isobar group. Responsibilities included the day-to-day running of a digital creative agency, leading and managing senior client engagements, recruitment and retention of staff and leading agency new business responses. In the summer of 2009 Glenn began work on the merger of Anorak digital and sister creative agency de-construct which was completed in Oct 2009. In the past, Glenn has led Nokia, Absolut, Sky, Birds Eye, Airmiles, Johnson & Johnson, Coke, Virgin Atlantic, COI, Virgin Money, Channel 4 and Gillette.
www.lbi.com
New commercial director at dgm
Affiliate network dgm has poached Andy Guest, previously Head of Sales at competitor Buy.At. Guest has been appointed as Commercial Director with a broad remit to grow new and existing business across dgm’s affiliate and search business, and WhiteCloud Digital Solutions, the company’s new technology arm.
Guest has worked in the online industries for the past 10 years, holding positions at search engine Yahoo and rival affiliate network Zanox. In 2007, Guest moved to Buy.At and in 2009 was appointed Head of Sales.
Chester Zoo Appoints Code For Digital Marketing Drive
Chester Zoo has embarked on a major digital marketing drive, to increase online sales ahead of the school summer holidays, with appointment of Manchester based Code Computerlove as its digital marketing agency. Code’s was selected following a four-way competitive pitch. The agency has been tasked with the complete redesign and user experience development of Chester Zoo’s website, and will implement an online marketing campaign, including email promotions, PPC and ongoing SEO.
http://www.codecomputerlove.com
Blacks and Millets Appoint Locker Room for Affiliate and Social Media role
Blacks Leisure Group, the leading operator in the outdoor retail market, has appointed Locker Room Media to manage both its social media and network affiliate marketing for their Millets and Blacks brands. With the outdoor retail sector booming over the last 10 years Blacks Leisure fully understand the potential that their respective online stores offer and therefore took the decision to appoint Locker Room to help them maximise their digital marketing efforts.
Filofax chooses Emailvision for global digital marketing push
Filofax will deploy Emailvision’s email marketing solution Campaign Commander as the international retailer looks to maximise campaign revenues and bolster brand loyalty online and in store. The retailer has a strong digital presence and the ability to integrate social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook into ongoing email campaigns is essential. Campaign Commander supports the sharing of email promotions, offers and newsletters via Social Networks. Additionally it can help identify and track top influencers in mailing lists.
Additionally, the on-demand email marketing platform offers Filofax an intuitive user interface, which is easy to use and replaces an existing bespoke in-house solution. It will also help the retailer to identify new marketing segments within existing customer data sets and to build lists based on demographic and behavioural characteristics. It was Emailvision’s support and service teams on the ground in the seven markets Filofax operates across that proved decisive in the retailer’s decision to partner with Europe’s largest email service provider. In addition to the UK Filofax also has subsidiaries in France, Germany, US, Italy, Denmark and Sweden.
Filofax UK will be launching a new Product and Fashion edition of its newsletter to be split by gender when it goes live in May. The newsletter will feature amongst other things special offers and discounts for online customers. It will also encourage customers to contribute their personal Filofax stories while showing them some of recent conversations other customers have had on Facebook et al.
www.emailvision.com
DBD Media tees up deal with golf clothing brand Lyle and Scott
DBD Media, a search engine marketing firm, has been appointed by Lyle and Scott to execute a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign for the highly stylish 135 year old UK golf clothing and knitwear brand. The appointment will see DBD Media create, execute and manage the campaign throughout the UK with plans to expand it to Northern Europe and the US later this year and will focus on driving qualified traffic to Lyle and Scott’s website which features five collections: Vintage, Heritage, Club, Golf and Archive.
The PPC campaign underlines Lyle and Scott’s commitment to e-tail as the high street has suffered more than most from the economic downturn. Moreover, Lyle and Scott’s wider e-tail strategy reflects the opportunities that are now available through multiple digital channels including a dedicated presence in facebook and the recent launch of its mobile internet site.
IMRG picks eKomi to Monitor Retailer Service Levels and Compliance
eKomi, a provider of independent customer service and satisfaction feedback software, has today announced that it is helping IMRG, the leading industry body for global e-tailing, to monitor the levels of online customer service from retailers who take part in its ISIS programme by offering its customer feedback free to all ISIS accredited retailers.
The ISIS accreditation is designed to allow consumers to know that they can shop online with confidence where they see the ISIS logo. eKomi is being implemented by ISIS to allow shoppers to verify the ranking of online retailers within the ISIS programme, based on the independent feedback given by consumers, which will be made available to ISIS accredited retailers.
Consumers are also able to give feedback on any poor levels of service they experience, which will impact on the ISIS member's rating. Using eKomi, each retailer's accreditation is under constant review, giving more incentive to ensure service standards are being maintained and that any issues are quickly rectified.
Hotels.com begins TV ad push with Martin Clunes
Accommodation website Hotels.com has launched a new TV advertising campaign in the UK and Ireland. The work breaks on 17 May 2010 and marks the brand's return to UK TV advertising. The campaign has taken Hotels.com in a new creative direction, and is specifically designed to demonstrate the site's 'obsession' with hotels. The spots will focus on the reasons why consumers should book their accommodation through Hotels.com.
The brand strap line - that travellers "Wake Up Happy" with Hotels.com - will be retained, but the new campaign is being used to introduce a brand character. Martin Clunes voices the campaign, which features the (hotel-obsessed) brand character musing on the reasons why Hotels.com is the best site on which to book hotel accommodation. Reasons highlighted in the campaign will include the breadth of hotel choice (Hotels.com has in excess of 120,000 properties on offer) and the site's Price Match Guarantee.
The first three week burst (which will include 20" and 10" TV spots across ITV, C4, five and major digital channels), will focus on the number of hotels available and the customer reviews of those properties. A follow-on campaign which will break after the World Cup in July will repeat these themes and will introduce Hotels.com's Price Match Guarantee for its users.
LoveFilm starts streaming to Samsung TVs
LOVEFiLM has extended its direct-to-TV streaming service on new ranges of Samsung TVs, Blu-ray players and Home Cinema Systems The LOVEFiLM service is now available through a user interface on all Internet@TV Samsung hardware. From today, members of LOVEFiLM on unlimited subscription packages can access thousands of titles instantly via their remote control, in addition to the rental by post and existing watch online services.
Members will be able to scroll through titles on the page, use a left hand navigation to search through categories including ‘Pick of the Week’, ‘Most Watched’ and ‘Highest Rated’, view ratings as well as searching through the LOVEFiLM instant offering by title, actor and genre.
Simon Calver, Chief Executive of LOVEFiLM, said, “We’re extremely excited about our dynamic developments in the direct-to-TV market. Partnering with Samsung to offer more value, choice and convenience to our members, and stream movies directly to the TV is another massive development for LOVEFiLM. We have thrived from leading innovation in the entertainment sector and look forward to introducing LOVEFiLM on many more platforms.”
www.LOVEFiLM.com
Online Lead Generation from Clash-Media boosts Cheapflights digital marketing efforts
Clash-Media, the Global Lead Generation specialist, has helped Cheapflights, the leading travel price comparison site, to enhance its newsletter marketing campaign. Clash-Media delivers highly relevant leads to Cheapflights.com and Cheapflights.co.uk, which have helped increase open rates, click-throughs and conversions. The campaign started in the UK and has now rolled out across the US through Clash-Media’s international network.
Clash-Media collects only the most relevant leads to fulfil both Cheapflights.co.uk and Cheapflights.com campaigns – it qualifies potential customers by region, desired destinations and holiday type preferences. This detailed information enables Cheapflights to personalise its marketing newsletter based on user preferences, which is its primary channel for customer engagement. Clash-Media and Cheapflights meet regularly to review and optimise the campaign, ensuring on-going and maximised return on investment.
nugg.ad to launch Open Targeting Platform
Düsseldorf online media agency Zed digital, from the ZenithOptimedia network, and the European targeting platform nugg.ad have, for the first time, managed to measure comprehensively the effectiveness of brand loyalty in moving image campaigns. Where before it was unknown how many times a person from a target group needed to be in contact with one form of advertising in order to increase brand awareness, brand sympathy or buying intention, the experts now know the answer: brand awareness is optimally increased with ten or more contacts, brand affinity and buying intention with four to six contacts. Altogether, nugg.ad targeting was able to increase the brand awareness of L’Oréal Excell 10’ by 50 %.
Zed digital and nugg.ad reached this conclusion in the context of a large-scale campaign for L’Oréal Paris. For this customer, video advertising material (PreRollAds) was to be distributed exclusively in the premium segment and only to women aged between 20 and 49. Desired reach within four weeks: five million contacts.
No single network could fulfil these requirements, especially as the customer wanted to reach as many unique users as possible at the same time. For this reason, the test campaign had to be spread across advertisers, and a common, multi-platform technology that was non-existent until now had to be used. A technical, but also a political challenge, which however was mastered by Zed digital and nugg.ad. After a few weeks, the largest premium suppliers of video content were on board. Zed digital could, for the first time, target a certain target group and a defined contact class with a video campaign for a customer that involved a number of publishers and ad-networks. Because the targeting model by nugg.ad offers a statistically valid method of forming customer-specific target groups and making them bookable, L’Oréal Paris received not only information about contact class optimisation, but also further added values in the form of the much-coveted classification of female users of blond hair colouring.
Case Study:
http://www.nugg.ad/en/news/downloads.html
Arena BLM rebrands as Arena Media
Arena Media is the new name for the media planning and buying agency, Arena BLM. The rebrand aligns the UK operation of the Arena Media Network, which is part of the Havas Media global set up.The rebrand is supported by a new corporate position as the "People, Passion, Performance" agency and Arena Media promise "media performance transformed into business profit". Following its acquisition by Havas in January 2008, Arena Media has enjoyed a string of new business successes including most recently Legal & General, Swiftcover, Mirror Group and Red Driving School. Thanks to a combination of investment in tools, resources and people, the agency's headcount is up 24% on 2009 in support of a 40% growth in billings.
Arena Media is now structured to evolve with the fast-changing media landscape. At the heart of its business is Arena Quantum, which, for more than a decade, has delivered award-winning digital media planning and buying and becomes the digital brand for Arena in Spain off the back of its success in the UK. Clients include: COI, Domino's Pizza, Legal & General, Mirror Group, ESPN, Tesco Personal Finance, Thomas Cook and T-Mobile.
Caroline Castigliano enhances online presence with new website created by Brilliant
Internationally renowned designer Caroline Castigliano, best known for her couture bridal gowns and wedding dresses, is launching a new website and social media platform designed by digital agency Brilliant. The second-generation site has been redesigned to create a seamless user journey and create a more interactive consumer experience. The site will include video content, links to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and membership pages such as Castigliano Exclusives Bridal and Evening Clubs. Both clubs will offer exclusive benefits for members.
SapientNitro launches first in series of Foot Locker Europe initiatives
This May sees the release of the first work from SapientNitro for Foot Locker Europe. Following on from Foot Locker’s first European brand work in late 2009, SapientNitro has produced a new commercial to air across Europe, along with a refreshed website and in-store communications. Developed to amplify and reflect Foot Locker’s passion for sneakers, the film, called “Sneaker Mastermind”, builds a bond with fellow sneaker lovers, in a slightly adventurous way. But then, if you’re passionate about something, it can take over your life: in this instance a boy and girl enjoy putting their sneaker knowledge to the test.
http://www.youtube.com/user/footlocker
Improve Digital grows rapidly with new hires from AOL
Ad network optimiser, Improve Digital (www.improvedigital.com), has taken on Jennifer Greenway as a strategic partnership manager in the UK. Greenway will work with online publishers using Improve Digital's services to ensure they see a significant increase in their advertising revenues. She joins Improve Digital from AOL, where she managed publisher accounts. Prior to that Greenway worked for Advance International Media (A.I.M) in a German-speaking role. Improve Digital has also hired Delphine Gidoin and Sebastian Lahner for similar roles in France and Germany respectively. Najib Echraifi, who is also a former AOL employee, will join Improve Digital's finance team.
Despite the global downturn, the online advertising sector increased revenues by 4.2 percent to £3.54 billion in 2009 (up from £3.35 billion in 2008) according to a bi-annual report by the IAB and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Improve Digital has seen growth in excess of these figures. In the first quarter of 2010, the company quadrupled its client base compared to the final quarter of last year, with global top ten Comscore media owners now monetising unsold inventory through Improve Digital.
VisitEngland creates map, podcast series and quiz to promote Myths & Legends of England
To celebrate the release of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, VisitEngland have brought together some of England’s most fascinating Myths & Legends in a user-friendly online map, facebook character quiz and downloadable podcast series, all available at www.enjoyengland.com/mythsandlegends. This activity comes as part of a partnership with Universal Pictures, VisitBritain and Experience Nottinghamshire.
Director Ridley Scott said: “It was fundamental to the project that this motion picture was filmed in England; it was extremely important to catch the real essence and feeling only British locations in particular could achieve. This new adaptation is a Robin Hood that viewers across the world have never seen before. The only way we could achieve such a successful production was with the authenticity of the locations England and the East Midlands had to offer.”
www.enjoyengland.com/mythsandlegends
Ajay Daved new nugg.ad sales director for UK and Ireland
Ajay Daved will be strengthening the sales team at nugg.ad, Europe’s largest targeting platform. As sales director for UK & Ireland, he is responsible for all activities in the British and Irish market. In this newly created position, he will report directly from the nugg.ad office in London to the Vice President of Sales Christian Elsner. Before moving to nugg.ad, Daved was sales manager at the German ad serving provider ADTECH where he was responsible for the sales activities of Helios IQ to advertisers and agencies. In addition, Daved has many years experience in the British online market thanks to his position as Rich Media Sales Specialist at DoubleClick. In 2010, nugg.ad is placing the focus of its international activities on the British market.
www.nugg.ad
Webcredible chosen by Avery Dennison for usability testing
Webcredible, the user experience consultancy, today announced its appointment by Avery Dennison for a usability testing project on www.averybrandandprint.co.uk. The project is designed to identify where Avery® Brand&Print can upgrade the user experience of its website on key user journeys right through from the search engine to purchasing a product, with a view to improving conversion rates on the website.
With over 75 years experience, Avery Dennison is known around the globe as the leader in developing labels. Avery’s new Brand&Print service is designed to make it easy for Businesses and Consumers to design products on-line, order in the quantities they want and get them delivered when they want them. The work with Webcredible is designed to help optimise the user experience of this buying process.
Webcredible’s usability testing will consist of eight participants performing various tasks on the Avery® Brand&Print website. The participants will be a mixture of consumers and small businesses and intermediate and heavy internet users. Analysis and recommendations will then be communicated to Avery Dennison, based on the results.
