Admiral’s plan to scan Facebook profiles to price car insurance blocked
Facebook has blocked insurance firm Admiral’s new scheme to assess the personalities of first-time drivers by analysing their Facebook profiles, citing privacy concerns.
Mobile
Technology can boost airline marketing- survey
There is a significant opportunity for airline marketers to use technology to drive customer loyalty and improve customer service, according to new research.
Virgin Trains takes on airlines with Apple Wallet m-ticket offering
Virgin Train has teamed up with Trainline to become the first operator to give customers the option to add train tickets straight to their Apple Wallet on its west coast route.
Byron and TGI Fridays go bill-free with Mastercard’s Qkr! app
TGI Fridays and Byron will soon be accepting the Qkr! with Masterpass app throughout its restaurants, letting UK customers pay from their smartphone using the app- speeding up the bill paying process.
Instagram adds in-app shopping feature
Instagram is testing new ecommerce features with 20 retail brands in the US, letting them tag products in photos with a “Shop Now” button.
VR video to surpass video gaming by 2019- Ovum
The virtual reality video content market is expected to reach $8.2bn by 2020, overtaking regular video gaming revenues a year earlier, according to new research.
Guest comment: When 5G and VR collide, it will change the face of marketing and advertising
With the likes of Playstation VR, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard, major brands are betting big on virtual reality. Simon Spaull, managing director EMEA at AppLovin, looks at VR and 5G combined could change the face of marketing.
Global app usage: Facebook most installed (but WhatsApp gets most users)
Findings from a new multi-country study of over 4,000 smartphone users across the UK, US, France and The Netherlands reveal how messenger apps are used and viewed by consumers today.
Britons among world’s least likely to try mobile-only banking
Despite the number of mobile-only banks set to launch in the UK this year, Britons are among the least likely in the world to use them, according to new research.
Case study: World Zombie Day goes viral with Snapchat geo-filters
World Zombie Day London used Snapchat to amplify its message and increase charity donations. This case study looks at how the zombie walk made smart use of geo-filters at key locations in the city to boost donations to homeless charity St Mungo’s.