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<< Monthly archives: May 2013

Latest news

Google lets users send money via Gmail

Google has introduced a new dollar-sign icon for Gmail attachments, letting users transfer money via its Google Wallet service.

17/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

Smartphone wars: Android has shipped 4 times more than Apple in 2013 (so far)

Android continued its dominance of the global smartphone market in the first quarter of 2013, accounting for 3 out of 4 smartphones sold, according to new data.

17/05/2013  |  Full story...

Top 20 sites in Russia by visitors and time spent

Mail.ru is the largest free email service in Russia and leads in terms of visits and average time spent on the site. Vk.com is a popular social network in Russia and has the second highest average time spent on the site (343.2). Vk.com reported higher vists and time spent than popular social network Facebook, whose 13,114,000 Russian users spent less than 30 minutes on average on the site during February 2013.

Top 20 sites in Russia by visitors and time spent. Mail.ru is the largest free email service in Russia and leads in terms of visits and average time spent on the site. Vk.com is a  popular social network in Russia and has the second highest average time spent on the site (343.2). Vk.com reported higher vists and time spent than popular social network Facebook, whose 13,114,000 Russian users spent less than 30 minutes on average on the site during February 2013.

17/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

UK digital publishing ad revenues rise 16%- video fuels growth

UK digital publisher advertising revenues were up 16.2% in Q1 2013, versus the same period of the previous year, according to new research.

17/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

Is Google doing 'evil' over UK tax? (video)

Google has been accused of ignoring its own mantra and doing "evil in using smoke and mirrors to avoid paying tax" by UK MPs this week.

Watch a video from Channel 4 showing Google Vice President Matt Brittin being questioned by the committee here:

17/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

Warm weather boosts April ecommerce sales 16% as shoppers flock to travel sites

Latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, reveal the impact the short spell of warm weather had on shoppers’ purse strings in April, recording a 16% rise on the same time last year. The Travel sector in particular saw a solid performance, increasing 16% year-on-year.

17/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

Google woos local advertisers with Map ad icons

Google has overhauled its popular Maps web service with more personalisation features and icons highlighting businesses running ads and promotions.

Watch a Google video explaining how the service works below:

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

The Sun ‘£2 a week’ paywall coming in August?

The Sun is to become the latest national newspaper to charge for online content, with plans to charge readers £2 a week to read content online with access to Premier League football highlights, according to a news report.

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

Google rivals WhatsApp with ‘Hangouts’ cross platform chat app

Google has launched a cross-platform messaging app, letting users to have video chats, send text messages and swap pictures between Android and iOS devices as well its Chrome web browser.

Watch the app in action below:

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 

Google takes on Spotify with $10 music streaming service

Google has launched a streaming music subscription service, taking on the likes of Spotify and Pandora.

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about: 



Recent stories

Facebook extends ‘structured updates’ to mobiles to boost targeting

Facebook is expanding its ‘structured status updates’ to its mobile service, letting people add emotions and actions to their posts while on the move.

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Video viral of the week: Evian's dancing babies return to get 45m YouTube views

Evian has refreshed its hugely successful ‘Evian babies’ campaign, with a new viral video that matches dancing adults to their toddler counterparts. Supported by baby face-changing app, the ad has notched up over 45 million views on YouTube. See why it’s our video viral of the week below…

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

France mulls ‘culture tax’ on Google and Apple

France is preparing to impose taxes on Apple and Google to finance the production of art, films and music in the country.

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

UK marketers survey: 95% to increase digital spend in 2013 (infographic)

95% of UK marketers will increase digital marketing spend in 2013, with 71% using digital for building brand awareness, according to new research.

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Thomson challenges internet users to take a ‘One-Minute Holiday’

Travel retailer Thomson has launched a new campaign encouraging Britain’s weary workforce to take an exotic break without leaving their desks.

16/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Blackberry extends free BBM chat app to Android and iOS

BlackBerry’s popular chat app BBM is to launch on rival platforms for the first time, as the phone maker looks to capitalise on the growing demand for wi-fi alternatives to text messages.

Watch this video explaining how BBM works on the Blackberry platform;

15/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

UK ‘new global technology hub’ second only to the US

The UK is now the second most attractive location in the world, after the United States, for high-flying professionals to relocate to, says a new report.

15/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Camden first London borough to get ‘free’ public wi-fi

Camden is to become the first of 17 London boroughs to offer residents and visitors with free public wi-fi, but only for 30 minutes a day.

15/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Google axes SMS search portal

Google has shut down its SMS search tool for mobile users without a data plan.

15/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

A snapshot of digital Brazil: Portals and social media reap biggest ad revenues

Brazilian web users spend 27 hours online per month, with social media and portals getting the most ad revenue, according to a new report.

15/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Hilton teams with Google for YouTube travel community

Hilton has launched a user-generated travel community ‘DTour’ on YouTube, as the hotel chain looks to expand its digital reach.

15/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Roll over 4G? Samsung makes 5G mobile broadband breakthrough

Samsung has claimed to have made a breakthrough in 5G, a mobile broadband service that would let users download films in a second with 100 times faster smartphones.

14/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Creating a successful mobile app- an infographic guide

More than 60% of apps are ‘never downloaded’ from Apple’s app store, and of those that are, one in four is abandoned after its initial use. This infographic from New Relic offers a step-by-step guide to creating an app that matching customer and business goals.

14/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Can Wikipedia predict the stock market?

Wikipedia could have been used as early warning signs of stock market movements, according to a new study published this month in Scientific Reports.

14/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Direct marketing trends: What Obama 2012 can teach us (video)

The Obama 2012 presidential campaign produced one of the most sophisticated direct marketing systems ever seen, pinpointing potential voters with the right messages delivered in the right format at crucial moments (helping to win the US election as a result). At last month’s DMA Technololgy Summit in London, Harper Reed, the campaign’s chief architect, revealed how modern direct marketing trends such as 'micro-listening' can have wider applications for marketers.

Watch Reed's presentation below:

14/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Yahoo mulling Hulu bid?

Yahoo is considering another bid for video streaming service Hulu, after negotiations with rival Dailymotion failed, according to reports.

14/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

European mobile traffic trends: UK, Ireland and Russia lead the way

In Europe, the computer is no longer the only access point for digital content. New data from comScore indicates that the UK, Ireland and Russia lead Europe for mobile traffic.

14/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

UK social media trends: Half of Brits use social for purchase decisions

Nearly half (46%) of UK consumers use social media for online purchasing decisions and over a third (35%) use it to vent about bad customer service, according to new research.

14/05/2013  |  Full story...

Bebo files for bankruptcy as shareholder battle continues

Social networking site Bebo has filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in California, following an ongoing battle between shareholders.

13/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

BitTorrent ‘Bundle’ offers legal downloads for customer contacts

BitTorrent is launching a new online media format letting content creators offer downloads in exchange for ‘additional steps’ such as providing an email or a cash donation, as the firm looks to distance itself from piracy and provide an alternative distribution model for the creative industry.

13/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Social mums: Online ‘thumbs up’ crucial to parent purchasing decisions (infographic)

Almost a third of UK mums have decided against purchasing a product after reading a post, comment or review on online, according to a new report and infographic from Diffusion.

13/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

World of Warcraft ‘lost a million users’ in 2013 so far

World of Warcraft has lost more than one million subscribers in the first three months of 2013, as gamers leave for free to play alternatives.

13/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Top 20 sites in Russia

Mail.Ru, Yandex, Google and VK are the most visited sites in Russia, but it’s the social networks that get most screen time, according to new data from ComScore.

13/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Facebook to buy mobile mapping firm Waze for $1bn?

Facebook is in talks to buy Israeli mobile satellite navigation start-up Waze for $800m to $1bn, according to a news report.

Watch this video report from Bloomberg discussing the rumoured deal:

10/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

UK adspend hits £17bn- first time since 2007

Total advertising spend in the UK reached £17.172bn in 2012, up 2.3% on 2011 according to figures released this week in the AA/Warc Expenditure Report.

10/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

YouTube takes on Amazon and Netflix with paid TV channels

YouTube is testing paid channels on its website, charging user from $0.99 a month to watch select content such as full Sesame Street episodes or the National Geographic Kids channel.

10/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

BT takes on Sky with Sports channel

BT has secured rights to 38 live Premier League matches, British rugby union and the women's tennis tour, with plans to offer its new sports channels "as good as free" to existing customers.

10/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Huggies ‘TweetPee’ app tells parents to change baby’s diaper

Diaper manufacturer Huggies has teamed up with creative agency Ogilvy Brazil to create ‘Huggies TweetPee’; a gadget and app that lets parents know when their baby needs a change in diaper.

The Brazilian TV advert for TweetPee (in Portugese) is below:

10/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Facebook planning video ads to rival YouTube?

Facebook is planning to put video ads in newsfeeds from July, as the social network looks to rival Google’s YouTube.

09/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

YouTube ‘to charge from $1.99’ for subscription channels

Google will charge from $1.99 per month (£1.28) for each YouTube channel on its new premium selection, according to a new report.

09/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Digital Marketing in Russia: Yandex, VK and Mail.RU lead the way (Infographic)

Russia is the sixth largest country in the world in terms of internet users, overtaking the UK, Indonesia and Germany in recent years. Despite this, there remains huge scope for growth. This infographic looks at the key digital players in the country, across social, mobile, email, search and video sectors.

The infographic below is an open source project from IAB Russia, inviting comments for further additions. The map describes the key sectors, processes and players in the field of digital marketing in Russia.

russia digital marketing

09/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

AccuWeather debuts 30-day forecasts

Weather app AccuWeather has extended its forecasts to 30-days, helping people plan events up to a month ahead of time.

09/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Third of Brits ‘expect to be victims of online ID fraud in future’

Over a third (36%) of Britons believe that online identity fraud or information theft is unavoidable in the future, according to a new study.

09/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

93% of consumer magazines lack full cross platform support

Most consumer magazines surveyed in the UK, US and Germany have yet to offer brands complete cross-platform digital experiences, according to a new report.

09/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Video case study: IKEA tells ‘kitchen stories’ with multiple viewpoints

This campaign from IKEA Russia allowed consumers to take part in a ‘kitchen story’ and experience their kitchens. At any point, users could switch between the viewpoints of any of the characters featured while the story is being played out. The campaign was a success as over 540,000 kitchen solutions were discovered during the first three months of going live.

More on this case study…
Brand: Ikea | Sector: Housewares, FMCG | Country: Russia | Objective: Build brand engagement, drive sales | Agency/partner; Instinct/BBDO | Format: Social Media, Video

08/05/2013  |  Full story...

Case study: Persil 'Garden of Freshness' game drives brand engagement

Is the internet the right medium to advertise a low involvement product like laundry detergent? This slide presentation case study from Alexandra Zadoya from OMD Russia looks at how a Persil campaign in Russia used social gaming in innovative ways to drive brand engagement and sales.

More on this case study…
Brand: Persil | Sector: FMCG, Household goods | Country: Russia | Objective: Build brand engagement, drive sales | Agency/partner; OMD Russia | Format: Social Media, Gaming, Display

08/05/2013  |  Full story...

Video case study: M&M's 'Love Triangle' social story gets 2 millions fans

Back in 2011, confectionary brand Mars ran a three month social media campaign in Russia, centred around a love triangle between their iconic M&M’s characters. This video case study looks at how the campaign attracted millions of fans and sales support.

Watch a video case study of the campaign here:

More on this case study…
Brand: Mars M&M's | Sector: FMCG, Food | Country: Russia | Objective: Build brand engagement, drive sales | Agency/partner; BBDO | Format: Social Media, Video

08/05/2013  |  Full story...

Charity case study: Torrent Your Blood Campaign

The Blood Transfusion Service in Russia wanted a digital project that could connect with people in a different kind of way, and what agency SmartNewSolutions came up with was a “Torrent” project, with a twist. In this campaign, the act of torrenting is in some ways similar to the sharing of blood, sometimes you give, sometimes you get. The Torrent Your Blood Campaign launched as a short film, complete with microsite, trailers and social to promote it, the catch was, you could only get it via a torrent.

Watch the video case study below:

More on this case study…
Brand: Blood Transfusion Service | Sector: Charity | Country: Russia | Objective: Build brand engagement, drive donations | Agency/partner; SmartNewSolutions | Format: Social, Display advertising, Video

08/05/2013

Dawn of ‘wiki weapons’? First 3D printable gun hits internet

As 3D printers go mainstream, one Texas law student has created the schematics for a 3D printable single-use gun, making them freely available online.

Watch a BBC video looking into the controversy surrounding the device here:

08/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:

Pfizer to sell Viagra online to compete with fraudsters

Pfizer is to sell its patented Viagra drug online for the first time, as the drugs maker looks to counter the trade in counterfeit pills.

08/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  More about:



Recent archives

Kids warned off Google Glass for health reasons - 08/05/2013

Digital ad spend in Latin America: Brazil to lead growth - 08/05/2013

Microsoft revamps Windows 8 after user complaints - 08/05/2013

Brazilians turn to web for travel plans - 08/05/2013

Amazon sells apps in China for first time - 07/05/2013

Infographic: What does the ideal social media campaign look like? - 07/05/2013

75% of Argos sales to come from web by 2016 - 07/05/2013

Fashion 'accounts for around 83% of young men’s online spend' - 07/05/2013

B2B firms 'not ready for ecommerce revenue boom'- report - 07/05/2013

Angry Birds ‘Friends’ gets social with Facebook twist - 03/05/2013

Top 10 news sites on Google: Patch and Huffington Post lead way - 03/05/2013

Facebook mobile revenue leaps as users reach 1.1 billion - 03/05/2013

Google Glass gets first video user guide - 03/05/2013

‘Forgotten marketing’ sees UK SME sector lose £122bn in sales (infographic) - 03/05/2013

Survey finds 4G will accelerate mobile shopping - 03/05/2013

Digital Intelligence April 2013 - 03/05/2013

Facebook offers simpler ad targeting with ‘Promoted Page Likes’ - 02/05/2013

Most 18-25s ‘find online advertising simplistic’ and skip video ads - 02/05/2013

Nielsen tests online TV tracking tool - 02/05/2013

Experian launches cross-channel marketing platform - 02/05/2013

Microsoft offers free wi-fi in special Forbes magazines - 02/05/2013

Chat apps ‘now more popular than texting’ - 01/05/2013

Twitter’s Google Glass app leaked online? - 01/05/2013

Is Facebook really losing millions of users? Socialbakers says ‘there is no story’ - 01/05/2013

Siri rival Google Now comes to iPad and iPhone users - 01/05/2013

UK Outlook users get Skype tool - 01/05/2013

‘Share a Coke’ campaign replaces iconic packaging with people’s names - 01/05/2013

Global online ad spend ‘to overtake print by 2015’ - 30/04/2013

Twitter debuts keyword targeting - 30/04/2013

Alibaba buys 18% stake in ‘Chinese Twitter’ Weibo - 30/04/2013

Video viral of the week: Budweiser 'Buddy Cup' makes Facebook friends a toast away - 30/04/2013

Google buys news streaming firm Wavii - 30/04/2013

Google axes Meebo social toolbar to focus on Google+ - 30/04/2013

Big questions on Big Data ‘remain unanswered’ - KPMG - 30/04/2013

Facebook fatigue? Millions of UK and US users desert social network - 29/04/2013

Online videos ‘drive deeper engagement than text articles’ - 29/04/2013

Apple’s iTunes turns 10- Can it keep its lead? - 29/04/2013

Facebook buys mobile app start-up Parse - 29/04/2013

Smartphones outsell feature phones globally for first time - 26/04/2013

Top 6 US sites by display revenue ad growth - 26/04/2013

Top 5 sites by digital display ad revenue - 26/04/2013

Samsung hits record sales- smartphones lead growth - 26/04/2013

Google forced to offer clearer search labels after EU probe - 26/04/2013

Baidu to buy Chinese video site for $400m? - 26/04/2013

Adobe offers ‘predictive publishing’ for Facebook campaigns - 26/04/2013

Nintendo gets social with Miiverse online - 25/04/2013

Nokia adds Whatsapp button for $72 Asha mobile - 25/04/2013

Shazam offers interactive cinema ads for brands - 25/04/2013

Marketers ‘missing trick with online personalisation’ - 25/04/2013

Infographic: CRM is biggest challenge for online businesses - 25/04/2013

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