From this week, Google will make images for "almost all of the UK's roads, both rural and urban" available on the Street View service.The tool, available on Google Maps, offers a 360-degree photographic treatment that users can explore and move around online.
11/03/2010
]]> Ed Parsons, Google's geospatial technologist, said: "Street View takes mapping to a level not possible before. And with so many practical applications it's no wonder that over two-thirds of people who had tried the service said they would use Street View again."This new imagery of so many stunning British places means it's the ideal time to start planning a trip, kickstart a house-hunt or simply ensure you never arrive late to a meeting again," Parsons continued.
]]>The adverts, which are part of a £2billion marketing campaign, feature the slogan ‘Bing and decide’ – which appears to be a sly dig at rivals Google.Using the tagline 'Bing and Decide', the campaign features people suffering from "information overload", and, as such, positions Bing as the search engine which delivers the more accurate, effective and streamlined search results. The ads will run for 3 months, and will be complemented by an online campaign.
10/03/2010
“People feel overawed by the internet and what they turn up when they are searching. We are also in a world where people have forgotten there is an alternative search engine.”
“It is a battle not just of mind but of heart as well. We are wanting to make an emotional connection – we are ploughing a different furrow here.”
The adverts are just the first step in Microsoft’s campaign to challenge Google’s role as search engine king, and who currently have a 90% market share. The ads aim to show users that Bing’s search results are presented simply and clearly.
Bing has already run an advertising campaign in the US.
View the new UK ad here:
]]>The European telecoms carrier plans to cut 500 staff from its headquarters in Newbury as part of a cost-cutting drive.
Vodafone, which has around 9,000 staff in the U.K., said "the roles affected are in a number of areas, across a number of locations, primarily in back office functions."
It also cautioned that there will "also be additional changes as further efficiencies and natural attrition in these functions take effect."
09/03/2010
]]> However, Vodafone will also hire 170 people in "customer facing roles," aimed at improving its services, and will select 50 graduates to start in September from over 3,000 who have applied to its UK graduate program.Last month Vodafone raised its outlook for 2010 after it posted third-quarter revenue ahead of forecasts due to cost cuts and an improving picture in Europe.
Meanwhile, CCS Insight analyst Shaun Collins said Vodafone could move to acquire 3 after T-Mobile UK’s planned merger with Orange was given the green light by regulators.
He said: “Firstly such a deal would be competitively appropriate, and secondly (owner) Hutchison has been looking for options for 3 UK. It would be inconceivable if the two had not talked about 3 UK being acquired. After all Vodafone and 3 merged their businesses in Australia so there is a track record and the channels for communication are there."
]]>Group CEO Sir Martin Sorrell hopes WPP will do better than flat revenue growth this year but has budgeted conservatively after being "once bitten, twice shy" on forecasts in 2009. The company has said that digital services will make up two-thirds its revenues in “three or four years” and that it expects 2010 to be a stable year. WPP reported an 11 percent drop in profits to £663 million ($1 billion) after a “brutal” 2009 and a particularly low second quarter. New media sales accounted for 27% of the advertising and marketing group’s revenues, or $3.6 billion.
08/03/2010
]]> The group said revenues for the full year 2009 surged 16% to £8.7 billion, though like for likes declined 8%.Speaking to MediaGuardian, Sorrel said: "Our budgets weren't very good, it is a case of once bitten, twice shy. We were too optimistic last year, so the odds are we will be too pessimistic this year".
The company said that the second quarter this year is currently on target to show top-line growth on a like-for-like basis, the first time WPP has a return to growth budgeted in for six quarters.
Following the primarily debt-funded acquisition of research firm TNS in 2008 WPP said it would cap its acquisition spending at £100m per year for two years.
The company is free to pursue large-scale acquisitions from October but Sorrell said the strategy would remain the same as last year with a focus on "small-sized acquisitions or investments in high-growth geographical or functional areas".
Announcing the figures, Mark Read, director of strategy and CEO of WPP Digital,said: “We have to have digital in all our businesses. Technology is shaping our industry…however this is confusing for our clients and extremely complicated to manage.”
Interms of search advertising, WPP ad clients spent $520m in2009, representing a three-fold increase on the year before.
WPP is planning a “Digital Day” on April 23 where it will share more information on its digital strategy.
]]>The US launch date comes slightly later than originally announced. Unveiling the touchscreen multi-media device on January 27, the California company behind the iPod, iPhone and Macintosh computer had said the iPad would be "available in late March worldwide." Apple said it would be accepting pre-orders from US customers at its online store from March 12 for the iPad, which allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games, surf the Web or read electronic books.
08/03/2010
]]> The iPad also runs most of the 150,000 applications made for the iPod music player and the iPhone. Apple said Friday the device would come with "12 new innovative apps designed especially for iPad."The iPad model featuring Wi-Fi wireless connectivity will be available in Apple's US stores from April 3 and the model which offers both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular connectivity in late April, Apple said.
The company said both the Wi-Fi and 3G models will be available in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland in late April and in additional countries later this year.
Apple said international pricing will be announced in April.
The cheapest iPad model, with Wi-Fi connectivity and 16GB of memory, is $499 while the most expensive -- which includes 3G connectivity and 64GB of memory -- costs $829.
]]>Set to begin this Autumn, the UK internet industry (including the Internet Advertisising Bureau) has joined forces to agree an extension to the CAP Code to claims on companies’ own websites, which would extend the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) remit in digital media. This code is designed to ensure that the marketing industry adopts the same self-regulatory standards for all marketing communications on the internet as it does across traditional marketing channels.
08/03/2010
]]> Currently, complaints made about marketing communications on social media sites, including blogs, social networks and company websites, are not covered by the CAP Code. All other marketing communications activity in paid-for space online – such as search marketing and display advertising – is already within the ASA’s remit and subject to the CAP Code.It is anticipated that the extended remit will come into force during the third quarter of 2010, once formally ratified by CAP and the ASA, and after appropriate consultation.
This announcement follows the successful resolution of funding collection issues in November 2009. It also represents a response to recommendations made in recent high level reports such as the Byron Review, Digital Britain and the Buckingham Report.
Rae Burdon, Chief Operating Officer at the AA, said: “Contrary to general understanding, much advertising online is already in remit and there’s a very high level of compliance with the existing rules. There are some complex issues in the remaining space which require careful analysis.
“The industry has delivered to CAP a clear mandate that first and foremost will protect consumers and children, that will also – crucially – protect editorial content, and that will, if accepted, maintain CAP/ASA’s reputation as a world-class operation. The whole industry has pulled together to make this happen. What’s important now is effective implementation and raising consumer and stakeholder awareness.”
The non-broadcast and broadcast Advertising Codes were reviewed last year, and a full consultation process has recently been completed. The new Codes are expected to be published this month and will come into effect in the Autumn, at the same time as the new extended digital remit.
The extension will ensure that online all marketing activity will be ‘responsible, legal, honest and truthful’.
This will ensure the restrictions on marketing to children and age-restricted products, such as alcohol, in paid-for space will apply to the likes of websites and social networking sites.
For example, if a beer brand decided to set up a fan page on Bebo then it would be in breach of the Code because Bebo is aimed predominantly at under 18s. Or if false claims are made on a Facebook fan page, then there will be a right of reply.
The IAB has played a fundamental role in shaping the initiative. Nick Stringer, Internet Advertising Bureau director of regulatory affairs, said: "This is a significant step for both advertising and the internet.
“The industry has come together to make recommendations that will ensure internet users continue to enjoy and benefit from digital media with the knowledge that it is backed up by a world-class independent regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority. The IAB supports the proposals and will be working with the ASA and the rest of the industry to ensure they are implemented in the autumn," Stringer added.
The digital remit extension was ratified by the Council of the Advertising Association last month.
The Council of the Advertising Association reflects its full membership, which comprises: BSkyB, Channel 4, Cinema Advertising Association, Data Publishers Association, Direct Marketing Association, Direct Selling Association, Five, GMTV, Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, Internet Advertising Bureau, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Institute of Sales Promotion, Marketing Communication Consultants Association, Market Research Society, Newspaper Publishers Association, Newspaper Society, Outdoor Advertising Association, Periodical Publishers Association, Point of Purchase Advertising International, RadioCentre, Royal Mail, Satellite & Cable Broadcasters’ Group, Scottish Newspaper Society, Viacom and Virgin Media Television.
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The tool supports multiple editors, track conversations, assign roles and create follow-up tasks. The company has a growing client list, including Whole Foods, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Ford, Dell, Pepsi, Sprint, Intuit, Salesforce.com, USA Today and Coca-Cola.The deal will see ExactTarget incorporate Co-Tweet’s technology, creating a tool for marketers to manage social media, email and mobile communications. CoTweet will operate in San Francisco as a business unit of ExactTarget and will lead the company’s social media product development.
05/03/2010
]]> CoTweet co-founder and chief executive Jesse Engle will lead the San Francisco operation and spearhead the creation and expansion of the company’s social media lab.“What we’re seeing in the market is organizations are moving quickly to try to capture the potential of social, but are discovering that it’s siloed and not integrated effectively with other forms of digital communications,” said Scott Dorsey, ExactTarget co-founder and chief executive officer. “By combining the power of ExactTarget and CoTweet, we can provide businesses a complete solution to tie together all forms of interactive communications and drive deeper customer engagement online.”
“We see a huge opportunity to build on ExactTarget’s incredible business and customer relationships to help companies drive more measurable value from social media,” said Engle. “As part of ExactTarget, we’ll have the global resources to cement our early lead, rapidly expand our platform and develop the next generation of social media communication tools.”
Forrester Research predicts social media marketing will grow faster than any other form of interactive marketing.
In its 2009 U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast Report, the independent research firm estimated social media marketing will grow at compound annual rate of 34 percent, reaching $3.1 billion by 2014.
"This acquisition is strong validation that valuable, sustainable businesses are emerging from the Twitter ecosystem," said Dick Costolo, Twitter's chief operating officer. "An ExactTarget and CoTweet combination should lead to even further digital marketing innovation through use of the Twitter platform."
The acquisition of CoTweet follows ExactTarget’s record-breaking 2009 that welcomed the company’s 36th consecutive quarter of growth in the fourth quarter 2009 and saw annual contracted revenue soar to $114 million and total GAAP revenue exceed $95 million.
In 2009, ExactTarget also secured $145 million in venture capital investment and opened its first international office in London.
]]>05/03/2010
]]> Speaking to us on the step-change in their enforcement role, he said “we have a big stick and will not be afraid to use it”.The powers follow similar sharpening of the teeth of data regulators across Europe. In Germany fines of €300,000 have been in place for some time and industry sources have indicated to us that more than 42,000 complaints have been registered in that market alone.
In parallel with the new powers come broader initiatives to alert the public to the issues relating to data protection – a move anticipated to increase awareness of the complaints process that will unlock a wave of complaints that currently consumers are unclear on how to proceed.
]]>05/03/2010
]]> In a direct assault on sloppy data management and poorly policed campaign practices, the ICO’s office told us they have developed much clearer rules for political campaigning in a move we see as signalling a step-change in their role.“I intend to make sure everyone stays in line,” warned the Commissioner with absolute clarity. Since the Obama campaign raised the digital game in political campaigning, the ICO’s office have been shrewdly anticipating areas of potential weakness in what plays out through the UK election cycle. “The ICO is going to be alert throughout the campaigning, so we can have a good election campaign where online plays a key part.”
The guidelines are detailed the Commissioner showed us how “they cover a very wide range of purposes”. He has removed the wriggle room national and local party offices have had in the past, and is doing so with a tone of voice that is deliberately confrontational. In describing that “this will help political parties adhere”, the ICO has laid down the most clear of warnings that they will come down with a level of force never previously seen on parties who step beyond the line.
]]>The broadcaster increased its online revenues to £24m, excluding Friends Reunited, in 2009. Video views across itv.com reached 215m, up from 85m in 2008, and monthly unique users grew by 33% to 8.7m.
04/03/2010
]]> However, ITV said it “trails key competitors in terms of online viewing and online revenues remain limited in relation to the market opportunity”.Going forward, ITV said advertising sales may rise 15 percent to 20 percent in April after an increase of 7 percent in the first quarter.
“We took decisive action to improve our operational performance, deliver substantial cost savings and strengthen our balance sheet,” interim Chief Executive Officer John Cresswell said in the statement. “Whilst ITV advertising revenues are up 7 percent in the first quarter, this is against the unprecedented declines of the previous year and, over the medium term, we remain cautious.”
The company’s overall revenues for 2009 totalled £1.88bn, down 7% from £2.03bn in 2008. However, the broadcaster said it had achieved cost savings of £169m during the year, as it streamlined its operations, and also reduced its spending on programme-making.
]]>Sales of HTC handsets that use the techonology could be blocked in the US if Apple's lawsuit is successful, though not in the UK. Although Apple has not named Google in the suit, many of the named patents relate to operating system processes. Google’s Nexus One handset is expected to launch in the UK in April.
04/03/2010
]]> HTC responded saying it has only just been made aware of the legal action and is investigating the claims.In a statement, Apple boss Steve Jobs said: "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
Google has taken the unusual step of publically supporting HTC in the case.
"We are not a party to this lawsuit," said a Google spokesperson. “However, we stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it."
]]>Pre-tax profits at the media group tumbled to £72.7m, from £124.2m, with revenues down 11.8% to £763.3m. Trinity's chief executive Sly Bailey said she was still cautious about prospects for 2010.
04/03/2010
]]> Adjusted operating profit fell 27.4% in the year to January 3 to £105.4m, helped by £68m in cost cuts. The group cut about 20% of its workforce and imposed a pay freeze., and it plans to cut another £20m from its cost base this year.Trinity bought the Manchester Evening News last month as part of a £44.8m deal for most of the Guardian Media Group's regional newspapers and websites.
The national newspaper division, which also includes the Sunday Mirror and the People, saw revenues fell 3.2% to £460.4m, with advertising falling 7.8% to £132.9m.
But circulation revenues fell by just 0.5% to £266.8m, which Ms Bailey said showed the "resilience of our brands".
Advertising revenues from the national newspapers' digital operations fell from £5.6m to £4.8m.
Ms Bailey said trading this year would be tough, but that there were signs of optimism. "Whilst the board remains cautious about the economic outlook, it anticipates a satisfactory performance in 2010," she said.
]]>04/03/2010
]]> Currently, the FT.com only charges for annual subscriptions. The new move would see the company accept micro-payments via PayPal for individual articles.The FT is considering charging £2 for a day’s access to the site, matching the UK cover price of the daily newspaper.
”There has been far too much talking and not enough doing” about whether people will pay for news, said Mr Ridding.
He said that signing up for new payment services must be a ”frictionless, seamless process” if publishers are to avoid ”subscription fatigue” from too many individual paywalls.
In a recent interview with New York Magazine, a senior media executive claims Murdoch is ready to see the search giant in court. "He’s pretty tightly wound up over Google and has been ready to sue them,” the executive claims. “He doesn't trust them at all.” Another unnamed executive from MySpace, the flagging social-networking site that Murdoch paid 580 million U.S. dollars for in 2005, claims Murdoch is ill at ease in the internet sphere.
03/03/2010
]]> "Digital is out of his comfort zone,” he told the newspaper. “It's much more the Wild West. He gets the raw-competition part of it, but he's never been in a place where the business model isn’t clear. The destruction is just happening so fast.”News Corporation recently signed a deal with Microsoft to have that company's Bing search engine become the exclusive indexer and online source for News Corp's media properties, which include the Wall Street Journal, FOX News, and the UK’s The Sun and The Times, among many others.
]]>The deal will see Digital Window and Buy.at combine their technology and serve customers in territories such as the UK, USA and Scandinavia. Perfiliate’s clients include the AA, Barclays and Marks & Spencer.
03/03/2010
]]> Digital Window CEO Kevin Brown said “This transaction forms a group that offers the best and most comprehensive affiliate marketing services in the UK.”AOL purchased Buy.at in 2008 for a rumored $150m.
In a statement, AOL said: “Buy.at has been highly successful in the marketing services arena. It has the annual sales at 40 million euros – and would be better off being owned by a group in that space.”
The majority of shares of Digital Window are owned by German media group Axel Springer and Swiss communications group Publigroupe.
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