This month saw the power players marking out their turf: Facebook leapfrogged Google into pole position (at least on a couple of metrics in the US), Microsoft pushed deeper into video players, the BBC gave shape to the cut backs, and China and search went head to head in that long awaited showdown. Everything's to play for as the online media market matures, and the flurry of lawsuits over IP is another fixture on the landscape.

As we head into election season in the UK, voters want to vote online and every political heavyweight now wants to 'do an Obama', moving their message through social media. Sadly neither voters nor politicians stand any hope of getting their wishes this time around, and while the Obama campaign is a case study in social marketing the Digital Training Academy will be using for years, most of the tweets, blogposts and email spam being thrown at British voters will remain quietly unopened thanks to their wholehearted failure to apply customer insight and engage their audience. Politicians are yet to learn the first rule of social media strategies: it's not how loud you shout, it's how much your audience want to listen!

And if your colleagues want to listen to their own Digital Intelligence, then I can arrange a guest account. Just email me back and point them here: www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/digitalbriefings.


Best from all @ Digital


Danny Meadows-Klue
Founder and Chief Executive
Digital Strategy Consulting

Largest UK internet sites
UK audience reach for top 10 parent companies, February 2010

Internet audience: UK
Time per person for top 10 parent companies, UK, February 2010

Consumer internet behaviour: UK
Monthly Internet use: key indicators for UK web users, February 2010

Top 10 search terms: UK
Terms ranked by search clicks for the four weeks ending 13th March 2010

Top online sectors in France and UK
Sites ranked by market share of visits for the week ending 30th January 2010

Largest internet sites: France
Sites ranked by visits for the week ending 30th January 2010

Top 10 online video content sites: US
Google users viewed on average 94 videos each during the month of January 2010

Top 10 online video content sites: US
Google attracted 136.5 million unique viewers during the month of January 2010

UK budget: 50p broadband tax gets green light
Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced this year's budget with plans for a major broadband roll out, funded by its much anticipated 50p-a-month broadband tax. He announced super-fast broadband for the majority of homes by 2017, funded by a £6 annual tax on landline phones. The Conservatives have vowed to scrap the tax if they win the next election. Keep reading...
24/03/2010

Brown's digital vision: Super-fast broadband and a webpage for every citizen
As the Election draws closer, the Prime Minister has pledged universal super-fast broadband for all - coupled with a personal webpage for every UK citizen to manage their government transactions and access local services - in a bid to transform the UK by 2020. Keep reading...
23/03/2010

UK election: most Brits want online vote
More than three quarters of electors - 77 per cent - would vote on the Internet if they could, according to a new survey released today. The poll also found 56 per cent had visited political websites - signalling a substantial interest in online politics among voters. The survey of 1,000 people by social media consultants LEWIS Communications was conducted to gauge public attitudes to the use of social media and digital technology by political parties. Keep reading...
12/03/2010

Data protection: New mandate for Information Commissioner, large fines, new powers
New powers have been given to the UK government department tasked with policing data protection, including the right to issue fines of up to £500,000 for serious breaches of personal data. Speaking at the DMA annual data protection conference, the Commissioner talked of email and online marketing as sectors that have forced the regulator to focus on the new types of data challenges, giving a clear warning to the digital marketing industry to ensure compliancy. Keep reading...
05/03/2010

Online content: What will consumers pay for?
Consumers are most likely to fork over their cash for online movies, music and games, according to a new international survey looking into paid content. The findings, from Nielsen Online, revealed that vast majority (85%) prefer that free content remain free. However, the survey, which covered more than 27,000 consumers across 52 countries, revealed some people are more willing to at least consider paying for particular categories, especially if they have done so before. Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Quarter of 8-12 year olds using social networks despite age ban
Young UK internet users are creating social network profiles despite being below the official age limit, according to new research. Ofcom's annual Children's Media Literacy Audit for 2009 found that a quarter of UK internet users aged eight to 12 had profiles on Facebook, Bebo or MySpace last year, research has found, although the lowest minimum age set on any of the sites is 13. Keep reading...
30/03/2010

Facebook 'overtakes Google' as most-visited site in US
Facebook has become the most-visited site in the US after overtaking Google, according to new data from Hitwise. The popular social networking page toppled the search giant after accounting for 7.07% of all US web traffic compared to Google's 7.03%. However, the research did not include other Google services such as Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. Keep reading...
18/03/2010

Twitter lets users login from Amazon and eBay
Twitter has launched a new feature, called @anywhere, that lets partner websites display its content. The tool is similar to Facebook's Connect service, which lets people log in to other websites using their Facebook details and interact with friends.
Initially, 13 sites will adapt the @anywhere service, including Amazon, eBay and The New York Times. @anywhere will allow people using Amazon or the New York Times to follow new users or share media directly from the page. Keep reading...
17/03/2010

ExactTarget buys Twitter app CoTweet
Email marketing firm ExactTarget has acquired Twitter business app CoTweet for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2008 and based in San Francisco, CoTweet is a Web-based collaboration platform that allows companies to manage multiple Twitter accounts from a single dashboard. Keep reading...
05/03/2010

Twitter to launch hashtag-based ad platform next month?
Twitter is testing a hashtag-based ad platform that might be launched in a few months, according to a news report. The move was rumoured by Seth Goldstein, CEO of socialmedia.com, during the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting 2010 in California.
Declining to confirm exactly when Twitter would release the platform, Anamitra Banerji, head of product management and monetization at Twitter, told MediaPost following the panel that "we are working on an ad platform, but it's only in the test phase." Banerji told MediaPost that the ad platform, it will make it "explicitly clear that a sponsor paid for the ad", and make it "relevant and useful". Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Facebook to accept PayPal payments for games and apps
Social networkers and businesses looking to sell to them will soon be able to use the PayPal online payment network to purchase goods and services on Facebook. The two companies announced a partnership Thursday under which Facebook will allow advertisers to use eBay-owned PayPal's transaction system in order to pay for ads. Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Mobile
www.DigitalTrainingAcademy.com/mobilemarketing

Apple sues Google's mobile handset maker HTC for 'copying iPhone'
Apple is taking legal action against phone manufacturer HTC, the company behind Google's Nexus One handset and other Android-based smartphones, for allegedly using patents and technology seen in the iPhone. Apple claims the phone manufacturer has infringed 20 iPhone patents, using the company's "underlying hardware and architecture" for its own phone models. Keep reading...
04/03/2010

Orange and T-Mobile merger gets green light
The proposed merger between Orange and T-Mobile in the UK has been cleared after the Office of Fair Trading withdrew a request for an EC investigation. Having investigated the merger, the EC decided that it could see no direct competition concerns relating to providing services to end users, or consumers, or the wholesale telecoms market. The European Commission has cleared the way for T-Mobile and Orange to merge its operations in the UK after receiving advice from a UK consumer body that it will "not now have an adverse impact on competition within the UK". Keep reading...
03/03/2010

Internet audience: Switzerland
Time per person for top 10 parent companies, Switzerland February 2010

Consumer internet behaviour: Switzerland
Monthly Internet use: key indicators for Swiss web users, February 2010

Google wins AdWords trademark case
A European court has ruled in Google's favour allowing advertisers using its AdWords system to use the names of other companies as search keywords. In a landmark ruling this week, the court ruled that this practice does not represent a trademark violation. The court also went on to say that Google's AdWords program is protected by a European law governing Internet hosting services. "This is important because it is a fundamental principle behind the free flow of information over the Internet," Harjinder S. Obhi, Google senior litigation counsel for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, wrote in a blog post. Keep reading...
26/03/2010

Financial websites and marketing regulation: Ofcom, MoneySavingExpert and GMTV
GMTV was wrong to allow consumer expert Martin Lewis to promote his commercial website on Lorraine Kelly's show, broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has ruled. In its March bulletin, Ofcom said GMTV had breached its broadcasting code by re-directing viewers to Lewis's website from the morning show's own web page. The ruling referred to a segment on January 14 in which Martin Lewis claimed that free gym passes were available on his site. Keep reading...
23/03/2010

Ads on social networks forced to comply with ASA standards
Ads on social media sites will soon have to comply with the same code of conduct as traditional media, following a new industry-wide initiative. The move has been designed to help increase protection for consumers and children, by holding online ads accountable for being honest and responsible. Keep reading...
08/03/2010

UK election marketing: Tighter restrictions on party campaigning
The switch to web marketing, email and database driven profiling has prompted marketing regulators to go on the offensive in the run up to the election. "In the past some parties have flouted the rules", Information Commissioner Christopher Graham told us. "That's why today I'm issuing updated guidance for political parties covering email, direct mail, phone calls, automated calls..." Keep reading...
05/03/2010

Google to ditch Ad Manager for DoubleClick
Publishers using Google's Ad Manager system to control their sites ads will soon be moved over to DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP). Google said the move is designed to make the ad management process easier and faster for publishers. Google acquired DoubleClick in March 2008, and has since upgraded DFP to include a variety of new features. Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Broadcasting
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence

Top 10 entertainment websites: UK
Sites ranked by visits for the week ending 13th March 2010

Top 10 news and media websites: UK
Sites ranked by visits for the week ending 13th March 2010

Top 10 news & entertainment search terms: UK
Terms ranked by search clicks for the four weeks ending 13th March 2010

ITV turns to digital product placement tool to protect TV ad spend
ITV is reportedly studying its results after conducting trials of digital product placement technology, which inserts brands and clickable ads in online versions of shows. Broadcast magazine reports that the broadcaster is aiming to boost income streams via a trial to insert digital product placement and clickable ads into the online version of Coronation Street. Keep reading...
29/03/2010

Lovefilm begins streaming movie rentals direct to TV sets
Lovefilm has struck deals with Sony and Samsung to stream movie rentals directly to viewers TV sets via an internet connection. The deal is expected to bring more than 2,000 films, to the TV manufacturers' latest sets, which can be connected directly to the internet. Keep reading...
19/03/2010

Microsoft takes on iPlayer with free video player
Microsoft has launched a free online video player for the UK, which will rival existing services such as BBC iPlayer and 4OD. MSN Video Player contains 1,000 hours of programmes including Skins, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Footballers' Wives. Over the next few weeks the service will also begin to include a selection of HD shows. Keep reading...
12/03/2010

ITV web revenues up £6m, but still trails competitors
ITV has reported online revenue growth of £6m for 2009 on the back of an overall profit of £25m last year. The news comes as a welcome relief to the broadcaster, which made a staggering loss of 2.55 billion pounds in 2008. ITV attributed much of the growth to cost cutting and increasing its share of a declining TV advertising market. Keep reading...
04/03/2010

BBC confirms website closures
The BBC have confirmed its plans to cut back on its website as part of a company-wide strategy review. The corporation will cut spending on its website by 25 per cent and cut back on the number of webpages on the site by up to 50 per cent, it has been announced. Keep reading...
03/03/2010

SeeSaw begins $5m ad campaign
UK video-on-demand service SeeSaw has started its launch campaign, worth £5m, beginning with 10 second commercial. The campaign will start with a series of ten-second teaser ads across Channel 4's portfolio of TV services, expanding to run on ITV, Channel Five, digital multichannel stations and high-traffic websites. Keep reading...
01/03/2010

BBC to cut websites by half
The BBC is planning large scale cuts in its online, television and radio services reports The Times. The plans have come to light following Director General Mark Thompson's strategic review of the broadcaster's remit and services, due to be published next month following sign-off from the BBC Trust. Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Google redirects Chinese users to Hong Kong site to avoid censorship
Google has begun redirecting its Chinese users to its Honk Kong site, following an ongoing row with the government over the censorship of its search results. The move has met condemnation from the Chinese government , branding Google's decision as "totally wrong" and in violation of its promise to abide by Chinese laws. Keep reading...
23/03/2010

Google to shut China operations in April?
Google will close its businesses in China in April, according to a report in China Business News, citing an unnamed local authorised agent of Google. The newspaper added that Google may announce details of its exit from China on Monday, the day after the company's staff are due to receive their annual year-end bonus, citing unnamed Google employees in China. Keep reading...
19/03/2010

News Corp axes 20% of staff at portal IGN
News Corp has cut a significant chunk of its staff at IGN Entertainment, an Internet portal which focuses on video games. The move comes 9 months after Murdoch's media conglomerate laid off 30% of its staff at MySpace. Keep reading...
18/03/2010

Google '99.9% certain' on China exit - FT
Google is close to an exit from China, following a feud with the country's government over censorship, according to a new report. The Financial Times quotes a source familiar with the matter that the search giant's proposed departure from China is now "99% certain" to go ahead. Keep reading...
16/03/2010

Google takes Street View to more parts of UK
Google is set to launch its Street View service for many parts of the UK so far neglected by the service. When launched in the UK last year, Google Street View initially covered 25 towns and cities. Subsequently, further sites of interest were added, some of which were not accessible to Google's Street View car and were instead explored by the 'Google Trike'. Keep reading...
11/03/2010

Microsoft debuts first Bing TV ads in UK
Microsoft has launched a three month TV ad campaign for its new search engine Bing, in an attempt to gain ground on Google in the UK. Starting this week, the campaign will attempt to increase Bing's market share from the 3% it currently holds. Keep reading...
10/03/2010

WPP starts hiring again- with a digital focus
Marketing services giant WPP has begun hiring staff again, with a focus on its digital division and Asia markets. The move comes after WPP slashed nearly 14,000 staff last year as part of a cost cutting drive to counter to ad downturn.
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 £663m ($1bn) 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 $3.6bn. Keep reading...
08/03/2010

iPad set for late April UK launch
Apple is to start selling its iPad tablet PC from the 3rd April in the US, although it is yet to confirm the launch date for its international rollout.
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. Keep reading...
08/03/2010

Trinity Mirror profits fall 41% amid ad downturn
Profits at Trinity Mirror sank 41% last year as the severe economic downturn hit advertising revenues and budgets shift online. The publisher, which owns the Daily Mirror newspaper and 120 regional titles, remained cautiously optimistic, saying it had seen signs of an improving advertising market, and the trend should continue. Keep reading...
04/03/2010

FT to accept PayPal for micro-payments
The Financial Times is to introduce new payment options for reading stories on FT.com, including accepting Paypal payments, as the publisher looks to bolster its successful online subscription model. John Ridding told the FT's Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference in central London on Tuesday that the FT would begin trialling eBay's PayPal, for daily or weekly access to FT.com. Keep reading...
04/03/2010

Murdoch mulling lawsuit against Google?
Rupert Murdoch has hinted he may issue a lawsuit against Google if it did not stop indexing content from his media empire.
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 $580m for in 2005, claims Murdoch is ill at ease in the internet sphere. Keep reading...
03/03/2010

AOL sells affiliate network Buy.at to Digital Window
AOL has sold its affiliate marketing business Buy.at to UK affiliate marketing network Digital Window for an undisclosed sum. Digital Window (formerly known as Affiliate Window) has acquired Newcastle-based Perfiliate, which runs Buy.at. Keep reading...
03/03/2010

Google buys photo editing site Picnik
Google has bought online photo editing suite Picnik, in a bid to bolster the capabilities of its existing image altering and photo-sharing software Picsa. Formed in 2005, Seattle-based Picnik works directly with online photo libraries such as Flickr (owned by Google's rival Yahoo), Facebook and Picasa web albums. Users can also upload files to the service and download them again when they are done. The 20-strong team will start working on Picasa, Google's online photo sharing service. Keep reading...
02/03/2010

Microsoft forced to give IE users option to switch to rival browsers
Microsoft is to give IE users the option to switch to rival browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, Opera or Safari, as part of new competition rules. The move follows a legal agreement between Microsoft and Europe's Competition Commission in December 2009. Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Google buys online video firm On2
Google has completed its $125m acquisition of video compression specialist On2, as the internet giant looks to expand further into the growing online video market. The deal closed after gaining approval from On2 shareholders and was valued at $124.6m. The figure was about $18 million more than the value stated when the acquisition was first announced last year. On2 provides video compression technologies for mobile video, embedded devices, Adobe Flash Player and VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol). Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Bigmouthmedia merges with LBi
Search engine marketing firm Bigmouthmedia is to merge with marketing agency LBi International, to create the largest marketing and technology agency in Europe. The deal was made through Bigmouthmedia's holding company Obtineo, a combination of Bigmouthmedia and EU40m of new capital which will expand the combined entity. Keep reading...
01/03/2010

Italian privacy: Google officials convicted in video bullying case
In a landmark case, two managers and a former executive of Google have been found guilty of privacy violations by an Italian court. The ruling represents the first such conviction for employees of Google, and the internet giant has vowed to appeal the decision. The move could have wide-ranging implications for all websites in Italy that allow users to upload their own content. Keep reading...
01/03/2010