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- Facebook’s first post-IPO moves: Social gifting firm Karma snapped up as Zuckerberg gets hitched
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Facebook has acquired gifting application Karma, marking the social network’s first move as a publicly traded company. The move comes as founder Mark Zuckerberg changed his status to 'married' in a surprise wedding, capping off an extraordinary week for the 28-year-old.
- Smartphone wars: Apple and Samsung hold ‘peace talks’ to settle patent disputes
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Apple and Samsung are holding two days of talks that will try to find a way to end the many legal rows between the rivals.
- Spotify set for $4bn funding boost?
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Spotify is embarking on a new funding round that would value the online music streaming service at up to $4bn, according to a new report.
- Amazon to sell ads on Kindle Fire home screen?
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Amazon is considering selling ads on its new Kindlie Fire tablet homescreen, according to a newspaper report.
- IKEA tests Pinterest to promote new collection in UK
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IKEA UK has begun a new email and social media campaign that utilises Pinterest to promote its new Indian-inspired ‘True Blue' collection.
- Yahoo finally sells $7.1bn stake in Chinese web giant Alibaba
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Yahoo has finally reached an agreement with Alibaba Group for a phased sell off of its stake in China's biggest internet group, following years of negotiation.
- India- Mobile web to overtake fixed line this year
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The use of the mobile Web is set to overtake fixed-line Internet in India by the end of the year, as the country’s mobile revolution continues at full speed, according to new data.
- Top 5 tips: Making the most of market data
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Following an event which distilled the thoughts of advertisers, agencies, publishers and technology providers from across the world of online, this report from Criteo exposes the myths behind big data.
- WPP firms western firm to invest in Myanmar
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Ad giant WPP has become the first foreign advertising group to invest in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) since Western sanctions were lifted.
- Hub Digital Networks launches for digital out-of-home sector
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Hub Digital Networks has launched this month, set up to link advertisers and agencies with digital out of home (DOOH) media network owners.
- Was General Motors getting Facebook marketing wrong? Ford thinks so
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Last week, General Motors pulled all of its $10 ad budget from Facebook citing the ‘ineffectiveness of paid ads.’ But some analysts, and rival car-maker Ford, have been quick to jump to the social network’s defence, implying that GM wasn’t getting the most it could from the platform.
- Top 12 countries in terms of Facebook reach
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More than two out of three Americans that were active online visited Facebook during March 2012, equalling roughly 152 million unique US visitors, according to new research.
- Twitter offers Do-Not-Track privacy option
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Twitter has agreed to offer Do Not Track requests to grant users more control over their privacy, and potentially opt of some advertising messages.
- UK search wars: Bing and Yahoo lose further ground to Google
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Google has increased its dominant position in the UK search market, accounting for more than 9 in 10 of all searches, according to the latest data.
- Infographic- The (ridiculously complicated) social media landscape
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This infographic below from Buddy Media illustrates how complicated the social media ecosystem has become, with a myriad of management, analytics, gaming and advertising tools avaialble for advertisers.
- Pakistan restores Twitter after weekend ban
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Pakistan has restored access to Twitter after briefly blocking the microblog over the weekend, die to “blasphemous” posts about a Facebook competition involving caricatures of Prophet Mohammed.
- Advertising campaign promotes Christian Aid Week
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International development charity, Christian Aid is launching a marketing campaign to encourage donations and support in the run up to Christian Aid Week (13-19 May), the main fundraising event in its annual calendar.
- Facebook breaks US records with $104bn IPO
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Facebook has floated on the US stock market with a market worth of $104bn, in the highest ever first-day valuation of a US public company, ahead of the likes of Amazon, Disney and Kraft. The valuation comes despite concerns about the company's long-term money making potential.
- Breaking into the top 25 App Store chart- How many downloads do you need?
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To make it into Apple’s lucrative ‘top free 25 list’, apps require approximately 38,400 daily downloads, according to new data.
- Pinterest gets $100m funding boost from Play.com owner Rakuten
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Social media ‘pinboard’ Pinterest has won $100m (£63m) in funding from Japanese internet retailing giant Rakuten and existing investors.
- Kindle Fire takes over half of Android tablet market in US
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The Kindle Fire, introduced to the market in November 2011, has seen rapid adoption among buyers of tablets in the US, according to new research.
- India ‘to overtake US as Facebook’s largest market’
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India is forecast to overtake the US as the world`s largest Facebook market by number of users as early as 2015, according to a new report from Gartner.
- Top tips: Marketing social switching- a new challenge
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Just when you thought you’d got the hang of selling services online, along comes another challenge: social switching. Julia Kukiewicz, Editor of Choose, takes a look at how online people power looks set to shake up the utility markets…
- General Motors pulls 'ineffective' Facebook ads
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In a shock move ahead of Facebook's IPO this week, General Motors is reportedly pulling all of its $10m- worth of ads from the social network saying that paid ads are 'ineffective' on the platform.
- 10 things you need to know about Facebook (and 5 about its ‘Fans’)
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Ahead of Facebook’s historic IPO this week, Experian Hitwise and Techlightenment have provided 10 key data points about the social network's UK usage, and a further five points about the way users interact with brand Pages.
- Yahoo Genome offers marketers ‘big data’ for targeted campaigns
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Yahoo has unveiled a new tool for online advertisers designed to take advantage of the company's experience with big data analytics to improve the effectiveness and reach of targeted campaigns running on the portal’s network.
- Yell boosts local ecommerce tools with Moonfruit buy
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Yell has bought DIY website and online shop builder Moonfruit for £18m as part of its ongoing strategy to become a leading provider of local eMarketplaces.
- Right to reply: Will high Facebook valuation require more ads?
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With Facebook’s stock market flotation imminent, European MD of RadiumOne. Rupert believes that Facebook’s advertising model could lead to an over saturation of adverts for Facebook users.
- Sainsbury's debuts mobile grocery shopping site
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Sainsbury’s has launched a mobile version of its online grocery shopping website, letting shoppers buy all of Sainsbury’s products from their phones and handheld devices.
- Twitter and Facebook users warned against posting abuse online
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The UK Government's top legal adviser has issued a new warning over abusive tweets and Facebook posts.
- Webfusion rewards customers with ‘refer a peer’ commissions
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Web hosting firm Webfusion has launched its new website with a new partner programme in which customers can make 15 per cent commissions.
- Top global brands on Facebook- Fan engagement highest in emerging markets (infographic)
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Just days before the most anticipated initial public offering in history, new data looks at how powerful the 901 million-member Facebook platform is for big brands looking to expand their global footprint and penetrate emerging markets.
- Guest comment: Life’s a game and then you buy- the impact of gaming on marketing
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Marketers are beggining to adopt gaming techniques to engage and convert consumers. But what are the differences between sponsored games, advergames and gamification, and how can they work for you? Andy Dean, Future Trends and Innovation Consultant at Amaze, examines the impact of gaming on marketing.
- New Yahoo boss rallies the troops with staff memo
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Ross Levinsohn, global media chief at Yahoo, has been named interim CEO after Scott Thompson resigned over the weekend. In this leaked staff memo he aims to raise morale by highlighting how “In spite of the very bumpy road we’ve traveled, we are achieving genuine and meaningful successes in the marketplace every day and heading in the right direction.”
- Video viral of the Week: Old Spice returns with 'Believe In Your Smellf' YouTube ads
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Old Spice has become a byword for successful viral marketing since its 2010 YouTube campaign racked up over 40 million views and a 107% sales uplift for the deodorant brand. This follow up introduces Champion, the brand's newest addition to its product range. See why it’s our video viral of the week below…
- Docomo boosts content and apps €224m Buongiorno deal
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Japanese mobile network operator NTT Docomo has bought Italian mobile Internet content and apps provider Buongiorno, in a bid to strengthen its platform businesses overseas.
- Social search overtakes traditional directories for new customer acquisition
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In the digitally advanced markets, social is moving ahead of directories as the main way small businesses get new customers. Latest research in the UK shows the scale of the channel shift, with more than a third of small firms are using Facebook for marketing (vs 27% using local directories). Twitter is also playing a growing role, with around a sixth of firms claiming they actively use it to recruit customers. The newness of social channels for small firms is under-researched in most countries, but findings from the UK could be indicative for other digitally advanced markets.
- Apple to ditch Google Maps for 3D maps
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Apple is set to replace Google Maps with 3D mapping software developed in-house, as the rivalry between the two digital giants intensifies, according to a news report.
- Facebook tests paid promotions for just $2
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Facebook is testing a new ad format aimed at individuals and small groups, offering promoted posts for just $2.
- Google looks to boost web chat tools with Meebo buy
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Google is in talks to buy messaging app, Meebo, for as much as $100 million, according to reports in US media.
- Just 1 in 10 consumers 'willing to pay for online content'
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Most consumers believe the internet as we know it would ‘disappear’ without ads, but most want want more information about the online ads they see and only 1 in 10 are willing to pay for advertising-free content, according to a new survey.
- US smartphone trends: 82% of mobile usage spent on apps
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Apps are driving the lions share of engagement on mobile usage in the US, representing 82% (over 4 in every 5) of mobile media minutes, according to new research.
- Yahoo boss quits amid 'fake CV' claims
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Yahoo's Chief Executive Officer Scott Thompson has stepped down after just four months at the helm, following claims his CV featured a computer science degree that he never received.
- Facebook could face year-long antitrust probe into Instagram deal
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Facebook's Instagram deal could be delayed by as long as a year after a federal agency launched an investigation into the $1bn purchase.
- Zoopla buys local web pioneer Upmystreet
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Online property portal Zoopla has bought Upmystreet.com, one of the original local information sites from the dotcom goldrush era, for an undisclosed sum.
- Top tips: Spicing up Loyalty & Reward- Do customers get what they really, really want?
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Most customers are swayed by loyalty offers and rewards, and are willing to submit personal details in exchange for better deals. So why are so many retailers failing to make the most out of loyalty? Anthony Monger, Digital Marketing Consultant at Grass Roots, takes a 'Spice Girl- themed' look at how loyalty programmes can deliver more than just extra value for customers.
- Microsoft testing IE browser for Xbox Kinnect
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Microsoft is reportedly testing a version of its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser for its Xbox 360 games console.
- America’s new mobile majority- Smartphone owners take the lead
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Smartphone owners now outnumber feature phone owners in the US, as mobile users switch to more web-friendly devices, according to new research.
- WWE revamps UK wrestling site with video ad push
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Wrestling brand WWE has relaunched its UK site, and has hired ad-technology firm Collective, to handle all its display and video pre-roll inventory advertising for the UK market.
- Facebook takes on Apple with online app store
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Facebook has launched its own app store, offering apps personalised to users’ entertainment habits, as the social network looks to prove its mobile credentials ahead of its much-anticipated stock market flotation.
- Project Glass- First glimpse of Google's ‘hands-free’ photos
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Google has unveiled the latest hands-free photo features from its Project Glass augmented reality glasses.
- Music streaming charts go live in UK- Which artists are generating the most ad revenue?
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Online music streaming services, including Spotify and We7, will have their own top 100 chart starting from this Monday (May 14th).
- Cross-platform trends- How US consumers watch from screen to screen
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The average American watches nearly five hours of video each day, 98% of which they watch on a traditional TV set, according to a new report.
- Smartphones in India: Web browsing is for men, texts are for women
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In India, women spend the same amount of time on their smartphones as compared to men. However, there are sharp contrasts in how they use their phones, according to new research.
- Right to reply: Rainy April shows high street needs better online strategies
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This week’s UK retail figures presented a gloomy picture of the UK, with retail sales values were down 3.3% while online growth slowed to 9%. Adam Stewart, Marketing Director at Rakuten’s Play.com, comments why retails need to make the best of both the online and offline worlds to succeed in this difficult trading environment.
- Google+ debuts webcam community with live ‘Hangouts On Air’
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Google is launching its much-hyped 'Hangouts On Air' feature on its Google+ social network, offering users a webcam community that lets groups broadcast and share video live.
- Video Viral of the Week: Tipp-Ex's ‘Hunter and Bear’ return with time warp YouTube viral
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In 2010, Tipp Ex’s A Hunter Shoots a Bear’ viral was one of the first (and still the best) interactive YouTube virals ever. This follow up offers a ‘timeless’ new twist on the formula, and has already racked up over 9m YouTube views in less than a month. See why it's our video viral of the week below…
- Google’s self-driving car gets first licence
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The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has approved a license for Google’s self-driving car.
- European mobile gaming gets social: UK leads way for social play on the move
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Over 2 in 5 (42%) of people in the leading 5 European countries played a game on their mobile device during February, with the UK leading the way, according to new research.
- PayPal links with SoftBank to crack Japan’s digital payments market
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PayPal has teamed up with Japanese web giant Softbank to launch a joint venture to pursue online transactions business in the country.
- UK online retail sales grow 9% in ‘wettest April since records began’
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Online retail sales in the UK grew 9% in April as the country experienced the wettest April since records began.
- Social media platform BirdSong tracks Twitter impact
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BirdSong, a new social media platform to measure the impact of brands’ Twitter use, has launched this week.
- LinkedIn buys SlideShare for £74m
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LinkedIn has bought online presentation tool SlideShare for £74m as the business-based social network looks to improve engagement and features on its site.
- Just 1% of Internet users creating web content? Not anymore, says BBC
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The age of the ‘lurker’ is over, according to a new BBC report which debunks the widely accepted ‘1% rule’ of the Internet, which asserts that just 1% of users create content and 10% engage with them, while the rest of the world sits back and watches.
- Digital training: London college offers secondary school pupils digital qualifications
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A new London School offering pupils as young as 14 with digital qualifications alongside standard GCSEs is due to open this September.
- Britain’s Got Talent voting app goes live
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ITV and FremantleMedia have launched two new ways for viewers to vote for their favourite Britain’s Got Talent contestants via their mobile phone.
- Top email marketing tips: Getting the most from cross-and up-sell programmes
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Email as a marketing tool is quite possibly the most powerful one in the box, and used properly can generate a substantial increase in business. Kara Trivunovic, vice president of agency services, StrongMail, offers a guide capitalising on cross and up-sell techniques in email marketing.
- O2 serves up free Wi-Fi at Costa
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O2 has partnered with Costa coffee shops to offer free wi-fi to its customers, as the mobile network operator looks to expand its broadband services.
- Smartphone sales ‘to ship 1.7bn units in 2017- Android leads the way’
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Smartphones will outperform the overall market for mobile phones, growing by 24.9% to reach 1.7 billion units by 2017, according to Ovum.
- Connected TV: TV App Agency wins innovation award
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TV App Agency has won an award for ‘Outstanding Technology Innovation’ at last week’s Connected TV Awards 2012 for its ‘develop once’ / ‘deploy to many’ cross platform TV app compiler.
- The cost of a Facebook Sponsored Story: 125m social media impressions ‘worth 2 American Idol TV commercials’
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As Facebook ads grow in popularity amongst big brands, are advertisers getting better exposure for their money than they would on other mediums? This infographic from the Wall Street Journal takes a look at what money invested in a facebook Sponsored Story could buy you instead…
- Spotify rival Rdio debuts in UK and France
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Spotify rival Rdio has launched its popular online music streaming service in the UK and France.
- How much is Apple worth? (Infographic)
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Apple is the biggest company trading on the US stock market, with its 2011 sales generating $128bn (higher than 160 different nations’ gross domestic products) according to this new infographic.
- ‘YouTube meets Slideshare’- Present.me debuts online presentation tool
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Cloud service Present.me has launched this month, offering an online presentation platform that combines synchronised content and video, viewable on-demand.
- Russia: Samsung Galaxy S3 'more awaited smartphone than Apple iPhone 5'
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Ahead of the launch of the new smartphone Samsung Galaxy S3 Hi-Tech@Mail.Ru conducted a survey of its readers revealing that Russians are looking forward to the Galaxy S3 ahead of the iPhone 5.
- AdInsight gets £1.6m funding for call tracking tool
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AdInsight has received £1.6M investment ($2.6M) in its first round of venture capital funding, to boost its call tracking and call analytics solutions.
- Top 5 smartphone makers in the world: Samsung leads the way
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Samsung leads the way as the top smartphone seller in the world, followed by Apple, according to new research.
- Smart TV trends-- Buffering and lack of content hamper UK take up
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Most people in Britain with a connected TV actually lead a very disconnected TV existence, with web access not being a ‘key driver’ for consumer purchases, according to new research.
- Guest comment: Social LogIn- the future for customer engagement?
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Growing numbers of brand websites, from retail to media – now demand user registration in order to capture key customer data, improve understanding and drive better interaction and engagement. But what value is actually being derived? Russell Loarridge, European Sales Director at Janrain looks at why social login - the ability for consumers to use their social media identity to register and log in to a brand’s website - should be available as an alternative to registration forms.
- Russian online payment service comes to London
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RBK Money, one of the top payment platforms in Russia, have chosen London to base its new European operations.
- Salesforce boosts collaboration with Stypi buy
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Customer relationship management firm Salesforce.com has bought real-time online collaboration platform company Stypi for an undisclosed sum.
- Right to reply: UK serious crime website downed by hack attack
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The website of the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has been taken offline following a cyber-attack. Andrew Kellett, senior security analyst at Ovum looks at why large organisations will need to beef up security as hackers become more sophisticated and ambitious.
- miiCard gets £1.6m funding boost for ‘digital passport’ service
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miiCard has won a further £1.6m in funding to boost its ‘digital passport’ online identity verification service.
- Xbox sales banned in Germany after Motorola court case
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A number of Microsoft products, including Windows 7 OS, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and the Xbox console have been banned from sale in Germany, following an extraordinary ruling declared this week in a Mannheim court.
- Spotfiy finally comes to iPad
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Spotify has finally launched its highly anticipated iPad app, featuring HD graphics and AirPlay support to use on compatible devices.
- Webby Awards- Pinterest, Instagram, BBC and Louis C.K. honoured at ‘Internet Oscars’
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Social media newcomers Pinterest and Instagram joined internet stalwarts such as Facebook and the BBC in being honoured at the 16th annual Webby Awards this week, frequently dubbed the ‘Internet Oscars’.
- Internet download speeds – international benchmarks
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The Asia-Pacific region is the best place for broadband, with the US and Europe training behind, according to new research.
- Teradata buys cloud digital marketing firm eCircle
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Analytics technology provider Teradata has bought Cloud digital marketing firm eCircle for an undisclosed sum.
- Global smartphone trends- Samsung sells most mobiles… but Apple makes most money
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Samsung is selling the most smartphones worldwide, but Apple is making the most money, according to new research.
- Instagram enters top 10 social networks in UK
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Last month, Facebook announced the $1 billion acquisition of photo sharing app Instagram. This is a landmark deal for the acquisition of an app but Instagram became the 10th most visited social network in the UK in March 2012, showing the increasing appetite for photo sharing online.
- Mobile to become dominant platform for email this year (infographic)
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Email readership on mobile devices is on track to surpass both webmail and desktop by the end of 2012, according to new research.
- Video Viral of the Week- P&G’s ‘Olympic Moms’ ad gets over 2m YouTube views
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Last month, Procter & Gamble embarked on the company’s biggest campaign in its 174 year history, using its Olympic sponsor status to push an emotive message celebrating mothers worldwide (a key demographic for the FMCG brand). See below why it’s our video viral of the week…
- Rupert Murdoch ‘not fit’ to lead News Corp. say MPs
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Rupert Murdoch "is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company", MPs have said.
- Nikon first brand in Europe to use Vibrant In-Image ads
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Nikon Coolpix is the first brand in Europe to implement an online advertising campaign using Vibrant Image, the newly launched in-image ad format from contextual marketing technology provider Vibrant.
- Google boosts search ads with video version of AdWords
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Google has launched a video version of its AdWords search system, aimed at small businesses that want to utilise the video medium but can't afford TV commercial slots.
- UK ISPs ordered to block The Pirate Bay
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Internet providers in the UK have been forced to stop their users accessing The Pirate Bay file sharing site.
- Right to reply: Google spoiled the fun
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The affiliate marketing sector has had it tough in the past few years, but with the rise of social recommendations, they may have a new army of allies in their quest to drive consumers onto their commission-paying sites. Dan Pearce, director of Have You Seen, looks at how affiliate marketers need to adapt to these changing times.
- Connected TV trends: Brits ‘receptive to interactive ads on smart TVs’
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As connected TVs start to go on sale, new research reveals that 68% of viewers noticed the ad placements and 1 in 3 of those clicked through.
- Right to reply: Brits spend a quarter of money online
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A survey from Worldpay showed that Britons spend a quarter of their money online and one in six Britons do their shopping on a smartphone. Adam Stewart at Rakuten’s Play.com argues that whilst e-commerce is growing rapidly, a multichannel approach remains important.
