Yahoo! Mail – the Social Inbox

Yahoo! Mail has launched a newly designed Welcome page with a much heavier focus on social activity and less on news and messages, i.e. why you might traditionally access your inbox.

New feature “My Connections” contains messages from your most regular contacts, with the option to keep updated with their activities. Yahoo! properties such as Flickr will become an integrated part of the page, while the space will soon be opened up to third party applications.

Expect to see an influx of new applications once Yahoo! opens up their new smarter inbox in early 2009.

Check out the four minute video at the bottom of the article for a walk through of the changes.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081215-yahoo-begins-rolling-out-social-extensible-e-mail-inbox.html

- Sam

MySpace Launches its own Open Platform

Following on from the launch of Facebook’s Facebook Connect and Google’s Friend Connect, MySpace is launching its answer to open ID, “MySpaceID.”

Consisting of two core components, Open Standards and Google Friend Connect, MySpaceID’s purpose is to serve as a tool to aggregate web spaces across MySpace, just as Facebook Connect does across Facebook. Users will be able to publish activities from MySpace partner sites such as Eventful, Flixster, and new partners Vodafone and Netvibes — all of which are developing MySpaceID implementations.

Content will become increasingly personalised due to information provided by users, increasing options for consumers and marketers.

For the full post, click here:

- Sam

Google to Lift Advertising Ban on Spirit Brands

Following on from the decision to lift its ban on advertising gambling sites, Google is to lift its restrictions on advertising alcoholic spirits on Google UK.

From January 2009 spirit brands will be allowed to run search campaigns relating to brand advertising but not direct response and demand generation campaigns that promote sales.

For the full story click here

- Sam

YouTube Launches its own Symphony Orchestra

Check this out for the world’s first ever collaborative online orchestra: www.youtube.com/symphony

Digital and classical music come together in a truly credible and original way with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Musicians of all ages and abilities from all around the world are invited to audition by submitting video entries for a collaborative virtual performance. YouTube’s global audience, along with a judging panel, will vote for the best musicians who will win the chance to perform for real at New York’s Carnegie Hall in April 2009.

Musicians select their instrument to access the sheet music, by renowned composer Tan Dun of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame, and then rehearse with the conductor. They can watch playlists, check out the competition and get performance tips from lead instrumentalists from the London Symphony Orchestra.

Thumbs up to the YouTube camp for this compelling initiative.

-Sam

Amazon Launches its Anticipated UK Digital Music Store

The UK music market got even more competitive today with the launch of Amazon’s UK digital music store, as a direct rival to Apple’s iTunes.

www.amazon.co.uk is offering over 3m DRM-free tracks from only 59p and albums from only £3 each – including new releases - with music from all four major and a host of independent labels.

The prices undercut those of market leader Apple iTunes, whose tracks start at 79p each. Amazon’s UK MP3 store succeeds the US version which launched previously. The long-awaited UK version should shake up the UK marketplace and provide some healthy competition.

- Sam

Phorm faces more hurdles

Differences of opinion over strategy have been cited as the main reason behind the Chairman, COO and two non-executive directors walking out on the controversial behavioural targeting technology company, Phorm.

The news was announced by Phorm in a statement. One of the employees, Stephen Heyer, the non-executive chairman, only joined the company in August.

Three non-executives have already been replaced with former chancellor of the exchequer Norman Lamont, former Ofcom chief policy partner Kip Meek and investment banker Stefan Allesch-Taylor. The CEO commented, “They bring extensive experience on government, business, regulatory matters and financial markets."As we move into the next phase of our development, the priority will be to build momentum in the rollout of our strategy."

Phorm has faced a number of hold-ups since the launch of its behavioural tracking system, the OIP (Open Internet Exchange), due to concerns it breaches the privacy of internet users, but it appeared to be on track after receiving backing from the UK Government in September (see blog posting on 22nd September '08). Watch this space for more Phorm updates when we have them.

- Sam

Social network launches for chronic disease sufferers

A new niche social network has been launched by independent research agency Healthcare Landscape for sufferers of acute and chronic medical conditions.

The online community, called icarecafe, provides a completely confidential environment in which sufferers can discuss any medical issues with a global audience. The website also acts a platform for blogs and interactive media in order to promote research.

Adam Gac, strategy director at Healthcare Landscape, said: "Icarecafe differs from other social networks because it takes a holistic approach to the patient experience. "It allows learning and sharing not just with people who suffer from one specific ailment or illness but also from family members and carers."

Revenues for the site are now being generated by advertising and sponsorships from healthcare agencies.

- Sam

Not home early enough to read a bedtime story to your kids?

Microsoft has launched a neat online interactive storytelling application on Windows Live Messenger in conjunction with Chorion, the entertainment company, to allow parents to read stories to their children remotely from another location.

“Time for a Story” is a free animated application and lets children interact with pictures on the screen while hearing their parents’ voices and seeing their face on the screen via a webcam.

Children can interact with the pictures on screen, whilst hearing their parent's voice and seeing their face on the PC. The new tool provides three classic Noddy stories, with other classic characters expected to follow in the coming months.

Alex Marks, head of marketing for Microsoft Advertising said: 'By bringing relevant and interactive content to consumers, brands are able to connect and engage in far deeper and more meaningful ways.

Read the full story here

- Sam

“G-Speak” Consigns the Mouse to History

Apologies for the shortage of posts recently. We are now back with a vengeance from our recent EMEA digital summit so be prepared for some reading!

First up is an interesting technology development. The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed how characters in "Minority Report" and the latest "James Bond" films use their hands to manipulate the interface on projected screens. By pointing and gesturing at the screens, the characters use their hands to control their way around the programs after slipping on special gloves, doing away with the need for the mouse.

Now a Los Angeles based company called Oblong Industries has made this futuristic vision a reality by creating “G-Speak,” potentially changing forever the way we navigate our way around our computer.

G-Speak allows the user to select an object on the screen simply by pointing. By bringing your hands closer together or moving your hands to one side, the object can be placed in a different position or on a different screen. The real interacts with the virtual in what Oblong is coining the “spatial operating environment.”

“Human hands are the most sophisticated manipulating tools in the world,” said John Underkoffler, chief scientist at Oblong Industries, the Los Angeles-based company that has created the technology. “The idea is to drop the mouse and let hands do what they’re fully capable of. That is to describe and push, poke and pull and manipulate the world.”

The aim is to make the technology accessible for all, with the cost of up to £40, and is already supplying some universities. Oblong hopes that the technology will be ready for the wider public in about two years.

- Sam

Dapper MashupAds Further Kills Field of Dreams thought process

http://www.dapper.net/

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/10/dapper-mashup-ads-turns-your-website-into-contextual-display-ads/

It's not news that click through rates are not that high from an industry average level. Why is that? There are several reasons but one of the main ones is that users don't want to leave the site that they are already visiting. Another reason is that the ads that aren't relevant to what they are seeking.

A new type of ad from Dapper is helping the cause of the display ad. The concept is simple but effective: take the latest and relevant content from an advertisers website and pipe it into a banner ad. This basically makes the ad a mini website for the brand or publisher. As that should be the goal of any advertiser with the way that broadband penetration rates are going, this is a good service to check out.

According to the article, they are seeing 3-5x improvement in click through rates by using these types of ads.

Rick

Billing Revolution Brings One-Click Payments To iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android Apps

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2008/11/10/billing-revolution-brings-one-click-payments-to-iphone-blackberry-and-iphone-apps/

I realized last night that every person in the industry uses the joke around 'This is year for mobile'! Outside of vowing to not make the joke anymore myself, I caused me to think about what would need to happen to propel the advertising for this media vehicle.

Here is an example of one such thing in my mind. Billing Revolution is offering one touch payment for items over the mobile phone (and charging only a small fee for such a transaction).

Check out the link to learn more about this company but it could assist in mobile payment across devices and markets.

Rick

Digital Plays Key Role in US Elections

While the world's media has been gripped by the developments of the US elections, reports have emerged on what the parties have been spending on advertising, and notably the shift from traditional to digital. Check out a selection of articles here, from how Obama's online ad spend approached $8 million, to an interesting piece on how digital was leveraged to enlist hard to reach young African-American and Latin voters in the Obama campaign, ultimately playing a key part in the democrat party’s success.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Global/News/860172/Obama-victory-credited-digital-advice-strategist-Axelrod/?DCMP=EMC-GlobalBulletin

http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3631586

http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-looking-at-the-obama-campaign-through-the-digital-traditional-ad-spend/

- Sam

LinkedIn Looks For Fresh Revenue in Research

LinkedIn, the global social network with 30 million professionals across 150 industries, has unveiled plans to open up its global network to test market research as a potential new revenue model.

The announcement demonstrates attempts by key social networks to generate revenue within social media outside of simple advertising or sponsorship. One thing is for sure, the surveys should be highly targetable due to the transparency and trustworthy nature of the site, as well as its ability to select groups according to specialised sectors, including experience, seniority and geography.

Trials have been taking place for six months and already have a participation rate of up to 20%, suggesting LinkedIn could take a strong hold in the market against its competitors.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=132003

- Sam

Every Vote Counts for Obama

And now something for a Friday afternoon...a neat campaign from the Obama camp with the strong message that every vote makes a difference. We've seen this type of initiative before, notably used by the TV series "Dexter," but it's a powerful message from the Democrats.

http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=vp8MGu3NcbWWw81d8Ch.7jM1MTQxMTI-&referred_by=11111580-ZCW4Ulx

Please note:
For all of you fooled, this is fictitious. I am English and unfortunately do not have the right to vote in the election. Also I am referred to throughout the video as a man but can assure you I am not!

Have a great weekend.

- Sam

Major Brands Spot the Advertising Potential of Virtual Sports Worlds

Football Superstars, the first “massively multi-player online game,” which recreates a 3D virtual football world allowing thousands of players to compete simultaneously, has recently launched under the watchful gaze of major brands aiming to capitalise on in-game advertising. IGA Worldwide, the leading in-game advertising provider, has already signed up Reebok, Nokia and Puma as partners, with the latter recreating its Carnaby Street store inside the game.

Football Superstars allows players to re-create themselves online as a footballer and then roam freely within the interactive virtual world. Away from the pitch players can socialise in restaurants, bars and clubs, shop for the latest equipment and designer clothes, train in the gym, tease the paparazzi and even pick themselves up a WAG.

As part of the deal Reebok will be using the platform to launch its Ambassador Programme, in which it will be hunting for the best amateur players across the globe. Successful applicants will win prizes in and outside of the game, from in-game currency and both real and virtual sports equipment, to a real life opportunity to interview Thierry Henry.

Another sports virtual world has entered the fray, this time golf. Coining itself the ‘world’s most authentic online golf experience,’ World Golf Tour (WGT)’s aim is to make golf the most accessible and affordable sport for all.

There is a strong social aspect to the game, with players given the option to personalise their profile page and avatar, share pictures and videos, collect friends and share game tips. Players can also read and comment on the latest golf news on the blog and forum. With HD graphics and no need to download software, players can compete simultaneously with friends and families, conversing via in-game chat, sharing scores and testing new equipment.

Check out http://www.wgt.com/. It will be interesting to watch how long it takes for major brands to come on board.

- Sam

Yahoo! Launches New Look User Profile for Yahoo! Open Strategy.

As it inches more towards its evolution into one big social network, Yahoo! has launched its new look user profile; the first proper product release for the social part of YOS (Yahoo! Open Strategy).

It’s been a long haul for the company, which first talked about the new strategy almost a year ago. More details, and a few conceptual screenshots, were announced at CES in January. A newcomer to Yahoo, VP Communities Jim Stoneham, is leading the team that’s creating new social features.

So here’s exactly what Yahoo is launching: a new look for the user profile, and the ability to create “connections,” which are mutual friendships. That’s it for the front end. Yahoo has also created what they’re calling a “vitality system to share updates” on the back end, which is an engine to run activity stream-like content for future releases.

Over the next few months, they say, Yahoo properties will begin to integrate with the new profile. So if you answer a question at Yahoo Answers, for example, the activity will show up in your feed update. Eventually the front page of Yahoo Mail will show what your friends are up to as well. Emails from your connections will also be highlighted, so you can read them first.
If you have a Yahoo account, you can see your profile at profiles.yahoo.com/[username] . The other half of Yahoo’s YOS strategy centres on an open strategy, particularly around search - see TechCrunch’s update from April where some of those features were discussed and released.

Time will tell if this ends up having an impact on targeting, Yahoo’s performance as a media choice, and user stickiness on the site. For the full article, click here.

- Rick

Nokia Unveils Multi-Platform “Voyeuristic” Ad Campaign

Nokia has unveiled a cross-platform new advertising campaign for its new Supernova 7610, aiming to engage and interact with a younger audience via its own ‘web 2.0 drama.’ The integrated campaign, which utilises multiple channels including TV, print, outdoor, radio and digital, kicks off with a TV ad centred around the lives of three characters, with the drama unfolding after they listen to each others’ voicemail.

Upon visiting www.somebodyelsesphone.com, fans can learn everything about the characters through their text messages, photos, videos and calls. They will also be able to add an image of each character’s Nokia Supernova 7610 phone as a widget to their existing social networking profiles. The campaign will run in 10 different languages through a constant content feed over six weeks. When the six weeks are up, the characters’ story lines will hit crucial decision making points, at which stage fans will be able to interact via the website and mobile to decide the characters’ fates, while being in with a chance to meet the characters.

All in all it’s a nice example of an ad campaign which is dependent on user interaction while neatly showcasing the particular product’s key features.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1600158116/bctid1858953112

-Sam

Google Launches In-game Advertising

Along the lines of Microsoft’s Massive and IGA, Google has stepped into the market of in-game advertising. The in-game ads will be sold via Google’s AdSense team and will initially target web games only, reports Brand Republic.

AdSense for Games, which is currently in beta and open only to publishers with 80% or more traffic from the UK or the US, will allow video, image or text ads to be displayed at any point in online games.

The news come on the back of the release of Comscore research which shows that more than 25% of internet users play online games per week, amounting to over 200m users worldwide.

Google's AdWords team will sell ad placements to top brand advertisers and games manufacturers will be able to see contextually targeted text and image ads based on content and demographic information. The first big name brands said to be taking part in AdSense for Games include eSurance, Sprint and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Digital/News/852103/Google-enters-in-game-ad-market/?DCMP=EMC-Digital-Bulletin

- Sam

JanRain helping the extension of OpenID (TechCrunch)

Anyone who has heard my trends presentation knows that I am keen on the topic of OpenID and OpenSocial. Below is a great development of the technology that will allow more sites to begin offering it to their users.

JanRain, creator of some of the most popular OpenID software libraries and a forum-like communications tool called Pibb, has released a new SaaS offering for websites that want to become relying parties for OpenID.

We’re told that the service, simply called RPX, makes it possible to start accepting users with OpenID accounts within one day. This is actually the second SaaS solution provided by JanRain, the first being the similarly named OPX, which lets websites do the opposite: provide OpenID accounts to users, who can then sign into any other websites that accept them. JanRain also provides OpenID accounts to users directly through its myOpenID service.

Helping websites become relying partners is more important (at least at this point in the game) than helping them become providing partners. That’s because few popular sites accept OpenID and, consequently, consumers see little reason to set up OpenID accounts for themselves. This is an even bigger problem than the user experience issues that have plagued the movement over the last few years.

RPX is being marketed toward medium sites that want to increase their registration conversation rates, import user information from elsewhere, and build out connections to other social services via oAuth. It’s not meant as much for big internet sites like Blogger, Plaxo and AOL, who have become relying parties using their in-house technical resources.

The question stands as to whether OpenID will gain momentum through the long tail or adoption by a critical mass of the big players. It will probably take a few very popular services, such as MySpace and Facebook (through their respective Data Availability and Connect services), to popularize the protocol. But once they do, services like RPX should help the long tail take advantage of it.

RPX comes in two flavors: “plus” for smaller sites and “pro” for bigger ones. Pricing starts at a flat fee and then increases based on how many people sign into your site using OpenID during the span of one year.

News Corp Buys Out Jamster

Jamba, or Jamster, the mobile company which creates content including wallpapers, ringtones, mobile games and short made-for-mobile episodes of TV shows, has been bought out by News Corporation.

Jamster, perhaps best known for its Crazy Frog character, was bought out by the global media company for a cool $200m, showing an interest in mobile content that is going nowhere.

- Sam

50% of Social Media Campaigns Fail

I think that we can all relate to the fact that there is a Facebook craze going on with our clients right now. The link below refers to new research from Gartner coming out next week that highlights the failure rate for social media campaigns by Fortune 1000 companies.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10058509-36.html

If you haven't seen the main goals of social media campaigns which Ali Little has been presenting within the Wave 3 decks, please ask him for them. The article touches on the need for a 'mutual purpose' where the community is benefitting from the marketing activity as well as the client. This is part of the overall list which we have been presenting and a simple requirement that is often overlooked.

Please check with Gartner to get this research when it is released and use it as fodder for properly guiding your clients' budgets.

Online Ad Spend Continues to Grow in the UK

Latest research from the Internet Advertising Bureau states that internet advertising spend grew 21% year on year in the first half of 2008 in the UK. Online ad expenditure increased by £348.2m to a massive £1.7bn, as the overall advertising market fell by 0.7%.

Out of all online ad spend, paid search continues to dominate the growth, as it swelled by 28% to £981m year on year in the first half of this year

Guy Phillipson, chief executive officer of the IAB UK, said: "Online is not immune from the economic downturn, but while other sectors see falls in expenditure the internet is still experiencing an incredible increase and is propping up the entire advertising market. The growth in internet advertising spend is beating all expectations as advertisers look to maximise their budgets, and take advantage of new display advertising formats such as video."

The research was carried out in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC).

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Digital/News/851330/Online-adspend-21-total-ad-market-falls-07/?DCMP=EMC-Digital-Bulletin

- Sam

Good example of offline and online integration: Nissan

From Amy Corr's Media Creativity Newsletter yesterday:

What news and pictures would you like to see on the front page of your Sunday morning newspaper?

That question was posed to subscribers of O Estado De S. Paulo (The State of Sao Paulo), a daily newspaper published in Brazil, over the course of two Sundays.

Sunday subscribers received a blank front page one week, featuring vacant boxes where headlines, pictures and copy normally appear.

Subscribers were given a task: generate the news and pictures that they themselves would like to see in the paper.

Below the fold was an ad for Nissan, the brand behind this initiative. "Escape the pattern. You, yourself should write the news," began the ad.

Inside the ad, created by Lew´Lara/TBWA, were instructions for readers to create their own front page, which consisted of going online, clicking on a Nissan banner ad, writing headlines, uploading pictures and proofing the finished product before submitting the work.

Imagine the surprise of subscribers the following Sunday when each person that submitted a customized front page received their news and pictures printed on the cover of O Estado De S. Paulo. More than 1,000 personalized front pages were created and distributed; a Nissan ad at the bottom of the front page exclaimed, "we proved that deciding what should be the news is out of the pattern."

A full-page Nissan ad on the next page read, "Now that you've read the news, you have a whole day to buy a new car." Subtle, it's not, but it is a great way to connect readers who are used to getting their news from traditional media with digital options to "escape the pattern."

The sheer volume of customization needed to undertake such a project is also impressive, and not seen often in newspaper campaigns.

Report on Social Network Marketing

Check out this interesting report by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) which provides a detailed analysis on social network marketing on Facebook and MySpace in the UK.
It specifically looks at engagement marketing techniques used by brands and suggests brands need to work much harder to engage their public than just looking for users to become a 'fan' of the brand.

The report is free after inputting your details.

http://www.socialnetworkmarketinguk.com/

- Sam

Microsoft’s Atlas Launches Engagement Mapping and E-ROI

New reporting methodology from Atlas has been launched today. Engagement Mapping, which calculates the value of all online media exposure, allows marketers to uncover deeper marketing insights such as the value of every advertiser to consumer touchpoint, new user behavioural insights across sites and channels, and the more accurate measurement of online conversions.

Atlas identified that Search is frequently given the credit for encouraging the desired user click, as it is often the last action driving a consumer to a particular site, whereas the consumer could have been exposed to several different advertisements in the time leading up to this ultimate action. Engagement Mapping has been created to measure this build-up of exposure and is time-credited to provide more accurate mapping.

In beta since spring 2008, Engagement Mapping and E-ROI are being presented as additional services from Atlas, rather than replacing their existing offering. It is available to all clients at no extra charge, so for more information and a demonstration do get in touch with your local Atlas representative.

- Sam

MySpace Music Now Live

After concluding deals with all four major music labels, MySpace has confirmed that its music offering, MySpace Music, is now live.

An eagerly anticipated competitor to iTunes, MyMusic allows users to browse artists, stream complete audio tracks for free, create playlists and purchase DRM-free MP3s (via the soon to launch Amazon digital music store). The new platform is ad-supported, enabling MySpace’s 5m major, independent and unsigned artists to monetise their content. The MyMusic personal music management tool in turn gives its 120m global users access to unlimited streamed music, all for free.

http://www.music.myspace.com/

-Sam

Google Phone Details Leaked

TechCrunch has reported that with less than 12 hours to go until the launch of the first ever Google phone, G1, news has begun to leak about the phone's specifications.

Reports TechCrunch, "Images extracted from the depths of T-Mobile’s G1 site have begun hitting tip boxes, and now TmoNews has managed to get their hands on a bunch of specs and details.

What’s known so far:
In-store, immediate sales only available in stores within 5 miles of a 3G covered area. If a store is beyond that range, representatives will walk customers through a T-mobile.com purchase.

One touch access to: Search, Maps, Gmail, Youtube, Calendar, and Google Talk
Gmail account and data plan required
GPS
3.1 mp camera, no video recording
No stereo bluetooth (A2DP)
Dimensions: 4.6 x 2.16 x 0.63 in
Weighs 5.6 ounces
480×320 65K color screen
5 hour talk time, 130 hour standby time
Expandable up to 8GB"

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/22/t-mobile-g1-specs-leaked-prior-to-announcement/

Watch this space for the official announcement..

- Sam

UK Government Backs Controversial Phorm

The controversial ad targeting technology platform, Phorm, has announced it has received crucial backing from the UK government in response to regulators’ concerns over whether Phorm and its OIX (Open Internet Exchange) conforms to EU data laws.

Phorm, whose approach of behaviourally targeting consumers via personal information used in signing up to their ISP has concerned media and consumer groups, is partnering with major ISPs to carry out trials across their network of users. So far only BT has confirmed it will be starting a trial, but soon Phorm hopes to roll out trials across all ISPs once successful discussions have taken place.

Users will be given power to opt-in or out of the scheme and Phorm states all future trials will be done with the full consent of users. Phorm, which states its approach actually protects rather than infringes consumer privacy, has said it is working with the media, regulators, government and bloggers to ensure full transparency of all aspects of the OIX and has already agreed terms with several leading UK ad agencies, publishers and ad networks.
As an advertiser Phorm presents a wealth of opportunities in targeting consumers in terms of fully tracking user journeys, but as a consumer it still raises questions and objections over privacy.

- Sam

Social Networking Project Crosses Over to Become a TV Show

“A Message From Earth,” Bebo’s communication mission whereby its online community creates and then votes on messages to be sent into space, has been so successful (10m online video views in the first month), it is being made into a TV show. Opportunities will exist to integrate brands in the Bebo project.
Following on from the news that the story of Facebook is being made into a feature film, is the true measure of success making the transition from online to the small or large screen?

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Digital/News/847150/Bebo-Message-Earth-project-become-TV-show/?DCMP=EMC-Digital-Bulletin

- Sam

Google Feels the Sting of Web Censorship

Google has been forced to lift its ban on religious organisations placing anti-abortion ads on its site after it was sued by a pro-life charity. Its previous policy banned advertising sites that mixed “abortion and religion-related content”. The Christian Institute, which sued Google, is now allowed to place paid search ads on the search engine.

Meanwhile YouTube is adapting to self-imposed censorship within the UK where it has banned the uploading of videos encouraging gang violence and gun and knife crime, after it came under fire for not regulating its video content enough to prevent the exposure of videos with violent material.

- Sam

New Research from the EIAA Shows Increased Online Ad Spend due to Reduction in Offline Spend

81% of European advertisers claim that their allocated online ad spend has grown in 2008. 82% of them said they were funding the increase by downsizing their TV or direct marketing budgets according to a European Interactive Advertising Association survey.

38% of advertisers also now regard online as essential compared to 17% in 2006. 77% of those questioned found online advertising to have a positive impact on the perception of their brand as well as overall brand awareness (68%).

Online spend is increasingly being focused in three key areas. Display remains the dominant format taking 38% of spend, up 9% from 2006, while search and affiliate advertising are experiencing rapid growth, up 35% and 25% respectively since 2006.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Digital/News/846120/marketers-raiding-offline-budgets-online-spend/?DCMP=EMC-Digital-Bulletin

http://eiaa.net/news/eiaa-articles-details.asp?id=173&lang=1

- Antonia Lim

Groundbreaking Deal Sees Google Act as Ad Broker to NBC

With TV and the internet moving closer together every day, Google has made a historic deal with NBC to become the cable channel’s third party ad broker. Only a few years ago, no television network would have considered letting any independent third party company deal with its advertising, let alone an internet-based search company, but with TV now trying to keep up with new technology, this may be the way forward.

The deal gives NBC a fresh take on advertising not to mention a bigger catalogue of advertisers. And with Google having to constantly keep up with the ever-evolving internet, they will provide NBC with a vital partnership that will keep NBC ahead of their competitors and up-to-date with technology and changing media.

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=130970

- Antonia Lim

Real-time Advertising on London Underground

Our friends over at McCann Erickson, MRM and digital division Chrome have developed the first ever ‘live voting’ advertising on London Underground’s digital screens for Intel.

The on-screen information will be refreshed in real-time thanks to Intel technology in order to show who is currently winning a ‘battle of the bands’ style competition.

Unsigned acts who have submitted their tracks to the “Intel Studio” website will be in with a chance of winning a support slot at a series of Intel Studio gigs, as voted for by visitors to the website. Each time the ad is run on the individual digital screens, which are located along the escalators and above the tracks, information will be pulled in live from the “Intel Studio” site to give a newsfeed of the state of play.

All in all it’s a neat demonstration of how new outdoor digital formats are converging with other media channels, as well as a clever way of an advertiser involving people in the brand experience rather than just shouting about its supposed attributes.

-Sam

How Search will Revolutionalise Social Networking

This is the future!

Check out this interesting article on the impact of search on social networks, looking at how social networks are in effect the search engines of the future, hence the significance of the Microsoft Live Search deal with Facebook.

http://www.micropersuasion.com/2008/09/how-search-will.html

- Sam

Great Article on Social Graphs and OpenSocial

Please click on the link below for an interesting article on social graphs, i.e. our online peer network, how this influences user behaviour within social networks and the broader web, and the significant impact this is having on marketing and advertising.

The article also talks about how OpenSocial is going to make people’s social graph more portable, exploring the possibility of bringing consumers' social graphs to a brand website.

Happy reading!

http://www.goingsocialnow.com/2008/08/a-new-frontier-of-social-influ.html

- Sam

Social Radio Listening from the BBC

More news from the BBC this week, as it launches Radio Pop, a social networking website specifically for radio listeners.

Users can listen to their choice of stations through the Radio Pop player, create a personal record of their preferred programs, see what their friends are listening to and make recommendations to users within the network.

Favourite stations and shows can be tagged, or “popped,” thereby providing user data which is made visible to everyone within the network. This online behaviour is then displayed by graphs and lists showing listeners' favourite and recommended stations and shows.

The idea is to track user behaviour to allow the broadcaster to send targeted promotions to users as well as analyse their listening habits, which can currently only be done via radio industry measurement organisations like Rajar.

The service currently only supports live, rather than on demand listening. There is also no integration with the iPlayer – yet – but it is another example of a major player experimenting in the social networking arena.

http://www.radiopop.co.uk/

- Sam

Virgin Mobile provides Location Based Services

From TechCrunch, we have learned that Virgin Mobile has signed a deal with location based city guide slash social network, Buzzd.

The deal will allow users to obtain local entertainment information (events, concerts, restaurant reviews/ratings) to be broadcast and shared among users in the same proximity.

While several other companies are now offering LBS to their users, this is another example of why we should be externalizing our clients' data to these services and thinking about marketing opportunities to the early adopters.



Here is the link to the original post:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/02/virgin-mobile-gets-buzzd-on-location-based-entertainment/

Rick

6 Degrees of Separation now 3

In a new study released by O2, they have stated that people are more connected than ever before. In surveying three age groups (18-25, 35-45, 55+) they found that the average user is connected by three degrees within a 'shared interest or social group'. The study went on to state the people normally are part of three main groups: family, friendship, and work.

Here is a link to the press release:

http://www.o2.com/media/press_releases/latest_pr_14276.asp

The three different groups outlined above highlight what we are currently telling our clients around the fact that 'online schizophrenia' can exist within current users. Work colleagues are asking to be part of your Facebook profile, friends are asking to join your LinkedIn profile, there is a blurring of these three groups. Additionally, there are things that you are comfortable showing your friends that you wouldn't be comfortable showing your work colleagues or family. Therefore, there is a threat of social networks and tools for being 'watered down' versions of one's self rather than what one would normally want to post, comment, or upload.

There are existing companies that are looking to help with this problem. One to check out it MOLI (http://www.moli.com/). While it is doubtful that people will abandon the MySpace's and Facebook's of the world for this network, the concept is important. The ability to manage one profile across your three social groups is important and could lead to an evolution in how the big social networks allow you to display data (rather than the basic 'limited profile' view on Facebook).

Take this trend into consideration when building campaigns. What are you asking the individual to do within the social network? How can we supplement their experience to help them manage these different social groups. Is the time of day indicative of the social group that they most represent?

Go forth and test,

Rick

Need examples of Social Media? Use this.

Hello all,

When pitching in ideas around social media, it is always great to show our clients that they aren't going to be the first ones implementing a campaign in this space. However, it is sometimes difficult to highlight examples of how other large companies are leveraging this media vehicle.

Check out the link below for a great curated list of examples (134 at last count!). They are mainly U.S. based but still provide a great framework for brainstorming or for building an education deck.

http://www.beingpeterkim.com/2008/09/ive-been-thinki.html

Happy surfing,

Rick

Nokia Comes With Music to launch in the UK Next Month, but so far No Network Operators are on Board…

Nokia has announced that the UK will be the first market in the world to receive the Comes With Music service next month, followed by the rest of Europe next year. Nokia Comes With Music phones will come with a one year subscription to a Nokia-run music download platform, which will be accessible via your phone or PC, giving users free access to a bank of over 2 million songs from major music companies Universal, Sony and Warner.

All tracks will be DRM-free, meaning the user will still be able to access and listen to the track after the minimum one year contract has ended.
Major mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse is confirmed as a partner, but so far none of the major UK mobile network operators have signed up to the service, instead preferring their customers to use their own music download service as opposed to that of an actual handset manufacturer. Nokia is aiming to become a market leader in the music on your mobile sector but the success of the service remains to be seen.

Nokia UK MD Simon Ainslie comments, "This is a unique proposition. Nobody has launched an unlimited music service that allows you to keep your music with no catches. What we are trying to do is bring back some value to the music industry from people who are not paying for music. There are a lot of parents who would like to legitimise their children's purchasing of music”.

- Sam

Google Launches Free Browser in its Ongoing Battle with Microsoft

Following straight on from Microsoft’s announcement of its latest version of Internet Explorer with its “InPrivate” setting, (which can block third parties accessing users’ browser habits), Google has announced it is launching its own free web browser in 100 countries, Google Chrome.

Google Chrome will also feature its version of "InPrivate," "Incognito Mode," which it says is for “times when you want to browse in stealth mode, for example, to plan surprises like gifts or birthdays. Webpages that you open and files downloaded while you are incognito won't be logged in your browsing and download histories; all new cookies are deleted after you close the incognito window. You can browse normally and in incognito mode at the same time by using separate windows.”

Microsoft's Internet Explorer currently accounts for 72% of the installed browser market, followed by Mozilla Firefox (of which Google is a key partner) with 20%. Google and Firefox recently renewed their partnership agreement until 2011 which contains a clause for Google to be the default search engine within Firefox.

There is whisper that Google’s next step is to partner with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to create Windows-free PCs. Google’s strategy of launching internet based applications, such as its Google documents and spreadsheets, aims to shift its users’ habits away from Windows applications, but of course means it is increasingly reliant on browser technology, as acknowledged by Google vice-president of product management, Sundar Pichai, "We realised that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser. What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build."

Check out the official Google Chrome blog site here.

- Sam

BBC to Launch New Online Music Service

If approved, BBC Worldwide - the BBC’s commercial division - has announced that it will launch a new targeted online music service early next year, giving users access to the BBC's massive archive of live performances and session tracks, including music from the broadcaster's Glastonbury coverage, archive John Peel Sessions, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Radio 1's Live Lounge.
The ad-funded service will initially hold over 1300 tracks and videos to stream and download, but will be expanded to over 50,000 tracks and 3000 hours of video. It will also offer all new music content as soon as exclusive broadcasting rights for the non-commercial bit of the BBC end.
BBC Worldwide agreed a deal with EMI earlier this year to provide online access to the label's artists in the BBC archive, and now the organisation is in negotiations with Warner, Sony and Universal about similar arrangements. A spokesperson for BBC Worldwide said it was "exploring a range of opportunities around direct-to-consumer websites and the utilisation of the BBC music archive along with other web content."
Approval is first required for the service from the BBC Worldwide board, who will be wary of accusations from the commercial sector that the Corporation is unfairly operating in the digital content space by exploiting the licence-fee funded BBC archive. However, as the BBC archive service won't directly compete with the likes of iTunes - by only selling BBC recordings, and not official album recordings - it is expected to get the go ahead.

GPS Developments in the World of Virtual Gaming

The next step – literally - in the world of gaming is the introduction of GPS on mobile handsets. One move on from the Nintendo Wii, which saw gamers get off their couches and start throwing themselves around their living rooms, this next generation of GPS game aims to get people outdoors and into the streets and parks, thereby turning their neighbourhoods into virtual playing fields.

The GPS technology – the same as you find in car satellite navigation systems - adds a new element to portable gaming, blurring the real and virtual worlds by allowing players to pinpoint their locations to within a few metres while tracking their bearing and speed. Nokia is predicting that half of all its handsets will have integrated GPS technology within 5 years.

With most GPS games now free to download from the internet, the scope of games which could be developed is almost infinite – from virtual treasure hunts and mazes, to a giant size Pacman etc. Some websites such as http://www.geocaching.com/ are already taking advantage of this new technology, where players are encouraged to hunt for real treasure as hidden by other enthusiasts using clues that have been posted online.

The health benefits of getting your backside off the sofa are obvious, but there are also clear safety issues - such as avoiding traffic and other people - which shouldn’t be forgotten!

Sam

New Research Suggests Mobile Advertising Lifts Brand Metrics and Purchase Intent

Dynamic Logic recently announced the aggregate results of mobile branding research studies which compared people exposed to the mobile campaigns to those not exposed, suggesting that mobile advertising can be an effective medium for raising brand metrics throughout the purchase funnel.

An average increase of +23.9 percentage points in Mobile Ad Awareness shows that these campaigns generally cut through and grab users' attention. Average increases in Brand Favourability and Purchase Intent of +5.4 and +4.7 percentage points, respectively, support the ability of mobile advertising to change consumers' attitudes towards a brand and to drive intent to purchase.

Mobile Advertising Impact on Brand Metrics:

Significant Metric Positive Impact (Delta % of respondents)
Mobile ad awareness 23.9%
Message association 12.2
Aided brand awareness 6.9
Brand favourability 5.4
Purchase intent 4.7

Source: Dynamic Logic AdIndex, July 2008 (Delta is % of respondents positively impacted by mobile ad exposure. Initial study considered small sample size)
N.B.: These findings are based on 21 mobile ad campaigns across a variety of industries. (Alcohol, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, CPG, Entertainment, Financial Services, Retail, Telecomm, Travel) The averages could significantly change as the number of campaigns increases, so any comparison made to them is directional.

The report posits that part of the reason for these positive increases may be a result of the newness of the medium. People may be intrigued and pay more attention to the advertising on their mobile phone since it is presented on a smaller screen and is located in a less cluttered environment compared to the Internet.

Michelle Eule, Managing Director of Dynamic Logic, says "... As we do more studies, we continue to build these initial averages into a normative database that can be used for a more granular look into the mobile data... (the) same way our... database is used for online performance benchmarking and planning."

Kevin Arrix, Senior Vice President, Digital Sales, MTVN Networks, notes that "These averages clearly demonstrate to marketers that mobile is an increasingly powerful medium for communicating ad messages and engaging with today's consumer... Having initial averages to compare a campaign's performance against can serve as a guideline to what's working and what's not in these early stages of the medium."

For more information, please visit Dynamic Logic.

Facebook……the film?!

Some latest news surrounding Facebook is that a feature film is to be made about the social networking site by Hollywood writer Aaron Sorkin.
Sorkin, who wrote “The West Wing” and “A Few Good Men” and who is famously something of a technophobe, agreed to write the film for Sony Pictures studio Columbia and has started a Facebook group talking about the project. Even though a Facebook spokesperson has denied the deal, it seems a story of the Harvard graduates who went on to found the global phenomenon which is Facebook is inevitable..

Microsoft’s latest version of Internet Explorer challenges click-through advertising

Microsoft has launched an updated version of Internet Explorer (8) to include “InPrivate” settings which allow users to visit websites without disclosing their browsing habits, thereby eliminating unwanted ads.

“InPrivate,” available on Explorer 8 and currently only in Beta version, lets users see in advance what content is being delivered from third party sites. Users can then choose to block the content, including advertising and software. Web cookies are then deleted when the tab is closed.

It certainly proves a challenge to the advertising models of its rivals, including Google’s DoubleClick, which delivers targeted advertising to users based on their browsing behaviour.

- Sam

Location Based Services Helping Your Community

http://www.seeclickfix.com

SeeClickFix is a new service that enables people to take action and fix their neighborhood. Go to the site and check out your location. This mash-up includes a list of non-urgent issues that any 'hero' can decide to tackle or solve.

You can also cordon off a specific area of interest and be updated when anything new is posted to the area.

Check it out and start giving back!

Rick

XBOX assisting in voting drive

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7576956.stm

Thanks to Alan King for sending me this link. XBOX has partnered with Rock the Vote to enable voter registration through XBOX Live!. In addition to the registration component, users will also be able to participate in polls and listing their voting intentions.

If this isn't an example of 'fish where the fish are', I don't know what is. This is a great example of an organization (Rock the Vote) realizing that in person sign ups on college campuses is not enough. Their previous work with MySpace shows that they aren't thinking in only one area as well.

What does this mean for advertising? I think that we should continue to try to work with the console manufacturers to push opportunities to get in front of their users. The gaming console is the future of the entertainment system and we should start testing messaging platforms to get ahead of the competition.

Rick

Facebook's new ad format

Latest news from the Facebook camp is that they are trialling a new advertising format called ‘engagement ads,’ dovetailing off three of the network’s common user features, ‘commenting,’ becoming a ‘fan’ and giving ‘gifts.’

Dubbed an ‘engagement ad,’ Facebook is hoping that these ads will prove to be more interactive for users than those in the standard format. The idea is that advertisers will become part of the community, interacting with users in the same way users interact with each other.

Engagement ads can be broken down into 3 categories:

Comments:
For example if a new movie is advertised, users will be able to comment in the space beneath the video, and when the ad is then served to the user’s friends, they can see the comment and add to it; also their news feed will show that their friend has commented on the ad.

Fan:
While it’s nothing new to be able to visit a brand page and become a fan, this simply allows the brand to go out across Facebook in order to draw in fans.

Gifts:
Facebook is differentiating between offering standard gifts (such as a teddy bear) and those created by advertisers. The ad-created gifts will only be distributed through the engagement ad format and will be charged on a CPM basis, plus additional fees for the level of targeting required by the advertiser.

Our initial reaction is a positive one, especially to the ‘comments’ option, as we see advertisers and publishers working harder to deliver relevant advertising to the target audience and encouraging user interaction. It will be interesting to see how advertisers choose to incentivise users to leave comments, thereby personalising future impressions.

Initial beta tests are being carried out with a select number of advertisers during September so we’ll keep an eye out for timing and development updates.

- Sam

New site to consider: Spotify

This is the first of many blog postings where, as Rick told you, we’ll be letting you know all about the cool new services and products that we have come across.

First up is an interesting new music service called Spotify. Spotify is an easy to install ad-funded music download application that allows you to access a huge number of music tracks instantly.

So what’s new about that? Well it differs from the likes of Last.FM, which has been around for a few years now, as it is not just a web-based service, but rather an application model that can be added by music fans to their desktop on PC or Mac. Users can access music as often as they want – all for free and streamed virtually instantly with no buffering time. Free to consumer and 100% legal, the service allows fans to listen to complete tracks rather than just excerpts. They can then go on to purchase the track to play on their MP3 player.

Of course as the user makes the choice of whether to add the application, advertising can be much more targeted, and will be broken down by postcode, sex, age, class, type of track and genre of music. Predominantly the age bracket of users will be 15-24 and ad formats available include audio and display (banners and towers – GIF format), with a first option on new formats for launch partners.

What’s interesting is that services such as Spotify are coming along at a time when, in order to combat piracy, the government is starting to talk to Internet Service Providers to look at ways of charging consumers an annual ‘tax’ – of up to £30 a year - to download legally as much music. Spotify is an alternative model – free streaming where you only pay for the tracks you actually want.

The service will be launching shortly and there looks set to be some interesting opportunities for our clients, so if anyone wants to have a play around with the service do let me know and I will arrange log-ins. I also have a deck with more info which I can email across.

www.spotify.com

-Sam

Intel and Yahoo Develop Widgets for TV

One of the trends which few can argue against is the convergence of media vehicles and their eventual digitization.

Yesterday's announcement from Yahoo and Intel support that trend and show that the internet and TV will continue to merge.

I would think of this as the evolution of the ticker that scrolls on the bottom of the screen on channels like CNN. Just as RSS feeds and Email is becoming more personal, so will this scrolling ticker on TV. Therefore, the stock quotes, sports scores, and news feeds will all be similar to how the user may have customized them for their computer viewing experience.

http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=328918

Creating a Dialog with Customers: Tiger Woods

Hello all,

I have been traveling the past 5 business days so apologies for the lack of content. Check out this URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ1st1Vw2kY

A gamer had posted a 'glitch' in the Electronics Arts golf game Tiger Woods 08 where Tiger could walk on water and still hit a golf ball. EA responded in a great manner while also promoting the new release for the game.

These are the types of examples which we are showcasing to our clients. EA is a large company but they are reading posts from users and responding to them in a way which drives loyalty and provides entertainment.

'Typical Day' Search Usage: U.S. data

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Search_Aug08.pdf

The Pew Internet and American Life Study just released their lastest study (see link above). It is focused on how users interact with search engines in a 'typical day'. As consolidated by Rob Garner, here are some of the top level findings below. While this is U.S. based data, I feel that these are interesting areas for us to explore in the types of people engaged with our search campaigns.

The sample group consisted of 2,251 adults, ages 18 and older, surveyed between April 8 and May 11, 2008. The big question in the survey was, "Did you happen to [use an online search engine] yesterday, or not?" -- and yielded 1,553 who said "yes."

- Since 2002, the number of Internet users who search at least once a day has risen from approximately one-third, to almost half, or 49%.

- Overall, the amount of daily search users grew 69% between 2002 and 2008.

- While coming in a close second to email in this study, search beat out other daily Internet activities such as reading the news (39%), checking the weather (30%), researching a hobby (29%), surfing for fun (28%), and visiting a social networking site (13%).

- Daily searchers are more likely to be "socially upscale" and college educated, with an income of $50,000 or more per year.- Searchers with incomes of $75,000 or more were the most active daily searchers (62%), followed by $50,000-$75,000 level, at 56%.

- Internet users with broadband connections were much more likely to search than those with dial-up at home (58% vs. 26%).- Users between the ages of 18-29 and 30-49 were higher-than-average daily searchers (55% and 54% respectively). Of searchers 65 and older, only 27% were daily search users.

- Data dating back to 2002 suggests that men who use the Internet have been more active daily search users.

- Men are generally more aware of the differences between paid and natural search. The study found that men say they have searched more frequently, and are more confident in their search abilities.

18 ways to target search on Google (The Inquisitr)

http://www.inquisitr.com/2314/18-ways-to-power-search-google/

Great article on ways that you can target your copy sets and keywords on Google:

Everyone uses Google, but most people search Google by entering the term or word they are looking for without ever using any of Google’s built in features. Google is great as it is, but as the web gets bigger even Google, once famed for its great results, is delivering poorer results for basic search terms.

Google power users know the tricks, and they aren’t hard to pick up at all. Using Google’s built in features helps you find what you’re looking for faster, and that’s always a good thing. Here’s 18 ways to power search Google that you can use today to improve your Google experience.

Not: adding a minus (-) allows you to narrow your search, for example if you wanted to search for New York but not City you’d enter New York -City

Either/or. Google looks for the combination of terms you type in, but you can tell it to look for multiple words, for example Olympic or Gold. The short cut is so Olympic Gold works as well

Specific Document Types use the modifier “filetype:” if you’re looking for documents or pictures, for example blogging filetype:pdf delivers pdf documents that include the word blogging.

Quotation marks: I use this trick regularly. If you’re looking for the exact phrase, not the words entered, do your search like this “I did but see her passing by”

Wildcard: old DOS users will remember doing directory searches using an asterisk (*) as a wildcard, and Google supports wildcard entries as well. Example: blogging *.com.au

Definitions: stuck on a word you don’t understand? in Google, it’s as simple as define:word to deliver you a list of definitions

Similar terms: ~ in front of a word tells Google to look for similar terms to that word, for example ~blog web 2.0

Site Specific Search: another shortcut I use regularly. To search within a specific site, start the query with site:name.com term. Other rules can be used in the search.

Calculator: who would have thought you could use Google as a calculator. Google supports /*-+ for a result.

Phone Listing: Want to know who your missed call was from? type phonebook:555-555-5555 for the answer. Works primarily in the United States.

Links: want to know who is linking to your blog, or even specific post? enter link:url.com into Google for the answer.

Format specific search: sometimes finding what you want in Google can be difficult, but Google offers a range of format specific search sites. Google News, Blog Search, even Video are a few Google sites you can use to find what you’re looking for.

Area Code Lookup: type in the US area code into Google to find out where the area code is.

Movies: Get the latest movie times at your local cinema by typing movie:movie name zip.

Stock Price: enter a valid stock symbol for the latest reported stock price, for example YHOO.

Music: want the details of a song? use music:song name for Music specific search on Google

Metric conversion: convert imperial measurements to metric and back again quickly via the Google search box. For example: 100 lbs in kg

Term location: use inurl:, intitle:, intext:, or inanchor: to tell Google where it should look for the term your looking for.

Cache: Google keeps a comprehensive cache database of many websites, and you can search this database by starting your search with cached:

Naturally, many of these features and more, including the ability to define the date rage for content, can be access via the advanced search link next to the Google search button.

Yahoo's Geo Location Platform: Fire Eagle

One of the trends around digital which I have been speaking to lately is the importance of Location Based Services. Each year, the media predicts that 'This will be the year for mobile!' with little to show for it.

The reason is that we cannot rely on display ads to drive the growth of the mobile space. The main driver will be experiences that supplement the user experience rather than disrupt it. See the popularity around iPhone applications if you don't believe me.

Today, Yahoo! showcased their dedication to the space by releasing Fire Eagle. The service, which can be accessed with your existing login and password, allows users to syndicate their location across a variety of services from those partners and devices which are part of the network. The example that TechCrunch used in outlining the service is:

This means that after sending a Pownce message with a geo-tagged photo, I
could have Fire Eagle automatically update my current location on my blog
and social network profile.

Current partners are SixApart, Outside.in, and Pownce. While it remains to be seen how quickly the service will take off, it is another tool that the portal is offering to users as they become more sophisticated with mobile services.

Think before Sending that Email

Hello and welcome,

For some of you, your inboxes will be breathing a sigh of relief. For others, this is a forum to start knowledge sharing within our team.

I have set up this blog as a way to communicate what we on the EMEA team are seeing in the digital marketplace. Whether it be research, news, or just overall thoughts, this is supposed to serve as a forum for all of us to stay informed. This will then, in turn, lead to better, more thoughtful campaigns for our clients.

As the editor, please feel free to send me any insights that you find relevant. I will publish them for all to see. Also, please distribute this to your teams so that everyone can benefit.

Thanks and please send feedback and comments!

Rick