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
Thursday 28 August 2008
Wednesday 27 August 2008
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
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
Tuesday 26 August 2008
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
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
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
Friday 22 August 2008
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
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
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
Thursday 21 August 2008
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.
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.
Thursday 14 August 2008
'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.
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.
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.
Wednesday 13 August 2008
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:
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
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
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