Mobile Social Networking Gains Momentum

A growing number of global mobile phone users are accessing social networks over the mobile internet, according to research from Nielsen Mobile - via MarketingCharts. In the US, over 4 million do so each month, Nielsen said. That's 1.6 percent of all US mobile subscribers. The UK leads Europe with 812,000 - or 1.7 percent of […]

Posted: Friday, May 9th, 2008

Search Rankings for Europe Issued, Russian Engine Beats Yahoo, Microsoft

Google leads in the European search market with more than 19 billion searches conducted in March - or 79 percent of the market - according to the comScore qSearch 2.0 rankings (via MarketingCharts). No. 3 Yandex of Russia outpaced both Yahoo and Microsoft, the data showed . Eastern Europe Search Players a Factor Google's top position […]

Posted: Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Media, Entertainment Execs: Digital Is the Future - but How to Get There?

Media and entertainment companies generally agree about how the digital market is evolving, where the opportunities lie and what will drive revenues over the next five years. But execution remains an issue, according to an Accenture survey, MarketingCharts writes. Accenture's 2008 Global Media Content Survey — its third annual survey of over 100 senior executives in the […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 5/1/08

Ad Networks and Analytics: MediaBank released v2.0 of its analytics platform, adding widgets and other new formats into the system, and decreasing reliance on manual information entry. One True Media is adding Spot Mixer, a DIY video ad creation tool, to its arsenal. Google might relaunch MeasureMap, a blog analytics service it has quietly owned, as an add-on […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Mobile Phone Market to Grow Despite Downturn, Nokia Top Vendor Worldwide

Mobile phone vendors experienced a lull in 1Q08, shipping just 291.6 million units — an 11.6 percent downturn from the 330.8 million units shipped during the busy holiday quarter (4Q07), according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, writes MarketingCharts. However, first-quarter numbers were 14.3 percent more than the number of units (255.0 million) shipped […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 4/29/08

Ad Buying, Planning and Selling: Media service agency KSL Media is launching eWorld Asset Trading, allowing for the bartering of surplus for ad inventory. Emmis Communications is opening its Emmis Interactive online ad production and sales unit to other radio stations. It's already signed a Pittsburgh broadcaster as its first outside client. Ad Networks and Analytics: Video ad network […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

'Permission Email' Appreciated, but a Good Chunk Ends up Junked

58 percent of consumers say email is a great way for companies to stay in touch (up from 45 percent a year ago), but only 77 percent of invited email successfully make it to the inbox, according to (pdf) an email study by Harris Interactive (with Merkle) and another by Lyris, Inc (via MarketingCharts). Permission-based […]

Posted: Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Fractured European IAB to Unite, Form Single Charter

European chapters of the Interactive Advertising Bureau will be meeting next month to discuss the possibility of forming a unified body. There are currently 15 independent IAB groups across Europe. The divided sects aspire to create a constitution redefining the organization's purpose. One item on the agenda will be to expand the IAB's reach into […]

Posted: Thursday, April 24th, 2008

British Lawmakers Levy for 'iPod Tax'

The UK music industry is pushing for a tax on music uploaded to portable devices like iPods, reports The Globe and Mail. The so-called "iPod Tax" would tax users that port music from a personal computer to a portable music player, even if they purchased that music in CD form or on iTunes. It is the […]

Posted: Friday, April 18th, 2008

UK Internet Ad Spend Up 38%, to Overtake TV in '09

Online advertising in the UK grew from the smallest sector in 2003, to the third-largest in 2007, with more than £2.8 billion in expenditures — a 38 percent year-on-year increase — and a market share of 15.3 percent (up from 11.4 percent in '06), according to findings released this week, MarketingCharts writes. Online looks set […]

Posted: Monday, April 14th, 2008

UK Broadband Not 'Super Fast,' High-Speed Users Prefer Practical Sites

Despite ISP assertions that "Super Fast" broadband is standard, just 3 percent of Britons enjoy a connection speed of over 8Mb per second — as many as are connected by "dial-up speed" (less than 128Kbps) — according to (PDF) Nielsen Online, reports MarketingCharts. The connection speed of most online Britons (52 percent) is between 512Kbps and […]

Posted: Friday, April 11th, 2008

Publishers Get 'Net-Smart; Undercut Amazon Book Rates

UK-based publishers like Penguin and Bloomsbury have begun discounting books on their own websites, incentivizing customers to buy straight from the source instead of through Amazon. The move parallels a price flexibility trend among retail vendors concerned about the US economy. It may also be a quiet commentary on Amazon, which first made its mark by […]

Posted: Thursday, April 10th, 2008

UK's Online Spend to Top TV This Year

Online ad spend in the UK rose 38 percent in 2007 and is expected to surpass TV spend this year, reports BusinessWeek. According to a joint study from the Internet Advertising Bureau and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, online budgets hit 2.8 billion pounds in 2007, up 38 percent from the 2006 level and the second-largest portion of ad budgets […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 4/8/08

Ad Networks and Analytics: NAVTEQ will use Operative's software and platform to manage ad inventory on its online and mobile properties, including Traffic.com. Ad optimization service PubMatic introduced the AdPrice Index, which measures eCPM on its network of publisher sites. The first report shows niche sites have a higher eCPM and social networks have lower ones, which […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Olympics Channel Launches Amid Strikes in Beijing, Torch Trouble in Paris

The NewsMarket debuted the Beijing 2008 Olympics Channel today. The destination will provide free news content about the Beijing games in both English and Chinese. It will also include video for use by journalists and bloggers. The page went live despite drama about the pending state of internet access over the course of the Games. According […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

UK Advertisers to Spend Over £5B Online by 2012

Advertisers will spend £3.4 billion in 2008, up 27% from 2007 levels, and will continue double-digit growth through 2010, passing £4.3 billion in 2010 and exceeding £5 billion in 2012, according to online ad spending data released by eMarketer, MarketingCharts writes. Internet advertising should hold its own in the UK, and may even consolidate gains […]

Posted: Monday, April 7th, 2008

ZenithOptimedia Ad Forecast: Boom in Developing Markets, Gloom in West

In its first ad expense forecasts of '08, ZenithOptimedia downgraded combined growth forecasts for North America and Western Europe from 4.4 percent to 3.8 percent, as the credit crunch drains consumer and business confidence, reports MarketingCharts. Growth continues to strengthen elsewhere. Zenith increased its 2008 forecasts for the rest of the world from 10.9 percent […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

comScore Issues Top UK Web Rankings for February

comScore issued its February rankings of the largest UK internet properties and fastest-growing sites and categories. The rankings are based on data from its World Metrix audience measurement service, MarketingCharts reports. Among the highlights (also see tables below): Google Sites remained the leader in number of visitors, with no rank changes in the top 5 from Jan. […]

Posted: Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Internet Addiction: A Bonafide Mental Illness? Yes, Some Say

Compulsive texters and emailers may soon become labeled sufferers of internet addiction, a potential illness whose cred is growing in mental health sector. An editorial in this month's American Journal of Psychiatry says internet addiction, which includes "excessive gaming, sexual pre-occupations, and email/text messaging," is a common compulsive-impulsive disorder that should be added to psychiatry's official […]

Posted: Monday, March 24th, 2008

Location-Based Games Combat Child Obesity

UK-based LocoMatrix is developing a gaming system that combats obesity by encouraging kids to play outside. Kids engage the games with a GPS-enabled phone, reports Springwise. Fruit Farmer, for example, makes use of "real environments" like beaches or parks. Kids are sent to collect virtual oranges while avoiding obstacles like killer wasps. The service is free while in […]

Posted: Monday, March 24th, 2008