Industry News - September, 2007

Viral and grass-roots marketing is a useful avenue for small businesses but it can be a double-edged sword according to a spokesman for entertainment, recreation and gaming site Kontraband.

One of the biggest ways in which information is communicated online is from user to user, instead of from content producer to user, and legal and accountancy firms should take this grass-roots method into account.

A spokesman for Kontraband said that the main advantage of creating forums or ... more...

A study has shown that growth and profitability is strongest in companies that give marketing a strategic role within the business.

Three marketing strategists have published CMO Thought Leaders: The Rise of the Strategic Marketer, in which they claim to have found that the elevation of marketing to a strategic level can help businesses improve their performance.

The findings contradict an article published earlier this year entitled CMOs Rapped for Having Zero Impact on Sales,... more...

Banks and insurance companies may not have to pay for contextual advertising as it has been claimed that out-of-context ads can be as efficient.

Specifically targeted contextual ads have long been touted as the best way to reach online customers but new research questions this received knowledge.

A study by Yahoo! and MediaVest discovered that ads displayed out of context - not close to product-related content - had a similar impact on consumers.

The tests were conduct... more...

Search engines do not deserve the credit for driving traffic to bank and insurance company websites, according to a Microsoft advertising executive.

Brian McAndrews, who used to run aQuantive, the advertising company that Microsoft bought last month for $6 billion (£2.9 billion) and is now in charge of developing Microsoft's strategy to rival Google for advertising revenue, said that a new system needs to be developed.

Mr McAndrews' system, dubbed 'conversion attribution',... more...

Banks and insurance companies which want to target teens, students and travellers can now reach the demographic on the move after a mobile phone network paid for by advertising was launched.

Blyk, the new UK-based mobile virtual network operator, will offer 16 to 24-year-olds who accept to receive ads on their handsets free talk time and texts.

This is the latest in a move to target young customers on their mobiles, with MySpace announcing free ad-supported mobile access and Go... more...

Small accountancy firms need an online presence to reach customers who increasingly use the internet to search for products, an industry source claimed.

Adam Wayland, of Smallbusiness.co.uk expressed surprise at UK Online figures revealing that two thirds of small businesses with less than ten employees did not have an internet connection, email or website.

UK Online figures also said that 51 per cent of the companies that do have an internet connection do not have a company we... more...

Banks do not yet have to worry about software that could block their adverts from individual users, according to experts.

The Adblock add-in to the Firefox browser allows internet users to eliminate banners, flash content and rich media messages from their surfing experience.

Firefox is a highly customisable browser, with applications created by a network of programmers. Among other applications are script blockers, the ability to block adverts on YouTube and a program that put... more...

Insurance companies who are perceived as exposing customers' private information to security breaches or theft could see angry consumers spreading their dissatisfaction by word of mouth, according to a new study.

A survey by Creditexpert.co.uk has revealed that 52 per cent of customers would go out of their way to damage the reputation of a company that failed to keep their personal information safe.

Recent high profile data security breaches, such as the theft of millions of c... more...