Industry News - September, 2008

Standard Life has turned to the internet to help in its campaign to trace the owners of hundreds of millions of pounds of unclaimed shares.

The financial services company is searching for 200,000 individuals for almost £184 million in unclaimed shares and cash.

According to the firm, the quests to find the rightful owners will take in countries as diverse as Zambia, Tanzania, Iceland, the Bahamas and Israel with specialists Georgeson ch... more...

Companies are still failing to provide concise and relevant information in the About Us sections of their websites, it has been discovered.

According to a study conducted by useit.com, the opportunities that company information pages provide for financial services marketing are too often being missed by firms.

The site studied a range of firms, including financial services giant Citigroup, with representatives charged with finding ... more...

Employing online lead generation gives companies greater control over their online marketing activities, it has been claimed.

The managing director of Goallover Robin Caller has asserted that lead generation is recommended for financial services marketing since it means that it is easier to quantify how effective a campaign is proving for its outlay to the company.

Mr Caller also outlined the extent to which more...

Barclaycard is to introduce a new logo for use in its internet marketing campaigns, as part of its drive to reposition itself in the financial services market.

The new insignia will be used in the company's financial services marketing campaign and forms a key part of the drive to change the perception of the brand from a provider of credit cards to a wider payments company.

Marketing agency Brand U... more...

The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) has stepped up its commitment to online marketing with the announcement that it is returning to online virtual world Second Life.

Tax Anderton, an imaginary character, will be representing the CIOT and will be answering questions from an invited audience on all aspects of taxation in Second Life.

Among the topics set to be covered are what is taxable when trading in a virtual world as well as the tax implications of exchanging a virt... more...

Companies have been urged to begin a review of their internet marketing budgets for next year, to enable them to best capitalise on the credit crunch.

Jack Wellington issued the warning in an article on web resource AIB UK in which he claimed that search marketing is a "safe bet" for a return and urged companies to consult their marketing agency to maximise the effectiveness of their campaigns.

The soundness of the investment in more...

More and more Britons are heading online for advice in the face of mounting pressure on household finances, new research has shown.

According to Hitwise, the changing habits have been brought about by the credit crunch's spread from the financial sector to other areas of the economy, as well soaring bills and higher rates on debt repayments
The findings suggest that the crunch presents an excellent opportunity for financial and professional services companies to target consumers wi... more...

IFA Life has announced it is teaming up with Standards International to help independent financial advisers (IFAs) attain relevant qualifications.

Under the agreement, Standards International will sponsor the professionalism forum on the financial social network as part of a subtle but targeted financial services marketing campaign.

The campaign is aimed at assisting pioneering best practice and assisting users in attainin... more...