Welcome to FWD Digital’s summary of what’s happening in digital marketing – some of the big digital stories that affect the UK and what’s going on in the financial services and insurance markets. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to FWD Digital’s summary of what’s happening in digital marketing – some of the big digital stories that affect the UK and what’s going on in the financial services and insurance markets.

General News

Regulator to probe Apple developer agreement

The FTC will examine whether the terms unfairly exclude mobile app developers from using third-party ad networks that rival Apple’s own iAd network. (14/06/2010)

NMA.co.uk

YouTube gets highest VOD views in May

YouTube saw a 3% rise in traffic to 17.4m unique users in May, nearly triple the BBC iPlayer’s traffic. (14/06/2010)

NMA.co.uk

Five million UK adults will watch World Cup online

More than 5m UK adults plan to watch the World Cup online, according to research by Starcom Mediavest Group. (11/06/2010)

NMA.co.uk

Facebook ‘quadruples’ number of advertisers over a year

Facebook’s vice-president of global sales Mike Murphy has said that it more than quadrupled the number of its advertiser clients since the start of 2009 and claimed it has become “absolutely core to marketing campaigns”. (03/06/2010)

MarketingMagazine.co.uk

Research: Most Americans start day with email- not search or social networks

According to a study released today by ExactTarget, 58 percent check their e-mail, while 20 percent go first to a search engine or portal site and 11 percent start with Facebook. (14/06/2010)

NetImperitive.com

Coke cuts websites to focus on contact via social networks

Coca-Cola is slashing its number of websites to two online hubs and will instead be focusing its brand activity on social networks. (09/06/2010)

MarketingWeek.co.uk

Financial Services Digital Marketing News

Visa rolls out first UK social media campaign

Visa has launched its first major UK social media drive, as part of a competition allowing customers to describe and win their ultimate football-viewing experience. (09/06/2010)

MarketingMagazine.co.uk

Aviva launches ‘Tell us your story’ campaign

Aviva has unveiled an integrated marketing campaign called “Tell Us Your Story” that aims to engage consumers by associating with their lifestyles. (08/06/2010)

FinancialMarketing.co.uk

The FSA is watching you

In the Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) latest review of new media, the FSA found that some financial promotions lacked risk warnings. (10/06/2010)

FTadviser.com

Start-up claims motor insurance first with Moneysupermarket

A new motor insurer which claims to be the first in the world to charge all its customers solely by the number of miles and the way they drive, is targeting young, newly-qualified motorists and their parents. (14/06/2010)

PostOnline.co.uk

Welcome to FWD Digital’s summary of what’s happening in digital marketing – some of the big digital stories that affect the UK and what’s going on in the financial services and insurance markets.

General News

UK users growing more cautious on social networks

UK internet users are becoming more cautious about what personal details they reveal on social networks and more savvy about security issues, according to Ofcom’s Media Literacy report released today. (17/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/9UHPbc (NMA.co.uk)

YouTube at five- 2billion views a day

Video sharing website YouTube now gets more than two billion hits daily. (17/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/9L7i5h (BBC.co.uk)

Facebook becomes biggest publisher of display ads in US

Facebook has overtaken Yahoo to become the top publisher of display ads online in the US, according to ComScore.  Facebook delivered 176.3bn display ads to US users in the first three months of 2010, a 16.2% market share, more than double its share a year ago. (14/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/cnfh62 (NMA.co.uk)

Poor targeting and lack of consumer data hampers email marketing

New research jointly published by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and fast.MAP has revealed poor targeting and a lack of understanding of consumers’ email usage as the central challenges for email marketing practitioners. (14/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/cubcx4 (netimperitive.com)

Google imitates rivals with search results revamp

Google has updated the way it presents its search results, in a bid to make the information more relevant and simpler. The new layout includes features that are already being employed by its rivals such as Bing, Yahoo and Ask. (07/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/bR0l97 (netimperitive.com)

Google aims to offer internet on your TV

Google is set to move into the living room with a computer operating system that will bring the internet to home televisions. The company is working with the chipmaker Intel and Sony, the electronics giant, to introduce Google TV this week at a conference for 3,000 Google software developers in San Francisco. (07/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/aCSU9x (TimesOnline.co.uk)

Financial Services Digital Marketing News

RBS to ‘personalise’ customer web experience

Royal Bank of Scotland is to overhaul its global digital presence to offer users a more personalised online experience. (11/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/a3Lej5 (FinancialMarketing.org.uk)

American Express tops feel-good survey of digital outdoor ads

An American Express ad, ‘It’s not just for posh nosh’, achieved the highest feel-good score of nine ads used in research into the engagement levels of digital outdoor ads conducted by Clear Channel Outdoor and Kinetic. (11/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/cZ4pHs (FinancialMarketing.org.uk)

ABI calls for simplified IT-driven advice

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has today (18 May) launched proposals designed to give more consumers better access to simple and affordable financial advice. (17/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/bTNRnD (FTadviser.com)

Commercial insurance on aggregator radar

A report by Defaqto has revealed 65% of the top 20 financial price comparison websites already provide access to business insurance either as introducers to various online providers or by providing quotations through a limited panel of insurers. (17/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/cLG4w3 (PostOnline.co.uk)

Octagon enters van insurance market

Octagon Insurance has launched a van policy that will be sold via the price comparison site Go Compare. (10/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/bf2l45 (PostOnline.co.uk)

L&G launches website for group protection

The new site is designed for advisers combining all of L&G’s employee benefit propositions across protection, pensions and savings. It aims to help advisers boost business in the corporate market, maximise the cross selling opportunities and give a better service to their clients. (20/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/b1tx0L (MoneyMarketing.co.uk)

First Direct hopes iPhone apps can match its web service

First Direct is to launch its first iPhone apps as it looks to replicate on mobile the interaction it has with customers via the web.  The online bank is developing a transactional banking app as well as one based on its online customer community, Little Black Book, according to Paul Say, head of marketing at First Direct. (06/05/2010)

http://bit.ly/b0Ts3R (mad.co.uk)

Welcome to FWD Digital’s summary of what’s happening in digital marketing – some of the big digital stories that affect the UK and what’s going on in the financial services and insurance markets.

General Digital News

Web, mobiles and mags step up to electronic ads onslaught

For some time now, websites have had the ability to track your surfing habits, to determine which advertisement they should show you. But technology-enhanced advertising is suddenly about to get a lot more personal. (19/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/bew8f2

Marketing spend rises for first time in ten quarters

Marketing budgets have been revised upwards for the first time since 2007, with the web still leading the way, according to the latest IPA/BDO Bellwether survey. (19/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/dBuF7p

Brands react with interest to Twitter ad opportunities

UK brands and agencies are exploring opportunities on Twitter after it unveiled its ad model this week, but have expressed caution over its impact on their bottom line. (15/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/bhXZ1k

Apple announces iAd Mobile Advertising Platform

Today during its iPhone 4.0 developer preview, Steve Jobs announced Apple’s much-anticipated mobile advertising platform, iAd. This has been expected since Apple acquired mobile ad platform Quattro Wireless, after having AdMob snatched away by Google. (08/04/2010)

http://tcrn.ch/a5TIEf

Facebook ramps up fan and community pages

Facebook is updating its website to highlight pages for bands, books and businesses, encouraging users to become fans of their listed interests. (20/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/cVs6SG

Financial Services Digital Marketing News

Digital ad spend for financial firms rose in 2009

Financial firms increased their spend on online advertising in 2009, despite generally cutting their overall media spend. As many advertisers were forced to cut back last year, so media owners probably comforted themselves with the thought that no part of the industry was immune to the effects of the UK’s deepest recession since the 30s.   (13/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/awl626

Focus: Promoting brokers online

Many brokers are still reluctant to dip their toes in the digital waters to market themselves, yet it can be more cost-effective than traditional methods writes Darren Davidson. (08/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/bI0tWl

Swiftcover.com to sponsor Absolute Radio live

LONDON – Insurance brand Swiftcover.com has signed a year long deal to sponsor Absolute Radio’s live music proposition, Absolute Radio Live. Starting next Monday (26 April), the sponsorship is designed to connect Absolute Radio’s live music listeners with Swiftcover.com’s “Get a Life” brand positioning and its ads starring rock legend Iggy Pop. (19/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/aOfXTV

Churchill launches digital iPhone App

Insurance brand Churchill is rolling out a light-hearted iPhone app to help consumers make tough decisions.  Users can ask the brand’s bulldog mascot any question, such as whether to meet up with friends or take a sick day from work, and he will answer in his customary manner: “Oh, yes!” or “Oh, no!”. (22/03/2010)

http://bit.ly/9kG0ep

L&G launches exclusives tool for mortgage advisors

Legal & General Mortgage Club has launched a desktop tool for its directly authorised advisers which alerts them to new exclusive mortgage products. (16/04/2010)

http://bit.ly/csYBUd