Home Broadband Adoption Surges 40%
"84 million Americans connected via broadband in March--up 40 percent from 60 million one year ago. In 2002, just 10 percent of Americans had broadband at home."
Pew Internet Report
Visit the site here
Download a PDF here
Marketers Wary of Emerging Media: "While in-game advertising and advergaming has received much attention, 72 percent of marketers do not plan to use it in the next year. The story is the same for mobile marketing, which is used by 11 percent of respondents and 57 percent of whom say they do not plan to try it in the next year. Just 13 percent reported using blogs or social networks in marketing, and 49 percent said they had no plans to do so in the next year."
Volvo Stages Treasure Hunt to Promote Disney 'Pirates' Movie
"Volvo plans to stage a worldwide treasure hunt online as part of its global sponsorship of Walt Disney Co.'s much-anticipated sequel 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.'"
Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher
The pilot episode of Amazon's first-of-its-kind video talk show "broadcast" exclusively online at Amazon.com ... take that Wal-Mart Network!
Live weekly shows are shown every Thursday at 11pm ET starting June 1, 2006.
Macromedia - Macromedia Flash Player : Version Penetration
"Worldwide Ubiquity of Macromedia Flash Player by Version
(NPD Online - Worldwide Survey)"
Flash versions 5, 6 and 7 is 95% up to 98%. Version 8 is at 70%.
- Thanks to Jason Mitton for the tip.
Podbridge
More than 42 million iPod™ consumers put on-demand audio in the media mainstream. Don't be left behind - target, measure and reach them with Podbridge.
Note: Podbridge offers a method for tracking viewer/listenership within Podcasts, but it invokes a one time download to the user's computer. Veers into spyware territory. Need to watch this.
Navic Networks
Navic provides iTV solutions for all segments of the television industry. Learn more about:
For example ...
NBC'S SUMMER REALITY SHOW "LAST Comic Standing" will have both an online-only element and serve as a foray into interactive television. Comedians who don't make it to the final rounds of the broadcast version will compete weekly in stand-up battles on NBC.com. Viewers will vote for the winners. And, through a partnership with Time Warner Cable, the broadcast version will feature an iTV element. Digital cable TWC customers in 10 markets will be able to respond during the show with their remote controls to trivia questions and requests for opinions about the contestants. The iTv technology is from Navic Networks; NBC says this marks the first time a broadcast network has used this type of iTv application for a prime-time show.
U.S. Search Activity
"Americans conducted 6.6 billion searches online in April, up 4 percent from March. Google sites led the market, with 2.9 billion search queries performed, followed by Yahoo Sites (1.9 billion), MSN-Microsoft (858 million), the Time-Warner Network (457 million), and Ask Jeeves/Ask Network (384 million)."
Search Engine > Share
Google > 43.1%
Yahoo > 28%
MSN > 12.9%
Ask.com > 5.9%
Welcome to aSmallWorld
aSmallWorld is an invitation-only online community which is not open to the public. It is designed for those who already have strong connections with one another.
Membership
We have imposed certain criteria in order to keep the network private and exclusive. To join, you need to be invited by a trusted member.
If you have not received an invitation, you can ask your friends to invite you. If you have no friends who are members yet, you simply need to be patient."
TiVo's Guru Guide to help viewers sift through shows
"TiVo enlisted a team of critics, editors and experts to pick as many as 10 of the best programs in their interest areas for each week and update their lists at least once a month. TiVo users who share their interests can elect to have the shows recorded and have a selection ready whenever they sit down."
Vocalpoint
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is recruiting [600,000] influential moms to be a part of an exclusive group of online women who will gain insider information about the latest and greatest new products and services. Originally offered in a few select markets, P&G is now opening this exciting opportunity to moms across the nation.
P&G press release here
BusinessWeek article here
(Thanks Sanjay for the tip.)
Urban Retail Properties And MGM To Launch Global Theme Projects
MAY 22, 2006 -- Urban Retail Properties, Chicago, will soon announce a plan to partner with MGM to develop retail theme projects to launch in the United States and in South Korea and China. According to Retail Traffic, MGM and Urban Retail Properties plan to build six mixed-use projects that will take their theme from MGM's movie television properties. The first confirmed project will launch in Buson, Korea in 2009 or 2010, featuring a 700-acre theme park based on MGM's intellectual properties, consumer products and film library. Ross Glickma, Urban's chairman and CEO, told Retail Traffic the projects will have restaurants, stores, on-site film academies and other attractions based on MGM's 4,200-film library and television properties. Thinkwell Design & Production, known for their themed-retail environments, will also be working with Urban Retail Properties and MGM. "
Note: Looks like retail purchases and research is moving online while retail "experiences" are growing into big, big multimedia extravaganzas.
For Tiny Screens, Some Big Dreams - New York Times
Contact me directly to view the article if you don't have access to the New York Times online. Net pioneer Trip Hawkins is still at it. Now his passion is mobile phone gaming.
(Note from Wikipedia: Hawkins was the Director of Strategy and Marketing at Apple Computer in 1982 when he left to found Electronic Arts (EA), a video game publisher. Electronic Arts had a successful run for many years under Hawkins' leadership. It is now the world's largest video game publisher.)
Survey: Product Instruction Sets Off Spending
"CONSUMERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO open their wallets for companies that offer useful product and service tutorials online. That's according to a survey of some 200,000 consumers to be released today by Next Generation Media, and commissioned by Powered, Inc.
One in five respondents said pointed educational offerings would get them to buy a particular product or service, while nine in ten said they would tell a friend about the deal. Citing its 'gratitude effect' theory, Next Generation calculates that helpful freebees are 29 times more likely to sell products or services than generic media advertising, and five times more effective than direct marketing."
Global Broadband Usage - 05/19/2006: "The U.S. continues to lead the world in terms of sheer numbers of Internet users and broadband households, with 175 million Web users and 43.7 million broadband households. "
The Break-Up on Google Video
Search giant Google today kicked off a promotion for the Paramount Pictures production "The Break-Up," soliciting Google Video users for videos on the subject of their own bad breakups, and posting them to a special section of the video search engine.
Arbitron: On-Demand Follows Online Trends
- 51 million Americans had a 'heavy preference' for on-demand consumption versus 27 million a year ago
- 22 percent of the population at large owns MP3 players
- 62 percent of Internet users ages 18-27 use instant messaging; 37 percent among users ages 28-39
TiVo Signs First Upfront Deal With Major Advertising Holding Company: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "'TiVo offers an interactive advertising solution that enables the consumer to pause television and engage in a branded advertising experience, without missing even a second of the TV show a viewer is watching. We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with Interpublic and look forward to capitalizing on their intellectual capital, experience and relationships in the future.'"
Growth In RSS
A NEW REPORT FROM JUPITERRESEARCH finds that 63 percent of big companies plan to syndicate content via Really Simple Syndication by the end of 2006. "
The Games People Play: Resigned To Carry More Ads
Game sites reached 71.6 million consumers during April 2006, nearly 50 percent of the Internet universe, according to comScore's data. Among them, 25 percent are deemed heavy gamers (people who play 15 or more ours a week on two ore more game platforms). About 17 percent of gamers fall into the coveted 18- to 24-year-old demo, while 23 percent are ages 35 to 44. Games tend to be in higher income homes and are equally split along gender lines.
Great Flash Sites
(Thanks Cyndi ...)
- BILLYHARVEY.COM
- The studio/agency that made it ... SOFAKE
- Leo Burnett
InternetRetailer.com - Daily News for Friday,?May?12, 2006: A majority of U.S. online teens have shopped on the web, Forrester says
"86% of U.S. online consumers ages 18 to 21 and 52% of teens under 18 have shopped online, according to a new study from Forrester Research. Older teens had more spending power—about $193 per month—compared with $76 for younger teens, the study found.
In addition, older teens spend an average of more than 15 hours online each week and have been using the Internet for an average of nearly seven years, according to the study. Of teens 18 to 21, 87% go online weekly and 13% go online monthly.
The majority of online teens also have access to broadband—86% of younger teens and 90% of older teens, Forrester said. Studies have shown that consumers who use broadband spend more online."
High-Def Could Choke Internet, ISPs Fear
"Most home Internet use is in brief bursts - an e-mail here, a Web page there. If people start watching streaming video like they watch TV - for hours at a time - that puts a strain on the Internet that it wasn't designed for, ISPs say, and beefing up the Internet's capacity to prevent that will be expensive.
"
Social Networks Attract Nearly Half Of All Web Users
"MySpace, owned by News Corp. and a favorite among teens and young adults, topped the list with a year-over-year growth rate of 367 percent to 38.4 million unique users. Blogger, owned by Google Inc., was second with 18.5 million visitors and an 80 percent growth rate.
Classmates Online grew 10 percent to 12.9 million visitors, and YouTube and Microsoft's MSN Groups, which saw a 14 percent drop in visitors, rounded out the top five with 12.5 million and 10.6 million, respectively."
MTV Launches Online Music, Video Store - Yahoo! News
"At launch, URGE will have more than 2 million tracks, which can be purchased individually at 99 cents or as full albums starting at around $9.95.
The service also will offer unlimited downloads at a monthly rate of $9.95, or $14.95 for the ability to transfer songs to any of more than 100 compatible portable music players.
Initially, URGE will also feature streaming videos, with video downloads becoming available for purchase later this year."
OnSpot Digital Network Launches At Simon Malls
"The network will broadcast content in high-definition on nearly 2,000 screens at 50 Simon Malls covering most of the nation's Top 10 markets by the end of the summer. OnSpot enhances the shopping experience by airing messages not only visually but audibly and by airing content designed specifically for these point-of-sale locations. OnSpot's state-of-the-art, digital, high-definition screens will be positioned at strategic locations throughout the malls, including major entrances, center courts, food courts, escalators, major corridors and other high traffic areas, to ensure high frequency and optimal consumer contact. OnSpot segments will incorporate lifestyle, news, entertainment, shopping center and advertising content that will appeal to an estimated 500 million shopper visits per year at the 50 malls served by the new network."
Study: Goodbye Purchase Funnel, Hello 'Tumbler'
New research from Yahoo and OMD finds a cultural shift in how consumers use technology to make purchasing decisions. A study released today called the "Long and Winding Road: The Route to the Cash Register" identifies four paths, or product research cycles, consumers follow as they proceed to purchases.
The study breaks purchase paths into four categories: quick paths, winding paths, long paths and long and winding paths. Quick paths are characterized by little research and are used for impulse buys or routine consumer packaged goods purchases. A winding path indicates cross-channel comparison shopping, such as for retail goods. The long path often takes place in just one channel, but is lengthy because the consumer is waiting for an event such as a price drop or the availability of a new model.
Philips Bodygroom
Be sure to mouse over the razor in the left corner to see Testimonials, a Music Video (hilarious!) and more ...
YouTube Bows Mobile Uploading
"POPULAR VIDEO SHARING SITE YOUTUBE Wednesday debuted a new service that allows people to upload videos from mobile phones and PDAs. Currently, the service is available to users with phone service from Cingular, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Users also must have mobile phones that are capable of taking video and sending multimedia messaging service, or MMS, messages."
Airships, Blimps and Aerial Advertising: The Lightship Group
Lightship Group unveiled their A-170 Lightsign Airship. Instead of a static logo on the side of the blimp they’ve incorporated a high-quality LED screen measuring 30 by 70 feet capable of displaying over 30,000 pixels. While it’s limited to a single color in the daytime in order to be visible in the sunlight at night the airship’s screen works in full color making it hard to miss. It’s capable of broadcasting a wide variety of media as well from live TV events to stock tickers to slide shows.
While the airship has received FAA approval and has completed testing the Lightship Group is still researching the market demand so it will unfortunately be a while before we see these take flight.
Kameleon
Blu-casting vendor from France. Refer back to this as needed. Unfortunately ... requires app download to user's phone. Bummer.
See this link.
Brightcove
"Brightcove and TiVo will phase in a number of content partners and new downloading capabilities for a number of possible content partners of TiVo's going forward. The partnership will provide a method for almost any publisher of broadband video using Brightcove's Internet TV services to distribute content to TiVo subscribers. It also opens the possibility of monetizing the distribution through advertising, subscription plans, or pay-per-view. Initially, all content will be offered for free to TiVo subscribers and may carry advertising within the content."
Skype Readies Version 2.5
Skype Casting
The Skypecasts conference service allows online communities to schedule calls that anyone around the world can join. The service is currently being tested by select Skype partners but a beta version for the general public will be launched soon, Skype said.
The Skypecasts Web site lists scheduled calls and in-progress calls. Hosting and calling into a Skypecast is free for registered Skype users. The host can mute and enable participants to speak and also eject callers, Skype said.
Six Apart, the developer of blogging software and a pilot user, is promoting Skypecasts as part of the offering, Skype said. The idea is for bloggers to schedule Skypecasts or promote other scheduled Skypecasts and invite visitors to their blogs to participate in the calls. Any blog or Web site that supports HTML snippets will be able to include a link to a Skypecast, allowing visitors to join the call without leaving the blog site.
Bloggers may be particularly interested in using Skypecasts as a way to add a live audio conversation component to their blogs, according to Alistair Shrimpton, market development manager for the U.K., Ireland, and Holland for Skype. 'Blogs are an online conversation. [Skypecasts] are real-time conversations,' he said. People who run blogs will be able to control and manage Skypecasts in the same way that they control and manage their blogs, he added.
Skypecasts are expected to appeal more to social communities than to business groups because they're open to anyone, Shrimpton said. Skype already offers a conference call feature, which is more attractive to business users, he noted."
Mobile advertising firm Greystripe has created a network of ad-monetized mobile games, which allows advertisers to place display or video spots before or after users download popular casual games to their mobile phones, the company announced today at the E3 video game convention in San Francisco.
Clear Channel Sets New Digital Network In Vegas
"CLEAR CHANNEL OUTDOOR THIS MORNING announced the launch of a new network of digital LED displays in Las Vegas that is projected will reach 36.7 million visitors annually. Eight ad messages will run in a continuous loop of seven-second segments on each display, guaranteeing advertiser's 1,440 exposures per day."
Press release by Clear Channel - Here
The 1UP Show Site on 1UP.com
"1UP's new weekly show on the latest and greatest from the world of gaming. Each week, the editors of 1UP cover new titles and discuss the latest topics in gaming - all the while giving you a behind the scenes look at the on goings at the offices of 1UP, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Gaming World, and the Official. U.S. PlayStation Magazine. It's like videogame TV, but on the web. And delivered with a special 1UP panache. Stay tuned each Friday for new episodes! "
Third Screen to Unveil '@plan For Mobile'
"Mobile technology and media company Third Screen Media is taking the wraps off its mobile ad management tool for agencies, which works with a similar module for publishers that launched in January.
MADX Agency is designed to allow agencies to research, plan and buy mobile media from participating publishers across carriers. It also lets users upload and test creative, in addition to delivering ads and managing campaigns on WAP, SMS, MMS, mobile video and in downloadable applications, according to the company."
BBC NEWS | Technology | Cash card taps virtual game funds: "A real world cash card that allows gamers to spend money earned in a virtual universe has been launched.
Gamers can use the card at cash machines around the world to convert virtual dollars into real currency.
The card is offered by the developers of Project Entropia, an online role-playing game that has a real world cash economy.
Last year, a virtual space resort being built in the game was snapped up by a gamer for $100,000 (?56,200).
"
Podbridge: "May 3, 2006 - Podbridge extends Podcast audience measurement and advertising network to include video content"
Current Gets $130M For Broadband-Over-Power Lines - 05/05/2006
"Current Gets $130M For Broadband-Over-Power Lines
Friday, May 5, 2006 6:00 AM EST
CURRENT COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH HOPES TO build out broadband-over-power lines, has received $130 million in new funding from investors including General Electric Co., Internet service provider EarthLink, Texas utility TXU Corp. and Sensus Metering Systems Ltd. The Germantown, Md,-based Current Communications is rolling out a network that provides broadband access through electric lines. Last July, Current Communications said it received a $100 million investment from search company Google, publisher Hearst Corp. and financial institution Goldman, Sachs & Co."
CBS.com - Innertube
The "Tiffany Network" joins MTV's Overdrive in the broadband-casting arena with "Innertube." Replay CBS shows plus exlcusive original content.
Vibrant Media
IntelliTXT contextual advertising lets advertisers buy hyperlinks embedded in the body copy of articles and content on sites. Click to see a simple demo.
Warner Bros to offer movie downloads via BitTorrent
"It used to be the enemy of Hollywood, now BitTorrent is to become its saviour but today, BitTorrent, the peer-to-peer technology that allows the quick distribution of large files has turned good.
Warner Bros has today announced an agreement with BitTorrent to become the first major studio to provide legal video content via the BitTorrent publishing platform.
Content published with BitTorrent will be available on the BitTorrent.com website and feature downloadable programming.
The service is intended to launch in summer of 2006 and will initially feature more than 200 Warner Bros. new releases, catalogue favourites and television series. "
Microsoft To Integrate Massive Into Xbox Live - 05/08/2006
Dispatch from the Land of "Duh"!
Smart Marketers to Watch - Chapter 01
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES BLOG
http://www.blogsouthwest.com/
The question of how a blog (or blogging in general) can promote or advertise a brand and/or its business remains ... ummmm ... unanswered. Here, from Southwest Airlines, is a great example of doing it well.
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