It’s hard to tell exactly from the ComScore figures but it does not look good so far for Mr Murdoch. However, it is still relatively new and the changes did come into play over the summer months so the industry will wait longer before making any judgements.

Follow the link below to read the full article.

Times loses 1.2 million readers – Brand Republic News.

With the news that Swiftcover.com has entered the in-game advertising world, does this mean we are going to see more mainstream advertisers do the same?

The article refers to Nielsen stats that show 72% of gamers recall seeing in-game ads. With such high recall rates of a target audience that is hard to reach, this could provide an interesting avenue for advertisers.

Unlike books and magazines, which have never really taken off in the digital world, hard news has been very well received. Reading a novel is an experience to be savored; reading the news is just the absorption of information.

Books will probably never die because the experience of settling down and reading one makes it worth it. But newspapers are merely a delivery format of information. What the iPad and other similar devices have done is create a whole new format which fits nicely with the modern generation. A generation that would rather gets its information digitally than in print.

Regardless of what the delivery format is however, newspaper publishers can’t escape the most critical issue: content. The reason many mainstream publishers are losing subscribers is because consumers are no longer interested in their content. By contrast, the “alternate media” is booming because they are providing what people want. At the end of the day the newspaper industry may change format, but survival depends on figuring out what readers want and giving it to them. iPad or otherwise.

However, such attempts have been largely pedestrian, with Google using techniques, models and aesthetics similar to their online advertising program, and Microsoft utilizing a more direct-marketing approach to connect businesses with customers through their proprietary mobile platform, “Toast.” The iAd is by far the most innovative mobile marketing strategy, and only time will tell if it pans out for Apple.

It operates using a hybrid of PPC and PPV payment options, and is designed to allow advertisers to seamlessly integrate their promotions with existing iPhone, iPod, or iPad apps. This creates an environment in which advertisements must operate fluidly within applications, making them more like interactive games. This is a far cry from the static calls-to-action that we are used to from advertisements. The more interactive and fun an ad is to engage with, the more effective it will be. iAd could be a game changer indeed, not only for mobile marketing but for marketing as a whole.

In order for iAd to work, however, it will have to get beyond allegations that it is anticompetitive, currently being reviewed by the FTC. Companies that also make mobile hardware and operating systems are barred from gathering information on which iAd promotions are most effective, which some argue severely limits many mobile tech companies. Despite this hiccup, the hype surrounding Apple’s iAd represents another step from static to interactive advertising, a marketing model far more suitable, some would argue, for mobile use.

They’re working together to study viewing habits, mobile use, social media adoption and attitudes to sponsorship during the World Cup.

The joint research, undertaken before England’s defeat by Germany at the weekend, was conducted using a panel of 3,300 UK sports fans. It found 44% were likely to watch and share videos, while almost a quarter (24%) were likely to visit dedicated Facebook pages.

Other findings were that a quarter (26%) expect to watch weekday World Cup matches via the internet at work, while a third (33%) said they were more likely to watch games online in 2010 compared to 2006. When asked when they’d be most likely to comment on a World Cup website, 17% said they’d choose to before a game, 21% would afterwards and only 7% would during a game.

Meanwhile, 18% of men planned to listen to podcasts and 18% said they would be downloading World Cup apps to their mobiles.

Mobile has become increasingly important to fans, with 41% of respondents likely to text a friend before the match, 43% during and 45% afterwards. In addition, 27% said they were more likely to follow games on their mobiles in 2010 compared to 2006, and 8% were more likely to watch games on their mobiles.

Just over half (55%) of the panel said they were taking part in World Cup competitions online.

Have you started your social media campaign yet? What have you found to be the most productive way of getting your brand name out there

There is no debating that sites such as Facebook are in-demand for a range of businesses, but a high proportion of their audience is of a young age restricting which businesses can exploit this marketing space.

The analytics firm said traffic to social networks accounted for 11.9% of all UK internet visits during May, while search engines accounted for 11.3%.

Facebook received more than half of the social network visits in the UK (55%), almost triple the number YouTube had. Twitter was in third.

However, Experian Hitwise said Facebook doesn’t yet dominate the UK social network market to the extent that Google dominates the search market.

Together google.co.uk and google.com accounted for nine in every ten web searches carried out in the UK during May. Google UK was the most visited site, accounting for 9.29% of all visits, while Facebook accounted for 7.04%.

The advantage with Google is that you are ‘found’ via a keyword(s) that the user has typed with interest. Therefore you are already of interest to the user compared with social networks sties, where the likelihood is that users want to interact with friends and colleagues.

Robin Goad, Experian Hitwise’s research director, said, “Although social networks and search engines perform different functions, they both act as gateways to the wider internet. This data illustrates the key role that social media now plays in so much online behaviour.
“The majority of online marketing spend is currently diverted towards search, and this is likely to remain the case in the short to medium term,” he added. “Search remains the primary source of traffic for most websites, particularly in sectors that account for the majority of online transactions, such as retail, finance and travel.”

Where do your online marketing efforts go? Does your business concentrate more on SEO rather than social media campaigns?