Marketing

RTÉ Television delivered 48 out of the 50 most watched programmes on Irish television in the first six months of 2011. Out of these a total of 44 of these were home-produced. The Eurovision Song Contest, the General Election coverage, the visits by US President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II, and comedy Mrs Brown’s Boysare the top television moments of the year to date. Jedward’s performance at the Eurovision topped the list, with a whopping 1.18 million viewers on average tuning into the final, according to figures from AGB Nielsen Media Research. The Frontline featuring the leaders’ debate on 14 February was the second most watched programme in the…

Zurich Insurance is to sponsor ‘La cour de Célimène’, the French opera which will officially open the 60th Wexford Festival Opera in October and November. The 1850’s opéra-comique by Ambroise Thomas will run for four performances during the festival. Zurich Insurance employs over 120 people in Wexford and its chief executive officer Ken Norgrove said the volunteering aspect of the festival was important in its decision to be sponsor. “ Wexford Festival Opera plays an integral role in its local community, from the opening of the new state-of-the-art Opera house, to the 350 local volunteers who dedicate considerable time and effort to ensure the continued success and promotion of the festival. “2011 is the European Year…

The number of UK smartphone users accessing retail sites increased by 163pc in the year to May 2011, new research from comScore reveals. According to the company, 13.5 million users across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK (EU5) – or 5.8pc of all mobile subscribers – accessed online retail sites in the three month average period ending May 2011.  In those five countries, the number of smartphone users accessing online retail sites increased by 80pc over the year. “Over the past year, online retailers enjoyed strong growth in visitation from mobile devices in Europe, largely driven by the acceleration in smartphone ownership,” said Jeremy Copp, comScore Europe vice president…

Keeping it social: 10-step guide to developing a social media process In their recently-published book ‘Marketing Communications – integrating offline and online with social media today’, PR Smith and Ze Zook have put together a 10-step guide to developing a social media process that can be applied to any organisation. Social Media’s Impact as a Marketing Game Changer Over the past couple of years, social media has emerged as a marketing game changer that puts customers back at the centre of the organisation and provides marketers with a new set of tools to listen to and converse with these consumers and to encourage them to engage with their brands. Social…

The launch today of a new global BBC iPlayer app will enable iPad users across Europe to access a mix of classic and contemporary British TV programmes, including Doctor Who, Top Gear, Fawlty Towers and EastEnders. The video-on-demand-service, which is available exclusively on the iPad, costs €6.99 a month or €49.99 for an annual subscription and is initially available in 11 markets in Western Europe, namely Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland. According to BBC Worldwide, the broadcaster’s commercial arm, subscribers will be able to access English language programmes across eight genres: news specials & documentaries; entertainment; drama; comedy; science & nature; family…

Early mover brands that went about creating Google+ profiles in the same way as they would via Facebook or Twitter have started seeing their pages disappear or lack functionality. Brands affected by the move include Ford, Mashable, and Sesame Street. More than a fortnight since Google+ debuted, there was a bit of a game of Russian roulette underway as brands saw the sharing potential and brand-building opportunity of Google+ but were paralyzed by the question of should or shouldn’t create a Google+ profile. The official line was that real people with real names could create a Google+ account but that Google wasn’t ready to deal with brands yet. However, some…

The first in what is set to be a series of quarterly studies on global advertising on Facebook suggests that the number of brand campaigns on the social network increased by 104pc between the first two quarters of this year and by 1900pc year-on-year. The TBG Digital Global Facebook Advertising Report , which is based on data from 167 companies operating in 21 markets and generating 200 billion ad impressions, also indicates that brands targeting existing fans on Facebook see a 435pc improvement in campaign conversion rates. According to the study, retail has emerged as the biggest growth sector on Facebook. It gets the best click-through-rates (CTR) and grew to 36pc of total impressions in Q2…

The vast majority of British smartphone users completely ignore ads in both apps and on the mobile internet, new research from YouGov reveals. In the online survey of more than 2,000 smartphone owners, 79pc said they believe ads are intrusive while just 5pc said they think mobile ads are a good idea and welcome them. Some 88pc said they ignore ads in applications and 86pc have ignored placements on the mobile internet. However, according to the survey, awareness of advertising on smartphones in the last three months is high. Apple iPhone users and O2 and 3 customers are most likely to have seen ads – 46pc of Apple users, 42pc…

WPP has taken a stake in Indianapolis-headquartered motorsports marketing company, Just Marketing International (JMI). Founded in 1995, JMI employs more than 120 people between its headquarters and offices in London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Charlotte (North Carolina) and Daytona Beach (Florida). JMI (Just Marketing International), the global leader in motorsports marketing, announces today that WPP, the world’s largest communications services group, has made a strategic investment in the company. The two companies said the investment represents a strategic affiliation by both parties to leverage expertise and elevate client insights and solutions. Spire Capital, which took a majority stake in JMI in 2008, remains the principal shareholder, while Zak Brown, the company’s…

Glamour model Lucy Pinder is the new face and body of Unilever’s Lynx anti-perspirant and the star of two new digital interactive games for the brand’s ‘Premature Perspiration’ campaign. According to Lynx, both of the games, which were developed by direct and digital agency TMW, “were specifically created to give men a head start in controlling themselves and helping to alleviate the symptoms of premature perspiration using the legendary Lynx effect”. The first game, ‘Pindering’, allows players to take control of the model and direct her actions by typing in their own commands. According to Lynx, it’s a digital first in Ireland as it debuts YouTube Gadgets, which allows the…