Research | Internet Marketing Blog

Businesses warned to wait for Second Life opportunities

Eighty percent of businesses will have a presence in a virtual world, says a new Gartner report that otherwise heaps suspicion on the value of Second Life e-commerce.

The tech research firm advises businesses to "limit substantial financial investments until the environments stabilise and mature".

by Robert Andrews 26 April 2007 10:56am 4 comments

The Participation Ladder

Charlene Li of Forrester Research has recently published a study into levels of participation in social media, with a view to helping develop more effective social media strategies.

For the report into Social Technographics, she has produced the 'Participation Ladder':

Particpation ladder

by Graham Charlton 24 April 2007 13:47pm 1 comment

Q&A: Rick Bruner, director of research at DoubleClick

DoubleClick is set to release the first European version of its annual Touchpoints study, which looks at the main influences behind consumers' purchasing behaviour online.

So we spoke to the company's director of research and industry relations Rick E. Bruner for a sneak preview.

by Richard Maven 24 April 2007 13:23pm 0 comments

Fashion searchers snap up Crocs

Crocs, the brightly-coloured, lightweight shoes, have become the most searched-for fashion item in the UK.

Hitwise reported an eight-fold increase in the number of "croc" queries since February, with most uptake seen as summer approaches.

by Robert Andrews 24 April 2007 09:31am 1 comment

Growth of site visits 'slowing'

The growth in the frequency with which people visit websites has fallen to its slowest rate in six years, according to new data.

Web survey institute XiTi Monitor pegged the number of site visits to some 209,000 destinations in the first quarter of 2007 at 234, an annual rise of 4.7%.

by Robert Andrews 23 April 2007 10:08am 1 comment

Experian buys Hitwise for £120m

Online research group Hitwise has been bought by Experian in a $240m (£120m) deal.

The credit information provider says it will use the acquisition to extend the range of online and offline marketing services it can offer its clients.

by Richard Maven 19 April 2007 09:57am 1 comment

Internet boosts marketing budgets

UK internet marketing spend is continuing to rise - but at its slowest rate in the last two and a half years, according to new data.

The Bellwether Report showed the budget companies set aside for online marketing rose to 19% in the first quarter of the year.

by Robert Andrews 17 April 2007 08:57am 0 comments

Keyword Creativity: An online opportunity for ad agencies?

In 2002, AT&T made a major mistake. As part of the launch of its mobile initiative m-life, the company purchased television advertising during the Super Bowl coverage. Nothing wrong with that – along with the Oscars, it attracts one of the biggest audiences in American television and is seen as a creative showcase for the best in American advertising.

But what AT&T missed was how its advertising affected later search behaviour.

by Ken McGaffin 17 April 2007 08:04am 2 comments

Airline launches women-only site

In a move designed to woo more female flyers, American Airlines has launched a new website section for women only.

Women Travelers Connected offers tips on safety, information from fellow travellers and advice on saving travel time.

by Robert Andrews 11 April 2007 09:05am 0 comments

Video game ads 'to double' in four years

Revenue in video game advertising will almost double in the next four years, becoming a £1bn business by 2011, according to a new report.

eMarketer forecasts the worldwide business will balloon from its 2007 value of £500m as game developers look for new ways to monetise increasingly expensive game production processes.

by Robert Andrews 10 April 2007 08:54am 0 comments