Mozilla turns to the mobile web
The past year hasn't exactly been easy for Mozilla.
The organization's popular web browser, Firefox, has become a bit less popular thanks in large part to the rise of Google's Chrome web browser. Once a solid number two in the browser market, Chrome, according to some sources, has surpassed Firefox in usage.
Planning for site-specific marketing, and how to get it right
Whether you’re doing a print ad with a QR code, updating your brand’s Facebook page, or rigging for SEO, all of the instances of marketing that you create will ultimately be seen in a unique location by a unique viewer.
People always encounter marketing in a specific context. Subsequently, marketers need to anticipate what that context is, in order to engage and connect more deeply with it.
Campaign and brand experiences can and should be integrated across physical space and multiple objects - the impact of multiple brand engagements has been proven to deliver positive results. Strategists need to make certain as best as possible that the chosen medium and messaging tactics accommodate and compliment people’s unique identities, activities, and location.
How can marketers get this mix right? By thinking it through.
Adobe to focus Flash on games and "premium" video
Flash might not be dead, but Adobe is acting like it knows it's past its prime.
Case in point: the company ditched Flash for mobile late last year, and is increasingly hedging its bets with investments in standards-based web technologies like HTML5.
Square wants to outfit taxis with tablets
The battle between traditional payment processors and financial institutions and upstarts looking to dethrone them is on.
The upstarts, obviously, have their work cut out for them. Entrenched players like Verifone have significant marketshare, and are increasingly employing interesting strategies in an attempt to ensure they always have a seat at the dinner table.
That means one thing: the upstarts have to get clever and creative. And that's just what they're doing.
Making the most of mobile commerce opportunities in 2012
Mobile is booming. Chances are that, if you’re shopping online in 2012, increasingly you’ll be carrying out part of the transaction on a mobile device.
The majority of smartphone users are now using a mobile device to browse and shop online while, in the UK, 5m tablet owners are expected to purchase a second device in 2012.
IHS screen digest recently released research predicting that in-app purchases will hit £3.6 billion in 2015, accounting for as much as 64% of mobile app market revenues.
So one thing is clear: if optimising your mobile channel isn’t high on your list of priorities in 2012, it really should be.
Brand squatting on Pinterest affects 90% of the world’s top brands
Just five of the world’s top 50 brands have claimed their profiles on Pinterest, the latest social platform to claim the hearts and minds of the digerati.
I looked through Interbrand’s list of 100 brands, stopping at the halfway mark, to see whether social media marketers were adopting Pinterest in their droves. On the face of things, they’re not.
Of the 45 brands yet to create official Pinterest accounts - assuming that they do - only one is still available. The rest have been claimed by individuals with a bona fide claim to the username, or have been bagged by brand squatters.
British Fashion Council's Fashion Week livestream grows by 100%
The British Fashion Council’s (BFC) livestream of 46 catwalk shows from London Fashion Week resulted in a 100% increase in viewers year on year, indicating the growing demand from an online audience for real time fashion events.
Powered by Rightster, the shows were accessible via the BFC’s YouTube channel, the London Fashion Week TV site, as well as delivered to designer and publisher Facebook communities for the first time - including the Roksanda Ilincic and Vogue pages.
Zipcar funds P2P version of its own car-lending service
Collaborative consumption is due to hit SXSW with a bang (expect it to be one of the biggest developing trends) - and it’s continuing to influence the business models of many new start-ups in the digital space.
Today however, there's news of an example that ropes in another trend we’re seeing develop – socially enhanced automotive apps and offerings.
Can f-commerce work for retailers?
Thanks to the sheer size of the audience alone, it's clear that f-commerce has potential for retailers, but some brands are now deciding that the returns aren't worth the effort.
So, does this mean f-commerce won't work for retailers or are they simply not trying hard enough?
I've been speaking to some retailers using Facebook, as well as looking for examples of f-commerce working for small businesses.
Does Plan UK's facial recognition ad have any benefits beyond PR?
Non-profit organisation Plan UK has installed a digital billboard on London’s Oxford Street which only displays its full content to women.
Plan’s ‘Because I am A Girl’ campaign aims to raise awareness of the issues faced by world’s poorest women, and prevents men from viewing the content to mirror the fact that girls “are denied choices and opportunities on a daily basis due to poverty and discrimination.”
