David Moth

Q&A: Zeebox CEO Ernesto Schmitt

In just a few months social TV app Zeebox has established itself as one of the front runners in the battle for connected TV audiences.

Despite only launching in October it attracted 250,000 users by January 2012 and sold a 10% stake in the company to BSkyB in a multi-million pound deal.

As of this month it was seeing up to 15,000 sign ups an hour thanks to a TV ad campaign.

by David Moth 28 March 2012 10:07am 0 comments

Pepsico and Arby's join trend for offering rewards for engagement

Pepsico and US sandwich chain Arby’s have become the latest examples of brands offering consumers rewards for engagement through digital channels.

It demonstrates that brands are catching on to the fact that consumers are increasingly expecting to receive ‘free stuff’ in the form of offers or discounts for brand engagement.

Arby’s has signed up to a virtual currency loyalty programme run by startup Plink which offers Facebook Credits in return for in-store purchases.

by David Moth 27 March 2012 14:00pm 2 comments

Rentokil launches new social media campaign with CGI mouse

The business of selling pest control must be tricky, as it’s either a product you need or you don’t – there’s not really any middle ground.

So the best approach for pest controllers is to promote brand awareness so when you do spot a rat in the kitchen they are the first ones you think of.

This is the approach Rentokil is adopting with its new social media campaign involving a CGI mouse called Scamper who has his own Facebook game, Twitter account and four CGI video clips.

by David Moth 27 March 2012 13:03pm 0 comments

Monetising iPad apps: Daily Telegraph case study

In the digital age newspapers have been left in limbo as they face the dilemma of what business model to pursue online.

As we reported last week, some favour monetising their free content with online ads while other have opted for subscription models or paywalls.

Publishers also have to decide how to offer their content on iPad.

Most, including the Guardian, Times and Telegraph, charge for their iPad app and this model is also advocated by Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield.

by David Moth 27 March 2012 12:00pm 1 comment

UK shoppers abandoned over £1bn of online transactions in 2011

An estimated £1.02bn worth of online shopping transactions were abandoned in 2011 by UK consumers, according to Experian.

One in five of these abandoned transactions were not taken elsewhere as individuals cancelled their shopping attempt altogether, resulting in £214m worth of net lost revenue for UK retailers.

The study found that 44% of UK shoppers have abandoned at least one online shopping transaction in the last year having become frustrated with the length and complexity of certain older forms of identity verification.

by David Moth 27 March 2012 10:17am 8 comments

Square upgrades mobile app with focus on merchant discovery

Mobile payment company Square has rolled out several upgrades to its Card Case app, including an Android version and new geo-fencing technology.

The app has been rebranded as ‘Pay with Square’ and redesigned to make the interface more user-friendly.

The focus is now on merchant discovery, so the user’s smartphone can automatically notify them when they are near a Square-enabled business.

by David Moth 26 March 2012 14:15pm 0 comments

Facebook offers free consultation to US automotive industry

Facebook is offering free consultation to US automotive companies to help manage directory information and generate leads for local franchises.

ClickZ reports that Aamco and Cottman Transmissions Systems have been offered the new service to help understand “how Facebook can be utilised to increase sales.”

The consultation comes as brands seek to improve coordination between brand and local franchise search results, and also to optimise social media pages for mobile search.

by David Moth 26 March 2012 12:35pm 0 comments

UK mobile paid search clicks increase 180% in 2011

Mobile devices accounted for 15.1% of the UK’s paid search clicks in December, according to Marin Software.

This is a 180% growth from January to December 2011, and means that globally the UK is second only to Japan and Australia in percentage of paid search clicks from mobile.

Looking at 2011 overall, the Eurozone showed strong growth with share of mobile paid search clicks growing 177% from 2.1% in January 2011 to 5.8% in December 2011.

by David Moth 26 March 2012 11:35am 0 comments

A guide to ad targeting on Twitter: infographic

Just like Facebook, Twitter has been working hard to extend and improve its advertising platform recently, including rolling out Promoted Tweets to mobile.

This is part of an effort to increase ad revenues and monetise its estimated 150m active users.

One of the key benefits Promoted Tweets offers is targeting – brands can target ads at their followers and users who may share similar interests.

by David Moth 26 March 2012 10:30am 0 comments

The inbound marketing explosion: infographic

47% of companies are expected to increase their inbound marketing budget for 2012, according to data from online business community G+.

It's no wonder, since the average cost to acquire a new lead through outbound marketing in 2011 was $373, compared to just $143 from inbound marketing.

The main reason for this budget increase however was found to be past success using inbound tactics, which attracts customers by offering useful, relevant information.

by David Moth 23 March 2012 13:00pm 7 comments