Posts Tagged ‘ngage’
Australia: the regulator has acted to end misleading adverts for mobile premium services aimed at young people
August 23rd, 2009 | 
Author: “The ACCC has been successful in putting an end to many misleading MPS promotions which were directly targeted at young consumers,” ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said.
As a result of the ACCC’s work, the Federal Court yesterday declared Teracomm Limited, a Bulgarian MPS content provider, had engaged in misleading advertising.
Teracomm was advertising services such as ‘love calculator’, ‘cheat meter’ and ‘celebrity soul mate’.
The court found Teracomm’s advertisements placed in Dolly magazine in May, June and July 2008 were misleading because they did not clearly show the nature of the service being offered and their costs.
Justice Moore found “the customer would not be obtaining content on a one off basis, but rather would be subscribing to a service for which a weekly fee would be charged until the service was terminated.”
The court also found that using the word ‘subscribe’ in fine print at the foot of the advertisement “did not disclose that the service was a subscription service.”
The subscription service had an initial sign-up fee of $3 and a subscription fee of between $9-$12 per week.
Mr Samuel said this action demonstrates the lengths the ACCC will go to protect youth from misleading MPS advertising.
“It is simple, if you advertise in Australia than you must follow Australian laws. The ACCC will not be deterred from going after overseas based companies that are doing the wrong thing by Australian consumers.”
Earlier this year the ACCC was successful in a similar action against a UK based company AMV Holdings Pty Ltd. The court declared, by consent, that AMV’s advertisements in Dolly, Girlfriend and TV hits magazines were misleading.
In February 2009 both ACP Magazines which publishes Dolly and Pacific Magazines which publishes Girlfriend and TV Hits magazines provided the ACCC with court enforceable undertakings that they would not publish advertisements unless they clearly and prominently state the nature, cost and any eligibility requirements of receiving the service.
The ACCC currently has proceedings before the Federal Court in relation to MPS scratch card promotions by Star Promotions Club Pty Ltd and Clarion Marketing Australia Pty Ltd.
The ACCC and other agencies often receive complaints from people who didn’t know they were subscribing to an ongoing premium service. To assist consumers the ACCC and the Australian Communications Media Authority have published a MPS fact sheet for consumers. The fact sheet is available via the ACCC website.
ACCC protects youth from misleading mobile premium service promotions
Posted in Communications | 
Tags: advertisement, Advertising, AWS, blog, blogs, car, Communications, consumers, Marketing, Mobile, ngage | 
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Mobile: Advertising revenues are escaping the recession, with significant growth
Constrained advertising budgets in the wake of the global economic crisis are forcing companies to think creatively about marketing and aim for greater engagement with consumers, which will increase interest in mobile ad channels, Juniper predicts.
Researchers were careful to put this trend into context, however, noting that mobile advertising will still be a fairly minor part of the overall ad market, accounting for some 1.5% of global spending by 2014. Even major brands that are already investing in mobile ad space remain cautious about cutting spending on other forms of advertising.
“These investments still form only a small proportion of a brand’s total advertising budget,” explained Juniper analyst and report author, Dr. Windsor Holden. “Regardless of mobile’s advantages — its personal nature, the facility for highly targeted advertising — advertisers will not commit more budget until they perceive that the audience for their advertisements has reached a critical mass.”
Mobile Advertising Expected to Buck Downward Trend in Ad Industry
Posted in Communications |
Tags: advertisement, Advertising, Audi, blog, blogs, budget, car, consumers, Investing, Marketing, Mobile, ngage, research, Space, t mobile |
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USA: more than half the population have accessed the Internet from a mobile device, including a laptop
The report also finds rising levels of Americans using the internet on a mobile handset. One-third of Americans (32%) have used a cell phone or Smartphone to access the internet for emailing, instant-messaging, or information-seeking. This level of mobile internet is up by one-third since December 2007, when 24% of Americans had ever used the internet on a mobile device. On the typical day, nearly one-fifth (19%) of Americans use the internet on a mobile device, up substantially from the 11% level recorded in December 2007. That’s a growth of 73% in the 16 month interval between surveys.
“Mobile access strengthens the three pillars of online engagement: connecting with others, satisfying information queries, and sharing content with others,” said John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet Project and principal author of the report. “With access in their pockets, many Americans are ‘on the fly’ consumers and producers of digital information.”
The report, entitled “Wireless Internet Use,” also found that African Americans are the most active users of the mobile internet. Nearly half (48%) of African Americans have at one time used the internet on a mobile device, and on the average day 29% go online with a handheld – both figures are half again the national average. Moreover, the growth in mobile handheld online use on the average day since 2007 for African Americans is twice the national average – 141% for African Americans versus the 73% average.
“The notion of a digital divide for African Americans has some resonance when thinking about the wireline internet,” said Horrigan. “But when you introduce the mobile internet, the picture changes and African Americans are the pace setters.”
The report also found a growth in a broader measure of mobile engagement, as more Americans in 2009 were turning to their handheld for non-voice data activities. The activities probed were: sending or receiving text messages, taking a picture, playing a game, checking email, accessing the internet, recording video, instant messaging, playing music, getting maps or directions, or watching video.
In 2009, 69% of all adult Americans said they had ever done at least one of the ten activities versus 58% who did this in late 2007.
In 2009, 44% of all adult Americans said they had done at least one of the non-voice data activities on the typical day, up from 32% in 2007.
When asked to assess what mobile access means when they are away from home or work, about half of wireless users cite staying in touch with others or being able to dig for information on the go. However, some say such access lets them share content with others as they go about their daily lives. Specifically, among cell phone or wireless laptop users:
Half (50%) say it is very important to them to have mobile access in order to stay in touch with other people.
Nearly the same share (46%) says they mobile access is very important for getting online information on the go.
One in six (17%) say mobile access is very important to them so they can share or post online content while away from home or work.
Wireless internet access using other devices, though much less common than with laptops or handhelds, has a foothold among some Americans. The April 2009 survey found that:
45% of adults have iPods or MP3 players and 5% of all adults have used such a device to go online.
41% of adults have game consoles and 9% of adults have used it to access the internet.
14% of adults have a personal digital assistant, and 7% of adults have used it for online access.
2% of adults have an e-book (i.e., a Kindle or Sony reader) and 1% of adults have used it to get online.
Overall, 17% of adults have used at least one of the four access means listed above to go online.
The Pew Internet Project’s April 2009 survey interviewed 2,253 Americans, with 561 interviewed on their cell phones. The overall sample has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Some 1,687 respondents in the sample were internet users and the margin of error in that cohort is plus or minus three percentage points and 1,818 respondents were cell phone users and the margin of error for that group is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Posted in Communications |
Tags: amp, blog, blogs, cell phone, Computer, consumers, email, game, information, Internet, internet access, laptops, maps, Mobile, mobile device, mobile internet, Network, ngage, online, research, smartphone, sony, t mobile, Wireless |
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Australia: AIIA has welcomed the Govt. road map for the development of its digital economy
“The Australian Information Industry Association applauds the focus and intentions of the paper, which is very timely,” said AIIA CEO Ian Birks. “This paper, which has been developed in close consultation with the ICT industry, shows that we are headed in the right direction. It has outlined the foundations that are being laid for the success of Australia’s digital future.”
Some of the key attributes in the paper that the AIIA supports are:
The acknowledgement that the National Broadband Network will support and drive the development of vital elements of a future digital economy. This includes value added services and a content-rich environment that drives new consumer behaviours, enhanced community connections, competitive business models and open, consultative government.
Identifying the government, community and industry as primary stakeholders who will need to work closely together to create a successful digital economy. The AIIA believes the ICT industry itself needs to be engaged as a critical stakeholder to drive a deeper understanding of the possibilities offered by the digital economy within government, industry and the wider community.
Developing a common understanding of what success will look like as Australia plans for the development of a digital economy.
Birks added, “The digital economy has the potential to transform Australia’s economy. The ICT sector is ready and willing to work with the Government in whatever ways it can to deliver this transformation by creating the awareness, understanding and ultimately, the adoption of the right technologies and processes.”
“For the next steps, the AIIA will work closely with the government to develop related policy measures, clear goals and metrics that are attached to the outcomes in the Future Directions paper.”
The Australian Information Industry Association responds to Australia’s Digital Economy: Future Directions
see also Australia’s Digital Economy: Future Directions
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Tags: blog, blogs, business, business model, business models, Communications, Environment, information, Network, ngage, rim |
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European Parliament: Growing use by MEPs of Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other new media
“Simply looking at the rising number of MEPs using blogs and social media such as Facebook and Twitter, it is clear that the ‘Conversation Age’ is well upon us,” argues Laurent Chokoualé Datou, general manager of PR firm Edelman’s Brussels office.
Chokoualé expects to see “significant developments” on this front over the next five years, predicting “far more interaction among stakeholders across borders,” with a growing number of “online, interactive opinion relays and coalitions all ultimately aiming and competing to shape the dominant opinion”.
Warning that ‘brick and mortar lobbying’ must not ignore the power of social media, the PR boss says increased exposure and interactivity between stakeholders online means that trustworthiness and securing trust is becoming more important.
Social media take-up low in Parliament
A survey published ahead of the elections by PA consultancy Fleishman-Hillard found that compared to their US counterparts in Congress, MEPs are making scant use of the Internet and failing to fully grasp the potential of digital politics to engage with voters.
Although three-quarters of MEPs use a website to reach their electorate, only half of them (51%) visit blogs once a week or more and an overwhelming two-thirds have never heard of the social networking tool Twitter, the survey found.
Michiel van Hulten, managing director for government relations at PA firm Burson-Marsteller, stressed the importance for stakeholders of an online presence in order to campaign effectively.
“We live in an age in which people now spend more time behind their computers than they do behind their televisions or reading newspapers,” the BM boss explained, adding: “We get most of our information online, and that is increasingly where the debate takes place.”
Nevertheless, some public affairs bosses were quick to highlight the continued relevance of newspapers and other traditional means of communication.
“We still believe that traditional media remains important,” Fleishman-Hillard Europe Managing Director Caroline Wunnerlich told EurActiv. “Getting your message across in a Sunday paper while MEPs are having their morning coffee and croissant is still difficult to beat,” she said.
Likewise, for Jacques Lafitte of consultancy Avisa, despite the growing impact of specialised online media like EurActiv, these are yet to replace “classic print media” such as the FT, the Economist and other large national newspapers when it comes to informing the public about EU affairs.
Face-to-face meetings still key
Other public affairs bosses stressed the continued importance of face-to-face meetings with clients.
“Old and new media, including virtual communities, will increasingly be of interest for communication purposes, and laying the foundation of a campaign, but at the same time, nothing will replace the good old 30-minute face-to-face with the MEP,” according to José Lalloum, managing partner of Logos Public Affairs, a Brussels-based consultancy.
“In order to really make a difference, you need to be innovative and unexpected, while delivering all the necessary basic components effectively,” like networking and event management, added Julia Harrison, managing partner at Brussels public affairs consultancy Blueprint partners.
Stressing that “generalisation doesn’t work,” Harrison explained that “sometimes you really need to stand out, while on other occasions it’s better to be discrete”. “Everything depends on the specific needs of the client,” she said.
MEPs are currently gathering in Strasbourg for the inaugural session of the new European Parliament (14-16 July).
Posted in Communications |
Tags: amp, blog, blogs, car, Computer, Computers, facebook, information, Internet, Management, Network, Networking, ngage, online, social networking |
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