Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

More users for Yahoo!7 from Games

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 47 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

Yahoo!7 Communications Australia is launching a major advertising campaign ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Yahoo!7 expects to attract more than one million people to its web site during the Games, many of whom will be first-time users it will try to convert into regular ones. The campaign, created by Singleton, Ogilvy & Mather, will comprise online, TV, magazine and bus advertisements, and will promote Yahoo!7's revitalised home page and its search engine and email product

E-Business

First Data backs venture

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 53 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Brendan Swift

LexisNexis Summary: E-Business

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would like to improve transparency in the electronic payments industry in 2008. The BankWest and First Data International joint venture, BWA Merchant Services, has suffered from the RBA reforms. It has received a $A2.5 million injection so that it can continue to operate. Although First Data has not commented on the injection to support its joint venture, the financial documents lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission reveal that it posted an operating loss of $A1.94 million in 2007

Global crunch eats into online ad sites

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 51 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Noelle Waugh

LexisNexis Summary: E-Business

Australia's internet classified advertising sector has started to be affected by declining consumer spending and slowing growth in the media ad market. Realestate.com.au has reported a decline in display ads, which account for 20% of the site's revenue. The COO of Fairfax Media's digital division, Nic Cola, said the MyCareer, Drive and Domain web sites have recorded strong growth in display advertising revenue, but there has been diminishing demand at the "lower end" of the classifieds market

French court set to rule on landmark LVMH v eBay case

Inside Retailing
Page: 14 : 30 June 2008

LexisNexis Summary: E-Business

LVMH, the owner of luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, has launched a $A33 million law suit against eBay. LVMH claims that eBay is being tardy when it comes to ensuring that products promoted on its site as being LMVH brands are genuine. LMVH alleges that 90 per cent of the 450,000 products labelled as being either Louis Vuitton or Christian Dior and offered for sale on eBay in the second quarter of 2006 were fakes. The French court is due to hand down its decision on LMVH's suit on 30 June 2008

Marketing Strategy

PR for police spins to $10m

The Australian
Page: 6 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Natalie O'Brien

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

The major police forces in Australia are under scrutiny over their advertising and public relations costs. Some police forces spend about $A2m per year on public relations, according to an investigation by "The Australian". These include the police forces in Queensland and New South Wales, while the media and marketing budget of the Australian Federal Police exceeds $A1.5m each year. Meanwhile, Institute of Public Affairs executive director John Roskam has questioned the relationship between the police and politicians

TiVo puts huge challenge to advertisers

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 47 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

Seven Network's director of sales, James Warburton, has dismissed suggestions the TiVo digital video recorder will diminish the appeal of TV advertising. Warburton said US research shows people with a recorder watch more TV, and Seven is considering initiatives such as banners at the bottom of screens to ensure people fast-forwarding through commercials still see some advertising messages. Mainstream adoption of TiVo in Australia could constitute a threat to the TV advertising market, as its internet connection means it can also play downloaded or streamed content, much of which will not contain advertising

School gains from dean's corporate link

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 32 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Rachel Lebihan

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

Tracey Horton is dean of the business school at the University of Western Australia (WA). She took up the post after a half-year consultancy, and was formerly employed at GEM Consulting and Bain & Company. Her extensive network of business contacts stemming from that period has enabled Horton to push ahead with a program designed to foster greater links between the tertiary education institution and the world of commerce, and she has successfully raised some $A7m in funding from private sources for a new $A45m building on campus. Resources groups Woodside Petroleum and BHP Billiton are meanwhile sponsoring chairs in leadership and management and in business and resources, respectively

Alarm bells for STW with threat of Vodafone loss

The Australian
Page: 34 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Simon Canning

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

Australian telco Vodafone is conducting a review of its advertising contracts and may end up apportioning parts of it to different agencies. The incumbent is STW Communications, which could ill-afford the lose the major client as its stock price has deteriorated over the first half of calendar 2008. While it closed $A0.05 higher at $A1.47 on 4 July 2008, this compares with $A2.40 at the start of the six months. STW, which faces competition for the Vodafone deal from Clemenger BBDO, DDB and Saatchi & Saatchi, in 2007 created a dedicated entity, One Barrack Street, just for the telco work

Mobiles ring in the era of personalised advertising

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 49 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

There are expectations mobile telephones will be the next major growth area for advertising in Australia. Young & Rubicam Brands executive chair Matt McGrath said mobile handsets promise ads that are so personalised people do not perceive them as marketing. Others note there are several obstacles to the development of mobile telephone advertising, including low consumer acceptance and a lack of uniform standards across telcos. Chair of The Grey Group, Paul Gardner, said mobiles will become more important in advertising, but it is unclear how. Mitchell Communication executive chair Harold Mitchell said more third-generation (3G) mobiles will prompt a significant increase in the number of mobile telephone-based campaigns

Toy stores urge 'shop now for Christmas'

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 49 : 7 July 2008
Original article by Noelle Waugh

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

Australian toy retailers are trying to convince consumers to start their Christmas shopping early with their mid-year sales. Wesfarmers' Kmart Australia and Woolworths' Big W Discount Stores have both launched TV, newspaper, radio and outdoor campaigns to promote their mid-year sales. Big W distributed more than seven million copies of a 132-page toy catalogue containing more than 800 offers. Big W general manager, Greg Foran, expects strong growth in toy sales despite a slowdown in overall retail spending. Toys R US has discounted a range of products by between 20% and 50%

Consumer Behaviour

Question mark over long-term benefits of loyalty schemes

Inside Retailing
Page: 11-12 : 30 June 2008
Original article by Lyn White

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

Customer loyalty schemes are "not for everyone", according to Professor Steve Worthington, due to the costs involved with such schemes. Worthington, of Monash University, was commenting on the effectiveness of programs like Fly Buys in the wake of the news that several of New Zealand's largest retail and consumer firms are evaluating whether they should retain their loyalty programs. Worthington says that despite their name, he views loyalty programs as essentially a mechanism for companies to collate information about their customers