Tonethephone

First ad funded mobile lifestyle mag, maybe

Rating: Blowed if I know what this is

I've been contacted by Imagine Fashion which claims it is the first ad funded online and on mobile film format fashion and lifestyle publication. Whatever that is. The web site doesn't explain.

Tone vs Tanla Mobile – an update

Having complained to the UK regulator, PhonepayPlus, about a service which Tanla Mobile operates, I was amazed to discover it's exactly the same company I'd 'exposed' some 12 months ago.
Meanwhile, premium rate texts continue to pile up against my Orange account at the rate of £4.50 per week.

Bellwether figures cast little light on mobile sector

Having just read through the IPA (the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) Bellwether report which it produces with NTC Economics, I'm sad to say that it doesn't cast much light on how advertising spend is going in the mobile sector.

Video ad boredom threshold is sub 30 seconds

An in-house study by Mywaves has found that consumers aren't as tolerant of a pre-roll advertisement format as long as 30 seconds.

Google dodges crumbled cookies issue

I read with great interest a news item on 'crumbled cookies' which appeared in the FT today. It seems that Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, blames the regulatory authorities for the mess surrounding the issue of diminished cookies.
I think the mobile advertising arena is in danger of being left out here.

IPA Bellwther report shows internet ads up

The UK's IPA (the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) in conjunction with NTC Economics has just produced its quarterly Bellwether report. Basically it shows that after a glitch in Q4 2007, internet advertising is up and not only that, it's the only sector actually doing much better.

MWC: MSN Direct will be ad funded

Rating: Microsoft promises personalised MSN for mobile

One of the Microsoft announcements which got buried at today´s MWC in Barcelona was the fact that a beta version (well, this is Microsoft) of a service called MSN Direct is available now.

MWC: Chargebox has ad serving potential

I was extremely grateful when I literally stumbled the Chargebox Lite being showcased on the UK´s Trade & Investment stand at MWC in Barcelona.
The Chargebox does what it says on the tin - it provides a series of lockers into which you can insert a mobile phone - or indeed, many other kinds of portable electronic device. Within 20 to 40 minutes your battery should be recharged.

Velti - a new force in mobile advertising

Rating: Hadn't come across them personally

Spotted an interesting item in the FT, over the weekend about a company called Velti. According to the report, this outfit is going to become very big in 2008. The CEO, Alexandros Moukas, is predicting that his company's revenues were some 75 per cent higher in 2007  - at £14 million - than they were the previous year. 

Microsoft/Yahoo will send out shockwaves

I didn't think I'd ever hear an acquisition by Microsoft as a "Good thing for competition", but that's exactly how some industry observers are describing news of Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo!

The general consensus is that the regulators would let the pair combine even though Google's proposed acquisition of DoubleClick is still under investigation.
The logic seems to be that Google is commanding far too great a share of the emerging online advertising market and that advertisers would welcome a strong opponent. Yeah, but Microsoft as a White Knight? Am I dreaming?