Industry Leaders Discuss The Opportunity Of Web 2.0 - Technology News by TechWeb

Industry Leaders Discuss The Opportunity Of Web 2.0 - Technology News by TechWeb: "Industry Leaders Discuss The Opportunity Of Web 2.0
By Peggy Bresnick Kendler, "

Q: What is the concept of Web 2.0, and how does it apply to insurance and financial services?
A: John Anthony, The Hartford: Web 2.0 is a misnomer that describes an ongoing shift, rather than a short-term transition, in how services are enabled over the Internet. For insurers, this shift is primarily driven by the desire to leverage the Internet as a true computing platform. For example, carriers can expose to customers data-driven services traditionally locked away in policy administration, billing, claims, CRM and other systems, resulting in a network-enabled value chain that empowers customers and expands the carrier's market in a scalable, cost-effective manner. Future market pressure will encourage insurers to differentiate themselves by building radically new services with Web 2.0 characteristics.
A: Matt Nelson, TowerGroup: Web 2.0 is the use of lightweight, intuitive, Web-based services that rely on user participation and user-contributed data, and generally involve some level of social interaction and networking. For financial services firms, this isn't going to mean MySpace [a social networking site]. But it might mean taking some of the philosophies that have made similar sites so popular in the consumer realm and applying them to business software and client portals.
The most obvious opportunity for Web 2.0 in financial services firms is in client portal design. Most financial services firms still have fairly basic, HTML-style client portals. Technologies like AJAX, Adobe (San Jose, Calif.) Flash and Microsoft (Redmond, Wash.) Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) allow developers to build sites that engage the client more effectively. The slightly less-obvious application is in business software, where Web 2.0 concepts might allow firms to better collaborate internally and externally [with business partners] on knowledge management and problem resolution. Also, there are some interesting possibilities for augmenting the traditional support channels (call center, etc.) with self-service tools like wikis.
A: David David McFarlane, Nexaweb: Web 2.0 allows financial services companies to deliver complex, strategic services such as insurance premium calculation and claims processing through the ubiquitous and economic reach of the Web. The competitive advantages are clear: global collaboration through visual metaphors using unstructured data and multimedia; informed decision support through real-time events and data feeds from multiple sources; and regulatory compliance through centrally managed applications with a consistent look and feel.
Q: Are insurers implementing Web 2.0 technologies?
A: Anthony, The Hartford: Insurers are starting to realize the value of social software to enhance open communications. For example, we recently experimented with podcasting to distribute best practices and industry information within our sales organization, and are exploring the use of wikis as platforms to document IT standards and reference architectures.
We have seen initial insurer investments in Web 2.0 technologies as part of ongoing efforts to enhance IT portfolios by combining redundant and closed technology functions into meaningful business services. When designed correctly, these services are exposed directly to partners, distributors and customers over the Web, resulting in more-flexible and cost-effective interactions.
A: Robin Bloor, Hurwitz & Associates: I see very little pioneering of Web 2.0 from insurance companies. Insurance companies in general have used collaborative technologies — such as those from IBM (Armonk, N.Y.), Lotus (an IBM subsidiary) and Microsoft — for quite a while, and they can be deployed in a Web 2.0 manner. But I've seen very little evidence of it. I haven't seen any activity in the area of customer relations, where the potential rewards should be the greatest.
Q: What are the reasons for a lack of interest in Web 2.0 in certain parts of the industry?
A: Anthony, The Hartford: The insurance industry has been particularly slow to leverage collaborative technologies such as blogs, wikis and podcasts in the public domain. While these communication tools offer an opportunity to engage our customers, partners and shareholders in a direct and often more-personalized conversation, they can be perceived as a challenge to existing corporate communication controls and processes. The jury remains out on how significant of a role social software will play in the transition to Web 2.0.
A: Nelson, TowerGroup: This is new technology that people currently equate to the consumer realm. When you think of Web 2.0 business opportunity, you probably think of ad and search revenues, not better user interface design, improved site usability, collaboration, etc. But these are the more relevant business impacts.
The biggest downside is that it's new, and some people fear change. IT departments are eager to use these tools and develop and deploy new software, but business isn't yet driving the projects. With regards to internal Web 2.0 tools — blogs, wikis, etc. — there are major adoption challenges. A good portion of the intellectual property of a firm resides in the older, more-senior staff that is often hesitant to pick up and use new technology.
A: Bloor, Hurwitz & Associates: It's simply a matter of where to invest. A Web 2.0 project is very difficult to define in terms of specific business objectives. You are, in effect, opening a communications channel, and that may or may not pay big dividends. There are no obvious corporate successes to imitate and no easy way to calculate payback. There is no surefire way to activate a community. So any foray into a Web 2.0 project is going to be speculative.
A: David McFarlane, Nexaweb: The industry has been slow to adopt the social networking elements of Web 2.0 — wikis, blogs, tagged metadata, user-based data. These capabilities offer less-obvious immediate returns and present potential problems of privacy, confidentiality, governance and digital rights. These concerns are mainly culturally driven by a reluctance of IT to cede control to its users, and management to forgo stringent controls in support of regulatory compliance. But the convergence of SOA and Web 2.0 is creating a governed environment that promotes the core tenet of Web 2.0 — user empowerment.
Q: What are the security, privacy and legal issues, if any, of Web 2.0?
A: Anthony, The Hartford: As insurers leverage Web 2.0 technologies to deliver new data-driven services, the industry must consider questions around data ownership and entitlements. Consider, as an example, our industry's growing interest in emerging technologies such as vehicle telematics and other sensor technologies. While these technologies produce new data sets that can be used to create original and innovative services, they may contain sensitive and personal information that will require robust data security solutions. In addition, the use of collaborative technologies outside the walls of enterprises will require information protection and legal experts to ensure the security of intellectual property and other private information.
A: Nelson, TowerGroup: The fact that Web 2.0 relies on users contributing all of the data certainly does raise some issues. ... If any firm, in any industry, decides to let its employees blog publicly, they need to first consider the risks and create careful policies.
A: Bloor, Hurwitz & Associates: I don't see the legal or security issues as any worse than those associated with any other Web activity. Where a company sets up a wiki, it is best practice to declare a usage policy of all postings to the wiki, otherwise you are open to copyright disputes. But that has always been best practice for accepting postings. There is one particular issue, though, associated with Second Life or any other virtual world, and that is the fact that there is a very blurred line between fantasy and reality in such environments. Thus doing business in such places may leave a company open to accusations of deception.

Google and Coca-Cola top poll of most talked about brands - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Google and Coca-Cola top poll of most talked about brands - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic: "Google and Coca-Cola top poll of most talked about brands"

LONDON - Search giant Google has edged out Yahoo! in a poll about the most mentioned social media brands on blogs and social networking websites, with Coca-Cola and Microsoft coming top in the most discussed brands category.
The study, which was conducted by Immediate Future, measured the frequency of positive and negative mentions of major global brands on blogs, social networking, photo and video sharing websites.
Google was found to be the most positively discussed community brand in social media, followed by Yahoo! in second place and Apple in third. Also featuring in the social media top 10 were Microsoft in fourth, Canon in fifth and Sony in sixth place.

Immediate Future's Brands in Social Media study also evaluated the most discussed brands on social media sites, ranking Coca-Cola first, Microsoft in second, and IBM completing the top three.
Other brands that made the top 10 but might have expected to feature higher up were Disney, which was rated eighth, and McDonald's, which came ninth.
Katy Howell, managing director of Immediate Future, said: "Social media and consumer participation are growing at lightening speed. Conversations about brands are unfiltered, unchecked and outside the control of marketers. Brands are being discussed, applauded and criticised across the web."
The study, which was undertaken in April 2007, monitored the performance of companies in the Interbrand Top 100 Global Brands 2006 report, and was devised to create a snapshot of the most talked about brands and services on social media websites.
The top 10 brands in social media were:
Google
Yahoo!
Apple
Microsoft
Canon
Sony
Dell
eBay
Disney
Ford
The top 10 interbrands were:
Coca-Cola
Microsoft
IBM
GE
Intel
Nokia
Toyota
Disney
McDonald's
Mercedes

Landing pages are Achilles heel for email marketers - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Landing pages are Achilles heel for email marketers - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic: "Landing pages are Achilles heel for email marketers"

by Alicia Buller Revolution UK 27-Jun-07, 11:20
LONDON - More than four out of 10 companies practising email marketing in the UK and across North America fail to repeat promotional copy through to the landing page, thereby running the risk of confusing customers who will quickly abandon the site, a new survey has revealed.
The survey, conducted by email service provider Silverpop, analysed landing pages for email promotions from 150 companies across the US & UK.
Only 45 per cent of landing pages repeated copy from the original email. And, somewhat alarmingly, in 30 per cent of cases, the look of the landing page didn't match that of the promotional email, with 17 per cent of emails sending customers to a home page rather than a promotional page uniquely relevant to the email offer.

"Landing pages can be extremely useful if you've got a complicated story to tell [your audience] and mini-sites can work well to engage the prospect with deeper messages, but the look and feel should always be consistent," says Simone Barratt, managing director, e-Dialog UK and member of the DMA email marketing council.
Other survey findings included the use of navigation bars on seven out of ten landing pages, despite their potential to distract customers, and the presence of overlong questionnaires with 45 per cent requiring more than ten fields to be completed.
"It's a bit like trying to catch water with a sieve if your landing pages aren't consistent with your email promotion," said Mike Weston, MD of Silverpop EMEA. "A clear path needs to be plotted from email through to sale to ensure customer satisfaction and ROI is optimised."
Barratt agrees: "Any decent marketer is going to ensure consistency in their communications or they run the risk of confusing and annoying prospects and customers. You have to everything you can to make their journey easy."

Scotsman.com Business - RBS profit for 2007 'set to top £10.3bn'

Scotsman.com Business - RBS profit for 2007 'set to top £10.3bn': "RBS profit for 2007 'set to top £10.3bn'"

ROYAL Bank of Scotland said yesterday that its interim underlying earnings this summer would beat City expectations, fuelling market expectations that it will make a profit of at least £10.3 billion for the whole of 2007.
This would be up 9 per cent from the £9.2bn profit in 2006. It came as Sir Fred Goodwin, RBS's chief executive, played down the need for early renewed talks with Bank of America on the ABN Amro takeover tussle.
Goodwin said no talks were active with BoA on a deal on ABN's American LaSalle subsidiary, sold to BoA alongside Barclays' agreed bid for ABN.
RBS wants LaSalle, or bits of it, as part of its consortium's rival unsolicited bid for ABN.
"Rome was not built in a day, there's no sort of rush here," Goodwin said. "I'm happy to have a conversation. We've had one before, which would suggest there is a basis for a conversation. But if one happens it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't."
The comments came as RBS's trading update said UK retail bad debt charges had improved slightly.
But interim income growth will be reined in by the strength of the dollar. Yesterday RBS said its overall loan volumes remained strong in 2007.
The market forecast for its 2007 adjusted earnings per share was 72.1p, up 8 per cent on 2006.
Guy Whittaker, RBS's finance director, said: "We are flagging that we expect to be slightly ahead of that."
The group said that it also expected to report a lower cost-income ratio, while the corporate credit backcloth remained benign.
Corporate Markets, which embraces UK and global corporate banking as well as financial markets activity, continued to perform well, RBS noted.
The division made a £5.5bn profit at the full-year stage. In the retail market division, wealth management was growing strongly, while there was also decent growth in smaller business banking, mortgages, savings and investment products.
RBS insurance, meanwhile, "continues to focus on more profitable customers acquired mainly through its direct brands". These include Direct Line and Churchill.
Meanwhile, it is understood Barclays was not quibbling with redundancy figures released by the consortium, which also includes Fortis of Belgium and Santander of Spain.
The consortium said if it was successful in its ABN bid it would lead to a maximum of 2,000 job losses in Britain, compared with 11,000 if Barclays was successful.
But it is believed Barclays will press the case to investors that, globally, after outsourcing, only 12,600 jobs will be lost under its takeover compared with 19,000 globally under RBS.
A Barclays spokesman said: "We are aware that these [costcutting] measures can have difficult consequences for a number of staff.
"When it comes to matters affecting staff Barclays has a very good reputation."
STUCK IN GEAR
RBS boss Sir Fred Goodwin said there had been a "gentle movement upwards" in insurance, but declined to call a definite turn in the motor insurance market.
Premiums in the sector have fallen behind claims inflation for several years now.
All Sir Fred would say was that "we are starting to see a floor emerging".
RBS is Britain's biggest car insurer and said in March it was starting to see an improvement in premiums inflation.

RBS insurance operations not for sale - CEO | Latest News | News | Hemscott

RBS insurance operations not for sale - CEO Latest News News Hemscott: "RBS insurance operations not for sale - CEO"

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin said the group has no plans to sell its insurance operations in order to fund its proposed joint takeover of Dutch rival ABN Amro, denying recent media reports.
'Selling the insurers is out of the question. We will not sell them,' Goodwin told Thomson Financial News on the sidelines of a press conference today.
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Earlier this month, UK newspapers reported that RBS was mulling the sale of its Direct Line and Churchill home and motor insurance divisions for up to 8 bln stg to fund the ABN deal.
RBS has teamed up with Spain's Banco Santander Central Hispano and Belgo-Dutch bancassurer Fortis to buy ABN. The consortium today unveiled a 71.1 bln eur offer for the Dutch bank, surpassing an agreed 65 mln eur offer from UK bank Barclays. tf.TFN-

Direct line takes a swat at best buys | Insurance | Personal Finance | Money | Telegraph

Direct line takes a swat at best buys Insurance Personal Finance Money Telegraph: "Direct line takes a swat at best buys"

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 11/06/2007
The insurer has accused comparison websites of not being all they seem. But how fair is that assessment? Emma Simon reports
Direct Line, the insurer, has launched a stinging attack on online price comparison services, claiming that they are not accurate, independent or comprehensive.
In a new TV advertising campaign it warns consumers to be wary of these sites when searching for cheaper car or home insurance.
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Not surprisingly this attack has drawn a sharp response from the likes of moneysupermarket.com, confused.com and gocompare.com - all of which are comparison websites.
Richard Mason, a director of moneysupermarket.com, says Direct Line's tactics smack of sour grapes. "Sites such as ours have changed the way people shop for insurance and as a result Direct Line has lost market share," he says, pointing out that websites such as moneysupermarket.com would be happy to include Direct Line's prices in their searches. "We have the technology to access a Direct Line quote for every consumer. But when we try to include them for comparative purposes we are threatened with legal action."
He adds: "Consumers can draw their own conclusions about why Direct Line refuses to participate with the various comparison sites. It may be that they don't want consumers to see how uncompetitive their prices really are."
Mason's words are echoed by Hayley Parsons, the founder of gocompare. She says she is "shocked" by Direct Line's latest advertising tactics.
"Our site rates insurance policies on more than just price," she says. "Direct Line claims to offer a range of additional benefits, but it does not offer a replacement courtesy car on its standard insurance policies, unlike many providers. Such an omission would be easily spotted if they appeared on our website."
Direct Line denies this is "sour grapes". Roger Rams-den, the strategy director of insurance at Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns Direct Line, says: "We simply wanted to reassert out position that Direct Line always cuts out the middleman. And these comparison sites are just that: they stand between the consumer and the insurer and there is a cost for this service, although it is not always transparent."
He adds: "By their very nature, these sites are focused primarily on price. As our ads make clear, we offer unique benefits which can't easily be conveyed in an online best-buy table."
So in the battle to find the best car insurance deal, what is the motorist to do: log on to moneysupermarket.com or ring a handful of direct -insurers?
The answer is probably both. Used intelligently, comparison sites and best-buy tables can help you find some of the best deals. But customers should be aware of that some may havelimitations. Remember to look at more than just the price: a cheap policy that doesn't provide adequate cover is not value for money.
Direct Line's attack may be motivated by self-interest, but it has helped identify what you can expect to get from a best buy table.
Coverage
Price comparison sites may give the impression that they trawl the whole market to find you the best insurance quote, but this is not always the case.
The best websites certainly trawl most of the market, while some smaller sites may compare prices from a smaller panel of insurers.
Direct Line is not the only company not to appear on these websites. Churchill, Privilege and Tesco Personal Finance - all also owned by Royal Bank of Scotland - are also no-shows.
However, Tesco Personal Finance is understood to be launching its own comparison service this summer, and it is expected that this new service will include quotes from these other RBS brands, although not Direct Line.
Norwich Union Direct is another big name that does not appear on moneysupermarket.com (although it does appear on confused.com and gocompare.com). But moneysupermarket does list prices from RAC and Simple Cover, both brands owned by Norwich Union. The only other notable exception is CIS (Co-operative Insurance).
Most consumers will not be too troubled by the fact that a couple of insurers are not included in their search. But if you want a policy from one of these popular brands or feel they may offer a more suitable deal, make sure you contact them direct as well.
One size fits all?
Customers may have to re-enter their details on the chosen insurer's website before purchasing cover, and the final premium can be substantially higher than the price quoted in the best-buy table.
Many will be familiar with the best-buy tables that appear in the back of most national newspapers (including The Sunday Telegraph) and online. These cover simple products such as credit cards, loans and savings and list the most attractive rates currently available.
But buying car or home insurance is more complex because rates are tailored to the individual and based on a whole host of factors, from your age, occupation and address to the make and model of your car or the types of window lock fitted to your home.
In order to get a tailor-made quote the price comparison sites require users to complete a detailed questionnaire. Using this information they then trawl the insurers listed to find which provides the cheapest quote for the particular circumstances listed.
But this "one-size-fits-all" form may not tally with each insurer's own underwriting process, so the premium could change when you apply for cover.
Mason of moneysupermarket says: "We get the information directly from the insurers' own websites, so the quotations should always be accurate, provided customers do not change any details when completing the insurers' own form." Gocompare says it "guarantees" all the prices listed on its site.
Independence
Research conducted by Direct Line shows that more than a third of consumers (38 per cent) do not realise that these comparison sites receive commission payments from the insurers listed on the site. It found that some consumers thought the sites made money from selling advertising space, while others assumed they were offering a free information service.
There may be no such thing as a free lunch but it is also the case that there is no such thing as a free insurance quote. All of the main comparison sites receive fees or commission payments from companies listed.
This payment is usually made if a customer clicks through to the insurer's own website and buys a policy. Most comparison websites are reluctant to reveal the size of these payments but it is understood that they can be as high as £120 per click; although most are in the £30 to £50 range.
Eyebrows have been raised by some because these fees are not disclosed but Mason says it is upfront about the fact that it is a commercial organisation. "The fees we receive do not influence how we present information. If they did, consumers would not use us, and that would be far more detrimental to our busines," he says.
Direct Line also points out that many consumers do not realise that these sites can be funded by insurance companies: confused.com, for example, is owned by the insurer Admiral - although it is up for sale.
To fund the launch of gocompare, the founders took a commercial loan from Esure, although they have no shareholding in the company. Both companies deny this has any influence on how best buys are selected.

Green Flag focuses on speed of service in integrated push - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Green Flag focuses on speed of service in integrated push - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic: "Green Flag focuses on speed of service in integrated push"

LONDON - Breakdown specialist Green Flag is launching a multimillion-pound campaign focusing on the speed of its recovery service.
"Waiting, boring" is the brand's first work out of integrated agency Shop, which won the £10m account in April. It comprises DRTV, outdoor, radio, direct mail and online activity, which will run throughout the year.
One TV execution shows an uncommunicative couple stranded in their broken-down car, looking frustrated as they wait futilely for help to arrive. The ad ends with the pair still left helpless and getting more and more on one another's nerves.
The TV work breaks tonight on terrestrial and satellite channels and leads with the slogan: "When you break down, you just want to get going again quickly. At Green Flag, that's what we do."
The ad also outlines Green Flag's competitive pricing and highlights the fact that Green Flag patrolmen are equipped with local knowledge and are therefore able to easily find stranded motorists.
The ads were voiced by MacKenzie Crook, who played Gareth in 'The Office' and co-starred in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.
Paul Davies, Green Flag's head of brand, said: "For the majority of motorists, breaking down is more of a frustration than a crisis situation. What matters to many drivers when their cars do not start is if they will be able to get to work or drop the children off at school. We want to highlight the universal truth that waiting is boring and that we offer our customers a quick response."

Car Insurance | Direct Line advertising could confuse consumers

Car Insurance Direct Line advertising could confuse consumers: "Direct Line advertising could confuse consumers"

7 June 2007
Confused.com, UK insurance search engine, has hit back at Direct Line’s new advertising campaign which suggests that buying insurance via online comparison sites could mean consumers miss out.Online price comparison sites are acknowledged to have driven down costs for both consumers and insurers by simplifying the process of buying insurance and allowing more transparent price comparisons. Confused.com - which pioneered the comparison of car insurance online, and provides quotes from 97% of all insurers - estimates that almost half of all car insurance bought online is purchased via its site. The RBS Group – which includes Direct Line - is the only major insurance group that has consistently refused to allow consumers to compare its prices against other insurers via any price comparison site. Direct Line’s current advertising claims that buying via a comparison site could mean consumers miss out on additional insurance benefits.Confused.com’s Managing Director, Debra Williams said: “Direct Line’s claims simply don’t stand up to scrutiny. Alongside price, Confused.com also compares additional benefits such as courtesy cars, discounts on other services and money-back offers. “This looks like an act of desperation from an increasingly uncompetitive Direct Line. It’s a shame it won’t allow its quotes to be compared through independent price comparison sites like Confused.com. But there may be a reason – our initial research suggests that nine times out of ten Direct Line’s quotes wouldn’t feature in our top five cheapest prices. And in some cases, Direct Line doesn’t even make the top ten.”In a further move to drive down insurance prices and increase choice for consumers, Confused.com is introducing a new charging structure for insurers. In future, Confused.com will charge less to those insurers who do not simply cherry-pick the lowest-risk drivers, but instead provide a wider range of quotes to a broader range of people. Debra Williams explained: “As the price comparison market has matured, insurers have become more price-creative. We want to ensure as many consumers as possible are provided with a range of competitive quotes, to maximise consumer choice.“Our new pricing is taking a lead in the marketplace to ensure that the consumer continues to benefit from competitive prices from a broader range of providers.”

Bloomberg.com: U.K.

Bloomberg.com: U.K.: "Royal Bank of Scotland Plc (RBS LN): The U.K. bank leading a possible takeover of ABN Amro Holding NV said first-half earnings will be ``slightly higher'' than analysts' estimates, helped by corporate lending and cost controls. The market median estimate for 2007 earnings per share is 72.1 pence. The bank said it expects to report a cost-to-income ratio slightly lower than for 2006, without giving more details. The shares added 6 pence, or 1 percent, to 638. "

Insurance Age - New technology sets the stage for buying revolution

Insurance Age - New technology sets the stage for buying revolution: "New technology sets the stage for buying revolution"

Sarah Hills
New technology that allows customers to buy insurance products by touching posters with their mobile phones has been launched by a marketing technology company.
Glue4 is currently piloting its full service with insurers and brokers to enable them to use 'near field communication' (NFC) smart posters to advertise, and eventually sell, their products.
The service, called Glue4Touch, will include a range of advertising media tagged with an NFC chip. The chip will pass information to viewers on demand - in this instance, through their NFC-enabled mobile phone.
Dr Neil Garner, managing director at Glue4, said: "Glue4Touch has brought together under one roof a range of marketing and connectivity technologies to deliver smart-poster propositions to mobile phones, including vouchers and interactive advertising. It's going to turn anonymous outdoor advertisements into something direct and add volume to products."
Mr Garner explained that, in terms of the insurance sector, there were several applications that could be used in smart-poster technology. This may include touching a mobile phone to a poster to buy an off-the-shelf travel insurance product at an airport, or to register interest to receive product details either in the post or via mobile internet.
Peter Ballard, managing partner at Foolproof Business Services - which carried out consumer research on NFC technology - said that any company that wanted to strengthen its relationship with consumers could benefit from this technology.
"This will allow the high street to re-engage with consumers," he said. "It's going to be great for distress purchases, or for services such as renewing insurance in a branch or buying pet insurance at the vets. In addition, the technology may be used by insurers to provide secure 'at home' payment systems alongside a PC."
Smart posters have also been developed to support payment functions. Consumers can buy products and services either online, where the process is similar to standard web-based purchasing, or in-store. NFC technology is fully compatible with the more traditional card-based 'contactless' payments schemes.
Dr Garner added: "Contactless is rapidly becoming a well-understood and trusted technology thanks to everyday uses - such as Oyster Cards and the new payments trials with Mastercard and Visa - which enable consumers to tap or wave their payment card near a specially equipped terminal."
The first Nokia NFC-enabled phones entered the market in May 2007, while Samsung and Motorola have both announced handsets for this year.
"This could revolutionise the way customers interact with advertisers," said Mr Ballard. "This is part of the growing trend for convergence, where the internet and mobile phones meet - and it will also play an important part in how customers buy products in the future.
"It will also empower customers to shop while they are on the go, and not in front of a PC or in a shop. For instance, they buy an insurance product from a poster while waiting for a train."

Coke commits to global water conservation drive - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Coke commits to global water conservation drive - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic: "Coke commits to global water conservation drive
by Jemima Bokaie Marketing 05-Jun-07, 08:30
LONDON - Coca-Cola is attempting to salvage its ecological credentials by joining forces with environmental group WWF and making a global water-conservation pledge."
The drinks company has faced criticism in almost every part of the world for its water consumption, which equates to 300bn litres a year. Under the terms of the initiative, announced on Tuesday at WWF's annual conference in Beijing, it will invest $20m (£10m) in WWF freshwater schemes in regions where it has bottling operations.
In return, WWF will advise Coca-Cola on how to recycle and reduce the amount of water it uses in manufacturing, cut its energy use and carbon footprint, and replenish water in communities
and nature via local projects. WWF will set energy, carbon and water targets for the firm by January 2008, and a joint marketing campaign will launch next year.
The partnership, which will run initially until 2010, forms part of Coca-Cola's commitment to social responsibility.
WWF hopes the activity will encourage other big companies, such as Nestle and Unilever, to consider their own water footprints.

Coke in talks to buy Highland Spring for £500m - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Coke in talks to buy Highland Spring for £500m - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic: "Coke in talks to buy Highland Spring for £500m
by Staff Brand Republic 29-May-07, 08:50
LONDON - Coca-Cola is in talks to buy Scottish water brand Highland Spring as it attempts to get a grip on the lucrative UK water market, which has been a disaster for the US soft drinks giant after the failure of Dasani.
According to a number of reports, Coke is in talks with Highland Spring, which it would be able to add to its existing smaller UK water brand, Malvern Water."
Winning Highland Spring, which sponsors British tennis star Andy Murray, would be a coup for Coke because it is the UK's second-biggest water manufacturer after Danone, which owns the Volvic and Evian brands.
Earlier this year, Marketing had reported that Coke was considering a summer rollout of its Belgian water brand Chaudfontaine. The reports, which have so far been neither confirmed nor denied, suggest Coke could pay as much as £500m for Highland Spring, which is based in Perthshire in Scotland.As Britons drink ever more water and non-fizzy soft drinks, Coke is desperate to get into the UK market where it has had no success after its disastrous efforts with Dasani.Coke was forced to pull Dasani, which has been a success in the US, after the story broke that the brand was not mineral water, but purified tap water from Sidcup that in addition contained traces of a carcinogen called bromate. The news of talks to buy Highland Spring follow earlier reports that the US drinks firm was looking to snap up AG Barr, which makes Irn Bru and the Strathmore water brand.For Coke, news of the deal follows its purchase last week of Glaceau, an American vitamin-added water for £2.1bn.

UK Online Sales Rise, Driven by Travel - eMarketer

UK Online Sales Rise, Driven by Travel - eMarketer: "UK Online Sales Rise, Driven by Travel
JUNE 1, 2007


High speed to High Street, please.
UK retail e-commerce sales are estimated to reach $51.8 billion (£28.1 billion) in 2011, up from $21.6 billion (£10.9 billion) in 2006, according to Verdict Research. "

Online sales tripled from 2002 to 2006, and grew nearly 13 times faster than the overall retail sector in 2006.

Verdict said online shopping has grown because broadband Internet access is now widely available in the UK at low cost. Major retailers have also made large investments in transactional Web sites.
Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), as cited in a May 21, 2007, Financial Times article, also noted the rise in UK online spending. Looking at B2C e-commerce overall, the firm counted travel as the biggest online sector, followed by electronic products and apparel.
IMRG also said British shoppers are now buying larger and more expensive goods online, such as furniture and kitchen appliances.
eMarketer's own projections for B2C e-commerce made in September 2006 included travel, event tickets and digital downloads, and estimated a total of $104.4 billion in 2010. Growth in online travel spending accounts for much of the difference from the Verdict numbers.

UK online shoppers outspend even American consumers. eMarketer estimates the average UK spend in 2006 was $2,171, compared with $1,831 in the United States.
eMarketer Senior Analyst Jeffrey Grau said, "The UK is the leading retail e-commerce market in Europe, with online sales having hit full stride. UK consumers are comfortable purchasing durable goods on the Internet, and online holiday sales have been very strong the past couple of seasons."

Pizza Hut website proves online ordering success - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Pizza Hut website proves online ordering success - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic: "Pizza Hut website proves online ordering success"

LONDON - The power of the Cheesy Bites Fondue Pizza has not waned online: Pizza Hut online sales have topped the £1m mark in just 10 weeks since the pizza giant launched its online ordering service.
More than 62,000 customer orders have been racked up via the website, and online sales are increasing by an average of 10% each week.
Pizza Hut launched its UK digital ordering service at the end of March, following a successful trial in the US.
The website uses postcode recognition to identify the customer's nearest branch and automatically suggests a meal deal or special offer, should this be the cheapest option.
Customers can place their order hours in advance of when they will want the pizza, and can either pay online or with cash on delivery for orders of less than £20.
Hugh Wood, chief marketing officer at Pizza Hut, said: "Our customers told us they wanted to leverage the speed and convenience of the internet to order their Pizza Hut favourites from home and we listened.
"We are keen to increase the reach of our online ordering service as quickly as possible and are working hard to meet customer demand."
In the last 30 years, Pizza Hut has sold more than 700m pizzas in the UK.

brandchannel.com | Diet Coke Plus Brand | Coca-Cola Brands | Diet Colas | Nutritional Drinks | brands | brand | branding news

brandchannel.com Diet Coke Plus Brand Coca-Cola Brands Diet Colas Nutritional Drinks brands brand branding news: "Diet Coke Plus
new addition "


Diet Coke addicts—and you know who you are—can rejoice: Your favorite guilt-free shot of caffeine just got a little healthier, thanks to a supplemental shot of vitamins and minerals.


In a world filled with brand extensions, it was perhaps inevitable that the world's favorite diet cola would enter the era of health consciousness. But really, did anyone foresee aspartame and vitamins commingling in the same bottle?
Diet Coke Plus is the latest answer to consumer weight and health concerns, as well as the sagging soft drink industry. In March Coca-Cola's chief executive, E. Neville Isdell, told the New York Times, "Diet and light brands are actually health and wellness brands," asserting that "Diet Coke Plus was a way to broaden the category to attract new consumers."
With water, sports drinks, and other alternative beverages gaining market share over the last few years, soft drinks—including diet and light versions—are losing consumer dollars, some say due to the full-sugar versions' links to rising obesity. According to Beverage Digest, the decrease in the number of cases sold from 2005 to 2006 is 4.8 percent for Coke Classic and 2.2 percent for Diet Coke. Coke faired a bit better than rival Pepsi, which saw sales of its sugared and diet colas down 6.2 percent and 3.6 percent, respectfully.
According to a press release, Diet Coke diehards needn't worry that their favorite vice is going anywhere. The staple Diet Coke, along with flanker sub-brands Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Cherry Coke, Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda, and the new Diet Coke Plus are simply variations on a calorie-free theme meant to offer more options and—bottom-line—attract more drinkers.
Design-wise Diet Coke Plus cans and bottles fit right into the existing Diet Coke brand architecture, sporting the same common elements as the original Diet Coke and adding the new brand's own color swatch of aqua to the famous Coke ribbon and bottle caps. The "Plus" part of the design equation features a rather retro, 1980s-looking type treatment with a small "flower" peaking out from the left side and a gradated rainbow on the letters, presumably to evoke a rainbow of foods and a spectrum of vitamins and minerals.
"Great Taste Has Its Benefits" as the product's tagline works well to play off of the "Great Taste" equity of Coke and Diet Coke while indicating the "something more" aspect of the drink. The product packaging also features the phrase "Diet Coke with Vitamins and Minerals" just beneath the Coke ribbon, the latter of which is in all caps.
Between the added communication point and the rainbow, the lower half of the can begins to conjure images of Centrum multivitamins, which wouldn't seem so incongruent if not for the fact that rather than an array of vitamins and minerals cohabitating with the other Diet Coke ingredients, there are, alas, only five.
Each eight-ounce serving is reported to provide 15 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (according to the US Department of Agriculture) of niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, and 10 percent of the allowance for zinc and magnesium. Interestingly enough, the drink does not provide calcium—one of the key minerals said to be lost when caffeine is consumed. Commenting on the ingredients, one blogger laments, "Why not just take a multivitamin with a [regular] Diet Coke?"
Not surprisingly, the blog-based bashing of Diet Coke Plus has already begun. Comments range from complaints about the drink's sweeter taste to incredulity regarding the notion of a "nutritious" Coke drink. In the coming months Pepsi—no idle brand itself—is releasing its own vitamin-fortified, caffeine-free Tava, which includes the mineral chromium, said to boost metabolism and enhance weight loss.
As one would expect from the two titans of soft drinks, this latest battle for taste buds, health, and bucks should be in full swing by the end of this year.