Digital sales house AD2ONE has teamed up with two food icons - Nigella.com, the official website of best-selling author and TV cook Nigella Lawson and Foodlovers, owned and operated by renowned New Zealand food writer Helen Jackson - to offer brands in New Zealand the opportunity to advertise to its premium audience base.

Nigella.com offers recipes, news, tips, advice, books and kitchenware and a community environment for fans to engage with each other and share their food passions. New Zealanders are the sixth most frequent global visitors to the site, which has over 1.7 million unique users.

Foodlovers, is one of New Zealand’s most trusted sources of everyday information and inspiration about food. Owned and operated for over 14 years by renowned New Zealand food writer Helen Jackson, it provides recipe, seasonal information, blogs and forums, restaurant guide and rich media content via Foodlovers TV. The site has over 2,600 daily users and generates 257,791 monthly impressions.

“Nigella’s dedicated, passionate and engaged fans are a valuable audience for advertisers who want to connect with food and drink lovers and showcase their brands in a highly targeted and contextual environment.” said Lisa Ison AD2ONE’s New Zealand Country Manager. She continued “As a locally owned and operated site, Foodlovers has built a deeply loyal, highly engaged audience that provides a quality environment for brands who want to reach passionate foodies in the region.”

Both sites offer advertisers an extensive range of premium branding opportunities from editorial, banners, eDM, recipe integration, skins and banners, video and competitions.

Helen Jackson, Owner of Foodlovers said “Foodlovers is proudly New Zealand in ownership and heritage and is a much loved and trusted destination for foodies in the Southern Hemisphere. We are proud of the quality and immersive nature of our content that is supported by our association with premium brand advertisers.”

Nigella and Foodlover will join AD2ONE’s growing New Zealand portfolio of premium food websites which also includes Delia online, Jamie Oliver, Allrecipes, and Gourmet Ads.

- Ends-

ABOUT AD2ONE

AD2ONE is a global digital group that provides exclusive advertising access to premium vertical brands for New Zealand’s leading agencies, marketers and publishers.  UK headquartered AD2ONE offers fully integrated advertising solutions to marketers.

The global AD2ONE group has been established since 2000 and was launched in New Zealand in 2010. The Australian operation operates throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific and has seven offices globally including London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dublin, Sydney, Amsterdam, Germany, Melbourne and Auckland. 

AD2ONE’S exclusive premium brands span many vertical sectors and include LinkedIn, CNN, Reuters, Miniclip, PlayStation, Skyscanner and Ticketmaster.

For media information contact:

Sue Ralston or Pru Quinlan

Einsteinz Communications – for AD2ONE

Tel: +61 (0)2 8905 0995 Mobile: +61 (0)466 964 786

Email: sue@einsteinz.com.au or pru@einsteinz.com.au

Online advertising expenditure jumped 15% year-on-year in this year’ first quarter, with mobile advertising fiercely driving the growth, a new report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Australia has revealed.

According to the IAB Australia’s Online Advertising Expenditure Report, online advertising across smart phones and tablets recorded a whopping 183% growth in the three months to March, which almost tripled the total mobile market from $13m last year to $36.6m this year.

Total online advertising expenditure reached $ 910.8m for the March 2013 quarter.

Within mobile advertising, tablet based advertising has exceeded smart phone advertising share for the first time since the collection of mobile data, increasing to 58% of all mobile advertising – up from 41%  in the previous quarter.

Video advertising also recorded strong and sustained growth to reach $27.6m for the March 2013 quarter, an increase of $8.8m (or 46.8%) year-on-year.
 
The retail sector reported strong year on year growth of 42.7%t making it one of the biggest and fastest growing advertiser industry categories this year within display advertising. The traditionally dominant sectors in display advertising, motor vehicles and real estate, also gained share this quarter reflecting greater consumer activity in these industries during the start of the year
 
All three sectors grew year on year with general display and search and directories both up 17%, and classifieds advertising up by 8%.  On a quarterly basis, classifieds and search and directories achieved growth while general display advertising declined slightly, reflecting a seasonal trend which occurs in all March quarters. 
 
Gai Le Roy, director of research for IAB Australia said: "It is pleasing to see a strong March quarter with year on year growth for all major sectors. The dual factors continued growth in consumer devices and expansion of creative opportunities for marketers has underpinned significant growth in both mobile and video advertising. We expect to see this growth continue with publishers, agencies and advertisers currently investing heavily in resources to manage these growing sections.”
 
General display advertising accounted for 26% of all online advertising, classifieds advertising accounted for 19% and search and directories advertising accounted for 55% based on expenditure for the March quarter.  This equates to a total expenditure for each category during the March quarter of $497.15m for search and directories; $177.20m for classifieds; and $236.40m for display advertising.

The IAB’s research method saw data collected from industry participants supplemented by estimates for Google display, video and mobile advertising as well as Facebook display and mobile advertising.

source: www.bandt.com.au

Auckland, New Zealand:Yahoo! New Zealand today announced the appointment of a new senior management team promoting Marcus Forbes to the role of General Manager, Media and Louis Niven to the role of General Manager, Sales for Yahoo! New Zealand. The changes see Marcus and Louis hold joint responsibility for the management of the Yahoo! New Zealand business and replace outgoing General Manager Laura Maxwell-Hansen. Marcus has been with Yahoo! New Zealand for six years holding senior product and editorial roles. A journalist by training, Marcus will be responsible for the content and media business and will also lead the ongoing strategic partnership with Telecom New Zealand. With 17 years experience in the New Zealand advertising industry Louis has worked with Yahoo! New Zealand for four years in senior sales roles. He will be responsible for the commercial success of the Yahoo! New Zealand business. The roles will report into the Australian based Yahoo!7 business. According to Yahoo!7 CEO Stu Sayers, the promotions bolster the senior representation in the market through the creation of two new executive roles. “When we were considering our options for a leader for the Yahoo! New Zealand business it was clear straight away that we already had a strong team with the best people in the market. The joint leadership roles highlight the importance that we place on both a great user and a great advertiser experience,” Stu said.  “We’re committed to investing in our business and in particular our ongoing partnership with Telecom New Zealand. We’re confident that Marcus and Louis will lead the continued success of the Yahoo! New Zealand business now and in the future,” he said. – ENDS –

About Yahoo! New Zealand: Yahoo! New Zealand is the country’s largest media site, serving up news, views and entertainment from New Zealand and around the world. It is the go-to place for informing and connecting Kiwis with friends, family and the community. Yahoo! New Zealand’s platform, combined with its unique approach of Science + Art + Scale, connects advertisers to the consumers who build their businesses. Yahoo! employs more than 40 dedicated editorial, creative and media specialists in New Zealand. Yahoo! is the trademark and / or registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. For editorial enquiries:Amy O’Rourke, Acumen Republic for Yahoo! New Zealand, (027) 295 8332 Website: http://nz.yahoo.com

Digital Sales House AD2ONE is now responsible for New Zealand advertising sales for the popular global games giant Miniclip.

Founded in 2001, the site is now home to more than 850 games. Games are added all the time, from Miniclip’s own development studio team or through its network of more than 300 developers across the globe.

Lisa Ison, AD2ONE’s Country Manager for New Zealand, describes it as a great advertising vehicle for engaging with young people. “71 percent of the users are under 35,” she says. “More than half of those are aged between 6 and 17, with a relatively even split between male and females.”

There are numerous ways in which advertisers can become involved with this audience, from mobile advertising, homepage takeovers and pre-game videos, through to sponsorships and in-game advertising, where an advertiser’s banner can appear inside a game – alongside a race track, for example.

Kellogg’s, Disney, McDonalds, Lego and Subway are just a handful of the major brands who have advertised on Miniclip in the Australia/New Zealand region over recent years.

“It’s highly targeted and offers immense exposure,” says Ison. Campaigns can be focused on specific pages, game types and demographics.

In New Zealand the site attracts 210,000 unique users each month, with more than 2.8 million impressions and over 200,000 video plays.

ABOUT AD2ONE

AD2ONE is a global digital group that provides exclusive advertising access to premium vertical brands for New Zealand’s leading agencies, marketers and publishers.  UK headquartered AD2ONE offers fully integrated advertising solutions to marketers.

The global AD2ONE group has been established since 2000 and was launched in Australia in 2004.  The Australian operation operates throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific and has seven offices globally including London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dublin, Sydney, Amsterdam, Germany, Melbourne and Auckland. 

AD2ONE’S exclusive premium brands span many vertical sectors and include LinkedIn, PlayStation CNN, Reuters, Wotif.com, Bookabach, and Ticketmaster.

For media information contact:

Dana Dobbie or Pru Quinlan

Einsteinz Communications – for AD2ONE

Tel: +61 (0)2 8905 0995 Mobile: +61 (0)416 072 625

Email: dana@einsteinz.com.au or pru@einsteinz.com.au

For over 70 years, Samsung has been dedicated to making a better world through diverse businesses that today span advanced technology, semiconductors, skyscraper and plant construction, petrochemicals, fashion, medicine, finance, hotels, and more.

View profile >>

Visit www.samsung.co.nz

IABNZ welcomes latest member, the NZ Racing Board, the organisation behind all New Zealand racing and betting.

View profile >>

Visit www.nzracingboard.co.nz

The Interactive Advertising Bureau of New Zealand (IABNZ) and the Mobile Advertising Council (MAC) released the results today from their latest survey that looks into the mobile shopping behaviour of New Zealanders.

The aim of the survey is to provide marketers with insights into how kiwis are using their smartphones for more than just research.  Alisa Higgins, IABNZ general manager says, “19% are using their phones to buy stuff and there’s heaps of room for growth when you consider one of the barriers is the checkout process is either too complicated or just not available on advertiser’s websites!”

It is crucial businesses recognise that an increasing number of kiwis are using their phones for more than just a communication or research tool. Internationally, 4 out of 5 consumers use smartphones to shop while 58% of smartphone owners use their mobile devices for store-related shopping.

Mark Copplestone, NZ InMobi Head of Sales and Chair of the IABNZ Mobile Advertising Council says, “Advertisers need to pay attention to local research such as the IAB study as it provides valuable insights into the fast changing behaviour of consumers and their mobiles. Smartphone penetration is now at 50% in New Zealand and continuing to grow as the cost of handsets and data plans decrease. The IAB Mobile Advertising Council is estimating mobile revenue to grow 150% this year because that’s where the shopper is.”

The IABNZ Smartphone mCommerce report is available in full to IABNZ members only. If you are interesting in obtaining a copy please contact admin@iab.org.nz

InMobi, the largest independent mobile advertising network, released its latest New Zealand Mobile Insights Report today, revealing that Apple's manufacturer share has decreased in New Zealand for the first time.

Between January and March, Apple's manufacturer share of impressions on the InMobi network dropped 2.4 per cent, attributed to a decrease in iPhone impressions. Accordingly, Samsung gained ground, experiencing a 4.4 per cent increase in manufacturer share.
This news follows reports late last year around Apple's loss of market share to Samsung in other parts of the world, including Australia, where Apple fell 0.4 per cent and Samsung gained 2.5 per cent in Q3.
 
Thanks to Samsung's growth, Android's operator share also increased by 5.7 per cent, bringing it closer to iOS than ever before. Android is currently only 7.7 per cent behind iOS, halving the 15.9 per cent margin iOS had over Android in Q4 last year.

Although Apple has been losing ground in the smartphone market, the iPad is still holding its own when it comes to tablets. A growing appetite for using tablets in the home saw a 2 per cent increase for the iPad, moving it from third to second in the top 5 handsets.
 
Mobile app impressions are also up by 31 per cent to 63 per cent due to more apps being made available to Android users in the Google Play and Samsung Apps stores.
 
Says Francisco Cordero, vice president and general manager of InMobi Australia and New Zealand: "Android has come firing through this quarter, gaining on iOS following a great fourth quarter and Christmas sale period from Samsung which posted a record profit of $6.34 billion (AUD). With the launch of Facebook Home, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the imminent launch of the HTC1 Facebook phone, we believe that Android will maintain its momentum and may even start to edge out iOS next quarter."

Download the latest InMobi Mobile Insights Reports here. Follow on Twitter to keep up to date with InMobi insights at @InMobi_au.

ZenithOptimedia predicts global advertising expenditure will grow by 3.9% in 2013, reaching US$518bn by the end of the year. As has been the case since the start of the economic downturn in 2007, this growth will be led by Rising Markets*, which we forecast to grow by 8.2% on average in 2013, while the Mature Markets grow by just 1.8%, weighed down by the eurozone crisis. Over the next two years, we expect growth to pick up in both Rising and Mature Markets, reaching 9.4% and 3.5% respectively in 2015.

Internet advertising driving growth

Internet advertising is supplying most of the growth in expenditure by medium, driven by technical innovations, such as better measurement of exposure to advertising, greater localisation, and integration with mobile devices. We forecast internet advertising to grow by 14.4% in 2013, while traditional media will grow by 1.6%.

Display is the fastest growing medium within internet advertising, with annual growth of 20%. This is being driven by the rapid rise of online video and social media advertising, each of which is growing at about 30% per year. Continued innovation among the search engines – including richer product information and images within ads – is seeing a healthy rise in paid search. We predict paid search to grow by 13% a year to 2015. Much of the growth in internet advertising is at the expense of print – we predict internet advertising will increase its share of the ad market from 18% in 2012 to 23.4% in 2015, while newspapers and magazines will continue to shrink at an average of 1% – 2% a year. We are forecasting that by 2015 online adspend will overtake print.

Rising markets continue to surge ahead

When we look at growth by country, it is the Rising Markets that are outperforming the rest of the world. ZenithOptimedia predicts that Rising Markets will contribute 63% of growth between 2012 and 2015 and will increase their share of global adspend from 34% to 38%.

The high growth markets are in Latin America, Fast-track Asia**, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which are well ahead of the rest of the world, with an average of between 10% and 11% growth a year expected between 2012 and 2015. Despite this rapid growth, the US is still the biggest contributor of new ad dollars to the global market. Between 2012 and 2015, we expect the US to contribute 28% of the US$76bn that will be added to global adspend.

Changes in the global top 10 ranking

We predict that there will be some change among the top 10 advertising markets between 2012 and 2015. USA, Japan, China and Germany will remain in first to fourth positions, and Australia and South Korea will still stay in eighth and tenth positions, respectively. However, we forecast that the UK will fall from fifth to sixth position, France for seventh to ninth and Canada will fall out of the top ten altogether. Brazil is set to rise to fifth position and Russia will move from eleventh to seventh.

Strengthening economy will boost global ad spend

Our 3.9% forecast for ad expenditure growth this year is down slightly from the 4.1% we forecast in December, mainly because 2012 turned out better than we expected, leaving tougher comparatives for 2013. In dollar terms, our forecast for 2013 is marginally ahead of last forecast, by US$430 million.

The consensus among economic forecasters is that the global economy will gradually build up speed over the next three years. The eurozone should start to pull out of recession towards the end of this year, which will help stimulate world trade. We expect the global ad market to strengthen in step with the economy, although ad expenditure growth will remain behind GDP growth for the rest of our forecast period. Our forecasts for 2014 and 2015 are unchanged at 5.0% and 5.6% respectively.

“As the global economy strengthens, more opportunities will open up for companies to expand their businesses,” says Steve King, Global Chief Executive Officer for ZenithOptimedia Group. “Advertising is an essential tool for launching new products and entering new markets, and advertisers will increase their budgets wherever they can increase the return on their investment.”

 * Here we define Mature Markets as North America, Western Europe and Japan, and Rising Markets as everywhere else

** Fast-track Asia includes: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand
and Vietnam

source: www.zenithoptimedia.com

New Zealanders' use of the internet has "evolved considerably" to a point where more than half the population is now shopping online, according to Statistics New Zealand.

A survey measuring access to and use of computers, the internet, and mobile phones showed the number of people making online purchases had increased by 11 per cent since 2009.

Kiwis were increasingly opting for the convenience offered by the internet, said Hamish Hill, Statistics New Zealand spokesperson.

"The fact that more than 1.8 million people made online purchases in 2012 shows that our internet use has evolved considerably from sending the occasional email," Hill said.

The Household Use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Survey found 1.2 million people made an online purchase in the month before the survey was carried out between July and September last year.

That amounted to more than one-third of the working-age population and 400,000 more people than in 2009, Hill said.

"We can't say whether these are pricier one-off purchases, or multiple smaller purchases," he said.

"What we do know is that 45 per cent of online shoppers spent up to $100 online in the four weeks prior to being surveyed, and another 40 per cent spent up to $500 online.

Hill said what people are buying also appeared to be changing.

"We're not necessarily buying tangible items; over half of those who shopped online had at least one item delivered electronically. This may include items such as e-books, music, or e-tickets."

More than 70 per cent of New Zealanders aged 25-34 years and 68 per cent of people aged 35-44 years were opting for online shopping.

The Household Use of ICT Survey, which involved 15,000 private households and about 30,000 individuals aged 15+, also showed that four out of five Kiwi homes had access to the internet, 5 per cent more than in 2009.

"This 5 per cent increase since 2009 indicates that the rate of new connections is slowing, which is to be expected as it gets closer to 100 per cent of all households," Hill said.

Two-thirds of rural households had a broadband connection, an increase of 13 per cent since 2009. Wellington and Auckland had an 85 per cent connection rate.

Homes with children had one of the highest connection rates, at 88 per cent.

Hill said that for those without access to the internet at home, the main reason was a lack of interest, but cost was also an issue.

The number of households using more than one device to access the internet had almost doubled, from 21 per cent in 2009 to 40 per cent last year.

While the most popular combination was a desktop and a laptop in 2009, that had changed to a laptop and a mobile phone.

Laptops were the most popular means of accessing the internet in more than two-thirds of households.

One-third of households accessed the internet via a mobile phone, up 26 per cent since 2009.

source: www.nzherald.co.nz