IABNZ welcomes latest member Trader Group. Trader Group is a division of ACP Media, one of NZ’s largest publishing companies.

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Direct-response advertising has dominated the online ad business ever since Google perfected search ads following its IPO in 2004. That has kept many brand advertisers from diverting much of their budgets from traditional media, in particular television, to the Web. This year, however, that may be about to change.

A new report from the advertising-focused Web site Digiday based on a survey of 450 ad executives finds that marketers will spend some 60% of their online budgets on brand ads this year, potentially more than direct-response ads for the first time in memory. The findings come as some analysts, such as J.P. Morgan’s Doug Anmuth, also see a shift in growth prospects from search and other direct-response ads to branding or image ads. (Some even see a shift from TV to mobile and other channels.)

Read more @ http://www.forbes.com

APN News & Media today announced it has finalised the first of two strategic investments with digital incubator Pollenizer that will create innovative businesses adjacent to APN’s core media assets. This is the latest step in APN’s strategy to expand its digital portfolio.

APN has taken a 25% stake in Friendorse Pty Ltd, an early stage online business co-founded by Pollenzier that targets local community recommendations for businesses and services within a neighbourhood. APN will work with Friendorse to integrate the offering with its publications in its Australian Regional Media business.

APN Chief Development Officer, Matt Crockett said: “Part of APN’s strategy for our regional publishing businesses is to provide more services and useful local information relating directly to those communities. The Friendorse model based around recommendations is a good fit with that strategy.”

The investment follows a successful trial of Friendorse in three key markets for Australian Regional Media.

Phil Morle, Co-Founder, Pollenizer said “APN was able to execute on a live trial within two weeks of discussion. Their entrepreneurial approach combined with a strong position in local markets provides the perfect platform to facilitate the growth of Friendorse.”

For the second investment, APN and Pollenizer plan to jointly fund a vehicle in early 2012 to identify new digital business models adjacent to APN’s core businesses in Outdoor, Publishing and Radio.

Matt Crockett said: “Pollenizer has developed one of the most successful and lean rapid development processes in Australia. The partnership is an excellent opportunity as we look to accelerate innovation.”

Phil Morle said: “It can be challenging for early stage businesses to work with large, established media groups, however APN is establishing a track record of working effectively with entrepreneurs. Pollenizer sees that as a strong basis for entering into our first innovation partnership with a large corporation.”

-ENDS-

For Further Information: Helen McCombie, Citadel Communications, 0411 756 248

An interesting bit of biz news in from the States which has some relevance for this end of town. Namely that this year in the States, for the very first time, internet ad spending is set to eclipse total spending on all print media. But this has been long predicted. What is surprising is the e-marketer.com chart showing that online ad spending is set to overtake TV in the States by 2016.

Read more @ www.stoppress.co.nz

The 3 News iPhone app has been named as one of the five best news apps available in Australasia, in the annual Apple iTunes App Store Rewind. 3 News is the only New Zealand news app named in the prestigious list, which showcases the best apps to hit the App Store in 2011.

The App Store Rewind names the year’s top five apps in each of 20 categories from travel to games.
3 News was named in the top five alongside two heavy hitters of the app world, Flipboard and Instapaper. Only one other news agency made the top five - SBS World News Australia.

The app is a great way to get up-to-the-minute information from 3 News’ award-winning newsroom.  It receives 400,000 impressions per week, and the most recent version has been downloaded 45,000 times.

This is the second big success for 3 News mobile apps this year. Launching in early November, the 3 News iPad app maintained the top spot of iTunes Free Apps charts for four weeks and has been downloaded 16500 times.

The 3 News iPhone App features:

• Latest and Breaking news from all the sections on 3news.co.nz - national, world, sports, entertainment, politics, business, technology, environment and lifestyl
• Watch high quality video from 3 News, Firstline, Campbell Live, 60 Minutes, Nightline, Sports Tonight and The Nation
• Weather for your region and around the country
• You become the reporter – send us your best video, news and weather pictures with our 'report' feature. Email the news anchors directly from your device
• Offline browsing of articles

To download the app, visit http://www.3news.co.nz/Home/3NewsiPhoneApp.aspx

The influential Wall Street equity research team at J.P. Morgan released a 2012 outlook for the online industry saying it “remains positive on the Internet sector,” and expects the medium to “be driven by strong secular growth, increased online accessibility through smartphones and tablets, and strengthening trends around social, local and video. That said, the securities firm said its favorite picks for the year are not the Internet’s ad-supported biggies, but major e-commerce players Amazon and Priceline.

“Amazon and Priceline are our top picks for the year,” opined lead Internet analyst Doug Anmuth in a note to investors, adding: “We continue to like Google at current levels, but believe the risk/reward is now more favorable in these other large-cap names.”

While J.P. Morgan did not tout any specific online advertising players, it is positive on the overall sector, noting that online ad spending will continue to be driven by display and is expected to rise about 16% in 2012.

“We expect online advertising to continue to see strong growth, driven by increasing consumer consumption of digital media and increasing allocations of branded ad budgets online,” the report reads, adding: “Consumers have greater touchpoints to digital media through the rapid adoption of mobile devices and tablets, supported with higher engagement trends through the use of social media and networks. We believe consumer time spent online will continue to increase, and the online advertising dollars to follow.”

The equity research team projected that display ad spending would continue to expand faster than search through 2016, driven mainly by brand advertisers.

“We think brand advertisers are increasingly becoming aware of the effectiveness of engaging customers online. Ad formats have been increasing in variety and richness, and online media consumption is accelerating through social networks, online videos, and mobile devices,” the report concludes.

Source: www.mediapost.com

Forrester’s latest research offers retailers insights about Australian consumer mobile behaviour, identifying six key mobile usage segments to leverage for m-commerce and mobile marketing.

The latest research from Forrester Research advises retailers to ‘base mobile commerce strategies on their own circumstances… rather than the technologies available’ and take the POST approach to m-commerce.

In Mobile Techograhics: Australian Online Shoppers, Forrester Research identifies six segments of consumers within the Australian population based upon their mobile usage (listed in the below diagram):

Mobile behavioural trends that Forrester identified from this research include:

• 84% of Australian online adults who have mobile phones use them for more than voice – uses range from SMS to consuming mobile video.
• 49% of Australian adult mobile phone owners who regularly shop online for apparel, footwear, or accessories are also in Forrester’s Entertainers category, meaning they buy content, apps, or personalised services for entertainment on their mobile phones at least weekly.
• 38% of Australian adult mobile phone owners who regularly shop online for computer hardware, software, or peripherals are also in Forrester’s Connectors category, meaning they use mobile email at least once a month, or they use another efficiency or productivity application like mapping.
  
  Taking The POST Approach

Forrester Senior Analyst, Steven Noble stresses that retailers need to base their mobile strategies on customer needs, rather than let available technologies dominate their decisions.

In the report he highlights the value of The POST Method, a three step process based on first identifying and understanding customers needs via their Mobile Technographics profile, then determining objectives and building a strategy… finally choosing the most suitable technology.

Noble suggests that retailers conduct surveys of their own customers to establish where they fit within the Mobile Technographic profiles.

“Consumer mobile behaviour will cross over between profiles (for example, a ‘Entertainer’ may also be a ‘Connector’), however if you understand the majority of your target audience this may go a long way to building a relevant m-commerce strategy,” he advises.

Trends Indicate…

Mobile App or M-Site? Forrester’s research reveals that only 23% of Australian smartphone users regularly download apps, so its seems a mobile website should be your first priority… unless perhaps you have a large demographic of ‘Entertainers’ or ‘SuperConnecteds’ who will appreciate the richer and tailored experience of an app.

Who do I build for… iPhones, Android or Blackberry? 50% Australian smartphone users use the iOS platform. Therefore all signs indicate that retailers (depending on their audience) should focus on developing applications for these devices. This means taking into consideration not using Flash and perhaps exploring the opportunities afforded through HTML5.

Keep It Simple! The research also reveals a small proportion of Australian smartphone users engage in promotions, use coupons and/or enter contents via their mobile devices. Dependent on your customer’s Mobile Technographic profile, don’t rush into elaborate mobile marketing campaigns, keep it simple and as your target audience’s behaviour becomes increasingly sophisticated, let your mobile marketing evolve.

“For a long time retailers have felt that mobile is something exciting and that they would like to do but delay for various reasons, however now is the time for mobile,” urges Noble.

“We are at a point in Australia where consumer mobile behaviour is ahead of what merchant’s can offer and it is no longer something that can be put on the back-burner,” he warns.

You can purchase the full report on the Forrester Research website.

Facebook has captured the hearts (and time) of Kiwis while MySpace has disappeared off our radars completely.

In 2009, 74 per cent of those with a membership to a social networking site said they used Facebook the most often. This figure has jumped to 96 per cent in 2011, the latest World Internet Project New Zealand survey has discovered.

With 'Facebook' being the second most searched item on Google New Zealand in 2011*, it is no wonder New Zealanders are using it more than ever before.

The third bi-annual World Internet Project (WIP) New Zealand survey of more than 1200 New Zealanders has found that overall levels of Internet use continue to increase. Eighty six per cent of New Zealanders are now online, up from 79 per cent in 2007 and 83 per cent in 2009.

Director of AUT’s Institute of Culture, Discourse and Communication and WIP director Professor Allan Bell says that the growth in broadband is another striking change between 2007 and 2011.

“91 per cent of users now have a broadband connection at home. The trajectory from 67 per cent in 2007 to 84 per cent in 2009 has continued but is now easing as we approach saturation. We are finally bringing New Zealand close to other comparable countries on an important measure where it once lagged.”

The survey findings have also shown an increased popularity in the use of smartphones and other handheld wireless devices with usage having risen from 7 per cent in 2007 to 27 per cent of Internet users in 2011.

The influence of wireless networking has also contributed to a change in where the Internet is used in the home, with 54 per cent of users now accessing the Internet mostly from communal areas of their home, up from 36 per cent in 2007.

“These changes illustrate the increasing embeddedness of the Internet in everyday home life. More and more New Zealanders (58 per cent) also affirm the overall importance of the Internet to their daily lives,” says Professor Bell.

Of those still not using the Internet, reasons vary from not finding it interesting to not feeling confident using the technology.  A surprisingly small number of respondents say financial constraints are their main reason.

With three surveys completed, Professor Bell says the reports are now more than ever able to map Internet use in New Zealand and identify trends that can be used to inform government and business decision-making.

New Zealand is one of 30 countries involved in the World Internet Project – a longitudinal study that enables comparisons of Internet use across countries. AUT University, with funding from the National Library of New Zealand and from Internet NZ, conducted its first survey in 2007, the second in 2009 and the most recent in 2011.

Highlights of the 2011 New Zealand World Internet Project 

• Use of the Internet in New Zealand has continued to rise reaching 86 per cent in 2011, up from 79 per cent in 2007 and 83 per cent in 2009
• 69% of respondents rated the Internet as an important source of information ahead of television, newspapers, radio and other people
• 58% of New Zealanders feel the Internet is important or very important in their everyday lives
• 40% of Internet users look up the definition of a word every week
• 59% surf the web daily
• 64 % of Internet users say they belong to a Social Networking Site (SNS)
• More females (68% of those that use the Internet) use Social Networking Sites  than males (59%)
• SNS membership is highly stratified by age, attracting 87% of under-30s but only 34% of over-60s
• Of those with a SNS membership, 96% say Facebook is the site they use the most
• 72% of Internet users buy things online
• Almost half (48%) say they use the Internet to sell things
• 58% of Internet users log onto their Internet banking accounts at least once a week

>> View full project

*According to Google’s annual Zeitgeist lists: the year’s hottest search terms on google.co.nz.

TVNZ has just announced the arrival of a new addition to its OnDemand family called Ad Hover.

Ad Hover is a dynamic, customisable and fully interactive advertising opportunity that can easily be incorporated into existing content to deliver a more engaging and immersive video experience.

With the use of Ad Hover, BMW have successfully engaged Ondemand viewers with a call to action message sitting over their video ad. 36% of viewers have interacted with the ad and almost 2% have clicked through to the BMW website, upon which the video ad and content is paused whilst the viewer explores the interior and exterior of the new BMW 1 Series. The viewer can switch between images and locate a dealer all within the video window, and they do – viewers have spent an average of 2mins each interacting with this ad unit.  Ad Hover is a collaboration between TVNZ and DraftFCB.

>> More info on the product is available here

A new free mobile application which helps make Christmas shopping easier has been a huge hit among iPhone users.

Within 10 days of its launch, the SaleFinder App became the Number 1 free lifestyle app in New Zealand and is in the Top 5 overall – a domain usually dominated by games and Facebook.

SaleFinder co-founder Mehreen Choudhary is pleasantly surprised at how popular the app is and predicts it will hit 30,000 downloads by Christmas Day.

"It seems to be spreading by word of mouth– new users that as soon as they discover what the SaleFinder app can do, they quickly share it with friends. In one office, work stopped as they tried SaleFinder for the first time.

“People are telling us it’s saving them hours – and dollars – on their Christmas shopping.”

So what's so smart about the SaleFinder app? It contains sale details and new product information for thousands of items from 40 of New Zealand's most popular retailers so, wherever you are, you can find exactly what you want and what it costs.

“Whichever shop you’re in, chances are they’ll be on SaleFinder – Farmers, Briscoes, Whitcoulls, Rebel, Kmart, Baby City, Repco, Harvey Norman – to name just a few. Imagine, for example, you’re in the middle of a mall and, just by looking at your mobile, you’ll know what's new and what's on discount and be able to head straight there,” says Choudhary.

“If you've ever wasted a whole hour going from shop to shop trying to find that ‘Curly Fry Cutter thingy’ for your sister – you were sure you saw it somewhere but can't remember where – you'll love the fact that you can just tap on your iPhone and SaleFinder can locate it for you. Save it on the Shopping List then use the Store Locator to find the nearest branch.

“It’s a great tool for window shopping too as, at any given time, there are more than 11,000 individual items on the SaleFinder app.”

SaleFinder is a Kiwi start-up founded by Shahid Sajjad and Mehreen Choudhary in 2008. As a
website, it allows anyone to browse catalogues while members get email Sales Alerts from their chosen ‘favourite’ retailers.

Now SaleFinder.co.nz has ballooned to more than 100,000 members and the company has been looking for new ways to keep in step with shoppers, hence the mobile app.

“The spike in popularity of mobile apps is a clear signal consumers are demanding on-the-spot access to information, wherever they are. The world’s going mobile now and our app is like a mobile letterbox. No more bulky mailers to keep – you can find out what’s on sale whenever and wherever you are," Sajjad says.

Currently, the SaleFinder app is only available for iPhones but Sajjad said it would be out on Android within the next week.