I'll vouch for that
First Threshers, now…everyone. From renegade 60% off vouchers at Gap, to 20% off at high street fashion stores all over the land: 2007 is proving to be the winter of the email discount voucher.
There’s more to these than meets the eye: firstly, they show the inherent ‘bandwagon’ jumping that affects digital. After the success of the Threshers ‘discount’ (only really 7% anyway…), every client suddenly wanted to do a quick ‘Threshers’ (and looks like many have been answered); secondly, it’s interesting to see high street companies fighting fire with fire: online Christmas shopping might be eating into their profits, but they’re willing to use digital to fight back.
As our mate Faris points out, the vouchers are on the verge of becoming a expected, cultural event. And to celebrate, hyper is offering our very own discount…
Posted by: Tom at luncheon on Friday, 30th November 2007
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Social eyes
Much as sitting slack-jawed and blank-eyed in front of the TV may not seem like a social activity, the
future may offer more to the couch potato. TiVo – early leaders in the PVR market – has just introduced social features that allow viewers to share their content with other TiVo subscribers.
Although limited to home movies at the moment, this does open up a tantalising future of individuals being able to share more content, with some even becoming channel brands in themselves. It’d be kind of like YouTube on the old tube.
Mix this up with the launch of IPTV/community/TV social network/also-makes-the-tea service Joost – more here on that – and it turns out that the whole telly thing might not be dead after all. Gosh, who’d have thunk it?
More from Adverlab.
Posted by: Tom at dusk on Friday, 30th March 2007
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What the world needs; another portal
Everywhere we turn at the moment we're faced by Virgin Media. If it's not 'Ooo's and Ahh's' from that undulating blob, it's Uma having a private moment with us. They're actively going after Sky's share (with wrangling over Sky One being the latest part of the ugly battle), and they're hitting punters with a whopping quad bundle package.
Part of their launch includes an online content portal formed from the remnants of NTL World, Blueyonder & Virgin.net, which is setting its sights on the likes of AOL and MSN. Their ambition is to compete on audience & content, with music and film from their TV channels being part of the core offering. Personally we think Virgin has got a hard job to do; it must move pretty quickly to ensure that it retains its existing amalgamated audience as well as growing its share. In addition it needs to focus on a truly differentiated offering as it currently feels like a lesser, ‘me-too’ version of an already dated portal model….
Posted by: Ruth at Monday morning time on Monday, 26th February 2007
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How do you take your TV?
BT this week announced the pre-Christmas launch of BT Vision, their combined digital broadcast and broadband TV offering. The service will be available via a set top box 
which will combine a Freeview digital receiver with video-on-demand delivered by broadband.
Consumers will pay only for their internet and telephone connections – costs for TV content will be covered by an optional subscription or will be charged on-demand.
The news is important for a few reasons: it means Homechoice is no longer the only company in the UK providing TV via broadband; and it is a further step towards a TV-on-demand model.
Finally it suggests that as the TV content market fragments consumers may be less willing to pay a subscription to a single aggregator. This means there will have to be a role for advertising. The question no one has an answer to at the moment is what this role will be…
Posted by: Sam at croissant time on Thursday, 7th December 2006
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Everyone's an affiliate
Not satisfied with Alterpreneurs, Bloggers and Astroturfers, the digital marketing community now gives you, wait for it.... the 'Flickrpreneur'. Tedius name but brilliant possibilities.
Let us explain. The photo on the right is on Flickr and has the notes layer turned on. The notes layer then 
has a link to Amazon. The link then has a referral iD which will link any sale back to the originator of the photograph. Have a look at it [here].
In simple terms, everyone's an [affiliate] and can earn fees from directing consumers towards relevant goods & services.
Have a look at another example from a blogger that has tested the idea on a t-shirt design [here]. Nice.
The possibilities are endless but, as with all things brilliant on the web, its bound to be used & abused by spammers and less reputable web entrepreneurs. It's also another example of the blurring lines between innocent, consumer-led content and that content distributed by wolves in sheep's clothing....
Brilliant addition or annoying irritation? You decide.
Posted by: Brad at 4pm on Thursday, 1st June 2006
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