UKFast wins MEN Business Award

Jonathan Bowers, November 7th 2008, 11:26AM

I am delighted to be able to report that UKFast won a M.E.N. Business of the Year Award last night. We are all thrilled with the win, not only because it meant a great night’s celebration, but also because it is a real tangible reward for all of our hardworking employees.

The awards look to recognise the top Manchester businesses of 2008. There were six category winners at the ceremony held in Manchester's Midland Hotel and we fought off very tough competition to win in the category of businesses that had revenue of under £10m per year.

In fact, the high standard of entrants for this year’s awards makes our win all the more pleasing. The judging panel said the competition had “attracted one of the strongest fields in the event's history, with all the finalists showing impressive leadership and innovation”.

We certainly know how tough it was to just make last night’s shortlist of three. Our entire business came under scrutiny by an expert panel, and our MD Lawrence Jones then gave two impassioned presentations to them. So, after a lot of work and some nervous nail biting it was fantastic that the rollercoaster ride came to such a brilliant conclusion.

But, the event was not just about our success. Looking around the room last night, it reaffirmed to me that Manchester and the North West boasts so much business talent and vision. The judges were impressed with the quality of the local firms in the competition and said as a business region we should be collectively proud about what we are achieving.

Even in difficult times, Manchester is a booming economic centre and we are very proud to be recognised as a leading Manchester business.

Get more details and see pictures from the Awards dinner.

Tags: awards, brand, economy, internet, manchester_businesses, marketing
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Internet can be a remedy to the credit crunch

Jonathan Bowers, October 10th 2008, 2:59PM

The latest figures for online ad spend are an eye opening read. According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, internet advertising expenditure increased by 21% year on year in the first half of 2008, while the total ad market fell by 0.7% in the same period.

Now these figures do cover a period before the credit crunch truly kicked in but the slow down was already starting and confidence was already falling, so they do reflect behaviour in belt tightening times.

The main headline is that when the advertising market as a whole is cutting back, internet spend continues to rise. And why is this? It is because companies know that online advertising is affordable, accountable and effective.

Online ads have the potential to reach a world of consumers and many online ads only cost per click, so you don’t pay for ineffective advertising. Meanwhile, pay-per-click campaigns and banner leads alike can be monitored to record the direct correlation between advert - interest- spend, so scrutinising management boards can see the tangible results of advertising on the net.

So even when businesses need to cut overheads they have learned that to do so online is a false economy. In my view, if cuts can be concentrated elsewhere they should be because a continued investment in an online presence will always deliver a strong return.

In fact, a bold policy of actually injecting extra online advertising investment now could be the best business decision an MD makes all year. Imagine having your brand all over the internet when your rivals are hiding behind the office photocopier.

And those with an online business should be equally bold. Promote your business and be prepared for extra traffic by ensuring that your hosting solution is up to scratch. Don’t run the risk of downtime when the online marketplace is at the fore. Invest in a dedicated hosting solution to ensure that you are equipped to beat the crunch.

Tags: advertising, adwords, brand, e-commerce, hosting, internet, marketing
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ITV's Grade - me thinks he doth protest too much!

Jonathan Bowers, September 22nd 2008, 4:49PM

Beleaguered ITV boss Michael Grade has referred to online video sites, such as YouTube, as ‘parasites’ to commercial broadcasters. See Brand Republic article .

In an interview at the IBC technology conference, the former Channel 4 and BBC man reportedly said operators such as YouTube, Google and Joost are "parasites” living off the TV shows and content created by the commercial broadcaster. However, he also added that he did not feel threatened by such entities.

The attack and then immediate brush-off smacks of desperation to me. Particularly as it comes from a man who finds himself steering a ship in increasingly troubled waters.

If ITV is not worried about Google then the organisation has its head in the sand. For a start, online advertising is already a bigger market than broadcast advertising. Brands are increasingly finding the internet to be a better shop window than TV and the reduction in ad revenue is at the core of the troubles commercial TV companies like ITV are facing.

As Google seems to be successfully siphoning off much of ITV’s ad revenue, I think Grade should not only be concerned about them but also prepared to learn a few lessons. Furthermore, Grade should actually embrace the positive opportunities that outfits like YouTube represent.

No one is going to watch whole pirated ITV shows on YouTube, however the broadcaster could have enticing two minute ‘taster’ clips available that will actually drive viewers to ITV’s portfolio of broadcast mediums.

With the right attitude, parasitical relationships can become symbiotic ones. In my view, Grade and ITV should be actively seeking YouTube exposure.

Tags: internet, marketing, tv, video, youtube
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The benefit of personalised home pages

Jonathan Bowers, August 20th 2008, 5:27PM

One of the biggest advantages of the internet over other media is its ability to offer a flexible, personalised service. Web surfers already have the option to filter the content of a website, choose what email alerts to receive and even save certain website interactions for later referral.

Now, more and more website administrators are offering personalised landing pages to users as the next level to this phenomenon. The most high profile example of this is the BBC which allows visitors to extensively customise their very own home page. They can chose what aspects of the BBC home page appear when they arrive, what orientation it appears in and they can even assign the background colours.

Other sites go a step further. For example the UK version of the NFL website asks for a few personal details so that it can offer a personal greeting to visitors. ‘Welcome Jonny’ certainly feels like personal service. Nfluk.com also allows the user to input their favourite team so that the news section can be refocused from general sport wide news, to news related solely to that team.

The attraction of this strategy to the sports industry is clear. Sports fans have already established allegiances and a website that has the flexibility to cater to these allegiances and effectively ‘decorate’ its home page with the fans’ team colours is certainly at an advantage.

So why are website increasingly going down this personalised route and how easy is it to do?

Personalising allows the users to improve their experience while also saving time. It offers the opportunity for providers to build a closer relationship with users, which is likely to precipitate a longer relationship. All of this equates to more visitors, greater visitor loyalty and a better bottom line.

The best bit is that it is not hard to do. All you need is some asynchronous JavaScript + XML (Ajax). “An Ajax application eliminates the start-stop-start-stop nature of interaction on the web by introducing an intermediary between the user and the server,” says Jess James Garrett of Adaptive Path. The Ajax engine allows the user’s interaction with the application to happen asynchronously — independent of communication with your dedicated server. So Ajax offers the flexibility for the end user to customise their experience.

So there is nothing holding you back. Get closer to your visitors by offering home page personalising.

Tags: e-commerce, internet, marketing
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UEFA boosts profits with bigger online presence

Jonathan Bowers, June 26th 2008, 2:10PM

European football governing body UEFA will no doubt be delighted with the quality of the on-pitch spectacle at this year’s tournament. However, Platini and co’s greatest delight will probably be reserved for their online profits.

According to the BBC , overall profits for Euro 2008 are about 35% higher than for Euro 2004, due in part to a major increase in ecommerce, and with a full week of the tournament still to go UEFA had reported 1 billion hits on its Euro 2008 website, far exceeding the total number of visits to its official site four years ago.

These impressive figures reflect the fact that European football’s governing body has now fully realised the commercial power of the internet. While in the past a website was seen as a secondary thought to pay lip-service to the online medium by an industry focused on broadcast revenue, now UEFA has cottoned on to the fact that a good website can deliver financially.

Take a look at the Euro 2008 home page , the commercial opportunities are everywhere. A sponsor’s banner adorns the top of the page in prime view. There are additional, dynamic adverts on the page and features are also sponsored (i.e. ‘Castrol Stats’) to add a further opportunity for companies to get their advertising in.

Then there is UEFA’s own revenue driving content. Naturally there is an online store, but the most interesting addition this time around is the Pay-per-view facility. This is a real departure for UEFA as it looks to take advantage of the modern broadband age. With this service visitors can pay to watch live games or replays streamed through the official website.

The live streaming in particular is interesting because it shows just how powerful the internet has become as UEFA is willing to irritate its traditional broadcast partners to pursue online revenues.

The internet has evolved past eye-catching novelty, past a begrudging support role, even past an established complimentary commercial endeavour. The internet is now a powerful sales tool in its own right, surpassing traditional mediums in many ways. UEFA has now appreciated this and it is reaping the rewards by maximising the considerable commercial potential of its Euro 2008 website.

Tags: internet, marketing, media
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