Annual survey from bigmouthmedia reveals key insights and trends in affiliate marketing

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:32:50 GMT

Global digital marketing company bigmouthmedia has announced the results of its annual affiliate marketing survey. Titled 'Exploring Online Affiliate Marketing Trends', the survey of UK based affiliates took in the views and opinions of a number of affiliate marketers to reveal insights on how this market is performing and indicates key technology and operational trends on where it is going.

In particular the survey analyses and identifies key insights in to the relationships between affiliate marketers and agencies, the impact of Google (as an affiliate) and Google's Panda algorithm, how affiliate networks have fared over the past 12 months, threats and opportunities and trends in taking a multi-sector approach with an ever increasing digital toolkit - especially social media.

Fiona Robertson, head of performance marketing at bigmouthmedia said: "The affiliate market in many ways is the bedrock of e-commerce. Our survey is an important tool for listening to the space and making it aware of the trends and opportunities.

Fiona, who is speaking at this year's A4U Expo in London, added: "What is really interesting is how affiliates have continued to adapt over the last year to embrace new areas such as mobile and location based opportunity and ever growing techniques such as social media. The overall picture is a vibrant UK affiliate industry which continues to innovate and grow."

Key insights include:
- Google: 71.5% of respondents believe that Google has designs on becoming the largest affiliate compared to 56% in 2010. 31.4% of respondents have seen Google Panda as having an impact on their business.

- Affiliate networks: Digital Window remains the most popular network, followed by Tradedoubler and Commission Junction, with 57.97% of survey respondents picking it as their first choice in 2011.

- Commission attribution: 50.8% believe that modelling threatens the affiliate industry. This figure is up from 34% in 2010 showing a significant increase and evidence of genuine concern within the affiliate community.

- Channels: 32.6% of respondents see opportunities in mobile marketing. Video advertising is still seen as an opportunity by 13.3% of respondents (down from 15.2% in 2010). The biggest growth is in location-based marketing which has leapt up 12.4% to 40.7% since 2010.

- The digital mix: SEO and content marketing remain the most popular at 63.2% but social media has leapt from zero in 2010 to 27.2% in 2011. Moreover, affiliates are increasingly adopting a blended approach with 40% opting for combining two or three different methods to reach their audiences and 28% using four or more.

Andrew Girdwood, Media Innovations Director at bigmouthmedia said; "Marketers can learn a lot from affiliates. They're often quicker to test and learn than large brands or clumsy 'build first, think about the media later' agencies. This report reveals a whole bunch of interesting insights from those digital natives who feast or fast based on their marketing successes."

Interested parties can download the full executive summary and results here: http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/downloads/files/LBi_bigmouthmedia_AffiliateSurveyReport2011.pdf. An infographic of the results can be found here: http://images.bigmouthmedia.com/bmm/bmm-affiliate-survey-2011-infographic.jpg.

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LBi & bigmouthmedia publish A Christmas Countdown

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:27:24 GMT

To help retailers effectively plan for the Christmas spike in trade, which typically accounts for around 20-30% of the industry’s annual sales, global digital marketing and technology agency LBi and its media arm bigmouthmedia have published 'A Christmas Countdown: Getting your online business ready for the holiday season', a joint insight document which provides best practice advice and recommendations on how to plan and execute an effective Christmas ecommerce strategy.

The agency, which works with clients including Boots, Cath Kidston and Play.com, has developed a detailed month-by-month timeline packed with advice on how to best utilise online channels in the run up to the festive season.

Phil Gripton, MD at LBi and bigmouthmedia, said: "Last December there were 2.1 billion UK visits to online retail websites in the UK, with 44% of Britain's online adult population spending more online than in the previous year, pushing the total value of online purchases to £2.8bn. This was in spite of the gloomy economic situation. The Christmas period is therefore vital to the health of a retailer’s bottom line, and with the digital media landscape constantly evolving, it’s important that retailers embrace the latest trends and techniques, which are featured in our insight document.

"We will continue to help our clients maximise their potential in the peak periods through challenging plans and assumptions, bringing the best practice and ideas to the activity and pushing hard to maximise opportunities. It’s an exciting time to work with our retail clients and our guys love the thrill of it."

To download the full A Christmas Countdown report visit http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/brains/.

ENDS

There are many things that make LBi unique, but if the company had to choose one it would be its ability to bring together diverse teams of experts to suit any brief. The company calls this blending, and it's the reason why all types of organisations - from famous global businesses to disruptive start-ups - choose LBi to help make their brands desirable wherever, whenever and however people choose to engage with them.

Bigmouthmedia Launches 2011 Affiliates Survey

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:52:34 GMT

Bigmouthmedia, the global digital marketing company, has launched its second annual Affiliate Survey, designed to identify the key issues and emerging trends in the affiliate industry today.

The research aims to gather trusted information about the affiliates' views on the latest developments and emerging challenges within the sector. Bigmouthmedia, part of LBi, the world's leading marketing and technology agency, is inviting affiliates to share their opinions on a series of issues ranging from networks and tracking technologies to the use of creative tools and advertising exchanges.

"Last year's survey provided invaluable industry insight direct from the affiliates themselves, and we hope to gain an excellent level of responses again this year," said Fiona Robertson, Head of Performance Marketing at bigmouthmedia. "The results will be launched right before the A4U Expo, so we hope we’ll be able to provide the industry with some exciting talking points in the run up to the event."

The survey includes questions such as: Is commission attribution modelling threatening the affiliate industry? Are there too few affiliate networks in the UK? Do networks in the UK have a problem with low quality or fraudulent traffic? And does Google want to become the world's largest affiliate?

The survey is open to all affiliates until 5pm on the 2nd September. Responses from networks, agencies and merchants are not being sought after for this survey. Participants will receive a free copy of the report, highlighting all the key findings from the survey, as well as the chance to win an iPad2.

Affiliates can participate in the survey by visiting http://goo.gl/YQMVZ

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Bigmouthmedia's Fiona Robertson gets call up to the a4uexpo advisory board

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:23:20 GMT

Global digital media company bigmouthmedia has announced that its head of performance marketing, Fiona Robertson, has been appointed to the advisory board for the Europe's largest affiliate and performance marketing conference, a4uexpo.

Fiona is only one of two agency representatives on the board and the position will see her take an active role in helping the fifth annual event, which will take place in London on 18-19 October, build on its own success to deliver a highly useful, interesting and relevant speaker programme on new technology trends, research and the continual smarter management of affiliate marketing to thousands of delegates. In particular, Fiona will be using her own and bigmouthmedia's extensive experience in affiliate marketing to establish various conference tracks, connect with and recruit premier affiliate speakers to the event and host expert panel sessions.

On the appointment Fiona said: "Affiliate marketing continues to provide advertisers with a rich and lucrative opportunity. The a4u expo is an essential forum for this area of digital marketing not least because it tackles the big issues and opportunities that go hand in hand with the industry. It's a fantastic role for me and bigmouthmedia and I'm looking forward to drawing on my own first-hand knowledge to help push the expo remit in to new areas."

During the event bigmouthmedia will unveil the results of its own independent affiliate survey, which interrogates technology trends and issues in the affiliate space in a yearly basis. The 2010 survey results can be downloaded from www.bigmouthmedia.com/downloads/files/Bigmouthmedia_Affiliate-Survey-2010.pdf.

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Bigmouthmedia steps up to SEO campaign for Wallis

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:55:11 GMT

Global digital marketing company bigmouthmedia has announced that it has won the contract to implement an ongoing SEO campaign for online and high street women's fashion retailer Wallis. The contract will see bigmouthmedia build on Wallis's substantial online customer base by significantly growing the firm's search engine performance around its tens of thousands of products, specific product launches, promotions and seasonal sales.

The project draws on bigmouthmedia's strong retail expertise, which was recently on display when the agency published its "Innovations in Retail" white paper, which is still available from its site. Bigmouthmedia's extensive retail clients list includes SEO campaigns for other Arcadia Group brands such as Topman, Topshop, Burton, and Dorothy Perkins. The present project will also see the agency leverage its digital and technology expertise, particularly its command of optimising on enterprise retail solution WebSphere.

Beverley Imrie, head of ECommerce at Wallis / Arcadia group said: "We pride ourselves on understanding our customers in particular how and where they like to shop. Online forms a huge part of this picture and so it is essential that SEO holds a central role in our digital marketing strategy. Bigmouthmedia has a proven track record in the retail sector and has shown that it really understands our needs from day-to-day account management right up to being able to respond quickly to strategic and technological refinements."

Phil Gripton, MD at bigmouthmedia said: "This is a significant win for bigmouthmedia, not least because Wallis is one of the UK's most established retail fashion brands and fits neatly with our existing retail portfolio. We are looking forward to delivering on our commitment to service and quality by providing Wallis's customers with every opportunity to engage with them as a brand."

Across its 24 offices in 16 countries, there are more than 1,800 digital specialists collaborating with brands to enrich people's lives via service design, branded content, mobile, CRM and social media. LBi also sets the pace in digital display, search, affiliate marketing, usability and web analytics.

There are many things that make LBi unique, but the main one is LBi's ability to bring together diverse teams of experts to suit any brief. LBi call this blending, and it's the reason why all types of organisations – from famous global businesses to disruptive start-ups – choose LBi to help make their brands desirable wherever, whenever and however people choose to engage with them.

Bigmouthmedia appoints Mike Mason as director of product portfolio

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:55:25 GMT

Bigmouthmedia, global digital media company, has announced the appointment of Mike Mason as director of product portfolio. Underlining the company's commitment to high quality client service, Mike's role will see him take operational responsibility for delivering a programme of best practice and continuous improvement to services across the entire bigmouthmedia client roster.

Mike will also take ownership of the day-to-day running of a broad range of services including search engine optimization, PPC, performance marketing, usability and reporting & analytics for bigmouthmedia's mid-tier clients.

Mike has worked in the technology, mobile and telecoms sectors for over 20 years in operational and sales and marketing roles, including sales and marketing director at the post sales service provider Regenersis and a 10 year stint as a non-executive director for Codestuff. Mike has also led teams that designed and delivered successful services for some of the world's leading technology and communications brands, including Telefonica, Panasonic, Deutsche Post (DHL), Vodafone, Sony and Apple.

Phil Gripton, MD at bigmouthmedia said: "bigmouthmedia is a mature company with a global footprint and delivering consistent, high quality campaigns to all of our clients is the central value of our business. Moreover our clients should, and do, expect this whether they are a start-up or a blue-chip brand. Mike's breadth of experience will be a significant asset to the bigmouthmedia senior team and his proven track record in generating operational quality for some of the world's most recognisable technology firms will be critical to us in the coming months. His appointment represents our clear commitment to best practice and client-centred service delivery. I'm very much looking forward to Mike's contribution to the business."

About LBi and bigmouthmedia:
LBi is a global marketing and technology agency, expert at blending strategic, creative, media and technical expertise to build business value. It helps companies of all shapes and sizes decide what's next for their business - and then it takes them there. Along with the media arm bigmouthmedia, LBi defines and executes transformational digital strategies for clients including BT, Coca-Cola E.ON, Lloyds TSB, Play.com, SAB Miller, Skype, Standard Life and British Airways. Across its 24 offices in 16 countries, there are more than 1,800 digital specialists collaborating with brands to enrich people's lives via service design, branded content, mobile, CRM and social media. LBi also sets the pace in digital display, search, affiliate marketing, usability and web analytics. There are many things that make LBi unique, but the main one is LBi's ability to bring together diverse teams of experts to suit any brief. LBi call this blending, and it's the reason why all types of organisations – from famous global businesses to disruptive start-ups – choose LBi to help make their brands desirable wherever, whenever and however people choose to engage with them.

LBi and bigmouthmedia release Innovation in Retail white paper

Mon, 23 May 2011 14:03:05 GMT

Global digital marketing and technology agency LBi and its media arm bigmouthmedia today released a joint white paper on digital innovation in the retail sector.

The document analyses how the touchable web and the trends towards a multi-device, multi-channel future are fast becoming an opportunity for retail brands to engage and reward consumers with deep and positive retail and marketing experiences. At the same time, it looks into the blurring edges of the online and offline environments and the opportunities presented by consumers expecting to interact with brands and make purchase decisions spontaneously, wherever they are, whenever they want.

The white paper, authored by digital experts across both LBi and its media arm bigmouthmedia, draws in knowledge of these wider technology trends and explains their impact and how they can be harnessed to develop brand and retail loyalty. Areas under the microscope include new technology in retail, mobile retailing, integrated marketing, display technologies, CRM and social customer service, affiliate marketing, multi-channel user experiences and creative social media.

Phil Gripton, MD of LBi and bigmouthmedia, said: “The document covers what we see as areas with major growth potential in the retail sector. We believe that these new trends will provide savvy retailers with new avenues to expand their businesses, and we have the high calibre experts to help them unleash the opportunities that come their way.”

The white paper can be downloaded from http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/signup/.

In August 2010 bigmouthmedia merged with LBi to create Europe's largest marketing and technology agency. The new LBi/bigmouthmedia agency combines LBi's best in class digital media, marketing, communications, design, branding and technology services with bigmouthmedia's leading search engine marketing product portfolio and digital media expertise.

Bigmouthmedia wins Best Search Engine Agency award at the Interactiva Awards

Thu, 19 May 2011 14:56:54 GMT

Global digital marketing agency, bigmouthmedia, has been announced as winning a prestigious award in the 'best search engine agency' category at the Interactiva Awards in Madrid. The digital agency, which is the media arm of LBi, managed to achieve bronze medal status behind major technology and search companies Google and T2O.

The awards, which were created and hosted by the prominent Spanish marketing magazine Interactiva, are now in their 10th edition and recognise the very best work delivered by companies in communication, advertising, digital marketing, e-commerce and new technologies. Covering 14 categories including best support, best agency, best tool, best campaign and best SEO Project, the awards are judged by a panel of industry experts and are widely considered to be the ultimate industry accolade.

Lyndsay Menzies, CEO of bigmouthmedia, said: "After only two years in the Spanish market it is a huge achievement to be up there with companies such as Google and T2O. Our unique business culture and blended cross digital approach means that we are able to draw on a much wider digital skill set and blend this to create international campaigns that pull together social media, CRM, SEO, technology and creative ideas."

Manuel Jurado Gras, general manager of bigmouthmedia Spain, added: "We will continue to provide our clients with this differentiated service and in particular I would like to thank our talented team for all the hard work, commitment and motivation which has ultimately underpinned our growth and success as a company."

Notes to editors:

Bigmouthmedia shortlisted for the highly respected a4u Awards 2011

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:16:16 GMT

Digital marketing company bigmouthmedia has been shortlisted by judges for the award of Best Agency in recognition of the innovative and dynamic approach taken to campaigns by the Performance Marketing team on behalf of clients.

Nomination in such a highly competitive category in the a4u Awards 2011, alongside industry heavyweights including 7thingsmedia, Arena Quantum and Stream 20, is sound acknowledgment of bigmouthmedia's position at the forefront of performance marketing. Bigmouthmedia's performance marketing team delivers for its clients successful campaigns integrated across a full range of digital media platforms, offering truly innovative marketing strategies further enhanced by accountability and cross channel transparent methodologies.

Fiona Robertson, head of performance marketing, is thrilled to be shortlisted by the a4u Awards in light of the body's respected position within the industry."It's an achievement to be nominated alongside such stiff competition, a real testament to the growing strengths and successes of the team's work. We believe we've developed a unique methodology when it comes to the management and delivery of performance marketing campaigns and I'm delighted that our hard work has been recognised by the judges of the a4u Awards. We're thoroughly looking forward to the announcement of the winners, and we've got our fingers crossed", Robertson explained.

The strict criteria set out for the category of Best Agency indicated that only the strongest candidates within the industry would be shortlisted for the award. Bigmouthmedia's successful nomination illustrates its capabilities in combining innovative cross digital marketing techniques with transparent and effective multi channel communication between both affiliate networks and clients to reach predetermined targets and ultimately meeting the clients' objectives.

Robin Richmond, director of Media Clients, added: "A nomination for Best Agency in the a4u Awards 2011 is great news. The team work hard to remain at the forefront of their sector and deliver exceptional campaigns for our clients, and I'm delighted to hear that this hard work is being recognised. I'm certain this nomination will encourage the team to further develop their service offering and continue to deliver innovative campaigns on behalf of our clients."

After what is certain to be lengthy deliberation and discussion, the winners of the a4u Awards 2011 will be announced at the awards ceremony on 17th May 2011.

ENDS

In August 2010 bigmouthmedia merged with LBi to create Europe's largest marketing and technology agency. The new combined LBi/bigmouthmedia agency combines LBi's best in class digital media, marketing, communications, design, branding and technology services with bigmouthmedia's leading search engine marketing product portfolio and digital media expertise.

Bigmouthmedia urges brands to scrutinise digital marketing campaigns in light of new rules

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:24:01 GMT

Bigmouthmedia has published a white paper responding to the recent regulatory changes and industry concerns surrounding the Advertising Standards Authority’s expansion into the digital sector.

The white paper, which focuses upon the key elements of commonplace digital marketing techniques now set to come under increased scrutiny, urges brands to reassess their current online strategies in the light of the new rules. With judgements and the implementation of specific regulations over a raft of standard tactics likely to be decided by a committee of experts over the next year, remaining compliant with the extended rules will be a key issue facing marketers in the months ahead.

"The ASA's move to expand its regulation of the digital marketing industry is one of the most significant challenges facing us in 2011. Although there has already been some speculation as to what exactly this will mean the details of campaign techniques will be key, and we’ve produced a comprehensive paper to provide insight into the expanded CAP code. We'd encourage all brands to closely monitor a developing situation which could have profound implications for the entire sector," said Lyndsay Menzies, CEO of bigmouthmedia.

With its importance being supported by the UK government, the expanded Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code will address every element of a brand’s online activity to ensure that taste, decency and fair competition is upheld across the full range of digital platforms. Bigmouthmedia’s document illustrates those digital marketing strategies likely to come under scrutiny in the coming months, discussing areas which will require particular attention and offering insight and advice.

Having been in regular communication with the regulatory body during the months leading up to the legislative changes, bigmouthmedia has gained useful insight into the implications which the expanded CAP code will have on the sector, passing this on to brands and marketers alike in the recent publication.

Owing to the fact that the regulations are to be complaints-led, it is those marketing communications which directly involve the consumer which will be the most widely open to scrutiny. Under the expanded rules competitive claims made by brands, quoted prices and limited availability must be disclosed, substantiated and be able to be verified.

Similarly, content will play a fundamental role in the new CAP code, whether it is content generated by the brand and delivered across social media or other digital platforms, or user generated content adopted by the brand and published. All content promoted by a particular brand will be open to scrutiny and must be considered.

Andrew Girdwood, Media Innovations Director at bigmouthmedia added: “The willingness of the regulatory body to discuss the new remit with us in such detail has been very helpful. We’re particularly pleased we’ve been able to encourage wider discussions on the implications of the CAP code; between the committee and the IAB’s Affiliate Council for example. We appreciate this is just the beginning and we will be staying close to the subject.”

The document in full can be viewed at www.bigmouthmedia.com or at Scribd.

About bigmouthmedia:
Bigmouthmedia is a digital marketing company developing truly integrated digital advertising campaigns across a blend of digital platforms with ROI at the core. Setting the pace in search engine optimisation, affiliate marketing, display, social media, usability and analytics, bigmouthmedia has been delivering tangible online business growth solutions on a client-focussed, local, European and global level across 56 countries in over 30 languages since 1997.

In August 2010 bigmouthmedia merged with LBi to create Europe’s largest marketing and technology agency. The new combined LBi/bigmouthmedia agency combines LBi’s best in class digital media, marketing, communications, design, branding and technology services with bigmouthmedia’s leading search engine marketing product portfolio and digital media expertise.

ENDS

Bigmouthmedia expands analytics services with Nedstat professional accreditation

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:05:37 GMT

Bigmouthmedia has expanded the range of analytics services on offer to clients after announcing that the agency has been awarded global professional accreditation status by Nedstat.

Underlining bigmouthmedia’s expertise in web analytics, two members of its team recently passed Nedstat’s prestigious Sitestat professional exam qualifications. The accreditation, which will allow the agency to work as a Sitestat Authorized Partner, represents the latest step in the company’s strategy to expand and diversify the range of services on offer to clients.

“This is a significant move forward in terms of our ability to provide clients with a wide set of tools and web analytics services. While we will continue to offer qualified expertise in the use of Google Analytics to track and measure the success of brands’ online marketing campaigns, Sitestat accreditation allows us to deliver the analytics package best suited to each client’s objectives,” said Head of Media Services Susana Inarejos.

Nedstat is a leading provider of web analytics and innovative solutions for online business optimisation. Recently acquired by comScore, the company is developing its education resources to include more advanced analytics training programmes utilising the application of comScore’s demographic specific data. Users of the web analytics tool Sitestat focus on online business optimisation, segmenting and targeting techniques and how to apply these to improve results of campaign applications and other optimisation tools.

Setting the standard in web analytics services alongside dedication to delivering results, bigmouthmedia’s growing Analytics Services team achieved global professional accreditation by Nedstat after passing an intensive training course at the company’s Amsterdam headquarters. The agency meanwhile maintains its status as a Google Analytics partner in both the UK and Germany.

Offering clients a wide range of web analytics packages is quickly becoming an integral part of any global marketing campaign as brands increasingly demand a measurable marketing campaign which delivers maximum ROI. Bigmouthmedia and LBi are the only UK companies which are both Google Analytics and Nedstat accredited, enabling a diverse and complex offering of web analytics packages.

About bigmouthmedia:
Bigmouthmedia is a digital marketing company developing truly integrated digital advertising campaigns across a blend of digital platforms with ROI at the core. Setting the pace in search engine marketing, affiliate marketing, display, social media, usability and analytics, bigmouthmedia has been delivering tangible online business growth solutions on a client-focussed, local, European and global level across 56 countries in over 30 languages since 1997.

In August 2010 bigmouthmedia merged with LBi to create Europe’s largest marketing and technology agency. The new combined LBi/bigmouthmedia agency combines LBi’s best in class digital media, marketing, communications, design, branding and technology services with bigmouthmedia’s leading search engine marketing product portfolio and digital media expertise.

Bigmouthmedia wins Best Digital Agency award at Spanish Ecomm Awards 2011

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:17:07 GMT

International digital marketing agency bigmouthmedia has been named Best Digital Agency at this year’s Ecomm Awards. Widely recognised as one of the most important of the e-commerce and digital industries in Spain, the Ecomm Awards were celebrated at the end of this year’s Ecomm retail event where Managing Director of bigmouthmedia Spain, Manuel Jurado Gras, picked up the award on behalf of the company.

Securing the award for Best Digital Agency in a fiercely competitive sector, the agency was distinguished for the ability with which the team delivers its digital marketing campaigns, integrating creative and design innovation with strategic and effective campaign management. Bigmouthmedia’s international presence and vast experience enables the company to manage fully adaptable and versatile global campaigns in multiple languages. Bigmouthmedia has continued its successful run at the prestigious Ecomm Awards, having won the award for Best Search Agency at last year’s ceremony.

"We are extremely pleased to have received such recognition for our hard work for the second year in a row. Having only 2 years of operating and managing campaigns in the Spanish market under our belt, the team is confident that we are on the right path, and being named Best Digital Agency certainly supports our belief”, explained Manuel Jurado Gras, Managing Director of bigmouthmedia Spain.

“Having been judged against such stiff competition in the category, we are very proud of winning this particular award. It marks a recognition of our capabilities and the added value we provide for our clients as a result of our exceptional team spirit and the dynamism with which we deliver campaigns. We take this award as encouragement to continue to operate and develop in the same direction within this exciting industry.”

Organised by the highly respected online publication specialising online business and e-commerce Ecommretail, the Ecomm Awards aim to recognise companies that contribute to the promotion of online marketing and the e-commerce industry through innovation and excellence.

Lowcostholidays.com selects bigmouthmedia to lead its expansion into Europe

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:11:27 GMT

Lowcostholidays.com, the leading holiday provider, has announced that it has selected digital marketing agency, bigmouthmedia, to launch its SEO and PPC marketing strategies for the roll out of its European sites.

The travel expert, which has built a reputation for bringing new levels of online technological innovation to the holiday sector, has appointed bigmouthmedia, Europe's largest independent digital marketing agency, to spearhead its plans for rapid expansion. Responsible for establishing advanced search engine optimisation and Pay Per Click (PPC) programmes targeting consumers in Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Norway and Sweden, bigmouthmedia's international teams will deliver a strategic campaign designed to replicate the company's rapid UK growth rates across the continent.

"We are delighted to be working on an ambitious strategy that will play a significant role in the continued growth of lowcostholidays.com as an internationally recognised travel brand. As two companies built upon the twin foundations of technological innovation and international vision we already have a lot in common, and are looking forward to what should be an exciting campaign," said Simon Heyes, head of International Media at bigmouthmedia.

The combined search engine optimisation and PPC campaign will be directed by bigmouthmedia's UK team with the work being delivered locally by the agency's offices in each of the target markets. Work has already begun in Germany and Sweden, with the strategy rolling out across the remaining territories over the course of the next year.

Fran Hall, head of Marketing at lowcostholidays.com, added: "It quickly became clear to us that bigmouthmedia was the natural choice to lead our search marketing campaign. Not only does it have an established track record and reputation for technical excellence, but the agency also has a global reach and an understanding of the international markets that few companies can rival."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About bigmouthmedia:
Bigmouthmedia is a digital marketing company which specializes in developing truly integrated digital advertising campaigns across a blend of digital platforms with ROI at the core.

Setting the pace in search engine marketing, affiliate marketing, display, social media, usability and analytics, bigmouthmedia has been delivering tangible online business growth solutions on a client-focussed, local, European and global level across 56 countries in over 30 languages since 1997.

Bigmouthmedia's 2011 Travel Report reveals social media spending to overtake direct email marketing

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:46:05 GMT

Bigmouthmedia's 2011 Travel Report has revealed that the sector's enthusiasm for digital marketing is set to continue in the face of extremely challenging trading conditions.

While the travel sector has continued to be amongst the worst affected by events in 2010, the standout statistics from the bigmouthmedia Travel Report 2011 indicate that enthusiasm for the nascent social media and mobile channels is set to continue unabated, with social strategies taking a larger share of budgets than direct email marketing for the first time. Meanwhile smart phone enabled enthusiasm for mobile grows, with 28% planning invest in apps development and 22% looking to build mobile sites over the course of the next year.

"The industry has been forced to cope with a rich variety of challenges ranging from exploding volcanoes to a stuttering economy over the past year, but our research shows that across the travel sector, these setbacks only appear to have increased companies' enthusiasm for digital marketing in general and the social media in particular. With the need for budget transparency and accountability becoming ever more important, the measurable nature of digital is fast making it the dominant channel," said Anneli Ritari, Senior Travel Strategist at bigmouthmedia.

According to the report, which surveyed 78 leading travel professionals from bigmouthmedia's client base, parent group LBi and the readership of Tnooz, digital’s share of the overall marketing budget looks set to continue to grow - from 56% in 2010 to 60% in 2011 - with some 85% of companies planning to increase their spend in the months ahead. While the majority intend to do so by means of a direct investment, some 33% will transfer the funds across from traditional channels.

As might be expected Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and comparison search engines have the largest budget share devoted to online marketing at 90%, while airlines and hotel companies have the lowest proportion allocated to online spend, with around 30% in 2010. However, this figure is set to increase to 33% for airlines and 38% for hotels in 2011.

An explanation of these trends may be found in the fact that satisfaction with ROI is increasing, and that many businesses are indicating that much effort will go into improving their measurement in 2011. Some 58% of those polled said that they intended to introduce attribution modelling to calculate ROI for their online marketing spend in the year ahead.

Ritari added: "Although the travel business' adoption of digital marketing techniques continues to improve, the industry can still learn from the example set by other sectors. Examples of great video virals or social media campaigns from the travel sector are few and far between - perhaps because as an industry we tend to be too focused on ROI - and as a general rule tend to lack the creative flair that has seen companies in entertainment and retail reap rich rewards."

About bigmouthmedia:
A dedicated digital marketing specialist since 1997, bigmouthmedia is one of the world’s leading digital marketing agencies, with a team of over 200 staff located across a raft of international offices. Bigmouthmedia offers a full range of services including search engine optimisation (SEO), PPC, affiliate marketing, display advertising and social media. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

In August 2010 bigmouthmedia merged with LBi to create Europe’s largest marketing and technology agency, combining LBi’s best in class digital media, marketing, communications, design, branding and technology services with bigmouthmedia’s leading search engine marketing product portfolio.

Bigmouthmedia launches Online Travel Survey 2011

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:16:38 GMT

Bigmouthmedia has launched its annual survey into the travel industry and the sector's approach to digital marketing.

Now in its third year of publication, the bigmouthmedia Online Travel Report 2011 will examine some of the big issues facing the sector, kicking off with a survey designed to unveil companies' attitudes to the year ahead. Posing questions on a range of issues from future spending plans to the big challenges perceived to be awaiting the industry, the research will cast fresh light on a business that remains one of the most vibrant and exciting online verticals.

"This is the third year running that we have compiled the Online Travel Report, and its status as the only credible annual survey of the state of online marketing activities in the travel vertical has already seen it become an industry favourite. There can be little doubt that the travel industry now truly appreciates the power and reach of digital marketing, but with last year's results indicating that many players were struggling to develop effective strategies for emerging channels such as social media, it will be interesting to see how far they have evolved over the past 12 months." said Anneli Ritari, senior travel strategist at bigmouthmedia.

This year's survey poses a series of questions ranging from how companies intend to spilt their marketing budgets over the course of 2011 to the biggest challenges respondents feel will face the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the months ahead. Those answering the question will also be asked whether the ROI on their online marketing budget developed in 2010, what campaign platforms they plan to focus upon and the key online marketing challenges they believe will arise in the near future.

Based on a sample of 150 travel professionals, last year's survey revealed that travel companies expected to move the majority of their marketing spend into online advertising in 2010, with the 50% share allocated to digital channels in 2009 predicted to rise to 57% in 2010. As the industry responded to unprecedented economic pressure, a clear majority also claimed the intention to significantly increase spending on social media.

Those wishing to participate in the bigmouthmedia Travel Survey 2011 and receive a free copy of the report may do so online.

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe's largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Bigmouthmedia identifying current key affiliate marketing issues

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:53:49 GMT

Bigmouthmedia is to conduct a new affiliates survey designed to identify the key issues in affiliate marketing in the current climate.

The digital marketing agency has commissioned the research in a bid to establish firm information about the latest developments and emerging challenges that matter to the sector. Affiliates responding to the survey will be asked for their opinions on a series of issues ranging from networks and tracking technologies to the use of creatives and advertising exchanges.

"Are affiliates most successful when they concentrate on just one niche? Is commission attribution modelling a major threat to the industry? There are many questions hanging over the affiliates industry and we want to know which issues matter most to them," said Fiona Robertson, head of Affiliates and Performance at bigmouthmedia.

"Our Affiliate partners are extremely important to us. We believe it's important to know what makes their businesses work, to understand what they think of the digital industry as a whole, and that identifying affiliate opinions on the key issues currently facing the industry is an essential step towards creating greater clarity in the sector."

The questions include: are affiliates better digital marketers than many of the merchants they work with? Are there too many affiliate networks in the UK? Do networks in the UK have a problem with low quality or fraudulent traffic and does Google want to become the world's largest affiliate?

The new bigmouthmedia affiliate marketing survey, which closes on October 6th 2010, is open to any affiliate that wishes to participate and receive a free copy of the final research in return, and one lucky winner will also get an additional a prize. Responses from networks, agencies and merchants are not being sought.

Bigmouthmedia calls for new rules governing sale of financial products online

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:09:05 GMT

Bigmouthmedia has published a white paper calling for the Financial Services Authority to introduce specific guidelines governing the sale of financial products and services online.

While almost a quarter of all UK-based marketing spend is now online, there are still no specific guidelines for how financial marketers should engage in online marketing. Bigmouthmedia's white paper demonstrates growing cause for concern amongst marketers that while the internet has created a unique set of conditions; the FSA has yet to provide specific guidelines for marketers using the channel.

"It is time for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to address one of the most neglected issues of its time and produce a set of guidelines designed to help financial services market their services both ethically and effectively. At a point when restoring the industry's position in the public esteem remains of critical importance, getting the message right online will be a significant step forward," said Chris Cathcart, Senior Finance Strategist at bigmouthmedia.

"The internet was in its infancy when the organisation founded to regulate the finance sector first opened its doors, but in little more than a decade it has revolutionised the way that consumers interact with the commercial world. We believe that a specific set of rules developed to specifically address the unique conditions surrounding online trade could bring an end to a lot of existing confusion."

Digital advertising formats make compliance with the standards set out for traditional media extremely difficult, and in a culture where companies selling financial products must be extremely vigilant against falling foul of legislation, marketers find their ability to engage with the burgeoning marketplace restricted. The problem, however, does not stop there.

As a recent bigmouthmedia survey revealed, consumers are less than content with the way financial services are sold to them online. They demonstrate widespread mistrust of the claims made of a raft of available products and a clear preference for terms and conditions written in plain English they can understand.

“Bigmouthmedia's paper on the regulation of online financial distribution makes some very interesting observations on the distinction between online and offline financial promotion, and the need for greater flexibility in the online world to build up the picture for the consumer, rather than trying to deliver all the jargon and protection information in the single advert view. It highlights the need for 'Online' consumers to be afforded the same degree of protection as 'offline' but that the delivery needs to be different. At Money Dashboard we will strongly support any regulatory initiatives that champion 'online' financial consumers getting to a more intuitive and simplified view of product information to assist them with financial decisions,” said Gavin Littlejohn, CEO of Money Dashboard.

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe's largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily affiliate marketing fully into the overall bigmouthmedia offering, spotting key areas for growth and ensuring that affiliate strategies fit seamlessly within the clients' business models.

"We are delighted for Fiona to be joining the bigmouthmedia team", said Robin Richmond, head of Digital at bigmouthmedia. "Her experience building performance-led strategies will be of massive benefit to our clients affiliate marketing campaigns. We are also seeing a definite uptake on our affiliates and performance services offering by new and existing clients as part of more comprehensive cross-digital marketing packages. Companies are becoming more aware of the synergies and added value that a single supplier can bring on board, and the recent growth of bigmouthmedia's affiliates and cross-digital teams is a reflection of this new market trend".

About bigmouthmedia:
A dedicated digital marketing specialist since 1997, bigmouthmedia is one of the world's leading digital marketing agencies, with a team of over 200 staff located across a raft of international offices. Bigmouthmedia offers a full range of services including search engine optimisation, PPC, affiliate marketing, display advertising and social media.

A recipient of numerous awards, the agency has a strong track record of running digital media solutions across the board and its global footprint and experience makes it the ideal partner for international and multilingual digital marketing campaigns. The agency is responsible for the digital marketing strategies of many of the globe's best known brands, including British Airways, Tesco, Mexx, BT, Cisco, Hotels.com, Europcar, Radisson, Fujitsu, Belron, Chip and SAS, across 64 countries in over 30 languages.

Bigmouthmedia recently merged with LBi to create Europe's largest marketing and technology agency, combining LBi's best in class digital media, marketing, communications, design, branding and technology services with bigmouthmedia's leading search engine marketing product portfolio. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news.

Bigmouthmedia reports Google changes will make advertising attractive for comparison sites

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:53:41 GMT

Bigmouthmedia reports that Google's latest changes to its trademark policy will make pay-per-click advertising more attractive for comparison sites.

The press conference announcement means that from September 14th 2010 the UK will now follow Google's existing US AdWords policy, which allows any advertiser to use trademarked keywords within their advert text in some cases. Using trademarked terms in advertising copy will remain outlawed in mainland Europe, but following the rule change keywords will no longer be protected from others bidding on them.

"Aggregators will now have the ability to use brand names in their adverts. This is likely to improve their click-through rates and quality score, and will therefore make it more attractive for such operations to bid on brand terms," said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

"In the UK the news may have a large impact on brand bids in industries such as finance, travel and electronics. While advertisers in mainland Europe will be unable to put trademarked terms in the advertising copy of their campaigns, the changes are still likely to have a big impact on brand budgets."

Bigmouthmedia believes that Google's decision to allow anyone to bid for trademarked keywords across Europe is widely predicted to lead to price rises in the markets affected. When this happened in the UK - where the policy change was first rolled out in 2008 - bidding on some brand terms increased by as much as 500% in the short term. The hike was relatively short lived mainly due to British brands' unwillingness to get involved in bidding wars, although this may not be the case in other European countries and brand bidding may break out in earnest.

Bupa appoints bigmouthmedia to search marketing account

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:06:57 GMT

Leading international healthcare provider, Bupa, has selected bigmouthmedia, Europe's largest and most experienced digital marketing agency, to lead its search marketing strategy.

The new deal will see bigmouthmedia take on a major search engine optimisation programme which will involve Bupa's key UK websites. The project, which will be the company's most extensive digital marketing campaign so far to date, and is designed to deliver significant growth to the international healthcare provider over the next three years.

"We're delighted to be working with a brand of Bupa's quality. Having worked side-by-side to create an ambitious search marketing strategy, we're now looking forward to getting our teeth into what promises to be a particularly exciting project,” said Scott Boocock, major account director at bigmouthmedia.

David Lengen, head of digital communications at Bupa added, "Search is an essential element of Bupa's strategy to becoming recognised as a global healthcare leader. Bigmouthmedia will help us to position the brand from being purely about health insurance into the broader health and wellbeing sphere, where so much of Bupa's expertise lies.”

With its team of over 200 online professionals and experts across the fields of SEO, PPC, social media marketing, affiliate marketing, display advertising, online pr and copywriting along with an existing client base which includes many major household brand names, bigmouthmedia is ideally positioned to take on and help drive this exciting project to increase Bupa's online presence to become a global leader in healthcare and wellbeing.

About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives.

A leading international healthcare provider, Bupa offers personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.

With no shareholders, Bupa invests its profits to provide more and better healthcare. It is committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.

Employing over 50,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe's largest and most experienced digital marketing agency and was rated the UK's #1 Search agency for SEO and PPC in the 2010 NMA Marketing Services Guide.

Bigmouthmedia's 200+ online marketing experts across 10 international offices maximise online brand exposure for its clients by means of integrated digital strategies incorporating search engine optimisation, PPC, social media marketing, affiliate marketing, display advertising, online PR and copywriting.

Bigmouthmedia's multilingual digital solutions deliver outstanding ROI for over 300 world leading brands including British Airways, Tesco, Fujitsu, BT, Kuoni, Barclaycard and Europcar. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news.

Press contact: bigmoutmedia Ltd UK
Iain Bruce
Media Strategist
bigmouthmedia
51 Timberbush
Edinburgh
EH6 6QH
Tel: 07929 466 152
@bigmouthmedia

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