Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: /brand-monitor/

Apple to announce continued growth

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:00:00 GMT

Apple is expected to exceed its own predictions and announce impressive third quarter revenues of $37billion (£23.8 billion).

The results to be released today are expected to show record iPad sales alongside a fall in iPhone purchases.

The two gadgets accounted for three quarters of the technology giant's business during the period, singlehandedly raking in $29billion in sales (£18.6 billion).

The new iPad helped spearhead these impressive figures, selling 18.75 million models around the world, according to a recent report. They can largely be attributed to the global launch of their enhanced iPad, with its delayed release in China expected to further boost next quarter's figures.

Declining iPhone sales will give the company some concern, although the drop may be a result of consumers holding off until the next model is released.

Commentators believe around 29 million handsets were sold this period which is around 6 million less than the March quarter. The product still remains Apple's biggest seller and did sell over 8.5 million more models than the same period last year.

The company had previously missed stock market sales estimates in 2011, and Tony Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research has pessimistically warned, despite strong forecasts, similar problems could occur again.

"We see a reasonable probability that Apple will miss consensus revenue expectations due to macro-economic weakness in China and Europe, a product cycle lull in the iPhone, a later than expected introduction of the new iPad into China, and the late quarter introduction of new Mac notebooks."

iPod and Mac sales are set to continue on their recent flatlining trend, with negligible to a small fall in purchases expected.

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Google warned of 'search manipulation concerns' by EU

Wed, 23 May 2012 04:49:00 GMT

Following a lengthy investigation into Google's operations, the EU's anti-trust chief Joaquin Almunia has written a letter to Eric Schmidt, its executive chairman, detailing four areas of concern.

The investigation started in November 2010 after complaints made from rivals such as Microsoft, that the search giant abused its dominant position.

The first concern raised by the investigation was that Google manipulates search results for its own ends, displaying its own vertical search services in a different way to how it shows competitor links.

"We are concerned that this may result in preferential treatment compared to those of competing services, which may be hurt as a consequence," said Mr Almunia in the letter.

The second problem was due to Google's observance of copyright laws, copying content from competing services and using it for their own offerings.

"Google may be copying original material from the websites of its competitors such as user reviews and using that material on its own sites without their prior authorisation. In this way they are appropriating the benefits of the investments of competitors.

"We are worried that this could reduce competitors' incentives to invest in the creation of original content for the benefit of internet users. This practice may impact for instance travel sites or sites providing restaurant guides."

The Commission's third concern is restrictive advertising contracts that the search company uses: "The agreements result in de facto exclusivity requiring them to obtain all or most of their requirements of search advertisements from Google, thus shutting out competing providers of search advertising intermediation services.

"This potentially impacts advertising services purchased for example by online stores, online magazines or broadcasters."

Finally, their last concern was that of advertising across differing web platforms. Google's AdWords advertising platform cannot be transferred to other advertising services.

"We are concerned that Google imposes contractual restrictions on software developers which prevent them from offering tools that allow the seamless transfer of search advertising campaigns across AdWords and other platforms for search advertising," said Alumnia.

A Google spokesman told the Daily Telegraph that the company is currently dealing with the EU's concerns: "We've only just started to look through the Commission's arguments. We disagree with the conclusions but we're happy to discuss any concerns they might have.

"Competition on the web has increased dramatically in the last two years since the Commission started looking at this and the competitive pressures Google faces are tremendous."

Mr Alumnia said that he wishes the matter to be solved as soon as possible and that Google should provide sufficient remedies for the investigation's concerns.

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Facebook begin share trading

Fri, 18 May 2012 03:36:00 GMT

Facebook shares have begun trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange, joining the likes of internet giants such Google and Amazon.

Shares were initially priced at $38 each, but within minutes of trading - and at the time of publishing - rose to $43. The social networking site has been valued overall at $104 billion (£66 billion).

The day's trading was opened by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg by video link at 0930 local time (1430 BST); however the trading of Facebook shares did not begin until 1100 local time. A celebration was held at Facebook's California offices to mark the stock flotation.

Facebook is releasing slightly less than a fifth of its total shares - roughly 421 million. The company expects to raise around $18 billion from its flotation. The social media giant's initial public offering is the third largest in American history, behind only Visa and General Motors.

BBC correspondent Mark Gregory reported from New York there was significant anticipation in the air before the sale: "When it starts trading, there is likely to be a bit of a frenzy."

"The managers of this share sale want it to be a success, but they don't want the price to go too high so that it comes crashing down in coming days."

The social network site at valuation is worth around the same as the internet shopping giant Amazon. Its value has also eclipsed established brands such as Disney.

How successful the flotation will be remains to be seen. The site's profits are small in relation to its size, making only $5 for each of its 900 million users.

Questions also remain about the value of advertising on the site after General Motors announced it would no longer buy ad space on the social network this week.

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Users complaining on social networks

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:00:00 GMT

Social Media is emerging as an effective way of making customer complaints about a company, according to a new survey.

Conducted by Fishburn Hedges and Echo Research, the survey polled 2,000 UK adults on their use of social media platforms to air their grievances.

36 per cent of those questioned said they had used social media to contact a large company in April 2012. A further 65 per cent said social media was a better way to communicate with companies than call centres.

In fact, half of people polled aged between 18 and 24 had contact with big brands in this way and 27 per cent of people aged 55 plus also employed this tactic.

Eva Keogan, head of innovation at Fishburn Hedges, calls this quick response, "VIP treatment from brands on social media".

"Fear of public complaints evens up the balance for us all. However, the smartest businesses are the ones that will manage to avoid injecting needless processes," she told the BBC.

"Social media can bring a business and its customers much closer."

However, in order to deal with the volume of complaints, brands have to allocate more resources to customer service departments.

Richard Dodd, of the British Retail Consortium, told the BBC that dealing with social media complaints "has the potential to need more staff."

"If you are actively engaging in social media you are setting up an expectation amongst customers that they will receive a response, so you have to be geared up to fulfil those expectations," he said.

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Most Facebook users don't click on ads

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:36:00 GMT

Most people do not click on Facebook ads according to a new survey by CNBC and Associated Press.

Figures show 57 per cent of Facebook users never click on or use any of the commercial content on the site, as well as another 26 per cent stating that they rarely do so.

This is a blow to the social networking giant as its commercial plan for public flotation is mainly based on users responding to adverts. The CNBC/Associated Press report comes on the same day as General Motors announced they will no longer advertise on Facebook, due to the lack of impact their ad campaigns had had on users.

GM is the third biggest advertiser in America and their abandonment of Facebook as a platform shows up a major flaw in the social network's flotation strategy.

"This does highlight what we are arguing is the riskiness of the overall Facebook business model," said Brian Wieser, Internet and media analyst at Pivotal Research Group, to the Daily Telegraph.

"It is not a sure thing. It sure looks likely that it will be one of the most important ad-supported media properties, but it's not certain because there will be marketers who are challenged to prove the effectiveness of the marketing vehicle."

GM will carry on maintaining its free Facebook pages, using them to promote products and services.

Facebook will reportedly start trading on the Nasdaq on Friday. Despite the advertising strategy and revenue problems, there is strong investor demand with its offering increased by 25 per cent to raise $15 million.

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Cisco appeals EU decision on Microsoft-Skype merger

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:49:00 GMT

Cisco Systems has launched an appeal of the European Commission's decision to approve Microsoft's acquisition of Skype.

In a landmark deal last May, Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion (£5.4 billion), outbidding the likes of Google and Facebook. In October, the European Union approved the deal and ruled it would not impede competition.

However, Cisco is now challenging that ruling, stating certain conditions are needed to prevent the mega merger from blocking other videos services.

"Cisco does not oppose the merger, but believes the European Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater standards-based interoperability, to avoid any one company from being able to seek to control the future of video communications," Marthin De Beer, senior vice president of the Cisco Emerging Business Group, wrote in an official blog post.

He added: "This appeal is about one thing only: securing standards-based interoperability in the video calling space. Our goal is to make video calling as easy and seamless as email is today."

Cisco's core business is currently routers and switches, but sees video as the future of communication. The company now offers its own video conferencing service, and open standards for video services would potentially allow calls to be made between other services - like Skype, Microsoft's Lync, Google Voice and Cisco's WebEx.

A spokesperson for Microsoft responded to the appeal, stating: "The European Commission conducted a thorough investigation of the acquisition, in which Cisco actively participated, and approved the deal in a 36-page decision without any conditions. We're confident the Commission's decision will stand up on appeal."

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VEVO comes under fire for illegal streaming

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:36:00 GMT

VEVO has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar after illegally streaming an NFL football game at an industry event during the Sundance Film Festival.

It seems the music video streaming service and all around anti-piracy advocate fell victim to a laptop-takeover when "someone else" interrupted VEVO's own music video stream when staff turned their backs - that was hooked up to a television feed - turning on the game instead.

News of the incident came to light when a TechCrunch reporter caught the alleged piracy on film.

Responding to criticism, VEVO was quick to point the finger at an anonymous culprit, calling the piracy a blip that was quickly righted once discovered.

"There has unfortunately been a report that something other than VEVO music videos was played at the Powerstation. We feel it important to explain exactly what happened," CEO Rio Caraeff wrote on the Vevo blog post.

"A guest of our lounge asked for an NFL game to be aired. We said no. There was a laptop hooked up to VEVO.com that fed into the large TV screens around the bar. Unfortunately the laptop was easily accessible to the public.

"While VEVO staff was in other areas of the venue, the game was put on - via a website transmitting ESPN's broadcast of the NFL game - without our permission our knowledge."

Owned in part by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, VEVO prides itself in providing fully licensed products to consumers - and both VEVO and its parent companies have aggressively pursued alleged pirates in the past.

"VEVO is not in the business of streaming illegal video content. We work really hard to give our fans access to the best HD music videos and original programming - legally. VEVO takes intellectual property and copyright issues very seriously," Caraeff said.

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Google pays users to give up their privacy

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:36:00 GMT

Google will pay you to give up your online privacy.

In a new project called Screenwise, Google is offering to pay users up to $25 (£15) to share their search history.

People who sign up to be Screenwise panellists will receive a $5 (£3) Amazon voucher for installing the Google Screenwise browser extension. Participants will then earn an additional $5 (£3) for every three months of participation up to one year.

Though, the fine print on the Screenwise landing page states that gift amounts for participating longer than a year will be reviewed.

The search giant hasn't been overly specific about the details that members of the panel will share, but did state: "As a panellist, you'll add a browser extension that will share with Google the sites you visit and how you use them."

The company also said of its goals, "What we learn from you, and others like you, will help us improve Google products and services and make a better online experience for everyone.

In an official statement about the programme, a Google spokesperson stated: "Like many other web and media companies, we do panel research to help better serve our users by learning more about people's media use, on the web and elsewhere.

"This panel is one such small project that started near the beginning of the year. Of course, this is completely optional to join.

"People can choose to participate if it's of interest (or if the gift appeals) and everyone who does participate has complete transparency and control over what Internet use is being included in the panel. People can stay on the panel as long as they'd like, or leave at any time."

For those interested in joining the Screenwise panel, they must be 13 years or older, have a Google Account (or sign up for one) and be willing to use the Google Chrome browser.

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Ofcom caps broadband and phone line prices

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:12:00 GMT

Talk may be getting cheaper, as Ofcom recently proposed an Openreach price cut.

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, wants BT Group to cut the prices it charges to internet providers and others who sell services using its lines - calling for an £87.41 price cap on broadband and phone line services and an £11.92 cap on using a broadband line only; dropping the prices from the current £91.50 and £14.70, respectively.

The Ofcom proposals have been submitted to the European Commission for approval, which has one month to comment on the changes. If approved, Ofcom says the new rates could take affect from April.

This is the third time that Ofcom has set the prices BT's wholesale division, Openreach, charges companies for the use of its lines - which Ofcom says it does because the company has a dominant position in the market.

BT, however, isn't overly pleased with the changes this time around. In a statement, the company said: "We disagree with some of the underlying assumptions that they have used to determine these controls.

"Our primary concern throughout this process is to ensure that we are able to achieve a fair rate of return in order to continue our investment in the future of the UK's communications infrastructure.

"We will consider all options available to us, including appealing, after Ofcom confirms its final decisions."

Ofcom has said that the new price cuts were determined in part by an assessment of the costs Openreach incurred running the network of underground ducts used to carry copper lines to properties.

Industry experts also state there was growing pressure from Europe to bring down the cost for alternative operators to access incumbents' networks.

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Angry Birds boss doesn't see Piracy as a bad thing

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:36:00 GMT

Rovio boss Mikel Hed has said he doesn't necessarily see piracy as a bad thing when it comes to Angry Birds.

Speaking at the Midem conference in Cannes, the Angry Birds maker explained the company sees efforts to pursue pirates in the court system as 'futile' - so long as pirated products are not harmful to the brand or ripping off fans.

"We could learn a lot from the music industry, and the rather terrible ways the music industry has tried to combat piracy.

"We have some issues with piracy, not only in apps, but also especially in the consumer products," he said. "There is tons of merchandise out there, especially in Asia, which is not officially licensed products."

Hed also explained he believes there is a lesson to be learned from the music industry - namely, approaching customers as fans, rather than users.

"We took something from the music industry, which was to stop treating the customers as users, and start treating them as fans. We do that today: we talk about how many fans we have," he said.

"If we lose our fan base, our business is done, but it we can grow that fan base, our business will grow."

Hed also took the opportunity to discuss new avenues for the popular mobile game, saying the company hasn't ruled out working with musicians in the future.

Rather than just a game, Rovio sees Angry Birds as its own channel - where users are spending as much time in the app as they are with their favourite TV shows.

"Already our apps are becoming channels, and we can use that channel to cross-promote - to sell further content," he said.

"The content itself has transformed into the channel, and the traditional distribution channels are no longer the kingmakers."

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