AND news - April 2008
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Mail Online launches beta site
Advertisers set to benefit from Northcliffe Media’s growing ‘local digital’ audience
Motoring websites launch St.George's honours list for England's cars
AND Digital Publishing secures two nominations for the
New Statesman New Media Awards 2008
Mail Online launches beta site
24th April 2008
Mail Online – the web edition of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday - has unveiled a beta version as it looks to bolster its already impressive growth.
Editorial director Martin Clarke says that the site, which has been running internally for three weeks, currently contains some 90% of Mail Online’s content, and that the two sites will be run in conjunction until they are ready for the changeover.
Opening up a trial site to the public is an unprecedented move, which Clarke believes will result in an even stronger web presence upon the official launch. As reported earlier this week, latest research from Associated Northcliffe Digital found that the combines reach of its print and online titles now accounts for 45% of the UK adult population. Mail Online is the second biggest newspaper website.
The new site sees the Daily Mail masthead replaced by Mail Online on the homepage. Industry analysts are predicting increased entertainment coverage and a more prominent role for the Mail’s Femail section.
The site is accessible between 9am and 7pm on weekdays at http://beta.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html.
Advertisers set to benefit from Northcliffe Media’s growing ‘local digital’ audience
24th April 2008
Northcliffe Media, regional news and information publisher and part of DMGT (Daily Mail General Trust), has today unveiled new audience measurement figures from its largest ever research study into online and offline media usage across its network of local newspapers and websites. Northcliffe has worked closely with Survey Interactive to develop groundbreaking new measurement metrics that calculate total de-duplicated audience reach across print and online – the first time that such data has been available to advertisers.
The results from the first wave of research (which was carried out across 30 of Northcliffe’s 56 local websites) indicate that overall, Northcliffe Media’s monthly reach across all of its newspapers and websites is approximately 4.7 million adults .
For the first time though, the research also revealed that its network of local websites can deliver an advertiser an additional 27% ‘solus online’ reach over and above the existing newspaper audience – in other words access to a sizeable new ‘local digital’ audience. This incremental online reach is nearly three times higher than early results revealed recently by other regional publishers and shows the potential opportunities that exist for advertisers to target new local online communities.
Northcliffe plans to further capitalise on the growth of its online audience via the imminent release of the next generation of its network of local websites which operate under the ‘this is’ brand (eg www.thisisbristol.co.uk ). The new sites, which will roll out across the network from next month, feature evolutionary design changes aimed at maximising interaction with readers. They have been developed using industry leading SEO standards, incorporating increased levels of multimedia content and carrying several new commercial slots in better positions aimed at maximising advertiser response.
Mike Rowley, Director of Digital for Northcliffe Media said : “These results are very exciting and reinforce the strategy that we put in place a few years ago to aggressively drive our digital ‘this is’ brands and develop new local audiences for advertisers. Through a combination of heavyweight local brand advertising, paid search, search engine optimisation and email marketing we’ve driven more and more people to our network of websites where they find local news, sport, jobs and property content of equal quality to that traditionally associated with our newspaper brands.”
Northcliffe Media has also developed local UGC (User Generated Content) via the company’s ‘this is’ sites and through new initiatives such as ‘Your Mail’ – a site launched in the Hull region, which is written almost entirely by local people covering local issues. The company is leading the way in regional UGC content and this strategy is in line with consumer demand for more online interactivity whilst offering additional opportunities for local and national advertisers to target specific community groups.
“Our digital strategy is an important part of our growth”, continues Rowley, “We’ve always been able to show advertisers our standalone newspaper readership but now we can also show them how many people cross over between our papers and our websites as well as those people that just use our websites. The next stage in the evolution of our sites and integration of UGC will help us continue to grow our audience reach so we can help advertisers better plan their campaigns through the right combination of web and newspaper, depending on their objectives at both a network and regional level.”
Survey Interactive’s research forms part of an ongoing Portfolio Audience project that was launched last year by the Newspaper Society, working alongside JICREG (Joint Industry Committee for Regional Press Research) and ABC Electronic, as well as several other regional press groups.
According to a trading statement issued by parent company DMGT in February this year, Northcliffe Media has almost doubled digital revenues in the last three months of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006.
Press contacts for Northcliffe Media :
Nelson Bostock Communications
Nick Clark - nick.clark@nelsonbostock.com / 020 7792 7464
Northcliffe Media
Director of Marketing, Northcliffe Media – Sean Mahon, sean.mahon@northcliffemedia.co.uk
Ground-breaking cross-media study reveals Associated Newspaper’s national reach is 45 per cent of UK population
24th April 2008
AND today unveiled the results of its largest ever study into online and offline media usage of both regional and national brands, across its portfolio of wholly owned websites and newspapers.
The research, which was carried out across 38 AND websites, most interestingly reveals that Associated Newspapers Ltd’s (ANL) monthly reach, incorporating main newspaper brands alone such as The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Standard, London Lite and This is Money, is 22 million adults across its newspapers and websites. This equates to 45 per cent of all adults in Great Britain.
In addition, early findings suggest AND’s online reach is one million higher than existing measurements had calculated. Further findings will be released over the coming months.
The AND study initiates a considerable step change in online measurement and consumer understanding for the media industry, offering accurate insight into how online audiences interact with its online portfolio and offline brands.
60,000 individuals responded to the study from the UK, which represents the largest piece of research ever undertaken by Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL). A profiling questionnaire drilled down into user demographics, an overview of online behaviour, newspaper readership and sector specific questions.
The study allows AND to provide agencies with a greater understanding of AND’s users, while facilitating the development of bespoke advertising packages across a number of sites or channels. Furthermore, the larger AND brands will be able to understand how user profiles differ between channels e.g. entertainment, money and sport offering a level of consumer understanding that had been previously unavailable to the marketplace.
Andrew Smith, head of strategic insight, Associated Northcliffe Digital, comments: “As the results show, AND’s cross-media profiling study offers a deep insight into premium content websites that attract loyal, quality audiences. As an exclusive publisher we can offer trusted and reliable data on some of the highest equity brands online as well as considerable reach. We give media agencies a real point of differentiation when utilising AND’s advertising network.”
Guy Lipscombe, managing director, Survey Interactive, comments: “This study places AND at the forefront of cross-media measurement and underlines the opportunities open to savvy media buyers. By combining Survey Interactive’s accurate internet audience measurement with AND’s portfolio of quality publisher brands we have been able to calculate total audience reach and support de-duplicated analysis and planning across both print and online.”
The cross-media profiling study was driven by AND, with individual site participation, in partnership with Survey Interactive. Survey Interactive’s method is the most accurate form of internet audience measurement available to media owners today. It provides clients with profile information and de-duplicated reach and frequency capabilities for their sites, key content areas and across their site network as a whole.
Press contacts for AND:
Wendy McAuliffe – wendy@liberatemedia.com - 07900 886791
Lloyd Gofton – lloyd@liberatemedia.com - 07919 353484
Contacts for Survey Interactive:
Guy Lipscombe - guy.lipscombe@eu-survey.com - 020 7593 1486
Motoring websites launch St.George's honours list for England's cars
Two of the country’s leading motoring websites have joined forces to celebrate the quality of English vehicle manufacturing and help support the future of the country’s car makers.
Launching on St George’s Day 23 April, Motors.co.uk and Vansunited.co.uk have created the ‘Motoring Honours list’ of MBE’s (Made Better in England) - awards to highlight the cars and vans on their websites that are made in England.
The campaign follows a poll of 836 car and van buyers which revealed that two thirds of motorists (66 per cent) would be more inclined to buy a vehicle that is manufactured in England than overseas.
The demise of MG Rover may have saddened English hearts but the English car industry is still one of the biggest in Europe with more than 145,823 new cars and 20,638 commercial vehicles built in February alone. Yet despite this the majority of van and car buyers are confused when it comes to knowing which naming cars are made in England.
Less than half of all motorists realise that the Honda Civic is made in England and only one in five are aware the Nissan Micra is made in Sunderland. Further confusion exists when it comes to Vans with only 18 per cent of commercial vehicle drivers knowing the Vauxhall Vivaro is made in Luton.
Helen Rapp, Product Manager for Motors.co.uk said:
“Despite common misperceptions, the English car industry is very much alive and kicking with more cars and vans manufactured in England than any other European country. Many cars from Honda, Vauxhall and Nissan to specialist manufacturers like Aston Martin and Lotus are still building cars here in England and our research has shown buyers want to support this.
“We have launched the ‘Made Better in England’ MBE campaign to inform car buyers as to which vehicles are made in England and to support the industry and its workers on St George’s Day.”
Vehicle manufacturing takes place at 32 separate production sites in the UK. Across Europe only Germany has more manufacturing sites than England demonstrating that English made cars are still a source of national pride.
However despite recent growth, motoring experts are warning that the English car industry could expect tough times ahead because of the global credit crunch.
Katie Armitage, Marketing Manager for Vansunited.co.uk said:
“St George’s Day is a time to celebrate the vans made in England such as the iconic Ford Transit which was designed in Essex and assembled in Southampton with transmissions from Merseyside. The poll shows that van and car buyers would prefer to buy English but awareness of which cars are made in England is still low.
“As part of the campaign on St George’s Day, all the vans and cars that are made in England on the Vansunited and Motors.co.uk websites will be awarded an MBE to help buyers choose an English motor.”
For more details of the Made Better in England campaign visit the www.motors.co.uk or www.vansunited.co.uk websites.
To help you support the Made Better in England campaign Motors.co.uk and Vansunited.co.uk has put together an MBE honours list of English made cars for every budget from the humble Honda Civic to the mighty Aston Martin:
Vehicle Made in:
1. Nissan Micra - Sunderland
2. Honda Civic - Swindon
3. Vauxhall Astra - Ellesmere Port
4. Vauxhall Vivaro - Luton
5. Toyota Avensis - Burnaston
6. Jaguar XF - Castle Bromwich
7. Land Rover Freelander - Solihull
8. Mini Cooper - Oxford
9. Ford Transit Van -Southampton
10. Aston Martin DB9 - Gaydon, Warwick
Prime property sale prices continue to increase, while prime London rental prices soar to record levels
9th April 2008
The divergence between the prime London market and the mainstream sector continues to grow. All of the publicity in recent times has been concentrated on the mainstream market. The impact of the credit crunch continues to be felt, particularly around mortgages, with some lenders withdrawing products for buyers with smaller deposits and others withdrawing new mortgage lending altogether. However, prime London asking prices hit new heights in March, up a further 3.3%, surpassing £1.3 million for the first time. All regions have witnessed solid growth in asking prices, with Central London the strongest performer.
Primelocation.com commented:
“Despite slowing transaction volumes and weakening market sentiment, the prime London property market continues to produce strong price
growth in March. Indeed, the prime markets are showing some resilience in the face of economic uncertainty and the continuing impact of the
credit crunch. The increasing divergence between the prime and mainstream sectors reflects the different market forces at play across each area.
While the mainstream property market has undoubtedly suffered at the hands of the recent mortgage clampdown, the prime London property
market continues to enjoy significant attention from cashrich,
wealthy overseas buyers and the influx of City bonus money, particularly at the topend
(the superprime
market), where demand is the most intense relative to limited supply.
The prime country market is also producing strong price gains, driven largely by the South East and, in particular, the Home Counties. The region
continues to be aligned to the performance of prime London property. Supply remains a key factor, with volumes significantly down across the
South East.
The prime London rental market has witnessed some radical changes over the last two months, as demand has shifted to it from the sales market.
The volume of rental stock has fallen away as the scarceness of buytolet
mortgages discourages new investors from entering the market, while
demand for existing stock intensifies. According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, landlord expectations are currently at an alltime
high and this is certainly being reflected by the significant increases in rental prices across prime London in March”.
Other March 2008 headline findings include:
- Average prime London asking prices continue to rise across all regions in March, up 3.3%, to reach £1.3 million, with Central London outperforming
all other regions (up 3.8%). - The supply of prime London property for sale diminishes, down 11.5% since January 2008, and down a further 3.7% in March alone.
- Asking prices in the prime country sales market rise again, up 2.0% in March, with only the North region producing a decline in prices (down 0.5%).
- The South East region benefits from the prime London ripple effect, producing a strong monthly increase in average asking prices, up 3.6% in March, to outperform all other areas of the prime country sales market.
- Prime London rental property prices soar, as increasingly constrained supply and strengthening demand combine to produce record average weekly rental values.
Click here for the latest Primelocation.com Price Index report.
New AND Digital Publishing secures two nominations for the New Statesman New Media Awards 2008
7th April 2008
The New Statesman has announced that two of AND Digital Publishing’s new websites have been nominated for one of its New Media Awards.
Lasting Tribute (www.lastingtribute.co.uk) has been nominated in the innovation category while Big Green Switch (www.biggreenswitch.co.uk) has been nominated in the inform and educate category.
The prestigious New Media Awards, now in their tenth year, champion those individuals or organisations using the power of new media in fresh, creative and constructive ways to benefit society.
The acting editor of the New Statesman, Sue Matthias said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the tenth New Media Awards, celebrating an endlessly exciting and innovative sector. I’d like to congratulate all our nominees, whose dedication and inventiveness is inspiring.”
Lasting Tribute and Big Green Switch were both launched less than a year ago.
To read their nominations and give your support, go to: http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2008/entry/200803310011 for Lasting Tribute and http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2008/entry/200803310009 for the Big Green Switch.
Lasting Tribute allows everyone to share memories and celebrate the lives of those they knew, respected or loved: family, friends, neighbours or those in the public eye and is about to mark the milestone of the one millionth notice being reached.
New tributes can also be started online and people can also do things in the real world through the site such as plant a tree or send flowers. The site is forging partnerships with charities like Marie Curie Cancer Care and the National Memorial Arboretum and was recently chosen by the Police Roll of Honour Trust to carry its information on officers killed on duty since records began.
Big Green Switch empowers people to make choices that help them live a greener life.
It offers independent information and advice for those who want to be more environmentally-friendly and encourages visitors to share their own ideas and experiences via community message boards, comment panels and blogs.
Its aim is to encourage people to learn about being green without feeling pressured or lectured. The site also includes tools and features such as a green products shop, environmental jobs search engine, carbon footprint calculator and a directory of other green websites, businesses and organisations.