Kingpin Newsletter // ISSUE 4 // AUGUST 2007
Welcome to the fourth edition of Kingpin IT Marketing News.
A light-hearted view of the marketing industry, containing a fusion of relevant IT news, events and humour is what this newsletter thing is all about. Good old-fashioned free advertising for all ma peeps. Bonus!
Kingpin celebrated its 10th birthday last month, starting from a small office with no natural light (a cupboard by most standards) in Woolwich, South East London through to picturesque Greenwich and presently residing at London Bridge/Southwark.
It's been an emotional journey for the odd couple, a few more grey hairs here and there for James and well... no hair left for Mirza. But of course Kingpin wouldn't be here if it weren’t for you guys and all the support you’ve shown us, so a big thank you is in order. You know who you are.
IDG Connect is due to launch into the UK market
Using the databases of CIO.co.uk, ComputerworldUK.com and Techworld.com IDG UK will finally be offering a CPL programme in the UK based around their US offering. A similar offering to KnowledgeStorm UK and TheRegister, IDG will, from September onwards, be able to offer a way to guarantee downloads to whitepapers on a cost per lead basis. Contact Kingpin now to find out more about IDG’s and also all the other CPL offerings in the market.
CORRECTION - Computing Vs Computer Weekly, neck and neck. Sort of.......
In last month’s newsletter we published the result of a recent poll that we carried out: “When asked the question recently, 'which magazines have you read in the last 6 months?' 84% of IT Pro's said Computing and 83% said Computer Weekly.” This, in fact, was incorrect and should have said: When asked the question recently, 'which magazines have you read in the last 6 months?'
84% Computer Weekly
83% Computing
Apologies for that!
BPA Audits – January 2007
to June 2007 Due
This month should see the release of the latest audit figures from the BPA, the last audit figures from the main UK publications in the IT sector are below.
CIO (Formerly MIS MAGAZINE)
23,077 - December-2006
COMPUTER BUSINESS REVIEW
23,662 - December-2006
INFORMATION AGE
25,506 - December-2006
COMPUTING
115,431 - December-2006
COMPUTER WEEKLY
140,938 - December-2006
IT WEEK
50,000 - December-2006
MICROSCOPE
50,000 - December-2006
CRN (UK) (formerly COMPUTER RESELLER NEWS
(UK VERSION))
16,000 - December-2006
It will be interesting to see how the latest audits compare. For more information on how to interpret the above figures and full audit statements contact Kingpin.
Tipping Point Strategies in the
Age of Freakonomics
This conference will appeal to leaders and senior executives who want to understand the world around them in a different way. You will leave the conference brimming with new ideas and anecdotes relevant to your own situation.
Click here for more details
Location: QE2 Conference Centre, London
Date: Monday 17 September 2007
Open: 09:00 AM - 04:45 PM
Digital Media has Usurped Traditional B2B Channels
B2B Marketing, in partnership with Mardev, will be hosting its 6th programme, as part of the B2B Marketing Great Debate series, on Digital media has usurped traditional B2B channels.
Click here for more details
Location: English Speaking Union, Mayfair
Date: Tuesday 18 September 2007
Open: 04:00 PM - 07:15 PM
O2 grabs iPhone contract
Mobile phone operator O2 is reported to have won the sought-after deal to sell Apple's iPhone in the United Kingdom.
Press reports said that O2 is set to sign an exclusive contract shortly and should have the new phones on sale in time for Christmas.
Click here to see the full story
Google print ads
Google is massively expanding its Print Ads programme, adding about 175 newspapers that advertisers can now target, reports The New York Times.
Click here to see the full story
Marketing? Mumbo jumbo or dark art? Complicated? A cost or an investment?
Questions you probably ask yourself all the time. Well, when done properly it shouldn't be mumbo jumbo, there should be nothing "dark" about it and although there's a cost, it's most definitely an investment.
This guide is here not to give you technical marketing speak, nor to put you on a Harvard Business School course, but simply to give you a basic understanding of how to sell your company and its products better. Follow it and you'll get
more for your marketing spend. Click here
Facebook Launches Market Research Tool
The beginning of June saw über-popular Web 2.0 site, Facebook, launch a new online polling service.
Users can post a question and then sit back and wait for responses to roll in within 24 hours. Costs are low - $1 insertion fee and a fixed price (determined by researcher) per response. The poller can bid from between $0.10-$1 per response – the higher the bid, the quicker results are delivered.
Initially the poll tool caused controversy when it wouldn’t allow poll questions that included the name of direct competitors (a ‘glitch’ that has since been rectified). So market researchers can now quiz selected Facebook users on topics from favourite soft drinks to perceptions of local politicians.
A genius concept indeed. But?
Sure the researcher gets a quick answer for minimum financial outlay, but past the end result, the intelligence behind the information is lacking.
At the moment demographic selection is limited: one can only pick a single audience selection criteria according to either ‘interest’ or ‘location’ (results are however displayed according to gender and age).
Besides the limits that sets upon sample depth and breadth, Facebook users’ profile information may not be representative of their actual status – for example, a ‘Hometown’ setting may not represent where they currently reside and so on. In essence, the quality of respondents will always be in doubt with such methods of data collection.
Further, Facebook states that it ‘will not verify the statistical significance of response data’ – a bit of a problem if you’re looking to provide credible research results to your clients or marketing team.
However, as a tool to provide fast, broad ‘touch point’ market research results the poll function is sure to make Facebook a lot of money.
Click here for a look at our Top 10 Tips for (real) Market Research.
July/August
snapshot research:
Question: Do you think that the LAMP stack poses a real threat to existing ‘closed’ technologies?
No = 53 %
Yes = 27%
Unsure = 9%
Unaware of LAMP stack = 11%
Next month’s snapshot research question:
Which web browsers do you use at work and which for personal/home use?
R2D2 Projector
This has to be the ultimate piece of kit for true Star Wars fans. As well as being a working remote control replica of R2D2 (built to 1/2 scale), with realistic sounds and lights taken from the movies, this is also a projector that can project video (or still images) onto your wall up to 80 inches from corner to corner. Click here to view
Picoo Z Helicopter - Metro Fly
A remote controlled helicopter that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand weighing a mere 10g. A 20 minute charge direct from the controller gives 10 minutes flight time. Its robust yet light polypropylene structure makes it easy to fly and extremely sturdy.
We're getting a couple for the office for sure!
Click here to view
iPhone parody
Yes I know I went on about this all singing, all dancing phone last newsletter, but as ever, if something is over hyped it's gonna get picked on. It's only fair. Click here
If you have anything to add or any opinions on what we should cover for next month's issue please get submissions to:
Patrick Murray - patrick@kingpin.co.uk
by 16th September 2007