Brand calls for gentlemanly notions

ketel-gqKetel One Vodka has teamed up with GQ magazine to issue A Gentleman’s Call: In Pursuit of an Idea That Matters. A Gentleman’s Call is a search for an original idea that champions ‘the lifestyle of the modern gentleman’ and men are asked to head to AGentlemansCall.com to present a notion, inspiration or endeavour to help raise ‘society’s behavioural bar’.


Facebook seeks mobile dollars

“Mobile is a key area of growth for Facebook,” says Sheryl Sandberg in a video for prospective Facebook investors. The Social Network’s chief operating officer believes one of the company’s main sources of revenue will be mobile advertising.


Digital global ad spend to spike

GroupM is forecasting 2012 global digital advertising spend of more than $98 billion globally, close to 16% up on last year’s $85 billion. North America ranks first with an estimated $38 billion in digital this year, followed by Asia Pacific with $31 billion and by Western Europe with $23 billion.


Facebook ad prices spike

tbg-facebookA spike in demand for Facebook advertising has enabled the Social Network to up prices by more than 40% over a one-year period for promotions sold based on the number of views, according to a report by TBG Digital. The research also found that average CPM grew 15% in the last quarter – 13% in the UK, and 11% in the US.


IND is in the game for retail banks

ind-gamificationCan banks get the game? Yes, according to banking solutions software outfit IND Group. Pioneers in banking gamification, IND Group believes that this is a ‘significant innovation for banks in the next couple of years’, writes Sally Ratcliffe.


Instagram: three lessons

instagramOne billion dollars for a two-year-old, non-money-making company with just nine members of staff? It’s hard not to be sceptical about Facebook’s latest start-up acquisition, says Thinktank International Research. But the research firm has come up with three key Instagram learnings which transfer well to other tech companies:


Foursquare favourite to be next Facebook buy

Facebook’s next acquisition following the social network’s purchase of photo-sharing app Instagram? Well, betting company Paddy power has opened a book and the early favourite is mobile location service Foursquare at 4/1.


Facebook aims for Instagram cool

instagramRemember Beluga, FriendFeed and Drop.io? Not many people do, but they’re brands bought by Facebook which were then drawn into the Social Network and made to disappear. That’s unlikely to happen with Instagram, the photo-sharing wesbite Facebook is paying $1 billion for. Even Mark Zuckerberg realises that would be a bad idea.