Ryan Fitzgibbon - A World of Search

Google Buys 'Beat That Quote' For £37.7 Million

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:38:00 +0000

Today, UK insurance comparison website Beat That Quote have announced that they have been purchased by Google for GBP 37.7 Million. The screen-shot from the homepage of the website below gives the details in full:

Beat That Quote Google Purchase Announcement

There has not been any announcement as of yet that suggests what Google aims to do with the technology, but this potentially could have a knock-on effect within search results for the highly competitive insurance arena for both PPC and SEO.

We have already seen that Google is not afraid to beat advertisers at their own game with the inclusion of the "comparison ad" box above searches for credit cards in the UK.

The comparison ad box is served by Google and sits at the very top of the page, pushing PPC and SEO results down an extra position. For those that work in this space know, the drop in Click-Through-Rates on these sorts of terms can be quite substantial when you do not appear in those top positions.

The screen-shot below shows the "comparison ad" for "credit cards":

Google Credit Cards Comparison Ad

I have yet to see case studies that detail the full impact of these comparison ads on the rest of the market-place as Google have continuously played with the positioning and formating. However, if they are likely to repeat this process within the insurance space, then it is likely that we will see some form of complaint being made to the Competition Commission.

I would welcome opinions.

ZenithOptimedia Moxie Trendspotting - Location Based Services

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:59:00 +0000

The ZenithOptimedia Moxie Trends video this month focuses on one of the hot social media / digital topics - Location Based Services (or "LBS" for short).

Nicola Smith, Kimberly Davis, Nick Burcher, Adam Hemming and Nicholas Tay are your guides as ZenithOptimedia Moxie take a trip around the globe looking at the big players and latest developments in LBS. It's not just Google Latitude, FourSquare and Gowalla - they look at local trends in Europe and Asia too.

A highly useful video for those that are interested in the latest developments in soical media technology.

ZenithOptimedia Moxie Trendspotting Video - May 2010 - Location Based Services

Being Batman - Episode Two - "Not Yet, He Ain't"

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:54:00 +0000

Continuing my unofficial role as the blog to Becoming/Being Batman, I am proud to highlight episode two of season two - "Not Yet, He Ain't".

In this epsiode, Wayne is finding it hard to get motivated. However, there's an app that will help launch the plot!

Being Batman - Episode Two - "Not Yet, He Ain't"

Being Batman - Episode One - "The Dark Knight Returns"

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:36:00 +0000

It been 10 months since the end of "Becoming Batman". With the promise of a second season, we finally have the new episodes of "Being Batman". This time is glorious HD!

Thanks to Stuart Laws, Al Clayton and the rest for carrying on with such a great concept.

Let the fun begin!

Being Batman - Episode One - "The Dark Knight Returns"

Playstation Move Commerical

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

With the launch of the motion-sensitive "Playstation Move" controllers coming later in the year, Sony has begun the campaign to place the Move into the public mind-set in an attempt to set itself ahead of the Microsoft Natal coming at the end of 2010.

One of the first commercials to be released is the below video that tries to demonstrate the product itself whilst making fun of their Microsoft Natal and Nintendo Wii rivals.

I have to admit that this made me laugh more than it really should have!

Playstation Move - "Pew Pew" Commercial

Playstation Move Controllers

Adidas - Star Wars Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Adidas have today launched their 1st commercial to advertise their upcoming Star Wars collection.

The ad, featuring their celebrity figure-head David Beckham, is meant to be the start of a series of ads highlighting the collection over the next couple of months.

Adidas - Star Wars Collection

Being a fan of both the Original Star Wars Trilogy and the Adidas Originals, I personally can't wait to get my hands on a pair.

It's a tough decision, but a sample of what's on offer can be found at the website, or from my top 3 below:

Adidas Samba - X Wing

Adidas Stan Smith - Millenium Falcon

Adidas Superstar - Death Star

Nolan's Cheddar Advert - Eye Of The Mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Happy 2010 everyone!

It has been far too long since my last post, and for that I apologise. However, the sudden desire to post some of the highlights in advertising has been prompted by coming across a fantastic new ad.

The clip in question is promoting, of all things, Nolan's "Seriously Strong" Cheddar cheese.

Rather than ruin what you are about to watch, I would just like to implore you to continue watching as I promise you that the video has a happy ending!

Nolan's "Seriously Strong" Cheddar - Eye Of The Mouse(?)

Apple iPod Touch - IGN Homepage Advert

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:47:00 +0000

I highly recommend paying a visit over to the IGN.com homepage today to witness a fantastic new display advert for the Apple iPod Touch.

It is not the first time Apple have developed a display ad that features an iPod coming out from the confines of the box, with myself reporting them doing so on YouTube in November 2008. However, to reflect the "New Level Fun" to be experienced with the latest iPod Touch, the motion within the ad is replicated on the navigation bar at the top of the homepage.

For those that have turned up too late to see this ingenious use of digital advertising can instead take in the below examples:

A selection of motion seen on the IGN homepage

UPDATE - Thanks to Graeme for providing video evidence!

Amazing Online Display Ad for iPod Touch

Compare The Meerkat Jacuzzi Advert

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:17:00 +0000

This week, the UK's favourite 'Russian Meerkat that heads up an advertising campaign for a car insurance comparison website' is back with a brand new TV commercial.

With all the success that the Aleksandr Orlov character has had on social media (with over 580,000 fans on Facebook and 27,000 followers on Twitter, at the time of writing), it was good to see that the new advert made it's first official appearance on YouTube and Facebook before either TV or the CompareTheMeerkat website.

Here is the new commercial:

Compare The Meerkat - Jacuzzi Advert

In terms of Brand awareness, the Meerkat campaign has been a huge success for CompareTheMarket. Throughout 2008 their TV adverts featured the 'falling car' theme to limited success. The graph below shows the relative online search interest in the terms "compare the market" and "meerkat":

Search Insights - Compare The Market / Meerkat (click for larger)

It is clear that the launch of the meerkat adverts in January 2009 had a massive boost on the interest in the brand (and also meerkats!). What has been fascinating, however, is that the interest did not simply peak at that moment in time, but has gradually built throughout the year. Surely this is a strong sign of the potential longevity that this character could have.

F.A.C.E. The Music

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:54:00 +0000

It is not often I get the opportunity to attend live music events, but I was very 'glad' (there is a poor pun there if you continue reading!) that I attended a live music event at The Gladstone (a.k.a The Glad) in Borough, London last night.

The event was organised by the Featured Artists Coalition and the wonderful Elsie Creative Management, with the following featured artists:

Jo Stevens
Michael John
Josh Bray

I highly recommend anybody interested in upcoming musical talents should click each name to go to their respective MySpace pages for a decent sample of their work.

I personally would recommend Michael John's "Devil In The Corner". Song of the evening for me.

The Gladstone is a cosy (but not in a bad way), little pub and I look forward to more live music events there in the future.

Green Apple Smirnoff & Lime Smirnoff Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Tomorrow (Friday 11th September 2009), Smirnoff will be holding a series of launch events around the UK for 2 of their new products.

The details of the event are best described in their own words:

"The Smirnoff Co. announces that it will be simultaneously unveiling five huge ice sculptures across the UK on the 11th September celebrating the national launch of two new flavours of vodka; Green Apple Smirnoff and Lime Smirnoff.

Appearing in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and London, the ice sculptures will recreate iconic landmarks from each of the five major UK cities in the form of scaled-down replicas.

In Glasgow’s Buchannan Galleries, an ice carving of the Armadillo measuring 8 metres by 2.4 metres high will be constructed.

The infamous Forth Bridge will be rebuilt on the rooftop of Edinburgh’s Prince’s Street Mall, Manchester’s futuristic Urbis will be reproduced at The Great Northern and Liverpool One will be home to an ice replica of the top of the Liver Building.

Meanwhile coming to the capital’s beautiful Covent Garden piazza will be an ice sculpture of London’s skyline featuring Canary Wharf, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, The London Eye, St. Pauls Cathedral and The Gherkin, measuring 10 metres in length and 3 metres in height.

The installations will see some of the world’s top ice sculptors, Duncan and Jamie Hamilton, Ben Edson, Jack Hackney and Darren Jackson work through the night to carve the structures from a mix of clear and white ice. The ice blocks for the sculptures, being prepared in giant freezers at the Hamilton’s workshop in South West London, will be transported to each location on the 11th September. Upon arrival, they’ll be slotted into place and shaped into their illustrious designs, incorporating limes, green apples and frozen bottles of Smirnoff flavoured vodka."

Each of the sculptures will contain 60 limes and 40 apples and take 4 men up to 5 hours to construct!

Members of the public will be able to view the sculptures from around midday at each venue until the displays melt.

Courtesy of the event organisers, I welcome the readers of my blog to visit the displays. There will be a prize draw to "win Green Apple Smirnoff and Lime Smirnoff take home packs to share with friends" for the 1st 50 people quoting "ryanfitzgibbon.co.uk".

Enjoy!

Electricity Untamed - Audi Teaser

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:07:00 +0000

On 15th September 2009, Audi shall be making an announcement at the Frankfurt Motor Show that will be based upon some new "electricity" based vehicle.

To correspond with this announcement, Audi have created a series of viral ads that direct viewers to their "Electricity Untamed" website.

Audi - Electricity Untamed

At present the website does not give too much detail away, but emphasizes that "electricity has been dumbed down" and that this new technology will "unleash the untamed power of electricity".

The rumours are that the car to be announced will be a performance version of the R8, or a completely new vehicle, dubbed the 'e-tron'.

However, I am a little disappointed that a website that is trying to emphasize the sheer scale of the engineering feat achieved features some very Physics-poor statements:

"A single bolt of lightning contains 1 billion Volts of power" - I am sorry, but Volts is not a unit of power! Apologies, but that is the purist in me coming out.

However, the virals released are indeed a bit of fun, and do get the point across:

The Lawn Mower:

The Static Shock Kid:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - In-Game Footage

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:50:00 +0000

It is now only 36 days until the rumored 14th October 2009 release date for "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves".

The PS3 exclusive game is a sequel to the fantastic "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" that was released back in 2007.

Much has been discussed over the spectacular graphics that Publisher 'Naughty Dog' have been showing off over the last 6 months. However, the below footage shows just how addictive this game is going to be.

Game of the year 2009 looks to be in the bag!

As you can probably tell, I am a HUGE fan of the original game, being a cross between Tomb Raider and the best of 3rd party shoot-em-ups. The game-play felt very natural and easy to control. The storyline was engaging (Indiana Jones style). Basically it had everything you could possibly want in an adventure/action computer game.

The sequel looks to have taken this to a whole new level. It is reported that the game takes up 100% of the capacity on the Blu-Ray disc with a vastly longer game.

My gut feeling is that this is going to be the game that sets the bar for this console generation (and it may not be beaten).

Enjoy!

Uncharted 2 - Among Thieves - In-Game Footage

Beck - Loser - Literal Video Version

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:36:00 +0000

Literal versions of classic music videos have been gaining increasing coverage over the past month or so.

One of the main reasons seems to be based around the success and popularity following the DASjr Productions version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" which built upon the Dusto Films (Dustin McLean) version of A-Ha's "Take On Me".

DASjr (David Scott) has put together a collection of footage from various news stations that highlight the coverage the videos have been receiving:

DASjr Coverage

In with this footage is a brief interview with Dustin McLean that shows him working on his new video, Beck's 1993 single, "Loser".

This new video is now finished and I can proudly feature it here (thanks to "Funny or Die"):

Beck - Loser: Literal Video Version

Although I would love to embed the YouTube video here, due to copyright issues, I can only provide this link:

YouTube - Beck's "Loser" - Literal Video Version

Catching Laptops With His Butt - MSI X-Slim Viral Ad

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:52:00 +0000

MSI (the computer motherboard manufacturer) have released a great new viral to correspond with the launch of their new X-Slim Series of laptops.

The viral features a guy (wearing a lovely lycra outfit!) catching laptops between his butt-cheeks that are thrown at him from a series of distances and heights. With over 1.2 million views in just under 6 days, it is proving to be quite the hit on YouTube. However, the number of comments by people that feel that they need to point out that the video is a fake always amazes me. The whole point of virals is to create talking points and entertain, not provide real, true-life stories.

MSI X-Slim Series Viral Ad

The viral makes it clear that it is a tribute to the original Ray-Ban viral that I featured in the very 1st post of this blog!

Ray-Ban Sunglasses Viral Ad

In the Ray-Ban viral, the trick was that sunglasses were thrown by one guy to another and he would catch them on his face. This just takes the concept to the next level.

In the Ray-Ban Ad, the trick was accomplished by having the sunglasses pulled off the face using a piece of string. The video was then played backwards to achieve the desired effect. I would doubt that this method was used for the MSI viral as a laptop would be much too heavy to pull using string. The alternative would be a case of some very clever video editing to splice the footage of the laptop being thrown with the footage of a laptop that is stuck between the butt cheeks! Well done.

Bing Usage Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:28:00 +0000

There has been conflicting reports over the last few days regarding the market share that Microsoft's new Bing Search Engine has been gaining following it's launch at the end of May 2009.

The situation in the US is being watched very closely as this is where Bing is initially concentrating it's efforts, both in terms of the engine development and testing, and in terms of advertising.

The below graph (courtesy of Statcounter) shows how that over the past 2 and a half months, Bing has been gradually building market share from 6% to 12% in the US. During the same period, Yahoo has remained considerably stable, dropping from around 12% to 11%, and Google has dropped the other 5%. Google is still clearly the dominant force, with around 77% share:

Statcounter - Search engine market share

This is clearly great news for Bing. The initial objective was to be the 2nd biggest player in the market. With the gains they have made in the last few months, plus with Yahoo giving up in the search engine battle and handing their share over to Bing, it looks like the first battle has gone in favour of Microsoft.

However, Mashable have reported that statistics released from Nielsen tell a different story.

Whilst the lose in share for Google from June to July is still recorded, the Nielsen figures suggest that it was in fact Yahoo that gained the market share and not Bing.

June 2009 figures:
Nielsen June 2009 Search Figures
July 2009 figures:
Nielsen July 2009 Search Figures

These results are quite intriguing and unexpected. All 3 major engines gained volumes of search queries month-on-month with the industry as a whole recording a rise of queries by 5%. However, Yahoo's volume of searches rose 11% (compared to Google's 3%), which took it's market share to 17.1%.

It is thought that the increase could be explained due to the huge amount of media interest surrounding the Yahoo/Microsoft deal and the launch of the new Yahoo homepage. It will be interesting to see what figures Nielsen release for August and whether this trend continues.

Either way, it is good news for Bing, as any market share loss for Google is a step in the right direction for them. However, with Google creating their own media interest around the new caffeine platform, it is quite probable to see things swing back in their favour.

Becoming Batman - The Feature Film

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:18:00 +0000

As my regular readers may know, I featured a particularly brilliant series of videos entitled "Becoming Batman" over the course of the past 9 months or so.

Whilst I still eagerly await the second series, the guys at WindowSlaws Productions have made the excellent decision to put together the footage from the 1st series into a feature film, "Becoming Batman - The Feature Film".

Not one to miss an opportunity to highlight the work even further, I present the first trailer:

Becoming Batman - The Feature Film

A masterclass in trailer making!

Compare The Meerkat - Sergei Bloopers

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:58:00 +0000

The activity surrounding the Compare The Meerkat commercials is continuing to build momentum.

The major development today is the launch of a brand new bloopers video on the Compare The Meerkat website. This is the second blooper video to be created for the website and I still hope that they decide to use some of the content on TV directly.

It could be argued that the cultural penetration of the meerkat commercials has been strong enough that these videos (even without direct branding themselves) would further assist this awareness.

Compare The Meerkat - Sergei Bloopers

In fact, the launch of this new bloopers video also managed to make the front page of this morning's Metro:

Compare The Meerkat - Metro Front Page

The story also highlights that, based on Twitter followers, Aleksandr Orlov is now more popular than Lily Allen and Katie Price/Jordan.

Citizen Eco-Drive - Kevin Pietersen

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:47:00 +0000

Nick Burcher beat me in highlighting a great advert in the press from Sure, following the success of the England team in the 2nd Ashes Test. In particular the use of Andrew Flintoff and listing his 5 wickets followed by "No Sweat" is brilliant.

Sure Advert - Flintoff - No Sweat
Hat Tip to Nick for the picture

Citizen (the watch maker) currently has Kevin Pietersen as their cricket celebrity endorser. So it is of no surprise to see an advert in today's Shortlist featuring his image.

Kevin Pietersen Citizen Eco-Drive Advert

However, following the news over the last few days that confirms that Pietersen shall not be taking any further in the ashes, it is a tad unfortunate that Citizen decided to describe him as "Unstoppable" (just like his watch!).

Kevin Pietersen is Unstoppable!!

Microsoft Office 2010 - Online

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:07:00 +0000

The announcement was made today that Microsoft Office 2010 shall be available in Web-Based versions, much like their Google Docs competitor.

These lightweight versions of the applications will enable various users to access and edit the information from anywhere in the world through an internet connection.

You can see previews to the changes being made in the upcoming Office Suite by visiting the official information page from Microsoft.

In line with Google Docs, the Office Web Apps shall be free to use for those with a Microsoft Live login (all 400 million or so of them!). Other users shall be able to purchase subscriptions to the service as well.

To coincide with this announcement, Microsoft have created a movie-style trailer for "Office 2010 - The Movie" which directs viewers to a website that gives them a "Backstage" look at the development of Microsoft Office 2010.

I have seen a number of spoof action videos on YouTube that use Microsoft Office as the source of the problem, so I was not expecting for this video to be particularly original or funny. However, provide the concept with a bigger budget to give the trailer a true movie feel (minus any acting ability), and it actually works very well.

See for yourself:

Office 2010 - The Movie

"Spell-check THIS!....D.E.D."

The Killers - Read My Mind - Literal Video Version

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:48:00 +0000

In general, the highly popular literal music videos have been classic hits from the 1980s. I have always maintained that the 80s produced the majority of unusual music videos that hold no relevance to the lyrics of the song. This is why they make idea videos to create literal versions of.

However, the latest brilliant video from DASjr Productions has bucked the trend by using the music video to the 2007 song 'Read My Mind' by The Killers.

A great song in its own right (even if not yet a classic) the video is sufficiently odd that it works incredibly. Credit must also go to the creators of this video as, once again, the lyrics are spot on and the vocals are fitting for The Killers.

My personal favourite line takes advantage of my love of TV/movie references:
"Why am I dressed like Bret Maverick?"

Genius!

The Killers - Read My Mind - Literal Video Version

HD Video - Slow Motion Surfing

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:32:00 +0000

I have previously stated my keen interest in HD technology. The HD picture of the Obama Inauguration still amazes me at the level of detail that was captured.

However, the BBC has decided to stun me again with a fantastic HD video of a slow-motion wave.

Made for the TV documentary 'South Pacific', footage is of big wave surfer Dylan Longbottom in a 12 foot monster barrel - the first shots of their kind ever recorded.

This is without a doubt one of the most impressive pieces of footage ever taken.

Needless to say, the below video should be watched in HD:

Dylan Longbottom in a 12 foot monster barrel

Happy Independence Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Happy Independence Day everyone!

P.S. Jeff Goldblum is alive and well (despite what Twitter says) and on The Colbert Report! Any man that can hack an alien computer system with just a mid-90s PowerBook is a legend.

Compare The Meekat - Puppet Theatre Advert

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:31:00 +0000

This weekend sees the launch of the 4th main TV advert from Compare The Market featuring Aleksandr Orlov from Compare The Meerkat.

The official backstory to this new commercial goes as follows:

"While doing a rootle around my nursery the other day, I find my old meerkat marionette theatre. Quick as flash, I realise I can use to help my business. So please be excite for comparethemeerkat.com theatre spectacular. Show is based on true story of man who ask me for insurance deal at a party and so I battle him with salami."

This actually ties in well with the newspaper interviews the meerkat has been carrying out over the last few days. It does seem that Aleksandr has a small obsession with the concept of salami as a weapon!

The new commercial:

Compare The Meerkat - Puppet Theatre

Aleksandr Orlov - The Meerkat Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Fitzgibbon) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:34:00 +0000

Aleksandr Orlov (the meerkat from the Compare The Meerkat/Market commercials) has been a huge success for the company's brand awareness and the character appears to have been warmly adopted by the UK audience. It has also been great for the awareness of Meerkats!

The graph below shows how the interest surrounding 'Compare The Market' and 'Meerkat' really took off in January 2009 with the launch of the first Aleksandr Orlow commercial. As time goes on the interest only seems to keep building.

Compare the Market Insights for Search

At launch I recall having some concerns that the concept could potentially get old very quickly if the character wasn't kept fresh with new material on a regular basis. Thankfully this has not been the case. By investing in continued activity, we have seen:

Multiple additions to the website (comparethemeerkat.com)

3 major TV commercials

An appearance in a Red Nose Day special

A Facebook Fan page

A Twitter feed

A Blooper Reel

We can now add interviews in a number of press publications to the list.

To coincide with a feature in 'The Sun' Newspaper, a video interview with Aleksandr Orlov has been created and uploaded onto the CompareTheMeerkat YouTube channel.

The video continues to build upon this brilliant personality that the character has been given and never fails to make me laugh (or at least smile).

Here is the interview with 'The Sun':

Official Interview with 'The Sun' starring Aleksandr Orlov - Founder of Compare the Meerkat

I look forward to even more great work.