News

• CIO Australia publisher launches CMO

  IDG Communications, publisher of CIO Australia, Computerworld Australia and Techworld Australia has launched a new brand targeting C-level marketing executives.

• Twitter scales up advertising through API access tools

  Twitter is aiming to give marketers more control in how they advertise on the site by giving them access to its API through third-party service companies.

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  Vodafone sanitises brand, waves goodbye to Crazy John

  Vodafone Hutchison Australia will close or rebrand Crazy John’s retail stores across Australia as part of a new single-brand strategy, a Vodafone spokeswoman said today.

• NAB launches system for social media customer support

  National Australia Bank has launched a “social media command centre” to help further support its customer service, the bank announced today.

• High-tech photo booth tracks user behavior

  A photo kiosk that can track user behavior using a Microsoft Kinect-like sensor and mine social data could help marketers gain valuable information about audiences at sporting events.

• Telstra, Optus and Suncorp eye geospatial data

  Big Australian telcos and insurance companies see business opportunities in analysing the location information transmitted by customers’ mobile devices, said speakers at yesterday's Big Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence Summit.

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  Smartphone manufacturers the key to NFC adoption: Comms Council

  The Communications Council, a marketing communications industry body, has urged smartphone makers to release near field communication (NFC) capable phones in Australia in order to increase adoption of the technology and create new online marketing opportunities.

• Business benefits going begging

  Australian businesses are lagging behind those in other countries in their uptake of social media to realise productivity and cost-saving benefits.

• Virgin Mobile releases new ‘Fair Go’ plans

  Virtual mobile network operator Virgin Mobile has updated its plans with new "Fair Go" caps aimed at simplifying consumer options.

• Don't 'over think' social media strategy

  It may be tough to convince CEOs and the board the value of social media, but marketing and IT staff shouldn’t spend too much time planning or risk "over thinking" the strategy and losing ground.

• Keep social media outsourcing under control: Facebook, Telstra

  Organisations looking to promote their brand through social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn should manage it with internal resources to avoid outsourcing the public image of the company, according to representatives from Facebook and Telstra.

• Social media shares more marketing budget: Survey

  A new survey indicates more traditional business marketing money is being spent on social media activities, including using the public services to build customer relationships, not just to drum up publicity.

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  Student charged with posting counterfeit coupons to 4chan

  A computer security student at New York's Rochester Institute of Technology has been arrested on charges that he posted counterfeit Internet coupons to the 4chan and Zoklet websites.

• CRM on a smartphone

  On busy weekends in Las Vegas, getting a drink at many bars and nightclubs can be a full-contact sport. First you muscle your way through a crowd to get near the bar. Then you shout your order and hope the bartender hears it right.

• Epsilon: a watershed for an industry under siege

  Last week, consumers in the U.S. were bombarded with e-mail messages warning them of what may be the most widely felt data breach in U.S. history. A company that most of them had never heard of, Epsilon Interactive, had been compromised and their names and e-mail addresses had been stolen.