The number of women occupying top management positions in the UK fell in 2011 to more than one quarter reaching lowest point of the last nine years, according to The Guardian (http://bit.ly/yWWWS9). According to a report by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), which represents more than 80% of advertising and media agencies in United Kingdom, women represent 13.5% of the 415 who occupy positions as chair, chief executive or managing director in an agency.

The total number of women leading agencies decreased compared to 2010, at a rate of 26% (from 76 to 56). The IPA, 13.5% share held by women is the lowest proportion of the study conducted in 2003 on the industry, when women held 11% of the positions of heads of agencies.

However, according to the IPA, there is an increased percentage of women who have other functions in the "executive management" in the agency in 2011 from 25.5% (2010) to 27.3% (2011). Overall, between 2010 - 2011 women have a share of 22.4% of executive management positions, according to the IPA. The report also stated the report men - women employed in industry: 51.3% - 48.7%.

Percentage of employees from Caucasian families is 90.6% in 2011, 0.6% higher than the percentage in 2010.

Number of employment rose to 19,372 in 2011 (at a rate of 2.8%), despite reducing the number of agents registered as members of IPA. Also, the number of employees aged between 40 and 50 years represent 13.2% of the total and only 5.7% have ages above. The average age of employees in industry is 33.8 years.

Despite the idea according to which technology will lead to work outside offices, IPA report reveals that 1.2% of employees (236 people) working for agencies in their homes. In 2010, the number of employees working from home was higher than fourth (321 people). However, one conclusion is that flexible working was introduced in 16.3% of agencies and 10% of agencies say they use technology to facilitate flexible hours.

http://www.iqads.ro/a_20236/procentul_de_femei_care_conduc_agentii_in_sectorul_advertising_din_uk_a_scazut_cu_26_in_2011_fata_de_2010.html 

HAPPY:DIGITAL anounces the launch of a new application that challenges TopGear fans on Facebook to find out how much of an ecologist they are, being able to win a test-drive with the first Renault electric vehicle in Romania - Twizy, informs a press release issued by the agency.

The application is quiz based and recorded in its first week of existence approximately 1000 participants, increased 3 times the number of users \'talking about this`, and multiplied by 7 the number of new fans that the website is accumulating daily.

`Given the cars futuristic design and modern global promotion strategy - Twizy is the central character in the newest Davud Guetta video - the brief was a great challenge that combined the requirement to promote the cars electrical capability with the fact that it addresses a yyoung target`, say creators from HAPPY:DIGITAL.

The application is part of a global communication platform in wich the user is organizing a party attended by David & Cathy Guetta.

`Some say that, if  TopGear already has two vegan editors, we should all be environmentalists. All we know is that we had too many Ferrari cars on the front cover for the discution about electric vehicles not to end with sparks. So, I made a Facebook applicationwith some happy people, so we could figure how much of an environmentalist our readers are. Thanks Happy Digital!` said Costin Giurgea (Publisher, TopGear)

The application is available from April 20 to May 19.

TV advertising is very cheap in Romania because 11 years ago, when the selling by spot was replaced with the selling by audience points, the prices started at a very low level. Also, the economic crysis determined the TV companies to lower the prices in order to attract advertising, explains Bogdan Prajisteanu, general manager of MEC Romania, one of the most important players on the local media market, with a 31 million euros business in 2010. As a response to the low prices for TV promotion, in Romania about 60-65 percent of the advertising budgets are invested in television, while in other countries, the percentages are much more balanced.

`Historically, TV in Romania was cheap, because more than 10 years ago, when the transaction by spot was replaced with the transaction by audience points, the start was very timid, with extremely low prices. And, then, it was very hard growing from that level. Two years ago again, the TV companies brutally lowered the prices. It was a moment of panic, and the TV companies presented some incredible offers, wich dramatically stunted the prices, and now we are in the situation in wich the prices are many years back, probably at the levels of the 05 and 06`s`, says the manager.

Was it a good decision?

`It was`t a good decision in the long term. Perhaps in the short term the need for cash was solved, otherwise necessary to any television\\\\\\\'s budget, but, in the long run, the industry struggles. And, in general, the low prices for TV make any investment other than TV inefficient. So, the television insures a large market share with these prices, but the volumes are smaller and smaller, they went down 46 percent compared to 2008`, adds Prajisteanu.

The promotions budgets for TV were about 200 million euros in 2011, and MEC Romania manager estimates that these could decrease this year with up to 5%.

The investments in advertising amounted last year to aproximately 26 million euros in the written press, 22 million euros in radio, 37 million in outdoor, 33 million online, 4.8 million indoor (elevators, toilets, parking lots, waiting rooms), and 1.7 million in movie theaters. Therefore, the total budgets for media purchasing amounted to approximately 325 million euros, with a 6% drop from 2010, according to MEC Romania estimates.

http://www.wall-street.ro/articol/Marketing-PR/130841/romania-printre-cele-mai-mici-preturi-la-publicitatea-pe-televiziune.html 

The Facebrands figures categorised by cityes and counties are obtained using data about the residence city introduced during the creation of the social network user`s profiles. Therefore, from 2.591.100 Facebook users in Romania, 1.252.440 (48,34%) added their residence city to their profiles.

The cities with the most Facebook users, the largest social network in the world, besides Bucharest, are Cluj-Napoca (8,39%), Timisoara (7,25%), Iasi (6,74%), Constanta (4,94%) and Brasov (4,53%). These figures, by city and county, can be accessed on Facebrands.ro using the interactive map.

` It`s for the first time that we can see the structure of Facebook network usage at the city and county level. Advertising on Facebook has an important local component and that`s why these figures are more and more important`, stated Ionut Oprea, Standout agency manager.

Facebrands.ro, launched at the beginning of 2010 by the social media communication agency Standout ant the web solutions developer Byte Flux, is the first Facebook page monitoring service in Romania.

`The figures we obtain on the local scale will be permanently updated. This way, the managers of the pages created for local or regional companies will have a broader view on the user community, as well as the already traditional daily and weekly history.

Facebrands.ro is monitoring at this time over 5000 romanian pages created on Facebook by people and institutions (companies, ONGs, etc.), showing the increase of their fans numbers by days and weeks, along with other pages in the same category. To this information they add data analisys.

These pages are grouped on Facebrands.ro in 48 categories and 86 subcategories, the most recently created subcategory being that of advertising agencies/PR, in the Companies and Firms category developed with IQads.ro.

http://www.wall-street.ro/articol/Marketing-PR/98223/Top-10-orase-din-Romania-cu-cei-mai-multi-utilizatori-de-Facebook.html 

Today, Social Media in no longer only the place where you connect with your family or friends. Brands, large or small, are already using Social Media as a business tool, designed to attract customers and to maximize their profits. And, like any endeavor, it must be tracked and measured. How? Through measurement tools.

1. Facebook Insights

Even if it sounds trite, Facebook Insights is a tool that can greatly help in measuring the performance of your Facebook page, but also in defining a  relevant content strategy for those who `liked` you. That`s because it not only measures `likes` or reach: With Facebook Insights you can measure your post`s performance and see for each separate post how many people have clicked share, like or commented about your content, and how many of them have `rewarded` you with negative feedback. The service is free.

2. Google Analytics

One of the most popular tools for performance measurement, Google Analtics, is as popular as it is useful. Amongst the tools we can find: ROI advertising, e-commerce tracking, social network tracking application that analyzes both in terms of traffic and the effectiveness of marketing strategies. The service is free.

3. HootSuite (hootsuite.com)

HootSuite is probably known rather as tool of communication in social networks. However, it offers a range of analytical applications. With HootSuite you can monitor the number of times your brandhas been mentioned in social media, analyze the traffic on your pages and you can track the increase of your fan community. Google Analytics and Facebook Insights can also be integrated into your HootSuite account, making the service even more valuable. Price: $5.99 / month.

4. Klout (klout.com)

Klout is another useful tool through which you can measure your influence in social networks. The most important aspect is the Klout score, which is determined by the size of your social network, content and how users interact with the content posted by you. Klout scores range from 0 to 100, 20 being the average score. The service is free.

5. Social Bakers (socialbakers.com)

Social Bakers is, as the slogan says, the recipe for success in social marketing. Social Bakers offers a range of tools that not only helps to measure and compare, but to improve performance and maximize your ROI in Social Media. True, Bakers Social services are not cheap, but for a company that focuses on social media, they are a must have.

http://digital.iqads.ro/a_22858/5_tool_uri_de_masurare_a_performantei_in_social_media.html  

After the AllThingsFacebook conference, the agency presented a survey for an application designed for the same client, in which the emersion of Timeline was in the detriment of the mechanism, now the application in integrated with the user\'s Timeline.

`It is not an action that implies sales leads, because, despite the success of the project, we wanted an easy start without much effort from the user. In the past we initiated actions that implied purchasing or price discounts and they went great` says Monica Mircea (Strategy & Relationships Partner, HAPPY:DIGITAL).

The selection mechanism gives a better chance to the users which invite a larger number of friends, thereby encouraging interaction. The application chose not to purchase any advertising and was promoted exclusively among the existing community by page posts. According to the information provided by the agency, the application gathered in the first three days after its the launching approximately 7000 users.

The team assigned with the application`s development from HAPPY:DIGITAL is: Dani Florea (Techy Partner), Delia Constantinescu (Account Manager), Razvan Mic (Designer).

http://digital.iqads.ro/a_22757/aplicatie_de_facebook_pentru_hotpants_de_la_happy_digital.html 

Facebook announced three new products during its first Facebook event for Marketers (fMC) on Wednesday 29th in New York. The new products, introduce new opportunities for brands and agencies to share their stories and make an impact in the connected world.

According to Facebook, everything now starts from a brand’s Facebook Page, including ads and sponsored stories. The Page is the new creative canvas, so now more than ever, visual storytelling, copywriting and creativity are critical to success on Facebook. Communication is evolving and should be proactive and consistent. Planning through collaboration of the brand narrative and the advertising capabilities offered on Facebook is key to making the most of the new Pages.

The NEW Facebook Pages for brands product is being upgraded to include a cover photo, pinned posts, messages, milestones and more, effective from March 31st.

 

A new way for brands to make sure their fans see their stories. Currently a brand might only reach 16% of fans from the Pages that are managed through organic Page posting alone.

Reach Generator will help brands to reach 50% of fans every week and guarantees that reach will be 75% of the brand’s fans every month.

This ”always-on” solution uses the most recent Page post as a sponsored story on the right-hand side of the homepage or in the news feed on desktop and mobile offered through Premium advertising solutions.

Reach Generator should be considered part of the brand’s loyalty strategy to predictively reach and engage the fans to which they are connected.

This product has eligibility requirements, so advertisers should contact their local thinkdigital account manager to continue the dialogue.

If asked this question, most agencies would get their planners, copywriters and art directors and would devise a plan for a campaign. Ogilvy Brazil chose to respond to the challenge launched by JAC Motors with an experiment that spanned 3,239 km. and five countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. To prepare the proposal to launch the JAC Motors cars in Brazil , Ogilvy team decided to go in the nearest country where the car was already on the market (which incidentally was over 3,000 kilometers away) and test it over the course of the entire way back. The story of The  Six from Ogilvy began with the purchase of four JAC Motors vehicles, which went through wind, storm and flooding in order to finish their task. And finally, they presented a documentary in three parts which helped them to win an account of 42 million dollars.

"It`s not a journey, it`s a brainstorming" said one of the six during a day spent in the JAC Motors cars. But the truth is, from the viewer`s position, it`s easy to want to participate in this kind of adventure. With inspirational music in the background, the perfect symbiosis between man and car (cars) nearly made me get my coat from the hanger, steal the first car keys I would find and start in my own journey of discovery. The team showed commitment, passion, strength, and especially how much fun they had trying to test the limits of the JAC Motors cars. Virtually they turned the dream of every client that organizes a pitch into reality: love for the adopted child. And in who`s better care would the company leave their baby but in the care of the agency that proved it`s unconditional love? Hats off. It was a brilliant move: straight to the heart.

But thinking out of the box is an activity that has it`s price. In this case, about $ 80,000, about the cost of the four cars purchased by the agency. Not to take into account other expenses allocated to the journey. The amount invested is equivalent to about 0.20% of the sum won, which brings no small profit to the agency. On the other hand, for the promised amount the agency must reach the established objectives, drown them in a sea of creativity and always exceed it`s standard in terms of innovation. So, as they well point out in the case study, they significantly raised the bar in creativity. Wich indicates two possible problems: will they always be able to exceed the expectations and please their client, a client that will always expect more? And is this a good practice to win a pitch or is it dangerous for the creative resources of an agency in the long term?

http://www.iqads.ro/a_22595/cat_de_departe_poate_merge_o_agentie_pentru_castigarea_unui_pitch.html 

According to a study by MediaMind Technologies Inc.. examining more than 300,000 online ads, formats using the Dwell Rate - indicator measures the number of hits obtained from users who have reached the ad with the mouse more than a second - were identified most 5 effective online advertising formats, a press release issued by ThinkDigital. The five formats are:

1. Sidekick: remove the publisher\\\'s content on one side to let the central brand. Dwell brings Rate 60% for type banner formats policies.

2. Pushdown: Loaded like any normal banner when the user will trigger the ad, the banner will push down the publisher\\\'s content, thus providing even more space offered by the ad message. Dwell brings Rate 164% for banner formats such policies.

3. Homepage Takeovers: This type of ad covers an area of the screen with the brand\\\'s ad offering a huge impact and is very suitable for product launches and video. Dwell brings Rate 32% for political parties.

4. Messenger Ads: Share entire experience of your brand through a banner without having to visit the official website of the client. Dwell brings Rate 193% for political parties.

5. Video Extender: A button allows users to shoot and to expand the video content over any size and it will continue to run. Dwell Rate 103% brings the format type policies.

http://digital.iqads.ro/a_22398/studiu_mediamind_technologies_5_tipuri_de_formate_eficiente_in_online_advertising.html 

The second edition of OUTLOOK PR it will bring Kenneth Wetzel (Head of Press Office of the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest) to the students for their backstage stories of the press office. The event will take place Thursday, March 15, between 12:00 and 14:00 in the conference room on the 5th floor - A body of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi.

Among the topics discussed at the conference mention public relations specialist role in maintaining connection with journalistic environment, communication techniques used and other insights from the press office of a public institution.

OUTLOOK PR is a series of conferences between 50 students from the specialization Communication and Public Relations and Public Relations and Advertising, and other adjacent specializations: Marketing and Business Communication and Journalism and a speaker from abroad.

After a tour of almost two years that targeted cities such as Timisoara, Cluj, Iasi, Sibiu, Social Media Summit reaches for the first time in Bucharest. The event will take place on Feb. 28 at Howard Johnson Hotel.

Social Media Summit audience will be composed of representatives of both the regional business community, marketing executives, brand managers and agencies, as well as from specialists in online, bloggers and media. So far have confirmed the presence of over 200 people.

Among the speakers this edition include: Vlad Petreanu (www.petreanu.ro), Marko Njavro (Director of Marketing, Bergenbier SA), Cristian Manafu (Social Media Consultant, The Connector & Partners), Bogdana Butnar (Digital Marketing Consultant, www. bogdanabutnar.ro), Victor Kapri (Consultant online www.victorkapra.ro), Cristian China-Birta (online entrepreneur, www.chinezu.eu) Mugur Patrascu (Managing Partner, ileum), Georgiana Gheorghe (Corporate Communication Manager, Danone ), Marius Tudosiei (HardWorker, Groceries Old), Gabriela Lungu (Managing Partner, The Practice), Dragos Stanca (www.dstanca.ro).

http://digital.iqads.ro/a_22291/prima_editie_social_media_summit_bucuresti.html  

The third edition of Online PR Boot Camp is an intensive training for two days of social media and online PR and marketing communication addressed to people in companies and PR agencies and advertising. The event takes place on 16 and Feb. 17 at Capital Plaza Hotel in Bucharest.

Participants will take part in a process of accelerated learning experience (hence the concept of Boot Camp) and together with the teammates. It will discuss new techniques and tools available online and how they can be integrated brand communication strategy.

Among the speakers who will attend the event include China-Birta Cristian (co-founder of blog Initiative), Monica Jitariuc (Online PR Director, The Practice), Alexandru Negrea (Social Media Manager, BCR), Cristina Bazavan (Blogger) and Cristian Manafu (Managing Partner, Evensys).

More details prbootcamp.ro

http://digital.iqads.ro/a_22122/online_pr_boot_camp_evolutia_pr_ului_odata_cu_expansiunea_new_media.html 

Summit International Communications Consultancy Organisation 2011 ( http://www.iccosummit.org/ ) will take place from September 29 to 30 in Sintra, Portugal, a press release issued by BDR Associates. The main theme of the event is "taking the lead public relations: PR industry in 2020." Summit brings together persons from consulting in PR and representatives of the new generation of leaders in public relations.

Among the guests at the event are known personalities in public relations such as Harold Burson, Lord Chadlington, Prema Sagar, Mark Adams, Olivier Fleurot, Jean-Leopold Schuybroek and Paul Holmes. Also, the event will be attended by representatives of the new generation of leaders including Rob Flaherty, Stephen Waddington, Carl Fredrik Sammeli Forsgard Christina.

If I had to choose one professional event which this year to participate, should be ICCO Summit 2011. I have compiled the most influential and eloquent speakers in consulting in Europe, Asia, USA and Australia to present the most important trends in our sector of activity and to provide practical advice on how to relate to them . Add to all these and Global SABRE Awards and get an event where you really need to participate, "said Richard Houghton (President ICCO).

Target event is the top managers in independent agencies, consulting companies and large multinationals.

During the summit, participants will attend lectures and workshops will cover topics ranging from the "Evolution of Public Relations in 2020" (including views from Asia, USA and Europe), the "public relations in the executives (c-suite) "and" future independent agency ", to fears of rising margins, winning the battle for talent and integrating social networking into PR campaigns.

The program was created so as to generate interaction between guests and the public, including discussions both in plenary and in groups.

The program also includes the summit for the first time and Sabre Global Awards gala dinner, organized in collaboration with the Holmes personalities which are distinguished by exceptional results recorded in leadership and contribution to international development of public relations consulting are included in ICCO Hall of Fame ( http://www.iccopr.com/hall-of-fame/Halloffame.aspx ).

Participants can register online on the dedicated website. Number of seats is limited.

http://www.iqads.ro/a_14532/summit_ul_icco_2011_relatiile_publice_preiau_conducerea_industria_pr_in_2020.html