The iPad Mini leads huge surge in tablet-based advertising

Last month’s launch of the iPad Mini has seen an acceleration in adoption of tablet-based advertising, according to a report by Indian mobile company InMobi.

The report shows that while smartphones remain the dominant device in mobile advertising impressions with a 74.1% share, tablets and connected devices are increasing rapidly with an overall share of almost 20%.

The data, sourced from July 2012 to September 2012 reveals that the iPhone continues to be the most popular handset on the market. However, the iPad’s share of impressions continues to rise with 11%, a 43% increase from Q2.

The research found that Apple remains the top manufacturer in the UK with RIM and HTC falling behind their competitor. Samsung achieved an increase in its share of impressions in Q3, with 16% increase from Q2.

The research also shows that the mobile web continues to rule, holding a 70% share of total advertising impressions, this share has decreased from 76% in Q1 and 72% in Q2, as ad impressions on mobile apps are rolled out.

“In the UK, mobile ad growth continues to be driven by smartphones. However, following the recent launch of the new iPad mini, consumer interest in tablets has never been higher and we expect the number of impressions on these devices to continue to rise in Q4,” said an InMobi spokesman.

The InMobi Mobile Insights report can be downloaded for free here.

How humming can help children in the world’s most dangerous countries

The old joke says that when Elvis Presley was exhumed from his grave he didn’t sing much, but he hummed quite a lot.

In slightly better taste, Digital Giving has launched a music app called ‘Hum This’, an interactive game of charades that ‘challenges players to hum and guess song titles from an archive of thousands.

Supported by official partners HMV, O2 and Ticketmaster (!), a percentage of the profits will go towards supporting two chosen charities, Nordoff Robbins, which uses music therapy to transform lives, and War Child, which helps children in some of the world’s most dangerous countries.

The ‘Hum This!’ free app comes with 50 virtual notes with a paid-for app available for £1.49 with 1,600 virtual notes. Additional notes can be purchased in-app via the ‘Hum This!’ note store. The app is available to download now on iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android phones and tablets from the Apple app store or Google Play.

“From our inception, War Child has always pioneered using the power of music in innovative ways to raise funds for our vital work. We’re proud to partner Hum This! as it offers a fun new way for people to support charities,” said Ben Knowles, Director of Fundraising, War Child.

Similarly uplifting is seeing Ticketmaster doing something good for the world, instead of RIPPING US ALL OFF ON TICKET PRICE SURCHAGES. If he really was dug up, Elvis wouldn’t only hum a bit, he’d be spinning in his grave.

Little Grey Cells #11… The future of Condé Nast is not digital, it is multi-platform

* The latest in our series of Tim Healey interviews is with Jamie Jouning, Digital Director of Condé Nast

Vogue has just seriously tweaked its online and tablet presence, what’s new for the digital reader?

Our aim for sometime now has been to raise the standard of our digital proposition up alongside our print products and the recent launch of Vogue’s monthly iPad edition and the new website does exactly that. Cleaner, intuitive navigation, bold, fully responsive digital design and the exposure of relevant content on every page, provide the digital reader with a massively enhanced, but ultimately unique Vogue experience online and on tablet.

What’s new for the digital advertiser?

Fully responsive ads that expand and contract to the size of your screen; stunning full screen gallery interstitials that allow the advertiser to take advantage of our new, best in class gallery experience; bespoke in-content ads that sit neatly within the body copy of the article. On tablet the possibilities are endless and the only constraints are on the imaginations of our advertisers.

As Digital Director at Condé Nast, what are your responsibilities?

I oversee the web and mobile business across the Condé Nast brand portfolio, from commercial through to editorial and product development. I am extremely fortunate to have a lot of very talented experts in each of these specialist fields, so my job is made all the more simple.

Is the future of Condé Nast digital?

The future of Condé Nast is multi-platform. We have a robust print business that is showing no signs of decline, while the digital business is expanding aggressively alongside. Our mission statement is to continue to deliver brilliant, beautifully designed content on whatever platform our audience chooses to consume it.

You have been at Condé Nast since 1996, what have been the major changes you have witnessed?

When I started at Condé Nast sales orders were written out by hand in triplicate and faxed to clients, unwieldy chromalins were the only way to colour check your editorial pages pre-press and you could smoke at your desk. The digital revolution has imparted itself on every single core function at Condé Nast and will continue to shape our business in years to come.

What’s the most beautiful place your work has taken you?

During my time on GQ I was fortunate enough to go on photo shoots all over the world. If I had to pick one, then it would have to be Rio de Janeiro, not least as we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Maracanã stadium to watch Flamengo versus Fluminese – the beautiful game, in the beautiful city.

What’s the last album you downloaded or bought, and why?

Abba Gold – at my daughter’s behest, it was for her fifth birthday party celebrations.

Where do you live, and why?

London, SW6. I grew up in North London so this is as far south as I’m allowed to go – migrating south of the river is out of the question.

What do you do to relax and unwind?

I play league cricket for Southgate CC every Saturday in the summer and follow Spurs avidly through the winter, although relaxing is not a word that I’d necessarily attach to the latter. Spending time with my wife and two daughters is the ultimate relaxation, particularly if it happens to involve good food and fine wine.

In the Lebanon… play and avoid flying shisha pipes for iPad and UNESCO

Lebanon-based iOS developer Game Cooks has launched its new game Run for Peace on the iPad and 5% of all proceeds will be donated to UNESCO.

The game sells for $1.99 so that’s 10 cents per download and follows the adventures of one Salim who ‘avoids dangerous obstacles on the way to bringing peace to the Middle East’ starting in Saudi Arabia and ending in Algeria.

The press release describes the difficulty of being a developer in the Middle East because of ‘fighting outside of (sic) your office’, which is a little melodramatic, have they never heard of South London?

However, the part that most appealed to me were the flying shisha pipes that Salim has to avoid. That’s GOT to be worth $1.99…

Spending too much time in front of a screen?… go to a Cat Cafe in Tokyo

It’s February, the weather is sh*t, the media bombards us with stories about certain days being the most depressing of the year and mobiles, laptops, iPads, cinemas and TVs drag us into their screens of otherworldliness.

The evenings are long, there are no spontaneous outdoor activities and if it wasn’t for sex we’d all go bonkers. At some stage we crack, leave our devices at home and head for the hills for a good walk or fly to a beach to wean us from these awful habits that ruin our eyes and bathe us in blue screen. Continue reading