PDM and Telstra deliver groundbreaking real-time digital marketing solution June 27, 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PDM.Tags: out-of-home digital media, PDM, Telstra, Telstra T-Life store
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Australian leader in Out-of-Home Digital media, Prime Digital Media (PDM) in partnership with Telstra, have unveiled a groundbreaking digital retail marketing installation with the launch of the Telstra T-Life store, on the corner of Bourke and Swanston Streets, Melbourne.
Launched yesterday by Telstra CEO, Sol Trujillo, the T-life concept store showcases PDM’s cutting edge digital retail marketing solutions. PDM’s in-house creative studio designed high definition Telstra branded video content to run across three TelstraTV channels (a giant indoor wall of Plasmas, a series of portrait screens and one 22-metre tall outdoor screen).
These digital signage platforms are centrally managed by PDM through their web-based media management system, enabling the delivery of real-time marketing messages to consumers targeted by location, customer segment and time of day.
The creative emphasis of content is on high visual impact and clear, concise messaging. Content combines Telstra TV-specific content mixed with existing advertising, sponsorship or branding material that has been re-purposed to work in this very specific medium.
PDM Planning and Creative Director Julie Frikken, says: “PDM’s digital signage solution for Telstra runs on an outdoor screen as well as various strategically placed, high-impact screens in the store itself. PDM’s digital media is unique in that it broadcasts dynamic content that can target specific audiences at specific times of day and days of the week. The audience on Bourke Street on a Saturday night for example, will see vastly different content on the outdoor screen to commuters during peak hour on a Tuesday morning.”
The T-Life Outdoor channel runs on Australia’s largest outdoor LED screen. The 2.5 metre wide by 22 metre high screen broadcasts dynamic content 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with a content mix consisting of Telstra brand messages, infotainment and promotion. The large-scale screen is designed for maximum impact to engage pedestrians and drive traffic into the T-Life store.
TelstraTV content also runs across a huge indoor multi-screen ‘T-Life Brand Wall’ which displays a mixture of informative product demonstrations, vibrant promotional information and brand content. The content is designed to inform, educate and entertain consumers whilst they are browsing and ensures maximum impact in demonstrating Telstra’s products and services.
About PDM
Prime Digital Media (PDM) is Australia’s leading provider of out-of-home digital (OOHD) media. The company provide retailers and marketers with innovative ways to target and engage the new, media-savvy consumer. PDM control Australia’s largest, centrally managed out-of-home digital network, delivering dynamic, relevant, visually appealing messages to retail environments via plasma and LCD screens. The company’s in-store retail networks showcase The Home Electronics Network, The Lifestyle Network and The Wellbeing Network. Clients include Retravision, Boost Juice, Amcal, Guardian and Blooms. PDM also centrally manage and produce content for Telstra’s in-store ‘T-Life’ and‘T-shop’ retail network, TelstraTV.. Fireback Digital, PDM’s in-house creative studio, produce the most out-of-home digital content in Australia and have collected the most awards for doing so. PDM and Telstra have recently signed a three year Go-To-Market exclusive partnership agreement. www.primedigitalmedia.com
Fonality launches resellers program June 26, 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in Fonality.Tags: Fonality, Fonality resellers program, trixbox, trixbox Channel Partner program
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Fonality, a world leader and innovator in IP telephony systems today launched their Australian Channel Partner program. trixbox Pro is Fonality’s award winning IP-PBX product line designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses.
With over five thousand installations making over 225 million phone calls, in 100 countries, re-sellers are assured of a commercially proven solution. In fact, both Dell computers and Intel Corporation have recently signed deals to re-sell Fonality’s PBX to their SME customer base.
Marc Englaro, General Manager of Fonality Australia, said the trixbox partner program provides the flexibility and tools to grow resellers’ business and expand their reach.
“We offer a number of options so resellers can work to their business goals, rather than ours. With trixbox Pro, they choose the licensing and deployment model, whether on their own server or on trixbox Appliance, and on phones that they source.”
“trixbox Pro is available with a low monthly recurring license fee option or with a one time, lifetime license fee to ensure resellers will always have the right solution and business model for their customers.”
“We have had a huge response from the reseller community and currently have around 200 enquiries from potential channel partners,” said Mr Englaro
Fonality is committed to reseller success by investing in education programs, marketing awareness, dedicated channel manager resources, priority support queues and lead management and protection.
There are three levels in the trixbox partner program in Australia: Affiliate, Authorised Reseller and Premium Partner.
The trixbox Affiliate program is designed for organisations that frequently get opportunities to sell PABX systems, but who are not specialist PABX companies, or are not yet ready to commit to the training and certification required to join the Authorised Reseller and Premium Partner programs. The Affiliate program allows organisations to buy and resell trixbox Pro systems that are preconfigured by Fonality in Australia.
With the Affiliate Program there are no contracts to sign, no minimum sales target, no certifications required to get started and offers free sales support from Fonality’s Australian sales team.
The trixbox Authorised Reseller and Premium Partner programs suits resellers that aim to sell more than 50 PABX systems per year.
You can find details about these programs at: http://www.trixbox.com/resellers/reseller-programs
Fonality will be launching the Channel Partner Program, starting with a seminar in Sydney followed by an on-line webinar, so resellers can discover the value of the trixbox solutions and learn how to sell and market them.
Date: Wednesday 16th July
Time: 9.00-12.00pm
Venue: Fonality
Level 8, 33 Berry St
North Sydney
Register: www.fonality.com.au/lp/seminar
OR:
Register for the on-line webinar
Date: Friday 18th July
Time: 9.00-11.00am
Register www.fonality.com.au/lp/webinar:
More information about trixbox Pro:
trixbox Pro is Fonality’s award winning IP-PBX product line for small to medium-sized businesses providing an affordable and reliable communication solution. Fonality Inc. is a world-wide leading provider of IP PABX systems.
trixbox Pro is a scalable (5-500 seats) enterprise-class PABX phone system that costs 40 to 80 percent less than comparable systems. Its user-friendly web-based control panel allows businesses to customise their phone system including adding, moving, and changing extensions as well as how incoming phone calls are routed.
It has been designed, and thoroughly tested, for both single-site businesses with basic telephony needs to national corporations with distributed call centres that need advanced presence management and communication tools. The hybrid-hosted architecture means that businesses can use VoIP service providers or standard telephone providers.
It helps businesses be more productive and flexible by supporting branch locations, home workers, and even workers on the road. Businesses can conduct conference calls in-house instead of using expensive third party providers.
More information about Fonality:
www.fonality.com.au
info@fonality.com.au
1300 307 147 (Australia)
PDM networks the first to go live with QR technology June 24, 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PDM.Tags: PDM, Prime Digital Media, QR Technology
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Out-of-home digital (OOHD) media company Prime Digital Media (PDM) announced today the addition of QR to their advertising solutions, making them the first Australian Out-of-Home digital media company to adopt QR technology.
QR (Quick Response) Codes add another new dimension to OOHD advertising. By simply flashing a mobile phone at one of the codes on the PDM screens, a consumer can be directly linked to the advertiser’s brand messages.
QR works by the consumer using a camera phone that has been equipped with the reader software, scanning the image of the QR Code causing the phone’s browser to either launch and redirect to a programmed URL, text message, or phone number at no cost to the mobile phone user or the advertiser.
In an Australian first, PDM is using this break-through technology on all their Media Networks including Wellbeing, Lifestyle and Home Electronics. Currently the PDM network has over 6,000 Plasma and LCD screens connected to a centrally managed web-based trafficking system, attracting leading domestic and international brands as advertisers on the network.
“We have seen the dramatic take up of QR in Japan by retailers, with almost every retail industry adopting this technology. Our advertisers are eager to embrace QR to build stronger brand relationships with consumers.”
“Because there is no barrier to entry, the technology is opt-in and there is no cost for the advertiser or the user, we predict QR technology to boom in Australia by 2009,” said PDM, Planning and Creative Director, Julie Frikken.
“OOHD media captures consumers as they dwell. People don’t ‘watch’ OOHD screens like they do a TV, instead they take away high impact snippets of information as they dwell. Now, with QR technology, they can further engage with the advertising by instantly getting further information about products and brands of interest.”
About PDM
Prime Digital Media (PDM) is Australia’s leading provider of out-of-home digital (OOHD) media. The company provide retailers and marketers with innovative ways to target and engage the new, media-savvy consumer. PDM control Australia’s largest, centrally managed out-of-home digital network, delivering dynamic, relevant, visually appealing messages to retail environments via plasma and LCD screens. The company’s in-store retail networks showcase The Home Electronics Network, The Lifestyle Network and The Wellbeing Network. Clients include Retravision, Boost Juice, Amcal, Guardian and Blooms. PDM also centrally manage and produce content for Telstra’s in-store ‘T-shop’ retail network, TelstraTV. Fireback Digital, PDM’s in-house creative studio, produce the most out-of-home digital content in Australia and have collected the most awards for doing so. www.primedigitalmedia.com
Prime Digital Media appoints Account Director June 22, 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PDM.Tags: out-of-home digital media, PDM, Prime Digital Media, Telstra TV
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Australia’s leading provider of out-of-home digital media, Prime Digital Media (PDM) has appointed Ifca Dragicevic as Account Director.
Dragicevic is responsible for managing PDM’s day-to-day relationship with Telstra’s Strategic Marketing and Retail Media solutions team. Her role includes co-ordinating all aspects of the rapidly growing centrally managed ‘Telstra TV’ digital media platforms.
Dragicevic says: “I am excited to be working with PDM and look forward to contributing to the growth of this new media space. Working with PDM I hope to grow the Telstra relationship as well as develop their managed in-store media network.
“I am looking forward to a positive year ahead with PDM, achieving growth with Telstra and contributing to PDM’s already excellent results. My technical and creative background is a great fit for this role, as I will be working both strategically and technically with Telstra who have committed to a rollout of Telstra TV to another 50 stores by mid-year. We are also currently working on the launch of the Telstra T-Life store in Melbourne which is due to open at the end of this month.”
Ms Dragicevic has worked with a variety of traditional and new media companies over the past 18 years in a number of different roles, primarily in account management and production. These companies include Broadcast Media businesses such as Channel Ten, Channel Seven and SBS to those in the Digital Media sector such as Euro Interactive, Patts Interactive and Singleton Ogilvy Interactive.
Prior to working at Prime Digital Media, Ms Dragicevic was Senior Interactive Producer at Singleton Ogilvy and Mather. In this role she managed an extensive portfolio of clients and interactive projects like dynamic website developments, e-marketing campaigns, interactive game developments, broadband media production and online advertising campaigns.
Ms Dragicevic has worked with clients including KFC, Mitsubishi, DHL, McGuigan Wines, Arts Council, Foxtel and Telstra.
About PDM
Prime Digital Media (PDM) is Australia’s leading provider of out-of-home digital (OOHD) media. The company provide retailers and marketers with innovative ways to target and engage the new, media-savvy consumer. PDM control Australia’s largest, centrally managed out-of-home digital network, delivering dynamic, relevant, visually appealing messages to retail environments via plasma and LCD screens. The company’s in-store retail networks showcase The Home Electronics Network, The Lifestyle Network and The Wellbeing Network. Clients include Retravision, Boost Juice, Amcal, Guardian and Blooms. PDM also centrally manage and produce content for Telstra’s in-store ‘T-shop’ retail network, TelstraTV. Fireback Digital, PDM’s in-house creative studio, produce the most out-of-home digital content in Australia and have collected the most awards for doing so. www.primedigitalmedia.com
Fonality records 15 quarters of high growth, leads open source telephony market June 20, 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in Fonality.Tags: Fonality, trixbox
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Los Angeles – Fonality®, the leading provider of open source business communications systems, announced today that the first quarter of 2008 marked its fifteenth consecutive quarter of high growth, and that the company has doubled in size each year since its founding in 2004.
Key to the company’s success is a reinvention of the architecture and delivery of the modern day business phone system. Today, 5,000 commercial customers worldwide depend on Fonality’s PBXtra® and trixbox Pro® products for affordable, VoIP-powered unified communications. In addition, Fonality’s open source project, trixbox CE, has achieved three million downloads and is now the number one open source telephony project in the world.
“We’ve at least doubled in size every year since we started Fonality in 2004,” said Chris Lyman, Fonality CEO. “We’ve done this by staying focused on our bread and butter: making telephony affordable, easy to use and standards-based. This is in stark contrast to an industry that seems fixated on keeping telephony expensive, complicated, and proprietary, a trend that continues to create enormous growth opportunities for Fonality in a $20 billion dollar global market.”
“Telephony becoming a component of a complete unified communications solution is causing a landscape evolution and giving rise to a number of new products and companies that hold significant growth potential,” says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Krithi Rao.
Fonality has rebuilt the business phone system from the ground up with the goal of creating a low-cost product that is easy for a small or medium-sized business to install and manage. Adoption of Fonality products has come from companies wanting a modern, feature-rich alternative to costly systems from companies like Avaya and Cisco, and one that will grow with them and not need replacing or upgrading on regular intervals.
Fonality’s patented hybrid-hosted architecture, call center applications, as well as a rich set of unified communication applications, have helped fuel the company’s success. A hybrid-hosted approach combines the benefits of a hardware PBX with the affordability and ease of use of a hosted offering. It also enables a variety of fixed-mobile convergence capabilities that allow employee identity to be maintained whether they are working at the office, at home or traveling. The award-winning HUD® application works with the core system and provides a unified view of chat, email, and calling for all fixed and mobile workers.
Fonality has created a powerful distribution channel comprised of computer consultants, VARs and OEMs. Today, more than 7,000 data VARs have signed onto the Fonality reseller program. The company also formed a strategic partnership with Dell and a distribution agreement with PC Mall.
Fonality now has 130 employees, with offices in five countries, and operates five global data centers. In addition to standard phone systems, the company has more than 1,300 Fonality-powered call centers and 125,000 active unified communications desktops.
“We have created an entirely new category of business communications – the small business call center,” added Lyman. “We realized early on that ‘call center’ doesn’t just mean 1,000 agents in cubicles. If you have 15 employees with three sales and three support guys, you’ve got a call center. We make call center software cost effective and easy enough for this market to quickly adopt.”
About Fonality
Fonality, www.fonality.com, is a leader in business phone systems and contact center solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Used by over 5,000 companies and 100,000 end users in 100 countries, Fonality’s award winning IP-PBX VoIP phone systems have connected more than 225,000,000 mission critical phone calls. The PBXtra and trixbox Pro product lines are based on Fonality’s patent-pending Anywhere Management™ Hybrid-Hosted™ architecture, plus an improved version of the popular open source Asterisk code base which has been modified to add reliability, stability and enterprise-class features. PBXtra and trixbox Pro deliver the advanced capabilities of an enterprise-class phone system for 40 to 80 percent less than traditional offerings.
Fonality’s fully free and open source telephony platform, trixbox CE (www.trixbox.org), is home to one of the world’s largest and fastest growing communities of open source telephony users, with over 200,000 live deployments and 125,000 new downloads each month. Fonality headquarters are in Los Angeles. Company investors include Azure Capital Partners and Intel Capital.
Fonality, PBXtra, trixbox, and HUD are registered trademarks and Hybrid-Hosted and Anywhere Management are trademarks of Fonality. Other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Fred Schebesta named one of Australia’s 30 under 30 Entrepreneurs June 18, 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in Uncategorized.add a comment
Fred Schebesta, Director of online marketing company Freestyle Media has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading entrepreneurial minds under the age of 30. He has been placed in one of the top 30 spots in Australian Anthill Magazine’s 30under30 award.
30under30 is a new awards initiative developed by Anthill Magazine to encourage and promote entrepreneurship among young Australians.
Fred has been recognised as an entrepreneur whose perseverance helped him establish a successful business at a young age.
“I have always been motivated as an entrepreneur to create a legacy for my family. It has always been important to me that I use my entrepreneurial skills to benefit the marketing community,” said Mr Schebesta.
In true Anthill style, judging of the 2008 ‘30under30’ Awards took into account far more than business variables, such as revenue and wealth. The judging process involved personality traits, the history of the applicant and his/her ability to overcome commercial and personal obstacles.
“I first noticed my entrepreneurial tendencies while I was studying at university. While my mates were having a good time, I spent all of my time coding websites and learning new techniques for online marketing and business skills,” said Mr Schebesta.
“Everywhere I go I analyse peoples businesses and talk with my friends and wife about ideas that they could use to improve their business. I can’t stop thinking about new ideas and ways to make a better business.”
The winners were announced in the June/July edition of Anthill Magazine after a three month application and judging process. The award is designed to encourage and promote young entrepreneurship in Australia and create a national alumni of future leaders.
This is a significant achievement for Mr Schebesta as Australian Anthill acknowledged his success and hard work as an entrepreneur.
About Freestyle Media
Freestyle Media are an Online Marketing Agency specialises in driving traffic to corporate websites and converting traffic into purchasers of products and services. Services include Online Marketing Strategy, Website development, Email Marketing, Banner advertising, Search Engine Marketing and Media buying and planning. www.FreestyleMedia.com.au
Fred Schebesta’s Blog www.OnlineMarketingSydney.com.au
PDM and Sigma announce 20% sales increase using in-store digital media network June 2, 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PDM.Tags: digital signage, Out of home digital, PDM, Sgma
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PDM and Sigma today announced research results demonstrating the effectiveness of the Wellbeing in-store out-of-home digital media network. The research shows a sales increase of up to 20% against comparable stores who do not display the digital media advertising.
The month-long research combining work by Galaxy Research and Sigma audited point-of-sale data, compared two products (Hydralyte and Blackmores Women’s Vitality) in four pharmacies year-on-year, month-on-month and like-for-like stores.
The pharmacies selected to carry out the research were spread geographically across Australia. No additional point-of-sale promotions or catalogues were placed in the pharmacies for the two products participating in the research.
David Spaulding, CEO, Hydration Pharmaceuticals says: “We have been trialing our latest Hydralyte campaign in-store at four Sigma pharmacies on PDM’s Wellbeing Network for the past two months. We are impressed with the impact this has had on customers. The increase in sales of Hydralyte in the participating pharmacies is 20% greater than non-participating pharmacies for the same period.”
Elmo de Alwis, CEO, Sigma Pharmaceuticals, says: “I am delighted that our innovative retail strategy lead us to introduce digital media into Sigma’s leading pharmacies as it is driving increased sales in store and for suppliers. We have shown that the combination of best-in-market centrally managed digital media and interactive health information is creating a unique shopping environment and consumer experience in our Sigma aligned pharmacies. Working with PDM, Sigma anticipates continuing the expansion of this network in the very near future”.
Sigma and PDM are amongst the first companies in Australia to release tangible research about the effects of digital media advertising in Australian pharmacies.
Jon Marshall, PDM, Wellbeing Network Manager says: “PDM are pleased with our recent research findings carried out in the Sigma pharmacies. There is now a strong body of evidence from numerous studies both in Australia and internationally that support the media platform as a valid and effective way of engaging consumers at point-of-purchase. We can prove that pharmacy visitors are seeing the screens, recalling the advertising and responding to the messages.”
PDM’s Wellbeing network is featured across Sigma pharmacies Australia-wide.
-ENDS-
PDM Wellbeing Network – sales research methodology
In the month of April 2008 PDM conducted research on the effect of digital advertising through the Wellbeing Network on sales in pharmacies. Key results from the research showed:
• In-store advertising increases sales by up to 20% on the previous month where no advertising was shown
• In store advertising increased sales for the same month over the previous year
• In-store advertising not only reversed the decline in sales for the previous year but increased sales by a minimum of 55%
The methodology consisted of using four pharmacies, two products over one month. The pharmacies were Amcal and Guardian in NSW and Victoria. The products advertised were the Hydralyte range and Blackmores Women’s Vitality.
The data analysed is point of sale information provided by the pharmacies. Sales were tracked for March when there was no advertising and April when the advertising was implemented 3rd week of April.
To ensure the data was uninfluenced by other factors, there wasn’t any catalogues, dump bins or promotional offers provided in April.
It is clear from the sales data that in-store digital advertising has a positive effect on sales benefiting the pharmacy and suppliers.
ABOUT THE WELLBEING NETWORK
Spread over 250 stores nationally, the Wellbeing Network is the largest centrally-managed out-of-home digital Wellbeing network in Australia. The network consists of LCD screens and touch-screen kiosks at prominent locations in captive consumer dwell areas across three pharmacy brand channels – Amcal, Guardian and Blooms. The network provides an engaging mix of news, information, entertainment, health, beauty and wellbeing content interspersed with advertiser and channel messages. The Wellbeing Network delivers targeted messages to a predominantly female audience in a trusted destination where 83% of shoppers purchase. The network offers advertisers 3.6million opportunities to see (OTS) per month. Recent findings have proven that the Wellbeing Network reaches a predominantly female audience (73%) in an environment where 83% of shoppers purchase. 97% of the Wellbeing audience trust their pharmacist and believe their pharmacy is a quality heathcare destination. Source: Galaxy Research, January 2008
ABOUT PDM
Prime Digital Media (PDM) is Australia’s leading provider of out-of-home digital (OOHD) media. The company provide retailers and marketers with innovative ways to target and engage the new, media-savvy consumer. PDM control Australia’s largest, centrally managed out-of-home digital network, delivering dynamic, relevant, visually appealing messages to retail environments via plasma and LCD screens. The company’s in-store retail networks showcase The Home Electronics Network, The Lifestyle Network and The Wellbeing Network. Clients include Retravision, Boost Juice, Amcal, Guardian and Blooms. PDM centrally manage and produce content for Telstra’s in-store ‘T-shop’ retail network, TelstraTV. Fireback Digital, PDM’s in-house creative studio, produce the most out-of-home digital content in Australia and have collected the most awards for doing so. www.primedigitalmedia.com
ABOUT SIGMA PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED
Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited (Sigma) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of prescription, over-the-counter and generic pharmaceutical products, a leading wholesale and distribution business to pharmacy and owner of some of Australia’s largest pharmacy banner brands: Amcal and Guardian, in addition to the new Amcal Max brand. Sigma is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and in 2006 / 07 had annual sales of $2.7billion and an annual net profit after tax of $104.6 million. www.sigmaco.com.au
