News International is looking to promote the newest member in its fold in order that it keeps up and around 38% of the market share of tabloid and mid-range newspapers.

Rupert Murdoch wants The Sun on Sunday to hover around the 40% sales mark in the tabloid and mid-range Sunday newspaper market and will sanction a marketing campaign focusing on content rather than the brand.

The Wapping-based newspaper was launched earlier this year to replace the News of the World newspaper which was closed by News International in July last year.

It is expected that the newspaper will keep its circulation to similar levels that News of the World had, which if the target is hit will see the newspaper sell 3.2 million copies each week.

By utilising the customer database, marketing operations and social media, the newspaper is hoping to build up a solid relationship with customers and readers so that they stick with the Sun on Sunday.

Rob Painter, the marketing director of the Sun on Sunday said: “The Mirror, People and Star on Sunday still have volumes that we hope to recruit for ourselves; their circulations have not yet gone to pre-News of the World closure levels.”

Other possible avenues for the Sun on Sunday include a similar version of The Sun Perks rewards scheme which its daily sister newspaper has used to great effect over Christmas periods in previous years.

News International are pleased with their initial brand launch so far, with 64% of people knowing the cost of the Sun on Sunday when asked in a survey.

Twitter has roughly 200 million users making it the perfect platform to market your business but this isn’t the only way to up your web presence via social media.

Brands are always looking to boost their web pressence by a number of methods and social media has now taken centre stage, but are brands really looking at the big picture rather than just concentrating on ‘likes’ from Facebook?

There are many social media sites oozing with users but what can really help your business to become a social tycoon.

The social network Twitter is the perfect way for businesses to communicate quickly with potential customers. Re-tweeting can also help you to broaden your reach to even more people and connect with companies who have interesting stories and useful pieces of information. Sharing is essential in getting people to engage in conversation which is why pushing a mixed bag of posts is key.

There are many other tools which you can use to source information from to push to your Twitter account. TwitterFall, a site to help you to get the most out of Twitter can be used in a number of ways, one of which is to see the latest tweets about subjects which are important you. It enables you to retweet, reply and quote tweets without having to follow users.

Brands looking to use social media need to understand that whilst they want to use social media, it isn’t necessary to join every social media site in order to create the perfect strategy.

At least one Russian movie critic was taken in by a pirated copy of the film The Iron Lady which has been marketed across the Russian Federation.

The film made about Margaret Thatcher’s life including her stint as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has taken on a political slant in Russia following the promotion of a pirated copy.

At least one film reviewer believed the fake copy was real after listening to a male-voice translate the words spoken by actress Meryl Streep – who played the part of Mrs Thatcher.

Some speeches in the film by Thatcher were translated into rants against the poor whilst giving the impression that Thatcher was a tyrant intent on destroying the working class as a whole. Some might say that they may have trouble in seeing where fact stops and fiction starts.

Parts of the pirated film which is being advertised for sale gave rise to this fallacious piece of dialogue which the interpreter states the Iron Lady says: “Crush the working class, crush the scum, the yobs.”

Other parts of the Russian film version are dubbed giving the impression that Thatcher was a warmonger who admired Adolf Hitler, whilst her advisers also receive the raw end of the deal as well.

Following a speech made by Streep’s character, her back room team talk to her about it, however the Russian-dubbed version of the film said: “Of course you went a bit over the top … One of them [the workers] could be literate and have a television and see everything and tell all the rest and then rumours would spread that you are a pitiless, heartless bitch.”

The over-riding theme of the Russian-language translated film is that she and her leaders are part of a world conspiracy controlled by leaders who are unknown. For one reviewer in Russia at least, the pirate film which was marketed and shown to him did indeed become lost in translation.

Duplicate Sites with Different Names?

With it being 2012 most people (and most businesses) are now socially active on a number of different networking sites. Most will be on Facebook or Twitter, but then the more savvy will also have a profile on Linkedin, Youtube, Foursquare and Google+.

But do we really need to have a presence on each of these sites? And more importantly, when will a time come when full functionality is integrated into one site?

Well, what is hindering the merger of Facebook with Twitter or Google+ with Linkedin? Read below to find out:

At the moment there is a competitive element to the development of social media sites, for instance Google+ wants to outperform Facebook. This has created a lot of excitement for users as when each network lands a new blow, they are exposed to glorious (and sometimes not so glorious) new features. But is this all necessary?

Social networking control panels are in abundance, one of the most popular being Hootsuite. So, we know that people want to integrate their profiles together and in most cases these sites have enough functionality to allow activity to take place, that at present is only available with a competitor.

Take the latest social media site to emerge, Pinterest. This site is an online pin board, where users can link to some of their favourite pictures on the web. This site has become extremely popular with fashion students and interior design students, I’ve even used it to post SEO diagrams. But I find myself asking, “Couldn’t I just do this on Facebook?”.

Apps have now been developed to allow you to integrate one online profile with another, for example you can now add a Pinterest tab onto your Facebook Profile. However, when will the time come when the following toolbar (see below) is something that you see on Facebook or Twitter? 1 year, 5 years or even longer? Only time will tell. I suppose we will have to wait for multiple mergers or until Facebook has enough capital to buy out its competitors.

Britain has the largest internet economy of all the G20 countries.

A quarter of people in the UK would give up sex in order to maintain their internet connection, according to new research designed to show how much consumers value the web.

Just over two thirds would give up alcohol and more than three quarters would stop eating chocolate and drinking coffee, highlighting the nation’s obsession with digital communication.

Participants in the survey, compiled by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), said they would have to be paid £2,175 a year to live without the internet.

Paul Zwillenberg, co-author of the report, said: “The results are eye-opening in the sense that they demonstrate how completely the internet has ingrained itself into daily life almost everywhere. We assessed its value by how much consumers said that they would have to be paid to live without Internet access.”

The research also showed that the internet contributes to 8.3% of Britain’s GDP making the UK the ‘most web-connected economy’ among all of the major G20 countries.The internet economy in South Korea and China followed, accounting for 7.3% and 5.5% of GDP respectively.

Just over 13% of purchases made in the UK were done over the internet in 2010 – this figure is expected to rise by 10% in the next four years.

The report also predicted that the G-20’s total GDP in 2016 will rise to $4.2 trillion. David Dean, BCG senior partner and a coauthor of the report said: “If it were a national economy, it would rank in the world’s top five, behind only the U.S., China, India, and Japan, and ahead of Germany.”

Cake aromas will also be emitted from themed vinyl-wrapped posters as part of the experimental strategy.

If free cakes sound like your idea of heaven there’s a good chance you’ll be very interested in Mr Kipling‘s latest marketing strategy. Keen to spread the word of its delicious cakes and practical individual packaging, the cake manufacturer has decided to give away free cakes at 19 different locations throughout the UK.

To get your hands on the freebies, all you have to do is press a button to dispense an individually wrapped Angel Slice at one of the specially converted poster sites. Up to 500 cake slices will be dispensed every day at the vinyl-wrapped poster sites which also emit the sweet aroma of Angel Slices to tempt hungry passers-by.

The outdoor marketing campaign will also be supported by a touring interactive “Cakemobile” which will travel across the UK from 27th March to 9th May.

The PR side of the campaign is being fronted by Gavin and Stacey actress Joanna Page who is also the face of high street store Superdrug. The star was on hand to turn on the first interactive Mr Kipling poster on London’s Tottenham Court Road earlier this week.

Mr Kipling is not the first brand to try to appeal to the public’s sense of smell. Just last month, McCain announced a marketing campaign for its new Ready Made Jackets line which incorporated specially designed posters. These posters have been designed to emit the smell of the new jacket products to hungry pedestrians at a number of bus stops throughout the country.

A coffee chain will offer a free tall latte to promote two new espresso shot drinks, all at no extra cost.

As part of their latest marketing campaign Starbucks is offering a free tall latte to everyone who introduces themselves by name to staff before 12 noon.

This offer has not only been designed to attract even more customers but also to promote their new and improved latte – which will now contain an extra shot of Fairtrade espresso at no added cost to customers.

The move was made to give consumers a taste of the new latte before it changes from the previous single shot version as Starbucks attempt to show that they listen to their customers’ feedback.

Over the past two years studies from their worldwide branches have shown a 60% rise in the amount of coffee which customers are adding to their drink, amounting to 200,000 extra shots of Fairtrade coffee each week.

In a move that only affects Starbucks chains in the UK, the firm has decided to add a second helping to its latte for no extra cost, saving customers 35p and making the tall sized latte 14% cheaper. Other espresso-based drinks will also receive a free extra shot.

Kris Engskov, managing director for Starbucks in the UK and Ireland, said: “They’re becoming more experienced, more sophisticated and many more are looking for a stronger taste. This is a big move and a big investment, but our feedback shows that this UK-only change is the right thing to do for British customers.”

Listening to consumers is essential in any industry as many companies have closed their doors for good due to overlooking their customers’ wishes. However, the Starbucks marketing campaign to introduce the new latte could be something which other coffee companies may imitate in the hope of producing great results.

Dow Chemical are the latest name to sign up to sponsor the XXX Olympiad in London, coming on the heels of the announcement that McDonald’s was to open a restaurant on the site.

Claims that the London 2012 Olympics were to be the greenest ever and would promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle have been hit with a double blow during the past week.

Firstly it was announced that McDonalds would open the largest takeaway or eat-in restaurant in the world just metres from the Olympic Stadium, shortly followed by news that Dow Chemical are to provide a wrap around the very same stadium.

It almost seems like a mockery; stepping outside of McDonald’s to see a huge wrap cover the exterior of the new Olympic Stadium, all the while being told that these games will be about the environment and persuading Britons to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

However, it is not a comedy series or a surreal world view but a soon to be fact of life. One of the fattiest food sources available are constructing their largest restaurant next door to supposed sporting excellence, whilst a stadium wrap could see the possible withdrawal of the Indian Olympic team.

That is because Dow Chemical took over Union Carbide, who hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in 1984 after gas escaped from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, killing thousands of Indians.

Whilst Dow Chemical had no involvement in this disaster what so ever, many protesters including Shadow Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell are calling for the International Olympic Committee and London 2012 to cut their ties with Dow Chemical.

Pinterest: A Run Down

Although Pinterest was founded in 2009, it is only recently that people have started getting on board with the social-picture-sharing-scrapbook.

Many things to many people, the site has become a bulletin board for its users; allowing them to post anything from decorating ideas to wedding ideas and even SEO diagrams.

Yet, even though the site is not right for every business, for some it is the perfect online advertising platform.

Gaining 10 millions users faster than Facebook and Twitter, the site has become extremely popular with woman (according to comScore); who use the site to share recipes, fashion ideas and home designs. It is believed that its appeal to women has ultimately led to its success.

Angela Bitz, a Pinterest user, said, “It has well-organized information that is easy to save and share with others, as well as the ability to keep up on what my friends like and are doing.”

Whilst Steve Jones, professor of communication at the University of Illinois in Chicago, compared the site to a dorm room bulletin board.

He said, “It reminds me of my girlfriend in high school, who’d cut stuff out of magazines and pin it up on a wall. This is the web-based, digital equivalent of that behaviour.”

Once you log in, you can create your own “boards” and then “pin” your favourite pictures to them. As a result, it is great for advertising all of your ideas or sources of inspiration.

“Because it’s images only, it takes the clutter of text and web pages away,” says Jennifer Levy, an interior designer in Brooklyn. She uses Pinterest to share designs and inspirational images with potential clients.

Yet, unless you run a business where images are heavily used (fashion, interior design, perhaps the motor industry) then the site might not be right for you. You should ask yourself “Will people share photos of your products?”. If not, then perhaps stick to Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google+.

Unmoderated consumer views have been essential in shaping the firm’s expansion.

Customer feedback from Facebook is being used by the CEO of Greggs to help the brand improve and expand its presence.

The British bakery chain has more stores that McDonalds or Subway, making it the UK’s largest food brand. Big chief Ken McMeikan checks the firm’s Facebook page up to six times a day to better understand the modern bakery consumer and learn more about what the customer wants.

He said: “As a chief executive, [Facebook is] one of the most powerful tools, giving a greater sense of what is really happening in your business because you are not controlling what is coming through and it is real time.”

A range of hot sandwiches have been introduced into stores and seating areas have been created in 10% of shops following the feedback from customers, which Mr McMeikan believes have led to a £4 million rise in pre-tax profits.

A special upmarket store has also been opened in Newcastle called Moments that seats 100 and sells treats like raspberry and chocolate cupcakes and spicy chicken focaccia.

Mr  McMeikan said: “We didn’t know whether customers would want a sausage roll or something more tailored for sitting and eating, so we went for a range that was more about sitting down. If customers say they want certain products we’ll bring them in.”

The store launched 200 products last year and is set to add more items to its menu in line with customer feedback.