Straits Times rolled out "STOMP - Straits Times Online Mobile Print" that seeks to engage readers through forums, video and audio clips, and other interactive platforms.

This platform aims to aggregate net audiences with similar interests to chat & share through online clubs.

To create interest & buzz among the tech savvy youths, celebrities like MTV twins, May & Choy & well-known local bloggers like XiaXue & Dawn Yang are invited as guest bloggers for this new site. These guest bloggers will blog regularly on specific topics & chat online with the net audience.

STOMP’s directions are clear – Straits Times is no longer using the internet as an one way communication thread. Instead, Straits Times is now leveraging on the interactivity of the Internet - sharing information, alowing the creation of personal content etc. This is another strong bid to connect with the youths and a new way to increase readership.

Thousands of fans have headed to Germany but many more are staying at home and following the tournament online.

According to comScore, 5.7 million unique visitors visited the official 2006 FIFA World Cup site in April and 4.2 million visited in March.

Europe contributed the greatest proportion of visitors in April with 51%. The next highest region was AsiaPacific, with 17% of the total.

The global interest in the World Cup, along with the online marketing opportunities associated with the tournament, were emphasized by the visits to the separate language areas on the World Cup site.

When asked of the sources that soccer fans will use to follow the 2006 FIFA World Cup, 95% of all global fans will follow via television. 45% of them will rely on the official FIFA website to track team progress, making this the 2nd top most followed medium.

The FIFA World Cup demonstrates the potential of the Internet as a powerful marketing channel in reaching out to a global audience.

>> http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/index.html

As at June 2006, Household Broadband Penetration had reached 54.8% (672,300 subscriptions) as compared to 48% in July 2005. Source: IDA

The escalation of broadband penetration among household units is fuelled by falling prices due to intensified competition among ISP providers. The adoption of broadband connection is also escalated by consumers’ need for greater efficiency in downloading data files as well as higher consumption of user-created content (like "MySpace", "Flickr" & "Youtube" which feature photos and videos.

A higher penetration of broadband among households will give advertisers greater creative free play. With faster speed, viewers can have more ways and patience to view branded content. Advertisers can now opt for more creative channels and executions to engage their target audiences. Instead of running only Flash creatives, downloads to PSP or the ipod, TVC ad streaming TVC are now all viable .

© 2006 Zenithmedia
© 2006 Optimedia
© 2006 Equinox

Photos credited to media owners &
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/