Ciao UK Blog

Wrapping Up Internet World

It’s been a busy week for the Ciao team, as we attended Internet World 2011 in London once again.

Internet World is always a buzzing event full of cutting-edge products, services and experts from the online world – and this year didn’t disappoint. With the UK’s top 50 brands exhibiting, plus over 12,000 visitors over three days, it’s a busy – and hugely exciting – event to be involved in. This year we were pleased to have two of the team giving talks to packed-out conference halls.

Day one saw Vincenzo Calenne, our Team Lead of E-Commerce Sales in Italy and UK, covering ‘Online Reputation in the E-Commerce Arena’. He spoke about the importance of online reputation in relation to e-commerce, discussing the impact of the power shift from advertiser to the consumer resulting from the rise in online review sites.

On the second day Alexander Miller, Team Lead Advertising Sales Ciao UK, spoke about ‘Social Advertising: what is it, who is doing it and why does it work?’. Discussing the notion that consumers are the most influential source of advice for people making purchases online, he looked at what this means for companies looking to build effective social media campaigns.

Alexander explained that ‘now the socialisation of the internet is in full swing’, brands need to engage with consumers online without being too intrusive. He argued that adverts placed on Ciao achieve high hit rates because they are so relevant to an audience that is already looking to make a purchase.

As Alexander explained, the success of this approach was proven recently by HP’s successful advertising campaign, which ran earlier this year on Ciao. We’re pleased to report that over 65,000 click-throughs were generated to a dedicated campaign microsite (http://www.ciao-special.co.uk/HP/estation/ph3/), and creative on Ciao drove over 45,000 clicks to the custom built microsite throughout the campaign.

Click here to watch the full presentation.

PS - You’ll never see squirrels the same way again!

London Ciaoees Get Together!

After much careful preparation and under the guidance of one of our fondest users, Hishyeness, a group of Ciaoees recently managed to organize a Ciao meet in London on August 7th.

 
New friendships were formed, there were a few laughs, and a great time was had by all.  We are very pleased to see so many of our favorite members getting together all in the name of Ciao.

We are thrilled to show you the photos of what was the Ciao event of the year, and we invite you to read the reviews written about this gathering of gatherings here:

Review of Hishyeness http://www.ciao.co.uk/Proposed_Ciao_Meets__Review_5912416

Review of Richada http://www.ciao.co.uk/London_Ciao_Meet__Review_5927951

Review of Hiker http://www.ciao.co.uk/London_Ciao_Meet__Review_5927966

Review of Marymoose99 http://www.ciao.co.uk/Everything_that_starts_with_L__Review_5929062

Again, a big thank you to all the participants from the Ciao Community for their dedication, you make Ciao what it is, and we couldn't be more proud. 

Carry on guys!  Until next time!

Your Ciao Team

 

Invite friends to join Ciao and earn double the amount!

We have some exciting news to share with you.

You can money every time one of your friend's reviews is read. Yeah, thats right! While you strengthen the Ciao community and improve the selection of reviews available to you, you can earn through Ciao's Invite Friends Programme

• Who can take part in Ciao's Invite Friends Programme?

Any Ciao member may take part in the Invite Friends Programme.

• How much money can I earn through Ciao's Invite Friends Programme?:

You'll receive 50 pence for every relative, friend or acquaintance who is referred to Ciao by you and who then signs up to become a Ciao member, provided that she/he writes at least one review on the site. In addition, you'll subsequently receive the equivalent of 50% of his/her earnings on the site for his/her first six months of membership (excludes survey and premium fund earnings). For example, if you brought Ciao 20 new active members, who each wrote 20 reviews on the site in 6 months, you'd earn £210
(20 x £0.50) + (20 x £10) = £210

• How can I sign up for the Invite Friends Programme?

If you are already a Ciao member, you don't need to sign up specifically for the Programme. Simply enter the e-mail addresses of the people you would like to invite to Ciao on the Invite Friends page, and then click on "send message". 

You can find all the information you need to know about the programme on Invite Friends FAQ.

Useless or not – it’s all a question of perspective!

If you want to be successful in today’s competitive business landscape or if you want to earn a quick pound, you need a ground-breaking idea. The result of such ambitions can sometimes be a bit odd, for example, we don’t see many moustache protectors around today!

However, sometimes, innovations which people thought would never work become everyday necessities in years to come. In 1943, former IBM boss Thomas J. Watson thought that it was unlikely that computers would find their way into homes around the World.  He was quoted saying that “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers”, difficult to imagine today in a market busting with the latest tablets, PCs and portable laptops.

Similarly, when the telephone was invented, US-President Rutherford B. Hayes commented: “It’s an amazing invention but who will ever use it?”, tricky to fathom when today’s President Barack Obama uses his Smartphone to write updates on Twitter and share his thoughts with the World.

The radio was damned to being unsuccessful and during the 70s and 80s it seemed like the radio’s glory years had passed. But the radio survived and came to a renaissance during the Internet age: slightly altered in the form of MP3 players and audio podcasts.

But what about you? Did a strange invention ever cross your path that you didn’t push through? Or are you tomorrow’s Gyro Gearloose?

What great inventions would you like to see in the future? Please let us know by commenting below.

 

Shop on the go with new Ciao mobile website!

There’s good news for all of you who like shopping on the move today as we have just launched our new and improved mobile shopping website! On the new site you can access all of the best parts of ciao.co.uk including thousands of user reviews and the latest shopping deals across an extensive range of products, all at the touch of a button.

Now you never need to be torn over what product to buy while you’re out and about, because you can head straight over to http://m.ciao.co.uk from your mobile phone and see what other Ciao members have to say. Or if you’re stuck on a long train journey and fancy checking out the best holiday deals, or in the queue at the supermarket and want to pick a restaurant for dinner, it’s never been easier!

What’s more it doesn’t matter what type of mobile phone you own as Ciao mobile is available on almost all smartphone handsets. But if you’re not a UK Ciao user, don’t worry, because over the next few months we’ll also be rolling out new mobile sites across the rest of Europe!

We’d love to know what you think of Ciao Mobile, so why not head over to http://m.ciao.co.uk and leave us a comment here?!

Brits bare all in 2010

Recent search behaviour on the Ciao website has found that Speedosand bikinis are proving massively popular for Brits in 2010.  It seems as though we are keen to bare more than last year with skimpy swimwear searches increasing by over 100% from 2009.

Brits are also keen to ensure that they are tanned when they hit the beach, with searches for fake tan products slightly up on the same period last year and hair removal products also in demand. 
Gone are the days when Speedos were worn only by dads on the beach, we may be seeing a lot more flesh from both men and women in 2010, and it seems as though they will be well tanned and taking their grooming seriously too.

There is a long list of male celebrities who have taken the lead in wearing Speedos on their holidays, David Beckham, Daniel Craig and Prince William have all been papped in their skimpy swimwear, so perhaps that it should come as no surprise when we see more of nearest and dearest this year.
It will be interesting to see if it will just be Brits abroad that show more than usual, or whether we will see more flesh on show in the UK too!

What are your thoughts on Speedos and smaller swimwear this year?  Will you be following suit and swapping your baggy shorts and all-in-ones for something smaller?

Countdown to the World Cup with Ciao

There are only a few days to go before the World Cup in South Africa kicks off and we can all start cheering on our teams while enjoying international football at its best! For football fans across the globe, this marks the start of a busy few weeks filled with trips to the pub, parties with friends and extra long lunch breaks at work to make sure none of the action is missed.

For those of you who cannot get enough of football, or for those that don’t want to sit there clueless when the tournament starts, we’ve put together some key facts and figures on Europe’s top teams, giving you some insight and talking points for the upcoming weeks of football mania.

• The Spanish team is not only the reigning European champion, but really knows the meaning of team spirit as eight of its players are from the same club, FC Barcelona
• Raymond Domenech the new French manager has had a tough ride with supporters and in a bid to boost the national side’s performance he has recently introduced a new 4-3-3 playing format (four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards). The French team usually plays in 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1, but the new format is proving to work well and could go some way to boost Domenech’s popularity and restore that nation’s faith in its football team
• The German team has been hit with a rush of bad luck this year. It has to replace several players due to injuries, among them goalie René Adler, team captain Michael Ballack and key players Simon Rolfes, Heiko Westermann and Christian Träsch. Nevertheless, the Germans remain in high spirits as the nation has a history of raising its game and performing well in national tournaments 
• The most goals the England team has ever scored in a World Cup match was way back in 1882 when it won 13-0 against Ireland

To celebrate the World Cup, MSN Football has teamed up with Press Association Sport to create the World Cup Event Centre for MSN users. This resource will offer fans the latest World Cup news and analysis, last minute goals, team information, fixtures and for avid supporters, “Shoot Live” photography of action from every match.
   
Here at Ciao we are getting into the World Cup spirit by running a special incentive scheme for all of our members. During each qualifying round (preliminaries, final sixteen, quarter finals, semi-finals, 3rd place game and final) in which the English team advances, Ciao will double the incentives for all reviews written live during the matches. This way, earnings will be doubled and Ciao fans will receive more money for reviews while also enjoying the English team’s success. What’s more, if England goes all the way and wins the World Cup, we will extend the bonus reviews program for an extra 14 days after the final.

How are you getting into the World Cup spirit? Are you holding a party or are you going to watch the game on a big screen in a pub or city centre? We’d love to know what you’re up to, so why not head over to ciao.co,uk and share your plans with the Ciao community.

Find it with Bing and Win a HP Mini 210 Vivienne Tam netbooks with Sex and the City 2!

Make Fashion Forward Decisions with Bing – and win a glamorous HP 210 Mini Vivienne Tam “Butterfly Lovers” Netbook PC featured in the SATC2 film

What to wear, where to go? They are life’s never-ending questions. Luckily, Bing is a decision engine- helping to free you from the oh-so-confusing conundrums. And, if that isn’t enough of a stress reliever, go to http://www.finditwithbing.co.uk for a chance to win a gorgeous HP 210 Mini Vivienne Tam netbook running Windows 7 in our weekly prize draw.

If you have already watched the film, don’t forget to write your review on Sex and the City 2

This prize draw will run for six weeks until 12th July

Europe heads to Oslo!

The Eurovision Song Contest takes place tomorrow and once again Europe will decide which country has the best singer. Last year first place was awarded to multi talented Norwegian musician, Alexander Rybak who has since enjoyed international success releasing several singles and his first solo album. To celebrate his victory, Norway has gone all out with preparations for this year’s event. The competition is taking place in the highly acclaimed Oslo stadium, the arena is so vast it could hold an international football match! Commentators are predicting that 2010’s event could pull in its highest ever viewing audience while Norway is hoping that it is also the most spectacular song contest Europe has ever seen.

For those of you who are planning on throwing a Eurovision Song Contest party, we have conjured up a range of interesting facts for you to entertain your guests with!

• In the Contest’s history Ireland has won seven times and Luxembourg, France and the United Kingdom have been victorious five times. Sweden, most famous for its dancing queens, ABBA, and the Netherlands have taken first place on three occasions 
• German songwriter and composer Ralph Siegel has taken part 18 times
• The first ever Eurovision Song Contest took place on May 23rd 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland
• Several years ago, Italy decided to pull out and does not participate anymore
• The Spanish participant this year, Daniel Diges, is a young singer and actor who has recently been awarded the Spanish national theatre prize for the best musical actor
• The UK’s performance tends to be quite turbulent and on several occasions after a particularly bad position, it has finished close to the top the following year
• Norway has finished in last place as many as ten times with the most recent coming in 2004. Nevertheless, it did take the top spot in 1985,1995 and of course last year too
• Most of the winning songs have been sung in English, with 22 performances won in the language. French is also popular with four victories and Dutch and Hebrew performed songs have won three times each

If you’re planning on voting, don’t forget you can’t vote for your own country to win, but whoever comes out tops this year, the true financial prize of the competition will no doubt be awarded to the telephone companies who are expected to field millions of calls from voters across Europe.

What do you like best about the Eurovision Song Contest and how are you celebrating this year? If you’re having a party and considering having a theme you might want to take a look at the fancy dress section on Ciao. Whatever you’re up to we’d love to hear from you, so why not head over to ciao.co.uk and let us know what you have planned?

Football fever!

This Saturday European football reaches a climax with the game we have been waiting for all season - Louis van Gaal versus José Mourinho, master versus trainee, Germany versus Italy. Whichever way you look at it, Bayern Munich versus Inter Milan is set to be an exciting match. While both teams had a rather bumpy start to the Champion’s League season, strong performances in recent games has shown that whoever wins will be worthy of the title.

Since 2005, there has consistently been a UK team in the final, and for the past couple of seasons the whole Cup seems to have been dominated by British and Spanish teams. But it’s all set to change this year as Germany and Italy battle it out for glory.

Fans travelling to the game will have their fingers crossed that Eyjafjallajökul, Iceland’s now infamous volcano doesn’t interfere with their trip. The volcano has already caused a headache for some of Europe’s top teams by disturbing journeys to and from matches. One team affected was FC Barcelona who had to opt for bus over train when travelling to play Inter Milan and ahead of this weekend’s final, Bayern Munich announced it has a helicopter squadron in place to ensure it makes it to the game in case flights are once again grounded. Football fans who aren’t going to Munich to watch the match live can at least still visit their local pub to soak up the atmosphere with friends.

One of the great things about this summer is that we don’t have to wait too long before the football season starts all over again. With the World Cup kicking off next month and its test games beginning in just a few weeks time, Britain will be in the grips of Football mania before we know it.

If you are already getting into the World Cup spirit or plan to have a party with friends when the games start, you might want to check out the range of memorabilia available on ciao.co.uk. So, who do you think will win the Champion’s League final? If you’re not routing for either team you can at least look forward to September 14 when the matches start all over again!