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‘Love
me Love my dog’ say canine crazy Brits
MORE
than 15% of dog owners admit they would dump their partner for not
getting on with their dog, new research from Petguard.co.uk has
found. The online pet insurance specialist warns prospective
suitors to be particularly wary of Lhasa Apsa owners, as more than 1
in 5 admits a love interest would get the boot if they clashed with
their dog. Partners may also end up grappling for bed space, as
almost 40% of 3,000 dog owners surveyed across the country claimed
to share their bed with their pooch.
Petguard found loved ones are also likely to come 2nd fiddle to
‘Fido’ in the birthday stakes. 60% of respondents to the OnePoll
survey knew their dog’s birthday, whilst only 45% had never
forgotten a close relative’s birthday. 11% of dog-lovers
across the UK admits to holding parties in honour of the four-legged
friend’s special day. The market for pet birthdays is booming, with
countless specialist dog birthday planning services springing up
across the web. Services offered include, ‘scooby-doo’ themed
parties, doggy birthday cakes, and canine-friendly goody-bags.
Petguard found 70% of dog-owners would be prepared to spend up to
£20 on a single gift for their dog. However, 9.5% admits to having
splashed out £50-£100. Miniature Schnauzers are the run-away winners
of the most ‘spoilt pooch’ award, with a staggering 42% of owners
spending in excess on £50 on a single gift. Among the gifts
purchased for pampered pooches, 15% of respondents to the Petguard
survey had bought their dog an outfit. In America, Warner Bros
recently launched a range of dog clothes that includes a $2,000
satin coat studded with Swarovski crystals and lined in pink silk.
James Pickering, managing director of Petguard, said:- “The UK
has some of the world’s most fanatical dog-lovers, and in many cases
dogs are treated more like members of the family than household
pets. Given the amount dog owners spend on parties and gifts
for their dogs, it’s surprising how few (25%) are prepared to spend
just a few pounds a month on insurance. Vet bills can quickly mount
up, so it’s worth bearing this in mind before splashing out on that
diamante dog collar.”
Petguard has been designed to add speed and simplicity to the pet
insurance process by allowing pet owners to get an online quote in
six simple steps, taking just 30 seconds. With eight vet fees cover
options available, all policies offer quick treatment, with no need
to consult Petguard first if an animal is referred for specialist
treatment by a vet.
SMEs missing
out on internet advertising boom
ON the day
that Ofcom reported that online advertising overtook advertising
spend on mainstream TV in Britain last year, the UK’s leading online
search specialist, Infoserve, has warned that most SMEs still show a
shocking lack of understanding of what they can achieve through
online marketing. Ofcom’s Annual Communications Market Report,
which was published on 14 August 2008 , announced that online
advertising spend has risen by an average of 70.2% in each of the
last five years to reach £2.8bn. For the first time the internet
attracted more advertising spend than the combined net advertising
revenues of ITV1, Channel 4, S4C and Five (£2.4bn) in 2007.
Yet according to Steve Barnes, Infoserve’s CEO, businesses are not
aware of this dramatic growth. His company speaks with over 10,000
SMEs a week, but he believes too many don’t understand the best ways
to market themselves online and are missing out on a priceless
opportunity. Steve said:- “There is a worrying lack of
understanding amongst SMEs about online advertising, not only in
terms of its effectiveness but also in terms of its value for money.
Yet if we’re talking about return on investment, then online
advertising is second to none. Hopefully, the Ofcom report
will help SMEs realise the potential of internet advertising, which
offers more controlled and flexible advertising than ever before.”
Ofcom’s report also shows that paid-for search advertising,
which enables SMEs to appear next to results when someone searches
for a specific term, still dominates the internet market and is up
39% during 2007 to £1.6 billion. Infoserve, which is in a unique
position to advise SMEs because of its partnership with the world’s
two largest search engines, Google and Yahoo!, believes it’s this
paid-for search that is the key for SMEs. Steve said:-
“Paid for search can produce instant results that can
immediately be measured, which SMEs find incredibly useful when they
have limited budgets. The benefit of paid-for search advertising is
that you can target the very people you are aiming for, at the exact
time that they are looking for your service or product. No
other form of advertising allows you to do this to this extent yet
many SMEs across the board are simply not taking advantage of this
internet advertising boom.”
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Tribute to 2 football greats
2 families, 1
from the blue and 1 from the red side of Liverpool, met for the 1st
time yesterday to honour 2 football legends. The paths of the
2 families of international football icons Dixie Dean and Bob
Paisley had never crossed.
Barbara Dean, daughter of Dixie, her daughter Melanie and her
grandchildren were united with Jessie Paisley, wife of Bob, Bob’s
daughter Christina and granddaughter Jane in a unique day of
celebration at Rock Ferry Station in Wirral. They joined to
honour the lives of the 2 great men and to launch 2 trains, on which
their names will now be forever linked. The trains, part of
Merseytravel’s contribution to European Capital of Culture year,
were named by the people of Merseyside following a poll in the
regional media.
Councillor Mark Dowd, Chair of Merseytravel, paid glowing tribute to
the lives of both men at today’s ceremony. He said:- “No place
on earth can compete with Merseyside for the calibre of football
legends through the years. My father shared memories of Dixie
that have stuck with me throughout my life and Bob had huge success
throughout his career. The spirit of a true legend never dies but to
honour them is the right thing to do. These trains are
dedicated to everyone in Merseyside who took the time to vote. This
is their choice.”
Train 507-009 will be a lasting tribute to William Ralph “Dixie”
Dean, Everton Football Club legend and the most prolific goal-scorer
in English football history. His daughter Barbara said today:-
“This is a very special day for our family and I can’t tell
you how grateful we are that the people who took time to vote for my
father. This is a fantastic tribute to a very special man.”
Train 507-004 now carries the name of Bob Paisley, one of the
country’s most successful managers with a career of almost half a
century at his beloved Liverpool Football Club. His wife
Jessie, 92, told how trains played an important part in both their
lives. Speaking at the launch Jessie said:- “I remember
travelling on the train to London many years ago. I’d taken some
sandwiches with me because you couldn’t get any on the train in
those days. It was on that train that Bob, in his soldier’s uniform,
came into our compartment and threw his big grey overcoat over my
sandwiches. I wasn’t happy! But he did apologise and came and sat
next to me. Within six months we were married.
When I heard that Bob was to be honoured in this way I was shocked!
To do this in this special year is such a lovely thing for me and my
family and we are all truly proud to be able to launch this train as
a tribute to Bob. The event today was not about Liverpool, it was
not about Everton, it was about this great city and the people that
make it that way. We are proud that the people have chosen to
remember Bob in this way and I’d like to thank everyone for voting.”
Bob Paisley and Dixie Dean join Red Rum, already on the tracks, as
part of four trains named after true Merseyside icons in 2008,
European Capital of Culture year. The final train, The
Beatles, will be launched before the end of the year.
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