Elizabeth Olson covered Upstream's successful use of game mechanics in the recruiting process and interviewed Guy Krief, Upstream's SVP Innovation.

Upstream announced the appointment of Andrew Littlefield as VP of online services and Alex Vraktsides, CEO of Upstream, commented: "With his knowledge of the industry, we believe Andrew will be pivotal in driving the business forward".

LONDON and CALIFORNIA, 23rd March 2012 – Upstream, the global marketing technology and solutions provider, has appointed Andrew Littlefield as Vice President (VP) of Online Services. Littlefield will be responsible for identifying and driving forward new investment prospects for Upstream’s business development in new markets.

Littlefield was sixteen when he sold his first computer program. He has since become an industry veteran, having worked as Senior Director of Product Management and Business Strategist at Sun Microsystems, Inktomi, and BEA. During his tenure at these companies Littlefield was able to firmly establish and manage relationships with the likes of Yahoo, Microsoft, AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent. All this previous experience will be very valuable in the planning and execution of Upstream’s new business plans.

The move to Upstream is Littlefield’s latest step in his highly successful career. Most recently Littlefield held the title of CEO at Factory Games, a company Littlefield primarily self-funded and founded, which focuses on developing games for the iPhone market. He also founded Doppelganger and during his time as CEO of the business, Littlefield closed deals with MTV, Interscope Records, Warner Records, and Bankable Productions. Doppelganger was also listed in CNet’s Best New Media Companies in 2007.

“At Upstream, we’re committed to recruiting the most talented and dynamic people, which makes Andrew a perfect addition to the team – especially given his wealth of experience and expertise. Andrew’s quick succession up the career ladder showcases his ability to identify new market opportunities and also his ability to build strategic relationships” said Alex Vratskides, CEO of Upstream. “With his knowledge of the industry, we believe Andrew will be pivotal in driving the business forward, taking us from strength-to-strength.”

“I feel very fortunate to join such an accomplished team and I’m very excited introducing the Upstream technology into new markets. Upstream has developed an incredible technology and customer base, which provides something that is exceptionally unusual for a marketing technology service, as it produces specific measurable gains. We’re in a very solid position to move in and dominate some very profitable market segments”, Littlefield added.

Littlefield graduated from the University of Westminster in Computer Science. During his colourful career history, Littlefield was also an Early Advisory board member for Xoopit, a company which was recently acquired by Yahoo! for $20M.

Media Contacts:
Pamela Chowdhury
Diffusion
pamela.chowdhury@diffusionpr.com
+44 (0)207 291 0254

Olga Kharif takes a deeper look on the mobile ad battle between Facebook and Google citing Marco Veremis.

London, 8th March 2012 – Upstream sponsors Chris Hobbs, VP Sales, in his bid to raise money for charity by competing in several Ironman races. The arduous triathlon season started on a beautiful and hot day in Abu Dhabi on the 3rd March 2012. Most people would relish the wonderful weather that the second largest city in United Arab Emirates has to offers but for over two thousands men and women the sun will turn out to be their enemy.

Chris Hobbs was one of 800 contenders racing in the Short Course group which consisted of 1.5 km swim, 100 km bike and 10 km run. After a shaky swim which resulted in Chris having to float frustratingly motionless because of cramp, Chris finished in 3hours and 58mins. He was ranked 7th out of 150 in his age group.

Mental and physical strength are required to take part in this sporting event, along with rigorous training that effect every aspect of daily living. Chris trains for 17 hours a week whilst working and spending what free time he has time with his very supportive wife and beautiful daughter.

The reason for Chris to take part in this gruelling sport is down to a moment in an airport. Chris ‘I once saw a BA flight arriving in Orlando to a huge fan fare and it was such an incredibly moving sight that I felt compelled to do something for the charity’. This fanfare was down to the organisation of a charity called Dreamflight. Dreamflight is a charity that takes seriously ill and disabled children for an unforgettable holiday in Orlando. For most of these children this would be the only and last ever trip abroad.

Tim Bradshaw looks at how close marketers are to mobile Nirvana but reveals that they have a few more hurdles to jump citing our YouGov research findings.

A deep insight on the alarming trends around the explosion of digital marketing.

Marco Veremis explains to David Murphy Upstream's shift emphasis from mobile phone to the mobile consumer.

LONDON, 24 February 2012 – As Facebook prepares for its long-anticipated initial public offering (IPO) and consumer fears mount over how their personal data could be used to subject them to greater volumes of more intrusive advertising, American and British consumers are warning of a major backlash as more than one in four (27 per cent) British and one in five (20 per cent) American consumers online would stop using a product or service – such as the social networking site – if they were subjected to too much advertising. The findings are revealed in the 2012 Digital Advertising Attitudes Report from Upstream which commissioned YouGov to poll the online views of 2,054 UK adults aged 18+ in the UK and 2,105 in the USA on a range of digital advertising issues.

The findings come as a stark warning to all consumer-facing companies as nearly two thirds (66 per cent each) of British and American online consumers already claim they feel subjected to excessive digital advertising and promotions. The 2012 Digital Advertising Attitudes Report reveals that while 20 per cent of US consumers would stop using a company’s products or services entirely as a result of receiving too many advertising messages, over a quarter (28 per cent) would be less likely to respond positively to that company in the future. Furthermore 14 per cent of US 18-24 year olds would publicly complain about that company to their friends on Twitter or Facebook.

However, the 2012 Digital Advertising Attitudes Report reveals that consumers are not generally dismissive of digital marketing and advertising but understand that it can be useful. More than two in every three (69 per cent) US adults are happy in principle, to receive marketing and advertising on their PC, mobile, tablet or MP3 player. To make the US user more likely to respond positively to the marketing, the advertising must be tailored to the consumer’s personal interests (26 per cent), contextually relevant to what they are doing (21 per cent) and specific to their location (19 per cent). As a general rule the majority of US consumers (55 per cent) do not wish to be targeted more than once a month, while 18-24 year olds are most amenable to being targeted as frequently as once a week or more (31 per cent).

“The volume-based advertising era is dead on both sides of the Atlantic and companies need to put effectiveness first, reducing the frequency with which they speak to consumers, delivering only high quality, relevant and timely messages,” said Marco Veremis, President of Upstream. “Marketing and advertising has today become so pervasive across every format and channel that any company not heeding this stark consumer warning is likely to have the opposite effect they intended. While the specific appeal of Facebook to investors is its ability to target advertising to consumers based on interests, location and context, advertisers should be aware that the marketing technology now available allows them to cover two other equally important aspects: to make sure the frequency of advert exposure is right for the person in question, and that the phrasing of any advert is proven to be the most likely to elicit a positive response.”

Click to see infographicDownload the full report
Click for video

Consumers poised to un-like ill-considered mobile advertisers

As speculation mounts over Facebook’s imminent first steps into the world of mobile marketing such as inserting “featured stories” into people’s mobile feeds, the 2012 Digital Advertising Attitudes Report warns that consumer openness to advertising is lowest on mobile phones versus any other device such as PC, laptop or tablet. The vast majority of Brits (64 per cent) and Americans (67 per cent) would find it most unacceptable to receive unwanted advertising on their mobile phone/smartphone over other electronic devices. There is a further warning that mobile display advertising is not the way to go. Less than one in six (11 per cent) Brits and 15 per cent of Americans who have surfed the internet on their mobile phone have ever clicked on a mobile banner advert and only one in every 100 Brits who surf on their mobiles and 1 in 50 Americans click on banner adverts frequently. The vast majority of those who surf the internet on their mobiles (79 per cent in the UK and 72 per cent in the US) find banner advertisements on their mobiles or smartphones irritating.

“Consumers are not generally averse to being marketed to, but the past decade of ever-increasing volumes across all available channels is finally taking its toll,” added Veremis. “Mobile is the next frontier in advertisers’ sights, driven by the promise of long-anticipated developments in handset technology and marketing opportunities in apps, such those rumoured for Facebook. However, marketers need to be especially mindful that the mobile will always be a deeply personal medium and to avoid a backlash, any advertising must be personal, intimate and targeted. Companies must avoid repeating the mistakes of the one-to-many broadcast and volume driven online advertising years and especially on mobile, they should focus on using short, text-based ad formats instead of intrusive graphical banners.”

For more information, please contact:
Giles Barron/Pamela Chowdhury
Diffusion PR
+44 207 291 0230
upstream@diffusionpr.com

We discuss our YouGov research in the US and UK with Ingrid Lunden from TechCrunch.

Upstream President Marco Veremis shares insights on Facebook’s mobile advertising announcements

Georgina Prodhan references our research with YouGov and our comments on Facebook’s entry into the mobile ad market.

.Net comments on Facebook’s new Premium ad service quoting Marco Veremis.

Marco Veremis on Facebook’s mobile ad strategy and how the social network has taken a measured approach to its new mobile ad offering.

Digital advertising is radically changing and Upstream maps consumer attitudes towards new trends

London, 17th February – Upstream, a global leader in digital marketing technology solutions, has become a member of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in the UK. By joining the DMA, Upstream is now part of the UK’s largest direct marketing trade association. The DMA is a non-profit organisation that serves the digital and direct marketing industry. It is an undisputed thought leader in the field, providing its 850 member organisations with recognised credentials, expert professional advice and a forum to discuss the state of the art and share ideas. The DMA is a recipe for better business.

This union will provide Upstream with access to DMA’s exclusive industry reports and guidance through the DMA Compliance & Legal services. Upstream’s joining of the DMA reflects the company’s purpose; a mission to revolutionize the way companies market to digital consumers across all digital channels, deploying groundbreaking technology to deliver the most potent digital sales propositions.

Marco Veremis puts the focus back on the consumer.

Upstream's business experience clearly indicates that volume game is no longer viable. Effective, relevant, personalised messaging through different channels will be the way forward.

LONDON, 23 January 2012 – Global marketing technology and solutions leader Upstream has become a member of the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) in the U.K. IAB works as a non-profit trade association which promotes growth and best practice for technology providers, advertisers, agencies and media owners involved in online and mobile marketing. As part of its membership, Upstream will also become a member of the IAB Mobile Leadership Council, where it will bring to bear its ten years of experience in creating award-winning, revenue-generating campaigns for its international brand and operator clients.

The announcement reflects Upstream’s investment in its UK operations, including its move to new offices in Victoria and the hiring of more than 25 people in its Research and Development, Product Marketing, Sales, and Sales Management departments over the past six months.

The membership deal will give Upstream access to the IAB’s exclusive research, access to its regulatory guidance services and enable it to play its part in events including IAB’s noted Engage and Mobile Engage conferences.

Jon Mew, Director of Mobile at the IAB, commented: “I’m delighted that Upstream have come on board. They bring their experience and deep understanding of mobile and digital marketing, so they’re certain to be a valued contributor to both our research and events programmes.”

Marco Veremis, President, Upstream, added: “An intense focus on effectiveness, innovation that improves customer experience and an ethos of protecting consumers from digital bombardment – all of these are values we share with the IAB. The IAB is both a great supporter and representative of mobile and digital marketers and we’re looking forward to supporting the organisation and benefitting from its unparalleled resources and expertise.”

Upstream's new addition, Richard M Marshall, listed as ‘Key Person’ by New Media Age along with other key players from Yahoo and Microsoft. Richard, apart from being a software entrepreneur, has founded four companies including Rapid Mobile Media.

LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO, 17 January 2011 – Upstream, the global marketing technology and solutions provider, has appointed Richard M Marshall as Vice President (VP) of Technology and Engineering to support its expanding product portfolio and the business’ growth within the booming mobile and digital marketing space.

Bringing his vast experience as an inventor and senior technologist to Upstream, Marshall is responsible for scaling the company’s engineering and infrastructure teams to meet the rapidly growing needs of a demanding, global customer base. This includes the adoption of best development practices to ensure absolute quality, as well as migrating to new techniques such as cloud computing. Together, coupled with engineering excellence, these address the need to respond rapidly and creatively to new customer projects.

Marshall, who holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh, joins Upstream from his role at Reed Exhibitions where he held the position of Global Mobile Product Manager. During his tenure at Reed Exhibitions, Marshall was responsible for its new mobile platform, delivering mobile apps for all key platforms to support several hundred tradeshows and conferences globally.

A self-confessed serial software entrepreneur, Marshall has founded four technology companies, the most recent being Rapid Mobile Media where as CEO he led the creation of innovative mobile solutions and technology. Here Marshall also took on the responsibility of CTO, providing the company’s technical vision, while maintaining hands-on practical experience in mobile development. At Rapid Mobile, Marshall authored six patents covering mobile and marketing technologies.

Marshall’s IT career started at European Silicon Structures Ltd and has progressed to include an impressive range of roles covering all phases of product development, from initial concept through implementation, sales, product management and marketing. Of particular note was his role in creating and promoting DOORS, the world standard for requirements management now part of the IBM Rational portfolio.

Newly appointed Richard M Marshall said “Marketing opportunities in the mobile and digital sectors have yet to be fully exploited’ by joining Upstream he looks forward to ‘increasing the economic benefit of digital media campaigns with simple, elegant engineering.’

Richard M Marshall joins the Upstream team and takes on the exciting role as Vice President (VP) of Technology and Engineering. Alex Vratskides, CEO of Upstream said “We’re very pleased to welcome Richard to the team, given his expertise and proven excellence in creating new technology and bringing it successfully to market.”

Guy Krief, Senior Vice-President of Innovation describes how The Upstream Challenge attracts candidates who might have all the right skills but who aren’t attracted by traditional recruitment postings. “Our hope is that this type of engagement will attract a wide range of talent. It’s been said that you can learn more about a person in an hour of play, than in a year of conversation, so it’s going to be fascinating to see the results”.

The Upstream Challenge proves a hit with candidates, attracting nearly 100 entries a day for the Marketing Campaign Manager roles around the world. The Challenge is fulfilling its promise of uncovering candidates whose resumés would never have attracted Upstream’s attention. Upstream’s gamification expertise it normally deploys for its clients is now being put to good use for its own marketing and recruitment drive.

The position will be based in Athens and reports to the Legal Counsel. Our company is expanding globally at a fast pace. In this context, the Compliance and Legal Associate will play a key role in the creation, management and audit of the company’s global compliance procedures, whether these are internal or as required by the applicable regulatory bodies. He or she will need to apply strong administrative skills to manage such procedures in the most efficient and effective manner in order to ensure maximum compliance with minimum overhead.

As a Compliance and Legal Associate you will be responsible for:

• Running the day-to-day operations for our compliance programmes
• Compliance monitoring and reviews
• Assisting with policies and procedure updates in response to new/revised regulations
• Managing and modifying standard document templates for every-day use by respective stakeholders (i.e. NDAs, supplier agreement templates, etc.)
• Maintaining the company’s database of legal documents and ensuring the proper execution and filing of all contractual documents

You will assist with other compliance work of varying scope and complexity, and complete daily assignments that require independent judgment and decision-making.

Upstream has extended its expertise in gamification of mobile marketing campaigns to its HR department with the launch of The Upstream Challenge. The Challenge is an online ‘game’ that pits Marketing Campaign Manager candidates against seven intriguing challenges designed to identify the right people for the five open positions in London, Silicon Valley, Athens and Rio.

The Technical Writer will need to work closely with the Director of Promotions Strategy as well as with the members of the Campaign Management team in order to thoroughly understand the details (processes, best practices, etc.) of each promotional format and document them. The documentation produced will support various internal teams such as Sales, Pre-Sales, Account and Engagement. As a Technical Writer you will be responsible for producing documentation and user manuals for Upstream’s promotions.

The position will be based in Athens.

• Providing high-quality documentation that meets applicable standards and is appropriate for its intended audience.
• Ability to deliver high quality documentation paying attention to detail.
• Ability to quickly grasp complex concepts and make them easily understandable in text and pictures.

• Degree in Engineering or Business.
• Demonstrable experience in technical writing / product documentation.

The Pre-sales Specialist leads the development of sales propositions, researching sales markets, creating sales plans that match specific market needs with Upstream’s solutions. The Pre-Sales Specialist builds up existing sales collateral, to present innovative commercial proposal to mobile operators. The Pre-Sales Specialist is part of the sales department and reports directly to the Head of Pre-Sales. The position is based in Dubai with frequent travel.

You need to be a passionate, proactive self-starter and excellent communicator who can operate in a constantly evolving team environment and have the ability to work effectively with cross-functional and remote teams. Performance is measured by the impact on sales engagements, smooth interaction with the position’s stakeholders and innovation to processes and materials.

As a Pre-sales Specialist in Upstream, you will have a unique opportunity to work with mobile operators around the world on some of the most innovative mobile marketing solutions. With mobile marketing spend poised to grow to $21.2 billion by 2012 (ABI Research), you will help Upstream to continue its rapid growth. The Pre-sales position leads to a potential career in sales, product management or account management.

• Interact with sales staff to support global sales activities
• Model the financial business case associated with each sales opportunity
• Create presentations that clearly communicate the uniqueness of Upstream’s solutions
• Attend sales meetings and present to prospective clients

The role exists to administer, maintain, support and develop the data centre and enterprise systems used by Upstream in the design, development, delivery and operation of its services.

The role adds value by providing the IT systems and services used in the provision of client services and for the collaboration and facilitation of Upstream’s employees in the execution of their specific tasks. Furthermore, such infrastructure and services are provided with the optimal balance of speed of delivery, quality, performance and security in consideration with the business needs.

The role is a member of the global IT team, delivering world class systems used in the delivery of products and services and in to support Upstream users in their execution of business objectives.

Ensure all systems are compliant and consistent with best practices and have the ability to scale and exceed operational and business demands, whilst maintaining unprecedented levels of availability and performance.

As a Microsoft Systems Engineer you will bring domain specific knowledge, skills, and best practices to a team of talented system professionals. You should be able to demonstrate your technical competency at the highest level, delivering mission critical infrastructure and systems and thereby gaining the respect of your peers.

• To contribute to the effective service provision of the Systems and Infrastructure Team.
• Install, configure, test and maintain operating systems, application software and system management tools.
• Proactively ensure the highest levels of systems and infrastructure availability.
• Undertake any ad hoc technical work associated with the planning, administration, installation and operational support of systems and services.

To administer, maintain, support and develop the Global IP infrastructure of Upstream and to design and deliver, in a timely manner, the IP based interconnections with Upstream’s clients and partners.

The role adds value by providing the networking infrastructure and services used in the provision of client services and for the collaboration and facilitation of Upstream’s employees in the execution of their specific tasks. Furthermore, such infrastructure and services are provided with the optimal balance of speed of delivery, quality, performance and security in consideration with the business needs.

The role is a member of the global IT team, delivering world class international IP network solutions used for the delivery of products and services and in to support Upstream users in their execution of business objectives.

Ensure all IP infrastructure and services are compliant and consistent with best practices and have the ability to scale and exceed operational and business demands, whilst maintaining unprecedented levels of availability and performance.

As a Network Engineer you will bring domain specific knowledge, skills, and best practices to a team of talented network professionals. You should be able to demonstrate your technical competency, perseverance, and logical systematic approach to maintaining mission critical local and wide area network infrastructures.

• Undertake specific network engineering tasks in the provision of services.
• Install, configure, test and maintain network devices and network management tools.
• Proactively ensure the highest level of availability for the network infrastructure.

The Project Manager reports to the Head of Project Management and is focused on managing the implementation of Upstream’s projects for major mobile operators in countries throughout the world. This role is ideal for a candidate with high potential who wishes to be rewarded for outstanding performance, while having the opportunity to gain valuable experience on large complex mobile marketing projects.

As a Project Manager in Upstream, you will have a unique opportunity to work with mobile operators around the world on some of the most innovative mobile marketing solutions. With mobile marketing spend poised to grow to $21.2 billion by 2012 (ABI Research), you will help Upstream to continue its rapid growth. The Project Manager position leads to a potential career in product management or account management.

• Coordinating internal resources and/or third parties for the flawless execution of projects
• Assisting in the definition of project specifications and client requirements, involving all relevant departments and ensuring technical feasibility and resource availability
• Tracking progress through a solid project plan
• Ensuring the on-time and on-budget delivery of projects
• Reporting and escalating to management as needed
• Managing client relationships and expectations
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with third parties
• Writing clear briefs for the development, operations and support departments
• Ensuring that all departments involved in the project operate as a united team
• Creating and maintaining comprehensive project documentation

The role of the Office Manager is to organize and supervise the administrative activities that facilitate the smooth and efficient running of the office. The Office Manager is the key ‘go to’ person for the Athens office and will be a key member of the global HR and Administration team.

• Develop and implement operational policies and procedure to ensure smooth running of the office
• Manage office facilities, equipment and provisioning of stationary and suppliers as required
• Manage the in bound calls and direct them in an appropriate manner and provide front-office and reception services
• Ensure guests are greeted and made comfortable while waiting in the reception area
• Scheduling meetings and coordinating conference calls as required and requested
• Provide personal assistance to the President and other key members of the Senior Management team
• Organizing and coordinating internal and external events and meetings
• Support HR in setting up induction days
• Any other suitable duties as required

• Experience in facilities and office management procedures

As a Statistician-Data Analyst in Upstream, you will be acting as a key point of analytical support for various departments in the company and your analyses will critically impact the decision making capability of other roles within the company. You will also, participate in development and application of new innovating statistical techniques in several business problems.

A Statistician in Upstream is responsible for the analysis and optimization of the performance of every running campaign. Using his/her statistical expertise he/she should be able to maximize the revenue for the company as well as provide insights for future trends and opportunities. The statistician will also participate in new product development projects where it is expected to provide statistical support to the rest of the team.

• Participate in management of marketing campaigns, applying your statistical expertise.
• Monitor the progress of Upstream’s projects through internal reporting tools.
• Build new tools and predictive models.
• Apply clustering methods.
• Get new insights in past campaigns data ; Use database queries and advanced data analysis to find patterns
  on current and past customers’ behaviour.
• Present your findings to management and provide advice in the decision making process.
• Contribute in product improvement and innovation.

Upstream’s Head of Latin America, Diego Benavides, celebrates the company’s success at the prestigious MMA Awards, held in LA. “To be acknowledged by the MMA and know that our mobile marketing campaigns for TIM Brasil have generated record levels of engagement and response is very rewarding.” Upstream’s clients in Latin America include Personal in Argentina and Comcel in Colombia.

The Lead Architect (Research and Development) for one of key product lines will be responsible for the technical management and direction of the Marketing Communication Suite (MCS) product team, and requires a highly motivated and hands-on team player with a strong ability to drive progress, assess future risk and lead by example.

This role leads the MCS development team and reports to S/W director. The goal of the MCS SW development team is to build the campaign management product and the Upstreamization tools. In a wider SW perspective MCS should also provide Upstreamization as a service to other Upstream’s products. This role will lead MCS implementation, ensure that MCS product meets product management requirements and complies with interoperability standards with other Upstream’s products as they’re set from SW department.

• Responsibility for architecture and platform of the Marketing Communication Suite
• Lead developer of the MCS product
• Responsibility for identifying and delegating technical problems as they arise and following through to ensure they were resolved appropriately
• Working with client managers to help meet client’s needs
• Managing a team of developers, requirements analysts, testers etc. using agile methodology
• Contribute in setting up infrastructure for software development process

• Review code that was previously submitted to the versioning software system to ensure that all expectations were met
• Facilitate daily stand-up meeting with the team
• Review sprint progress, resolve blocking issues
• Review product backlog, design and propose to the team technical solutions during planning and design sessions
• Vet out bugs that are reported by testers / clients to determine if they are valid