Chinese Bluetooth Marketing Firm Pioco Getting Conversion Rates Up To 80 Percent

By Dianne See Morrison - Tue 22 Jul 2008 05:41 AM PST

An interesting interview on Bluetooth marketing in China, which is apparently hot right now in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. China business research firm Pacific Epoch has a lengthy and quite frank interview with Chinese Bluetooth marketing firm Pioco about the ups and downs of its business.
The two year old start-up, which is backed by 3i and Walmart among others, has built a network of Bluetooth hotspots—usually located in restaurants, shopping malls and other commercial areas—in several Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, to allow it to send marketing messages through Bluetooth connections. So far, they have some 1,500 terminals spread throughout the cities, with another 3500 to be installed by September. By year’s end they hope to have converted some 22,000 locations who have signed up to the service, to have a total of 15,000 stations.
CEO Steve Chao, formerly CTO at China mobile search firm Cgogo, reports that for every device that gets paired, about half of them accept the message, a conversion rate that he says is closer to direct sales. At their Bluetooth marketing events in which a hosts tells visitors to turn on their Bluetooth, the company has seen conversion rates of 70-80 percent. The company eventually plans to expand beyond Bluetooth marketing, and says that it will get into location-based browsing. For example, if you’re near one of their stations, you can request the nearest coffee shops in the area. Chao notes that for now, Bluetooth services are better than mobile search for this because Bluetooth returns results much quicker, plus there’s no GPRS charges for the data.

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Hard Rock Café San Francisco runs mobile campaign

By Mickey Alam Khan
June 2, 2008

Bluetooth rocks
Hard Rock Café San Francisco has been running a Bluetooth mobile campaign to draw visitors to its restaurant in an exercise watched closely by the chain’s corporate headquarters.
The restaurant is working with Intera Group Inc. to deliver mobile coupons and a video to visitors with Bluetooth-enabled phones at San Francisco’s Pier 39. The Hard Rock Café, with its food and music memorabilia and merchandise, is a key attraction at the famed pier.
“Not only does it get a lot of pedestrian traffic, but also a diverse group,” said Kevin Thornton, CEO of Intera, Pleasanton, CA.

San Francisco’s Pier 39 is said to attract an estimated 12 million visitors a year. About 50 percent of the traffic is tourists from overseas and the rest split evenly between visitors from the Bay Area and nationwide.
Relying on Intera’s Proximity Marketing network, Hard Rock Café San Francisco is running the offers in Bluetooth zones that are 200 feet in diameter at key locations on Pier 39.
Once the Bluetooth is turned on and set to discoverable on mobile phones, the consumer is asked if he or she would like to accept an offer. If the answer is yes, the offer is sent in seconds. The discount or coupon can be shown on the device to the Hard Rock Café San Francisco waiter or cashier.
For example, one offer includes a coveted souvenir pin for buying a meal at the restaurant. Another is a discount for buying a meal or merchandise above a certain value.
Interestingly, an offer to watch a 20-second promotional video is also said to have been well-received.
“We found that a number of people downloaded both the offer and the video,” Mr. Thornton said. “Honestly, the Hard Rock Café brand has cachet.”
Seminal effortThe Bluetooth campaign has been running since fourth-quarter 2007. The restaurant has run Bluetooth promos around Fleet Week – a major attraction for the Bay Area – and also sent out a video on Blue Angels.
“Hard Rock Café corporate is aware of this and we’re having some discussions,” Mr. Thornton said.
Hard Rock International Inc. is owned by Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment Inc. The chain has 127 cafes and nine hotels and casinos worldwide, all of them boasting fashion and music memorabilia and merchandise.
Bluetooth’s charm to marketers is that it’s free to the consumer and all offers are opt-in. Plus, there is no wireless carrier or usage fees involved, both major advantages for local retailers.
Most recently, a BBC America Bluetooth promotion in New York and Los Angeles for its new Robin Hood television series generated more than 6,000 downloads (see story).
The effort resulted in an average 40 percent opt-in rate, meaning that four out of 10 mobile consumers actually downloaded the 90-second trailer once the link was sent to them. The series and the Bluetooth call to action were publicized on windows of two vacant retail stores in high-traffic areas in New York and Los Angeles.
The BBC America Bluetooth effort was handled by Inwindow Outdoor LLC, a New York-based outdoor advertising firm that uses windows on vacant stores to promote advertiser messages.
Brand standIn existence for 20 years, Intera offers media and out-of-home advertising and telecommunications services to more than 4,000 customers. Clients include shopping mall owners and operators, big box retailers, theatre chains, transportation companies, gas stations and convenience stores.
Intera’s Bluetooth Proximity Marketing network will cover more than 1,000 locations in the nation’s top 10 metros by the end of the year. The company places signage near all Bluetooth hotspots.
But here’s another paradox that Intera has discovered with its Bluetooth efforts for Hard Rock Café San Francisco.
“Most of the fantastic response that Hard Rock Café has had has been with no signage,” Mr. Thornton said.
“We get enough devices that we see are turned on and discoverable that the results are very positive,” he said. “However, when call-to-action signage is in place, we see a 3 to 4x improvement.
“I think probably the most important thing is that if you send a Bluetooth message to consumers with a brand they recognize, the response is very high.
“The number of people opting out relative to the number of people opting in is very small – less than 5 percent.”
Mr. Thornton would not disclose results of the Bluetooth campaign.
Bob Boemer, sales and marketing manager at Hard Rock Café San Francisco, didn’t respond by press deadline.
“Bob absolutely wants to bring us into Hard Rock corporate,” Mr. Thornton said. “We have other advertisers who want to advertise in the pier and one of those we’ll be launching in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re proceeding with the build-out of our network,” he said. “We expect to have 150 locations live in California in the next 90 days.”
Editor in Chief Mickey Alam Khan covers advertising agencies, associations, research, and column submissions. Reach him at mickey@mobilemarketer.com.

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Coca-Cola to run Bluetooth campaign at Beijing Olympics

By Gabrielle Kalika
August 7, 2008

Coca Cola plays at Olympics
Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be fronted by Pioco, the first Bluetooth interactive media marketing campaign of its kind.
Pioco has enabled thousands of locations in and around the Olympic stadiums, hotels, restaurants, clubs and cafes of Beijing and Shanghai in order to deliver Coca Cola Bluetooth video commercials directly to Bluetooth-capable handsets.
“Coca-Cola has been posting the commercials all over TV, so the idea is to use the same material and make is accessible on physical locations to Chinese youngsters,” said Steve Chao, co-founder and CEO of Pioco, “They could download the ad and virally pass it to their peers.

“The Bluetooth has already been put on Coca-Cola’s Torch Relay Truck campaign, which traveled through major Chinese cities, so it’s as if the sequence has been completed,” he said.
Coca Cola's Olympic Torch Relay Truck campaign claims to have reached millions of consumers in preparation for the summer Olympic Games, starting on August 8.
Upon entry to the Bluetooth wired locations, users receive a message asking if they would like to download content from Coca Cola.
Pioco and Coca Cola have been partnered for about two years, and claim the campaigns have returned great results.
In previous campaigns, the companies experienced conversion rates closer to 35 percent. At events that prompt participants to enable their Bluetooth devices, as will be the case with many Olympic hotspot locations, the conversion rates jump up to 65 percent.
Pioco’s Bluetooth hotspot network in Beijing covers the International Trade Center, Financial District, Zhongguancun commercial district, Wangfujing shopping street and Xidan shopping district, Dongzhimen transportation node, and Xizhimen subway area.
Previous campaigns have extended to television, online outlets, magazines, out-of-home and other print media, but this campaign is unique in that it allows advertisers, such as Coca Cola in this example, to directly reach consumers in outdoor entertainment venues, such as those at the 2008 Olympics.
The campaign is targeting high-school and university students, as well as young white collars workers aged 14 to 22.
Mr. Chao said that the very first campaign Pioco did for Coca-Cola two years ago was situated in a convention center. Coca-Cola employed a famous pop group from Taiwan, S.H.E, so the kids were more willing to be engaged in cokes interactive campaigns.
A lot of kids have experienced Coke’s Bluetooth campaigns in the past, as it echoes what they see on TV and the internet.
Mr. Chao said that it will absolutely help out with the consumption of Coca-Cola, and enhance its image. Coca Cola's partnership with Pioco marks the first time that a brand has used Bluetooth media for its marketing campaign in Olympic history.
Since its founding in 2006, Pioco has been involved in the OOH advertising space. The company, headquartered in Shanghai, has with offices in Beijing, GuangZhou, Hong Kong and Taipei.Pioco has initiated a new form of Bluetooth broadcasting for media, using a B2C interactive communication strategy.
With this service, advertisers can set graphics, sound, text, video and animation. Pioco also provides advertisers with accurate statistical feedback and scientific data analysis by tracking the unique Bluetooth ID of consumer devices.
“Bluetooth marketing has been pretty hot all over the world,” Mr. Chao said. “In China we started doing it two years ago because Chinese mobile phones were mostly equipped with Bluetooth and there is a tremendous amount of opportunity because cities are very dense, especially in commercial areas.
“Those are the best opportunities for users to receive MMS messages. It makes total sense,” he said.
Editorial Assistant Gabrielle Kalika covers banking and payments, commerce, content, database/CRM, media and music. Reach her at gab.kal@hotmail.com.

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Trafford Centre introduces Bluetooth marketing

Friday, 16 May 2008

The Trafford Centre is trialling multimedia marketing to shoppers via their mobile devices. Using Bluetooth it allows operators to transmit or “ping” messages direct to potential customers’ phones, providing that they choose to receive them.
The system, run in partnership with Peel Advertising and Bluepod Media is being trialled at the moment after a successful run at Birmingham’s Bullring and may be extended to Liverpool John Lennon airport.In addition to being a marketing tool, it also generates income for the provider by allowing third parties to advertise. In the shopping centres that could be anything from film and music clips to barcodes that can be swiped in-store for special offers.
“The major strengths of Bluetooth marketing are the measure-ability and the accountability. This means we can tell how many pings a particular advert gets and, via technologies like barcodes, whether those pings have translated into sales,” explains Jon Levenson, managing director of Peel Advertising Ltd. “This is gold-dust for the marketeer. We send information to the mobile device of our willing shopper while they’re in shopping mode. That information is not only relevant to who they are, but also where they are.‘This combination makes Bluetooth a powerful tool in the marketers armoury – and one that will see Bluetooth marketing become the biggest growth area in digital media for the next five years.’
So far they’ve sent a quarter of a million messages out to phones, with 70,000 people accepting the advertising.
The system was demonstrated two years ago at Manchester’s In the City music convention, where panellists at the Midland Hotel could receive information on conferences and bands direct to their media devices.

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Turn on your Bluetooth to receive Audi R8 video

In Stockholm, the largest city and capital of Sweden, Audi has employed Bluetooth to distribute videos of their latest and hottest model, the Audi R8, to devices within proximity. The poster in the picture informs users to turn on their Bluetooth to receive this content. This is a great example of viral marketing where the brand gets passed on by the targeted users to a larger audience.

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App stores galore! Marketers to take on additional complexities and costs.

November 4th, 2008 The Insider Posted

Last month, RIM announced that it would be launching its own versions of online and on-device application storefronts for its Blackberry devices. Dubbed the “Blackberry Application Storefront,” the online store is slated to appear in March of 2009. It is unknown as to when the on-device portals may launch as RIM has stated that they would work with individual Operators to create customized storefronts.

Android’s application store currently featured on T-Mobile’s G1 handset has had some modicum of initial success albeit not quite on the level with the iPhone. We will have to wait until next quarter’s earnings to see some hard numbers from T-Mobile regarding G1 sales and application downloads.

Apple’s well publicized application store is still cruising along with approximately 200 million downloads via 13 million iPhones sold and counting as of their recent Q4 fiscal quarter announcement.

Nokia’s global application storefront, MOSH, which features applications built using J2ME, Flash Lite and Symbian as well as other technologies is much more open than the aforementioned stores. As of this posting, the MOSH download counter was at 94,653,057.

The emergence of application stores built around a specific handset and/or operating system will only continue to create additional complexity within the Mobile Marketing ecosystem and will certainly add to the costs of developing and promoting custom applications that run on the various platforms.

Marketers already struggling to keep up with MMA/Carrier off-deck compliance regulations, application testing guidelines and emerging technologies will now be tasked with familiarizing themselves on who to turn to have custom app work completed on their behalf. Perhaps more importantly, marketers will also need to uncover the best ways to advertise their new apps across the various distribution outlets. Other considerations will include;

* SDKs, SDKs, SDKs= $$$ in terms of acquiring in-house development talent
* Analytics – reporting from the various storefronts will differ – some firms provide app usage analytics.
* Accounting for the disparate revenue-share agreements
* Application maintenance, QA and hosting costs
* In-application advertising – how it works, what it costs, etc..
* Merchandizing costs at the various outlets
* Nuances of storefront vetting process – especially with Apple.

SIDE NOTE: I have heard anecdotally that custom iPhone app development can run into the low six-figures.

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The State Of QR Codes And What To Expect In 2009

Posted by justin on Jan 9, 2009 in Mobile Marketing, Mobile Software

Though QR (Quick Response) barcodes haven’t been as prolific in 2008 as maybe some of us had hoped, 2009 looks to be a whole different story. I’ve been following the technology since its inception, and though I knew it would be hard to catch on in the US due the state of our mobile technology compared to elsewhere, I still thought we’d be further along then we currently are. With that being said, 2008 still brought some large scale innovations with QR as well as some large-scale mobile campaigns that were centered around using QR.

The basic function of a QR code has proved perfect as a tool in mobile marketing. By using a special code-reader or the camera of your mobile device to read the contents of a specific barcode, it bypasses the need to input a long URL into your mobile browser. The problem being, until recently, a consumer would have to find and download a special mobile application, or have a mobile device with a non-VGA camera, and so. In other words, it was to much of a hassle for normal users to understand and use effectively.

Now, with the advent of streamlined mobile-application delivery such as Apple’s App Store, Blackberry and Android versions, along with the near phase-out of VGA camera phones, the whole process is becoming easier to understand and operate. Still, in countries like the US and Australia, along with Europe, QR codes are virtually non-existent. That’s not to say the technology hasn’t been used in some large-scale mobile campaigns though.

As Adena reported on last month, Pepsi introduced one of the first large-scale QR-based mobile campaigns to date in Europe, with over 400 million QR barcodes being distributed on Pepsi cans. Likewise, Micheal reported on one of Australia’s first large-scale QR deployments in a campaign to help promote the new James Bond movie by way of a “treasure hunt” of sorts. The campaign attracted over 10,000 users without any help from the mainstream media. If that doesn’t show potential than I don’t know what would.

Beyond the obvious uses in mobile marketing, 2008 brought to light many others. CitySearch and Antenna Audio began a program last spring in San Francisco in which they placed QR codes on historical landmarks and restaurants. The QR codes can then be linked to a public review site, a wiki, or a forum, and anyone can lend a hand in chronicling a certain site’s history.

A company called EventBrite tested a new “green ticketing” service along with a barcode-based attendee registration system that will ultimately allow event organizers to “check-in” attendees on-site using a basic webcam. They’ve even created “barcode check-in scanning” as well to coincide with their QR-based ticketing services.

Interestingly enough, we also saw QR codes used for personal expression as well in 2008. QR codes made for clothing, scarfs and other accessories with personal QR-based messages embedded in them, and even ones for speed dating and fundraising. There’s no question that the future of QR looks bright, whether or not us in the US will be able to participate in the near future.

My only concern is whether or not QR will prevail over other “digital hyperlink” technologies such as mobile image recognition, etc. 2008 was a good year for QR, but was also a good year for a variety of image recognition applications by way of the iPhone, Android devices and more. What can be accomplished with a QR code, can be accomplished with image recognition as well, and in many cases much more. A user can take a photo of a CD or device of some sort, and use an image recognition app such as Amazon’s iPhone app, to hyperlink to the associated mobile content. To me, this technology seems more promising than QR codes, but maybe I’m wrong.

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SnapTell Powers Interactive Mobile Marketing Solutions in Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine

Monday, January 12, 2009
By Nurul Haque

SnapTell California-based SnapTell, a provider of image recognition-based mobile marketing solutions will enable marketers to offer interactive or ‘live’ advertisements in the Winter 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. Martha Stewart Weddings is the top selling bridal magazine on newsstands and provides high value brides with ideas and advice for the dress and beyond. The magazine inspires and informs readers by fusing impeccable style with beautiful, creative ideas for every detail of the most important celebration of their lives. Martha Stewart Weddings is the first bridal magazine to use SnapTell technology with interactive advertisements.
Martha Stewart Weddings Winter 2009

Martha Stewart Weddings Winter 2009

More than 200 advertisers are featured in the magazine offering tips from the Martha Stewart Weddings archives, special offers, store locators, ringtones and wallpapers. Using SnapTell’s image-recognition technolgoy, the latest issue allows readers to take pictures of featured advertisements with a mobile-phone camera, send the image to martha@snaptell.com and instantly get back content from that advertiser. AT&T and Verizon users are also allowed to send the image to the short code 707070. The latest issue was released on newsstands from December 29, 2008.

“We are committed to delivering innovative ways for our advertisers to build on our relationship with readers,” said Amy Wilkins, Senior Vice President, Publisher, Martha Stewart Weddings.

“We know our bride is shopping every page of our magazine as she plans her big day. This program allows us to increase her engagement with us and many of our advertisers at a critical time in her planning process. SnapTell’s ease of use and on-demand utility make this an effective and far-reaching solution.”

SnapTell offers a highly customizable and integrated mobile marketing solution. The ‘Snap.Send.Get’ solution from SnapTell enables advertisers to reach a broad audience by delivering customized content. That content can include coupons, videos or photos, website links or product information, directly from the pages of the magazine.
SnapTell Image Recognition-Based Mobile Marketing Solutions

SnapTell Image Recognition-Based Mobile Marketing Solutions

The SnapTell solution enables consumers to easily access marketing content and information on the go, driving brand awareness, conversion, loyalty and revenues. It is an end-to-end solution that gives marketers the ability to reach consumers and create a brand relationship with them. SnapTell’s “Snap.Send.Get” works with almost all camera phones, does not require the consumer to download any special software and is an opt-in solution for the reader. The solution is also fully trackable, providing clear ROI for participating advertisers.

“Our technology provides the perfect platform for Martha Stewart Weddings to give their advertisers a stronger ability to engage with their audience. Martha Stewart Weddings and their advertisers have used our solution brilliantly,” said Gautam Bhargava, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SnapTell.

“The mobile industry is poised for explosive growth and SnapTell’s ‘Snap.Send.Get’ solution is allowing publications of all sizes to engage readers and drive brand recognition for advertisers.”

Founded in 2006, SnapTell offers an innovative way to the marketers to connect to their consumers, using SnapTell’s image-recognition technology. Marketers can effortlessly create high-impact campaigns using existing collateral and can alter their messaging on the fly in response to SnapTell-provided actionable metrics.

SnapTell has already served Popular Science, US Weekly, Rolling Stone magazine, Wired magazine, ESPN The Magazine, GQ Magazine, Men’s Health Magazine. SnapTell’s customers include global brands, agencies and publishers. SnapTell’s ‘Snap.Send.Get’ mobile marketing solution has been used to conduct innovative interactive mobile marketing campaigns by some of the most recognized brands such as Absolut, Adidas, Aviva, Acer, Axe, Chevrolet, Coca Cola, Chrysler, Discovery Channel, Dell, Gillette, HBO, LG, Samsung, Sony, Toyota among others.
Source: SnapTell
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Mobile Payments With A Side Of Mobile Marketing

Posted by justin on Jan 12, 2009 in In The News, Mobile 2.0

Mobile commerce and the use of mobile devices as payment methods has been another area that’s lacking in the US compared to elsewhere. Mocapay, a leader in mobile-commerce solutions, is partnering with VeriFone Holdings, a provider of customer-facing payment systems, to introduce a new mobile payments and marketing technology that will be announced at the upcoming NRF Annual Convention this month in New York City.

Mocapay’s new platform provides merchants with the ability to “mobile-enable” their existing gift and loyalty programs through payment at the point-of-sale. Gift cardholders can transact at the point-of-sale, access their account balance and transaction history, find the nearest location, and reload their account, all from their mobile phone.

In addition, Mocapay gives retailers the tools to send targeted, one-to-one marketing messages to their customers while they’re using the platform. The problem is, being tied to a certain type of POS system means limited availability and thus limited amount of users to market to. In other words, the technology itself will need to prevail before successful mobile marketing can be executed using this method.

Mocapay’s mobile payment solution can be integrated with any point-of-sale system, however, the MX800 series from VeriFone is designed to enhance the customer experience at the point of sale. With more than 300,000 systems installed, its quickly become the de facto standard in consumer-facing payment systems, but will it become ubiquitous? One way or another, mobile payments will become standard in the near future, as long as the infrastructure and POS systems can support it.

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Mobile Marketing Solutions Offered to Retailers by Fujitsu and InMotion Digital Media

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

By Editor

Fujitsu Transaction Solutions, the wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited has partnered with InMotion Digital Media, a provider of mobile marketing, commerce and entertainment solutions, to offer mobile marketing services to the retail industry. As per the agreement, InMotion’s will integrate its Flip Pocket Connect software with Fujitsu technology to enable marketing campaigns to mobile devices. The solution will offer retailers the ability to send promotions and coupons to mobile subscribers across various geographies and operators.

InMotion has been providing mobile solutions for more than ten years on a global basis in a variety of verticals including, retail, hospitality and leisure. InMotion’s solutions have been used by many enterprise clients in the retail space including such offerings as mobile coupons, mobile loyalty programs, special offers and integrated offerings that bring unique value to both the consumer and the retailer

“The mobile device is the next promotional frontier for retailers, bringing unmatched personal and pervasive reach,” said Peter Wolf, vice president of Self-Service and Univations operations at Fujitsu Transaction Solutions.

“Our partnership with InMotion Digital Media, and the combined mobile marketing solution, will empower both retailers and consumers with the ability to send and receive coupons and other offerings in a targeted and timely manner,” added Wolf.

“Mobile marketing requires a unique combination of marketing and technical expertise to develop a campaign that is tailored to a retailer’s specific needs,” said Larry Lehoux, CEO of InMotion Digital Media.

Fujitsu offers software, point-of-sale store technology, U-Scan self-checkout systems, U-Serv self-ordering systems and multi-vendor lifecycle services. Customers include Canadian Tire, Chevron Corporation, Hallmark, H-E-B, Kroger, Loblaws, Nordstrom, Payless ShoeSource, Regal Cinema, Staples, Stop & Shop and The TJX Companies, among others.

“Our Flip Pocket Connect application, with Fujitsu’s technology, combines these critical elements to form a robust, user-friendly solution that will help retailers navigate these emerging and uncharted waters,” commented Lehoux.

The companies made the announcement at the National Retail Federation (NRF) 98^th Annual Convention and Expo, held on 12th & 13th of January in New York City. Fujitsu also allowed visitors to its NRF Booth to experience the solution ‘live’. Visitors used their mobile phones to text numbers to a short code and then receive a promotional message and a coupon.

Source: Fujitsu

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Mobile Ad Spend: In Jeopardy Or Worth It?

Posted by eydie on Dec 9, 2008 in Mobile Advertising, Mobile Marketing, SMS / Text | 1 Comment

Brandweek has an interesting article that suggests growth for mobile ad spending might be stunted in 2009. At the same time, the piece also bolsters the popularity of SMS marketing, as well as increasing usage of other types of mobile media. I think it’s fair to say that all ad spend will likely slow in the next year, but that mobile offers enough advantages that it may succeed while other platforms languish.

Industry experts express caution, dousing hopes mobile marketing would grow by leaps next year. That means lower spending as well as potentially less players. “I expect that we will see many marketers utilize their dollars for proven digital media and there will be a temporary reduction in spending for mobile,” says Mobile Marketing Association president Laura Marriott. While those using mobile campaigns will probably stick to them, says Forrester Research analyst Neil Strother, “A whole lot of the companies that haven’t done it won’t jump in.”

However, mobile marketing ultimately has more going for it than against it, or so it seems. JC Penney has been using the platform and continues to do so. “Mobile marketing has been instrumental during back-to-school season, when we are heavily reaching teens,” says JC Penney spokesperson Quinton Crenshaw. Then there are the low expenses associated with mobile: According to Forrester Research, 35 percent of mobile campaigns cost less than $10,000 and just 7 percent of mobile campaigns have budgets exceeding $1 million. (Text messaging makes up the lion’s share of marketers’ spend: eMarketer puts it at $1.47 billion for this year.)

We all know that marketing kind of goes against the opposite of what parents and teachers tell children: Because someone else is doing it absolutely means you should, too! Why? Competitors will gain an edge if they offer information or sales coupons to consumers in real time, since these incentives will likely bring buyers into their shops or onto Web sites–and keep them away from yours.

Of course mobile marketers need to tighten their belts. However, mobile campaigns are both affordable and effective in drawing consumers who themselves are tightening belts. Mobile, especially text messaging, can prove to have a higher ROI than other types of ads. Ultimately, there will still be enough marketers using mobile that their competitors will have to jump on the bandwagon, too. Mobile marketing may not see a boom in 2009–but neither will it experience a bust.

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Mobigosee Reveals Mobile Tuesday Plans; Deliver Coupons Through Mobile Phones Every Tuesday for 52 Weeks

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

By Nurul Haque

Chicago-based Mobigosee, a leading innovator of transformational mobile marketing technology, has announced plans for its “Mobile Tuesday”. Mobile Tuesday, similar to the traditional ‘circular’ received in the mail, comprises offers, discounts, coupons, store location information and purchasing power delivered directly to mobile phones. The company has announced that each year, its “Mobile Tuesday” will run for 52 weeks, delivering coupons, offers, discounts and information to consumers from retailers and other organizations interested in tapping the power of mobile commerce directly to mobile phones.

The company’s transformational, customized mobile marketing technology platforms enables leading retailers and organizations to extend their brand to a surging mobile phone public.

For consumers, who sign up to “Mobile Tuesday”, it enables them to search for goods and services, special offers, news, store locations and customer service; and the ability to tap their favorite retailers for one-touch, on-the-fly purchasing power and access to information from their mobile phones. Mobigosee’s state-of-the-art mobile marketing experiences are delivered through a suite of services tailored to meet a company’s specific mobile marketing needs.

“It’s an absolute win-win for retailers and a must-have for consumers,” said Mobigosee Founder, CEO Tanya Penman. “While the economy remains unpredictable and retail expectations lower than ever, American innovation has never been stronger. We believe the mobile market represents a burgeoning opportunity for retailers and organizations to transform their traditional web presence into a visually appealing, tightly-branded mobile marketing platform.”

According to Forrester Research’s Benchmark 2008, “Forecast Growth of Devices and Access in the United States”, three quarters of US adults have a cell phone. Mobigosee’s proprietary mobile marketing platform,which has been in development for the past year, increases the consumer experience by offering them special promotions, offers and discounts from their favorite retailers every Tuesday, similar to the regularity of a circular in the mail with the use of mobile coupons.

According to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, as of June 2008, there were more than 262 million wireless mobile phone subscribers, which represented 84% of the US population. This represents an increase of 35% from 194 million in June 2005 and nearly three times more than the 97 million wireless subscribers in June 2000. ESPN, one of the top-rated mobile sites, already attracts 10 million unique visitors per month. These figures talk volumes about the opportunity that mobile advertising has for itself.

Mobigosee has also launched two informative sites to educate the marketplace and enable consumers to opt-in to Mobile Tuesday - consumers can find more information on the online website www.aboutmobiletuesday.com, or through mobile phones by visiting www.mobiletuesdays.com or sending SMS with the keyword TUESDAY to 23907.

Source: MarketWatch

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One-Day "Crash Course" on Mobile Marketing - Leveraging Experience of Leading Firms

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

By Nurul Haque

According to a new research by Pew Foundation, mobile devices will become the primary Internet access platform for most people in the world by 2020. The survey conducted among Internet leaders, activists and analysts showed that they expect major technology advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, artificial and virtual reality become more embedded in everyday life, and the architecture of the Internet itself improves.

The research from Pew Foundation will join many other research reports that estimates that mobile will the primary source of accessing Internet in next few years and mobile Internet will witness explosive growth. However, these reports also agree on the point that majority of companies and marketers do not fully appreciate the significance and opportunity of this emerging platform and are not forthcoming in adopting the medium.

To educate companies and marketers about mobile Internet and mobile marketing, Local Mobile Service, an Opus Research advisory service, has organized Internet2Go: Conversations about Mobile Marketing, a one-day crash course in mobile marketing, featuring case studies and real data from the leading companies on the front lines of the mobile Internet. The event aims to bring together search engines, ad networks and technology providers with agencies in a more conversational setting. The emphasis will be on practical information and case studies.

“We created an event that will show mobile is working and delivering great ROI for advertisers today,” said Greg Sterling, Senior Analyst with Opus Research’s Local Mobile Search advisory service. Senior Analyst Greg Sterling is founder of Sterling Market Intelligence, focusing on the Internet’s impact on local consumer and advertiser behavior.

“We also wanted the emphasis to be on real case studies and practical information, rather than hypothetical or abstract discussions,” added Sterling.

Scheduled to be held at Mezzanine in San Francisco on January 29, 2009, the event is designed for marketers, agencies and others who are interested in but not yet deeply involved in mobile marketing. The event will feature a range of panel discussions and presentations that offer practical information and case studies from the leading mobile firms and platforms in the market today.

Various sessions that are a part of this one-day event will discuss topics such as removing roadblocks to mobile marketing, integrating mobile with traditional media campaigns, SMS - Not Sexy but Effective and Voluminous, search marketing in a mobile environment and mobile ROI.

One of the sessions will also feature a “Mobile Creative Showcase” that will highlight compelling mobile ad campaigns utilizing all platforms, from SMS to mobile video.

The event’s sponsors include Yahoo!, JumpTap and NearbyNow and will feature executives from AdMob, Ansible, AOL/Platform-A, ChaCha, Google, HipCricket, JumpTap, Microsoft, NearbyNow, Quattro Wireless, Verve Wireless, Yahoo! and others, speaking at the event.

Local Mobile Search analyzes and quantifies business opportunities at the nexus of mobile search, location-based services and geo-targeting. Founded in1986, Opus Research, enables conversational access technologies and markets.

Source: Local Mobile Search

Does Mobile Marketing Pose Security Threats?

Posted by michael on Jan 13, 2009 in Mobile Marketing

Two consumer groups plan to ask the Federal Trade Commission today to “investigate the privacy threats of mobile advertising,” according to the FTC.

The Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group believe that “mobile advertising companies are collecting vast amounts of information about consumers and their behavior, without fully disclosing it, in an effort to better target their sales pitches.”

“They know your location, they’re profiling you and categorizing you,” said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “It’s disturbing.”

Of course, if one goes down this road of “violated privacy”, there are many other non-mobile avenues one could similarly take, yet the mobile marketing sector will at present be in the hot seat.

Mike Wehrs, chief executive of the Mobile Marketing Association, defended his industry’s track record and called more regulation unnecessary. He supported companies that “collect consumer information, saying it ensures that mobile phone users are shown relevant ads rather than spam.”

www.bluespotmedia.ning.com

Does Mobile Marketing Pose Security Threats?

Posted by michael on Jan 13, 2009 in Mobile Marketing

Two consumer groups plan to ask the Federal Trade Commission today to “investigate the privacy threats of mobile advertising,” according to the FTC.

The Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group believe that “mobile advertising companies are collecting vast amounts of information about consumers and their behavior, without fully disclosing it, in an effort to better target their sales pitches.”

“They know your location, they’re profiling you and categorizing you,” said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “It’s disturbing.”

Of course, if one goes down this road of “violated privacy”, there are many other non-mobile avenues one could similarly take, yet the mobile marketing sector will at present be in the hot seat.

Mike Wehrs, chief executive of the Mobile Marketing Association, defended his industry’s track record and called more regulation unnecessary. He supported companies that “collect consumer information, saying it ensures that mobile phone users are shown relevant ads rather than spam.”

www.bluespotmedia.ning.com