Microsoft launches mobile display ads

Nancy Gohring (IDG News Service) 26/05/2008 15:15:34

Microsoft on Tuesday began letting advertisers display banner ads to mobile users of Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail, following other companies already supporting mobile banner ads.
Mobile users in France, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. will see the banner ads when using the Microsoft services.
Google made a similar announcement in April, inviting AdWords advertisers to display banner ads instead of only text on mobile phones. Yahoo, AdMob and Third Screen, which is now owned by AOL, are among other companies that also display banner ads on mobile phones.
Microsoft also said it plans to support keyword advertising on Live Search Mobile. The beta-test version of the keyword advertising service is available in the U.S., and Microsoft expects to expand it in the second half of the year.
Microsoft also announced that Windows Live for mobile is now available in 49 markets, an increase from 22. Windows Live for mobile offers mobile access to Hotmail, Messenger and Spaces, a social-networking site that lets people blog and share photos and other content with friends.
Microsoft and the other Internet companies are competing for a foothold in the mobile market, where they see a potentially large opportunity for future advertising revenue. The use of the mobile Internet is still quite small relative to the number of mobile phones on the market, and mobile users don't yet have a strong allegiance to any particular search or portal provider.
"We think mobile is a tremendous opportunity going forward," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division. Only about 150 million of the 1 billion phones expected to be sold this year will have the capability to display rich advertising, he said. But that number is expected to triple, so that in a few years 400 million to 500 million phones able to receive audio and video advertising will be sold each year, he said.
Bach and the other Internet companies that are equally excited about the mobile market may have overinflated expectations, however. A new report released on Tuesday showed that mobile-phone sales in the first quarter in the U.S. declined 22 percent compared to the same quarter last year, according to The NPD Group. NPD blamed looming economic concerns. Without a large base of users of higher-end phones, none of the Internet companies will be able to execute on their mobile advertising plans.
Microsoft made the mobile advertising announcements on Tuesday at the Advance08 conference, the company's annual advertising get-together. By midday, Microsoft executives hadn't yet made reference to the company's failed attempt to buy Yahoo, which Microsoft hoped would help it expand its online advertising business. The two companies are currently in discussions about other opportunities besides an outright acquisition.
Instead of talking about possible Yahoo deals, Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of the advertiser and publisher solutions group at Microsoft, emphasized the company's end-to-end services for advertisers, ad agencies and publishers.
He announced that Microsoft is unifying its advertising initiatives, many of them based on acquisitions of companies such as ScreenTonic and Massive, under a single brand, Microsoft Advertising. The group will continue its work on existing established advertising methods, such as online ads, but will also innovate on emerging technology platforms, including mobile phones, games, IPTV and video on demand, he said.

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Trading Post goes mobile

Rodney Gedda 10/12/2008 11:21:00
Aussie classifieds icon the Trading Post has announced its entrance into the mobile market with Trading Post Mobile.
The Trading Post Mobile site at m.tradingpost.com.au allows people to check prices, bid for and buy items with any browser-enabled mobile device.
Trading Post group marketing manager Kellie Cordner said the new mobile capability offers real-time access to Trading Post inventory, including classifieds and auction ad listings.
Trading Post claims more than 85,000 items are listed each week.
The Telstra-owned Trading Post Mobile is free for all Telstra Next G mobile customers via the BigPond portal and free SMS alerts for buyers and sellers informing them when an auction is ending is also a feature.

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Murdoch wants piece of mobile marketing pie

Maria Nguyen In another sign that Rupert Murdoch is putting his money where his mouth is and embracing all things digital, News Interactive is making its first serious foray into mobile marketing on December 12 to capture a slice of the $380m mobile marketing industry.
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News Interactive, the digital arm of Murdoch’s media empire, has teamed up with Legion Interactive, Dialect and Telstra’s 3G iMode network, to launch a mobile service that will leverage News Limited’s massive newspaper, Internet and broadcast content. The “Mobile Club” concept is being described as the “jewel in the crown” of News Interactive’s strategy to mobilise its content and brands across the handsets of more than 18million Australian mobile users. On December 12, the company will launch Mobile Club on its news portal, www.news.com.au, which will deliver personalised news and entertainment content to mobile phones. News Interactive business manager of digital and premium services, Rick Gleave, said the service was still being developed but is expected to launch with mobile ringtones, games and wallpaper downloads on December 12 through Telstra’s 3G network iMode. News, sport, entertainment and classifieds content will be rolled out in the new year, with horoscopes, racing tips and stock market information also slated as potential services.Virgin Mobile will offer News Interactive’s content from December and Hutchison from March 2006. Optus and Vodafone are still in talks to come onboard. But aren’t most of these news services already offered by other media groups? Yes, but noone has taken an “integrated approach” Gleave said.“No other media company is really doing mobile marketing from a fully integrated prospect. We have a massive print and online presence and the mobile phone is really a tool to drive traffic around all our business properties—to our offline products as well, for example through mobile phone promotions that direct them back to the newspapers or into the retail stores of our advertisers,” he explained. Gleave said News Interactive would be taking a careful approach to mobile marketing and this was only the first step. “We won’t rush into this. We only get one shot with these guys and if we bugger it up they won’t come back to us so we want to ensure we engage them properly, so it’s going to take a bit of time, it’s not happening straight away. We’re the biggest news player on the block, there are more than 18 million SMS enabled phones in this country and the mobile marketing industry is worth $380m, but we don’t have any of that action at the moment”.For advertisers, Gleave said there were opportunities to get involved in more sophisticated and “sexier” mobile promotions that integrate News Limited’s offline and online reach. “For example we might have a promotion with a massive FMCG or retail client where we get our customers to go into the store with the client’s logo that they’ve downloaded from our website…we have some promotions launching before Christmas which we can’t reveal but it will involved print, online and mobile elements. This is the sexier stuff where we have truly integrated promotions.” Late news: Ninemsn today announced the full acquisition of Australian mobile marketing company 5th Finger Pty Ltd. According to Ninemsn CEO Martin Hoffman, the purchase of 5th Finger acknowledges a key trend in Australian media and technology. “Convergence is real for media and marketers. The mobile phone has become a critical distribution tool for content, rich communications and advertising. Combining the knowledge of Ninemsn and 5th Finger will deliver a broad range of innovative and effective mobile marketing solutions for clients,” he said.Financial terms for the acquisition were not disclosed.
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Sybase teams up with AFP for global news on your mobile

Marketers hungry to take advantage of the growing advertising dollars being spent on the mobile platform can now consider reaching their target audience alongside the breaking news content of global news provider Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc. (NYSE: SY), announced it has teamed with Agence France Presse (AFP) to deliver global news content to users of Sybase 365™AvantGo®.
Sybase 365's collaboration with AFP will put global news from the world's oldest established news agency on any mobile device at no additional charge to the end-user.
"There's no question mobile devices continue to play an increasingly important role in keeping consumers connected to the news, information and people they care about," said Gilles Tarot, marketing director for AFP in North America. "Ensuring our readership has access to our global news content in the manner that best suits their needs -be it in print, online or mobile through AvantGo-was the next logical step for us."
"The continued expansion of news content on AvantGo is a win-win situation—allowing consumers greater choice in content, and content providers a wider distribution channel," said Michael Kurtzman, managing director of mobile advertising for Sybase 365. "For added flexibility, we're making the AFP channel available in both a browser and downloadable client—allowing users to view news in an online or offline format."
Sybase 365 AvantGo provides media content partners and marketers with a turnkey, ad-funded mobile distribution solution without the cost of building an initial mobile audience or advertiser network, and provides advertisers with reach into a highly desirable mobile audience. Providing over 800 media sources for users to choose from—ranging from niche hobby magazines to blogs and breaking global news, AvantGo is the largest provider of web content for mobile devices.
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Mobile Marketing Association Announces 2008 Global Award Finalists

Tuesday October 28 11:00 PM
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com), which globally promotes the development and sustainability of mobile marketing, today announced the finalists for the MMA's Fourth Annual Global Mobile Marketing Awards which honors the companies who are successfully utilizing and leading the adoption of the mobile channel for marketing purposes. The awards will be presented at the Annual Global Awards dinner and ceremony on November 13 in San Diego, concluding the MMA's Mobile Marketing Forum (www.mobilemarketingforum.com).
The MMA received submissions from companies across the globe across 12 categories. Finalists were selected by the MMA Awards Selection Committee comprised of global industry leaders from wireless carriers, technology and content providers, agencies and industry publications.
"The quality of submissions we receive for our awards program continues to increase as the mobile marketing channel matures. The increase in submissions from brands and agencies this year as well as new applications from APAC and LATAM make this a truly global awards program," said Laura Marriott, president of the MMA. "We appreciate the contribution of all those who submitted applications and congratulate these finalists, each of whom demonstrate innovation, creativity and excellence in their mobile marketing implementations."

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Article: Exploiting the mobile channel

Wednesday, 24th October 2007
The mobile device has, unfortunately, been one of the more over-hyped and disappointing marketing channels of recent times. Thankfully the situation is changing and the greatest barriers to successfully marketing via this channel are being removed.
Nevertheless, only a minority of organisations are truly in a position to exploit this channel effectively. Marketers need to take action now to ensure that they can cost-effectively market to their customers’ mobile devices. If they do not, they risk not being able to effectively utilise a channel that is almost anywhere, all of the time, with their target markets.
So what has really changed in the last 18 months?
A number of big shifts in the Australian market place have made mobile a real engagement opportunity for marketers:
Third-generation (3G) networks are now in full-growth mode as marketing campaigns from the major carriers migrate existing 2G subscribers. A significant number of consumers can already experience rich media through their phones, with over 3.2 million consumers on 3G networks. This number is growing rapidly as consumers reach end-of-contract and re-sign to a 3G plan with a new phone. Telstra alone has 2 million 3G subscribers and averaged 100,000 new 3G subscribers per month over the past half.
Data charges are on the decline. Data charges have been a significant hurdle for consumers, as there is still a great deal of scepticism and uncertainty regarding exactly what and why they are being charged. Some of the capped-data arrangements coming from carriers such as 3 are a big step forward in removing this uncertainty. There is still a way to go on this important issue for consumers but the current trend is in the right direction.
Handset usability is improving dramatically. Handsets on sale today are far more usable than those available only 18 months ago. We can thank the Apple iPhone for stimulating a revolution in handset design and usability, and while the Australian market will not see that particular handset for some time, manufacturers such as Nokia, LG, and Samsung will launch similarly usable and capable handsets in Australia in the New Year.
An increasingly-compelling content opportunity now exists for consumers. While in the short term much of this content is tied up in exclusive mobile carrier arrangements and is not ubiquitous, a growing off-deck (i.e. carrier-independent) opportunity is being utilised by key entertainment and informational brands.
This is a scale opportunity.
We are in a unique market given the Australian love affair with the mobile phone. Already the marketplace has reached saturation with over 20 million active devices. In this market the mobile phone is the device that one cannot be without. You are in the minority if you are past your early teenage years and do not have one.
Consumer phone usage is also changing as improvements in usability, content availability, and education accelerate. A good indicator of this change in consumer behaviour can be found in the “The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index, Third Edition” published by AIMIA in March this year. This report observes that content purchases are still dominated by games and tones, but notes encouragingly that music downloads and video are the fast movers — having increased by 600% and 400% respectively, survey on survey.
What is the problem?
To put it simply, many organisations do not have the mobile phone numbers of their customers, or if they do, they do not have permission to use it as a marketing channel. Since legislation regarding spam was introduced many organisations in particular have been gradually growing their opt-in databases for email. There has been a move to minimise the information that requested from a consumer to maximise the potential of an opt-in. This has resulted in many organisations collecting merely an email address, a first name, and perhaps a postcode.
Even if you are a progressive organisation that is building its opt-in database of consumer mobile numbers, chances are you do not have a co-ordinated communication strategy to harvest and protect this asset. The immediacy and pervasiveness of the mobile device means that a mobile-number database requires special consideration regarding how it is utilised — and most importantly, when it is utilised. An opt-in database is an asset that requires active management.
Steps you should take today.
The best first step you can take is to put together a strategy for the collection and use of opt-in mobile numbers. You need to consider how relevant this channel may be today and in the future for communicating with your client base, and you need to consider what systems and resources may be required to adequately manage and access it in a meaningful way within the context of your overall contact strategy.
There are some immediate steps that you may wish to take and questions that you may wish to ask:
Do an inventory of your current opt-in database.
How many opt-ins do you have for mobile phone numbers?
What is the age and relevance of these numbers?
What segments/types of customers do you have mobile opt-ins for?
Review your current website(s). Make sure you check your main corporate site as well as any competition pages (etc) that your agency may have in place for you. Ensure you are collecting the mobile phone number and opt-in permission wherever possible.
Run a campaign to your existing customers to harvest mobile phone numbers.
You will have a variety of communications going to your customer base each and every week. Utilise these as a cost effective way for your client to opt-in to mobile communication.
Consider a specific campaign to update client information and acquire opt-in mobile numbers. This activity will generally have much broader benefits to your organisation–benefits that will include increasing your mobile opt-in.
Review your external promotions.
Do they already have a mobile element? If they do utilise a double-SMS strategy to offer your entrants the opportunity to opt-in to your database.
Update Ts&Cs, landing pages, and competition information to collect mobile numbers and obtain permission to use them.
Opt-in databases need particular consideration to ensure they are fresh, insightful, and are used with relevance to the audience. Consider how to achieve this with your ongoing promotional activity.
Discuss your strategy with your agency. Make sure that they understand your objectives and can help you with advice on the appropriateness of the mobile channel within your overall marketing strategy.
Review your metrics. Mobile marketing is extremely accountable in terms of measuring and demonstrating your marketing investment.
Some final considerations
The mobile channel offers individual conversations with consumers in an immediate and accountable environment. It is a channel that needs to be used wisely, with significant consideration given to the context of any message — including time of day, day of week, etc. — to avoid a negative consumer experience. Mobile is a channel that is best used within an overall media mix. Ensuring your other media appropriately utilise this channel as a glue to identify an individual consumer will maximise your results.
The marketing potential of this channel is accelerating as the current crop of mobile consumers migrates to new 3G networks and more usable handsets. As a marketer acting now within your organisation will ensure that you can cost-effectively exploit this channel and understand its role in the lives of your target market.
Article by Scott Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer — supplied courtesy of Marketing magazine. To subscribe, call 1800 804 160 or email marketing@niche.com.au.
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Mobile marketing 101: The push

by MattDickman (October 2007) (rank 19th)

You can't surf through the web today without seeing some iteration of mobile marketing. Everyone from the Wall Street Journal to AdAge is covering the ways in which marketers are creating new, mobile customer engagement opportunities.While I'm sure some of these campaigns are founded in keen strategic insight, and not by "me too" marketer-envy, there are some significant challenges to overcome. The mobile web is, compared to the web we access from our computers, in its infancy. We're talking about straight up 1996, buttonized, non-engaging user interfaces and one-size-fits-all content. The problems I see with the mobile web are about 5% in technology and 95% in a lack of understanding on the part of marketers. Go to most major sites on the web today and take a look on your phone. It's ugly, it's impersonal and 99% of the time it's the same site you see on your desktop but scrunched and battered into an almost incomprehensible form.Does it take a lot of work to get your mobile initiatives up and running? The answer is yes. I won't lie. You have to change your thinking and apply different rules. You may even need to make up new rules. The format and architecture is new and can't be borrowed from someplace else.Is it worth it to do this? Absolutely! If you go to a site that is made for mobile, you will see what I mean. The formatting is clean, the response is quick and the information you need is right there in front of you. You find yourself appreciative of the effort that company has taken to make sure your experience is a good one. Try going to http://m.google.com on your device and let me know what you think.We need to put things into perspective. Mobile marketing is new. Devices are improving all the time and standardization is slowly beginning to creep in. Acceptance of mobile marketing is also just starting to pick up. Earlier this year a study that the Mobile Marketing Association published found that only 2% of all US phone users have engaged in any form of marketing on mobile devices.Mobile marketing is a growth area, but should not be treated the same as a website. It needs new thinking, new strategy and new tactics to make sure you're reaching the right people with the right message.So, let's look at mobile push marketing. Users should only be contacted after a user confirms their opt-in to receive your message. Unrequested push marketing is spam and could lead to a major backlash and loss of subscribers. Mobile users should be nurtured like a flower, show lots of love, and only give them content when they ask for it.One practical example of push marketing that works is content alerting. You see this all the time with sports sites where users can sign up to receive score updates. The information is generated as it happens and each instance is not specifically requested by the user. These short messages are great ways to add value to an advertiser or promote an upcoming contest. This method works well with content that is followed closely and updated frequently. Best practices here would include batching information (sending scores at the end of the game or inning and not every time a point is scored).Other examples of push marketing are using advertising on other related content sites, sending one-time surveys or picture messages (if opted in for), weather and other site content updates and sending instant coupons to users. The coupon idea will be discussed later this week and has some major hurdles to jump before it becomes a reality for users. The more customized and relevant the message the more value your customers will see.So, do your customers use mobile technology? One way to determine some level of interest is to look at your current web site's stat reporting software (HitBox, WebTrends, etc.) and look in the browser info section to see if mobile devices are hitting your site. You may also want to run a short poll or survey to get more information on what customers would find useful. Some businesses may be tailoring something like this to an internal audience who all use one device. In this case more specific campaigns can be created and opting in could be automatic (i.e.; all sales people receive real-time quota info or pricing updates).No matter what your industry this is something you could be participating in now with some planning and dedication to the medium. Next up I'll talk about creating mobile versions of existing websites. That's one example that every single marketer should be looking at to meet the status quo, but to do it right takes some new thinking.

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Mobile marketing text message style by Broadcaster Media

Australian mobile marketing company Broadcaster Media is proving to be a hit in the U.S., with popular magazine Salon City using their latest mobile marketing tool to interact with readers.
Salon City, a beauty, fashion and lifestyle magazine with a Hollywood spin, is using Broadcaster Media’s Smarts platform for the creation and distribution of media-rich, context-specific ads to targeted mobile consumers.
The publication's advertisers can use Studio, an application built from Broadcaster Media’s Smarts platform, to create and distribute content with advertising.
Instead of sending text messages to a short code, interested subscribers send a keyword to a dedicated phone number. Studio then automatically sends that consumer a text message with a link to a mobile web site - prompting consumers to visit the site and interact with the brand.Broadcaster Media’s mobile marketing solution means that instead of 'texts' being the end-message, they are merely a tool to drive consumers to mobile web sites, where they can further interact with the brand, by downloading or browsing on-line.
The recent Telstra announcement of the introduction and long-term investment in QR codes as a mobile interaction platform raises the question whether Broadcaster Media's technology solutions will capture the imagination of the public, especially with the launch of the iPhone and the impending launch of many other smartphones from other handset manufacturers.
"We are ultimately trying to make mobile simple," said Michael Loftus, CEO of Broadcaster Media. "The Smarts platform is robust, scalable and usable for a multitude of campaign types. "
Broadcaster Media’s hosted web service and carrier-independent platform mean that Salon City’s advertisers can build their own mobile marketing campaign in hours instead of weeks, the service provider claimed. Advertisers can offer customers color images and graphics, wallpapers, coupons, embedded video, push-to-call and phone-based email.
End users have the choice of interacting with the content either in real-time via a WAP site or a download to their mobile handsets. A double opt-in feature ensures that they only receive information they are interested in. Studio lets advertisers create content that is both relevant and entertaining, encouraging end users to engage in a one-on-one dialogue with the brand.
The Broadcaster Media platform connects brands with their consumers through real-time content that can be delivered to their handset, email inbox or shared with their peers.
"The goal behind the studio platform is to let brand marketers rapidly create and deploy engaging content and rich campaigns to the mobile device of their target audiences," said Tammy Halter, Founder of Broadcaster Media.

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Intel in a mobile marketing muddle?

John G. Spooner and Michael Kanellos, Special to ZDNet
14 March 2003 10:20 AM
Tags: banias, intel, wireless, notebook, centrino, 802.11b, pentium, module
Notebook buyers will have to wade through multiple marketing messages to find the wireless combination they want when portables containing Intel's next generation of mobile chips make their debut next month.
The first notebooks using the Pentium-M, a new energy-efficient processor formerly code-named Banias, will emerge March 12. Intel will launch the chip and the new Centrino brand name that day at an event in New York attended by Intel Chief Executive Craig Barrett and high-level executives from Dell Computer, Toshiba and others.
After the debut, however, potential customers will be forced to choose between two brand names representing the same basic hardware inside these new notebooks.
Some notebooks will be affixed with Intel's Centrino badge, a logo that looks like a flying dart. The Centrino badge signifies that the notebook uses Intel's entire family of new chips including the Pentium-M, a supporting 855 chipset and the Intel Pro Wireless network connection via a mini PCI 802.11b radio module.
Other notebooks will come only with a Pentium-M badge.
The difference between the machines will be the wireless networking modules they contain. In some cases, PC makers will use all three components--the Pentium-M, the chipset and the Intel Pro Wireless module. In other cases, manufacturers will integrate the Pentium-M chip and chipset but use a wireless module from another manufacturer.
The distinction--and thus the different labeling--comes from the guidelines set by Intel for manufacturers. Those that do not use all three chips forfeit their ability to brand their machine as a Centrino. Even if their machines use the Pentium-M and 855 chipset, Intel won't allow manufacturers to use the Centrino label unless they also use the Intel wireless module.
The guidelines create a marketing dilemma for manufacturers. Most manufacturers want to give customers a choice between Intel's module and an alternative, such as an 802.11a module. But some sources say that manufacturers that don't opt to use Centrino could also lose out on some of the co-marketing funds that Intel grants to partners. Intel will spend about US$300 million to market Centrino.
But a company representative said that while Intel offers co-marketing funds to PC makers to help fund advertising, it allows those companies to choose where to use those funds and doesn't offer more money to a PC maker using Centrino than for one just using Pentium-M.
Customer choice"We will have Centrino products, and we will have other notebooks that will not be Centrino" but include the Pentium-M, said Jim McDonnell, vice president of marketing in the personal systems group at Hewlett-Packard. HP's goal is to let customers decide what they want, he said.
Sources familiar with Dell's plans said the company intends to focus its marketing on the Pentium-M and its attributes, which include longer battery life than the Pentium III-M or Pentium 4-M chip.
Intel asserts that notebooks using the Pentium-M chip, which will debut at clock speeds between 900MHz and 1.6GHz, will run for up to six hours on a single charge of their internal batteries. The current norm is three hours to four hours.
Dell plans to give customers the choice of whether to use Intel's module or one of its own Dell TrueMobile 802.11b modules--thus forfeiting its ability to use Centrino as an overall brand. Toshiba, which already has its own dual 802.11a and 802.11b module, will also give customers a choice of Intel's or other wireless modules, sources familiar with its plans said.
For its part, IBM plans to sell Centrino-branded notebooks, said sources close to the company. However, the company will offer an upgrade to include 802.11a. That upgrade cannot be labeled a Centrino.
Analysts say that the mixed messaging could confuse some potential customers at first. "This is really a commercial product. I don't think it's that big of an issue to commercial IT buyers," said Alan Promisel, notebook analyst with IDC. "It's going to confuse consumers, however, because Intel isn't marketing Pentium-M as heavily as it is the Centrino brand. That is a risk for OEMs," or original equipment manufacturers.
But Promisel asserts that most consumers who buy notebooks are not nearly as concerned with mobility and features like wireless networking as are business users at the moment. Instead, many consumers are buying larger, heavier and less expensive "desknote" machines that incorporate desktop Pentium 4 chips and 15-inch or larger screens.
"If anything, all the marketing is going to raise awareness and get consumers to start thinking about wireless connectivity and real mobility, not just portability. That's the crux behind Centrino's value proposition," Promisel said.
PC makers are also partially responsible for accurately explaining the differences between Pentium-M and Centrino notebooks, he added. "I do expect wireless demand to increase in the consumer segment based on the publicity that the Centrino launch is going to drum up," he said.
Timing is everythingThe root of Intel's Centrino dichotomy lies in the delay of its first wireless module. Initially, Intel planned to include a module that offered both 802.11a and 802.11b with its Centrino family. Bundling has often been a way for Intel to enter new markets, such as chipsets and PC graphics chips.
But in December, the company delayed the dual-band module until later in the first half of 2003. In its place, Intel will insert a module that uses an 802.11b chip from Philips in the first wave of Centrino notebooks.
Until Intel's module is released, manufacturers will have to go outside the Centrino family to add 802.11a or dual-band modules.
"Anything else does not qualify because it hasn't gone through Intel's testing process," said Shannon Johnson, an Intel representative. "Centrino represents the best in class from Intel because it has been designed to work together and tested. We want to ensure a great user experience. Anything else that's been kind of put together--we can't ensure it's been tested to the fullest."
PC makers that don't use the Intel module could also stand to see higher development costs than those that do. Intel has performed thousands of hours of testing on its module, so it can ensure that a Centrino-branded notebook will work properly, the company said.
The testing was meant to ensure compatibility among the module, the Pentium-M, the chipset and existing wireless services, said Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel's Israel design center, where the Pentium-M was designed.
"We have developed (test and verification) chips whose only aim in life was to torture the rest of the system," Eden said.
Meanwhile, the Pentium-M will become the predominant notebook chip for Intel by the end of the year, various Intel executives have said.
The company will still supply its mobile Pentium 4 chips for notebooks, but they are likely to appear only in the consumer market, and even then in the cheaper models.
the speed here.

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Building Bridges through Mobile Marketing

Submitted by Snurb on Wed, 26/11/2008 - 11:20.
Mobile and Wireless Technologies Australasian Media & Broadcasting Congress 2008 Mobile Telephony
Sydney.Rachel de Sain is the next speaker at the Australasian Media & Broadcasting Congress; she is Strategy and Commercial Manager for Mobile at Sensis. Her focus is on mobile advertising and marketing. Sensis operates brands such as Yellow Pages, WhereIs, TradingPost and Citysearch, and has recently come around to placing this content in Google and Google Maps as well - in this, mobile has become one of the most fundamental parts of the business.
Sensis gets around 2.5 million searches from mobile devices per month, and this doubles around every four months. Mobiles now have a 101% penetration rate in Australia, but over 49% of Australians have owned a phone for over 7 years, so it's not a new technology any more, even though technological features keep changing. Benefits for consumers are that mobiles are always on, that they choose whom to communicate with, that communication is personalised, and that it is relevant on the fly - if therefore provides confidence for consumers. For advertisers, the always-on nature is also attractive, and customers using mobile phones to connect are genuine customers, not windowshoppers. Also, the return on investment is measurable. Overall, though, the mobile is about building bridges, it takes users from one platform to another, and this is crucial.
The measurability of the effectiveness of mobile advertising is crucial. While privacy remains enabled, location, age, gender, and spending patterns of users are known, and this enables targetted advertising, which in turn increases the return on investment for advertisers. Click-through rates on Bigpond and Sensis mobile sites are around 1-12%, but the interaction rate with advertiser content after clicking through is around 30%, which is significant. Additionally, users take the result of searches with them - for advertisers, that means that users find them more reliably.
The Telstra 1234 business search service now sends a free SMS back to the user, too - and advertisers may soon also be able to take advantage of this by sending information about promotion events to people who have previously searched for them. Telstra is also launching the QR codes (or semacodes) which enable mobile phone users to scan in specific barcodes in order to get links to mobile sites with more information; these sites can also be dynamic and can offer different promotional material or special offers depending on the time of day or day in the week.
This also allows for further integration between print, display, and mobile advertising - and such marketing campaigns have been proven to maximise customer reach and spend. (21% of users participating in the recent Lexus L'Exhibition integrated campaign actually called a dealer.) In Japan, QR codes have even been included in TV broadcasts. Another addition which is likely to come to Australia sooner or later is using the mobile phone for payment as well - this, then, closes the final gap in the loop. Rachel describes such approaches a building bridges between advertisers and users.

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Receive Discount Coupons On Your Mobile Phone - by Ben Deleon

FL Company Launches New Service That Sends Discount Coupons To Mobile Phones Via Text Message Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) June 6, 2005 — South Florida-based, DGXMedia, Inc., officially launched its new mobile marketing service which enables you to have discount coupons sent to your mobile phone via text message. The service is called Mob Coupons, as in “MOB-ile COUPONS”. And to redeem these coupons, all you have to do is to present the text message that the advertiser sent to your mobile phone, next time you make a purchase. Imagine this: just show the bartender your mobile phone — with the bar’s text message on it — and you get your second drink for free. Your mobile phone becomes your coupon. In a statement announcing its launch, Mob Coupons creator, Ben Deleon, ensured consumers that foremost, Mob Coupons were designed “with responsible marketing in mind.” He said, “We recognize that permission-based marketing is the only acceptable consumer-marketer relationship in the digital space. In order for mobile marketing to succeed, it must be perceived not as an intruder, but as an information tool that provides convenience and value to the consumer.” Mob Coupons are always free to consumers. Text Messages are sent using standard SMS service that do not have any premium rates attached to them. Furthermore, getting Mob Coupons is strictly customer-initiated, self-serve and 100% permission-based. Merchants who are interested in adding mobility to their marketing can try Mob Coupons free of charge by visiting www.mobcoupons.com. Contact: Susan Gifford DGXMedia, Inc. E-Mail: e-mail protected from spam bots Website: http://www.mobcoupons.com/

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Solutions Integrated Engages ValueFirst for Mobile Messaging Services - by Vijay Shukla

Solutions Integrated engages ValueFirst for mobile messaging services. Gurgaon (PRWEB) October 28, 2005 — Solutions Integrated (www.solutions-intg.com) a Delhi based leading direct marketing company, has engaged ValueFirst Messaging Private Limited (www.vfirst.com) for all its mobile marketing requirements. Solutions Integrated regularly uses text messaging for marketing requirement of its clients and considers it a very useful, alternative communications channel. The engagement with ValueFirst has been done as it provides reliable, end-to-end services for two-way interactive messaging at very economical rates. Mr. Nikhil Sarup, Associate Vice President- eMarketing and IT Services - Solutions, said “messaging is gaining increased importance in Solutions Integrated’s media strategy. He further said “conveying information to the registered customers of their clients and for new lead generation, messaging is very effective”. Solutions Integrated uses ValueFirst services for sending SMS and also for lead generation on 4 digit short code numbers. Solutions Integrated has found ValueFirst platform very robust and scalable. ValueFirst provides a platform to advertising agencies and media and direct marketing companies using which they carry out various permission-based marketing campaigns. The platform enables agencies to do every thing in-house without any dependence on service providers or mobile operators. ValueFirst provides a one-stop-shop for all mobile messaging requirements. About Solutions Integrated Marketing Services Solutions is the leading provider of full service lead generation and direct marketing programs. Its programs are proven to consistently deliver quality, quantity and cost targets. Its clients are successful, multi-national companies that provide high value services or products to consumers. Particular categories of strength for Solutions include Information Technology, Consumer electronics, FMCG, Medical/Pharmaceutical, and Financial Services. About ValueFirst Messaging Pvt Ltd ValueFirst enables its customers to communicate between varied IT back-end systems and mobile phones. ValueFirst specialises in providing mobile data services and related applications to advertising and direct marketing companies and serves a large number of enterprises. Solutions Integrated contact details: 3rd Floor, Chandra Bhawan, 67-68, Nehru Place, New Delhi 110 019 http://www.solutions-intg.com Tel: +91 11 26226568 ValueFirst contact details: C 071 B, DLF Supermart I, DLF City Phase IV Gurgaon, Haryana, India 122 002 http://www.vfirst.com Tel: +91 124 5042537/8

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SMS MARKETING - by Nakul Mehra

Introduction to SMSShort Message Service A text message service that enables short messages of generally no more than 140-160 characters in length to be sent and transmitted from a cellphone.
SMS was introduced in the GSM system and later supported by all other digital-based mobile communications systems. Unlike paging, but similar to e-mail, short messages are stored and forwarded at SMS centers, which mean you, can retrieve your messages later if you are not immediately available to receive them. If the phone is powered off or out of range, messages are stored in the network and are delivered at the next opportunity.
SMS Marketing : Wireless Revolution in MarketingSMS is an extremely cost-effective, high-response-rate vehicle, which can help to acquire and retain consumers, sell and promote products, drive loyalty, and reinforce branding efforts. Have you tried SMS marketing to promote your business?
Abstract Communication plays a vital role in Marketing. Till today we have seen newspapers, magazines, television, radio, hording, road shows and Internet as major marketing communication tools. In addition telecommunication has given new gift to us. M - Mobile.
Go through some facts:According to one estimate, in 2005 text - based services formed a Rs 100 crore industry, approximately 30 per cent of the value-added services market. Over the next five years, it estimated that text-based services would grow at a compound annual growth rate of 47 per cent to reach Rs 720 crore in 2010.
Mobile marketing is highly personalised, interactive and has an immediate impact.
Attractive features of SMS (mobile) marketing instant, direct and fast.
2- Way communication.
Effective as it is targeted to particular age, gender or profession.
cost effective.
It can be easily promoted through cross-media like radio, TV or print.
As customer forward messages in a group it opens opportunities of Viral Marketing.
SMS is fun loving tool. It is catching up record breaking usage.
ICM telephone survey
94% of messages are ‘read’, which helps explain the high levels of response and brand impact. For the best performing campaigns, the study reveals outstanding results as follows: 46% response (of any type), 27% Reply to a message, 19% visit a web site, 15% Visit a store. The average campaign delivers 15% response (of any type), which is more than twice the average other industry reports have given for direct mail (sources: Gartner, DMIS) Where is it so effective?“Mobile marketing is suited best to drive sales of consumer packaged goods, restaurant menu items and high-street retail commodities — sectors that have advertised very little online to date.” - Jupiter Research analyst Dylan Brooks
Case StudyMc Donald tried SMS marketing by project ‘e-street’. The project signed up 2,500 mobile phone-users in the town of Lulea, Sweden. to receive SMS messages of special offers from 150 local organizations. After the volunteers were sent an SMS for a McDonalds burger offer, 25 per cent of the targeted users took up the offer.
Conclusion Every invention comes with both positive and negative features. It depends on users. It is up to marketers how best and safely they can use it. Being limited up to somewhere 160 characters; SMS depends on other cross media also. Still it is most useful in instant messaging / advertising to targeted audience

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SMS Marketing - finding customers through mobile marketing - by Stefanos Cunning

SMS Marketing - finding customers through mobile marketing
The mobile phone has revolutionised everyday life as well as the way we do business. A less well-known fact is that it also opens up fantastic opportunities for interaction between companies and their customers.
The following statistics clearly demonstrate the fantastic take-up of Text Messaging, or SMS (Short Messaging Service), in the consumer market:
-Over 20 billion text messages were sent in the UK in 2003 (Mobile Data Association) -Over 25 billion text messages were sent in the UK in 2004 (Mobile Data Association) -Expected growth for 2005 to reach 30 billion text messages (Mobile Data Association) -56% of direct marketers are planning regular SMS use this year (Forrester)
Over the past few years, text messaging has become by far the most popular mobile data service, and mobile marketing has established itself as an attractive medium in terms of entry cost, response rates and interactivity. We will see it become an increasingly important element in the communications mix in the future.
SMS as a Marketing Tool
For marketers SMS opens up completely new opportunities. Provided recipients have actively opted-in to a service or promotion, an SMS campaign is very well received. The results speak for themselves: recall rates of 60-90% and response rates of 5-20% are often achieved. This is why SMS is becoming incredibly popular to use as one of the many components in an integrated marketing campaign. Still, this medium is very much in its infancy, and the sky is the limit. The following factors will drive the future growth of mobile marketing:
-Further adoption of text messaging among older age segments -Introduction of further content and services available only on mobile phones (ring tones, alerts, logos, pictures etc) -Introduction of new standards and formats that offer a richer user experience and further interactivity (MMS with colour and sound, polyphonic ring tones etc)
The bottom line is, mobile phones are becoming an integral part of the social fabric. As such we strongly believe in the power of mobile marketing!
Case Studies
An East-end Pub using SMS to market theme nights
A small east-end pub wanted to increase the turnout to their pub during week. So they decided to create theme nights for both Tuesday and Wednesday. During the weekend they had membership sign-ups to the SMS TXTing service.
Using a web-based interface, the pub owner would prepare a text message the night before the event and send it to his database of members, usually offering a 50% off discount if the member would show up with that text message. It proved a great success with 27% of those who received the text message showing up at the pub.
A London-based security company - Off-site SMS timesheets
A London-based security company, wanted to centralise and automate their timesheet system for all of their off-site security officers. At each site a supervisor was provided with a mobile phone with an allocated monthly amount of SMS text credits.
Using SMS technology, the supervisor would text a keyword and a badge number for each security officer as they arrived on site. This SMS text message was sent to a central database which updated the individual security officer’s timesheet. As each officer left the site at the end of the day, the supervisor would again text a keyword with the badge number to the provided number. This cut the entire process of timesheet collection (sometimes taking 48 hours) to 0 hours as the database provided the administration with a live feed. This process also ensured that records were accurate and never lost.
A London nightclub news website - provide daily what’s on tonight SMS Textback Service
A London nightclub news website wanted to provide their members with the ability to find out what bars and nightclubs were open on any given day, without having to browse the website as well as convince bars and nightclubs to advertise on the website
Using reverse billing and textback, the website provided its users with the ability to find out this information. Users would text a particular keyword in their mobile handset and then send this message to a defined short code (i.e. 83999). A set amount was then immediately deducted from the users phone either pay-as-you-go or from their monthly contract. The user would then receive an instant SMS message with all of the particular nightclubs that were open that evening.
By using this type of advertising the website was able to increase its sales for advertisers on its site by 40% in first quarter alone.
2cast4 - SMS artist textback service for casting/booking application
2cast4, an application service software provider for agents in the media and advertising industries working in film, television and photography, wanted to provide casting agents a fast and efficient way to communicate with their artists in order to find out if they were available for castings.
By using a combination of Web and SMS technology, 2cast4 leads the industry in casting solutions. Casting agents enter all of the casting job details into a database and then query the database for artist matches based on set criteria. Then those short-listed can be sent an instant SMS message. The casting agent only enters the message once, but it is personalised and sent to all of the relevant artists. Upon receipt of the SMS text message, the artist simply replies to the text with either yes or no. The message is then routed back to the database and updates the records immediately. This solution provided the casting agents with time/cost-saving efficiency while ensuring accurate records.
A digital media company - Multimedia via SMS and WAP
A London-based digital media company wanted to provide their users with the ability to choose from several different media and by sending a text message to a given short code (i.e. 83999), an automatic WAP service message was sent back to the user for them to download the file (i.e. MID, MP3, 3GP).
Using a web interface, the digital media company was able to upload their media files straight to a web server, while also storing the file information in a database. All SMS requests, WAP service messages and downloads were tracked by the database, as were user information like mobile number, mobile network, mobile handset, WAP IP address, file requested, file downloaded, and date. Through use of this tracking system the digital media company was able to compile important user marketing information.
Conclusion
Mobile marketing is a new addition to the media mix, with great opportunities for direct interaction with customers and cost-effective data collection. Leading brands have adopted this medium and the number of companies actively using mobile marketing in their marketing strategies is growing rapidly.
Selecting a supplier that understands the medium as well your requirements is key to success - we hope that this overview will help you to make the most out of this exciting media channel. For further information and case studies from your industry, please see www.unilabplus.com, www.i-multimarket.co.uk or contact Stefanos Cunning at Unilabplus Ltd London office.

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Simplewire Provides SMS Aggregation for Guinness Beer Promotion - by Cindy Romano

Simplewire, a U.S.-based SMS aggregator, enables Guinness Beer to launch its first SMS cross-carrier short code advertising campaign. The campaign utilizes cross-media platforms including television, radio and print to drive additional user interaction from their mobile handset via SMS (Short Messaging Service). By responding from their handset, users may be entered to win free Guinness Beer or other prizes. Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB via PR Web Direct) September 1, 2004 — Simplewire, a U.S.-based SMS aggregator, enables Guinness Beer to launch its first SMS cross-carrier short code advertising campaign. The campaign utilizes cross-media platforms including television, radio and print to drive additional user interaction from their mobile handset, via SMS (Short Messaging Service). By responding from their cell phones and wireless PDAs, users may be entered to win free Guinness Beer or other prizes. Simplewire collaborated with Vanso and Soapbox Mobile, a leading mobile marketing agency and application service provider, to help organize the campaign and build the custom application. Soapbox Mobile’s Anywhere™ Mobile Marketing Platform serves as the application’s foundation and Simplewire’s Software Development Kits (SDK) were utilized to handle the transmission of 2-way SMS over the Simplewire Wireless Messaging Network. About Simplewire Simplewire is an aggregator of SMS services in the U.S. wireless market. The Simplewire Network provides the most direct and reliable route into each operator’s network, offering timely and accurate delivery of every wireless message. Through its extensive set of connectivity agreements, Simplewire provides standard SMS and mobile content delivery, cross-carrier short codes, premium SMS and other value-added mobile services. About Vanso Vanso is a provider of business-class mobile marketing services. Vanso is an emerging player in the mobile industry as a result of its unique platform for integrated marketing campaigns. Vanso’s networking expertise and client relationships build the foundation for the successful execution of mobile marketing initiatives. About Soapbox Mobile Soapbox Mobile is an application service provider (ASP) specializing in mobile applications and services such as m-commerce, mobile marketing and mobile CRM (Customer Relationship Management). The company enables consumer brands, products and services, non-profits, and marketing, advertising, promotional and public relations agencies to generate revenue, build relationships and increase awareness on a one-to-one basis through the highly effective medium of mobile communications. Contact Information: Cindy Romano e-mail protected from spam bots

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