Industry Analysis on Mobile Banking Now Available From The Mobile Marketing Association

Addresses Mobile Opportunities for Financial Institutions and Further Expands MMA’s Platform of Educational Resources
New York; London, UK; Singapore and Sao Paulo, January 29, 2009 – The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) today announced the publication of its Mobile Banking Overview; an educational resource designed to provide analysis of the unique marketing opportunities and attributes that the mobile channel represents for the financial sector. Key subjects include market size, consumer-focused mobile banking products and services, and the mobile media channels available to banks and other financial institutions. It also provides considerations for optimizing mobile banking communications and campaign effectiveness within each channel.
“As mobile commerce becomes more secure, we will see a paradigm shift in the way people do their banking,” said Sean Moshir, CEO of CellTrust and Mobile Banking Sub-Committee Co-Chair at the MMA. “We believe that mobile banking will parallel the Internet era in many aspects, leading consumers and financial institutions alike to become more comfortable with mobile transactions. The Mobile Banking Sub-Committee is pleased to present the Mobile Banking Overview as a key milestone in the evolution of mobile commerce.”
The overview is the result of ongoing member collaboration with the MMA North America Mobile Banking Sub-Committee of the MMA Global Mobile Commerce Committee. The Mobile Banking Overview includes participation from the following MMA Mobile Banking sub-Committee member companies: Acuity Mobile, AT&T Mobility, CellTrust Corporation, Fidelity Investments, Silverback Media, Sprint, VeriSign, Inc., Verizon Wireless, Virgin Mobile, USA and Washington State Employees Credit Union.
“The improved user experience across handsets and networks and better browsing capabilities associated with the mobile web have resulted in significant growth in the mobile banking market over the past several years,” said new MMA President and CEO Mike Wehrs. “Many financial institutions already offer some form of mobile services for their customers, and the MMA is seeing mobile usage rise for personal banking. The Mobile Banking Overview is an important step towards the formulation of guidelines around the service, and a great addition to existing MMA educational resources.”
This week The MMA also published an updated version of its Mobile Advertising Overview. Initially made available in April 2008, the publication is designed to help educate those new to the mobile advertising industry, providing an overview of the mobile media channels available to advertisers today, and outlining the benefits and considerations to optimize campaign effectiveness and strengthen consumer satisfaction. Together, the Mobile Banking and Mobile Advertising Overviews make up just a part of the array of industry research, educational tools and guidelines that the MMA has created in collaboration with its members to help drive the adoption of mobile marketing globally.
The MMA Mobile Banking Overview can be downloaded from www.mmaglobal.com/mbankingoverview.pdf. The updated Mobile Advertising Overview white paper can be downloaded from www.mmaglobal.com/mobileadvertisingoverview.pdf.
About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the use of the mobile channel. The more than 700 member companies, representing over forty countries around the globe, include all members of the mobile media ecosystem. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe (EUR), Latin America (LATAM), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com.

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Unicast Introduces New Mobile Marketing Technology for an End-to-End Mobile Solution

Unicast Introduces New Mobile Marketing Technology for an End-to-End MobileSolutionNew SMS Capabilities are Part of Unicast's Rich Media Mobile SuiteNEW YORK, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Unicast, a division ofEnliven Marketing Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ENLV), today announced theintroduction of a new mobile marketing SMS technology as a part of the UnicastRich Media Mobile suite of products. Unicast's Rich Media Mobile technology isa hosted delivery and tracking solution for optimized rich mobile web pagecontent. The Unicast platform provides the tools for advertisers and agenciesto quickly and efficiently create, deliver, and measure the effectiveness ofrich media mobile ad campaigns. Unicast's new Rich SMS feature enhancesUnicast's current mobile marketing offering and allows marketers to bridgeonline advertising and mobile marketing channels for a comprehensive andintegrated digital advertising solution. Combined with Unicast's rich media minisite capabilities and a robustreporting interface, the new SMS technology will enable marketers to create acontinuous branding experience for their audience on the Web and on mobiledevices. With the new Rich SMS feature, users can send real-time text messagesfrom an online ad to a mobile device, directing the recipient to a rich mobileminisite where they can watch videos and enjoy other downloadable content. Forbrands, this creates message consistency across devices, and provides aconnection between web and mobile marketing campaigns. Unicast's branded richmobile web sites offer multiple features such as data capture, videostreaming, interactive store locators, movie show times, wallpaper and ringtone downloads. Unicast Rich Media Mobile is compatible with many devicesacross the major US wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, andVerizon. The new SMS feature is available for all of Unicast's Premium RichMedia ad formats. "Mobile phones are quickly becoming the most personal, all-inclusivetechnology devices for users, so it is no surprise that today's marketers aretrying to harness the potential of mobile marketing to more effectively targetconsumers," said Patrick Vogt, CEO of Enliven Marketing TechnologiesCorporation. "What's more, according to Gartner research, we can expect 2.3trillion text messages to ride the airwaves in 2008. Mobile carriers andbrands are looking for ways to deliver a richer and more relevant contentexperience, so we will continue to develop our mobile and Internet marketingtechnologies to enhance rich media experiences for the next generation ofdigital advertising. " ABOUT ENLIVEN MARKETING TECHNOLOGIES Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation (formerly ViewpointCorporation) is a leading Internet Marketing Technology Company, offeringInternet marketing and online advertising solutions through a powerfulcombination of proprietary visualization technology, and a Premium Rich Mediaadvertising platform for the creation, delivery and reporting of PRM.Enliven's family of brands include Unicast, the Internet Marketing andAdvertising Technology Group, and Springbox, the Creative Digital MarketingSolutions Group. The company's technology and online advertising solutions areleveraged by some of the world's most esteemed brands, including AOL, GE,Sony, and Toyota. More information can be found at www.enliven.com. Thecompany has approximately 140 employees with offices in New York, NY, LosAngeles, CA, Austin, TX and London, England. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains "forward-looking" statements as that term isdefined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similarexpressions that reflect Enliven's current expectations about its futureperformance. These statements and expressions are subject to risks,uncertainties and other factors that could cause Enliven's actual performanceto differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statementsand expressions. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include those describedin Enliven's filings and reports on file with the Securities and ExchangeCommission.

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Don’t blame Advertising. Blame Parents.

In a recent article in the popular Afrikaans Sunday paper, Rapport, Marlene Malan covered the effect advertising has on children.
This topic has been referenced ad nauseum, but I couldn’t help but question the essence of the article and the featured guests’ interpretation of advertising aimed at the youth. I’d like to highlight a couple of statements and give my personal opinion on this.
Marlene initiates the article by recalling some popular television commercials, among others a carbonated drink promoting and encouraging youngsters to participate in a singing competition.
Another features a very popular sunglass commercial with a sexy blond presenting the youth with the image of being cool and sexy.
Go like there’s no tomorrow, Get in on credit and a host of other catch phrases infiltrate the minds of the youth and persuade them that inner happiness is borne from outer appearances. I have no objections with the crux of this matter, because advertising is meant to influence.
However, advertising is here to stay. And children will be confronted with more direct advertising, greater influencing messages and stronger reference to celebrities as the industry becomes more competitive and product suppliers increase.
Dr. ST Potgieter, a Cape Town guidance counselor believes it will benefit parents to realize that the advertising industry has now become a science. Extreme research is conducted to increase the effect and influential values of advertising.
Ezelle du Plessis, the coordinator: internal communications at the Northlink College in the Western Cape reckons parents are faced with a daily battle against powerful media exposure to the youth.
Mobile marketing, print media with strong reference to idols and celebrities diminishes the importance of basing decisions on social relationships and moral values.
These are valid points, but it’s the undercurrent of the article that annoys me and places a very competitive advertising industry in a bad light.
“Before children can even speak, they start mimicking television commercials. Parents brag about how well their little ones handle a computer long before they can even read.”
It’s odd, but something in this message indicates that it might not be the advertising industry that allows these children to “pollute” their minds with this supposed nonsense.
“Our children’s social manners are also skewed, because they’re constantly occupied by Facebook and Mxit. Where it was previously bad manners to sms in company, it is now acceptable.”
I don’t recall when it was ever acceptable to sms during conversation or when in company of others. The reason kids do this, is simply because they weren’t disciplined. It’s a bad habit and again I fail to see how Facebook or Mxit made these manners acceptable or even constitutes such behaviour.
“Condom advertising carries the message that it’s ok to have sex when you’re young, as long as you do it safely.”
I simply do not recall a single condom commercial (at least on SA television) promoting teenage sex. Most of them are geared toward the prevention of AIDS. If you’re going to engage in sex though, be sure to have protection.
“It might contradict family values, but (advertising) conditions a child to believe that these actions are actually OK.”
“Parents don’t know their children well enough. In addition to that it is the messages that movies and television portray that violence is a problem solver and that material belongings bring happiness.”
We live in a world where advertising, the media and even people from the street have the ability to negatively influence a child. It is up to the parents to educate them in a manner that instills family and moral values.
The real problem here is parents who switch on the television for their children, or buy them expensive mobile phones to keep them busy, while they rush off to their Pilates classes.
“It is easier these days to satisfy a child’s demands borne from advertising, than it is to teach them moral and social values.”
Now that I can believe…

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A Marketer’s Promise

The elite performers in life spend their time centered on creating and building value rather than on making money. They seek out ways to enrich others, and they live to improve the lot of those who have the privilege of doing business with them. They take themselves out of the equation and exist, in many ways, for others. The irony is that they’re the ones who become the most successful and wealthy.”
Trust, compassion and understanding are among others, three fundamental principles in life. If “happiness and success are the unintended yet inevitable byproducts of a life spent creating value for other human beings”, then surely that should manifest onto business as well.
Marketers sometimes forget that the road to riches lies not in the chasing of money, but in the delivery of a product or service that fulfills the need of the consumer. Instead of feeding the supply and demand chain, we often tend to maneuver our product into the fast lane to expedite turnaround time and secure greater returns.
In life though, every single relationship is based on trust and mutual respect. I don’t believe there has ever been a case of brand loyalty that was based around anything else besides that.
“Good companies focus purely on profits, great companies focus on their higher purpose – to create results for their customers and make a difference in their lives”.
These all seem like sugar coated motivational catch phrases, mainly because the simplicity if it all is so profound that our cluttered minds simply cannot comprehend it.
Marketing has become such a competitive industry that even the most sincere attempts at honesty are greeted with skepticism. Consumers have long since been baffled into a conundrum of deceit and lies, that for any marketer the challenge of making and honest dime probably doesn’t seem worth it.
So we don’t. We wake up in the morning, put on our suit of armor and leave our conscience at home as we head off to work. And many of us succeed in reaping financial awards far greater than our wildest expectations, and yet, these pieces of paper buy us everything besides happiness, contentment and purpose.
“There is no place for weakness in the business world” is commonly thrown in the faces of individuals who dare show signs of humanity and compassion. “It’s a fast paced world out there, and if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left for dead” is another.
But I believe we as marketers have a primary duty toward our clients and customers to carry their interests at heart and deliver a service that adds value to their lives, rather than the profit margins of our own firms.
The irony of course, as mentioned in the quotes from “The Saint, the surfer and the CEO”, is that serving the need of your customers will ultimately enrich your life and your bank balance.

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My Mxit Mayhem

Thanks to the industry I find myself in Mxit has become sort of a buzz word here in South Africa. Many of my older readers might only have heard of it before and have not had first hand experience in it.
I have though. Last night. And it was a catastrophe. I was having coffee with two girl friends last night when Mxit came up in a conversation. It’s either that, or Facebook, or both. I promise you, within 5 minutes both of them were logged into Mxit and checking out the territory.
I didn’t have my phone there, because quite frankly, I don’t like carrying one around so I was left out of this seemingly mesmerizing digital world.
But they were giggling and comparing and daring and seemed to generally be having a great time. I left soon after, because…who wouldn’t, right?
And I thought I’d give this beast a go. I logged in and was looking for this special place called Jazz Café. Couldn’t find it. Keep in mind people, I am a web strategist and these things are pretty arbitrary for our minds.
Right, so I consult with the one girl friend on what to do, on Mxit of course. Dynamic Zone is where I needed to go. 20 minutes later I realized my phone can’t perform two Mxit commands after another. 10pm.
I had to log out and then log back in to further my venture.
Still doesn’t work. So I consult with her again. Ahhh, moola. As in Mxit money. I buy 200 credits and it cost me R 2. Fantastic.
Log out. Log in.
Great, have my moola and my mojo still in tact. Off to that dynamic zone again. I’m excited. Fingers itchy. Got into the zone pretty effortlessly, but absolutely no Jazz Café. Consult with friend again and was told to go through the Grown Up section.
Log out. Log in.
Right, straight to dynamic zone. Salivating stuff, I tell you. Enter the grown up section and voila!!!!! Jazz Café. Tried to pop into one of the chat rooms but nooooooooo!!! Register my friend. 200 moola. Fair enough, it’s only R 2. I register. I accept the Terms and Conditions. I’m older than 18. I try to get in. Damnit.
Log out. Log in.
Dynamic Zone, Grown Up, Jazz Café. I’m turning 28 and my thumb feels like I’m 80 years old with arthritis at this stage. Accept Terms & Conditions, yes I’m 18. Sorry, your moola is finished sir. Of course! I used it to register. Back to buying moola. Doesn’t work.
Log out. Log in.
Buy moola. 500 credits this time, just to be safe. Dynamic Zone, Grown Up, Jazz Café. Accept Terms and Conditions, yes I’m still 18, yes I’ll be safe and never reveal my pin. Yes, plllleeeeaaase just let me in!!!! 10:50pm.
10 rooms to choose from. I choose one. Room full, wait in the queue? Hell no!
Next room. Room full. Wait? Hell no!
Next room. Yes. Welcome CaptainDanger. Have a nice time.
Untimely beep indicates my battery is flat. 11:25pm

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What have we learnt from Carte Blanche’s Web 2.0 documentary?

I’ve noticed some mixed reviews from influential bloggers and internet strategists on the Carte Blache documentary about the “Web 2.0” revolution aired last night.
Many questions were left unanswered according to Nic Haralambous, where he asks what exactly the quote “The pace of change has exceeded our ability to keep up” means and to who they were referring to.
Another obvious question was centered on all the internet buzzwords like Mxit, Facebook, Twitter and the vague or non-existent attempt at explaining what these are during the programme. “There was no definition of what web 1.0 was, never mind what web 2.0 is and where it’s headed.”
It seems from reports that people (regular, non internet thought leaders) were left still confused and uncertain to what Web 2.0 entails.
From a previous discussion I had with Tyler Reed and some others to a lesser extent, my answer to these probing questions is simply, what does it matter?
Through a medium like television or the “old media” as it is referred to, what is blatantly obvious is the audience they’re adressing: The older generation, many of who probably has no interest in where this is heading or the impact it will have on their lives.
What is of importance is the influence it has on their children and a future that is as uncertain as the ones before.
Web 1.0 and 2.0 are merely phrases the internet strategists has coined to encapsulate a change in consumer behaviour, a change not enforced by them mind you, but a change brought about by entrepreneurs and strategists around the world.
We’re not seeing consumers changing society, but they’re now leading the way because of advanced technolgy enabling them to do so. This has caused businesses to adopt or ultimately…be left out.
What is the impact of the Carte Blanche documentary? Honestly, I believe not too much and I doubt any difference in their approach or clarification of terms and phrases would’ve changed that.
What they attempted was to mash up various technologies and bring in an element of cool, a concept almost certainly lost on the majority of their target audience. I believe a 20 minute interview with either Rafiq Philips or Dave Duarte would’ve explained new media in a better way.
However, I doubt the impact would have been different. Our consumers are nonchalant in the jargon we publish. They are completely oblivious to the mechanics behind the scenes. And they certainly don’t care.
As long as we, the technology and service providers, keep producing innovative platforms that allow them to express themselves to a wider, more diverse and controversial spectrum of people and brands are smart enough to adopt these in their marketing strategies, there’s little else we need to evangelise.
Whether we term that Web 3.0 or semantic web, is beside the point. All that is important from this documentary is that we’ve established a vantage point of rapid change. We’ve opened the technological can of worms and have broken down the barriers that were once standing firm in protecting a society from outside influence.
Do we need to educate the Carte Blanche audience on the changes they are witnessing? Yes, but only to those that are interested in the change and the next generation that would truly be living in the digital era.
For them, the programme has sparked a big enough interest to further their knowledge

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Tired of those overhyped buzzwords?

There’s a new buzzword that’s making the rounds these days in the internet world and it’s called ORM (Online Reputation Management).
It’s hardly groundbreaking stuff, since public relations mostly catered for this need ever since that first company decided to badmouth a competitor, but it was certainly given an enormous boost with the recent launch of BrandsEye from Quirk and the proliferation of its existence by all and sundry and the spectacular ability to track brand mentions on the internet.
Similar to previous other buzzwords like join the online conversation, Web 2.0 / 3.0 / Semantic Web, Generation X / Y or whatever fancy term you’ve come across, it tends to become a tad annoying, overcooked and almost always, (slightly) overhyped.
I am not disputing the advantages of incorporating these elements into your online strategy as it may provide your business with a distinct advantage over your competitors, a true reflection of (the perception of) your brand on the internet, a way to engage with your target audience and a two way channel for client relations.
However, while those are all beneficial business add-ons, it might not be a requirement for your imminent needs nor may online even be a critical element of your business model.
You might find the odd meeting or conversations with social media strategists (those guys that keep on harping about how fantastic the internet is) to start off with “you need a blog” or “if you’re not on Facebook, you’re not online”. I am one of those guys and have fallen into that trap before, especially considering the industry being relatively new and the eagerness with which we approach this international communications facilitator.
Despite the obvious benefits online serves many businesses and industries, it is never a good idea to rush into any new media practice with rigorous excitement and a futile follow through.
If “the online conversation” with your consumers does not add value to your client relations strategy, then it’s certainly not a commendable route.
Rather focus your money and your efforts on the things that matter most to the foundation of your business, whether that is professional business cards or exceptional coffee. The best advice I can give businesses today is to “establish what the best thing is you can do with your time and money today”.
While you’re at it, add bootstrapping to your buzzword list of 2008.

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If you’re online, you’re a liar!

I bet that most of you reading this post have over inflated your online / digital profiles to some extent or another.
I’m not only referring to perennial social networks like Facebook, Myspace or local flavoured Blueworld, but have you considered other digital formats where you present a piece of yourself to the public like your blog, your e-mail sginature, your online resume, your Linked-In profile, your mobile answering message, online dating profiles or even your twitter conversations?
What are the impression people get from you when they visit your personal footprint?
Before you discount yourself from these majorities, ask yourself these simple questions:
1. Have you spent more than a considerable amount of time choosing a picture for your online profile / have you used image editing software to improve your picture?
2. Have you looked up words or searched for more “clever” words to spice up writing so that it comes across as more professional?
3. Have you ever excluded certain (critical) personal information from your profile?
4. Have you ever been reluctant about publishing information online because of its availability to others?
5. Have you connected with higher statused people to improve the perception of yourself?
I have.
Some call it common sense, some call it vanity. Scientists call it impression management. Society’s moral standards have demanded from us to live a more congruent life, one that is aligned with our inner beings through every format we present ourselves.
Isn’t it shocking then how badly we want to portray an image to society that isn’t a true reflection of our true self?
Isn’t it indicative of a lack of contentment with whom and what we are that we strive to represent a more refined model of ourselves online?
How important is all this? Well, for one, in an era where many conversations are occurring digitally in some format or another, I’d think it’s pretty darn important.
Previously, where resumes were printed and handed to future employers, candidates were then invited for interviews where a pretty accurate analysis of the person could be performed.
As more and more people shift their focus online to improve their lives, their jobs and the company they keep, how much of our lives have become a fad?
How would we be able to establish trust, form substantial relationships or deliver on a promise of something we certainly aren’t capable of that have been imprinted in people’s minds and on digital real estate?
One thing I’ve learned ever since my entire professional life and much of my personal life occurs online is to try and stay true to myself.
But when people e-mail you something like: “Your bad, slangy English is intolerable. I can’t stand it.”, how many of us revert back to impression management?
Living and working online have made celebrities from all of us, even though it’s to a much smaller fanbase. What we reveal to them is just as important as to what Britney Spears reveal to millions.
Think about it.
Idea source of this post: New York Times

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Getting women to pay attention

You walk into a restaurant and there they are, chatting on their mobile phones. You see them walking around the street, fancily dressed, mobile phone surgically attached to either the ear or hand. You see them driving like Miss Daisy in the fast lane, mobile phone neatly positioned over the right earlobe.
You’re watching the Rugby World Cup Final, tense as hell, and they’re discussing the latest sale at MAC. You can’t hear a word the commentator is saying, let alone concentrate on the big hits, fluent passing and elegant scoring. All you can hear is the beating your credit card will be taking again this weekend.“
Some unfortunate men would firmly agree with the above two paragraphs. While I am exaggerating a bit, I maintain that the female market, especially the younger upcoming professionals, are very active mobile phone users and therefore puts them firmly in the mobile marketing segment.
I think what annoys me most, and that includes most women I know, are these phony, scientific garble that the big brands have placed on our television screens these days. It irates me to think that they spend so much on these 30 second commercials just to give you some sort of probiotic formula that miraculously adds 4x thickness or length to your lashes.
I have yet to see one woman gasp for air, flailing her arms about and exclaiming to her girl friend: “Gosh Molly, maybe it’s…” In fact, do you think you’re really worth it when most of these ads look like some sort of generic clone from one big brand to another?
Look, it’s evident that all these products come highly supported by the fabulous women that use it. Sometimes I even get why women make such a big deal of their cosmetics. I just sometimes wonder how different the cosmetic arena would be if you’d find a brand that will rewrite the obviously recycled marketing plan and speak to each woman individually.
If you use certain products exactly to the manufacturer’s specifications, it’s seriously alarming how accurate these product runs are. Imagine a quick sms to your girlfriend about a week prior to her infallable foundation runs out, reminding her to repurchase said item so not to have a red lobster on face day?
Imagine even the sms having a unique code, giving 15% less on all products if she spends a couple of hundred rands or more. [Dude, if you have a joint chequing account, that’s your problem]
Imagine having a client base of thousands of women digitally begging you for information on product samples, new releases, special offers, networking possibilities, competitions and what not?
Cosmetics and mobile phones, for some unexplained reason, go hand in hand with women. It’s about time these fashion powerhouses, retailers and distibutors realise this, don’t you think?
As a man, I would only want the most convenient way for a lady to spend her money.
Because to me, she’s really worth it.

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Who gave you my number?

How many times have you asked that over your phone? I am a Vodacom contract subscriber with subs varying between R 250 and R 1000 per month. I’ve been a Vodacom subscriber for 8 years and at this stage there is virtually no chance of me changing cellular networks in the near future.
The reason is simple. About two weeks ago I received a call on my mobile phone. I’m not fond of speaking on the phone at all and it takes special days, or a special mood, to get me to answer numbers I don’t know.
On this “fateful day” I did however. It was from one of SA’s cellular networks. This is a client’s blog, so I’d rather deter from mentioning the network’s name, but let’s just say if they’d ever did a test for me, I’d be inclined to give them a C.
After not listening to the guy’s introductory reading from his script my immediate question was why Company C would be calling me on my Vodacom number. It intrigued me to find out whether Vodacom would have the audacity to “sell” my number to other networks. I didn’t assume they would, but in this day and age, little would surprise me.
He assured me that they didn’t and that my number was in fact randomly generated by their computer system. [That’s nice to know, isn’t it?]
He then proceeded to pitch a contract that would “add value”, “save me money” and “complement my current contracts” to get the most mileage from my cellular experience.
I was confused. I asked him whether his company will be taking over or buying out my contracts with Vodacom. He said no. I would have to take out an additional contract with them which I could then use to make calls at other random hours that would somehow save me money.
Forrest Gump once said: “I’m not a smart man, but I do know what love is.” I felt a bit like Forrest. Not too smart. And not particularly in love with this guy either. I was confused, irritated and probably should’ve done what I usually do which is to summarily end the call without warning. I didn’t.
He went on and on about how his package would suit me and how I would be saving money from making calls outside of my contractual bundle. Eventually when I told him what my contracts were he came to the conclusion that his packages would probably not help me. No freakin’ kidding man!
I’m not a fan of cold calling. Receiving them or making them. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you aren’t either. But still, there are some individuals, companies or corporations out there that despite cursing, threatening and verbally assaulting people over the phone still put the same self practice into their marketing strategies.
Unsolicited e-mails. Cold sales calls with zero strategy behind them. I don’t think trying to persuade someone (random people) to take out a cellular contract on top of having a contract with another service provider is very clever.
Client retention is easier than converting new ones. Marketing 101 that is. Maybe sifting through YOUR current clients, establishing which of them are over spending on their contracts and then calling them with a pitch on how to save money would’ve sufficed.
I guess I’m naïve at thinking their prerogative was to get their clients (or their competitors’ clients) to actually save money.
I guess I should commend them for not trying to get me to win a BMW though…

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Brand significance through building communities

South Africa is a brand. It has products much like Apple, Ford Motor Company and Nokia have. The focus of brand South Africa, just like any other brand, is to make money by selling its products.
Sandy beaches, impeccable weather, wild life and cosmopolitan lifestyles are all products of South Africa. So too are murder, rape, theft and racism.
Like all other brands, South Africa has its loyal customers, the people of South Africa that live here, love here and remain optimistic about their future and the future of their fellow countrymen. These people continue to buy the products of brand South Africa simply by making a living in this country.
These people can be compared to die hard Apple fans. They buy an iPod, MacBook Pro, register for iTunes and then late last year, they got their hands on the much anticipated iPhone.
What makes these customers special? They tell everyone they know about their passion and loyalty to the brand.
The opposite also holds true. Negative, passive and skeptic customers of brand South Africa continue to dwell on the bad products that the country is selling to its people. They are confined to a maelstrom of depression, anxiety and paranoia. Many of them are ready to try another brand (like Australia) and many of them have already done so.
What makes these negative customers similar to the loyal ones? They also tell everyone they know about their distrust, dissatisfaction and the desire to change brands. Sometimes they go slightly further by seeking ways to negatively influence your reputation as a means to persuade others to tag along.
Blogging, love it or hate it, is a real and present outlet. An outlet which could either positively influence your brand or provide a springboard of exponentially dire potential for people that don’t particularly like your brand.
Let me give you an example of the power of community building: Darren Gorton, evidently a passionate citizen of this country, recently launched a new “book of blog posts” or “blook” as he called it: A Piece of Significance.
With brand South Africa in mind, he published his intentions of the book on his blog and welcomed any fellow citizen with the same passion to contribute chapters to it. The result, quite frankly, is a piece of significant brand building; something we have not seen since SA Rocks was launched.
The book thus far has 13 chapters, each chapter carefully crafted and published by 13 individuals on their respective blogs. One can only imagine the online presence this book will achieve as more and more chapters are added to it.
Of course, there are individuals out there who despise living here. Seeking out information about rape, murder and xenophobia to highlight to the people of the world why they deem this country as hell on earth.
What they seemingly fail to realise is that a community, a following, an army even, of dedicated, passionate and active people that come together to celebrate the beauty of a brand far outweighs any futile attempt of an individual trying to unjust it.
Let’s tie this together. Your business, regardless of size, shape and format, is a brand. It has customers. Some of them are madly in love with your products and some are looking for a way out. (You might not even know that)
A real and present danger lurks. The internet, mobile communications and community networks present the opportunity for brand haters to break your back. That is if you choose to see it that way.
If you’re anything like Darren, you’ll realise that all these channels provide an opportunity for you to not only create a loyal following of customers, but also allow them to publish their support for the world see.
Read Darren’s Blook: A Piece of Significance
Introduction1. The new South Africa - is it real?2. Is SA rich or poor?3. What the world thinks of South Africa and what our global opportunities are4. The importance of each individual’s contribution collectively5. SA Inc and the business of doing business in SA6. The beauty and grandeur that surrounds us7. The importance of technology in SA’s global emergence8. Building brand South Africa9. Making the most of SA’s creative talents and abilities10. Innovate for a better South Africa11. The role of the younger generation in SA, and what we need to do to support them12. Connecting South Africa - Communities that transcend technology13. We are African - the role of collaboration in South Africa’s growth

http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/

Do web marketers have it all wrong?

“I have been disappointed at the slow rate of development of the cellphone — both what the gadget can do and what marketers are doing with it.” Anja Merret: TechLeader
I don’t really have any qualms about the functionality of the mobile phone, but I am in 100% agreement with Anja in expressing my disappointment on what marketers are doing with it.
In her post on Techleader she mentions “Jan Chipchase, principle researcher for Nokia, [who have predicted that] there will be three billion people connected on cellphones by the end of 2007.
That is a fair chunk out of the approximately 6.3-billion people inhabiting the Earth. He also anticipates that within another two years, a further billion people will be connected.”
Anja continues with a wish list of features for mobile phones and applications she thought would be “run in the mill” for marketers by now. But it isn’t.
My question today is why? How is it possible that with such a global uptake in mobile connectivity that it seems the international marketing minds are so slow to respond? Ok, fair enough, they probably aren’t that slow.
Let’s scale it down a bit then. How is it possible that with 83% mobile penetration in South Africa and 11% internet penetration, our marketers are still fighting over internet stakes?
I’m willing to venture a guess. I think our marketers, and predominantly our web strategists, are trying so hard to keep up with international web trends, looking to duplicate innovative web solutions such as Facebook and Youtube, that they seem to have little time left to worry about the internet’s “poor cousin.”
Our web strategists are so consumed by creating / adopting video and audio into marketing strategies, even though it is evident that our bandwidth doesn’t allow it. We’re so blindly mesmerized by Web 2.0 that it seems any form of rationale is being chucked right out the window.
We build social interactive press material including video features through Youtube, bookmarked reference material through Del.icio.us and enabling the material to be pushed to various content aggregators like Amatomu, Digg and Stumble Upon, blissfully ignorant of the fact that our users don’t even comprehend the effect or mere existence of any of these tools.
We try to educate businesses and consumers when surely marketers should not be forcing adoption onto them, but rather devise strategies that complement their usage patterns.
We often boast about our latest web platforms that have evolved to be of similar, if not better quality than our US and European counterparts, yet we are totally oblivious to the fact that we lack the core ingredient…traffic.
No wonder Vinny Lingham doesn’t think Afrigator is worth investing in. It’s not because of a poorly built platform, it’s simply because there is no critical user mass to support the business model.
We’re trying to keep up with international internet innovations, but we seem to forget that we aren’t even in the same league as the US. We simply don’t have the capacity, the infrastructure or the critical mass to support this Web 2.0 phenomena.
We’re already evangelising the rise of Web 3.0 when most of our businesses are still in Web 1.0 phase. We continue to blog even though most of our readers are fellow bloggers.
I’m not disputing the importance of internet marketing in South Africa, but I was once told that if the internet penetration is 11% then 11% of your marketing budget should be spent online.
Does that mean 83% of your marketing budget should be spent on mobile?

http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/

Will the Apple iPhone save us from mobile marketing oblivion?

A lot has been said in the past about mobile marketing in South Africa being the next best thing. With a penetration rate of 80-90% in this country, I have asked why it has not yet been acknowledged by businesses as a powerful marketing medium.

My question today is: Will the Apple iPhone launch in South Africa together with Vodacom remedy all this? I think it could.

It’s fair to say that the iPhone brings virtually nothing new to scene, except for a few limitations.

GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G and full screen web browsing have been around for a while now and for a phone that only has one battery for life and no buttoned keyboard, the launch here should be anything but festival-like.

But of course it will be. And the reason for this is simple. Apple and Vodacom are uber cool. Now, concatenating coolness with corporate marketing methods is rather difficult. Scrap that line; joining these two terms is virtually impossible.

The pin striped powers of corporate South Africa carry with them a certain archaism. These companies were built on antiquated foundations and a visit to these multi-floored monstrosities will reveal an image far removed from glamour magazine decor, Feng Sui furnished boardrooms and freshly ground Brazilian coffee.

When your national electricity supplier creates such turmoil in the online press because of a catchy billboard ad, you’ll realise that creativity is not something that goes hand in hand with them.

Neither does technology. And these days, technology and coolness go together like 7de Laan and Riaan Cruywagen.

What can Apple bring to the fore?

There’s already an unprecedented hype around the iPhone launch in South Africa and that should work in our favour.

Better phones have been around for ages and Nokia will in most likelihood continue to be the world leader in this department. Publicity wise however, the mobile marketing fraternity should cast their hopes on Apple and Vodacom’s marketing and advertising to shake the foundation of corporate South Africa.

I bet that the 7 mass media channels will be inundated with advertising, viral campaigns and social networking drives from these two players. With Facebook, Youtube and Mxit under the belt, the pressure to adapt is getting stronger.

While the iPhone’s target market will be set on yuppie executives and TechLeaders, how quickly we integrate this piece of technology could redefine the mobile marketing scope.

The wheel of corporate marketing is turning and the next generation leaders, familiar with technology and inspired by creativity should bring with them the savvy to quickly employ the mobile phone into their marketing equations.

We’re slowly seeing evidence of this already, but dare I ask if we’re on the verge of a mobile marketing eruption?

http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/

Dave Duarte on UCT GSB Mobile Marketing Course

The UCT Graduate School of Business plays host to a brand new mobile marketing course in October. My first reaction was to get into contact with Dave Duarte, course Director and one of the most innovative minds in marketing, to ask him some questions that would help businesses and marketers understand the realities of mobile media as marketing channel in today’s business environment.

Dave happily obliged, so let’s get right into it.

Dave, UCT GSB is running a brand new mobile marketing course in July. Why the sudden focus on mobile marketing?
There are currently more cell phones in South Africa than TVs, telephones, radios and taxis combined. Of course, this represents a massive opportunity for marketers, advertisers, and professional communicators. We decided to focus a course specifically on mobile marketing due to the array of options that are available for mobile marketers, and the need for a formalized high-level of training in the field.

The statistics are staggering compared to internet penetration, yet we find many companies now awakening to the idea of internet marketing. Are they barking up the wrong tree again?

Not at all. The Internet is an important element in the marketing mix today, and South Africans are increasingly accessing the internet via their mobile handsets anyway. Today’s marketer needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each channel - be it Radio, Print, TV Web, or Mobile - and be able to communicate their messages across a suitable mix of them simultaneously.

I am of the opinion that, much like social media, companies may feel that mobile marketing is just another phase and hardly something worth their money, time and effort. Is it?

Due to the cheap, targeted, personalized, interactive and measurable nature of Mobile communications, we are seeing response rates to advertisements hundreds of times better than could be expected on any other channel or medium. Companies who are concerned about the efficacy of Mobile Marketing can start small and expand their campaign as they see results. There’s generally much less risk in well executed mobile campaigns than in traditional media campaigns.

To many companies, the idea of mobile and internet marketing synergies sound either expensive, complex or both. Is it? How do they get going?

The great thing about the web and mobile is that they can achieve a level of focus that traditional media couldn’t - so you needn’t waste money exposing your message to people who fall outside of your target market. A simple and cost effective way to start with web marketing is to try a Google Adwords campaign, where you only pay when someon interacts with your advertisement. The easiest way to get into mobile is through a simple SMS campaign, which can range from under 100 messages a week to over a million - you control the costs, and you can adjust your budget based on the results you’re getting.

Aren’t we trying to imitate our American and European counterparts? I mean, we’ve adapted blogging, but it’s going rather slowly…we’ve also embraced social media, but it’s difficult to measure return on investment. Shouldn’t companies rather focus on what “works” in South Africa, like print media, radio and television?

South Africa is a world leader in mobile technologies, and we have an extremely high adoption rate around new services available on the handset. Due to the relatively low rate of fixed line telecommunications and internet, South Africans are more reliant on mobile phones. It’s therefore more likely that the rest of the world would imitate us!

With internet and mobile marketing coming strongly to the fore, where does this leave print, radio and television?

Traditional media isn’t dying, but it’s adapting. People increasingly expect to be able to interact with traditional media with their cellphones - typically by SMS, but also to recieve multimedia downloads, or to get more information via the web.

Traditional media is very expensive. Why is digital marketing so cost effective? I was told that when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Digital market offers a level of targetting and measurability that can’t be matched by broadcast media. Believe it because it’s true!

Who should attend your course? Is it for marketers or company representatives?

The two-day Mobile Marketing course is designed for Marketing Managers in organizations of any size.

What will they learn?

They will learn the key elements of mobile marketing, and how to develop a mobile communication strategy

Are there any case studies available in South Africa that supports your case?

There are so many! For example, not many people know that with over 1.5million unique visitors per month Vodacom Live is the largest South African web property available for advertising! Nike recently ran a download campaign on V-live and had over 84 000 downloads in under 3 weeks. This is one of many examples where consumers don’t just want to be told about products, they want to interact with them before they make a purchase decision. The mobile medium is perfect for this.

Thanks for your time Dave; I look forward to seeing more of these courses in future. Africa is indeed in a unique position where mobile possesses such a strong communications channel that I’m convinced, if applied correctly, that companies could achieve great levels of success through this medium.

I also know that Dave is such a nice guy that he’ll try and answer any questions you might have in the comments section.

Delegate Profile
Marketers, brand managers and anyone associated with the communication strategy of their brand or business
Programme Benefits
Get to grips with the nitty-gritty of mobile marketing;
Learn the different elements that can be used in the mobile marketing mix
Understand how to apply the mobile marketing mix to a communication strategy
Study other mobile marketing programmes in action, and learn how to achieve similar impact

http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/

How to get a million to the Million Man March

Enough has been said about mobile marketing in general. So let’s focus on some practical matters for a change and see how integrated marketing solutions could add value to a highly influential cause.
During April of this year funny man Desmond Dube organized the Million Man March, an initiative that encouraged a million South African citizens to march against crime to the Union Building in Pretoria.
To be honest, if it wasn’t for the industry I’m in and my work involved on the internet, the Million Man March would’ve gone by me completely unnoticed. And in fact, I think to many of us, it did. The final attendance figures of the march was an estimated 10 000 people.
This was the first Million Man March initiative and therefore posed a number of flaws in the model. These flaws I’d like to highlight here and then hopefully provide some ideas which could’ve spread the message across a wider audience of South Africans.
A television ad campaign was aired apparently, which to this date I have not seen. (Have you?)
Details about the march were also printed in some of the national newspapers. I don’t read any newspapers, so of course this went by unnoticed as well.
Then finally, the march was held in Pretoria only. This posed an enormous logistical problem for anyone outside the Pretoria area to attend.
On the internet though, a Google SA search for “million man march” return an astonishing 14 900 results. Perennial events coordinator, Facebook, was brought in on the action as well and secured a great number of followers as well.
Along with the Million Man March website, it was head honcho of the Mobile Marketing Division at Mail & Guardian Online, Nic Haralambous that made a significant contribution to the cause. Nic is the author of the popular South African Blog, SA Rocks, and used this medium to spread the message of the march across the blogging fraternity.
I caught up with Nic today and asked him how mobile could’ve played a greater part in Desmond’s attempt of getting 1m pairs of feet to the venue.
Firstly, we both felt that the march should’ve been spread across all the major cities of South Africa: Cape Town, Durban, PE, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
I felt more awareness around the campaign in the lead up to the march was necessary when Nic suggested a geo-based mobile marketing campaign that corresponds with each event around the country. In laymen’s terms this means that relevant information will be sent through to mobile phone owners of each designated city and surrounds.
A good example of this would’ve been to feed live stats on crime related issues on a regular basis: “2 hijacks, 2 rapes and 7 murders occurred in Durban during the last 24 hours. Show your support. March against crime.”
When proper awareness around the march has been reached, Nic also suggested setting up a Bluetooth campaign within a 5 km radius of the stadiums / venues.
When people find themselves within this range, the mobile campaign would drive a permission based sms to the user’s phone: “Would you like to exchange data with Million Man March?”
Of course, if the user replies with a yes, a relevant message can be sent to the mobile phone encouraging the person to visit the venue, donate to the cause or carry the message forward.
To the question ‘why mobile’, my answer is simple: Statistics have shown that “There are currently more cell phones in South Africa than TVs, telephones, radios and taxis combined.”
Do the math.

http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/