Mobile marketing and the right to privacy
A mobile phone is a highly personal device, even more so than keys and a wallet or purse–most people have with them at all times. That makes the mobile phone a highly effective way to provide relevant and timely information to individuals–not only by their friends, family and colleagues, but also by brands and marketers.
Asia will continue to Lead in Mobile Growth and Revenues with China in the Forefront
According to research of Frost & Sullivan, North Asia is light years ahead of all other Asian sub-regions in terms of mobile service innovation and revenues, especially due to countries like Japan and South Korea. Both nations account for the highest average revenue per user (ARPU) levels in Asia-Pacific, with Japan at US$53.20 per month and South Korea at US $38.04 in 2008.
Smartphone Sales to Surpass PCs by 2011
If you notice every other person around you with a smartphone these days, you’re not alone. Smartphone sales will surpass worldwide PC sales by the end of 2011, says a recent report by RBC analyst Mike Abramsky. While mobile phone sales overall have decreased, smartphone sales have gone up. Mobile phone sales worldwide hit 286.1 million units in the second quarter of 2009, down 6% year-over-year, reports Gartner. Smartphone sales passed 40 million units, a 27% increase from the same period last year.
How to reach young consumers using the mobile channel
In the light of the opinion voiced by youth marketing expert Ian Stewart, head of Asia, Friendster (ex Coke and MTV), in this insightful interview on mobile marketing to teens in Asia, mobiThinking asked: What needs to happen to make mobile a viable channel to reach the youth segment – i.e. teens, students, school leavers, graduates? What follows is a summary of the responses received back from experts around the world. These fall neatly into two categories:
Motorola Announces First Android Smartphone and Exclusive Operator Deals
Motorola has shown off its first Android based smartphone, along with a collection of user interfaces it is calling MOTOBLUR. The first handset, the Motorola CLIQ in the U.S. and Motorola DEXT elsewhere around the globe, will be released in Q4 of this year. Developed by Motorola, MOTOBLUR enables users to sync contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more…
Consumers accepting of mobile advertising: InsightExpress
Smartphones are an excellent platform for advertising and represent a golden opportunity for marketers to reach consumers wherever they are, according to InsightExpress. This was the key finding of InsightExpress’ latest research, which explores mobile Internet engagement levels among smartphone owners in comparison to owners of other devices. The study also examined which factors drive mobile Internet users to return to specific sites.
Google moves toward micropayments for newspapers
With micropayments and transaction platforms a buzzworthy sector of the Web right now, it’s no surprise that Google would want to get in on the game. But Mountain View’s pitch is a little bit different: the payment platform it plans to build, according to Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, is geared toward newspapers that want to charge for digital content.
Malaysian Mobile Market Reaching the Maturity Stage
A research note from IDC notes that with Malaysia’s mobile services market reaching a maturity stage, mobile phone vendors will have a challenging time increasing the mobile unit shipments in the country and will need to be flexible while executing their business strategies. “The market outlook for the mobile phone industry in year 2009 may not be as strong as a year ago but the market is anticipated to improve over time…
Android Presence Continues to Grow
Google’s Android has been enjoying healthy growth over the past six months. Android has attracted a strong base of application developers, and both carriers and OEMs appear to be getting the message that Android is steadily increasing its mindshare within the handset market. Google has been cagey about releasing the number of available applications on the Android Market. Recent analyst estimates put the total catalog somewhere around 6,000-7,000 available apps.
Marketers, Take Note: The Experts Choose Their Favorite Things
From M-Commerce to Experiential IPhone Apps, Here’s What You Need to Know to Be Up on Mobile Now. When it comes to mobile, hype so often outpaces reality that it’s important to keep expectations in check. While apps aren’t on every phone (yet), and not every American is tuning into live mobile video in the doctor’s waiting room, the iPhone, Google’s Android, ubiquitous GPS and fast 3G networks have ushered in a year rich in innovation.
The Challenges and the Future of Mobile Marketing
“Mobile marketing is not being used to its full potential by marketers,” says Rohit Dadwal, managing director, Mobile Marketing Association, Asia Pacific. Three aspects of mobile marketing that are causing a buzz right now include:
