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TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:34:13 +0000

MMA updates guidelines for cross-carrier mobile content

The Mobile Marketing Association updated its United States Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services. The guidelines are the industry standard for cross-carrier mobile services such as text messaging, multimedia messaging, short code programs, interactive voice response and mobile Web. The new 5.0 guidelines outline acceptable and unacceptable practices for all players in the U.S. ecosystem.

Mobile Advertising, SMS Can Achieve “More Than A 100% Response Rate,” Says Expert

Though it may be perceived as a bit over ambitious, mobile advertising is said to be capable of a “more than 100% response rate,” according to one industry expert. Speaking at an Internet trade expo, Marc Hyatt of Txtlocal substantiated his claim by using the example of SMS and the viral effect that marketers can experience using the medium, saying “consumers receiving SMS did much of the marketing work themselves.”

Nearly Half of Mobile Ads Served to Smartphones

Reporting from Millennial Media, a mobile advertising network that reaches 83% of US mobile subscribers, indicates that smartphones account for almost one-half of mobile ad impressions in the country. More subscribers may have feature phones, but they make up only about one-third of mobile ad views, likely because users have less interaction with advanced mobile content.

Mobile advertising bucks the downward spiral evident elsewhere

2009 was a bad year for the “traditional” advertising industry with a significant drop in advertising revenues recorded in TV, radio and the print media. However, in one specific area, mobile advertising, revenues grew by 32 per cent – once again proving that it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good. Martyn Warwick reports. A new survey undertaken by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers also shows that a sea change is underway.

Where’s mobile advertising?

Smart phone usage. All of this comes as Forrester Research estimates that of the some 277 million mobile phones currently in use in the United States, 17 percent are smart phones, defined as “a mobile phone or Internet-connected handheld device that uses a high-level operating system such as iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Web OS, Symbian, and any flavor of Linux including Android.” And the number is growing, with Nielsen reporting that 25 percent of all new cell phones sold are now smart phones.

Mobile email marketing will be driven by increase in commerce

The mobile marketing sector – including SMS and email marketing – will be driven by a growth in consumer spending via the channel, it has been claimed. According to a new study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers, total spending via mobile phones increased by 32 per cent last year – reaching £37.6 million. And the organisations believe this trend is set to continue.

Shopping by Mobile Creates an $8bn Opportunity for Mobile Advertising & Coupons, Juniper Report finds

A new report from Juniper Research has found that the mobile marketing and retail sector (comprising mobile advertising, coupons and smart posters) will exceed $8 billion by 2012 globally. The Mobile Marketing and Retail Strategies report found that Retailers were already starting to exploit the mobile channel through advertising campaigns on the handset and by issuing money-off coupons. The market for these two activities alone is forecast grow by half in the next two years.

UK mobile advertising market grows 32% in 2009 to £37.6m

Despite a contraction in the advertising sector in 2009, total spend on mobile phone advertising in 2009 rocketed by 32% year on year to a new high of £37.6m, according to second, annual Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) – the trade body for digital marketing – and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) study. While some brands and media owners cut back their investment in mobile advertising, the medium grew at a faster rate than predicted due to its exceptional targeting, immediacy and return on investment.

Why Apple’s tilt toward control over openness may hurt all

It is through this context that I view iPhone 4.0 and iAd as watershed moments for Apple’s mobile platform. If Apple continues to maintain a balance between control and openness, its path to becoming a dominant mobile platform will be unimpeded. However, if the balance it has achieved is disrupted, a rapid decline may be inevitable.

Web sites may be losing affiliate revenue as mobile access increases

Affiliates of networks like LinkShare and Commission Junction are not being properly compensated for traffic they refer when end-users are on mobile devices, according to MobForm. Per mobile publisher network MobForm, brands developing their mobile strategy may not have the full picture with respect to the restrictions that are currently in place preventing mobile affiliates from promoting their offers.

Mobile Entertainment Forum US produces webinar and guidebook to foster better understanding of m-commerce in entertainment sector

Hot on the heals of the Mobile Marketing Association coming over all ‘m-retailing’, the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) North America has set up a Mobile Commerce (M-Commerce) Initiative all of its own, to help brands, content producers and retailers better understand how to leverage the mobile phone to drive customer acquisition, retention, and conversion.

Smartphone Industry: iPhone tops consumer satisfaction, report says

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:13:11 +0000

The iPhone continues to top all other Smartphones in filling the consumers’ content needs, as revealed in a recent study. The Crowd Science study (May–June 2009) has reported that iPhone grabbed ahead from Blackberry and other Smartphones in measures of satisfaction, brand loyalty, and content usage.

August 2009 data from CFI Group agrees: Users are happier with the functions of their iPhones than with any other smartphone. Android and Palm Pre took second and third place, respectively.

A key finding of the “Smartphone Satisfaction Study 2009” is that the most satisfying smartphones are the ones that offer the best consumer functionality. Users now expect more than just the e-mail and calendar functionality that were critical for early business users. Read more

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:54:47 +0000

Mobile has better targeting than early Internet: digiday keynote

Mobile marketing has more momentum and better targeting than the early days of the Internet, according to a member of the digiday: Mobile keynote panel. The panel focused on the state of mobile marketing and featured analysts with data on mobile marketing usage. Panelists discussed response rates, campaign sizes, appropriate approaches to campaign measurement, top spenders now and in the future, SMS versus WAP banners, in-application advertising and emerging ad formats.

Orange Kenya subscriber base hits 1.3 mln

Orange Kenya’s number of mobile subscribers has reached 1.38 million, and the mobile operator expects the number to increase to 2 million by the end of this year. CEO Mickael Ghossein said Telkom has a consolidated subscriber base for its various services of 1.8 million, including fixed lines. Ghossein said Orange Kenya, the country’s third-largest by subscriber base, spent KES 8 billion to expand its network in 2008 and expects to match that amount this year.

Mobile Marketing – Ready for Primetime

The mobile opportunity is tremenous. In Asia Pacific alone, mobile subscribers are forecast to reach three billion in the near future with penetration rates 20 times higher than Internet connectivity in many of these countries. As the penetration of mobile phones continues, brands who want to reach their audience in new and innovative ways are increasingly turning to mobile as a driver of their marketing campaigns.

Mobile: The 7th Mass Media

The mobile phone has emerged as the 7th mass media channel, but it has to be emphasized that it is as different from the internet [6th Mass Media] as TV [5th] is from radio [4th]. Trying to force concepts from the internet, TV, or other previous media would produce a disappointing audience experience on mobile, but understanding the unique power of mobile as the 7th mass media can deliver radical new concepts and new players and winners.

China Mobile half a billion subscribers

China Mobile has become the world’s first mobile operator to pass the half a billion subscriber milestone. In a brief customer data update on its website this morning, the Chinese market-leader said it had reached 503 million customers by the end of August. It said it added 5.3 million customers (net additions) in August to reach the half a billion milestone, which means that the operator has added 45.7 million customers (cumulative net additions) in the year to date.

Mobile’s future is in full media integration: Mobile Ad Summit panel

The future of mobile will consist of integrated media campaigns, augmented reality and rich media mobile Web sites, according to a panel at the Mobile Ad Summit. Representatives from HyperFactory and R/GA were on hand to discuss new mobile innovations such as using HTML to format mobile sites to look like applications and augmented reality promotions. These new trends have already been active in Europe and are poised to sweep the globe.

Smartphones driving growth of mobile advertising: Mobile Ad Summit panel

A trio of CEOs representing heavy-hitting ad agencies agreed that increased smartphone adoption is making mobile a more desirable platform for brand advertisers. These high-powered advertising executives weighed in on the state of the mobile industry during a panel at the Mobile Ad Summit during advertising week in New York. While the panelists admitted that the recession has taken its toll on marketing spend, they were bullish about the prospects for mobile going forward.

Demographics of Facebook growth

Facebook may have started as a site geared toward the college crowd, but as the most popular social network in the US, it has broadened its user base considerably. The Nielsen Company reported that in June 2009 Facebook had a unique US audience of more than 87 million people, compared with fewer than 63 million who visited MySpace that month.

Cost and ROI for mobile campaigns

eMarketer: What do mobile campaigns cost? “An eight-week campaign for mobile media…we’re probably talking about $250,000 to $300,000.” Patrick Moorhead: An eight-week campaign for mobile media—which could be a combination of mobile display and text messaging—we’re probably talking about $250,000 to $300,000.

SMBs More Likely to Use Digital than Traditional Media

Online ad penetration keeps climbing. As of August 2009, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the US are more likely to advertise online than via traditional media. Based on the “Local Commerce Monitor Wave XIII,” from The Kelsey Group and ConStat, 77% of US SMBs used online for advertising in August 2009, compared with just 69% that used traditional media. This is the first time penetration of online advertising surpassed traditional. In an earlier survey from August 2008, 73% advertised online while 74% used traditional media.

Online, Mobile Ad Revenues Set to Climb

Online advertising revenues will creep upward in 2009 only to drop in 2010 before recovering, predicts the Yankee Group in its “2009 Advertising Forecast: Getting the Consumer’s Attention.” The research firm pegs 2009 online ad revenues at $23.63 billion, a 1.8% year-over-year increase. In 2013 revenues will surpass $31 billion.

South Korea Approves Sale of iPhone

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s telecommunications regulator said Wednesday that Apple can sell its hit iPhone in the country — potentially shaking up a cell phone market controlled by domestic manufacturers. The development comes a month after Apple cleared the way to enter China’s massive cell phone market as well. As part of its deal with wireless carrier China Unicom Ltd., Apple is expected to begin selling the phone in China in the fourth quarter.

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:15:32 +0000

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:

New iPhone 3GS to locate lost or stolen devices

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:56:28 +0000

Apple announces its new iPhone 3GS, the first ever model to capture video and the most powerful iPhone that the company has ever made.

According to reports, enhancements are crafted into the iPhone 3.0 operating system. These include voice command, downloading rented videos, and customization to additional languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, and Korean.

A new ‘Find My iPhone’ feature lets people use an Apple online Mobile Me service to locate lost or stolen devices.

The feature also lets people remotely erase all data from lost or stolen iPhones. The new operating system also lets iPhones connect to one another wirelessly for communal activities such as playing games.

Reports say new iPhone 3GS will be released worldwide on June 17. Read more…

China Mobile Planning to spend $4.6 billion on 3G

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:25:04 +0000

As China prepares for the World Expo 2010, report came out that China Mobile plans to spend around RMB 31 billion (US$4.6 billion) on its 3G network spending in Shanghai, according to Mobile News Asia. Read more

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:46:14 +0000

Mobile Search Ad Revenues Grow to $2.3B in 2013

Good news for mobile marketers, the time may soon be ripe for mobile ads to take in the big bucks. According to BIA’s Kelsey Group, U.S. mobile search advertising revenues are forecasted to grow from $39 million in 2008 to $2.3 billion by 2013, according to BIA’s Kelsey Group.

Retailers in SMS window need time to catch up with technology

The rumblings have begun. 4G (or 4th Generation or Beyond 3G) wireless is a term to describe the next evolution in mobile communication. One of the best ways to describe what 4G will do for us comes from “4G Roadmap and Emerging Communication Technologies,” …

Motorola Reports First-Quarter Financial Results

Motorola reports mobile devices sales of $1.8 billion with 14.7 million handsets shipped Q1. The Company expects to generate positive cash flows in the second half of the year through improved earnings and continued working capital improvements.

Is the value-proposition of mobile marketing getting across?

Verizon Wireless’ approval of new standard-rate mobile coupon programs after a slowdown of that process felt by marketers is evidence of a major internal debate at wireless carriers. The key challenge is obviously the fallout of a bad experience that a consumer – in other words, the carrier’s subscriber – has with a mobile retailer or content provider or even an advertiser.

Mobile Marketing takes off in India

INDIA–The mobile phone has emerged as a powerful medium for advertising, and with the imminent launch of 3G and mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) in the country, mobile marketing will help telcos increase their revenue, say industry players.

Verizon Wireless MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot gives WiFi devices 3G access

Verizon Wireless has announced the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, an EV-DO Rev. A-supported mobile broadband router that is able to share a mobile connection with up to five Wi-Fi devices.

722 million Mobile Business Connections by 2014, Driven by Smarter Devices and High Speed Connectivity According to Research

Wider availability of wireless broadband networks, proliferation of ‘smart’ converged devices, and broadening ranges of mobile connectivity solutions will foster growth of ‘unwired enterprises’, a new report from Juniper Research has found.

Mobile Email Will Grab the Larger Share of APAC’s Enterprise Mobility Pie

Mobile email will remain the undisputed leader of the Asia Pacific Enterprise Mobility market, estimated to grow to US$3.7 billion in 2012, says Springboard Research.

Rumor on Apple-Verizon talks, to produce two gadgets?

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:54:37 +0000

After USA Today reported on recent talks between Apple and Verizon, a report from Business Week also came out about the giant companies’ partnership to produce two new wireless devices.

From the report, it is said that the devices are less expensive and a bigger media pad to allow users listen to music, view photos, and watch high definition videos with Wi-Fi connection.

Report says devices will be released this summer. Read full article…