Archive for the ‘Mobile Marketing’ Category

O2 Launches £5m ‘Surprises’ Campaign with Buongiorno

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

O2 Top-Up SurprisesIn a bid to retain UK customers in the pre-pay market – something notoriously difficult to do – O2 have launched their ‘Surprises’ campaign this week.  Customers topping up are given a code which guarantees a prize when entered at the campaign’s online ‘hook a duck’ fairground-game themed site – prizes range from free texts messages to TVs, laptops and even race day and spa experiences.

Backed by a £5.5m promotional spend on television, print and online media, O2 are hoping to make their 11.8m pre-pay subscribers feel special… and it wouldn’t hurt if customers of other networks noticed they weren’t getting prizes for topping up either.

5986.jpg…and whilst I’m looking forward to seeing the water-filled bus-stop panels with real rubber ducks, intended to ‘quack’ as people pass (we make our own fun ’round here), one of the most interesting aspects of this campaign is that it’s being powered by Italian-firm Buongiorno’s web system – a company we made contact with recently after our trip to Rome (preview here, watch out for the full videos soon). We’ve fired them some questions over and will be publishing an introduction to this Italian power-house behind mobile entertainment projects in 53 countries and 100 network operators.

How’s your iPhone advertising performing?

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

Are any MIR readers actively advertising products and services on the iPhone platform?

I’m asking because I saw this Tweet from Mark Curtis, top chap at mobile dating/flirting site, Flirtomatic:

We bought iPhone advertising for the first time yesterday: very impressive results for first campaign…..clearly volume in the UK alone..

I’m keen to hear more anecdotal evidence such as this. Very interesting indeed.

PS: Follow Mark Curtis on Twitter here.

Jonathan MacDonald is helping Every Single One Of Us

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Jonathan MacDonald, often referred to as ‘jMac’ in many mobile circles, has a new project. In fact it’s a movement, more than a project. He’s created EverySingleOneOfUs.com as a grassroots resource, aggregating knowledge and best practice methodologies to ensure optimal mobile advertising user experience.

And we sorely need it, not just here in the UK.

Here’s an overview:

The success of mobile advertising and subsidized models based on delivery of content, applications and services, is dependent upon the willingness of participants to accept advertising on their mobile devices. While recent research, including a 2007 survey by Generator Research, confirms that over half of mobile users (61% US and 72% UK) are interested in mobile advertising, there is a catch: Mobile advertising must be relevant and genuinely useful. Ultimately, users demand advertising that relates to their interests and is tailored to their specific needs. Anything else will be perceived as ‘spam’, which degrades the experience, increases the likelihood of churn, and breeds a distinct lack of trust.

Stupid mobile marketing practices drive me up the wall — and I know is a real wind-up for Jonathan and many other readers of the site. So I’m delighted that Jonathan’s done something about it.

It’s all kicking off in the UK first:

The first phase will kick off with Mobile Advertising U.K., an ambitious and far-reaching research project which will be endorsed by industry associations in early 2009. Drawing from primary research, in-depth interviews with 25+ mobile executives, agencies and mobile networks, as well as an online consumer survey, Mobile Advertising U.K. will expertly document the state of the mobile advertising industry in the U.K., and shed important light on industry obstacles and opportunities.

If you’d like to be part of the movement, head over to the site. If you’d like me to connect you to Jonathan, drop me a note.

Every success Jonathan!

Hands up who wants an SQL Server screensaver?

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

I was surprised to find this, as I was browsing a site the other day. I was looking for some help on PHP and came across this ad for SQL Server 2008.

“Hardness the power of the data explosion!” reads the ad. Followed by a prompt to text ‘SQL’ to 88882 for a free mobile screensaver.

Standard rates apply, it says.

Pretty neat as I was browsing on a US-centric site. So the ad-engine had, I assume, geolocated me and severed me a UK ad. 88882 looks like a UK shortcode.

I wonder how many people have got their handset out whilst browsing to do this. I’d genuinely be interested in the stats. I also wonder how Microsoft have deployed this campaign. What happens? Do I get a download link back? From what site?

Let’s find out.

I’ve just sent SQL to that shortcode.

Ah hah.

Screenshot0001

I clicked the SQL08.mobi link…

Screenshot0002

I am now the proud owner of an SQL screensaver:

Screenshot0003

Tah dah.

A well executed mobile advertising delivery system. If it was me running it, I’d have sent the user to a mobile web site at sql08.mobi — with a bit of info about the software and the like, but with a big fat ‘download your screensaver here’ link as well.

We eat tonight, boys!

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

There we go, another email in from the AdMob chaps.

We run AdMob advertising code on the Mobile Industry Review ‘mobile’ version of the site.

If you wanted to see what it looks like when you get a payment from them, here we go:

Almost $33 dollars of pure joy for the month!

Call for Mobile Marketing Taxonomy (and it’s sorely needed)

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

Jonathan MacDonald has had enough. And so have I.

The industry is continually comparing Apples and Pears when it comes to mobile marketing. Witness the following from Jonathan’s recent post on the matter:

Page 12 of NMA (27.11.08) contains a piece by Charlotte McEleny who writes that “Some 65% of young consumers find mobile messaging from brands too intrusive, according to a report by lifestyle research company Tuned In.”

The headline screams ‘Young people alienated by brands using mobile for marketing’

I think its time we nail down some taxonomy here.

Jonathan continues:

Just adding the words ‘without permission’ to the end of the above headline would have shown a more accurate picture. As it stands, at a glance you could argue that mobile is troublesome, anti-productive and interfering.

Jonathan is absolutely right.

What does ‘mobile marketing’ mean. Is that receiving MMS messages — that you HAVE signed up for?

Or is it getting a Bluetooth message sent to your handset automatically because you have Bluetooth turned on and you walked by particular bus shelter with the gizmo activated?

Thus, my suggestion is to clarify for clarity’s sake. Let’s add the context where we can to enable balanced decisions and rational actions based on the full story rather than propaganda.

I nominated you, Mr MacDonald, to write the taxonomy!

“Mobile-Crushes” – They end now!

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

Now I know I’ve said it a couple of times in the past few months, but I’m looking for a new phone. The reason I haven’t yet bought one isn’t because I can’t be bothered to purchase one, or because I can’t afford one; in fact I’m more than happy to now pay a little bit more for a mobile than I previously would. The problem is I haven’t yet found anything… Well until the other day.

My Mum gets Carphone Warehouse letters in the post; and the other day I arrived home from School, seeking out any interesting post for myself, when I came across a little Christmas brochure. I expected to see the usual mix of non-interesting and far-fetched mobiles, which have very limited appeal to someone who is as indecisive as I.

Then I came across the LG Cookie.

I’m not an LG fan by any means, yes their phones are nice, and I have to say although I appreciate the minor attempts at creativity with their naming processes; previous experiences of LG’s have taught me that they’re not my cup of tea. Should I mention I’m not a fan of their interfaces, or just generally how they work and feel?

However, the Cookie did catch my eye! It looks nice, it’ll be a new experience, it’s a touch-screen (another learning curve), and also the ability to use an on screen QWERTY keyboard, and importantly its price.

I don’t know what to do.

Now this could just be a sporadic urge to go and spend money, and get something just because I’ve seen it, and I like the price; but then I think… LG. An interface I know I won’t like, and will struggle to get grips with, and I fear I’ll see all the flaws in my purchase just after I’ve broken that “unbreakable seal” on the box.

It’s hopeless! I do this with every wonderful find I come across, and I deliberate an item and a possible purchase so much that it either becomes outdated and therefore useless, or I decide I don’t like it although secretly still wanting it, or I’ll find something else to admire and want.

I know for one, I can’t be the only person who does this; and I know for one that it’s probably a good safety precaution my mind has implemented to stop such impulse buying – a trait I really try to avoid at all costs.

Now I wonder, why is it I find mobiles such as the Cookie, and previously before it the LG KS360 before that, and there was also a Sony mobile before that too; why is it I loose interest, and forget about it, and then find some other mobile-crush?

Could it just be that no matter how lovely one major aspect or feature of a phone is say, it’s price, a new built in gadget or a sleek, slender design; it really isn’t enough to make a mobile good, or at-least good enough to buy.

What I’m beginning to see is that mobiles tend to be about one major factor, be it its connectivity, a particular design focus, a built in application, the camera, the media, the price, or its “technological achievements”.  I don’t want just one particularly above average feature as reason to invest in a mobile; I want a device that has equally good features which aren’t just surfing above the acceptable quality in phone.

So my next mobile-crush won’t be on a weak whim, a spur-of-the moment encounter, it’ll be something which offers more than one better than alright feature, and something I won’t fall out of love with.

Feel free to e-mail me anything at Samantha@mobileindustryreview.com

Nokia Comes With Music: Targeting University Students

Friday, November 7th, 2008

It is always interesting to see how companies try and promote their services and engage with their target market.

First up is Nokia’s Comes With Music, previously we have had a lot of coverage here on MIR however this post is written in the position as head of sales and promotions at my student radio station and nothing to do with my writings here on MIR.

I was called up today from what I presume to be street teams for Nokia something (I can’t remember the name she told of her team).  It seems Nokia have tasked students to get the word out about with Comes With Music as much as possible. She said she was looking for people who could speak to the most about students as possible and obviously student radio is one possible medium hence why she was ringing me.

She told me that she had a few Comes With Music phones to giveaway as prizes. She took my details down and my interest and she had to speak to her boss.

I find out early next week whether we have been successful however it is fantastic to see companies really engaging with the their target audience.

More coverage on this next week!

Good Job Nokia!


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