There is a lot of buzz online about the new interactive video launched by the Arcade Fire. Surely a nice thing but, in my opinion, not as interactive and innovative as the Pet Shop Boys video inspired to Orwell's 1984 that embeds QR codes linking viewers directly to on-line content about issues of civil liberties. QR Codes are barcodes that contain digital information such as URLS that can be read by camera phones.

If you've done nothing wrong
You've got nothing to fear
If you've something to hide
You shouldn't even be here

You can learn more about the video on the official band's website.

via Engadget.

On Textually, Emily has an interesting post on "missed call marketing", presumably a new form of mobile marketing spam.

"Missed call' marketing is the term that has been given to the practice of calling a mobile telephone for such a short period of time that the owner cannot answer the call. When the marketer disconnects the call, most mobile phones present a 'missed call' notification with the marketer's number. The marketer intends that the owner of the phone will think that they have missed a legitimate call and ring the number back, in which case they hear a recorded promotional message".

Spam is always very annoying especially if now it expands from your mailbox to your mobile phone. However, looking at the "Missed call marketing" practice, I'm impressed by the spammers' creativity in coming up with such a great idea which taps into the strongly emotional relationship people have with their mobile phone. How many people get excited/worried/surprised/curious by a missed call from an unknown number? I love these new spammers who studied the sociology of the mobile phone :-)

In The Netherlands, Asian food brand "Go-Tan" is running an interesting experiment of Bluetooth marketing in an Albert Heijn supermarket located in Den Bosch.

As explained on Emerce (in Dutch) custumers shopping in the supermarket (and anyone walking within a 100m distance) who has an open Bluetooth connection, are reached by a contact request from the Go-Tan device. The messages delivered through Bluetooth aim at making people aware of the discounted Go-Tan products available in the stores.

Brand Republic reports about "Business Colour", a branding campaign by Xerox to target BlackBerry users. Created in partnership with the Financial Times, the campaign delivers special ads to the users visiting the FT website for Blackberries.

Henrik Aagaard Bustrup, European advertising manager at Xerox commented: "The use of BlackBerries to extend the theme of our campaign with our key audience is an effective way of bringing colour to a business environment and not least be the first to use this medium demonstrating the innovative company Xerox is".

I've found this some weeks ago on Micropersuasion, it's about "Blackberry marketing", a new or "another" form of mobile marketing.
The news is that Columbia Pictures is offering a free game for Blackberries to promote “RV" a new movie with Robin Williams. But the important thing for us to focus on is that Blackberries are evolving, becoming more than business tools. As Steve writes "the Blackberry is an incredibly fertile marketing ground if we can find a way to court the businessperson to let us in. It's more valuable real estate than the back page of the Wall Street Journal".

Get your marketing message delivered directly into people's ears, and do it in a (rather) cheap way. Just launch a podcast service, or if you dare just a little bit more, create your own online and mobile (!) radio station.

Two recent examples of "audio marketing" (I know it a bad naming! any better idea?):
- Amazon has just debuted on the Web with Amazonwire, a podcast featuring exclusive interviews with authors, musicians, movie directors and other people behind the products they sell (via Random Culture).
- Bacardi has just presented BACARDI B LIVE Radio which will stream exclusive music content 24/7 through the Internet and directed to mobile phones across the world. On Mobhappy you find a good analysis of this idea.

On ClickZ, Laura Marriott tries to find out whether North America is ahead or behind Europe when it comes to mobile marketing. It a quite interesting article to realize the differences among the two continents, and understand the solutions (not the strategies!) which can perform better.

For example, in the US mobile search, mobile advertising, and mobile video initiatives are very popular, while text-based campaigns deliver the best results in Europe.

If you're interested in the topic, you can also download a recent case study by the Mobile Marketing Association. Also, on Mobhappy, Carlo Longino has recently posted a good analysis of the importance of (mobile advertising) to support and therefore deliver free content.

New Media Age has an interesting article (sorry, sub. required) on the business Sony has generated with the launch of the PSP. Brands like Nike and media giants like MTV and Conde Nast have started creating content specifically for the PSP, which isn't simply a gaming device but it's most of all a source of entertainment. A good example is the Tv program Dubplate Drama which last was screened first on the PSP and later aired on Channel 4 and MTV.

You can tell mobile marketing has arrived in the United States by the fact The Apprentice challenges candidates creating an SMS campaign. As Textually explains, in the second episode the candidates are challenged with developing a text messaging campaign to promote the Gillette Fusion, a razor system with five blades in one head.

In Belgium, Ford allows users to send special Valentine's SMS with branded love messages for uninspired lovers. Actually Ford gives people the opportunity to send free personalized messages, but if someone is (sadly) out of ideas, some suggestions are provided. For example: "Vandaag ligt de FOCUS op mijn liefde voor jou en als bewijs stuur ik je duizenden kusjes"... which means (if my Dutch is still good enough) something like "Today the fire (FOCUS) of my love is for you and as a sign I send you thousand kisses"...

The first MMS marketing campaign by Samsung Mobile proved to be a success with a response rate of over 15 percent and a conversion rate of 2. The campaign, developed by Enpocket, gave Samsung Fun Club members the possibility to view a preview of the mobile game "Skipping Stone" and then then the chance to instantly download a free demo using a WAP link embedded in the message. Once respondents had trialled the free demo they could then go on to buy the full game from a dedicated WAP site.

Mike Baker, President and CEO, Enpocket commented: "Conversion rates are more immediate and more dramatic when brands market to customers on the same device where mobile content is downloaded and consumed".

NeoMedia has been awarded a patent covering the capture and processing of bar codes explicitly from camera cell phones. NeoMedia’s technology enables capturing the image of a bar code by the camera device on a Web-enabled cell phone, and processing the bar code so as to deliver the appropriate URL – or Web-based information – to the user’s cell phone screen.

[via The Pondering Primate]

Textually reports Stephen King is about to launch a new media campaign to promote his new book "Cell: a novel".

Thousand of Stephen King's fans who opted-in to receive promotional information on their mobile phone will receive the following SMS: "The next call you take may be your last... Join the Stephen King VIP Club at www.cellthebook.com."

Exclusive, gloomy, ringtones and the book wallpaper are also available to buy, but only for AT&T and Cingular.

BA has mobile marketing in mind

The Tampax ringtone

What women want (from mobile)

WAP portal for the new Seat

Style advice via SMS

Mobile viral needs Bluetooth

Mobile marketing proves successful for SME

Bluetooth marketing for Nike

Desperate Housewives, smart marketers

Infra-red mobile marketing

Interactive posters for New Look

Window shopping and bluetooth marketing

Vodafone introduces the MMS shortcode

Mobile marketing, lemon and... Tequila

Mobile coupons at the shop next door

Mobile users want mobile coupons

Scan the barcode and win with your camera phone

Text your worst ever fashion mistake and win with Nivea

Nokia 20Lives, surround sound advergame

Mobile marketing response rates up to 49%

"Memorable movie moments" mobile competition

Mobile coupons and traditional marketing

HarperCollins promotes novel via SMS

3 UK kicks off mobile viral marketing effort

Coldplay's mobile promotion proves successful

The mobile marketing revolution is about to begin but...

Sony Ericsson studying the chameleon-phone

Sony Pictures ready for the mobile push

MMS, eventually the deal

Young users are the future of US mobile marketing

Space Boy, a mobile tamagotchi for your brand

Is it ROI time for mobile marketers?

Peugeot: Life shouldn't be this easy

Bluetooth marketing and privacy concerns

Manchester United to launch mobile campaign

Movies, advertising and stress

An MMS soap opera for a football team

A mobile trivia for Cry Wolf

Mobile marketing for the Herbie Parade

Marketers discovering the "third screen"

Mobile marketing, it's a question of trust

Pepsi unveils global mobile strategy

3G mobile marketing for Audi

Small business explores mobile marketing

Mobile marketing for dummies

Thoughts on outdoor advertising and SMS

Mobile marketing for the Mayor of London

Mobile marketing not just for teens

Mobile advertising growing slooowly

Grab. Gulp. Win for Nesquick

Mobile coupons help viral marketing

MMS marketing for Pixmania

The advertising future is mobile

WAP ads: handle with care...

La Caixa targets young users

P&G launches mobile video game

Good news for US mobile marketers

KitKat presents KitKash

Mobile marketing in The Philippines

Volvo thinks about mobile marketing

Bridget (Jones) blogs via mobile

SMS push for Interflora

Text & get the discount

Mobile marketing for immediate results

Heineken engages Thai mobile users

o2 promotes the "Bundesliga"

MMS casting by Tim

Ericsson enters the mobile marketing business

Mobile branding ideas for Fox

Snapple successful with Enpocket

A new screen for marketers

Contextual sponsorships for mobile phones

The Bourne Supremacy's mobile challenge

Alien Vs Predator on Uk cell phones

Mobile marketing growing in Ireland

Snapple's mobile marketing

SMS movie quiz game for the US market

MMA Awards: finalist announced

Txt messaging for clubbers

Pull, don't push

Caribbean mobile life for Bacardi

SMS Marketing for SMEs & Retailers

"Message in a bottle"'s triumph

Mobile marketing: why not?

Mastercard targets football fans

T-Mobile: Face of the Fans

Mobile marketing for Generation Y

MMS marketing: is it too early?