Tag archives: mobile marketing

Mobile coupons and traditional marketing

From Finland a smart idea that integrates traditional and mobile marketing: you buy Flora Margarine (Unilever brand), you collect ten packages, you mail them to a “snail mail” address. Then you receive a 100 euros mobile gift certificate to Finnmatkat, a Finnish travel agency (well, you can also decide to get a mail certificate). The agency behind this is Lowe Forever, while the technology is provided by FlyerOne. [News via the mobile experience]

File under: finland, mobile marketing

HarperCollins promotes novel via SMS

The publisher HarperCollins will promote Meg Cabot new children’s novel with mobile marketing. ClickZ reports the promotional messages will be delivered to the fans who subscribe online to the Meg Cabot Mobile Club. Online advertising will be used to drive traffic and raise subscriptions. If the program proves successful, the publisher will add further features to its mobile content offer. FlyTxt will provide the technology. It’s ok to integrate different channels, but it’s a pity fans can subscribe only using the Web and not simply texting to a special number. Tag: mobile marketing

File under: flytxt, harpercollins, mobile marketing

3 UK kicks off mobile viral marketing effort

In the UK 3G operator 3 has partnered with viral content provider Kontraband to start serving viral ads to mobile phones. New Media Age (sub. req.) reports the funny content will be available using video shortcodes (so it won’t be 100% viral), but at least it’s a first in the viral direction. Anyway I will be curious to know the pricing model. On the Internet, what is viral, it’s free. But when it comes to mobile phones the word “free” almost has no meaning, carriers dominate the scene and want to make money anytime, anywhere, which isn’t something good neither for marketers nor end-users. Tag: mobile marketing, viral marketing

File under: 3 UK, mobile marketing, pricing, viral marketing

Batman Begins on WAP site

On New Media Age (reg. req.) Hugh Burrows, commercial director at Que Pasa, reviews the WAP portal Warner Bros has created to support its movie Batman Begins. The m-site, created by Minick, offers few free and a lot of paid content: details on the movie, a photo gallery, ringtones, screensavers and a mobile game. Overall, Burrows’ assessment is positive, although he argues Warner Bros should have provided more content for free to attract more users.

File under: mobile content, mobile marketing

Coldplay’s mobile promotion proves successful

Revolution Magazine reports the results of the Bluetooth marketing campaign carried out last June by Parlophone to promote Coldplay’s new album. The promotion allowed music fans in London to get free mobile content such as song excerpts, video clips and video interviews, just by turning on the Bluetooth connection on their mobile phones. In two weeks, over 13,000 users opted in to receive. Filter provided the technology. Tags: mobile marketing, bluetooth marketing, coldplay

File under: bluetooth marketing, coldplay, mobile marketing, mobile music

The mobile marketing revolution is about to begin but…

Brand Republic writes about the future of mobile marketing now that smartphones are becoming more and more popular. Pasi Leino, managing director at BrandHand, for example, declares:

“The sector is ready to take off. The smartphone handset market has previously been a hindrance to the mobile industry, but penetration levels are now rising”.

The article goes on explaining mobile marketing is a cost-effective solution for marketers. The problem is, it is not cost-effective for users. UMTS prices are just crazy right now in Europe, excluding large part of the population from accessing “heavy” mobile content like, for example, videos. Operators are just too powerful at the moment, acting as gate-keepers, and preventing the mobile marketing industry to growth and evolve in its own third generation.

File under: 3g mobile marketing, gatekeepers, mobile marketing, operators, smartphones

Is it ROI time for mobile marketers?

InternetWeek writes about mobile marketing in the United States. The article quotes the opinion of Nihal Mehta, founder and CEO of Ipsh:

We’re finally seeing a significant tipping point. People aren’t just testing it anymore, they’re starting to see return on investment.”

However Jupiter Research analyst Julie Ask has an opposite view:

“The majority of online adults is not interested in receiving promotions via SMS, even if they receive free or discounted goods and services, are assured that their privacy will be protected and don’t have to pay for the messages.”

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Probably the truth, as usual, stands in the middle.

File under: mobile marketing, united states

Bluetooth marketing and privacy concerns

Bluetooth marketing is a risky business, with the spam menace just around the corner. New Media Age has a good article on the privacy issues connected to the use of Bluetooth technology to deliver promotional messages. Big brands like Nokia and Volvo have started exploring this kind of communication which requires an initial (unsolicited) message from the advertiser to start the conversation. The problem is most of the people with Bluetooth enabled phones don’t know they can modify the status of their device to accept or refuse by default external communication with other mobiles located within 10 meters. Marketers are taking advantage of this lack of knowledge considering that anyone with the “fully discoverable” option turned on is open (and willing) to receive commercial messages. With the mobile marketing industry still in its infancy, the risk of spoiling with spam a promising business is very high. Regulations and industry standards are required ASAP.

File under: bluetooth marketing, mobile marketing, privacy

Movies, advertising and stress

I must start by saying I have a negative attitude towards product placement in movies, because most of the times it’s done in a stupid way. Fortunately I’m not the only one thinking product placement is going to far. Rance Crain, editor in chief of Advertising Age wrote an interesting article yesterday on movies becoming “one gigantic product placement” and consumers getting tired of paying to watch a movie full of advertisements. Now there is also a new source of stress for movie lovers: Bluetooth promotional kiosks eager to connect with their mobile phones while they wait for the movie in theater lobbies. The New York Times reports 20th Century Fox has signed a deal with Loews Cineplex Entertainment to distribute movie trailers, ring tones and pictures through kiosks in three Loews theaters, in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. To me, the only good thing about this kind of initiative is that if you’re really interested in this such goodies, at least you get the content for free. Actually I’m not against Bluetooth technology used to deliver (permission-based!) marketing messages, I’m just against movies becoming an advertising show. If you’re interested in movies and product placement read also this: “Must love dogs” becomes product placement bonanza

File under: advertising, bluetooth, mobile marketing, product placement

Mobile marketing for the Herbie Parade

On July 30th Berlin will host the probably longest “Herbie Parade” in the world. On the occasion of this very special event, MindMatics has created an SMS campaign with a prize draw for Volkswagen, which invites Beetle and New Beetle drivers to come to Berlin and do their bit for the Guinness World Record attempt. The mobile marketing mechanism isn’t obvious, and requires some active behavior in the recipients who can text back to be sure they’ll have a place at the parade and also to enter a draw and win one of ten weekends with a Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet. Of course, the main idea behind this campaign is not to set a Guiness World Record with hundreds of Beetles “marching” in Berlin, but to promote the movie remake which will debut in Germany on the same day.

File under: berlin, herbie, herbie parade, mind matics, mobile marketing, volkswagen