Mark Pollard has done a great job of pulling together a load of screen grabs from businesses that are using twitter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markpollard/
Cheers Mark!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Mobile -- the perfect direct medium?
Thanks IDM Institute
Robert Thurner M IDM, Commercial Director of mobile agency Incentivated, explores how mobiles could revolutionise direct marketing. The first mobile phones were nicknamed ‘bricks’ because they were huge and unwieldy, with big handsets attached to briefcase-sized battery packs.But now, the latest mobiles are barely bigger than a credit card, and the mobile has become the one item that the majority of us say we cannot do without – and the first item we would grab if our houses were on fire.
Our mobiles are always on us, and usually on. That makes mobile the perfect medium for marketers.
Since the mid 1990s, the reduction in size and cost of mobile phone handsets has led to penetration levels of almost 90% across Europe.
According to statistics from Ofcom, by the end of 2007, there were almost 74 million mobile connections serving a population of 60 million in the UK, an increase of 3.7 million connections since the end of 2006. The total number of mobile connections increased by 48 per cent in the five years from 2002.
Text explosionIn the UK, nearly 60 billion text messages were sent in 2007 -- an increase of 36 per cent since 2006 and up by 234 per cent since 2002, when UK mobile users sent 17 billion texts. The average mobile phone user sent 67 texts per month from each mobile, compared to 53 texts per month in 2006.
The majority of children have access to the internet and most have a mobile phone but they use them in different ways. Boys aged eight to 11 are twice as likely to use the internet every day than girls of the same age (45 per cent compared to 22 per cent).
However, girls aged 12 to 15 are more likely to use a mobile phone than boys of the same age (74 per cent compared to 65 per cent).
Instant messaging is more popular than email among children, with 62 per cent of 12 to 15 year old sending an instant message, compared with 43 per cent of them sending an email. Adults prefer to email – 80 per cent of adults sent an email compared to 34 per cent who used instant messaging.
Is email failing?Yet according to the IAB, only 25% of emails are opened: the remainder are either filtered out by anti-spam and anti-virus software, or get deleted. By contrast, 95% of SMS are opened, reflecting the expectation by consumers that those contacting them by text have their consent to do so.
Long may this practice continue!
The mobile is a highly personal device, and brands should earn the right to be there by ensuring customers opt-in to receive branding or customer service messages. The mobile industry has established best practice guidelines which should be followed closely.
The ubiquity of the mobile phone has led to a revolution in mobile interactivity. For organisations in general and marketers in particular, it offers the chance to interact with their customers efficiently and regardless of place or time.
Mobile exciting mediumThat creates exciting new opportunities in Mobile Marketing (for customer acquisition), Mobile Customer Service (for customer retention, CRM and loyalty) and Mobile Commerce (for transaction purposes).
For direct marketers, the benefits should be obvious. The mobile phone is the only media that consumers will have with them at all times; it is a superb channel for interactivity, providing an instant response path via voice call, SMS or engagement with a WAPsite (mobile internet site).
Personalised, social, measurableMobile is a highly personalised communication channel: one handset has only one user, which makes mobile a powerful targeting medium.
And, for many users, it is a social medium, one which allows files, photos, videos, websites and music to be shared.
Plus it can be measured, and it works extremely well in partnership with other marketing media.
Used responsibly, and with a message which makes the most of the medium and is properly targeted, mobile can deliver very impressive results.
Below, I’m going to discuss a couple of examples of how mobile can be used for direct marketing.
Bookstart free books 
A DRTV campaign was developed by Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw in partnership with mobile agency Incentivated. Media planning was by Trinity Communications and media buying by Manning Gottlieb OMD.
The TV campaign delivered 1,236 TV spots throughout the day across 34 terrestrial and digital channels for one month. The Bookstart TV ads featured a mobile call-to-action for viewers to request a free book by texting BOOK, their home number and postcode to 80800.
View the Bookstart DRTV.
Bookstart’s target audience of parents and carers were encouraged to respond to the ads by texting free from their mobiles. The book was then sent, post free.
Text messaging was chosen as the sole response mechanism for ordering books because Trinity Communications’ research established that the primary audience had limited online access but high mobile telephone ownership.
Strong responseThe campaign generated 79,415 texts, which represents 8 per cent of the estimated one million UK households with children aged three and four. Each TV ad generated, on average, 64 texts.
This campaign demonstrates that mobile can provide an immediate response mechanism for advertising, whether using above or below the line channels, while offering brands true accountability.
Text messages are time and date stamped, which means we were able to correlate responses with the TV spots broadcast.
Terminate a mate 
The series is based on the Terminator movie trilogy. In the US, it was a smash hit, pulling in over 18 million viewers and becoming the highest-rated scripted show on Fox for eight years.
For the UK launch in February 2008, Incentivated and digital agency 20:20 created a ground-breaking viral campaign which used location-based mobile technology and merged in user-input names and mobile numbers to create a personalised video – we believe this was the first time this has ever been done.
A 10-day teaser campaign using TV, outdoor, print, viral and ambient marketing drove people to www.terminate-a-mate.com and www.terminate-a-mate.mobi, where they could enter a friend's name and mobile details.
Personalised mobile video 
We made sure there were mechanisms in place to protect privacy and defuse concerns over mobiles being used to track people. Participants who entered details of a friend’s mobile also had to give their own phone number, and an SMS message checking their details was sent. The Termination only went ahead if the sender confirmed they wanted it to.
Effectively, the sender ‘opts in’ their target to receive the geo-coded message.
Personal protectionOnce a site visitor inputs a friend's mobile number to target them for “termination,” the friend is then sent an SMS warning them that Terminators are nearby. If they reply and give permission for their location to be shared with the network, they receive a link to a made-for-mobile video. The recipient's current location is highlighted within the video via an integrated mobile map in real time.
Mobile numbers are only used for the purposes of the promotion, and users are assured that their details will not be kept on file for future marketing.
A sample of the Terminate-a-Mate mobile video can be viewed on YouTube
Conclusion
Mobile can deliver enormous impact, and works best when integrated with other media. It is the only truly personal communications channel there is, which is both an advantage and a potential disadvantage.
The advantage is that people are always contactable and can respond instantly – assuming you deliver a compelling, relevant and timely marketing message. The disadvantage is that consumers can see mobile marketing messages as extremely intrusive.
It is up to marketers and their advisers to make sure that they are using mobile properly and effectively.
Robert Thurner M IDM is Commercial Director of Incentivated, and will be delivering the mobile session at the IDM Academy at ad:tech on September 24.
He also presents on mobile at the IDM Diploma and CPD courses at the IDM in Teddington.
Men happiest online, women prefer family time: poll
SYDNEY (Reuters) - For men, bliss is often just a mouse-click away while quality time with family is guaranteed to put a smile on women's faces, according to an Australian study of what makes people happy.
The "Happiness Index" study, which polled more than 8,500 Australians aged 18-64 years, showed rest and relaxation were the most enjoyable activities while physical exercise was least likely to make people happy.
"Australians are made happy on a week-to-week basis, not by possessions and achievements, but by entertaining experiences and by meaningful interactions with others," said Karen Phillips, managing director of The Leading Edge, the business consultancy that conducted the survey over a week in August.
"This index gives insight into the way we tick, with the results being useful to Australian businesses who want to better communicate with their customers," she added.
Both men and women -- or 63 percent of overall respondents -- picked relaxation as the activity that made them happiest, but that is where the similarity between the sexes ends.
Just over half of men said happiness meant surfing the Internet, playing online games or accessing social network sites such as Facebook, compared with only 39 percent of women.
Fifty-five percent of women said having meals and spending time together as a family made them happiest, compared to 45 percent of men. Women are also more likely than men to have been made happy by their pets.
More men than women, 48 percent versus 40 percent, found happiness being intimate with another person while 38 percent of men, and only 28 percent of women, said drinking with friends brought them joy.
More women than men said reading a good book, eating comfort food or buying gifts made them happy
But Phillips said the survey also debunked several gender stereotypes, finding that shopping for new clothes and shoes made only 30 percent of women happy and that more men and women with children cited sex and romance as making them happy than singles.
"It's important to not make assumptions but to do your research when utilizing happiness drivers to improve your brand's performance," she added.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Stunning stats about kids and mobiles (in the USA)
Cell Phones Key to Teens’ Social Lives, 47% Can Text with Eyes Closed
Nearly half (47%) of US teens say their social life would end or be worsened without their cell phone, and nearly six in 10 (57%) credit their mobile device with improving their life, according to a national survey from CTIA and Harris Interactive.
Four out of five teens (17 million) carry a wireless device (a 40% increase since 2004), finds the study titled “Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged,” which probes how the growing teen wireless segment is using wireless products and how they want to use them in the future.
Nearly half (47%) of US teens say their social life would end or be worsened without their cell phone, and nearly six in 10 (57%) credit their mobile device with improving their life, according to a national survey from CTIA and Harris Interactive.
Four out of five teens (17 million) carry a wireless device (a 40% increase since 2004), finds the study titled “Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged,” which probes how the growing teen wireless segment is using wireless products and how they want to use them in the future.Impact on Teen Life
- A majority (57%) of teens view their cell phone as the key to their social life.
- Second only to clothing, teens say, a person’s cell phone tells the most about their social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes.
- Second only to clothing, teens say, a person’s cell phone tells the most about their social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes.
Providing Entertainment and Security
- More than half of the respondents (52%) agree that the cell phone has become a new form of entertainment.
- One-third of teens play games on their phone.
- 80% say their cell phone provides a sense of security while on the go, confirming that the cell phone has become their mobile safety net when needing a ride (79%), getting important information (51%), or just helping out someone in trouble (35%).
- Teens carry cell phones to have access to friends, family and current events.
- Though only one in five (18%) teens care to pinpoint the location of their family and friends via their cell phone, 36% hate the idea of a cell phone feature that allows others to know their exact location.
- More than half of the respondents (52%) agree that the cell phone has become a new form of entertainment.
- One-third of teens play games on their phone.
- 80% say their cell phone provides a sense of security while on the go, confirming that the cell phone has become their mobile safety net when needing a ride (79%), getting important information (51%), or just helping out someone in trouble (35%).
- Teens carry cell phones to have access to friends, family and current events.
- Though only one in five (18%) teens care to pinpoint the location of their family and friends via their cell phone, 36% hate the idea of a cell phone feature that allows others to know their exact location.
Texting Replacing Talking
The study also confirmed that texting is replacing talking among teens. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting were no longer an option 47% of teens say their social life would end or be worsened - that’s especially so among females (54% vs. 40%).
Teens say texting has advantages over talking because it offers more options, including multitasking, speed, the option to avoid verbal communication, and because it is fun - in that order, according to the study.
With more than 1 billion text messages sent each day, it is no surprise that 42% of teens say they can text blindfolded, the study found.
“Teens have created a new form of communication. We call it texting, but in essence it is a reflection of how teens want to communicate to match their lifestyles. It is all about multitasking, speed, privacy and control,” said Joseph Porus, VP & chief architect, Technology Group, Harris Interactive. “Teens in this study are crying for personalization and control of exactly what a wireless device or plan can do for them.”
Devices of the Future
The survey asked teens what future changes they’d like to see in wireless services and devices and found that respondents want cell phones that break boundaries and are personalized to fit their lifestyles.
Teens remain excited and openminded about the wireless possibilities and their ideal future mobile devices would feature five applications - phone, MP3 player, GPS, laptop computer and video player, according to Harris.
The study also confirmed that texting is replacing talking among teens. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting were no longer an option 47% of teens say their social life would end or be worsened - that’s especially so among females (54% vs. 40%).
Teens say texting has advantages over talking because it offers more options, including multitasking, speed, the option to avoid verbal communication, and because it is fun - in that order, according to the study.
With more than 1 billion text messages sent each day, it is no surprise that 42% of teens say they can text blindfolded, the study found.
“Teens have created a new form of communication. We call it texting, but in essence it is a reflection of how teens want to communicate to match their lifestyles. It is all about multitasking, speed, privacy and control,” said Joseph Porus, VP & chief architect, Technology Group, Harris Interactive. “Teens in this study are crying for personalization and control of exactly what a wireless device or plan can do for them.”
Devices of the Future
The survey asked teens what future changes they’d like to see in wireless services and devices and found that respondents want cell phones that break boundaries and are personalized to fit their lifestyles.
Teens remain excited and openminded about the wireless possibilities and their ideal future mobile devices would feature five applications - phone, MP3 player, GPS, laptop computer and video player, according to Harris.
Also on teens’ wish lists are phones that…
- Guarantee secured data access to the user only (80%)
- Provide accessibility to personal health records (66%)
- Present opportunities to be educated anywhere in the world (66%)
- Bring users closer to global issues impacting teens’ world (63%)
- Are shockproof and waterproof (81%)
- Have endless power (80%)
- Feature a privacy screen (58%)
- Are made of flexible material and fold into different shapes and sizes (39%)
- Have artificial intelligence - ask it questions and it gives answers (38%)
- Guarantee secured data access to the user only (80%)
- Provide accessibility to personal health records (66%)
- Present opportunities to be educated anywhere in the world (66%)
- Bring users closer to global issues impacting teens’ world (63%)
- Are shockproof and waterproof (81%)
- Have endless power (80%)
- Feature a privacy screen (58%)
- Are made of flexible material and fold into different shapes and sizes (39%)
- Have artificial intelligence - ask it questions and it gives answers (38%)
“In the future, mobility for teens means mobile banking, mobile voting, location based services, personal entertainment - the sky is the limit for how mobile our lifestyles can be,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO, CTIA - The Wireless Association. “We’ve certainly come a long way in 25 years and expect teens to be a growth driver for the industry and have a major impact on the wireless landscape for years to come.”
About the study: The study was conducted online in July 2008 among a nationally representative sample of 2,089 teenagers (age 13-19) across the US who have cell phones. More than 100 questions were asked on mobile phone usage, attitudes, behaviors, and teens’ desires and aspirations for the future of mobile communications, entertainment, and other features.
Thanks to Marketing Charts.
Original post at:
http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/cell-phones-key-to-teens-social-lives-47-can-text-with-eyes-closed-6126/?camp=newsletter&src=mc&type=textlink
About the study: The study was conducted online in July 2008 among a nationally representative sample of 2,089 teenagers (age 13-19) across the US who have cell phones. More than 100 questions were asked on mobile phone usage, attitudes, behaviors, and teens’ desires and aspirations for the future of mobile communications, entertainment, and other features.
Thanks to Marketing Charts.
Original post at:
http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/cell-phones-key-to-teens-social-lives-47-can-text-with-eyes-closed-6126/?camp=newsletter&src=mc&type=textlink
Top Mobile Trends
Thanks to NGT
Top Mobile Trends: Location Curation
One of the great things about cell phones–besides Brickbreaker–is their ability to find you in a geographical haystack. As more and more phones come with GPS, developers are increasingly incorporating it (and other cell-spotting technologies) into their apps, called location-based services (LBS). If mobile is about place and time, LBS aim to provide the right place at the right time.
TMI (Too much information)
Loopt, Brightkite and Limbo are a few of the services that help locate your friends via mobile. At their best, they’ll work wonders for your social life. As more people use them, though, they face the TMI problem. Too Much Information. We’ve seen this happen with online communication tools–that’s why SocialThing, Chi.mp and FriendFeed have all stepped in to help you manage Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc… But phones are personal, and mobile services themselves need to help manage and cull information.
PHONES AS GUIDES
If location technologies can make my phone a homing device, I want it to guide me, not make me a target. This is why most services let me choose whose information I receive, so I can “curate” my social map. These people may include my more intimate friends, or loose contacts who provide information I want. For instance, I may only choose to follow my club-hopping friends so I can learn about the trendy new nightspots. These friends can be seen as experts who help me pare down my outside world. This sort of “location curation” by trusted sources offers a more sustained value than pure social plays for both users and advertisers.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Take, for example, Untravel Media, whose “Mobile Narrative System” combines online mapping with audio, pictures, and video to produce “sightseeing experiences” that run on mobile phones and GPS devices. The technology is state-of-the-art (a Flex and AIR front end communicating with a back-end Java server that generates media for a Flash Lite-based player), but more importantly, it’s easier to use than to build. A simple interface allows experts–historians, filmmakers, curators, and travelers–to help craft and narrate tours.
Socialight is another LBS focused on combining place with topics of interest. Using their site or my phone, I can curate “urban mixtapes” to help friends discover New York. I could also find out the “Best fall picnic spots in Wine Country” according to Winetravel.com or if I’m near one of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite restaurants. City of Memory, while not yet mobile, is another good example.
BRANDED MOBILE UTILITY
To reach consumers, LBS need to be useful–and so do brands. This presents a huge mobile marketing opportunity. A brand can show people, quite directly, places of interest related to their “expertise” (e.g., Adidas–sneaker shops, Pampers–nearby restrooms). Louis Vuitton Soundwalk, celebrity-narrated mp3 tours of Chinese cities, does just this (if only it had a map component…). So did Guinness’ mobile app for the Sevens in Hong Kong and Socialight’s “Gossip Girl” and “Project Runway” guides to New York. With open APIs like uLocate’s Where, Google’s Android and the iPhone SDK, we expect to see more brands use LBS to get you–and their marketing message–to the right place at the right time.
You should also check out: Multimedia Microblogging
Original post at:http://www.nextgreatthing.com/wordpress/2008/09/23/top-mobile-trends-location-curation/
Top Mobile Trends: Location Curation
One of the great things about cell phones–besides Brickbreaker–is their ability to find you in a geographical haystack. As more and more phones come with GPS, developers are increasingly incorporating it (and other cell-spotting technologies) into their apps, called location-based services (LBS). If mobile is about place and time, LBS aim to provide the right place at the right time.TMI (Too much information)
Loopt, Brightkite and Limbo are a few of the services that help locate your friends via mobile. At their best, they’ll work wonders for your social life. As more people use them, though, they face the TMI problem. Too Much Information. We’ve seen this happen with online communication tools–that’s why SocialThing, Chi.mp and FriendFeed have all stepped in to help you manage Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc… But phones are personal, and mobile services themselves need to help manage and cull information.
PHONES AS GUIDES
If location technologies can make my phone a homing device, I want it to guide me, not make me a target. This is why most services let me choose whose information I receive, so I can “curate” my social map. These people may include my more intimate friends, or loose contacts who provide information I want. For instance, I may only choose to follow my club-hopping friends so I can learn about the trendy new nightspots. These friends can be seen as experts who help me pare down my outside world. This sort of “location curation” by trusted sources offers a more sustained value than pure social plays for both users and advertisers.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Take, for example, Untravel Media, whose “Mobile Narrative System” combines online mapping with audio, pictures, and video to produce “sightseeing experiences” that run on mobile phones and GPS devices. The technology is state-of-the-art (a Flex and AIR front end communicating with a back-end Java server that generates media for a Flash Lite-based player), but more importantly, it’s easier to use than to build. A simple interface allows experts–historians, filmmakers, curators, and travelers–to help craft and narrate tours.
Socialight is another LBS focused on combining place with topics of interest. Using their site or my phone, I can curate “urban mixtapes” to help friends discover New York. I could also find out the “Best fall picnic spots in Wine Country” according to Winetravel.com or if I’m near one of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite restaurants. City of Memory, while not yet mobile, is another good example.
BRANDED MOBILE UTILITY
To reach consumers, LBS need to be useful–and so do brands. This presents a huge mobile marketing opportunity. A brand can show people, quite directly, places of interest related to their “expertise” (e.g., Adidas–sneaker shops, Pampers–nearby restrooms). Louis Vuitton Soundwalk, celebrity-narrated mp3 tours of Chinese cities, does just this (if only it had a map component…). So did Guinness’ mobile app for the Sevens in Hong Kong and Socialight’s “Gossip Girl” and “Project Runway” guides to New York. With open APIs like uLocate’s Where, Google’s Android and the iPhone SDK, we expect to see more brands use LBS to get you–and their marketing message–to the right place at the right time.
You should also check out: Multimedia Microblogging
Original post at:http://www.nextgreatthing.com/wordpress/2008/09/23/top-mobile-trends-location-curation/
Monday, September 22, 2008
Follow the path of the unsafe
Here's some inspiration and a relevant quote for our times, for those thinking about the future, about where to invest their energy and time in the coming months ahead:
"Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of crackpot than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost."
Thomas J Watson
Thanks FurtureLab. Original Post: http://scottgoodson.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/follow-the-path-of-the-unsafe.html
"Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of crackpot than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost."
Thomas J Watson
Thanks FurtureLab. Original Post: http://scottgoodson.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/follow-the-path-of-the-unsafe.html
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