Mobile Highlights from the day- Mobile Marketing & SPAM

I must get at least 40 e-mail newsletters a day - each of which may contain 6-20 different stories. Some are relevant - some are ridiculous - and some are just not worth the electric bill I pay to display them. And what remains - well what remains are articles that I feel are worth sharing or at least worth writing a few words about. Here's the list for today:

D2D Takes the Rap

Another article about the future of door drop marketing and how it is soon to change. What kills me is that it has taken an environmental financial impact to get this far. Ask anyone about the amount of rubbish shoved through their letterbox and they will tell you they've wished they could stop it for years - but didn't know how. And yes - if D2D is today - newspaper inserts are tomorrow. Hurray! Again we get rid of more untargeted marketing -- but here is where this author and I part company - you see - he works for the enemy.

Hugh is a data provider. That's right. He's one of those people who sell - Ok "rent" - information about you to direct marketers everywhere so that you get addressed junk mail instead of bulk untargeted junk mail.

I would like to amend the Data Protection Act to require every data controller who shares, rents, sells or distributes my data to a 3rd party to be required to get my permission ANNUALLY to do so. Every year the data controller must send me a letter asking for my express permission to share my data with 3rd parties. Oh yes - and the letter must include a complete list of all information which will be shared. I want to know "What you know." - and I want to have the default be that you "may not share" any of my data.

This would allow good and responsible brands to build their own CRM data bases and to use them in a responsible and measured way... say a regular newsletter to me. And if a brand builds a relationship with a trusted partner then, rather than selling my data on they could offer their partner the opportunity to advertise in the newsletter I'm already receiving. I guarantee you that if that happens the number and quality of "trusted partners" will change.

I'm supportive of brands maintaining their own CRM systems and definitely in favour of building trust and sharing the wealth with trusted partners. But it should be done in an open and transparent way.

Mobile Marketing Won't Work Until ...

Excellent article... and I agree completely. I am in the mobile industry and I get frustrated with my Nokia N73 trying to access a mobile web site. The Vodafone connection is flakey - 3G is not very fast - the processor on the device makes the experience sluggish - the display is tiny and of course there is no keyboard. It means I have to be REALLY bored - or REALLY desperate to take the time and energy to use the mobile web. Thank gawd Vodafone finally made it affordable or that would be yet a 3rd hurdle.

Another point whic is buried in the article that I will bring out - 3G, EDGE or any mobile network access is not sufficient for the majority of people who are actually using mobile Internet today. That's right - they are all using WiFi in one way or another - T-Mobile WiFi in Starbucks - or BT Openzone in the hotel. No one is using 3G or EDGE for real serious mobile Internet access.

A positive view on mobile marketing...

A nicely written article taking a reasoned approach to the pitfalls and benefits of mobile marketing done right. Traditional marketers who want to just buy a list and spam the world an hope for .5% return should not bother reading for fear they might learn something... ;)

Another one of these "statistics for dummies" opportunities....

Modiv Media tapped for Subway coupons...

Subway tested the program, called My Subway Mobile, in the Buffalo area in August 2006 in 12 locations. Company officials report franchises realized a 50 percent coupon-redemption rate during the trial, significantly more than the typical 2 percent to 3 percent response rates from traditional paper-based coupons.

Accordng to Modiv Media consumers must double opt-in before being sent relevant offers. Good for them! -- But that means you had to run a traditional marketing campaign which probably had a 2%-3% response rate - and then lost another 1/3 to 1/2 of those during the double opt-in process - leaving you with people who REALLY wanted the coupons -- and then -- now the statistic for the article - 50 percent of those coupons sent were actually redeemed.

It's amazing - I think I'll have these guys write a business plan for my bank manager... Nah...

And these - these are the challenges of mobile advertising: (not mobile direct marketing - not SMS spam - but mobile ADVERTISING!)

A Nielsen study cited in Advertising Age found that only 10% of mobile data users responded to ads on their mobile phones. Another 11% viewed the ads but did not respond, and nearly eight in 10 did not view the ads at all.

More than one-half (53%) of those who ignored the ads said they were not interested in what was being advertised.

More than two-thirds of mobile data users thought that mobile ads were
unacceptable. However, nearly 45% of mobile video viewers were willing to watch ads in exchange for an unspecified benefit.

Targeting the right mobile users with the right messages remains a challenge.

So - we are displaying BILLIONS of ads now - but with what effectiveness?

Actually - if you compare the fact that 10% of users responded to a mobile ad to what percent of users respond to a web banner ad - that sounds pretty good!

Oh no - Cigarette style advertising for automotive ads!

That's right - the EU wants to designate 20% of any automotive ad to factors relating to CO2 emissions, fuel economy - AND OTHER THINGS CONSUMERS CARE ABOUT! -- Sure - we can look it up on the web or ask the dodgy man at the dealership - but if it's right there in front of us it might make a difference. Or will it.

We all know how much effect the marketing on cigarette packs has had. Here in the UK the entire bottom 1/2 of the cigarette box is covered with messages like, "SMOKING KILLS". People still buy cigrattes.

Trust me - the guy who wants a snazzy red sports car for his midlife crisis will look right past the fuel economy and the CO2 information. The sports car ads will still sell sports cars. And the majority of "reasonbly priced family cars" - they are already competing on these issues anyway so they give 20% of the adspace to this topic rather than 5% -- They'll put bells and whistles and dancing annoying things (ala CrazyFrog) around the data to make it palatable. And for those who don't know about Jamba ... Here's my sign off for today's summary.... it's a gift.... really....