Beacon Journal | 01/29/2006 | Everybody's texting

Beacon Journal | 01/29/2006 | Everybody's texting

Ok - so Everybody is texting - and that's fine - but they are all talking about Person to Person (P2P) messaging traffic. And there is not a direct correlation between P2P traffic and how consumers use mobile for application to person (A2P) traffic for things like mobile marketing, text voting and other applications.

It's another situation where you can look at all of these numbers and start to salivate -- because you don't have them in clear view and context.

Is text messaging growing - Yes. Is mobile marketing directly related? - that remains to be seen.

Breaking Through the Ad Blockers

Breaking Through the Ad Blockers

A really nice piece discussing how consumer preference is becoming more and more advertising avoidant. The underlying message is that the focus must be on finding ways to connect with the consumer and placing the consumer first - as opposed to placing the bottom line first.

This comes back to a very old business strategy that says, "If you put satisfying your customers needs" as priority one - everything else will sort itself out.

Unfortunately, in today's publicly traded company world, the first priority is the share holders - then the stock analysts (the ones the shareholders listen to) - the bottom line - that the analysts read and watch - then the product - FINALLY we get to the customers - then the corporate partnerships required to deliver the product - oh yes - our EMPLOYEES - and that about completes the priority line. And as far as I'm concerned it is almost exactly upside down from where it should be.

Short term focus on quarterly results has been (and will continue to be) the undoing of many a company lured by the "let's go IPO" dream of making millions.

I could go on and on about this, but my previous track record in corporate America always proved this point out so I'm sure I'm not alone in understanding the gravity of this situation.

But back on message - Look to the consumer preference when it comes to marketing. Deliver content that is Timely Relevant Valuable and Requested and they won't call your marketing SPAM and they might even watch your television commercials! (What a concept!)

WiredMedia Announces BluetoothMedia.com; author wonders if BlueSpamming is Back? at MobHappy

WiredMedia Announces BluetoothMedia.com; author wonders if BlueSpamming is Back? at MobHappy

What is it about Boca Raton, FL and Spammers?

Nice find Oliver!

The Korea Times : Decoy Phones Snare Mobile Spammers

The Korea Times : Decoy Phones Snare Mobile Spammers

Ok - now this makes more sense of the article I commented on yesterday.

The Korean government has setup 1,000 decoy phones to help hunt down spammers and they have identified 1,700 spammers as a result.

Using false e-mail addresses (sometimes referred to as "honey pots" is a practice in use by a number of the larger e-mail spam filtering companies.

This weeks Carnival of the Mobilists at blethers.com

Whether you think of carnivals as traveling shows and amusement park rides or as huge parties in New Orleans and Rio and Sydney - or just as groups of like minded bloggers spinning new articles every week - you've got to climb on board for this weeks Carnival of the Mobilists hosted at blethers.com.

This week highlights some new contributors as well as some of the more regular posters . Nice work Stuart!

Read this weeks Carnival of the Mobilists.

Spam Scams down under

Today Tonight on Seven

Watch out, because your mobile phone may be the SMS target of a clever scam. Helen Wellings looks at the latest alerts and how to keep your phone safe.

Well - that's the latest from Australia. From what I can tel l the Aussie tolerance for SPAM is far less than even in the US and UK. (I already liked the Aussies - but I'm getting to like them even more...)

Advertising to the mobile masses

Advertising to the mobile masses

Well done to the PR firm at Third Screen - they are certainly getting plenty of press coverage.

Skip all the way to the end of the article and you'll see the traditional "money shot" quoting budgets of $100K- $200K and a recent $1.6M procurement.

That's all very nice - but there will be one minor problem. There isn't enough qualified inventory in the market to satisfy a $1.6M budget unless the campaign runs for 2-3 years.

What do you mean by inventory? you say... I mean the number of page impressions or mobile messages that would be required to charge off $1.6M. The volume just isn't there yet. And I question if it ever will be.

The mobile device is not a small computer screen. People use the mobile device much differently than they do a PC. If a banner ad takes up 5% of the screen real estate - or even as much as 15% of the actual content on the page - sure I'll look "around" the banner to get the free content I want. But on a mobile screen you're talking more like 40% or more of the total space - consumer's won't do it.

Plus - there is the problem that many consumers will wind up "paying" for those banner ads in wap traffic (depending on their contract) - and no one wants to pay for an ad!

Time will tell but in the end I think Third Screen's PR firm will have a much bigger job on their hands than they do today.

Do You Think Operators Really Care About Your Privacy? at MobHappy

Do You Think Operators Really Care About Your Privacy? at MobHappy

Now while this first reads as an article about access to call records in the US - read the article all the way to the end and you'll find a reference to another service for the UK that offers the ability to access location information.

Location is subject to opt-in permission just as marketing is - and in fact it is "in addition" to the opt-in for marketing. By this I mean that as a consumer you would need to opt-in to receiving marketing messages and opt-in separately to allow the marketer to have access to your location information prior to marketing to you.

I've signed up for the service - I'll let you know how it goes...

One in three Europeans pick 3G contracts | The Register

One in three Europeans pick 3G contracts | The Register

Ummm... Sorry boys. No sale. This has virtually nothing to do with 3G "coming of age."

32.9% of the sales were for 3G services because of the device selection that was available and the fact that the consumer chose a handset that was 3G.

I'd be much more interested if you surveyed those 32.9% of new sales and asked them a few key questions:

a.) Do you know that your phone is 3G?
b.) Did 3G have any influence on your purchase of this phone? (or was it just the coolest and/or cheapest phone available)

The majority of phones across EU are now WAP capable, Java capable, and Picture Messaging capable - and yet each of these services only has a fractional uptake by consumers.

Let's make sure we attribute the consumer preference to the right thing - Cool handsets - or 3G networks? You decide.

Bluetooth gets more visible

Marketing Week has 2 articles that have appear recently that are discussing the use of Bluetooth for marketing and further raising questions about compliance with privacy regulations. The Analysis article titled, "Do Bluetooth posters send privacy down the tube?" discusses a new Bluetooth campaign running in the London Underground (a.k.a. the tube) with posters supplied from Viacom with embedded Bluetooth technology from Wideray. The program is promoting content from Channel 4 as descibed here.

A separate article takes a more liberal approach to interpreting the situation with the title, "DMA embraces Bluetooth technology after U-turn." - Well - not exactly. I think if you asked Robert Dirskovsky from the DMA he might temper that title just a bit. (In fact that's exactly what he did during a recent DMA Mobile Marketing Strategy Council meeting).

In the coming weeks the DMA will offer best practices for DMA members including the best use of Bluetooth marketing. Be sure to watch this space for when those come out!

Information Commissioner says Bluetooth has same Opt-In requirements as E-mail

In both of the articles from Marketing Week, as well as a recent response to a letter in Out Law
(Winter 2005 Issue 13, pp. 13) quote the Information Commissioner as saying Bluetooth is subject to the same opt-in requirements as e-mail. You can check page 24 of the Information Commissioners Guidance to the privacy and electronic communications (EC directive) Regulations for 2003 (HERE) to see it in print. (Thanks to Louise Townsend from Pinsent Masons / Out Law for the specific reference)

For now there is much confusion.

For the time being there is a considerable amount of confusion as to a.) Is there a requirement for Opt-In for Bluetooth? and b.) If there is such a requirement, what will satisfy the Opt-In requirement for Bluetooth? Bluetooth marketing isn't going to go away, but will need to be properly defined for best use and maximum impact.

Watch this space! (It's one of my favourite topics!)

Korean SMS Spam Trap

The Korea Herald : New mobile spam trap system filters out unwanted messages

The Korea Information Security Agency is planning to implement a new SMS SPAM trap. Reading through the article there are references to black-list originator numbers and volume triggers.

Black List

There are a couple of interesting points from a technology perspective in looking at a black-list approach. First, this implies that a significant amount of SMS Spam is being sent from mobile phones or at least from spammers that are using a traditional long number as the point of origin. But when reading the article they quote,
"During a trial period in January, KISA found out that the total number of spam received from 1,000 mobile numbers reached 1,800. " - And if this means that there are only 1.8 messages per rogue number this implies that the threshold for sending SPAM is incredibly low and that the tolerance level is also set very low. Effectively, you only have to screw up once.

Secondly, it will be an interesting task to maintain such a black list. Establishing tight enough criteria to decide who goes on the list - and what it takes to come off the list will be very challenging.

Volume Triggers

In contrast to the low 1.8 messages per number limit above, the article goes on to say that they are targeting "spammers who send texts to over 100,00 mobile addresses at the same time."

And if it's not too techy for you...

Korea is largely CDMA

And what does that have to do with a SPAM trap? Simple. GSM based mobile networks deliver SMS messages using the same technology as call setup making it incredibly difficult to intercept every single message and run a filter on it without affecting the voice network. As CDMA has implemented SMS as an after thought -they have better control points where they can insert these type of filtering systems.

The point - this may work for Korea but don't look for a similar approach on Europe anytime soon...



Originally from: Textually.org

Mobile Entertainment: Europe goes rental as anything

Mobile Entertainment: Europe goes rental as anything

I just wonder what the terms and conditions look like for the download service for future mobile marketing and communications?

P.S.
Way to go Maureen!

News Focus: Telemarketing firms urged not to despair over TPS - DMBulletin - Direct Marketing news by Email - Brand Republic

News Focus: Telemarketing firms urged not to despair over TPS - DMBulletin - Direct Marketing news by Email - Brand Republic

Death of the cold call by 2007

That's FANTASTIC NEWS!

But I go back to one of my favourite points for discussion. I'd like to meet the parents, teatures, family and mentors of business people that believe that cold calling people during dinner is a good and responsible business practice to start with!?!

PRESS RELEASE CEO America and Txtstation Mobile Marketing

PRESS RELEASE CEO America and Txtstation Mobile Marketing

This might have some real legs to it as it is the first time I've seen a complete solution that embodies so many of the core elements of successful mobile marketing.

a) A dedicated commitment to promotion via traditional media - actually making a call to action to the consumer that is actioned via the mobile device.
b) An understanding of TRVR (Timely, Relevant, Valuable and Requested). With programs being event centric and consumers making the first step - this ticks all the boxes.

But what happens later?

Where is the fine print going to be displayed? What permissions will be granted when consumers play? What is in the fine print of earning the CREDITZ? How will consumers know that they aren't going to get SPAM'd at some point well after the event when A) and B) above don't apply? And what will happen the first time they do?

In my view if the system is used expressly for event style marketing and no further communications are made - this will be best. It will only take a couple of bad SPAM runs and people will not participate in the programs any longer because of fear of mobile SPAM.

A quick read of their Privacy Policy leaves me feeling more confident that they are headed the right direction - but it really only discusses how they do e-mail.

Gaming and Gambling?

This is the other aspect of the program that I wonder about. Part of the appeal will be the gaming/gambling aspect. I wonder what legislation they will have to go through to meet compliance in this area? From my experience trying to run a simple give-away program in the US every State has their own requirements on how things have to be done and it might be as extreme as a requirement to be registered to do business in every state you plan to operate.

Mobile ads to pay for free texting | The Register

Mobile ads to pay for free texting | The Register

Be afraid -- be very afraid...

Ok - not really - this won't last long.

Convergence Calls for Better Tracking, Reporting

Convergence Calls for Better Tracking, Reporting

PwC has come up with a great new term to describe the multiple channels of media and communications for a specific consumer, - "lifestyle Media"

On the one hand this gives advertisers and marketers a far greater choice in how the communicate with consumers - and how consumers communicate back. On the other - as is raised in the article - there are concerns about how privacy will play a role in this new lifestyle media arena.

Mobile CRM may initially look like a term focused on the mobile device - but I've always held a belief that the "mobile" in mobile CRM applies to any and all devices that are personal and mobile with the consumer.

Will someone else come up with a concept of a centralized CRM management solution and refer to the solution as Lifestyle CRM? - Nah -- probably not.

The Sunday Mail QLD: Warning bells over sex-text scammers [22jan06]

The Sunday Mail QLD: Warning bells over sex-text scammers [22jan06]

Not that this is anything new for most of us - but it gives me an opportunity to point out that Australia has one of the toughest anti-SPAM cultures around - even more so than the US and UK.

Fines in Australia for mobile SPAM can top AU$100K - and that is enough to get people's attention.

A Hard Cell - The Daily Free Press - News

A Hard Cell - The Daily Free Press - News

Looks like the Americans are waking up to the idea of mobile marketing... but are they "warming" up to it?

Third Screen media wants everyone to believe that consumers will access advertising via banner ads that are accessible via the mobile device.

As for brand extension - I think this has promise. For the incremental functionality of click-through and cookies and tracking - I'm still not convinced.

There are some contradictions in the post as well when Tom Burgess says, "It's all pull, none of it is push and none of it is spam," - but later goes on to say that messages will come through SMS Text messages - which are inherently push...

And as to whether or not it's SPAM... that's something the consumer will decide. It may be permission based marketing and the brand may have all the right legal protection to engage in the communication - but if the consumer decides that the message is SPAM - it's SPAM.

Third Screen Media is making lots of noise this year and they are definitely worth watching. I certainly hope that by June they still want us to be watching...

1st Carnival of the Mobilists entry for 2006

Be sure to check out the first Carnival of the Mobilsts for 2006 at the Golden Swamp. Judy has done an excellent job of summarizing the best in postings for the week. Check it out!

Read the entire entry.

China to hasten telecom regulation

China to hasten telecom regulation

Taking away anonymity as a way to curb SPAM? An interesting approach but this assumes that much of the SPAM is being sent by people who are buying SIM cards and sending messages from regular phones.

I have some trouble believing that this is the true source of high volume SPAM due to the cost factor of P2P (Person to Person) messages. Bulk SMS delivery rates are substantially lower because of the volume.

It will be interesting to watch the legislative process and to see if there is truly any measurable impact on the amount of SMS Spam as a result of the legislation.

What I will say is that this legislation is at least as good as the CAN-SPAM act which was largely gutted by big brands and marketers away from it's original goal of reducing SPAM to the current effect of identifying the legal requirements that you must adhere to so that you "can SPAM" legally.

Adverblog: Mobile gaming, an opportunity for advertising

Adverblog: Mobile gaming, an opportunity for advertising

There are a couple of interesting sub topics here.

Bluetooth - cutting out the carriers

Mobile Gaming as a marketing channel

And again I ask the question about permission and opt-in and mobile marketing? Does it even apply here? Do consumers want the option for advertising free games or do they not really care?

Adverblog: The beauty podcast

Adverblog: The beauty podcast

So - we are starting to see advertising more and more in both regular and video podcasts. According to Clickz there are even 2 new Podcast Ad Networks Launch">launches of podcast ad networks.

If we go back to an earlier thread of mine from last year over at Mobile Marketing Magazine "What is Mobile Marketing?" that we must extend the idea of mobile marketing beyond the phone to include any of those items that are on my person and mobile with me (my iPod, PDA, Sony PSP, phone, etc.) then mobile marketing becomes a much broader concept.

How then should we look at permission for mobile marketing? When does podcasting become SPAM? How do we Opt-In for marketing to our MobileTV? What influence should ICSTIS and OFCOM (in the UK) have over marketing to more mobile devices?

What are your thoughts?

More Mobile TV Hype

Let me start by saying:

Don't drink the Kool-Aid - at least not without reading the label!

Troy


MEX - The PMN Mobile User Experience conference - The bigger picture with mobile TV
'Mobile television needs fine-tuning' - Yahoo! News

MMS messaging contineus to suffer.

160Characters Association

Back in July/August 2003 - when the hype about MMS picture messaging was at it's peak - there were a number of us that were standing back from all the media frenzy and trying to get an objective view on the market question: Would MMS really take off in Europe as it had in Japan?

Although mobile network operators were keen to have something to tell the market as to how they were going to recover the Billions spent on 3G licenses - there were several of us who were refusing to Drink the Kool-Aid.

The article here from 160characters.org points out clearly that volumes are trivial in comparison to the volume of SMS messages and I don't expect that will change anytime soon. The price of MMS being 4x that of SMS is one barrier - but I still question if you made the price the same as SMS if it would change consumer behviour.

Sending an SMS is easy. Anyone can do it from virtually any phone. Composing an MMS is more difficult unless it's just sending a picture. And the process takes time - you don't just write and hit Send - you have to compose - send - wait for transimission - it's just not the fast and easy experience of SMS.

However, MMS for Mobile Marketing now that is a different animal altogether. In this case I think the business case makes much more sense and the ability for brands to communicate with consumers including pictures and audio is very compelling. Not as costly as streaming video - more accessible than today's consumers who can receive MobileTV - and overall a better experience than mobile SMS marketing.

I would say that 2006 could see a growth in MMS marketing that will surprise people because the media have everyone focused on the latest drip feed of Kool-aid - Mobile TV.

Slashphone.com - Sprint U.S. Consumer Wireless Usage Study - mobile phone reviews, news, rumors, mobile community and more...

Slashphone.com - Sprint U.S. Consumer Wireless Usage Study - mobile phone reviews, news, rumors, mobile community and more...

Maybe my countrymen in the US are really waking up to the true possibilities of the mobile device.

Interesting that the study does not cover mobile marketing preferences for the device - or at least not as covered in this article by SlashPhone.

All the plastic in my wallet - converged!

Designer Dima Komissarov created the protoype mobile device shown here, which contains your credit card, door keys, ID and just about anything else you want to put in it. Following on the same theme as the Sprint data below...

It's not completely relevant to mobile marketing and SPAM - but boy is this a cool device concept or what?!?

When it comes to convergionist vs. separatist thinking I'm generally a separatist: Meaning that I want my iPod and my PDA and my phone as 3 different devices. But when it comes to converging all the plastic in my wallet into a device and making that my mobile phone as well - Count me in! - That's my consumer preference!

Read more

Crazy Frog scapegoat finds solace in porn | The Register

Crazy Frog scapegoat finds solace in porn | The Register

Really interesting little piece (CAUTION: Conservative readers may find some language objectionable) on mobile content and the how's and whys of consumer preference for mobile porn over regular mobile content.

And it looks like I'm not the only one finding this piece of interest. Tom Gordon posted over at MobHappy that he thinks that Porn is not the only sticky content.

Andrew Bud from mBlox seems to take a bit of a lashing but he doesn't seem to mined either - oddly enough.

Maybe I'm just being thick, but here's the question that I've asked in a couple of earlier posts:

What is so special about Andrew Bud of mBlox delivering adult content? It's a little like Frederick W. Smith (CEO of FedEx) telling people that FedEx is used as a platform for delivering sex toys, magazines and porn DVD's - so what?! It's transport. And both Mblox and FedEx make money from transport.

When it comes to mobile marketing the delivery agent (like mBlox) is responsible for ensuring that their customers don't send SPAM and they have very tight contracts with serious teeth in the liability sections to prevent these types of problems. So even though mBlox may have been fined - the fine should have been passed right on through to Jamster.

In the end it must go back to the old adage "Even bad publicity is good publicity."

Mobile Marketing views from Laura Marriot

Laura Marriot - Executive Director for the MMA in the US was recently part of a live chat event sponsored by Wireless Week. You can view a transcript of the show HERE.

I think you'll find the interview very interesting - especially with the number of questions about opt-in, permission, spam and more.

Well done Laura!


Troy

The miracle of media hype - Mobile TV

Carlo said it best: Please, Make the Mobile TV Hype Stop and I couldn't agree more.

There are a number of articles talking about a recent trial by O2 for Mobile TV - One from Brand Republic is here. And Mobile Entertainment writes... HERE.

But what does all this have to do with mobile marketing and SPAM? Well - from a SPAM perspective - not much. But from a mobile marketing perspective, quite a bit.

One message we could take from this is that consumers are willing to watch on the small screen - but most are unwilling to pay the price needed to justify the service - but definitely willing to watch advertising to support the service. Ad supported Television - there's a novel new idea.

I'm also very interested to understand what this service does to battery life. Fundamentally people have a mobile phone for the purpose of communicating - voice or text messaging (SMS). If they have run their battery down watching television (or playing music or games or whatever) and they can't make phone calls - what next?

What is the true consumer preference? What is the possibility of a separate DVB-H device that is only for television. So - you can still use your phone for what is was intended for. Or even better - why not put the DVB-H receiver into the iPod video? - Now that starts to make much more sense.

Ok - I'm on a roll now - and what if you put the basic GSM technology into that iPod video and gave people in the UK what they have at home with "Red Button" style access using SMS as the bearer. Now that would be a compelling device. - Don't you think?

Your comments are absolutely welcome!


Troy

Technology News: Mobile Devices : Carriers Plan to be Kind With Cell Phone Advertising

Technology News: Mobile Devices : Carriers Plan to be Kind With Cell Phone Advertising

A nice look at the way mobile marketing could evolve. The premise here is that carriers are very aware of the sensitivity to marketing for their consumers and that they undertand the fragile nature of mobile marketing.

However - that is certainly not the consumer experience from AT&T and Cingular during the past 2 years. Both carriers have spent a considerable amount of time and energy developing direct marketing campaigns via mobile. The sheer volume of mobile network operator messages caused some consumers to change their network (churn) - but that didn't stop AT&T or Cingular.

It wasn't until there was a threat of legislation that it became apparent that they needed to change their ways.

The over-arching principle from the carriers perspective is, "No one shall SPAM our customers - except US!"

Consumers and TXT4 - It's cool, but it's not what you think

Broadsystem partners with TXT4 for mobile response services - Data Bulletin - Data news by Email - Brand Republic

LONDON - TXT4 and Broadsystem have established a partnership that will allow Broadsystem's clients to use TXT4's range of mobile response services.

An excerpt from the article gives only a clue of what's really going on...

"Consumer details gathered through this channel can still be stored alongside those gathered in other channels in one central marketing database, giving Broadsystem and its clients a single view of the data."

I was recently contacted by another mobile marketing consultant who was emphatically stating that the way this was done was in violation of various data protection laws and had asked me to take a look.

The fine print

Working from an example campaign, I tried the response mechanic myself and this led me to the Privacy Policy for txt4. If you go to their home page the link for the Privacy policy is at the bottom of the page in almost the same colour as the background. (Makes you wonder why it's so carefully hidden). Nonetheless - I'll make it easy to find. TXT4 PRIVACY

You can read the policy yourself but there is one particular point that is clear upon careful reading. Your data relationship is with TXT4 and not with the brand. This means that it's the privacy policy of TXT4 that you need to read in very close detail.

Perception is reality - sometimes.

TXT4 has a number of high visibility brand clients including Ford, Volvo and Vauxhall. The Telegraph recent promoted the Visit England campaign suggesting that people text the word "enter" to 84118.

If you've never used the service before you may be prompted to reply with your postcode and house number so that you can be sent a brochure from Visit England.

The terms and conditions of the competition don't make any reference to how the data collected will be used or who owns the data - but most consumer's would most likely assume that their data was being given to Visit England. But alas - this perception is not reality.

Fast forward a little bit in time...

At some point in the future you see a very sexy add for the new Ford Supercar and are invited to text "supercar" to 84118 in order to receive a brochure in the post. You send the text message and you get a snappy response telling you that the brochure is en route to you in the mail without ever having to tell them your address. Isn't that snappy!?

Hang on a minute!

That's right - the information that you gave to Visit England is now being used by Ford. But did you really give your information to Ford? Did you give your information to Visit England? Actually you gave your information to TXT4 and they can then use that information for any of their future clients that run a campaign where you respond.

On the one hand, TXT4 is providing a unique and valuable service to the benefit of both you - the consumer - and each of their advertisers. TXT4 collects your personal details once and then provides them to any future advertiser where you ask for information. No more entering your house number and post code for each and every campaign - that's cool. But the problem is that it was not fully disclosed and made clear that is what is going to happen.

I contacted James Critchley, M.D. of TXT4 and expressed my general dismay at the fact that my details had been shared between brands without my express permission. James was very apologetic and offered to immediately unsubscribe me from his system.

After a bit of explanation James finally caught on to my point. It's not that I object to his service, I actually think it's very cool and convenient. What I object to is that the service operates in a way that is misleading and does not make clear to the consumer what is going to happen with their data.

How to make this better.

TXT4 has a good service and really can add value to consumers and to the brands that use their service. I would suggest adding a statement to the terms and conditions of the every original campaign that explains to the consumer that the brand doesn't hold their data - but that TXT4 holds their data - and I would explicitly include the contact information for TXT4 and their Privacy Policy on how consumer data will be treated.

Oh yes - and I'd recommend that TXT4 make their Privacy Policy link just a bit more visible -- It's so hidden away it makes one wonder what's in there!

Is mobile marketing really the "silver bullet"? - AdJab

Is mobile marketing really the "silver bullet"? - AdJab

A nicely written piece that looks at the future of mobile marketing and cries out for better targeting and for price reductions on content or services in return for permission to advertise.

There is a finer definition of mobile marketing that I'd like to apply. This is very much applicable to the storm brewing off in the distance for mobile marketing in the form of banner ads on WAP sites. I agree that targeting is absolutely required for SMS or other push marketing - but those have an inherent opt-in requirement that implies targeting.

Coming to a Pocket Near You; Advertising to Mobiles Threatens to Annoy Billions at MobHappy

Coming to a Pocket Near You; Advertising to Mobiles Threatens to Annoy Billions at MobHappy

I don't have to say a thing more - Oliver has said it very well. Way to go Oliver and welcome to Mobhappy!

For those that don't know, Oliver Starr has recently joined the dynamic duo of Russel Buckley and Carlo Longino over at Mobhappy. It's a great addition to the Mobhappy blog team!

Troy

Crazy Frog hits ringtones - Sunday Times - Times Online

Crazy Frog hits ringtones - Sunday Times - Times Online

For once it is nice to see that the business model of make money for the short run has long term implications that might make people think next time before they go for the quick money.

Andrew Bud from MBlox is quoted talking about how the regulations have impacted the ringtone industry and how it has yet to fully recover. Interestingly, Mblox paid a trivial £40,000 fine for their part in the CrazyFrog business over the summer 2005.


The lure of quick and easy money is very appealing. Some people actually factor in the fines as part of their business plans as "cost of sales". It is my hope that more high visibility penalties like this one will make people think before they employ tactics that take advantage of people.

Sneaky SMS Practices?

The Gripe Line Weblog by Ed Foster Now normally I'd be all over an article like this talking about how this is yet another example of questionable business practices - but I'm going to take a slightly different tack this time and talk about what the carriers have done for their own business practices to prevent these types of things happening.

Provided Mblox was in compliance with the carriers code of practice (and after all the trouble they got in with Jamster/Crazy Frog I can't believe they wouldn't) there are requirements for double opt-in to subscription services. It is not enough to receive a notice of advice of charge, you - the consumer about to be charged - must originate a message from your mobile phone and then you must reply to a subsequent message to verify that you understand that charges will apply.

If Dadamobile isn't following those practices - and if MBlox isn't enforcing those practices - and the consumer's carrier isn't enforcing their code of practice - then all bets are off. But my bet is that this is an example of a consumer who has changed their mind when they saw the bill.

The Wild West days of taking advantage of consumers who don't read terms and conditions or who are blatantly mislead by fine print and practices that don't just push the boundary of good business ethics but literally blow a hole in the boundary are long since over. Even now the ringtone market and other premium content services are complaining bitterly over drops in revenue associated with the requirement for double opt-in from the carriers.

Marc Schulman to lead strategic partnerships in Mobile Marketing

Marc Schulman to lead strategic partnerships in Mobile Marketing There is just something really disturbing about a marketing company with the word "BLAST" in the name.

I would sincerely hope that these companies don't expect to BLAST consumers or they just might find themselves having a BLAST go off in their face.

The press release says nothing about permission or opt-in. Even though the legislation and best practice prohibits bulk sending of mobile SPAM - it is the persistence of the BLAST mentality that is one of the biggest threats to mobile marketing.

Britvic Signs up with Enpocket

Media Week reports that Britvic has selected Enpocket for their partner for all mobile marketing. This includes the UK Britvic brands Pepsi, 7UP, Tango and others.

But what is really interesting to me here is the limited reference to the fact that Enpocket is partnering "along side the group's roster of marketing agencies".

Mobile is not a marketing strategy all unto itself but is part of a larger marketing campaign where mobile is one channel.

Using mobile for consumer response to an on-pack, print , television or radio campaign is good business. Most of those responses are purely SMS in nature.

As devices and networks improve there is more and more talk if picture messaging, mobile coupons etc. However, the consumer uptake on this has yet to be fully realized.

This is much more about a transport deal where there are very small margins and hopefully high enough volumes to make the service worth while to Enpocket.

There has been talk in the industry for some time that the marketing agencies will start buying inbound and outbound text and picture messages just like they currently buy banner ads or space in magazines - it will be just another media.

The difference will be the tight regulation and control required for opt-in permission management.

Enpocket does a good job of talking about permission management and opt-in lists - but spent the early days trying to build a business model on list brokering - a practice that I generally frown on because of the risks to brands that use 3rd party lists. The risk of being tarred with the SPAM brush. We don't hear much about the great revenue from the list rental of the Royal Mail's some 300K opt-in subscribers under the careful stewardship of Enpocket... I wonder why.

Enpocket is also a great one for spinning research to suit the marketing messages that are needed. You might look for another posting about Enpocket over on Statistics Debunked in a few weeks.


Troy

Proposals for SPC

Shanghai Daily reports on Proposals for SPC:

One quote in particular caught my attention:
"
•Zhang Wenrong, an SPC delegate from Huangpu District, submitted a bill calling on the SPC to enact laws to control the rampant spread of "information rubbish."

He said in his bill that our life is largely disturbed by various kinds of information rubbish including spam e-mail, advertising flyers, false advertisements, and unwanted mobile messages.
However, there is no law to restrict people from sending spam or unwanted text messages.

In his suggested law, Zhang proposed the government set up a complaint-reception hot line to monitor those who produce information rubbish. The government should also establish a special task force tackle the problem.

He said the law should also set concrete penalties for those who produce information rubbish.
"

Zhang Wenrong captures the essence of the symptom but I do not believe that laws will capture the nature of the underlying problem. When it becomes unacceptable within society to interrupt people's lives with information rubbish, the market will go away. And when it becomesunacceptablee to respond to the information rubbish - the customers will go away. With no brands to send advertising and no customers who respond to the advertising, the industry goes away by itself.

But how do we change the cultural views?


SPC: Shanghai People's Congress

STLtoday - Business - Story

STLtoday - Business - Story

This is a nice article that starts off looking like an article about SPAM, but is really an article about mobile CRM.

As the US becomes more comfortable with using the mobile device for more than just making and receiving voice calls, there are more opportunities for brands to establish a dialogue with their customers.

The article describes SMS Short codes as the way for consumers to send messages not to other consumers, but to applications that will respond with things including coupons, ringtones or even recipes.

The article talks about several great examples of how traditional marketing is being used to raise awareness about promotions and other offers that consumers can redeem via their mobile device. And each of these interactions is an opportunity for the brand to deliver timely, relevant, valuable and requested (TRVR) information.

Prediction for 2006

I've only got a single prediction for 2006

By the end of 2006 I would hope to find at least one publication (besides mine) that has the following headline:

Mobile Marketing is DEAD! Long live Mobile CRM!

While a bit on the dramatic side I think the possibility truly exists that mobile marketing the way that people are thinking about it today will be marginalized in favor of using the mobile as a CRM tool to communicate with customers and to establish a meaningful dialogue.

Yes - some of these messages will include marketing of additional products and services, but first and foremost the content will be focused on maintaining the relationship with the consumer and building loyalty.

As mobile marketing matures certain activities are growing at such a rate that they are developing their own labels (like Mobile CRM). Using mobile as a customer response mechanism for voting and contests/promotions will continue, but more likely as a way to extend the customer relationship than as a way for acquiring new customers.

Mobile content will break out as its own service. Marketing to promote mobile content services will be done largely via traditional means including television, radio and print - and yes some mobile promotion through WAP sites... but mobile content will be separate from mobile marketing.

So - if we put it in a summary - here's the overview:

Mobile Marketing - Slowing ( never really taking off )
Mobile CRM - Growing as brands learn how to have a meaningful dialogue with consumers on the go
Mobile Response - Growing - Classic voting and customer participation to start the dialogue will continue in direct relationship to traditional media spend


Mobile Marketing is Dead -- Long live Mobile CRM.


Troy

Just as a postscript - yes that would mean that mobile marketing and SPAM would be a marginal topic as well... hence why I've chosen the domain name consumer-preference.com - It's about how consumer's prefer to communicate with brands and within communities. So by 2006 you could see some other changes in the story line here as well!