Mobile Marketing & SPAM

Stopping SMS SPAM

2009-10-27T08:21:00.002Z

Recently I received an e-mail asking for some clarification on "unsolicited text messages" -- As I was writing the reply I realized that it was probably a very common question so I thought I would publish both question and answer:

An E-mail from Al B.

Hi --

I have a T-Mobile prepaid plan phone and I get unsolicited text messages about twice per day. I don't use the text messaging functions at all.

I delete text messages without reading them, thereby avoiding having to pay for reading them.

My question is: if I stop deleting the unsolicited text messages and they start to "accumulate", where are they accumulating? Are they stored on my cell phone or are they stored elsewhere?

If stored elsewhere, what problems will I be causing myself if I stop deleting them and just let them accumulate (on a remote server?) indefinitely?

If stored on my phone, can I assume I have to delete them to avoid filling up my phone with junk text messages?

Thanks.

-- Al

And here is my reply:

Hi Al,

Thanks for your message.

In order to help you the most I'd like to ask a few questions.

1) Are you in the US - or somewhere in Europe?
If you are in Europe you don't pay to receive messages only for sending.
If you are in the US most plans charge you to receive the messages whether you open and read them or not.

2) Text messages are only stored in the network until they are successfully delivered to your phone. Once they are delivered - read or unread - they are no longer stored in the network. And yes - that means that you'll have to manually delete them.

3) The majority of text message SPAM in the US happens because people are sending e-mail to your SMS e-mail address. This is typically your number@t-mobile.com - like 3175551212@tmomail.net

A quick look on the web reveals this page:

http://support.t-mobile.com/tm23533.htm

Here you can install Message Blocking for T-Mobile and stop the majority of your unwanted messages... for Free...

There is a specific reference to stop e-mail to handset - and this is the one I think just about everyone should use:

To block e-mail messages to and from your @tmomail.net address, go to T-Mobile's e-mail filter options and select Block all messages from E-mail to handset.

The exception is if you use services like Flight Alerts from United or American Airlines - as this block may also block those alerts.

I hope you find this helpful.

If you have questions about how to stop unsolicited SMS messages on your device - feel free to send an e-mail to me at troy.norcross@newmediaedge.co.uk -- Maybe you're question will get published here too!

Best,

Troy

Q&A: Troy Norcross on Bluetooth Marketing at E-Consultancy

2009-06-12T17:14:00.001+01:00

The guys over at E-Consultancy recently interviewed me about Proximity Marketing with Bluetooth as part of my marketing program to promote my new paper - Proximity Marketing with Bluetooth. Buy your own copy here!

Using Fax SPAM to get people to Bluespam

2009-06-11T17:07:00.002+01:00

As if Bluespam wasn't a big enough problem already - One company has decided to use Fax SPAM as a way to try to market their product!

Yesterday a friend of mine forwarded me this Fax SPAM that he received asking him to spend £2,395 to be setup as his own Bluetooth Marketing - and they even talk about running Bluetooth marketing where you have "high footfall or passing traffic".

This is in direct conflict with the best practice guidelines from the DMA and - I hope - will be in conflict with the guidelines coming from the MMA.

If you run Bluetooth marketing in open-areas then you can't adequately communicate to people that a) Bluetooth marketing is in operation b) what's the content that they might receive c) what do they need to do?

What you will do is interrupt people and have them start complainging about more Bluespam!

If you got one of these faxes - I'd love to hear about it -- and what you think!

I have taken the liberty to Blue-out the details of the offending company and I'm not going to name them here. Why give them any more publicity!

Come on folks. Bluetooth can be really effective - both cost effective AND respectful of the consumer. Let's work together to make Bluetooth marketing a great experience for everyone!

Best regards,

Troy

IngBoo - Go Fetch!

2009-06-10T08:59:00.004+01:00

I was recently introduced to IngBoo from an old colleague of my Rikard Kjellberg(we are both recovering Openwavers!)

IngBoo looks like a really interesting - and useful - service and I'm having a lot of fun trying it out. Rather than me trying to describe it - this is what IngBoo has to say:

IngBoo (http://www.ingboo.com) connects people with important information
for ongoing updates.

The “ongoing” is a system which automates Internet tasks that people do
on a repeat basis.
You can ask IngBoo to find you a new job, discover a
great deal, look for a vacation package, track a shipment with UPS and many
other things.

IngBoo simplifies life and saves you time via a new and novel user
experience – The IngBoo list.

You can enjoy the IngBoo List on the IngBoo portal, as an email digest,
over web and mobile. It can be integrated into other destinations as well, such
as Facebook and myYahoo.
IngBoo reduces information clutter and helps me
focus on relevant information updates.

Look for the IngBoo tag on the right-hand column here on the blog - and give it a try!

All the best,

Troy

118800 Does PR Launch to Avoid Notice

2009-06-10T08:27:00.005+01:00

In an attempt to minimize the impact of launching their mobile phone directory service, 118800 has launched during a 2 day tube strike... meaning the headlines will be filled with irate Londoners who can't get to and from work -- and hopefully they launch of 118800 will get buried in the back of the news.

In case you didn't know about them, 118800 has built a business around making money by selling access to you via your mobile phone - without your express permission.

Reading from their FAQ, 118800 claims that they get their numbers:

Our mobile phone directory is made up from various sources. Generally it comes from companies who collect mobile telephone numbers from customers in the course of doing business and have been given permission by the customers to share those numbers.

So - If you gave permission for your bank to call you - and your bank sold your details on to 118800 - then anyone who uses 118800 can now call and reach you on your mobile phone. WHAT's UP WITH THAT?

How do you become ex-directory

Again - from their FAQ:

Can I be ex-directory with 118 800?
You can become ex-directory by texting the letter ‘E’ to 118800 from the mobile phone you want to be made ex-directory or you can call us on 0800 138 6263. Standard network charges apply. The first time 118 800 contacts you you will be sent an SMS reminding you about how to become ex-directory. Please allow up to 4 weeks for your ex-directory request to take effect.

My suggestion and request of you? -- Blog/Tweet/Talk to everyone in the UK and have them become ex-directory - but there is one more thing we can do.

Under the Data Protection law you can write to 118800 and demand that they divulge all of the information they hold on you - and the source of the information.

Write to them and ask, "Who sold my details to you?" -- And then go back to the business who sold-you-out and update your preferences with them to ensure it doesn't happen again...

Oh yes and once you find out who sold-you-out, you might consider taking your custom somewhere else! Do you really want to do business with someone who sells your personal contact details - especially your mobile phone number - to an unknown 3rd party? I think not!

A long standing topic for me

I haven't written a blog entry in a while - but this is one of those hot topics for me. As business people we have to treat our customer relationships with great care. And selling customer data to unknown and untrusted 3rd parties just doesn't cut it.

I beleive that we should require that all data brokers be completely transparent. Every time we receive a call, an e-mail and even a letter in the post - we should know exactly how our details were provided to the marketer. Did they get access via the Electoral Roll? Did they buy a list from Experian - or did they have a list and "enhance" the list with data from Experian? Did they buy the list of addresses from our favourite magazine? - or maybe it was our grocery store loyalty card program. We have the right to know - but today the marketer doesn't have the requirement to share the data with us.

Last year I wrote to the ICO and suggested that we implement a policy of "trust through transparency" asking that every marketing communication include a "Source" line in the address. i.e.;

Troy Norcross
555 Ashdown Court
London X1L 44G
Source: Rodale Magazines Partner

And this is the response I got back:

6 May 2009

Reference: INF0207463

Dear Mr Norcross
Thank you for your e-mail sent on 11 July 2008. Initially, please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in this response which is due to the large volume of correspondence currently being received by this office.
I have considered your e-mail. Your idea of an advertiser disclosing the source of their data when they have acquired the contact data from another source is an interesting idea and would make the marketing methods more transparent to the customer.

Greater transparency is something that we encourage and there are clearly benefits to the consumer but your idea places an obligation on marketing companies who are not in breach of the law and goes beyond the EC directive and legislation. Therefore this is not something we would be likely to pursue.

I appreciate your taking the time to consider these issues and I am sorry that we are not able to take your idea further.

Yours sincerely

LB (I removed her name - it's not her fault!)
Casework and Advice Officer

So - it looks like the ICO doesn't see this breaking any laws so they say they can't do anything. Do YOU have any ideas on how to bring this idea into reality?

Yes - I'm already talking to the DMA!

OK folks - a longer post than I expected for my first time back -- maybe it's the start of regular postings again...

All the best!

Troy

9:45 AM Tuesday - 10-June
Quick Update

Attempts to optout via Text did not result in a nice confirmation message that I had been made Ex-Directory -- so don't even know if that works.

I called the 0800 number 3 times - and my call was "put in a queue" for 10 minutes at which point I was unceremoniously disconnected. (They have to pay for those 0800 calls!)

All in all - a typically poor experience for a very shady dodgy service!

UPDATE: My friend Nikolas Tardent has pointed out that there is an Ex-Directory link on the website - Visit it here and follow the instructions.

So far I have not been successful in getting my 5-digit code to have my number removed - still waiting... So I'm not sure that this service even works yet.

In the meantime - please share this link far and wide... Let's put these guys out of business BEFORE they start! -- If someone wants to run a mobile directory service is must be Opt-In!

Bluetooth - from the consumer side

2008-12-12T12:54:00.003Z

So - I'm trying something completely different! If you've arrived here from the ad I've placed on Facebook - THANKS! If you're a regular reader - THANKS! And if you came here only because you accidentally fell asleep on your keyboard - THANKS!

There are no prizes - but it would be great to know how you use Bluetooth on your mobile phone... Can you answer the two questions below to find out? - Results will be posted here later!

Online Surveys & Market Research

Bluetooth Marketing Survey

2008-12-09T08:33:00.002Z

Hi folks - I haven't done much writing here on Consumer-Preference in the last year (largely because I've taken a new job!) but that doesn't mean I don't still have a passion for Bluetooth Marketing Done Right!

If you are involved in Bluetooth marketing at all - I'd like to invite you to take a short survey (only 16 questions including the basics about yourself!)

You can reach the survey here:

http://www.newmediaedge.co.uk/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=1

By following the link above you will register for the survey and then you will be sent your own personal link to the survey. All information is kept private and compliant with UK and EU Data Protection legislation.

I'm also looking for some help in asking a more generalised consumer audience how they use Bluetooth. Turned on - Turned on and invisible - or "I have no idea what is Bluetooth!" -- If you have a good facebook community or other way to survey at least 500 Londoners - please let me know!

All the best!

Troy

Why data brokering is losing ground...

2007-11-09T09:43:00.000Z

As a future GOM myself I would like to think there is another reason why data prices are falling - and that is because demand is falling. More and more reputable companies are growing their own lists organically - not through data brokers - and then protecting that asset - not selling out their hard-earned relationships.

The world is changing from

"selling out my customers to shady 3rd parties" - to
"including my trusted 3rd parties in m own regular communications with my customers".

If I run a newsletter for my customers I am happy to include an article or even an ad from a trusted 3rd party. I am not willing to give my entire CRM database to my trusted 3rd party. This is the way forward for the data industry. Sell "space" - don't sell data. Think of your business evolving to one of media broker where your media consists of newsletters, e-mails and other forms of trusted communication between brands and their customers.

Brands will ensure that only the highest quality and most relevant ads are approved for their newsletter - because if they don't consumers will unsubscribe. And that is the last thing a brand wants to see. The list won't be over used. The list won't be used by questionable 3rd parties. And the consumer will continue to trust their primary brand relationship.

My GOM status is as much consumer as marketer... If I don't know you - then I don't want you to call me, mail me, door-drop me, e-mail me - nothing. And if you try to reach me and think my name is "Occupant" - You're really doing yourself no favors at all. How can you even think you have applied even the most basic of targeting if you don't even know my name.

Gone are the days when consumers will tolerate the land-fill-marketing of the last 50 years. Today is about being green, buliding a relationship with a consumer, engaging in a dialogue and establishing trust. By the way - in case the point was lost on you - if you sell my data to a 3rd party - you have completely lost my trust.

So come on folks - stop thinking about "selling lists" and start thinking about "selling media" You'll make a lot more money - have a lot more control - and protect your customer relationships!

Mobile Marketing 101 - Keep it simple

2007-11-07T14:45:00.001Z

All I can say is, Read this - and then follow the advice.

A great article on things you should pass on to your development team when it comes to making your e-presence mobile.

Way to go!

Australians - Serious about SPAM

2007-11-07T14:35:00.000Z

I was incredibly disappointed when the US CAN-SPAM legislation was hijacked by lobbyists and converted from serious legislation to address the problem of SPAM and worked on the basis that all marketing must be Opt-In - to detailed instructions on how you "can SPAM" your customers so long as you adhere to some basic guidelines.

Australians are clearly more focused on protecting the citizen from aggressive marketing than they are focused on keeping the lobbyist money coming into their campaigns.

If you send SPAM in Australia it can result in fines up to AUS$1.1M per day for repeat offenders. Now that's what I call a disincentive.

-- And speaking of disincentives --

I was recently traveling on a cruise and one of the stops was in Rome, Italy. The tour guide pointed to a man with a bunch of luxury hand bags spread out across a blanket on the pavement. "Don't buy anything." he advised, "It's illegal for you them to be selling the goods, but it is also illegal for you to buy them." I love it!

If you issued a £250.00 fine for everyone who bought Viagra from a SPAM e-mail - and made it very public - no one would ever buy Viagra from a SPAM e-mail again. And if no one buys the products from SPAM e-mail ( or mobile SPAM for that matter ) guess what - the problem goes away.

MMS - Recognizing the obvious

2007-11-07T14:13:00.000Z

Mike Greenville from 160characters.org has a great article about how MMS is finally coming into its own and being recognized as a great delivery mechanism for rich multi-media content as part of e-commerce, marketing and advertising.

When MMS was initially launched it was thought to be ultimate revenue source for operators to recapture the revenue investment in 3G licenses. And as such the entire market was put under huge pressure to perform. The analysts and the reporters were put on-notice that they had to do everything they could to make MMS big.

Another aspect of MMS which is often overlooked is that it was born out of the success of picture messaging in Japan. The NTT Docomo ShaMail service was the first instance of consumers sending and receiving photos via their mobile phone. And if it was big in Japan then it must also be big in every GSM network in Europe. NOT!

I'm not sure what these guys were smoking, but it must have been some really good stuff.

1) The GSM networks decided that rather than follow the Japan model of mobile IMAP access to e-mail that they would develop their own standard and call it MMS. Think about it - if GSM networks hadn't suffered from the dreaded NIH (not-invented-here) disease we would have had e-mail access via our mobile phone as early as 2001! Only now are people realising the possibility of having access to e-mail via mobile as a true revenue driving opportunity.

2) Photography is popular in Europe - but when was the last time you saw a bus load of German's wandering around the Eiffel tower with no less than 3 cameras hanging from their necks. It might be a politically incorrect generalisation - but you get the message. Europeans are not nearly so photo-centric as the Japanese and this means the demand for photos was far less.

3) The MMS standard required that every message go through some level of transcoding to ensure the best display on the destination device. Transcoding is a non-exact science which at best can cause distortion and at worst can make a certain fast food chain's golden arches show up green and squashed. The ShaMail service simply delivered an e-mail with a photo attachment and left it up to the device how best to display the resulting picture.

So what is changing?

The big change is that operators have realised that person to person MMS will never be a significant amount of the MMS traffic on their networks and instead they are focusing on how to optimize the channel for use by 3rd parties as a content delivery channel. This means addressing the transcoding problems, improving 3rd party access for delivery and adjusting the pricing model to one which is comparable to SMS to encourage advertisers to take advantage of rich multi-media content delivery.

In short - they are starting now - in 2007 - what they should have been doing in 2002. Well better late than never --- but better never late.

Clean spot advertising

2007-11-05T11:53:00.000Z

My mother always warned me that if I was going to wipe something off the counter I should be careful that I don't make a clean spot. If you make a clean spot it will show how dirty the rest of the counter is.

Marketers at Street Advertising Services have taken this concept and put it to good use by using the dirty London pavements to make a clean spot in the form of a stencil. Sounds like a great idea to me - but surely it will have a few Londoners up-in-arms about the filth on the streets which they hadn't really noticed before.

For now - good going!

Making SMS even more cool for kids

2007-11-05T11:49:00.001Z

Comeks Shorts is an interesting Java application for kids to make text messaging even more cool than it is. But looking at this what I see is an appeal to kids who are under 12. As the service will be supported by advertising I think this may run very close to regulations covering advertising to children who are 12 and under. Teenagers would be more likley to use the service if the service was upgraded to a Laura Croft Tombrader character and you didn't call them shorts - but something more hip -- and as I'm not a teenager don't even "think" about asking me what it should be called!

Mundu IM

2007-11-05T10:28:00.000Z

Geodesic launches Mundu IM

I've seen a number of instant messaging solutions over the past year - some that make more sense than others. Geodesic seems to be a solution which is truly addressing a market demand.

Within the GSM Association there is much speak of an operator based Instant Messaging solution. I've never been convinced of this approach - especially in markets where consumers have adequate Internet penetration to already belong to one of the major IM communities such as AOL, Yahoo! or MSN.

I mean seriously - who is going to drop their MSN messenger account in favour of a new IM account with T-mobile? - Why? -- Operators want consumers to do this because it creates another sticking point (read: lock-in) to discourage consumers from churning (moving to another operator). Consumers are smarter than operators give them credit for -- they will avoid these type of lock-in services for that very reason.

Mundu add support for communication across all the major IM communities - whichever one you belong to. Adds support for rich media sharing and in consumer focused. Operators won't hate this because it will drive consumer adoption and use of the mobile Internet services.

But the bigger question still remains: Will kids chat on mobile IM in the same way they chat on their home PC? I don't think so. When kids are on-the-go they use text messaging. And unless mobile IM becomes a LOT cheaper than text messaging mobile IM will still be a novelty service.

Hey! Psssst! - Wanna buy a list?

2007-10-31T08:55:00.000Z

This is a really great article that shows the true nature of the underbelly in the data / list brokering business. The author admits that he doesn't necessarily have any solutions, but admits that the industry could benefit from a good clean-up.

I've written recently about suggestions I have regarding data brokering services and all of the suggestions are focused on the idea of transparency. Be transparent when you collect the data from the consumer, be transparent about what data you hold on your consumers, and be EXTRA transparent in managing their opt-in permission for all forms of marketing as well as for permission relating to the sharing of data.

Of course a lot of this depends on marketers seeking out only legitimate data brokers. This means that marketers have just as much responsibility for todays situation as do the list brokers. Like the drug dealers, "as long as there is a market" defense - list brokers say the same thing. As long as marketers want access to cheap lists and don't much care how they got them or the quality of the opt-in - there will be dicey list brokers around.

Of course the best option is to take the high road and work hard to build your own list organically - never sell or rent access to your hard earned customer data and ensure that every communication with your customers is of good value to the customer. That's right - organic free range lists are the best.

Cell Phone Stun Gun

2007-10-29T09:12:00.000Z

Immobilizer 900,000 volt Cell Phone Stun Gun - and flashlight.

Now - if there was just some way we could send that current back to people who send us SPAM.

Then again - with some marketers wearing Bluetooth marketing gear as harnesses - we can actually use it directly! Woohoo!

Mobile Highlights from the day

2007-10-25T18:50:00.000+01:00

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....

Carnival of the Mobilists '96

2007-10-25T08:03:00.000+01:00

Be sure to head over to Rudy De Waele's m-Trends blog for this week's Carnival of the Mobilists. There's lots of coverage from the conference season and boy - does these people have a lot of opinions! Read the Carnival HERE.

[MIPCOM] Mobile – reaching the ‘out’ generation : Bizcommunity Blog

2007-10-24T18:42:00.000+01:00

[MIPCOM] Mobile – reaching the ‘out’ generation : Bizcommunity Blog

Mobile is often referred to as the third screen as it is not the primary source of content but mobile is a true ‘body’ media – it’s the only media device we always have with us and should be regarded as the first screen, which can drive consumers to other traditional media such as television and print. We’ve already seen Mobizines on mobile phones which can encourage the purchase of the actual print title and similarly, short programme previews and additional content on mobile can be used to drive viewership to traditional television programming.

In general I think this is a very sound article which covers off so many of the pitfalls of mobile marketing - but I disagree with the point in the paragraph above. - I believe that the mobile is an extension of a consumers life - not an extension of a brands advertising campaign. The mobile is most likely the "last screen" in that brands will continue to build a long relationship before engaging in a dialogue with the consumer which may ultimately end in foot-fall into a brick-and-mortars shoppe.

MobiAD » Bluetooth Campaign Achieves 49% Conversion Rate

2007-10-24T16:05:00.000+01:00

MobiAD » Bluetooth Campaign Achieves 49% Conversion Rate: "a 49% conversion rate"

Statistics, Damn Statistics - and lies.

49% conversion rate... Hrmmm.... I wonder what that means? Does that mean that 49% of the people that were sent Bluespam invitations they agreed to download the content? Or does it mean that 49% of the people who downloaded the content eventually wound up in the booth at the fair.

Or - my personal favourite - does it mean that 51% of the people who were hit with Bluespam by someone walking around with an electronic Bluespam harness got a good swift punch in the nose for being annoying idiots?

How brave are these folks to actually wear a Bluespam device? Email spammers hide in foreign countries, typcial Bluespammers hide behind billboards and posters - but to actually "wear" the device. Now that takes a lot of guts - very few brains - or a whole lot of beer.

Ok - seriously now - if the person wearing the Bluetooth marketing harness was also wearing a T-shirt letting consumers know what was happening - and if the range was set to 1M or less - then I think it has some real potential. But I would change the mechanic so that consumers would need to take the action - not the device. Again - make it pull - not push.

With the latest Bluetooth standard there is a new feature which allows a quick touch-n-transfer capability so all a consumer has to do is touch their phone to a receiver to give permission for content to be sent. That will start making things for Bluetooth much more marketing and much less spam!

Cellfish - Mobile Opinions » What smells? It's the Network... Warning! Verizon opt-out.

2007-10-24T10:36:00.000+01:00

Cellfish - Mobile Opinions » What smells? It's the Network... Warning! Verizon opt-out.

If you are a Verizon subscriber then this article is for you!

And while we are talking about places who make loads of money from using your data and selling it to list brokers and advertisers - don't forget about Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

Each of these credit bureaus knows your home address, your employer, your salary, your credit history - and everything else -- and they regularly sell access to this information to 3rd parties.

Do you get dozens of credit card offers in the mail - this is where they come from?
Loads of loan offers - same place.
You can write to each credit bureau and tell them they are not allowed to use your information and a lot of your junk mail will dry up.

Opt-Out from Experian HERE

And for a complete list of places to go (for US Customers) and opt-out of direct marketing try Credit Source Online.

I believe that all marketing should be an opt-in process -- and so to start that we have to Opt-Out of everything and then build trusted relationships with brands and companies and allow them to make offers to us that are Timely, Relevant, Valuable and Requested (TRVR).

How Will Advertising Influence Mobile Web Growth? | StayGoLinks

2007-10-24T10:25:00.000+01:00

How Will Advertising Influence Mobile Web Growth? | StayGoLinks

I've always thought that "interpretation" is the source of most debate. Facts are black and white to some - and Red and Green to others. The data is always the same, but it is the other information and experiences that makes interpretation unique.

In this case I think I can offer a 180 degree view on each of the main points in the article:

Advertising will clearly play a major role in the growth of the mobile web, both in terms of consumer demand and in terms of who are the competitive suppliers.

Well - not exactly. I believe that consumer demand for mobile content will drive the opportunities for mobile advertising. The growth of the mobile web will be a result of content owners and service providers having a better understanding of what consumers want and how they use this content. And offering advertising as a means to subsidize the cost will allow mobile advertising to grow. i.e.; -

An increase in mobile web content and services will offer greater opportunities for growth to mobile advertising.

From the 2nd paragraph:

On the other hand as eMarketer points out, mobile users are easy to annoy and don’t want mobile advertising

This is completely taken out of context. Mobile users dont' want mobile direct marketing - they don't want text message SPAM. This is not mobile advertising - which is the use of banner ads and other in-line advertising with mobile content. Let's get clear on what consumers do and don't want - but first let's get clear on the terminology for the industry.

Ok - the point on Mobile Search:

This may explain why Bena Roberts finds that Google Adsense for the mobile web does not seem to be attracting advertisers.

I've never been a fan of mobile search. The reason why mobile search isn't taking off right now is that the majority of people in European and North American markets ( i.e.; those who have ready access to a PC for Internet access ) don't use their mobile phone for "search" - they use it for "find" - Find me a pizza joint. Find me directions to my meeting. Find me the time my next train leaves for Manchester. The range of things people use their mobile to "find" is far smaller than the range of things people "search" for at home on their PC.

I contend that users will not try to search for a holiday from their mobile - nor will they research a new television or washing machine - find their long lost Aunt Millie in Boston.

And what is this all about?:

The present structure for mobile advertising does not seem to satisfy any of the stakeholders.

The current model for mobile advertising is working and growing. Look at companies like AdMob and ThirdScreen -- making huge headway and offering good ROI to advertisers. Everyday there is new content and new advertising partnerships and opportunities. And everyday more websites offer a mobile accessible version which means that mobile banner ads have a suitable destination for click through. And regardless of what this author thinks - mobile targeting is some of the most accurate and rich targeting around. Between information from the mobile network operators - and the content owners - mobile advertising is incredibly targeted. What the Gphone will bring (if there is a Gphone) will be good - but not differential in the area of targeting.

So - it's an interesting article but let's just say that there is more than one way to interpret all of this data.

BLM Quantum takes out mobile campaign for 'Eastern Promises' - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

2007-10-24T10:10:00.000+01:00

BLM Quantum takes out mobile campaign for 'Eastern Promises' - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic: "The David Cronenbourg-directed film, which is released on October 26, is being promoted through a BLM Quantum-created WAP site offering downloadable rich-media content and display ads on the O2 network."

This is a nice press release but what makes it interesting is that they are offering it only on the O2 network. There is no reason to limit their audience to just an O2 network offer unless they are building it into the O2 portal to offer consumers cheap/free mobile data charges for the content.

With the move by mobile operators to flat rate mobile data - and the elimination of walled gardens - there is no longer a need to align a campaign like this to a specific mobile operator.

Mobile Marketing Infomercials

2007-10-18T08:42:00.000+01:00

It's articles like this that really make me wonder why we are surprised that mobile direct marketing is getting traction - and it is all for the wrong reason.

15-25% response rates - From the 1% of the original marketing you used to capture your opt-in lists - is great... But they don't mention that you need to work hard to earn your customers trust and offer real value through traditional marketing in order to secure someone's opt-in permission.

And don't even THINK about buying a list of numbers. You want to get hit with the SPAM label - then sure - go for it. I don't care how good the 3rd party opt-in permission claims to be. People who are already irritated at the thought of getting SMS mobile direct marketing will be even more irritated at you - and your brand - when you start sending them messages and they don't know you - haven't given you their number and generally have no interest in your product.

A bit of hype is part of marketing. It is all about the spin. But come on folks. Let's get real. Mobile direct marketing is either going to change to a responsible form of meaningful trusted dialogue - more CRM than customer acquisition -- or we're going to kill the beast altogether and be left with mobile advertising via banner ads and mobile search. (Which - by the way - is not such a bad thing.)

So - my point is this. If you read about mobile offering incredible resopnse rates. Ask them to show you the data. Ask them how they got the source numbers. Ask them what creative they used to build that list of opt-in permissioned mobile numbers. Ask these late night informercial jockeys the questions that make them squirm --

Carnival of the Mobilists #95

2007-10-16T09:13:00.000+01:00

Brought to you - almost live - from the Symbian Smartphone show in London - the Carnival of the Mobilists #95. A great jumping off point to all things hot and topical in the world of mobile by some of the best and brightest in the mobile blogosphere.

Read it all here. Well done to Steve Litchfield.