What is Mobile Marketing - Actually?

When asked what I do for a living, and I respond; 'Mobile Media..... Mobile Marketing' which is generally followed by; 'you advertise on trailers? or ah.. bulk sms provider'. Sometimes I dive in headfirst to explain what Mobile is all about and other times I just nod... but today I've decided I'm going to break it down for those that are not in the know.

This piece will be delivered in 3 parts - as the mobile environment is quite complex as one has the ability to engage with over 20 different variables.

I'm going to cover most of the variables that are commercially available and utilised by both users and brands;

Part ONE

Mobile Online
If you have a website and not invested in a Mobi-site I have to ask why not? With the current activity of users in the mobile space it is crucial that you have a mobile version of your online space available to mobile users. The mobile online environment is a little more complex than the traditional online space in that there are 1000's more variances one needs to take into consideration (handset screen size, handset type, operating system, browser type and codec). You also should be aware that because of these variances your provider must be able to demonstrate how they handle device detection, trans-coding and image manipulation – on the fly - which ensures that regardless of who browses your mobile site, everyone will receive the site optimised to the handset with which they are browsing.

You also need to consider what your Mobile environment is going to offer to the user as the browsing habits off a mobile device are very different to those of a traditional online browser.
Keep it succinct and relevant to ensure a quick and easy browsing experience.

Within this environment you can incorporate anything your heart desires; content downloads (video and pictures), competitions, Viral campaigns, SMS (engagement), Mail, Competitions, Research, Vouchers, Portal's, Banner Adverts, Media, applications, CRM, Profiling, Catalogues, Information, and Location Based Services... a mechanism to truly engage with users that at the same time allows you to understand a bit about them.

Your mobile online environment should also be able to plug into your online environment in that if you are facilitating user generated content the mobile and online are asynchronous meaning; that content uploaded on the mobile platform is updated to the online platform and vice versa.

Messaging
There are various types of messaging that are available to be utilised in the mobile marketing space however the key factor here is the relevance of the message.

SMS
SPAM is an absolute no no and I would not recommend trying to use SMS as a medium to advertise with. Utilised effectively SMS is one of the most powerful mechanisms mobile has to offer. I'll give you an example; if you have taken your car in for a service, effective utilisation of this medium would be if you received a message confirming the car will be ready at a specific time together with the cost for the service and who to see when you arrive to pick your vehicle up.
Although there is no advertising per say, this type of engagement enforces a positive experience and indirectly builds brand perception.
SMS can be used to deliver notifications, direct engagement with customers and deliver the URL (link) to your Mobi-site.
Additional commonly utilised applications are premium rated SMS, which are utilised for entry into competitions, participation in events (Idols) for voting, and or contribution/subscription for a specific service.

MMS
This form of media is supposedly superior to SMS however I have my reservations as it is costly by comparison. The medium has the potential to deliver audio, graphics and text which means that you can deliver a high quality, informative bit of media to users. Although we have sent out lots of MMS' for and on behalf of various brands the response is never what we anticipate, the cost is expensive and almost in all cases the MMS is followed up by an SMS. I personally think that more effective utilisation can be delivered by sending the link to your Mobi-site where the user has the choice of engaging and the ability to access far more than an MMS can deliver, at a fraction of the cost. MMS is primarily also user generated so by providing branded MMS type postcards that could be personalised by users would be a relevant way of utilising MMS in the mobile space.

SHORT CODE
The SHORT CODE is an extension of the SMS family and is utilised primarily in the delivery of information as well as for competition participation.
Delivery of information;
By sending a [key word] + [your name] + [your email address] will result in content you wish to receive being delivered to your email address
By sending a [key word] you get access to content i.e. games, ringtones, wall papers etc.
By sending a [key word] you will receive a return SMS which contains a link to a Mobi-site
By sending a [key word] automatically enters the user into a competition

INSTANT MESSAGING
IM is an interesting element as it is relatively difficult to apply in the mobile online environment however if you have experienced Skype, Gtalk, ICQ, Twitter, Facebook etc and have utilised this from your handset you will know it is possible. The most effective mechanism of delivery is currently through running an application and a few that come to mind are The Grid, Nimbuzz, MxIt and Fring however there are a multitude of companies that offer this. Some companies have the ability to build IM into your Mobi-site which eliminates the need for development of an application and then the cost of marketing that application. IM is a great tool if you have a large user base and would like to afford them the opportunity of communicating with each other off your platform. Running applications and your mobile online environment continually eats significantly into battery time, users generally will revert to SMS unless they have scheduled time to meet up online.

PUSH MAIL
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Push Mail has to be Blackberry as they have successfully captured the business market with this service and their devices however this service is not limited to or restricted to Blackberry users. Push mail can be a standalone service one provides to mobile users where you can brand the mail address and synchronise with existing mail addresses.
One can also include this service within your mobile strategy and allow users engaging with the brand to have access to this and other services delivered through the Mobi-site.

In this edition of I've covered the online and messaging components - of which I am convinced you are well aware however at the end of the 3rd part I'll demonstrate how these elements can be utilised either stand alone or packaged together to deliver mobile marketing.

Acquiring a new customer base through the Mobile Medium

It's been a while since I have posted anything to this blog and the reason for that is pretty cliched in that we have been exceptionally busy rolling out various mobile initiatives. It has been quite an educational process too as the initiatives we have been involved in deploying have varied from a simple sms short code to full blown campaigns integrating television, radio, print, activations, online and mobile.

We have spent the last 18 months evangelising about the benefits of mobile but to actually see the results by comparison to the traditional media spend has been fantastic and a real testimony to what we have been sharing.

I'm going to talk about two campaigns, one is complete the other is still running however the ad spend has been the same and the resluts have been consistently similar.

Campaign A - used a mix of all media components to fulfill 2 objectives;
1) Get users to purchase the product
2) Get users to log on to the mobile environment

The mobile environment had information about the product, free content downloads in the form of video and wall paper, a kick ass competition as well as other elements such as the ability to refer a friend etc. Mobile advertising spend was allocated to 2 renowned networks - Admob and the other which I won't mention for various reasons which I'll get into a bit later suffice it to say has a specific purpose and a younger target market with phenomenal stats.

All traffic was directed to one point which was the mobile online space so from a measurement point of view it was very easy to track the performance of the 2 mediums.

The Ad spend in the Admob space was very small to say the least - in fact it was 30% less than what we would normally recommend and by comparison to the total media spend probably came in at around the 5% mark... so very low but what was fantastic to see was the level of interaction achieved off this one medium.

The number of unique visitors that visited the site as a direct result of this ad spend - 8442
The total number of unique visitors - 14757
The number of visitors that entered the competition - 7726
The number of referrals that were sent out by the unique visitors - 7839
The number of downloads - 5883

The cost of acquisition has come in at a very low cost by comparison to the total media spend.

Campaign B - used a mix of print, mobile and activations to fulfill 2 objectives
1) Get users to purchase the product
2) Get users to log on to the mobile environment which would generate awareness of the new product.

The mobile environment has very little information about the product, a compelling competition as well as other elements such as the ability to refer a friend, links to instant messaging and location based information etc. Mobile advertising spend was allocated to 2 renowned network - Admob and the The Grid.

As with Campaign A all traffic is directed to one point which is the mobile online space so from a measurement point of view it is very easy to track the performance of the 2 mediums.

I am specifically only going to be referencing Admob here as the Admob spend is complete and the engagement on The Grid is still in infancy however I will report on the outcome at the end of the campaign.

The spend in the Admob space has been exactly the same as in Campaign A (although we proposed significant more the client cut budgets drastically) but as you'll see the Admob results are significantly similar;

The number of unique visitors that visited the site as a direct result of this ad spend - 8318
The total number of unique visitors - 14604
The number of visitors that entered the competition - Still ongoing will report back on this at the end of the campaign
The number of referrals sent out to date by the unique visitors - 7709

For 2 completely different products and brands the response for the same amount of ad spend on Admob has been almost exactly the same and the cost of acquisition per customer is encouragingly low. The beauty about mobile is that going forward each of these brands now have close to 8000 new customers with whom they can engage at an absolutely negligible cost.

As a mobile acquisition medium Admob has proved it's metal to us and we will continue to utilise this medium in all acquisition and mobile advertising campaigns we are involved with. If you would like more information on this medium feel free to contact us.

We do hear very good reports on the outcome of Google Ad words and will be incorporating that medium into further campaigns to extend the reach and increase traction for brands.

For most mobile campaigns the question is always how do I attract a base of users or how can I engage with a base of users without spamming them. Each campaign objective and deployment being different;
the strategy applied is crucial to the outcome i.e. a viral campaign is the ultimate where the ad spend is negligible yet the traction huge however these campaigns are very difficult to implement as the uptake can never be guaranteed. It is possible though, to spend a little and include a viral element as a part of the campaign to bolster the acquisition process and reduce your spend.

1. Ensure you mobile online environment is actually a true mobile environment in that the site configures to all handsets. This is your first step.

2. Define the relevance of the mobile online space - without relevance the traction in that environment is going to be poor.

3. Define your acquisition strategy, and ensure you are in a position to manage it.

4. Deploy

5. Engage

Voila!

Indaba 2009

**Indaba 2009 is happening this weekend**.

SA Tourism will be showcasing their wares and deliver exciting news about what they are doing for their local tourist trade partners. The following can be expected;

* You can participate in product workshops and their local and international exhibitions
* You have the opportunity to network with international tourism companies.
* Through the Sho't Left section on their website you can advertise your packages for free.
* Their annual Welcome and Eteya awards showcase the best that South Africa has to offer. By entering, you'll receive additional local and international exposure.
* In preparation for 2010 they are launching a global marketing campaign, which you will benefit from.


http://www.southafrica.net is packed with valuable information for local, international and business travellers, as well as the trade. It's better designed to help increase your business' exposure.

Here's how:

* They'll market your business through our new website, this gives you global and local exposure at no cost.
* Your biz will be listed in the "Your Concierge" product search, available on +200 pages across the site and will appear in any main site searches that match either your name or service type.
* Relevant products are displayed alongside associated articles.
* Users can add your products to their Trip Planner, your contact details then appear in their Wish list - this is sent to the travel agent to book.


So, now that you know how they're taking your business places, here are some reasons to plan your next trip with southafrica.net:

* Trip Planner recommends best possible experiences in SA, based on your interests.
* National Product Database will help you locate the finest accommodation, activities and restaurants.
* Contact expert travel consultants online to plan your trip.
* Save your Wish list, share it with family and friends and send it to your travel agent for quotes.


So you may be wondering why I'm posting an article about Indaba 2009? Well we have had the pleasure of delivering a couple of elements on the mobile side which all focuses around this event and what you can expect to receive from SA Tourism.

If you cannot make it to the event there are 2 things you can do;

1) sms your name and email address to 34743 to register with the National Tourism Product Database

2) Log in to www.indaba2009.mobi where you can;

View what's on at the event

View the exhibitors at the event

Download the 2010 advert as well as

Experience the diski dance (also a download) and an brilliant concept which has huge potential for user generated content to be added.

In addition Garmin introduces Garmap for Mobile which can be downloaded off the site.


1. Launch your mobile internet browser.

2. Launch the application from the folder that it installed to.

3. Follow the onscreen prompts to start using the application.


Please note that roaming data charges will apply whilst using Garmap for Mobile

*Join the growing network of Indaba delegates on LinkedIn: http://events.linkedin.com/Indaba-2009/pub/34772.

So what are you waiting for.... go, register and check it out.

Mobile Marketing

Leading on from my last post - the insert of the presentation by Graham Brown and taking the fact that my focus is all about Mobile Media, I have in the past few months been giving a lot of consideration to the mobile marketing arena.

I have seen and toyed with some amazing applications that facilitate marketing to users. I consider some of these mechanisms as pure genius and proposed and used some of them in the strategies we have designed, however after having viewed the presentation below I find myself standing back thinking about the relevance of what we do.

4 words have been resonating through my being - what is the relevance?

I look at Mxit - and immediately can identify that the relevance of the platform, which is to provide a cost effective mechanisms for people to communicate. It's no surprise that the platform has been adopted by the younger generation but what is a surprise is how the platform is evloving to facilitate the corporate world and although I get it I can't see the relevance - the engagement is very one sided and totally foreign to what the platform is all about.

Are the users of the platform actually benefitting from being advertised to...? I used to think so but today I'm not so sure.

I look at Multimedia messaging and again logically can identify why the mechanism is a great one, but find myself asking the question; what is the relevance of distributing multimedia adverts? People use the application to send pictures to and from their friends and even in that relevant space there has not been a massive uptake by phone users.

The success of a GREAT marketing campaign lies in the uptake and engagement with your target audience and as much as I'd like to profess that mobile marketing is THE best mechanism within your marketing campaigning I have to be prudent in advising that successful campaigning includes a mix of relevant platforms. e.g. We ran a campaign for a large Blue Chip recently where the campaign made use of TV, Radio, Print, Online, Mobile banner adverts, Splashscreens within Mxit, Multimedia Messages and SMS. It was interesting to note that radio had a tremendous effect on the outcome of the campaign - as we could see traffic spike on the mobisite after the campaign had been pitched. Likewise with MMS and SMS - after sending out the message we had a tremendous spike in traffic on the Mobi-site. It has been difficult to measure the response from Mxit, TV and Print however with the correct mix of delivery and engagement mechanisms one can very easily measure the success of the campaign.

The most important and crucial element that one needs to consider at all times is; "what is the relevance?" Look at all the mechanisms available to you, identify their purpose and establish whether your objective, within that environment, will have relevance. Plan effectively, ensure that your advisors have your best interests at heart and don't be afraid to test the landscape. This is a new channel of engagement, we are all learning and will continue to do so. i.e. What works well with one brand, may not neccessarily render the same results for another.... Test the relevence, understand the mechanisms and have some fun.

Mobile Marketing Campaigns Launched in December

We had had the priveledge of working with 2 great companies and have launched not 1 but 2 mobile campaigns this week;

In no particular order:

Bolt the Movie

Is a campaign aimed at driving awareness about the launch of the film - which is intially being launched in 3D and later in the month 2D. The Mobisite has been designed to inform people about the film as well as facilitate downloads of content such as Bolt's Superbark, the trailer and some of the characters.

If you're out and about and are keen to check the site on your phone plug in www.boltthemovie.mobi to your browser and enjoy.

Secret Obsession - by Calvin Klein

This campaign is targeted primarily at the adult segment of the market as it is a little Risque with an advert of Eva Mendes being available for download off the Mobisite. The interesting element here is that the advert has been banned in the US because you can see (for a millisecond) Eva's nipple.

We are anticipating quite an uptake with this campaign as not only does it appeal to the men but the women can obtain their free samples from various retail outlets.

Check it out from your mobile - www.secretobsession.mobi.

I'll feedback stats and interesting info once we have let the campaign run it's course. Until then Happy Holidays - be safe and rest well.

Another Successful Mobile Campaign

This is a post I picked up this morning from Just another Mobile Phone Blog which is one of my favourite streams of current and up-to-date mobile information.

Although the headline will appear below later I wanted to highlight the success of mobile marketing which is clearly indicated here. The 2 companies involved are Nokia and Unilever and why this is such a big deal for me is that many people we talk to about mobile campaining often pass the comment that mobile is not relevant to their product or market segment.

Here is proof that mobile marketing, if designed effectively, does work. The products that were being driven were; Nokia 5200 and a shampoo (Seda Teens Shampoo).

Results: The initial goal of handsets sold for this product was met after only one month. In addition to selling out inventory four times, the campaign generated twice the number of visits to the mobile site than the traditional website and more than 11,000 game downloads. The mobile website averaged a 10 percent click-through rate.

The important elements to note when defining your strategy are;

1) Does the campaign give me REACH,
2) What level of INTERACTION do I have with my customers (am I ready for that interaction?) and
3) Finally the MEASUREMENT is it quantifyable.

There are so many other variables to choose from;

The right technology platform
The right banner advertising platform
The right Mobi-Site development
The right community
The right content
The right landscape

In each of these areas you will find specialists comitted to their alotted business. My advise is to ensure that your marketing people are skilled up to understand the entire landscape in order to define the right strategy. Mobile campaigning can be very effective, use the resources throughout the industry to advise you on the elements available but always use your marketing skills to design and define the campaign.

Using companpies that offer only one dimension and promote only their value proposition as the effective mechanism for mobile marketing - could have a dismal outcome on results of your campaign.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Courtesy of Just Another Mobile Phone Blog.

ESPOO, Finland, -- Nokia took home a Mobile Marketing Association Award for its innovative work on a mobile advertising campaign for Unilever's Seda Teens Shampoo in Brazil. The initial goal of handsets sold for this product launch was met after only one month, prompting four increases in volume to meet retailer demand, still selling out after only two months.

The campaign, which won an award in the Branding Category for Latin America, drew consumers in with a branded mobile device, downloads, a game, a social networking site, and ads that ran on the Nokia Media Network. The Nokia Media Network is a premium, handset-agnostic mobile advertising network comprised of top-tier global publishers, operator partners and Nokia services such as Nokia.mobi.

"We were excited to take part in this new marketing initiative, allowing us to reach the consumers we want on the device they want," said Paula Lopes, marketing manager for Unilever. "This campaign shows how innovative both Nokia and Unilever are when it comes to reaching consumers."

Nokia and F.biz, Unilever's mobile agency, developed the mobile advertising campaign including:

-- A customized device -- the Nokia 5200 Pink packaging came with a Seda Teens-branded sleeve, phone jewelry and a folder presenting the Seda Teens offer;

-- Customized software preloaded with Seda Teens advertisements in the opening and closing screens, four Seda Teens 'themes,' a Seda-branded game and MP3s from a popular Brazilian band;

-- Bookmarks preloaded to the device, pointing to a Seda Teens game named "Dancing Star;"

-- A branded social networking site, accessible on both mobile and the traditional web, that allowed users to browse beauty and health tips, horoscopes and an area called "Experts," where they could submit questions on life; and

-- Banner ads that ran on the Nokia Media Network and decks of all major Brazilian mobile operators, leading to a download page for the game and the community site.

In addition to selling out inventory four times, the campaign generated twice the number of visits to the mobile site than the traditional website and more than 11,000 game downloads. The mobile website averaged a 10 percent click-through rate.

Nokia Interactive Advertising helps brands reach the potential global audience of 3.3 billion consumers with mobile devices. Through the Nokia Media Network and Nokia Interactive Solutions, Nokia Interactive Advertising provides brands with all they need to connect with and engage consumers with mobile advertising.

About Nokia

Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

Motorola is on the hunt for South Africa’s next music sensation with the launch of MOTOROKR™ STAR.

I have had the priveledge of personally being involved in this campaign, where we developed the Mobi-site and mobile Multimedia components. Needless to say I am very proud of what we have accomplished and as such am posting the official press release on my blog.

The campaign is SENSATIONAL with Wyclef Jean and Fergie - teaming up to record and produce the winners track. Motorola have moved into the music scene with their Rokr range of phones as well as the incredible w230, which is a low end phone with multimedia capability and comes with a 2gig memory card - for R566. Mindblowing!

This campaign is well positioned with their strategy and is set to give local talent a step up to the international platform of musical stardom. If only I could sing!

US Superstars Wyclef Jean and Fergie team up with Motorola for SA MOTOROKR™ STAR

Johannesburg, South Africa – 14 November 2008 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced the launch of MOTOROKR STAR, a sensational competition to discover and promote new musical talent.

The competition, which will be judged by music icons and Motorola brand ambassadors Wyclef Jean and Fergie, gives one South African finalist the chance to experience the life of a superstar with an all expenses paid trip to New York. One budding pop star will then be chosen to win an amazing prize, which includes the chance to record a brand new song specially written by Wyclef Jean for the competition, vocal coaching by acclaimed singer Fergie and a recording contract with a major record label.

“We are so excited about the launch of MOTOROKR STAR,” said Andrew Morely, Vice President of Marketing for Mobile Devices EMEA, Motorola. “Our ROKR products give music fans a portable way to enjoy their music; twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This competition is going to be a fantastic way to unleash a new breed of musical talent for consumers to experience.”

The MOTOROKR™ STAR COMPETITION

Entry

Participants can submit entries in three ways:

Mobile Submit a video audition to www.motorokrstar.mobi

Web Submit a video audition to www.motorokrstar.com

Live From 1st Nov 2008, the MOTOROKR Star Audition Booth tour will visit six major shopping centres across the country to allow participants to record and upload their entries in a recording booth.

Voting

Members of the public can log onto www.motorokrstar.com and vote for their favourite entries.

In January 2009, the 100 most popular tracks will be judged by a panel of music industry experts to find the top 10 entries for South Africa.

Finalists

The top ten SA finalists will be announced and the South African winner will be selected by Sony Music and Wyclef. The SA winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York to participate in the final leg of the competition and the nine runners ups will each receive a MTN Exploded Management program.

Winner – THE MOTOROKR STAR

An expert judging panel, which will include Wyclef and Fergie, will then choose the ultimate winner. The MOTOROKR STAR will receive:

• A recording contract with a major record label*

• Vocal coaching by Fergie
  

• A 12 month management deal* with Maximum Artist Management, whose clients include The White Stripes, Eva Longoria and Elisha Cuthbert
  

• The opportunity to record a song specially written by Wyclef Jean for the MOTOROKR STAR competition
  

Celebrating the ROKR range

The MOTOROKR STAR competition celebrates Motorola’s ROKR™ range of mobile phones.

MOTO W230:

Lose yourself in Music with the MOTO W230’s onboard MP3 player, stereo FM radio and dedicated music keys for quick access to and control of your music. With up to 1GB expandable memory, upgradeable to 2 GB you can store up to 500 songs for your entertainment. RRP R566

MOTOROKR™ E8:

The flagship ROKR product, the E8 uses Modeshift™ technology to seamlessly shift between talk, music and pictures. The haptics keypad technology and the Fastscroll navigation wheel make for the perfect combination of style and function.RRP R2499

MOTO™ EM30:

One moment ROKR EM30 is a mobile phone. The next, it transforms into your favourite music player. It uses Motorola’s innovative ModeShift technology to illuminate the keyboard — red keys illuminate in music mode and a brilliant blue keypad appears in phone mode — to take users from talk to text1 to complete music immersion at the touch of a button. With colourful cues that let users know exactly which mode they are in, the ROKR EM30 connects the sounds that matter most: family, friends and favourite artists. RRP R1999

MOTO™ EM325:

The EM325 offers a genuine music-player experience with immediate access to a stored music library or built-in FM radio with Radio Data System technology. The EM325 includes up to 2GB optional removable microSD storage, which gives users plenty of space for their music. RRP R 999

* Subject to individual contracts being signed

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications. The company develops technologies, products and services that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolio includes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility solutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices and Bluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering next generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.6 billion in 2007. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit http://www.motorola.com.

About MOTOROKR STAR

For terms, conditions and further information, please visit www.motorola.com/motorokrstar or SMS ROKR to 39066.