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Latinos Make Up Huge Piece Of Mobile Marketing Pie (ClickZ)

Posted: 03/31/2011

Mobile phone use is on the upswing among the Latino population, rising 26 percent from 2006 to 2010 compared to 18 percent of the general population. Three key markers indicate that the Hispanic population will continue to drive mobile marketing: they care about social connectivity, they are actively seeking fun experiences and they are open to innovation. The proof is in the pudding: 82 percent of the market has been penetrated; mobile phones are outpacing landlines among this demographic as the primary source of communication; this group is more interested in mobile web browsing than the average population; 24 percent of mobile users have downloaded at least one app; and the group has demonstrated that enhancing their lives through social connectivity is a priority.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

Creating Intelligent Hyperlocal Campaigns (BrandWeek)

Posted: 03/31/2011

You’ve heard it before: to be an effective marketer you have to reach your audience with the right message at the right place at the right time. With this most basic of marketing principles in mind, more and more businesses are turning their attention to hyperlocal advertising and marketing. As technology continues to evolve, it is easier than ever to pinpoint a customer’s exact location. Pair that with the consumer’s growing interest in being tapped for local marketing and you have a powerful combination. The Mobile Marketing Association found that most mobile users are “interested in allowing their phone to automatically share their location in exchange for perks, such as free use of mobile applications and mobile coupons.” The key is to tap into your current customer base and make your move before your competitors to ensure the most success.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

Mobile Commerce Sales Grow Exponentially In 2010 (Internet Retailer)

Posted: 02/17/2011

Reports from research and consulting firm ABI Research indicate that total U.S. mobile commerce sales, excluding travel, exceeded $3.4 billion in 2010, up 143% over $1.4 billion in 2009. Previous skyrocketing growth also occurred between 2008 to 2009, up over 253% from $396.3 million to $1.4 billion. Mark Beccue, senior analyst, consumer mobility, at ABI Research said, “Mobile online shopping growth in the U.S. has been fueled this year by the massive migration of consumers to smartphones, the explosion of highly innovative use-cases deployed by retailers and third-party players, and a significant shift in consumer behavior as more consumers choose mobile shopping over traditional online shopping.” Rather than being driven by one or two product categories, mobile shopping crosses all retail boundaries (and product and service lines), helping brands connect directly to their customers in meaningful ways across all types of mobile marketing campaigns.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

Success In Numbers: Choice Hotels Increases Mobile Sales By 250% (Internet Retailer)

Posted: 02/03/2011

Since entering the mobile realm in 2008, Choice Hotels International Inc. says its mobile sales surpass seven figures each month. The sales represent more than 1% of all online sales. Furthermore, mobile revenue is up 250% year over year, reservations are up 205%, mobile page views 130%, mobile conversion 106% and mobile traffic has grown on average 190% each month since launching. “Mobile customers want things as quick and simple as possible,” said Christopher Brya, director of mobile and emerging channels. The company’s in-house usability lab helps further refine its mobile approach. It’s a strategy that seems to be working: the iPhone app the company developed in the lab last year was downloaded 500,000 times in 80 countries, some of which don’t even house a Choice Hotel. Future plans include developing an app for smartphones on Google’s Android platform.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

J.C. Penney Makes Mobile Holiday Move (Internet Retailer)

Posted: 01/04/2011

J.C. Penney Co. is initiating a major multichannel mobile push with holiday retail plans that include the launch of an m-commerce site, enhancements to its mobile applications, location-based app promotions and an iAd campaign. Along with the full suite of m-commerce functionality such as browsing, searching and buying—the mobile site also includes a Find Near Me button and updated applications for iPhone and Android users that lets shoppers browse the weekend sales circular; create portable shopping lists; find the nearest store to either their current GPS location or to a ZIP code or city name; and sign up for mobile coupons. Location-based services Foursquare, Brightkite and Facebook Deals also play a role, allowing shoppers to cash in for $10 off a $50 purchase when they check in at one of the retailer’s 1,100 stores. In addition to its ongoing mobile coupons program, the campaign will also include mobile display ads on Apple’s iAd network, featuring a treasure hunt through a variety of J.C. Penney gifts as shoppers search for a $10 off $50 coupon.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, Creative & Design, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Retailers Dial-In To Smart Phone Shopping Trend (CRM Daily)

Posted: 01/04/2011

With one-third of mobile phone usage to be “smart” this holiday season (Nielsen), retailers are getting dialed-in to e-commerce. The 21 percent increase over last year indicates that retailers can no longer rely on independent strategy for their retail outfits, whether they are bricks-and-mortar stores, Web sites or mobile shopping channels. Heather J. Brunner, chief operating officer of Austin, Texas-based Bazaarvoice, said a phone is "just a mini-computer, and our challenge now is to transfer the Internet experience to a much smaller screen." For instance, outdoor brand Patagonia recently launched a new application that suggests similar items and price ranges while customers browse. In-store, the app will recommend complementary items based on the tag’s bar code. Companies like Neustar are working on types of “second-generation” bar codes for smart phones that are square rather than rectangular while Pronto, a company owned by New York-based IAC, plans to launch a mobile app for product price alerts.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

How Big Is Big? The Rise Of The Mobile Advertising Market (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 12/01/2010

eMarketer recently revised its assessment of the mobile ad market, predicting it will grow 79% to over $743 million this year alone – growing to more than $1.1 billion in 2011 and more than $2.5 billion by 2014. Based on these numbers, it’s safe to say mobile has been elevated to mainstream status. The report indicates that SMS is still the largest format, with an estimated tally of $327 million for 2010. Companies like Phizzle and Skycore are further enhancing their service offerings to engage audiences and allow increased functionality to their users, including enabling mobile marketers to run applications such as movie trailers sent with tickets or sports videos sent with tickets. eMarketer predicts that display formats will increase. Apple’s iPhone remains the top choice with 82.7% of marketers, but Android’s 9% increase since last quarter indicates it is quickly gaining traction. Other services new to the market include Opera Software’s Ad Marvel, Sprint’s Sprint ID and Burstly.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Call Me Social: Zingaya Hooks Up Twitter To Telephone (Red Herring)

Posted: 12/01/2010

Ever get the feeling that there’s more to a post than ‘tweets’ the eye? For those tweets that deserve a little elaboration, UK-based VoIp startup Zingaya recently unveiled a new social media application that allows Twitter followers to call the tweeter to get the inside scoop. The service, called zin.to elevates Twitter feeds to conversation status. The company also offers a VoIP service that enables voice calls through any computer right from a web page via a microphone. “Zin.to can be a very powerful tool for businesses,” the company explains on its website. "For example, company can send promotional offers to its followers asking them to call within a certain time to get an additional discount or to win a prize.” It's only available in the US currently but will likely expand as the company develops this capability. While call forwarding is eventually based on purchased credits, the first 30 minutes of the call forwarding service is free. Those looking for a more cost-effective solution with unlimited options can simply use their Skype user name.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: North America
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

The Ultimate Question: To Optimize For Mobile Or Build An Application? (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 11/11/2010

A report by Taptu, “The State of the Mobile Touch Web," compares mobile web and applications and reveals upcoming trends business should keep in mind. These days, with so many vendors offering touchscreen devices, it’s not just a matter of optimizing websites or mobile, but determining if the site should also be optimized for nimble navigation and rapid loading pages on mobile touchscreens. While retail and service oriented sites are the most likely to optimize for the mobile touchscreen (20% compared to 3.6%), many consumers are already demanding the technology from the sites they frequent. The report states, "With support for HTML 5 features already being rolled out in these browsers, it's getting easier and easier to create rich touch screen user experiences with the browser without having to create platform-specific apps." Google has integrated mobile browsing into its service offerings. For instance, consumers that conduct searches will now pull up relevant apps accompanying the typical search results that can be downloaded to an iPhone.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, Creative & Design, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

Filtering The Noise: Discovery Personalizes The Online Experience (Tech News World)

Posted: 11/11/2010

The internet abounds with buzzwords. Now, there’s new buzz about “discovery,” the real-time aggregation and personalization of content as it is applied to an online experience. Take Amazon for example, an online retailer that makes purchasing recommendations based on your past buying behavior and others that match your browsing and purchasing habits. True discovery, however, elevates this concept to the next level: It will tie together what you have liked, purchased, viewed, discussed, and browsed, into a real-time aggregator that provides recommendations on any category of your choosing. For discovery to be completely revolutionary, it must have both an online and mobile interface. From websites like Yelp to smartphone applications like mobile GPS, several discovery platforms are in the works, including Ping, a music discovery engine launched by Steve Jobs in September.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Motricity Delivers User-Preferred Content On-the-Go (CIO Magazine)

Posted: 10/27/2010

Motricity recently launched mCore MobileCast, a service that allows wireless carriers and large companies to define content based on their smartphone users’ preferences. Requiring "zero touch" by the users, the cloud-based service takes a user’s location and prior usage into account before delivering audio, video, text and HTML5 content streamlined to the user’s preferences. For instance, a mobile user purchases tickets to a rock concert via a mobile device. Enter mCore MobileCast: The service ingests the concert data in combination with GPS data to disseminate auxillary information to the user, such as the concert's opening act, parking locations and even places to eat nearby. "All that information is in separate places today, but we aggregate it all up," said Jim Ryan, Motricity’s chief strategy and marketing officer. The company provides mobile infrastructure services to "hundreds of enterprises" and 10 major wireless carries, including the top four in the U.S., Ryan said.

InterContinental Hotels Group Offers Hospitality With A Technical Twist (InformationWeek)

Posted: 10/14/2010

It’s easy to chalk IHG's, InterContinental Hotels Group, ubiquitous success up to one thing: customer loyalty. Tom Conophy, IHG's CIO, said the company’s core focus is on making customers "the center of our universe," and customer loyalty is vital to growth in the hospitality industry. The ever-growing hotel group, which owns seven hotel chains, including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and InterContinental Hotels, keeps its guest doors swinging by making business intelligence one of their core competencies. 200 million guest profiles currently occupy the company’s 25 TB database, with detailed information on 43 million loyalty plan members. The company currently receives 30 million availability requests per day, supported by its own proprietary search technology, the Bottom-Up Optimum Search Strategy(BOSS). "Search is the killer app for us," Conophy says, and with IHG’s iPhone app as the industry’s most downloaded, adding mobility is another success factor with a concept the group has named “Virtually Me.”

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, Creative & Design, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

Building Best-Run Businesses With SAP’s Targeted Analytic Applications (InformationWeek)

Posted: 10/14/2010

The demand for domain-specific business insight led SAP to launch ten SAP BusinessObjects analytic applications. The customer-centric, problem solving apps include Sales Analysis for Retail; and Trade Promotion Effectiveness and On-Shelf Availability apps for consumer products firms, whose very names reveal how the development process was led by insight from key constituencies within SAP’s customer and industry bases. "These apps attach the knowledge workers to the action so they can make better decisions and help their company become a best-run business," said SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott. While designed with the SAP core customer segments in mind, the apps do not depend on pre-existing SAP deployments so that they will reach across to non-SAP customers, as well. Backed by Sybase mobile technologies, the apps promise benefits like reports and metrics; rapid deployment and actionable analytic insights. Plans to support the apps with mobile are expected to be fulfilled by the end of 2011.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Chatter Mobile: Saleforce.com’s Answer To Enterprise Collaboration (Intelligent Enterprise)

Posted: 10/14/2010

Salesforce.com recently announced Chatter Mobile, a smart-phone application designed to bring CRM-centric, social-networking-style collaboration to Smartphones by the end of 2010. The Web 2.0-styled consumer app lets Saleforce’s Chatter users collaborate with people at work while on-the-go and in real-time. Similar to following Facebook friends and interests, Chatter enables users to subscribe to and "follow" feeds related to their business, as well as keep tabs on what customers and prospects are saying on public networks like Facebook and Twitter. Partners and customers can also "Chatterize" vertical and custom applications through the Force.com development platform. The free service is featured within the company’s cloud-based sales and service applications, which could help a mobile salesperson stay on top of what matters most as they are heading to meet with their clients.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Like This: Google Acquires Like.com (InformationWeek)

Posted: 09/30/2010

In an effort to fortify Google’s search and e-commerce capabilities, the mega-search company recently purchased visual search company Like.com. Like.com’s computer vision and machine learning technology allows users to search and conduct visual comparisons for goods as they shop, making it particularly user friendly for mobile devices. Like.com CEO Munjal Shah confirmed the deal, stating, "We were the first to bring visual search to shopping, the first to build an automated cross-matching system for clothing, and more. We see joining Google as a way to supersize our vision and supercharge our passion." Google’s likely goal in the purchase is to beef up it core search products and image recognition services (Google Goggles), as well as intensify its social capabilities (Jambool and Slide.com) to make search more “social and more deeply integrated with e-commerce.”

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

Shazam! How One Company Plans To Change The Advertising Industry (.net)

Posted: 09/30/2010

Shazam CEO Andrew Fisher recently sat down with Oliver Lindberg to discuss why the company chose to charge for the popular mobile music discovery app and how the company plans to change the face of advertising as we know it. While Facebook may be the most downloaded iPhone app in the US, Shazam is Europe’s frontrunner. The app, which identifies a piece of recorded music via a mobile’s mic, tallied 50 million users across all platforms in October with the goal to double that number by the end of the year and reach 300 million users by 2015. Users are apparently willing to pay the price: the London-based start-up introduced a paid-for version of its iPhone app – Shazam Encore – with a limited free version offering five tags per month for new users. The service offers unlimited tagging, faster performance and a range of extra features such as music search and geo-location ticketing.

Text-Happy In 2G:GupShup Offers Simple Texting Service To Millions (Forbes)

Posted: 08/19/2010

With 1.8 billion global Web users and 4.6 billion mobile phone subscribers, including multiple SIM cardholders, the reach of social media is hard to ignore. Beerud Sheth, cofounder of Webaroo, gets the message loud and clear. Text messaging via basic handset and SMS opens up a path to reach an overwhelming market of hundreds of millions, particularly in India and other parts of Asia. UK’s Portio Research expects the $100 billion market of simple texting to grow by 20% by 2014. Taking text messaging social through a service called SMS GupShup, Sheth aims to enlarge the social scope of interaction from one to one to one to many, or even many to many. Much of GupShup’s (Hindi for "chitchat") revenue comes from a feature that allows users, called publishers, to send messages to users signed up for a group. Another feature targets smaller groups for more personal communication. GupShup makes ideal sense for mass consumer products – Webaroo suggests that as many as 150 brand advertisers like Pepsico and 10,000 smaller-size enterprises like Mumbai Traffic Police are using the platform.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Asia Pacific
Audience: Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

BlackBerry Users Get “LinkedIn” On-The-Go (EnterpriseMobileToday)

Posted: 05/27/2010

Now BlackBerry users can get “LinkedIn” on-the-go. The new application from the professional career networking site is designed to connect users no matter where they are. Chad Whitney, LinkedIn’s product manager for mobile posted a blog announcing the launch, stating, "Now you can walk into any interview, any customer engagement or client meeting with the ability to look up the details on over 60 million professionals worldwide, in real-time.” Designing new relevant products for the Blackberry platform is a high priority; therefore, application users can expect consistent feature enhancements and additions throughout the year. The application features six tabbed modules customized for Research In Motion's BlackBerry, maximizing the small screen. The social networking site offers a Blackberry group so users can be alerted to new feature launches or learn how to better utilize the application.

Industry: Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Stay Out Front With Smart Mobile Marketing Tactics (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 05/13/2010

You know the mobile marketing drill: Offer local coupons. Allow customers to pay for purchases directly from their phones. Inject with a little vavavavoom and you’ve got a competitive mobile marketing package. In light of the ever-changing mobile technology landscape –which means competitors are always on the hunt for bigger, better, more creative tactics – it makes good sense to consider adding these four tips to your mobile marketing toolbox: 1. Matt Silk, SVP of Waterfall Mobile recommends including a store locator in your mobile plan; 2. When used like direct mail or email, mobile subscriptions lists can help you to target your subscribers on-the-go; 3. Build applications and then market them strategically. Paul Reddick, CEO of Handmark at MoCoNews, recommends brands to "distribute them from their own Web sites or other traditional media outlets;” and 4. Forget about the apps altogether and concentrate your efforts on building a mobile Web site, which may be the smartest tactic of all, according to Practical E-Commerce.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, Creative & Design, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business

Nokia’s “Design By Community”: Hope For Next-Gen Smartphone? (Mobile Magazine)

Posted: 05/13/2010

Former king of the mobile technology hill, Nokia, recently unveiled “Design by Community”, a project intended to tap into the psyche of the techie community and recapture the keys to the kingdom. Nokia’s plan of attack is to use its new website to solicit consumer feedback regarding characteristics smartphone users would most like to see in the next generation of smartphones. Nokia amassed thousands of votes about design parameters in the first round of voting. Future reconnaissance rounds will seek information about characteristics, including: shape, materials, connectivity, video and features like camera. The voting system will reject configuration ideas that are too out-of-the-box or not creative enough. Nokia does not have plans to bring the winning creation to market. They will, however, incorporate them into a design concept.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Developers Build Native Mobile Web Applications With Titanium 1.0 (Info World)

Posted: 04/29/2010

Appcelerator recently released Titanium 1.0, a cross-platform development system for mobile and desktop applications. The open source system is compatible with JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby, which eliminates the need for mobile application builders to learn the Objective-C language for iPhone or Google's Java language for Android systems. A translator enables building mobile and desktop applications that will run natively on different systems. The system supports development for PCs, Macintosh, and Linux while mobile platforms include Apple iPhone and Google Android. Plans include Research In Motion Blackberry support within the year. Scott Schwarzhoff, vice president of marketing for Appcelerator attributes Titanium’s competitive advantage over other cross-platform development frameworks to its ability to “offer native performance as well as native UI (user interface) and access to device capabilities.” Eliminating the barrier of learning Objective-C makes Titanium highly attractive to developers. Appcelerator will also develop a version of Titanium for Apple's new iPad.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Opera Offers Android Users Faster, Nimbler Mini 5 Browser (InformationWeek)

Posted: 04/15/2010

The beta version of the Opera Mini 5 browser for Android is alive and well. The mobile browser features standard Opera features such as speed dial, tabbed browsing, password manager, speed and a slick design. The proxy-based browser is connected to Opera’s main servers, making it capable of remotely compressing data by up to 90% before sending it to the phone, a beneficial feature for low-bandwidth data connections. In addition to highlighting the browser’s desktop-like Web experience, initial reviews from InformationWeek blogger Eric Zeman said, “…the "killer feature," is the browser's speed. Opera Mini 5 loads Web sites dramatically faster than both the native Android browser and the Dolphin browser on both the Droid and the myTouch 3G."

Industry: Telecommunications
Topic: Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

iPhone App Enables Paying with Plastic (CNN Money)

Posted: 03/18/2010

Operating businesses remotely just got even better. While credit card transactions were standardized in traditional business settings long ago, paying with plastic was only a pipe dream for those conducting business on the road. Now, a host of software is on the market allowing mobile businesses to process credit card payments on their cell phones. From Apple's iPhone applications to Inner Fence, which developed the first iPhone app for processing credit cards, there are a slew of applications out there that allow proprietors to issue refunds, review sales, and email electronic receipts for transactions.

Industry: Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: E-Commerce, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Nexus One Propels Google Into Online Retail (BusinessWeek)

Posted: 03/04/2010

Google Inc. has entered the world of online retailing with its sales of the Nexus One, an HTC Corp. manufactured and Android mobile system operated phone. Google will also sell additional Android operated devices, like Motorola Inc. phones, with aims to promote further adoption of the Android operating system. With support from Google’s online store, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless will also carry the Nexus One. "We hope that by partnering with us in offering the Nexus One and future phones from Google, operators will be able to drive even more customers to their network and will be able of [sic] offer their customers another innovative Android device," said Katie Watson, Google spokeswoman.

Industry: Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, E-Commerce
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

It’s Super Bowl Sunday: “Time to Wear the Pants” (BrandWeek)

Posted: 02/18/2010

Watching the Super Bowl and wearing pants went hand in hand on February 7th. During the big game, Dockers presented a 30-second ad to promote its ongoing “Wear the Pants” campaign. The ad portrays childish men, marching and chanting “I Wear No Pants”, who are interrupted with the message “Calling all men, it’s time to wear the pants.” "We’re sending out a humorous call to manhood . . . The campaign celebrates the reemergence of the khaki... as an everyday way for men to convey masculine pride," said Jen Sey,VP of Dockers global marketing. The ad’s incorporation of Shazam mobile technology will allow consumers to use their smartphones for direct interaction with the ad’s content. Downloading the Shazam application and “tagging” the spot will direct consumers to the content page and its various offerings. "We’re on a mission to reinvent khakis and consumers’ relationship to the category, which has been passive in recent years," said Sey.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: North America
Audience: Business to Consumer

Intel Amps Up, Launching New AppUp Center (Dr. Dobbs)

Posted: 02/18/2010

Intel is joining the software application (app) trend with the release of its beta version app, the Intel AppUp center. Meant for netbook computer use, these apps can be purchased or downloaded for free. Apps run the gamut from topics like education, entertainment and health to social networking, games and more. According to Renee James, corporate vice president and general manager of Intel Software and Services Group, "The Intel AppUp SM center offers netbook users quick and easy access to applications specifically tailored to their mobile lifestyle.” Windows and Moblin, the first operating systems to target Intel Atom processor-powered netbook computers, will receive the first applications. Intel’s partners Acer, Asus, Dell and Samsung are also planning app startups. Intel and its partners expect the eventual expansion of stores to include applications for handheld consumer electronic (CE) devices, smartphones, consumer electronics, TVs, and other devices.

Industry: Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: E-Commerce
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

Market Intelligence the Smartphone Way (CRM Daily)

Posted: 02/04/2010

Context-aware software tries to connect the real world with the vast stores of information about places in a virtual world: the Internet. The technology channels the knowledge amassed to provide useful tools to the smartphone user. Consumers gain more control over their buying experiences and save time when they purchase from vendors who have critical insight into their shopping habits. The software’s diverse industry applications include retail, business management, hospitality, and food and beverage. Research firm Gartner projects the market for this technology will grow to $12 billion by 2012, with Google standing in prime position to address and profit from the new wave of demand. Other companies that stand to benefit are Nokia, Cisco Systems, Avaya, large telcos like China Telecom or potentially even social networks such as Facebook, Gartner says.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Apple and Facebook Key Influencers in New Tech Cycle (eWeek)

Posted: 02/04/2010

Apple and Facebook have literally changed the face of mobile internet. With mobile internet users projected to double by 2013, it’s easy to see a "mobile Internet cycle" emerging, a new cycle detailed in Morgan Stanley's "The Mobile Internet Report." Cited as the fifth computing cycle in five decades, the report claims this one is faster and bigger with a wider global net than previous cycles. While Apple, Google and Amazon.com lead the pack, the report suggests that the key influencers from previous cycles won’t necessarily be given the keys to this new kingdom. The analyst team, headed by Mary Meeker, attributes the high level of anticipation for mobile users to five of the most promising IP-based products and services: social networking, 3G network adoption, video, Voice over IP and "impressive mobile devices."

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global, North America, Asia Pacific
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Canada’s New Wind Mobile Gets Carried Away by Viral Videos (Strategy Magazine)

Posted: 01/06/2010

Imagine a toll both charging pedestrians to use a sidewalk. Ridiculous, right? Canada’s newest mobile phone company, Wind Mobile, agrees and uses this example and others to illustrate problems with the country’s wireless service. Found on YouTube and Wind Mobile’s website, the viral videos promote Wind Mobile’s purpose to provide improved services to Canada’s mobile phone users. “These [videos] were done to till the soil," says Chris Robbins, chief commercial officer at Wind Mobile. "Before we launch, we're trying to keep the conversation going about what's wrong with the current market, the current competition and what's happening in wireless.” Come Christmas in 2009, Wind Mobile’s products will hit the market in Toronto and Calgary, with the intent to bridge Canada’s pesky wireless service gaps.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Marketing Communications
Region: North America
Audience: Business to Consumer

U.S. Hispanics Prime Target for Internet and Mobile Advertisers (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 01/06/2010

The Hispanic online demographic is growing more than twice as fast as the overall national online population. Add to the equation that 88% of Hispanics consume content from their mobile phones, and the environment grows even riper for advertisers to target a population just shy of 50 million. Mobile initiatives from Yahoo include mobile search, US and global news in Spanish, and email and social networking connections, among others while those via internet from Orange Advertising Network include site-specific placements, customized branded entertainment, and direct-response campaigns. Mobile advertisers including HBO, Harley-Davidson, Rite Aid, Arby's and Cheetos have sent opt-in offers and ads to Hispanic users through HipCricket's Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network, which projects that Hispanic buying power will exceed $1 trillion in the next year.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Content Strategy, Creative & Design, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: North America, South-Central America
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Giving Voice to Smartphones’ Other Applications (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 01/06/2010

The advent of smartphones has virtually made it obsolete to use mobile phones solely as phones. Current consumer uses of smartphones are exploding for non-voice communications like connecting to the internet, emailing and text messaging. Mobile Market View recently revealed a growing class of "heavy users" of non-voice communications. One example MarketingCharts wrote about was the percentage of users making more than 10 mobile internet accesses per week. The percentage continues to rise and currently represents more than one-fifth of all mobile users. This rise blows the door open for mobile advertising based on the exponential increase of commerical searches, particularly for local products. "Between waves one and three of Mobile Market View, consumers have basically doubled their use of the mobile platform for non-voice communications," said Rick Ducey, chief strategy officer, BIA/Kelsey.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, E-Commerce, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business

Watch Out iPhone – Dell’s Android Mini 3 Smartphone is Coming to China (Tech News World)

Posted: 12/17/2009

Dell is well-known for its PCs, but smartphones? That’s right. Dell’s answer to the iPhone, the new Android Mini 3, hits the global market in both China and Brazil in December with help from companies like China Mobile and Brazil’s Claro. Facing competition from a crowd of Android smartphones already on the market, Dell’s decision to focus its Mini 3’s release outside of the U.S. could prove to be a smart move. According to Gartner’s predictions, “[the Mini 3] could take the No. 2 spot in global marketshare by 2012, overtaking the iPhone.” Foreign consumers base purchasing decisions more on the brand’s name, which could position Dell to be first to market in China and Brazil. The technological goodies included in the Mini 3 are yet to be revealed. For now, consumers will have to wait until the smartphone is released.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Technology Implementation
Region: Asia Pacific, South-Central America
Audience: Business to Consumer

Developers Welcome Apple’s In-App Purchases with Open Arms (Info World)

Posted: 12/03/2009

Apple’s change to allow in-application purchasing for free IPhone apps comes as good news for application developers. Developers can say goodbye to the days when in-app purchasing was only available in apps that cost money. Apple’s newly-enabled in-app purchase feature for free iPhone apps allows developers to include the option to upgrade to the premium level and fulfill transactions within the free applications themselves. The new feature means the Apple App Store won't be flooded with similar versions of the same application and it could also help prevent software piracy, according to Apple. It also relieves redundancy for developers by eliminating the need to create teaser versions of paid applications. The pricing model will remain the same, with Apple fulfilling backend billing and taking a percentage of the in-app purchase price.

Industry: Telecommunications
Topic: E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Consumer

New AT&T Applications Target Enterprise (Info World)

Posted: 12/03/2009

AT&T, the nation’s 2nd largest wireless carrier, launched new hosted applications for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile targeting the merchandising and hospitality industries: AT&T MEAP: Merchandising for the Consumer Goods Industry and AT&T MEAP: Maintenance and Repair for Hospitality. Built on its Mobile Enterprise Applications Platform, the vendor is leading the trend of offering new apps that encourage enterprises to entrench smartphone usage in their daily operations. The merchandising app allows product distributors to submit delivery data in real-time for better tracking, smarter stocking and faster billing. The hospitality app allows hotel maintenance crews to access and update work orders and service requests, report incidents and receive alerts, resulting in quicker response times and more workflow.

Industry: Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Legally Broadband: Finland Declares High-Speed Internet Access a Legal Right (CNN)

Posted: 11/19/2009

Finland recently declared broadband Internet access a legal right. While it is a view shared by the United Nations, Finland is the first country to actually make it legally required for telecommunication providers to supply connection speeds of at least 1 megabit per second for all 5.2 million Finnish citizens by July 2010. The mandate is an intermediary step to reach Finland’s real goal of reaching speeds 100 times faster–100mbps–by 2015. "We think it's something you cannot live without in modern society,” said Laura Vilkkonen, the legislative counselor for the Ministry of Transport and Communications. While the majority of the Finnish population (95%) is currently wired, the new law aims to stretch the Web to internet deprived rural areas.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Technology Implementation
Region: Europe
Audience: Business to Consumer

Global Spending on Mobile Advertising to Rise Exponentially by 2013 (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 11/08/2009

New data from Gartner predicts that global spending on mobile ads will rise 74%, reaching $913.5M this year, escalating to more than $13B by 2013. The report claims that location-based targeting and bigger gains in GPS technology, along with wide adoption of smartphones, 3G network data plans and downloadable applications will incite the growth as early as 2010. Parks Associates reports that advertising revenues in the US and Canada will grow from $208M in 2009 to $1.5B by 2013, with smartphone sales accounting for 45.5% of all mobile phone sales that year. JiWire reports a 79% increase in the use of mobile devices at public Wi-Fi hotspots in North America in the first half of 2009, and while research from MRI shows early consumer disapproval with mobile ads, 20% of that same audience would like to watch live TV via their cellphones.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe
Audience: Business to Consumer

Mini 5 Mobile Browser Means Big Business for Opera Software (Internet Evolution)

Posted: 11/08/2009

Norway's Opera Software, the leading maker of mobile browsers, recently released Mini 5, a redesigned, more user-friendly instrument. According to John Strand, chief executive of Danish consultancy Strand Consult, “Opera Mini has been the main driver of growth for Opera.” New features are designed to simplify web surfing: like speed dial, tabs and a password manager. Statistics from StatCounter show that Opera captures 25% of global mobile internet traffic, while Apple (22%) and Nokia (21%) are close behind. Google’s recent entry into the market and Mozilla Foundation’s plans to enter soon promises to widen the playing field. Opera, which markets its browser to cell phone makers and operators, gained 22% for its shares over the first three quarters of 2009. The browser can be downloaded directly by consumers for free.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Motorola SmartPhone Targets Social Network Crowd (Internet Evolution)

Posted: 10/22/2009

Motorola’s new smartphone, the Cliq, targets a young crowd addicted to social networking. The Cliq features a dynamic home screen with a collage of emails, tweets and status updates flashing over the sender’s profile pictures. The moderately priced Cliq, estimated to cost around $100, will be available this fall from T-Mobile. Another more expensive version will be available from Verizon. Both phones use Google’s Android operating system, but Motorola transformed the Cliq’s software to include Motoblur–the wow factor that makes the phone stand out from the crowd of Android phones expected to launch in the 2009 holiday season. Users simply supply their account information and the Internet-based service will combine all the information from a user’s e-mail and social networking accounts into one handy address book.

Industry: Telecommunications
Topic: Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: North America
Audience: Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

Getting Social with Adobe Flash Platform Services (InformationWeek)

Posted: 10/22/2009

Adobe partnered with Gigya, a social media management platform, to launch Flash Platform Services, to add more sociability and measurability to developers creating Flash applications. The service’s three core principles: Distribution, Collaboration, and Social, aim to take Flash viral and social in the online distribution of Flash applications over platforms like Web, desktops and mobile devices. Available later this year, users will be able to “Flash” forward with the service that enables them to share, collaborate and facilitate real-time application distribution, tracking, and monetization to get one solid application that can ultimately deploy over 70 social networks and services. 98% of PCs with Internet connections are equipped with Adobe's Flash software, but applications are not always installed.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

EZ-Lube Plugs Into Mobile Campaign to Tune-Up Loyalty Program (PromoMagazine)

Posted: 09/25/2009

Oil Change specialists EZ-Lube took customer care and loyalty to new heights last spring with a mobile campaign to boost its customer base. With more than 80 stores, the Southern California auto lube chain partnered with mobile marketing and loyalty experts SmartReply to launch a campaign targeted at existing loyalty customers and others who opted in to receive special messaging. 500,000 text messages touting car-care value offers were sent over a six-week period. In addition to boosting its database by 1,700 opt-ins for future promotions and fortifying the company’s competitive advantage, the campaign also garnered a 5% redemption rate among general responders and 15% among the existing loyalty club members at a cost of less than $6 per opt-in.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: North America
Audience: Business to Consumer

Maximize your Web Site’s Mobilization with CSS (Practical eCommerce)

Posted: 09/11/2009

With mobile internet use and mobile-friendly browsing on the rise, expert Armando Roggio is encouraging businesses to consider his “Web Design Tips” before redesigning their e-commerce sites to address their mobilization. Simple techniques such as adding a second style sheet or slightly revising a page’s HTML can enhance mobile shopping experiences without wasting time to register new mobile domains or create mobile-specific styles. The best solution? According to Roggio, it’s more efficient to redesign your current site to render well across multiple platforms including mobile, desktop, RSS, and more, using CSS. To illustrate his advice, Roggio creates a home page for an e-commerce comic book store with an instructional video demonstrating how to create mobile-friendly background images.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Creative & Design, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Cashing in on Email Buzzwords (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 08/15/2009

New research from MailerMailer's ninth bi-annual Email Marketing Metrics Report, demonstrates that marketers who leverage the ten top email buzzwords like "news," "party" and "free” experience higher open rates. Mapping industry trends, the report shows that religious and spiritually-themed emails are opened most frequently while telecommunications, transportation, travel, banking and finance open rates also top the charts. The report reveals that email deliverability is on the rise with more emails reaching recipients' inboxes and emails sent at the beginning of the week, Monday in particular, experience the highest open rates. With more users tending to view emails from their hand-held devices, the report also provides tips to design mobile-friendly emails so you can cash in on these new trends.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business

Growing the List: Hot New Tactics for 2009 (Marketing Vox)

Posted: 07/31/2009

Research conducted by ExactTarget, Ball State University, and the Email Marketers Club, provides an insider’s view into successful list growth. Best practices include on-site registration and capturing information through inbound call centers. Collecting customers’ email addresses during times of active participation-at point of sale, during online shopping and in store via text messaging- is an actionable strategy with a 60% higher success rate than offline activities like list rental and display advertising. The fastest-growing tactics for 2009 include email subscriptions via text messaging and enabling consumers to share email content with their social networks, with growth projected at 500% and 348%, respectively. The study also reports that B2B marketers entice more new subscribers with ‘incentivized’ registrations while ‘non-incentivized’ subscriptions are more effective for B2C marketers.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Bridging the Gap: JavaFX for Mobile Devices (Info World)

Posted: 07/18/2009

With more than 2.6 billion mobile phones deployed with Java worldwide, Sun Microsystems is heralding the JavaFX extension as a bridge from desktop to mobile device to television. "JavaFX Mobile delivers rich, expressive user experiences and we know that this is what our customers require these days," Sun’s vice president of marketing Eric Klein said recently at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco. Improvements to the new 1.2 release of JavaFX Mobile include optimized performance, a user interface library, and localization. Future plans include building the JavaFX technology into “smartbook” devices that boast Internet access and GPS capabilities on small, hand-held devices.

Chinese Company Premier’s World’s First Phone to Run Windows XP (Info World)

Posted: 07/18/2009

Chinese company In Technology recently unveiled the first-ever mobile device capable of running Windows XP. A cool hybrid of mobile phone and pint-sized computer, the device can wake Windows from standby mode to receive calls and text messages and support Wi-Fi, optional WiMax, GPS and next-generation mobile. Other key features include a customized chip from Advanced Micro Devices, pull-out Qwerty board, 120GB hard disk, and a 4.8 inch LCD touchscreen. Battery life averages seven hours while larger batteries can power the device for up to 12 hours. Product release within the Chinese market is scheduled for mid-September with international release slated a bit further down the road.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global, Asia Pacific
Audience: Business to Consumer

Alcatel-Lucent Takes the Plunge Into Mobile Advertising (Information Week)

Posted: 07/18/2009

Redefining the drive-by, Alcatel-Lucent recently announced plans to launch a product allowing cellular carriers to reach millions of mobile customers with location-relevant advertisements. Partnering with mobile ad company 1020 Placecast, the technology will help mobile operators determine the location of the customer with accuracy within a few meters. The new advertising vehicle, dubbed proximity marketing, is poised to reach sales of $10 billion by 2013. So don’t be too surprised if soon it’s more than your taste buds beckoning you into the nearest Starbucks for a cup of joe and coffee cake.

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Hooked on Location: Skyhook Plug-In Delivers with Pin-Point Accuracy (Information Week)

Posted: 07/03/2009

Building on the recent wave of location-centric applications, three leading Web applications–MapQuest, Flickr, and WeatherBug–are using Skyhook Wireless’s Loki plug-in to determine the precise location of any Wi-Fi enabled device that permits it. With a database featuring more than 100 million Wi-Fi access points, Skyhook triangulates signals from GPS and cell phone towers to deliver precise locations. The app can be seamlessly added to any Web site with a few simple lines of JavaScript. Companies utilizing the technology include Glympse, T-Mobile and Apple’s iPhone App Store. For example, T-Mobile G1 phone users can now download free software from Glympse that enables them to establish local links with other phones to track users' changing locations with pin-point accuracy.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Content Strategy, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications, Technology Implementation
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Surging Ahead: Companies Unveil New Cellular WiFi (Internet Evolution)

Posted: 07/03/2009

With WiFi spreading like wildfire, cellular companies can no longer ignore the technology without ignoring consumer demand for higher speeds, better coverage and performance, and low- or no-cost access. As consumers also begin to expect computer-like functionality from their cellphones, carriers like AT&T, Comcast, Qwest, Cablevision, and even Verizon, the biggest WiFi hold-out, are embracing WiFi as an important part of their strategic business plans. Recently, Qwest launched free WiFi to both consumer and enterprise customers, while T-Mobile introduced a low-cost WiFi business phone service. Consequently, Verizon will offer free service to DSL and FiOS customers as early as this summer.

Industry: Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services, Telecommunications
Topic: Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global, North America
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Study Finds That Mobile Ads Deliver the Goods to One in Three Smartphone Owners (Promo Magazine)

Posted: 06/19/2009

Now that nearly one of every seven minutes of digital media consumption takes place over a mobile device, it’s no small wonder that more smartphone users are actively embracing the ‘smart’ technology to enhance their lives. A recent study by Interpublic Group division Universal McCann and sponsored by Platform-A, AOL’s digital ad service, discovered that more than half of all smartphone users have responded to ads, requesting more information from their Web-enabled devices. The study also found that thirty-five percent actively requested to receive a mobile coupon, while 245 made purchases from their high-end handsets. UM director of consumer insights Graeme Hutton said in a statement. “Now mobile is less about ‘wireless online’ and more about being a highly personal, customized medium. Smartphone users are reaching for their devices to help answer unmet needs. Services that don’t have dedicated mobile formats are going to miss out on this huge and continual media consumption shift.”

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Business Intelligence, Creative & Design, E-Commerce, Experience & Interaction, Marketing Communications
Region: Global
Audience: Business to Business, Business to Consumer

Art Meets Internet Commerce, Reality TV, Social Media (Promo Magazine)

Posted: 06/05/2009

Continuing the surge of story-based marketing, Coca-Cola brand Sprite is launching a new European campaign that boldly unites art with multi-channeled commerce. A young, unknown British singer headlines the ongoing YouTube series that follows as she hits the New York music scene. With the prequel getting upwards of 60,000 views on YouTube, the show is also linked to Facebook Connect, creating the first interaction of its kind between YouTube and Facebook. “With this show, Sprite shifts from creating the perfect branded content to content that perfects the brand,” Coca-Cola head of European digital marketing Stafford Green said in a release. “Instead of repeating single messages in traditional media, Sprite supports these new experiences and deep storytelling to communicate our core brand values over time. It’s a fresh advertising model, and everyone wins: the artist, the brands and especially the audience—getting free on-demand, truly interactive content without commercial interruption.”

Industry: Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications, Retail & Products, Telecommunications
Topic: Creative & Design, Experience & Interaction, Technology Implementation
Region: Global, Europe
Audience: Business to Consumer, Peer Groups & Communities

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