Archive for June, 2009

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Unilever plans to begin a trial run of a system that allows consumers to receive discounts by having a supermarket cashier scan coupons displayed on their handset screen of their mobile phone. The test will start at a ShopRite store in Hillsborough, NJ.

This trial marks another step toward convincing consumers to allow advertising messages onto their handsets. Marketers have been pushing this in hopes consumers will embrace the cost effective ad method.

According to Nielsen, in 2008, 57 percent of all mobile subscribers ages 13 and older used text messaging on a regular basis. Mobile subscribers are now sending and receiving more text messages in a month than they are making phone calls.

As of the second quarter of 2008, mobile subscribers sent and/or received an average of 357 text messages per month and 204 phone calls. The number of phone calls has stayed consistent, (in 2006 it was 216 calls per month) but the average number of text messages sent or received has increased a whopping 351 percent, from 79 text messages sent and/or received in that same year and quarter.*

*The Nielsen Company, 2008

At this years’  LG National Texting Championship in New York City,  15-year-old Kate Moore of Des Moines, Iowa took the title.

The contestants had to run an obstacle course while sending difficult-to type messages and compose tongue twisters while being taunted by a giant emoticon. So 2009!

In the end, there was a tie breaker between Moore and runner up Dynda Morgan, a 14-year-old from Savannah, Georgia. Moore pulled out a win after typing, “Zippity Dooo Dahh Zippity Ayy…My oh My what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine Comin’ my way…Zippitty Do Dah, Zippity Aay! Wonderful Feeling Wonderful day!” and hitting, “Send” before her competitor.

There are multiple ways that Mobile Marketing can be used to increase your business and your ROI. Here are just 8 examples:

1. Mobile Coupons

The fifth most popular use of mobile marketing, this is quite possibly the easiest way to bring customers through your door. Customers are sent a text message with a “coupon” in it. All they do is present it at the register and the discount is taken. At the register, it could also be possible to capture the customer’s email as well for future promotions.

2. Emergency Text Messaging

84% of Americans keep their cell phones turned on and with them 24 hours a day. Add to that fact, that 94% of all text messages are opened and read immediately and you have the perfect way to get in touch with people immediately. This is a paramount factor in alerting people of an emergency. In an emergency, there really is no other alternative.

3. Text to Win Sweepstakes

This is the most popular use of obtaining an opt-in database through mobile marketing. This is done by offering a text to win sweepstakes. If your offer is compelling, you will get entries. What you get in return is a valuable database to help sell more products and services.

4. Text Message Vote

Text message voting enables media to immediately gauge publlic opinion. An early evening newscast for example can get immediate response on a controversia issue that it displays on the broadcast. Telling viewers to tune in on the later news broadcast, creates an appointment viewing “must see” option for the audience.

5. Auto Dealers

Mobile marketing can be used to send interested customers additional information about a particular vehicle.
“Keywords” can be advertised either on the car directly in the lot, or in the Sunday paper. The customer gets “personal attentions” regarding that vehicle, and the dealer gets a database of people interested in buying a new car.

6. Nightclubs

Mobile marketing is the most immediate way to get in touch with your customers. Advertise a “keyword” for Happy Hour specials or send a text out when a star enters the club. These are two effective and inexpensive ways to keep your business in the minds of your customers.

7. Appointment Reminders

As any doctor or dentist or hair stylist knows, it can take several manhours each day to remind customers of their upcoming appointment. Enter mobile marketing. With the ease of sending an email, you can remind your customers inexpensively and instantly of their appointment date and time. Genius!

8. Mobile Marketing for Real Estate

Agents and Brokers can use mobile marketing to promote properties to perspective clients and to provide additional information that perspective buyers can request. Using a keyword posted on the property’s sale sign, customers send a text the keyword number and instantly get information back. Agents get a database, and customers are satisfied.

Local mobile ad revenue will reach over $3.1 billion by 2013. This is up from the $160 million in 2008. The largest part is mobile search, at $2.3 billion dwarfing SMS which had $100 million in 2008.*

Local ad revenue may hit a low of $135.8   billion in 2010 before climbing slightly in 2011. Advertising across newspapers, direct mail, tv, radio, yellow pages, outdoor, magazines and online is expected to fall to $144.4 billion by 2013, down from $155 billion last year.

Local mobile advertising will be the next hot trend, especially in terms of local search. Local mobile ad revenue will hit $3.1 billion in 2013, and mobile search will reach $2.3 billion.

*Source: Kelsey Group, a division of BIA

Econsultancy and SEO firm Guava did a study to see what marketers plan to do about mobile marketing spending.

Increase spending: 22%
Stay the same: 21%
Decrease spending: 4%
Don’t Know: 53%

(source-Econsultancy and Guava, “UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report 2009″)

Percentage of people aware of Mobile Advertising.

(iPhone – non iPhone)
Any 59.3% – 38.2%
SMS 22.5% – 17.6%
Mobile Web 28.4% – 10.7%
Social Network 19.6% – 7.3%
MMS 17.1% – 7.1%
TV/Video 14.8% – 5.2%
Games 7.1% – 3.7%
Mobile Radio 9.3% – 3.6%

(source-Brightkite and GFK/NOP research)

Percentage of people who sent or received an SMS or text message.

Q1 2008 – 53.8%
Q2 2008 – 53.4%
Q3 2008 – 59.5%
Q4 2008 – 60.8%
Q1 2009 – 65.1%

(source-Brightkite and GFK/NOP Research)

(Iphone-Non Iphone)

SMS 81.1% – 65.7%
MMS 62.9% – 43.1%
Games 50.2% – 30.0%
Mobile Web 55.8% – 30.1%
Social network 33.0% – 10.3%
Mobile Video 27.2% – 8.1%
Mobile Radio 6.3% – 3.8%

(source-Brightkite and GFK/NOP research)

Percentage of US Marketers that used
SMS and Digital Coupons

2007        13.3%

2008        19.6%

2009           26%

(source-PROMO magazine, “2009 Promo Interactive Marketing Survey”)