Archive for December, 2010

As 2010 comes to an end, it’s interesting that nobody is talking about when it will be “the year of mobile.”  That’s because the year of mobile has occurred.  It was 2010.

When you look at the projected growth of mobile marketing, the key application for that growth is mobile coupons.  It’s not surprising then that the Mobile Marketing Association has released a Best Practices and Guidelines for Mobile Couponing.

Just shy of 30% of mobile phone users are interested in receiving coupons on their mobile phone, according to a report from Synovate.  Mobile coupons can be delivered by SMS text message, MMS, mobile apps, a mobile web site, or through QR Codes.

It’s not so bad, only 10 pages.  If you are using mobile coupons, you should read this report and follow its guidelines.

Wayne, Pennsylvania Main Line Pizza now uses a QR Code to send its specials of the week to its customers.  Scan the QR Code below with your cell phone, get discounts via mobile coupons, and enjoy the best pizza in the Philadelphia western suburbs.

North Pole – Who’s the greatest businessman of all-time? 

No, it’s not Henry Ford, nor is it John D. Rockefeller.  Bill Gates?  Donald Trump?  Richard Branson?  Mark Zuckerberg?

Give me a break.

The greatest businessman of all time is, without a doubt, Santa Claus.

Think about it.  His customers return year after year.  He has a factory that churns out toys 24/7 with little overhead.  He has loyal employees; of course, there aren’t a lot of jobs in the world in this tough economy, so imagine how hard it is for elves these days. 

Santa Claus has a promotions department that secures prime visibility in crowded malls and gets him grand marshal positions in parades all over the world.  He also has a public relations staff that writes songs, poems, and even produces movies and television shows with him as the star.  His stamina is amazing and there are no banned substances in his body, unless you count thousands of chocolate chip cookies!

He’s an advertising genius.  Just watch TV in December and see how many commercials he’s on.  I’ve seen him drinking Coca-Cola for years now and am still amazed how he can balance himself on that Norelco razor after all the junk food he eats!

And talk about customer service.  It’s the best in the world.  No waiting on hold to talk to his telemarketers with an Indian accent named “Bobby.”  He knows what you want, often without your even telling him.

But, sometimes I think Santa Claus is slipping a bit the past few years.  He hasn’t really embraced html5, smartphones, social networking, or any new technology very well.  I think he’s one of only about 15 Americans that don’t have a Facebook account. 

His workers still use basic tools from the pre-Industrial Revolution.  His mode of transportation still involves harnessed livestock that takes a treacherous route around the world.  Call the ASPCA!

And, don’t tell me one animal with a light bulb on his nose is innovative.  His ordering process is downright archaic.  I mean, who writes letters any more? 

What Santa Claus needs is mobile marketing.  Worldwide, 5 trillion text messages are sent each year, but how many of you have ever received one, or sent one, to the North Pole?  Even Verizon can’t hear you now at the North Pole. 

Did you know that 18% of those 5 trillion text messages are considered commercial text messages?  Don’t you think a broadcast text message would be a great way for Santa to get rid of some of his closeout inventory?  I hear there’s a warehouse at the North Pole that still has half a million eight-tracks and cassette tapes in it!

Did you ever watch the late news on television on Christmas Eve?  There’s usually some cheesy graphic there with a picture of Santa flying over some other country.  In the eastern United States, I think he’s usually in the Czech Republic during our 11 o’clock newscast. 

Well, I’m an insomniac and I often stay up late multi-tasking on my laptop while watching the History Channel or ESPN—even on Christmas Eve.  I would love to get a text message to know when Santa is getting close to my hometown so I can get to bed on time.  If Southwest can notify me of its flight arrivals by text message, I would think Santa could announce the progress of his reindeer with all those clever little engineers he has on staff.

Ordering is another issue.  How many of you still have envelopes and stamps in your house?  It’s been so long since I sent a letter that I have no idea how much it costs to send a letter.  How much postage do you need to put on a letter to the North Pole anyway?  It’s not even on the USPS.com web site; I checked.  Plus, there’s the issue of the post office losing your snail mail which happens an awful lot this time of year. 

By the way Santa, I’m still waiting for the Benz I asked for last year.  I knew I should have sent my Christmas list by Fed Ex.

With text messages, we could send in our Christmas lists to Santa Claus through a short code, say 72682 (S-A-N-T-A).  With an easy-to-use mobile marketing solution like this, Santa could confirm receipt and even tell you if you’ve been…bad or good. 

Maybe that’s what happened to my Benz.

Bob Bentz is president of Advanced Telecom Services which provides a do-it-yourself mobile marketing network 84444.com to advertising agencies.  He is a father with two children and he still believed in Santa Claus until last year when his Benz never arrived.

Blog site Mobile Marketer quoted Advanced Mobile Solutionsin its article about Buick’s mobile marketing campaign.  Advanced Mobile has had tremendous success with its Cars To Go mobile marketing solution for auto dealers.

Drive more customers to your store this year with text message marketing solutions from Advanced Telecom Services and 84444.com. Merry TXmas.

Smartphones continue to show significant growth in the USA with penetration now reaching 29%.  As more and more sophisticated phones reach the American market, advanced mobile marketing programs such as those using video or QR codes will increase in popularity.

U.S. smartphone penetration 2008 to 2009

Who are Football’s Hottest Wives? 

Fantasy Football Sideline announces its Football’s Hottest Wives competition for the 2010 season.  The fantasy football web site has selected its “Sweet 16” of the hottest wives of NFL players for the 2010 season and the public is encouraged to vote for the hottest wives of NFL players.

For the past three years, Olympic Internet, parent company of Fantasy Football Sideline, has been promoting its Baseball’s Hottest Wives competition on its fantasy baseball site Fantasy Baseball Dugout.  Last year, Japanese actress Saeko Darvish won the Baseball’s Hottest Wives competition as more than 70,000 votes were cast on the internet and by text message voting.  This year, the competition has expanded to include a competition for the beautiful wives of NFL players as well.

The Football’s Hottest Wives competition contains a bevy of beauties, some of which are household names and others whose hulking husbands are the most famous of the pair.  Obvious finalists include Girl Next Store Kendra Wilkinson who is the best catch ever for Vikings’ wide receiver Hank Baskett.  Then, there’s Victoria’s Secret supermodel Gisele Bundchen who now wears lingerie exclusively for future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.  There’s also Elisabeth Hasselbeck, wife of Seahawks quarterback Tim, who was a Survivor contestant and now manages to survive through the daily dribble on The View.

Athletes are also part of the family.  Championship finalists include two Olympic gold medal winners who are now married to NFL stars.  Heather Mitts kicks it with Rams quarterback A.J. Feeley; Heather has won two gold medals with the USA women’s Olympic soccer team.  Sanya Richards is a two time Gold Medalist in the 4 x 400 relay team and Richards is now teaming with Aaron Ross—a cornerback for the New York Giants.  Imagine the athletic kids these couples may have!

Think there are rules for cheerleaders dating football players?  Think again.  Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub married Texans cheerleader Laurie.  Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley married Christy Oglevee who shows her tight end as one of the “First Ladies of Football.”  49er’s quarterback Alex Smith navigated cross-Bay to marry Raiderette Elizabeth Barry.  “I owe the Raiders big time for this one,” said Smith.  These women, who were previously shaking it for their favorite team, are now shaking with excitement at being named as finalists in Football’s Hottest Wives.

The group is also not without controversy.  Carrie Prejean is the former Miss California USA and runner-up in the 2009 Miss USA Pageant.  Prejean took heat from many after stating her conservative opinion about same sex marriage during the Miss USA pageant.  Ironically Prejean was later haunted by a less than conservative sex tape that made its way onto the internet.  It was expected that Prejean might hear “you’re fired” from Miss USA Executive Director Donald Trump, but Trump trumped the speculators and allowed Prejean to maintain her titles.

Here is the complete list of the Sweet 16 for Football’s Hottest Wives:

• Kendra Wilkinson (Hank Baskett, Vikings)
• Gisele Bundchen (Tom Brady, Patriots)
• Katina Taylor (Jason Taylor, Jets)
• Sanya Richards (Aaron Ross, Giants)
• October Gonzalez (Tony Gonzalez, Falcons)
• Carrie Prejean (Kyle Boller, Raiders)
• Elizabeth Barry (Alex Smith, 49ers)
• Christy Oglevee (Chris Cooley, Redskins)
• Heather Mitts (A.J. Feeley, Rams)
• Brittany Brees (Drew Brees, Saints)
• Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Tim Hasselbeck, Seahawks)
• Latisha Moss (Santana Moss, Redskins)
• Alicia Jammer (Quentin Jammer, Chargers)
• Laurie Schaub (Matt Schaub, Texans)
• Janelle Winslow (Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers)
• Abby Manning (Eli Manning, Giants)

Voting for Football’s Hottest Wives goes through December 31, 2010 and the winner will be crowned on New Year’s Day 2011.

84444.com is the official text message vote site for Olympic Internet and its fantasy sports sites.

Mobile Restaurant Interaction Spikes

The restaurant industry received a boost in mobile marketing use over the Thanksgiving holiday.  This is likely due to family cooks being burned out on cooking after the Thanksgiving holiday pig out.  Mobile marketing for restaurants has been a very viable category for 84444.com