Bron: Webwereld.nl
Een Amsterdams bedrijf heeft een nieuw middel bedacht in de strijd tegen de fietsendieven: een sticker met de oproep om een sms-bericht te sturen. Op de site BikeTag.nl kunnen fietsers voor vijf euro een sticker kopen voor op hun fiets. Op de sticker staat de tekst: "Mijn fiets gevonden? Sms '+bike [nummer]' naar 06 4200 4200 of www.biketag.nl." Fietsers moeten de sticker op de stang onder het zadel plakken. Elke sticker heeft een uniek nummer dat is gekoppeld aan het e-mailadres van de eigenaar van de fiets. Als een gestolen (of door de overheid verwijderde) fiets wordt teruggevonden, kan de vinder de fiets via sms of de site van BikeTag aanmelden. BikeTag brengt de eigenaar van de fiets daarvan vervolgens per e-mail op de hoogte.
Omdat de vinder van een fiets een bericht kan sturen naar een 06-nummer zijn er geen extra kosten verbonden aan het sms'en.
Opslagloods
De grootste kans maken bestolen fietsers waarschijnlijk als hun rijwiel staat opgeslagen bij de politie of een gemeentelijke opslagloods. BikeTag heeft nog geen afspraken gemaakt met deze instellingen, maar hoopt dat snel te kunnen doen.
Daarnaast hoopt Patrick de Laive van BikeTag dat de stickers fietsendieven zullen afschrikken. "Je zou je kunnen voorstellen dat een dief die de keuze heeft uit twee fietsen, zal kiezen voor de fiets zonder onze sticker. Mensen die op straat een fiets willen kopen, zullen misschien ook minder snel geneigd zijn om een fiets met sticker te kopen."
Het is wel mogelijk om de sticker te verwijderen, geeft De Laive toe. "Uiteindelijk is geen enkel middel waterdicht. Fietsendieven kunnen ook gegraveerde postcodes wegvijlen."
Aangifte
Nog voor de dienst officieel werd aangekondigd, had BikeTag.nl al twintig stickers verkocht. "Om de dienst tot een succes te maken, is het nodig om enkele tienduizenden stickers te verkopen", stelt De Laive. "Bij die aantallen zal het waarschijnlijk mogelijk zijn om een klein percentage van alle verdwenen fietsen in Nederland terug te brengen naar de rechtmatige eigenaar."
Jaarlijks worden in Nederland een miljoen fietsen gestolen of weggeknipt door de overheid. Het grootste deel daarvan komt niet terug bij de eigenaar. Bijna niemand doet aangifte.
woensdag, juli 27, 2005
dinsdag, juli 26, 2005
HotSMS lanceert vernieuwde versie van zakelijke SMS dienst
Zelf wereldwijd SMS berichten versturen via SMSbizz.com
HotSMS heeft een vernieuwde versie van de zakelijke SMS dienst SMSbizz.com gelanceerd. De online SMS dienst maakt het mogelijk om grote groepen in één eenvoudige handeling een SMS bericht te sturen. De berichten kunnen worden afgeleverd in 130 landen wereldwijd. De vernieuwde dienst biedt nu ook de mogelijkheid om SMS berichten te ontvangen op een zelf gekozen keyword. Hiermee wordt het mogelijk om bijvoorbeeld zelf een SMS & Win actie op te zetten.
Mobiele marketing
Met de nieuwe fucntionaliteiten van SMSbizz.com kan iedereen zelf een mobiele marketing campagne opzetten en uitvoeren. Een account is eenvoudig aangemaakt, tegoed wordt online ingekocht en afgerekend, de afzender is zelf in te stellen met cijfers en letters en de mogelijkheid om SMS berichten (terug) te ontvangen zorgt voor interactie. De dienst is geschikt voor kleinschalige acties - bijvoorbeeld sportclubs, studentenverenigingnen, MKB - maar ook voor grote adverteerders die beschikken over een uitgebreide opt-in 06nummer database.
Efficiënt
SMSbizz.com is ook effectief in te zetten voor het communiceren van korte boodschappen. Tandartsen die afspraken per SMS bevestigen, monteurs die een bericht ontvangen over de locatie van een nieuwe klus, garagehouders die hun klanten laten weten dat de auto weer kan worden opgehaald. SMS is een efficiënt en goedkoop alternatief voor het bellen naar een mobiel telefoonnummer.
Over HotSMS
Als één van de grootste onafhankelijke spelers op het gebied van mobile marketing in Europa houdt HotSMS zich bezig met SMS-vertising en Direct (Mobile) Marketing (onder andere via ruim 900.000 geregistreerde gebruikers op HotSMS.com) en het ontwikkelen en faciliteren van mobile marketing concepten en applicaties.
HotSMS heeft een vernieuwde versie van de zakelijke SMS dienst SMSbizz.com gelanceerd. De online SMS dienst maakt het mogelijk om grote groepen in één eenvoudige handeling een SMS bericht te sturen. De berichten kunnen worden afgeleverd in 130 landen wereldwijd. De vernieuwde dienst biedt nu ook de mogelijkheid om SMS berichten te ontvangen op een zelf gekozen keyword. Hiermee wordt het mogelijk om bijvoorbeeld zelf een SMS & Win actie op te zetten.
Mobiele marketing
Met de nieuwe fucntionaliteiten van SMSbizz.com kan iedereen zelf een mobiele marketing campagne opzetten en uitvoeren. Een account is eenvoudig aangemaakt, tegoed wordt online ingekocht en afgerekend, de afzender is zelf in te stellen met cijfers en letters en de mogelijkheid om SMS berichten (terug) te ontvangen zorgt voor interactie. De dienst is geschikt voor kleinschalige acties - bijvoorbeeld sportclubs, studentenverenigingnen, MKB - maar ook voor grote adverteerders die beschikken over een uitgebreide opt-in 06nummer database.
Efficiënt
SMSbizz.com is ook effectief in te zetten voor het communiceren van korte boodschappen. Tandartsen die afspraken per SMS bevestigen, monteurs die een bericht ontvangen over de locatie van een nieuwe klus, garagehouders die hun klanten laten weten dat de auto weer kan worden opgehaald. SMS is een efficiënt en goedkoop alternatief voor het bellen naar een mobiel telefoonnummer.
Over HotSMS
Als één van de grootste onafhankelijke spelers op het gebied van mobile marketing in Europa houdt HotSMS zich bezig met SMS-vertising en Direct (Mobile) Marketing (onder andere via ruim 900.000 geregistreerde gebruikers op HotSMS.com) en het ontwikkelen en faciliteren van mobile marketing concepten en applicaties.
maandag, juli 25, 2005
TV Ad Text Response Peugot 1007 campaign
Source: 160characters.org
The Peugot TV campaign for the new 1007 car offers SMS as the only contact channel. Under the umbrella creative by Euro RSCG, Peugeot's TV campaign for the launch of the 1007 has the only call to action at the end of the advert is to text the word 'easy' to 81007. By texting the branded shortcode, 81007, respondents can access a mobile portal for the car, where more information and entertainment can be accessed. Customers can book a test drive, order a brochure, see animated mobisodes of key 1007 features, download screensavers and ringtones, and preview the 1007 ad two weeks before it was launched on TV.
"We are still mid-campaign," said Berney "but the results from the Buzz/environmental marketing are very promising, with well over 1,000 respondents so far, and a higher than average conversion to brochure order and test drive."
The Peugot TV campaign for the new 1007 car offers SMS as the only contact channel. Under the umbrella creative by Euro RSCG, Peugeot's TV campaign for the launch of the 1007 has the only call to action at the end of the advert is to text the word 'easy' to 81007. By texting the branded shortcode, 81007, respondents can access a mobile portal for the car, where more information and entertainment can be accessed. Customers can book a test drive, order a brochure, see animated mobisodes of key 1007 features, download screensavers and ringtones, and preview the 1007 ad two weeks before it was launched on TV.
"We are still mid-campaign," said Berney "but the results from the Buzz/environmental marketing are very promising, with well over 1,000 respondents so far, and a higher than average conversion to brochure order and test drive."
woensdag, juli 20, 2005
51.6% of Italians under 11 yrs has a mobile phone
Source: Telecompaper
According to the National Report on Infancy and Adolescence Conditions prepared by Telefono Azzurro, 51.6 percent of Italian children aged 7-11 years already own a mobile phone. In 36.2 percent of the cases the phone is used to talk with friends, for 30.7 percent to talk with parents and in third place is the use of SMS, which interests 12.8 percent of the sample, while around 10.1% use it only to receive phone calls. "This is a growing trend – according to consumers association Codacons – which increases with age: around 3 minors out of ten aged between 5 and 13 years own a mobile phone.
The desire to have their own mobile phone is asserted mostly around the first year of secondary school, according to estimates by Telefono Blu. Another research conducted by the University of Trieste on a sample of 129 primary school pupils revealed that 56 percent of those interviewed had a mobile phone and only 32 percent switch it off before going to sleep. Around 37 percent of those polled received the phone as a present by parents, 30 percent make more than three phone calls a day, 10.85 percent use it both day and night, only 20 percent switch it off in churches and only 14 percent do not use them at school. Nearly 4 out of 10 admit they abuse of SMS messages, while games are among the most used functions for 40.31 percent.
According to the National Report on Infancy and Adolescence Conditions prepared by Telefono Azzurro, 51.6 percent of Italian children aged 7-11 years already own a mobile phone. In 36.2 percent of the cases the phone is used to talk with friends, for 30.7 percent to talk with parents and in third place is the use of SMS, which interests 12.8 percent of the sample, while around 10.1% use it only to receive phone calls. "This is a growing trend – according to consumers association Codacons – which increases with age: around 3 minors out of ten aged between 5 and 13 years own a mobile phone.
The desire to have their own mobile phone is asserted mostly around the first year of secondary school, according to estimates by Telefono Blu. Another research conducted by the University of Trieste on a sample of 129 primary school pupils revealed that 56 percent of those interviewed had a mobile phone and only 32 percent switch it off before going to sleep. Around 37 percent of those polled received the phone as a present by parents, 30 percent make more than three phone calls a day, 10.85 percent use it both day and night, only 20 percent switch it off in churches and only 14 percent do not use them at school. Nearly 4 out of 10 admit they abuse of SMS messages, while games are among the most used functions for 40.31 percent.
dinsdag, juli 19, 2005
Mobile tracking service goes on sale in UK
Source: Netimperative
Mobile phone location service KidsOK has gone on sale in the UK today, allowing parents to locate their child using a mobile phone. Endorsed by children's charity Kidscape, KidsOK mobile phone location packs will be available in outlets across the UK including selected Arcadia Outfit, Comet Destination, Bhs, Boots, Millets, Blacks and The Link stores at a recommended retail price of £39.95. Richard Jelbert, CEO and co-founder of mTrack Services, the company behind KidsOK, said the service offers parents an alternative to sending “embarrassing” calls or text messages to their children while they are with friends. The firm said they can establish the location of a mobile phone within 60 seconds. Parents can 'ping' their child's mobile by sending a text message to 60777 including the child’s name, for example “ping mark”.
KidsOK identifies the position of the child's phone to within 500m in built up areas using state of the art GSM location based technology, sending a text description and map of the location back to the parent's phone.
The pack includes the first year's subscription, three handsets enabled and the first ten pings. Larger families can enable further handsets on payment of £4.95 p.a. per handset. Further 'pings' are purchased in bundles of 20 from KidsOK for £9.95.
UK network operators O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone have enabled the service but, subject to decisions from Virgin and 3, children's phones on Virgin and 3 cannot be located.
All mobile numbers are encrypted by the KidsOK servers to ensure privacy and parents go through Home Office approved security checks during registration before they are able to use the service. Every child tracked by a parent has to opt in to the KidsOK service before it can start and they can switch the service off at any time.
The KidsOK service does not require a PC and there is no need to install any software. Parents using the service need their mobile phones to be enabled for WAP (GPRS).
The firm said that each pack sold generates £1 towards the KidsOK Charitable Trust which provides donations to a variety of children’s charities and good causes.
Mobile phone location service KidsOK has gone on sale in the UK today, allowing parents to locate their child using a mobile phone. Endorsed by children's charity Kidscape, KidsOK mobile phone location packs will be available in outlets across the UK including selected Arcadia Outfit, Comet Destination, Bhs, Boots, Millets, Blacks and The Link stores at a recommended retail price of £39.95. Richard Jelbert, CEO and co-founder of mTrack Services, the company behind KidsOK, said the service offers parents an alternative to sending “embarrassing” calls or text messages to their children while they are with friends. The firm said they can establish the location of a mobile phone within 60 seconds. Parents can 'ping' their child's mobile by sending a text message to 60777 including the child’s name, for example “ping mark”.
KidsOK identifies the position of the child's phone to within 500m in built up areas using state of the art GSM location based technology, sending a text description and map of the location back to the parent's phone.
The pack includes the first year's subscription, three handsets enabled and the first ten pings. Larger families can enable further handsets on payment of £4.95 p.a. per handset. Further 'pings' are purchased in bundles of 20 from KidsOK for £9.95.
UK network operators O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone have enabled the service but, subject to decisions from Virgin and 3, children's phones on Virgin and 3 cannot be located.
All mobile numbers are encrypted by the KidsOK servers to ensure privacy and parents go through Home Office approved security checks during registration before they are able to use the service. Every child tracked by a parent has to opt in to the KidsOK service before it can start and they can switch the service off at any time.
The KidsOK service does not require a PC and there is no need to install any software. Parents using the service need their mobile phones to be enabled for WAP (GPRS).
The firm said that each pack sold generates £1 towards the KidsOK Charitable Trust which provides donations to a variety of children’s charities and good causes.
Sms-actie Sodexho en Coca-Cola
Bron: Adformatie.nl
Zakelijke sms-provider ClubMessage start deze week samen met bedrijfscateraar Sodexho een interactieve marketingcampagne om een nieuw product van Coca-Cola onder de aandacht te brengen. ClubMessage voert de SMS en Win campagne uit in opdracht van bedrijfscateraar Sodexho om in bedrijfsrestaurants aandacht te krijgen voor het nieuwe product Coca-Cola Lime. De actie gaat tot en met vrijdag 29 juli in bij een opdrachtgever van Sodexho lopen.
Bij de aanschaf van elk flesje Coca-Cola Lime maakt de koper kans op een limegroene iPod of een strandbed in dezelfde kleur. Om te ontdekken of hij of zij de winnaar is, kan een speciale code worden ge-sms’t naar een tijdelijk actienummer.
Sodexho heeft nog niet eerder gebruik gemaakt van het medium sms en wil op deze manier testen of het middel vaker ingezet kan worden.
Zakelijke sms-provider ClubMessage start deze week samen met bedrijfscateraar Sodexho een interactieve marketingcampagne om een nieuw product van Coca-Cola onder de aandacht te brengen. ClubMessage voert de SMS en Win campagne uit in opdracht van bedrijfscateraar Sodexho om in bedrijfsrestaurants aandacht te krijgen voor het nieuwe product Coca-Cola Lime. De actie gaat tot en met vrijdag 29 juli in bij een opdrachtgever van Sodexho lopen.
Bij de aanschaf van elk flesje Coca-Cola Lime maakt de koper kans op een limegroene iPod of een strandbed in dezelfde kleur. Om te ontdekken of hij of zij de winnaar is, kan een speciale code worden ge-sms’t naar een tijdelijk actienummer.
Sodexho heeft nog niet eerder gebruik gemaakt van het medium sms en wil op deze manier testen of het middel vaker ingezet kan worden.
Big Brands Still Won't Use Mobile
Source: 160characters.org
"Large brands say that consumer trust, cost and lack of customer data are the main barriers to the widespread adoption of mobile messaging despite evidence of its effectiveness". Most of the UK’s largest businesses are still reluctant to use mobile messaging as a customer communications tool despite significant evidence of success for the medium in both marketing and customer relationship management.
This notion came to light at a recent round-table forum led by mobile solutions provider Wireless Information Network (WIN), which brought together several of the UK’s largest consumer brands - including Barclays, Egg, BAA and Air Miles - mobile networks and regulators to discuss the barriers to businesses adopting mobile as a tool for communicating with consumers.
The discussion found that consumer-focussed companies still do not generally consider mobile as a mainstream channel of communication with existing and potential customers, and therefore most are simply not utilising it at all or piloting its use on a very small scale. This is despite several well publicised case studies from the likes of the AA, BT and '118 118' where mobile has been used to great effect. For example the AA, which adopted SMS messaging to provide real-time alerts to customers awaiting roadside assistance has cut its call centre costs by some £30,000 per month, whilst improving customer service levels considerably.
Trust
The main reasons cited for the reluctance of businesses to use mobile messaging are consumer trust, cost and the availability of good sized databases of mobile numbers.
When it comes to consumer trust, the feeling from businesses is that consumers fear their mobile becoming like an email Inbox which is constantly bombarded by ‘spam’, and therefore do not want to expose themselves by giving businesses to permission to communicate with them via text.
Cost
On the subject of cost, it is felt that SMS hasn’t yet justified itself enough to merit the investment in setting up and running a mobile marketing campaign or CRM system, therefore brands are sitting back waiting for either the costs to come down or the evidence of return to go up.
Numbers
Finally, when it comes to the availability of customer data, brands seem to be stuck in a ‘quantity not quality’ mentality more akin to the postal ‘junk mail’ approach where target databases contain hundreds of thousands of records, and therefore don’t regard a well defined 30,000 strong opt-in database of mobile numbers as big enough to run an effective mobile marketing campaign.
Learn How to Build Relationships
Ben King, Marketing Manager of WIN said that “Mobile still has some way to go as a B2C tool, but many of these barriers are overstated and can be overcome. Consumer trust is an issue, but trust can be gained through responsible, relevant and creative communications and regulations put in place by the mobile industry over the last 2 years have ensured that examples of SMS spam have been limited.
We believe that businesses need to develop a mobile relationship over time with a consumer based on giving them something useful and appropriate. With regards cost, there are inevitably set up costs to any kind of marketing or CRM campaign, but mobile seems to suffer constant comparisons with email. These comparisons must stop. SMS is a unique channel that enables timely information to be delivered to the vast majority of the adult population, wherever they are, and whatever they are doing. It deserves to be considered in its own right. Text remains an extremely cost effective and convenient method of communication, particularly compared to voice or post.”
“On the subject of numbers, the most successful implementation of mobile marketing in the UK has not involved the purchase of large 3rd party databases. The beauty of opt-in text databases is that while they might be relatively small, the profiling is so accurate that the message can be tailored to be relevant. Sending a relevant communication to a few thousand people via will always drive a significantly higher return than sending an inaccurately targeted piece of junk mail to hundreds of thousands.”
King concludes that “There is a definite trend among UK consumers demanding that businesses become more customer-centric and consider them as an individual. SMS is an ideal technology to facilitate such a personal relationship. Businesses need to look beyond these barriers and really focus on how mobile can work as part of their overall communications strategy. Mobile messaging reduces costs, improves relationships and increases response rates and where it has been deployed effectively, businesses have achieved significant competitive advantage. - surely it’s a ‘no-brainer’.”
"Large brands say that consumer trust, cost and lack of customer data are the main barriers to the widespread adoption of mobile messaging despite evidence of its effectiveness". Most of the UK’s largest businesses are still reluctant to use mobile messaging as a customer communications tool despite significant evidence of success for the medium in both marketing and customer relationship management.
This notion came to light at a recent round-table forum led by mobile solutions provider Wireless Information Network (WIN), which brought together several of the UK’s largest consumer brands - including Barclays, Egg, BAA and Air Miles - mobile networks and regulators to discuss the barriers to businesses adopting mobile as a tool for communicating with consumers.
The discussion found that consumer-focussed companies still do not generally consider mobile as a mainstream channel of communication with existing and potential customers, and therefore most are simply not utilising it at all or piloting its use on a very small scale. This is despite several well publicised case studies from the likes of the AA, BT and '118 118' where mobile has been used to great effect. For example the AA, which adopted SMS messaging to provide real-time alerts to customers awaiting roadside assistance has cut its call centre costs by some £30,000 per month, whilst improving customer service levels considerably.
Trust
The main reasons cited for the reluctance of businesses to use mobile messaging are consumer trust, cost and the availability of good sized databases of mobile numbers.
When it comes to consumer trust, the feeling from businesses is that consumers fear their mobile becoming like an email Inbox which is constantly bombarded by ‘spam’, and therefore do not want to expose themselves by giving businesses to permission to communicate with them via text.
Cost
On the subject of cost, it is felt that SMS hasn’t yet justified itself enough to merit the investment in setting up and running a mobile marketing campaign or CRM system, therefore brands are sitting back waiting for either the costs to come down or the evidence of return to go up.
Numbers
Finally, when it comes to the availability of customer data, brands seem to be stuck in a ‘quantity not quality’ mentality more akin to the postal ‘junk mail’ approach where target databases contain hundreds of thousands of records, and therefore don’t regard a well defined 30,000 strong opt-in database of mobile numbers as big enough to run an effective mobile marketing campaign.
Learn How to Build Relationships
Ben King, Marketing Manager of WIN said that “Mobile still has some way to go as a B2C tool, but many of these barriers are overstated and can be overcome. Consumer trust is an issue, but trust can be gained through responsible, relevant and creative communications and regulations put in place by the mobile industry over the last 2 years have ensured that examples of SMS spam have been limited.
We believe that businesses need to develop a mobile relationship over time with a consumer based on giving them something useful and appropriate. With regards cost, there are inevitably set up costs to any kind of marketing or CRM campaign, but mobile seems to suffer constant comparisons with email. These comparisons must stop. SMS is a unique channel that enables timely information to be delivered to the vast majority of the adult population, wherever they are, and whatever they are doing. It deserves to be considered in its own right. Text remains an extremely cost effective and convenient method of communication, particularly compared to voice or post.”
“On the subject of numbers, the most successful implementation of mobile marketing in the UK has not involved the purchase of large 3rd party databases. The beauty of opt-in text databases is that while they might be relatively small, the profiling is so accurate that the message can be tailored to be relevant. Sending a relevant communication to a few thousand people via will always drive a significantly higher return than sending an inaccurately targeted piece of junk mail to hundreds of thousands.”
King concludes that “There is a definite trend among UK consumers demanding that businesses become more customer-centric and consider them as an individual. SMS is an ideal technology to facilitate such a personal relationship. Businesses need to look beyond these barriers and really focus on how mobile can work as part of their overall communications strategy. Mobile messaging reduces costs, improves relationships and increases response rates and where it has been deployed effectively, businesses have achieved significant competitive advantage. - surely it’s a ‘no-brainer’.”
dinsdag, juli 12, 2005
MMS To The Front Page
Source: 160characters.org
Scoopt has set up a picture agency specifically and exclusively to help amateur 'citizen reporters' sell newsworthy photos taken on camera phones to the media. Given the propensity of camera phones (and digital cameras), there is now the potential for people to photograph or video just about anything that happens anywhere. Occasionally, somebody will be in the right place at the right time with a camera phone to hand and photograph a genuinely newsworthy event that the mainstream media miss.
Revenue Share
At this point, they can MMS or email the photo directly to Scoopt (or upload on via the web site). Scoopt then license it for publication on their behalf and split the money earned from the use of the photos 50/50% with the photographer. Although targeted to the UK, with PayPal as a payment option to photographers, photos could be submitted from anywhere in the world.
The revenue split means that Scoopt has a vested interest in making sure that not only does the photo reach the right people but negotiating the best possible deal. It aims to bridge the gap between the amateur snapper who gets lucky with a camera phone and the professional picture desk editor looking for newsworthy photographs.
MacRae recognises that "probably only a small number of photos submitted will be saleable, but the potential is there for someone to be at a newsworthy event with a camera phone and there will be no press".
"The majority of stories are not illustrated as there simply no pictures available" said MacRae. "It can even make a difference as to which stories are reported if a photo is available to support it. For some we might even write some news copy to go with the picture to be able to sell the story the press on a tight deadline ready to use".
Why Join?
Why bother joining Scoopt when photos could be sold directly to the press? "The truth is that it's not so easy to reach a picture editor in the first place," says Kyle MacRae Scoopt's founder, "assuming you have the nerve to try and understand how newspapers and magazines operate, and it's a whole lot harder to get a fair price and a fair deal."
"It is important to register with Scoopt so that we can strike a deal with a picture desk editor within minutes" says MacRae. "If the photographer has to wait until he gets home, and then join Scoopt, and then upload the picture... well, a newspaper's deadline may well have passed and the photo loses much of its value." Membership is free and provides access to the MMS, email and upload features.
In addition to news photos, Scoopt is planning regular special supplements like Britain on Britain (www.scoopt.com/britainonbritain), where people have the chance to tell their own stories. MS: MMS To The Front Page
Given the propensity of camera phones (and digital cameras), there is now the potential for people to photograph or video just about anything that happens anywhere. Occasionally, somebody will be in the right place at the right time with a camera phone to hand and photograph a genuinely newsworthy event that the mainstream media miss.
Scoopt has set up a picture agency specifically and exclusively to help amateur 'citizen reporters' sell newsworthy photos taken on camera phones to the media. Given the propensity of camera phones (and digital cameras), there is now the potential for people to photograph or video just about anything that happens anywhere. Occasionally, somebody will be in the right place at the right time with a camera phone to hand and photograph a genuinely newsworthy event that the mainstream media miss.
Revenue Share
At this point, they can MMS or email the photo directly to Scoopt (or upload on via the web site). Scoopt then license it for publication on their behalf and split the money earned from the use of the photos 50/50% with the photographer. Although targeted to the UK, with PayPal as a payment option to photographers, photos could be submitted from anywhere in the world.
The revenue split means that Scoopt has a vested interest in making sure that not only does the photo reach the right people but negotiating the best possible deal. It aims to bridge the gap between the amateur snapper who gets lucky with a camera phone and the professional picture desk editor looking for newsworthy photographs.
MacRae recognises that "probably only a small number of photos submitted will be saleable, but the potential is there for someone to be at a newsworthy event with a camera phone and there will be no press".
"The majority of stories are not illustrated as there simply no pictures available" said MacRae. "It can even make a difference as to which stories are reported if a photo is available to support it. For some we might even write some news copy to go with the picture to be able to sell the story the press on a tight deadline ready to use".
Why Join?
Why bother joining Scoopt when photos could be sold directly to the press? "The truth is that it's not so easy to reach a picture editor in the first place," says Kyle MacRae Scoopt's founder, "assuming you have the nerve to try and understand how newspapers and magazines operate, and it's a whole lot harder to get a fair price and a fair deal."
"It is important to register with Scoopt so that we can strike a deal with a picture desk editor within minutes" says MacRae. "If the photographer has to wait until he gets home, and then join Scoopt, and then upload the picture... well, a newspaper's deadline may well have passed and the photo loses much of its value." Membership is free and provides access to the MMS, email and upload features.
In addition to news photos, Scoopt is planning regular special supplements like Britain on Britain (www.scoopt.com/britainonbritain), where people have the chance to tell their own stories. MS: MMS To The Front Page
Given the propensity of camera phones (and digital cameras), there is now the potential for people to photograph or video just about anything that happens anywhere. Occasionally, somebody will be in the right place at the right time with a camera phone to hand and photograph a genuinely newsworthy event that the mainstream media miss.
donderdag, juli 07, 2005
Up to 2 million Italians use SMS for bank transactions
Source: Telecompaper
Over two million clients of Italian banks carried out transactions on their bank accounts via SMS with their mobile phones in 2004, according to the Italian banking association ABI. The number of clients who used their mobile phones to carry out banking transactions increased by 37 percent year-on-year in 2004. Clients who carried out transactions via fixed telephone banking system increased to 4.7 million in 2004, from 3.6 million in 2003. In 2004, some 18.6 million SMS were sent by banks with the automatic alert system, to inform clients about new transactions registered on their bank accounts. Some 2.4 million clients required information on their accounts via SMS, while 1.2 million clients required information on trading activities via SMS. Over 1.9 million trading operations were conducted on the Italian stock exchange market via SMS. Mobile phone card recharging operations via SMS totalled 244,000.
Over two million clients of Italian banks carried out transactions on their bank accounts via SMS with their mobile phones in 2004, according to the Italian banking association ABI. The number of clients who used their mobile phones to carry out banking transactions increased by 37 percent year-on-year in 2004. Clients who carried out transactions via fixed telephone banking system increased to 4.7 million in 2004, from 3.6 million in 2003. In 2004, some 18.6 million SMS were sent by banks with the automatic alert system, to inform clients about new transactions registered on their bank accounts. Some 2.4 million clients required information on their accounts via SMS, while 1.2 million clients required information on trading activities via SMS. Over 1.9 million trading operations were conducted on the Italian stock exchange market via SMS. Mobile phone card recharging operations via SMS totalled 244,000.
Is Cell Phone Spam a Reality?
Source: Red Herring
Brand-name companies have caught on to the interactive power of mobile phone marketing. Is it a new advertising medium, or just glorified spam?
Buy a Coke bottle in Germany this June and there’s a good chance that a 16-digit code underneath the cap will lure you into the realm of mobile marketing. Starting this month, Coke drinkers in Germany can use their cell phones to text message codes found under the caps of 800 million bottles created for the campaign this year. In return, Coca-Cola, with the help of mobile marketing company 12snap, will reply with a java-based cell phone game branded heavily with Coke’s logo.
Those that take the bait can use the keypad to send the game’s coke-swilling rock star character diving off a Coke-branded stage and surfing on a crowd of red-clad concertgoers—not exactly subtle marketing. But as the cellular advertising industry begins to grow from a nascent market to hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide revenues this year, big brands are launching similar mobile ad campaigns in countries across the globe in an effort to extend their reach and attract a growing base of customers from all walks of life.
Even though companies have just started to use mobile phones to schlock everything from toothpaste to TV shows, they use the latest in rich digital content to couch flashy ad campaigns for countries with advanced cellular markets, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea. At the same time, low-cost basic text-messaging campaigns allow them to tap emerging countries in Asia, South America, and the Middle East. In these markets, mobile is fast becoming the de facto method to reach consumers, and anti-spam regulations haven’t always caught up with the rate of handset sales—the perfect avenue for an eager brand to reach the next frontier of consumers.
The DoCoMo Directive
In downtown Tokyo, wireless subscribers only have to point to Japan’s bright red “Cmode” Coca-Cola vending machines to prove the lucrative union between cellular services and branded products in the most advanced markets. Subscribers to NTT DoCoMo’s mobile Internet service, i-mode, can pay an extra fee for the ability to wave their cell phones in front of one of the thousands of Cmode vending machines and purchase not only Coca-Cola beverages, but i-mode ring tones and other digital cell phone content. Cmode is just one of the thousands of branded cellular services available over i-mode, which helped contribute to NTT DoCoMo’s $48 billion in revenue last year.
Because the mobile marketing industry tends to overlap with mobile commerce and the sale of mobile content services, market forecasts are hard to find. According to one estimate by the Yankee Group, the mobile marketing industries in Japan and South Korea—which are the most advanced—will see combined revenues of just $300 million this year. That includes promotional text messages and emails sent to mobile inboxes, banner ads housed on mobile Internet sites, and direct requests and subscription services from customers responding to print and broadcast media.
But those markets are still set to double over the next four years, creating a combined $748 million by 2009. Japan and South Korea’s largest wireless operators have already joined forces with ad agencies to commit millions to marketing-over-mobile, with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo forming a mobile ad agency, D2 Communications, and South Korea’s SK Telecom partnering with ad agency AirCROSS.
In Western Europe, London-based Flytxt recently offered what the company calls “the first video advertising campaign on the mobile portal.” Over the carrier 3’s service, subscribers can download a 30-second movie trailer clip to preview the film. For the campaign, Flytxt produced a banner on the home page of 3’s portal and generated tens of thousands of downloads in just a few days. The company was founded in 2000, with $8 million from Herald Ventures, IVC, and Mars Capital, and has built up a customer list that includes giant brands like Coca-Cola, Bacardi, and Panasonic.
Subscribers in many markets already use cell phones to access web sites, and marketing companies are developing campaigns designed to leverage the mobile Internet. Since establishing an Internet connection over the carrier’s portal generally guarantees the carrier can get paid for it, coaxing customers to download rich digital media is a business plan that pays for itself. “Eventually, the distinctions between the fixed Internet and mobile models will blur,” says Yankee Group analyst Farid Yunus. “Any kind of ad you encounter on the Internet will be available over mobile.”
Sold on SMS
Unlike Japan, South Korea, and Western Europe, most countries do not maintain the third-generation (3G) cellular infrastructure to carry the rich-media mobile marketing services, or have access to the proliferation of advanced Internet-enabled handsets. But because of the low cost of simple text message campaigns—which can cost less than $0.01 per message—combined with the massive population size of emerging markets like China and India, big-name brands have started to look toward developing markets.
According to the Yankee Group, Asian countries outside of South Korea and Japan will generate over $2 billion in mobile marketing revenues by 2009. Japan and South Korea comprised more than half of the revenues in the Asia-Pacific region last year, but by 2009, countries like China, India, Singapore, and Thailand will account for almost 75 percent.
In developing regions, where wired communications remain either unreliable or too expensive to deploy, the number of mobile phones exceeds the number of Internet connections, and, often, landlines. Short message service (SMS) in particular has been embraced across developing countries, even playing large roles in political and social movements, such as the SMS-overthrow of a Filipino government official and the SMS-exposure of the Chinese government’s cover-up of the SARS epidemic. “In terms of direct communication channels in some of these markets, the mobile is the only interactive platform that is a reality,” says Gartner analyst Daren Siddall. Cell phones appear to the best way to access emerging markets.
Enpocket, a New York City-based mobile content company with clients like Nike, Levi’s, and Intel, says that its biggest growth markets are India, China, Brazil, and Russia, along with the United States. Backed by Nokia Venture Partners, GrandBanks Capital, Dolphin Equity, and Straumur Investment Bank, the company says it reached profitability in 2003. Mike Baker, president of Enpocket and board member of the global Mobile Marketing Association, says that India interests his company the most, and that Enpocket is currently “building a business on the growth of the [Indian] middle class.” Mr. Baker says that the company plans to partner with a media advertising company in Mumbai to do mobile marketing, and will develop the technology infrastructure in the near future.
Even with advanced campaigns launched across Europe and €49.5 million ($90 million) in VC funding, 12Snap is looking for new revenue sources in emerging markets. The company’s managing director in Germany, Ulrich Pietsch, says that the company will likely open an office in China sometime this year if a brand like McDonald’s or Coca-Cola will commit to launching a campaign with the company. Mr. Pietsch also points to the Turkish market as a surprising example of a booming mobile ad market. “A Coca-Cola campaign conducted by another mobile marketing company in Turkey had a higher response rate than any single one I’ve ever seen before,” says Mr. Pietsch. “Nobody would expect a country like Turkey to be that successful.”
In China, 21Communications, Linktone, and Mobile Factor (recently purchased by Irish mobile company Puca) have created businesses that help brands advertise over the country’s national carriers, China Mobile and China Unicom. Last year, 21Communications launched a campaign to market Kentucky Fried Chicken’s new burrito called the ‘Dragon Twist’ throughout the Jiangsu province in China. Customers that responded to in-store ads text-messaged “KFC” to an assigned phone number and received a mobile coupon in reply. After a month, 20,000 people had downloaded the mobile coupon. David Turchetti, CEO of 21Communications, says that the company’s campaigns generally cost $20,000 to $50,000 in fees for the brand, plus a monthly maintenance charge—a relatively small sum for a mobile coupon campaign that coaxed 63 percent of participants to return to the store to buy more. Mr. Turchetti founded 21Communications in 1999 and says the company is profitable.
The Yankee Group’s Mr. Yunus says that some operators in emerging markets like Indonesia and the Philippines offer brands low-cost, bulk-messaging options. He points to wireless carrier Maxis in Malaysia as an example of a progressive operator in the mobile marketing space, since the company offers brands a hosted mobile ad solution, including web services to upload phone numbers and monitor customer responses.
Walking a Fine Line
To succeed, the mobile marketing industry must straddle the line between permissive marketing and mobile spam. Advertisers and carriers agree on the surface that any unsolicited message is bad for business. Mobile spam in many forms already affects subscribers across all markets, especially those where cell phones connect to the Internet. In emerging markets, a lack of guidelines and established spam laws encourages mobile advertising of all kinds, spam included.
Although regulation and legal directives surrounding mobile marketing differ across countries, industries and governments in developing markets often take a more relaxed attitude toward unsolicited mobile marketing campaigns. The result can be an encouragement and a proliferation of aggressive campaigns. Pamir Gelenbe, founder and director of corporate development for Flytxt, calls the phenomenon “cowboy-style mobile marketing.” Though his company does not have clients in emerging markets, he explains, “Advertisers tend to take a fairly liberal view of what they can do with text-messaging in these countries. Supposedly the carriers play a large role in that as well, and rent their databases to brands.”
Gartner’s Mr. Siddall says that emerging markets have a higher tolerance for more aggressive mobile marketing, since the populations in these countries are generally not exposed to as much everyday advertising as, say, residents of the U.S.
Although carriers and brands are relatively quiet on the topic of mobile spam, analysts like Mr. Yunus agree with Mr. Gelenbe that the mobile marketing industry in emerging markets has more of a cowboy mentality—though he prefers the terms “entrepreneurial” or “opportunistic.” Mr. Yunus also adds that regulators in these regions are moving to enact anti-spam legislation that will encompass mobile spam. “It is in their interest to have happy customers, and a mobile network that gains a reputation for unfettered spam is going to lose customers fast.”
The European Union and the U.S., as well as a variety of other countries, already have anti-spam laws in place and best-practices guidelines for carriers and brands that are designed to ensure that campaigns allow consumers to opt out. Mobile marketers must take into account their audience when conceiving campaigns; Europeans have a higher tolerance for receiving direct messages from marketers than Americans. According to Empower Interactive, a London-based company that provides data services to operators, 84 percent of European wireless users are open to the prospect of receiving SMS-promotions on their cell phones. In contrast, studies show that a much smaller proportion of Americans feel that way. According to the Yankee Group, only a “fraction” of the 20 percent of U.S. mobile phone users that received an ad or commercial message on their handsets in 2004 (up from 13 percent in 2003) found the messages relevant; the rest found them annoying and/or deleted them.
Early Days
The mobile marketing industry is still relatively nascent compared to other mobile data services like games and ring tones. “We’ve been in this business for five years now and I feel that we are just on the cusp of mobile marketing being big,” says Flytxt’s Mr. Gelenbe. “It is certainly not big yet and I give it another five years to grow into something more meaningful.”
Industry insiders and analysts say that when carriers realize the potential of their position as media companies, mobile marketing will really take off. Today, operators in most countries don’t actively promote marketing campaigns for brands, and miss out on a potential windfall of revenues that they could get from a media sales-style business. “I haven’t seen many moves by operators to create their business as an ad sales-type model, but that is a couple of years away,” says Mr. Siddall.
While the mobile marketing industry in advanced cellular markets develops more complex digital campaigns at a rapid rate, the future growth of the industry will give brands access to the fastest-growing markets in the world. Thanks to the cell phone, people in developing countries can start craving products they can’t afford before they even see them in a TV commercial.
This story was previously published in Red Herring magazine under the title: Marketing Goes Mobile.
Brand-name companies have caught on to the interactive power of mobile phone marketing. Is it a new advertising medium, or just glorified spam?
Buy a Coke bottle in Germany this June and there’s a good chance that a 16-digit code underneath the cap will lure you into the realm of mobile marketing. Starting this month, Coke drinkers in Germany can use their cell phones to text message codes found under the caps of 800 million bottles created for the campaign this year. In return, Coca-Cola, with the help of mobile marketing company 12snap, will reply with a java-based cell phone game branded heavily with Coke’s logo.
Those that take the bait can use the keypad to send the game’s coke-swilling rock star character diving off a Coke-branded stage and surfing on a crowd of red-clad concertgoers—not exactly subtle marketing. But as the cellular advertising industry begins to grow from a nascent market to hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide revenues this year, big brands are launching similar mobile ad campaigns in countries across the globe in an effort to extend their reach and attract a growing base of customers from all walks of life.
Even though companies have just started to use mobile phones to schlock everything from toothpaste to TV shows, they use the latest in rich digital content to couch flashy ad campaigns for countries with advanced cellular markets, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea. At the same time, low-cost basic text-messaging campaigns allow them to tap emerging countries in Asia, South America, and the Middle East. In these markets, mobile is fast becoming the de facto method to reach consumers, and anti-spam regulations haven’t always caught up with the rate of handset sales—the perfect avenue for an eager brand to reach the next frontier of consumers.
The DoCoMo Directive
In downtown Tokyo, wireless subscribers only have to point to Japan’s bright red “Cmode” Coca-Cola vending machines to prove the lucrative union between cellular services and branded products in the most advanced markets. Subscribers to NTT DoCoMo’s mobile Internet service, i-mode, can pay an extra fee for the ability to wave their cell phones in front of one of the thousands of Cmode vending machines and purchase not only Coca-Cola beverages, but i-mode ring tones and other digital cell phone content. Cmode is just one of the thousands of branded cellular services available over i-mode, which helped contribute to NTT DoCoMo’s $48 billion in revenue last year.
Because the mobile marketing industry tends to overlap with mobile commerce and the sale of mobile content services, market forecasts are hard to find. According to one estimate by the Yankee Group, the mobile marketing industries in Japan and South Korea—which are the most advanced—will see combined revenues of just $300 million this year. That includes promotional text messages and emails sent to mobile inboxes, banner ads housed on mobile Internet sites, and direct requests and subscription services from customers responding to print and broadcast media.
But those markets are still set to double over the next four years, creating a combined $748 million by 2009. Japan and South Korea’s largest wireless operators have already joined forces with ad agencies to commit millions to marketing-over-mobile, with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo forming a mobile ad agency, D2 Communications, and South Korea’s SK Telecom partnering with ad agency AirCROSS.
In Western Europe, London-based Flytxt recently offered what the company calls “the first video advertising campaign on the mobile portal.” Over the carrier 3’s service, subscribers can download a 30-second movie trailer clip to preview the film. For the campaign, Flytxt produced a banner on the home page of 3’s portal and generated tens of thousands of downloads in just a few days. The company was founded in 2000, with $8 million from Herald Ventures, IVC, and Mars Capital, and has built up a customer list that includes giant brands like Coca-Cola, Bacardi, and Panasonic.
Subscribers in many markets already use cell phones to access web sites, and marketing companies are developing campaigns designed to leverage the mobile Internet. Since establishing an Internet connection over the carrier’s portal generally guarantees the carrier can get paid for it, coaxing customers to download rich digital media is a business plan that pays for itself. “Eventually, the distinctions between the fixed Internet and mobile models will blur,” says Yankee Group analyst Farid Yunus. “Any kind of ad you encounter on the Internet will be available over mobile.”
Sold on SMS
Unlike Japan, South Korea, and Western Europe, most countries do not maintain the third-generation (3G) cellular infrastructure to carry the rich-media mobile marketing services, or have access to the proliferation of advanced Internet-enabled handsets. But because of the low cost of simple text message campaigns—which can cost less than $0.01 per message—combined with the massive population size of emerging markets like China and India, big-name brands have started to look toward developing markets.
According to the Yankee Group, Asian countries outside of South Korea and Japan will generate over $2 billion in mobile marketing revenues by 2009. Japan and South Korea comprised more than half of the revenues in the Asia-Pacific region last year, but by 2009, countries like China, India, Singapore, and Thailand will account for almost 75 percent.
In developing regions, where wired communications remain either unreliable or too expensive to deploy, the number of mobile phones exceeds the number of Internet connections, and, often, landlines. Short message service (SMS) in particular has been embraced across developing countries, even playing large roles in political and social movements, such as the SMS-overthrow of a Filipino government official and the SMS-exposure of the Chinese government’s cover-up of the SARS epidemic. “In terms of direct communication channels in some of these markets, the mobile is the only interactive platform that is a reality,” says Gartner analyst Daren Siddall. Cell phones appear to the best way to access emerging markets.
Enpocket, a New York City-based mobile content company with clients like Nike, Levi’s, and Intel, says that its biggest growth markets are India, China, Brazil, and Russia, along with the United States. Backed by Nokia Venture Partners, GrandBanks Capital, Dolphin Equity, and Straumur Investment Bank, the company says it reached profitability in 2003. Mike Baker, president of Enpocket and board member of the global Mobile Marketing Association, says that India interests his company the most, and that Enpocket is currently “building a business on the growth of the [Indian] middle class.” Mr. Baker says that the company plans to partner with a media advertising company in Mumbai to do mobile marketing, and will develop the technology infrastructure in the near future.
Even with advanced campaigns launched across Europe and €49.5 million ($90 million) in VC funding, 12Snap is looking for new revenue sources in emerging markets. The company’s managing director in Germany, Ulrich Pietsch, says that the company will likely open an office in China sometime this year if a brand like McDonald’s or Coca-Cola will commit to launching a campaign with the company. Mr. Pietsch also points to the Turkish market as a surprising example of a booming mobile ad market. “A Coca-Cola campaign conducted by another mobile marketing company in Turkey had a higher response rate than any single one I’ve ever seen before,” says Mr. Pietsch. “Nobody would expect a country like Turkey to be that successful.”
In China, 21Communications, Linktone, and Mobile Factor (recently purchased by Irish mobile company Puca) have created businesses that help brands advertise over the country’s national carriers, China Mobile and China Unicom. Last year, 21Communications launched a campaign to market Kentucky Fried Chicken’s new burrito called the ‘Dragon Twist’ throughout the Jiangsu province in China. Customers that responded to in-store ads text-messaged “KFC” to an assigned phone number and received a mobile coupon in reply. After a month, 20,000 people had downloaded the mobile coupon. David Turchetti, CEO of 21Communications, says that the company’s campaigns generally cost $20,000 to $50,000 in fees for the brand, plus a monthly maintenance charge—a relatively small sum for a mobile coupon campaign that coaxed 63 percent of participants to return to the store to buy more. Mr. Turchetti founded 21Communications in 1999 and says the company is profitable.
The Yankee Group’s Mr. Yunus says that some operators in emerging markets like Indonesia and the Philippines offer brands low-cost, bulk-messaging options. He points to wireless carrier Maxis in Malaysia as an example of a progressive operator in the mobile marketing space, since the company offers brands a hosted mobile ad solution, including web services to upload phone numbers and monitor customer responses.
Walking a Fine Line
To succeed, the mobile marketing industry must straddle the line between permissive marketing and mobile spam. Advertisers and carriers agree on the surface that any unsolicited message is bad for business. Mobile spam in many forms already affects subscribers across all markets, especially those where cell phones connect to the Internet. In emerging markets, a lack of guidelines and established spam laws encourages mobile advertising of all kinds, spam included.
Although regulation and legal directives surrounding mobile marketing differ across countries, industries and governments in developing markets often take a more relaxed attitude toward unsolicited mobile marketing campaigns. The result can be an encouragement and a proliferation of aggressive campaigns. Pamir Gelenbe, founder and director of corporate development for Flytxt, calls the phenomenon “cowboy-style mobile marketing.” Though his company does not have clients in emerging markets, he explains, “Advertisers tend to take a fairly liberal view of what they can do with text-messaging in these countries. Supposedly the carriers play a large role in that as well, and rent their databases to brands.”
Gartner’s Mr. Siddall says that emerging markets have a higher tolerance for more aggressive mobile marketing, since the populations in these countries are generally not exposed to as much everyday advertising as, say, residents of the U.S.
Although carriers and brands are relatively quiet on the topic of mobile spam, analysts like Mr. Yunus agree with Mr. Gelenbe that the mobile marketing industry in emerging markets has more of a cowboy mentality—though he prefers the terms “entrepreneurial” or “opportunistic.” Mr. Yunus also adds that regulators in these regions are moving to enact anti-spam legislation that will encompass mobile spam. “It is in their interest to have happy customers, and a mobile network that gains a reputation for unfettered spam is going to lose customers fast.”
The European Union and the U.S., as well as a variety of other countries, already have anti-spam laws in place and best-practices guidelines for carriers and brands that are designed to ensure that campaigns allow consumers to opt out. Mobile marketers must take into account their audience when conceiving campaigns; Europeans have a higher tolerance for receiving direct messages from marketers than Americans. According to Empower Interactive, a London-based company that provides data services to operators, 84 percent of European wireless users are open to the prospect of receiving SMS-promotions on their cell phones. In contrast, studies show that a much smaller proportion of Americans feel that way. According to the Yankee Group, only a “fraction” of the 20 percent of U.S. mobile phone users that received an ad or commercial message on their handsets in 2004 (up from 13 percent in 2003) found the messages relevant; the rest found them annoying and/or deleted them.
Early Days
The mobile marketing industry is still relatively nascent compared to other mobile data services like games and ring tones. “We’ve been in this business for five years now and I feel that we are just on the cusp of mobile marketing being big,” says Flytxt’s Mr. Gelenbe. “It is certainly not big yet and I give it another five years to grow into something more meaningful.”
Industry insiders and analysts say that when carriers realize the potential of their position as media companies, mobile marketing will really take off. Today, operators in most countries don’t actively promote marketing campaigns for brands, and miss out on a potential windfall of revenues that they could get from a media sales-style business. “I haven’t seen many moves by operators to create their business as an ad sales-type model, but that is a couple of years away,” says Mr. Siddall.
While the mobile marketing industry in advanced cellular markets develops more complex digital campaigns at a rapid rate, the future growth of the industry will give brands access to the fastest-growing markets in the world. Thanks to the cell phone, people in developing countries can start craving products they can’t afford before they even see them in a TV commercial.
This story was previously published in Red Herring magazine under the title: Marketing Goes Mobile.
woensdag, juli 06, 2005
Mobiel winkelen groeiend fenomeen in Japan
Bron: Emerce
Shoppen op het mobieltje wint verder terrein in Japan. Vooral Japanse vrouwen weten de weg naar de winkel steeds vaker te vinden via de mobiele telefoon. Favoriete producten die via het mobieltje worden besteld zijn kleren, cosmetica en voeding via hun mobiele telefoon. Mobiel shoppen, dat in Japan op dit moment een van de snelst groeiende internetbusinesses is, was vorig jaar goed voor een omzet van maar liefst 992 miljoen dollar (110 miljoen yen), terwijl in 2003 'nog maar' voor een bedrag van circa 500 miljoen dollar werd verkocht via het mobieltje, aldus Fuji Keizai, een onderzoeksbureau in Tokio tegenover The International Herald Tribune.
Van alle internet-aankopen die in Japan worden gedaan, gebeurt circa 10 procent via het mobieltje, zo heeft het bureau becijferd. Verwacht wordt dat de markt voor mobiel shoppen ook dit jaar nog verder zal groeien: tot 159 miljoen yen in 2005 en tot 240 miljoen yen in 2006. Reden voor Yahoo Japan en content-provider Index Corp. om ook een shoppingportal aan te kondigen op het mobieltje in Japan.
Dat mobiel shoppen zo aanslaat in Japan komt volgens internetanalist Taku Nishikawa van Nomura Securities omdat vrouwen van in de twintig sneller naar hun telefoon grijpen dan dat ze achter de pc of de mac gaan zitten. Verder is de betaalinfrastructuur veel beter geregeld in Japan. Zo kan er onder anderen betaald worden met het Felica-systeem.
Shoppen op het mobieltje wint verder terrein in Japan. Vooral Japanse vrouwen weten de weg naar de winkel steeds vaker te vinden via de mobiele telefoon. Favoriete producten die via het mobieltje worden besteld zijn kleren, cosmetica en voeding via hun mobiele telefoon. Mobiel shoppen, dat in Japan op dit moment een van de snelst groeiende internetbusinesses is, was vorig jaar goed voor een omzet van maar liefst 992 miljoen dollar (110 miljoen yen), terwijl in 2003 'nog maar' voor een bedrag van circa 500 miljoen dollar werd verkocht via het mobieltje, aldus Fuji Keizai, een onderzoeksbureau in Tokio tegenover The International Herald Tribune.
Van alle internet-aankopen die in Japan worden gedaan, gebeurt circa 10 procent via het mobieltje, zo heeft het bureau becijferd. Verwacht wordt dat de markt voor mobiel shoppen ook dit jaar nog verder zal groeien: tot 159 miljoen yen in 2005 en tot 240 miljoen yen in 2006. Reden voor Yahoo Japan en content-provider Index Corp. om ook een shoppingportal aan te kondigen op het mobieltje in Japan.
Dat mobiel shoppen zo aanslaat in Japan komt volgens internetanalist Taku Nishikawa van Nomura Securities omdat vrouwen van in de twintig sneller naar hun telefoon grijpen dan dat ze achter de pc of de mac gaan zitten. Verder is de betaalinfrastructuur veel beter geregeld in Japan. Zo kan er onder anderen betaald worden met het Felica-systeem.
dinsdag, juli 05, 2005
Appletiser Plays Text n Win
Source: 160characters.org
Steam and Netsize are behind Appletiser’s latest UK ‘Text n Win’ promotion.
Launched in June, ‘Win a Diamond’ invites participants to enter via an on-pack mechanic whereby they “text-in” details to a short code in order to win diamond jewellery every day for 3 months. All entries then go into the main draw to win £50,000 worth of bespoke diamond jewellery. This campaign has been developed by interactive marketing agency Steam with its mobile business and entertainment partner Netsize who are delivering the mobile solution.
Joe Rolls, Account Director for Steam said “The Appletiser on pack promotion required an SMS entry application that would also act as a vehicle for communicating back to the consumer. The communication would acknowledge receipt of entry, drive traffic to the website and automatically inform the winner if they'd won. The messages would also change accordingly, pending on when they entered. Not only that, but the application was able to deter incorrect entries by recognising pre-programmed unique codes.”
Steam and Netsize are behind Appletiser’s latest UK ‘Text n Win’ promotion.
Launched in June, ‘Win a Diamond’ invites participants to enter via an on-pack mechanic whereby they “text-in” details to a short code in order to win diamond jewellery every day for 3 months. All entries then go into the main draw to win £50,000 worth of bespoke diamond jewellery. This campaign has been developed by interactive marketing agency Steam with its mobile business and entertainment partner Netsize who are delivering the mobile solution.
Joe Rolls, Account Director for Steam said “The Appletiser on pack promotion required an SMS entry application that would also act as a vehicle for communicating back to the consumer. The communication would acknowledge receipt of entry, drive traffic to the website and automatically inform the winner if they'd won. The messages would also change accordingly, pending on when they entered. Not only that, but the application was able to deter incorrect entries by recognising pre-programmed unique codes.”
Mobile eBay Manager
Source: 160characters.org
A new mobile application allows consumers to manage their eBay account from their mobile phone handset is to launch in July.
Mobile Auctions is published by Moonlight Mobile and provides updated information directly on the user's handset about the state of play of bidding for both buying and selling.
Services include a scrolling ticker bar, showing the user's transaction status for live auctions and sophisticated alarm and alert settings allowing notification of bids being beaten, auctions closing and items won.
Research conducted with focus groups during Mobile Auctions development showed that many users actually used Mobile Auctions in conjunction with eBay itself, using the phone's real time updates and alerts to keep them informed whilst browsing eBay online for other auctions.
Jonathan Sendzul, CEO of Moonlight Mobile, said, “Mobile phones are capable of much more than simply playing games, yet outside of entertainment, there are very few applications or services which are practical and useful for owners." mobile auction
"When creating Mobile Auctions, we spent a great deal of time with focus groups, looking at the user interaction and market testing" said Sendzul. Where we really believe Mobile Auctions makes a difference is in what the application delivers – focussed access to 'My eBay', a colourful user interface and simplicity of use. ”
Mobile Auctions works on the majority of Java enabled mobile phone handsets and operates on all local eBay markets: the USA, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Israel and Belgium with more territories being added regularly. Each country has its own language version for the users.
The service costs a monthly subscription and will be available cross network. Moonlight Mobile is currently negotiating with a number of Europe's leading mobile network operators and independent portals.
A new mobile application allows consumers to manage their eBay account from their mobile phone handset is to launch in July.
Mobile Auctions is published by Moonlight Mobile and provides updated information directly on the user's handset about the state of play of bidding for both buying and selling.
Services include a scrolling ticker bar, showing the user's transaction status for live auctions and sophisticated alarm and alert settings allowing notification of bids being beaten, auctions closing and items won.
Research conducted with focus groups during Mobile Auctions development showed that many users actually used Mobile Auctions in conjunction with eBay itself, using the phone's real time updates and alerts to keep them informed whilst browsing eBay online for other auctions.
Jonathan Sendzul, CEO of Moonlight Mobile, said, “Mobile phones are capable of much more than simply playing games, yet outside of entertainment, there are very few applications or services which are practical and useful for owners." mobile auction
"When creating Mobile Auctions, we spent a great deal of time with focus groups, looking at the user interaction and market testing" said Sendzul. Where we really believe Mobile Auctions makes a difference is in what the application delivers – focussed access to 'My eBay', a colourful user interface and simplicity of use. ”
Mobile Auctions works on the majority of Java enabled mobile phone handsets and operates on all local eBay markets: the USA, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Israel and Belgium with more territories being added regularly. Each country has its own language version for the users.
The service costs a monthly subscription and will be available cross network. Moonlight Mobile is currently negotiating with a number of Europe's leading mobile network operators and independent portals.
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