Universal Media en HotSMS faciliteren advertising campagne op mobiel internet
Amsterdam, 31 augustus 2006 - Coca-Cola zet voor de promotie van het online muziekplatform Rec/Release ook banners in op een mobiele website. Daarmee is Coca-Cola een van de eerste adverteerders in Nederland die ervaring op doet met banners op mobiele sites. De advertentie voor de Rec/Release campagne zal te zien zijn op AnySong, een mobiele internetsite waar de totale ringtone en wallpaper catalogus van de grote platenmaatschappijen Universal Music Group, Sony BMG en Warner Music Group op staan. Universal Media en HotSMS hebben het samen mogelijk gemaakt dat Coca-Cola kon experimenteren met deze nieuwe mobiele vorm van interactieve advertising.
Innovatieve vorm van advertising
Banners op mobiele websites staat nog in de kinderschoenen. Er zijn relatief nog weinig views en het grootste aantal bezoekers van mobiele sites is te vinden op de portals van de operators. Maar verschillende onderzoeken en succesvolle campagnes in het buitenland laten zien dat het een kwestie van tijd is voordat ook hier een deel van alle bannerimpressies succesvol wordt gegenereerd op de mobiele telefoon.
Het is daarom een goede test om te zien hoe deze campagne aanslaat in Nederland en hoe deze vorm van advertising zich gaat ontwikkelen in de komende maanden.
Beloftevolle toekomst Mobile Marketing
Met een penetratie van ruim 100% aan mobiele telefoons in Nederland, waarbij een overgrote meerderheid toegang heeft tot het mobiele internet is mobile bannering een logische toevoeging aan interactieve advertising. HotSMS voorziet dat met de snelle ontwikkeling van mobile marketing ook het inzetten van mobile internet toeneemt. Adverteerders in landen als Engeland, Italië en Duitsland zijn het niveau van een eenvoudige SMS & Win al lang gepasseerd. Daar worden grootschalige mobile marketing campagnes ingezet waarbij gebruik wordt gemaakt van mobile internet, mobile bannering en bijvoorbeeld MMS. In de nabije toekomst zullen ook andere merken mobile op dat niveau gaan inzetten in Nederland.
Hoe werkt het?
Je typt in de browser van je mobiele telefoon de URL www.anysong.nl. Vervolgens kom je op de homepage waar je direct een zoekopdracht kan doen. Op deze pagina verschijnt ook de uiting van Coca-Cola’s Rec/Release.
Anysong is ook beschikbaar op de KPN i-mode™ portal, wat de naamsbekendheid van de dienst aanzienlijk vergroot en daarmee ook het aantal views op de banner van Coca-Cola.
Over Rec/Release
Met het nieuwe online muziekplatform Rec/Release wil Coca-Cola Nederlandse jongeren bereiken. Op www.recrelease.nl kunnen jongeren hun eigen hiphop en R&B songs uploaden. Jongeren beoordelen elkaars songs en de bekende Nederlandse rapper Brainpower selecteert de uiteindelijke tien winnaars. De winnaars gaan samen met Brainpower de studio in om een CD op te nemen.
Over Universal Media
Universal Media is een Media & Communicatie Bureau met de best getalenteerde groep professionals, die gedreven door nieuwsgierigheid, het meest doelgericht en vooruitstrevend marketing communicatie vraagstukken voor haar opdrachtgevers oplost. Dit doet zij onder het credo NEXT THING NOW. NEXT THING NOW gaat over de kansen van morgen. NU! Elke dag weer. Dat is de uitdaging.
Over HotSMS
Als één van de grootste onafhankelijke spelers op het gebied van mobile marketing in Europa houdt HotSMS zich bezig met Mobile Advertising en Direct (Mobile) Marketing (onder andere via ruim 1.000.000 geregistreerde gebruikers op HotSMS.com) en het ontwikkelen en faciliteren van mobile marketing concepten en applicaties voor top 500 adverteerders.
donderdag, augustus 31, 2006
dinsdag, augustus 29, 2006
On advertising: Pitching via cell
Source: International Herald Tribune
The mobile phone, the pitch goes, could be the most powerful marketing tool ever invented. Until recently, however, cellphones have been mostly about talking the talk (or texting the text). Now, from an advertising perspective, there are signs that they may be starting to walk the walk.
Worldwide, there are twice as many cellphones as PCs, and in developed countries, at least, most new phones can provide access to the mobile Internet. For advertisers who want to know more and more about their audiences and how they spend their days, cellphones can even one-up the old-fashioned, wired Internet: Not only can they track users' online clicks, they can trace their steps, too, making it possible to home in ever more closely on target audiences.
Despite the obvious potential, however, advertising via cellphones has been slow to develop, except in Japan and South Korea. One reason is the sluggish take-up of content services delivered via high-speed wireless networks. Also, analysts say, cellular operators have been reluctant to yield the equivalent of television or Web-site ratings for their mobile media offerings, frustrating marketers who crave "measurability" when buying advertising space and time.
SMS-based campaigns inviting consumers to request product information or to register for contests via text messages have proved effective in reaching niche audiences in Europe. Because of a fear of spam, however, regulators and mobile operators have required advertisers to limit this to customers who "opt in."
If text campaigns have dominated the first phase of mobile advertising, then recent weeks may have brought a new stage of development, analysts say. Several big European mobile operators, including France Télécom's Orange and Hutchison Whampoa's 3 unit, have started selling banner ads on their wireless media portals.
Several U.S. cellular carriers, including Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless, which initially resisted such advertising for fear of offending customers, have also been testing banner ads on their mobile Web portals. Operators are also experimenting with short video ads, called bumpers, to accompany video clips and mobile TV.
Meanwhile, operators like T-Mobile of Germany, Vodafone and 3 have made deals with online search engines like Yahoo and Google, promising to expand the lucrative world of search-based advertising into the mobile realm. While the search engines already operated mobile sites, the new deals bring them into the European cellular operators' "walled gardens," within which most mobile Web traffic has been confined.
Interest in so-called text-based campaigns also seems poised to grow. Jonathan Bass, managing director of Incentivated, a mobile marketing company in London, said his company expected a five- or six-fold increase in such activity next year from the levels of this year.
Analysts acknowledge that forecasts for the growth of mobile marketing and advertising are just educated guesses, but Jupiter Research sees a €700 million, or $895 million, market in Western Europe by 2010, up from less than €100 million now. Ovum, a telecommunications consultancy, forecasts a $1.3 billion U.S. market by 2010.
Some telecommunications executives are skeptical about the potential, warning that consumers will resist efforts to intrude on their intimate relationships with cherished mobile phones.
"It's not something that will revolutionize our industry, not something that will change our business model," said Boris Nemsic, chief executive of Telekom Austria.
Mobile operators are testing business models that would allow consumers to receive free content or discounted services in exchange for agreeing to receive advertising.
The Mobile Marketing Association, a trade group, is trying to smooth the development of mobile advertising by creating uniform standards for ads, making it easier to run campaigns across a variety of operators' networks. Working with media owners, media-buying agencies, mobile operators and companies like M:Metrics, a firm based in Seattle that tracks mobile use, the group is also trying to solve the problem of measurability.
"It's definitely a promising market," said Nicki Walton, senior research analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "But quite a lot of issues need to get resolved before it steals advertising dollars from radio, TV, outdoor, print and online."
Eric Pfanner can be reached at adcol@iht.com.
PARIS The mobile phone, the pitch goes, could be the most powerful marketing tool ever invented. Until recently, however, cellphones have been mostly about talking the talk (or texting the text). Now, from an advertising perspective, there are signs that they may be starting to walk the walk.
Worldwide, there are twice as many cellphones as PCs, and in developed countries, at least, most new phones can provide access to the mobile Internet. For advertisers who want to know more and more about their audiences and how they spend their days, cellphones can even one-up the old-fashioned, wired Internet: Not only can they track users' online clicks, they can trace their steps, too, making it possible to home in ever more closely on target audiences.
Despite the obvious potential, however, advertising via cellphones has been slow to develop, except in Japan and South Korea. One reason is the sluggish take-up of content services delivered via high-speed wireless networks. Also, analysts say, cellular operators have been reluctant to yield the equivalent of television or Web-site ratings for their mobile media offerings, frustrating marketers who crave "measurability" when buying advertising space and time.
SMS-based campaigns inviting consumers to request product information or to register for contests via text messages have proved effective in reaching niche audiences in Europe. Because of a fear of spam, however, regulators and mobile operators have required advertisers to limit this to customers who "opt in."
If text campaigns have dominated the first phase of mobile advertising, then recent weeks may have brought a new stage of development, analysts say. Several big European mobile operators, including France Télécom's Orange and Hutchison Whampoa's 3 unit, have started selling banner ads on their wireless media portals.
Several U.S. cellular carriers, including Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless, which initially resisted such advertising for fear of offending customers, have also been testing banner ads on their mobile Web portals. Operators are also experimenting with short video ads, called bumpers, to accompany video clips and mobile TV.
Meanwhile, operators like T-Mobile of Germany, Vodafone and 3 have made deals with online search engines like Yahoo and Google, promising to expand the lucrative world of search-based advertising into the mobile realm. While the search engines already operated mobile sites, the new deals bring them into the European cellular operators' "walled gardens," within which most mobile Web traffic has been confined.
Interest in so-called text-based campaigns also seems poised to grow. Jonathan Bass, managing director of Incentivated, a mobile marketing company in London, said his company expected a five- or six-fold increase in such activity next year from the levels of this year.
Analysts acknowledge that forecasts for the growth of mobile marketing and advertising are just educated guesses, but Jupiter Research sees a €700 million, or $895 million, market in Western Europe by 2010, up from less than €100 million now. Ovum, a telecommunications consultancy, forecasts a $1.3 billion U.S. market by 2010.
Some telecommunications executives are skeptical about the potential, warning that consumers will resist efforts to intrude on their intimate relationships with cherished mobile phones.
"It's not something that will revolutionize our industry, not something that will change our business model," said Boris Nemsic, chief executive of Telekom Austria.
Mobile operators are testing business models that would allow consumers to receive free content or discounted services in exchange for agreeing to receive advertising.
The Mobile Marketing Association, a trade group, is trying to smooth the development of mobile advertising by creating uniform standards for ads, making it easier to run campaigns across a variety of operators' networks. Working with media owners, media-buying agencies, mobile operators and companies like M:Metrics, a firm based in Seattle that tracks mobile use, the group is also trying to solve the problem of measurability.
"It's definitely a promising market," said Nicki Walton, senior research analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "But quite a lot of issues need to get resolved before it steals advertising dollars from radio, TV, outdoor, print and online."
The mobile phone, the pitch goes, could be the most powerful marketing tool ever invented. Until recently, however, cellphones have been mostly about talking the talk (or texting the text). Now, from an advertising perspective, there are signs that they may be starting to walk the walk.
Worldwide, there are twice as many cellphones as PCs, and in developed countries, at least, most new phones can provide access to the mobile Internet. For advertisers who want to know more and more about their audiences and how they spend their days, cellphones can even one-up the old-fashioned, wired Internet: Not only can they track users' online clicks, they can trace their steps, too, making it possible to home in ever more closely on target audiences.
Despite the obvious potential, however, advertising via cellphones has been slow to develop, except in Japan and South Korea. One reason is the sluggish take-up of content services delivered via high-speed wireless networks. Also, analysts say, cellular operators have been reluctant to yield the equivalent of television or Web-site ratings for their mobile media offerings, frustrating marketers who crave "measurability" when buying advertising space and time.
SMS-based campaigns inviting consumers to request product information or to register for contests via text messages have proved effective in reaching niche audiences in Europe. Because of a fear of spam, however, regulators and mobile operators have required advertisers to limit this to customers who "opt in."
If text campaigns have dominated the first phase of mobile advertising, then recent weeks may have brought a new stage of development, analysts say. Several big European mobile operators, including France Télécom's Orange and Hutchison Whampoa's 3 unit, have started selling banner ads on their wireless media portals.
Several U.S. cellular carriers, including Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless, which initially resisted such advertising for fear of offending customers, have also been testing banner ads on their mobile Web portals. Operators are also experimenting with short video ads, called bumpers, to accompany video clips and mobile TV.
Meanwhile, operators like T-Mobile of Germany, Vodafone and 3 have made deals with online search engines like Yahoo and Google, promising to expand the lucrative world of search-based advertising into the mobile realm. While the search engines already operated mobile sites, the new deals bring them into the European cellular operators' "walled gardens," within which most mobile Web traffic has been confined.
Interest in so-called text-based campaigns also seems poised to grow. Jonathan Bass, managing director of Incentivated, a mobile marketing company in London, said his company expected a five- or six-fold increase in such activity next year from the levels of this year.
Analysts acknowledge that forecasts for the growth of mobile marketing and advertising are just educated guesses, but Jupiter Research sees a €700 million, or $895 million, market in Western Europe by 2010, up from less than €100 million now. Ovum, a telecommunications consultancy, forecasts a $1.3 billion U.S. market by 2010.
Some telecommunications executives are skeptical about the potential, warning that consumers will resist efforts to intrude on their intimate relationships with cherished mobile phones.
"It's not something that will revolutionize our industry, not something that will change our business model," said Boris Nemsic, chief executive of Telekom Austria.
Mobile operators are testing business models that would allow consumers to receive free content or discounted services in exchange for agreeing to receive advertising.
The Mobile Marketing Association, a trade group, is trying to smooth the development of mobile advertising by creating uniform standards for ads, making it easier to run campaigns across a variety of operators' networks. Working with media owners, media-buying agencies, mobile operators and companies like M:Metrics, a firm based in Seattle that tracks mobile use, the group is also trying to solve the problem of measurability.
"It's definitely a promising market," said Nicki Walton, senior research analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "But quite a lot of issues need to get resolved before it steals advertising dollars from radio, TV, outdoor, print and online."
Eric Pfanner can be reached at adcol@iht.com.
PARIS The mobile phone, the pitch goes, could be the most powerful marketing tool ever invented. Until recently, however, cellphones have been mostly about talking the talk (or texting the text). Now, from an advertising perspective, there are signs that they may be starting to walk the walk.
Worldwide, there are twice as many cellphones as PCs, and in developed countries, at least, most new phones can provide access to the mobile Internet. For advertisers who want to know more and more about their audiences and how they spend their days, cellphones can even one-up the old-fashioned, wired Internet: Not only can they track users' online clicks, they can trace their steps, too, making it possible to home in ever more closely on target audiences.
Despite the obvious potential, however, advertising via cellphones has been slow to develop, except in Japan and South Korea. One reason is the sluggish take-up of content services delivered via high-speed wireless networks. Also, analysts say, cellular operators have been reluctant to yield the equivalent of television or Web-site ratings for their mobile media offerings, frustrating marketers who crave "measurability" when buying advertising space and time.
SMS-based campaigns inviting consumers to request product information or to register for contests via text messages have proved effective in reaching niche audiences in Europe. Because of a fear of spam, however, regulators and mobile operators have required advertisers to limit this to customers who "opt in."
If text campaigns have dominated the first phase of mobile advertising, then recent weeks may have brought a new stage of development, analysts say. Several big European mobile operators, including France Télécom's Orange and Hutchison Whampoa's 3 unit, have started selling banner ads on their wireless media portals.
Several U.S. cellular carriers, including Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless, which initially resisted such advertising for fear of offending customers, have also been testing banner ads on their mobile Web portals. Operators are also experimenting with short video ads, called bumpers, to accompany video clips and mobile TV.
Meanwhile, operators like T-Mobile of Germany, Vodafone and 3 have made deals with online search engines like Yahoo and Google, promising to expand the lucrative world of search-based advertising into the mobile realm. While the search engines already operated mobile sites, the new deals bring them into the European cellular operators' "walled gardens," within which most mobile Web traffic has been confined.
Interest in so-called text-based campaigns also seems poised to grow. Jonathan Bass, managing director of Incentivated, a mobile marketing company in London, said his company expected a five- or six-fold increase in such activity next year from the levels of this year.
Analysts acknowledge that forecasts for the growth of mobile marketing and advertising are just educated guesses, but Jupiter Research sees a €700 million, or $895 million, market in Western Europe by 2010, up from less than €100 million now. Ovum, a telecommunications consultancy, forecasts a $1.3 billion U.S. market by 2010.
Some telecommunications executives are skeptical about the potential, warning that consumers will resist efforts to intrude on their intimate relationships with cherished mobile phones.
"It's not something that will revolutionize our industry, not something that will change our business model," said Boris Nemsic, chief executive of Telekom Austria.
Mobile operators are testing business models that would allow consumers to receive free content or discounted services in exchange for agreeing to receive advertising.
The Mobile Marketing Association, a trade group, is trying to smooth the development of mobile advertising by creating uniform standards for ads, making it easier to run campaigns across a variety of operators' networks. Working with media owners, media-buying agencies, mobile operators and companies like M:Metrics, a firm based in Seattle that tracks mobile use, the group is also trying to solve the problem of measurability.
"It's definitely a promising market," said Nicki Walton, senior research analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "But quite a lot of issues need to get resolved before it steals advertising dollars from radio, TV, outdoor, print and online."
vrijdag, augustus 25, 2006
Duits treinkaartje kopen met mobieltje
Bron: nu.nl
Duitse treinreizigers kunnen vanaf donderdag met hun mobiele telefoon met internetverbinding een virtueel kaartje kopen.
Een bericht dat naar hun telefoon wordt gestuurd dient als betalingsbewijs en de conducteur kan de echtheid ervan controleren met een scanner. Dat hebben de Duitse spoorwegen bekendgemaakt.
Een kaartje kopen met een mobieltje kan tot tien minuten voor vertrek. Reizigers moeten zich wel eerst aanmelden op de website van de spoorwegen, die hopen dat het nieuwigheidje goed valt bij jongeren en zakenmensen.
Duitse treinreizigers kunnen vanaf donderdag met hun mobiele telefoon met internetverbinding een virtueel kaartje kopen.
Een bericht dat naar hun telefoon wordt gestuurd dient als betalingsbewijs en de conducteur kan de echtheid ervan controleren met een scanner. Dat hebben de Duitse spoorwegen bekendgemaakt.
Een kaartje kopen met een mobieltje kan tot tien minuten voor vertrek. Reizigers moeten zich wel eerst aanmelden op de website van de spoorwegen, die hopen dat het nieuwigheidje goed valt bij jongeren en zakenmensen.
donderdag, augustus 10, 2006
Ad campaigns for your tiny cellphone screen get bigger
Source: USA TOday
With readers fleeing newspapers and TV viewers zapping past commercials, advertisers are turning to the one device consumers can't seem to escape: their cellphones.
Mobile phones and wireless devices have quietly become the newest, hottest frontier for big brands from Pepsi to Nike, especially those itching to reach the coveted 18- to 34-year-old set.
TV networks are prodding viewers to send text messages to vote for their favorite reality TV character. Wireless websites are lacing sports scores and news digests with banner ads for Lexus (TM), Burger King (BKC) and Sheraton (HOT). A few companies are even customizing 10-second video ads for short, TV-style episodes that are edging their way onto mobile phones.
While the industry is in its infancy, ad campaigns for the tiny screen have increased sharply this year after several years of spotty efforts, and they're likely to take off by early next year, says Tom Burgess, CEO of Third Screen Media, a mobile-ad network.
Driving the surge is the increased use of text messaging, the wireless Web and video in the past 18 months as wireless carriers rolled out bigger, more colorful screens and faster broadband networks. About 30% of the 217 million U.S. cellphone subscribers text message at least once a month, Yankee Group says. Such services are more ingrained in the younger set: At least 55% of 13- to 24-year-olds regularly send text messages. About 10% of cellphone users regularly browse the wireless Web, MMetrics says.
For advertisers, the young audience is just one selling point. Wireless gadgets are always-on, ever-present accessories. The fact that a phone is tethered to an individual means that ads can be targeted. And users can respond instantly to time-sensitive offers.
"The days of doing a TV spot and reaching everybody are dwindling," says Jon Raj, Visa's new-media ad chief. "The mobile phone is very personal, and it's always with you."
Yet it's the intimate, insistent nature of cellphones that has made wireless carriers cautious about embracing mobile marketing, out of fear of turning off subscribers. Pushing tiny buttons to navigate the wireless Web or send a message can be clunky. And because subscribers typically pay for their minutes of data usage, many people don't want to burn them on ads.
"We need to make sure whatever we do is not perceived as intrusive," says Verizon Wireless (VZ) digital media chief John Harrobin.
Today, wireless websites do sport banner ads. But users typically must type in the address to see them. Except for trials, carriers have barred ads on sites accessed from the cellphone's menu of news, sports and other headings, which is the route to the wireless Web most people take. The wireless Web is not the Internet, but rather a similar network, with different addresses and sites streamlined for the small screen.
Carriers, though, are warming to the notion that consumers will welcome useful ads, such as those aimed at subscribers-on-the-go searching for restaurants, gas stations or movies. Or, say, stock prices, sponsored by Fidelity. "It has to be contextually relevant and enhance the customer experience," says Sprint Nextel (S) Vice President Anita Newton.
Relevant ads, please
In fact, she notes, mobile ads could help subsidize data services, possibly shaving current monthly subscription fees of $5 to $20 and drawing more customers. About 42% of mobile customers are open to mobile advertising if it's relevant, if they asked for it or if they'll get coupons or free services, Yankee Group says.
Fielding Fowler of Saginaw, Mich., says he'd welcome coupons "for useful things" such as restaurants or gasoline. But he finds banner ads irritating when he's hunting for sports scores. "You're paying $8.99 (a month), and it's gone from ad-free to bombarding you," says Fowler, 35, a comedian.
Carriers will likely start accepting advertising within eight months, after they resolve battles with content providers over how to split revenue, says Jeff Janer, an executive at Third Screen Media.
U.S. mobile advertising revenue is projected to jump to $150 million this year from $45 million in 2005, Ovum says. That's still the equivalent of a rounding issue compared with this year's estimated $274 billion U.S. ad market. But mobile ad sales could total $2 billion, or nearly 1%, of U.S. ad sales by 2010 and up to 5% by 2015, Yankee Group predicts.
Among the ads gaining favor:
•Text messages. This kind of advertising lets marketers engage customers interactively, building loyalty. Consumers usually type in a five-digit "short code" to, say, enter a sweepstakes or download a ring tone or screensaver. In other cases, they get alerts about offerings they're interested in.
The strategy is a favorite of TV shows such as NBC's (GE)Deal or No Deal and CBS' (CBS)Big Brother to involve viewers. Customers typically pay a few cents to send such a message, but the networks often charge a premium, splitting the revenue with the carrier.
Last year, Big Brother viewers sent more than 500,000 text messages in two days to vote on which evicted houseguest should return. Viewers paid 49 cents a message, making the initiative marginally profitable, says CBS executive Cyriac Roeding. They also got free wallpaper, and about 30,000 opted to get text alerts on new shows. "It creates tremendous loyalty, and you're in touch with the audience even when they're not watching," Roeding says.
When A&E's Dog the Bounty Hunter invited viewers to dial a short code to receive text messages from the main character, 62% of participants said they would watch the show more.
Other brands are joining in. Dove soap prodded consumers to vote on whether women on a billboard were "wrinkled" or "wonderful."
Anheuser-Busch (BUD) prompted people to send cellphone photos of themselves for a contest promoting Bud Light. "You're trying to integrate into the lifestyle of this (young) generation," says A-B Vice President Tony Ponturo.
To tout the benefits of its Los Angeles credit card, American Express (AXP) last year let members and prospects sign up to receive invitations to limited-seating concerts and movie screenings.
Such missives can cost just 2 cents for the advertiser to send. But the Mobile Marketing Association urges advertisers to require consumers to opt in, then confirm that decision, before sending offers. "We need to be careful ... to protect consumers from spam," says MMA chief Laura Marriott.
•Wireless Web ads. Ads on the wireless Web rose sharply this year. Advertisers are spending $75,000 to $300,000 on typical wireless webcampaigns, vs. $25,000 to $50,000 in 2005, Janer says.
Typically, a mobile Web page has one ad at the top or bottom, so as not to clutter the tiny screens. "It's extremely impactful," says Maria Mandel, who heads digital innovation for ad agency Ogilvy & Mather.
Ads generally cost $35 to $50 per 1,000 views, vs. $10 for online ads, Janer says. And 3% to 5% of mobile Web users click on links to learn more or make a purchase, vs. a 0.2% click rate for Internet ads.
The uptick in advertising should keep afloat many mobile websites that have been saddled with huge costs and little revenue.
"We seriously considered shutting down the mobile Web business in 2003 and 2004," says Louis Gump, vice president of The Weather Channel.
Embassy Suites spent a few hundred thousand dollars on mobile banner ads early this year, encouraging customers to click to make a reservation. The campaign generated 55,000 clicks and $3.2 million in revenue, says John Lee, marketing chief for the hotel chain.
Mobile phones, he says, provide an ideal path to the hotel's target audience. Business travelers changing plans or considering a weekend getaway used to make mental notes until they could follow up. "Now, you can just click and do it."
Burger King ads on news and sports sites nudge users to restaurants with a crisp: "Hungry? Click to find a Burger King."
"It's an opportunity to reach consumers close to making a purchase decision," says Gillian Smith, the chain's senior director of media.
But not all advertisers are enthralled. 1-800-Flowers tested a special Mother's Day offer this year that fizzled. "I don't think people are comfortable searching the mobile Web just yet," says Tania Nemaric, company manager of brand communications. "You want to get in and get out. You're being charged for the time."
•Video ads. Anheuser-Busch, American Express and others have released their standard TV ads on cellphone video services. For the first time this year, short video ads were customized for cellphones. When Fox Entertainment (NWS) this summer released a spinoff of its Prison Break series to Sprint mobile phones, each two-minute episode was preceded by a 10-second ad for the youth-oriented Toyota Yaris.
On cellphones, consumers "are actively looking at something," says Kim McCullough, Toyota manager of marketing communications. "We're hoping that greater attentiveness will help our advertising."
•Ads for free stuff. Games on mobile phones typically cost about $5. This year, some games were offered free but included ads for products such as Zagat's dining guide or Progressive Insurance, says Michael Chang, CEO of Greystripe, a mobile ad network.
Traffix (TRFX), another marketing company, plans to offer free, ad-supported ring tones and movie clips.
The greatest potential lies in searches for local retailers, says Yankee Group analyst Linda Barrabee. Yahoo, Google and Go2 provide local mobile searches today, but they have limited or no advertising. In the future, a search will yield sponsored listings first.
Advertisers would pay about 40 cents if a customer clicks on a search listing and up to $7 if the customer calls the retailer, says Dan Olschwang of search provider JumpTap. Eventually, carriers could use technology to pinpoint a customer's location and offer a relevant coupon to a nearby shop, if the subscriber opts in.
Dunkin' Donuts (AED) tried a less-sophisticated version of that last year, sending a coupon for a 99-cent latte at several stores to interested Boston cellphone users. The campaign increased store traffic 21%.
Ad revenue a sticking point
Rollout of such ads has been delayed partly because two big search engines, Yahoo (YHOO) and Google (GOOG), are unwilling to share more ad revenue with carriers, which would link to them from their home pages. Some carriers are making deals with search upstarts, such as JumpTap, which are offering a more generous split and letting carriers affix their brands to the services.
"It's the battle for the customer," says Kevin Beebe, group vice president for No. 5 carrier Alltel, which is close to a deal with JumpTap.
Yahoo Senior Vice President Steve Boom says the search engine can generate more revenue because of its brand and expertise. "The (revenue split) misses the point," he says.
A similar standoff has stalled the full-scale rollout of banner ads on the wireless Web. Carriers want 40% to 50% of ad sales when users reach sites from their menus; content providers are offering less.
Wireless carriers believe they enjoy greater leverage than phone and cable giants have in online marketing. The ability to easily click to sites from wireless home pages is vital, says Sprint's John Styers, a marketing director. Also, he says, carriers have data about subscribers' surfing habits that could let them serve more relevant ads — but only with the consumer's OK.
"We really have to tread lightly," Sprint's Newton says. "The last thing we want is to have consumers be annoyed by advertising and cancel their subscription."
With readers fleeing newspapers and TV viewers zapping past commercials, advertisers are turning to the one device consumers can't seem to escape: their cellphones.
Mobile phones and wireless devices have quietly become the newest, hottest frontier for big brands from Pepsi to Nike, especially those itching to reach the coveted 18- to 34-year-old set.
TV networks are prodding viewers to send text messages to vote for their favorite reality TV character. Wireless websites are lacing sports scores and news digests with banner ads for Lexus (TM), Burger King (BKC) and Sheraton (HOT). A few companies are even customizing 10-second video ads for short, TV-style episodes that are edging their way onto mobile phones.
While the industry is in its infancy, ad campaigns for the tiny screen have increased sharply this year after several years of spotty efforts, and they're likely to take off by early next year, says Tom Burgess, CEO of Third Screen Media, a mobile-ad network.
Driving the surge is the increased use of text messaging, the wireless Web and video in the past 18 months as wireless carriers rolled out bigger, more colorful screens and faster broadband networks. About 30% of the 217 million U.S. cellphone subscribers text message at least once a month, Yankee Group says. Such services are more ingrained in the younger set: At least 55% of 13- to 24-year-olds regularly send text messages. About 10% of cellphone users regularly browse the wireless Web, MMetrics says.
For advertisers, the young audience is just one selling point. Wireless gadgets are always-on, ever-present accessories. The fact that a phone is tethered to an individual means that ads can be targeted. And users can respond instantly to time-sensitive offers.
"The days of doing a TV spot and reaching everybody are dwindling," says Jon Raj, Visa's new-media ad chief. "The mobile phone is very personal, and it's always with you."
Yet it's the intimate, insistent nature of cellphones that has made wireless carriers cautious about embracing mobile marketing, out of fear of turning off subscribers. Pushing tiny buttons to navigate the wireless Web or send a message can be clunky. And because subscribers typically pay for their minutes of data usage, many people don't want to burn them on ads.
"We need to make sure whatever we do is not perceived as intrusive," says Verizon Wireless (VZ) digital media chief John Harrobin.
Today, wireless websites do sport banner ads. But users typically must type in the address to see them. Except for trials, carriers have barred ads on sites accessed from the cellphone's menu of news, sports and other headings, which is the route to the wireless Web most people take. The wireless Web is not the Internet, but rather a similar network, with different addresses and sites streamlined for the small screen.
Carriers, though, are warming to the notion that consumers will welcome useful ads, such as those aimed at subscribers-on-the-go searching for restaurants, gas stations or movies. Or, say, stock prices, sponsored by Fidelity. "It has to be contextually relevant and enhance the customer experience," says Sprint Nextel (S) Vice President Anita Newton.
Relevant ads, please
In fact, she notes, mobile ads could help subsidize data services, possibly shaving current monthly subscription fees of $5 to $20 and drawing more customers. About 42% of mobile customers are open to mobile advertising if it's relevant, if they asked for it or if they'll get coupons or free services, Yankee Group says.
Fielding Fowler of Saginaw, Mich., says he'd welcome coupons "for useful things" such as restaurants or gasoline. But he finds banner ads irritating when he's hunting for sports scores. "You're paying $8.99 (a month), and it's gone from ad-free to bombarding you," says Fowler, 35, a comedian.
Carriers will likely start accepting advertising within eight months, after they resolve battles with content providers over how to split revenue, says Jeff Janer, an executive at Third Screen Media.
U.S. mobile advertising revenue is projected to jump to $150 million this year from $45 million in 2005, Ovum says. That's still the equivalent of a rounding issue compared with this year's estimated $274 billion U.S. ad market. But mobile ad sales could total $2 billion, or nearly 1%, of U.S. ad sales by 2010 and up to 5% by 2015, Yankee Group predicts.
Among the ads gaining favor:
•Text messages. This kind of advertising lets marketers engage customers interactively, building loyalty. Consumers usually type in a five-digit "short code" to, say, enter a sweepstakes or download a ring tone or screensaver. In other cases, they get alerts about offerings they're interested in.
The strategy is a favorite of TV shows such as NBC's (GE)Deal or No Deal and CBS' (CBS)Big Brother to involve viewers. Customers typically pay a few cents to send such a message, but the networks often charge a premium, splitting the revenue with the carrier.
Last year, Big Brother viewers sent more than 500,000 text messages in two days to vote on which evicted houseguest should return. Viewers paid 49 cents a message, making the initiative marginally profitable, says CBS executive Cyriac Roeding. They also got free wallpaper, and about 30,000 opted to get text alerts on new shows. "It creates tremendous loyalty, and you're in touch with the audience even when they're not watching," Roeding says.
When A&E's Dog the Bounty Hunter invited viewers to dial a short code to receive text messages from the main character, 62% of participants said they would watch the show more.
Other brands are joining in. Dove soap prodded consumers to vote on whether women on a billboard were "wrinkled" or "wonderful."
Anheuser-Busch (BUD) prompted people to send cellphone photos of themselves for a contest promoting Bud Light. "You're trying to integrate into the lifestyle of this (young) generation," says A-B Vice President Tony Ponturo.
To tout the benefits of its Los Angeles credit card, American Express (AXP) last year let members and prospects sign up to receive invitations to limited-seating concerts and movie screenings.
Such missives can cost just 2 cents for the advertiser to send. But the Mobile Marketing Association urges advertisers to require consumers to opt in, then confirm that decision, before sending offers. "We need to be careful ... to protect consumers from spam," says MMA chief Laura Marriott.
•Wireless Web ads. Ads on the wireless Web rose sharply this year. Advertisers are spending $75,000 to $300,000 on typical wireless webcampaigns, vs. $25,000 to $50,000 in 2005, Janer says.
Typically, a mobile Web page has one ad at the top or bottom, so as not to clutter the tiny screens. "It's extremely impactful," says Maria Mandel, who heads digital innovation for ad agency Ogilvy & Mather.
Ads generally cost $35 to $50 per 1,000 views, vs. $10 for online ads, Janer says. And 3% to 5% of mobile Web users click on links to learn more or make a purchase, vs. a 0.2% click rate for Internet ads.
The uptick in advertising should keep afloat many mobile websites that have been saddled with huge costs and little revenue.
"We seriously considered shutting down the mobile Web business in 2003 and 2004," says Louis Gump, vice president of The Weather Channel.
Embassy Suites spent a few hundred thousand dollars on mobile banner ads early this year, encouraging customers to click to make a reservation. The campaign generated 55,000 clicks and $3.2 million in revenue, says John Lee, marketing chief for the hotel chain.
Mobile phones, he says, provide an ideal path to the hotel's target audience. Business travelers changing plans or considering a weekend getaway used to make mental notes until they could follow up. "Now, you can just click and do it."
Burger King ads on news and sports sites nudge users to restaurants with a crisp: "Hungry? Click to find a Burger King."
"It's an opportunity to reach consumers close to making a purchase decision," says Gillian Smith, the chain's senior director of media.
But not all advertisers are enthralled. 1-800-Flowers tested a special Mother's Day offer this year that fizzled. "I don't think people are comfortable searching the mobile Web just yet," says Tania Nemaric, company manager of brand communications. "You want to get in and get out. You're being charged for the time."
•Video ads. Anheuser-Busch, American Express and others have released their standard TV ads on cellphone video services. For the first time this year, short video ads were customized for cellphones. When Fox Entertainment (NWS) this summer released a spinoff of its Prison Break series to Sprint mobile phones, each two-minute episode was preceded by a 10-second ad for the youth-oriented Toyota Yaris.
On cellphones, consumers "are actively looking at something," says Kim McCullough, Toyota manager of marketing communications. "We're hoping that greater attentiveness will help our advertising."
•Ads for free stuff. Games on mobile phones typically cost about $5. This year, some games were offered free but included ads for products such as Zagat's dining guide or Progressive Insurance, says Michael Chang, CEO of Greystripe, a mobile ad network.
Traffix (TRFX), another marketing company, plans to offer free, ad-supported ring tones and movie clips.
The greatest potential lies in searches for local retailers, says Yankee Group analyst Linda Barrabee. Yahoo, Google and Go2 provide local mobile searches today, but they have limited or no advertising. In the future, a search will yield sponsored listings first.
Advertisers would pay about 40 cents if a customer clicks on a search listing and up to $7 if the customer calls the retailer, says Dan Olschwang of search provider JumpTap. Eventually, carriers could use technology to pinpoint a customer's location and offer a relevant coupon to a nearby shop, if the subscriber opts in.
Dunkin' Donuts (AED) tried a less-sophisticated version of that last year, sending a coupon for a 99-cent latte at several stores to interested Boston cellphone users. The campaign increased store traffic 21%.
Ad revenue a sticking point
Rollout of such ads has been delayed partly because two big search engines, Yahoo (YHOO) and Google (GOOG), are unwilling to share more ad revenue with carriers, which would link to them from their home pages. Some carriers are making deals with search upstarts, such as JumpTap, which are offering a more generous split and letting carriers affix their brands to the services.
"It's the battle for the customer," says Kevin Beebe, group vice president for No. 5 carrier Alltel, which is close to a deal with JumpTap.
Yahoo Senior Vice President Steve Boom says the search engine can generate more revenue because of its brand and expertise. "The (revenue split) misses the point," he says.
A similar standoff has stalled the full-scale rollout of banner ads on the wireless Web. Carriers want 40% to 50% of ad sales when users reach sites from their menus; content providers are offering less.
Wireless carriers believe they enjoy greater leverage than phone and cable giants have in online marketing. The ability to easily click to sites from wireless home pages is vital, says Sprint's John Styers, a marketing director. Also, he says, carriers have data about subscribers' surfing habits that could let them serve more relevant ads — but only with the consumer's OK.
"We really have to tread lightly," Sprint's Newton says. "The last thing we want is to have consumers be annoyed by advertising and cancel their subscription."
'Gebruik mms neemt sterk toe'
Bron: webwereld.nl
Het versturen van digitale foto's via het gsm-netwerk neemt de laatste maanden sterk toe in Europa en de VS, zo blijkt uit onderzoek van M:Metrics. Het onderzoeksbureau constateert dat het gebruik van mms, multimedia message service, in de VS 32 procent is gestegen sinds februari. In Engeland, Frankrijk en Duitsland nam het gebruik met 16 tot 20 procent toe, zo meldt de BBC.
Er lijkt een verband te zijn tussen het toegenomen mms-gebruik en de opkomst van mobiele telefoons met hogere resoluties. "We zien een correlatie tussen cameraresolutie en de neiging om gebruik te maken van 'photo messaging'", aldus vice-president Mark Donovan van M:Metrics.
Volgens Donovan stuurt namelijk 44,3 procent van de bezitters van een telefoon met een resolutie van meer dan één megapixel foto's via de gsm, terwijl het wereldwijde gemiddelde 30,5 procent van de gsm-bezitters is.
Ook de technologische ontwikkelingen bevorderen het mms-gebruik, zoals diensten die het mogelijk maken om foto's direct van de gsm naar blogs of websites als Flickr.com te sturen.
Volgens Mark Mulligan, vice-president van Jupiter Research, is de toename in populariteit geen verrassing, maar blijft deze nog wel ver achter bij wat telecombedrijven gehoopt hadden. "De toename in het gebruik van mobiele telefoons met camera wordt ook gevoed doordat er steeds minder telefoons zónder camera te koop zijn", aldus Mulligan.
Voorbode
Mulligan denkt dat het uitblijven van een doorbraak van mms een voorbode is voor de moeilijkheden die telco's gaan ondervinden bij het promoten van nieuwe diensten. "Als het al zo lang duurt voordat consumenten overtuigd raken van mms, stel je dan eens voor hoe lang het zal duren voordat ze overtuigd zijn van chatten en e-mailen via de gsm en van meer complexe concepten", aldus Mulligan tegenover de BBC.
In Nederland probeerden providers KPN en Vodafone het versturen van mms-berichten vorige maand nog te promoten door tijdelijk lagere tarieven te hanteren.
In Engeland en de VS is de Motorola Razr de populairste cameratelefoon. De Duitsers gebruiken liever de Nokia 6230 en de Fransen houden het bij de Sagem my-x5
Het versturen van digitale foto's via het gsm-netwerk neemt de laatste maanden sterk toe in Europa en de VS, zo blijkt uit onderzoek van M:Metrics. Het onderzoeksbureau constateert dat het gebruik van mms, multimedia message service, in de VS 32 procent is gestegen sinds februari. In Engeland, Frankrijk en Duitsland nam het gebruik met 16 tot 20 procent toe, zo meldt de BBC.
Er lijkt een verband te zijn tussen het toegenomen mms-gebruik en de opkomst van mobiele telefoons met hogere resoluties. "We zien een correlatie tussen cameraresolutie en de neiging om gebruik te maken van 'photo messaging'", aldus vice-president Mark Donovan van M:Metrics.
Volgens Donovan stuurt namelijk 44,3 procent van de bezitters van een telefoon met een resolutie van meer dan één megapixel foto's via de gsm, terwijl het wereldwijde gemiddelde 30,5 procent van de gsm-bezitters is.
Ook de technologische ontwikkelingen bevorderen het mms-gebruik, zoals diensten die het mogelijk maken om foto's direct van de gsm naar blogs of websites als Flickr.com te sturen.
Volgens Mark Mulligan, vice-president van Jupiter Research, is de toename in populariteit geen verrassing, maar blijft deze nog wel ver achter bij wat telecombedrijven gehoopt hadden. "De toename in het gebruik van mobiele telefoons met camera wordt ook gevoed doordat er steeds minder telefoons zónder camera te koop zijn", aldus Mulligan.
Voorbode
Mulligan denkt dat het uitblijven van een doorbraak van mms een voorbode is voor de moeilijkheden die telco's gaan ondervinden bij het promoten van nieuwe diensten. "Als het al zo lang duurt voordat consumenten overtuigd raken van mms, stel je dan eens voor hoe lang het zal duren voordat ze overtuigd zijn van chatten en e-mailen via de gsm en van meer complexe concepten", aldus Mulligan tegenover de BBC.
In Nederland probeerden providers KPN en Vodafone het versturen van mms-berichten vorige maand nog te promoten door tijdelijk lagere tarieven te hanteren.
In Engeland en de VS is de Motorola Razr de populairste cameratelefoon. De Duitsers gebruiken liever de Nokia 6230 en de Fransen houden het bij de Sagem my-x5
maandag, augustus 07, 2006
Mobiele beller houdt van sterk merk
Bron: nu.nl
De mobiele beller in Europa heeft vooral een band met sterke merken. Dat blijkt uit een onderzoek van TNS Nipo, waarbij ruim vijfduizend Europeanen zijn ondervraagd. Zij kwamen uit Nederland, Frankrijk, Italië, Engeland, Spanje en Duitsland.
De sterkste binding met een bedrijf hadden ruim 2500 gebruikers van Nokia-toestellen. Ze roemden de gebruiksvriendelijkheid en de kwaliteit van het toestel en de batterij. Andere merken die goed scoorden, waren Vodafone en KPN.
De ondervraagden worden loyaal genoemd wanneer zij bij de aanschaf van een nieuw toestel zouden kiezen voor dezelfde provider, wanneer ze veel geld besteden aan hun eigen merk en wanneer reclames van andere aanbieders de bellers niet opvallen.
De mobiele beller in Europa heeft vooral een band met sterke merken. Dat blijkt uit een onderzoek van TNS Nipo, waarbij ruim vijfduizend Europeanen zijn ondervraagd. Zij kwamen uit Nederland, Frankrijk, Italië, Engeland, Spanje en Duitsland.
De sterkste binding met een bedrijf hadden ruim 2500 gebruikers van Nokia-toestellen. Ze roemden de gebruiksvriendelijkheid en de kwaliteit van het toestel en de batterij. Andere merken die goed scoorden, waren Vodafone en KPN.
De ondervraagden worden loyaal genoemd wanneer zij bij de aanschaf van een nieuw toestel zouden kiezen voor dezelfde provider, wanneer ze veel geld besteden aan hun eigen merk en wanneer reclames van andere aanbieders de bellers niet opvallen.
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