Two-Thirds of Teens & Tweens now Mobile

Over the last five years, as cell phone plans have become more family-friendly, teens, tweens and children 8-10 years old have been going mobile. Today, there is a mobile youth population developing who love to text and talk, well, not so much. It’s creating a huge opportunity for brands run youth marketing programs geared toward this important segment.

To date, many brand marketers have dabbled in mobile marketing. The main reason is the lack of commitment to this medium for their audience. However, the segment is so ripe that it’s now time for them to take notice and put forward an engaging offering to keep them connected. Why? Because now that mobile phones are nearly ubiquitous among teens and becoming ever more popular among younger kids, the opportunities are increasing.

“Tweens are the growth engine,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Kids and Teens: Mobile Everywhere.” “Recent surveys from Pew, Kaiser Family Foundation and others indicate that in some age groups—particularly the tween–young teen bracket—ownership has nearly doubled since 2005.”

Turning wide ownership into wide marketing opportunities may be difficult, however. Companies must take into account extra privacy and safety considerations when it comes to minors, and young people who view their mobile phones as devices for personal communications may not welcome marketing messages.

In addition, most children and teens are still using feature phones, so relatively few can be reached through more sophisticated mobile advertising such as via the mobile internet or smartphone apps. Just 14% of moms surveyed by Q Interactive in January 2010 said their kids had a smartphone.

The future lies in smartphones, but for now mobile marketing efforts directed toward kids and teens will have to focus on feature phones. Texting is best for driving immediate actions, but also has its drawbacks.

“Although text messaging is hugely popular with teens, they are like adults in that they do not necessarily want companies to contact them via text messaging,” said Ms. Williamson. “The mobile phone is perceived as a very personal device, and intrusive marketing is not well received.”

Read more – get the full report here: Kids and Teens: Mobile Everywhere

BOTTOM LINE: Our work with teens and tweens also reveals their desire to connect via mobile channels SMS, Mobile Web and Apps. However, the level of adoption for Mobile Web and then Apps quickly trail off since most kids, teens and tweens do not have a smartphone. So the clear choice is mobile marketing via SMS.

July 2, 2010 in Blog   |   No Comments

74% Of Online Retailers Planning Their Mobile Advertising & Mobile Marketing Strategy

Mobile quickly to become important part of Cross-Channel Marketing Efforts

Online retailers have quickly sized up the mobile opportunity and the potential it holds to engaging a mobile advertising strategy to supplement their efforts according to a new report published by Forrester. Focus is on multi-channel marketing efforts including social and mobile marketing.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of online retailers either already have or are developing a mobile strategy, and one in five boasts having a fully-implemented mobile strategy in place already. The report forecasts $170,000 per online retailer is expected to be spent on mobile sites this year with larger retailers spending much more. This ”mobile investment is modest now, but we see that it will pick up in the future, especially among the biggest brands that have already invested significant amounts in their mobile operations,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research, and lead author of the “The State of Retailing Online” report.

The survey of 109 companies provides e-business professionals with an annual industry benchmark for marketing and business investment and activities. Earlier this year, Forrester forecast U.S. online retail sales to total $173 billion in 2010. According to the report, Web retailers with mobile strategies are investing in features that support the cross-channel experience: Product and price information, store information and coupons to support the in-store experience are among the most popular features that retailers are offering consumers, the report said.

SOCIAL MARKETING
Forrester noted that search advertising will continue to command the largest portion of US online retail budgets this year, coming in at 40 percent, while email and affiliate marketing will also command large portions, the report notes. The report also found while retailers are finding value in social media marketing, the return on investment (ROI) for driving online sales remains murky. Listening to customers is the most significant objective for social tools according to respondents, with 80 percent of retailers reporting that they are pursuing social strategies to experiment and learn. And while 28 percent noted that social marketing has helped grow their business, direct sales from social tactics are not widely measured. The same can’t be said about mobile advertising, where ROI is easily measurable and obtained.

Digital marketing in general is quickly becoming centered around the art of “integrated communications,” whereby numerous channels are utilized to work off the strengths and weaknesses of one another. With mobile coming to the forefront, Online retailers need to quickly diversify their strategy to maintain relevancy.

“Mobile investment is modest now, but we see that it will pick up in the future, especially among the biggest brands that have already invested significant amounts in their mobile operations,” concluded Sucharita Mulpuru, vice president and principal analyst for Forrester Research and the lead author of the report.

Bottom Line: For most retailers as they make a surge into mobile, don’t forget that it starts with SMS and Text Messaging first, then an App to compliment the strategy. Also, read Mobile Messaging article and other mobile commerce services including interactive sms apps and device apps for iPhone, Droid, Blackberry and more.

June 30, 2010 in Blog   |   No Comments

Text2Drive powers mobile campaigns at the New York International Auto Show

New Suzuki mobile marketing campaign allows interested car buyers to get quick and easy info on available cars at the last major North American new-car event of the season.

Text2Drive, the leading mobile marketing firm in the auto industry, is in the driver’s seat again - taking car information mobile for auto buyers at the New York International Auto Show. Building on the success Text2Drive achieved by powering the Chicago Auto Show in February with their Mobile Marketing Platform, Text2Drive has recently been selected to promote Suzuki’s mobile ad campaigns during the New York International Auto Show from April 2 – 11, 2010.

Suzuki is using the Text2Drive Mobile Marketing platform to offer car shoppers a very quick, easy and hassle-free method of obtaining vehicle information without the need of the Internet on their phones. Using text messaging (SMS) and picture messaging (MMS), car shoppers can take home important information on different makes and models available from Suzuki. According to Nielsen, only 30-40 percent of consumers have Internet connectivity on their phones. Text2Drive allows car shoppers to get instant information on their cell phone about a specific car including mobile website links and photos sent via MMS.

Text2Drive is powered by leading mobile marketing and mobile commerce company, QWASI, Inc. The Philadelphia-based company provides cross-market interactive solutions for fortune 500 companies, as well as SMBs (Small to Medium Businesses), across the nation.

It’s exciting to see how auto manufacturers are using the Text2Drive service at the New York Auto Show and other car shows around the country. It’s important to provide today’s car buyers with instant information that is easy to access. The power to connect with these car buyers is available through a program like Text2Drive so car manufacturers can also connect with them after the show ends.

We see more and more carmakers and dealers finally beginning to get serious about offering mobile marketing and communications at dealerships, their advertising and direct communication with their customers. Text2Drive can be found online at http://www.text2drive.com

April 9, 2010 in Blog   |   No Comments

Mobile Messaging & Mobile Web before an App

Everyday, we at QWASI are asked by many leading brands where mobile is moving and how they should embrace mobile marketing and mobile communication. We always have to ask a simple question: What are you doing today to reach today’s mobile consumer?

The first reaction is either something like this: “Well, we’re starting to think about an iPhone App and maybe a Blackberry or Android App by the end of the year”… OR they simple respond “We have an iPhone App and we think it’s great.” It’s almost so predictable that its easy to write it down on a piece of paper before asking the question and then passing across the table and asking how close you were to guessing their response.

Here’s the problem with having just an App: it should never be the “your mobile strategy” or solution to having a mobile channel. Why? It’s simple: Mobile App usage trails mobile web and mobile messaging.

TEXT MESSAGING REIGNS SUPREME
The most popular activity for the average cell phone user is Text Messaging. It’s then followed by mobile web access and then Apps. Text Messaging reigns supreme because of two simple forces: reach and usage.

Nearly every mobile phone in the U.S. is text messaging enable. To send or receive a text message, you do not need a smart phone (Blackberry, iPhone or Android device). In the US, only 18% of all phones are smartphones. Within the next 2-3 years, Juniper Research predicts that smartphone usage worldwide will only account for just 23 percent of all new handsets sold. That means that main population in a few years will still not have enhanced capabilities of using Apps.

MULTIPLE PLATFORMS: IPHONE, BLACKBERRY, ANDROID (and SEVERAL OTHERS)
When a company considers launching an App, they typically go right to the iPhone. A recent Nielsen survey found that Apple dominates app downloads with a 25 percent market share. However, the iPhone only represents 4 percent of the entire mobile market. And in the US, it’s currently still only available on AT&T network. If you’re looking to launch an App, consider this - Nielsen has identified more than 10 major app stores for your App. That means developing across several platforms that differ in the use of libraries, code and submissions (to get the application approved and added to the app store).

USAGE
We return back to text messaging for ease of development and uniform customer experience because it is used more than Apps. According to Pinch Media, the vast majority of apps downloaded from the App Store are in use by less than 5% of users after one month has passed since it was downloaded. Just 20% of users even return to run a free application again the day after it’s downloaded. As time goes on, that decline continues, eventually settling below five percent at the one month elapsed mark and nearing zero after three months. According to Strategy Analytics (October 2009) only four to six mobile apps are used on a consistent basis.

Furthermore, if you create an iPhone App, you will be one of over 180,000 Apps available in the Apple App Store (as of March 2010). It’s such a competitive share of mindshare and space is limited on the phone’s screen. The iPhone for example offers 10 pages of Apps, but many people never make it past their third screen to even get to your app if it’s not up front. I would argue that we’ve hit the saturation point for most users. Why? Because of a simple litmus test called utility. If your App provides utlity to the end user, they will continue to use it to connect to people, places, information and entertainment. An App with a few stars or a low rating really does indicate how most end users will think and use the app.

SIMPLE IS OFTEN BEST
Most companies dismiss SMS or Text Messaging for two reasons: simplicity and cost. Let’s examine each.

First, a text message is limited to 160 characters. Every space counts. Creative wording is often required to communicate the message. However, it can also include a phone number or link to a mobile website or information page optimized for mobile phones. In it’s simplicity lies it’s strength.

• Delivered – each SMS using carrier-grade messaging is delivered

• Read – almost 95% or all text messages are read by end users

• Direct – often provides a preview w/o reading the entire message

• Concise – read and take action in seconds

• Easy-to-Read – most of the message fits on the screen

• Link-Enabled - ability to point to a Mobile Website

• Call-Enabled - include a phone number to call

More reasons why simple is often best. A single text message can easily be forwarded to a friend or posted to a social network. SMS can be interactive providing two-way messaging features included information on demand, mobile coupons, mobile ticketing, surveys, voting and polling. Finally, with a list of opt-in users, messaging can be sent out to users via blasts, notifications and alerts.

The other hesitancy by brands in using text messaging for marketing is the cost factor of an SMS. Companies often are quick to sign off on large budgets to build mobile Apps, yet never conduct a full cost analysis of SMS and Text Messaging to evaluate how it scales over a longer period of time while achieving greater usage and take up. Sure, a text message can cost a few pennies per message, however, during an ROI analysis, it’s easy to see how it pays itself back with the value it provides customers to connect with the Brand in building some of the strongest one-to-one relationships possible.

MOBILE METHODOLOGY (see the QWASI Mobile Methodology)
Don’t be so quick to rule out Text Message Marketing (SMS) or the Mobile Web.

Build out your mobile site. Offer Mobile Messaging. Then build specialty apps that provide usefulness for your customer. And don’t neglect voice as part of your mobile strategy.

Let QWASI help you build out your mobile channel today.

About the Author:
David Geipel is COO & Founder of QWASI (http://www.qwasi.com). You can reach him at dgeipel at qwasi.com or chat with him - text DAVE to 79274 (QWASI).

April 5, 2010 in Blog   |   1 Comment

Local Search powers 30% of all Mobile Searches

Google this week shared some very powerful and persuasive data about local search on mobile phones and devices. Diana Pouliot, Director of Mobile Advertising, Google, Inc, shared with those in attendance at the CTIA Wireless Conference Mobile Marketing & Advertising forum that 30% (one-third) of all Google searches on the mobile web are about some aspect of the searcher’s local environment.

Paul Feng, Google’s Mobile-Ads Group Product Manager, expounded on Google’s efforts to make the search giant’s advertising reach as “local as possible”. Some efforts underway include developing new ad formats. Feng suggested further tweaking of those formats in the near future – changes that may even involve new forms of user interaction, including navigation. “We think of location as a hugely important signal.”

And Google is admittedly hard at work optimizing advertising platforms for the increasing pertinence of “local-intent” in a substantial chunk of all mobile searches. Google, however, isn’t along in its efforts. For example, this week Yahoo’s sales reps are “going after big companies with outlets that advertise in local newspapers and on regional radio stations and Web sites.” The marketers referenced include Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King, Pizza Hut, State Farm Insurance and Home Depot.

The mobile industry seems to agree: analysts are now forecasting and predicting that location-based mobile spending will top $4 billion in 2015. That’s up from just $34 million spent just last year.

Mobile Marketing and Mobile Advertising center on location, location, location. Certainly already a very familiar concept in real estate marketing and other industries that base it’s value around location including: billboards, channel position on cable channels, online marketing (above or below the fold), land value, store traffic, etc.

Bottom Line: Local Intent will drive mobile marketing and advertising.

March 25, 2010 in Blog   |   No Comments