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 Marketing Campaign for the 2010 Chicago Auto Show

Chicago Automobile Trade Association selects Text2Drive to provide mobile platform for auto show

Chicago, IL, February 12, 2010 – Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) announced that they have partnered with Text2Drive to harness the power of the mobile communication channel throughout this year’s Chicago Auto Show. CATA will incorporate the Text2Drive Mobile Marketing platform to collect opt-in mobile numbers of those in the Chicago area that will later be incorporated in the CATA’s promotional advertising campaigns leading up to the auto show. The innovative Text2Drive Platform will be used to drive show attendance and increase attendee’s participation by raising awareness and creating a “buzz” around special events, featured vehicles and show promotions.

Recognizing the power of the mobile platform, Text2Drive offers car shoppers a very quick, easy and hassle-free method of obtaining vehicle information without the need of the Internet on their phones. “According to Nielsen only 30-40 percent of consumers have Internet connectivity on their phones. Text2Drive allows car shoppers to search inventory, receive vehicle information including photos and special incentives, and communicate instantly with sellers via text messaging from their cell phones,” said Gregg Owen, CEO & Co-Founder of Text2Drive. “Text2Drive offers many compelling reasons for consumers to opt-in, resulting in our clients being able to create large mobile networks. Once the network is created we afford our clients the ability to easily collect, track, and organize this data so they can continue to remarket their products and services to interested consumers.”

“The best part about Text2Drive is that it provides multiple benefits to our attendees and exhibitors,” said Dave Sloan, president of CATA. “Not only can we leverage this technology to help us promote the show and use it throughout the show for marketing, our exhibitors can use it to uniquely promote their brands. Imagine someone at the show looking at the new Chevy Camaro and wanting more information, using Text2Drive they can immediately receive pictures and all the important information about the vehicle right to their phone.”

In addition to the auto show campaign, the CATA has created an introductory Text2Drive program for their dealer members.  This program provides tools for the dealer’s website while incorporating the Text2Drive online mobile number collection widget on Drivechicago.com.

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.  “We are excited to see the Chicago Auto Show embrace the power of mobile connection with their exhibitors and show attendees,” notes Dave Geipel, COO of QWASI, Inc.

ABOUT THE CHICAGO AUTO SHOW
Sanctioned by International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America and has been held more times than any other auto exposition on the continent. First staged in 1901, 2010 will mark the 102nd edition of the show. The Chicago Auto Show will open to the public Feb. 12-22. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Feb. 12-21) and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Feb. 21). For additional information visit: www.ChicagoAutoShow.com

ABOUT TEXT2DRIVE
Text2Drive is a pioneer in providing the automotive industry with exclusive tools to leverage the most powerful, efficient, and most popular communication channel ever created. Text2Drive provides its clients with platform to build their own mobile network and maximize the value of that network. The Text2Drive platform has greater reach and appeal because it is the only solution that allows the consumer to search dealer inventory, receive information and photos, receive coupons and instantly connect with the client via chatting/texting, all this without the consumer needing the internet on their phones. For additional information please visit www.text2drive.com, or email info@automotiveinternetmedia.com

ABOUT QWASI
QWASI, Inc, is a leading mobile solutions provider of interactive applications for clients across the US utilizing SMS (text messaging), MMS, WAP and iPhone applications, QWASI makes complexity to simple with mobile marketing, mCommerce (mobile commerce), private label mobile search tools, event marketing, mobile chat, Mobile IM (MIM) applications, mobile real estate marketing services and mobile alerting for Fortune 1000 businesses. QWASI powers the Text2Drive service.

QWASI CONTACT
Patricia Scanlon, QWASI, 877-747-9274, patricia.scanlon @ qwasi.com

February 12, 2010 in Press Releases   |   No Comments

Jiffy Lube: Mobile Marketing Campaign beats out Online

Part of a Series: Mobile Campaigns Live Up to HYPE

As seen on Mobile Marketer.
A Jiffy Lube mobile advertising initiative that was part of a larger multichannel campaign achieved a 0.2 percent response rate, outperforming its Web counterpart.

Jiffy Lube tested this program in Los Angeles, California using a geo-targeted mobile ad campaign offering coupons for oil changes. The program launched in March where twenty-eight percent of respondents texted in their ZIP code to receive a list of oil-change stores closest to them. More than 200 coupons were redeemed at Los Angeles stores, which equates to around 10 percent of original respondents.

According to the company release, “The strategy was to reach the 18-24-year-old demographic group by advertising on text messages being sent to existing mobile content subscribers. The goal was to evaluate the mobile channel, and gauge the interest of the audience in engaging with the brand over a mobile device.”
A similar campaign was advertised online to compare the opt-in and response rates between the mobile and wired Web channels, she said. Jiffy Lube agency Kovel/Fuller declined to disclose the online metrics in the case study first posted on MarketingProfs.com.

The 20-percent-off messaging generated more text-in responses overall. However, the coupon for $7 off resulted in more coupon redemptions. The text message ad copy was appended to user-requested text message content with messages such as “20 percent off Jiffy Lube Oil Change! Reply JIFFY” or “Save $7 on a Jiffy Lube Oil Change! Reply JL.”

Customers who replied to the ad received a text message with a coupon code for redemption, and an invitation to find their nearest Jiffy Lube location by replying via text message with their ZIP code.
Jiffy Lube wanted to find a new way to reach consumers ages 18-24, a demographic likely to ignore the company’s television, newspaper and Yellow Pages ads.

Further building the case for mobile, the company chose to conduct its test in the Los Angeles metro area, where residents—especially Jiffy Lube’s target demographic—spend a lot of time on the road.
Mobile offered a means for connecting with these hard-to-reach individuals even while they were out and about.

The companies learned a few lessons from this campaign including:
• To win over the attention of a hard-to-reach market, first figure out how you can best work your way into their existing day-to-day routines.
• Test multiple mobile offers and messages to determine the optimal approach for attracting your audience and driving conversions.
• Refresh mobile ads regularly to optimize performance.
• Try advertising SMS campaigns via mobile advertising. You may generate a higher response rate because all user activity is performed using the same channel and device

Activate a Multi-Channel Mobile Campaign today.
Contact QWASI: Call 877-747-9274.

October 15, 2009 in Blog   |   No Comments

Working Moms Waiting for Mobile Marketing

MOBILE MOMS
According to Scarbourough Research, Working Moms are among the country’s highest spenders on cellular phone services. They spend on average 21% more than the average wireless user on their monthly bill. The average bill for Working Moms is $94, versus $78.In addition, Working Moms are avid users and frequently download content. They have are 42% more likely to download content to their phone.

Mobile Marketing could be an important platform for reaching her with product announcements, offers and other promotions,” said Howard Goldberg, senior vice president of agency services, Scarborough Research.

Some FACTS about Working Moms:
They also have higher disposable income. The average adult annual HHLD Income is $73,400 while Working Moms is $81,900. Working Moms are in her 30’s and 40’s. They are more likely to be well-educated, having a 4-year college degrees or greater.  They are 13% more likely to be married.

MOBILE COUPONS
When it comes to saving money, they are deal seekers. Two out of three Working Moms use grocery coupons monthly; 28% use them weekly. Working Moms are 46% more likely than the average adult to get coupons from email/text messages. And 49% more likely to get them from the Internet. They are also tech savvy – the opportunity still remains for further integration of digital’s benefits into the
Working Mom’s day: mobile devices, mobile coupons, content for the small screen. The take away there: Find ways to connect with mom’s “me time”: promotions, products, messaging.

The data analysis examined the distinctive consumer patterns and marketing appeal of women who work full‐ time and have one or more children at home, and found insights into their shopping habits, media patterns, demographics and lifestyles.

MOBILE ALERTS
“The Working Mother is the gatekeeper for purchases related to clothing, feeding and making a home for her family. Her high spending on cellular services together with her propensity to download content via her cell phone imply that mobile marketing could be an important platform for reaching her with product announcements, offers and other promotions,” said Howard Goldberg, senior vice president of agency services, Scarborough Research.

Working Moms account for nine percent of the U.S. adult population (21.6 million adults) and 11% of all cellular users – but they also are more likely to utilize certain cellular features such as texting and downloading. Also, Working Moms are 9% more likely than the average adult to have driven 1,000 or more miles during the past month. So they are mobile in more ways than one.

Available for download at Working Moms Research Study

October 2, 2009 in Blog   |   No Comments