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Sybase has partnered with companies such as Western Union

2010-08-10T02:32:00.000-07:00

Zynga acquires mobile social game developer Unoh
Zynga has acquired Tokyo-based Unoh, a mobile and social gaming company.

Unoh will be part of the foundation of Zynga Japan’s mobile product efforts, which will be a joint venture between SoftBank Group and Zynga.

Sybase has partnered with companies such as Western Union

The goal of the acquisition is to accelerate Zynga Japan’s entry into the Japanese mobile and social gaming markets.

Founded in 2001, Unoh was one of Japan’s first social game companies, with titles such as Machitsuku, Band Yarouyo and Kaizoku Chronicle.

In addition to maintaining Unoh’s games on mixi, Mobage-town, and GREE, Zynga Japan will also localize Zynga games and develop new games targeted at the Japanese market.

Shintaro Yamada, founder/CEO of Unoh, will help lead Zynga Japan’s mobile efforts.

source : mobile marketing daily

5 arguments on why mobile is indispensable to marketing plans

2010-08-09T03:56:00.001-07:00

Source : mobile marketing daily

As the readers of this column will certainly agree, mobile marketing is no fad.

Rather, I believe that mobile marketing will – and must – become a central part of every successful marketing and visibility strategy, and I think it is well on its way to becoming just that.

However, the integration of mobile marketing into existing marketing strategies on a large scale will not happen spontaneously.

Instead, it will come about through a concerted effort to educate companies and other organizations about the benefits and unique qualities of mobile outreach.

This is not to say that the mobile marketing industry will somehow foist preferred tactics on unsuspecting businesses. The integration of mobile marketing will occur – and is occurring – naturally, organically.

Teach reach
Enterprises across the nation and the world are already realizing the tremendous reach and penetrating power of leveraging the mobile device for marketing purposes, and they are coming to this realization by discerning the trends and facts on the ground.

Hundreds of millions of Americans – nearly 90 percent of the country – use their mobile devices every day, and a solid majority of them express a desire to receive marketing messages of some sort through their mobile.

Redemption rates for mobile initiatives dwarf those of traditional marketing programs. Indeed, the cost per impression of a mobile campaign is often far lower than that of a mainstream media advertising campaign.

But you know this already.

The role we must play as marketers and mobile industry professionals is that of educators for the rest of the business community that has not yet fully embraced mobile marketing, or that portion which subscribes to the notion that mobile is somehow just a flash in the pan.

It is our job, in other words, to convince organizations that sitting on the sidelines of mobile is not an option, and that doing so carries an opportunity cost too high to sustain.

More constructively, it is also our job to continue touting the best practice and most effective strategies to get the most out of mobile communications.

Since standing on the street corner wearing a sandwich board is out, this proselytizing starts at the level of existing and potential clients.

In that vein, here are five effective arguments to present to clients on why mobile marketing ought to be an indispensible aspect of their marketing plans.

It is where your customers are
As I mentioned, mobile phone saturation is nearly complete in the developed world, and the use of mobile devices is on the rise just about everywhere.

This makes the mobile landscape the place of residence for most – not many, most – of the world’s consumers. Engaging in a mobile strategy opens up this vast market to any business that wants to participate in it.

By nature, it is targeted, relevant and actionable
Much as email and Internet marketing redefined direct marketing, the mobile space is further expanding businesses ability to engage customers in ways that they find appropriate and attractive.

Importantly, the mobile medium reaches purchase-ready consumers directly at the point of sale.

When we said this in the past, it used to mean that customers could have a marketing message on their device when they physically approached a retail outlet.

Now, with the maturity of mobile commerce and the flourishing of the mobile Internet, it means that customers can conduct the entire transaction cycle on their mobile device, from marketing to purchasing to consumption.

It is cost-effective
Mobile marketing features some of the lowest cost per touch and cost per impression of any marketing medium.

Without naming names, one retailer executed a mobile campaign with triple-digit ROI for less than 2 cents per impression.

Marketers that provide tactics with these kinds of returns for clients are also reaping financial rewards.

Agency holding company giant WPP, which owns JWT, Ogilvy and Y&R, posted 2 percent revenue gains in one of the softest marketing spend environments in years arguably on the strength of its mobile marketing performance.

It is brand-friendly
Since mobile marketing is still relatively new in the eyes of most consumers, it transmits a sense of innovation and forward-thinking for the brand that uses it.

Combine that with the ability of mobile marketing messages to be well-branded – a goal for every mobile marketing initiative – along with the high levels of brand interaction associated with mobile applications, and mobile marketing becomes a panacea for companies trying to define or strengthen their brand.

It is versatile
Speaking of applications, it is easy to forget that these ingenious, useful and ubiquitous marketing tools are barely four years old.

The Apple App Store, which has almost 250,000 applications for the iPhone and iPad, was not even open for business until 2008, a good year after the first iPhone was introduced.

Now, applications are the darlings of the marketing and advertising world, and an indispensible aspect of the smartphone experience.

This demonstrates that marketing opportunities on the mobile medium grow and change almost daily, and mobile continues to provide new and better ways to get a message out.

It is, in other words, one of the most versatile marketing mediums currently available.

MOBILE MARKETING IS not the next big thing, waiting for the next next big thing to come along and unseat it. It is the big thing, the game-changer.

In technological terms, mobile is the next evolution in communications, one that is redefining how, where and why people connect with one another.

It stands to reason, then, that it should have a similar effect on marketing and advertising.

Trends everywhere are pointing to this evolution, and businesses are on the path to widespread adoption. There will never be a year of mobile, or even a half-decade of mobile.

Mobile marketing will be a consistent reality for all businesses, everywhere. So it is time to let them know.

source : mobile marketing daily

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Calvin Klein activates billboards with QR codes pushing mobile video ad

2010-08-09T02:34:00.000-07:00

Calvin Klein incorporated QR codes on select billboards throughout New York and Los Angeles as part of an advertising campaign promoting the brand’s jeans.

Billboards at Houston and Lafayette Street and West 20th Street and 10th Avenue in New York, and one in Los Angeles at Sunset Boulevard and Havenhurst Drive, displayed a Calvin Klein QR code that gave device users access to a mobile video featuring model Lara Stone with male models A.J. Sid Ellisdon, Grayson Vaughan and Eric Anderson. Ace Group created the QR code aspect of the campaign.

“It was very successful and you will see QR codes continue to be integrated into our upcoming campaigns,” said Jennifer Crawford, vice president of corporate communications at Calvin Klein, New York.

Calvin Klein incorporated QR codes on select billboards throughout New York and Los Angeles as part of an advertising campaign promoting the brand’s jeans.

Calls to Ace Group were not returned in time for press.

Skinny jeans
The Calvin Klein advertising campaign was centered around the company’s latest introduction, Calvin Klein Jeans X.

Both the billboard and the mobile video emphasized that the jeans are engineered to enhance and maximize aesthetics in a sultry way, with a lean and slim silhouette.

Mobile bar codes served as a means of connecting consumers to the campaign’s video, which was created by consulting creative director Fabien Baron of Baron & Baron

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Kraft sets bar for food marketing with new iPad app

2010-08-09T02:25:00.000-07:00

Kraft Foods’ new iPad application aims to teach users about healthy eating while drilling love and loyalty for the food giant’s brands such as Kraft Singles, Ritz Crackers, JELL-O and Mac & Cheese.

Targeting parents in their 20s and 30s, the Big Fork Little Fork application offers users about 300 recipes, tips via in-depth articles, videos and games. Kraft brands are built into the experience, which is also meant to help families, eat, cook and live well together.

“We’re excited with the launch of our new iPad app, Big Fork Little Fork," said Ed Kaczmarek, director of innovation and consumer experiences at Kraft, Glenview, IL. "We truly believe it will transform the way families approach cooking and eating together.

"The launch of this brand new platform reinforces our commitment to engage with consumers in innovative ways and demonstrates our ability to leverage technology in making consumers’ lives easier and more delicious,” he said.

Kraft Foods is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world. It is home to brands such as Nabisco and Philadelphia and it markets many brands in more than 155 countries.

According to a recent study, last year alone, 37 million Web searches were conducted for family and kids’ food-related resources.

However, no dominant source exists for this type of information, per Kraft.

The "Big Fork Little Fork" application is meant to make mealtimes a teaching occasion, a fun experience and a bonding moment while keeping kids engaged and entertained.

Big Fork Little Fork builds on Kraft's relationship with Meredith Integrated Marketing (MIM), Meredith Corp.’s business-to-business unit that provides the brand with custom marketing services and helped in the development of this application.

Meredith tapped in-house mobile marketing agency The Hyperfactory for this application.

The Big Fork Little Fork iPad application costs $1.99 to download from the Apple App Store versus 99 cents for Kraft's iFood Assistant that was launched in November 2008 to much acclaim.

“Big Fork Little Fork is another example of Kraft’s commitment to their customers," said Martin Reidy, president of Meredith Integrated Marketing, New York. "Through this app, Kraft is using emerging technology to accelerate its promise to reach families and teach them how to prepare food and eat more sensibly through an engaging tool.”

The recipes section of the “Big Fork Little Fork” application is filled with pleasers for picky eaters. It includes nutritious recipes, desserts for special occasions, food ideas with kid-friendly directions, videos and food photography.

Kraft also packs the application with tips and information on nutrition and healthy habits, along with tricks for kids such as using lemon juice to make invisible ink.

The instructional “How-to” videos show parents step-by-step instructions for teaching kids to crack an egg, measure liquids or dry ingredients and learn about stove safety.

Also, recipe videos teach users to cook.

The games in the application let kids blast off into outer space to learn about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid or join in the action at Berwyn's Deli, exploring math skills to measure ingredients for hungry customers.

“Kraft is a brand with extremely valuable content and they’ve done a tremendous job leveraging that content to reach their target audiences,” said Julie Nielsen, senior director of partner development at appssavvy, New York.

Appssavvy did not create the Kraft application. The company provided feedback because of its expertise in the application market.

Ms. Nielsen pointed out that often times brands have a difficult time convincing people to use their applications.

However, Kraft has had tremendous success with its iPhone application, which is still to this day one of the most successful brand-dedicated iPhone applications on the market.

“They continue to innovate to reach their audience where they are spending their time,” Ms. Nielsen said. “It’s a pretty advanced strategy.

“They offer a significant amount of resources to their consumers that actually provide utility and benefit and it’s clearly paid off,” she said. “Lastly, it’s really nice to see big brands leverage new platforms – and quickly.

“They moved fast, and as we have all learned, being first to market can often be more valuable than the experience itself.”

Advertising in disguise
The application does not outwardly market anything, but instead smartly incorporates Kraft brands into the experience, marrying the content with a form of non-intrusive advertising. It really is the future of mobile advertising for branding purposes.

“Many brands are probably scratching their heads at trying to figure out what the iPad means or could mean for them right now," said Derek Handley, cofounder/CEO of The Hyperfactory, New York.

"Everyone involved with Big Fork Little Fork truly believes that it’s really setting the bar and Kraft as a client have been bold enough to buy into a strikingly unique vision which we have helped them realize,” he said.

This is not Kraft’s first foray into mobile marketing. The company launched its very first mobile application in December 2008 (see story).

Called the iFood Assistant, the application can be downloaded from the Apple App Store for installation on any iPhone or iPod touch. The application targets consumers on the go looking for recipes.

The iFood Assistant includes more than 7,000 tested, searchable recipes with detailed instructions and video demonstrations and an alternative horizontal view to follow along while cooking.

Application users can review comments posted on the recipes and share with others.

Consumers can also create shopping lists with nearby store recommendations and add custom ingredients.

Finally, the app offers tips and shortcuts such as "Dinner Tonight" and "Recipe of the Day" that feature daily recipes.

“The thing I like about this app concept, particularly with the iPad, is that the device seems at home lying around the kitchen, where families tend to hang-out, which is of course perfect for Kraft,” said Brennan Hayden, vice president of WDA Mobile Marketing, East Lansing, MI.

“It’s hard to imagine a more effective proximity marketing tool for a food brand, at least per user,"he said. "I remember several years ago, NCR was laughed at for a prototype Microwave oven with a built-in Web-browser. Today, I think it is a head-scratcher why a personal computing device of some sort isn’t built into every kitchen.

“Obviously, the iPad is portable, so the use of the Kraft app isn’t limited to the kitchen at all, but I think having the option is just brilliant.”

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Android, Smartphones Invading U.S. With A Vengeance: Nielsen

2010-08-06T09:15:00.001-07:00

Smartphones will beat plain feature phones in the U.S. market by next year, and Android handsets are the fastest-growing among them, according to Nielsen.

The company this week said in its blog that phones that allow users to access the web and email, run thousands of apps, and share text and picture messages made up 25 percent of the U.S. mobile market in the second quarter of 2010, up from 16 percent the same quarter a year earlier. Smart phones’ trajectory, Nielsen predicts, means they will overtake feature phones in the United States by the end of 2011.

Meanwhile, the Android operating system has shown the most significant expansion in market share among current subscribers, according to Nielsen’s data. In the past six months alone, the Google OS grew to 27 percent, from 6 percent, of newly-acquired smartphones–thanks I’m sure to the Motorola Droid, HTC Incredible, and HTC EVO. In the same period, the iPhone’s share of new smartphones declined to 23 percent, from 34 percent–though the iPhone still makes up 28 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers, compared to Android’s 13 percent

Taptu Launches Huge Update To Android App, Now Includes Android Market Search

2010-08-06T09:13:00.001-07:00

Taptu today announced a major update to its popular Android app that allows you to search the “mobile touch Web,” or sites specifically suited for touch-screen devices.

Launched in late 2009, the Taptu Android app was known as a “lite” application that was basically a link to Taptu’s mobile site. With the update, Taptu is now a native Android application. In addition to search, Taptu now allows users to search the Android Market as well. When you do a search on a specific type of information, for example, you’ll see traditional search results as well as top apps from the Market. For example, if you search for Weather, you’ll see the Weather Channel’s website along side the Weather Channel’s application.

Another interesting update to the app is the addition of “Result Card Flick,” which returns search results as a deck of result ‘cards’ that are easily browse-able. Whether the result is an image, blog post, website or Android App from the Market, you can flick through the cards to make things easier to find. In addition, here’s some other major enhancements courtesy of the update:

ABI Research Publishes Five-Year Mobile App Forecast, Predicts Apple To Reign Supreme

2010-08-06T09:05:00.001-07:00

ABI Research today published a new five-year forecast for the mobile apps space, predicting a continued surge in the number of apps available, with Apple’s App Store predicted to remain the “healthiest app economy in terms of downloads” for the foreseeable future.

ABI expects 2010 to be the biggest year for mobile application downloads going forward, with just under 6 billion forecast to be downloaded, up from an estimated 2.4 billion in 2009. Revenues from mobile app sales, however, are expected to decline by 2012, as competition has led to downward pressure on application prices; and a greater proportion of “must-have” applications will begin to have free or advertising-supported substitutes.

LBS Roundup: Foursquare Improves Its Looks, Google Hints At Gowalla Acquisition

2010-08-06T09:04:00.001-07:00

Foursquare today launched redesigned profile pages in an attempt to bring three key metrics front and center; “days out,” “check-ins” and “things done.” The whole interface looks much cleaner and streamlined, and looks to replicate the clean appearance of Gowalla – which has long been known as the “prettier” of the two leading LBS apps.

TechCrunch speculates the “Thinks Done” metrics is particularly important for Foursquare going forward, as it will likely play in to the upcoming Foursquare 2.0 gaming features. It’s already known that Foursquare is planning on introducing a so-called “choose-your-own-adventure” concept, and “getting things done” will likely play an important role.

In other LBS news, Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently said some interesting things on the topic at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe today, talking about his remembrance of Dodgeball — the failed Google acquisition that could have put the search giant in the LBS spotlight instead of Foursquare. “Foursquare and Gowalla are pretty impressive. They show you the power of mobile/social/local,” Schmidt said. “Google will play in that market in a lot of ways.”

Booyah MyTown Goes International Following Funding, Now Supports Global Check-Ins

2010-08-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Booyah today announced that its MyTown LBS app is now available in Canada, the U.K. and Australia, with global check-in support enabled via the Places Web Service — a new Google Maps API feature that returns the 20 most popular sites near a given location.

The startup closed a $20 million financing round just three months ago, and is wasting no time putting it to good use. MyTown is now the first LBS app to allow global check-ins using Google’s API. MyTown has long been the largest LBS gaming service in terms of users, and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Blending location-based services and social gaming features, MyTown is the first and largest consumer channel to utilize the Places Web Service, with others likely to follow suit.

“Booyah is the premier mobile and social gaming company on top of the exploding location graph,” said Keith Lee, CEO, Booyah. “Our launches in the UK, Australia and Canada are just the beginning of bringing real world gaming to players across the globe.”

Internet Advertising Bureau launches mobile council with mandate to accelerate mobile marketing

2007-12-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

IAB unveils mobile initiatives including research, events, reports and dedicated mobile website.

All respondents acknowledged, however, that the personal and interactive nature of mobile handsets makes the medium appealing to advertisers and agencies once these obstacles begin to be addressed.
Mobile advertising is not ready and is being treated with caution by marketers, agencies and online publishers, according to new research by the IAB. A survey of 40 senior-level marketers suggests that mobile advertising will not become a mainstream marketing space until at least 2010 and the next two years are critical to the success of the medium.

The study found that mobile is viewed in much the same way as online was at the turn of the century: lacking standards, measurement systems, case studies demonstrating efficacy and offering uninspiring creative. The survey also found that mobile internet also currently offers a poor user experience.

The qualitative research, among UK brands, agencies and media owners, coincides with the IAB formally announcing its commitment to mobile marketing with the launch of a dedicated Mobile Council and a raft of initiatives. These include the first joint industry report: “Mobile Advertising: the Emerging UK Market”, produced in partnership with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and a dedicated IAB mobile website.

The report is an all encompassing guide to the mobile advertising industry and the formats available for use right now, such as search, display and video. It also sheds some light on the current UK mobile internet audience and market situation in a realistic and pragmatic manner. MMA’s advertising standards are also included as part of IAB’s drive to help their adoption across the industry.

The Mobile Council is the cornerstone of IAB’s plans to educate the industry and raise the profile of mobile advertising and will be chaired by Jim and Ferhan Cook from MobiAd News. Its mandate is to grow the mobile medium by educating marketers about available tools, contributing to and recommending advertising standards, and commissioning research to aid measurement and planning.

The IAB Mobile Council features representatives from mobile operators, major portals, creative, media and dedicated mobile agencies and will meet in early December.

The IAB’s mobile events programme kicks off on 29 November with “Engage for Mobile”, the UK’s first dedicated mobile marketing conference.

To support all initiatives the IAB is recruiting dedicated staff and launching a mobile website, http://mobile.iabuk.net/, a resource for marketers.

As mobile internet technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and consumers become more comfortable with the mobile experience, brands will have a wealth of opportunities to reach audiences with highly-targeted and relevant campaigns. It is the job of the IAB to show them how. - Guy Phillipson, CEO, IAB

Mobile advertising is the Holy Grail for advertisers seeking pinpoint audience targeting and rich consumer engagement. We're delighted to build a partnership with the IAB to bring the mobile message to its advertisers and agencies. - Jonathan Bass, chairman, MMA UK.

source : iabUK

blogmobilemarketing & wap buider

Sybase has partnered with companies such as Western Union

5 arguments on why mobile is indispensable to marketing plans

Calvin Klein activates billboards with QR codes pushing mobile video ad

Kraft sets bar for food marketing with new iPad app

Android, Smartphones Invading U.S. With A Vengeance: Nielsen

Taptu Launches Huge Update To Android App, Now Includes Android Market Search

ABI Research Publishes Five-Year Mobile App Forecast, Predicts Apple To Reign Supreme

LBS Roundup: Foursquare Improves Its Looks, Google Hints At Gowalla Acquisition

Booyah MyTown Goes International Following Funding, Now Supports Global Check-Ins

Internet Advertising Bureau launches mobile council with mandate to accelerate mobile marketing

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Key Challenges for Mobile Value Added Services

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