BRANDING UNBOUND

Business Week: M-Commerce To Top $300B By 2013

That's totally both digital and physical goods, according to projections from Juniper Research.

According to the research firm, the value of payments made via mobile for digital goods - music, games - and physical items - tickets, books - will grow more than fivefold over the next five years.

The ticketing segment alone could top 40% of the total, representing rail, air and bus networks, as well as sporting and entertainment events.

As Juniper analyst Howard Wilcox tells Business Week:  "Merchants in North America and Western Europe are just starting to realize the potential of a mobile web presence as a fourth channel to market. Retailers should be evaluating the benefits of the mobile web, and be mindful of the success of regular ec-ommerce sites in generating sales.

"They need to move quickly to exploit the opportunity presented, and ensure that they maintain ease of use for their customers who are already familiar with web shopping from their PCs."

I think that could be wildly optimistic, unless the transaction mechanism can be webified, ie, be fully hosted by a credit card company. Otherwise, waiting for retailers to transition to systems to handle these mobile transactions will slow down the growth significantly.

One idea: In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I do a Q&A style interview with Don Peppers of 1:1 marketing fame. He puts forth the idea of a "digital aggregation agent" - a trusted party that consumers can sign up for once and provide credit card information for all their credit cards, as well as personal preferences aisle seats in the travel ticketing scenario) that would host these transactions virtually to make this a seamless, easy experience for consumer uptake.

One easy platform to do m-commerce with any participating retailer - without retailers having to make big investments in technology solutions.

For other ideas, and how others are already using them, start here.

To read an excerpt of the Peppers UNBOUND interview, click here.

For the Business Week piece, click here.

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Second Thoughts On 'Men's Health's' Mobile-Enabled Print Ads

So close.

The other day,  I posted on the summer issue of Men's Health hitting the streets as the first in which all the print ads offer mobile interactivity. Readers can snap a photo of any ad and send it to MH@snaptell.com to get an instant response from that advertiser and automatic entry to a vacation sweepstakes.

It took until this morning to realize I already had the issue - and completely missed this promotion.

Here's the deal: None of the ads actually say they're mobile-enabled. Only if by chance the reader happens to catch an (unfortunately plain-looking one-page) ad that explains this feature, would they even know about this capability. Not a single mention in any of the ads anywhere in the book, as far as I can tell. Completely invisible. A completely missed opportunity.

A Tag Heuer ad, for instance, has the 800# and the website address. How hard could it have been to say something to the effect "Or snap an image with your mobile phone and send to MH@snaptell for more information"?

This is a powerful new capability for print ads, and unfortunately, may be missed entirely by readers.

We'll see how this performs. But something tells me the next time it's applied, some easy changes will make it far more effective.

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BMW UK Kicks The Tires On Mobile Marketing - And Likes What It Finds

Mobile marketing has helped BMW UK score a coup for its new coupé.

Mobile marketing powerhouse Rhythm NewMedia is revealing results on its recent campaign for BMW's 1 Series coupé in the UK - and so far, they look impressive.

As part of an integrated campaign, Rhythm was charged with build awareness for the 1 Series among adults 25-34 that are hard to reach through other channels, and get them to request additional information from BMW, such as setting up a test drive, ask for a brochure, or search for a local dealer.

According to Mobile Messenger, in addition to a mobile banner and video campaign, Rhythm crafted a mobile banner ad campaign solution whereby consumers could click through to view video of the 1 Series on their mobile phones, and then request information through a wireless website. Pre-roll video ads appears on the 3 Network, as well.

Results, according to the company:

• Delivered video ad impressions as planned to only 25-34 adults

• 7.72% click through rate average for companion ads

• 67% increase in traffic to the mobile WAP site

(Note: I'm not sure "increase" means anything, as I'm not sure how people would have known about the site until the campaign began, but still...)

The following brand awareness metrics were measured using Rhythm’s unique in-line brand awareness research solution:

• 23% spontaneous awareness recall (30% among males)

• 60% prompted awareness recall

• 54% correct brand message attribution

• 29% felt more positive about the brand after seeing the ad

Rhythm rocks of course. Here in the U.S., Cielo Group and others have run many mobile campaigns for BMW, albeit more as a response mechanism rather than an outbound marketing campaign, which is my preferred format, and seems to be a component here, as well.

As more people take to the mobile medium, you'll no doubt see some of these response numbers go down.

But Beemer seems to have found a winner with this campaign.

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New Location-Based Mobile Games Open Up Fun - And Ad Opportunities

With the iPhone opening up, it seems like a lot of people I know are trying to figure out new apps to develop for the upcoming iPhone app store.

Usually, this ends up being a conversation about games. And usually I end up saying how boring it is to create a standard portable game for an iPhone and completely miss the point that any old hand held can run a game.

Why not, I always ask, take advantage of the mobile phone's unique value proposition - the fact that it can bring you out into the real world. Why not, the conversation usually flows, use location to map games on top of the real world, ala the HP video shown here, called Roku's Reward.

More and more companies are waking up to the possibilities - not just to create cool games, but to introduce new advertising models. I can see a day when the conversation about outdoor ad buys delineating between real billboards and virtual billboards in the same exact location, at least in games set in a a more modern milieu.

(In fact, I can see a day when Pepsi might buy virtual space that sits on top of Coke's real world space so gamers immersed in a virtual/real-world adventure see only the Pepsi sign.)

At any rate, I received some news from a Munich-based company that's taking steps to make this kind of thing a reality.

Orbster GmbH says it has launched the beta phase of the multiplayer location-based game GPS Mission. 

According to the company, any player can create “missions” on www.gpsmission.com without programming knowledge, and then set puzzles for all fellow players that they can tackle and solve “out there”  with their GPS mobile phones.

The aim of GPS Mission is the completion of missions which are created by other players.

These can be created for any place in the world with a tool called Mission Designer. A mission may be a scavenger hunt enriched with information on sights to see and things  worth noting, may lead to a hidden cache or may simply be a guide to the creator’s favorite places. 

Players collect virtual gold placed and hidden by the mission’s creator and completes photo missions, which can be posted at the GPS Mission site. With the gold collected the player can purchase trophies, medals and badges as souvenirs and show his community which missions he has completed where. 

There's even a prize for the winner of the beta phase: an  invitation to the 2008 Oktoberfest in Munich.

I don't think this has anything to do with the iPhone; I believe it can work on any GPS-enabled phone.

And clearly, this particular offering is more along the lines of Jeep's GPS games than a virtual overlay of the real world.

But you can see the seeds of a Roku-style gaming environment in these types of games.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at these possibilities (as well as sophisticated location-based team games in Britain, like "Uncle Roy All Around You"), and the ways brands are already taking advantage of them.

At stake: A whole new generation of gamers on the go.

Find out more about the book, here.

And more about GPS Mission, here.

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Every Print Ad Has Mobile Interactivity In New Issue of Men's Health

It's finally here: The new issue of Men's Health is hitting newsstands and making history at the same time.

Back in April, I posted about how every ad in the July/August issue of Rodale's Men's Health title will enable readers to snap pics of the ads using their mobile phones and send to SnapTell to get instant promotional responses from marketers.

Now, the issue is hitting the street, and is being billed as the "first fully interactive advertising magazine" in American magazine history.

According to SnapTell, the technology is compatible with all camera phones, does not require special software for downloading advertiser images and is an opt-in solution for the reader.

“As technology continues to proliferate our everyday lives and devices become more advanced we are always looking for innovative ways to stay competitive in the industry,” says Jack Essig, VP/Publisher of Men’s Health in a statement. “[This approach seems] easy and appealing to our readers, yet compelling and novel to our customers.”

There's even a built-in mechanism for promoting reader/advertiser interaction. Each "Snap and Send"  enters readers into a drawing to win a trip for two to the Wyndham Rio Mar Beach, Golf, Casino and Spa resort in Puerto Rico for 5 days and 4 nights plus round-trip airfare. And three runners up will win brand new iPhones.

Some of the nearly 100 advertisers participating in the July/August issue include AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Honda Motors, Louis Vuitton, Quaker Oats, The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble and Unilever USA.

As I write in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, this is the future of print magazine publications (with or without the "snap a photo and send it" model), and a view of how mobile marketing works best - as a interaction mechanism to commercial messages we experience in print, broadcast, outdoor, direct mail and more.

In this particular case, the initiative offers a great deal of flexibility for marketers to provide instant brand messaging, sales incentives such as product samples and discounts, sweepstakes information, and links to websites, photos and videos.

To be clear, this is hardly the first such initiative to bring this kind of interactivity to American publications.

Jane, for instance, is just one of the U.S. publications that long ago started enabling readers to interact with brands by snapping and sending ad images.

And just in the last few months, Wenner Media's Rolling Stone started offering similar mobile marketing solutions for groups of advertisers in an issue.

But this is perhaps the most expansive to date, in that it includes every ad in an issue, and is promoted throughout on behalf of every advertiser therein.

Kudos to Rodale and SnapTell for giving us a, er, snapshot of tomorrow's print pub, today.

Read more, here.

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McDonald's Reveals Results From Mobile Coupon Program

Did somebody say McCoupons?

As I've posted here, McDonald's is running a number of sms-based mobile coupon solutions worldwide, including here in the US.

Now, at least one of the programs is releasing results.

The MMA is reporting that 12Snap's SMS Lounge in McDonald's enables customers to send an SMS message to begin receiving embedded QR codes on their handsets that they could redeem in-restaurant.

According to 12Snap, since the program's launch last summer, more than 10.000 participants have used the service, and at least 29% of recipients redeemed at least one coupon.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book and blog, I look at other such programs, which have been especially popular in Asia.

I think in general, these kinds of offerings could be boosted by tying them to third party solutions like Mobo, which allow consumers to sign up for SMS ordering at several participating fast food chains, and enables them to opt-in for coupons.

That way consumers can deal with one entity instead of signing up for a separate solution at each restaurant they frequent - and even order food while they're en route, paid for by pre-set credit card.

Now that's what you call fast food.

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Unilever Launches Brand-Specific Mobile Site For Pot Noodle.

A UK-based Unilever brand is getting what's billed as the personal care giant's first dedicated mobile web site.

According to Brand Republic, Pot Noodle - which I take to be a packaged noodle meal - will be the subject of potnoodle.mobi, a new site that offers branded entertainment, including ringtones (think "Moussaka Rap"), wallpapers, and more.

One offering: a short film called "Tipping Pot," which describes its plot thusly:

"Who needs Argentineans and a massive budget when you've got a flatulent drunk and some old shopping trolleys?"

It's unclear if that's a dig at Argentineans, whom the Brits went to war with in the 1980s. But either way, it's clearly meant to bring something different to a noodle brand.

Apparently the launch is getting support from The Sun, which is sending videos via Bluetooth at Cineworld and other movie theaters.

Unilever has always been a leader in mobile marketing - and in fact, since I posted this, at least one reader has pointed to Unilever's sedateens.mobi as an earlier brand-specific mobile site, in that case a social network site for a hair care product).

As for the Pot Noodles site, it's kind of funny to think of packaged noodles having enough of my attention for me to bother going to any website - mobile or otherwise - to download a branded ringtone or wallpaper. But in many nations, this is a primary way of interacting with the brand.

In fact, as I talk about in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, Unilever and others have long placed short codes on packaging so that shoppers can use their mobile phones to instantly get recipes or menu ideas.

I think adding that kind of capability here could make this particular mobile offering more useful to its target audience.

Read more about the Pot Noodle mobile site, here.

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Disney.Com Revamps To Include Virtual Reality, Mobile Offerings

The top children's destination on the web is about reinvent itself again.

Today's New York Times reports that Disney.com, seeking to head off competition from Nickelodeon, WebKinz, Cartoon Network and others, is about to begin rolling out new features on it site - including video streams of full-length movies like "Finding Nemo," new games, and a virtual world called Pixie Hollow, where girls can create their own fairy avatars, and then be able to use their mobile phoenst o create pet butterflies for their fairies.

"I'm going to want to use my phone to feed and love my butterfly all the time," Larry Shapiro, EVP for mobile content tells the Times in a quote that thankfully is followed by, "That kind of emotional vesting is what we're after." Eventually, kids will be able to access the Pixie Hollow virtual world right from their phones.

Shapiro's just the man to help bring that to reality.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I talk to Shapiro about Disney's longterm plans in the mobile space, and what it can mean to the way entertainment content is consumed, created and shared. You'll be surprised about how visionary he and Disney are in the space.

As IDC analyst Scott Ellison tells the Times, these new mobile offerings would help Disney gain a competitive edge. "I think what they're doing is really advanced and will be very compelling to its target demographic."

As anyone who is a parent to that "target demographic" knows, Ellison's right on the money.

Read more about UNBOUND, here.

And read the Times piece, here.

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Ogilvy, Publicis Each Make New Pushes Into Mobile Marketing

Big league agencies are angling for advantage in the burgeoning world of mobile marketing.

Precision Marketing is reporting today that Ogilvy Group has hired Scott Seaborn as head of mobile technologies in an effort to boost mobile capabilities spanning OgilvyOne, Ogilvy Action and Ogilvy Advertising.

Seaborn comes fresh from Magnet Harlequin, and has eight years' of mobile marketing experience working for clients such as Borders, John Lewis and Costa Coffee.

Meanwhile, Trading Markets is reporting that Publicis Group has announced a partnership with Yahoo to bring mobile marketing initiatives to bear for clients.

According to the pub, Yahoo! and Publicis' new "VivaKi Nerve Center" intend to leverage Yahoo!'s mobile platform to enable the increasing number of brands that are going mobile to broaden their reach and more deeply engage mobile consumers with advertising solutions. T

The two companies will also work to integrate Publicis' current media buying systems with Yahoo!'s Right Media Exchange, and with AMP! from Yahoo! on its introduction, and will no-doubt leverage Publicis' mobile marketing arm Phonevalley to powerful effect.

As I talk about in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, mobile is a must-have capability for agencies, but remains a mysterious new component of the marketing mix for many.

Both agencies are far from strangers to mobile. Here in the U.S., San Francisco-based Publicis & Hal Riney has its own mobile marketing division. Competitor Omincom Group has its ipsh mobile unit. And others like Goodby Silverstein are integrating mobile into a growing number of campaigns.

One thing's clear: mobile is ascendant - and it's coming to an agency near you.

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NBC4 LA Lets You Access Traffic Cameras From Your Mobile Phone

It took 10 years, but Los Angeles is finally catching up with South Korea.

The LA Times is reporting that NBC Los Angeles and 3rd Dimension have launched Traffic Cam, a new mobile service that enables drivers to access 270 traffic cameras aimed at the city's streets and highways.

"This is a unique offering for our viewers and one that can truly make a difference in their daily commutes and leisure travel," says Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President, Operations and Digital Strategy, NBC4, in a statement.

Oh, and don't forget the pre-roll advertising aimed at what is surely a captive audience.

Read more here, and why the service is so late to the game, here.

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