BRANDING UNBOUND

Google's New Locator Tech: Mobile Maps Are Suddenly Where It's At

Internet search giant Google is testing technology that will find the location of people using its mobile mapping service, even if the phone doesn't have a GPS receiver.

The AP is reporting that the new location-aware mapping will enable people to skip going through the cumbersome task of typing in a starting address on a mobile phone when they go to Google Maps for directions.

The technology, called "My Location," enables users to press zero on a mobile handset equipped with the new software. The user's location pops up as a blue dot on the Google map. Sure, not a big deal - but yet it is. I hate having to enter in information on they tiny keyboard of my cell phone for this kind of stuff.

And what of the business model? Of course, the online ad leader is hoping the technology will enable it to  run display ads from nearby businesses. Which could be useful. You're going to be at an office or event, it's nice to know what restaurants, hang outs or other attractions are nearby.

Still, getting rid of several steps to  using Google Maps shouldn't lead to more steps having to view, and then click through ads. Surely, Google can come up with something better than that.

For more, click here.

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An 'Open' Question: What Does Verizon's Move Mean To Mobile Advertising?

Reaction to Verizon's announcement that it would open its network to any device and any app  has been mixed to positive.

"It's great for advertisers," Eric Bader, managing director, Brand in Hand, a mobile-marketing consultancy whose clients include Procter & Gamble, tells Ad Age. "Ad buys on Verizon have just exploded to a much bigger universe. It's a really smart move."

Indeed, the $1 billion mobile advertising market could boom - and developers and marketers who were hesitant or unable to get into the emerging platform may now see options open up significantly.

But others aren't so sure. Roger Entner, senior VP-communications sector at IAG Research, tells Ad Age that the problem might not be closed systems, but too many options in terms of phones and apps that require numerous permeations of every campaign for different devices on different carriers. He says Verizon's decision may compound the problem. "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it."

For me, it's too early to tell. I think walled gardens don't work online, and they won't work in mobile for long, either. With things like Google's Android and now this (btw: other carriers are expected to follow suit - not because open's better, but because it's a government requirement if they want to bid on more spectrum in upcoming auctions), the ability to create campaigns and apps for mobile will undoubtedly get easier.

But competition for attention will grow like never before.

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Mobile 'Misadventures': VH1 Launches 'Paparazzo' Mobile-Only Series

If VH1 has it's way, a fat, obnoxious paparazzo's about to be seen on camera phones everywhere.

Mediaweek is reporting that VH1 is launching "The Misadventures of Bob Paparazzo," an original, mobile-only TV show that follows the exploits of a creepy celebrity photographer.

Each Monday, a new episode of the show, about overweight, mustachioed Bob and his strictly B-list subjects (think Kim Kardashian, Zac Efron, et al), will be released via mobile stream through various carriers.

Of course, this is just the latest mobile initiative from VH1, including "Mobile Junk 20" and "Dingo Ate My Video."

According to the pub, VH1 officials say mobile streams of its content have surged 261% in September year over year.

Get the full picture, here.

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Clear Channel Outdoor Deploying Mobile Content Delivery System

Call it Outdoor Advertising 2.0.

As I talk about in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, a growing number of outdoor efforts involve posters, billboards and other signage that consumers can interact with via their mobile phones.

Now, Clear Channel's out to capitalize on the trend, teaming up with location-based mobile content company Qwikker to build an interactive digital network to enable the delivery of mobile content over Bluetooth.

"It transforms a one-way, indirectly measurable advertising medium into an active, two-way interactive medium with exact performance measurement, increasing the value of our properties and opening up entirely new business models for the out-of-home advertising industry," says Michael Hudes, Global Director, Digital Media for Clear Channel Outdoor, in a statement.

Brilliant. Actually, it's more like obvious to the point of "duh." But kudos to Clear Channel for recognizing, and acting on, this tremendous opportunity. 

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at how mobile does exactly what Hudes describes in many point-based executions. Now, Clear Channel could be sitting on a full network - propagating the power of mobile as never before.

A clear vision for the future, from the people of Clear Channel.

Read all about it, here.

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ADWEEK: Mobile Marketing About Branded Utilities, Not Ads

Turns out mobile marketing's killer app may be the killer app.

ADWEEK is reporting today on how major brands are finally waking up to one of the major points of my book BRANDING UNBOUND: Mobile's not a new distribution channel for advertising. It's a medium through which brands can deliver true value.

In December, cold-and-flu wary consumers can sign up for weather alerts on their mobile phones, courtesy of Vicks. It's part of an effort from Procter & Gamble to develop mobile applications, rather than just use mobile phones as a venue for media buys.

"At the end of the day, if they tap into why you own the phone, brands can figure out how they can help you deal with your life," John Hadl, CEO of Brand in Hand, a mobile marketing consultancy, which advises P&G on mobile strategy, tells the pub. "What can brands do for us that also ties in to the brand benefit?"

As a result, you'll see more efforts like Sprite's The Yard, instead of more and more ad buys. And P&G, in particular, is ramping up efforts. Its CoverGirl brand, for instance, has created a "ColorMatch" mobile app that recommends shades based on complexion and clothing and accessories colors. The idea is to provide a tool when women are at the makeup counter, where they wouldn't have access to a computer.

Coca-Cola's Sprite brand launched The Yard, a mobile social networking service. AT&T helped launch a tool for fans to track last month's Ironman World Championship triathlon in Hawaii.

The key is to align the tool with the brand promise. This fall, Visa Signature started offering wine-and-cheese recommendations via mobile, in conjunction with supermarket Mollie Stone. The idea was to appeal to the Signature brand's upscale consumer.

For many more examples of these kinds of branded mobile apps, pick up a copy of BRANDING UNBOUND today.

And for the ADWEEK piece, click here.

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Interview: Mobio CEO Ramneek Bhasin (Conclusion)

India's role in Mobio's APAC expansion plans - and Mobio's future in a world of iPhones and WAP (yes, WAP) 2.0.

Conclusion: Mobio's Moves For The Future

(approx 7:40)

 

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CBS Launches 'Mobile Zone' In Midtown Manhattan

Call it "CBS Takes Manhattan."

The Eye network has launched what it calls a "CBS Mobile Zone" in Midtown Manhattan - a new service that delivers free Wi-Fi connectivity to Wi-Fi enabled cell phones, laptops and other devices. Here's the kicker: The welcome page showcases CBS-branded local and national news, sports and entertainment content.

The service stretches from Time Square to Central Park South, and is sure to be a hit with many business people.

"We are pleased to deliver what may be the most advanced wireless and pre-WiMax, outdoor offering of it's kind in the U.S.," says Cyriac Roeding, Executive Vice President, CBS Mobile, in a statement "Whether it's surfing the web on your laptop from a park bench, receiving breaking news, sports scores, locating the closest recommended pizza shop or calling your friend for free via your Wi-Fi-enabled phone, we believe we're offering something helpful to all New Yorkers. Thanks to the extraordinary capabilities of our partners the whole project took less than six months to complete and was highly cost effective."

I think this is a brilliant experiment and a simple, innovative way to deliver branded content and provide a useful service at the same time.

But does it translate to traditional mobile content delivery? It's hard to tell. The fact is, most users of this service will be laptop based, not cell phone based. And expectations for a start-up screen are different between the second and third screens, so to speak. Can a brand deliver ad-supported service like this to mobile users? Sure. I just doubt it will be very compelling.

Roeding's "mobile zone" model is perfect for where we are today with the technology. And I hope they create more of these zones in other cities.

Read more about it, here.

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Interview: Mobio CEO Ramneek Bhasin (Part 3)

In part three: A look at Mobio’s strategies for India and the US – and a look at the differences in the ways these two cultures embrace the mobile medium. In India, for instance, the “ABC’s of Mobile” mean three things: Astrology, Bollywood and Cricket.

Part Three: India Calling

(approx 6:33)

 

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Ad Age: 'Mobile Marketing Euphoria Is A Thing of the Past'

Finally. Finally the greater advertising community is realizing that mobile isn't what they thought it was. It's not, it turns out, an exciting new delivery channel for advertising. In fact, it's anything but.

And finally, the industry is realizing watching an ad on a cell phone is even more uninteresting as watching a TV show or clip on one.

Advertising Age is reporting that marketers are now seriously balking at shifting money into mobile advertising, mailing "because they don't understand its potential at a fundamental level." The pub cites Renee Borkowski, senior VP-database marketing at Arc Worldwide as saying marketers "are still struggling with their own mobile phones."

Speaking at an industry conference, she said the result is a "true gap" between what the industry sees as the mobile phone's future and the realities of dealing with prospective marketers.

Actually the disconnect is far larger than that.

As I talk about in BRANDING UNBOUND the book and blog, mobile isn't an ad medium. It's far more powerful than that. In fact, it's the ultimate response mechanism, a mechanism by which consumers can respond to commercial messages they experience in other media - print, broadcast, direct mail, outdoor, etc. And it is the ultimate touch point for consumers to engage, interact and transact with the brands they know and trust. It is a service mode. It is a platform for branded applications. It is a communications venue. It is not a new ad channel.

As Ad Age points out, marketers are starting to broaden their ideas about what mobile marketing means, much more along the lines of what I have long proposed. The pub cites initiatives such as:

• Mobile for translation services: One test case targeted 7- to 12-year-olds with a free downloadable educational game teaching 50 basic English terms. It was downloaded by 11% of the Hispanic-targeted users. The game's next version will have a website for reporting scores.

• Branded utilities: In the automotive industry, Fiat is using the phone to help customers when they drive off, providing a mobile download with information about where to find the local dealership and handy information from the manual, such as tire pressure.

These are fine, for starters. If you want find out about mobile's true potential - and see a wealth of successful initiatives, I've got a book full of them. Pick up a copy of BRANDING UNBOUND today.

Read the Ad Age piece, here.

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Interview: Mobio CEO Ramneek Bhasin (Part 2)

In part two of my interview with Ramneek Bhasin, CEO of Mobio, I get to some of the fundamental questions about functionality and business model.

In a time when popular, but unproven offerings are being sold for millions (even billions) of dollars, how will Mobio differentiate itself from the pack – and what does that mean for advertisers and partners alike?

Part Two: What A Difference A Difference Makes

(approx 7:03)

 

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