BRANDING UNBOUND

Tiffany Unveils $94,000 400-Diamond Mobile Phone

The little blue box ringing - but I'm not sure anyone will answer the call.

Word's out that Tiffany has joined Ferrari, Porsche, Prada and others who have rolled out branded luxury mobile phones.

But this may be over the top, even by Tiffany's standards.

Gadget site Switched is reporting that in February, Tiffany is introducing a $94,000 3G mobile phone that features 400 20-carat diamonds for Japan's Softbank Mobile network.

The first call should be to Tiffany headquarters to tell them stop damaging their once venerable brand with expensive junk.

Actually, I'd say the same for most of these luxury mobile phones. It seems so kitchy to trick out a commodity product with your upscale brand.

Alas, even with the rich and famous, sometimes there's no accounting for taste.

Read more about it, here.

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CBS Mobile Chief Says Mobile Industry Is Overwhelming Consumers - But Boring Them Is More Like It

"Overwhelming?" More like "underwhelming," as they case may be.

CBS Mobile chief Cyriac Roeding told an industry panel yesterday that in order to make mobile a viable advertising, platform, carriers, device makers and content providers need to simplify mobile media-buying and not try to pitch cell phones as mini-TVs or Web sites, according to MediaPost.

Speaking on a panel titled "Unleashing Mobile Advertising" at the AlwaysOn OnMedia NYC conference, Roeding said "How do we expect anyone to take this seriously as an advertising device if we keep telling them about the unbelievable complexity that arises out of the fact that we have 20 carriers in the U.S., then we have fundamental technologies, GSM and CDMA..."

Well, Roeding's been one of the most innovative people in this business for quite some time. But to his comment, I'd also add, "why make mobile an ad delivery platform at all?"

Mobile's so much more powerful as an interaction and transaction mechanism to advertising messages experienced in other media - print, broadcast, outdoor, online, direct mail and so on.

To see how many innovators, including Roeding, are doing that part of the equation right, pick up a copy of BRANDING UNBOUND the book today.

There's a lot of wishful thinking that mobile will be the portable equivalent of cable television, and thus a place where content owners and carriers can sell advertising. But unless there's some major breakthrough on the device side - and the iPhone ain't it - it's just a pipe dream for a very unsatisfying viewing experience.

Read the MediaPost piece, here.

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Pizza Hut: Download Coupons At The Snap of A Camera Phone

Pizza Hut has its sights on mobile.

Now through April 2, consumers in Hong Kong can use their camera phones to snap pictures of images on Pizza hut promotional materials to instantly download promotional coupons.

The campaign, powered by MyClick Media Limited, is enabled through a unique photo recognition Mobile Marketing Platform that empowers mobile consumers to download exclusive infotainment and m-commerce information upon demand.

Through MyClick enabled images printed on Pizza Hut promotional materials (including all printed, Internet and outdoor ads), users can access immediate interactive content by snapping an  photo.

Find out more, here and here.

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DEMO 2008 Attendees To Vote Via Mobile Phone, Thanks To MobileVerbs

MobileVerbs is getting the ultimate demo opportunity at DEMO 2008.

Indeed, the mobile marketing startup's technology platform is enabling attendees to connect with the popular VC event by simply sending a text message from their cell phones.

DEMO 2008 attendees are able to cast their vote for the People's Choice Awards by click of their cell phone button.

And they'll also get  get access to various value-add functions, such as networking, surveys, newsfeeds, event pictures, event video clips and more.

An interesting element I'd like to find out more about: The MobieVerb platform apparently has a patent-pending Situational Decision Engine that makes mobile campaign content relevant to the current situational context of the target user.

For example, marketers can launch smart campaigns that engage differently with the changing context (location, weather, time, day, season etc.) of the target consumer.

"You do not want to deliver a coupon for hot cup of coffee on a sweltering summer day," says MobileVerbs CEO Parmeet Chaddh. "But a discounted cold beverage can be refreshing."

You can read more about the DEMO effort, here.

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Mobile Marketing Results 'Run Easy' For Reebok

Results are in for the recent "Run Easy" campaign from Reebok.

The Mobile Messenger is reporting official results for the effort, which was aimed at reinvigorating its brand and focusing on the joy and fun of running, included outdoor advertising in the U.S., Canada, Korea and India.

The outdoor promotions invited users to send a text message to join the "Run Easy" movement, or information on where they to run, what music they listen to, and what they talk about while running.

According to the pub, the information was posted on the GoRunEasy website, effectively creating a global community of runners.

In the U.S., runners also received a link to a mobile website asking them to enter their location, which was then sent to the website and plotted in a mashup with Google Maps.

The effort, from Carat, Isobar and Neighborhood America resulted in nearly 50,000 total unique responses, with thousands joining in the campaign's first week. New York, with its heavy foot traffic, saw the highest participation rates.

Now, in the results posting, it's important to point out that there's no information given on the cost-per-acquisition, i.e., how much was spent on the outdoor advertisements. Without this information, it would be also hard to guess total response rate (though that's hard with outdoor anyway).

Still, this is a nice, targeted, brand-appropriate campaign, and a model for other brands hoping to provide a way for consumers to connect in a fully-branded experience.

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Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art Lives Up To Name With Mobile Marketing Push

Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art is using contemporary technology to draw a crowd.

The museum announced today that it is working with Chicago-based Cellit mobile to provide real-time text messaging and display technologies for the Museum of Contemporary Art's "Digital Post Office of Love," as part of their upcoming First Friday event happening February 1, 2008 at the museum.

The "Digital Post Office of Love" features a large interactive display, where attendees will be able to use their mobile phones to instantly post messages to woo other participants at the event, all in the spirit of Valentine's Day. Each message that is texted will appear instantly on a large interactive display for all participants to view and the intended recipient will receive notice on their cell phone.

As an aside, Cellit's definitely on the move, as witnessed by several high profile projects of late.

This is hardly a first for a museum, of course. In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at how the Children's Museum of Baltimore has long used mobile technologies as part of its exhibits. And more recently, the Boston Museum of Fine Art began enabling consumers to download Museum masterpieces to cell phones and other mobile devices.

Read more about the MCA initiative, here.

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Denny's Aims For 'Grand Slam' With New Mobile Campaign

Denny's is dialing up a mobile marketing as part of an integrated campaign aimed at helping consumers recognize a "real breakfast" when they see one.

According to Ad-Hoc, the company  is working with Publicis Mid America in Dallas and Optimedia to help the 50-year-old dinner brand take on fast food giants. The campaign, called  "Don't Fall for Fake," targets men and women 25-40, through media that include television, banner ads, mobile alerts, offer-based online games, video ads, to paid searches and music polling/custom playlists such as consumers' top fave breakfast songs.

"Consumers tell us that real breakfast goes beyond the food, it's about the total experience. More important, they believe Denny's delivers a real breakfast experience," Elizabeth Geer, senior director, advertising and merchandising for Denny's, tells the pub. "Real breakfast is a call to action not to settle for wrappers and Styrofoam. Denny's is the place to get your eggs made to order just the way you like brought to you on real dishes with real silverware, served with a smile. Fake breakfast can't imitate real breakfast."

Kinda makes you crave a "Grand Slam" breakfast, doesn't it?

Read all about it, here.

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Carfax Vehicle History Reports On Your Mobile Phone

Should Carfax change its name?

The company is announcing today that it is bringing its vehicle history reports to mobile phones for car listings available through the Gumiyo platform.

As longtime readers know, Gumiyo is a kind of mobile eBay. The announcement means used car buyers and sellers doing business through Gumiyo will have access to Carfax vehicle history reports by sending a test message that includes the word "CARFAX" with the Vehicle Identification Number to 48696 (GUMYO).

"We believe Carfax Vehicle History Reports should be accessible anytime, anywhere," says Larry Gamache, Communications Director at Carfax. "When buyers can view the Carfax Report up front in the buying process, dealers sell cars faster and make more money on each sale."

Which is great. But given evolving delivery mechanisms, maybe it should just be "CarFacts" moving forward.

Read all about it, here.

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Amazon.com Goes Mobile

The world's largest bookseller is going wireless in a whole new way.

The Financial Times is reporting today that Amazon.com has launched Amazon Mobile, which provides mobile phone users with a streamlined version of Amazon’s main website, enabling registered customers to buy online using their existing credit card or bank accounts.

According to the pub, the service includes features from the company’s regular website, including customer reviews and product images. And purchased products are shipped to the primary address on the customer’s Amazon account.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at how a growing number of companies are introducing mobile commerce services for today's on-the-go consumer. Indeed, in the book, business futurist Jaclyn Easton predicts tells me: "[Amazon CEO] Jeff Bezos estimates by the year 2010, 100 percent of Amazon transactions will happen wirelessly."

He meant of course, wirelessly over a wireless local area network at home or work, or a wireless/mobile laptop, or from a strictly mobile device.

Time will tell if his prediction is correct.

But this announcement indicates he's putting his money where his mouth is.

Read the FT piece, here.

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San Francisco's BART Conducts Mobile Payment Test

The San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) is buying into pay-by-phone systems.

The authority, which runs San Francisco's BART trains, is piloting a new system that would enable commuters to pay for transit with a wave of their Sprint mobile phone,, according to today's San Francisco Chronicle.

The pub reports that BART has been using the contact-free technology in its EZ Rider pilot program, which allows riders to pay at the turnstiles by waving a plastic card that has a wireless chip. The latest test puts a similar chip inside a phone, eliminating the need for additional cards. Apparently, BART is also working with Jack in the Box so trial participants can pay for food with their cell phones as well.

"This becomes a credit-debit card," said BART Director James Fang, holding up a cell phone. "This becomes more convenient than carrying a bunch of cards in your wallet."

As I talk about in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, such systems are common in other parts of the world. And in here California, transit authorities long ago adopted RFID-based badges affixed to automobiles for paying for toll roads and bridges - and have even tested the badges as payment methods at McDonald's drive-thrus.

As a frequent BART user, I can truly say, this pay-by-phone system is definitely something to call home about.

Read all about it, here.

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