BRANDING UNBOUND

Study: Mobile Advertising Recall Up 20% In First Quarter of 2008

A new study from mobile entertainment company Limbo finds that brand recall's not in limo when it comes to mobile advertising.

According to the new Mobile Advertising Report Q1 2008 edition from Limbo and GKK/NOP Research , 41% of cell phone users who remembered seeing mobile advertising could remember at least one brand, which is up from 34 percent just three months earlier.

“The mobile advertising opportunity continues to grow for marketers as brand recall is at an all-time high in the mobile channel,” said Rob Lawson, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Limbo.

Key findings include:

•    Mobile Penetration: There are more than 255 million cell phone users in the U.S., up from 251 million in fourth quarter 2007

•    Mobile Usage: SMS continues to dominate, with more than 50% of cell phone users making use of the service. But WAP – with still only 50% of the reach of SMS – is the fastest-growing medium, with 69 million users

•    Mobile Advertising Recall: The number of people who recalled seeing advertising on their cell phones in the last three months has risen significantly, from 78 million to 82 million

•    Males Engaged: Men are 10 percent more likely than women to recall a brand they had seen advertised. Meanwhile, those aged 25 to 34 were the highest-performing age group (not sure what that relates to, though you can insert your own joke here...I think they mean this age group had the highest brand recall)

•    Income and Recall: There is a reverse correlation regarding income, with those earning the least much more likely to recall brands than those earning the most (seems like that's always the case, doesn't it?)

•    Brands Making Waves: The most commonly recalled brands were the mobile operators themselves,  most notably Verizon and AT&T, followed by mobile service providers (ringtones, games, music, dating) and handset manufacturers

Obviously Limbo has a vested interest in pitching the power of mobile advertising. And obviously we're in an early stage when it's the mobile operators/manufacturers who make up that brand recall, as they're the ones most actively advertising via mobile, in part, to sell others on how effective it is.

Still, these stats jive with others out there, and it indicates that mobile may have a place at the branding table.

Or is it that mobile branding has a place at the marketing table?

I don't recall.

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JupiterResearch: Portable Media Players May Expand Mobile Marketing Opportunities

Somebody's finally talking sense about mobile as a bona fide media platform.

JupiterResearch is prognosticating that introducing portable media players (PMP’s) with internet browsing capabilities are likely to stimulate significant growth among those accessing wireless web and will create additional opportunity for advertisers, who are expected to spend $2.2 billion on mobile messaging, display ads, and search via mobile technology by the year 2012.

In a new report titled “Mobile Internet: Adding Portable Media Players to the Mix to Drive Up Audience Size and Revenue," completed in cooperation with mobile advertising service provider AdMob, the research firm found that the majority of page views and advertising impressions on cell phones and portable media players are on a small screen with a mini-browser.

Here's the deal: Impressions and click-through rates (CTR) per device, however, are higher for devices with full browsers.

"Mobility is adding a time and space dimension to media and advertising that has the potential to drive up CPM’s significantly. We are finding ads with location tags are selling at five to tenfold premiums over basic ads," says Julie Ask, Vice President at JupiterResearch and lead author of the report, in a statement. "The ability to tag users with location, demographics, and behavioral data complemented by devices that support rich media to avoid having their role in the advertising value chain made obsolete must continued to push forward.”

"New devices such as portable media players available on the market with dramatically improved user interfaces and capable of fully rendering HTML web sites are driving consumer demand for Internet access on portable devices," adds David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch.

“Carriers should continue to enable consumers by rolling out more devices that look like portable media players at affordable prices – perhaps even as a second device – and continue to break down economic barriers of pricing and application restrictions to consumer adoption.”

That makes a lot of sense to me. Mobile phones as they are today simply don't make very interesting or compelling media devices - I don't care how much you really want to watch a show, watching it on a 2.5-inch screen just. Doesn't. Cut. It.

Mobile devices are extremely powerful as a response mechanism to commercial messages people experience in other media. It is not, however, a powerful new cable-TV-for-the-mobile-generation appliance, no matter how much we wish it to be.

But...other devices could make the equation more interesting. Essentially we're talking an iPhone, but with a slightly larger screen, maybe even some projection capabilities, and new dynamics open up pretty quickly.

Time will tell if it means as much to mobile marketing as Jupiter indicates. And hat's off to AdMob for recognizing the potential.

But it sure as hell will mobile TV and other (ad-supported or subscription) content services a whole lot more interesting.

Read more about it, here.

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Magnolia Pictures' Horror Flick 'The Signal' Finds 'Click-To-Call' Mobile Marketing Frightfully Effective

A new horror movie hopes to make killing with mobile marketing.

Mobile advertising firm Ringleader Digital is reporting that its click-to-call campaign promoting Magnolia Pictures' new horror movie "The Signal" is garnering a 16% response rate within its target demographic.

"The mobile medium is undoubtedly one of the most useful and, simultaneously, underutilized channels available to marketers today," TMC quotes Craig Woerz, Managing Partner of media-buying partner Media Storm, as saying in a statement.

"Much like TVs are in nearly every home, most people now carry a mobile device. With the right partner, like Ringleader, you can reach those people and engage them on the spot. The success and high response rate we've experienced through Ringleader's campaign has encouraged us to recommend mobile advertising elements as part of future projects."

According to the pub, the campaign centers on a mobile ad banner that invites fans to click the ad, which sends them to the movie’s mobile website. This site then offers people a chance to hear the signal, send the sound to a friend or read a film synopsis.

This is a great match of medium and message, as the movie centers on an audible signal that makes people go insane, which sounds akin to the Stephen King novel, "The Cell," the promotion for which also relied on mobile marketing.

According to TMC, the marketers considered a click-to-video option - which also would have been cool, as television appears to figure prominently in how the signal is spread in the film.

Still, given the usage patterns of most mobile consumers, this was probably the way to go - though I would have loved to seen a test to see which actually pulled best.

Read more, here.

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Clear Channel Adds Mobile Content To Local Stations' Web Sites

Clear Channel's been pretty clear about mobile content for several years now: It's seriously into it.

As I talk about in BRANDING UNBOUND the book Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio company, has long used mobile as a way to build interactivity with radio listeners, and as a venue for station-branded content.

Now, it's working with mobile gaming firm Thumbplay to roll out custimized mobile content stores across more than 650 of its local music stations' Web sites, plus several more news and sports stations, throughout the year.

According to the two company's Thumbplay’s content is contextually featured in areas such as the ‘Just Played’ box and ‘Top 20 On Demand’ lists on all participating local radio stations’ home pages.

In addition, links to the mobile content store are found in the ‘Last 10 Played’ playlist on each site. This enables listeners who like songs heard on these stations to purchase them as ringtones for more than 2,000 supported handsets across all major U.S. wireless carriers.

“Many of our listeners first discover their favorite songs on radio,” says Larry Linietsky, Vice President of Business & Product Development for Clear Channel Online Music & Radio in a statement. “We can now connect the dots by delivering a broad selection of mobile content, including exclusive station-created ringtones and graphics, right to our listeners via our stations’ websites.”

Brilliant - though adding full music tracks couldn't hurt, either.

Find out more, here.

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'CSI' Mobile Game Features Real Phone Calls In Gameplay

CBS is taking the whole "call the cops" thing to a whole new level.

Characters in the new edition of the 'CSI' mobile game actually call the player with clues to solving in-game mysteries.

Gameloft has come up with a solution that enables players to activate the interactive phone call feaeture, through which they'll receive automated calls during the game with clues and tips to lead them to new crime scenes.

The game comes as mobile titles tied to TV "crime procedurals" proliferate. Just last week I posted about the new "Law & Order: Celebrity Betrayal" mobile game.

With its new capabilities, "CSI" is keeping ahead of the curve.

As Gonzague de Vallois, SVP at Gameloft, tells Mobile Entertainment: "Our mission has always been to push the envelope on game development and we are confident we have succeeded with this game."

Read all about it, here.

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Paper Is Out, Mobile Phones In At Airline Check-Ins

It seems that change is, quite literally, in the air.

The New York Times is reporting that a growing number of airline passengers will soon have their boarding passes already in their pockets, thanks to new mobile ticketing service at Continental Airlines.

According to the Times, half a dozen airlines in the United States already allow customers to check in using their mobile devices - by way of an an encrypted bar code displayed on the phone’s screen, which can be scanned by gate agents and security personnel.

Continental, for one, is testing the new solution in the U.S. And Air Canada's been using it for a while.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at the exploding number of ways Continental and others are using mobile to connect with passengers at every step of their travels, from booking a ticket, to checking flight status to tracking baggage.

These new check-in services close the loop, right up to boarding.

“Our research shows that about 47 percent of frequent travelers are interested in using their phones for flight check-in, and about 42 percent said they’d be interested in using their mobile phone as a boarding pass,” Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt tells the Times.

As I point out in the book, QR codes and other new technologies will make booking and re-booking flights much easier as well.

Now if they can figure out an easy way to order fast-food delivery while you're waiting in the security line.

Read all about it, here.

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Nokia: 25% of Entertainment On Mobile Phones Will Come From Online Communities

The big question, as Nokia puts it, is how will media companies participate?

According to a new study from Research & Markets finds that the third screen may prove extremely potent as an entertainment vehicle not because it offers a particularly compelling experience (it doesn't), but because of its ubiquity.

As the report puts it: "The thought of several billion consumers carrying around a handheld device that is capable of playing video and audio entertainment is making content creators salivate."

Some key points:

* More multimedia mobile phones (300 million) will be sold in 2008 than TV sets - these are phones that can play audio and video as well as browse the internet

* Half the world's population - 3.3 billion - now has a mobile phone subscription

* Nokia says 25% of entertainment on mobile devices will come from online communities by 2012. How will media companies participate?

* The rapid spread of broadband to homes caught many within the media and entertainment industry by surprise. Can they move to provide consumers with their seemingly unquenchable demand for entertainment?

Many in the industry believe, and this report seems to bear out, that media companies need to focus on made-for-mobile content such as mobisodes and ringtones.

I'm not so sure I agree. I don't download portions of episodes to my iPod, for instance. I take content - the full-bodied variety - with me so I can enjoy it when I'm on the go.

I also believe that mobile capabilities will soon take on new forms that will change the mobile media equation.

Time will tell who's right.

Read more about it, here.

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Yahoo's Three-Year Plan Focused On Mobile As Growth Engine

Yahoo's got a plan, and it depends, in part, on mobile.

TechCrunch is reporting that Yahoo is touting a new three year plan to justify its resistance thus far to acquisition bids from Microsoft.

At the heart of the plan: display ads, search and mobile as engines of what it projects to be a 73% growth in revenues over the next three years.

That's pretty optimistic given current economic conditions - and the fact that these are the same growth engines Yahoo's been touting for years.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, of course, I take an in-depth look at Yahoo's mobile marketing plays and some of its tremendous innovations in that space.

Yahoo is by far the most accessed brand in mobile. And over 600 million subscribers have used its OneSearch product. Speaking to Yahoo executives at the Yahoo Branducation lecture series, I got the impression the company recognizes mobile for what it is - the next major new media, one that will be a game changer with impact on every other medium.

Let's hope Yahoo can keep Microsoft at bay - though I suspect this plan is all part of an effort to just get a higher bid from Microsoft.

Time will tell if mobile really pays off - and if Microsoft really pays up.

Read more about it, here.

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'Hard Candy': Madonna's Sweet New Mobile Content Promotion

The Material Girl's going mobile - again.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at several of Madonna's mobile initiatives, including an online banner campaign that enabled consumers to enter their mobile phone numbers in order to receive a text message with links to music clips before the songs ever hit stores or the airwaves.

And, of course, she introduced her mobile era song "Hung Up" via mobile with ringtones and full music tracks.

As I talk about in the book, Madonna really was the first global brand name to make content delivered to mobile phones seem downright dope. Not just for consumers in Asia and Europe, who'd long been exposed to any number of mobile marketing campaigns, but to mobile newbies who just happen to be the ultimate arbiters of pop culture cool: America's teenagers.

Small wonder, then, that Madonna's back with a new initiative with Vodafone to distribute and promote music content from her new album via mobile.

The Telegraph is reporting that Vodafone has signed a deal with the music maven and Warner Music International to use mobile to promote and distribute content from Madonna's new "Hard Candy" album prior to its April 28 global release. The deal includes releasing seven of the songs to 250 million Vodafone customers.

As John Reid, vice chairman of Warner Music, tells the pub: "This is an innovative way to reach millions of Madonna fans around the world, building anticipation and excitement around this landmark release and helping to create a real event for Vodafone customers."

Read all about it, here.

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A Legend Is Born: Subaru Scores Big With Mobile Marketing

Subaru's "The Legend Reborn" campaign may soon be the stuff of legend itself.

This week's Ad Age is reporting that Subaru's effort to adapt its campaign for  redesigned 2008 WRX to gadget-loving guys between the ages of 20 and 35 is revving up some serious response rates.

Working with - who else, R/GA, a perpetual innovator in all things digital, including mobile - Subaru developed web and mobile web sites that counted down the days to the WRX's unveiling at the New York Auto Show. Once there, visitors could sign up for SMS alerts that would allow them to be among the first to see the car from their mobile devices.

According to the pub, a multichannel ad campaign including TV, print and mobile ads was launched to drive consumers to the mobile and online sites.

The results: The ad campaign achieved millions of impressions and a click-through rate of 2.7%, increasing traffic to the mobile site upward of 1,000% - which is understandable as it was new and most people would never know it existed without the campaign. While a QR code didn't pull as much, mostly due to the fact that most people don't yet own devices capable of reading them, if consumers made it to the site, they seem to have seriously dug it. Some 30,000 videos, ringtones and wallperpers were downloaded to mobile phones, including the campaign's TV spots.

"Integration is a key element of mobile," Webster Lewin, director-mobile marketing at R/GA, tells the pub, echoing my contention in BRANDING UNBOUND the book.

A notable multi-platform campaign that put mobile in the driver's seat.

Read all about it, here.

And to learn more about other mobile campaigns from R/GA - including a fully interactive Times Square billboard that enabled passersby to play a Yahoo video game using their mobile phones - pick up a copy of BRANDING UNBOUND the book today.

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