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iPhone Primary Driver of Mobile Web Usage

It seems Apple's done more than just sell a truckload of iPhones. It's finally ignited the mobile Web.

According to stats from M:Metrics, 85% of iPhone users have access the Web via mobile phones. That's compared with just 58.2% of smart phone users, and just 13.1% of the total mobile market.

“It hands-down has become the device that is driving the most people to the mobile Web,” Mark Donovan, senior analyst for M:Metrics research firm, tells MSNBC.

“It’s creating buzz among consumers that it can be pleasant and useful accessing the Web from your mobile phone,” adds Greg Sheppard, chief development officer of iSuppli Corp. market research firm.

If other manufacturers can catch up with Apple's ease of use - a tall order - this all might actually catch on.

Either that or we'll all buy iPhones, which might be better still.

Read more 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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Jupiter: More Advertisers Using Mobile Coupons As Consumer Interest Grows

Nearly 30% of consumers now say they're interested in receiving mobile coupons on their cell phones, and advertisers are about to deliver 'em like never before, according to a new report from JuputerResearch.

According to the research firm, only about 1% of advertisers offer mobile coupons today. But over the next year, more advertisers are expected to tap this interest using mobile coupons or promotions, although anticipated growth will remain in single digits.

"Mobile coupons are gaining traction among advertisers, and are no longer just a niche tactic, rather they are moving toward the mainstream to more common use,” explained Neil Strother, analyst with JupiterResearch, in a statement. “There are definite benefits to using mobile coupons such as real-time offers, geo-targeting, personalization, time-of-day redemption tracking, triggering impulse purchases, and a lower cost of delivery. But while there is tremendous untapped potential, there are still barriers that exist.”

Oh, there's the little detail like equipment, however. Very few retailers have systems in place to read coupons directly from cell phones. Current methods for circumventing the issue include entering the code manually in a cash register; matching it with a customer’s loyalty card number; or writing it down on paper—the least preferable way.

Nonetheless, the firm says the ability to target prospective customers most likely to respond to an offer, the flexibility to launch new offers automatically through mobile systems, means more and more advertisers are about to make mobile part of their coupon-oriented marketing efforts.

Read more about it, here.

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Nielsen: 28 Million U.S. Mobile Subscribers Responded to Mobile Ad In Last 30 Days

Turns out 28 million of us have responded to at least one mobile ad in the last 30 days, according to a new report from Nielsen.

What's more, 58 million U.S. mobile subscribers say they recall seeing a mobile ad in the last 30 days.

At least that's the word from Nielsen Mobile's bi-annual Mobile Advertising Report, which is based on a survey of more than 22,000 active mobile data users who used at least one non-voice mobile service in the fourth quarter.

Other findings:

•     The number of data users who recalled seeing mobile advertising between the second and fourth quarters of 2007 increased 38% (from 42 to 58 million subscribers)

•     Teen data users (ages 13-17) were the most likely age segment to recall seeing mobile advertising (46% recalled seeing some type of mobile advertisement, compared to 29% of all data users)

•     Asian-Americans and African-Americans are more likely to recall mobile advertising (42% and 40%, respectively) than all data users

•     26% of those who saw an ad responded at least once by sending an SMS text-message, the most popular ad response.  9% say they've used click-to-call to respond to a mobile ad, where users follow a link on their phone to call a specific number

•    32% of data users said they are open to mobile advertising if it lowers their overall bill

•     13% (18% of males) said they are open to mobile advertising if it improves the media and content currently available

•     14% said they are already open to mobile advertising so long as it is relevant to their interests

•    23% expect to see more mobile advertising in the future (up from just 15% in Q1 2007)

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ABI Research: U.S. Consumers Want Single Mobile/Contactless Payment Accounts

U.S. consumers want to use their mobile phones for making in-store payments, but the majority only wants to have one credit/debit account for making those purchases, according to a new study from ABI Research.

According to the firm, much of the work on developing a standard application platform across near-field communications (NFC) handsets has to date been geared at providing a platform capable of supporting and managing multiple payment accounts from any number of credit and debit card issuers.

However, ABI Research’s study, consumers prefer a single account that is easy to manage on the handset.

“Our survey revealed a number of important attitudes toward contactless payments among US consumers,” says principal analyst Jonathan Collins, in a statement. “The desire for a single and separate account on NFC handsets, for example, provides a heads-up to existing credit and debit card suppliers that new or separate products may be required to keep customers as they move to mobile payments. Furthermore, it shows potential for new and specialized mobile payment providers to step in, as users turn to NFC-enabled payments.”

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eMarketer: Most Agencies 'Bearish On Mobile Marketing' in 2008

At least that's the word from eMarketer.

In a new study, eMarketer found that a third of ad agency executives polled are open-minded about significant spending on mobile marketing. But six out of 10 agency execs said it ain't going to happen this year.

Indeed, only 1% said they're investing heavily in mobile marketing in 2008, and none said they're definitely moving a good chunk of budget into mobile right now.

This even as the total amount of spend in mobile marketing is expected to nearly double this year - and grow 10 fold by 2011.

Why the disconnect, if you will? Depends on the audience. Though some marketers look to spend on a channel once it has become a mass medium, others use it because their target audiences use the channel.

"Urban youth, for instance, have a mobile-centric lifestyle, which explains why Sprite is moving to mobile," eMarketer senior analyst John du Pre Gauntt says.

Some of this makes sense. Brand marketers and general ad agencies are going to go with proven channels, and experiment with media like mobile. But I'm truly skeptical of the increase in spending projected for this year and through 2011.

One, because I think people are going to find that mobile's not a very interesting venue for delivering ads.

Two, because mobile's so much more powerful than that, especially when it's used as an interaction tool and response mechanism to commercial messages in other media - print, broadcast, direct, online and outdoor. A notion examined in more depth in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, and one that doesn't cost much money.

And three, because a growing number of operators are realizing that carelessly subjecting their subscribers to mobile advertising is likely to increase churn. A 2007 Pontis survey found that 70% of subscribers surveyed say mobile marketing campaigns are totally irrelevant to them, while two thirds are fed up with mobile phone spam.

According to Lorcan Burke, CEO, AdaptiveMobile, this is where the danger lies: disgruntled customers switching to a mobile provider with a more suitable mobile advertising strategy.

Time will tell how it plays out. But I think eMarketer has at least one of the equations right.

You'll want to read more, here and here.

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MobiTV: Mobile Television To Reach Mass Adoption By 2008

Mobile television leader MobiTV predicts mobile television will reach the tipping poing in 2008 - reaching mainstream usage by year's end.

"We are rapidly approaching the day where the mobile phone becomes the single most important device people own for access to everything and 2008 is shaping up to be the year the industry reaches this great milestone," says Charlie Nooney, CEO and chairman of MobiTV, in a statement. "As the first to market
with live television services for Sprint, AT&T, Alltel, US Cellular and many others, our challenge for 2008 is to continue pushing the boundaries by delivering more compelling and personalized content with the
cutting-edge performance our partners and millions of users have come to expect."

We'll see. The question is not whether people will subscribe to mobile television services. eMarketer forecasts 100 million worldwide users of paid or sponsored mobile broadcast video services by the end of 2009, It's just that not many people actually use it.

Personally, I subscribed and canceled within months. I don't think I watched one show, ever. And I never got the urge to do so.

That said, as place and time shifting behaviors accelerate, who knows what consumer behaviors will come to the fore. Still, it seems like SlingBox has it over live television when it comes to mobile devices.

Nonetheless, MobitTV is bullish - and may very well have reason to be. Read about its plans, and my interview with president and co-founder Paul Scanlan, in BRANDING UNBOUND the book.

And stay tuned for the mobile television revolution MobiTV predicts.

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Deloitte: 50% Of Americans Into Mobile Data Services

A new study is casting new light on consumers use of mobile data services - and it points to promising opportunities in mobile media. But many marketers will get the wrong idea. 

According to a Deloitte & Touche study entitled "The State of Media Democracy," 46% of 13 to 24 year olds embrace their mobile handsets as entertainment devices. And 84 percent of this age group send and receive text messages, compared to 57 percent of the total consumer population.

Fifty-six percent of all consumers snap photos with their phones, including 37 percent of users 61 to 75.

Steill, what any of this has to do with media is a mystery. Just because people are using SMS and MMS doesn't necessarily translate into usage of mobile content from marketers and content providers. It does, however, point to huge opportunities for interaction between consumers and the brands they know and trust. Many marketers will make the mistake of reading this report thinking mobile will make a great delivery mechanism for content and ads.

Mobile's so much more powerful than that for marketers and content owners alike.

To find out why (and how), pick up a copy of BRANDING UNBOUND the book today.

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Forget the iPhone: GPS Sales Up 488% This Holiday Season

How is this holiday like a good real estate transaction?

It's all about location, location, location.

Sure, the iPhone was hot last summer. But for Christmas, you'd better find yourself with a GPS under the tree for someone you love.

Indeed, revenues for GPS device sellers is up 214% and unit sales are up a whopping 488%, according to stats from NPD Group cited by AD AGE.

Next up: Digital picture frames (up 204% over last year, with unit sales up by 266%); LCD TVs with revenue up 64%; digital single-lens reflex cameras revenue up 29%; and computer notebook revenue up 12%.

And those MP3 players? So last year: Revenues for the devices are down 16%, while the number of units sold was down 9%. As AD AGE puts it, this may be surprising maybe to the average iPod watcher, but not a big shock to either analysts or Apple.

"Apple itself has been saying that iPod sales aren't growing as fast as they once were," NPD analyst Steve Baker tells the pub. "We're starting to move into a replacement market and that means slower, more stable sales."

Read more about it, here.

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M:Metrics: Football Season Gives Mobile Content 'A Kick'

Is football the "killer application" for mobile?

M:Metric seems to think so - at least as far as the soccer variety of "football" in the U.K. is concerned.

According to the research firm, over the past two years, the audience for those accessing sports information on their mobile devices increases significantly around major football events. 

Apparently, more UK mobile users access sports information via their browser, from SMS alerts or through downloads to their handsets throughout major football championships.  For example, when the FA Premier League started in mid-August 2006, the number of users accessing sports information leapt to 4.1 million from 3.6 million the month before the League commenced. 

What's more, 81% of UK mobile users who access sports information do so via their browser, 20.9 percent receive text alerts and only 6.1 percent use downloaded applications.

“This is fascinating data,  as it clearly demonstrates the impact the combination of compelling content, context and convenience has on mobile media usage,” says Paul Goode, senior analyst, M:Metrics, in a statement.  “While British operators may be disappointed in their football teams, who failed to advance to the European Cup, they should be encouraged by their performance attracting consumers to mobile content.”

Indeed, here, here, jolly old chap. Indeed.

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