Which Mobile Platform Works Best For Marketers?

I got to thinking, after reading Microsoft’s bleak forecast for its Windows Mobile division, about what’s the best mobile platform or OS available today in terms of mobile marketing.  Since the days of Windows Mobile and Symbian domination are almost over, I think it’s time to take a closer look at the myriad of options available today and rank them from a mobile advertising point of view.  For all intent and purposes, let’s focus on the US mobile market for now.

To be fair, I’m not saying one is “better” than any other because each has definitive pros and cons, but from a marketing standpoint, some shine more than others.  Let’s start with the options; we have Windows Mobile, Blackberry, iPhone, Android, Palm’s new OS and a variety of the classic Symbian platform, so which one is best?

Let’s start at the bottom; Symbian would be my last choice only because, as it stands right now, they’re a little behind the times in terms of application delivery and web-centric intuitiveness.  With that said, Symbian has made huge strides recently to better align itself with its ever-growing competition.  The launch of the Symbian Foundation in June of last year signaled its intent to simplify its offerings (S60, UIQ, MOAP) into one open-source platform.  This will pave the way to things like LBS (location-based services), a more mobile-web oriented infrastructure, and so on.

Next up the list would have to be Blackberry.  While Blackberry is starting a major push to a more consumer-oriented brand, they’re still more associated with enterprise than anything else.  Blackberry is coming on strong with some serious advancements in terms of user interface, various applications, social media integration, etc., but it will take some time to catch up with the likes of the iPhone, Windows Mobile, or even Android.

Windows Mobile would be next on my list simply because of its history and sheer market share, for the time being that is.  Windows Mobile has long been associated with web-centric devices, even though it’s still a bit limited, and is found on a vast majority of devices.  From a marketing point-of-view, that’s always a good thing.  Beyond that, Windows Mobile is a dieing breed.  They’ve stated that the future holds great things for the platform, but they’ve more or less been left in the dust when compared to others.  Microsoft’s antiquated image seems to be damaging Windows Mobile as much as elsewhere in the company.

Lastly, for first place, I’d have to go with a tie between the iPhone OS and Android.  The simple fact being that while the other platforms/OSs are planning new-age technology, application delivery methods, full-web capabilities, etc., both the iPhone OS and Android are doing it now, and have been since the inception of each platform.  Palm’s new OS will likely fall in this category as well, but it’s a little to early to make any judgements.

While we don’t know what the future holds for each platform, we do know what the past has proven.  The mobile marketing industry is laying out the technology and mobile innovation needed to keep itself prosporous, now it’s all up to the various mobile platforms and the devices they run on.  What do you think is the best mobile platform for mobile marketing?

Publishers of static content going Mobile

Michael Zimbalist gives a video interview on the New York Times mobile strategy. A bold move - considering that the Newspaper world is a very slow moving one. The motto for newspapers as observed by outsiders is — “do what you have done the last 100 years. It has worked the last century, so keep with the winning formula”.

But the question remains is this a winning formula ? The newspaper has certainly its benefits. One of the major advantages of newspapers over other 20th century media was their portability. Whereas television and radio were stationary devices, newspapers could be picked up, folded and carried in readers’ pockets. Now, through 21st century mobile devices carried in the pockets of an enormous amount of people around the world, newspapers have the perfect means of transferring from the print to the digital world.(See WAN link)

WANs (World Association of Newspapers) initiative called the “Shaping the Future of Newspapers” has been going now for ten years. This initiative is looking at todays challenges and opportunities for newspapers. With all of the reports and case-studies done, there has been little success to convince newspapers to, to a limited extent marry digital and print.

Today, these two media channels have been put to work very much independent from each other at most publishers. There is now initiative from print to use mobile to access multimedia content on the web.

Certainly the emerging markets with the lack of infrastructure and the cost of bandwidth, people on the go and easily and very cheaply access bits and pieces of additional information using their mobile phone.

Michael Zimbalist, VP of R&D at New York Times, aptly states how mobile can be used to marry print - with multimedia. “Die Burger”, a local Western-Cape based Newspaper here in South Africa has been running a multimedia newsroom over the last three years now. But, once again - only access to people with Internet Connectivity.

The Times and the Mail & Guardian, other local South African based newspapers, how challenged the status quo. They have leaped ahead with their implementation - and they certainly are a example of a bright future - for news, be it the form of print, online and mobile.

Following the links for additional / very interesting reading

• 10 obvious things about the future of newspapers.
• Bill Gates once again comments on the slow death of print

Mobile Firms Pays $1m Fine

A California-based mobile marketing firm has agreed to pay the Florida Attorney General’s office $1M to avoid legal charges stemming from a variety of mobile content campaigns that were deemed “deceptive and misleading” after several complaints were filed with the AG’s office.

The company in question, “Mobile Messenger,” operates several online campaigns that direct mobile users to sign up for a variety of mobile content subscriptions such as horoscopes, “flirting tips,” and other content targeted more for younger users. The problem lies in the disclosure methods used by Mobile Messenger when signing up its users.

According to the Florida AG, many of the ads and subsequent transaction pages they pointed to failed to conspicuously disclose the true cost of the content. To avoid being faced with charges of violating state “CyberFraud” laws, the company decided to pony up the dough. You may remember, other mobile and online marketing firms have faced similar settlements from the state of Florida- M-Qube, AzoogleAds, and even AT&T have all payed settlements to the tune of $500k, $1M, and $2.5M respectively to the state of Florida. In other words, Florida is serious about its CyberFraud laws, and it intends to send a loud message.

Things like this always shed a bad light on mobile marketing as a whole and feeds in to the criticism that mobile marketing is plauged by deceptive practices and methods when in reality it’s far from the truth. While industry regulation is still evolving, it’s definitely there, and more times than not mobile campaigns are fully compliant, non-obtrusive, and abide by all rules and regulations.

See the next video on 12 News Investigation in Cell Phone SPAM in Wisconsin, USA.

Mobile and Consumer Privacy

Mobile privacy is a mine field. Jan Chip-Chase’s TED video on mobile - highlights one certain thing - “The Mobile number is becoming our identity”. These days it is scary how easy it is to get hold of peoples “mobile identity” number.

Users of mobile phone’s leaves their mobile footprints where ever they go. When you dial a number - you expose your identity. When you text SMS you leave your mobile footprint. When you send MMS you leave your mobile footprint. When you go online to some limited extent you leave a mobile footprint as well. When you supply information as entry into a competition. Its inevitable that you will leave your mobile footprints where ever you go.

The problem is who do you entrust with the information ? Who can take the responsibility of protecting your personal mobile escapades ? Who has the systems built to enforce this ?

Check out the following video. This video has been on the circuit for a time now, but it speaks to our fears, of unknown third parties accumulating our personal information - from our mobile number, our home address, our identity number, our work address, our health information, our financial information.

To direct marketers this may seem like utopia. You start a mobile campaign - and every participant is happily giving their identity to you. And what do they do ? They take your number, add it to their database and sell it off to who ever wants to send you messages.

The one problem of todays mobile campaign management systems - “they happily give away the mobile identity” to an individual who was able to

1) register on their online system

2) pay some money to get their own short-code and/or keyword

with no track record of ethics of the newly subscribed user, or how they will deal with information. The system is too happy to give these details.

WASPA (South African based mobile industry regulatory body) had the case of some one running campaigns via a mobile service provider, took the numbers gathered from the marketing exercise, and SPAMMED/SENT individuals on his database without any regard to what they want. Once cut-off from services from that specific service provider, he then took his database to some other service provider. He managed to go from one service provider to the other, until WASPA sent out a notice to all of its members not to provide services to this indvidual.

With a bit of smart thinking, the situation could have certainly been circumvented. Is the scenario showed in the video too far fetch to conceive ? The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has recently been requested to protect mobile privacey (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=98192).  The diagram below, from Microsoft shows the complex nature of our every day activity and where we leave our footprints.

Today WASPs are happily signing off their responsibility of securing this information - by giving their users/clients - access to this information without considering how this user will use the information. It is now becoming very easy. Nearly every WASP out-there is giving away a mobile identity - to some one who is prepared to pay - to have those services launched on their platform.

To advertisers — use service providers who knows the value of the private information. Use service providers that you know will act responsibility. Use service providers that have in-built measures that will comfort the mobile consumer in their privacy concerns.

Despite all of WASPAs effort - from personal conversation with youngsters - up to middle age individuals like myself, there is now many people —- once bitten twice shy — because of

1) subscription services - that have put a very ugly dent into the mobile industry (recurring payments)

2) SPAM based issues.

This is definitely hurting mobile. Whenever people engage - privacy and cost - is top of mind before they engage with a campaign. Privacy has never been transparent at all. The challenge to all in the mobile industry - is to prevent a revolt. People already feeling they have been violated - have already revolted — and it is happening in every growing numbers.

They revolt through non-participation in any current or future mobile campaigns. There is this growing community of people that needs to be convinced they can happily and securely participate in mobile campaigns without the concern of been abused.

Are you up to the challenge ? Or, are your brand, your company to happy to take what you can get - and milk the mobile consumer with what it is worth — to maximize return on investment - whether it hurts the brand, the product, the company and the mobile industry ?

The SMS Usage is Starting Explode

This of an industry…..any industry and try and find at leat 3 uses of text sms. It is not that difficult to do. One simply has to think about data, service, info, and other normal industry outputs, and the mobile phone uses start ticking up in your mind.

Here is a simple story in New York where the cost and time challenges of taking a fast food order, for pick-up at a later date, can be simplified and easily managed using simple text sms.

Manhattanites craving sub sandwiches can now satiate themselves via SMS–and sammich-sellers are reaping the benefits.

Every Subway franchise in the New York city borough has started offering text-message ordering, powered by GoMobo–which, as Michael told us a year ago, aims to permanently simplify and standardize the way busy people everywhere pre-purchase their fast food or hot cup of coffee.

To participate in Subway Now, customers need to go online and set up their “favorite” food items and desired shop locations. When they’re hungry, they text the keyword MENU to the short code 466626 to receive the list of their favorites. Then they reply via SMS with the number of their desired food. Subway then texts out an order confirmation and pick-up time.

The campaign, launched January 5, is a permanent one for the participating shops, and could lead to a national expansion if successful. I’m told that the restaurant owners have seen their average order sizes grow 50 percent since starting Subway Now–$9.45 from $6.32.

This boon is a testament to the multi-channel as well. Subway’s campaign has been promoted with marketing both traditional (ads within the New York City subway system, direct mail with partner American Express ) and new (online ads on sites like Gawker and Gothamist).

iPhone Christmas App Jingle

The platform that the iPhone sets for niche (and fun!) applications is fantastic.  It was good to see software developers taking the Christmas spirit on board:

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