From WinnipegPress Cellphone users get the message
Welcome to the world of mobile marketing, where merchants use cellphones as a way to deliver messages to consumers.
"No other medium allows for this," said Keith Bilous, president of Captive Interactive, a Winnipeg-based mobile marketing company. "People spend so much time online or on the go."
That is why, he said, mobile marketing is an effective, instantaneous way to reach people.
The way it works is merchants will purchase keywords -- such as "gas" in the case of a gas station -- from Captive Interactive and include them in their radio or print ads.
Here's the problem. Will consumers remember the short code for every mobile campaign. NO. They will remember one or two. So if I'm Joe's Gas Station do I want to buy the keyword "gas" from Captive or from a mobile info platform that is accepted universally.
Would you rather buy an ad in the NY Times or the Scranton Gazette?
Consumers input the keywords into their cellphones, send them using a mobile code called a "short code," and receive the information they want. Messages are delivered instantly through Taggg, a network that sends information, exclusive offers and other content to users' cellphones in the form of text messages.
I suspect that just like there is one search engine that is used for PC search, there will be one mobile information engine. Who has the best shot of implementing this application?
6 comments:
Here is my 2006-2008 prediction - mobile business in US continues to be fragmented: carriers, standards, phone features, etc. so text messaging remains the single common denominator. Mobile browsing will grow but text messaging will grow along with it. M-metrics stats by end of 2008 will still show text messaging exceeds mobile internet. Therefore, your single mobile browser prediction is not going to happen for at least few years. Who was Google three years ago? Who will lead three years from now? Who knows.
Agree that people will only remember a few short codes - GOOGL, 4INFO, YAHOO are likely winners, but not all text messaging happens when someone just thinks of need and acts. Very often there is a call to action in print, radio, tv, viral p2p. In this call to action, even an unmemorable short code is a workable solution. Don't you think?
"M-metrics stats by end of 2008 will still show text messaging exceeds mobile internet"
I disagree. I think by the end of 06 we see a WAP portal or embedded query app that overtakes texting for convienence.
For the majority of cell phones it is a pain in the butt to text. If QWERTY boards are universally adopted, then maybe texting will still hold ground.
I think an embedded app that sits on your phone w/ a search window, will be the turning point in 06.
It could be Google, or 4INFO or a new player.
I didnt say all these other codes would be unworkable. They will be the niche apps for mobile marketing.
There are 3 SE that get any traffic, but there are dozens out there that do a great job for SPECIFIC searches.
By the time people are conditioned to start looking for the unique short code to interact with an ad, there will be a quicker way to retrieve the desired info.
PP, could you elaborate on who some (3 or 4) other (new) players might be? Curious.....
And what quarter in 2006 is the turning point likely to occur in your opinion? And, why then?
Value your opinions in this space! TIA.
Some of the new players are just getting financing. Too soon to talk about them. I will when I can.
I don't know what the catalyst will be, but there will be an app that plays on the emotions of consumers where they will download or request it.
What are the key elements that are used to sell just about everything?
That's your answer.
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