I’ve written a few posts about the Mobile Marketing Forum, but I just wanted to close with a few thoughts and quotes from presentations that didn’t really justify a complete post devoted to them.
I thought that the best answer to a (fairly aggressive, if very fair) question came from Scott Seaborn, whose company I have written about before. Scott presented some of the work he’s been doing for the likes on Universal Pictures and Borders (the book store). Essentially, this involves using the mobile as kind of digital mouse, to bridge the real world and the digital one - a space I’ve been hot on for 5+ years now.
Bena asked (edgily) what was the difference between Scott’s company and the rash of startups and established companies who were now in this space. Scott replied that “there were lots of garage bands” but he was the only DJ with a string of hits. Yes, it’s about execution, not the idea - lest we forget.
There was a cool case study, by Sweden’s Crossmedia Avenue’s Stina Akesson. It illustratrated very well how creativity can can be mixed with a dull product like insurance, popped into a mobile medium, and shaken vigorously to make the perfect mobile marketing cocktail.
The insurance company had been running an ad campaign for a while, inviting people to imagine their 70 year old selves in the future - with the not so subtle message that they’d better start saving for that future today. Using some proprietary software, consumers could live the concept by taking a photo of themselves and MMSing it in. Once received, the photo was then aged appropriately.
Sweden has a population of only 9 million. Yet within a month, they had 323,000 entries - pretty amazing! And while there was a free web-based entry mechanism, 80% of people sent their pic in via MMS that they paid for.
A couple of things to note. 1. MMS has quietly been crossing the chasm and going mainstream, while operators have mainly been focusing on the new, new thing. 2. People will use it, if there’s a tangible benefit. 3. I’ve been saying since I wrote the book on MMS (with Ajit Jaokar) back in 2001 that MMS needs to be easier to use from a creativity point of view - as opposed to usability. An example might be the use of templates or this kind of promotion. 4. The face-changing technology could be used in other contexts - for instance, finding which celebrity you most resemble, or morphing you into your animal self.
M:Metrics gave their normal rocking presention, packed full of goodies. One curiosity was that Italy has about twice as many Smartphones as the UK (20% v 9.9%). Is this about style, substance or some other explanation?
M:Metrics are rumoured to be about to sell to WPP, by the way. Spend it wisely, fellas, if it’s true.
Google said search for “adult” content is trending down, but is still the most searched for term at 21% of all mobile searches. This is followed by “entertainment” at 18%, “computers and electronics” at 12% and followed rather later in the list by a rather peculiar “sensitive subjects”. “Errr, I’ve been been meaning to tell you me old pal, but hell, your kids are ugly. They must take after your wife.”?
Steve Ricketts of Orange UK gave a fascinating presentation that packed so many facts into his short session that it was impossible to write things down without resorting to a combination of highly competent shorthand and illegal drugs - neither of which are ever in my possession, just in case you wondered.
But one factoid that had me thinking was that mobile is the primary medium for most people between 12 and 6 pm. Yes, I suppose it would be. But I’d never thought of it in quite that way.
So, a great conference and looking forward to the next one already.
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Hi Russell. Just FYI, I didn’t mean to sound aggressive - but I met Scott the day before he presented and I tried to talk to him. He kept on saying wait for my presentation… so I have to be honest - I was expecting fireworks during the presentation- which I didn’t get. I think I asked the question in frustration more than anything else.
In fact, I think that the second time I approached him - he or someone else made a comment “don’t speak the press is here”. It’s really silly as I do try to be fair but edgy on GoMo News and I am not just after a scoop. But people who don’t know GoMo or don’t read it just make asumptions when they meet you (and see press) and then come out with statements like that or don’t want to speak to you because you are stupid or don’t know the market.
I was never treated like this as an analyst and its like learning how to swim again.
Hi Bena - I wasn’t being critical when I wrote about being aggressive, although perhaps “direct” would have been a better adjective as far as your motivation is concerned. You put Scott on the spot (good for you - that’s your job) and I liked his response.
So yes, fair but edgy won the day
Russell
Have I missed it Russell or did you mention just how good the presentation was from BMW??????
Hi Both,
Bena - i read Gomo evey day and have done for as long as!
Russ - yes, there are lots of bedroom DJ’s out there!
Thanks both
Hi Paul - Actually, I missed the BMW presentation, though I heard it was great.
Anything you can share hear?
Russell
Hi Russell,
Good points raised around MMS. From our experience clients are starting to be more creative with messaging. We are currently deploying MMS campaigns to FMCG brands.
As you mention, we have defined a set of templates that allow us to be as creative as possible whilst acknowleding the varying capabilities of the wide device range.
I will come back with some statistics on campaign effectiveness in the next month.
BR,
Si
Russell,
frankly you missed one of the best presentations direct from a brand that I’ve heard in mobile. BMW clearly believe in mobile as a channel and are exploring its use for both marketing and service apps. They have a very wide range of initiatives underway and they are getting good results. One that stuck in my mind was a service message sent to car owners (in Sweden I think) to remind them to buy winter tyres. This got something like a 30% conversion rate; i.e. people who actually went to a dealer to buy them.
My favourite comment from him came in our brief one-to-one at the end though. I asked Marc how he was monitoring the mobile activities of other automotive manufacturers. “I’m not interested in them, I’m looking to consumer goods companies for ideas on what to do next” he said.
Hooray for BMW.
Declaration of interest: I drive a BMW…
My colleague Adi Kishore has a good write here: http://www.contentinople.com/author.asp?section_id=439&doc_id=151306.
On the BMW piece he comments:
“Mielau pointed out that a mobile game BMW developed some years ago would be too “old school” a strategy for them now, even though the handsets and graphic capabilities would enable a far superior gaming experience. This again stresses that mobile marketing/advertising is being driven as an innovation, or a one-time stunt rather than a legitimate advertising medium which will command a regular line on the annual budget.”
If Bena doesn’t ask questions she might as well not be in business.
Some people are strange. They moan about “the press” and generally believe they’re too super important to talk openly with them, and then and hire rafts of PR firms to beg for coverage.
That’s not specific to Scott Seaborn because i’ve never met him or heard of his company until now. But it’s a strangely widespread attitude.
You might even say it’s industry bloggers you should watch out for more than people working in the press, who are generally trained in how to use information and must keep confidences to maintain their reputations. Like this blog happens to drop in that WPP might buy M:Metrics… interesting for sure (thanks!), but unless you have mutiple solid sources you can’t write that in a regular publication.