Mobile: the little platform that could

Dean Macri
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Mobile Posted on November 07, 2007

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BMW and Anheuser-Busch integrate mobile

Perhaps the biggest challenge in mobile marketing is discovery and distribution -- how consumers find and obtain an application. Fortunately, advertisers hold the keys to discovery. Because traditional advertising has such wide reach, brands can achieve greater exposure for their mobile applications. In turn, the detailed mobile links that provide measurement and segmentation contribute to the ROI of both a company's traditional ad media and its mobile investment.

For example, BMW today places short codes on signs at 14 major airports across the country. A traveler who taps in the short code and a keyword receives a mobile link to an application promoting BMW's new convertible.

The application includes BMW video (or a photo gallery for phones lacking video capabilities) and the ability to look up a dealer and click to call. The keywords allow BMW to track which signs in which airport produce results and measure the effectiveness of this traditional campaign.

In another example of a brand injecting new value into its traditional broadcast buy, my company, Cielo, increased the worth of Anheuser-Busch's Super Bowl ad spend by streaming Budweiser TV commercials to viewers' mobile phones. During the game, consumers voted on their favorite commercials, which they could forward to friends. Anheuser-Busch's mobile campaign, discovered through traditional broadcast media, became the long tail of Anheuser-Busch's branded content. Consumers viewed and shared Super Bowl ads, as well as new daily content, long after the game itself, allowing Anheuser-Busch to continue its interactive dialog with each mobile consumer.

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sri vikas November 7, 2007 at 10:41 PM

you nailed it! mobile advertising is the most effective way to reach your target audience based on parameters like geography, age, interests etc. in india, its still at a very nascent stage but things are hotting up, what with 300 million mobile subscribers of which 40 million access internet from the mobile phones. very soon we will see brand wars in our mobile phones. its this potential that made us venture into mobile advertising by launching Zestadz.com.

Elliot Benn November 7, 2007 at 3:32 PM

Great article Dean, those of us in the mobile space couldn't agree with your observations more! While we are still a few years away from the models used in Europe and Asia, we can still provide solid couponing and calls to action with simple codes or other forms DR actions (click to call, zip code for nearest loc.). We at 4INFO have had great success in promoting large brands and prompting users to "click through" with average CTR's of 1-3% and higher.

Swampthing k November 7, 2007 at 3:22 PM

Dean, Neomedia does not own any proprietary codes just the reader to read them. They have built a reader that reads the same types of codes Scanbuy does. The only exception is the EZ code. The NeoReader currently reads 2D, QR, datamtrix, Aztec, 1D, EAN, right now. I know that I am missing one here. There are supposed to be 7-10 readable codes by the end of the year. In one click. A few things to note, how is the consumer is going to know which reader to use and know what type of code it is? Wouldn't it be easier to use the current 1D codes on the product? Even though 1D barcodes are limited to how much information one can embed in the code. Wouldn't is be easier for the consumer to have one reader for all types of codes? FYI, Neomedia is a U.S.based company and they own the patented technology for a direct response, and is in current litigation with Scanbuy. Yes, before people start writing in, the UPSTO is reviewing Neomedia patents, which have been proven out in court against other companies. The main problem is people are being mislead by others who follow this field. The EFF is looking at the Lucent patent. It is already covered under the citations. I fully expect the (1) of (27) Neomedia patents to be upheld by the USPTO. Just my opinion. Yes, I am a shareholder.

Dean Macri November 7, 2007 at 12:51 PM

Thanks for your comment. I agree the use of mobile as a direct response is not limited to short codes. I expect 2D codes to be alot more cost effective and simple to use. However, the ability to read them is not native to handsets (US). There is, as you know, a bigger pentration of the readers in Asia. In addition to NeoMedia's codes, ScanBuy, here in the US, is providing a very good alternative and there will be a multi-carrier program around their EZ Codes in Q1 of '08. www.scanbuy.com Dean

Swampthing k November 7, 2007 at 12:41 PM

Dean, This is a great article for the brands to read and take notice of the changing times. How else can the brands be more interactive with consumers? This is it. They can interact with consumers by a permission based response. The consumers should be able to click on 1D barcodes, as well as, RFID, logos, trademarks, slogans, keywords, billboards, etc. to get coupons, directions, cheapest price, schedules, give aways, location, etc. If and when the carriers allow it, the universal reader of choice for them can be downloaded at: http://www.neoreader.com Keep up the good work.