2009's holiday season was the largest mobile ad season to date. However, early indicators show that 2010 will blow 2009 away in this department. Experts predict that companies will spend more money than ever on mobile marketing campaigns this upcoming holiday season. More people than ever before will be searching for coupons and deals via their smart phones, and companies will be sure to deliver.

“Brands and marketers that do not include mobile in their holiday marketing plans this year will miss out on a growing number of consumers who will be considering products via their mobile devices, especially those with advanced smartphones who search and browse products and brands,” said Neil Strother, Kirkland,WA-based practice director at ABI Research.

To read the entire article, click here.

To learn more about mobile marketing, visit Club Texting.

Ever leave your car and then wonder if you actually locked it? We know, it happens to all of us. But now, with this new technology from OnStar, vehicle owners can power their lights, start their car, lock and unlock the doors through their mobile phones!

“The technology will be launched to customers via unique separate apps from Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC that they will begin rolling out in the months ahead. The OnStar technology is validated to work on iPhone and Android platforms, but we’re exploring opportunities to expand beyond in the future,” Ms. Carriere, a spokeswomen for OnStar, said.

Want to learn more about this exciting technology? Read the entire article here.

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Juniper Research have released their report, Mobile Commerce Strategies: Prospects for Payments, Ticketing, Coupons & Banking 2010-2014 and the study's results seems favorable.

"The study forecasts that rapidly increasing usage of mobile devices for tickets for all kinds of travel and entertainment, plus sports events will be one of the main factors driving the growth of mobile commerce. Mobile ticketing transactions are forecast to exceed $100bn (£65bn), based on gross transaction value, as early as 2012. This is more than double the market in 2010."

To read the entire article, click here.

With a large percentage of the world texting away on their cell phones, one would think that major retailers would use this to their advantage but according to recent studies retailers are baffled by the cell phone. To help retailers, the National Retail Federation recently published a 176-page guide about the advantages of using cell phones as a marketing device:

"A new study from Forrester Research, Shop.org and the National Retail Federation (NRF) found that 62% of retailers surveyed either have not begun planning a mobile marketing strategy or are still in early stages of development"

To get more facts from this recent study follow this link: http://www.instoremarketer.org/article/61142

Want to learn more about mobile marketing for retail? Visit Club Texting

Further reason and proof that adopting mobile into your marketing mix is essential!

Within the next year, targeted mobile offerings are going to prove to be essential components of integrated marketing campaigns for both B2B and B2C companies. Used creatively and with respect for consumers’ preferences, mobile is a valuable tool for shaping the compelling customer experiences necessary today to drive brand loyalty and business value. One imperative we face as marketers as we connect Mobile to our mix – let’s not spam like we did with email or the channel could prove less relevant than promised.

Read on @ Forbes Blog.

A great way to implement text messaging in disaster relief efforts:

The power of the mobile phone as the technology tool of choice became clear in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake. SMS text messaging was used extensively by a variety of groups not only to deliver first-response emergency aid to people trapped in the rubble or with critical medical conditions but also to share information about shelter, food supplies and general sanitation advice.

Read the full article @ The Guardian. 

This isn't the first time that text messages have been used in disaster and recovery efforts. After tornadoes destroyed the community of Greenburg, Kansas, the local LSI Corporation teamed up with Club Texting to set up a text message communication system. 

Within three hours of handing out the first flyer, 47 people had signed up for the Club Texting-powered service. A week later that number had reached 177, and subscribers continue to join at a rate of 10 per day.

Read the entire case study at Club Texting. 

Mobile retail opportunities are estimated to reach $12 Billion by 2014. Given the importance and relevance of mobile marketing, we believe this projection is valid.

Coupons, incentives, and advertisements are functional and profitable via the mobile device. The mobility adds benefit to the consumer by allowing them portable savings and information. Instead of building models of large scale demographics by age, industry or gender, the goal is changing to use demographics as initial templates to build individual profiles which reflect the true needs of the person or business interacting with your marketing. This is known as personalization in the mobile space.

Continue reading @ The Huffington Post.

Another great way to use text messages:

Bar owners and the police here have started a text messaging system to alert one another when a patron is removed from a bar, is overly belligerent or is seen fighting. The texts will include the person’s name, if it is known, a physical description or photo, and what the person was doing.

There's an interesting story over at Mobile Commerce Daily about a company called Where. Where platform’s primary focus is to provide customers with location based mobile coupons, as well as increase merchants’ conversation with their local target market. In other words, according to where you are-you will be able to access special discounts and promotional alerts. We like that you can customize your mobile coupons to be saved for a later date or to be alerted when a coupon is about to expire- creating tons of value for the consumer.

Want to learn more about Mobile Coupons? Read our Mobile Couponing Guide

George DiGuido recently posted an interesting article at iMedia Connect exploring where email marketing is going/changing this year:
 

As we close the first quarter of 2010 it is a good time to reflect on where the year is headed and where we stand with all of those New Year’s resolutions made in January.  Marketing plans are well underway and budgets are being used to help drive conversion.  Beyond the tried and true email strategies, what more can be done to increase successes moving forward?  What’s next for email marketing in 2010?

There has been a lot of discussion around social media and mobile marketing and how the three channels work together in a marketing mix.  Leveraging these channels in concert can significantly impact the success of your customer acquisition, retention and loyalty programs and drive greater ROI across the board.

You should read the entire piece, but here are his takeaways:

We will see companies continue traditional channels like email to continue to drive promotions and brand awareness.

Marketers will start to become more relevant in their marketing efforts to consumers.  When a customer tells you what they want, you have to listen and show that you are listening.

Push SMS messaging from major brands will make a strong push in the second half of 2010.  Retailers will be the first to lead the charge.
 

Email will survive it’s for told death and prove to be a strong medium for promotion and retention efforts.

Head over to iMedia Connection to read the entire article.

MobileCrunch has a story up with some interesting results from March's AdMob report on the state of the mobile web:

The report showed the clear stratification of the Android handset market. Whereas in September 2009, there were only 2 major Android handsets, there are currently 11. In September, HTC dominated Android with HTC devices accounting for 96% of all Android web traffic. This month, Motorola took that throne, and accounted for 44% of Android web traffic. HTC was close behind with 43% of requests and Samsung sat at an abysmal 9%.

And how about the iPhone:

Though the focus was on Android, some interesting news came out on the iPhone. Just 2% of iPhone OS web traffic came through the 1st gen iPhone, compared with 39% for the 3GS, 25% for the 2nd gen iPod Touch and 20% for the iPhone 3G.

Head over to MobileCrunch for analysis and more.

Want to learn everything there is to know about text message marketing in less than five minutes? Our new getting started video is just what you're looking for. Watch it now, then try out Club Texting for free.

Mickey Alam Khan, the Editor of Mobile Marketer draws an interesting analogy between Apple and its App Store and Gillette's razor business:

The genius of Apple is that it has replicated with the newly launched iPad tablet what it has got down pat for previous products such as the iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007, followed by the App Store in 2008.

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Indeed, it is not the iPad device that’s the prize – it is the revenue from the hundreds of thousands of applications created for that device, locked and unique to the Apple ecosystem. It is the potential of downloads, mobile advertising on applications and revenue shares from sales of movies, music, software, books and media.

Apple, in effect, has learned from Procter & Gamble’s Gillette: create and upgrade the subsidized razor, win the loyalty of its target market and then keep them coming back for refill blades year after year, life-stage after life-stage.

For Apple, the iPad is the razor and applications are the refill blades. The iPod with its songs from iTunes and the iPhone with its songs and applications from the App Store are cut from the same philosophical cloth.

Read the whole thing @ Mobile Marketer.

Simon Vella has an excellent column over at Adweek:

The flurry of recent media announcements around mobile apps probably has you thinking this might be your easy marketing answer for 2010. Beware the hype, because beneath the excitement lies plenty of stats that show it's still a plaything compared to text messaging, which continues to deliver impressive year-over-year growth across all demographic groups.

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If we next look at usage, there are some telling statistics that again highlight why text messaging provides a better return when marketing to customers. In results released from its analytics platform in September 2009, Flurry showed that only one-quarter of iPhone apps are used more than 90 days after they are downloaded. So it's hardly representing value for money as a brand-building tool, either.

There is so much more to read, so head over to Adweek now!

Very cool demo at CTIA in Las Vegas from AT&T:

Countering over-the-top competitors while also aiming to bridge better ties between its video and wireless offerings, AT&T demonstrated a new mobile application this week at the CTIA show that will let users download their DVR-recorded content for viewing on mobile devices.

The demonstration app, which is in internal beta at AT&T (but not yet with customers), was shown on the iPhone, but AT&T said it wasn’t ready to name the final devices or pricing for the service yet – nor exactly when it would be available. But in an interview, AT&T’s vice president of video services Jeff Weber said the mobile viewing app would let AT&T “take clear competitive advantage of being [both] a TV and wireless provider. It’s as good a [market position] as we can find. It’s a real luxury for me right now to be sitting in my chair with an all IP-based platform” that can deliver video to both the TV and the mobile device, he said.

Read More @ Connect Planet Online.

Snoop Dogg, the eternal rap star, is bringing his mobile game up to speed to promote his new album More Malice:

Rap mogul Snoop Dogg is using the mobile channel to drive sales of his CDs, DVDs and ringtones, giving away free mobile video content and wallpapers and running a sweepstakes.

The rapper’s agency Cashmere has partnered with mobile entertainment content provider Myxer to promote the upcoming release of Snoop Dogg’s CD and DVD combination More Malice, the follow-up to the Malice N Wonderland album. As part of the promotion, Snoop will use Myxer’s MobileStage product to deliver exclusive, behind-the-scenes branded mobile video content.

Head over to Mobile Commerce Daily for a whole lot more.

Looking for SMS marketing solutions for radio or concert promotions? Visit Club Texting.

Here's a quick story from Mobile Marketing Watch:

Although mobile apps are clearly all the rage, Shaun Gregory, the managing director of O2 Media, says it’s important not to place apps ahead of sound mobile marketing practices when it comes to utilizing the mobile space most efficiently in the promotional process.

Head over to Mobile Marketing Watch to read the rest.

Last year we asked you how you used Club Texting - what's great, what needs improvement, and your suggestions for new features. Well, after many months of hard work we're exited to tell you all about our biggest upgrade to Club Texting yet. Want to take a sneak peak?

A Brand New Interface

Club Texting has looked the same for a while now - so the first thing you'll notice is that we've cleaned things up a bit. This is more than a superficial upgrade. Our new interface is designed for you to use Club Texting faster and more efficiently. 

Enhanced Messaging

Personalize your texts by inserting your contacts' names into each message.

Want to add image attachments? We've upgraded the interface and removed all extra fees.

And there's more...

Upload Your Contacts

No more copy-and-pasting (you still can if you want to)! If you've got a spreadsheet of opted in contacts that you want to add to your list, pick a group, pick a file, and click 'ADD CONTACTS.' We'll do the rest.

There's a lot more to come, and we'll let you know all about it in an email very soon! If you have any questions, you can always contact us.

Mobile Marketing Watch reports that Best Buy is ramping up their mobile marketing programs:

According to sources at the company, Best Buy is putting the wheels in motion on a spruced up mobile website, more aggressive and targeted SMS texting campaigns, and mobile application updates to help capture a larger share of the mobile community’s attention.

It was just late last year that Best Buy introduced its mobile site and a corresponding iPhone application.

Best Buy’s chief marketing officer, Barry Judge, told the Wall Street Journal last month that his company “wants to use mobile to make standard ads more interactive. A print ad or billboard, for instance, might give consumers an address they could text-message for more information.”

Read more @ Mobile Marketing Watch

Read about Club Texting's text message marketing solutions for retail.

There's an important story over at Mobile Marketer about a recent InsightExpress report:

Digital marketing research firm InsightExpress found that mobile ad campaign norms were four-and-a-half to five times more effective than online norms.

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“Far from being a one-trick pony, mobile is effective in rich environments like mobile video, minimal environments like SMS and the area in between covered by mobile display,” she said. “Add to this the findings that all verticals are seeing mobile impacts greater than online campaigns and the arguments for not adding mobile to a media plan fall away.”

Some more details about Text Message Marketing in particular:

SMS is also effective at increasing upper level purchase funnel metrics such as awareness measures.

SMS campaigns generated increases of 5 percentage points for unaided awareness, 10 percentage points for aided awareness and 18 percentage points for ad awareness.

Mobile video is still emerging, but shows campaign impact on par with SMS across most key brand metrics.

This channel drove especially strong results against brand favorability.

With an increase of 13 percentage points, compared to 12 percentage points for Mobile Internet and 7 percentage points for SMS, mobile video is demonstrating promise as a way to move the important brand favorability measure.

Head over to Mobile Marketer to read the full report.