Mobile Marketing for Participation TV - SMS Advertising USA

Looking at several key mobile marketing applications, Michael Whelan, MD of mobile solutions provider, txtNation looks at the performance of Participation TV...

Unless you never watch television in the UK, then you must have seen programmes incorporating text messaging as an intrinsic part of the television programme.

This has been a nice money-spinner for the broadcasters and network operators alike, as the figures below show. If you imagine that each vote costs a minimum of 25p+ ($0.50) your standard text charge, and that the broadcaster is probably getting a return of around 11p ($0.25) on each text, the numbers soon add up.

Programme Votes Cast by Text
Big Brother 5 -10m+
I'm a Celebrity... 10m+
X-Factor 5.4m
Big Brother 3 5.3m
Big Brother 4 3.1m
Fame Academy 2 1.6m
Eurosong 2002 700,000

Bullet Proof Mobile Billing for Effective Mobile Marketing USA

Premium SMS and Mobile Marketing, SMS Advertising Solutions (mFUSION, powered by txtNation).

Bullet Proof Mobile Billing USA
Our Mobile Billing (For Premium SMS in the USA) solutions open up endless possibilities for content providers, brands, and marketers looking to generate revenue from anybody with a cell phone.

txtNation (With our mFUSION product) provides a turn-key and commercial-grade mobile billing platform to clients. Please see the comprehensive features of our mobile billing service below:

• Pre-approved short codes for client use eliminates long regulatory delays
• Premium SMS fully integrated into all of our products
• Real-time transaction tracking tools are unprecedented in industry
• Sophisticated fail / retry logic to maximize SBR (success-to-billing ratio)
• Dedicated carrier relations staff for complex carrier approvals
• North America, Europe, and Asia / Africa footprint
• Ultra-aggressive carrier outpayment rates

The ubiquity of mobile devices makes mobile content provision a lucrative business, and our Mobile Billing solutions let you tap into that market easily. Mobile subscribers can be billed for third party content and services directly on their cell phone bill by their wireless carrier, and the revenues are roughly split between the content provider and carrier.

What Are The Carrier Specific Requirements And Restrictions for SMS Advertising Campaigns in USA

MMA/CTIA CONSUMER BEST PRACTICES GUIDELINES FOR CROSS CARRIER MOBILE CONTENT SERVICES
All US carriers at a minimum have adopted the MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services. Each carrier may also have unique requirements.

General Conduct
At a minimum, programs should be run in a manner that is consistent with the letter and spirit of the MMA Code of Conduct for Mobile Marketing. You can find the Guidelines starting at: http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf.

Learn more about setting up a mobile marketing campaign in the USA. www.mfusion.net.

SMS Marketing in the USA

Although the states are usually ahead in telecoms, they have been surprisingly late to catch up on the text messaging game. Although the states are usually ahead in telecoms, they have been surprisingly late to catch up on the text messaging game. What is it about texting that Americans haven't yet 'got'?

Before answering this question, it might be useful to understand the reasons behind why SMS became such a widespread phenomenon on this side of the pond. Although never intended as a peer-to-peer communication and certainly never advertised as one, SMS was invented in 1992 as a means for mobile technicians to communicate while working in the field. SMS began spreading like wildfire in '95 - largely driven by the fact that the networks opened up, so consumers could text across different networks. Another driver was the lack of a pricing structure for SMS in the early days, so it was free to text! Later, when the pricing structure was introduced, the fixed standard tariff of 10-12 pence per text was still affordable and therefore didn't deter teenagers from becoming text crazy! Text messaging became a fully established teen phenomenon by the late 90's and today networks send over 1.4 billion texts a month, across a much broader age demographic.

By contrast, cell phone subscribers in the US have to pay when they both send and receive a text message. Only AT&T Wireless do not charge their customers for receiving SMS messages. However, this does not get around the fact that customers on other networks still pay to receive messages from other mobile subscribers.

Cross-network texting is another issue for the emerging US market. Until relatively recently cell phone users in the US have only been able to send text messages to people on the same network. To educate the entire base that they can now text anyone on any network is no trivial task. While we have now reached a stage where UK consumers are educated enough to handle differential pricing for both on and off-network texting (for example, Virgin's 'text another Virgin Mobile customer for 3p'), American customers are still learning that they CAN text other networks.

A factor which drove the usage of SMS in the UK and which by contrast has restricted usage in the US is prepaid phone packages. Until recently, there have been no prepaid packages in the US, but their existence in UK is cited as one of the reasons why text messaging flourished so rapidly. Teenagers could text away happily, knowing exactly how much of their pre-paid budget was left as opposed to getting a nasty surprise at the end of the month.

Finally, one reason why the future success of SMS in the US may continue to be jeopardized is the messaging channels available on mobile that are competing with SMS, such as instant messaging and email.

Beyond these technical and commercial issues, the last consideration is a cultural one. Can SMS really become part of the American culture in the way it has in the UK? With most 'cell phone' tariffs giving in excess of 1,000 cross network voice call minutes per month, many Americans question why they would ever want to send a text message for potentially an additional 10¢ per message. "Why would I send a text when I can call them with all those minutes I have?" This, for me at least, is what 'getting it' is all about.

Communication by text message is not the same as talking to someone on the phone; it is not even the same as emailing someone. Text communication is a law unto itself. For some it is a way of throwing out an insult, for others it's an easy way of passing on some quick information, it's a way to let someone know you care, it's a way of arranging your social life, it's a way of communicating when you have to be quiet, it's a way of talking behind someone's back, it's a safe way to flirt, it's an easier way to lie. If you can understand why all of this is different from speaking to someone on the phone then you've 'got it'.

Teen Cell Phones Usage Statistics... We Need to Pay Attention to This

According to the Washington Post (in an article written this summer) cell phone usage among teens age 1o-17 in the summer is astronomical! An average of 3 hours and 45 minutes they spend using their cell phones each day during summer break (during school months it is still an astounding 2 hours and 45 minutes). What I found so interesting were the statistics on text messaging....

"More than half - 52 percent - say they send text messages from the movie theater while 28 percent have sent messages from the dinner table. For many, 26 percent, texting is one of the first things they do in the morning, within 10 minutes of waking up." Washington Post

To me, these statistics not only mean that we should be finding ways to use this engaging tool in schools or at least for homework, but that teens and tweens are not being educated on appropriate ways to use the cell phone. Is it really appropriate to text message at the dinner table? Or in a movie theater? This could be a valuable professional tool in their future, but they need to learn how to use it appropriately in certain settings. Teachers could help model digital etiquette to their students.

SMS Advertising and SMS Markerting service providers in the US could just have found their space.

Example Campaigns

Example 2007 Campaigns..
Restaurant

A restaurant owner places table stands or deals out cards with information about how to join and receive a free dessert by joining the VIP customer club. The restaurant sends a marketing message using our simple online form with a special food or drink offer, which can be used at a certain time when the restaurant knows that business is slow. This creates an immediate boost in sales.

Video Rental Store

A video rental store advertises the system and as reward for joining customers get the next rental free of charge by showing the confirmation message they have received. The store sends out information about new releases to customers once or twice a week at 4 pm to remind them to pick up the videos on the way home from work.

Clothing Store

A clothing store offers customers 10% off at the counter for customers who join the system. The system is also advertised on store receipts. The store sends marketing messages to customers just before lunch time. This results in a significant sales increase. The store informs customers about special events and extra discounts for members.

Hotel Chain

The H Hotel group has successfully used SMS messaging to increase guest numbers to its hotels and build customer loyalty. The hotel sent out important marketing messages such as specials and promotions directly to its members mobile handse

SMS allowed the hotel to get the messages out instantly and at the most appropriate time of day.

The use of SMS as a direct marketing tool resulted in a 10-25% uptake of offers sent out by the hotel and proved to be an integral part its direct marketing and loyalty strategy.

...AND YOUR BUSINESS

SMS Advertising, USA customers

Deploy leading SMS advertising and SMS marketing campaigns into the US market via txtNation's award winning Control Panel solution. Read more extracts from a recent PR about the new features.

As part of Control Panel 5.1, customers will have direct access to the new Support Site (txtNation SD) and also the revised Knowledge Base, an online resource for complete mobile commerce business management. The updated Support Site provides real-time, consolidated reporting with detailed information on messaging and financial transactions processed through txtNation systems. It also includes a new Message Centre where customers can view the latest news and announcements.

CP 5.1 offers expanded support for clients so communication issues are kept to a minimum with fast-track ticketing.

Another significant benefit to both txtNation customers are the enhanced billing capabilities in CP5.1 that ensure that the right transactions are processed while preventing billing to deactivated or recycled users.

"With CP 5.1, we are providing clients a huge step forward from legacy solutions they've had to rely on in the past. Our customers will have the same robust features as the original version, as well as a set of unique new capabilities that can directly improve their business growth and profitability," said Michael Whelan, Director of txtNation. “We are about one to two months away for full release.”

Premium SMS Sweepstakes -- are they a deal, or no deal?

txtNation using the innovative Control Panel Platform, helps media companies and carriers continue lucrative premium SMS sweepstakes programs made popular by hit television programs from NBC, ABC, Fox and others. txtNation provides value commensurate with the cost of the premium SMS and hence helps satisfy the legal requirements of a sweepstakes.

"Premium SMS sweepstakes represent an estimated $3 million per week (Telephia, June 2007) in revenue for major media companies. This service allows media companies, SMS aggregators and carriers to offer premium SMS sweepstakes, and continue to grow this valuable source of revenue and consumer interaction."

Premium SMS sweepstakes, through which customers enter a contest through text messaging on their mobile phones and are charged a premium -- typically $0.99 -- above the standard text-messaging rate, have become an integral part of media programming in the United States in recent years. Reality and game show TV formats such as Deal or No Deal, American Idol and The Apprentice have made such promotions a substantial revenue generator for media companies and mobile operators. However, concerns that these promotions may be legally classified as gambling have resulted in class action suits in Georgia (February 2007) against The Apprentice, and in California and Massachusetts (May 2007) against Deal or No Deal, American Idol and 1 vs 100.

Mobile Marketing Common Examples

Mobile Marketing Campaigns can be in the form of any of the following examples (SMS Marketing USA):

• Broadcast Messages
• Two-way Messaging
• Auto Responders
• Mobile Coupons
• SMS Polling & Voting
• Sweepstakes
• Text to Win
• Reverse Auctions
• SMS Alerts & Reminders
• Subscription Services
• Ringtones & Wallpapers
• Data Relay

Campaign Messaging with SMS Marketing
Connect with your customers via SMS messaging. Send to one, send to millions. Set up campaigns to target specific customer demographics or send a message to every customer on your list. Campaign Messaging provides you the versatility to do what you want, when you want.

• Personalize messages
• Intuitive User Interface
• Extremely Fast
• Gather responses
• Schedule Message deployment

Mobile Marketing and more specifically SMS marketing campaigns can easily be setup and deployed with mFUSION, a txtNation powered solution.

The History Channel's Mobile Marketing Future

Do centuries-old facts warrant delivery via a medium built for expediency? A new mobile advertising initiative promoting The History Channel is proving they do. The channel has launched a mobile Web site. It allows viewers to access quizzes, trivia, and programming information via their smartphones and PDAs.

The History Channel's primary audience of "information-seeking men between the ages of 25 and 54" are mobile device users demographically similar to AvantGo's existing user base of over 7 million unique registered users. According to AvantGo, mobile users are typically well-educated, affluent professionals "that look to stay connected and informed," like those who routinely tune in to The History Channel either on TV or online.

With the mobile site's launch, the channel joins a long line of players who have hooked up with AvantGo for mobile marketing and advertising programs.

Consider your own mobile device usage habits and you'll see why mobile is all the rage. Mobile marketing is on the verge of a major explosion in North America, largely because marketers are realizing clutter and convention needn't hold them back from creating effective ad campaigns. Fact is, this medium isn't limited to SMS.

Hybrid marketing and media channels like the one developed for The History Channel (it also delivers house ads) are only one opportunity. Advertisers can obtain on-device home page banners, mobile newsletter sponsorships, customized research surveys, and content sponsorships (AvantGo delivers up-to-date content from Wired, The New York Times, USA TODAY, and dozens of other branded media publications), generally all for CPM (define) rates.

As far as audience is concerned, access to a young, professional, tech-savvy user base isn't mobile advertising's only advantage. Because users tend to view online content while commuting or during their spare time, they're very focused on what they're seeing. This means they're more likely than their stationary counterparts to request information about companies and products, and to complete surveys. Not only are they a great demographic fit for many advertisers, they're also prone to noticing promotional content and ads.

Add to all that the medium's propensity for encouraging higher click-through and conversion rates (AvantGo says the former are 5 to 10 times higher than traditional banner ads, the latter 10 to 20 percent above the industry standard), and you've got an appealing supplement to an on- or offline campaign.

Advertisers trying AvantGo will also benefit from the company's new wireless synchronization capability. It eliminates the need for users to synch mobile devices with their desktop computers for new content. This new system is expected to allow marketers to reach consumers in the middle of the purchase cycle. If a person's shopping for a new car, for example, she can get branded dealer-locater information on the spot.

It's too early to gauge the success of The History Channel's initiative. But if it goes as expected, campaigns that don't include mobile advertising may soon become ancient history.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

Meet us at the CTIA

txtNation will be at CTIA (http://www.ctia.org/) from 23-25 October. At the show we'll be talking about building bigger, better, stronger mobile services and campaign management tools through truly interactive services.

txtNation's, mFUSION Campaign based platform is being used to roll out mobile marketing campaigns across the US, from social networks and UGC on an international scale; it's perfect for anyone wanting to build communities around their brands.

We'd love to see you at the Event.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

Leading Mobile Marketing Solutions Provider

txtNation provides marketers with technologies and services to help them create effective, permission-based mobile marketing programmes.

The mobile phone is gradually becoming the central component of 1:1 marketing communications. The opportunities for marketers are exciting: targeted, relevant offers straight to the customers hand; rich data on usage and behaviour; higher response rates; flexible and cost-effective commercial models; and the potential to create rewarding, interactive and long-term customer relationships over the mobile phone.

Yet the challenges are also significant: how to gather and manage mobile usage data; how to utilise this data to create true 1:1 marketing programs; and, in a medium where customer choice and permission is paramount, how to create mobile content and offers that customers will want to actively select or ‘pull'.

txtNation's suite of products, services and solutions help companies to create profitable, ongoing relationships that provide enhanced value for their customers.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

SMS2.0 - Messaging Redefined!

Advertisers will now get the message!

In a world where contests are floated by the dozen, day in and day out, there are a few that dare to be different and attract attention. One such popular contest that is held often around the world is the fastest mobile messaging contest.

It has young mobi-geeks take on the challenge and create records that would put a normal mobile user to shame. But that’s just a contest we’re talking about. Imagine a situation where the user is fed with textual and messaging options like none other. We are referring to SMS 2.0, a new mobile messaging service that will be fed to millions of mobile users in the country a couple of months from now.

For the company responsible for creating SMS 2.0, one of the key things of importance is creating technologies that will enable media on mobile phones. And why not, as it believes that mobile is the one device that is carried by everybody. Why not? There is nothing that can be called scalable media on mobile.

Currently the whole ecosystem is such that one revenue model is advertising. We already have top 10 to 12 advertisers who have signed on. In terms of revenues, just the pilot that we did has given us revenues of 15 to 20 percent of the total all India mobile marketing revenues. Going ahead, the revenues coming from SMS 2.0 would easily be double of what the industry estimates suggest.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

Now, SMS to pay your life insurance premium

You could be soon buying insurance and other financial products with a click of a finger. SMS crazy Indians now just need to send a text message to pay the premium for their insurance policy.

Paying the premium for your life insurance cover is now as simple as typing a text message. ING Vyasa Life Insurance has tied up with Paymate India to provide the first of its kind premium payment service through an SMS. The company feels this mode of payment will help reach out to more customers.

However, this service is currently available only for those who hold an account with Citibank or Corporation Bank.

And while ING Vysya Life Insurance has gone ahead to facilitate SMS payment, others are making a start to provide financial advisory on SMS.

They plan to introduce a host of insurance guidance services over a mobile phone. Just through an SMS you can know how much damage you will do to your pocket by delaying your retirement planning.

No more cutting cheques and standing in queues to pay your premium, and no more appointments with the agent for your financial planning. Life insurance companies are now looking at innovative methods to reach out to a larger younger customer base.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

USA Today goes live with SMS Advertising

USA Today has become the first national newspaper in the US to launch a free SMS-based news update service funded by interactive mobile advertising (IMA).

Text-based services may sound dull within the context of all the hype surrounding mobile TV, video sharing and the like. But today, in the real world, there are an awful lot more people using SMS than there are using those other services. So why not keep early implementations of IMA simple? At least that way the ads are more likely to get seen, and advertisers are more likely to get measurable results. But this announcement also raises another issue - what will happen to telcos’ dreams of building IMA revenues if media owners and other brands keep bypassing their channel in this way?

The USA Today service has been implemented via a partnership with 4Info, the SMS-based publishing specialists. Every day, SMS short codes are published in the print issue of the newspaper that readers can use to sign up for free SMS news updates on their favorite topics. Each update also contains a text-based ad offering discounts or promotions on products and services related to the subject of the update. Users can then react to the ad by texting a response if they want to take advantage of the offer.

The service neatly integrates the mobile and print communication channels in a basic but potentially effective way, by providing a service that many users will value, via a technology that everyone with a mobile phone has access to, and most people use at least occasionally. Right now, this will make for a more attractive proposition to users who either don’t have a phone capable of handling richer content, or who don’t use those features because they are worried about running up huge data bills.

The launch of this service also indicates that some media companies with large audiences are determined to plough their own furrow when it comes to building a more interactive relationship with their customers, and offering additional value to advertisers. Mobile operators hoping to use IMA revenues to offset declines in voice revenues should be concerned about this. They need to intensify their efforts in persuading advertisers that their IMA can be even more targeted and effective than that offered by individual publications or other media channels, thanks to their wider reach and the granularity of their user data.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

SMS Marketing USA

Although the states are usually ahead in telecoms, they have been surprisingly late to catch up on the text messaging game. Although the states are usually ahead in telecoms, they have been surprisingly late to catch up on the text messaging game. What is it about texting that Americans haven't yet 'got'?

SMS Marketing USA
Before answering this question, it might be useful to understand the reasons behind why SMS became such a widespread phenomenon on this side of the pond. Although never intended as a peer-to-peer communication and certainly never advertised as one, SMS was invented in 1992 as a means for mobile technicians to communicate while working in the field. SMS began spreading like wildfire in '95 - largely driven by the fact that the networks opened up, so consumers could text across different networks. Another driver was the lack of a pricing structure for SMS in the early days, so it was free to text! Later, when the pricing structure was introduced, the fixed standard tariff of 10-12 pence per text was still affordable and therefore didn't deter teenagers from becoming text crazy! Text messaging became a fully established teen phenomenon by the late 90's and today networks send over 1.4 billion texts a month, across a much broader age demographic.

By contrast, cell phone subscribers in the US have to pay when they both send and receive a text message. Only AT&T Wireless do not charge their customers for receiving SMS messages. However, this does not get around the fact that customers on other networks still pay to receive messages from other mobile subscribers.

Cross-network texting is another issue for the emerging US market. Until relatively recently cell phone users in the US have only been able to send text messages to people on the same network. To educate the entire base that they can now text anyone on any network is no trivial task. While we have now reached a stage where UK consumers are educated enough to handle differential pricing for both on and off-network texting (for example, Virgin's 'text another Virgin Mobile customer for 3p'), American customers are still learning that they CAN text other networks.

A factor which drove the usage of SMS marketig in the UK and which by contrast has restricted usage in the US is prepaid phone packages. Until recently, there have been no prepaid packages in the US, but their existence in UK is cited as one of the reasons why text messaging flourished so rapidly. Teenagers could text away happily, knowing exactly how much of their pre-paid budget was left as opposed to getting a nasty surprise at the end of the month.

Finally, one reason why the future success of SMS in the US may continue to be jeopardized is the messaging channels available on mobile that are competing with SMS, such as instant messaging and email.

Beyond these technical and commercial issues, the last consideration is a cultural one. Can SMS really become part of the American culture in the way it has in the UK? With most 'cell phone' tariffs giving in excess of 1,000 cross network voice call minutes per month, many Americans question why they would ever want to send a text message for potentially an additional 10¢ per message. "Why would I send a text when I can call them with all those minutes I have?" This, for me at least, is what 'getting it' is all about.

Communication by text message is not the same as talking to someone on the phone; it is not even the same as emailing someone. Text communication is a law unto itself. For some it is a way of throwing out an insult, for others it's an easy way of passing on some quick information, it's a way to let someone know you care, it's a way of arranging your social life, it's a way of communicating when you have to be quiet, it's a way of talking behind someone's back, it's a safe way to flirt, it's an easier way to lie. If you can understand why all of this is different from speaking to someone on the phone then you've 'got it'.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

USA Mobile Marketing Grows

The USA will no longer be the sleeping giant in mobile. “The number of mobile applications at-the-ready for wireless consumption is increasing every month,” said SMS.ac's CEO Michael Pousti. “Bearing all this in mind, I believe that 2005 will see the U.S. emerge as the one of the top three mobile data consuming nations in the world, measured by data volume. That means awesome growth. And the realization of those phenomenal numbers, along with the revenues they generate should quiet the skeptics that earlier questioned whether mobile messaging would ever happen in the U.S.”

“According to U.S. messaging figures, approximately 14 billion text (SMS) messages were sent domestically in 2003,” said Pousti. “Various industry reports indicate that mobile messaging will reach approximately 25 billion by the end of 2004. And because of the explosive growth SMS.ac is seeing domestically with respect to the exchange of multimedia and textual communications, I am confident that the aggregate number of mobile messages sent within the U.S. will nearly double to 45 billion, in 2005.”

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.