Mobiteam

Cellular all-in-one

2009-11-13

Mobile phone instead of wallet, keys, ID, radio, TV, mixer of virtual and material reality. Cell has become something more than communication tool long time ago. It transform into …, right, into what? In newest release of magazine for marketing professionals, "Marketing w Praktyce", one can learn about cellular all-in-one, and what it exactly means for marketing.

Smartphone - pioneer and conqueror

Could mobile phone still surprise us? As we even can’t leave without it on holidays (the most important device on holiday according to Rzeczpospolita), what status will it have in a couple of years time? Boom for smartphones (BlackBerry, iPhone or HTC) prove that we are not satisfied, still being hungry for the latest cellular technews. Smartphones’ shipment is having dynamic growth at traditional phones’ expense and its number is estimated around 1,1 billion of devices in 2013 (in comparison to 4 billion of traditional cells). Those mobile minicomputers are small, fast, they have touch screens, qwerty, GPS, operating systems with advanced applications and fair of different features, that possible would never be discovered by users. Along with infinite resources of Apple iPhone App Store, Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store or BlackBerry Application Storefront which support them, starts a new chapter of mobile marketing. Possibility of transferring game known from PC or console, useful or funny application into cellular word, gives marketers tool to use their skill in the area of product placement, in-application advertising, branded applications. In other hand WiFi compatibility, Bluetooth marketing or photocodes is a chance for cellular support for events. Advanced smartphone features is only a part of a wide range of mobile phone potential development’s paths (other are for example added services).

Mobile phone instead wallet

How comfortable will it be not to withdraw credit card from wallet, enter PIN or sign a bill, paying by one click on mobile phone. According to different experts we will be able to make electronic payments in less than a five years’ time, open doors and confirm our identity  simultaneously, using only our cell. Thanks to contactless payments systems (eg in Near-Field Communications (NFC) technology) mobile phone communicates with a cash box or subway’s gates in a special frequency and using chip built in cell phone. Eyeball scanners or fingerprint scanners installed in mobile phones increase security of this solution and allow identification of cell owner. What proves that this is not wishful thinking is Japanese example. In this country 15% of Forrester Research’s survey participants make payments and buy products using mobile phone (more that by using PC). According to Gartner’s estimations m-banking services will be used by 73 million of people (more than 70% in comparison to a previous year) by the end of 2009 (by the end of 2012 - 190 millions). Even though this number seems to be like a drop of a water in the ocean in comparison to half of humanity equipped with cell phone, as long as SMS payments are concerned, those numbers can be much bigger. In majority of polish cities SMS payments for parking or cinema is a standard. Nothing stands in the way of mobile m-banking transactions. In developing countries SMS payments services are only existing form of staying connected to banking (eg M-Pesa payments system in Kenia) and cell is factor by social status describes.  

Still popular SMSes

However we can’t resist iPhone and similar to it mobile wise guys and popularity of mobile internet is growing, still the most important for us are traditional communication forms. Nielsen discovered that along with the fall of number of telephone connections, number of short text messages is growing. Only in United States there are 84 billion of SMS-es sent (in 2005 - 7 billion, CTIA 2009). In first quarter of this year teenagers in USA sent twice as much SMSes as in previous year (2899 SMSes monthly). SMS deriving strength from that popularity and efficiency acknowledged by many researches (add on mobile phone boosts brand awareness for 23,9% - Dynamic Logic and 25% - Nielsen) become swing-wheel of mobile marketing. Received in SMS/MMS advertising announcements or linked with WAP portal promotional messages is nothing unique. Among many text messages, that users from all over the world will receive in this year, 1,5 billion of them will find in their inboxes such ad. Juniper Research estimates that this unquestionable SMS domination will be soon threatened by ads from mobile TV and “Idle-scree” (during phone’s idleness). 300 million mobile TV users all over the world (54 million in current year) by the end of 2013 is publicity worth attention (In-Stat).

WWW in mobile version

If ever Mark Zuckerberg, youngest billionaire on Earth thanks to Facebook, wondered how to squeeze more dollars from his project, he should get to know results of CSS Insight research. According to it 1/3 of young British regularly use social media services from their mobile. Mobile social networking is an example of use cell phone potential for the sake of social internet needs. Research of one of the largest mobile societies in USA, itsmy.com, show that most of survey’s participants (75-80%) are looking forward to websociety in their mobile phones. Similar conclusions have report about social media by Rapleaf, company which specializes in searching data in social media. Analyzing way in which Twitter’s users log in, company reveals that 20% among them use for this purpose mobile phone (SMS, mobile internet and free applications on iPhone (TwitterFon) or Blackberry (TwitterBerry).  Of course Zuckerberg is up-to-dated with mobile trends. Facebook Mobile service (mobile communication with portal) or Facebook Lite portal (slimmer, faster version of portal) is offer of mobile commitment for Facebook family. British Orange came to similar conclusions starting with free service Social Life, which allow subscribers log in from their mobile to Facebook, MySpace and Bebo simultaneously. Internet in mobile phone is growing, that’s sure. 95% of new mobile phones are equipped with web browser, prizes are falling, infrastructure is being regularly developed, WiFi supported cells have growing number of public hot spots to use. Considering that advertising expenses on ads in social media are dynamically growing (according to Readon Smith Whittaker, budgets in USA for this purpose will increase for about 69%) as well as mobile ads (expenses 59% larger than in current year according to Research and Markets (R&M), one could see marketing potential this area of mobile phone’s activity.   

Real interactivity

Smartphones define another fascinating area of activity. It’s mobile version of augmented reality (mixed reality), reality enriched by internet content. Connection of real world with virtual. Cell equipped with video camera could be for this world window and tool of cognition. When we use it to watch surroundings before our eyes will appear clouds of information linked with internet - Facebook’s statuses, companys’ showcases, ideas from Wikipedia, information about stations and subway lines (Nearest Tube application) or Twitter’s messages (TwittARound). Thanks to browser invented by SPRXmobile, Layar (available for Google Android’s users), one can choose category of displayed information. Holding before us mobile phone we will learn which flats on the line of our sight are for sale and how much will it cost, what is in menu offered by nearest restaurant and how users rate it in the web or get to know about recent promotions in market on the corner. Nearly as much promising is cells’ destination as a tool of interaction in digital signage or Digital Out-Of-Home Media, multimedia presentation systems in the public and commercial space. Avatar from LED display that calls us by name, knowing history of our transactions and suggesting offer its vision from science-fiction film that is about to happen. Interaction with digital content is possible in the area of infoboxes’ activity based on digital signage solutions, which offer SMS, Bluetooth, internet or e-mial activity.

Mobile marketing in action

Groups of people gathered in one place on special purpose can be tasty piece of bite for mobile marketers. Perfect example of it are political conventions in USA. During those events large display placed in easily accessible displays show sent from mobile phone current politicians’ comments. Example of use mobile marketing tools are also team NY Mets’ activities. In interactive campaign, team’s fans on home stadium Mets Citi Field gain possibility of SMS voting, choosing motivation song for players, creating content based on text messages or sending photos made by mobile phone. Content sent by fans is displayed in real-time on stadium screens. Effective mobile viral campaign have Hollywood film Eage Eye. Three weeks before premiere Paramount offered interactive mobile game, thanks to which one could win 1000 dollars. On telephone number typed by user, to his surprise, similarly to movie, called mysterious female voice. Users have learned, that their lives are in danger and received SMS instructions how to run from danger. It’s not hard to imagine possibilities, which open before us in every presented area. Mobile phone’s emancipation in advertising budgets doesn’t have to mean lethal competition for companies specialized in other marketing channels. They could benefit from mobility. Mobile phone is final element of marketing chain of persuasion, thing closest to consumer’s eyes and ears and our more and more influential advisor.

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