Which Marketers View Mother's Day as Engagement Day, Too?

Mom's flowers are beautiful today, but they inevitably will wilt. Hopefully your marketing campaign around one of the special days of the year won't meet the same fate.

As I told Mobile Marketer, Mother's Day is like many other - a chance to open an on-going dialogue with consumers.

“It’s wise to think long-term,” I remarked. “Engagement during the Mother’s Day period opens the door to remarketing opportunities. “If you treat the customer right and provide value, the mobile subscriber might be interested in ongoing information and offers,” he said.

Read the rest of the article here http://bit.ly/knl59X

Mobile Wallet That Saves Me Money? Now That's "Smart"

You surely will laugh at my resistance to deposit a check through an ATM machine – in 2011. As progressive as I am about technology, to this day I have always walked into a bank, waited on line and walked out with my deposit record delivered to me by a teller. So you now want me to adopt a behavior that has me bumping or scanning my money into my account?

On a panel at last week’s Boomer Summit in San Francisco, Intuit’s Omar Green made a case for me to be “smarter”. Of course, I have a smartphone – actually I carry two. What I don’t have is a smart mobile wallet. Neither do you but that is soon to change if Green’s timeline is correct. Intuit’s director of strategic mobile initiatives said his company is building a mobile wallet that guides you to the optimum purchase.

Green spoke of a scenario where the wallet advises you on which credit card to use to get maximum return and the times when you should cash in loyalty points and save your money. That is a compelling concept for me assuming I can get past the reluctance to hand to Intuit or anyone else details of my arrangements with American Express, the retailer in the mall, and the like.

But unlike the ATM where I save time (admittedly no small thing) but nothing else, I conceivably would receive real monetary rewards from a “smart” mobile wallet. Surely Intuit won’t be the only company to incentivize me to participate. Those chasing the mobile wallet dream include Google, eBay, PayPal, the mobile operators in a joint venture called ISIS, and thousands or more other entities.

Are we ready? In a KPMG study, U.S. respondents who said they were comfortable using their mobile devices for financial transactions grew only to 16 percent, a 6 percent increase from the last survey. Respondents not comfortable with such usage declined to 55 percent, an 11 percent drop from the last survey. Among all U.S. respondents who have not conducted banking through a mobile device, 52 percent cited security and privacy as the primary reason. Consistent with many technology advances, younger consumers are more likely to participate at least in the early days.

Why might a “smart” mobile wallet work? According to the Yankee Group, 73 percent of mobile subscribers want an offer. I’m in that category. If I do join the 21st Century when it comes to financial transactions, I’ll use the phone on one of my mobile devices to record the moment.

(first appeared on iMedia Connection --http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2011/05/03/mobile-wallet-that-saves-me-money-now-thats-smart/)

Know Anyone Who Wants To Be Targeted?

Do you – or anyone you know – really want to be targeted?

Just the term conjures up images of bulls-eyes, shooting ranges and scenes from the movie Minority Report. Little wonder that we don’t have a desire to be targeted. Yet targeting is core to marketing in all its forms, from creating and maintaining a database to developing an online/offline strategy. And every so often – and it is becoming quite often — the discussion about targeting also triggers a debate about personal privacy.

Understandably, it’s a volatile issue that raises as many tempers as it does questions. Case in point: the backlash when people learned the truth about Facebook’s privacy policies and the company’s tepid initial response. This week we learned the details about how Apple collects location information from iPhone devices (and hence, their users) — data it yields to help marketers target consumers.

Apple’s policy should be no surprise to iPhone users. The intent to collect and share this personal data is spelled out in the company’s terms and conditions. It states: ““Apple and its partners and licensees may provide certain services through your iPhone that rely upon location information. To provide and improve these services, where available, Apple and its partners and licensees may transmit, collect, maintain, process and use your location data, including the real-time geographic location of your iPhone, and location search queries. The location data and queries collected by Apple are collected in a form that does not personally identify you and may be used by Apple and its partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services.” It continues: “By using any location-based services on your iPhone, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its partners’ and licensees’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing and use of your location data and queries to provide and improve such products and services. You may withdraw this consent at any time by going to the Location Services setting on your iPhone and either turning off the global Location Services setting or turning off the individual location settings of each location-aware application on your iPhone. Not using these location features will not impact the non location-based functionality of your iPhone. When using third party applications or services on the iPhone that use or provide location data, you are subject to and should review such third party’s terms and privacy policy on use of location data by such third party applications or services.”

 Detailed? Yes. Completely transparent and understandable? Well, maybe.

Does it comfort people and put their minds at ease? Not a chance. Where this issue is headed it easy enough to predict. Think of the money (billions of dollars) involved in targeting and marketing. Despite politicians getting into the conversation this week, it’s not likely that we can expect dramatic changes forced by regulators, at least not any time soon. You know where President Barack Obama went this week, right? To Facebook to get a photo opportunity with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg also moderated a town hall event — no doubt to show off Obama’s social media savvy just as the run-up to the 2012 elections begins.

So, where will the debate about personal privacy likely lead? It will likely stall, a development that will only accelerate demand by consumers for terms and conditions (related to targeting, advertising and location, for example) that are clearly visible, completely transparent and 100-percent understandable. What will work? Ultimately, it’s all about the consumer and getting their permission. If they want to be targeted (because it ensures they will get offers they really want) or enter into a reward arrangement such as a mobile loyalty club, then they will tell us. Any other approach (that doesn’t require opt-in) is likely to backfire.

(More from my MSearchGroove column here http://bit.ly/f1O7RI)

The Next Chapter in The Question of Whether A Twitter Following Brings Clout

Not that I was thinking this way, but what if I believed, Gosh, I have a lot of Twitter followers and I want to be treated like royalty. To end my week of interesting interactions, last night I ended up with a rather uncooked expensive piece of halibut at a nice restaurant called bin on the lake in Kirkland, WA. This despite my ask to have the halibut cooked medium well rather than the usual medium rare restaurants in the Northwest typically choose to prepare. The establishment did not ask me if I was a big shot. It did not (as far as I know) go onto Twitter to see if I have a following. What did it do?

  • Apologize profusely
  • Prepare a new piece of fish the way I wanted it cooked
  • Send me a salad while I was waiting so my wife and I wouldn’t eat at separate times
  • Offer us free dessert
  • Take the price of the halibut off the bill (despite the fact that it was the most expensive item)

My point in telling this story? The restaurant performed admirably. It had nothing to do with my clout or any supposed influence that I have. It was purely good business. And worthy of a return visit – we already have a date picked out.

Should a Cable Company Be Held To The Nordstrom Standard?

Comcast isn’t Nordstrom. But can it be? First off, my bad when I didn’t pay attention to the timing of the early bird pricing on the Major League Baseball season package. After seeing the $199 price online yesterday morning, I phoned Comcast, my cable television provider for 10 years and a bundle customer (including Web and phone) for about the past two. Comcast’s customer service rep listened to my ask – to receive the $20 price break – then told me the deal had expired the previous day. “I’m a long-time customer, spend a lot of money with you, and have service on six televisions.” Nothing gave so I hung up. An hour later, I called back and asked for a supervisor. The rep went off the line for about 10 minutes only to come back to chastise me for calling back when I was told no. I again asked for a price break – my fault on the late call but I spend about $250 a month with Comcast – and was told it wasn’t going to happen. “How about a $20 credit for being such a good customer?” No and no. I took my story to Twitter and @comcastcares who quickly responded by asking me to send my story to an email address. On my answering machine last night, Comcast called to ask me to take a survey about my customer service experience. They don’t read their files or Twitter? This morning, Executive Customer Care emailed me and said in part, “We do value you greatly as a customer and completely understand that in today’s economy that there are many ways to obtain entertainment service and it is a choice of our customers to choose Comcast for their phone, internet and TV service. We cannot thank you enough for your dedication to us as a company and for helping us keep our commitment to quality customer care. “I would like to offer you the MLB season pass, free of charge to you should you still wish to order this package.” Nordstrom-esque, wouldn’t you say? Of course, I screwed up initially by failing to call during the introductory pricing period. But I expected to be treated like a valued customer at what I call a brand’s Moments of Trust. How do you rate Comcast’s performance? Beyond that, was I right to ask Comcast to correct my wrong?

Looking for The Most Valuable Consumer Search?

Is a consumer’s mobile search more valuable to an advertiser than an online query? The stats say yes, particularly in view of the growth in local mobile search. According to the BIA/Kelsey Group, one in three mobile searches is local in nature and also interactive. After searchers on their smartphones find a local business, 61 percent call the establishment and 59 percent visit the location. Little wonder that the market is more bullish about search advertising on mobile. Mediapost recounts a recent webinar with The Search Agency by sharing some stats and forecasts http://bit.ly/egqJhO.  For a start, Google estimates that between 15 and 30 percent of site traffic will come from mobile devices within the next 18 months. Google says mobile-only campaigns generate significantly higher click-through rates (CTR). Specifically, advertisers who break out mobile campaigns see CTR rise — on the average — 11.5 percent, according to Google. The biggest surprise here is the number of interactions that occur after the search is completed on a mobile device. After all, to influence some 60 percent of consumers to do anything (in this case call or visit a business) is a marketer’s dream. As more smartphones hit the market (a development I discuss in the item below), mobile search will also rise in importance — and cracking the code on how to rank highly in search results (this time on mobile) will (once again) be top of marketers’ minds. More in my MSearchGroove column - http://www.msearchgroove.com/added-value-for-marketers-in-mobile-search-apple-itunes-purchase-data/

Are the iPhone Rumors Part of Another Apple Ruse?

If Apple is anything, it is unpredictable. I’ve been quite amused this week by the pundits and industry analysts who claim Apple will delay the introduction of the iPhone 5. I have to wonder where they have been (or how well they really know Apple). Steve Jobs likes a little drama (and fun). Just think how many times Steve closed his speeches with “Just one more thing”– right before springing some of the industry’s biggest surprises on us. Cases in point: the introduction of the iMac and iPod. Earlier this week, and as per usual this time of year, Apple invited software developers to its Worldwide Development Conference (WWDC) taking place June 6-10 in San Francisco.  The invitation said the focus of the show will be iOS and Mac OS. Then the speculation began. A headline at Business Insider (which seems to have gotten one step ahead of itself here) claimed “Apple’s iPhone 5 Delay Just Opened The Door For Google And Microsoft.” Another headline went out a similar limb asserting “Here’s Why Apple’s iPhone ‘Delays’ Might Actually Be A Good Thing.” What’s so “good” about it? Business Insider sees it this way: “While some may see this as an ‘un-Apple like’ “delay, this habit-breaking might actually be a good thing — for would-be iPhone buyers, Apple fans, and investors. Why? Because Apple needs another smartphone breakthrough, like the first iPhone was in 2007.” Whether you are in California, Cancun or Copenhagen, you probably can hear the laughter coming from Apple’s Cupertino office. Of course, I have no inside information but I do suspect a ruse here. Think it through – carefully. Why would Apple deny the rumors now when the company has a chance to surprise us (again) and deliver a game-changer during the keynote? Admittedly, I could be wrong about this. Until we know for sure marketers would be ill-advised to plan strategy and campaigns based on the iPhone 4 (suddenly regarded by some as a stale device in the marketplace) and give up on iPhone 5 just yet. (The above first appeared at www.msearchgroove.com. Please see the rest of the column here - http://www.msearchgroove.com/apple-likely-has-last-laugh-again-googles-in-app-payments-could-change-the-game/)

Two Teachers In the Family -- For a Day

My brother is the teacher in the family and one of the best in the business (check out the quality at http://electionlawblog.org/). I once tried to compliment him by saying that he’s twice as smart as me. “That doesn’t say very much,” was his retort. Today I could relate to his satisfaction in mentoring. For some reason, my comments in Mobile Marketer on common mistakes made in SMS marketing struck a chord with several who reached out to me to say thanks for sharing valuable lessons. The piece is here http://bit.ly/dM94RZ including my comment that “choosing (a mobile vendor) purely on price will likely lead you to the guys in a garage who started a firm last Thursday. “ If you have time, please let me know what you think.

Hype or American Superiority and Worldwide Healthcare Improvement Through Mobile?

Always wary of those who hype the benefits of mobile, I was struck by the keynotes I heard at the CTIA Wireless Show and the assertions that mobile is dramatically improving healthcare and key to keeping the U.S. competitive in global business. “It is clear that America’s global competitors are not standing still,” said Julius Genachowski, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. “American leadership in a global economy is not a birthright. Mobile is critical to America’s future.” And, according to a visionary, mobile is key to positive strides in worldwide health management. “Information technologies now exist that enable real time information to be used by healthcare providers and consumers, thereby giving us better health and a more cost effective system of care.” said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D. What should we make of these keynotes and from everything else seen and heard in Orlando? My take is here - http://www.msearchgroove.com/ctia-highlights-mobiles-role-in-healthcare-why-bandwidth-equals-well-being/

Wish List For CTIA Wireless Show Includes Universal Adapter

To newbies, this week’s CTIA Wireless Show in Orlando will likely be more fun than a trip down the road to Disney World.  For me, I have a long wish list but more realistic expectations. Here’s what I would like to see:
  • A universal adapter to charge all devices – this would allow travelers to leave home the bag with all the plugs, keeping them out of the overstuffed overhead compartment
  • Something as out of the blue as Apple’s Smart Covers that immediately brings a $1 billion revenue projection for 2011
  • A simple guide to network speed, giving consumers the ability to cut through the carriers’ liberal definition of 3G and 4G
  • Apple introducing the iPhone 5 – a wireless show without mobile’s biggest innovator leaves much of the story untold
  • A consistently strong wireless signal for the tens of thousands of attendees in Orlando – have you ever tried to play at a piano recital without a piano? That’s exactly how we feel when we can’t demo our products
  • A strong brand marketer presence – this show is known more for its business development opportunities but there are strong case studies to be shared that will be of interest to brands
  • A 25 percent reduction in expenditures on parties with that money instead going to Japan relief efforts
  • Agreement that consumers are ready for the convergence of mobile and social – the stats tell us they already thing that way (Facebook members are twice as active on mobile as they are on PCs, for instance)
  • Sensible tablet pricing models so I’ll stop being asked to spend three times the price for an iPad subscription than I would pay for the print edition
 If Sunday’s news of a possible AT&T-T-Mobile USA partnership is any indication, perhaps there will be grand surprises in Florida. We’ll see. (Originally published at imediaconnection.com http://bit.ly/hpU4hg)

QR Code or SMS? It's All About Engagement

QR codes are in nearly every conversation with brands these days. But do they replace or complement SMS as a way to engage consumers? I was quoted extensively on this question in one of the most discussed Mobile Marketer stories in memory. “SMS has distinct advantages because of its reach, use by mobile subscribers of just about all ages, and standardization,” I told reporter Giselle Tsirulnik. “When you create an SMS call to action, you don’t need to worry whether your target has an interest in QR codes, not to mention an app to engage with the image.” Other points I made in the piece: “As marketers, we should be agnostic when it comes to mobile tactics as long as we succeed in our goals of engagement that leads to trial, sales and loyalty. “Many of Hipcricket clients, including Macy’s, are wisely choosing to provide consumers with multiple ways to engage. We are seeing this now in the Macy’s aisles in the Backstage Pass program that provides fashion tips, product information and more. Macy’s is inclusive, even providing a URL at the point of sale for those who don’t wish to interact via mobile. “It is about turning what used to be passive activities into interactive ones. That means that regardless of whether it is a QR code, an SMS-to-short code or both, some sort of mobile call to action needs to be included in traditional media and other communications vehicles like point of sale materials to better engage consumers and drive them to purchase. “QR codes have a buzz about them and are included in most conversations Hipcricket has with its clients and new business prospects. But for many quick service restaurants and other brands, SMS calls to action remain an indispensible part of the marketing mix. “And SMS calls to action are becoming more and more commonplace.” You can read the full article here http://bit.ly/hBsSwY.

Flipboard Competitor Takes Personalization On iPad To New Level

Having downloaded what has been billed as the first true Flipboard competitor, I’m left with lukewarm exZitement. Sure, Zite has the potential to change my iPad experience by providing personalized content that saves me time and addresses only my interests. But recommendation engines are hardly infallible – unless my wife is a closet poker player, for the life of me I can’t tell you why we get Poker after Dark on our DVR. Fast Company posted quotes from the university researchers behind Zite. "It's a combination of semantic- and statistically based machine learning," says CEO Ali Davar, of Zite's content algorithm, the technology of which has been in development for years. "It works by looking at the articles you click on and the characteristics of those articles. Is the article longer or shorter? Is it skewed toward one element of a topic or another? Is it a political blog? If so, does it have have a right- or left-wing slant?" According to Fast Company, users can tell Zite whether they enjoyed a particular article, whether they liked a particular source, or whether they want more news on a particular topic area. But Zite can also learn from a user's "soft" yes's and no's. Skip over a news brief? Zite counts that as a soft no. Did a headline catch your eye and get you to read the longer story? Zite counts that as a soft yes. The look and feel is definitely way behind the slick presentation offered by Flipboard (which introduced an updated product this week). Zite’s value is designed to get better over time. It will take a period of use before we can declare Zite a keeper or a pretender. One additional question I have is whether personalization products like this one limit one’s ability to discover. We’ll see.

My Beef With Taco Bell's Crisis Management

Back when my hair was dark, the adage was that you could lose the battle for public opinion in two hours. Today? It’s closer to two minutes given social networks and mobile devices that work as megaphones. So just what took Taco Bell five weeks to fully respond to claims in a lawsuit that Taco Bell is using false advertising when it refers to using "seasoned ground beef" or "seasoned beef" in its products. It has been a failure at the "Moments of Trust". According to the Associated Press http://huff.to/eW2HZ3, Taco Bell is now turning to TV commercials after full-page newspaper ads and Twitter and Facebook efforts reached only about half the population. Imagine that? TV for reach. Television that was in its prime when my hair was, well, you know. Taco Bell initially ran full-page ads last month in national newspapers. They then launched a Twitter campaign, and finally turned to Facebook fans with an offer of a free crunchy beef taco. Missing from Taco Bell’s defense is a mobile strategy. Others in the fast food category have built robust databases and gained customers by providing offers via mobile. Plus, mobile is ideal for immediacy. Maybe Taco Bell will get there with mobile. But that might come at the two-month mark. That’s my beef.

I Tweet, Therefore I Report

Brian Solis asks whether Twitter is journalism. I’ll throw another query into the mix – is a tweeter a reporter by the mere fact that he or she witnessed something? I blogged on a related subject Jan. 9 on the awful Saturday when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in Arizona. In a post titled, “The Danger of Getting Our ‘News’ on Twitter”, I said that while I’m old enough to have gotten my news from Walter Cronkite, I now learn about world events from "@fillintheblank." And, as I said then, @fillintheblank hardly has the gray hair, much less the resume, to warrant the job. Of course, since that day, social media has been heralded as a key ingredient in the ouster of the Egyptian regime. And many of us are beholden to Twitter for the ability to learn what is going on in Bahrain and in other turbulent outposts. As you may recall, National Public Radio and CNN, among others, got the Giffords story wrong, claiming that the congresswoman had not survived her injuries. Tweets further spread the false reports that sadly and shockingly reached Giffords’ husband before he learned that she was alive. Does Twitter pressure journalists to rush to judgment? Who’s a journalist anyway? Obviously there is great value in the tweets emanating from Bahrain sent by Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist, and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner (@NickKristof). But anyone can be an iReporter, iWitness or iKnowItAll and have ample channels to “report” on something as important as life or death. Of course, we’re not all created equally but who’s to tell one from another? Suffice it to say that each of us with a voice that can be heard – and that means everyone with a Twitter account, blog, Facebook page, etc. – has to think before pushing the send button. You never signed up for that task, you say? Tough. It’s our responsibility to be responsible. -- Article first published as I Tweet, Therefore I Report on Technorati.

What Makes A Good Mobile Ad?

As sure at there will be eight more iPhone rumors today, we know that more advertising is coming to mobile devices. The topic was heavily discussed in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) with debate around consumer behavior and interests. So where does Google stand? The company staunchly believes that more creativity and higher production values are needed to advance mobile advertising. Outgoing Google CEO Eric Schmidt used his keynote address to drive home a single message about the real future of the medium. “To me, the tools and technology that allow us to do targeted TV quality ads — again with permission and without violating privacy — is the next great frontier in advertising.” Twitter CEO Dick Costolo used his keynote slot to focus more on usability, simplicity and the experience Twitter delivers over thousands of devices. But a leaked video gives us the inside track on where Twitter wants to go with advertising (across all platforms). Will people buy into Twitter’s approach? Near the end of the 40-minute presentation, even Twitter acknowledges that its way of presenting advertising won’t be universally accepted. “People are averse to change, especially when it comes to advertising, and this type of (negative) feedback is to be expected,” the narrator of the company video admits. However, the number of people put off by the ads amount to an “extremely marginal percentage of the total.” What about the money-generating Promoted Tweets? Twitter tells us in the video that marketers should expect an “engagement rate” of 1 percent to 3 percent. Having worked in ad agencies for a large part of my career, I have a deep appreciation of top shelf advertising. But a slick look and catchy copy aren’t the only criteria for effective mobile advertising. Relevance, permission and a compelling offer are much higher on my list of must-haves. Twitter’s assessment of how consumers will likely respond negatively to the ads delivered via its service isn’t surprising. Indeed, most people will be “put off by them” – but I don’t expect people to vote with their feet. They’ll likely live with the ads. But that doesn’t mean they will listen to the brand messages. If we marketers want to get consumers’ attention, then it’s our job to connect with the mobile user in a way that is welcome, non-intrusive and personal. After all, mobile is a personal device and we should use a personal touch (and ask permission first). The rest of my MSearchGroove column is here http://www.msearchgroove.com/google-why-their-schemes-may-backfire/

Small iPhone, Big Questions

A so-called iPhone Nano would certainly bring more into the smartphone fold. The implications for marketers aren’t as clear. According to the Wall Street Journal http://on.wsj.com/eobwnk, the device is intended for sale alongside Apple's existing line. The new device would be about half the size of the iPhone 4. The Journal said the new phone would be available to carriers at about half the price of the main iPhone repertoire. That would allow carriers to subsidize most or all of the consumer's cost, putting the iPhone in the same mass-market price range as rival smartphones. As marketers, we’re wondering about device capacity, battery life, data plan and messaging rates, and whether the full App Store will be within reach of those who purchase the smaller phone. Oh, the complexities.
  • Will my newly designed mobile web site render properly on a smaller screen?
  • Will these mobile subscribers be reached with standard (as if there is standard this early in the game) smartphone strategies and tactics? Or will these be feature phone users on a small dose of steroid but not the whole regimen?
  • Will the smaller phone sell strictly to the young and lower household income crowd or will size and probable cool user interface appeal to others, including road warriors?
  • Will Apple’s strategy stall Google’s momentum with Android?
Small phone but big questions. More on this for sure as details become clearer.

When It Comes To Mobile Device Donations, Do You Phone It In?

I’ve written about donation programs that turn our older model mobile phones into money to assist battered women and other people in need of help and counseling. Frankly, disposing of outdated phones is tough to do. It’s not because we don’t want to; it’s because we haven’t had a really good reason to dig into those drawers. (I’ll bet many of us could go into a drawer and pull out a couple of mobile phones. At my house we count four unused feature phones (maybe more) in mothballs right now.) Online marketplaces (example, eBay) and brick-and-mortar chains including Best Buy have introduced programs that offer us cash or store credit for our old model mobile phones. What’s the deal? Best Buy’s buy-back plan is all about keeping you as a customer. Meantime, eBay’s promotion comes without strings attached. In fact, eBay Instant Sale (effective through February 22) offers consumers cash guarantees of $200 for select functional smartphone models and up to $450 for AT&T iPhone 4s. According to a press release, eBay users can take a $200 guaranteed price on any functional iPhone 3GS, Motorola Droid X, HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant smartphone models. Customers can also receive a minimum of $200 and up to $450 for the AT&T iPhone 4 during the eBay Instant Sale promotion. Nielsen believes that we’ll see 50 percent smartphone penetration in the U.S. by the end of 2011. But that shift will require consumers to trade up from their feature phones, a mobile makeover that will likely only come about if mobile operators offer free (subsidized) smartphones with contracts, or we see more schemes (such as the one from eBay) allow consumers to trade up or sell the devices they don’t want. As marketers, we should continue to plan mass smartphone adoption into our strategies. But we should also remember that – despite the wave of buy-back offers — there will still be more than 150,000 feature phones in circulation by the end of 2011. More in my column here http://bit.ly/eRARmv.

A Football Field's Amount of Disappointment

Because my disappointment couldn’t fit into one column, I wrote two on the lack of mobile marketing during the Super Bowl telecast. A record 111 million tuned in. I’m guessing that 110 million had their mobile devices within four feet. How sad that the only calls to action were texts from the sofa to the kitchen requesting more salsa and beer. Super Bowl advertisers muffed another opportunity to truly engage. My third annual Mobile Marketer Super Bowl column is here http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/columns/9008.html Here are my thoughts that ran on iMedia Connection http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2011/02/08/why-no-mobile-marketing-during-super-bowl-telecast/