Olympics Will Produce Multi-Screen Viewing Party

Beyond the athletes who will become household names over the next few weeks, the London Olympics are the coming-out party for multi-screen viewing.

Yes, the shift to multi-device multi-tasking is real — in fact, it’s a trend we have observed fomonths that will have a profound impact on mobile marketing. Already the Pew Internet and American Life Project tells us that half of all adult mobile phone owners now reach to their mobile devices to enhance and enjoy their television-watching experiences.

The London Games will show what cutting-edge companies are capable of right now.

Just in time for the Olympics, entities including Twitter, ESPN, Facebook and Yahoo!, are taking the wraps off of comprehensive complementary initiatives to transform television viewing, making what used to be the passive activity into a completely interactive one.

ESPN gave me the inside track on their strategy, insights I documented in my new book Mobilized Marketing. Specifically, ESPN intends to create worldwide fan communities around events like the Olympics. It’s an exciting approach that brings together fans experiencing the games live in the stadiums with fans cheering on their sofas. Further, the social aspect of this encourages live viewing since the back-and-forth between fans in the community happens in real-time as events take place.

The shift is real and marketers who fail to realize that consumers are participating in experiences and events like the London Olympics (across multiple screens) will likely miss this year’s business goals. The proof is in the numbers — and in exclusive interviews I conducted with brands and companies gearing up to ride this wave. As ESPN told me: Consumers will punish brands who don’t have a rewarding mobile presence. It has passed the point of a “nice to have.”

I expand on this topic in a new mobilegroove.com column http://www.mobilegroove.com/olympics-are-coming-out-party-for-multi-screen-vi...

What To Do and Not Do In Mobile

Mobile Marketer asked for the Top Do and Top Don’t for mobile. Of course, there are more than one of each, but here is how I responded:

"Do know your customer and plan mobile accordingly.

"It is important for marketers to know who their target audience is and figure out who they are trying to reach.

“Steve Mura, director of digital marketing at MillerCoors, knew that the iPhone would raise the profile of mobile, but it would take the introduction of Android devices to satisfy his ‘guys’ – relatively young males who demand choice. Steve and his teams spent more aggressively on mobile once he was confident that the Android was in the hands of his customers and a vital part of their day."

"Don’t chase so-called shiny objects while neglecting the products and services in mobile that work.

"Companies should stop looking at what the latest trend is and figure out what medium works best for them.

“The objectives are to sell more product, and to drive engagement and loyalty. If you spend only against the newest products, you likely will only move your business backward.”

The full article is here http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/strategy/13367.html

Can We Measure Mobile Campaigns?

One of the questions posed in Mobilized Marketing is whether there is enough measurement in mobile to make intelligent decisions.

ESPN’s John Kosner believes that a bigger flow of brand dollars to mobile will solve the mobile metrics woes.

“It’s weak now, but in my experience the measurement follows the money,” says the ESPN General Manager of Digital and Print Media. “Everybody complains where it is now. We’ll see significant expansion in the measurement in the next five to 10 years. In the meantime, companies like ours — that have great products, demonstrate scale and represent a safe buy — may benefit disproportionately in a world less measured.”

I wrote about this question and others in a new, long post for Mediapost and OMMA Magazine. You can see it here. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/178999/what-marketers-should-as...

Mobile Is The New Black. No, It Isn't.

Mobile Marketer asked me to comment on the assertion that mobile is the new black.

Please.

My first thought was the time three weeks ago when I was standing before some of the smartest marketers in the country. If I threw out such a statement, they would’ve thrown me out.

Here’s what I told the publication:

“It’s up to brands and not vendors to determine if mobile's time is here.

“The most successful programs, like Ford's 15.4 percent lead conversion and Macy's expanding Backstage Pass in-store campaign, involve proven products and services like SMS and the mobile Web.

“Happily, for the most part, brand marketers are smarter than to fall for shiny objects that often only move their businesses backward.”

“Of course, it's early and traditional media spends far outpace mobile ones. Mobile gives brands the ability to provide relevant, contextual information and offers and the promise of a one-to-one rather than one-to-many relationship.

“Smart marketers are thinking post-click or install as well, seeking to turn what could be a one-time interaction into the beginning of a monetizable relationship. Mobile marketing and mobile advertising are maturing.

“Consumers expect to see their favorite brands delivering top-notch mobile executions. In fact, more and more, they are punishing brands that fail to deliver. Mobile's growth is accelerating due to more consumer interest, innovation, and proof of success that has come in the industry's earliest years.”

The full piece is here. Wear black while reading, please. http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/content/13317.html

The Advantage of Not Being Big

A tip for the business owner seeking to learn what not to do to please a customer – sign up for Comcast.

Yes, there will be pain. Yes, you will curse me for making this suggestion.

But, trust me, you will become better for it, as long as you bring a smile to the times when you are interminably on hold. Or when your service gets interrupted. Or when your bill packs the kind of surprise that you only wish on an enemy.

Last year, I wrote here and elsewhere http://technorati.com/business/article/does-a-twitter-following-give-one/ about Comcast’s shortsighted view when I called to ask for a teeny exception. In short, I pay Comcast nearly $3,000 a year for the so-called Triple Play (TV, Internet, phone). I was one day late for an early-bird price on the Major League Baseball package, and rather than give me the $20 break, Comcast showed me its dumb side (I’m not sure it has another).

Eventually, they made good, but not before the harm was done.

Fast forward to Saturday when I phoned to question my larger-by-nearly-$45 bill. After about a 15-minute wait, I was connected to a woman I eventually found out was taking my call from the Philippines. She had no understanding of my account, its changes, or even why I was on the line.

Forty minutes into this mess, I was speaking to the “resolution” department and a well-spoken rep who knew in a second that I was a high-end customer about to walk.

“The FCC forces us to pick up the phone after a certain amount of time passes,” he told me. “That’s why you were connected to her. I’m sorry.”

Is there anything dumber than to connect an already bothered customer with an overseas “service” person who barely speaks English and understands even less?

If you were Comcast, would you not set this up so that those in the queue who are your high-end customers would talk to someone who could resolve an issue rather than someone likely to throw gas on the fire? Remember I had to key in my info at the start so they knew or should’ve known who I was.

Of course, you are asking why am I with Comcast in the first place? A bundle price, but more important, an on-demand programming product that keeps my wife happy (you learn what matters over the course of 22 years of marriage).

Last point – only because I called did I learn that I could reduce my bill by $50 a month if I re-upped on the bundle for two years.

Small and medium-size business owner – how much do you think I would love you if you proactively alerted me to a big price break?

The answer: Lots.

I said yes to the Comcast renewal with an early-termination fee that will pay for itself in three months. Also, I have 30 days to change my mind. Over the next month, I’m calling DIRECTV and Dish to see what they will do for me.

And whether they pick up their phones in the Philippines.

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(This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. http://goo.gl/S6P7m)

Revisiting My Mobile Predictions

In January, I posted my 2012 predictions http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2011/12/13/super-if-not-super-bowl-mob.... Let’s see where we are six months into the year:

Prediction: Device price points will continue to be brought down with offers of discounted products in exchange for a consumer agreeing to receive ads. Mobile phones with offers, including perhaps a Google phone, are coming soon.

Where We Stand: As I write this, for a shiny (or dull, for that matter) penny, Amazon is selling the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4G Android Phone on Verizon Wireless. That is tied to a contract, not ads. But Google is making a further wireless bet with the introduction of the Nexus 7 tablet. Reportedly the company won’t make anything off of the hardware – it’s about the ads and selling of content that makes this viable.

Prediction: Savvy marketers will follow research highlighting consumer behavior and interest. They know that just because you can do something technically doesn’t mean that you should.

Where We Stand: At a recent Hipcricket summit of top digital marketers, one of the many of the successes discussed was Ford’s 15.4 percent lead conversion seen through the combination of traditional media and text messaging. Spending on shiny objects can move your business backward – or get you fired.

Prediction: 2012 will be the year of the mobile web. As we move closer to the time when more people access the web on a wireless device than a PC, brands, agencies and others will realize that they need a mobile web offering that overdelivers. This has not yet happened, but will soon because consumers will demand it.

Where We Stand: Mobile Internet users will reach 113.9 million in 2012, up 17.1% from 97.3 million in 2011 (U.S. Digital Media Usage report, eMarketer 2012). But there is an argument to be made that this is the year of mobile apps (oh, how so many predicted its demise). 64 percent of mobile phone time is spent using apps (Nielsen, March 2012). That could not be predicted.

Prediction: In such a growth industry, more vendors will enter the marketplace making claims that they will produce ROI. Proceed with caution. While the company name may not say Two Guys In a Garage, that may indeed be what you are buying.

Where We Stand: I have not seen a stat about new mobile companies launched, but anecdotally I can tell you that we see newbies just about every day. And many are performing smoke and mirror tricks. Beware.

Prediction: Expect more pressure from senior management to produce results from mobile, meaning it’s critical to think beyond a one-time transaction. There are bigger opportunities if you think about what can happen after the click, namely an experience that can lead to an opt-in and remarketing possibilities.

Where We Stand: As mobile matures, the smartest brands like Coca-Cola are looking at lifetime value. This group has grown significantly in the last six months. More and more, we’re seeing uptake in mobile advertising that follows with an engagement plan.

Prediction: Plan on more device types in the hands of consumers, making it important to provide positive user experiences rather than products that addresses the least-common denominator. Consumers expect top notch brand experiences and the bar is higher than ever with smartphones and faster networks.

Where We Stand: In my Mobilized Marketing book, ESPN executive Michael Bayle says that brands are being punished by consumers who are given poor experiences on mobile. Bayle is right – I see it and hear it often.

Prediction: Expect more social interaction at the point of sale, making customer service vital or a bad experience will end up on Facebook or Twitter in seconds. According to my Moments of Trust consumer touchpoint survey, 40 percent of consumers with smartphones or Internet-enabled mobile devices have used them to spread word to their social networks about an in-store experience, 46 percent of them reported a positive one and 40 percent cited a negative one.

Where We Stand: Twitter and Facebook have furthered their mobile reach via feature phone apps. It’s not about smartphones or feature phones – for brands, it’s important to note that all wireless devices are megaphones.

(first posted on imediaconnection.com http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2012/07/15/revisiting-mobile-predictio...

Why Savvy Marketers Won't Bet On Shiny Objects

More than three dozen of the savviest digital marketers in the country came together in New York recently for a customer summit and sharing of knowledge.

Each brought impressive mobile success stories, none of which included the use of a so-called “shiny object” or a product sprinkled by pixie dust at South By Southwest this past spring. These pros know that none of those types of products and services will move a business. In fact, if anything, they will move a business backward.

Instead, there was discussion of a Ford traditional media campaign that included a call to action involving the unsexiest of products – texting. Why did that make the cut in a day full of discussion? The answer is: business results. Ford saw a 15.4 percent lead conversion by including a mobile component to dollars already being spent.

There was talk of the programs run at Macy’s. In its Backstage Pass program, shoppers are given choices on how to respond to calls to action that lead to information on merchandise from leading designers. The elements include a mobile website, QR codes, MMS (multimedia messaging) and, yes, even text messaging. Macy’s is wise enough to give mobile users choice.

Sure, these marketers are on the forefront. Many attended SxSW and are as up on the newest and shiniest as anyone. But they aren’t buying vaporware. They are tapping into consumer behavior and interest, not what is displayed as the hippest.

Why?

They understand that their jobs have not changed. They need to, for example, sell more beer, move more shoes, and entice consumers to buy cereal. It’s the same job that their predecessors had, in some cases, more than 150 years ago.

The what is the same: It’s about moving product. It always was, and always will be. It’s the how that is changed in the mobile era.

Of course, they aren’t betting it all on mobile. But they are making intelligent bets. For instance, few are spending anything on the mobile wallet, which dominated conversation at SxSW. With miniscule adoption, 2012 isn’t the year to bet the marketing budget on Near Field Communication (NFC) and the wallet promise.

Even those chasing the dough in that category are realistic. “It’s inevitable that we will use this smart gadget that most of us have in our pocket now and increasingly over time all of us will have it,” Scott Lien, vice president of Intuit’s Mobile Innovation Group, told me in my new book, Mobilized Marketing: Driving Sales, Engagement, and Loyalty Through Mobile Devices. “First it will be a basic replacement for payments but over time it will gain more and more intelligence. At first there will be early adopters. They do everything on the phone. I think it will be high travelers and people who are in transit a lot.

“There are many ways that it will add intelligence. It’s shocking in this country that there are a lot of people in tough economic shape. Credit card debt is high. Many people are living paycheck to paycheck, yet they don’t have a good adviser on a daily basis that is helping them make good buying decisions. That could happen in many ways. Helping them find substitutes — if you want to get a good cup of coffee, you tell them, ‘Here’s the cheaper, better place and a better way to get it. Hey, you have points sitting there in your frequent flier account that are about to expire and you can monetize that and buy this thing you want to get.’ We all have three or four credit cards in our wallet. We can tell them that there’s actually a better card to use on this transaction because they’re going to get triple points.”

Lien has measured expectations for adoption. “The concept is very simple — harnessing all the data and all the information that is there and putting all of that knowledge in your hand at the point of purchase or point of decision to help you make a better choice,” he says. “I don’t think we’re years away from all that. I think it will start to come slowly and come in pieces, the way they came with the iPhone. First there weren’t any apps — now there’s voice assist and all that. This will come slowly and serve segments of users like the high-traveler, high-transit user who will start to adapt it very quickly.”

In other words, there likely will be a time to spend brand dollars against the concept. Just not now, not by marketers who went to New York to learn more about how to sell more today.

(article first appeared on adotas.com - http://www.adotas.com/2012/07/why-savvy-marketers-wont-bet-on-shiny-objects/)

Video Explaining How Everything and Nothing Has Changed For Marketers

Greg Hickman of mobilemixed.com invited me to speak about Mobilized Marketing and how everything and nothing has changed for marketers.

The video is here.

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - The "How To Make Money With A Tablet Edition"

Google’s profit on every Nexus 7 tablet sold - $0: It's about the ads – duh.

Apple is following a “go-slow approach” to mobile payments, according to the Wall Street Journal. My question - would Steve Jobs worry about adoption or believe he could drive it? Undoubtedly, the latter.

10% of iPhone 4S complaints to FixYa are ‪Siri-‬related while 45% whine about battery life. That follows what ‪A‬pple says about Siri – most people are fine with it.

Seattle readers – I’ll be talking talking ‪M‬obilized Marketing book 8/8 at MCEI Seattle. The Yacht Club in summer - ummm, ok.

Fisher Price to the New York - “We see 6-month-olds batting at the screen, 9-month-olds swiping, 12-month-olds pointing out objects to see". Surprised that they are waiting until 6-month mark.

If (I stress if) new ‪iPhone‬ and ‪iP‬ad mini go on sale in the fall, what's the bigger seller at least initially? I say the iPad due to price.

I didn't click on Man Holds iPad In His Butt headline. It didn't, ummm, crack me up, either.

Headline: Why Digital Signage Should Be Interactive. Me: everything needs to be interactive because of mobile.

Hey, ‪Li‬nkedin: now that you've dropped tweets, can you work on cleaning up the tall tales told by users? Maybe make noses grow.

Mobile phone use is commonplace even in households with income below $30K - penetration there is more than 80%: Pew.

The latest technology divide myth proof - nearly 70% of those age 65+ have ‪#mobile‬ phone: Pew.

Branding vs. action - quite the disconnect of the word ‪Bold‬ attached to ‪RIM‬ and ‪BlackB‬erry.

Many smartphone users will get severe weather alerts. Unlike other alerts, users will get these without asking but could opt out.

The passive has become even more interactive - ‪NBC‬'s Olympics coverage will be supplemented by ‪a ‬Shazam app.

The Future of Mobile

Tamara Bousquet, one of the wisest marketers I've met, had one request when we were putting together a slide deck for a co-presentation at an iMedia Agency Summit master class: "Let's not try to predict what will happen in mobile more than six months from now -- no one knows," said Bousquet, executive media director of MEA Digital.

We didn't that day, but questions about mobile's future are posed on a daily basis. So in writing my Mobilized Marketing book, I asked a number of influential marketers the question.

Predictions included the continued trend of turning previously passive activities into interactive ones, the insertion of more context into mobile campaigns, and the continued evolution of the shopping experience, among others.

I included many in a new imediconnection.com piece I wrote. Here's the link: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/32188.asp

Finding Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

Digiday asked me about productivity tools. I mentioned my affection for the cloud despite living in what is often the dreariest city in America.

“Living in Seattle, I’m always looking for sunshine on a cloudy day (someone should write a song about that). My sunshine actually comes from the cloud. With two Macs, a PC, an iPad, and a smartphone, I’m invariably starting something on one piece of technology and picking it up on another – sometimes even more than one. Dropbox and Evernote are more important to me than an umbrella.”

The full post is here http://www.digiday.com/etc/digital-media-hacks/

Will Mobile Commerce Shove Retailers Out of Business?

Will mobile commerce overtake retail sales, or can retail wrestle control of the mobile experience?

My great discussion with marketer Rick Mathieson concludes with Part 3 of his podcast.

Yes, That's Grandpa With A Mobile Phone

As much as mobile has become a meaningful channel for many businesses, there are still misconceptions around consumer activity.

We don’t check in nearly as much as the hype would lead us to believe. There is not a fight to the death between the mobile web and apps – expect to see both around for a long time.

And, no, mobile is not just a young person’s activity.

That’s why I was keen on including AARP’s experiences in my Mobilized Marketing book.

For Nataki Edwards of AARP, the largest member organization of people 50 years old and older, it’s about having a meaningful presence in the lives of her members and prospects.

“AARP’s philosophy is that we really need to be where our members are,” says Edwards, the organization’s vice president of marketing, digital strategy, and operations. “Our members are in a lot of different places. They are still consuming print publications, they are still watching TV, and those will continue to be part of our media strategy but the adoption of digital on mobile and the Web can’t be denied. We made a concerted effort to make sure we had products and services and offerings in all of those channels. Where mobile comes in, it was really the market showing us the adoption of our members and we kept seeing the numbers go up.

“Our strategy has been to meet them everywhere. We’re not just going to build apps [applications]. We’re going to make sure that for people who don’t have smartphones or who aren’t interested in downloading apps that they can still get the best AARP experience on any mobile device.”

Now mobile is on the minds of AARP marketers as well as their product roadmaps.

“We’re not at the stage where we’re creating mobile content specifically for the mobile device but it is a factor in all content creation,” Edwards says. “As the pages are built for the Web, we think what can and can’t be used for mobile, whether it’s the image or Flash—all of those things are taken into consideration.

“Right now the idea is to get to parity when you look at other top media companies out there. What are we offering? Are we comparable to them? We are still figuring out the monetization strategy for mobile. We are selling for mobile but our advertisers are a little bit slower in adoption than we are to creation which isn’t a bad problem to have because we want to make sure the products work well and we have the volume of engaged users to tell the right story.”

Of course, AARP’s efforts are key for many businesses who are needing to reach Boomers and beyond in new mobile ways.

When it comes to mobile, if a business isn’t using the channel, often its competitors are. And they are selling more stuff.

The understanding and mastery of innovation separates mid-sizes businesses, according to IBM. The company often counsels these sized entities to dedicate resources to new products and services, become more risk averse, and agile.

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(This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. goo.gl/VQ40C)

Mobile Marketing Training At DMA2012

Over two days this fall, I’ll be leading mobile marketing certification training during the Direct Marketing Association’s national conference.

Here are the particulars:

Part 1 (Wed, Oct. 17, 1-4pm): Mobile--An Indispensable Part of Your Marketing Mix

This session explores how mobile – with its unique, personal and individual 24/7 connection to consumers – can and should find a central role your marketing mix.

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Part 2 (Thurs, Oct. 18, 8:30am-12pm) Through the Looking Glass: A Vertical Market Cross-Section of What Works and Does Not Work

Mobile is registering extremely high – higher than other channels – in key verticals, such as purchase intent and brand recognition. Get the tools that will help you determine what works, and what doesn’t, for your marketing plans.

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Part 3 (Thurs, Oct. 18, 1pm-2:45pm):

Getting It Done: The Technical Blueprint to Mobile Marketing Success

How do you move from strategic goals to the tactical steps that will translate into marketing success? Deconstruct and examine the attributes of mobile's tactical building blocks to empower you to customize your own blueprint for mobile marketing success

Registration and more information can be found here http://www.vivastream.com/events/dma2012/sessions/postcon-mobile?pd=1

I hope to see you there.

Making Mobile Marketing Work For Your Business

(The following first appeared on entrepreneur.com http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223854)

In his book "Mobilized Marketing," author Jeff Hasen details the strategies and tactics that move products and build loyalty through mobile devices, arguably your most personal means of communicating directly with customers. In the following edited excerpt, Hasen offers insights from seasoned marketing professionals on how to gauge, use and succeed with mobile.

Interested in mobile marketing but not sure how or where to get started?

Here are tips from three leaders in mobile marketing and their thoughts for those new to the field.

1. Do some people watching. -- Barbara Williams, a senior-level marketer at Microsoft.

"This is something really simple. . . . If you're not sure if you should be doing mobile, take a page out of classic consumer research mode. . . . Go to the store, go to the mall, go out to dinner, and sit back and watch people. Just watch. Old school. And you see everyone is on their devices and they are spending quite a bit of time on their devices and they're not making phone calls necessarily and they are not just doing SMS [short message service] -- they are doing a lot of things.

"When you see that happening around you everywhere you go, think about how can I insert my product or my brand or my message into these experiences. Just look at the world around you. And listen to young people who grew up in the digital age. Their behaviors are completely different. You'll see this is definitely the route to go in. Invest the time to learn it and understand it. Explore it yourself."

2. Keep an eye on what "the little guy" is doing, as well as the titans. -- Mario Schulzke, founder of IdeaMensch and director of digital strategy at marketing firm WDCW.

"You know, I am not smart enough to tell you about major game-changers. . . . But I can tell you there will be a revolution of incremental innovations that are about to take place. It's so easy nowadays to build your own website, your own piece of software or your own app. So what's happening is that a bunch of people are starting to solve the problems that they've been having in their own lives and industries. We'll see some major productivity gains in just about every vertical, driven by people solving problems close to their vest.

"Do what feels right. . . . Build a marketing program around tactics that make sense for you. I have many clients who are overwhelmed by Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and the like. But when we talk about creating content that provides value to existing and potential customers, they get that. Having a roundtable discussion on Twitter is no different than going to a networking meeting. Crafting a webinar and capturing leads via email is no different than speaking at your local Lion's Club.

"Do what makes sense to you, and always think about the value you provide to your audience. Focus on the fundamentals. Respectfully communicate with your customers via all channels. Don't pretend to be something you're not, and do the right thing."

3. Create interactive "rich media" designed specifically for your mobile site. -- Microsoft's Williams.

"When you think rich media and digital, you tend to think of the standbys like a whole-page takeover or part of an ad will be in the leaderboard at the top of the page and move into one of the units on the side. . . . On mobile, it's a completely different type of experience. You don't have the flexibility but you have the entire device. You can incorporate rich functionality where you can shake the device or where it is actually using the camera function in augmented reality or the location function. There are so many other vectors or parameters that are unique to mobile that I think make rich even richer on mobile. But you have to think about it in a different way on mobile.

"If you don't have a mobile landing page attached to that rich media unit, you have kinda left [your customers] hanging. . . . While rich media is an incredible opportunity to pull people in and to really drive engagement and surface up and push the content out, that back end is still needed when they want to continue their journey. . . ."

4. Find out how your customers want to communicate with you. -- Eileen Woodbury, director of marketing at Clear Channel Los Angeles.

"People will communicate with you the way they want to communicate. . . . So texting isn't replacing the Web. The Web didn't replace the phone call. People who want to call will want to call. People who never called us before hopefully will engage with us through text. Some people prefer Twitter or are on Facebook all day.

"This is the age of choice. People communicate the way they want to. With every new thing that comes along, we're adding to our arsenal."

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - "Grandma is Packing" Edition

Overheard on a flight - a grandma frantically searching, then finally finding her mobile phone. Her grandson then told her to stick it in a pocket. She said she would put it in her bra. True story.

Do you remember when the only option for reaching out was landline calls? Now 1.4 billion minutes are used on Skype every day.

More than 70 percent of seniors use the Internet every day. It is helping drive smartphone penetration.

Google’s Nexus tablet reportedly will be unveiled next week. Will consumers buy on brand alone? No.

Nokia’s 41 megapixel 808 PureView camera phone comes to the U.S. for an unlocked price of $700. That’s dollar per wrinkle for some headshots.

I find it curious that LG exits hot tablet industry, but continues to make refrigerators. But not your grandpa’s appliance. A Wired story talks about mobile users receiving texts when the fridge is out of beer.

The bullish sentiment for mobile video at the Mobile Marketing Forum contrasts with what some told me in Mobilized Marketing. In the U.S, we mostly commute with our cars, not mass transit. That’s an inhibitor for use, plus there are issues around carrier capacity and cost.

The Federal Communications Commission will review mobile phone radiation guidelines. There is no proof of danger. Beware of hysteria headlines.

Christina Aguilera is among the celebrities pushing a QR code campaign to boost voter registration of young people in 2012.

Sign of the apocalypse - Twitter airs first TV spot. Why? Easy. 46 percent of time spent with media involves TV – twice the second place finisher (Web).

Dispelling Mobile Misconceptions

In Part 2 of my conversation with marketer Rick Mathieson, we discuss misconceptions in mobile that are included in my Mobilized Marketing book. We throw water on statements that have us believe that it’s all about smartphones and check-ins on Foursquare.

Tips For A Common-Sense Approach To Mobile Marketing

Rather than recommend that marketers undergo dreaded technical training, some of the most experienced in mobile marketing suggest a common-sense approach to the channel.

Here are four practical tips from four marketers in the trenches of mobile marketing.

1. Walk a mile in your customer's shoes

"Do what feels right," Mario Schulzke, IdeaMensch founder and senior director, digital strategy, WDCW, told me in research for my book, Mobilized Marketing: How to Drive Sales, Engagement, and Loyalty Through Mobile Devices.

"Build a marketing program around tactics that make sense for you," Schulzke said. "I have many clients who are overwhelmed by Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and the like. But when we talk about creating content that provides value to existing and potential customers, they get that. Having a roundtable discussion on Twitter is no different than going to a networking meeting. Crafting a webinar and capturing leads via email is no different than speaking at your local Lion's Club."

Specifically for mobile, Schulzke recommends that marketers walk in the shoes of their customers and prospects.

"Do what makes sense to you, and always think about the value you provide to your audience," Schulzke advised. "Focus on the fundamentals. Respectfully communicate with your customers via all channels. Don't pretend to be something you're not, and do the right thing."

2. Think beyond a generic digital playbook

"What most people have," according to Steve Mura, director of digital marketing, MillerCoors, "is what I call a generic digital playbook, meaning trying digital is important so, 'We're going to use digital. We're going to use Foursquare and Facebook and Google and all these folks.'"

"What happens is every technology is fair game," Mura continued. "What happens when you get a clear strategy is you say, 'Here are my goals in digital. This is what I need digital to do to help me sell more beer.' There are other people who built really cool businesses and have really good technology, but they won't help you get to where you need to go."

Mura strongly advises marketers to fully understand and apply only those technologies that will positively affect their company's bottom line.

"That's the fundamental place we are in as an industry," Mura continued. "There are those who get digital and know how to use it to help their business, and those who know digital is important and just go out there and flounder in the space for the next couple of years because they're going to say 'Facebook is just as fair game as Google search or as Foursquare.' What they're going to find is half of those things weren't intended to build their businesses. That's a costly and long lesson to learn."

3. Take a walk on the mobile side

Barbara Williams, who serves as global SEM and digital advertising lead for Xbox at Microsoft, says it's time to get away from your desk—whether you are in Columbus or in Copenhagen.

"This is something really simple," Williams said. "If you're not sure if you should be doing mobile, take a page out of a classic consumer research model and do ethnographic research. You can do it on your own. Go to the store, go to the mall, go out to dinner, and sit back and watch people. Just watch. Old school. And you see everyone is on their devices and they are spending quite a bit of time on their devices and they're not making phone calls necessarily and they are not just doing SMS. They are doing a lot of things."

Beyond observing, Williams advised that marketers start applying what they've learned to their own business.

"When you see that happening around you everywhere you go, think about, 'How can I insert my product or my brand or my message into these experiences?'" Williams advised. "Just look at the world around you. And listen to young people who grew up in the digital age. Their behaviors are completely different. You'll see this is definitely the route to take. Invest the time to learn it and understand it. Explore it yourself."

4. Dive in with transparency and thick skin

Terence Reis, a former Mobile Marketing Association managing director and the current director of operations and partner at Pontomobi Interactive, sees mobile as the vehicle to a value exchange between brands and their prospects and customers.

If you're not doing mobile, "you're losing an opportunity to start a unique conversation with your customers," said Reis. "You'll find customers on mobile will start a conversation only if they trust you and they expect transparency and good services. You'll be forced to learn how to talk to people again. And your company will find that it's not only a matter of talking. The negative points of your products will be thrown mercilessly at your inbox."

"But if you have the guts," Reis continued, "you'll be in control and will have the chance to improve your product and your relationship with your audience."

Of course, understanding the technology behind mobile can make you a better marketer. That's common sense.

(first appeared on marketingprofs.com -- http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2012/8163/four-tips-for-a-common-sense...)

Mobile Marketing Forum Memories -- And What I've Forgotten

The world’s memory champion spoke at the MMA Forum this week in New York. I cannot remember his name.

Etched instead in my mind are the clear strides that the industry took in advancing the understanding and use of mobile marketing and mobile advertising.

This was no 101 session conducted by the Mobile Marketing Association. There are other conferences, not to mention books, on the basics. Last year, I dinged the forum organizers for bringing introductory content to the nearly 1,000 in attendance, many of whom had heard such information in previous years.

What makes the forum special is the large representation by brands and agencies. Their words and actions bring a sense of realism to the mobile industry that drinks the proverbial Kool-Aid elsewhere – you know, everyone’s business has “taken off,” and there are not enough conference rooms to hold all of the new business meetings.

On to what struck me in New York:

Coca-Cola was everywhere – in the coolers during the breaks, but more importantly, on stage for several sessions.

One of the oldest and most active in mobile, Coca-Cola says "you can't stop learning." And the company did not stop teaching, which struck me as significant since we hear brands say that they do not want to talk about their programs for fear of alerting the competition. That is always a head-scratch since the very nature of high-profile marketing programs is that they are noticed and remembered.

Coca-Cola marketers had previously told us that the majority of its efforts are on proven strategies and tactics, including large-scale text messaging programs that provide “reach.” At the forum, we heard the insider thinking around Super Bowl advertising using a mobile element – do not “compete” with the telecast. Instead, make the marketing complementary. Sounds smart.

GE provided insight into its extensive and growing mobile lineup. For instance, the company’s key mobile metric for appliance sales is activity around the dealer locator feature. That "shows intent," GE’s Andy Markowitz said. And that certainly made sense.

I am one of those who can never hear enough case studies. ComScore reported on an unnamed retailer using television, online video and mobile video during the holidays – the company said that 91 percent of people exposed to the message on mobile were incremental to TV. That was interesting and begged for more detail, not to mention additional experiences from brands.

Not everything I heard was believable.

There were seemingly passionate arguments that mobile is already the so-called first screen.

Kleiner Caufield Perkins & Byers executive Mary Meeker’s highly-respected report delivered recently says otherwise – 46 percent of time spent in media is with television, nearly double the runner-up, which is not mobile. There was debate about whether people pay attention to television, but that sounded like mobile hype to me.

I heard Arbitron say that its panel of opted-in mobile subscribers use apps seven times as much as the mobile Web. Such a gap is contrary to other research and makes me wonder if it is representative.

The measurement company also said that voice, email and messaging account for 51 percent of activity on smartphones. Included is a leading 35 percent for messaging which, if true, counters much of the notion that SMS diminishes as devices get smarter.

I will remember the line from Tom Wheeler of Core Capital Partners that mobile changes the "tyranny of place" in viewing video. He said that consumers do not have to go to it – video comes to them. That may happen, but it has not yet reached large scale nationwide.

Some of the largest players in mobile including Apple, Facebook and Twitter were not on stage. Their interests, primarily gathering data to monetize, were talked about by many.

I listened in on a session on privacy from Verizon’s Ash Evans. He said that consumers care about protecting their identity, but they are not interested in doing much themselves.

Mr. Evans, Verizon’s director of corporate strategy, got pushback from the audience when he said the government has a role. He heard even more dissension when he called for a “universal” identity system – a central place where one’s personal information is housed and accessed. That, of course, is problematic given the potential for breaches.

I do not remember the privacy question being solved – it is safe to say that it was not. That is fine. It certainly was progress that we were talking about it.

(first appeared on Mobile Marketer - http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/columns/13087.html_)

What Entrepreneurs Don't Know About Mobile Marketing

Portfolio.com asked me to identify what entrepreneurs don’t know about mobile marketing.

Here’s the piece, which first appeared here http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-tech-observer/2012/06/08/mobile-mark...

As the number of people using mobile devices skyrockets, so does the need for mobile marketing initiatives. Many companies are taking the news in stride. After all, all they need to do is migrate their website and other digital content over to mobile, right?

“It’s not so simple,” said Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer at Hipcricket, a top mobile marketing and advertising company and author of Mobilized Marketing: How to Drive Sales, Engagement and Loyalty Through Mobile Devices (Wiley, 2012).

During this week's BlogWorld & New Media Expo—the annual gathering of bloggers and communications professionals in New York City—Hasen told us two of the biggest mistakes companies make when reaching out to mobile users.

The first is not realizing Web content needs to be changed for optimized viewing on handheld devices. “The look of text and image on mobiles is critical to keeping viewers engaged,” he said. “Eighty percent of mobile users leave nonoptimized websites displayed on their mobile devices because what they’re seeing is not a mobile experience, but rather an online one that didn’t translate well.”

Mobile users on the go typically don’t find what they’re looking for fast enough—specific information, such as addresses of venues or hours of operation—on sites that have not been redesigned to provide a mobile experience.

“Often companies install too much content, which slows down mobile users’ ability to get information quickly, and that’s the second mistake,” he said. “Speed, which is highly desirable, gets a boost when content is bare bones.”

Hasen says it’s mandatory for companies who target smartphone users in the 20-to-30-year-old demographic to address these two missteps. That’s because these users are the ones most engaged when presented with a mobile ad or offer from a brand. In other words, when twenty- and thirtysomethings see your promotions, offers, or advertisements, it had better look good. Said Hasen: “Allocating part of your budget for this redesign for mobile is the only way to go.”