M3 Mobile Marketing e-Newsletter (April 2010)

 

Supercuts Set to Launch Supertexts Mobile Alerts Program with M3 Mobile Marketing

By Chrissy Sirianni

M3 Mobile Marketing is proud to announce the upcoming launch of the Supercuts Supertexts Mobile Alerts Program.  Stay tuned for more details on how you can opt into this great program. 

 

CTIA–The Wireless Association® Announces Semi-Annual Wireless Industry Survey Results

Posted by CTA-The Wireless Association

CTIA-The Wireless Association® announced today its semi-annual survey results, which include numerous metrics highlighting the industry’s continued positive economic impact and growth in the United States.  In particular, wireless data service revenues increased 25.7% from the last half of 2008 to reach more than $22 billion for the last half of 2009.  Wireless data revenues, which represent what consumers spend on non-voice services, were more than 28% of all wireless service revenues.  In addition, there are now more than 257 million data-capable devices in consumers’ hands, up from 228 million at the end of 2008.  50 million of these devices are smart phones or wireless-enabled PDAs and nearly 12 million are wireless-enabled laptops, notebooks or aircards. 

According to the survey, text messaging continues to be enormously popular, with more than 822 billion text messages sent and received on carriers’ networks during the last half of 2009—amounting to almost 5 billion messages per day at the end of the year.  During the 2009 calendar year, there were more than 1.5 trillion text messages reported on carriers’ networks.  Wireless subscribers are also sending more pictures and other multimedia messages with their mobile devices—more than 24.2 billion MMS messages were reported for the last half of 2009. That’s more than double the number from the previous year, when only 9.3 billion were reported for the last half of 2008.  

As of December 2009, the industry survey recorded more than 285 million wireless connections.  This represents a year-over-year increase of more than 15 million.  

“With wireless connections now equal to more than 91 percent of the U.S. population, mobile broadband is pivotal to ensuring all Americans are ‘digitally literate’. CTIA’s survey results show the wireless ecosystem is constantly reinventing itself, and other industries, to be more productive and efficient. Our members have truly revolutionized and improved the way we live and work in ways that were unimaginable only a few years ago, whether it’s by providing new content and apps, new devices or new uses,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA -The Wireless Association.  “Mobile broadband will increasingly play a vital role in people’s lives.”

Other highlights of the survey include wireless customers using more than 1.12 trillion minutes in the last half of 2009, up 38 billion from the last half of 2008—and breaking down to 6.1 billion minutes-of-use per day.  Wireless service revenues for the last half of 2009 amounted to almost $77 billion—up from a little more than $75 billion in the last half of 2008.  

The CTIA Semi-Annual Wireless Industry Survey results were released this morning at International CTIA WIRELESS 2010®.  The premier marketplace for all things wireless is taking place March 23rd – 25th at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

SMS Case Study - NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers

By Dan Butcher

Name and city and state of marketer
The National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh, PA

Campaign/program name
Steelers Alerts and Text-to-win during games

Duration
Football season, ongoing

Common short code and keywords used
STEELERS to 94253, HINES to 94253, WIN FOOTBALL to 94253

Objective
To get fans more involved with the Steelers both during games and throughout the year, keeping them informed and updated on news with the team

Target audience
Steelers fans

Strategy
to use SMS to get Steelers fans more involved

Call to action
Television, buses, Steelers Web site, and during games over the PA and on the Jumbotron

Tactics
Grab the attention of individuals in Pittsburgh, where most people are Steelers fans, and make the message short so they remember it and sign up for the exclusive news about the team. During games an autographed football is given away, enticing more individuals to text in. 

Results
Database is currently more than 42,000 and growing by about 1,000 each week. During Steelers games an average of 1,920 individuals text in for the autographed football

What next
More promotions are being planned to further drive the numbers for the upcoming NFL Draft, Training Camp this fall as well as several for next season

Lessons learned
If given the opportunity, fans love to participate with the teams they love.

Because there is natural down-time during sporting events and most people don’t leave home without their mobile device, we are able to extend engagement with Steelers Fans outside the field of play.

These interactions allowed the Steelers organization to get a committed group of followers that enabled engagement through a new medium.

Surprise finding
The amount of sponsors that we were able to get involved with our mobile initiatives to create incremental revenue for our partner and activation opportunities for sponsors.

 

iPad to Be Available in Stores on April 3

By Om Malik

If you’re a fan of the iPad, like I am, here’s some good news. Apple says it will start selling the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad on Saturday, April 3. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will arrive in late April. From a company press release:

“iPad is something completely new,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”

Apple started taking pre-orders for both models on March 12. The iPad costs $499 and up. It’s 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds and has a theoretical battery life of up to 10 hours. The Wi-Fi + 3G models start at $629. You can reserve a Wi-Fi model and pick it pick up on Saturday, April 3, at an Apple retail store, according to the company. All models of the iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April.

 

Forgot to Send a Birthday Card? Phone It In

By Elizabeth Olson

Short video messages or greetings for phones could soon be as ubiquitous as texting, or at least that’s what greeting card companies and other firms are hoping as they try out a new mobile service that delivers a brief video, with sound and music, as quickly, easily and often as cheaply as sending a text.

American Greetings has a new service that transmits a video card chosen from its Web site directly to handsets of nearly all major mobile carriers.

A major selling point for the mobile video is how easy it is to use, said Waltene Irving, 94, of Apple Valley, Calif., who used the service to find a Valentine’s Day sentiment for her granddaughter in Los Angeles.

Ms. Irving went to AG Interactive, American Greetings’ e-card section, and browsed its 50 cupid messages, selecting one with kittens and other animals. “You put in the mobile number, point to the picture and click send,” she said. “It’s very easy.”

Video messaging “is the intersection of two powerful trends — mobile and social networking,” said Michael Becker, managing director of the Mobile Marketing Association.

“It’s immediate, convenient and engaging,” he said, “and it enables companies to monetize their markets.”

Mr. Becker said that mobile video messaging, which is provided by several companies, “has a massive market because it can appeal to people without a data plan.”

Portio Research, a British firm that tracks mobile messaging globally, predicted that the market for such multimedia messaging, while still trailing text messaging, would reach $31.5 billion by the end of 2010, following a 48 percent increase in traffic last year worldwide and a 22 percent increase in revenues.