Ever since Rupert Murdoch bought the WSJ I have been convinced that it has lost its purity. Now there is garish color on the site, now there are videos, now the WSJ covers the fact that Victoria Secret doesn't want to be so sexy anymore. Okay. Whatever.
But on a positive note, the WSJ is doing a pretty good job of covering interactive (and of being more interactive, although I'm torn on whether this is a positive) -- and of covering mobile. Within the last week 2 big headlines have surfaced on WSJ.
One: "Google Asks US to Open TV 'White Space' for Web" This story has been pretty well covered -- it's another move on Google's part to open up mobile -- in this case, unused airwaves -- for the purported benefit of all. Seems to be working so far.
Two: WSJ, NPR and others today cover the fact that struggling Motorola is splitting in two. Nothing the handset maker has produced since the Razr has reached similar heights of popularity. And, apparently, no one would step up to be head of the handset division when it was part of the Motorola company. Seems like a good time to take drastic measures. We'll see how it all pans out.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
iPhone plateaus?
AdMob reported Tuesday that iPhone traffic on its network was flat in February. It postulated that the plateau could be a natural slowdown after growth driven by new iPhones purchased and received over the December holidays.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Neat things you can do with SMS
One, find out how many calories that Double-Double has (or not):
Text the restaurant (In-n-Out) and food item (Double-Double) to DIET1 (34381) -- you'll get back a text updating you on how much fat, protein and energy you're consuming -- all courtesy of Diet.com.
Two, find out flight details:
Text the airline you're taking and the flight number to GOOGLE (466453) -- your reply text will give you all the necessary flight details (delays, etc..)
Text the restaurant (In-n-Out) and food item (Double-Double) to DIET1 (34381) -- you'll get back a text updating you on how much fat, protein and energy you're consuming -- all courtesy of Diet.com.
Two, find out flight details:
Text the airline you're taking and the flight number to GOOGLE (466453) -- your reply text will give you all the necessary flight details (delays, etc..)
Monday, March 17, 2008
Detroit goes mobile
Ad Age reports that General Motors is turning to new media, and mobile, to stretch its ad dollars over the years ahead. GM plans to take half of its $3 billion annual budget out of TV and invest that money in interactive (and DM) over the course of the next three years.
Friday, March 14, 2008
More carrier woes: Virgin
So we all know that Sprint is in a tough spot -- with, among other things, executives leaving right, left and center. Turns out Virgin isn't doing all that much better.
Wednesday Virgin announced that it had added 511,796 new customers in 2007 -- and that it made $1.2 billion, a 20 percent increase over 2006 revenues, making 2007 its first profitable year with $4.2 million in income.
The problem with what otherwise looks like good numbers is that Virgin underperformed analyst expectations -- particularly in the fourth quarter of 2007. Its stock price was $2.46 as of yesterday, down from its $15 IPO price in October 2007.
Meanwhile, Tracfone ("the largest US MVNO" per Ovum) grew its customer base by 711,000 in the fourth quarter of 2007 alone. It now has 9.5 million customers.
The moral of the story seems to be that competition is fierce. We thought Sprint had it bad, and it does, but it seems to take a lot in this industry to have it good. John Hadl of Brand in Hand looks to the proliferation of WiFi on handsets as yet another hurdle carriers will have to overcome. The industry is ever-changing, and the carriers are tasked with not only keeping up, but with looking ahead. Mobile marketers certainly are doing just that.
Wednesday Virgin announced that it had added 511,796 new customers in 2007 -- and that it made $1.2 billion, a 20 percent increase over 2006 revenues, making 2007 its first profitable year with $4.2 million in income.
The problem with what otherwise looks like good numbers is that Virgin underperformed analyst expectations -- particularly in the fourth quarter of 2007. Its stock price was $2.46 as of yesterday, down from its $15 IPO price in October 2007.
Meanwhile, Tracfone ("the largest US MVNO" per Ovum) grew its customer base by 711,000 in the fourth quarter of 2007 alone. It now has 9.5 million customers.
The moral of the story seems to be that competition is fierce. We thought Sprint had it bad, and it does, but it seems to take a lot in this industry to have it good. John Hadl of Brand in Hand looks to the proliferation of WiFi on handsets as yet another hurdle carriers will have to overcome. The industry is ever-changing, and the carriers are tasked with not only keeping up, but with looking ahead. Mobile marketers certainly are doing just that.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
What is QuickPlay?
I spoke with the folks at QuickPlay last week. The company manages content and ads -- its clients are mobile operators and media companies. The company was founded in 2004 with the objective of marrying the carrier and media perspectives -- and with the mission of breaking down the barriers to mobile uptake and marketing.
The company's description:
"QuickPlay's OpenVideo service delivery platform for mobile carriers and content providers enables the delivery of mobile TV and Video in TODAY's networks -- with the ability to accommodate and scale for network evolution. The company's forte is content management, and working out the complicated revenue sharing issues as content moves from creator to service provider to consumer, and everything in between. And, of course, the subsequent reporting and analytics."
The company's description:
"QuickPlay's OpenVideo service delivery platform for mobile carriers and content providers enables the delivery of mobile TV and Video in TODAY's networks -- with the ability to accommodate and scale for network evolution. The company's forte is content management, and working out the complicated revenue sharing issues as content moves from creator to service provider to consumer, and everything in between. And, of course, the subsequent reporting and analytics."
"Snap" technology
A roundup of the players in the space:
SnapTell
"SnapTell is a provider of image recognition-based mobile marketing solutions... Consumers can now use their camera phone easily to snap a picture of a DVD cover, send the picture to SnapTell using MMS messaging, and get back info about the movie on their cell phone." SnapTell seems to market itself primarily in the entertainment category.
MyClick
(Mentioned in the earlier pizza and mobile post)
Consumers install MyClick technology on their phones; when they take a photo of MyClick enabled content -- whether print, outdoor or internet -- they receive information on the product. (In the case of the Pizza Hut promotion, consumers could win discounts and prizes through this technology.) The company was launched in Hong Kong in 2006.
Mobot
Mobot claims that, "Designed to allow you to seamlessly integrate Mobot, no modifications are required to your existing visual media — no keywords, phone numbers, URLs, short codes, product codes, or bar codes are necessary. Mobot visual matching technology 'reads' the image and delivers a wide range of responses to the consumer."
Like the other services, Mobot requires that a consumer take a photo of an object and send it to Mobot in order to get the response the marketer has selected (which could be anything from getting a ringtone to a coupon to information on the object or brand.)
SnapTell
"SnapTell is a provider of image recognition-based mobile marketing solutions... Consumers can now use their camera phone easily to snap a picture of a DVD cover, send the picture to SnapTell using MMS messaging, and get back info about the movie on their cell phone." SnapTell seems to market itself primarily in the entertainment category.
MyClick
(Mentioned in the earlier pizza and mobile post)
Consumers install MyClick technology on their phones; when they take a photo of MyClick enabled content -- whether print, outdoor or internet -- they receive information on the product. (In the case of the Pizza Hut promotion, consumers could win discounts and prizes through this technology.) The company was launched in Hong Kong in 2006.
Mobot
Mobot claims that, "Designed to allow you to seamlessly integrate Mobot, no modifications are required to your existing visual media — no keywords, phone numbers, URLs, short codes, product codes, or bar codes are necessary. Mobot visual matching technology 'reads' the image and delivers a wide range of responses to the consumer."
Like the other services, Mobot requires that a consumer take a photo of an object and send it to Mobot in order to get the response the marketer has selected (which could be anything from getting a ringtone to a coupon to information on the object or brand.)
What is SinglePoint?
There are a ton of new companies showing up in the mobile space. I figured it would be helpful to include brief descriptions of some of the players -- so that you all know who's out there, and what they might offer you.
SinglePoint
"SinglePoint offers a full suite of services that make it fast and easy to create, launch and manage interactive TV campaigns that work. SinglePoint's services include mobile message connectivity, applications (such as voting, polling, sweepstakes, contests, alerts, coupons clips, and tips), reporting and analytics. Powering the overwhelming majority of mobile interactivity on North American television today, SinglePoint is engaged with an audience of more than 240 million mobile users."
SinglePoint
"SinglePoint offers a full suite of services that make it fast and easy to create, launch and manage interactive TV campaigns that work. SinglePoint's services include mobile message connectivity, applications (such as voting, polling, sweepstakes, contests, alerts, coupons clips, and tips), reporting and analytics. Powering the overwhelming majority of mobile interactivity on North American television today, SinglePoint is engaged with an audience of more than 240 million mobile users."
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sprint: From $100 data plans to $29.5 billion loss
On the heels of an earlier announcement that it would offer an unlimited data plan for only $100 a month, Sprint has now announced a new handset that accesses data at network speeds -- it's called the Mogul. This is in advance of a WiMAXX launch scheduled for next month.
You'd think with all these new ideas and offerings Sprint would be a bright spot for investors, but its share price is now at $5.55 -- a 20-year-low for the company.
The New York Times offers a roundup of articles written on Sprint -- covering everything from its million-customer loss (over only 5 quarters), to layoffs, to its $29.5 billion loss.
Why so gloomy? I had Sprint as my carrier for a while -- and it was terrible. Sprint dropped more of my calls in a month than my new carrier, the more affordably priced T-Mobile, has in the 3 years I've subscribed. I was listening to an NPR program a week or so back, and it referred to the fact that mobile penetration in the U.S. is virtually at saturation. Now carriers have to get new customers by poaching them from the competition. But if your service is terrible, all these innovations are pretty much moot.
You'd think with all these new ideas and offerings Sprint would be a bright spot for investors, but its share price is now at $5.55 -- a 20-year-low for the company.
The New York Times offers a roundup of articles written on Sprint -- covering everything from its million-customer loss (over only 5 quarters), to layoffs, to its $29.5 billion loss.
Why so gloomy? I had Sprint as my carrier for a while -- and it was terrible. Sprint dropped more of my calls in a month than my new carrier, the more affordably priced T-Mobile, has in the 3 years I've subscribed. I was listening to an NPR program a week or so back, and it referred to the fact that mobile penetration in the U.S. is virtually at saturation. Now carriers have to get new customers by poaching them from the competition. But if your service is terrible, all these innovations are pretty much moot.
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