SMS Beats Email

Well folks, the new player on the team is proving to be more successful. The new batter is hitting more home runs. The young guy is breaking records. Okay, I am getting carried away with the baseball analogies here…but the bottom line is that SMS delivery rates beat out email delivery rates.

SMS has 100% deliverability. Why? Because the user opts-in and the message is delivered directly to their mobile device, no restrictions.

According to Return Path, “Despite minor improvements, about 1-in-5 commercial, permissioned emails still fail to reach consumers' inboxes.” Why? MediaPost tells us that 3.5% of these emails are delivered to spam and bulk folders, and 16.3% just go missing in cyber space with no notice of non-delivery. And to top it off…ISPs can vary on the criteria of how many emails actually reach inboxes. Gavin O’Malley noted that “nearly 20 percent of email campaign messages fail to deliver.”

That is not to say that email is not useful. It is. But in the end SMS wins the game.

Check it out:
SMS
100% deliverability
90+% open rate
13-15% coupon redemption
(MMA)

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny phone

Not only are phones a popular gift during the holidays…they play a huge role in holiday shopping. That’s right everyone…to gear up for the most intense shopping month of the year get those credit cards, comfortable shoes, and mobile phones ready! According to Deloitte’s 24th Annual Holiday Survey of Retail Spending and Trends, “nearly one in five holiday shoppers will rely on digital advancements such as social media and mobile phones for help with holiday shopping this year.” So what are they using these “pocket elves” for you may ask? Everything from researching prices, getting product information, looking for discounts and coupons, reading product reviews, making a mobile purchase, to the most popular use by 55% – looking for store locations. Well that is good news for the stores that are already running in the mobile arena. USA Today’s Jayne O’Donnell highlighted the top dog mobile sites for the holiday season. Among them are Amazon, Wal-Mart, Google, RedLaser, and Dealdar. Not only do they have another outlet for marketing, they are also making holiday shopping easy and convenient for consumers. There are few things worse than dealing with tired, grumpy, frazzled, “I left it all ‘til the last minute” shoppers. Make their life easier and your profits sweeter.

And what about those lazy consumers who need to shop but can’t justify missing the game for the crazy traffic and shopping mall zoos? If you have gone mobile, you are pleasing them too. They can surf your mobile site, select the perfect present, and purchase it without leaving the comfort of their lazy-boy and hot chocolate. While they are on their phones they may even check out gift wish lists of friends and family or text pictures of things they want to their significant others. Translation→ people will be communicating about your products.

The mobile shopping market is still young and largely uninhabited by stores. Now is the time to jump in and become a favorite on the shopper’s list. Mobile sites and applications…when done right…are fast and clean, and do almost everything that regular websites do. The selling point – mobile is with the consumers wherever the go. They need directions to your store…bam, there’s the store locator. They need gift giving ideas…zing, there’s your digital shopping list. They need to purchase a gift and have it delivered tomorrow…jingle bells, you just gave them a Merry Christmas.

Mobile Tweens & Teens

What were you doing when you were 10 years old? Climbing trees, riding bikes, playing Barbie and Hot Wheels? Well folks, the times have definitely changed. A new and more exciting toy has graced our young population…the cell phone. The key age for kids to acquire their own phone is 10. And that isn’t just the popular kids who always get what they want…more than 50% of 10-year olds in the U.S. own phones! In the 13 to 17 year old age range, 77% own cell phones. These kids are texting gurus. Not only do they all know the “text language”, their fingers move a mile a minute, and they probably know how to operate all the phone capabilities better than a lot of adults. That said, a lot of the text messages that these tweens and teens send out barely justify the bill.
“wats up” → “nothing” → “cool” → “yea” → “see you l8ter”
Come on kids! That is one of the most anti-stimulating conversations ever, but it is pretty common with these teeny-boppers. It doesn’t matter what they are texting, they are just cool if they are texting. Their main mobile activities are making calls, texting, and playing games (because yes, even though they are like adults with phones, they are still kids who love games).

So where am I going with this rant? Kids have phones; kids like to text; and kids are impressionable. There is a huge mobile market for kids out there, which is wide open. Of course there are rules and regulations with marketing to minors; but if the parents allow their kids to have phones, there is a good chance they will allow them to participate in positive mobile campaigns. 65% of tweens with cell phones are on shared family plans, and almost 30% have prepaid plans. As they get older, they start playing for their own individual plans (which often include unlimited texting).

The Simpsons, although a little far-fetched, hit the nail on the head in their episode entitled “Apocalypse Cow.” Bart and Lisa are part of the impressionable, American youth. Who cares about the cost, if they believe in a cause, money is no issue. Now don’t charge $15 per text; but play by the rules of the book, and you may open your doors to the tween and teen mobile market.

The Mobile Whirlwind

It seems that we have been M.I.A since May. Well, we never really left; we have just been in a whirlwind of welcoming new clients to the mobile world. Things have been rolling out and new mobile magic is being made. I am relatively new to the mobile services world, and let me tell you, this stuff is awesome! My way to describe it would be, it is kind of like a cool kid’s party. The cool kids know what’s happenin’, what is trendy, and are one step ahead of the game. Everyone wants to go to the cool kid’s party; you just have to know the right people to get you in. Well…mobile is cool…and we are the kids who are going to get you inside that party. Sure, you’ll be fine without the new trends and new friends, but life is so much more rockin’ when you are leader of the pack and on top of your game.

I think that the mobile sector should operate on dog years because everything is moving so fast! The technology, capabilities, and ideas are constantly changing and getting better. We haven’t written since May, which may not seem that long ago…but in mobile reality we have progressed from playing with pogs, Carmen San Diego, and watching Full House, to flying to work in futuristic cars while you exercise on Wii Fit. Okay, maybe that is a little extreme, but the point is, you blink in this industry and something new is invented. That’s why Mobile FKM is here to bring you up to date and help you stay on top of your game. Go on…be a cool kid.

Look for us over the next few weeks to be posting new and exciting updates about the mobile world and what cool things we are creating for our clients.

OTB Launches Multi-channel Mobile Effort

Casual dining brand On The Border is launching a first-of-it's kind integrated mobile initiative to drive consumers into restaurants from a wide range of media.

Created by Mo7 Mobile/Mobile FKM, the multi-channel campaign will allow consumers to send an offer for a free bowl of queso or sopapillas, a Mexican pastry, directly to their phone from variety of interactive ads. The mobile element is designed to support the debut of OTB's new $6.99 Countless Combination menu offering.

The offer will be seeded in online ads, local search ads, the On The Border web site, emails and targeted mobile voice ads.

The online ads will be equipped with a field so that consumers can enter their mobile number directly into the ad unit and immediately send the offer to the mobile phone.

City Search listings will feature the offer with a click-through to a web page with the same opt-in technology. The offer and link also is included in an email sent to the On The Border Club Cantina database.

And targeted voice ads, served through the 1-800-Free411 platform, will include an option to press * and send the offer to your phone.

Each ad platform and unit is being tracked for its effectiveness in producing opt-ins.

Our take: We are truly activating these ads, not just with click-throughs, but with technology that makes getting this offer extremely simple for the consumer. Our strategy is to take down the barriers facing the consumer and to get the offer in as many hands as possible, since mobile has such an extremely high redemption rate.

Analytics to follow...

SMS: Critical Communications

Never has our real-time text messaging effort for the BP MS 150 been as relevant as it was this past weekend.

13,000 people annually participate in the 2-day charity ride between Houston and Austin.

With rain storms looming in the forecast, an unprecedented number of riders texted in to receive our alerts on their cell phones. For the past three years, we have linked riders, volunteers and their families with real-time messages. Typical content includes course changes, schedule changes and weather updates.

Then five inches of rain and flash floods washed away Saturday's portion of the ride.

Our alerts helped keep everyone off the road on Saturday, and got them to the starting line in La Grange on Sunday. Then it was off to Austin. A shorter trip this year, but another massive blow against MS.

Awesome job, everyone!

Armani Exchange Launches Mobile Campaign

(Reprinted from the "Mobile Marketer")

A|X Armani Exchange has launched its first mobile advertising campaign to promote its A|X Armani Exchange Spring 2009 collection.

Armani is using mobile ads served on the mobile ad network AdMob to raise awareness of the new A|X spring line, drive opt-ins to the brand’s text messaging program and to continue building the brand’s relationship with its customers.

“The Armani Exchange Spring 2009 mobile advertising program gives A|X the opportunity to engage our customers in a timely, relevant and entertaining way,” said Tom Jarrold, senior vice president of global marketing and communications at Armani Exchange, New York.

A|X Armani Exchange was launched in 1991, aimed at a new generation of fast-fashion consumers – a collection offering urban, individual style. Armani Exchange is "Accessible Armani" that defines a new dress code with a collection that takes its cue from urban lifestyle and music culture.

With A|X, Mr. Armani interprets his sensual and unique style to create a casual, yet sophisticated collection for the young, urban and sexy. Today A|X Armani Exchange has an exclusive direct controlled retail network that currently comprises 170 freestanding stores in 24 countries.

This is the first mobile advertising campaign that Armani Exchange has undertaken and it builds on the success of its Text A|X campaign, with the tagline of “Instant Message. Instant Style.”

“This is the first time we are working with Armani Exchange and this is their first mobile advertising initiative,” said Nicole Leverich, spokeswoman at Ad Mob, San Mateo, CA. “They previously allowed people to go to the site from their computer and sign up for text alerts and saw a lot of success with that.

“This new campaign is building on the success of that initiative,” she said. “It lets consumers learn more about the collection.”

The luxury retailer did a text-to-win promotion in an effort that also involved future SMS marketing.

The "A/X $1,000 Shopping Spree Sweepstakes" call-to-action was printed on the retailer's shopping bag.

It asked customers to text the keyword AX to short code 276264 (ARMANI) for a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree.

Consumers who texted in were added to a mobile database and later sent text messages announcing new collection arrivals, exclusive offers, A|X events and mobile downloads.

The new A|X mobile advertising campaign is designed to leverage AdMob’s iPhone network and drive consumers to a specially designed mobile Web site where they can sign up for Text A|X, find stores near them, watch videos, see images of the new Spring 2009 line, or read the A|X Styletraxx blog.

“As everyone knows the iPhone is an engaging device and users of it tend to be interested in hearing from advertisers,” Ms. Leverich said. “The device allows advertisers to come up with unique campaigns because of the capabilities of the device.”

The engaging iPhone text, banner and canvas ads highlight the Spring 2009 collection.

“The program allows the A|X customer to experience the brand – to review looks, find stores, get downloads – on the fly,” Mr. Jarrold said.