Mobile Marketing

Tabbed out! Which tablet will dominate?

Posted by renee on October 29th, 2010

With technological giants like Apple, Microsoft, and an unending list of others, racing a mile a minute to come up with the next hot gadget, consumers are left baffled to figure out which one is best.  The latest and greatest technology to reach electronics’ retailers is travel size, touch screen, slate tablets.  The most familiar of these handheld computers is Apple’s new iPad.  Apple is undoubtedly, one of the largest and most popular electronics brand.  However, there are many other companies coming out with the same technology.  Samsung, Blackberry, Microsoft, LG, and Dell, have all recently put similar tablets on the market.  With the popularity of tablets growing, consumers will find it harder and harder to find one right for them.

Apple’s iPad is definitely the most familiar tablet on the market thus far.  With the iPad, you can listen to your favorite music, watch movies, play games, even read a novel.  This is just the warm up.  The Apple App Store offers over 5,000 downloadable apps for the iPad.  With these you can bank securely online, get directions, or find nearby attractions.  There’s even an app that allows you to turn the lights on or off in your home, as well as enable your home security system from miles away.  That’s pretty cool.  Oh, and let’s not forget that the iPad can be purchased with the safari web browser, with 3G speed, but it also comes with an extra $30 a month service fee.  unfortunately, the battery in this device is built in, which means the entire unit will need to be replaced if the battery dies.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is like iPad in both features and design.  I do give the Galaxy Tab points for having a camera.  In fact it has 2 cameras.  There’s one in the back, and one in the front for video chatting.  I was disappointed with the iPad for having so many features, yet forgetting the basic ones.  By having an integrated camera, the Galaxy Tab really does become the all-in-one gadget.  Samsung’s tablet is also slightly smaller than the iPad.  This is good for consumers who want something more compact.  This slate tablet can actually fit in your back pocket.  The screen is 7″, compared to the iPad’s 9.7″ screen.  The Galaxy Tab has a battery life of 7 hours, which isn’t bad, but compared to the iPad,it falls short by 2 hours.  While Samsung doesn’t have an applications store as large as Apple’s, they do have one think that might make them major competitors.  Consumers do not have to sign a contract to use the Galaxy Tab!  This is a smart move by Samsung.  They will be gaining every consumer who is unable or unwilling to switch service providers.  Apple should take their lead.

Blackberry’s RIM Play Book, will definitely catch the eye of the hundreds of thousands of blackberry addicts around the world.  The Play Book runs on a new operating system.  Customer reviews say that it’s the fastest OS on the market.  At 1GB, it offers more RAM than the competition.  It is as compact and light weight as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but the RIM Play Book’s duel 3.2 mega pixel cameras blow the Galaxy’s out of the water.

LG’s Optimus isn’t even available for purchase yet, but it’s already created a buzz.  LG even nicknamed it the “iPad killer”.  The company hasn’t yet released specs for the Optimus, but they are saying that it will be lighter, more compact, and more productive than the iPad.  The Optimus is still in development, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Another slate tablet just hit the market is the Dell Streak.  It basically does all the same things many of the best smart phones do, and not much else.  It’s about the same size as well, sporting a 5 inch screen which I think Dell took the consumer outcry for compact gadgets a step too far.  The Dell Streak does have a 5 MP camera on the back, which is a bonus that the iPad lacks.  It also has lots of storage place and a 1 GHz processor which makes video streaming very convenient.  Many consumers do complain that the battery life is sub par, and the touch screen definitely needs to be fine tuned.  In this case, I did not save the best for last.

It is great that so many companies are making an effort to keep up with the Jones’s, or in this case, Apple, but they’ll have to keep working at it.  All the iPad is missing is dual front and back cameras.  If this ever happens, the other guys won’t stand a chance.  The Galaxy Tab comes in a close second.  The fact that consumers can buy one without committing to a contract will definitely help them in this slate tab technology race.

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Posted in Blog, Mobile Marketing | 3 Comments »

The rise of social gaming in marketing

Posted by renee on October 20th, 2010

Instead of “Where’s the Beef”, think “Where’s the game?” Social gaming, or ‘gamification‘ is quickly becoming an important aspect of marketing in today’s world.  The social gaming phenomenon has exploded.  Facebook reports that more than 200 million people are playing games on Facebook.  That is a small tip of a very large iceberg.  Social networking sites allow friends to compete and compare their progress in games, as well as assist each other in reaching goals.  It is an interesting meshing of social networking and social gaming, and something that will soon be ubiquitous.  Forward thinking businesses understand that social gaming can become an important aspect of their marketing strategy.  It is the smart way to do business.

The idea of using social gaming as a marketing tool is not new, however with the Internet playing a key role in most people’s lives, it has changed how gaming works in new and unexpected directions.  In the “old days”, businesses successfully employed strategies such as “buy ten, get one free”.  Credit card companies, retail stores and similar businesses began to offer (and still offer) savings, rewards or bonuses for using their product.  These practices are successful in building and retaining customer loyalty, and it is no surprise that they are still used, often in new ways that involve online gaming.  In today’s online world, there are infinitely more ways to use and expand on such marketing strategies.  Online gaming is an invaluable way to involve and build a base of interested and engaged customers.

Understanding the psychology of the gamer is vital to using gaming as a marketing strategy.  This is where ‘game mechanics’ come into play.  It is important to build a game that is enjoyable and encourages the gamer to continue playing.  Businesses that can use game mechanics successfully, and develop a good game as part of their social gaming marketing strategy are the ones who will be successful.

The rise of social gaming as a marketing tactic has just begun.  The directions in which it can turn are endless.  Currently there is a trend towards cross-promotion, where companies partner with one another to promote their products as part of a game.  Instead of getting a toy from the current blockbuster movie with your kid’s meal, you now get a code for a virtual game.  In June 2010, the Smithsonian hosted a scavenger hunt called “The GoSmithsonian Trek“.  Participants solved puzzles by collecting clues hidden throughout the building.  The winner received an iPad and other prizes were also awarded.  This is a great example of how even government agencies and nonprofits can use social gaming as a way to attract consumers.

Social network games have become huge generators of income.  Figures from eMarketer forecast that in this year, 2010, $220 million in marketing dollars will go towards ads placed on social networking games.  The availability or supply of games is currently trailing demand, making today an ideal time for entrepreneurs with a good game idea to try their luck.  There is also room in the market for developers of game applications and gaming development software.  There are countless, untapped promotional possibilities involving social games.  Games, as always make things more fun, and people want to have fun.  As the social gaming market expands, gamers can look forward to a brave new world and the discovery of new and innovative games.

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Posted in Blog, Marketing, Mobile Marketing | 1 Comment »

Daily deals, mobile, hyper local offers. We Want More!

Posted by renee on September 21st, 2010

Still on the fence about location based services, mobile, daily deals and if they’re even worth it?  You shouldn’t be. Here are some case studies that will go down in the history books, and others not so much, of some entertaining and creative mobile and location based campaigns.

Gap

When an e-mail was sent out offering a $50 gift card to the Gap for just $25, more than 440,000 people purchased it. This offer was made through Groupon – a couponing site which provides daily deals in fun and interesting ways.  The Gap deal was Groupon’s first big national promotion.  With such an overwhelming response, it actually stalled the servers. At one point, the site was selling 534 offers a minute. Success?  Yes! The campaign generated $11 million for Groupon.  Wow!

Domino’s

In the UK, Domino’s up’d the ante and began offering free pizzas to mayors on Foursquare. Who can say no to free ZA? They even gave away free side dishes for those who check in and spend more than $14.50.  Ok, wow.  All people had to do was check. Many of the locations weren’t even sit down restaurants, yet the promotion still drove foot traffic. It increased drive pick-up orders and helped eliminate costs associated with delivery.

Best Buy

And back in the news, Best Buy teamed up with Shopkick, an app that turns offline stores into interactive worlds, to roll out the 257 store promotion. No need to ‘check in’ or even press a button, Shopkick automatically recognizes when someone with the app on their phone walks into a store and, boom, deals are sent to them.  An app for the lazy. Though it’s too early to tell if this campaign has been successful in terms of revenue/loyalty generated, it certainly has the media all excited. Why?  Well it made news by taking shopper rewards to entirely new and location-specific levels, literally allowing shoppers to earn rewards simply for moving through specific areas of the store. Who’s next? Macy‘s, American Eagle and Simon Property Group have all jumped on board the bandwagon.

East Coast Aero Club

A lesser known Groupon promotion from a small east coast flight school brought sheer panic to the company, but in a good way. They put together a deal: $69 for an introductory flight lesson, 70% off the regular price. The company expected to maybe sell 200, but was told by Groupon to expect more like 500.  You know what happened?  They sold 2600.  Wow! Needless to say for the following few weeks the flight school instructors were very busy. All this from one little email.

Starbucks

Want to be an honorary barista for a day?  Become a Mayor of Starbucks. Simple if you are an addict.  The person who checks into any individual Starbucks the most becomes the “Honorary Barista” of that Starbucks through an App called Loopt.  Does that come in Venti?  Who knows, but it certainly has more people checking in, whether or not they are buying. Checking in using Foursquare, however, gives you $1 off a Frappucino – now that’s more my cup of tea – or cup of yummy awesomeness. And moving on – there is even another Starbucks mobile loyalty program, their own iPhone loyalty card App, built by mFoundry. Customers collect stars in a cup on their phones every time they make a purchase and get a free drink every 15 visits.  I visit the Bucks two times a day, so that would mean a free drink every week and a half.  I’d do it.

InterContinental Hotels Group

The hotel chain used Gowalla (Another check-in app) to give gift cards and airline miles to loyal customers of its hotels.  Piggy backing off their Hit It Big promotion which offers rewards such as retail gift cards and double air miles to guests who stay multiple nights. The campaign launched at the beginning of summer with the hopes of getting summer tourists checking in like crazy. I haven’t been able to find data on its success but know it ended June 30th.

Pepsi

This ain’t no Britney Spears endorsement. This is geo-location marketing at its best.  Last May Pepsi launched Pepsi Loot, an iPhone App that uses geo-targeting for people to find nearby restaurants that serve Pepsi beverages, including chains like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Arby’s and Panda Express to individual restaurants that have Pepsi contracts. Power! Customers that check-in to restaurants that sell Pepsi products can begin to earn loyalty ‘loot’ points. These points can be used to get downloadable songs from artists such as Keane, Katherine McPhee and Jamie Cullum. Sha-la-la-la, sing it.

What about charity?! Ok, ok, Shopkick has that covered.

CauseWorld

This is stellar, a free location based app for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android, which allows users to collect “karma points” while shopping, and then convert them into cash donations for charitable causes.  Since it’s inception the app has brought in over $100,000 in donations to the American Red Cross for the victims on Haiti.  This is location based cause giving (LBCG) at its best  .. I just made that acronym up, but it sounds good.

I could go on and on with the many new campaigns popping up each week, but these set some good examples.  Basically this is where it’s at. Marketing dollars are shifting from offline to online to mobile to back offline.  It’s an eclectic mesh of integrating all forms of marketing for the most impact.   Although mobile marketing is very new and under much scrutiny, it is inevitable that demand for LBA will continue to grow far beyond large retailers and into hyper-local shops.

Do you have any good examples of successful mama and papa shop location based marketing?

Posted in Advertising, Blog, Marketing, Mobile Marketing | No Comments »

Location-Based Ads Boost Customer Loyalty

Posted by renee on August 16th, 2010

Very often when you make a purchase in a store, the cashier asks the same question: “Do you have your card?”

The cashier’s not asking for your Visa or Mastercard. She’s talking about those ubiquitous reward cards that track how many times you might order a bagel, a latte, an ink cartridge refill, or whatever you happen to be purchasing at the time.

Buy 10 and get one free. Purchase six and get the next at half price. Promotions differ, but the concept remains the same: the store wants to inspire customer loyalty, and it’ll reward you for it.

Some people benefit from loyalty rewards and save money. Others find the cards annoying. Imagine if you could replace the process with something that suits your lifestyle better. Instead of having your card punched at the sandwich shop or scanned at the pharmacy, how would you feel if you received a mobile-based coupon on your smartphone?

Location-Based Ads: A Business Boon in the Making

Businesses are increasingly working to improve marketing ROI. A recent study by the Mobile Marketing Association shows that almost one in four adults use mobile location-based services. Nearly half of those shoppers who saw ads from location-based services took some sort of action.

Few metrics exist on location-based advertising and customer loyalty, but so far, results have been promising. Foursquare, one of the most popular mobile location tracking applications, gives its users the chance to become a location’s “mayor” by checking in frequently. Many restaurants, coffee shops and other locations give their “mayors” discounts and freebies as a reward for customer loyalty.  Most recently GAP offered a 25% discount if you checked in on Foursquare.  The idea was to encourage store exposure, as friends of those ‘checking in’ would see the deal and would, hopefully, also act on it.

The Proof is in the Numbers

Another great example, Starbucks, offered its “mayors” $1 off any size of Frappuccino. Since beginning the promotion, the coffee haven has experienced a 50% increase in check-ins. AJ Bombers, a burger spot in Milwaukee, reported a 30% increase in sales after offering free burgers to the “mayor” (plus free cookies to anyone who checked in.)

Not wanting to limit promotions to a select few, Foursquare lets businesses provide frequency-based specials to users who check in often. Pepsi has built upon this feature by using Foursquare to give points for each mobile coupon used. Loyal soda lovers can redeem the coupons for music downloads and other Pepsi Loot.

The promotion is designed to increase brand loyalty and also to generate valuable data about repeat customers – where they purchase Pepsi, how often they purchase and what they do before and after they make the purchase. In time, this data may help Pepsi and other businesses make location-based ads even more effective. (It’s all in the data)

Have you ever used location-based advertising to promote your business? If so, how did the marketing effort turn out? If not, do you find that location-based advertising increases your loyalty to other local businesses?

Posted in Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Social media for small business | 3 Comments »