A new study commissioned by the Mobile Marketing Association is shedding some light on today’s mobile marketing ecosystem.

According to the report, which was conducted by consulting firm mLightenment, the number of mobile marketing-related jobs will climb from 524,000 in 2012 to 1.4 million in 2015.

The mobile marketing ecosystem “exhibits remarkable levels of investment for an industry so young.”

Continue Reading

As rumors swirl that Apple will soon release an iOS-powered smart watch affectionately dubbed iWatch by the bustling tech blogosphere, other leading names in mobile technology aren’t being so secretive about their plans to release a similar product.

Earlier this week MMW reported that Samsung has now confirmed plans for the company to market what will likely be an Android-powered smart watch. “We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long,” said Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile business. “We are working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.”

On Friday, Google’s purported work on a forthcoming smart watch was chronicled by the Financial Times, while The Korea Times suggested that electronics maker LG is doing the same on a smart watch of its own.

Continue Reading

Underscoring the diversity of industries exploring the promotional power of mobile marketing, Snipp Interactive has lifted the curtain on its new offering dubbed SnippWine – a full service solution intended to serve the mobile marketing needs of the wine industry.

On Thursday, Snipp toasted its first two clients, prominent industry leaders Domine Chandon and Huneeus Vintners. The wine labels confirm that they will begin using the SnippWine solution for a number of forthcoming mobile-based marketing programs.

SnippWine reveals this week that its mobile-based marketing tools for wineries include everything from shipping alerts and a mobile site builder, to social sharing functionality and mobile receipt processing. There’s also a wide array of mobile response options, like customized QR codes, SMS, MMS, augmented reality and image recognition on wine labels.

Continue Reading

According to projections made in the new “Global Mobile Health Market Report 2013-2017″ by research2guidance, the market for mHealth services has now entered the commercialization phase. As a result, the mHealth industry will be able to monetize its services like never before – chiefly through the portal opened by smartphone applications.

“Our findings indicate that the long-expected mobile revolution in healthcare is set to happen,” explains Ralf-Gordon Jahns, Head of Research at research2guidance. “Both healthcare providers and consumers are embracing smartphones as a means to improving healthcare.”

Mobile health apps are now among the most sought-after applications across all major platforms. And while 42% of the estimated 90,000 apps in this category adhere to the paid business model, the mHealth app services market is not ballooning in profitability because of paid downloads alone.

Continue Reading

No one is saying that mobile ads have found their sweet spot with consumers yet, but they have at least achieved a new level of tolerance.

According to the latest research from InMobi, approximately 6 in 10 consumers are now as “comfortable” with mobile advertising as they are with advertising in other mediums.

Despite a recent wave of concerns regarding the so-called “fat finger” issue, which contends that a majority of mobile ads are clicked on accidentally, InMobi finds that only 15% of mobile web users click on mobile ads unintentionally.

Continue Reading

As pressure mounts on today’s leading social networks to better monetize their platforms, Twitter seems to be hitting its stride with Promoted Trends.

According to published reports Monday, the social network of 500 million registered users (200 million of which are believed to be active) has begun charging companies $200,000 a day for the purchase of a Promoted Trend in the United States.

The cost of a Promoted Trend has more than doubled since the ad feature was first introduced in 2010 at a cost of $80,000 per day.

Continue Reading

Like a major shift in the rankings of sports teams in their division, there’s a new No. 2 in town. Google+ has usurped the second place standing among the leading social networks of the world.

With Facebook’s 1-billion strong user base remaining untouchable for the time being, the race is all about the second spot these days. And Google+ has secured it.

U.K. market research firm Trendstream’s Global Web Index (GWI) shows that Google+ brought in 343 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter of 2012. This 27 percent jump over the previous year was enough to propel the platform into the No. 2 position.

Continue Reading