Staying on top of mobile advertising best practices and methodology, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) today published a new whitepaper outlining the use of Rich Media ad-formats and units in mobile advertising campaigns.

The new whitepaper, created with the help of numerous member companies, includes definitions, attributes and examples of Rich Media advertising that are currently being used in the marketplace.  Within the document, the MMA created a definition for “Rich Media Mobile Ad Units,” which are interactive and/or non-interactive ad units displayed on a mobile web page and/or in a mobile application that offers one or more of the following: (i.) inclusion of streaming video content or animated GIF within the ad unit; (ii.) inclusion of sound; or (iii.) a richer interactive feature set than basic mobile click-through, such as user interaction that occurs through input other than a “click” or “tap.”

Though one would believe Rich Media use in mobile-ad campaigns is large, Millennial Media indicates that in the fourth quarter of 2009, an average of only 19% of U.S. mobile advertisers used Rich Media Mobile Ad Units.  While the whitepaper encourages experimentation with the use of Rich Media formats, it’s clear there’s some ambiguity as to how to best use the concept effectively.

In getting a better understanding of guidelines in terms of formatting, the MMA invites companies to share best practices with the MMA’s Mobile Advertising Committee in order to influence future Rich Media Mobile Advertising Guidelines for the industry.  As always, the MMA is at the forefront of organizing and interpreting new technologies and methods associated with mobile marketing and advertising, with the new whitepaper being a perfect example of providing an invaluable resource for marketers.

Share This

With Ring-Back Tones (RBT) becoming more popular everyday, especially in areas outside the U.S., the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has published a new whitepaper detailing the appropriate opportunities and considerations when working with the concept.

Created with the help of MMA members 4play Digital Workshop, Comverse, Livewire Mobile, Ringco and Xipto, the whitepaper is designed to provide marketers with insight into the little-known and regulated concept of marketing via Ring-Back Tones, to ensure a positive, rewarding experience for consumers.

The concept of RBTs have been around for a while now, but only used by carriers in a very under-utilized environment.  Recently though, the possibilities have been introduced to third-party advertisers who recognize the unique opportunity and reach the concept has.

“Although ring-back tones have been repurposed by operators for almost a decade, it’s only recently that marketers are able to take advantage of this opportunity,” explained Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, APAC, Mobile Marketing Association.  ”With more than 3 billion mobile phones in use worldwide, and approximately 12 billion inbound calls each day, RBTs offer a compelling new media platform for marketers today.  In line with MMA’s efforts to educate marketers and protect consumer experience, MMA members have put together this whitepaper to provide insights into harvesting the potential of this new emerging area of focus as a marketing channel.”

Read the rest

Share This

The following is a guest post from Simon Vella, CEO of InvolveMobile…

If you have any doubt whether SMS spam falls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), you will be one of the remaining few in 2010. The TCPA has struck again, with the District Court of Northern Illinois recently upholding the FCC’s view of text messaging in Abbas v Selling Source. In this case, Abbas allegedly received SMS spam messages and sued Selling Source under the TCPA. Most of Selling Source’s arguments were rejected by the court, including their attempt at First Amendment defences.

There are now an increasing number of judgments extending back to 2005 that put SMS spam messages firmly into the sights of the TCPA. With the CAN-SPAM Act only regulating email to sms gateways, it now appears to be the primary vehicle for plaintiffs dealing with unsolicited text messages. Further to this, a Minnesota judge recently rejected the application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to a receipt of text message spam.

While mobile marketing has not yet enjoyed the spotlight it should do, it has also avoided heavy handed regulation which affects other marketing channels. Text message consents often seem to lack clarity for consumers, both through website registrations and mainstream media interaction. The proliferation of mobile cell phone lists in past years shows that consent for mobile direct marketing has sometimes been a murky area. The cases we have seen to date are already having some significant impact on the mobile direct marketing industry, with recent removals of mobile phone lists from circulation by major list providers concerned about massive legal payouts. It gives a welcome reprieve to an industry that will be increasingly under fire.

Read the rest

Share This

Those of us consumed in the world of mobile marketing and its subsequent topics tend to easily forget about the backbone of the mobile industry- the wireless companies themselves.  While they exist with a tremendous amount of regulation, the FCC and other government organizations are flooded with consumer complaints and internal inquiries each and every year.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has taken notice of the problem and called on the FCC to not only increase oversight of the entire wireless industry, but to do a better job of enforcing consumer protection rules as well.  A report compiled by the GAO regarding the situation was done so at the request of Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet.

Interestingly enough, the report comes almost four months after the FCC opened a series of inquiries into the state of the wireless industry, including an examination of so-called “truth-in-billing” rules, which require phone companies to clearly describe charges on consumer bills, for example.  Apparently, the GAO wants more.

To complete its report, the GAO conducted a random survey of more than 1,100 wireless customers around the country. It found that while 84 percent of consumers are satisfied with their mobile phone service, millions are unhappy with issues such as wireless billing practices, customer service, early termination fees and other contract terms- no surprise there.

Read the rest

Share This

Email marketing has been a useful tool for a long time, and even though mobile is a new-age channel for marketing, the same strategies and optimization used for email campaigns can – and should – be implemented in mobile campaigns as well.

There was an interesting article on Marketing Vox recently that talked about SMB’s increased interest in email marketing, citing several surveys showing that nearly three-fourths of all SMBs plan to implement email marketing due to its high ROI.  A recent report from the DMA states the average ROI for email campaigns is $43.62 for every dollar spent, and that it remains a top marketing medium for it’s low cost and high ROI.

The article also listed several tips for email marketers, including priorities such as targeting and relevance, which seem to mirror the tips and strategies necessary for successful mobile marketing as well.  Advertising to email and mobile devices is very similar in nature, especially if you’re comparing email and SMS marketing.  The years of trial and error and experience in the email marketing industry provide valuable lessons to any mobile marketer.

Read the rest

Share This

There’s been numerous studies, surveys and analysis regarding consumer’s view of SMS marketing and how they respond to messages from advertisers, with most coming to the conclusion that SMS marketing is always welcomed by consumers as long as its worth their while.

A new study put out by the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) polled consumers regarding their view of SMS marketing and found that users request much more control, as well as a sense of trust from the brands that are reaching out to them.  These so-called unwritten rules of acceptable engagement via mobile was what the DMA was interested in analyzing.

Gaining a sense of control over what messages are being sent to them, and the overall integrity and trust shown by the brands are the underlying aspects consumers request, with over half of respondents feeling that companies didn’t make the opt-in process clear enough, for example.  In addition, two-thirds of respondents wanted to choose the time of day they received mobile marketing messages, while the majority of respondents didn’t even know who had contacted them.

What consumers worry about the most with regards to SMS marketing is the underlying threat of SMS spam and the mis-conceptions surrounding the practice.  While only one-third of respondents believe that they are increasingly receiving more spam, the report reveals that people are confused about the financial cost of spam. One-third of respondents believe that simply receiving a spam message will result in a charge to their mobile bill, while the same number believe that opening a spam message results in charges.

Read the rest

Share This

Smartphone apps are getting more and more comprehensive everyday it seems, and with the advent of location-based services, mobile social networking and other genres, privacy is becoming increasingly important.

There’s been a recent surge of developers and consumers that have noticed what some apps are doing behind the scenes in terms of gathering user information- and it’s raising concerns for those who value their privacy.  A programmer recently discovered, for example, that Pre’s smartphone OS was sending users’ GPS information back to Palm, even though the company’s privacy policy revealed as much.

In addition, ReadWriteWeb is reporting that mobile analytics company Pinch Media allows developers to insert code into applications in order to create a user profile.  The information is designed to help developers, although some consider the technique invasive.  If the user profile is used with good intentions to help the app in what ever it’s supposed to accomplish, then so be it, but when that user information is used for other purposes without the user’s consent, it creates a big problem.

The regulations associated with this sort of thing are very ambiguous- app developers submitting to Apple’s App store, for example, aren’t required to reveal what types of data they’re tracking.  Also, when users consent to have their location revealed, app developers don’t necessarily have to disclose what additional data they’re tracking.

Until regulation is put in place, the only defense is to go over every single line of your TOS and privacy policy associated with any new app you think will collect sensitive user information- since almost nobody will do such a thing, we’re still at the mercy of the app developers.

Share This