The following is the first in a new series here on MMW where we take a closer look at the companies, startups, providers and platforms that foster innovation in the mobile marketing and advertising segment.  Our goal is to break down various providers and give you an inside look at who they are, what they do, who’s behind the company and the subsequent technology being implemented.

Today we’re taking a closer look at 1020 Placecast, a geo-based mobile advertising company based in San Francisco.  Placecast, unlike most providers in the mobile ad game, places heavy emphasis on detailed location information for consumers rather than focusing on demographics or context.  This angle helps Placecast stand out from the rest, even those increasingly focused on location-based mobile ads, by way of utilizing location in a very specific and unique way.

Put simply, Placecast provides a platform that allows advertisers to target consumers based on where they’re at and where they’re going, while maintaining the ability to reach those consumers across any connected device- the Web, email, mobile and WiFi.  On the other end of the spectrum, Placecast provides a means for publishers to monetize their content via the same location-oriented ad-placement, whether that content is on the Web, accessed via mobile or WiFi, or email.

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The following is a guest column from Mark Jaffe, blogger for Mobile Mandala…

I was reminded of an Italian proverb after my son beat me in yet another game of chess this past winter break “Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go in the same box”. It is a humbling thought for anyone or any entity with power. Power truly coexists with all the other forces of the political and economic world, despite the illusion of invincibility.

The music industry of the 1990s was brusquely reminded of the limitations of a revenue model predicated upon power and control over the distribution of music.  Once that control was compromised by the advent of digital files, the ease of pirating music and the inevitable behavioral changes of their consumer base, the power (and economic might) of the record industry dwindled dramatically.

As the new decade dawns, certain current kings of the mobile industry may face the same fate if they don’t acknowledge the temporal position of their power relative to the other industry players and forces in the mobile industry box.

Carriers

We have heard this one for a while – the carriers will soon be a dumb pipe, and a commodity at best, if they don’t respond quickly to the changing forces in the mobile industry.  But the challenge of 2010 cuts to the core of how they have positioned revenues, namely, the power to discount the price of phones in exchange for consumer commitments to pay recurring charges over a one or two year commitment.

Google’s rumored plans to go direct with unlocked phones resets the playing field.  Why?  Because Google can discount the introductory price of the phone based upon future ad-based revenue streams as well as other potential revenues from consumers who own the phone. While they haven’t formally announced this yet, they could.  It is similar to companies who decide to self insure rather than purchase certain insurance policies – they have assessed the risks and rewards and determined they are big enough to bear the financial risks and think the rewards outweigh them.

If this comes to pass, the carriers may potentially no longer have control over the distribution of new handsets and may have to completely reassess their revenue streams to a model less dependent upon control and power.  That sure sounds like the record business of 1990 to me.

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Technology analyst Roger Kay, founder of Endpoint Technologies, has long been the go-to guy for reporters writing about computers. He also knows that people are personally reached by many more devices than PCs, and offers market intelligence on the largest server and the smallest pocket computer (i.e. smartphone) alike.

In advance of the GSMA Mobile World Congress, which starts Monday in Barcelona, much chatter has been about the new crop of cell phones–by computer makers like Dell and Acer–expected to debut. I talked to Mr. Kay about the shift of computing from PCs to handsets; technology still in progress that will ensure phones as the best way to reach consumers; and the efficacy of older media on smartphones. Read the rest

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Eighties idol Rick Springfield once sang, “We all need the human touch.” That’s what Limbo, a niche mobile social network, attempts to do. Limbo’s shtick is that it’s “location-aware.” Rather than digitally report every bit of minutiae of a person’s life, the service focuses on where people are and what they’re doing, anywhere in the world. Users’ locations are inputted via GPS, Wi-Fi, or SMS, depending on their phones’ capabilities. Users can also find and meet up with their friends–and indeed, that’s the company’s goal. It’s using digital communication to foster in-person communication.

Limbo CEO Jonathon Linner launched Limbo in late 2005, after having three other successful startups including Enpocket, which was recently sold to Nokia. Limbo is free to users and ad-supported. It’s both these qualities that offer an interesting opportunity for mobile marketers who want to target ads. Mr. Linner spoke with Mobile Marketing Watch on why 2009 may be the year for location-targeted mobile marketing. Read the rest

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(Note: This post is the first installment of Conversations With…, a series of interviews with mobile marketing experts.)

Eric Holmen is president of SmartReply, provider of voice messaging and mobile marketing services to retail and healthcare companies. SmartReply’s solutions–including SMS, email, WAP, and interactive voice–are meant to optimize response rates and enhance brand affinity. Mr. Holmen is a contributing author of Mobile Persuasion: Perspectives on the Future of Influence, published by Stanford University. He spoke with MMW about how mobile boosts branding and consumer interaction in ways not possible with other channels.

Q: You’ve said that brand recall with mobile marketing is as high as 51 percent, and that up to 96 percent of people remember the call-to-action from a mobile message. Why do you think this is? Read the rest

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