The first ever “comprehensive Hispanic mobile marketing network” has been introduced by HipCricket, a mobile marketing software and services company that specializes in producing interactive mobile marketing campaigns that generate new revenue for radio, television, brand and agency clients.

According to a statement released by the company, this network is “composed of a family of Hispanic media properties that can be leveraged by brand marketers to deliver highly targeted and interactive mobile marketing programs directly to the handsets of opted-in, engaged mobile users who are part of the $860 billion Hispanic consumer market.”

Without question, HipCricket is helping introduce into the market a need for advertisers to be sensitive to and aware of the large and growing Hispanic population, particularly in the United States. An ever-growing and increasingly powerful consumer base, Hispanic mobile phone users will likely find this network the start of something big.

HipCricket, which has been acknowledged by CTIA for its groundbreaking innovation and ability to facilitate “consumer engagement,” also announced in their official press release that major Hispanic media companies Bustos Media, Lotus Communications and Davidson Media Group are among the first powerhouse companies to join the network. Collectively, these companies represent nearly sixty radio and television stations, approximately one million listeners/viewers, and more than twenty prominent markets that extend into nearly half of the top 15 Hispanic markets.

“Joining HipCricket’s Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network was an easy decision because of the company’s proven track record—they have executed more than 17,000 mobile campaigns that have delivered dramatic, measurable improvements in revenue generation, listener engagement, audience growth and advertiser ROI,” said Amador Bustos, president and chief executive officer, Bustos Media, a Spanish-language broadcasting company that owns and operates radio and TV stations in high-growth markets throughout the United States.

“Mobile marketing solutions from HipCricket will help us to connect with our audience in ways we never thought possible,” said Peter Davidson, president/founder of Davidson Media Group. “The company offers a flexible, easy to use platform for delivering customized messages to Hispanic audiences. This capability will allow us to successfully increase our loyal following while maximizing the promotion of our shows, talent and events. By becoming an inaugural member of their Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network, we expect to see even more added value for us and our advertisers.”

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As usual on a dreary afternoon lunch break from work, I reveled in the guilty pleasure of checking my MySpace to spy on the latest developments in the silly cyber social world of my closest friends and acquaintances.

Per my normal routine, I scanned my top friends looking for new profile updates. Then, I checked my messages, accepted a friend request, and chuckled at the humorous musings posted on my already cluttered wall. Indeed, this MySpace experience was similar to all others except for one glaring difference. This was the first time I visited Myspace away from my PC and on my mobile phone.

The world’s most popular social network has gone mobile with MySpace Mobile, a new site designed specifically for those on the go who are just as hopelessly obsessed with MySpace as I am.

According to the specs, MySpace Mobile features include:

– Message Management - send, read and reply to messages from all of your
MySpace friends, as well as field friend requests.

– Viewing Photo Albums - easily look at MySpace photo albums by choosing
“My Photos” on MySpace Mobile.

– Viewing Friends - look up profiles of your friends and others through
your MySpace profile. Just as on standard MySpace, MySpace Mobile lets
you see profile pictures and other member information via mobile devices.

– Friend Search - search for people by name or e-mail address, as well as
send friend invites and review invites that are pending.

– Comments / Blog Posting - post comments and update blogs just as you
would from a PC. Any new information entered will be posted to a
member’s mobile and online MySpace profile simultaneously.

Overall, Myspace Mobile is an outstanding mobile version of the real thing. It’s easy to use, familiar as ever, and just as comforting as always.

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I’m not convinced that Google walked away empty handed Mike, I think this is maybe what they wanted short of a totally open Internet like mobile network. Android is going to be the vehicle to deliver the Google products and if I read your C-Block Winners Chart correctly, that’s the entire US for Verizon.

Google just needs to ensure that the right measures are taken so that Android meets the minimum manufacturing standards guideline to be eligible to access that network.

Even if Verizon creates a 2 tiered network as Erick indicates, Google should still get into the mix at the lower tier and they didn’t have to put up a few Billion to get it.

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“Preference-based” mobile advertising is the way to go in the eye’s of a new mobile network operator in the UK called Blyke. They’ve developed a new advertising model that allows for the free use of their network in return for the consent to receive relevant ads on a daily basis.

We’ve seen this model before, but Blyke takes it a step further by incorporating a new method for delivering the advertisements to it’s users. User’s are encouraged to interact by answering simple questions before being sent ads via SMS to add more depth and effectiveness for it’s advertisers. The service is only available for 16-24 year olds because advertisers have identified this demographic as the hardest to market to. In addition, users in this age category are much more likely to already be involved in SMS as a means of communication making SMS advertising more effective.

For consenting to receive up to 6 SMS advertisements per day, users get access to 217 free SMS messages, and 43 free minutes per month. Upon signing up and filling out a user-preference profile, you receive a SIM card in the mail that you can stick in any existing device. If user’s want to SMS or talk beyond what’s included free of charge, you can pay a per-text, or per-minute fee, which seems inevitable given that users in the 16-24 demographic will blow through 217 texts and 43 minutes in no time. I can see a user starting the month using their free time with Blyke, and then switching to their normal carrier’s SIM card when it’s all used up. That, or parents giving their teenager access to Blyke service to both limit their usage, and save a little money.

The advertisements are full-page color ads, which like stated before, is based on answers to questions sent before the actual ad is sent. A user might get a message with photos of six celebrities and a question asking which celebrity the user is most like. Based on what the user texts back in, the appropriate ad is pulled and delivered to the user.

Blyke is currently only available in the UK by invite only. Their holding events and visiting universities across the country to invite users in, but you can also ask any Blyke subscriber for an invite, or visit their website to request one.

With the amount of free time they offer being so slim, I think it’s doubtful this will turn out to be successful. Also, while being highly relevant, I don’t think asking users questions to receive ads is the way to go. User’s will just blow through the ads with no thought or intention of acting, just to get to their free minutes and text messages until it’s all used up. Offer a decent amount of free usage, and a unique way to serve the advertisements, and I might think about it. Any thoughts?

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With the onslaught of mobile marketing making it’s way around the world, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The wireless subsidiary of China’s largest advertising agency, Focus Media, has been slammed for sending an excessive amount of spam SMS messages to mobile subscribers of China Mobile, China’s largest mobile network operator.

China’s national television broadcaster, CCTV aired a consumer protection program on “World Consumer Day” that accused Focus Media Wireless and six others of excessive spamming, stating that Focus Media and it’s subsidiaries send out an estimated 200 million SMS messages per day compared to other companies that send out 30 million per day.

Vice president of Focus Media, Ji Hairong, explained that because they’ve acquired several small enterprises recently that are regulated loosely with regards to SMS distribution, it could account for the inflated number of spam messages being sent. They’ve also admitted that some of the business departments and subsidiaries it’s acquired were delivering a great deal of unsubscribed commercial advertisements to cell phone users without permission.

This news has forced China Mobile to close it’s ports to Focus Media and the six others involved in the controversy, effectively stopping all message services for China Mobile until the issues are resolved. With wireless being only a small portion of Focus Media’s business, the halt shouldn’t effect them to much, but they’ve already vowed to improve their monitoring and opt-in messaging status. The company stated that it can only make sure all it’s advertising is subscribed to or permitted by cell phone users after it’s message-delivery service has been restored.  Those departments and subsidiaries who have failed to establish effective management systems will be rectified or shut down.

Jiang Nanchun, chairman of Focus Media, emphasized that most of the user information in it’s database is gained from daily service or by analyzing user’s habits when visiting WAP websites, which is legal.  Focus Media will surely rectify the situation because loosing it’s mobile advertising business could be devastating given the momentum of the industry.

I’m sure other providers are facing the same situations, or will be in the future, only because the more ads being served means more ads to monitor and make sure they fall within guidelines, which companies could easily overlook. As the industry evolves, the need for tighter guidelines and tighter control as a whole will surely follow.

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I exchanged emails today yesterday with Giff Gfroerer. Giff is the President at i2SMS, he’s a smart guy who really understands the mobile industry.

Giff pointed out, and I’m paraphrasing… that Mitsubishi was exiting the handset market and wondered if companies were exiting because more time was necessary to achieve profitability.

It’s an interesting comment because nearly everyone is thinking that 2008 is the year mobile will take off. It’s unanimous right; mobile is getting hyped pretty hard right now isn’t it? Meanwhile, we are seeing trouble spots or companies getting out like Motorola, Sprint, Sanyo and Helio.

RCR Wireless News, great site by the way, I’m a subscriber… publishes a Wireless Stock Index. Take a look at the performance, the index had been on a two year climb up until about 6 Months ago, that’s when the decline started.

Perhaps what we are seeing is 2008 being the final groundwork year and 2009 might be bringing the thunder. What’s your take?

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In a move that could dramatically influence the future of mobile marketing opportunities, a little known private company called Akoo International has developed a network of digital television screens that can both send and receive messages from cell phones.

According to Akoo’s Vice President of marketing, Andy Stankiewicz, the company is hoping to mold mobile devices into universal remote controls that can “select on-demand content from big-screen TVs in airports, bars, restaurants, etc.”

Akoo’s network called m-Venue enables cell phone users to send a text-message request for a video clip, sports and music videos, or just about any other conceivable video content. It is then delivered to their phone or played on a nearby Akoo television screen. Overall, the service would act much like a mobile phone-based on-demand cable television service or a “high-tech jukebox.”

How the mobile marketing industry would grow in response to this technology is apparent. In return for a text messaged video request, companies can deliver digital coupons or other relevant promotions to the cell phone that made the request. “For instance,” says Stankiewicz “a customer at a John Barleycorn restaurant in Chicago, part of the m-Venue network, might select a text message code displayed on a big television screen above the bar —one that would deliver Gwen Stefani’s new music video. The customer would then receive a text message to the effect of, ‘Thanks! Gwen Stefani will play shortly. Show this text to your server and get any appetizer for $1.’”

Akoo is banking on the absorbed belief that ads on cell phones and digital signs that can be activated by consumers are on the frontlines of the rapidly expanding business of mobile marketing.

According to the New York Times, The Carmel Group - a research firm in California - predicts that revenue in the US from digital signs will grow to $2.6 billion by the end of 2010. That’s up from $1.5 billion in 2007.

To date, only a small number of companies utilize digital signs for one-way communication (e.g., sending promotional coupons to cell phones). Akoo, however, claims its technology is different because it allows consumers to control content on digital advertising screens. “This is the only digital out-of-home billboard network that’s fully interactive with mobile phones,” said Stankiewicz.

Founded in 2001, Akoo has already worked in a limited capacity with McDonalds. At one location in Chicago, Akoo claims that their two week trial with the digital screens at McDonalds helped increase business by nearly twenty percent.

As one might logically expect, advertisers have been attracted to Akoo’s network almost exclusively by its potential customers – the young and difficult to reach variety. Akoo is also particularly attractive to marketers given its likely proximity to the cash register, where nearly three quarters of purchase decisions are reportedly made.

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