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Mobile Marketing

Mobile Personal Touchpoints

August 25, 2008
Mobile Personal Touchpoints
John A. Bunyan, Chief Marketing Officer, Comverse
 
Advertising is evolving, becoming more personal and the mobile phone is the latest and hottest development in the evolutionary process.
 
Mobile advertising is drawing intense interest due to its uniqueness as an intelligent medium that can incorporate time, context, socio-demographical data and user location that leverages an intimate and trusted one-on-one relationship with the user. It is also unique in its ability to meet the user in more than one place.
 
Cashing In on Multiple Touchpoints
 
Part of the uniqueness of the mobile device as an advertising medium is that it offers so many ways to interact with the user and elicit impulse responses.
  • SMS: Advertising can utilize SMS space for targeted ads that reward users with discounted or free messaging.
  • MMS / Instant SMS: Multimedia makes possible colorful banner ads and video clips.
  • Ringback Tones: Users can earn “ad for cash” credits.
  • Bill Statements: Excellent touch opportunity to leverage SMS and billing relationship for impulse purchases.
Advantages like these have made mobile advertising one of the industry’s hottest new growth areas. The $1.5 billion that advertisers currently spend about annually on mobile media is expected to increase almost 10-fold to $14 billion by 2011.
 
Subscriber Relationship: Unique and Precious Asset
 
To an ad network or a mobile Web portal, each consumer is just one set of eyeballs among millions in a market. To the carrier, however, every subscriber is a precious asset.
 
Operators can capitalize on this relationship and the wealth of subscriber data they possess. Advertisements must be highly relevant, non-intrusive, and opt-in to leverage yet safeguard the trusted subscriber relationship.
 
Successful New Revenue Model
 
Newspapers and magazines are “mixed” media models, generating revenue partly from users and partly from advertisers. Both revenue streams make the media model work.
 
Operators are applying this mixed model to the mobile world. Ad messages inserted in SMS messages, for example, can reduce consumer charges for SMS messages and/or bundles. Similar blends provide compelling business models for voicemail/  MMS messages, ringback tones, etc.
 
Getting It Right: The Right Message to the Right Person via the Right Touchpoint
 
A highly relevant message for one consumer can be spam for another. Guiding an advertising message to the consumer depends on the optimal use of knowledge about consumer preferences, needs and behavior – all handled with the utmost respect for consumer privacy.
 
Beyond a consumer’s opt-in for a particular content type, there are other key factors to consider in serving ads. Some users access the Web, others do not; some users prefer SMS, others Mobile IM. Even handset types dictate the appropriate delivery approach.
 
Operators hold the key knowledge assets for these decisions. At stake is the effectiveness of the campaign and protection of the operator's relationship with the subscriber.
 
Putting the Operator in Control
 
A mobile advertising solution needs to put the operator in control to leverage all appropriate consumer information. The right ad to the right person via the right touchpoint makes for the right business case.  
 

The Power of the 4th Screen Downunder

August 25, 2008
The Power of the 4th Screen Downunder
By Cameron Wall *, Technical Director, G-nius Mobile Intelligence Pty Ltd
 
Finally the 4th screen is in the hand of almost every Australian over the age of 12 years. It is a screen that is viewed by more people then cinema, TV and the Internet put together each day - and it’s very personal.
 
In a recent US survey 63% of people said they would give up their wallet before their mobile phone if mugged. The mobile phone is the fastest growing tech device known to man with 6 million new services coming ‘on-air’ each month in India alone.
 
If an advertising agent had of said to one of their client brands several years ago that they were going to build a device that each consumer would carry with them, was always switched on, could communicate two-way and measure what products they liked, they would have been laughed out of the meeting.
 
The Australian mobile ecosystem is one of the most advanced in the world with 3G penetration reaching near 50% of subscribers compared to the US market where they are just opening 3G networks and China which is planning them. Therefore mobile advertising in Australia is very advanced in contrast to the world market due to market size, high GDP, advanced networks and marketing players, and of course an innovative subscriber market.
 
It took the traditional Internet 10 years to get where mobile Internet went in two years but the mobile industry is suffering from the same mistakes. Many carriers are operating a closed walled garden approach, similar to AOL in the mid 90’s when the web was a closed portal environment.
 
Carriers are, as were publishers in the 90’s, worried about losing revenue per user on traditional voice and messaging, which is saturated in the current market. How does a carrier reap revenue from an open Internet environment on the 4th screen? Most carriers in Australia do not still advertise their mobile Internet rates to the public, 1Mb of data on the 4th screen is about .5c today.
 
There are two main mobile advertising delivery methods in play today, ‘push’ and ‘pull’. Push is likened to the way most Email marketing is carried out where content is pushed out to a list of mobile numbers in a sometime scattergun approach, where pull is where the handset subscriber reacts to a call-to-action. Push requires the user to be opted-in and should be able to opt-out at anytime.
 
There are many mobile technologies in the market today such as SMS, MMS, Bluetooth, Mobile Internet, Content Beaming, WiFi etc. It is very important that brands and advertising agencies understand the technology and the carrier business models before trying to integrate their creative around them.
 
Mobile Advertising Guidelines have been carefully put together by industry bodies both locally and overseas and should always be consulted.
 
The largest demographic for mobile advertising is the ‘Tween’ market )12-29 year olds). They are mainly Gen Y and have been bought up with technology and know how to use it, interrogate it and break it. The Tween’s have quite a high disposable income due to living at home and typically early adopters of new technology.
 
Software is already in use that allows phone users to take a photo of a logo to get an instant discount.  Pizza Hut and a range of premier brands in Asia are enjoying this level of interaction with their target markets.
The 4th screen is being taken very seriously by advertisers and content owners worldwide, with over 3 billion mobile phone users compared with 1.4 billion television, 350 million fixed broadband and 137,000 cinemas. 
It is important to point out that mobile advertising at this point in time should not be seen as a new media on its own. Mobile can work with all traditional media and mobile should be an overlay not separate spend.
 
Mobile advertising is here and is about to explode. It will be seen as non-intrusive by most as it has the power to be both personal and relevant.  And for advertisers eager for targeted channels that can also deliver response data, this is gold.
 
 
* Cameron Wall is the director of a number of mobile media companies.  He has spent 20 years in ICT and established Australia’s first Internet café.
 
Cameron Wall – © Copyright 2008
 

Educating your Clients on Mobile

August 25, 2008
Educating your Clients on Mobile
By Michael Foschetti, Managing Director, Mobisix
 
Executives at mobile marketing firms know the intricacies and possibilities that exist within the industry, because it’s what they live and breathe every day. However, their clients and prospective clients are not nearly as knowledgeable about the opportunity because they are still tied to more traditional media and marketing.
 
As a result, players in the mobile marketing industry must realize their obligation to provide education to those key influencers and decision makers.
 
The starting point is to convey the five mobile mechanisms available to connect the brand’s message and identity with the engaged consumer. The five mechanisms are very simply: messaging )SMS/MMS), WAP, video, downloads, and voice. Each presents a distinct advantage in terms of penetration rates, customer experiences and targeted audiences. Identifying your target and their needs first helps choose the best mechanism. For example, the entertainment and gaming industries could benefit most from mobile video and downloads. But if you’re a large CPG company selling dry dog food for the last 85 years, a simpler SMS might be the best place to start.
 
A campaign based around one or all five mobile mechanisms should be built upon six opportunity criteria: simple, relevant, integrated, viral, scalable, and measurable.
 
First and foremost, mobile campaigns need to be simple. You have already connected with the consumer through their most personal avenue; don’t make it any more complicated than it needs to be.
 
Mobile content must also be relevant. Without relevancy, there is no engagement, and with no engagement, there is no customer experience and no response. Mobile works best when it is fully integrated, because it has the ability to highlight and boost every element in a full-service marketing campaign.
 
Mobile communication, especially messaging, is a peer-to-peer proposition. The viral element must be considered and accounted for to optimize your mobile campaign. Scalable fundamentals must exist to be successful, whether you are targeting one or 1 million customers. Finally, although measurability is still evolving in this space, becoming more refined and sophisticated every day, engagement and other goals are highly measurable given the direct response nature of this medium.
 
The next phase of client education, and perhaps the most important, is establishing marketing objectives and an ideal customer experience. Any mobile campaign can be deemed a failure if you do not have specific and quantifiable objectives for both you and your client to measure against. For instance, measuring the number of click-thrus or percentage of coupons redeemed. Since mobile is the most intimate way to communicate with your customer, a valuable customer experience must be delivered. Every mobile interaction has to deliver something of value, or you run the risk of alienating your customers by interrupting them with just another message.
 
Mobile may be the most effective way to deliver offers, increase awareness, produce the “hip” factor, capture attention, start a dialogue, and engage consumers on the go. Educating our clients on the power this medium holds will benefit them, their customers, and the industry as a whole.     
 

Print to Mobile Coupons: Why Sunday’s Newspaper Coupons Will Soon Be Obsolete

July 29, 2008
Print to Mobile Coupons: Why Sunday’s Newspaper Coupons Will Soon Be Obsolete
By Dan Roselli, CEO, Mobisix
 
With cell phones quickly becoming the preferred- and often primary-means of communication, global communication has gone mobile. With GPS navigation, instant messaging, true internet web browsing, and full email services available on our mobile handsets, why shouldn’t relevant coupons that fit our interests be accessible and redeemable on our phones as well?
 
The technology required to launch a mobile couponing campaign with successful coupon redemption is here.
 
Though the U.S. lags more sophisticated mobile markets, there are a handful of companies, such as McDonald’s, Chase, Visa, Subway, Valvoline, and Hollywood Video, that provide us with small scale detailed examples of mobile marketing campaigns used to drive awareness in the U.S., increase sales, and promote customer loyalty.
 
In 2007, over 350 billion text messages were sent in the U.S. Though certainly popular with the demo, text messaging is not just limited to teenage mobile users; nearly half of all active SMS users are over the age of 35. The mobile audience is a broad and diverse one that reads 94% of all text messages. A recent report by ABI research states that 63 percent of consumers feel a coupon is the most valuable form of mobile marketing.
 
The case for mobile marketing in general has already been widely proven, but data and statistics point to a strong present and an even brighter future for mobile coupons. JupiterResearch estimates that by 2011, over 87 billion dollars in sales will be generated by 3 billion mobile coupons.
 
A range of possible redemption options is available to retailers and customers. A simple text message containing a coupon code or keyword can be entered into a website or shown to a check-out cashier. The more advanced and impressive )as well as more secure) option for mobile coupons is an actual barcode that appears on the phone’s screen. This barcode can be read by standard 1D or 2D scanners as if it was a paper coupon.[i] There is no need to alter or add anything to the phone or scanner in order for the coupon to register.[ii]
 
Through opt-in programs, companies can reach interested customers in their target demographics with a valuable coupon. Mobile technology has the ability to increase inventory turnover, revenue, and customer loyalty, and it can do it today. A 20% off coupon for anything in the store that is only valid for the next two hours can have a significant effect on driving traffic into a large retailer on a slow Thursday afternoon. Mobile coupons can not only increase overall store activity, but can also target products for specific demographics.
 
Imagine mobile marketing campaigns that use real time data to fuel their strategies, putting only relevant offers in front of consumers. Imagine no more, mobile coupons have entered the marketplace. Paper is staring at the exit.
 
Mobisix is a full-service mobile marketing agency, focusing on general and Hispanic markets and driven by data and analytics.
 
 
[i] mBlox
[ii] Ibid
 
 

Mobile Marketer’s Intro to the iPhone

July 29, 2008

Mobile Marketer’s Intro to the iPhone
Mark Emery, Senior Director of Agency Relations, Air2Web

Spend much time in the halls of mobile companies these days and you’ll be privy to prolific chatter about the second generation of Apple’s precedent-setting iPhone, scheduled for release on July 11th.  Even before the original iPhone was released, back when there were only whispers, smoke and mirrors about Apple’s plans, industry insiders speculated feverishly about when the juggernaut would awaken from its mobile slumber.

By almost all accounts, Apple’s first pass in the mobile space was an unmitigated success. The device was stunningly beautiful, the touchscreen worked surprisingly well, the accelerometer )the doohickey that changes the screen based on the orientation of the device) was an instant benchmark, and the browser served up rich HTML. Undergirding its incredible functionality was Apple’s utter mastery of UI; the device was simpler to use than a preponderance of lesser devices.

The original iPhone was not without some pretty glaring deficiencies, however. Because Apple wanted to ensure sufficient battery life, the first iPhone shipped with only a 2G chip, which meant the iPhone’s groundbreaking Safari browser effectively had a flat tire in AT&T’s plodding EDGE network. With no native support for Microsoft Exchange, the equally impressive email client proved no match for a BES-connected Blackberry. Also, the device’s embedded battery meant that iPhone users who needed new batteries had to ship the device back to Apple; I don’t know many people who can afford to live without their phones for that kind of timeframe, and I don’t know ANY business people who can.

Third-party application developers weren’t exactly thrilled to discover that Apple offered no accompanying SDK or toolkit to develop apps for the iPhone. Nifty little utilities created for other devices were effectively blocked for the iPhone. In my opinion, the move was fairly reasonable – too much could go wrong with the first-gen device to risk it, the stock functionality of the device was already staggeringly impressive, and it’s reasonable for Apple to want first dibs on aftermarket apps.

Last Fall Apple availed an SDK to hungry developers. For $99 you could create applications for the iPhone. Even that was not without its drawbacks, however, including the fact that the SDK was limited to browser-based applications, which in turn meant that apps could not run concurrently )bad, if you, say, don’t want your email client to crash just because the phone rang). This also affected the creation of apps that could use native device applications )iTunes, calendar, contacts, phone, SMS, etc.) - the cool stuff was Apple only.

The new device boasts MobileMe, Apple’s method for access to Microsoft Exhange’s push email service, which suddenly makes the device a formidable adversary for class-leading RIM. Power innovation has enabled Apple to ship the device with a 3G chip, meaning consumers within range of AT&T’s powerful HSDPA network would have the bandwidth needed to make the browser hum. It looks like an already great device will become even better.

Add a new $199 price point and it’s easy to understand the hysteria surrounding the device.

That hysteria has generated some excellent questions, which deserve attention in a broader format than I have here. That said, here are a few that seem to come up more often than others, and my shot at answers:

1) Does the rich HTML browser mean the end of WAP?

A bunch of people at the MMA show suggested that WAP was dead, and using the term at all is indicative of an antiquated mindset. On one hand, I can see how they’d arrive at that position; HTML is a Web standard, and if a mobile device suddenly supports Web markup languages, your site will already be optimized for mobile…

Wrong

…iPhone users, please browse to apple.com on your iPhone. That text sure is small, eh? Now consider the fact that as of Q1 2008, there were 2.3 million units in the U.S. market. Sounds impressive, until you realize that there are over 250 million U.S. mobile users. For those of you playing the home game, that’s about 1% penetration.

WAP may not be pretty, but it is ubiquitous.

2) Does the iPhone mean I don’t have to create sites specifically for mobile devices?

Sure, if you don’t care about two things:
  1. The fact that the number of rich HTML devices out there is still small )but definitely growing).
  2. The notion that people want different experiences on mobile devices than they do on the traditional Web.

I believe )and I am buoyed by many of my clients) that most people do want something specifically designed for mobile. If you go to Starbucks.com on a computer, there is a broad range of things you can do to interact with the coffee giant - from perusing the menu to reviewing investor information. If you care enough to browse to Starbucks.com on your mobile device, chances are you’re looking for a store. I think remembering that paradigm is critical when you talk about building a mobile web presence.
 
 

 

Latin America – The Next Big Thing or Already Here?!

July 29, 2008
Latin America – The Next Big Thing or Already Here?!
 

Age Appropriate Services: What Does the Future Hold?

June 24, 2008
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Laura Marriott, President, Mobile Marketing Association
 
This article was contributed by RCRWirelessNews and can also be found at HERE.

For those in mobile, the topic that still causes our colleagues to ‘giggle’ is the topic of Adult content.  And in my role as President of the global Mobile Marketing Association )MMA), it is a question I often receive in regards to the role that the MMA will play in defining the rules for adult services.  However, as I have learned, the services that we want to ensure proper protections and controls on are broader than adult-oriented and include a range of services which we will term age appropriate content and contact services.  Some operators and vendors in our ecosystem refer to Age Appropriate content as content and contact services which are not appropriate for persons under the age of 18.  As an industry, determining our rules around not only a consistent definition but a consistent approach will be key to ensuring a common understanding of the age appropriate ‘industry’ globally.
 
 

Why Hispanic Marketers Need To Consider Mobile

June 24, 2008
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By Michael Foschetti, Managing Director, Mobisix
 
Mobile marketing is emerging as a powerful marketing tool for all marketers, but those trying to reach the Hispanic segment should really take note.
 
While online penetration and general technology adoption among the Hispanic segment lags the general market, the Hispanic segment significantly over-indexes in mobile phone and data usage. A 2007 Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) study found that 75 percent of Hispanic consumers own a mobile phone and use it regularly. They are also much more receptive to mobile marketing messages, particularly coupons, status alerts about accounts, and sweepstakes or contests. The rate of text message usage is also growing dramatically, increasing by 39 percent over the last 12 months, according to a recent M:Metrics study.
 
Hispanics are also ahead of the curve in active, engaged usage of mobile content, partially due to the fact that in many cases cell phones are serving as a replacement for a home computer or internet connection. The same MMA study found that this group is more likely to use wireless email, IM and Bluetooth functionality, to download games and to view mobile video. In fact, the Hispanic-focused MTV Tr3s mobile channel posted a 38 percent average monthly growth in video streams from February 2007 to February 2008. And social networking sites like MocoSpace boast a predominantly young Hispanic membership. Hispanic users are also using mobile search more than non-Hispanic users.
 
Brands across all industries – from lifestyle and consumer brands to financial institutions and automotive providers - have already begun to reach this audience through their handsets, with more surely to come. HipCricket’s new Hispanic mobile marketing network of over 50 radio and TV outlets will give marketers the ability to deliver highly targeted and interactive mobile content directly to opted-in, engaged users both locally and nationally.
 
Companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Ikea, Coca-Cola, Univision and McDonald’s have all recognized the potential that mobile marketing has to engage this audience and create a loyal customer base.
 
P&G’s CoverGirl was a premier advertiser in the first entertainment special on Univisionmovil.com, a mobile portal that features breaking news, music, horoscopes, entertainment and youth-oriented content. Univision Movil allows fans to access clips from their favorite Univision shows – bringing the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast TV network to cell phones. According to M:Metrics, 18.8 percent of English-speaking Hispanic subscribers are more inclined to access news and information via a mobile browser, compared to 9.6 percent of all subscribers.
 
Last year, McDonald’s promoted its Filet O’ Fish sandwich through a cross-channel promotion focusing on SMS short codes and the Hispanic market. Every component of the campaign, from point of purchase, banner ads and packaging, featured the mobile aspect, instructing customers to send a message to a short code to gain access to free content such as games, wallpapers and ringtones.
 
Mobile is clearly an essential component of the Hispanic marketing mix, and brands that recognize this market as the sophisticated, fast growing mobile user segment that it is will surely earn significant brand loyalty.
 
Mobisix is a full-service mobile marketing agency, focusing on general and Hispanic markets and driven by data and analytics.
 
 

Adding Mobile to the CRM Mix

June 20, 2008
Adding Mobile to the CRM Mix
By Patrick McHugh, executive vice president, Neolane, Inc.
 

It’s the moment that every marketer who considers themselves “tech savvy” dreads—when that new medium for reaching customers transitions from bleeding to leading edge. It happened with e-mail and Internet marketing, and now, after rapid adoption in Europe, it’s happening here in the States with mobile marketing and mobile CRM.

Marketing is undergoing a fundamental shift. The emergence of mobile CRM presents new opportunities to build lucrative customer relationships, while at the same time creating more complexity around related processes, functions and roles.
 
Marketers Want Mobile Applications. Their Existing Technology May Not.
Recently, we conducted a survey of North American direct marketers to gauge their emerging channel deployment strategies and adoption, and learn more about the challenges they face in managing the integration of emerging and traditional marketing channels.
Our research found that four out of five marketers plans to incorporate at least one additional emerging channel by the end of 2008 - most likely SMS or MMS. However, fewer than half were confident that their existing tools could effectively manage emerging marketing channels, or coordinate campaigns across emerging and traditional channels.
 
What are the specific challenges inherent in mobile CRM? 
  • The elusive single view of the customer. Mobile creates a new set of challenges for data gathering—particularly for companies that are running legacy systems that silo data.
  • Difficulties in managing consistent content across operational systems and channels of contact. From a content perspective, mobile communications must map well to communications through e-mail and paper-based channels.  From a measurement perspective, there are technology hurdles inherent in mapping mobile communications applications into legacy CRM systems all while tracking measurement metrics, new audience types and new engagement methods.  
  • Increasingly savvy, demanding customers. Customers who have embraced mobile technologies are expecting vendors to do the same. In short, their expectations are very high; you have one shot to get it right.
  • The challenges inherent in adding any new technology. Time and money are tight; companies are trying to stretch marketing dollars in order to do more with less.
Matching Mobile and CRM Systems
Marketers need to implement mobile technologies that can be easily integrated with existing CRM systems, in order to provide a complete view of touchpoints with customers across wireless, e-mail and paper-based media. Ultimately, customer data and interactions need to be consolidated in one place.
Enterprise-level marketing-management systems will play an important role for companies to effectively add mobile CRM to their arsenal in order to truly integrate marketing strategies to market on an individual level. Companies should make certain that these systems meet a number of criteria to solve the challenges I’ve outlined above, including:
 
Create a Single System of Record for 360-Degree Information. Marketers must have the technological infrastructure to automatically ensure they know enough about with whom they communicate.  Continuous monitoring and response mechanisms are necessary in order to best understand the implicit and explicit actions or behaviors of your customers based on communications through all channels, including mobile. Ideally, such a system will provide data on a much more granular level: “How did each and every customer respond, and what does that mean for the way in which I will market to them next?”  Sending a compelling text message or directing a customer or prospect to a WAP site won’t get you very far unless you understand how they responded and you automatically know what to do for your next point of contact – be it an email, another text message or, more traditionally, a direct mail piece.
 
Meet the Customer Where They Want to Meet. Be certain to know which customers are amenable to contact via mobile channels; and then, market to them appropriately by executing across emerging digital and traditional channels.
 
Personalize Content, Dynamically and Consistently. Choose a platform that can drive dynamic content personalization across all mediums to create more relevant two-way dialogue. Such a system should combine all channels, emerging and traditional—such as direct mail, e-mail, Web personalization, digital printing, WAP Push, SMS and MMS into a tightly-connected marketing program. Many existing solutions are built on direct-mail roots and lack the flexibility to support and smoothly integrate these new modes of communication.
 
Mobile is separate … but equal.  It’s a new channel that opens up dramatic new opportunities to engage customers 7x24.  But it can’t operate in a silo: mobile efforts have to feed the larger marketing beast. So to keep things humming, marketers need to have the infrastructure in place to bridge the gap between emerging and traditional channels and effectively interact with each customer at any point in time.  
 
About the author
As executive vice president of Neolane Inc., Patrick McHugh oversees all operations and is responsible for helping companies understand the strategic value of integrating emerging marketing technologies with traditional channels to drive revenue.  McHugh is a recognized visionary in CRM, direct marketing, analytics and data-warehousing.  He has more than 20 years of experience in customer marketing, sales operations, and senior management with groundbreaking software and services firms including Exchange Applications, Authentica )now part of EMC) and Outstart, Inc. 
 

 

Streamlining and Safeguarding the Relationship of Content Providers and Mobile Operators through Campaign Management and Analyti

May 28, 2008
Streamlining and Safeguarding the Relationship of Content Providers and Mobile Operators through Campaign Management and Analytics
 
Evanna Kearins, Director of Marketing,Valista
 
Operators need to ensure that off-deck services are legitimate, appropriate and consistent with their brand. Content providers also have a responsibility to ensure that their content and marketing efforts are aligned with the operators’ policies to safeguard and strengthen partner relations.  Operators can do this by evaluating and approving the content providers’ campaigns and the campaign lifecycle, including the business rules associated with age restricted content and services.
 
Campaigns are used in the US to provide details of a marketing campaign such as voting associated with an interactive TV show, a competition on a drink bottle or the latest song from a particular artist to operators. Campaigns can be one off such as voting for your favorite singer in American Idol or a subscription such as ‘ringtone of the week’ where the customer pays a fee every week. Operators review the details and approve the campaign for their network or they reject it and prevent it from being used by their customers. This model provides the operator strict control over access to their customers and the use of their customers’ bills as a payment mechanism and enables operators to provide good customer service should things go wrong. This is very different from other markets where anything can be sold to customers and the operator has no visibility as to what is being sold and how to support the customer when things go wrong.
 
Campaign Management provides facilities for the on-boarding, review and approval of new campaigns and is specifically relevant for the Premium SMS-based off-deck market, although it can also apply to other forms of billing such as WAP billing. The requirement for Campaign Management is driven by the mobile operators in the US, where a strict set of guidelines and rules are enforced by operators that require the prior submission and approval of all Premium SMS campaigns before they may be billed for by each operator. This is designed to limit consumer exposure to unsolicited billing by third parties or abuse of the Premium SMS charging mechanism by content providers.
 
The problem however is that each operator tends to define a campaign in a different way. They do not have a common set of guidelines, workflows or data fields for campaigns submission and approval. In order to enable a more robust and consistent method of managing campaigns, operators in the USA need to come together to agree a standard which would define common workflows and a consistent approval process. This would make it much easier and quicker for aggregators and large content providers to collate and submit information for campaigns which would also speed up the time to market for new content and services by automating the process for on-boarding content providers and setting up and approving their campaigns. It would also reduce the time required to deal with queries and increases customer satisfaction, making it easier and more efficient for operators to support their partners, reducing the costs and staff requirements for the operator, aggregator and content provider.
 
The use of campaign analytics allows mobile operators to more accurately predict specific metrics of campaigns based on partner performance history, related popularity of similar campaigns and other trends. This enables operators to better determine which campaigns may be successful and plan performance from both a revenue and network traffic perspective, assisting in partner negotiations and strategy by producing objective, measurable results of partner performance and ensuring predictions match reality. The reporting piece of campaign analytics shows with great accuracy the performance of a given campaign. It can be broken down into detail such as price points, charging models, least and most popular campaigns etc. Operators can then use campaign analytics to manage network bandwidth, predict and view bottlenecks in the system due to high volume campaigns running simultaneously and can give priority to more important campaigns e.g. interactive TV. They can also plan network sizing for messaging and data throughput and determine where the most revenue is coming from.
 
Campaign Analytics can be used to:
  • Ensure the network has sufficient capacity
  • Allow the operator to work out quiet periods in the network and then construct marketing programs to fill the quiet periods
  • Predict if it is worth processing the campaign. For example a partner may state that campaign will generate 100,000 transactions per month at $0.99 each. However, historically they only achieve 10% of the number of transactions they claim indicating this campaign will achieve only achieve a revenue of $999 per month which may not be worth the effort of approving, testing and managing it. Alternatively the operator could use different settlement terms.
These projections start with campaign submission and during the approval process the operator can examine the projected transaction volumes for the campaign. This can be used to determine the value of the campaign to the operator and guide the approval process. Once a campaign has been approved and is active then the operator can monitor its progress against the projection. The operator can also determine when they have peaks of campaigns and when they may be able to handle additional campaigns and fill gaps. Operators can also potentially share the results of campaigns with their aggregator partners, which would help them to fine tune future marketing campaigns with the content providers. This would further help to streamline and safeguard the relationship between content providers, aggregators and operators, as they work more closely together to be successful.
Business conditions are changing more rapidly than ever before, putting pressure on mobile operators to become more agile and proactive in building and strengthening relationships with valued customers. By applying predictive analytics to their existing marketing processes, operators can engage with customers more profitably. Campaign management and analytics tools can help to increase both customer value and loyalty by optimizing interactions across all channels—including outbound marketing campaigns and inbound customer contacts. It also helps to streamline the relationship between operators and content providers ensuring that the right metrics are in place to ensure their mutual success.
 
Competition for brand share grows constantly as operators strive to improve their marketing strategies, reduce service costs, increase customer loyalty and work more closely with their content provider partners. To compete effectively, products must be marketed to the highest value customer segments through the most efficient distribution channels, and supported by effective messaging. Consequently, campaign management and analytics have become necessary and invaluable tools in improving the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.