Mobile for the Family? Nothing to get all Per- “Snikiddy” About

Do you ever notice how whenever a new technology or communications medium becomes really popular and widespread, it’s soon discussed within the context of its beneficial/harmful effects on “The Family?”

For instance, take TV or even the Internet; there are those who swear that gathering around the computer and playing games or watching streaming video brings parents and children together, while others decry that technology continues to drive generations further apart. Personally, I believe that it all comes down to moderation and that the situation differs from family to family. However, it is interesting to note how marketers are starting to tout texting (especially text2win) as something for all audiences, young and old.

“Buy Life”… That’s Really All You Need to Know, Honest.

Like many of my colleagues in the MCDM program, I am a regular reader of  WIRED magazine. For the past few years, the publication has experimented with using the newest communication technologies to reach its audience members in wonderful (and sometimes weird) ways. Therefore, it is not surprising that WIRED regularly runs ads featuring QR codes, SMS campaigns, or exclusive mobile content. Some of these ads are well designed (I recall seeing one that offered an augmented-reality tour of a car interior)… and then there are those like the “Buy Life” campaign featured in the December 2010 issue.

Here’s the primary image:

Needless to say, the thing that caught my eye was the barcode prominently displayed across Alicia Keys’ chest. Hoping that there was more to this advertisement then a tongue-in-cheek “check me out” joke, I looked to the copy. Sure enough, the instructions were to “Scan this shirt to fight AIDS.” However, since my little Matrix cannot join in any Smartphone games, I was glad to find that texting “Alicia” to the shortcode 90999 would lead me to the same mobile opportunity… which is pretty un-inspiring.

‘Tis the Season to Party and Constellation Wines Wants to Help

Fa, la, la, la.

Constellation Wines is planning to pull out all the stops (corks?) with its new mobile campaign that the company hopes will put its wines at the center of consumers’ holiday party-planning. According to its Website, the company partnered with Augme Technologies to spread the word about the interactive campaign which utilizes QR codes and SMS keywords to draw shoppers to the brand and encourage repeat purchases. I came across the ad by clicking on a link in the bi-weekly e-newsletter I receive from BevMo!, although the company claims it will also be using “free-standing” newspaper inserts to promote its revamped mobile outreach.

However, before I analyze the mobile experience itself, I feel I should take Constellation Wines to task regarding its promotion of this mobile opportunity. In truth, I only saw the link because I was looking for “mobile” somewhere in the myriad of ads that get sent to my e-mail inbox. It will be interesting to see what sort of public response this particular campaign receives as, so far, these promotional efforts seem to me pretty weak. For example, I do not know many people nowadays who carefully read each and every newspaper insert, if at all. Most members of my generation (that read the paper), simply remove them, flip through looking for great deals on new electronics, and then chuck the whole stack into the recycle bin. I think a more effective adverting approach would be for Constellation Wines to place its promotional materials directly in those places where people go to purchase wine, in order to create an actual physical proximity between the brand and consumers. Furthermore, in order to reach its younger constituents (who have the wherewithal to host holiday gatherings), Constellation Wines should partner with regional wine bloggers and enthusiasts (of which there are hundreds) to send out calls-to-action regarding using the Constellation Wines mobile platform to plan the perfect holiday party. Around this time of year, there are countless publications (both mainstream and Internet-based) that offer tips on entertaining guests, and, as I will later discuss, I believe the angle Constellation Wines has chosen for its mobile offerings is worth promoting in that regard.

Right on TARGET!

Disclaimer before I start this blog post, I have a love/hate relationship with TARGET. As a shopper who values convenience and a diverse selection of good-quality products, TARGET makes me happy. It was an invaluable resource during my high school years… not to mention my main source of income. Having worked at my local Target store for two years, I can pretty much tell you where any item in the store is located, when’s the best time to pick up hot-ticket items, and what products will likely be discounted in next week’s ad. I can also share some tips about how to make the red-and-khaki-clad crowd your best friends (rule #1? BE NICE!).

However, there are also times when I hate Target… usually around the Holidays. This is because the normal efficiency the store staff displays throughout the year tends to go out the window around November. Communications break down, and hardly anybody knows what products are in the store, or how to find them elsewhere in the Target-verse if they are sold out. That’s why when I read online that Target had revamped its mobile platform to offer consumers more “ho-ho-ho” (holiday cheer) and less no-no-no! (mutual frustration/hatred between shoppers and staff), I was curious to learn more and try it out for myself.

Radio Meets the Telephone… If You Can Find the Link

The more time I spend in my Mobile Communications course, the more I realize how much I want a Smartphone. Trying week after week to find dumb-phone-friendly mobile opportunities is somewhat disheartening. Despite the fact that “approximately 72% of American adult consumers send and receive text messages” (Pew Internet Project) and “90% of text messages are read within three minutes of delivery, and that the recipient reads more than 99% of all text messages” (SinglePoint), the number of mobile-savvy companies that  use SMS campaigns is staggeringly small… or maybe they’re just under-promoted, which brings me to my first observation: Your company has a mobile strategy? Great! Does anyone outside the company know about it?

Study Blue Doesn’t Make the Grade: “F” for e-FF-ort.

A majority of businesses that integrate mobile into their promotional strategies claim that their offerings will in some way make life easier for their consumers. They promise not only to give the customer “more,” but also to be timely and convenient. As someone who is attending a professional masters degree program, while also working on various side endeavors and trying to remain sane each quarter, I appreciate convenience. Therefore, imagine my delight when I receive a message from Study Blue, sent to my UW email account, which announces:  

“Pocket is the New Backpack: This semester, get your study materials on any computer or phone. Free.”

A fairly clever slogan, granted, but past experiences with mobile opportunities (especially on my remedial, little Matrix), have taught me that mobile marketers should avoid hyperbolic statements that incorporate the descriptor “any computer or phone.”  Hello, mobile opportunity of the week! Time to put Study Blue to the test.

“Calling” (Texting?) All Donors

Ever since Malcolm Gladwell’s statement that social media cannot inspire effective social change, there’s been a lot of discussion in the MCDM program concerning the validity of his arguments. For this reason, the issue of “social good” was on my mind as I began hunting for this week’s “dumb-phone” – friendly mobile opportunity. Since my Matrix limits me to participation in the mobile-arena largely via its messaging abilities, I immediately thought of texting as a way of donating funds to a cause/charitable organization.

Now, whether you’re an acolyte or skeptic of “armchair philanthropy,” it cannot be denied that people have used it enough during recent crises to merit attention. For example, concerned citizens “mobilized” to support the Haitians after the 2010 earthquake, using their SMS-enabled phones to raise more than $30 million (14% of all efforts)  for The Red Cross and other relief organizations in just the first 10 days. However, a majority of these campaigns have been very “reactive,” only occurring ex post facto. Furthermore, there haven’t been a lot of opportunities for smaller non-profits to grab a slice of the mobile-fundraising pie… until now. Enter a new “text-to-donate” service, as yet unnamed, born of the partnership  of Obopay Inc. and Benevity Social Ventures, Inc.

After Pong, there is Ping.fm

While checking my daily “blog-roll,” I noticed that a lot of the comments were being posted via a tool called “ping.fm” Curious as to what “Ping” was and why so many of my favorite online orators were using it, I decided to do a little investigating. I had heard the term before, as in mobiles “ping” cell towers, or “Comcast is going to ‘ping’ your modem to test if it’s working” (I’ve heard that one over 20x), but never in relation to blogging.

Upon navigating to the Ping.fm Website, I was told Ping was a simple and FREE service that makes updating your social networks a snap. OK, sounds good. To join Ping, you have to sign up by entering your email address and a password. First red flag issue: Firefox tells me it cannot verify the connection is secure. And we’re off to a rollicking start!

Hello world?

PayPal Mobile…? Not Matrix User-Friendly.

While reading Mashable.com, TechCrunch.net, and cnet.com, I came across a story detailing the initial success of PayPal’s newest mobile program: “check-capture.” Specifically developed for the iPhone and its descendents, the application enables users to deposit checks to their PayPal accounts by scanning the checks via smartphone and transmitting the images to the banks in question. Having used PayPal myself now for a few years, and being happy with its effectiveness and security, I wanted to know if there was a way for my Pantech Matrix Dual-Slider to be a part of PayPal’s mobile efforts. Navigating to the company’s mobile page, I saw a link that enables me to use PayPal Mobile through SMS text-messaging. Since the Matrix is primarily marketed as a texting phone, this seemed the best way to participate.  

My primary goal in testing the capabilities of PayPal Mobile via SMS texting was to compare it with the “check-capture” application. Specifically, I wanted to discover if I would be satisfied conducting my business through simple SMS, or if the experience would leave me wishing for an iPhone so that I could scan and deposit my checks rather than having to “settle” for the SMS transactions. By the end of my personal experiment, I definitely found myself lusting after an iPhone, Blackberry, Android, or any other “smarter” phone than the one I currently have.